Archives: Sermons

9-10-23 Trinity 14

September 10, 2023
The lepers aren’t healed yet when they make their way to the priests. It’s on the way that they are cleansed. But when they start out, they are as leprous as they were before. They believe before they see it. And they obey Jesus at risk to themselves. Because if they get to the priests, make this long journey, and they are still leprous, the priest will reject them, tell them to go back to…

9-3-23 Trinity 13

September 3, 2023
What shall I do to inherit eternal life is a nonsense question. I used to want to blame Jesus for not pointing this out. It seems unfair. Even dishonest to the lawyer. The lawyer asks a nonsense question, why not answer and say, “You can’t do anything to inherit eternal life. Inheritances are given, and they’re given to children, not because the children do anything, but because the Father loves them.” This is what Jesus…

8-27-23 Trinity 12

August 27, 2023
Jesus healed many people during the few years between His baptism in the Jordan and His ascension into heaven. There are multiple times in the records of the Gospel when large crowds came to Jesus, by day and by night, bringing with them those who were sick or demon possessed. And Jesus healed them all, sometimes with a touch, sometimes with a word, sometimes with both. Jesus saw fit to perform many healings on the…

8-20-23 Trinity 11

August 20, 2023
Let’s be clear about what the problem is in today’s reading. When we hear the word “Pharisee” we think “bad,” and there’s reason enough for thinking it, especially in today’s reading. But let’s take his words at face value and consider them in light of our own lives. He says, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” Are we not grateful to…

8-13-23 Trinity 10

August 13, 2023
Probably the most common accusation against Christians is hypocrisy. “I don’t want to go to that church because it’s full of hypocrites.” The response could be, “Yes, and there’s always room for one more,” which would be accurate if hypocrite meant “sinner,” but it doesn’t. The church is most certainly full of sinners, every one of us, but Jesus wants no hypocrites in His Church. The word “hypocrite” comes straight from the Greek word for…

8-6-23 Trinity 9

August 6, 2023
The Holy Spirit gives us a lot to think about in this short parable. The overall theme is very obvious – if men work so hard and exert such energy to reach an earthly goal, then how much more should we seek our eternal goal with all the zeal and ambition of the children of God. Our goal is to stand before God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, pure, sinless, redeemed and washed by the…

7-30-23 Trinity 8

July 30, 2023
People desire to be at peace. This is universal to man. No one loves strife, no one loves a guilty conscience, no one loves unrest. Occasionally you’ll meet someone who delights in destruction and seems to thrive on chaos. We can agree that while such people exist, their malfunction doesn’t overthrow the truth of the matter, just as a blind man doesn’t disprove that God made man to see. Man wants peace. He wants to…

7-23-23 Trinity 7

July 23, 2023
When you look at Jesus feeding the four thousand you are looking at the only God there is. You see he’s with people, pays attention to them, cares for them. That’s God. There is no god out there who isn’t with us, who doesn’t pay attention to us, who doesn’t care about what we do and what we suffer. That god just doesn’t exist. It’s easy to imagine he does when you allow yourself to…

7-16-23 Trinity 6

July 16, 2023
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Your righteousness is your goodness. Have you been good enough to enter heaven? Good enough not by your standards, not by the culture’s standards, not by family standards, but by God’s standards. Jesus says your goodness has to exceed, surpass, the goodness of the scribes and Pharisees. The Pharisee says of himself in Jesus’…

7-9-23 Trinity 5

July 9, 2023
St. Peter was a good man. He and his fishing partners had just finished fishing. They were done fishing, but not done working. Yet, still, when Peter saw a crowd of people following Jesus along the lake, he stopped cleaning his nets, he stopped working, and listened to Jesus preach. Then he even lent Jesus his boat to use as a pulpit. In this way, Peter helped ensure that all the multitude following Jesus also…
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