Sermons

Do you know Jesus? When He speaks? As He acts? Do you know Him when He does not act in the way you would expect, when He does not take up power as you would have Him take it up, when He does not prevent what you would have Him prevent? Do you know Him when He rebukes? Do you know Him when what you seek is not what He is giving, and when what He gives is not what you would seek?  Therein lies the difficulty, for it is there that the hand begins to reach, and it is there that s

Here we are, Beloved, with the multitude; here we are, sitting among them in the wilderness. We are that multitude who have gone farther than we intended and remained longer than we expected. We are that multitude whose eyes and ears have been fixed upon Him, that multitude who has followed Him with empty hands. We are the multitude in the wilderness. Want and scarcity surround us, and we wonder about provision, for there are hungers that cannot be quieted by our own strength

If John’s baptism was from heaven, then John’s witness must be true, and if John’s witness is true, then the authority of Jesus cannot be denied. And their own reasoning reveals as much: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ”  “But,”  and here their hearts are laid bare, “if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”  They do not ask what is true or what God has spoken; they ask onl

The strong man guards his palace ; his goods are secure.  Yet there comes One stronger than he : Christ comes upon him and overcomes him, and takes from him all the armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.   And this is good news for us. For the enemy Christ comes to defeat is not flesh and blood; it is the devil himself: the ancient enemy who seeks to darken the eyes and choke off the cry of faith, who would leave men silent before God. Christ comes to conquer him.

Beloved, Jesus does not wait for you to have sufficient faith either before He helps; in fact, He helps despite your weakness of faith. Although, at times, too numerous to count, we are seemingly faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. The faith He engendered within us, He continues to strengthen with His Word and blessed Sacraments. He will never leave nor forsake you, whom He purchased with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and dea