κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

I am sure you all remember the stories about the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock. I am sure you even have a picture in your mind’s eye, don’t you? Pilgrims in bonnets and stovepipe hats ... Indians in leather and feathers ... A huge wild turkey in the middle of a table ... A bounty of squash. ... Corn on the cob. ... It’s an image that continues to linger, even though some have tried to declare the picture to be more fiction than fact.  No matter how it actually happened: What you should remember most is that people were unified ... brought together ... around food. They had been called together to give thanks that God was blessing them and keeping them, that God was making his face shine upon them and being gracious to them, that God was lifting his countenance upon them and giving them peace (Num 6:24-26). Our Divine Service tonight is no different. The same thing will happen. God has called us together to bless us and nourish us with a feast that will sustain us.  Durin...

In the name of Jesus, Amen. The word for our meditation today comes from our Gospel reading in Matthew 25. [Introduction] Jesus said: Keep watch, therefore, because you know neither the day nor the hour (v 13).  Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is an earnest warning from our Lord to be prepared.  Be prepared ... because He is coming soon to judge the living and the dead.  Be prepared ... because it will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of the eye. Be prepared ... because when the Wedding Feast of the Lamb begins, the doors will be shut. Be prepared. In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 25, spoken days before his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus says that the wise will be prepared, and the foolish will not be (vv 4, 8).  4. So which one are you ... one of the foolish or one of the wise? Don’t try to answer that question too quickly. Instead, prepare yourself to do that by listening again to God’s Word on this matter. Jesus said, the kingdom of the he...

Now when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his throne of glory. And all the nations will be gathered together before him, and he will separate them from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will stand the sheep on his right, and the goats on the left (vv 31-33). ... The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, those who have been spoken well of by my Father: Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the cosmos (v 34) ... (And) He will say to those on his left: Go from me, those who are cursed into the eternal fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels (v 41). [Prayer] Heavenly Father, because of your love toward us sinners, You have given us your Beloved Son so that, through faith in Him, we will receive eternal life. Grant us your Holy Spirit to hear and receive this Gospel through your means so that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end and finally come to ...

[Prayer] Heavenly Father, you have told us that when we call upon you in the day of trouble, you will deliver us. We know that you do this through the preaching of your Gospel and the administration of your sacraments. Grant us a steadfast faith through these means, a cheerful hope in your mercy, and a sincere love for you and one another, boldly trusting in Jesus. Amen. [Introduction] Our Gospel reading is a familiar story. It’s familiar because it appears in all three of the synoptic Gospels ... Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These first three books of the New Testament are called Synoptic Gospels because they are seen together. That’s what Synoptic means ... seen together. They share many of the same Words, stories, parables, miracles, accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Personally, my favorite account of today’s account is found in Mark chapter 5. When you get home today, you should read it. It’s always good to hear another version of God’s Word. But today, I don’t wa...