A Famine Not of Bread

"The Baptism of the Eunuch" by Rembrandt Click here to listen to this sermon. An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (Acts 8:26-40). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jerusalem and Gaza. They’ve been in the news quite often lately. They are the center of a conflict that could potentially change the direction of global and U.S. politics or ignite World War 3. The encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian is not nearly as potentially dangerous for the primary characters. Still, it certainly was no less world-changing or life-changing for the one who became a beloved baptized child of God that day on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza.  Philip was one of the deacons chosen to assist the apostles in Acts 6. When the believers were scattered after Stephen’s martyrdom, he preached the Gospel in Samaria, and it was received with “much joy.” The angel of the Lord gave Phi...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:17-21). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!   You’ve probably had this experience: you learn a new word or concept or gain a new insight and suddenly see it everywhere. It has been there all along, but now it catches your attention, and it appears all over the place. That happened to me as I prepared to present a textual study of our Epistle lesson, 1 John 3:16-24, at this month’s Circuit Winkel. I noticed the word “heart” was repeated five times in five ve...

"Peter and John Healing the Crippled Man Click here to listen to this sermon. “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:19-21). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! We need to set the stage a bit before discussing our text. Shortly after Pentecost, Peter and John are heading up to the temple for afternoon prayer. A man who has been lame from birth is being carried to the Beautiful Gate of the temple court, a prime location for begging alms. Seeing Peter and John, he asks them for alms. “Look at us,” Peter directs. So the man fixes his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. And so, he does—just not what he was expecting. But somethi...

"The Disbelief of St. Thomas" by James Tissot  Click here to listen to this sermon. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30–31). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! St. John did not write his account of Jesus’ life to be an accurate history—although it is accurate and historical. St. John did not just write his account because he was moved by the Holy Spirit—although he was moved by the Holy Spirit to write of persons, actions, and events he witnessed. John wrote with a purpose. John wrote so people would have faith in Jesus, so that you would believe in Jesus, and that by believing, you would have life in His name. As Lutherans, we’re hesitant to put much stock in personal testimonies. Far too often, the person testifying becomes...