Matthew 22: 15-22 These past few weeks we’ve heard Jesus school the Pharisees on their understanding of the scriptures. Today, we heard about them regrouping and forming a new plan. If they can’t compete with his knowledge, they’ll set him up for failure with an interview. We’re all well aware today how easy words can … Read more
Matthew 22: 1-14 There are many misconceptions about Eternal Life. Mainly, what will it be like? What will we see, what will we do. What will it mean to be in God’s presence forever? I suppose some of the confusion comes from ourselves, because we all have different ideas of what we think paradise ought … Read more
Matthew 21: 33-46 We heard Jesus tell the Parable of the Vineyard Tenants earlier against the Pharisees. Jesus condemning the Pharisees; well that’s nothing new. \But Jesus didn’t start this dispute with the Pharisees. Go back in the verses preceding our Gospel Lesson, and we find these Pharisees confronting Jesus as he was teaching. By … Read more
I love looking back at the pictures of my children. I currently have 12,229 pictures of my phone. At least half of them are my children doing ordinary things I find special. One recent picture is of my oldest, holding a piece of toast with apple butter and pointing to it. I feel like … Read more
Psalm 91 (St. Michael & All Angels 2020) Autumn is a favorite season for many. We find relief from Summer’s heat, we enjoy the beautiful colors from turning trees, and even in the Year of our Lord 2020, we’ve managed to have football to watch on the weekends. With these joys comes also though the … Read more
Matthew 18: 21-35 My brother Mark preached here last week, and he addressed where Jesus says it would be better to cut off our hand or our eyes if they cause us to sin, that it would be better to enter eternal life blind or with one less hand than it would be to have … Read more
Home devotions and prayers are hard. Part of the struggle is having a reliable routine. Only the individual can control this. We naturally form routines in our life, some good and productive, others may be bad and unproductive. If we don’t plan our routines, more often they are unproductive. It’s worth the effort to set … Read more
Dear Saints of Concordia, This coming Sunday (September 27th, 2020) we will be celebrating the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. While this Feast Day has a set day in our Church Calendar (Sept. 29th), we often move these special days to the nearest Sunday. The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels is … Read more