κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

Temptation is as old as man and as new as this very hour. When the man and the woman succumbed to the first temptation in the garden (Gen 3:1-19), Satan gained control over this world. He’s been tempting us ever since.  Did God really say , he whispered in the beginning (3:1).  Really, truly , he still says today. Are you sure that’s what God’s word really says? The original sin of self-idolatry in the garden (3:5) introduced into the world a terrible corruption: Death (3:19). Our sin immediately began weakening our flesh, causing all of us to capitulate habitually to more sin. The original sin brought us fear and trembling; shame, sickness, and sadness; death and despair. It made us blind and deaf to the Gospel. It caused all of creation to begin groaning under its weight. We began looking to ourselves for life. We began taking the name of the Lord in vain, making promises we knew we wouldn’t keep. We began despising God’s Word, changing it to suit ourselves. We began dishono...

Today is Ash Wednesday. For years, I have been hearing the same question leading up to tonight’s service: Pastor, are we going to have ashes ? Granted, I’ve been your pastor for only four years now, but even when we lived in Peoria, which has a huge Roman Catholic and Lutheran population, you’d see people everywhere bearing the sign of repentance: an ashen cross on their forehead. They too asked the same question: Pastor, are we going to have ashes ?  Have you ever wondered why we do this? I finally did during my fourth year of seminary.  Pastor , I asked that year, are we going to have ashes?   To my surprise, he said, no.  Really? Why? I inquired.  Read the Gospel for today , he said. So I did. ... [Jesus said:] And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces in order that their fasting may be seen by others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, in...

Then having taken the twelve aside, he said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that were written about the Son of Man through the prophets will be completed, for he will be betrayed to the Gentiles and will be mocked and will be shamed and will be spit upon, and after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise. But they, in no way, understood these things (vv 31-34a).  5. How could they?  God is on his way to suffer and to die on a cross for you (vv 31-33). And he’s taking you with him. That’s the bottom line truth in our Gospel reading today.  Is it any wonder the disciples didn’t understand these things? Think about it ... We bristle at the thought that God would do this. We bristle at the thought that God would not only die,but do it for us. We don’t understand what it actually means to be crucified. We can’t even imagine that suffering. But this is why God came from Heaven to Earth ... He was born to die. And i...

The topic today is the power of God’s Word. And it comes to us through a parable on God’s Word. You might know it as the Parable of the Sower, but no matter really ... BLESSED ARE YOU WHO HEAR THIS WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT. That’s our theme ... the bottom line of what our Lord Jesus is telling us today. I. Not everyone can hear this Word of God, and believe it. But that doesn’t change the fact that God’s Word is all-powerful (Mt 8:8). God’s Word is living and active (Hb 4:12). It always accomplishes the work it’s sent to do (Is 55:11). Whoever wrestles with it will be blessed (Gen 32:28). God’s Word gives us life and breath and meaning (Acts 17:25, Jn 20:31). It quickens our hearts. It enables us to recognize our sin and our need for THE Savior. It then delivers the forgiveness of sins, and therefore gives us all the reason we need to hear the message of salvation all the more. Blessed are you who hear this word of God and keep it. We preachers never need a special anointing from the...

WELCOME TO THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD. This is our theme. I. It might not look like much, but in this vineyard, our Lord produces the finest fruit ... Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faith, and Self-Control (Gal 5:24). Now I’ve heard that Missouri produces wonderful fruit in its vineyards, too, but those are nothing like this. This vineyard always produces fruit ... It’s never lacking ... It’s never idle ... It never stops producing (vv 3, 6). Life in the vineyard isn’t always easy here, but man, is it good!  Here, we learn God is just. He gives what he promises (v 13).  Here, we learn God is good. He is generous with the gifts he delivers (vv 14-15). Whether you’ve been here through all generations (v 1) or for less than an hour (v 6), you will discover that the fruit here is always perfect. So welcome to the vineyard of the Lord. Enjoy the fruit of the Lord’s labor for you. This is one message at the root of today’s parable from Matthew 20, which i...