Passion Week Tonight’s Vesper service focuses on Holy Thursday. If you missed the previous Holy Week readings, you may listen to them here: Holy MondayHoly TuesdayHoly Wednesday Click here to open the Thursday bulletin in a new tab or scroll down. Announcements Easter Sunday is nearly here! Please join us for the Divine Service at …
No longer living under a guardian Have you ever heard someone say, “The best Christians I know are Atheists”? Or maybe you’ve heard someone pick some obscure verse like Leviticus 20:9: “For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his …
Vengeance is mine! Jerusalem was a walled city, fortified against attack. It had been a holy place since the time of Melchizedek, back to the time of Abraham. By Jesus’ time, it had been a holy place for about two thousand years. When we hear “Vengeance is mine, says the LORD”, we probably think first …
What can I do? Our desire to save ourselves is inherent in us but comes from our sinful nature; that is the old Adam. We think if we just do the right things or say the right words; we can gain eternal life. We see it in so many Christian denominations – works righteousness, prosperity …
We Have Freedom in Christ As Americans, we place high value and importance on our individual freedom. As tempting as it is to think of ourselves as masters of our own destiny, we are ironically slaves to our own flesh. Think of it: Our flesh wants to be comfortable. It wants to be fed, watered, …
The Day of Pentecost It is hard for us to look back at it, two thousand years later, and understand what a big deal Jesus’ coming was to the world. It is easier to read the gospel accounts and imagine Jesus with his band of twelve slightly goofy sidekicks traipsing around Jerusalem and the surrounding …
A Royal Priesthood What is our role, as Christians, in God’s kingdom? Are we all just serfs, working all the time and getting nothing in return? No, God is not in the business of forcing us to work. Instead, according to today’s scripture reading, we are priests of God, and we are to reign on …
Living in a [spiritually] barren land We are living in a wilderness. It doesn’t matter if your home is in the suburbs surrounded by convenience or a remote cabin in the woods – it’s all a spiritual wasteland as we read in today’s lesson from Isaiah. Living in this wilderness leaves us craving more. Our …
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree In today’s Gospel reading, we hear one of Jesus’s wise parables and as always, there is a valuable lesson to learn; one of patience. A familiar joke shared in Lutheran circles goes like this, “Lord, grant me patience and please do it now”. Our sinful flesh craves instant …
If you’re familiar with Jesus’ ministry, then you probably know that the people of his time were looking for their Savior to be an earthly king. And to be fair, “power” and “authority” usually denote secular ruling in the form of government, caesars, or kings. The nation of Israel expected a coup d’état; a military …