Description
Part two of three of our midweek Advent series, "The Names by Which He'll Be Called", focuses on the wonderful name mentioned by Isaiah in chapter 9 of his book. The wonder is how a baby can do anything princely, let alone give us true spiritual peace.
Description
As if the 2020 presidential candidates weren't talking about the economy -- good and bad -- enough, enter the prophet Amos. What can this man from roughly 750 B.C. add to a conversation in 21st centurty capitalistc America? Plenty. And it has less to do with dollars and cents and more with hearts and souls.
Description
On the Christian church calendar, September 29 is the Festival of Saint Michael and All Angels where we praise and thank God for his gift of angels. While much of the world envisions angels as cute little chubby boys, John's vision here in Revelation pictures them as strong fighters. Watch intently, then, as Saint Michael and the holy angels fight against the devil and the fallen angels because this throwdown says something about your relationship with God.
Description
40 days after Jesus rose from the dead, he ascended back into heaven. Ascension Day is sometimes overlooked but is just as important as Christmas or Easter because it makes us happy -- for Jesus who ascended and for ourselves who will ascend into heaven.
Description
Christians recognize they are not their own masters; Jesus Christ is. And since Jesus is a good master who has served us and told us he will return at any moment, we are always ready to welcome him.
Our guest preacher is Seminarian Joshua Rathje, who has begun his final year at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. God willing, in May of 2020 Josh will be graduated and assigned to serve in the pastoral ministry. We pray for God's blessings on his school year!
Description
God wants you to take his commands seriously, but he also wants you to have confidence in his promise to comfort you in this life and in the life to come.
Description
A veteran fisherman is frigthened, facedown in his boat while a bunch of fish are flopping around him. What Jesus says to this fisherman changed the man's life... and changes ours, too.
Description
We often have individualized concpetions of Jesus' apperance and how he carried himself (tone of voice, mannerisms, etc.). In the opening chapter of Revelation, Jesus appeared to Saint John exactly as Jesus wanted to be seen. That appearance shows us the kind of Jesus we should picture... and believe in.
Description
The opening verses of Scripture give us the basics of God -- who he is, what he does, how he does them. While it all adds up to a high and holy mystery, this gives us a God we can believe in and have full confidence in.
+++
Pastor Wayne Shevey served as our guest preacher. He serves as a campus pastor at Wisconsin Lutheran College.
Description
A basic truth of Christianity is that the only true God is triune, that is, he is three distinct persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- in one perfectly united and undivided God. Full confession: no Christian can understand that with human reason alone. Nor can any Christian understand why this Triune God would want to bless sinners like us.
But the believer's faith simply takes God at his Word. He is Triune. He is loving. And the loving Triune God blesses sinners freely.
Description
The world is full of sinners who blaspheme God, persecute Christians, and carry out violence in general. But that didn't stop Christ Jesus come into the world with his abundant grace for every sinner, including them "out there" and you right here.
Description
Even as Saint Paul gives many commands about marriage and the family, he doubles down on something else -- the love that Christ gives the church through his death and through baptism. That's what perfects families and keeps them united.
Description
Sometimes people talk about having a "call" from God. In our verses, the four fishermen got a call from the Son of God himself: a call to public ministry. But, if you don't have a call for public ministry, that doesn't mean Jesus' isn't speaking to you here. He's calling to you with both law (commands for your life) and gospel (good news about free forgiveness).
Description
This sermon concludes our four part series on 2 Corinthians, and this particular theme is almost redundant with the overall series theme. Today, we focus on Paul's words, "Christ's love compels us," which is more or less another way of saying, "We conduct ourselves according to God's grace." Paul's message here isn't a new message, but it's so powerful it never stops moving and affecting everythign we do. Christ for us motivates us to live for God and for others!
Christ-like Love Overcomes Uncomfortable Circumstances
Description
Jesus' death and resurrection made it clear that God loves all people of all cultures, nationalities, and races. Therefore, we do, too, even if it is a little bit uncomfortable at times.
Description
If you're a Christian, you must lose out on things in this life, but Jesus promises you that the eternal things you gain through his death, his resurrection, and his gospel far outgain what you give up in this generation.
Description
The Christian faith doesn't fit into neat, earthly boxes that make sense to our human minds. The things of the triune God rise high above earth. And yet our God has brought them down to us and enables us to put our faith in these heavenly things.
Description
Jesus predicts all sorts of signs that will lead into the end of the world. It's enough to frighten souls. So, Jesus makes sure to promise, "Stand firm, and you will win life."
Description
In Jeremiah 17, God says that you are either "cursed" or "blessed." There's no inbetween. So, what are you? It depends on what -- or who -- you turn to.
Description
If you feel like our culture tries to quickly move past Christmas, you should meet King Herod. As Herod tries to carry out a sinister plot against the Christ-child, we see a comforting truth that will take us into the new year and decade.
Description
Now that December 25 has come and gone and that we're nearly through the "twelve days of Christmas," what's left to look forward to? Two veteran believers named Simeon and Anna show and tell us.
Description
For everyone coming down in a post-Christmas crash, Simeon and Anna shift our focus to the Christ child because in him we see and understand that the joy of Christmas lasts longer than just a shopping season or a break from school.
Description
The words of 1 Corinthians are famous words. They are beautiful words. But can they also be frightening? When we recognize that we ourselves have not loved like this, we feel the fright of guilt and then look at Christ who has loved us like this. It's this love that we want to be confirmed in.
(In this worship service, we also confirmed a youth of our congregation, and allusions to that are made in the sermon.)
Description
During the season of Lent we are reminded again and again that the punishment for our sin should be condemnation in hell. But these verses from Romans remind us that what Jesus Christ did for us during Holy Week changed our relationship with God and what we get from him. Seminarian Josh Rathje shares that good news with us!
Josh is in his second year at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary where, God willing, he will graduate in another two years and serve a congregation as pastor.
