St. Timothy Lutheran Church: Recent Episodes
St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church
If we hear and take to heart our Gospel lesson...that was just read to us...and wonder if the fruit we bear...is good or not...
Man does not live on bread alone…A bad metaphor? Why…because Jesus had crowds following Him? Okay, but not for long…
This is something to tell people. I mean, those Pharisees were pretty good at doing church and church stuff.
7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him. 2 They observed that some of his disciples were eating bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches.) 5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live[b] according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean hands?”6 He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me.7 They worship me in vain,teaching as doctrines human commands.8 Abandoning the command of God, you hold on to human tradition.” 9 He also said to them, “You have a fine way of invalidating God’s command in order to set up your tradition! 10 For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother; and Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death. 11 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is corban’” (that is, an offering devoted to God), 12 “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”14 Summoning the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”17 When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods clean). 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy,[j] slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”Mark 7:1-23 (CSB)
From that moment many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Greek philosophers spoke of vine-dressing as a way of describing training in philosophy. Popular philosophy in the first century was preoccupied with living a virtuous life. Good philosophy was supposed to remove vice from your soul in the same way that a vinedresser would remove useless growth. Teachers must exhort people toward virtue in the same way that one might tend to a young plant. Only such virtue would lead to joy. For us Christians, our faith is no mere philosophical system. This is the Truth and it will lead us not only to virtue but also to true joy.
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?" "Who do you say I am?" This is about making a confession of faith about the identity of Jesus. And the question could be asked, what would help so one could make the correct and true confession?
The post Who Is This? And Why Is He Here? first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
In our text for today, Jesus travels to an area that is beyond those borders that are considered Jewish areas. He goes to the area of Tyre and Sidon, in a land known as Phoenicia (which coincides with the present-day country of Lebanon).
The post Mercy and Faith Beyond the Border first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Things needed and beneficial for this life fall under the category of "daily bread." When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," in the Lord’s Prayer, that’s what we are praying about...
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Sermon from Matthew 13:44-52
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Sermon based on Matt. 13:24
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Sermon based on Matt. 13:1-23
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I want to take this Sunday to look at the resurrection of Jesus one more time but to do so in a more detailed way...
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Sermon from John 14:1-12
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Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60
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Luke 24: 13 Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. 15 And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus himself came near and began to walk along with them. Read more about Opening Scriptures, Opened Eyes[…]
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This Sunday has sometimes been called Apologetics Sunday, apologetics having to do with giving evidence for the truth of Christ.
The post Thomas and the Others for Today first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
When people get married, life changes. When they start having children, life changes. When a loved one dies, life changes. When a tragedy occurs, like what happened in Nashville several weeks ago, life is never the same. Lives are changed forever. One event can do that.
The post Easter Worship 2023 first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Joseph of Arimathea was a good and righteous Jew, looking forward to the kingdom of God. He was also a member of the ruling Sanhedrin but who had not consented with their decision to kill Jesus.
The post Easter Sunrise 2023 first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Sermon for Maundy Thursday 2023
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Matt. 21:1-11; Phil. 2:5-11
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Sermon based on John 11
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Sermon based on Matt. 20:17-28
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20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, Read more about His Final Steps Led to Some Greeks[…]
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Remaining Steadfast in Evil Days Pt 6
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Third Lenten Service from 2023
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Remaining Steadfast in Evil Days And I pray this: that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to Read more about Grant That I in Every Place May Glorify Thy Lavish Grace and Serve and Help My Neighbor[…]
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Lenten sermon from John 11
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John 12: 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of Read more about His Final Steps Led to a Dinner Celebration[…]
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For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
The post Give Concord, Patience, Courage, Peace first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
From the sermon series: Remaining Steadfast in Evil Days
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Like the men of Issachar, we want to and need to understand the times. I am called to be a faithful pastor – faithful to the Word of God and faithful to you, the members, as we seek to understand the times in which we live.
The post As Falsehood’s Spirit Wide Has Spread and Error Boldly Rears Its Head first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Sermon based on Matt. 4:12-25
The post A Great Light Even in Deep Darkness first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
The Sacrament of the Altar – Why and When - Part 3
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The Sacrament of the Altar – Why and When - Part 2
The post The Sacrament of the Altar – Why and When – Part 2 first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Part 1 in the series on Holy Communion
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Sermon based on Heb. 12:18-24
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Sermon from Luke 12:49-53
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Sermon from Luke 12:13-21
The post Everything Is Futile? first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
The world in general loves Christmas. Of course, to do so it had to introduce some new elements into Christmas, reinterpret certain things, and ignore others. Now the focus is often or merely on earthly peace, presents, Santa Claus, amazing outdoor decorations. It has become a lot of fun, especially for children. The same is Read more about My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?[…]
The post My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Maundy Thursday 2022
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We go all the way back to the time of the patriarch Jacob who predicts the coming King: "The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him." (Gen. 49:10)
The post Don’t Forget the Passion first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
The author Luke is fanatical, you might say, about emphasizing the identity of Jesus of Nazareth as the true Messiah. From the time of his birth to more recent events, Jesus is set forth as the Messiah.
The post A Very Pointed Parable first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
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At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them.
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evel. Biblically speaking, we can list several reasons why God allows suffering. Today's text focuses on just one of those.
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By calling a politician a fox, Jesus was not trying to change the political environment. Rather he was pointing out that this politician was willing to undermine, to stop, and even destroy Christ, the word about Christ, and the church Christ was establishing.
The post Reacting to Current Events first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Luke 4:1-13: Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Read more about Satan Hear This Proclamation[…]
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The reading of the transfiguration account is placed at the very end of the Epiphany season. It is the climax of the Epiphany season. That is because this bizarre and strange and miraculous event reveals more clearly to human eyes – in this case, the eyes of Peter, James, and John – that we are not dealing with an ordinary man here.
The post A Transfiguration Comparison first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."
The post What to Remember When You Are Seized With Remorse first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
In today's text Paul states an objection raised by these same Gentile converts to Christianity: "But someone will ask, 'How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come?'"
The post What Kind Of Body? first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Think about it: some will say, "The resurrection of the dead is not reasonable! It's not scientific!" First of all, the resurrection is not unreasonable, and it is not unscientific. It is not contrary to either reason or science. But most importantly, it is biblical. And so we say, "Here I stand" and not "No, I stand over there with the majority" or whatever.
The post No Resurrection of the Dead? first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
What are spiritual gifts? Spiritual gifts are Holy Spirit-created talents or abilities that he gives to each and every Christian to be used by each and every Christian at some point in some way to help and build up believers. "For the common good," St. Paul says (1 Cor. 12:7).
The post Gifts and Talents – Yes! Love – Even Better! first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
John the Baptist had made a name for himself, though not intentionally. Everyone in the area had heard of him. He had been proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
The post A Strange and Essential Baptism first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
Wise men, or Magi, from the east – probably either Persia or southern Arabia – travel up to 1,900 miles to worship the newborn king of the Jews because they been told that the supernatural star they had seen was a sign of his birth.
The post Epiphany 2022 first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
John 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life, and that life Read more about 2nd Sunday After Christmas[…]
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New Year's Eve Sermon
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Sermon from John 1:1-18
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But simply receiving gifts is not wrong; finding joy in receiving them is not wrong. But whether receiving is done greedily or without greed, Christmas can be lost when the focus is on receiving.
The post Focusing on the Wrong Presents first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
The question John the Baptist asked the crowd coming to be baptized by him was, "Do you understand why you are to be coming here to be baptized?"
The post Baptism in View of the Coming Wrath first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
There are many things that get in the way of the true Christmas spirit. Materialism, selfishness, and covetousness are found everywhere during this Advent season, as if they are inseparable from the Christmas spirit.
The post Focusing on the Wrong Christmas Spirit first appeared on St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Read more about In Real History, God’s Word Came to John[…]
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