"Come and See"

Sermon for the Second Sunday After the Epiphany

Sermon Text: John 1:29-42 (Jesus invites disciples to "come and see")

When Jesus invites Andrew and the others to “Come and see,” he calls them not only to witness where he dwells, but to behold who he is and what he has come to do. He is the Lamb of God who reconciles sinners to the Father by serving, suffering, and dying in their place—accomplishing forgiveness entirely apart from human effort. This reconciliation is freely given and continually delivered as God serves his people through Word and Sacrament in the Divine Service. Yet the invitation does not end with forgiveness; those who have been reconciled are called to live in imitation of Christ, walking together as one body united in confession, obedience, and love. Shared faith and shared teaching shape the Church’s worship, life, and unity, patiently drawing believers deeper into Christ’s truth. The call remains open: come and see what Christ has done, receive his gifts, and walk together as his disciples in light and faith.

Preacher: Rev. Matt Doebler, pastor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norfolk, VA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (LCMS)⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TLCnorfolk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our mission is to make disciples and make them stronger through Word and Sacrament. (Mt. 28: 18-20)

One Body: The Person of Jesus Christ, Part 2

Lesson 16 in our series (series began September 7, 2025)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to view the lesson slides⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Lesson Highlights

This lesson continues our study of the person of Jesus Christ by focusing on what it means to confess that he is true man. This confession stands alongside the truth that Jesus is also true God and is essential to understanding salvation itself.

Scripture reveals Christ’s true humanity through God’s promises in the Old Testament. From the seed of the woman in Genesis, to the blessing promised through Abraham, to the everlasting king from David’s line, the Messiah is consistently revealed as one who would be fully human. Daniel’s vision of the “Son of Man” points to a figure who is both human and divine.

The New Testament confirms this witness through Jesus’ genealogies, his baptism, temptation, suffering, death, burial, and bodily resurrection. Jesus lives a fully human life and rises bodily from the grave, showing that human bodies matter to God and will be restored in the resurrection.

Jesus becomes man for one purpose: redemption. As the Son of Man, he takes humanity’s place under the law, bears sin, and pays the debt owed by human beings. Only a true man can redeem mankind, and only one who is also true God can accomplish that redemption fully.

Early church errors that denied or diminished Christ’s humanity threatened the Gospel itself. If Christ is not fully human, he cannot be humanity’s kinsman-redeemer. Scripture teaches that what Christ does not assume, he does not redeem.

Jesus’ humanity is unique in that he is conceived by the Holy Spirit and without sin. In this way, he reveals true humanity as God intended it to be—faithful, obedient, and restored—pointing forward to the resurrection life promised to all who are in him.

Scriptures Referenced

Genesis 3:15; 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Daniel 7:13–14; Matthew 1:21; Matthew 20:28; Luke 3:21–38; Galatians 4:4–5; Hebrews 2:14–17

"Backwards Baptism"

Sermon for The Baptism of Our Lord, Year A

Sermon Text: Matt. 3:17-17 (Jesus is baptized); Rom. 6:1-11 (baptized into Christ)

Jesus’ baptism reveals the shocking heart of God’s salvation, as the sinless Son steps into the waters meant for repentant sinners and allows himself to be counted among the guilty. John the Baptist’s protest highlights the great reversal taking place: Jesus, the faithful Son and true Israel, comes to stand in the place of faithless Israel and bear the sins of the world. In this moment, the great exchange begins—Christ takes upon himself sin, guilt, and death so that sinners may receive his righteousness, innocence, and life. As the Father declares Jesus his beloved Son and the Spirit descends upon him, the Holy Trinity is revealed acting together for the salvation of all nations. What begins at the Jordan is completed at the cross and now delivered to believers through baptism, where sinners are washed clean, united to Christ, and given a new identity as God’s beloved children.

Preacher: Rev. Matt Doebler, pastor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norfolk, VA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (LCMS)⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TLCnorfolk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our mission is to make disciples and make them stronger through Word and Sacrament. (Mt. 28: 18-20)

One Body: The Person of Jesus Christ, Part 1

Lesson 15 in our series (series began September 7, 2025)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to view the lesson slides⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Lesson Highlights

• The central question of Christology: “Who do you say that I am?”

• The name Jesus reveals his saving work; Christ is his title as the Anointed One

• Jesus fulfills the Old Testament offices of Prophet, Priest, and King

• Old Testament anointings point forward to Christ’s anointing with the Spirit

• At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Trinity publicly reveals the Christ

• Christ brings true rest and new creation through his saving work

• The baptized share in Christ’s anointing as a royal priesthood

• God establishes the pastoral office within the Church to serve his people through Word and Sacrament

Scripture Referenced

• Matthew 1:21 – Jesus named as Savior who delivers from sin
• Deuteronomy 6:4–9 – The Shema and the call to hear and live by God’s Word
• Joshua 1; 21:43–45 – Joshua leads God’s people into rest
• Matthew 11:28 – Christ invites the weary to true rest
• 1 Samuel 16:13; Psalm 51:10–12 – David anointed and sustained by the Spirit
• Leviticus 8:10–12 – Priests consecrated by anointing
• Matthew 3:13–17; Acts 10:37–38 – Jesus publicly anointed as the Christ at his baptism
• Genesis 1:2 – The Spirit hovering over the waters of creation
• Luke 4:16–21; Isaiah 42:1–4 – The Spirit-anointed Servant brings salvation
• 1 Peter 2:9 – The baptized made a royal priesthood
• Matthew 28:18–20 – Baptism into the Triune name and discipleship

"A Listening Heart"

Sermon for the Second Sunday After Christmas

Sermon Text: 1 Kings 3:4-15 (Solomon's request for a listening heart)

Solomon’s request for an “understanding mind” is a prayer for a listening heart—a heart shaped, guided, and governed by God’s Word. True wisdom is not self-confidence or inner instinct, but humble attentiveness to the Lord’s voice. Like Solomon, God places us into vocations and responsibilities that expose our inadequacy, not to crush us, but to discipline us in love and draw us away from trusting our own judgment. By nature, our hearts listen only to themselves, repeating Adam and Eve’s rebellion, but God delights to answer the prayer for a listening heart through Christ, who removes hearts of stone and gives hearts that hear, believe, and obey. As a new year begins, the sermon calls hearers to humility, repentance, and confidence in God’s gracious promise: though we are not qualified by ourselves, we are chosen, redeemed, and invited to ask for what God is already eager to give—his Word, his wisdom, and his life.Preacher: Rev. Matt Doebler, pastor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norfolk, VA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (LCMS)⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TLCnorfolk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our mission is to make disciples and make them stronger through Word and Sacrament. (Mt. 28: 18-20)

"Comfort for Rachel"

Sermon for the Feast of The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Sermon Text: Jeremiah 31: 15-17 (Rachel weeps for her children); Matthew 2: 13-18 (Herod slaughters the holy innocents)

While the angels’ song proclaims peace on earth, the Christmas story also includes the massacre of the Holy Innocents and Rachel’s bitter weeping—a reminder that God’s salvation does not arrive in a way that satisfies human reason or sentimentality. Jesus comes not to shield us from pain in this life, but to enter it fully, ultimately defeating death through his own suffering and resurrection. Christmas joy, then, is not the absence of grief, but the promise that grief will not have the final word. In Christ, the innocent slain are not abandoned, the brokenhearted are not forgotten, and those who weep are given a future hope. This sermon calls hearers to receive Christmas not as a “nice story,” but as God’s true and faithful Word—a promise of resurrection, restoration, and joy that endures even when it cannot yet be felt.

Preacher: Rev. Matt Doebler, pastor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norfolk, VA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (LCMS)⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TLCnorfolk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our mission is to make disciples and make them stronger through Word and Sacrament. (Mt. 28: 18-20)

"A Joyful Beginning"

Sermon for Christmas Day

Sermon Text: Isaiah 52: 7-10 (the return of the Lord to Zion)

Speaking to sinners in exile, Isaiah proclaims that the Lord himself returns to comfort, redeem, and save his people, even though their suffering is the result of their own sin. Like Israel, we live under the judgment of sin and death, “dying as we die,” and need more than another chance—we need resurrection. Christmas announces that the eternal Word has entered history to make all things new, becoming our brother, a new Adam, and the first fruits of a restored humanity through his cross and resurrection. In Christ, sinners are cleansed, clothed in righteousness, reconciled to God, and set at peace with one another, freed to live as ambassadors of reconciliation. Christmas Day is therefore not the finish line, but the joyful beginning of God’s renewing work—new hearts, new lives, and even new beginnings where sin once brought separation.

Preacher: Rev. Matt Doebler, pastor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norfolk, VA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (LCMS)⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TLCnorfolk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our mission is to make disciples and make them stronger through Word and Sacrament. (Mt. 28: 18-20)

"The Light of Christmas"

Sermon for Christmas Eve

Sermon Text: Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:2-20

Scripture reveals that humanity not only lives in darkness but loves it, which is why God himself enters our broken world to save us. In humility and weakness, the Light of the World is born not in splendor but in a manger, revealed first to the poor and overlooked, shining mercy rather than judgment. This Child grows to carry the weight of the world’s sin, and on Good Friday his light blazes most brightly as he defeats the powers of darkness through the cross. That same light still shines today through Christ’s Word, Baptism, and Supper, calling sinners out of darkness into forgiveness, life, and peace. Christmas proclaims that no darkness can overcome this Light, and that Christ has come—gently yet powerfully—to save, heal, and dwell with his people forever.

Preacher: Rev. Matt Doebler, pastor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norfolk, VA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (LCMS)⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TLCnorfolk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our mission is to make disciples and make them stronger through Word and Sacrament. (Mt. 28: 18-20)

"A Sign of God's Help"

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, Year A

Sermon Text: Isaiah 7:10-17 (a sign for faithless King Ahaz); Matt. 1:18-25 (Jesus, God's sign of his presence and salvation)

In the midst of Judah’s political crisis and King Ahaz’s fear, the prophet Isaiah proclaims God’s promise of deliverance, calling the king to trust the Lord rather than his own schemes. Though Ahaz refuses to believe and instead places his hope in human alliances, God remains faithful and gives a sign anyway: a virgin will conceive and bear a son called Emmanuel—God with us.

While Ahaz’s unbelief robs him of peace, the promise itself does not fail, and it finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary to save sinners and dwell with his people. This sermon contrasts human fear and self-reliance with God’s steadfast faithfulness, calling hearers to repent of faithlessness and trust in Christ alone. In baptism, Word, and Sacrament, Emmanuel still comes to us today as our present help in every crisis, assuring us that no sin, suffering, or death can separate us from God’s saving presence.

Preacher: Rev. Matt Doebler, pastor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norfolk, VA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (LCMS)⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TLCnorfolk.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our mission is to make disciples and make them stronger through Word and Sacrament. (Mt. 28: 18-20)

One Body: Sin, Part 4

Lesson 14 in our series (series began September 7, 2025)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to view the lesson slides⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Lesson Highlights:

• Original sin corrupts human nature but does not redefine humanity’s essence; Christ assumes true human nature without sin
• Sin is an “accident” of human nature, not its substance—only God can restore what sin has damaged
• Actual sins flow from a sinful heart and include thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions
• All sin is deadly and dangerous to faith; there is no such thing as a harmless or “small” sin
• Scripture does not divide sins into mortal and venial but reveals universal guilt before God apart from Christ
• Persistent, unrepentant sin hardens the heart and endangers faith
• The Christian life is lived as simul justus et peccator—at once righteous in Christ and still struggling against sin
• The Law confronts the secure sinner; the Gospel comforts the repentant and fearful
• In Christ, there is no condemnation—only forgiveness, life, and salvation

Scriptures Referenced

Genesis 2–3; Matthew 15:19; Galatians 5:19–21; James 2:10; James 4:17; Hebrews 9:27–28; Romans 7–8; Exodus 7–11; Ezekiel 18:23; 1 John 1–3