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“Baptized in the Name: Confidence, Belonging, Relationship, Identity” (Matthew 28:16-20) Sometime during the forty days between his resurrection and his ascension, our Lord Jesus Christ met with his disciples on a mountain in Galilee, and he told them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And that is what the church has done for all these many centuries. And that is what has happened to you, every one of you...

“Rivers of Living Water” (John 7:37-39)Last weekend Susan and I went to Excelsior Springs, Missouri, to attend the wedding of Pastor and Mrs. Paul Flo. Excelsior Springs got its name and its fame long ago from the springs of water located there--healthful, healing waters, with restorative powers, it was said. Well, it so happened that when we went out there on that Friday, I wasn’t feeling so well. But when we returned on Sunday evening, I came back . . . with a bad case of acute bronchitis. I guess the healing waters of Excelsior Springs didn’t do me much...

“Thus It Is Written, Thus You Shall Preach” (Luke 24:44-53) During the forty days from Christ’s resurrection to his ascension, our Lord met with his disciples on a number of occasions. Jesus was preparing these disciples to be his apostles, his sent-out ones, who would preach and teach and begin to carry out the church’s worldwide mission. So he needed to instruct them, to make it clear to them what their mission would be. And that’s what we find going on in the reading today from Luke 24. Jesus makes clear what the content of their preaching and teaching will...

“I Perceive That You Are Not Very Religious” (Acts 17:16-31) In our reading from the Book of Acts, Paul is in Athens, at the Areopagus, and he begins his address there by saying, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.” Now I wonder how Paul might begin a speech here, if he came to America in our day. He might just say, “I Perceive That You Are Not Very Religious.” Not very religious: Let me explain. If you track the views and activity of Americans over recent decades, you would have to say that...

“Our Identity as Church: Living Stones and a Holy Priesthood” (1 Peter 2:2-10) There’s a lot of talk about “identity” these days. How do you “identify”? What do you identify as? A guy may be born as a male, but now he decides that he identifies as a woman. It doesn’t matter what the reality is, because that’s how he identifies. Whoops, I should watch my pronouns: If that’s how “she” identifies, then that’s who “she” is. And you have no right to say any different. Identity. How do you self-identify? How do you see yourself? “I’m an American!” “I’m...

“The Sheep Hear the Shepherd’s Voice” (John 10:1-10) Today is the day in the church year we call “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Every year on this day we get a reading from John 10, the chapter where Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” Every year we hear Jesus talking about the relationship of the shepherd and his sheep. And so today Jesus says: “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know...

“On the Road and at the Table with Jesus” (Luke 24:13-35) The painting I’m holding in front of you--and you can see it on your bulletin insert--is called, in German, “Gang nach Emmaus,” or in English, “The Road to Emmaus.” It’s by a 19th-century Swiss artist, Robert Zünd. And it’s one of my favorite paintings. Imagine putting yourself into this picture and getting to walk alongside Jesus as he opens up the Scriptures! And then when you get to Emmaus, to be right there at the table with Jesus! What a day! What an experience! “On the Road and at...

“Quasimodogeniti: Like Newborn Infants” (1 Peter 1:3-9; 2:2-3) Today is the Second Sunday in the Easter season, which means it’s the first Sunday after Easter itself. Like many of the Sundays in the church year, this one has an old and traditional title. The name of this Sunday, in Latin, is Quasimodogeniti. Sounds like the character Quasimodo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” doesn’t it? That’s because Quasimodo was named after the day he was adopted as a baby, Quasimodogeniti. The word, Quasimodogeniti, is actually several words strung together: Quasi, meaning, “like” or “as”; modo, meaning, “just now”; and geniti,...

“Alleluia! Christ Is Risen!” (Matthew 28:1-10)“Alleluia! Christ is risen!” (“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”) “He is risen indeed!” Why such a joyful response? Because of the glorious good news that Christ is risen from the dead. This good news of the resurrection of our Lord brings joy and gladness to troubled, weary hearts. His resurrection calls forth our joyous response. On this Easter Day, then, the whole church on earth--all across the earth--hears the good news, “Christ is risen,” and we respond, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” But first comes God’s word to us: “Christ is risen.” That’s what the...

“Why?” (Matthew 27:11-50) Why? That is the question of the day here on this Good Friday. We hear the question raised twice in our Gospel account. First, when the crowd is demanding that Jesus be crucified, Pontius Pilate asks, “Why, what evil has he done?” And then second, when Jesus is crucified, he himself asks, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These “why” questions are understandable, since none of this makes any sense--until we know the real reason for the “Why?” This whole entire episode--the trials, the beatings, the crucifixion: Why? Why did this take place? Why...

“Christian Questions with Their Answers: ‘This Do’” This is the night our Lord Jesus Christ gave his disciples to eat and to drink of his body and blood. And he didn’t mean just for that night. No, Christ was instituting a sacrament to be used often. Already in the pages of the New Testament, we see that the church partook of this sacrament whenever they met on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day. And that practice continued through the history of the church. Now tonight, on this night when our Lord instituted the Sacrament, we here intend...

“Flourishing Palms” (Psalm 92) At the start of today’s service, with palm branches in our hands, we sang, “All glory, laud, and honor to You, Redeemer, King.” Today we’re like the crowd that greeted Jesus on his way into Jerusalem: “They took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” These palm branches befit the praises with which we hail our coming King. Today these palms are fresh and green, just as our worship today is strong and vigorous....

“The Sacrament of the Altar: What Is It, and What Does It Give?” In the Small Catechism, as we just read, Luther arranges his teaching on the Sacrament of the Altar according to its nature, benefit, power, and right reception. Today, I want to focus especially on the first two sections, the nature and the benefit. And so our theme: “The Sacrament of the Altar: What Is It, and What Does It Give?” We start with the “What is it?” question: “What is the Sacrament of the Altar? It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ...

“Raising the Stakes, Raising Our Sights, Raising the Dead” (John 11:1-53) Today we come to another of those memorable chapters in the Gospel of John. So far during this Lenten season, we’ve had: John 3, Jesus and Nicodemus; John 4, Jesus and the Samaritan woman; and John 9, Jesus and the man born blind. Now today we have John 11, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. But that’s not all that Jesus raises, as we will hear. Thus our theme this morning: “Raising the Stakes, Raising Our Sights, Raising the Dead.” The chapter opens with Jesus hearing a report about...

“Confession: Confession Has Two Parts” Today we continue our midweek series on the Small Catechism with the section on Confession. The catechism asks the question, “What is Confession?” And the way the answer begins gives us our theme for today: “Confession Has Two Parts.” Those two parts, of course, are Confession and Absolution: “Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.” Now you may be thinking,...

“Jesus Opens Your Eyes--and Your Tongue” (John 9:1-41) The Holy Gospel for today is John chapter 9, the story of the man born blind. But he doesn’t stay blind, once Jesus comes along. Jesus does several things for this man: He opens his eyes physically. He opens his eyes spiritually. And he opens the man’s tongue, as well. And the good news is, he does these things for you also. And so our theme this morning: “Jesus Opens Your Eyes--and Your Tongue.” First, Jesus opens the man’s eyes physically. Now that is really something, isn’t it? Maybe we gloss right...

“The Sacrament of Holy Baptism: How Can Water Do Such Great Things?” Today we continue our series on the six chief parts of the catechism, and we come to the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. And the catechism has some pretty impressive things to say about Baptism: “It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this.” “Wow! That’s quite a list! And you’re telling me that Baptism does all of that? That Baptism actually works? That it accomplishes such marvelous things? You’re kidding me, right? Just pouring some water over...

“The Woman--and the Man--at the Well” (John 4:5-30, 39-42) Acceptance is a big idea in our culture these days. Every weird subgroup wants to be accepted as normal. More than that, they demand to be celebrated and approved, even if what they’re proud of is really something to be ashamed of. And if you don’t approve, if you don’t celebrate them, then you are a bigot and some sort of “-phobe,” and you need to be canceled. So the challenge is how to accept people in love without approving of what they’re doing that’s wrong. And our Gospel reading today...

“The Lord’s Prayer: ‘Pray Then Like This’” This year our midweek Lenten series is called, “A Catechetical Lent: The Six Chief Parts of the Small Catechism.” And today we come to the third of those six chief parts, namely, the Lord’s Prayer. We call it the “Lord’s” Prayer, because our Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples to pray this prayer. And so this is the prayer that our Lord teaches us to pray, because we too are his disciples. We follow him in faith and learn from him and listen to his voice. So when Jesus speaks, we listen. Today...

“Born Again, Born from Above, Born of Water and the Spirit” (John 3:1-17) As most of you know, I’ve got a big birthday coming up this week, a milestone birthday, on March 7. But I have an even more important birthday coming up later this year, on September 10. Because it was on that date that I was “Born Again, Born from Above, Born of Water and the Spirit.” Let me explain. I was born physically on March 7, 1953. That was my birthday according to the flesh. But I was born spiritually on September 10 of that same year....