A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon.  [Jesus said:] “I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch of Mine that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! As Jesus speaks these words, He is preparing His disciples for His death. He has spoken of His betrayal, predicted Peter’s denial, and now He teaches His disciples one more time before closing with His High Priestly Prayer, and heading to the Garden of Gethsemane. Which raises the question: “Why do we spend time reading and meditating on these words in the season of Easter?” Because when you look back on these words during Easter, you see that Jesus was doing something more than preparing His disciples for His death. He was also preparing them for His life: His resurrected life. In these words, Jesus offers His disciples (of all times) a promise that...

"St. John the Baptist Preaching" by Salvator Rosa Click here to listen to this sermon. [John the Baptist said:] “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Our Advent journey began last week with Jesus headed into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday. Today we back up a few years and take a detour through the Jordan where Jesus began His public ministry in baptism, much as we begin our discipleship in Holy Baptism. The way of the Lord is a rigorous one because we always journey “in Christ.” But we know where we are going, and we know who we are. In this second week of Advent, we remind ourselves that we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit for a life of repentance. We will soon celebrate Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, but already on these f...

Click here to listen to this sermon. This sermon is from a series written by Rev. Paul L. Beisel and published by Concordia Publishing House.

Click here for an audio version of this sermon.   The text for this message our Luke 20:9-20. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. "The Tenants in the Vineyard" by Jan Luyken Whenever I hear this parable (like many other parables), I end up shaking my head.   Nobody acts the way you would reasonably expect.   Their actions seem foolish, at times, even absurd.   But that is actually the key to understanding any parable: Look for the point of departure from how things are in ordinary, everyday life.   And there are plenty of detours in this one.   We’ll look at them and I think you’ll see what I mean.   But first, let’s look at the context. With the parables, you always have to pay attention to whom Jesus is speaking.   Is it His disciples?   The crowds?   The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law?   In this case, it is the people who are gathered in the temple to hear Jesus teach, no...