Immediately prior to his death, the Reformer Martin Luther was asked this question: “Doctor Martin, Reverend father, are you now ready to die in the faith of Christ and the doctrine which you preached in His name?” Thereupon Luther said, so that it...

Like the Saul who became the Apostle Paul, the Lord Jesus Christ reveals Himself to us as we ask the questions: “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 22:8) and “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10) May God’s grace touch our hearts and lives to be eager to hear...

After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to His disciples and many others for a period of time before His ascension to heaven. Then, as He had promised, He sent the Spirit of God upon His disciples and a powerful witness had begun. That...

This week in The Story, the narrative reaches its climactic moment—the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In this singular event all of history was changed and God’s plan of redemption brought to completion. May His restorative power work in...

Last weekend we heard again the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and Martha’s bold confession of faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” But that miracle (and the crowd’s reaction) also set in motion the darkness that was to come as...

Priest and Christian author Robert Farrar Capon (who died last week at age 88) liked to say “Jesus never met a corpse he didn’t like.” Certainly the Gospel accounts attest to this—the son of the widow of Nain and Jairus’s daughter, and most memorably...

As "The Story" continues, we see Jesus as the Master Teacher. Throughout the years of His public ministry, He taught His disciples and those gathered around Him through various means, especially through parables, bringing insight into God’s...

Welcome to Carmel Lutheran Church! Today, as we continue our sermon series on The Story, we focus on the public life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Our guest preacher this weekend is Rev. Dr. John Nunes. A gifted and dynamic leader, Dr. Nunes has...

Christmas… in September?! 
At the center of the familiar story of the manger in Bethlehem lies the great mystery of the 
Christian faith—the Incarnation. “How does God become man?” “Why would God become human like us?” “What does this mean for us?”...

Today we close out the Old Testament portion of The Story with Nehemiah serving God’s people and leading them to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. God’s grace moves in our hearts and lives to positively influence those around us as His servants.