A Famine Not of Bread

  Click here to listen to this sermon. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:17-20). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! You have likely heard these words before, the so-called Great Commission of the Church, where Jesus declares the Church’s mission until He returns. Many sermons have been preached on this text, usually about evangelism and the need to make disciples. We will speak a bit of evangelism today as well. But first, dear friends, we have some even better news from this Gospel lesson: The Holy Trinity is at work. In this text, the Lord Jesus Himself declares the identity of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and you can’...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our first reading, Acts 2:1-21. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Pentecostal movement raised a question for biblical interpreters. They studied the events of the Day of Pentecost and concluded that every Christian’s life should imitate the early Christians' experience on that day. Most pointedly, they concluded that all Christians should speak in tongues or prophesy as described in Acts 2. In contrast, most commentators view these events as unique and miraculous—not something Christians must imitate. Like all epoch-making works of God, Pentecost was accompanied by a spectacular, miraculous occurrence which both authenticated this event as an act of the God of Israel and served as a meaningful symbol of the earth-shaking change taking place in world history. It is a symbol lifted straight from the prophetic word of the Old Testament pro...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! At one time or another, every Christian feels the need to have some sort of sign or evidence that God is truly in his or her life. For some Christians, this happens during times of great loneliness or hardship. In the midst of his struggle, a suffering Christian will deeply desire some sort of assurance, some indication from God, that everything is going to turn out okay. “Lord, just give me a sign!” Other Christians desire a sign from God when they are agonizing over a major decision in life, such as whether to change jobs; whether to marry this girl or that one. “If God would give me some small indication that He is guiding me in all of this, my difficult dilemma would not seem quite so daunting.” Still other Christians will look at their ongoing struggle with sin and desp...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty” (Psalm 29:3-4). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! A common theme of our Psalm, Old Testament reading, and Gospel for today, the Baptism of Our Lord, is the mention of the voice of the Lord over the waters. The creation event begins with the Holy Spirit hovering over the waters. In addition to creation, the Psalm speaks of the Flood, where the powerful voice of the Lord was over the many waters He used to cleanse and recreate His world. In the Baptism of Jesus, we see the waters of the Jordan and the presence of the Spirit in the form of a dove as the voice of the Lord speaks well of His beloved Son. Together, our readings provide a beautiful picture of what God has done in restoring His creation through His Son. Christ has come to make al...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel, Luke 3, especially verses 21-22: “ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’” Here ends the text. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “I can’t believe how quickly time passes. It seems like it was only yesterday when we brought our little boy home. Now he’s all grown up and has started his own career.” I’m sure that many of you have already pondered or expressed similar thoughts. As a father of four and a Papa of thirteen, I can assure you, that if you haven’t yet, you probably will. And much sooner than you’d ever think. Time flies. Children grow up so quickly. You turn around and they’re all grown up. And so it seems with Jesus—at least according to St. Luke...