This sermon draws much from the faithful preaching of Pastor Rolf Preus, whose has taught me, nearly more than any other, how to preach of Christ.

Today is the Sixth Day of Christmas. We are not even half-way through the season, yet as far as the world is concerned, Christmas is over. It’s almost as if the scriptural narrative of Christ ends with his lowly birth in a manger. But this is only the beginning. Jesus, who came to take the lowest place…

Mid-Week Lenten Series on Isaiah's Suffering Servant. This sermon is based on the material of Pastor Rolf Preus.

Today, on the last Sunday of the church year, our Lord speaks of the last day of this world, that great and terrible day of His coming: “In those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in…

Year A: Proper 7

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves ( Mt 17:1 ). Six days after what? What happened six days earlier that was so important? Two things, actually – both involving Peter. First, Peter made his great confession, “You…

Yesterday was the Twelfth and final Day of Christmas. Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord. Epiphany is a Greek word that means “to shine forth.” Epiphany is the manifestation of the light of Christ to the Gentiles. This revealing was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, “Arise,…

The Baptism of Our Lord - Midweek Service

Flee from the coming wrath to the place where God's mercy may be found.

Holy Tuesday

There are two miracle accounts in our Gospel text. In the first a leper is cleansed. In the second a Roman centurion obtains healing for his servant. Both men provide us great examples of faith. Both men are also unlikely candidates to have faith. Where would we expect to find great faith? Well, in the…

Marriages have always been a legally binding agreement. But the specifics of that agreement or contract vary from one culture to the next. In order to understand the parable from our Gospel text, we need to know a little bit about how marriage worked in Bible times. Today when people get married, all…

Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding of Cana is a bit strange. It’s not like any of the other miracles that Jesus performs in his ministry. No one is sick. No one is blind, deaf, or lame. There’s no storm, no sinking boat, and no demon that needs cast out. No one has died. There’s no real emergency. They…

This Sunday is called Sexagesima, which means sixty days until Easter. The theme for this Sunday is Sola Scriptura , the Word of God alone. Here is the chief treasure of the Christian. Here is the source of life, truth, and salvation. Everything begins with the Word of God. The spiritual life does not…

This Sunday is called Quinquagesima, meaning fifty days until Easter. Our theme is Sola Fide, by faith alone. The Scriptures often present the contrast between sight and faith. We tend to believe what we see, but the Gospel invites us to believe what we hear. In other words, Christians learn to see with…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” ( Jn 16:20 ). In these words of Jesus we find the pearl of Christian comfort, the true and lasting joy which our Lord promises to all who believe in him: “You…

According to the Law of Moses, whenever a Hebrew woman gave birth to a child, she became unclean. God commanded, “She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed” ( Lev 12:4b ). Then God required the woman to bring a sacrifice and present…

Inaugural Sermon at First Lutheran and St. Paul

The Law of Moses prescribed that forty days after the birth of a firstborn son, the mother and son would go to the temple for the rite of cleansing and purification. Joseph and Mary, who were devout followers of God, did as the Law required. They brought Jesus to the temple and offered the necessary…

It was a strange and dreadful strife When life and death contended; The victory remained with life, The reign of death was ended. Holy Scripture plainly saith That death is swallowed up by death, Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia! The fourth stanza of Martin Luther’s great Easter Hymn, Christ Jesus…

First Sunday after Christmas

“The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” ( Ps 90:10 ). By the Bible’s own accounting, Alice was granted a life beyond the normal measure, ten years in addition to what Moses calls “the years…

The Bible contains two great teachings – the Law and the Gospel. If we want to understand the Scriptures we must learn to understand these two teachings without confusing them. The Law is easy enough to understand. It tells us what we are to do and what we are not to do. What does God want from you?…

In our Gospel text Jesus tells us what the kingdom of heaven is like: God the Father makes a wedding feast for his Son. He sends out his servants to those who have been invited, saying, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; he who has no money, come and eat; delight yourselves in rich food,…

It is likely that among other things, 2020 will be remembered as the year of unprecedented fear. Terror has gripped our nation in a way unlike anything that has come before. Nineteen years ago we experienced fear when terrorists hijacked four airliners, flying two of them into the world trade center…