A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Then they said to Him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent’” (John 6:28-29).   Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I’m sure you’ve heard this before: “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.” It’s my experience that this is the kind of thing said at a question and answer session when nobody is asking questions. It’s meant to encourage more interaction between the speaker and listeners. And it’s been said so often that it’s become a truism—an “accepted fact of life.” But is it true? Some people ask questions just to gain attention. Others like to “play devil’s advocate” or “stir up the pot a bit.” A few already know the answer but want to test the speaker or to prove their own expertise. And some people just plain don’t think before they speak. So, yes, there are stupid questions—at least questions...

Click here to listen to this sermon. When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also His tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, s...

The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Matthew 14:13-21, which has already been read. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.             Those on the desert mountainside are weak.   They cannot journey any further without food.   The disciples realize this, but they wonder about their Master.   Doesn’t He realize what is happening?   Why does He let the crowd follow Him so blindly, so caught up in His miraculous healing and powerful Word that they forget about the very necessities of life?   And now it is evening and soon the people won’t be able to find anything to eat anywhere. So the disciples come to Jesus and say, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”   Imagine the nerve!   Telling Jesus what to do.   Ordering Him about as if He has come to...