Preaching and Teaching from St. John Ev. Lutheran Church (Sherman Center), Random Lake, Wisconsin

April 4, 2022

Be honest with yourself. Jesus is offensive. He says things you don’t like. He tells you to do something you don’t want to do. Each time you come to church, you hope this is the Sunday you get by without Him noticing you and your sin. You have a good thing going, and you don’t want Jesus to upend your day, week, or year. You don’t want Him to expose your lust for power and endless pursuit of wealth. But even worse, you don’t want Him exposing your lies and your following after liars. You prefer the out-of-context Bible verse memes to deep study. You choose the easy to the difficult, the life of “I’m okay” to the life of “I’m a poor, miserable sinner.”

But here you are. And here Jesus speaks. And in His speaking, He exposes you for the fraud that you are according to the flesh. But that’s not His last Word, and that’s not what He calls you. In Baptism, He no longer sees you as anything but His forgiven brother, a coheir of heaven, and a child of God. And as Karson, so for you, too. You have the Holy Spirit who repents you daily, coverts you again, restores you to faithfulness, and gives you to live in Christ today and always.

April 2, 2022

April 1, 2022

March 31, 2022

The situation in Psalm 80 is pretty rough. The problem in this psalm is not private, so to speak; it has to do with afflictions brought upon the Church. Asaph, the Psalmist, describes in vivid detail the common experience of the Christian congregation. She is often given to be in contention with her neighbors. Those who hate her seek her ruin and destruction. Worse yet, it seems that the good planting of God is now being broken down by God Himself. It seems that she’s being plundered by the world and false faiths around her.

The remedy we ask against this plight is the revelation of God's glory, a theme that appears early in our psalm: “You who sit upon the Cherubim, reveal Yourself to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh; stir up Your might and come to save us." Then, three times comes the refrain that makes the same prayer: "Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” This is the desperate plea of the Church which is assaulted within and without and is doubting the perseverance God has promised.

March 30, 2022

March 29, 2022

March 28, 2022

This world is a wilderness of despair, hopelessness, and need. It is governed by power and greed, poverty and want. This world is governed by laws of economics, like supply and demand. But the communion of the saints of God, His holy church has no scarcity, but She lives in the abundance of the Gospel. You have been gathered today to God’s holy mountain Zion. Here you are given to sit down in green pastures. You are fed with bread from heaven, God’s Word, and feast at the Holy Supper of the Lamb. So great a number surrounds you, an assembly of God’s holy people too great to even number. Not even 12 x 12 x 1000 is enough to describe the saints and angels with you this day. And you are filled with good things, Christ’s forgiveness, and drink from a well that springs to eternal life. There’s always enough and even more.