A Famine Not of Bread

  Click here to listen to this sermon. “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:19–26). Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Many of you may remember Ron Popeil, an American inventor and marketer of various products, including the Popeil Pocket Fisherman...

"Christ Entering Jerusalem" by Giotto di Bondone Click here to listen to this sermon. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified (John 12:23). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! My cousin likes to tag me on social media with some of his religious humor. Just last week, he offered this one: Pontius Pilate says to Joseph of Arimathea, “Joseph, I really don’t understand. You’re one of the richest men in the region, and you’ve spent a small fortune on a new tomb for you and your family and you want to give it to this man, Jesus?" Joseph replies: “It’s just for the weekend.” It’s a joke, of course, but it’s true. Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. But it was just borrowed for the weekend. He was checked in before 6:00 pm on Friday and checked Himself out early Sunday morning. However, the tomb was not the only thing Jesus “borrowed” during Holy Week. For you, Jesus goes from borrowed donkey to borrowed r...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! It is never easy when a loved one dies. A death during Holy Week complicates things with all the other activities and worship services. But on the positive side, it really gives us another opportunity to proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection. Today, I won’t speak a lot about Helen, but I will tell you about Helen’s Redeemer. The message of Good Friday is that Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, died for the sins of the world. Every sin has been paid for by Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. On Easter, we celebrate the Good News that the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep has taken it up again. His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. He gives eternal life, and we will never perish, and no one will snatch us out of His hand. The message of Easter is of life in the resurrection of the crucified Son of the living God. This has been the hope that God’s people ...

"The Holy Women at the Tomb" by William Adolphe Bouguereau Click here to listen to this sermon. On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered His words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apo...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1–5) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! It is still the season of Easter. Fittingly, this is a resurrection text. It may not seem so since resurrection is never mentioned, but the whole idea of love, faith, and obedience to the commandments of God discussed in this text are dependent upon the reality of the resu...

  "Supper at Emmaus" by Caravaggio Click here to listen to this sermon. As they were talking about these things, Jesus Himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Touch Me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate before them. Then He said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ...