κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you don’t deserve God’s grace. We never did deserve it, and we never will. In the wilderness ... left to ourselves ... we are lost ... and here ... left to ourselves, we deserve to die. But thanks be to God, by grace, his grace ... he has given his son to live for you, and die for you, and rise as the firstborn of the resurrection. And now He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah! Eternal life awaits us all by God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. This salvation by no other name than our Lord Jesus is a gift of God on account of the blood of Christ so that no one can boast (Acts 4:12, Eph 2:9).  But boast we will, and boast we do. We boast about our past. We boast about our future. God’s people did it in our Old Testament reading. And we are still doing it today. Though the moaning, groaning, grumbling, and complaining of God’s people indicates a lack of trust in God and his Word, God nevertheless promises to be with his people. He promises to delive...

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well by holding fast to as a lamp shining in a dark place until the day shines through and the light bearer arises in your hearts (v 19). We live in a time of immediate information, an abundance of opinions, and a constant parade of experts who want to guide us through the times. They all talk about the threats we face and the steps we should take to avoid suffering, controversy, and difficulties. Every other voice we hear seemingly responds with cries of misinformation or disinformation ! Then we are left to wonder: Who can we trust? What can we trust? Where can we find something to trust? When can we trust it? And why is it so hard to trust? Saint Peter gives us the answers to our questions of who, what, where, when and why.  In verse 19 of our epistle reading, Saint Peter calls our sinful world a dark and gloomy place. Because of the light of Christ shining through ... because of the certainty of our Lord...

But you have kept the good wine until now (v 10b). When Jesus changed water into wine, he did what was humanly impossible to do: He created something out of nothing. He didn’t substitute wine for water. He changed the water into wine ... and not just any wine ... but that which is good ... you know like in the beginning ... that which abounds to the end. It was a miracle. It was a sign. It manifested his glory (v 11).  As a miraculous sign, it signified something extraordinary about Jesus, and something glorious about marriage. So today we will talk about Jesus, and we will talk about marriage, and we’ll talk about the relationship between Jesus and marriage and the celebration that goes with it. THE SIGNS OF CHRIST CONTINUE TO REVEAL THE GLORY OF GOD 1. First, we’ll talk about Jesus.  The changing of water into wine is a sign that reveals who Jesus is. Note first, that this wedding happened on the third day (v 1). This points us to the Resurrection and the Marriage Feast of...

[Jesus said] Amen, Amen, I say to you that the one hearing my Word and having faith in the one who sent me will have life eternal (v24) Dear Michael, Mark, Christine ... dear friends and extended family of Sandra ... dear brothers and sisters in Christ ... Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister in Christ ... lives, though she has died (Jn 11:25). In her earthly life, she knew the Beautiful Savior. She knew that her Redeemer lives. She knew What a Friend She Has in Jesus. Therefore, we can say with confidence that Sandy Huey has eternal life. We can be sure and certain of this declaration because the Word Made Flesh has promised.  God can’t change his promises. You heard this Word of our Lord himself. Again, Jesus said, Amen, Amen, I say to you that the one hearing my Word and having faith in the one who sent me will have life eternal (v24). Our heavenly faithful Lord ... who was born...