A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. mp3 files are available upon request. The text for today is Revelation 12:7-12. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, a day in which we commemorate the work of St. Michael and all the holy angels in service to God and man.   And what a variety of service that is!   In our Gospel, Jesus refers to what we sometimes call “guardian angels,” those who watch over the little ones and see the face of the Father.   Our Psalm speaks of angels who “guard you” and “bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”   In our Old Testament lesson, Michael, the archangel, comes to Daniel as a messenger sent by God, to help the prophet “understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days.”   But perhaps most startling, is St. John’s vision of Michael and his angels engaged in a war in heaven against Satan and his army.   That...

Click here to listen to this sermon. An mp3 file is available upon request. The text for today is our Gospel, Luke 16:1-13. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I’m on Facebook.   My wife says it’s a waste of time.   I think she’s worried that I might reveal too many details about our life to the whole world.   I justify my use of this media with the fact that I am able to keep up with friends and family members, many of whom I haven’t seen for years.   And now I can share what is happening here at St. John’s: things like pictures, newsletters, and sermons.   Since a great deal of my “friends” are fellow pastors, I also get a chance to sharpen my skills by engaging in theological discussions.   A while back I read an article in Christianity Today , entitled “What Makes a Good Bible Study?”   The author states: “Remember that the point of all Bible study should not be to simply impart knowledge.   It sho...

Click here to listen to this sermon. An mp3 file is available upon request. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The text for today is Job 14:1-2: “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.   He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.”   This is the Word of the Lord. Perhaps you noticed a theme today: “Trouble.”   I don’t mean it to say that Jack was a troublemaker… although I’m sure he had his moments, as we just heard from his grandson.   But the theme just sort of developed as we met to plan for this service.   Talking about Jack’s love of games, Vernice mentioned that every morning after milking the cows, they would go into the house and play a game of “Trouble.”   As we talked about Jack attending country school, Jack’s granddaughter, Kayla laughed as she recalled a story she had heard about him getting in trouble for throwing a snowball at the teac...

Click here to listen to this sermon. An mp3 file is available upon request. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Dressed in the finest white gown, this beautiful young blonde comes to meet her Bridegroom and receive His name.   She’s escorted down the aisle by her father and her mother joins in giving her away at the front of the church.   Eight days old, she’s certainly unable to come up on her own or speak on her own behalf.   The pastor marks her with the sign of the cross as one redeemed by Christ the crucified and baptizes her in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.   And “there is joy before the angels of God.” Dressed in faded blue jeans and an old flannel shirt, he feels a bit out of place among the suits and ties, dresses and skirts, of those standing with him.   But then, he’s certainly not there to make a fashion statement.   He’s not even really sure why he’s there.   He ...