A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “ As you come to Him, a Living Stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Peter proceeds with a metaphor drawn from the Old Testament, this one being particularly significant to the apostle himself. God’s people come to a Living Stone and are built up as living stones in Him. Who better to deliver a picture of stones than the one who got his name changed by Jesus, from “Simon” to “Rocky”? When Jesus asked the disciples in Matthew 16, “Who do you say that I am?” it was Simon Peter who confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heave...

Click here to listen to this sermon. "Be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’” (Hebrews 13:5 KJV). Jo, Cindy, Steve, Tim, other family members and friends of Howard, members of Trinity congregation: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Reading his obituary, I learned a few things about Howard. I guess that’s to be expected. I’ve only been his pastor for a little over six years, so there were more than 80 of his more active years to catch up on. Except for a few stories that would slip out once in a while, I didn’t know the younger, more adventurous man who played football, broke horses, or rode motorcycles. Or the dashing young biker who swept Jo off her feet. The builder who could accurately tell you a board was 6 and 7/8 inches wide just by looking at it. The boss who would walk the rafters and go up in the bucket to shingle the steeple. The father who made sure his children grew...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “ As you come to Him, a Living Stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Peter uses a metaphor drawn from the Old Testament, this one being particularly significant to the apostle himself. God’s people come to a Living Stone and are built up as living stones in Him. Who better to deliver a picture of stones than the one who got his name changed by Jesus, from “Simon” to “Rocky”? When Jesus asked the disciples in Matthew 16, “Who do you say that I am?” it was Simon Peter who confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in he...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! In addition to being the day in which six of our parish confirmands publicly confess the faith and the other spiritual gifts that were given them in Baptism, today commemorates Martin Luther’s initiation of the Reformation on October 31, 1517. What began as an invitation for academic debate over the abusive doctrine of indulgences, soon became a call for the return to God’s Word as the sole authority for the Church’s doctrine and life. Scriptures clearly teaches that a sinner’s only hope in life or death is that Jesus’ perfect life, death, and resurrection are enough to save them. Solely by virtue of Christ’s substitutionary life and death, are sinners declared righteous before their holy God. Luther and the other reformers had to fight, some to the death, to preach this Gospel to Christ’s Church. Today our confirmands will make a vow to do similarly if necessary. They will be...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! As you’ll read in her obituary, Lorraine confessed publicly the faith into which she was baptized in the Rite of Confirmation at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Trosky on April 2, 1944. On that day, Lorraine promised that she would “continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it.” By the grace of God, Lorraine kept that promise; she fought the good fight of faith and has received the crown of eternal life. On the day of her confirmation, Lorraine received this verse, Exodus 33:14, a promise of God, that she wanted you to hear today: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”   What an excellent text for the Christian life and death of one of God’s saints! As we should do with any and every Bible passage, we’ll first ...

Add caption Click here to listen to this sermon. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “You’re only three Sundays away from never going to church again.” I told my own children that many times. They thought I was exaggerating. Or I was just saying that because I’m a pastor, and it would look bad if they didn’t go to church. But I’m serious. Any one of us here may be only three Sundays away from never going to church again. And that includes you five who are being confirmed today. Statistically speaking, you are especially vulnerable. The names of formerly active members who are no longer in attendance at worship on Su...