A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “ As you come to Him, a Living Stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Peter proceeds with a metaphor drawn from the Old Testament, this one being particularly significant to the apostle himself. God’s people come to a Living Stone and are built up as living stones in Him. Who better to deliver a picture of stones than the one who got his name changed by Jesus, from “Simon” to “Rocky”? When Jesus asked the disciples in Matthew 16, “Who do you say that I am?” it was Simon Peter who confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heave...

Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus said:] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”   (John 14:1-6). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! You don’t have to live very long in South Dakota to learn how quickly the weather can turn. A day can start calm and bright, and then—almost without warning—clouds roll in, the wind picks up, and the sky goes that strange color that makes you pause and think, “This could be trouble.” And when that happens...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Scot, Patti, Mark, Todd, other family members, and friends: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Our Gospel for today is one that you will frequently hear at funerals. In fact, Bill was sitting here with many of you about a year-and-a-half ago and we all heard the very same words that Sandy had chosen for her funeral service: Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to Him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:1-6). So, why do you suppose Bill chos...

Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus said:] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:1–6). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The tension was thick that night. The mood was somber because death was near. Repeatedly and increasingly, over the weeks and months, the Lord had told them that He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified. Now the betrayal was underway and His alarming prophecy would come to pass in less than 24 hours. So, wha...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Click here to view this sermon. “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:5-6). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Are you a “how” person or a “who” person? Let me explain what I mean—especially for all you “how” persons, who are wondering how this all fits with today’s text. It was remarkable, the way that Bill and Joanne each approached their surgery. Both were having the same operation: Knee replacement. But each of them approached it in a different way. Bill is a “how” person. He wanted to know all the details. He read up on the surgery and consulted with his physician. He investigated the manufacturer of the knee replacement parts, tuned into YouTube and watched videos of the procedure. He knew exactly how it was going to be done,...

Click here to listen to this sermon. In the sermon text, Jesus was Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Dear Patricia and Richard, members of Sarah’s family, friends, neighbors, and members of Our Saviour’s congregation, At times like this, we are reminded of two days that are particularly and especially before us. One of those two days is the day of the funeral—today. As you well know, there have certainly been a great number of things to do and decisions to make since a week ago Friday when the Lord took Sarah to Himself in heaven. There have been numerous preparations in order that the grave site committal could take place and for this funeral service. Fortunately, Sarah had been preparing for this day and service. She wrote most of her own obituary (although since she was much too modest, Patricia had to add a few things like the variety of sports she played: tennis, bowling, and an industrial baseball league just a step below the one li...