The Word This Sunday – 08.06.23
The Word This Sunday – 07.30.23
The Word Today – 07.23.23
The Word Today – 07.16.23
7th Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65:1-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 I wonder what those among us who are master gardeners and farmers would think of someone walking around throwing seeds everywhere without caring where they land and without any soil preparation. Clueless? Lazy? Yet, that is precisely the method the sower uses …
The Word Today – 07.09.23
6th Sunday after Pentecost Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 After finishing his missionary speech to the disciples, Jesus receives a visit from some envoys of an imprisoned John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2-15). Apparently, John heard what Jesus had been doing (v. 2). They asked (v. 3), "Are you the one who …
The Word Today – 07.02.23
5th Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42 Jesus' missionary discourse in the 10th Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew ends in a positive tone. When Jesus began instructing the disciples, the expectation was that sometimes they would be well received (verses 11-13); sometimes they would not be (verses 14-15). …
The Word Today – 06.25.23
4th Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15] 16-18; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39 It is indeed the season of Jesus' tough love in the Gospel of Matthew. This is saying the very least. Once more, the Savior of the World warns his disciples of possible outcomes for ministering in his name. "Do not think …
The Word Today – 06.11.23
2nd Sunday after Pentecost Hosea 5:15--6:6; Psalm 50:7-15; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Have you ever heard that our God is a Jealous God (Exodus 20:5-6), punishing those who reject him to the 3rd or 4th generation but showing steadfast love to the 1000th generation of those who love me and keep my commandments? Some …
The Word Today – 06.04.23
Holy Trinity Genesis 1:1--2:4a; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20 This week, the gospel lesson seems to throw a curve ball to Christians from a Lutheran perspective. We distinctively confess in our catechism that believers can come to Christ or confess Jesus as Lord only by the will of the Holy Spirit. Faith is …
The Word Today – 05.28.23
Sunday of Pentecost Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 20:19-23 Pentecost is the New Testament Greek word for the Jewish Festival of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-22), which happened 7 weeks after the Passover and was the equivalent of our "Harvest Fests" to the first-century Israelites. Sowing of barley took place in the Fall, …
Bridging Faith 