κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

Beloved in the Lord, especially you John, Barbara, Clifford, and Marcus ... dear friends and extended family of Katherin Loraine Parsons ... Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you faith leading to eternal life in him. In our Psalm of ascent, King David sang, I was glad when they said to me: Let us go to the house of the Lord (Ps 122:1). So too was Katherin Loraine Parsons. She was ALWAYS glad when we said, Let us go to the house of the Lord.  Katherin loved to hear the Word of the Lord and to be reminded of his promises while waiting quietly for the salvation of the Lord (Lam 3:26). Here, she learned how to fight the good fight of faith. Here, she learned how to take hold of the eternal life to which she was called (1 Tim 6:12). Like Martha in our Gospel reading before her, she made the good confession of the faith ... that, Yes, Lord ... I have believed and continue to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming...

And again, having gone out of the region of Tyre, [Jesus] went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, up into the midst of the region of the Decapolis. And the people brought to him a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking. And they advocated for him that [Jesus] might lay his hand on him (vv 31-32). Please now open your service book to Page 323, and join me in confessing our faithful doctrine on the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer. What is the Conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer? For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. What does this mean? This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven and are heard by him: for he himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means Yes, Yes, it shall be so. 5 So along comes God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten not made, Being of one substance with the Father, the One through whom all things were made. Our Lo...

But the tax collector, standing from afar, was not even wishing to lift his eyes into heaven, but he kept beating his chest, saying: O God, Make atonement for me, the sinner (v 13). Please now open your service book to Page 327 and join me in confessing our faithful doctrine on the Sacrament of the Altar.  Who receives this Sacrament worthily? Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But that person is truly worthy and well-prepared who has faith in these words: ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ But anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words ‘for you’ require all hearts to believe. 1. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, how can we stand before a perfect God without being consumed by his burning anger against our sin?  This question ... was ... and honestly, still is ... at the heart of the Reformation. How do we sinners become right with God? How do we become worthy to enter t...

The word for our meditation today comes to us from the Gospel reading, where we read: And as [Jesus] drew near, having seen the city, he wept over her, saying that if you, even you, knew on this day the things (that bring) peace! (vv 41-42a) Please open your service book to page 321 and join me in confessing our faithful doctrine on the Third Commandment.  What is the Third Commandment? Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy . What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it . Then we will know the things that bring peace. 4. Our Lord weeps for those who don’t know peace. There were two occasions during his earthly ministry when Jesus wept. The first time, you should know, was at the death of Lazarus (Jn 11:35). There, he quietly shed tears.  Today Luke recounts for us the second time Jesus wept. He writes, And as [Jesus] drew near, having seen the city, he wept over her. ...

Brothers and sisters in Christ, especially you, dear Stan, and Hope, Scott, Gregg, and Leigh, and all others who consider themselves close to Geraldine Mae Steffens: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Today, I draw your attention to the end of our first reading from the Revelation to Saint John, where we read, Be faithful until death, and I will give to you the crown of life (Rv 2:10b). This word of our Lord Jesus, given first to the church at Smyrna, is his promise not only to you, but most prominently, to our beloved Jeri. She received this promise as her own during her confirmation in 1945 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Emma, Missouri. And she held onto this promise her entire life unto death. Brothers and sisters in Christ ... Be faithful until death, and I will give to you the crown of life. 2 What does it mean to be faithful?  To be faithful means to be loyal, steadfast in affection or allegiance, firm in adherence to pro...

Please open your service book to page 321 and join me in confessing our faithful doctrine on the Seventh Commandment.  What is the Seventh Commandment? You shall not steal . What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income .  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 5. The text for our meditation today comes from our Gospel reading in Luke.  I will confess right away, this is a challenging text. It raises challenging questions. If answered incorrectly, many people could be left wondering whether Jesus actually told this parable. They wonder because it seems to be so out of character for our Lord. Listen again to how the Lord handled the unrighteous manager: He praised him for being shrewd, for using his master’s money or possessions for his own earthly gain. Then Jesus said, if ...