Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity

The Pharisees came up with an ironclad way to trap Jesus in His words: get Him to talk about politics. That way, no matter what He says, we can find fault with Him. Many pastors find a similar trap being set for them: “Pastor, should we vote for sinful candidate A or sinful candidate B? Does God want…

From ancient times the church has observed holy days throughout the year. Some occasions are so holy that the observance begins the night before and continues for a week or more after. Christmas is one of these great holidays. The celebration begins on Christmas Eve and continues through the Twelve Days…

Our text for All Saints’ Day is take from the first twelve verses of the Sermon on the Mount. For many of us, these words have become so familiar that we may not even hear or consider them anymore. But if we were to give Jesus’ words proper attention, we might find that they don’t mean what we think.…

Some people will tell you that Lutheranism was founded in 1517 by Martin Luther. They are wrong. The faith that we believe, teach, and confess was founded by Christ Himself. If Lutheran means believing the promises of Jesus and relying solely upon His words, then the Church Fathers were Lutheran, the…

In the ninth chapter of Luke, we read, “when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” ( Lk 9:51 ). There are twenty-four chapters in Luke, but as early as Chapter 9 Jesus has already begun His final earthly journey, with His face resolutely fixed…

The lawyer who tries to test Jesus was supposed to be an expert—not in criminal law, or tax law, or business law, but in the Law of God. But he shows by his questions that, smart as he was, he didn’t understand the first thing about God’s holy Law. It is possible both to be an expert on a subject and…

Martin Luther said that your god is whatever you look to for help in the time of trouble. Two men went up to the temple to pray, that is, to find help in the time of trouble. The Pharisee prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even…

Our Gospel text this morning is set during the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday. You are familiar with the scene: Jesus riding upon a donkey as He enters Jerusalem, the multitude of disciples waving palm branches and rejoicing as they sing, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is He who comes in the name…

The righteous man perishes, and no one takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. ( Is 57:1 ) Apart from Scripture and the promises of Christ, we don’t know how or what to think about death. We don’t understand it. We can’t measure…

If you ask a scientist to explain the eye, he will probably start talking about the iris and pupil, or about rods and cones. Ask a Christian, and he will likely speak about how the eye is designed and fashioned by God, which is true. But if you consult Scripture, you will find that the eye is the instrument…