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A person's stomach can sink when he hears, "Your father wants to speak to you." But when you hear that about God the Father in the context of Christmas, your stomach doesn't sink. Instead, your spirits soar! Scripture assures you that God the Father wants to speak to you in the person of his Son, Jesus, and about the work Jesus came to do for you.
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The Day of Pentecost is sometimes called "the birthday of the Christian church." St. Paul assures you that as you're receiving some of those birthday gifts.
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Our fourth and final sermon in a series from 1 Corinthians wraps up two key themes from this letter's opening chapters -- wisdom and the cross. As we hear Paul's words, the Holy Spirit connects the dots and lets you in on God's secret.
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If God loves you, then why does he test you and your faith be tested? And when God tests you, how should you react? Jesus' very own brother, James, explains God's purpose and how Christians persevere during the tough times.
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High profile cases in America fascinate many, mostly because it gives them a chance to talk about their conclusions. God also wants to tak about judgment -- his judgment on the Last Day.
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Our nation faces tough questions on immigration and foreign policy, and many are calling for changes to both. God's spiritual policy towards all people of all races has never needed to change. Through the gospel about Jesus, he has always wanted to gather all people to his heavenly kingdom so that it becomes "a house of prayer for all nations."
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We so often hear about God's forgiveness that we often also fail to take to hear what it actually is and what it actually does. Jesus' parable helps us with that.
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Pastor Keith Free served as our guest preacher. He recently was installed as one of the pastors at St. John's Lutheran Church in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.
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There is only one kind of glory that lasts. Everything else is just fading away and leading towards death and condemnation. Therefore, God's grace moved him to uncover where we can find and receive lasting glory--his glory.
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As Living Water celebrates its 25th anniversary, it praises God that his forgiveness, life, and salvation have flowed to our congregation for over two decades and it celebrates the confidence of knowing such living water will continue to flow to us in the future.
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Sermon for the Third Sunday after Epiphany
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The people in Jesus' hometown had a hard time recognizing him as the Savior. How do we recognize that the Savior is in our presence?
(Pastor Wayne Shevey, who serves at Wisconsin Lutheran College, was our guest preacher.)
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This sermon introduces a four part sermon series from 2 Corinthians entitled, "Conducting Ourseslves according to God's Grace." Before we know how we can conduct ourselves, we first need to know who we are. Paul's famous metaphor compares us sinners to weak, fragile jars of clay -- but jars of clay that have a valuable treasure placed inside them by God himself.
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On Good Shepherd Sunday, St. Peter gives us three good reasons why we can confidently follow in Jesus' footsteps--he sees our suffering, he understands our suffering, and he can do something about our suffering.
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A suprising encounter filled with racial and cultural tension shows you Jesus' unprejudiced mercy, his limitless power, and what great faith does.
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Kids are eager to grow physically and love making notches on doorframes to mark their growth. Paul encourages us to be eager to grow spiritually, and though it doesn't always look as linear as physical growht, Paul assures us that the ascended Lord will produce the growth we need.
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Pastor Wayne Shevey, who serves as a campus pastor at Wisconsin Lutheran College, served as our guest preacher.
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Because we're sinful, our concerns are not always the things that God wants us to be concerned about. So, what should be our chief concern? The cross of Christ and our own individual crosses. Our own crosses help us see more clearly the need for Christ. Jesus' cross helps us see how much he has fulfilled that need.
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There was plenty of news happening in the tiny town of Capernaum one Saturday. But the greatest news of all also needed to be told to the surrounding towns... and to us.
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At Christmas just a few weeks ago we celebrated Jesus coming to us in the flesh. Now at his baptism, we celebrate how he comes to us to do the work of his public ministry.
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Vicar Joel Kriever served as our guest preacher. Vicar Krieger serves at our sister congregation, St. John's in Mukwonago, as part of his seminary training in order to be a pastor. God bless Vicar Krieger in his continued training!
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Our sermon from Ash Wednesday takes a look at Jesus' parable on the Pharisee and tax collector. Do you walk around with your head up so you can compare yourself to others or because you know your God has had mercy on you, a sinner?
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Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent and is marked by emphasizing the need for a Savior. We are mortal sinners, made from dust and ashes, and the punishment for our sins is death, whereby we return to dust and ashes. So, on Ash Wednesday, we ask the Holy Spirit to create true repentance in us so that we not only turn from our sins but also to our Savior, whose suffering and death for us lets us walk into Lent with our heads up.
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As we fight against sin, temptation, and evil in this life, it may seem like Jesus, our Bridegroom, is a long time in coming to take us to heaven's triumph. But as we keep watch with other Christians, we ponder the fact that heaven will be worth the wait.
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A shorter message on Palm Sunday helps us join those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with their voices and palms... but also transitions us into contemplation of what our Lord suffered later in the week and why -- for us and for our salvation.
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The church calendar has begun a new year. The season of Advent starts the new church year and encourages us to prepare for Christ's coming at the manger on Christmas and on the clouds on the Last Day. Jesus' words shortly before he died prepare us and fill us with a genuine, sure hope that is better than any human-based optimism.
Wayne Shevey, one of the campus pastors at Wisconsin Lutheran College, proclaims God's good news.
(Note: This recording is from the Monday night service on December 3.)
