A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. 3  Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2  For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3  If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4  Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 

Click here to listen to this sermon.   14  A nd when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15  And immediately all the crowd, when they saw [Jesus], were greatly amazed and ran up to Him and greeted Him. 16  And He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17  And someone from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought my son to You, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18  And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19  And He answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20  And they brought the boy to Him. And when the spirit saw Him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21  And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is from our Epistle, James 2:1: “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! It sounds strange the first few times you hear it. We pray for individuals in the prayers of the church, and among them, we pray for Joseph and Timothy. Now, that doesn’t sound strange in itself until you realize we’re praying for Joseph, our President, and Timothy, our Governor. Suddenly, it sounds inappropriate, disrespectful, or like we’re trying to cozy up or imply that we’re on a first-name basis with people who probably don’t even know we exist. While there’s nothing wrong with praying for people using titles and last names, there’s a good reason for using only first names in prayer. It reminds us of an important truth: God shows no partiality with His Law and Gospel. Out there, He gives us all sorts of different stations and