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december 17 2023

  December 17 th 2023 Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Psalm: Psalm 126 Epistle: 1 st Thessalonians 5:16-24 Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28 Sermon Text: John 1 Sermon Title: “The Voice” Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. How many of you have watched a talent show called the “Voice”? It has been around for at least 10 years, but I have seen it only a handful of times on video/you tube. It is a singing competition described in one ad as “the search for the country’s best undiscovered talent”. The series employs a panel of four (rotating) coaches; who are famous singers and musicians from many different styles of music. These coaches critique their performances and try to guide them through the competition of that particular season, but as the ad says, “only one artist will be crowned the Voice” for that year. So, how is “the Voice” for a particular year determined? Not necessarily by talen
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december 10 2023

December 10 th 2023 Old Testament: Isaiah 40:1-11 “The Word of our God will stand forever” Psalm: Psalm 85 “Turn not back to folly” Epistle: 2 nd Peter 3:8-14 “Wishing … all to reach repentance” Gospel: Mark 1:1-8 “A baptism of repentance” Sermon Text: Isaiah 40:8 and 2 nd Peter 3:8-14 Sermon Title: “The Word will Stand Forever” Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. So, after just hearing the Scripture readings for this morning, what stands out in your hearing? Or, how would you state the theme of the readings? I believe it can be summed up in one word; repentance. In the Gospel reading John the Baptist proclaimed “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. (Mark 1:4b) As they came for baptism they were, “confessing their sins”; (Mark 1:5b) which is part of repentance. In the Epistle reading, the Apostle Peter taught that God is “patient … not wishing any to perish, but al
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december 3 2023

December 3 rd 2023 Old Testament: Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm: Psalm 80:1-19 Epistle: 1 st Corinthians 1:3-9 Gospel: Mark 11:1-10 Sermon Text: Isaiah 64 Sermon Title: “Rend the Heavens and Come Down” Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Today is the first Sunday in Advent; which is the first season in the new church year. Today we begin this season much as we ended the last church year, by talking of Christ’s coming. The second coming and the Day of Judgement is still fresh still in our minds, and still evident in a couple of the readings for today, including the alternative Gospel reading, which is drawn from Jesus’ “apocalypse” in Luke 21 and the need to be ready for His coming in glory. Of that day, CFW Walther wrote “if God were to announce mankind’s Last Day, even one hour before the fact, many would still think they had (plenty of) time to be converted … but God has cut off this false comf
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november 26 2023

November 26 th 2023 Old Testament: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 “I Myself will judge” Psalm: Psalm 95:1-9 “Kneel before the Lord. Our Maker” Epistle: 1 st Corinthians 15:20-28 “At His coming; then comes the end” Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 “Eternal punishment … eternal life” Sermon Text: Sermon Title: “The Final Judgment” or “Eternal Punishment vs Eternal Life” Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. A former pastor in our Altamont circuit was known to ask a simple question quite frequently. “Are you ready”? What was he saying we should be ready for? Certainly, for the day of our death, which could come unexpectedly at anytime, even today; but also for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will “destroy every rule and every authority and power” (1 st Corinthians 15:24) at His coming. So, I ask you the same question this morning, “Are you ready”? The Psalmist also exhorts us to readiness s
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november 23 2023

Thanksgiving 2023 November 23 rd Old Testament: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Psalm: Psalm 56:1-13 vs 8 Epistle: Philippians 4:4-13 Gospel: Luke 17:11-19, 21:25-28, 34-36 Sermon Text: Luke 17:11-19 and Luke 21 Sermon Title: “Thankful for the Coming of the Lord” Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. As you know by now, we are in the final days of the Church Year. We have been hearing about the return of Christ in glory, to judge the living and the dead, and that will be the theme for at least one more Sunday. We have heard many of the warnings in Holy Scripture about the need to be ready for that day by receiving His gifts in Word and Sacrament. For example, last Sunday, we heard about the dangers of apathy, of taking God’s Word for granted. Through the prophet Zephaniah, the Lord declared, “I will punish the ones who are complacent, who say in their hearts, the Lord will not do good, nor will He do ill”.
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november 19 2023

November 19 th 2023 Old Testament: Zephaniah 1:7-16 (17-18) Psalm: Psalm 90:1-12 Epistle: 1 st Thessalonians 5:1-11 Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30 Sermon Text: Zephaniah 1:7-18 Sermon Title: “Be Silent (Before the Lord God)” Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Today, we continue on the theme of the church year, each of the readings in one way or another speaking of the Day of the Lord (or the day of our death) and warning us of the danger of neglecting God and His Word. For example, in the Psalm for today, Moses speaks of the brevity and uncertainty of our lives saying “You return man to dust … in the morning it (he) flourishes … in the evening it (he) fades and withers. We are brought to an end by Your anger”. (Psalm 90:3, 5-7a) BTW, this is a text in our pastoral care companion, to be read either for the funeral service or used in ministering to the dying or to comfort family members. Liste
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november 12 2023

November 12 th 2023 LWML Sunday (Mission Sunday) Old Testament: Amos 5:18-24 Psalm: Psalm 24 Epistle: 1 st Thessalonians 4:13-18 Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13 Sermon Text: Psalm 24 Sermon Title: “The Coming of the Lord” Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The Lord has come to this world in the flesh in the person of Jesus, to atone for the sins of the whole world; your sins, my sins, and the sins of all who have ever lived or will live. The Lord Jesus is coming again in glory “to judge the living and the dead”; which we confess in all of the Creeds of the church. On that day and hour, which no one knows, all the dead will be raised. “Believers will rise in glorified bodies and enter everlasting life in heaven … unbelievers will rise to eternal death, to shame and torment in hell forever”. This is what Holy Scripture and our Confessions and Catechisms teach, and that is always the focus of the la
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