A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The hymn we just sang stands as a faithful paraphrase of the comforting words of Isaiah in our Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 9:1-2, and its quotation in Matthew 4:15-16. The people that in darkness sat     A glorious light have seen; The light has shined on them who long     In shades of death have been,     In shades of death have been. LSB #412 A valuable addition to the Epiphany section of our hymnal, this text embodies much of what is celebrated during this season: God has revealed Himself in the person of Christ, and we have been brought into His light. It puts the words of Isaiah’s prophecy into our mouths, helping us to realize not only what has been done for us in Christ, but also what we look forward to in His second coming. With the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus relocates to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. ...

Click here to listen to this sermon. When [Jesus] heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth He went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:12-16). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The ministry of Jesus seems to be filled with ups and downs, highs and lows. In Matthew’s account (as in our lives), it’s not always easy to tell if the Light that has dawned on God’s people is winning or waning? In the verses immediately preceding our Gospel, Jesus emerges victorious from His battle in the desert with Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). Our Champion stands toe-...

"The Healing of Peter's Mother-in-law" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. "Immediately [Jesus] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told Him about her. And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. “That evening at sundown they brought to Him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him. “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him, and they found Him and said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’ And He said to them, ‘Let us go on to ...

"Healing the Man Born Blind" by Vasily Surikov Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Once there was a man who walked in darkness. It was not that he chose to, just that he was blind from birth. And people had all sorts of theories why. Many assumed that terrible punishments came on certain people because of their own sin or the sin of their parents. But Jesus explained to His disciples that God had a different reason in this case. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world” (John 9:3-5). It was a puzzling statement. But Jesus made it clear that though suffering is a result of sin in this world, not all suffering is a direct punishment for specific sin. In this case, God allowed the man...