A Famine Not of Bread

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...

  "The Baptism of Christ" by Guido Reni 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 crea...

"Christ in the Wilderness" by Ivan Kramskoy Click here to listen to this sermon. “The Spirit immediately drove [Jesus] out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him” (Mark 1:12-13). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! One moment, as Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, He experiences the exhilaration of hearing His Father’s voice of approval from heaven and He sees the Holy Spirit descending on Him as a dove. The next moment, He is in the wilderness, surrounded by wild beasts, and suffering the insults of the devil. This sudden shift happens in our lives also, doesn’t it. It’s part of the equation of the fallen world: a tension between good and evil. Between God’s power to help us live, and the temptation to live by our own power apart from God. Martin Luther described it this way: “  You build a cathedral one day, and...

"Baptism of Jesus" by Jusepe de Ribera Click here to listen to this sermon. “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! He’s everything they’re not. And more. Do you see that crowd on the banks of the Jordan River, listening to John the Baptist? They’re the kind of poor, miserable sinners that the world just doesn’t get. Hey, look around and you’ll see what I mean. If you’re a sinner, what are you supposed to do about it? The old-school notion is that you pick up the pieces, ignore the past, and get on with the future. In terms of psychology and sanity, that’s a pretty good way to live. The popular option today, of course, is to parade your sin as blatantly as you can. You can boast in it, daring others to call it wrong. You can excuse it, clai...