A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I bet you can relate. You’ve heard it yourself—that drawn-out repeating of your name. Maybe accompanied by a sad head shaking. Preceded by a little sigh. “Robert, Robert.” You understand instantly that you’ve disappointed someone. Or maybe you’ve heard this variation. A little more drawn out, higher pitched, increasing in volume. “Robert! Robert!” Your mind wanders or you are otherwise distracted, and someone needs to catch your attention. We don’t see this happen very often in Scriptures, but when we do, it catches our attention, as it highlights a sense of urgency, true concern, or deep-felt emotion. Especially when it is used by God Himsel...

"The Last Supper" by Pieter Pourbus Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Shh! Listen closely! Our Lord is praying. It is the night of the Last Supper. He is soon to be betrayed, but not yet. He and His disciples have not even reached the garden. They are in the upper room, and the Lord is praying. So, listen closely, dear friends—because He is praying for you: “Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those you have given Him” (John 17:1-2). The Son prays to be glorified. But consider this carefully. He is not praying for the world’s idea of glory. The world defines glory in terms of splendor, strength, beauty, and celebrity. The one who wins is the glorious one. But Jesus defines His glory quite differently. Because the Father has given Him authority over all people, all people are H...

"The Vision of St. Joseph" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:22-23). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Joseph is a man who remains in the background. We rarely think of him because he never speaks; at least, none of his words are recorded in Scripture. We know him by his actions. We know him by the fruit of his faith. He’s a good man, a righteous man, a man who seeks to do God’s will. He seems to be thoughtful and merciful. He considers his situation carefully and wants to avoid putting Mary to shame. He’s the kind of man that you hope your sons will become and your daughters will marry. Oh, that we would have more men of such character! But unfortunately, Joseph’s plans have all fallen apart. He’s just found out that M...

Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus said:] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me” (John 17:20-21) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! According to John, it was the last thing Jesus said in the upper room on Maundy Thursday. After teaching His disciples many things about Himself, the world, and things to come, Jesus concludes His last evening with His disciples in prayer to the Father. And He concludes His prayer with the words in this text. As the saying goes, you can learn a lot about a man by listening in on his prayer. I would submit to you that you can learn so much more listening to the prayer of a man who knows that he will soon die. And Jesus is headed to meet His death. In the next verse after our Gospel, John tells us tha...