“When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they…

To be a Christian means to believe in Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God the Father, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. If you are a Christian, you confess these truths. Perhaps you have confessed them so many times, as we do in the Creeds, that you know the words…

The words of the Introit are a prayer, imploring God to keep His saving promise: “Remember us, O Lord, with the favor that Thou bearest unto Thy people: oh, visit us with Thy salvation!” ( Psalm 106:4 ) The collect echoes this plea, “Stir up, O Lord, we beseech Thee, Thy power, and come and help us with…

God has instituted and ordered His church so that within it, and nowhere else, we might find the forgiveness of sins. The church is that gathering of sinners in which the Lord Jesus is present among us with His forgiveness. We know this is true from His own words in Matthew 18 , that great chapter on…

This morning we hear the historical accounts of two different widows who suffer the death of their only son: the widow of Zarephath in the days of Elijah, and the widow of Nain during the earthly ministry of Jesus. The fact that these women are widows tells us that it is not the first time they have…

In those days the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. Then He spread it before…

At that time Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews: “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die. The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man…

Usually, the parables of Jesus are about the kingdom of heaven. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…” “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning…” “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field…” Not so this morning. The parable of the wicked steward…

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” ( Jn 12:24–25 ). These words of Jesus stand in stark contrast to the values of…

At funerals it is common for the gathered family and friends to do their best to avoid speaking the truth about what we all know has happened. And what is that? Why are we here today? What singular event has brought us all together? I know the answer. You know the answer. But, according to the unspoken…