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Why does God bother to proclaim a name for himself that he's already given to Israel and to explain it when he had before? Because they needed to hear it again and take it to heart. So do we.
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As we celebrated the Lutheran Reformation last weekend, we thought of two Christian men who used the Word of God to reform hearts in the face of opposition. The way the Lord stood by Paul the Apostle and Martin Luther the Reformer is the same way he promises to stand by you.
(Note: There again are audio difficulties due to internet issues; we're working on getting those solved for the future. Thank you for your patience.)
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March 10 marked the First Sunday in Lent, the time of the church year where we give Jesus our sins and watch him take away our guilt through his perfect life and death, fulfilling Scripture's most important promise. But this is what God has always been doing going back to the days of Moses. He always gives his attention to his believers and, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, takes them to what he has promised.
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A blind man displayed his faith in Jesus' mercy, and he wasn't disappointed. And you won't be either.
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Joel Krieger recently completed his vicar year at St. John's in Mukwonago. He is now in his final year of pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon. We pray for God's blessings on his school year.
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Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr is credited with popularizing the phrase, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." He did so in 1849 because he was less-than-optimistic about another revolution happening in his homeland of France. Since then, skeptics, cynics, and sarcastic people have been muttering that phrase over and over.
On Transfiguration Sundaty, the last Sunday before Lent, we Christians speak it not from cynicism, skepticism, or sarcasm but from sincere celebration!
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When it comes to publicly sharing the good news about Jesus, God has high standards. And even if you are not in fulltime public ministry, you still have a role in relation to it.
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The words of a last will and testament can change lives. This is especially true of the words which our Savior left us in what many call his last will and testament, given in the Upper Room.
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In an age when movements come and go as fast as the news cycle changes, what has given the Lutheran Reformation its staying power? Its found in the words Jesus has given to his church and in the freedom he has won for all people.
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God wants you to be at rest in your soul, and Saint Paul teaches you how to get that rest. It's not found by chasing after shadows of religion that others think you must follow; it's found in Jesus Christ who was crucified for you.
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As we celebrate Reformation Day, Saint Paul's words to the Galatians invite us to contemplate what the rest of our spiritual story will look like.
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Saints Triumphant is a Sunday that brings tremendous comfort because it shows us that our Christian loved ones who have fallen asleep in death are enjoying victory in heaven and that we will enjoy it, too, one day! Jesus' words bring us that comfort today, but they also might raise some deep questions for you, and the answers may blow your mind a bit.
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We say that something "has your name all over it" when that object is supposedly destined to be yours. In the same way, we are assured that just as Jesus called out Lazarus' name and he was raised from the dead, so he will put our names on our own personal resurrections.
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There is no reason to be jealous of King Solomon that God gave him, already a rich man, a blank check, so to speak. God has already made you rich through faith, and like he did with Solomon, God wants to make you even richer.
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When the sermon's theme is "The Right Way to Live," Lutheran red flags might pop up in your head and heart. That's good. We must always beware that we don't rely on oursleves for eternal life. The Bible declares that we are right with God through faith in Jesus' righteousness, not because we ourselves have lived the right way. Through faith, you know and trust that your spiritual situation is right with God.
But when it feels like your earthly situation isn't going right, what do you do? A passionate dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and the Lord point us to the right(eous) way to live in the face of violence and injustice.
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On Sunday we celebrated a youth confirmation (and there are references to that in the sermon audio). But confirmation is not just a one-time thing. It is something our risen Lord Jesus is always doing to us Christians, both through the Scriptures and his compassion.
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One single message and question to a man named Saul changed the entire Christian church's course of history. A persecutor was converted, and an apostle was sent out. The risen Lord works through that same message to convert us and send us out.
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Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court caused a lot of conversation, and much of it touched on issues connected to marriage and the family. In the wake of a contentious national dialogue that left many divided, what does God's Word say about how men should treat women or how to have a united marriage or how we should view children?
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Are you afraid or terrified of this life? Jesus shepherds and protects you. Are you afraid or terrified of the life to come? Jesus shepherds you into safety with his righteousness.
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God the Father had a purpose in sending his Son Jesus into this world. In a secret nighttime conversation, Jesus explained his purpose to a man named Nicodemus. Let's listen in on what Jesus said...
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There is evil and are evil people all around us. Sometimes, it's even hard to even spot them. As eager (or impatient) as it might make us to take help out our God and take matters into our own hands, Jesus teaches and promises that he'll sort it all out in the end.
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As a result of the devastating Camp Fire in California, the search and rescue efforts have been underway for over a week. They might be better described as "search and recover" because many of the missing are feared to be dead.
On this Saints Triumphant Sunday, Jesus' words in Mark 13:24-27 point us to a different search and rescue. It will rescue his living believers from this world and recover the bodies of his sleeping believers from the grave. The ulitmate purpose? Turning saints militant into saints triumphant.
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Each week and everyday there are certain things in your life that need to be filled up. As a Christian, you need to be filled up not just weekly, but daily. God has made us spiritual creatures and fills us spiritually by sending the Holy Spirit. Pentecost celebrates the ongoing work of the Spirit who fills us up with his language.
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The Festival of Pentecost happens annually fifty days after Jesus resurrection. (Pentecost means "fifty days".)
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Twelve days after December 25 takes us to January 6, which in the Christian Church has the tradition of being called "Gentiles' Christmas" since it celebrates the Magi visiting Jesus in Bethlehem. As Matthew records those wise men following the star, we are able to see Jesus as the spiritual King of all people -- Jew and Gentile. Indeed, he is our spiritual King, too!
The Teaching of the Trinity Is for Crying Out Loud
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The doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is three persons -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- and yet remains one, undivided divine being. How does that work?! Well, logic cannot explain it. So, if we cannot fully explain the doctrine of the Trinity, what are we believers supposed to do with this teaching? St. Paul encourages us Christians to use it to influence the way we cry out in faith.
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As much as Jesus' transfiguration shows us glorious sights, it also states important truths. At first blush they may seem obvious, but we dare not overlook them as we head into Lent.
