Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on August 23, 2026, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Parma, Ohio.

A friend of mine, another retired pastor, once told me that years ago he heard a seminary professor make this comment - “When you see the word therefore in the Bible, you have to ask, ‘What’s that therefore, there for?”That word is usually strategically placed, wherever it appears in the Bible! Sometimes, like in some of Saint Paul’s letters, it’s there like a “call to action” toward the end of an infomercial - “now that you’ve seen and heard all the wonderful things this product can do, call now to order one (or scan the code or go to the website0.” “Therefore” at the beginning of Romans 12 is in that kind of place - after a thorough explanation of God’s work of forgiveness and salvation, “therefore”, what should you and I do about it all?

The readings from the Bible included in this worship service were

• Isaiah 51:1–6
• Romans 11:33–12:8
• Matthew 16:13–20

You can listen to a slightly different version of this sermon, and view the worship service from Holy Trinity’s partner church, Grace Lutheran Church in Lakewood OH, on Grace’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19eR7h8cap/

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on August16, 2026, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Parma, Ohio.

A woman in distress came up to Jesus one day, intending to beg Him to get rid of a demon that had been tormenting her daughter. The only problem was - she wasn’t Jewish. At first Jesus refused, which was sure to please His disciples, but when she came back swinging He granted her prayer. That’s the Gospel lesson behind this sermon - but the other two readings push us to the understanding that God does not actually restrict His mercy only to those who already know Him. He freely gives His mercy all the time to everyone in the whole world, and I believe He hopes that by doing that, some of those people who receive it will actually someday believe in Jesus and be saved. Do you know anyone like that?

The readings from the Bible included in this worship service were

• Isaiah 56:1, 6–8; 
• Romans 11:1–2a, 13–15, 28–32; and
• Matthew 15:21–28. 

The parable of the weeds and the wheat is at Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

To read what what Martin Luther said in his Small Catechism about the mercy of God the Father , start with his explanation of the First Article of the Apostles’ CreedHERE>>, and then read his explanation of “daily bread” HERE>>

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on August 9, 2026, at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Malvern, Ohio.

The accounts of Jesus’ miracles in the New Testament are meant to be eye-witness testimonies that Jesus is in fact the Son of God. In chapter 14 of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, for instance, you can read about the time He fed thousands of people with a few breads and a couple of fish, or when He walked on the surface of the Sea of Galilee during a windstorm, and finish up the chapter with a healing ministry. But Matthew’s chapter 14 begins with the horrible murder of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. In this sermon I suggest that if we think of this chapter as one entire episode, we can see clues along the way that describe Jesus doing something that is completely human - trying to find space to grieve and come to terms with the murder of His cousin John.

The readings from the Bible included in this worship service included Job 28:4-18 and Matthew 14:22-33

In this sermon I mention several habits Jesus practiced that kept His relationship with His Father strong. To learn more about how we can use these and other “Keystone Habits” of His to provide structure to our own lives and ministries, go to https://redletterchallenge.com/40-day-challenges/being-challenge/

A video of this service is available at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BzM3Jy5r1/

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on July 26, 2026, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Parma, Ohio.

In last Sunday’s sermon, we thought about questions like “If God is such a good and loving God, why does He let bad things happen to good people?” or “If God created the world good, and is taking care of it, why does so much bad stuff happen all the time?” As we think about a famous passage from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans today, we’ll find out that even if bad things happen, even to people who know how much Jesus loves them, God has already done more than we can imagine to prevent us from ever becoming disconnected from His love. 

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on July 19, 2026, at Saint John Lutheran Church in Massillon, Ohio.

Sometimes you hear somebody ask “If God is such a good and loving God, why does He let bad things happen to good people?” or “If God created the world good, and is taking care of it, why does so much bad stuff happen all the time?” Today’s Gospel lesson addresses those questions with another one of the stories that Jesus used to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven. In this sermon we’ll think about these questions and the story Jesus told, but we’ll also take a little time to think about how you and I might respond to it - and what help we have.

A video of this worship service is available at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/191xMX8ifS/

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on July 12, 2026, at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Malvern, Ohio

Jesus often taught about the Kingdom of Heaven by using stories, called parables. One of the most famous of these parables comes from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, where Jesus tells the story of a farmer who goes out to his field to plant seeds by grabbing them by the handful and just scattering them around as he walks. The seeds don’t always land where they should, and don’t all grow the same. 

Sometimes sermons about this parable focus on the seeds, and sometimes they focus on the types of soil; but in this sermon I want to focus on the presence of Jesus.

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on July 5, 2026, the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, at Saint John Lutheran Church in Massillon, Ohio.

On the last Sunday of June in the Year of Our Lord 2026, the members and friends of Saint John Lutheran Church in Massillon, Ohio, gathered to recognize and thank God for the ministry of their pastor of almost 40 years, Rev. John Telloni, as he retired from active ministry. After the worship service there was a wonderful celebration of their love for him, and his love for them, and the gifts of God they all had received in their ministry together.

The following Sunday, the first without their pastor, I was there to help them begin this new season of ministry. This was the sermon I preached there.

A video of this service is available at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DA1t4a1k9/

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on June 21, 2026, the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, at Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Amherst, Ohio

If you’ve recently been to a graduation party, you’ve probably heard or seen this verse from the book of Jeremiah the prophet: “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, New International Version). Many Christians expand the ideas in this verse to a life that is marked by performance (doing the right things) that leads to prosperity, which leads to power (also known as influence).

But much of Jeremiah’s life and ministry wasn’t like that at all; for that matter, neither are the lives of lots of Christians. And even Jesus himself said that the lives of His followers would be marked by their penitence (or repentance), persecution by others, and ultimately the promise of the Father’s eternal love.

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on June 14, 2026, the Third Sunday after Pentecost, at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Malvern, Ohio

While Juliet of Verona daydreamed about her beloved Romeo, she wistfully wondered “What’s in a name?” Do you know the names of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles? No, there isn’t going to be a quiz, just - do you know all their names? Do you know anything more about them than just their names? It may surprise you that we don’t know much about most of them. Take the Apostle Matthew, for instance. We know that he had been a tax collector when Jesus called him to follow him, but we don’t really know anything more about him. Or do we? 

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay

Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast!  I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill.  I live in Lodi, Ohio. It’s been a year since I retired from 45 years of parish ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is a sermon I preached on June 7, 2026, at Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Church in Sharon, Pennsylvania.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus often told stories to teach certain points about the kingdom of heaven. These stories are called parables. Today’s Gospel lesson has one of these - a famous one, about two men whose lives on earth could not have been more different, but ended up in unexpected places when they died. Most of us know this parable as “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” but today I suggest that a better title might be “Abraham in Heaven.”

The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025

You can also follow the Basin and Towel on Facebook @thebasinandtowel and on YouTube HERE». I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have a question or some topic you'd like to hear about.  

Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.  Accessed through www.biblegateway.com

Basin and Towel Theme by cliveromney from Pixabay