What if you could glimpse into the childhood of Jesus? Imagine Him as a toddler, a boy, and a teenager—growing, learning, and experiencing life just like us, yet without sin. In this week’s sermon, we reflect on the account from Luke 2, where 12-year-old Jesus stays behind in the temple, astonishing the teachers with His wisdom. Through this story, we see the profound mystery of Jesus’ dual nature—fully God and fully man—perfectly obedient from birth, yet relatable in His humanity.

This account isn’t just a glimpse into Jesus’ childhood—it’s a reminder of the perfection He lived for us. From the moment He became flesh, Jesus perfectly fulfilled God’s law, living a life of obedience that we never could. Whether helping in Joseph’s carpentry shop or amazing the teachers at the temple, every moment of His life was part of His saving work. Jesus didn’t just grow up—He grew into the role of our substitute, living and dying to secure our salvation.

This story of young Jesus in the temple challenges us to reflect on our own relationship with God’s Word. If even Jesus prioritized time in Scripture, how much more should we? "Christ for you" is not just a message of salvation—it’s an invitation to respond with gratitude, seeking God through His Word and living it out daily. As we enter the New Year, let this truth inspire you to grow in faith, live in love, and become a person rooted in God’s Word.

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Awe is a difficult thing to describe, but you know it when you experience it. Awe is great and it is an experience that doesn't come around all the time. In fact, because awe can be killed by familiarity, awe is very rare.

Our familiarity with anything can dull our sense of awe for things that are so beautiful or so vast or so important or so meaningful.

How many times have you heard the Christmas account? It is a pretty familiar account. Has its familiarity dulled how awe-some this account is? There are some amazing details in this Christmas story!

Tune in to this Christmas Eve sermon to hear some of these awe-inspiring details and more. And if you haven't already, please subscribe to our YouTube channel - this helps us to be seen by more people more often so that more people will hear about Jesus as their Savior. Thank you!

The Ark of the Covenant was cherished by the people, but also feared, because this was where the Holy God promised his presence. And the holy and the unholy just don't mix.

That's a truth that Old Testament believer knew well. It was built into their worship life. And this is still true today. We have no right to stand before a perfectly holy God, nor could we.

God made a plan to solve this and this plan is embedded in a conversation that God has with David (through the prophet Nathan) in 2 Samuel 7. In this conversation, we hear the promise of the Savior, who would be God in the flesh, who would come to save us from our sins.

Jesus made his home with us to make us holy. The Holy Spirit makes his home in us through faith. And one day, we will be at home with Jesus forever in heaven, where we will be perfectly holy.

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There is a hopeless despair that comes when you are too far behind that you can't catch up. That is our state before the Lord, although many times we need convincing. We need convincing that our sins are serious and God takes them seriously. Jeremiah did his best to preach to the people and get them to take their sins seriously, but they did not repent.

God wants us to take our sins seriously and when we do, we will realize that we are in the depths like the Psalmist says. We cry out to the Lord. He hears your cry for mercy and he freely gives us forgiveness through the work of Jesus, his Son.

This gives us hope - real, true, certain hope. Hope that we will be with Jesus one day in heaven. Hope that when we stand before our Judge one day, we will do so with confidence and peace. The hope from God never fails.

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The evil that we perceive in this world can be overwhelming - natural disasters, wars, diseases, and the evil we do to one another. And that's just the evil that we can perceive. All of this is enough to leave us desperate for help.

This Psalm calls us into that situation where we ask - "Where does my help come from?" The answer is quick and comforting - "My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth."

Our great helper has helped us in the greatest way and continues to help us. He is all-powerful, attentive, diligent, present, and he cares for all of you - body and soul.

May we continue to come to worship to receive from the Lord what he has promised. And may we continue to be reminded of the promises that the Lord always keeps.

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It is a nice feeling that we get when we earn something, when we accomplish something. There is a certain sense of pride that we feel in using our gifts and abilities in this way. Yet, this pride can (all too often) get out of control.

The Israelites were looking ahead to a time that was much different from the experience of their ancestors. Their ancestors experienced famines, suffering, and slavery, but this generation and those after would experience times of greater prosperity and abundance. Looking ahead to these times, Moses had a warning for the Israelites - Don't forget the Lord!

Why is it that it is easier to remember the Lord when you are suffering than when you are blessed with abundance? Well, there is a certain pride that can well up in us when times are good. We begin to think that we are the cause of this good life and these many blessings.

Yet, what the Lord graciously reminds us is that he is the one who provides for us. He even gives us our talents and abilities. The fact that we can produce an income is a gift from him. And what we learn from the Lord is that he saves us. These two truths give us every reason to give thanks!

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All of us have an aversion to judgment. We don't like the thought of being judged by other people, so we typically don't go looking for it. In fact, we do everything that we can to avoid being judged by others.

If we are that averse to judgment from classmates, co-workers, or family members, than how much more fear ought we have of Judgment Day, when God will judge the living and the dead?

The Bible reveals to us a little bit about Judgment Day, enough that we can picture it - standing before Jesus, who has authority to judge. So, a worthwhile question to ask is: How does my Judge view me? Should I be terrified of this?

On our own... Yes! Absolutely! But, you are not on your own. God sent his Son Jesus for this very purpose. Through faith in Jesus, you will be judged not on the basis of your own works, but on what Jesus has done FOR YOU! Knowing this allows us to say and mean, "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!"

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Humans are naturally drawn to what looks good on the outside. That, in and of itself, is not an issue. However, it can lead to a certain set of misconceptions because outward appearances tend to not be a great litmus test for what is true and what is false. Outward appearances only tell part of the story.

Jesus warns about this in Mark. People in that day were drawn to the teaching of the teachers of the law, but more so because of how they dressed and acted and how they were perceived by the community. The warning was needed because although they looked good, their teaching was false and their actions toward the poorest in society reflected poor teaching.

In today's sermon, we will dig into the applications from Jesus' warning and also why this is important for us today. We will also make the connection between part one of this text and part two which includes the widow's offering.

There is a shroud that hangs over all of mankind. It is this heavy blanket that casts darkness and obscures the glory and splendor of our God. This shroud is the shroud of death and it is there on account of sin.

God sent his One and Only Son to suffer the result of sin - death - on our behalf. That through his death and through his resurrection, we may have life - eternal life, in heaven.

Heaven... a place where the shroud of death has been removed. Heaven... a place where there is no more tears and no more pain. Heaven... a place where we will see God with our own eyes and we will join believers of all time in praising God. Heaven will be amazing!

The belief in heaven doesn't just mean we are waiting around here on earth to enter heaven. The belief in heaven has a direct impact on your life here and now. Tune in to the sermon to hear how!

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The stories of fearless faith of others are powerful. But it is interesting that as you dig into the stories, that it is not something special about the person that allowed them to be fearless, it is what God has given them that equips them to be fearless.

God, through the saving work of Jesus and through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, gives fearless faith to people, who are then emboldened to stand firm in the face of difficult trials.

Faith like this is desirable and faith like this comes from God's powerful Word - which creates/strengthens faith.

Join us as we dig into the story of the first Lutheran Martyrs - Jan Van Essen and Hendrick Voes, as well as the well-known story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.