A Famine Not of Bread

"The Pilgrims of Emmaus" by Henry Ossawa Tanner Click here to listen to this sermon. “When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized [Jesus]. And He vanished from their sight” (Luke 24:30–31). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Have you ever frantically looked around for something and not been able to find it? Maybe your car keys, or the TV remote, the book you were just reading, or some other object. You search and search again. Then, after you’ve given up all hope of ever seeing it again, you come across it in the exact place where you’ve been looking. It was there all the time, but for one reason or another, you just didn’t notice it. Somehow it was just hidden in plain sight. The disciples on the road to Emmaus, had a similar experience that first Easter. Like the disciples back in the city, these two were struggling to make sens...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jim and Rebecca: When I asked you what readings you would like to have for today, you indicated that you wanted something different. Not the usual 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is…” or the Genesis account of marriage, or Matthew 19, where Jesus talks about marriage. By now, you probably noticed we still had those readings. They are too important to ignore. But I think you’ll find I’ve kept my promise to bring in something different with our text from Proverbs 30:18-19: “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.” How is that for different? I would guess that most everyone here this afternoon  had two immediate reactions to the passage I just read: First, what a strange text for a wedding address! Second, what a stran...

Click here to listen to this sermon. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any it is withheld.” ( John 20:19-23) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! On one of my visits with John at the hospital. I waited for the nurses to get him re-situated and then I asked him if it would be all right to read some Scriptures and pray with him. John’s answer was short and sweet: “Speak your peace!” I think Helen ...

"Dispute before Sanhedrin" by Fra Angelica Click here to listen to this sermon. Then [the apostles] left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus” (Acts 5:40–42). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Baronelle Stutzman, Kim Davis, Ruth Neely, Aaron and Melissa Klein: Are you familiar with these men and women and their stories? You should be. Each of them are Christians who recently have been bullied for failing to bow down at the altar of political correctness. Each of them have suffered severe damage to their reputation and livelihood for refusing to violate their consciences. Each one of them has remained faithful despite religious persecution, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. Baronelle Stutzman is a 7...

Click here to listen to this sermon. This sermon is from a series written by Rev. Paul L. Beisel and published by Concordia Publishing House.

Click here to listen to this sermon. This sermon is from a series written by Rev. Paul L. Beisel and published by Concordia Publishing House.

Click here to listen to the sermon. This sermon is from a series written by Rev. Paul L. Beisel and published by Concordia Publishing House.

"The Entry of Our Lord Christ into Jerusalem" by Giotto di Bondone Click here to listen to this sermon. “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12–13). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Everybody loves a parade. Indeed, parades are wonderful events! They are usually occasions for celebration. You’ve probably attended a parade celebrating a holiday, such as Independence Day or Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day. Perhaps you plan to attend an Easter parade next weekend. We even hold parades that celebrate people, such as the one honoring a hometown soldier who returns from serving in combat or to welcome home the local team who has just won a state championship. There’s a festive mood in the air. A feeling of pr...

Click here to listen to this sermon. This sermon is from a series written by Rev. Paul L. Beisel and published by Concordia Publishing House.

"The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones" by Gustave Dore Click here to listen to this sermon. “Thus says the Lord God to these bones: ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord ’” ( Ezekiel 37:13-14). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It sounds almost like a scene out of one of my favorite movies, “The Sixth Sense.” The young man talks to his counselor, a ghost. “I see dead people.” “In your dreams?” “No.” “While you’re awake.” “Yes.” “Dead people like, in graves? In coffins? “No, they’re in a valley, a valley of dry bones, dead and lifeless bones.” But this is not a Hollywood movie; it is a biblical account. The young man who sees dead people is the thirty-year-old prophet, Ezekiel. And the Counselor with whom he speaks...