A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Dressed in the finest white gown, this beautiful young blonde comes to meet her Bridegroom and receive His name . She’s escorted down the aisle by her father , and her mother joins in giving her away at the front of the church . Eight days old, she’s certainly unable to come up on her own or speak on her own behalf . The pastor marks her with the sign of the cross as one redeemed by Christ the crucified and baptizes her in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . And “there is joy before the angels of God.” Dressed in faded blue jeans and an old flannel shirt, he feels a bit out of place among the suits and ties, dresses and skirts, of those standing with him . But then, he’s certainly not there to make a fashion statement . He’s not even sure why he’s there . He feels so lost and alone . It’s been a long time since he’s joined in the assembly . At fir...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness” ( Galatians 6:1). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ! It’s a question asked by at least one of my children in the last few years, and by untold multitudes over the last two millennia: “If Christians can treat other Christians this way, why do I want to be a Christian?” A serious question… a serious problem… for if the actions of us, who call ourselves Christians, lead others to fall away from the faith, are we not guilty of causing these little ones to sin? Would we not be better off cast into the sea with a millstone necklace? So why do we do it? More to the point, what do we do about it if it happens, when we sin against a fellow Christian or when a fellow Christian sins against us? St. Paul says: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Fear not, I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! In our First Reading, an angel of the Lord opens the doors of the prison that hold all the apostles, not with the guards’ keys, but miraculously. In fact, the guards aren’t even disturbed. When the religious officials arrive, they find the jail fully secure, but completely empty. The Gospel has free course that can’t be held back by prison doors. God’s saving purposes are not frustrated by locks. In our Gospel, the apostles are gathered behind locked doors for fear of the Jews and what they might do to them. But there is one whom the locked doors did not keep out—the resurrected Jesus. We don’t know much about Jesus’ resurrected body, but we do know He left a sealed tomb with even the grave clothes still intact and ...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “L et anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it ” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “You’re only three Sundays away from never going to church again,” I told my children. They thought I was exaggerating. Or I was just saying that because I’m a pastor and it would look bad if they didn’t go to church. But I’m serious. Any of us may be only three Sundays away from never going to church again. The names of formerly active members who no longer attend worship regularly are scattered on the membership rolls of churches worldwide. St. John’s (St. Paul’s) is no exception. Just look around. There are “holes” in the pews, empty places that used to be ...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! What is the benefit of eating and drinking a bit of bread and a sip of wine? To most people it sure doesn’t seem like much. In fact, for most people, it’s a complete waste of time. And so, people stay away. But not you. You hear the Lord’s words. And with His words, He comes right before you and speaks to you. There is His command: “Take this bread. Eat it.” “Take this cup of wine. Drink from it.” And with His words, He tells you what it is: “This is My Body. This cup is the new testament in My Blood.”   And with His words, He gives you a promise. His Body and Blood in the bread and wine is for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Forgiveness won for you by His Good Friday dying. With His words that do and give what they say, Jesus bestows that Good Friday forgiveness. And it’s for you in the Sacrament of the Altar. “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your si...