Sermon for Septuagesima Sunday.

Paul compares the Christian life to that of an athlete – all compete but not all win the prize. Just training and participating does not mean the crown is yours

All in the wilderness could claim being a part of Moses’ group, being their from the beginning, but they did not seek the prize – they fell in the wilderness and only Caleb and Joshua of that generation could enter the promised land.

Preached at Matins service for Northern Illinois Confessional Lutherans.

Sermon on the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Only through Jesus Christ can we approach God. This is how he comes down and touches us. The thin place between heaven and earth is not on the mountain of transfiguration. It is here, where Christ promises to be. Where Jesus commands to baptize in his name, he is there. There in the water is God Himself, giving his life to these little children.

Sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord (observed)

In John’s gospel, we run into John the Baptist where everything is done and over for him. He’s completed his mission. The baptism is done. He has identified the Christ, and now is pointing his own disciples, Andrew and Peter, James and John, to follow Jesus instead. As he says “He must increase, and I must decrease.” To reveal, to point, and bear witness to Jesus has been his life’s goal.

Sermon for Epiphany (Observed)

Nothing in the human senses can perceive over such great distances as the eye – and nothing transmits to the eye over such great distances as light. It’s said in good conditions can one can see a lighted match in the dark many miles away. From ancient times lighthouses have been used to keep sailors away from shoals – even in heavy storms the light comes through. And of course, we can see the light of the moon, sun, and stars in the heavens from thousands and millions of miles away. 

Sermon for the Eve of the Circumcision and Name of JESUS

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

What’s in a name? Now that my wife is pregnant with our third child, we are, of course, going through the exciting discussion of what to name the child. We know names are important – often we choose them to honor people we love – we can avoid certain names when it reminds us of people we don’t like – or the name could have a certain meaning we want to give to the child. My parents chose “Christopher” for me because of the meaning – bearer of Christ. 

The gospel of John begins the same way as the book of Genesis at the start of the Old Testament: in the beginning. John wants us to know that this is a testimony of the work of God that is just as important as that creation account written by Moses at the very beginning. The Word who was there in the beginning with God creating the world is the same Word who John writes about in His gospel. When we hear that God created everything by His Word, it means the Word, the Son of God.

Sermon for Christmas Eve.

Psalm 19 says - “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” This is a message which goes out into the world day and night – God has created the heavens and the earth. The Sun, moon, and stars all keep their courses and their places by his decree. They follow the perfect Law of God which is set for them.

God made the world as a home. All things have a purpose, from the ground to the highest heavens. This home was created for us, for human beings. We can see even now that it is the perfect place for us to live. If the arrangement of the earth, sun, or moon were only slightly different then no one could survive.

Sermon for the fourth Sunday in Advent, Rorate Coeli. Guest preacher - Rev. Richard Bellas

Sermon for Commemoration of Katharina Von Bora Luther, Advent 3 Midweek

Today’s saint to end our advent midweek services is a little different. In comparison to Nicholas and Lucia who lived in the 300s AD, Katharina Von Bora Luther is almost modern, dying on this day in 1552. She is not classically regarded as a saint, but is a saint both in the sense that all who have faith in Christ are saints, and she is an example of a godly woman. If as the Augsburg Confession says we remember the saints in order to emulate their virtues by their faith in Christ, then Kate Luther is a good one to remember.