κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

The Lord Jesus speaks a serious word today ... one to which we should carefully.  [Jesus said] those hearing you hear me, and those rejecting you reject me. But the one rejecting me, rejects the one who sent me (Lk 10:16). This is the word for our meditation. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Reverend Jeffrey Kyler has answered a Divine Call to carry out Word and Sacrament ministry here at Zion Lutheran Church in accordance with the scriptures and our confession. He is being called to speak God’s Word, lest he should boast of his own and lead you down a path to eternal destruction. He is being called to do the work of an evangelist, preaching the eternal Gospel and administering the Sacraments so that you will receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Christ.  This Word that Pastor Kyler is being called to preach is not his Word ... it is the Lord’s Word. Listen to it. The sacraments he will administer are not his sacraments; they are the Lord’ ... instituted by Ch...

Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, [with] an eternal gospel to proclaim to those sitting upon the earth, and upon all the nations and tribes and languages and people. And he said with a great voice, “Fear God and give to him glory because the hour of his judgment has come; Worship him who made the heavens and the earth and sea and the springs of water.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, why you are here today?  Do you remember why you came?  Are you here simply out of habit? Or do you recognize something else at play?  What is it that brought you to _____ Lutheran Church?  Maybe you haven’t formally asked yourself these questions lately, but it is a good thing to do from time to time. These are some of the questions Luther would have asked himself before starting the Reformation some 505 years ago. Although our observance of the Reformation in this service is really one of the more minor festivals of the church year, today we recognize it is one of the most ...

And they were scandalized (or offended) by him (v 57).   We live in a world that is easily offended. People scandalize each other by suing over the most trivial matters. They lie, cheat, and steal. They are proud, arrogant, and abusive. They are always just a moment away from creating an even bigger scandal.  Worse, they are shocked or horrified ... the definition of scandalize ... by the presence of a cross and the words under God. If that cross is a crucifix, the world will malign it even more and speak more maliciously about it. They feel scandalized by being reminded their sin was nailed to a cross. They feel scandalized by thinking that God died for us ... and that he would do this precisely because we are actually poor, we are actually miserable, and we are actually sinners.  The world is scandalized by its refusal to believe in Jesus.  It’s nothing new to recognize how offended we are. Scandals are as old as man. The first scandal of history is recorded in th...

  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  The word for our meditation today comes to us from Brooklyn Fischer’s confirmation verse, Deuteronomy 6:5-6, which reads ... You will love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and all your being, and all your might. And these words that I command you this day will be upon your heart.  Brooklyn, what a great day it is to be reminded of this word! What a great day this is for Zion, and for your husband, Hagan. What a great day this is for the church at large. This is a day the Lord has anointed for you. So let us all rejoice and be glad in it.  I don’t know about the rest of my brothers and sisters in Christ in the room, but I definitely remember my day like this way back in 1978. How can any of us forget? This is a day we are reminded that God has set his Gospel upon our heart.  1. Brooklyn, because today is your Confirmation Day ... the day you confirm you have the same faith in ...

The word for our meditation comes from Curtis Gilmore’s confirmation verse: 1 Corinthians 16:13, which reads ... Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strengthened .   Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and especially you Curtis, you need to know the world wants us to look the other way. The world wants us to stand by idly and silently, much like Adam did in the Garden. The world wants us to abandon our confession or conform it to something that makes the world feel better. The world wants us to redefine the Gospel, not that there is another.  When we refuse to do these things, the world will speak louder ... shouting if they think it’s necessary. The world will denounce you for your confession; it will try to divide and conquer you. The world will argue that there is a better way to worship.  So hear again the word of the Lord from 1 Corinthians 16:13 ... Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strengthened .  1. As the congreg...