Born of Flesh, Born of Spirit

Today is a very special day for the flesh—not only the flesh of believers, but of unbelievers as well. You see, Memorial Day is the day we honor our dead—particularly the dead who served to protect us in the armed services of our nation so ...that we at home might enjoy the freedom to assemble as we do right here, right now, today. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus our Lord,...

But more importantly—yes, even more important than Memorial Day for all of us, whether believer or unbeliever; Christian, Muslim, & Jew; black, white, yellow or red; North or South American, European, Asian, African, Australian, or Antarctican for that matter—more importantly for all of us today is Holy Trinity Sunday....
 

To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for The Feast of the Holy Trinity, click on this link. http://tinyurl.com/pxqr828

The Helper, the Holy Spirit

You are holy, that is to say, saints, because that is what the Holy Spirit has made you through Holy Baptism, through the preaching and teaching of the Holy Word of God, through the Holy Communion of Christ’s Church. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father [has sent] in [Jesus’] name, [has taught] you all [the] things and [brought] to your remembrance all that [Jesus has] said to you to open your ears and give you the spirit of hearing, to bring you out of the darkness of sin and into His marvelous light of salvation; to break your hearts of stone and turn them into hearts of flesh—that is, the “new heart, and new spirit” [Ezekiel 36:26] of faith.

When we think of a helper, we think of someone who gives us a little boost, or a helping hand to make difficult things easier to and faster to accomplish. But the Holy Spirit is the Helper sent by God to work in you what you cannot do for yourselves--period.

To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for The Feast of Pentecost, click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3314

The Ascension of Our Lord: "He Fills All in All"

Paul tells us the ascended Christ seated at [His Father’s] right hand in the heavenly places,--more than having eyes in the back of His head, [having] all things under his feet … as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. [Ephesians 1:21-23]--has His eyes, ears, and all His members serving and filling the world with His good and gracious work.

This is what it truly means to be a lord—to watch over, serve, and protect the people under your jurisdiction. Having accomplished what only He could do on Calvary, our Lord ascends to the right hand of His Father whence He sends His Holy Spirit to deliver the forgiveness of sins and all of His righteous works through the people of His holy Christian Church to all the people of world.

To hear and or read the entire sermon preached for The Ascension of Our Lord, click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3301

Prayer Is for the Asking

Dear children of God, the spirit is indeed willing, but our flesh is still weak. So we come to our Lord in prayer because prayer is for the asking—the asking of the Father for everything that is good, everything that is true, everything that is lasting, everything that is life. Here today we come together as His beloved baptized children to ask for forgiveness for our lack of prayer and sleeping on the job—among our other sins of what we do and don't do.



To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for Rogate Sunday, click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3285

Where Are You Going?

And herein lies the suffering of the disciples and every generation of believer to come. The world doesn't like the forgiveness of sins. Because that means first confessing one is a sinner. Have you ever tried to forgive someone only to have them become angry that you would dare be so high and mighty? That you would dare tell them they had done something wrong, something that needed to be forgiven? How dare you call them a sinner? Yes, this is exactly what got Jesus crucified and what would cause the disciples much suffering, and grief, and even martyrdom themselves.
Then beyond anger and hatred and violence, there is rejection. Remember the rich young man? Jesus invited him to "follow me" as well. To hear the entire sermon preached for Cantate Sunday, click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3276

A Little While

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Our passions are the very things our Lord warns us against as enemies of life and that from which we must be saved and delivered. Those very things which we have redefined as freedom of choice, alternate lifestyles, consensual sex—i.e. “pursuit of happiness”--Jesus tells us, ”These are what defile a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander." Matthew 15:20, 19

Yes, this is indeed a bitter pill. But it is a necessary one for us. Just as our Lord’s dear disciples had sorrow for a little while when He died and was buried for the sins of the world, so too each of our Lord’s dear baptized believers has sorrow for a little while over his own sins before the comfort and joy of the Gospel of forgiveness is revealed. Then forgiven, we have sorrow for a little while as the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh tempt and even fight with us to return to the very things we have been forgiven and baptized out of and away from.

To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for Jubilate Sunday, click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3265

 

The Suffering Heart of Our Shepherd

Goodness is miserable work. This Good Shepherd business is not as pretty as the paintings.

The Suffering Heart of Our Shepherd is that he came down amongst the sheep as they go about their lives. Getting lost, tangled in briars, stuck in mud, fallen in ditches, covered with all sorts of filth and vermin, attacked by wolves as they follow their noses and their stomachs and their hearts—that is, their passions. He tends them, feeds them, and thoroughly vets them so they can go about being sheep—wool, lambing, milk. But there is one very notable exception. They fear not being fattened for the sacrificial slaughter or feast. The Good Shepherd suffered that in and from His very heart all the way to His very real and physical death. He was the sacrifice and He is the Feast! To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for Misericordias Domini Sunday, click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3256