The greatest occasions of the Church Year have what is called a vigil, that is, the celebration begins the day before. Christmas Eve, or the Vigil of the Nativity of our Lord, is on December 24th. All Saints Day is preceded by the Vigil of All Saints, or All Hallow’s Eve, which we now call Halloween.……

Our text today concerns the question of authority. The Pharisees, members of the ruling class in Jerusalem, send priests and Levites to John the Baptist. Levites have authority, priests have authority, and the Pharisees had authority. But who was this John? And what authority does he do these things?……

The third Sunday of Advent is called, Gaudete, the first Latin word of the Introit: Rejoice, in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice! ( Phil 4:4 ). And yet, as the picture on the front of the bulletin illustrates, the present circumstances may not seem like the time for rejoicing. John the Baptist……

The church has long understood that the advent of our Lord occurs in three ways: the first coming of Christ in the Incarnation, His continuing presence in the church today through His Word and Sacraments, and His triumphal return in glory at the end of the age. We have witnessed this second advent this……

There are two daughters in the Gospel text today: Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter, who has just died, and the poor woman, who has been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. Jairus is a ruler of the synagogue, a man with standing and authority, and he is prepared to publicly advocate for his beloved……

Then Peter came to Jesus and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with……

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen ( Heb 11:1 ). Faith is the opposite of the old saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” for faith does not believe what it sees; faith believes what it hears. St. Paul writes in Hebrews, Chapter 11, “By faith we understand that……

From beginning to end, the kingdom of heaven is about the invitation to the wedding banquet. You have all been invited to a banquet before, so you have some idea of what’s it’s like to get an invitation. This banquet is the wedding feast of the Lamb that has no end, and God the Father has been inviting……

When a loved one dies, people often comfort themselves with thoughts, such as, “God needed another angel,” or, “She’s in heaven looking down on us now.” People mean well by these sayings, but it doesn’t make them true. No, according to Scripture, we do not become angels when we die, nor do we watch over……

Today we’re going to talk about one of the most politically incorrect topics in existence: slavery. Our sinful world considers slavery to be the ultimate evil. God considers it to be the chief good. It is, after all, the reason that Jesus suffered, died, and was buried. As we confess in the Small Catechism:……

The Gospel text this morning has been associated with the baptismal liturgy of the church from ancient times. “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly ( Mk 7:34–35 ). Although the word “baptism” is not mentioned in……

The Feeding of the Four Thousand is completely at odds with the prosperity gospel which has infected so much of American Christianity. Countless faith teachers and faith healers promise that if you follow Jesus, every need in your life will be met immediately. After all, God exists for no other purpose……

Jesus says, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” ( Mt 5:23 ). Think of how much trouble in this congregation……

“Judge not!” This is the favorite Bible passage of unrepentant sinners. It’s used by Christians and unbelievers alike as a trump card to excuse all manner of sin. “Jesus said, ‘Judge not!’ That means that I can do whatever I want!” But Jesus also says, in John 7:24 , “Judge with righteous judgment.”……

Repentance is required for salvation. Unless a man turns from his sin, he cannot be saved. It is not possible to enter heaven while holding on even to the smallest and seemingly most harmless sin. As Jesus tells us, the way of salvation is narrow, and few are those that find it. Yes, repentance is necessary……

When Jesus tells you, “Ask, and you will receive” this is nothing other than an admonition to pray. God wants you to pray. He commands that you pray. And He promises to hear and answer your prayers. But many Christians are confused by prayer. How does it work? How do we do it? What should we pray for?……

After Adam and Eve plunged the world into darkness by eating the forbidden fruit, God placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. This was not a punishment. It was mercy. Adam and Eve now lived in a broken and sinful world. Their lives would be filled with sorrow and suffering.……

Last Sunday is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Perhaps we might call this Sunday, “A Little While” Sunday. “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father” ( Jn 16:16 ). Seven times in the text, we find the words “a little while.”……

In observance of Maundy Thursday, the night our Lord was betrayed, many Christian churches are celebrating a Seder meal. This practice first appeared in the 70s as a way to reach out to unbelieving Jews. They were told: “You can still be Jewish and be a follower of Christ.” This is true enough. Salvation……

The temple is the place where God ordained that sacrifices would be made. For without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. At this time of the year, the Jewish nation was preparing for Passover. One lamb per household would be slaughtered and its blood placed upon the doorposts……

In the Gospel text for Reminiscere , the Second Sunday of Lent, Jesus calls a Canaanite woman a dog. As you might imagine, this passage causes a lot of trouble for some Christians. I’ve even heard one woman try to preach a sermon about this, saying, “Jesus was having a bad day. He lost His temper and……

Fasting is not an American virtue, and so this biblical discipline can seem very foreign to us American Christians. We’ve been taught to indulge every desire, to scratch every itch, to sate ourselves with food and drink, pleasure and luxury. “Why wait for good things? Have them all now, with no payments……

The Lord Jesus is the Sower who goes out to sow the seed of His Word. And as He does, our enemy the devil uses every scheme in his playbook to keep that seed from taking root and springing up to eternal life. The four types of soil represent four types of hearts upon which the seed falls. There are four……

On this day of the Church Year, we begin our solemn march toward Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Great Vigil of Easter, and, of course, Easter itself, the Day of our Lord’s glorious triumph over death and the grave. The forty days of Lent that begin with Ash Wednesday are two……

The season of Epiphany is about the revelation of Jesus the Christ. On the day of Epiphany, He is revealed to the Magi who travel from a distant land to bring Him gifts. At the Octave, or eighth day of Epiphany, which we celebrated last night, Jesus is revealed to John the Baptist when the Holy Spirit……

Today is the Octave of Epiphany, that is, the Eighth Day of Epiphany. Many of the great feasts of the Church were celebrated for at least eight days, for a whole octave or more. Such is the case with Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, and a number of other feasts. But if you’ve never heard of the……

Each of the Scripture readings today concerns the office of the Holy Ministry by which God sends out His messengers with a specific task. From the Gospel of Matthew: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You” ( Mt 11:20 ). From the Prophecy of Isaiah: “The voice……

Our Gospel text presents us with a miracle within a miracle: two miracles so intertwined with each other so as to become one account. There is no other story like this in the gospels. It is the account of two daughters, a girl who is twelve years old, and a woman who has been suffering from a terrible……

In the weeks leading up to Election Day, I’m sure you saw plenty of political ads on TV, lawn signs scattered across town, and even a politician or two going door to door campaigning for your vote. Perhaps the only place you did not encounter any politicking was here at church, and rightly so. This pulpit……

St. Paul tells us that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” ( 1 Cor. 2:14 ). The natural man, that is, the sinful nature, cannot understand anything that belongs to God, and what……

The fact that we baptize infants in a great offense to much of the Protestant church. “We are saved by faith alone,” they cry, “and not by works. Therefore, baptism, which is a work, cannot save.” How do we answer this? Yes, baptism is a work, but it is not a work of man. It is the work of God. The infant……

When you see the word, “behold,” in a biblical text, it means that something important or something unusual is taking place. The Holy Spirit is telling you to take note. We find this word once in our Gospel text. Without looking, I’d like you to try to remember which part of the story is prefaced by……

The pagans of old understood that all worship requires sacrifice. Worship must be costly, or else it is not true worship. And so they willingly sacrificed their grain and wine, their sheep and oxen, and even their own children upon the altars of their demon gods. If anything good can be said about the……

As Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he looks out upon that great city of the nation of Israel, the first-born son of God whom He led out of Egypt with signs and wonders, the nation that grumbled and backslid in the wilderness, the wayward children that stoned the prophets of God and……

“First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye” ( Lk 6:42 ). This is a command from Jesus, but a command that many Christians are likely to ignore. Why? “Because,” we might say, “obviously Jesus must be talking to someone else,……

Our text this morning is taken from the final chapter of Micah, particularly the last three verses: “Who is a God like you, taking away guilt and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. He will return……

Jesus’ parable of the Great Supper teaches us of the doctrine of election. Salvation originates not within the heart of man, but within the heart of our merciful God. Consider how urgently the Lord extends His invitation to the banquet. Again and again He sends His servants out—to three different groups……

In the Apostles’ Creed we confess, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Each statement of faith is one link in the chain of salvation that begins with the Holy Spirit and ends……

There is no question that the celebration of Easter is a joyous occasion for the church. Ascension, however, might present a bit of a puzzle. Why would we celebrate the day that our Lord leaves us? Is this a joyful thing? Is this a good thing? Might it not have been better if Jesus had stayed on earth,……

The last thing Jesus did as He died, before He said, “It is finished,” was to institute His Church by giving Mary and John to each other. The first thing Jesus did when He appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection was to give His Church the authority to forgive sins. Jesus said to [the disciples],……

Mark’s account of the Resurrection sometimes seems like an odd choice for the Gospel reading for Easter morning, because it doesn’t actually recount the Resurrection itself. Instead, it tells us what some of Jesus’ followers, namely three women, were up on to that morning. If you’ve lived through a tragic……

Of the Seven Words of Jesus upon the cross, three are recorded in the Gospel of John. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple……

Near the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, as the time of His great sacrifice drew near, the unbelieving Jews and chief priests gathered together against Him. The conversation recorded in John chapter 8, though not the last time that Jesus would engage the Jewish leaders, is something of a last chance……