A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord , that He may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations…” I will greatly rejoice in the Lord ; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousn...

  Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus] came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch Him, for power came out from Him and healed them all. And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received ...

Click here to listen to this sermon. An mp3 file is available upon request. The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Luke 23:27-43. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year, where our attention is pushed to the last things.   All things promised will be completely fulfilled in Jesus’ glorious return.   The resurrection of the dead will bring body and soul together.   There will be a new heaven and a new earth.   Sin and Satan will be dispatched forever.   All God’s people will be taken to live in His eternal presence. However, the readings for today also draw us back to the cross, when Jesus fulfills the ancient prophecies of the Christ, the Chosen One.   He delivers His people from darkness and into His kingdom, through the forgiveness of sins, because He is the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:13-14, 18).   Those in the book of remembrance are God’s treasured pos...