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“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31 Dear Siblings in Christ, On Monday, November 16, 2020, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine spoke about the increasing coronavirus case numbers, citing that “62 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties have a percent positivity rate of 5%. The state’s overall rate is 9.6%.” Our own counties are seeing high escalations in daily positive cases, five to ten-fold increases. This data confirms that we are now in the worst of the pandemic to date. For us as the church gathering for worship and meetings, digital congregating remains...

“Living as Children of the Day” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30; Zephaniah 1:7-16) “Christ has brought us out of darkness, made us children of the day.” The hymn we just sang was written to go with the three Scripture readings assigned for this day. Each stanza corresponds to one of the readings. The point of the lessons and of the hymn is this: The day of the Lord--that is, the return of Christ--the day of the Lord is drawing near, a day of both judgment and salvation. For us it will be a day of joy, because of what Christ...

“The Parable of the Ten Virgins” (Matthew 25:1-13) Today we are entering the last three Sundays of the church year. And, appropriately enough, the readings these weeks all have to do with the end times and the second coming of Christ. You see, the church year mirrors the life of our Lord, culminating in his return on the Last Day. And so the last things of this age are emphasized in the last days of the church’s calendar. But while we know exactly when the church year will end, we do not know when our Lord Jesus Christ will return....

“For All the Saints, With All the Saints” (Revelation 7:9-17) Yesterday, October 31, was Reformation Day, when we remember how Martin Luther had to break with the Roman Catholic Church. Luther made it clear that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone and not in the slightest measure by our works. This teaching of justification is the central teaching of the Christian faith. It is the article by which the church stands or falls. And the Lutheran Church is still waiting for the Catholic Church to correct her errors, but she has yet to do so. So...

“Inculcating the Reformation through Catechesis” (Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36) First, let me tell you my title for this message. It’s “Inculcating the Reformation through Catechesis.” Now the next thing I want to tell you is this: Don’t let that title scare you off! Don’t worry, I’ll explain each of those terms: “Inculcating the Reformation through Catechesis.” So here we go. The first one I’ll explain is “the Reformation.” What is the Reformation? This term refers to the much-needed reforming of the church--straightening it out where it had gone wrong--the reforming movement undertaken by Martin Luther and his associates in the...

“Jesus Answers a Gotcha Question” (Matthew 22:15-22) If you’ve been following the news lately, and you watched the presidential debate, the vice-presidential debate, the Judiciary Committee hearings, or the dueling town halls, you heard a lot of “gotcha” questions. I’m guessing most of you have heard that term before, a “gotcha” question. But in case you haven’t, let me explain. A “gotcha” question is one in which the questioner asks someone a question designed to trap or embarrass the person being questioned. It’s designed to cast that person in a negative light, no matter how he might answer the question....

In a never-before-published letter to his family, American soldier Leon Morin reveals something that has been hidden in a dark corner of history: the Nazis, who committed the most gruesome atrocities against 6 million Jewish people, would simultaneously “receive God” on Sundays in beautiful churches built in the concentration camp Dachau. On July 9, 1945, about six weeks after the U.S. liberation of Dachau, Leon Morin penned a 10-page letter to his family describing his observations of the “worst” concentration camp, Dachau. “… [I]t will take 12 pages like this one to just give an idea about the best organized...

October 8, 2020 Season after Pentecost “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31 Dear Siblings in Christ, Thank you for your creative and dedicated leadership as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hammer our nation and upend how we minister to God’s people. I am grateful that congregations are taking the threat of the virus seriously and doing all they can to minimize the chances of infection among their leaders and membership. Thank you! Our work is especially difficult because the pandemic’s course has proven unpredictable. Responding to what’s happening on the ground, public...

“Rejoice in the Lord Always--Even in 2020!” (Philippians 4:4-13) As you’ve probably noticed, many people have been saying that this year, 2020, is the worst year they can remember. Maybe you’ve said so yourself. I mean, think of it. The year 2020 has seen one disaster after another: The Coronavirus pandemic got everyone’s attention back in March. Then came the shutdown all across the country. The economy went south in a hurry. The whole thing stunk: People lost their lives. People lost their jobs. People lost their businesses. That was March and April. And then: “Who had murder hornets for...

“From Rubbish to Righteousness to Resurrection” (Philippians 3:4b-14) I’m sure many of you have heard of a “rags-to-riches story.” A rags-to-riches story is one in which the hero starts out poor and penniless, but then, through hard work and perseverance, overcomes all odds and hardships to become a great success. That’s a rags-to-riches story, and we all love to hear one. Well, today in our reading from Philippians 3, we hear a different kind of story. It’s the story Paul tells about his own life. Only in this case, Paul himself is not the hero. And it’s not a matter...

“Work Out Your Own Salvation?” (Philippians 2:1-18) Last Sunday we began a series of four straight weeks with readings from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Last week our theme from chapter 1 was “For Your Progress and Joy in the Faith.” Paul said that he was writing to the Philippians to help them make progress and find joy in the Christian faith. This week, we move into chapter 2, where Paul continues along those same lines. And we’ll begin our message today by looking at the part of our text where Paul tells the Philippians: “Work out your own salvation.”...

“For Your Progress and Joy in the Faith” (Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30) Today we begin four weeks in a row of readings from Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. Four chapters over four weeks, starting with much of chapter 1 today. The epistle as a whole is not very long--you can read it in less than 15 minutes--so you might want to consider reading Philippians a number of times over the coming weeks. You won’t regret it. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: What do we know about Philippi and Paul’s relationship with the congregation there? A little background is in order. Philippi...

“Living by Forgiveness” (Matthew 18:21-35)Living by forgiveness: That’s the message God has for each one of us here today. Living by forgiveness is the way life goes in God’s kingdom. There’s no other way. You and I live on the basis of God forgiving us when we have sinned against him. And you and I are called to live the same way toward our brothers and sisters who sin against us. We receive forgiveness from God, and we extend forgiveness toward others. That’s “Living by Forgiveness.” Jesus tells Peter and us about this way of life in the Holy Gospel...

“Governing Authorities: God’s Servants for Your Good” (Romans 13:1-10) Our text today is the Epistle reading from Romans 13. And as soon as I say “Romans 13,” most people who know the Bible will instantly say, “Oh, that’s the chapter about government.” And that’s right. Romans 13 is the classic passage in the Bible about the role of government, about how God instituted governmental authority, and about our relationship to the governing authorities, especially as Christians. So those are the things we’re going to explore now, under the theme: “Governing Authorities: God’s Servants for Your Good.” “For our good? Really,...

“Genuine Love in Our Church Family” (Romans 12:9-21) Our church is called to be a loving family. I know this is so, because that’s who God says we are. God has made us a loving family. He calls us to live and act as his loving family. And he enables us to do so. This is why I as your pastor can call on you to be who you are in Christ: brothers and sisters who love one another with a genuine love that shows itself in actions. That is kind of a summary of today’s Epistle reading, from Romans...

Wisconsin Lutheran College said Vice President Mike Pence won't serve as the school's commencement speaker Thursday after "careful consideration of the escalating events in Kenosha." The college, which is in Milwaukee, said it has chosen Rev. Mark Jeske of St. Marcus Lutheran Church as a substitute speaker for Saturday's event. During his acceptance speech Wednesday night, Pence made reference to the unrest in Kenosha. "Let me be clear: the violence must stop – whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha," Pence said. "Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law...

“On This Rock I Will Build My Church” (Matthew 16:13-20) Everyone is interested in building the church, growing the church. Uh, let me rephrase that. Everyone who is already in the church, who is active and involved in the church, is interested in building and growing the church. People on the outside, as well as those with only a loose connection to the church--they don’t give a rip. They couldn’t care less. But those of us at least who are here regularly in church, we care about the church being built up and growing. Nobody wants to see the church...

“The Great Faith of the Canaanite Woman” (Matthew 15:21-28) How would you rate your faith? Is it a strong faith or a weak faith? If you think your faith is weak, that it’s in need of some strengthening, well, you’ve come to the right place. For today we’re going to hear about “The Great Faith of the Canaanite Woman.” But now here’s a little secret, right from the outset: If you want a great faith, don’t focus on your faith. Rather, focus on the object of your faith, namely, our Lord Jesus Christ and his great mercy. Our text is...

Augsburg Peace Prize awarded to Bishop Bedford-Strohm and Cardinal MarxLWI) - A strong sign for Christian ecumenism: the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, and the Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx were awarded the 2020 Augsburg Peace Prize for their “unconditional will to live together in peace”. On 11 March 2017, the then President of the German Bishops’ Conference, Reinhard Cardinal Marx, and the Chairperson of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, jointly presided over a service of repentance and reconciliation in Hildesheim, Germany. The painful divisions between the two separated...

“Lord, Save Me!” (Matthew 14:22-33) Who is this Jesus fellow? That is the central question in all four of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Who is this Jesus? As we read the gospels, we are discovering the same thing the disciples were learning: that there is something very special about this man named Jesus. And so it is, again today, in our reading from the Gospel of Matthew. The disciples are learning more about Jesus, and so are we. And knowing who Jesus is, knowing who he is for us--not only that he is God’s Son, with all...