A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and remembrance. A time for reflecting upon the bounteous blessings God has so freely bestowed upon us out of His lavish love and abundant mercy. A time for remembering the...

"The Healing of the Ten Lepers" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth ( 1 Timothy 2:1–4). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Thankfulness is to be the general spirit of the season. To cultivate this virtue, some people have joined a challenge on social media to share each day something they are thankful for. The lists often include things like good health, a fulfilling career, and loving family, and those are all good blessings. But what about the person who doesn’t have those things? Do they have nothing for which to give thanks to God or bless His ho...

"The Gathering of Manna" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and remembrance. A time for reflecting upon the bounteous blessings God has so freely bestowed upon us out of His lavish love...

"The Gathering of the Manna" by James Tissot   Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Forty years earlier, Moses had led the people of Israel out of Egypt toward the Promised Land. Now they are camped, looking across the Jordan River to the land that God had promised to their forefathers. Not able to go into the Promised Land himself, Moses recounts what had happened during the wilderness wandering and he prepares them for the new land they will now receive. “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2). Forty years it had taken them to make the 300-mile-long journey, an average movement of about 100 feet per day. Obviously, there had been a few bumps in the road along the way. The people ran out of water mor...

Archaeologists Discover Moses Fitbit Map Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! It’s not good for a pastor to talk about himself too much in a sermon. The sermon can easily degenerate into a grade school-like essay: “What I Did During My Summer Vacation” or given the holiday we are observing this evening: “What I Am Thankful For.” Or it can turn into a Joel Osteen pep talk on how to have your best life now if you just follow my example. But today, I’m going to make an exception and tell you a little about myself. I pray that by doing so, it will help you view your own life’s detours from a Scriptural perspective. A few years ago, I would not have expected to be standing here today, a full-time pastor of a new tri-parish. I was in my ninth year as pastor of a congregation that had been steadily growing in faith, wisdom, membership, and ministry; and I was looking for many good things to come in the years ahea...

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s not good for a pastor to talk about himself too much in a sermon.   The sermon can easily degenerate into a speech like those essays from elementary school: “What I Did During Summer Vacation” or given the holiday we are observing today, “What I Am Thankful For.”   Or it can easily turn into a Joel Osteen pep talk on how to have your best life now if you just follow my example.   A proper sermon should be focused on Christ, and Him crucified.”   No, it’s not good for a pastor to talk about himself too much in a sermon.   But this time, for the sake of illustration, I’m going to risk it for a little bit.   I pray that it will help you view your own life’s detours from a Scriptural perspective. This is the second Thanksgiving in a row that I have had the privilege and pleasure of preaching at Christ Lutheran Church .   Certainly, two years ago, I would ...