A Famine Not of Bread

"Christ Tempted by Satan to Turn Stones into Bread" by William Blake Click here to listen to this sermon.

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “The fate of all mankind hung in the balance.” It is a statement so melodramatic and overused as to be cliché. But there, that day in the garden, it was never more true. Eden was truly a paradise, heaven on earth. There was no sin, therefore no pain or suffering or injury or tears. And more to the point, there was no death. It was all very good. Perfect in fact. In that garden, dwelt all mankind—the man, Adam, and his wife, Eve. And the Lord had provided for them all sorts of good things to eat. There was a large variety of trees with good fruit, including the tree of life, from which they mig...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text is Luke 2:52: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The Incarnation of Christ was not to remain a secret, but would be revealed gradually, layer by layer; for the Good News of Christ’s coming to earth to be our Savior would be of no use to us if we never knew anything of it.   And so the angels sang their Gloria in Excelsis to the shepherds in the fields near the city of David.   The shepherds rushed to see this thing the Lord had told them, and they found the Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. The wise men followed His star from the east and worshiped the newborn King in Bethlehem.   Warned in a dream, Joseph took the child and His mother, and fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s evil clutches.   Simeon held his salvation in his arms at the temple in Jerusalem as He sang his Nunc Dimi...

Click here for an audio version of this sermon. The text for this message is Isaiah 53:4-6:   “S urely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.   But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.   All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”   Here ends the text. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, See Him dying on the tree! ‘Tis the Christ by man rejected; Yes, my soul, ‘tis He! ‘tis He! ‘Tis the long-expected Prophet, David’s Son, yet David’s Lord; Proofs I see sufficient of it: Tis the true and faithful Word ( LSB 451:1). "Crucifixion" by Lucas Cranach the Younger Do you see Him up there?   Doesn’t loo...