Some Lutherans are hesitant to participate in the ceremonies of Ash Wednesday because, as is often said, “it’s too Catholic.” But when the Reformers purified the church 500 hundred years ago, they did not throw out any traditions because they were “too Catholic.” In fact, the Reformers claimed to be…

This Sunday is called Sexagesima, which means that we are roughly sixty days away from Easter. The three Gesima Sundays that precede Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent align beautifully with the three great solas of the Reformation: Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura, and Sola Fide. Our focus this morning…

It is in our nature to love experiences. These are the things we remember, the times look back upon fondly as we grow older. As Humphrey Bogart said to Ingrid Bergman in the movie Casablanca, “We’ll always have Paris.” Amazing experiences are considered the measure of a life well-lived, and some people…

The Gospel text for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany comes from the second half of the eighth chapter of Matthew. If you were to read the whole chapter at one sitting, you could see that it is all about the authority of Jesus. When He finished preaching the Sermon on the Mount, the crowds marveled for…

The Gospel reading of the marriage at Cana gives us occasion to consider the state of matrimony. Many people, even some pastors, think that marriage is a secular matter and no business of the Church. But we must remember that from the beginning, marriage is God’s institution. He created marriage. He…

John preached a baptism of repentance into the forgiveness of sins. So it’s understandable that he did not want to baptize Jesus. John was a sinner. He needed baptism. You and I are sinners. We need baptism. But Jesus, from the moment of His conception until His death never committed a single sin. He…

Part of what it means to confess Christ is to deny ourselves. This is what John did. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” he confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ” ( Jn 1:20 ). The priests and Levites wanted to talk about John. He…

The final weeks of the Church Year have a strong focus on the End Times and the Return of Christ. But as the Church Year begins anew with the Season of Advent, we find that this focus on the end of the world continues. Just as the beginning of the year is closest to its end, so the theme of Advent encompasses…

The spokesman for the season of Advent is John the Baptist. He is often depicted in church art pointing with a long bony finger. This finger serves two purposes: It is the voice of the Law which accuses: “You have not kept the Ten Commandments. You have not loved God with all your heart, soul, mind,…

It is perhaps strange that the text for the first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of the Christian year comes from the end of Jesus’ ministry, his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Chronologically, this passage about Palm Sunday seems out of place here at the beginning of all things. Yet the ancient…