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Divine Service Part III Service of the Sacrament Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our last two “sermons” on the Divine Service were more like abbreviated Bible Studies than true sermons. To be fair, I have two goals in this. The secondary purpose was to show that Bible Study might be enjoyable – maybe you’ll join one? Primarily it was to lead you, God’s children, to a greater appreciation of the Divine Service as God’s incre

Divine Service Part II: The Service of the Word Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Last week we began to consider why we do what we do in worship by looking at the preparation for the Divine Service (Confession & Absolution). This week we examine the “Service of the Word.” Christ, the very Word of God made flesh, Who spoke everything into being in the beginning, is still the Word speaking things into being. Today He speaks f

To What Do You Cling? All 3 Texts & Hymn #708 We pray Luther's Prayer before the sermon: Eternal God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, give us Your Holy Spirit who writes the preached Word into our hearts. May we receive and believe it and be cheered and comforted by it in eternity. Glorify Your Word in our hearts and make it so bright and warm that we may find pleasure in it, through Your Holy Spirit think what is right, and by Your power, fulfill the Word, for the s

Divine Service Part I – Preparation: Confession & Absolution Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message is more like a Bible Study. It is good for us to look at the Divine Service and why we worship as we do. For the next couple weeks, we are going to look at the portions of the Divine Service and why we do what we do. I pray that you will develop an even deeper appreciation of our Divine Service, and see it as the r

Fear, Love, And Trust In God Above All Things 1 Kings 17:8-16 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. This widow at Zarepheth told Elijah she was going to make her last little bit of food for herself that her son that they may eat of it and then die. Elijah told her to make something for him to eat first. He promised there would be plenty for her and her son for a long time. She did not hesitate, but “went and did as Elijah

Nothing Can Separate Us From the Love of God! Memorial Service for Rescue Workers of 9/11 - October 2, 2001 Romans 8:18, 28-39 (I preached this sermon at a memorial service conducted with Rev. Steve Hyvonen three weeks after the horrific events of September 11, 2001, at St. James Lutheran Church. Both of us were serving as chaplains to the Shawano County Sheriff Department, and planned this special service for the emergency personnel of Shawano County. While this sermon was

By Heart Proverbs 4:10-23 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Normally today would have been the first day of Catechesis. Catechesis is a specific and organized instruction in God’s Word. Often the youth of a certain age are catechized – instructed – in the Christian faith, by the pastor. To be fair, Pastoral catechesis is only be supplemental instruction in the Word of God Word. Catechetical instruction is supposed to

Go And Do Likewise Luke 10:23-37 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Do people today ask, or even think about the topic brought up by the question asked by the lawyer in today's text? Do many people think about eternal life? I am not sure! So many in our world do not even consider the question of what comes after this life – if anything. Many Christians do think along those lines, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit etern

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Isaiah the prophet looked forward to the coming of God’s Messiah. He is the one who recorded the great chapter that gives such a wonderfully vivid image to us of the suffering servant: the One who bears our griefs and carries our sorrows; who was stricken for us; smitten and afflicted for us. It is Isaiah who prophesies of the virgin conceiving and giving birth. It is Isaiah who records the prop

Family of faith at Timber Rattlers game. Rain delay making us wait..

What Is the Gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 & Luke 18:9-14 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. What is the Gospel? Some might think that’s a silly question, but it really is not. Why is not it a silly question? Because there are so many false ideas of what the Gospel is. Some say that the Gospel is preached when we’re told that Jesus’ died for sins. If they stopped there, that would be great, but they add things which

For The Common Good 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. In Paul’s day, there was a problem in Corinth. They were arguing about which was the better gift, the more important gift of the Holy Spirit. OK, more precisely, they were arguing about which person was better and more important, based upon which “gift” they had. Of course, their argument was not really about the gifts, nor was it about the Giv

Follow Your Heart? False Teachers? At Your Peril! Jeremiah 23:16-29 & Matthew 7:15-23 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God gives warning to His children throughout Scripture. Today, both our Old Testament lesson from Jeremiah – and Christ Himself speaking in our Gospel lesson give us warning. First we heard this: Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with

Our Escape In Temptation 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Today’s sermon could speak to a multitude of things, all of them sins; desiring evil, idolatry, eating and drinking and playing (without thankfulness to God), sexual immorality, testing God, and grumbling against God. Our text tells us that these were examples, written down for our instruction. They are a warning to us so that we migh