κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

Believe it or not, sometimes things are not what they seem to be. For example, did you know fireflies are not flies, they’re beetles. Silkworms aren’t worms; they’re caterpillars. Lead pencils contain no lead; they’re made with graphite. English horns are neither English nor horns ... they’re French alto oboes, which are reed instruments. And guinea pigs are neither from Guinea nor are they pigs; they’re rodents from South America. You see, things are not always what they seem to be.  There’s no place in life where that statement is more true than in religion.  Religion is not always what it seems to be.  Our text this morning illustrates that principle quite well. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a warning. Beware of false prophets! They are not who they seem to be. People almost always seem to misunderstand this passage. Although we all know Jesus is speaking about those who are not what they seem to be ... but then he goes on to talk about their fr...

And (Jesus) announced toward the crowd to recline upon the ground. And having taken seven loaves and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. And they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish, and having blessed those, (Jesus) said that those also should be set before (the people). And they ate and were filled. And they took up what was left over, seven baskets of broken pieces. And there were about four thousand people. And he dismissed them. Did you hear that? They did what Jesus told them to do! It’s a miracle! Or is it two?! In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus fed four thousand tired and hungry followers with a feast of overwhelming abundance. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it. He then gave it to the disciples, who started feeding the people following Jesus. They all did what they were told to do. And in the process, they not only didn’t run out of bread, they had a superabundance in the end.  I am n...

  I came ... to fulfill. It’s no wonder that anyone who’s ever wanted to follow Jesus, to get close to Jesus, to be like Jesus, to know Jesus, to understand Jesus, to come to Jesus ... that they have looked to words like those in our Gospel reading today.  Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew Chapter Five comes from the midst of the Sermon on the Mount. There are no words of Jesus that are as revered as these words. Even the world that doesn’t believe in Jesus thinks these words are golden. These words ... all 2,380 or so ... comprise the first and longest discourse of Jesus. More books and articles have been written about these words than any other in the Bible. More sermons have been written on these words than I could imagine. But I promise to give you just one today. Jesus has already done all the heavy lifting.  Jesus has fulfilled them.  In the verses preceding our reading, you can find the beloved Beatitudes. In the words following you can find our beloved Lord...

Preached to the saints at Grace Lutheran Church in Marble, MN and Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Bovey, MN on July 4, 2021.   22 For Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified; to the Jews, a scandal and to Gentiles, foolishness, 24 but to those being called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). Though powerful nations rise and fall and the wisdom and knowledge of the world changes, the church and her proclamation of Christ Crucified for the forgiveness of sins remains. For almost 2,000 years now, the message and purpose of the church has not changed one bit - and this is extremely comforting. You are given the calmness of mind in knowing that the eternally living and reigning Son of God, Jesus Christ, has purchased you with His own blood shed upon the cross; that He is the risen Lord and with all authority in heaven and earth, he has forgiven you of all of your sins. As the living Crucifie...

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord / He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored / You know it, and you love it, don’t you? Especially on a day like today!  Oh, how we love to glory in our glory!  Being a Marine Corps veteran myself, on a Fourth of July Sunday no less, I couldn’t help but spend far too much time this week learning about the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Thankfully, you won’t find this song in the Lutheran Service Book. I thought I might find it in The Lutheran Hymnal (you know, the red book), or maybe even Lutheran Worship (the blue one), but I was pleased to discover it was in neither.  The problem with the Battle Hymn is, when you start reading it, you discover Julia Ward Howe’s Civil War song is actually rife with a theology of glory.  We Lutherans, on the other hand, preach Christ crucified, to Jews a scandal and to Gentiles foolishness. We proclaim the theology of the cross.  TO THOSE OF US BE...