Sunday, October 25 2026 — Jesus told his followers, “You will be hated by everyone because of me” (Matthew 10:22). In other words, the whole time between Christ’s first coming in to the world and His second coming to judge the world is going to be perilous for believers. What happened to a monk named…
Sunday October 18 2026 — In the 250th anniversary year of the signing of the Declaration of the Independence of the United States of America, Americans are realizing that our freedoms are not guaranteed forever. What can we do with the limited time we have left to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments without…
October 4 2026 — Sometimes people get braver when they realize they are nearing the end. They speak things they couldn’t or wouldn’t say before, even to the powerful, because they realize they have nothing to lose. The message of repentance and forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ death on the cross has many powerful enemies.…
September 27 2026 — It might be expected for someone to look sorry when they are caught doing something wrong. You might even see tears and hear words of apology. But you might not be surprised if the shock of being caught wears off and so does the intensity of the repentance. Real repentance looks…
September 20 2026 — Give a single bag of M&Ms to siblings in middle school and tell them to share. You will witness counting done with accounting-like precision. Each child will get an equal amount of candy because that is fair. That’s what’s expected! Human beings have an incredibly strong sense of fairness. That is…
September 13 2026 — Forgiveness does not come naturally to human beings. It is expected that humans will defend themselves, lash out when attacked, hold grudges, and bite back. So, when human beings hear that they are forgiven, they may even be suspicious or skeptical. Jesus tells a parable that contrasts the forgiveness of God…
September 6 2026 — When danger strikes, most people instinctively move away from it. Fire, violence, accidents, and disasters trigger a natural desire to find protection and safety. Yet first responders do the opposite. Firefighters, police officers, and paramedics run toward the very scenes others are fleeing. They enter burning buildings, approach violent situations, and…
August 30 2026 — Some churches teach that if a person follows God, God responds by granting prosperity and peace, as would only be expected. Today we see how that is nonsense. The Bible explains the Unexpected Truth that if we are part of the Church of God, we will have to bear crosses. Life…
August 23 2026 — The Declaration of Independence boldly assert that certain truths are “self-evident.” Lutherans, however, note that the most important truths revealed in the Bible are not self-evident, especially the truth that salvation cannot be achieved through human effort but comes entirely by God’s grace. Most unexpected of all is the message that…
August 16 2026 — “All are welcome!” Is that true at our church? Or is church meant only for people of the right heritage who behave the right way, “good church folk”? Is it conceivable that a stranger could walk into church unexpectedly and for some reason you would ask yourself, “What is someone like…