Pastor Scamman: Recent Episodes
Pastor Scamman
Then Peter came to Jesus and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with…
Today we’re going to talk about one of the most politically incorrect topics in existence: slavery. Our sinful world considers slavery to be the ultimate evil. God considers it to be the chief good. It is, after all, the reason that Jesus suffered, died, and was buried. As we confess in the Small Catechism:…
The Gospel text this morning has been associated with the baptismal liturgy of the church from ancient times. “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly ( Mk 7:34–35 ). Although the word “baptism” is not mentioned in…
The Feeding of the Four Thousand is completely at odds with the prosperity gospel which has infected so much of American Christianity. Countless faith teachers and faith healers promise that if you follow Jesus, every need in your life will be met immediately. After all, God exists for no other purpose…
Jesus says, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” ( Mt 5:23 ). Think of how much trouble in this congregation…
“Judge not!” This is the favorite Bible passage of unrepentant sinners. It’s used by Christians and unbelievers alike as a trump card to excuse all manner of sin. “Jesus said, ‘Judge not!’ That means that I can do whatever I want!” But Jesus also says, in John 7:24 , “Judge with righteous judgment.”…
Repentance is required for salvation. Unless a man turns from his sin, he cannot be saved. It is not possible to enter heaven while holding on even to the smallest and seemingly most harmless sin. As Jesus tells us, the way of salvation is narrow, and few are those that find it. Yes, repentance is necessary…
When Jesus tells you, “Ask, and you will receive” this is nothing other than an admonition to pray. God wants you to pray. He commands that you pray. And He promises to hear and answer your prayers. But many Christians are confused by prayer. How does it work? How do we do it? What should we pray for?…
After Adam and Eve plunged the world into darkness by eating the forbidden fruit, God placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. This was not a punishment. It was mercy. Adam and Eve now lived in a broken and sinful world. Their lives would be filled with sorrow and suffering.…
Last Sunday is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Perhaps we might call this Sunday, “A Little While” Sunday. “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father” ( Jn 16:16 ). Seven times in the text, we find the words “a little while.”…
In observance of Maundy Thursday, the night our Lord was betrayed, many Christian churches are celebrating a Seder meal. This practice first appeared in the 70s as a way to reach out to unbelieving Jews. They were told: “You can still be Jewish and be a follower of Christ.” This is true enough. Salvation…
The temple is the place where God ordained that sacrifices would be made. For without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. At this time of the year, the Jewish nation was preparing for Passover. One lamb per household would be slaughtered and its blood placed upon the doorposts…
In the Gospel text for Reminiscere , the Second Sunday of Lent, Jesus calls a Canaanite woman a dog. As you might imagine, this passage causes a lot of trouble for some Christians. I’ve even heard one woman try to preach a sermon about this, saying, “Jesus was having a bad day. He lost His temper and…
Fasting is not an American virtue, and so this biblical discipline can seem very foreign to us American Christians. We’ve been taught to indulge every desire, to scratch every itch, to sate ourselves with food and drink, pleasure and luxury. “Why wait for good things? Have them all now, with no payments…
The Lord Jesus is the Sower who goes out to sow the seed of His Word. And as He does, our enemy the devil uses every scheme in his playbook to keep that seed from taking root and springing up to eternal life. The four types of soil represent four types of hearts upon which the seed falls. There are four…
On this day of the Church Year, we begin our solemn march toward Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Great Vigil of Easter, and, of course, Easter itself, the Day of our Lord’s glorious triumph over death and the grave. The forty days of Lent that begin with Ash Wednesday are two…
The season of Epiphany is about the revelation of Jesus the Christ. On the day of Epiphany, He is revealed to the Magi who travel from a distant land to bring Him gifts. At the Octave, or eighth day of Epiphany, which we celebrated last night, Jesus is revealed to John the Baptist when the Holy Spirit…
Today is the Octave of Epiphany, that is, the Eighth Day of Epiphany. Many of the great feasts of the Church were celebrated for at least eight days, for a whole octave or more. Such is the case with Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, and a number of other feasts. But if you’ve never heard of the…
Each of the Scripture readings today concerns the office of the Holy Ministry by which God sends out His messengers with a specific task. From the Gospel of Matthew: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You” ( Mt 11:20 ). From the Prophecy of Isaiah: “The voice…
Our Gospel text presents us with a miracle within a miracle: two miracles so intertwined with each other so as to become one account. There is no other story like this in the gospels. It is the account of two daughters, a girl who is twelve years old, and a woman who has been suffering from a terrible…
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, I’m sure you saw plenty of political ads on TV, lawn signs scattered across town, and even a politician or two going door to door campaigning for your vote. Perhaps the only place you did not encounter any politicking was here at church, and rightly so. This pulpit…
St. Paul tells us that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” ( 1 Cor. 2:14 ). The natural man, that is, the sinful nature, cannot understand anything that belongs to God, and what…
The fact that we baptize infants in a great offense to much of the Protestant church. “We are saved by faith alone,” they cry, “and not by works. Therefore, baptism, which is a work, cannot save.” How do we answer this? Yes, baptism is a work, but it is not a work of man. It is the work of God. The infant…
When you see the word, “behold,” in a biblical text, it means that something important or something unusual is taking place. The Holy Spirit is telling you to take note. We find this word once in our Gospel text. Without looking, I’d like you to try to remember which part of the story is prefaced by…
The pagans of old understood that all worship requires sacrifice. Worship must be costly, or else it is not true worship. And so they willingly sacrificed their grain and wine, their sheep and oxen, and even their own children upon the altars of their demon gods. If anything good can be said about the…
As Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he looks out upon that great city of the nation of Israel, the first-born son of God whom He led out of Egypt with signs and wonders, the nation that grumbled and backslid in the wilderness, the wayward children that stoned the prophets of God and…
“First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye” ( Lk 6:42 ). This is a command from Jesus, but a command that many Christians are likely to ignore. Why? “Because,” we might say, “obviously Jesus must be talking to someone else,…
Our text this morning is taken from the final chapter of Micah, particularly the last three verses: “Who is a God like you, taking away guilt and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will return…
Jesus’ parable of the Great Supper teaches us of the doctrine of election. Salvation originates not within the heart of man, but within the heart of our merciful God. Consider how urgently the Lord extends His invitation to the banquet. Again and again He sends His servants out—to three different groups…
In the Apostles’ Creed we confess, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Each statement of faith is one link in the chain of salvation that begins with the Holy Spirit and ends…
There is no question that the celebration of Easter is a joyous occasion for the church. Ascension, however, might present a bit of a puzzle. Why would we celebrate the day that our Lord leaves us? Is this a joyful thing? Is this a good thing? Might it not have been better if Jesus had stayed on earth,…
The last thing Jesus did as He died, before He said, “It is finished,” was to institute His Church by giving Mary and John to each other. The first thing Jesus did when He appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection was to give His Church the authority to forgive sins. Jesus said to [the disciples],…
Mark’s account of the Resurrection sometimes seems like an odd choice for the Gospel reading for Easter morning, because it doesn’t actually recount the Resurrection itself. Instead, it tells us what some of Jesus’ followers, namely three women, were up on to that morning. If you’ve lived through a tragic…
Of the Seven Words of Jesus upon the cross, three are recorded in the Gospel of John. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple…
Near the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, as the time of His great sacrifice drew near, the unbelieving Jews and chief priests gathered together against Him. The conversation recorded in John chapter 8, though not the last time that Jesus would engage the Jewish leaders, is something of a last chance…
The Jews were not wrong when they supposed that the Messiah would be a great king and rule the world. But their ideas about Christ’s kingdom were all wrong. If only their ideas had disappeared with their times. Sadly, they have not. Most Christians today have the same Jewish ideas of the kingdom of God.…
The saints of old were accustomed to the idea of wresting with God, but this concept is foreign to our modern ears. Why should I wrestle with God? Doesn’t He already want to give me every good thing? It’s easy enough to think of Lent as a time of wrestling against the desires of the flesh. But why, on…
The scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus demanding to see a sign. Is this an honest request? Not at all. Only a few verses earlier Jesus had amazed the multitudes by healing a demon-possessed man who was also blind and mute. The Pharisees were being wicked and deceptive, pretending that God had not spoken…
From ancient times the people of God have observed the season of Lent as a time for repentance accompanied by bodily fasting. It is fitting that repentance and fasting would go hand in hand, since the fall into sin involved a failure to fast from the forbidden fruit. Denying the wants of the physical…
Today marks seventy days until the great festival of Easter. From ancient times the Church has anticipated the season of Easter with a period of mourning and repentance from sin. I’m sure you’re familiar with the forty days of Lent, a time of fasting and repentance that corresponds with the forty days…
How can we know that the Bible is the Word of God, and other books, such as the Koran and Book of Mormon, are not? St. Peter answers this question in the Epistle reading for this morning. Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses of Christ’s glory. They saw His face shine like the sun. They heard the…
St. Mark tells us that John “was proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” ( Mk 1:4 ). When we use the word “baptize” today, it’s always in the context of a religious ceremony. Baptism has become a very special word for a specific Christian ritual. Not so in John’s day. To baptize…
“I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called my by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” These words from Luther’s Small Catechism are a perfect summary of the theme…
When eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb ( Lk 2:21 ). The circumcision of our Lord occurred, as was prescribed in God’s covenant with Abraham, when He was eight days old. We celebrate this…
The Christian Church on earth lives perpetually within the season of Advent, awaiting the coming of our Lord Jesus. This is what it means for you to be a Christian. You are not a Christian because you are holier than unbelievers. You might be, but that’s not what makes you a Christian. You are not a…
John the Baptist is the spokesman for the season of Advent. This is historically true. John was sent to prepare the way of our Lord Jesus. It is also liturgically true. John the Baptist appears in eleven of the thirteen gospel texts appointed for the season of Advent. Therefore, just as the people of…
On November 1stthe Church celebrates All Saints Day. This is such an important and holy day that when it falls during the week, we move its observance to the following Sunday. And as with Christmas Eve, we begin the holy observance the night before on what was called All Saints’ Eve, or Holy Eve, or…
We just finished singing Martin Luther’s most famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. During communion we will sing another of Luther’s hymns, also very appropriate for Reformation Day: Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word. In this hymn we ask God, “Curb those who by deceit or sword would wrest the…
The Sadducees and Pharisees were two rival factions within the Jewish religious system. Perhaps a secular equivalent in our day would be the Republicans and Democrats: always contending with one another, each party looking to gain an advantage, whether materially or in the eyes of the public. In the…
In every Gospel text you can always find Jesus. He is the central content of all the Scriptures, even when His name is not directly mentioned. It’s no surprise to encounter Jesus in the Gospel text, but it might be a surprise to learn that today, you too, are part of the story. Jesus is on His way to…
When I was growing up, my mother taught me the importance of thankfulness. Over and over, until I had internalized the habit, she would make me look people in the eyes and say, “Thank you!” It was a good lesson, and I’m better off for having learned it. Some people think that Jesus is teaching us this…
Today Jesus teaches us of the two kinds of righteousness that we need in this life. We need righteousness before men. Without this, you will have a miserable life here on earth. And we need the righteousness that avails before God. Without this, you have no hope of life in heaven. As an example of each…
Today marks the beginning of my fifth year as your pastor. Jesus’ warning to “beware of false prophets” was the text read at my installation. It was appropriately read then, and it is still fitting today. The greatest danger to the Church does not come from the outside. It comes from within: from false…
Today in our Gospel text we find the passage of Scripture that is most often quoted by unbelievers. People who believe that the Bible is a book of fairy tales written by delusional prophets who were high on mushrooms are nevertheless happy to quote this passage authoritatively whenever it seems helpful.…
In our text from the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus tells a story, a parable, in order to explain the Kingdom of God. “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many” ( Lk 14:16 ). The man throwing the banquet represents God the Father. The banquet, to which He invites many, is God’s kingdom, which will…
Today, as you know, is a national holiday, Father’s Day. You may have noticed that I generally don’t allow secular holidays to intrude much, if at all, upon our worship. Today, I’m going to make an exception and speak on the subject about fathers. God, in His essence, defines fatherhood and shows us…
On Christmas Day we celebrate the birth of Christ. On this day, the Day of Pentecost, we celebrate the birth of the Church. Now, in one sense, we could say that God’s Church began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and that all believers on the Old Testament were Christians. This is true. But on…
The Latin name for the Sixth Sunday of Easter is Rogate , meaning: “Ask.” It’s an imperative, that is, a command. God says to you, “Ask me for the things you need. Ask, and you will receive ” ( Jn 16:24 ). But you might wonder, “If God already knows what we need even before we ask, why does He command…
On the night our Lord Jesus is betrayed, He chides the disciples because, once again, they have failed to see what is important. They are filled with sorrow that Jesus is going away, yet none of them asks where He is going or what He is about to accomplish. Jesus tried on at least three occasions to…
This day marks the exact middle of the season of Easter. That most joyful of days in which our Lord conquered death was but three weeks ago, and yet, in the little while since, many of us have already attended a funeral. This day is called Jubilate , which means “Rejoice”, but the theme of this day concerns…
The Bible says that “the days of our life are seventy years, or even by reason of strength eighty” ( Psalm 90:10 ). Yet God granted to Mildred ninety-nine blessed years upon this earth. Perhaps we might be tempted to ask, “Yes, but is it really a blessing to live this long? Is it really a blessing to…
Each one of the Gospels contains a full two chapters on the Passion of our Lord. That is eight chapters total of eyewitness testimony of the arrest, trial, suffering, crucifixion, and death of Jesus. This event is the center pin of human history, the defining moment of the narrative of salvation, the…
Since the time of the Reformation the Christian church has fragmented into innumerable divisions and factions, largely based on false understandings of the Lord’s Supper. The Roman church doubled down on her errors, setting the traditions of men above the Word of God. Meanwhile, the Reformed churches,…
Not only was the demon possessed man deaf and mute, Matthew records that he was blind. The poor man was in some serious trouble: deaf, mute, blind, and also demon possessed. It may seem as though he won the lottery with a quadruply unfortunate combination of bad luck, but this man’s ailment is not rare,…
The Gospel text for the First Sunday of Lent told us of Jesus’ battle with the devil. This week we hear of a different sort of battle: In the Old Testament Jacob wrestles and physically contents with someone all night long. And in the New Testament a Canaanite woman doggedly perseveres through all sorts…
Immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil ( Mt 4:1 ). What a comfort it is for us Christians to know that our Lord’s temptation came immediately after His baptism. How many times have you been disheartened and discouraged, thinking…
Some Lutherans are hesitant to participate in the ceremonies of Ash Wednesday because, as is often said, “it’s too Catholic.” But when the Reformers purified the church 500 hundred years ago, they did not throw out any traditions because they were “too Catholic.” In fact, the Reformers claimed to be…
This Sunday is called Sexagesima, which means that we are roughly sixty days away from Easter. The three Gesima Sundays that precede Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent align beautifully with the three great solas of the Reformation: Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura, and Sola Fide. Our focus this morning…
It is in our nature to love experiences. These are the things we remember, the times look back upon fondly as we grow older. As Humphrey Bogart said to Ingrid Bergman in the movie Casablanca, “We’ll always have Paris.” Amazing experiences are considered the measure of a life well-lived, and some people…
The Gospel text for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany comes from the second half of the eighth chapter of Matthew. If you were to read the whole chapter at one sitting, you could see that it is all about the authority of Jesus. When He finished preaching the Sermon on the Mount, the crowds marveled for…
The Gospel reading of the marriage at Cana gives us occasion to consider the state of matrimony. Many people, even some pastors, think that marriage is a secular matter and no business of the Church. But we must remember that from the beginning, marriage is God’s institution. He created marriage. He…
John preached a baptism of repentance into the forgiveness of sins. So it’s understandable that he did not want to baptize Jesus. John was a sinner. He needed baptism. You and I are sinners. We need baptism. But Jesus, from the moment of His conception until His death never committed a single sin. He…
Part of what it means to confess Christ is to deny ourselves. This is what John did. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” he confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ” ( Jn 1:20 ). The priests and Levites wanted to talk about John. He…
The final weeks of the Church Year have a strong focus on the End Times and the Return of Christ. But as the Church Year begins anew with the Season of Advent, we find that this focus on the end of the world continues. Just as the beginning of the year is closest to its end, so the theme of Advent encompasses…
The spokesman for the season of Advent is John the Baptist. He is often depicted in church art pointing with a long bony finger. This finger serves two purposes: It is the voice of the Law which accuses: “You have not kept the Ten Commandments. You have not loved God with all your heart, soul, mind,…
It is perhaps strange that the text for the first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of the Christian year comes from the end of Jesus’ ministry, his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Chronologically, this passage about Palm Sunday seems out of place here at the beginning of all things. Yet the ancient…
The Lutheran Reformation was never about Luther. The Lutheran Church of today—if it is to be truly Lutheran—cannot be about Luther. It is and always has been (and must remain) about Christ. It’s about the purity of the Gospel. It’s about the assurance that Christ came to save sinners, and that through…
The Christian faith is a religion of words. This is so because our God has revealed himself to us as the God who speaks. He created the world by speaking it into existence. He sustains the universe by the power of his Word. And when it became necessary to redeem His creation, the Word of God took on…
The Parable of the Vineyard illustrates in striking terms the long-suffering patience of God toward his wayward children. No one else, no human landowner would ever act in such a way. If you sent your servants to collect the rent and they were beaten, would you send more servants? Of course not. And…
When you read our text, you might ask, “What is Jesus doing once again in a house full of his enemies?” Perhaps that’s the sort of dinner invitation he ought to turn down. You and I might turn that invitation down, but not Jesus. That’s good news for us because at one time we were his enemies. Aren’t…
Had there been newspapers in Bible days, the headline the next day might have read, “Jesus ruins another funeral—Yesterday’s function was hopelessly derailed when Jesus showed up uninvited and canceled the ceremony. Even though the whole town had come out to bury the young man, their efforts were unsuccessful.…
I am once against struck by the timeliness of God’s unchanging word, which applies to every situation in every generation. This week we learned that none of the flood damage at St. Paul will be covered by insurance, that everything must be paid for out of pocket. And this week, according to the ancient…
Today we read of the “failed” ministry of John the Baptist. Those who had been with him in the beginning could remember the days of large crowds, when everybody flocked to hear John speak. The church was full, or rather, the Jordan River. But then something happened. John was arrested. His followers…
In the Old Testament text chosen for this day, the Lord God gives us a glimpse of the future He has in store for all believers: “Behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth, and the former things (that is, the sorrows of this life) shall not be remembered or come into mind. No more shall there be…
Today, as the Christian church gathers to receive the gifts of Christ, we remember St. Mary, who was chosen from all women to become the mother of God. This is the highest honor ever bestowed upon any member of the human race, and every generation since has rightly called her the blessed virgin Mary.…
How do we read and understand the accounts of miracles that Jesus performed in his ministry? In the seventies our synod experienced a crisis because forty-five of fifty professors at the St. Louis seminary were teaching that the miracles of the Bible did not actually happen as written. Of course, Jonah…
This Sunday is sometimes called “False Prophet Sunday” because the readings from the Old Testament and Gospel are both warnings against false prophets. False Prophet Sunday was the occasion for my installation and my first Sunday as your pastor. What a great way to be ushered into the ministry: “Here…
James and John, his brother, came to Jesus with a plan to secure positions of status and honor in the Kingdom of God. “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you” (Mk 10:35). It’s always dangerous to promise to do an unnamed favor, but Jesus, being God, already knows what they want. Even…
Tell me if you agree with this statement: “If I seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find forgiveness given there.” Is this statement the biblical truth, or is it heresy? Let me say it again, “If I seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will…
St. Paul says that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now ( Rom 8:22 ). By using the analogy of childbirth, St. Paul makes reference to the Fall of man and curse that resulted from sin, a curse that includes the physical pains of giving birth. Every woman who…
Jesus loves sinners. This is one part of the gospel message that the Church seems to have effectively communicated to the outside world. Most unbelievers who have just the vaguest notions about Christianity seem to have heard that Jesus, whoever He may be, was welcoming and loving towards sinners. It’s…
St. John writes to us in his epistle, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” ( 1 John 3:13 ). John is simply repeating the words of Jesus, who said to the disciples, “If the world hates you, know that it hated me first” ( John 15:18 ). Certainly, the world hates Jesus. In our Gospel…
Today we hear and consider Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the rich man. This has been the custom of the Church catholic on this First Sunday after Trinity for at least twelve-hundred years. But as these words are read today, I wonder how many people across our country might want to refashion them to say…
It is the fifth week of the seven-week season of Easter. You will notice that as we near the day of Pentecost, the texts increasingly focus on the coming of the Holy Spirit. While Jesus was still with his disciples on earth, he began to teach them of the Holy Spirit, in preparation for the day of his…
On this day, April 25th, the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Mark, Evangelist, Bishop, and Martyr. He is called an evangelist because he penned the gospel that bears his name, though it was Peter, not Mark, who witnessed the events and related them to Mark. He is called Bishop because it is believed…
“And the women went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” ( Mk 16:8 ) What a strange and somewhat anticlimactic ending to the Gospel reading for the greatest occasion of the Christian calendar. Perhaps the Holy…
Not once in the New Testament is the cross of Jesus depicted as being empty. On Easter morning we will celebrate the discovery of the empty tomb, but when you behold the cross, as presented to us by Holy Scripture, you will always find there the mangled, dying body of Jesus. And what a shameful and gory…
Thus says the Lord God: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst. Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the…
The Jews came to Jesus and demanded, “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly” ( Jn 10:24 ). But Jesus had already told them plainly. In his previous encounter with the Jews, which we heard read on Sunday, Jesus told them, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” In other words, “I AM Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac,…
James and John are trying to plan ahead for their future in the kingdom of God. They want to have positions of honor and power, sitting at the right hand and left of the throne of Jesus. Naturally, this request was resented by the other ten disciples, all of whom had their own ideas about who should…
There are four types of soil in Jesus’ parable: one is found outside the church, the other three are found within. The first soil describes unbelievers. These are people in whom the seed of faith has never taken root, apart from Christ and without salvation. And yet, even to these, the Word of God is…
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning…
We bow or genuflect during the Creed at the words, “and was made man,” in profound recognition of the honor that God bestowed upon humanity when he joined himself to our race. The glorious King of the universe became man and remains a man now and for all eternity. But when Jesus walked the earth, his…
John’s confusion is understandable. What is a righteous man like Jesus doing in waters meant for sinners? For many years I too did not understand Jesus’ baptism. Perhaps most Christians don’t. We might say, “I know why I need to be in this water. I know why you need this water. We are sinners. But Jesus…
After twelve days of Christmas, the season of Epiphany begins today. Epiphany must always follow Christmas, not because it’s next on the church calendar, but because the revelation of Christ must follow his coming into our dark world. When Christ was born, the angel announced that his birth would be…
The gospel text for the Second Sunday after Christmas tells us of the murder of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem. Some call this the untold Christmas story. It is too terrible and gory to be included in the Christmas narrative. And yet, these events did take place. The wise men, looking for the newborn…
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” ( John 5:24 ). Yesterday, many of us in this room were at the funeral home for Cheryl’s wake. It was so apparent, as it always…
At that time there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear ( Luke 2:8–9 ). When the glory of the Lord appears to us poor sinners, our first response…
John the Baptist spoke of Christ, saying, “He who is coming after me… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” ( Mt 3:11 ). For many years, when hearing these words, I assumed that John was speaking of the fire of the Holy Spirit. But that’s not what this verse is saying. John is telling…
“[John the Baptist] confessed, and did not deny, but confessed [the Christ]” ( Jn 1:19 ). If we think of denying Christ, Peter often comes to mind. When asked point blank about Jesus, he denied him, saying, “I do not know the man” ( Mt 26:72 ). On the other hand, Christians often think that the business…
Jesus says, “I give [my sheep] eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” ( John 10:28 ). This is the verse that the Garcia family chose for their dear, departed mother and grandmother. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. These are the words…
The Lord God is coming to his temple. The Messenger of the new covenant is returning to his people. But the prophet Malachi asks, “Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?” ( Mal 3:3 ). The answer is no one. The coming of the Messenger of the covenant reminds us that we…
As time runs out for our dying world, Jesus says that there will be “distress among the nations… people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world” ( Lk 21:25–26 ). Look around. Has this description of the end times ever been more fitting? People are seized with fear, literally…
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea ( Mt 3:1 ). John, who prepared the way for Christ, is the model for all pastors who would follow him: not afraid to call sinners to repentance, not burdened by worldly pursuits, not dressed in soft clothing, not delicate or effeminate,…
The greatest minds of the Pharisees had designed a question that was guaranteed to trap Jesus. There should have been no way out. “Should we pay taxes to the Roman government or not?” If Jesus said, “Yes,” the crowd would lynch him. Nobody likes to pay taxes. The world has changed, but that is a constant.…
Peter wants to know, “How many times shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” At this question, the ears of every Christian perk up, because the rest of us also want to know, “At what point am I allowed to cut my brother off? When does forgiveness rut out? When can I be…
Five-hundred and three years ago, on the eve of All Saints Day, October 31st, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. This event is widely recognized as the beginning of the Reformation, but at the time Martin Luther was not yet a Lutheran. He was angry at…
Christianity is a religion of forgiveness. This is the center around which everything revolves. While in every other religion the main point consists in giving directions for a pious and virtuous life, in the kingdom instituted by Christ the main point is the forgiveness of sins. This is the reason that…
The fulfillment of God’s law is love—love for God and love for your neighbor. Love is the perfect summary of the Ten Commandments. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Pharisees had a reputation for being the experts on God’s Law. Nobody was better at keeping the Ten Commandments, or so the Pharisees…
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…
I have a friend who grew up in the Baptist church. When he was old enough, he made the decision to be baptized. He was so excited to wash all his sins away and be born again of water and the Spirit. But he was utterly disappointed the next morning to find that there were still sinful desires lurking…
Both the Old Testament and the Gospel text this morning are specifically written to pastors. Each of these passages contains a warning. In fact, the greatest warnings in Scripture are addressed to pastors. Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin,…
There are two ways to get into heaven: by your own effort and work, or by faith in the work of Jesus. I’ve only ever met one person who flat-out admitted: “I’m trusting in what I’ve done to get me into heaven.” But that doesn’t mean that this way of thinking is rare. It’s not. From the time of the first…
When I teach the faith to adult converts, we always spend some time talking about the fear of God. For many of us this is a foreign concept. Why should we fear God when we know that he is a God of love? I invite you to look at the picture on the front cover of your bulletin, where Jesus is depicted driving…
Among my colleagues in the ministry, there is a running joke that resurfaces every year leading up to the Ninth Sunday after Trinity. “I should have remembered to go on vacation this week.” Why? Because many pastors find it difficult to preach on the Parable of the Dishonest Manager. Some have even called…
This Eighth Sunday after Trinity marks the beginning of the third year since God placed me here to be your pastor. It is fitting that the text for this occasion should begin with Jesus’ warning: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will…
If you were put in charge of running the universe for a week, imagine the important concerns that would occupy your mind: Making sure that the heavenly bodies remained in their orbits, causing the water cycle to nurture the earth, painting an sunset that ran from the north pole to the south and traveled…
There are two kinds of righteousness that matter in the life of a Christian. First, there is the righteousness that avails before men. Are you known for being a good, kind, and compassionate person? Do you have a good reputation with your family, friends, and peers? Do people trust you and generally…
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” ( Lk 5:5 ). We all know that Peter said a lot of dumb things. He often put his foot in his mouth. But these words, recorded in Luke 5 , are probably the second best thing Peter ever said. “At…
Our text this morning is taken from St. Paul’s Epistle to the church of Rome: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” ( Ro 8:18 ). Suffering is unavoidable. It’s the consequence of living in a broken and sinful world.…
If someone asked you to talk about the moment you became a Christian, how would you answer? Many people would say, “On such and such day, I committed my life to Christ. I remember the moment that I invited Jesus into my heart. When I was twelve, I made a decision to follow Jesus. I was lost in sin, but…
It is important to read the Scriptures, not as isolated verses, but within the context of the passages that come before and after. Our text this morning, from the second half of Luke chapter 14, is a good example of why understanding context is important. Jesus tells a parable about a king who gave a…
It could be easy to read a message into our gospel text that Jesus is not saying. He is not championing the values of the Marxist revolution that is currently sweeping our nation. Jesus is not teaching us that rich people go to hell and poor people automatically go to heaven. That may a popular teaching…
Holy Trinity is unique among the festivals of the church year. Every other occasion is based on a physical event in which our Lord was present in a particular time and place: His birth, His death, His resurrection and ascension. But the festival of the Holy Trinity is unlike any other. Today we are presented…
Pentecost means fifty. The feast of Pentecost was celebrated every year by the Jewish people, fifty days after the feast of Passover. Passover got its name when the Angel of Death passed through the land of Egypt during the final and greatest plague, killing the firstborn son in every home. But the Israelites…
Christians all across the country are asking, “Is it safe yet to go back to church? Has the governor given us permission to meet? What do the CDC and Dr. Fauci have to say about reopening our churches?” Way back in March, with the support of the elders and church councils, I made the decision to suspend…
This Sunday is called “Rogate”, which means, “Ask.” Historically, this Sunday and the days following were known as Rogation days, days marked by prayer and supplication. Now, you won’t find the word “prayer” anywhere in our Gospel text. But in verse 24, Jesus says, “Ask, and you will receive” ( Jn 16:24…
During the seven weeks of Easter, our focus on the completed work of Christ and His Resurrection gives way to a focus on the Holy Spirit and His ongoing work in the Church. Of course we can’t completely isolate the things that God does to one Person of the Trinity only, yet it is proper to ascribe the…
Seven times in our text, we find the words “a little while.” Jesus says, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me” ( Jn 16:16 ). The disciples, as usual, don’t understand what Jesus is saying. “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know…
Jesus says, “I, myself, am the Good Shepherd” ( Jn 10:11 ). He is speaking in contrast to the other shepherds—to all other shepherds. There are many shepherds, but there is only one Good Shepherd. In fact, the others are not true shepherds at all. Jesus says they are hirelings. They may look and act…
The events in our Gospel text begin on the evening of Easter day. The women found the tomb empty. They saw the angel who said, “Jesus is not here. He is risen. Go tell the disciples and Peter that he goes before you to Galilee, just as he said” ( Mk 16:7 ). But the women were afraid. They fled from the…
“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…
Today is an Easter unlike any other in the history of Christianity. Never before have the churches across the world closed their doors on this day. Never before, and I hope never again, have the faithful not gathered on Easter morning to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. If you had told me that…
Jesus asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one” ( John 18:7–9 ). When the mob of soldiers came…
In the midst of life we are in death. What Helper do we seek but you, oh Lord? These words from this ancient Latin hymn, Media vita in morte sumus , remind us of the reality of the human condition. We are surrounded by death. We are born into sin and sinners must die. No one can cheat death. It comes…
Today we read of the children of Israel, who came to Moses complaining that they had no bread. For forty years they wandered in the wilderness, grumbling every step of the way about what they would eat and drink. And yet during all that time not one of them starved or died of thirst. God himself fed…
In the last week, there have been frequent comparisons between the emerging coronavirus crisis and outbreaks of plague in previous centuries: the Spanish Influenza of 1918, which infected a quarter of the world’s people, or the Black Death, which is estimated to have killed half of the population of…
In this last week, there has been an outbreak of panic across the world because of the corona virus. Now, there is cause for serious concern. The mortality rate sits at 3.4%. But concern often gives way to irrational hysteria, and we have seen much of that in recent days. Bottles of hand sanitizer and…
Jesus says, “when you fast”, not “if you fast.” When he spoke these words to his disciples, he assumed that they would fast. Jesus never said, “Don’t fast!” He said, “Don’t fast like the hypocrites, who do it only to get attention and be seen. They walk around with pained expressions on their faces;…
There are two parts to our Gospel text. In the first, Jesus tells his disciples of the suffering and death that awaits him in Jerusalem. In the second, Bartimaeus, the blind beggar obtains his sight from Jesus. In the first part, we see the lack of faith in the disciples, who are unable to understand…
We often use the phrase “mountaintop experience” to describe some sort of spiritual encounter, a time of awakening and clarity, a moment of epiphany. So it is fitting that the final Sunday in the season of Epiphany is the greatest mountaintop experience of all time. Of course, we know that climbing to…
John the Baptist was baptizing sinners into the forgiveness of sins. So when Jesus also came to be baptized, John would have prevented him. Why? Because John knew that Jesus was the only person on earth who did not need to be baptized. You need baptism. You’re a sinner. I need baptism. I’m a sinner.…
We would love to know more about the early life of Jesus on earth, but God has caused only one story of Jesus’ childhood to be recorded: the time when Joseph and Mary lost Jesus for three days. Imagine that. Every parent knows the terror that we experience when you turn around and discover that your…
Every page of the Old Testament is about Jesus. That might sound like a strange thing to say, since the birth of Jesus doesn’t happen until the New Testament. But from the third chapter of Genesis, where the first promise of the Savior is given, to the last prophet, Malachi, the central theme of the…
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…
I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. If you are a Christian, you confess these words from the Apostles’ Creed. Every conception and birth is a miracle, but there is always a human mother and father. In the long history of the world, how…
The Roman Catholic Church has a teaching called the Immaculate Conception. Perhaps you’ve heard of this. And perhaps you assumed, as I did, that this referred to the conception of Jesus. His conception was immaculate, that is, free from sin, and free from the help of any man. Every Christian believes…
If you or I sat down to write a book about the lives of our children or grandchildren, I’m sure there are some events that we would be happy to leave out. Why should the whole world hear about every embarrassing moment and bad decision? People don’t need to know this stuff, and there’s no reason to give…
Apart from the coming of Christ, the final word of God would have been a pronouncement of judgment. If we did not have the New Testament, the last sentence of Scripture would have read, “I will smite the land with a curse.” Without the Advent of the Day of the Lord, all humanity would be doomed to share…
In the Garden when God promised that the Christ would come and deliver his people, Adam and Eve expected the promise to be fulfilled immediately. In fact, Eve thought at first that Cain was the Christ-child. What a disappointment Cain turned out to be. Ten generations later Noah’s father also thought…
The season of Advent is a time of preparation. But what are we preparing for? Is it the coming of Jesus as the baby in the manger? Well, yes. We rejoice with the shepherds to hear the angelic announcement. Unlike the innkeeper, we want to prepare room in our hearts for Christ child. But Advent is more…
At this time of the year, the whole world is caught up with anticipation, waiting for the advent of the all-knowing and omni-present giver of gifts. He knows all about you, though you’ve never seen him. He knows whether you’ve been bad or good. He knows your thoughts, what you want and desire. And he…
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 told the parable in our Gospel lesson to teach us about the kingdom of heaven. Want to know what’s it’s going to be like? Listen to what Jesus says: “ The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants” ( Mt 18:23 ). Jesus teaches us that the Day of…
Many people love to think of Jesus as a great moral teacher, but they fail to see that his teachings often make no sense according to human understanding. Jesus’ words offend our ideas of morality and common sense. For example, proverbial wisdom tells us that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.…
The Hebrew word for angel is “malach,” which means “messenger.” In the long history of Christianity, God has sent many messengers to speak his Word to the church. Sometimes these messengers were the spiritual being we call angels. But most of the time these messengers were human, men who lived and died…
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” The lawyer in our text gives voice to the question that believers have been asking since the Fall. We might put it into different words, but I’m sure that each person here wrestled with some form of this question. What great thing can I do in order…
Give any human institution enough time, and it will eventually become so complicated that normal people no longer have a clue how things run. Fallen human nature and bureaucracy always go together. Take the tax code, for example. Only professionals who study it for a living can understand it. The same…
Many people choose a religion in the same way that we might choose ice cream. Whether you like rocky road, strawberry, or rainbow sherbet, there is a flavor to suite your taste. Some people here may remember the old days, when there were only two flavors: vanilla or chocolate. But along came Baskin Robbins…