One of the most popular stories that Jesus tells, as recorded in the Gospel according to St. Luke, is the story of the Prodigal and his two sons. So often we call this the parable of the prodigal son, but then we forget the older brother. So, rather than focus on the one son in this text, it is...
Are you ready to die? There's a question that some Christians ask people when they do door-to-door evangelism which goes, "If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?" This question is supposed to open a discussion on how one can prevent going to hell and go to heaven instead...
Psalm 116 prays, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15). These words are usually read in light of things like martyrdom or death at the end of life, when the saints of the Lord are ushered from this valley or sorrow and into the joys of heaven. However...
St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote to the churches in Galatia saying, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are...
Today on Liturgy Friday we are meditating on the Kyrie, the next step in the Liturgy. So far, in the Liturgy, we have gone through the Invocation, Confession and Absolution, the Introit, and now arrive at the Kyrie. This is the point in the Liturgy when the Celebrant reaches the altar, and now...
The Gospel according to St. Luke records Jesus raising the widow's son saying, "11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son...
In the Gospel according to St. Luke we have a glorious account that teaches us about the forgiveness of sins. It is the account of the Paralytic when, after Jesus sees him being lowered into the house says, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." The Pharisees and the teachers of the law hate this...
"How does this sanctifying take place?" Luther asks in the Large Catechism. Luther answers, "Just as the Son obtains dominion by purchasing us through His birth, death, and resurrection, etc., so that Holy Spirit effects our sanctification through the following: the communion of saints or...
Psalm 146:3-4 confess, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish." These words offer immense comfort to us as we begin our vocational tasks this week. It is very tempting to...
There are many assumptions that kill. We assume that people are out to get us, and therefore put the worst possible twist on everything they do. We assume that people don't like us, therefore, we put up walls that shouldn't exist. We assume that people know what is right and do the wrong thing...