A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13). Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! A few years ago, I painted my twin two-year-old granddaughters’ fingernails. My wife, Aimee, couldn’t believe it. “You never did that for your girls,” she said. “That’s right,” I answered. “They never asked me. Madyn and Briyr did.” “Papa, will you paint fingernails,’ they asked, emphasizing their request by wiggling their little fingers. So, I told them, “Yes, I will, as soon as I finish feeding Boden.” They squealed in glee and then asked me a couple of more times as they were waiting for me to get to it. But it did get me to wonder: Why didn’t my girls ask me to paint their fingernails? I suspect it was because they thought I would say no. I might have said no on so many other occasions, they just assum...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Luke 15:11-32, which has already been read. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The traditional title for this parable, “The Prodigal Son,” is found in 16 th -century English Bibles and goes back to the Latin Vulgate. The ESV translation calls it “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” Yet the central figure in this parable is not the son but the father. It is the father who reaches out with love to both of his wayward sons, just as Christ reaches out to each of us and calls us to repentance and faith. So today, we will hear this story from the father’s viewpoint under the theme “Letters from a Loving Father.” The first letter goes like this: My dear son, I pray that you will return to me soon so that I may share these words with you in person. But if I should pass on before your return, there are a few things I must be sure you know, so I am writing you this letter. I w...

"Jesus Found in the Temple" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. The child [Jesus] grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon Him. Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing Him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for Him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for Him. After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. And when His parents saw Him, they were astonished. And His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us so? Behold, Your f...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! This is every kid’s favorite time of the year, isn’t it? Summer! When you can sleep late, hang out with your friends, do as you please. Freedom from all the rules of school and the schedules everybody else makes for you. I hope you guys have been enjoying it! And we won’t talk about the number of days left until… Of course, it’s a good time of the year to be an adult, too—and largely because it’s such a great time for children. I love watching kids at play, at the pool, tee ball, family vacations, Vacation Bible School, just interacting with each other at home when they’re not tied down with homework. It is interesting to watch children interact, isn’t it? Sometimes they cooperate with one ano...

"Isaiah under Divine Inspiration" by Marc Chagall Click here to listen to this sermon. In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and...