Jesus told his disciples, “When the Spirit of truth comes… he will bear witness about me” ( Jn 15:26 ). The Holy Spirit testifies about Jesus. He teaches us the truth, and the world cannot bear to hear it. Why not? Is it acceptable to talk about God in public? Sure. People do all the time, and nobody…

The Sixth Sunday of Easter is called Rogate. This is a Latin word that means, “pray.” If you were to look at your bulletin, you’d see that every one of the readings is about prayer. After the people of Israel grumbled to the Lord and were bitten by snakes, Moses prayed for them and God sent them a way…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” ( Jn 16:20 ). In these words of Jesus we find the pearl of Christian comfort, the true and lasting joy which our Lord promises to all who believe in him: “You…

The tenth chapter of John finds Jesus in the middle of an argument with the Pharisees. They were the spiritual leaders of God’s people. They were supposed to care for the flock of God. Instead, they used their position of leadership and authority for their own advantage. They were false shepherds, who…

On the evening of Easter Day, the disciples were gathered together. They were not meeting to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. They were not rejoicing in Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. This was not a gathering of faith; instead, it was a gathering of unbelief. The disciples, who should have…

This sermon borrows much from the faithful preaching of Pastor Rolf Preus.

Deus vult! God wills it! This was the battle cry of the people when Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade. But was it God’s will? Many times in history, sinful men have claimed to be following the will of God, when in truth they were motivated by greed and power. This is the will of man. In the Lord’s…

Whether we know it or not, every person alive is looking for God. We want to find a source of stability and strength. From birth to death we are engaged in the search for meaning and truth. But every human attempt to discover God apart from divine revelation fails. Look around at our dying world and…

It is very common today to hear people claim that all religions are basically the same. “God is known by many different names, but he is the same God, nevertheless. Jews, Christians, and Muslims, all worship the same God.” If you ever find yourself in a conversation like this with someone who claims…

Last week we read from John chapter 6, where Jesus fed the five-thousand. The crowd was so pleased with the bread Jesus gave that they showed up the next day looking for more. But they were disappointed. Instead Jesus said, “Do not labor for the bread that perishes. Labor instead for the bread that endures…