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What Will the Owner of the Vineyard Do?

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Click here to listen to this sermon. “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others” (Luke 20:13-15). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The key to understanding any of the parables is to look for the point where it departs from everyday life. Well, good luck with this one! No one behaves in the way that we would normally expect them to behave. I mean, what landowner would keep sending his servants to collect the rent when they’re being so mistreated? Couldn’t he send a couple of big guys with swords? Maybe the sheriff? Or the militia? And then he’s even so naïve as to send his...
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How Do These Great Things Happen?

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Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! We’ve been rejoicing in the great benefits of our Lord’s Body and Blood given in the Sacrament. Forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. A soothing medicine. A precious remedy against the poison in our systems. The medicine of immortality. The antidote that we should not die, but live forever in Jesus Christ. Food that strengthens us for the journey to the promised land of heaven. How can this be? How do these great things happen? What works such magnificent benefits for you? Is it your eating and drinking? Maybe the way you chew the host? How about whether you receive it in your hand or mouth? Perhaps the way you swish around the wine in your mouth? And then the way you swallow both? Not letting the host touch your teeth. Not letting the wine hit your cheeks. Common cup or individual cup? And if not that, then maybe it’s the kind of bread and wine that you use. Moist bread? Swee...
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Letters from a Loving Father

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Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Luke 15:11-32, which has already been read. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The traditional title for this parable, “The Prodigal Son,” is found in 16 th -century English Bibles and goes back to the Latin Vulgate. The ESV translation calls it “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” Yet the central figure in this parable is not the son but the father. It is the father who reaches out with love to both of his wayward sons, just as Christ reaches out to each of us and calls us to repentance and faith. So today, we will hear this story from the father’s viewpoint under the theme “Letters from a Loving Father.” The first letter goes like this: My dear son, I pray that you will return to me soon so that I may share these words with you in person. But if I should pass on before your return, there are a few things I must be sure you know, so I am writing you this letter. I w...
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Food For the Journey

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Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “Take and eat. This is My Body given for you. Drink of it all of you. This cup is the new testament in My Blood for the forgiveness of your sins.” The Sacrament of the Altar then is the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and drink. For you Christians to eat and drink. For the forgiveness of your sins. And where there’s forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. What a gift!   Last week, we rejoiced in the Sacrament as the medicine of immortality, the antidote that we should not die but live forever in Jesus Christ. In other words, the forgiveness given in the Lord’s Supper has benefits that endure to the Last Day, namely, the resurrection of the body. The Lord will not abandon you to the grave. You will live with the Lord in Paradise forever—body and soul. Until then, we ...
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Three Sundays: The Dangers of Spiritual Carelessness

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Click here to listen to this sermon. “L et anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it ” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “You’re only three Sundays away from never going to church again,” I told my children. They thought I was exaggerating. Or I was just saying that because I’m a pastor and it would look bad if they didn’t go to church. But I’m serious. Any of us may be only three Sundays away from never going to church again. The names of formerly active members who no longer attend worship regularly are scattered on the membership rolls of churches worldwide. St. John’s (St. Paul’s) is no exception. Just look around. There are “holes” in the pews, empty places that used to be ...
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The Medicine of Immortality

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Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! What is the benefit of eating and drinking a bit of bread and a sip of wine? To most people it sure doesn’t seem like much. In fact, for most people, it’s a complete waste of time. And so, people stay away. But not you. You hear the Lord’s words. And with His words, He comes right before you and speaks to you. There is His command: “Take this bread. Eat it.” “Take this cup of wine. Drink from it.” And with His words, He tells you what it is: “This is My Body. This cup is the new testament in My Blood.”   And with His words, He gives you a promise. His Body and Blood in the bread and wine is for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Forgiveness won for you by His Good Friday dying. With His words that do and give what they say, Jesus bestows that Good Friday forgiveness. And it’s for you in the Sacrament of the Altar. “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your si...
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