The gift of a baptismal life With Christmas just two weeks ago, gifts are often discussed. What did you get? What was your favorite one? And so on. We also talk about the gift of Christmas coming in the form a baby, pure and innocent, to redeem us and make us righteous with God. But …
Where is your focus? Where do you find joy? For many, it is spending time with their family and friends. For others, it’s a lovely home, reliable cars, and maybe a cabin on a lake. Or perhaps you’re part of the current wanderlust trend, and you live on the road soaking up joy in every …
Lent is known as the season of repentance. While that may sound depressing to confront and confess our sins, it is a blessing of the greatest means. We get to acknowledge our inclination to sin, seek forgiveness and absolutely receive it. But it doesn’t start and end with Lent. The life of repentance is a …
It’s safe to say that Jesus ruffled a few feathers during his time on Earth – through no fault of his own of course. Our stubborn, human nature was and still is rather resistant to the Gospel message. During his ministry, he went to the temples to show how he was the Messiah, the long-ago …
**Due to the extreme heat, the service was not recorded and we are sharing an appropriate sermon from last year. Please stay safe in this unusual weather. ** One word makes an significant impact. The word AS. Those two little letters point to the mercy the Father shows us and it is unmatched. The way …
In this familiar story, we hear about Mary and Joseph spending three days looking for Jesus only to find him in the temple. We might be tempted to say, well, of course he was there, like Jesus says to them. But how often do we look for Jesus in the wrong place? Our human nature …
To be lost is to be separated from your proper place. It’s a rather accurate description of how sinners can be lost, or separated, from God. But in His overwhelming love for us, the Lord seeks us out and returns us to the flock, to our proper place in the family of believers. He forgives …
“Come, Lord Jesus, come” With faith in our Lord, we do not fear the Last Day. Rather, we pray for it to come. Why? Pastors sums it up nicely in this sermon as he covers the difference between “inherit” and “depart”. On the Last Day, we receive our inheritance. Not an earthly one of riches. …
Reformation Observed As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we recall how Martin Luther pointed out the sin that had corrupted the church. Luther’s focus was on the righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus. No indulgence sold by the church could replace the work of Christ. Anything in addition to faith …
This week’s sermon focuses on trusting the Lord. Sounds easy, right? But how often do we default to OUR way of thinking? How often do we seek answers within OURSELVES? It is the human thing to do. But the Lord tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”. …