Category: Pentecost Sermons

Text: John 6:22-35
Date: Pentecost XI Proper 13B + 8/5/18

Do you say Luther’s Prayer Before Meals? It’s in the Small Catechism. You can see it now on page 327 in Lutheran Service Book. It begins by quoting Psalm 145. “The eyes of all look to You, [O Lord,] and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing;” then the little prayer, “Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” At first it looks like this prayer is only talking about food for the body. But notice the psalm says, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Our desires include much more than for food but also things like those listed in the meaning of the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” “a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.” In a similar way the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel at first seems to only be talking about food for the body. But as we shall see Jesus uses the feeding of the 5,000 and the metaphor of food in a much deeper way. Continue reading “God the Giver”

Text: Mark 6:45-56
Date: Pentecost X Proper 12B + 8/29/18

Jesus is the one true God who comes to rescue His people from sin and death, the same God who appeared to His people of old of whom the scripture says, “who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8), and “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen” (Ps 77:19). This is the significance of Jesus walking on the sea, that we may know, believe and confess that Jesus is God come to rescue us. Continue reading “He Will Rescue Us”

Text: Mark 6:30-44
Date: Pentecost IX Proper 11b St. Mary Magdalene + 7/22/18

Jesus said to the apostles, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” He might as well have said it to the entire crowd because they went around the lake and got there ahead of them. In fact He did say that as when He saw the great crowd He didn’t utter exasperation or complaint but rather “He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” He had led them away by themselves to a desolate place to rest a while. That’s what He does this morning and every time He invites us to gather with and around Him in Word and Sacrament and prayer. But as the apostles, the crowd and we look around at this otherwise desolate place we see or are to see something more. After a busy and sometimes contentious beginning Jesus gives us a rest, that is, He gives us a glimpse, a vision of our destination, namely, paradise and heaven where we are to see and to know that the eternal life awaiting us in the day of resurrection is both the restoration of life the way God originally intended it to be, but more, even better! Continue reading “Meal of Compassion”

Text: Mark 6:14-29
Date: Pentecost VIII (Proper 10b) + 7/15/18

So far in Mark’s Gospel we have been told of the initial faith in Jesus on the part of some and the increasing rejection of Jesus by many, first by the officials of the temple, then by the crowds—they laughed at Him in derision when confronted by His power to raise a dead child—then by even His hometown former friends and relatives. This rejection will grow to be the main trajectory of His earthly ministry leading to His redemptive goal of being rejected to death on a cross. We even hear that His closest followers will experience the same thing. Continue reading “Zombie Apocalypse”

Text: Mark 6:1-13
Date: Pentecost VII (Proper 9b) + 7/8/18

Anyone who is even the least bit aware of the news of the day has noticed the increasing anger, incivility, and even hatred and physical violence displayed of late in political speech of every kind. Some may even be shocked if not at least disturbed or offended at the raw, offensive and uncivil words being thrown at people like bombs meant to destroy reputations and basic dignity. Continue reading “Are You Listening or Not?”

Text: Mark 4:26-34
Date: Pentecost IV (Proper 06b) + 6/17/18

At first the Word before us today seems to be rather simple. It is about how it is God who breaks into our world and our lives through His Word and plants saving faith in the hearts of those who hear it. It is about how the reign and rule of God’s kingdom is strong enough to save every sinner ultimately delivering us to heaven and eternal life. Continue reading “The Planting of the Lord”

Text: Mark 3:20-35
Date: Pentecost III (Proper 5b) + 6/10/18

One of the main themes of the New Testament Gospels is the necessity of knowing and believing a right identity of Jesus, who He is and what He came to do. It is as Jesus asked His disciples directly, “Who do you say that I am?” When you get it right you hear Jesus’ response to St. Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 16:17). That is, discovering, knowing and believing Jesus’ true identity is only be revealed by God the Father through His Word by the gift of the Holy Spirit, namely, faith in Jesus. Continue reading “You Devil”

Date: Pentecost II (Proper 4b) + 6/3/18
Text: Dt. 5:12-19/Mark 2:23-28

We begin the long green season of the Church’s Half of the church year counting the Sundays after Pentecost. For that reason we find ourselves back near the beginning this year of Mark’s gospel where we begin our walk through from beginning to end. We do the same with the Epistle lesson hearing the continuous readings this year through 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, James and Hebrews. The Old Testament reading on the other hand is chosen as preparation or commentary on the appointed gospel. These two go together. Continue reading “Observe the Sabbath Day”

Text: John 3:8
Date: Day of Pentecost + 5/20/18

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Continue reading “The Spirit of Truth”

Date: Last Sunday, Proper 29A + 11/26/17
Text: Matthew 25:31-46

“And I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life  of the world to come.” From the season of Advent we have looked forward to and celebrated the Christmas Gift when God sent His Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. The days of Lent drew us near to the Cross, and through the Cross to the resurrection of Easter. At Pentecost the doors flew open as with a mighty wind we have heard and examined the Word and the gospel of Christ from every angle. As outlined in the Creed Holy Church has proclaimed from God’s Word how He created all things and who He is that created us. We were told about sin and death and God’s deliverance from it through Jesus Christ. That deliverance comes to each person by the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the giver of life, speaking to us and operating in us through the prophets and apostles, through baptismal water. Now we reach the end of the story which is but the beginning of the eternal life for which we look continually. Continue reading “The King on His Glorious Throne”