Religions such as Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all agree that Abraham was a great man. But the reasons Christians believe that Abraham was great is not primarily because of what he did, but because of what he believed. The Lord came to Abraham and made many promises with Abraham. Abraham believed these promises! It wasn’t…

Why did Jesus have to come among us as a human being? Why didn’t He come as an angel or some other kind of being that is stronger and more powerful than us? While angels may be a source of endless fascination to the Christian and to the world, they have no power to save…

Temptation is all around us in this world. It is fitting that we begin the season of Lent looking at the temptation of Christ. This season is marked with reflection on our own mortality and our need for a Savior. The devil first tempted Adam and Eve in the garden and it worked like a…

“Oh Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High” Today, we introduce our Lent sermon series, which is based on the ancient hymn “O Love, How Deep” (LSB 544). This hymn, written in the fifteenth century, contemplates the love of God in becoming man, taking on our life, dying our death, and rising again, all for…

On this Sunday after Valentine’s Day, we think about spending time with our valentine. Maybe we had a wonderful date night, maybe we just stayed home and watched a movie on a streaming service. Regardless, we want to spend time with the one we love. What about God? How do we spend time with Him?…

Nowadays, salt and light might be considered bad things. We go for low sodium foods. We worry about skin cancer from too much light and light pollution making it impossible to see the stars at night. However, the ancient people considered salt and light precious. The word salary comes from the Latin word salt. Salt…

There’s a lot of ways we might be tempted to spruce up the Christian message. Emphasize that God loves you, and minimize the parts about what God wants from you. Highlight the promises of health, wealth, and prosperity, and put the tough parts of following Jesus in the fine print. We can grow the church…

Wherever the Kingdom of Heaven is, there is redemption and new life. Jesus’ ministry brought the Kingdom of Heaven because Jesus Himself is the King! We see life in the Kingdom as Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow him in this adventure. We see life in the Kingdom as Jesus teaches in…

Paul had many reasons to be upset and concerned with the Church in Corinth. In many ways this was a dysfunctional congregation that was not following God’s will. Nonetheless, Paul opens the letter writing, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with…

“I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing this for you.” Today we remember Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. John the Baptist is confused saying Jesus should be baptizing him! Jesus reminds him that it isn’t for himself he does this, but for us. In Baptism, we are united to Christ. He takes on our…