Today, as we read John 1:6–8 and 19–28, we can connect the message of John the Baptist to God’s presence among the Israelites wandering in the wilderness prior to entering the Promised Land. John, Christ’s herald, is not himself the light, but he will eventually baptize the light, Jesus. This begins Jesus’ ministry, at the end of which, He will die and rise again to open the gates of heaven.
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In this weekend’s Gospel reading, we find Jesus calling Peter, Andrew, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to be His disciples. Mark moves quickly through John the Baptist’s call...
50:56Christ’s Church is never isolated. Join Pastor Brian Davies to learn how to break out of isolation, find identity and belonging in Christ and invite others to join faith-filled community again.
This is an adapted excerpt from the Lutheran Bible Companion. Over the next year, we will be using the Lutheran Bible Companion to travel through the Old Testament...
This post is adapted from Gospel Sermons: Volume 1 by C. F. W. Walther.
The season of Epiphany is one that often gets overlooked in the Church Year calendar. We’re on board for Advent and Lent, with many congregations meeting midweek to mark these...
Christmas is a time of celebration that the Savior of the Nations is born! His name is revered throughout the earth as we rejoice in God’s promises fulfilled. Isaiah 9:6–8...
This post is an excerpt from Theological Commonplaces: On Christ by Johann Gerhard.
This post is adapted from Luther's Works, vol. 18 (Lectures on the Minor Prophets I). When the destruction of the Jewish people was imminent, when the new age and kingdom—namely,...
The hymnody of Advent is exceedingly rich. Among this richness is the classic “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” As you open your Lutheran Service Book to this hymn (357), you will also find...
In Matthew 25, context plays a vital role to interpreting Jesus’ explanation of the final judgment. Jesus has made his triumphal entrance into the city of His crucifixion. Our Lord has...
This post is adapted from Commentary on Luther's Catechism: Confession and Christian Life by Ablrecht Peters.
This is an adapted excerpt from the Concordia Commentary on Micah by Jason R Soenkensen. Up until the late nineteenth century, the book of Micah was regarded as the work of the prophet...
1:38Pastor Kristian Kincaid knows about grief. He has experienced being at the lowest point of grief and knows how Christ reaches out continuously for you to take His hands. After mourning the substantial
On November 8, 15, and 22, the three Sundays between All Saints’ Day and the First Sunday in Advent, the Gospel readings from the three-year lectionary cover the entirety of Matthew 25....
This post is an adapted excerpt from Concordia Commentary: Proverbs by Andrew E. Steinmann. Those who read Proverbs today, like all modern readers of Scripture, are separated by a...
Not unlike many American Lutherans in the upper Midwest, Martin Franzmann (1907–76) was the son of a Lutheran pastor. Born and raised in Minnesota, Franzmann continued his undergraduate...
This blog post is an excerpt from Commentary on Luther’s Catechisms: Confession and Christian Life by Albrecht Peters.
Jesus teaches the parable of the wedding feast as the third in a series regarding the rejection of the message of salvation by many Jews, the identity of Jesus Christ as the divine Son...
One of the most challenging aspects of being a pastor in the United States in the twenty-first century is the deep division of the nation along political lines. Based on research from a...
This post is adapted from On the Resurrection of the Dead and On the Last Judgment by Johann Gerhard.
