κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was turned toward God, and the Word was God. ... In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overtaken it.   Words are powerful. With words we make promises, pledge allegiance, and express our thoughts and feelings. We want others to hear our words, believe our words, and trust our words. With words we can build up relationships ... or tear them down. We can show ourselves trustworthy ... or destroy reputation and hope through broken promises, forgotten pledges, and a history of tiny deceits. If you think our words can have power, then think of the power of God’s Word.  Our Old Testament reading from Genesis shows this power: God said, Let there be light , and there was light. God’s Word separated the light from the darkness. God’s word works. The book of Hebrews teaches that in many and various ways God spoke ... you know, words ... by the prophets, and that, now, i...

Dear JonEtta and Frank, Diane and Thomas, Mary and Kent, Lisa and Buck; dear friends and extended family of Darlene; dear brothers and sisters in Christ ... Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . The text for our meditation today comes to you from our epistle reading, Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians ... especially where we read, Blessed is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who blessed us.   If you ever met Darlene, if you ever sat with her for any time at all, you know ... Anita Darlene Hearting was blessed. I am so blessed , she said every time I ever visited with her.  She was blessed with a strong faith in Christ. She was blessed with a long life. She had been blessed with a loving husband. She was blessed with loving children. She was blessed on the farm. She was blessed in the church. She was blessed by our Lord. And she wanted more than anything to share that blessing with anyone she met ... especially al...

Behold, your king comes to you.   Behold, He has. He is. And He will. Your king comes to you. He comes as Jeremiah proclaimed, because The covenantal love of the Lord never ceases. He comes. His compassions never come to an end ... He continues to come. ... They are new every morning ... He never stops coming. This word (Lam 3:22-23) comforted the believers of the old covenant as they groaned in a different kind of captivity and their temple lay in ruins. And it should give you comfort as you enter a new year and the new temple, seeing your king coming to you again today to set you free.  Although God has for thousands of years shown endless mercy to the whole sinful human race ... though he has pursued some of us with nothing but mercy for years ... though he has overwhelmed us with compassion ... Behold, your king still comes to you in compassion. If we human beings ever show mercy at all, especially to fellow sinners, it’s only in a limited amount. Too often we hold grudge...

Some of my colleagues in the ministry don’t think that we should acknowledge Thanksgiving in our church calendar. Thanksgiving Day is a secular holiday declared by various presidents ... Therefore, they say, it doesn’t belong in the church. In 1789, George Washington was the first president to proclaim a national thanksgiving day. But the deist Thomas Jefferson chose not to observe the holiday. It wasn’t until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. And it was still another seven years before Ulysses Grant signed into law the Holidays Act that made Thanksgiving a federal holiday.  It is for these reasons that I agreed with anyone who didn’t think Thanksgiving Day should be added to the church calendar.  And then, I began preaching the Gospel.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, Thanksgiving Day has everything to do with Jesus. Everytime we meet, we give thanks to God for the life, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord J...

Have you ever paid attention to how our lectionary flows? Sometimes you really have to wonder what the lectionary committee was thinking. There actually is a rhyme and reason to it all; it just isn’t always obvious. The Holy Gospel we heard just a few minutes ago is one example. It would seem that it would be better to hear our reading from Luke 23 on Good Friday. Think about it. Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Thanksgiving is Thursday. And it’s only 35 days until Christmas!   Alas, this reading was selected because Good Friday is the perfect ending for a new beginning. Good Friday is the lens through which we, as Christians, should see everything. When we preach the Gospel, we need to talk about this day. It is the focus of the Gospel. It reflects the cross, baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s supper. All of these preach Christ crucified, buried and risen ... for you. It is the full Gospel, all that Jesus did and taught, all that Jesus is still doing. Today we get a n...