YouTube -- Festival of St. Luke, Evangelist (October 18, 2026)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, October 18, 2026.  My apologies for the feedback on the mic at the beginning of the service.

Sermon -- Festival of St. Luke, Evangelist (October 18, 2026)

ST. LUKE WROTE THE HISTORY SO YOU CAN HAVE CERTAINTY.

LUKE 1:1-4

In the name + of Jesus.

     More and more these days, I am becoming a skeptic.  I wish I did not have to be, but I know that people often tell their stories with an agenda.  Different news outlets can report on the same story, but you would never guess they are covering the same thing.  They report the version of the story that favors their audience.  That is on purpose.  CNN and FOX both know what their audiences are looking for.  To keep their audience, they cater to their political leanings.  Sadly, it is to the point where I will listen to a report and say, “Well, that’s good (or bad)—if it’s true.”

     If you have become more skeptical over time, that is no surprise.  No one wants to be played for a fool.  No one likes being lied to.  So, every story is treated with suspicion.  We learn to be careful.  News is reported, and then we investigate to see if it is accurate or if it is biased.  Sometimes, we have no way of knowing, and that is frustrating.  It is also a terrible way to live, never really trusting anyone. 

     When St. Luke wrote his Gospel, it was written to someone named “Theophilus.”  Theophilus means “Friend of God.”  His Gospel may have been written to Christians in general; for each of us is a “Friend of God.”  But even if St. Luke wrote to a specific individual named Theophilus, his Gospel was intended for Christians everywhere.  I don’t know if Theophilus was a skeptic or not, but St. Luke wrote to remove any doubts about Jesus Christ.  He wrote, “It seemed good to me … to write an orderly account to you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you were taught” (Luke 1:3-4).  St. Luke wrote the history so that you can have certainty.

     The Bible calls Luke a doctor, which he was.  But he was also an incredible historian.  Luke places Jesus firmly in a historical time and place.  This is no “Once upon a time in a land far, far away.”  This is “while Quirinius was governing Syria” (Luke 2:2).  This is “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene—during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas” (Luke 3:1-2).  This is in places like Nazareth, Bethlehem, Capernaum, and Jerusalem.  If this were a mythical tale, Luke would not have named people and places that could be verified.  But Luke presented details.  He logged specific dates.  He labeled specific places.  He named specific people.  St. Luke wrote the history so that you can have certainty.

     Many writers have attempted to teach virtues, morals, and even spiritual insights.  Aesop wrote fables, almost all of which include talking animals.  Aesop’s Fables may help teach morals, but they are fictional.  Mohammed’s writings have no historical placement at all.  They are statements which cannot be verified by any historian.  Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, claimed to receive his revelation from golden tablets that no one has seen, written in a language that no one had ever heard of.  By contrast, the writers of the Bible included historical and geographical information.  They practically beg you to verify what they are writing.  Historians and archaeologists have vindicated the Biblical record over and over again.  There is no need for skepticism.  The Bible records the history so that you can have certainty.

     Even if people do not believe it, the Bible records some certainties that all people acknowledge.  For example: No one is perfect.  That’s why we have erasures on pencils and delete buttons on our computers.  These can correct our mistakes.  Of course, no one goes to hell for mispronouncing a word or being bad at algebra.  But our imperfections go far beyond grammar, spelling, or math.  The Bible asks, “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin’” (Proverbs 20:9)?  In case you get stuck on that question, the Bible gives you the answer: “There is surely not a righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 20:7).  With every spiteful, petty act, with every obscene word, with every unkind or envious thought we sin against our fellow man and against our God.  No one is perfect.  No heart is clean.  No mouth is pure.

     Our sinfulness leads to another certainty: All people die.  The Bible states why: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  Death is the curse we must suffer because we are sinners.  But there is a greater reason that death fills us with dread.  The Bible reminds us, “It is appointed for people to die only once and after this comes the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).  God gave our lives to us, and he holds us accountable for what we think, say, and do.  Since the world he created and the people he put in it were perfect, that is what he still demands of us.  And that is why people are terrified of death.  For, no one is perfect.  No heart is clean.  No mouth is pure.  Death is certain.  Judgment is certain.  And we certainly have earned a sentence of condemnation.

     St. Luke recorded the history of Jesus so that you can be certain of a better future.  St. Luke began his gospel describing how our Lord entered history for the benefit of mankind.  Luke was not merely telling his version of how it may have happened.  Luke testified, “I followed everything closely from the beginning” (Luke 1:3).  The verb suggests that Luke investigated everything.  It seems likely that he interviewed those who were eyewitnesses.  Twice Luke commented that Mary pondered all these things in her heart (Luke 2:19,51).  That suggests that Luke interviewed Mary about all she had seen and heard.  Luke recorded the history so that you can have certainty.

     In fact, Luke had to record these things because the way our Lord entered the world was miraculous.  Mary did not understand it either.  Having heard that she would conceive and give birth to a son, Mary replied, “‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’  The angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God’” (Luke 1:34-35).  The Lord revealed the mystery to Mary so that she could be certain about her inexplicable pregnancy.  St. Luke recorded this so that you can be certain too.  He recorded the mystery not so that you could understand it, but so that you would know it.  Luke recorded the history so that you can have certainty.

     For many, the incarnation of our Lord is offensive and worthy of mockery.  Many also dismiss the accounts of Jesus’ miracles and his teachings.  Unbelief despises everything about Jesus, even things that can be verified.  Some deny that Jesus ever existed.  But ancient historians who have no allegiance to Jesus of Nazareth, such as Josephus and Tacitus, acknowledge that he was a real man and that he was crucified.  St. Luke and all the apostles testify that Jesus’ crucifixion pays for the sins of all, but all who reject Jesus also reject the benefit of Jesus’ saving work and his deliverance from damnation. 

     The skeptic may have questions about Jesus, his teachings, and the entire Bible.  Such questions are not inherently evil; and chances are, you have some of those questions yourself.  Some of Jesus’ teachings are hard.  They may be hard to understand, or they may be hard to put into practice.  If you have questions about such things, you are not alone.  Anyone who is a skeptic craves certainty.  And even the faithful long for greater certainty.

     Beware.  The devil uses that skepticism to seduce you into unbelief.  He speaks through people who challenge you: “You know, if you can’t find a reasonable solution to the mysteries of God, they are not worth your time.  You are too smart to believe such nonsense.”  “You know, the people who challenge God’s word are asking really good questions.  The fact that you do not know how to answer those questions proves that there are no good answers to those questions.  You are a fool to keep on believing the Bible.”  Some of these challenges sound very compelling.  We expect that God’s will and God’s ways should match our own.  We think that everything about God should make sense to us.  We think that God should be like we are. 

     Repent.  It is a lie.  The Bible proves that God is not like us.  And God be praised for that!  We are not as powerful, wise, or merciful as our Lord us.  If we were, we would use our power and wisdom to exalt ourselves.  The Lord uses his power and wisdom for the benefit of sinners.  St. Luke records how God’s mercy is not merely a theory.  God’s mercy is real—displayed in a historical time in a historical place by a historical man, Jesus Christ.  Luke recorded the history so that you can have certainty.

     Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his apostles, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. … This is what is written and so it must be: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:44,46-47).  St. Luke recorded how Jesus fulfilled the promises of old.  He recorded how Jesus suffered and died to be the atoning sacrifice for sinners—for the penitent, the skeptic, and even the atheist.  Jesus has paid the price for all sinners and has taken away all sins.  He rose from the dead and “presented himself alive to the apostles with many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3).  Those who were witnesses of all these things suffered torture, persecution, and death rather than deny it.  Jesus sent them into the world to preach about the death that pays for sins and the resurrection that opens heaven to all who believe.  And so that you would have this testimony made known to you, it was written down for your benefit.

     St. Luke recorded the history so that you can have certainty.  He testified about a real Jesus who suffered real torment and died a real cursed death for sinners.  He overcame a real death with a real body to bestow real mercy and give real hope to sinners.  This is good.  For our Lord does not come to save theoretical sinners.  He comes for real sinners.  He grants a full pardon for all your sin.  He speaks tenderly to you when your heart is full of doubts.  He reveals his wisdom in the Scriptures to answer your questions about life and death, good and evil, wisdom and foolishness.  Not being able to trust anyone is a terrible way to live.  God be praised!  You don’t have to, not with God and his word.  St. Luke recorded the history so that you can have certainty of the facts, comfort for your spirit, and confidence on the Last Day.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Minor Festival -- St. Luke, Evangelist (October 18, 2026)

Festival of St. Luke, Evangelist

               Lutheran worship is liturgical.  While that often refers to an order of worship, it can also refer to the calendar of the Church Year.  The Church Year includes major festivals, such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, etc...  On Sunday, October 18 we will recognize a minor festival, the Festival of St. Luke, Evangelist.

               St. Luke was a close companion of St. Paul.  St. Paul refers to Luke a number of times, particularly that Luke was with Paul in the final days of Paul’s life (2 Timothy 4:11).  Luke wrote the gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts (which also demonstrates his association with Paul in the portions that talk about what “we” did).  Not only was Luke a physician (Colossians 4:14), he was obviously a historian which is seen throughout Luke’s Gospel and the book of Acts where Luke is careful to date events and cite people and places.  We are especially grateful that, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, Luke “carefully investigated everything ... so that (we) may know the certainty of the things (we) have been taught.” (Luke 1:3,4)

YouTube -- Festival of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25, 2026)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, January 25, 2026.

Sermon -- Festival of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25, 2026)

CONVERSION IS GOD’S WORK BY GOD’S GRACE.

ACTS 9:1-22

In the name + of Jesus.

      In speaking about the conversion of people to the Christian faith, St. Augustine described it this way: “God makes willing people out of the unwilling and dwells in the willing” (Augustine, Against Two Letters of the Pelagians I, 19, 37; quoted by the Formula of Concord: Epitome, Article II, par. 15).  Augustine taught that conversion is completely God’s work, and it is.  Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace.  St. Paul wrote, “God, because he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses.  It is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). 

     This is not to say that some are more willing to be saved than others.  Our default position was set when Adam and Eve rebelled against God.  They turned away from God’s word to listen to another.  They chose evil instead of good.  They fled from God and wanted nothing to do with him.  When God confronted them, they made excuses and tried to dodge accountability.  To them, God was the enemy, and they treated him that way.  That is the natural condition of all people who are born into this world.

     Some fight against God violently; others just don’t care.  Either way, those who are ruled by sin see God as the enemy.  They do not believe God’s word or desire to live according to it.  It is like a man who abuses his wife versus the man who gives his wife zero attention or affection.  The wife does not want to be throttled, but she also desires a husband who is not cold, distant, and disinterested.  Either way—whether the man abuses his wife or shuns her—he fails to love her.  So, while most will not attack Christ and his Church, many have no desire to love, honor, or serve him.  It is still rebellion.  It is the nature of sinners, and it still infects you whenever you feel that following God’s word too binding, too difficult, or too costly.

     When Jesus’ disciples went out to preach about Jesus’ sufferings, death, and resurrection, some believed.  Conversion was God’s work by God’s grace.  But many did not believe that word and rejected God’s grace.  Even if they were annoyed by this preaching, most people just ignored it.  Then there were others who actively wanted to stomp out Jesus’ teachings and terminate Jesus’ disciples. 

     This brings us to one man who was wholly invested in a violent rejection of Jesus.  It was a Pharisee named Saul.  Saul arrested Christians, had them imprisoned or beaten, and approved of their execution.  And it was not enough for Saul to hunt down Christians in Jerusalem.  Saul traveled to foreign cities to stomp out the Christian Church.  Saul was a fulfillment of Jesus’ warning: “A time is coming when anyone who murders you will think he is offering a service to God” (John 16:2).  Saul was convinced he was doing God’s work by hunting down Christians.

     “As he went on his way and was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’  He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’  He replied, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’” (Acts 9:3-5).  Saul was certain that the one speaking to him from heaven was the Lord.  What shocked Saul to his very core was to discover that Jesus Christ is the Lord. 

     Can you imagine the guilt he had when he discovered he had actually been attacking the very God he thought he was defending?  Saul spent three days in Damascus struggling, fasting, and praying.  Meanwhile, the Lord gave directions to a pastor in Damascus.  The Lord called Ananias to go and visit Saul.  “The Lord told him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul.  In fact, at this very moment he is praying.  In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he can regain his sight’” (Acts 9:11-12). 

     Ananias knew about Saul.  He knew that Saul had come to Damascus to arrest and persecute Christians.  If Ananias was a pastor, his name was probably on Saul’s list.  You can understand Ananias’ reluctance, even if it was God who was telling him to go.  But God was not asking Ananias’ permission.  The Lord told him, “Go!”  So, “Ananias left and entered the house.  Laying his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whom you saw on your way here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). 

     Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace.  God converted Saul in heart and mind and spirit.  The zeal which had been dedicated to destroying Christ’s Church was now redirected into proclaiming God’s grace and advancing his kingdom.  While Ananias was God’s instrument in baptizing Saul, it was God who cleansed him of all sin.  Baptism is a washing of rebirth, and it is God who bestowed new life through it.  Baptism is a renewal by the Holy Spirit, and it is God who renewed in Saul a pure heart and a right spirit.  Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace.  Saul would appear to be the least likely candidate to be converted and brought into God’s kingdom.  Nevertheless, the Lord made a willing one out of the unwilling. 

     Saul’s conversion from persecutor of the faith to preacher of the faith is marvelous and miraculous.  We think of it fondly because we know how Saul continued in the faith.  We know how fervently he preached the Gospel.  We benefit from the letters he wrote.  And we know how much he suffered for the faith, just as Jesus said he would.  We might think, “Who would be afraid of Saul?  He was such a faithful missionary!”  Ananias would have thought, “Who would go near Saul?  He is such a violent persecutor!” 

     There are people who we find just as frightening as Saul, and we tend to look at them as our enemies.  Why?  Because they are crude, abrasive, and ill-tempered.  They are adulterers, addicts, and abortionists.  They are Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.  They are loud-mouthed, foul-mouthed, braggarts, and liars.  And how many of them do you view and say to yourself, “Those are exactly the kinds of people we want in our church”?   We are more likely to say, “I hope those people stay away.  We don’t want them here,” while at the same time we would claim, “Well, we do pray for their conversion.”  But how will the Lord convert anyone to the kingdom of God if they do not hear God’s word?  And how can anyone discover that God is not the enemy unless they hear about the Savior who reconciles God and sinners?  God’s grace is meant for all, not just for those we consider to be polite.

     Remember our confession: We are by nature sinful.  That means we, too, were enemies of Christ.  But our Lord was not willing to leave us as his enemies.  The converted Saul once wrote, “God shows his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  …If, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, it is even more certain that, since we have been reconciled, we will be saved by his life” (Romans 5:8,10).  Out of his gracious love for mankind, the Father sent his Son into the world so that we would not be lost to him.  When Jesus was born, God sent his angels to declare peace on earth and good will toward mankind.  That peace was secured by Jesus who took everything from us that has earned God’s wrath.  Jesus put himself under God’s judgment and was banished as God’s enemy.  The punishment that brought us peace was put upon him.  God did not regard us as his enemies.  Rather, the Father declares us to be his beloved children based on Jesus’ willing, sacrificial death for us.  This risen Savior appeared to weak and flawed disciples and declared, “Peace be with you.”  He still declares peace to you.

     God is not the enemy.  He is your loving Father.  He declares his good will to you and carries it out.  All he does for you is for your good.  All he says to you is for your good.  He has made willing ones out of us who were, by nature, unwilling to fear, love, and trust in him.  “God makes willing people out of the unwilling and dwells in the willing.”  And since the Holy Spirit dwells in you, he continues to guide your will to despise what is sinful and to love what is righteous.  Even if you find following God’s word binding, difficult, or costly, you still recognize that it is good.  And God works in you the desire to bear the cost and to do what is good.  It is a continual conversion from the spirit of a sinner to that of a saint.  Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace.

     The word of God which comforts, motivates, and guides you is the only word which will convert hearts.  It has been entrusted to you to speak it to others so that God would graciously work in them.  It is the only way sinners can learn that God is not an enemy to fight against, but a merciful Father to be loved. 

     The conversion of the Pharisee named Saul is a remarkable example that anyone can be converted from one who hates Jesus into one who serves him.  You might think, “Well, if the Lord appeared personally to people, they would convert for sure.”  But that is not true.  When Moses performed miraculous signs before Pharaoh, the only result was that Pharaoh hardened his heart even more against the Lord.  When the Lord appeared in a thick, black cloud over Mt. Sinai, it did not prevent the people of Israel from crafting and then worshiping a golden calf right under his nose.  When Jesus preached to the religious leaders of his day, most of them became enraged and plotted his death.  Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace, but God’s grace can be abused and rejected.

     Unfortunately, there will always be people who are unwilling to turn from their sins.  Even though our Lord wants all people to be saved, he will not force himself on anyone.  Those who insist on being God’s enemy will be left outside God’s kingdom.  But since we don’t know who will rejoice in God’s grace and who will reject it, we proclaim God’s gracious promises to all.  After all, it is not your work to convert anybody.  Our task is to confess God’s word.  Conversion is God’s work by God’s grace.

     By God’s grace, he has worked saving faith in you.  By God’s grace, he continues to work in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  By God’s grace, he teaches you to trust that he is good even in days of sorrow and distress.  The Lord has turned your heart and mind to him so that you can see that his face does, indeed, shine upon you.  His good will rests upon you; and he gives you peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Minor Festival -- The Conversion of St. Paul

               Lutheran worship is liturgical.  While that often refers to an order of worship, it can also refer to the calendar of the Church Year.  The Church Year includes major festivals, such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, etc...  On Sunday, January 25 we recognize a minor festival, the Festival of the Conversion of St. Paul.

               The Bible records the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 9:1-19.  In describing his own conversion and call to be an apostle, Paul describes himself as “one abnormally born.” (1 Corinthians 15:8) The account of St. Paul’s conversion bears this out.  He who had been a Pharisee, zealous for the Law of Moses and eager to snuff out the Christians, was converted personally by the ascended Jesus Christ who appeared to Paul from heaven.  While our conversions are not as spectacular, they are no less miraculous – as God takes sinners who are by nature opposed to him (Romans 8:7,8) and converts us into people who love him and are eager to do his will (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Sermon -- The Festival of the Confession of St. Peter (January 18, 2026)

o wn is Greek for
"He who is"

THIS IS A ROCK-SOLID CONFESSION.

MATTHEW 16:13-19 

In the name + of Jesus.

     “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is’” (Matthew 16:13)?  Jesus knew that people were talking about him.  Jesus’ miracles had caught the attention of everyone—even of King Herod who longed to meet Jesus.  Jesus’ teachings had caught the attention of everyone—even of high level religious leaders who considered Jesus a threat.  So, people were talking about Jesus, and Jesus wanted to know, “Who are they saying I am?”

     For the most part, people had nice things to say.  “Some say [you are] John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).  They were complimentary, but they were also wrong.  To confess that Jesus was a nice man, a good teacher, or a prophet of God fails to confess Jesus correctly.  Jesus did not come to this world to be flattered.  His claims demand much more than that.  They still do.

     Jesus wanted to hear his disciples’ confession.  “He said to them, ‘But you, who do you say that I am?’  Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:15-16).  This goes far beyond saying he is nice, which would have been true enough.  It goes far beyond saying Jesus is a good teacher, which also would be true enough.  It even goes far beyond saying Jesus is a prophet of God.  Peter confessed that Jesus is the Son of the living God. 

     The nations around Israel worshiped many gods; the Jews worshiped only one.  The Old Testament creed is this: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).  So, to confess that Jesus is the Son of the living God is to confess that he is God.  And that is who Jesus claimed to be.  If anyone came up to you later today and insisted, “I am God!” you would either laugh in his face or heap scorn upon him—and for very good reason.  If anyone claims to be God, we dismiss him as a lunatic.  This is what Jesus presents us with.  Either he is God or he is a lunatic worthy of scorn.  There is no middle ground here.  Simon Peter confesses it rightly: The LORD our God is one.  Jesus is the Son of God.  Therefore, he is God.  This is a rock-solid confession.

     If you find yourself having a religious conversation, most people will want to talk about issues of morality, usually with a political streak in it.  If they only want to talk about morals, try doing what Jesus did.  Ask them what they think of Jesus.  Then ask them why they think that.  It is interesting to learn what people think of Jesus and why they think that way.  Their confession will be informative, perhaps surprising, perhaps appalling.  May would rather talk about immigration, women’s rights, or Donald Trump.  But no one will be asked about those things on the Last Day.  Those issues have their place, but we do not build our lives on them.

     So, what about you?  Who do you say Jesus is?  St. Peter, who made the rock-solid confession, later wrote in his first epistle, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).  More and more, we find ourselves living among people who don’t know what the Bible teaches.  Many are getting their theology from YouTube instead of the Bible.  Most are being taught badly, if they know anything at all.  You can no longer assume that people know about Jesus’ teachings or his sufferings, death, and resurrection.  You may be the first person to open the Scriptures to people you know and love.  It will be good to have a rock-solid confession to make to them.

     You share St. Peter’s confession.  Perhaps for your entire life you have believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  If so, praise God.  The Christian faith is not something which is common knowledge.  It is a gift of God.  Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).  On the other hand, if you have been a Christian your whole life long, you may stutter and stammer if someone asks you why you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  To say, “Well, it’s what I’ve been taught since Kindergarten,” might be true, but it also gives the impression that you have never examined the Christian faith or thought too deeply about it.  Unbelievers and skeptics will demand better than that; and that’s okay.  So, let’s consider why this is a rock-solid confession.

     First, consider the prophecies which were made hundreds of years before Jesus was born.  The likelihood of one person fulfilling some of them is staggering.  The likelihood of one person fulfilling all of them is immeasurable.  When we compare Jesus’ life with the prophecies, we see that he fulfilled everything that was foretold.  Therefore, he is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  The evidence is rock-solid.

     Next, we can consider Jesus’ life which was morally and ethically pure.  We can point to Jesus’ teachings which are completely in line with God’s word.  We can point to the miraculous signs Jesus did, and we can note that he did them out of mercy for the sick and suffering and not for showmanship.  Jesus is not an entertainer; he is a merciful and compassionate Savior.

     Perhaps the most compelling argument has to do with this: Three times, Jesus told his disciples explicitly that he would be betrayed by an apostle, suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, be mocked and crucified by the Romans, and then rise from the dead on the third day.  And then he did it!  His death was confirmed by the Roman governor, so there is no doubt that he died.  On the third day after his death, Jesus was seen alive by many of his disciples. 

     Some argue that Jesus’ disciples fabricated stories about Jesus’ resurrection.  Let’s put this claim under scrutiny to see which is more likely—that they saw Jesus risen from the dead or that they made it all up.  First of all, the disciples gained nothing by preaching about Jesus’ resurrection.  They did not get rich or gain power.  Their lives actually got much worse.  For their testimony, they endured threats, arrest, beatings, exile, torture, and death.  And yet, not once did any of them flinch.  They willingly died for their confession that Jesus Christ was crucified, is risen, and lives and reigns over all things forever and ever.  The only way it makes sense that every one of Jesus’ apostles faithfully and persistently confessed that Jesus rose from the dead and would rather die than deny it is if they actually saw Jesus risen from the dead.  This is a rock-solid confession.

     This is why Jesus said to Simon, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:17-18).  Although Jesus gave Simon the name Peter, he is not the rock on which the Church is built.  Our Lord does not build his Church on a fallible, mortal, sinful man.  In fact, just minutes after Jesus commended Simon Peter for his rock-solid confession, he called Simon “Satan” for dissuading him from going to the cross. 

     The rock on which the Church is built is Jesus Christ.  Salvation depends upon nothing else.  You are not saved by good works, no matter how many you do.  You are not saved by how many Bible passages you know.  You are not saved by how many arguments you win against Muslims, Jews, or Hindus.  You are not saved because others assure you that you are a good person.  Your salvation does not rest on you because you are sinful, fallible, and mortal—just like Simon Peter.  And just like Simon Peter, you and I have spoken words which have been inspired by Satan—words which have been untrue, unkind, or uncaring.  Jesus did not give Simon the name Peter because he was such a rock.  It was given because his confession was rock-solid.  It is the only confession by which we are saved.  St. Paul wrote, “No one can lay any other foundation than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).  This rock-solid foundation does not shift, erode, or budge no matter what is going on in the world or in your life.  Jesus promises you that even the gates of hell cannot overpower it.

     That’s because Jesus Christ has secured your everlasting salvation and nothing can change that.  Jesus took up your sins from you, carried them to the cross for you, and suffered what sinners deserve so that fallible, sinful people can be pardoned.  No matter what accusation Satan hurls at you, he does not overturn Jesus’ sufferings and death for you.  Jesus has removed your guilt from you.  You have received a full pardon from God for all sins.  Nothing can change that.  It is a rock-solid truth.

     In the same way, nothing can nullify Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Jesus lives.  Death no longer has mastery over him.  And Jesus promises to all who believe: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all.  No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).  Not even death can snatch you away from Jesus.  Jesus’ resurrection assures you that mortals will be raised up to immortality.  This is a rock-solid truth.

     The gates of hell can do nothing to strip you of your salvation.  For, Jesus descended into hell to proclaim his victory over the devil.  He proclaimed it on the devil’s home turf and to his face.  Jesus stormed the gates of hell to deliver sinners from the devil’s claims and clutches.  You are the prize Jesus has won by his sufferings, death, and resurrection.  And Jesus is the key which releases you from your sins and unlocks the gates of heaven to you.  You have his word on it, and it is as true in heaven as it is on earth.  This is a rock-solid confession.

     Who do you say that Jesus is?  He is the Christ—the one who was anointed to make the atoning sacrifice which takes away your sins.  Jesus gave himself as that sacrifice and now gives you the benefits of that sacrifice from this altar.  He is the Son of the living God—the God who became man to rescue all mankind from death and the devil.  He is the rock on which the Church is built.  Blessed are you who share in this confession.  It provides comfort in the darkest days of life, assurance when doubts arise, and confidence to stand at the final judgment. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Minor Festival -- The Confession of St. Peter

o wn is Greek for "He who is"

                Lutheran worship is liturgical.  While that often refers to an order of worship, it can also refer to the calendar of the Church Year.  The Church Year includes major festivals, such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, etc...  On Sunday, January 18, we recognize a minor festival, the Festival of the Confession of St. Peter.

               In a conversation with his disciples, he asked who other people say he is.  St. Peter answered Jesus’ question: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Jesus responded to Peter’s confession: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18) Jesus was not telling us that he was building his church on a mortal, sinful man, but on the confession St. Peter made: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  St. Peter’s confession is and will always be the confession of the Christian Church.

YouTube -- Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle (December 21, 2025)

Here is the Divine Service from Sunday, December 21, 2025.

Sermon -- Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle (December 21, 2025)

FAITH BELIEVES WITH THE EARS, NOT THE EYES.

JOHN 20:24-29 

In the name + of Jesus.

    Joseph, the guardian of our Lord, was a man of great faith.  When he learned that his betrothed, Mary, was pregnant, he decided to terminate their relationship.  He had no desire to publicly shame her or to demand any kind of punishment for her, but neither did he want to become her husband.  Perhaps she loved another, and her pregnancy was the result of that.  If so, let her go to the one she loves.  I don’t think anyone would blame Joseph for his conclusions. 

     But then the Lord intervened.  God sent his angel to Joseph in a dream to inform him what was really going on—something Joseph would have never known or even guessed if left to his own devices.  The Lord revealed to Joseph, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).  Experience taught him that the angel’s words were nonsense.  Joseph knows how women become mommies.  But Joseph believed the word of the Lord.  Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.

     Fast forward thirty-three years.  Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  The eyes were not fooled by these events.  His back was ripped open by the scourging of Pilate’s soldiers.  His wrists and feet were nailed to wooden beams.  He breathed his last and then was pierced with a spear for good measure.  The Romans, utterly successful at death by crucifixion, maintained their sterling record.  Pilate had that confirmed before he granted Joseph of Arimathea permission to take Jesus’ body.  The lifeless body of Jesus was wrapped in cloth and sealed in a tomb.  The death of Jesus of Nazareth was undeniable, publicly witnessed by disciples, soldiers, Pharisees, priests, and passers-by.

     Jesus’ apostles were devastated.  They were scared.  They were also wallowing in guilt for having abandoned their Lord in his most crucial hours.  Even though Jesus had told them explicitly three times that he would rise from the dead on the third day, they did not expect that they would see him again. 

     “On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews.  Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.  So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20).  They were overjoyed to see Jesus.  Even more, they were overjoyed that Jesus did not come to pass judgment on them.  He did not bear a grudge because he had to endure torment for their sins.  He declared peace.  All was forgiven—not just their failure to remain by him, but all.  All is forgiven—for you, too.

     The apostle Thomas was not there to hear it.  No doubt, he was consumed by the same fears, despair, and guilt that his fellow apostles had experienced.  Ten apostles had been relieved of their guilt, but not Thomas.  He was still scared, still sorrowful, still devastated.  His fellow apostles were eager to pull him out of it.  “The other disciples kept telling him, ‘We have seen the Lord’” (John 20:25)! 

     It is hard to know why Thomas did not consider the persistent testimony of his fellow apostles reliable.  Thomas demanded proof.  Surely, his experience would not deceive him.  His friends?  Maybe.  But not his own senses.  He would not believe words.  For this, he has been given the name “Doubting Thomas.”  Today, it is applied to people as a rebuke or an insult.  I am surprised that Thomas has not become a hero for skeptics.  Thomas would only believe what he could see with his eyes; he would not accept what he heard with his ears.  He is not unique.

     We constantly seek proof of God’s love and care, but we dictate how that love and care should be proved.  It should be by the end of war and strife.  It should be by the end of sickness and disease.  It should be by crime-free streets and drug-free communities.  It should be by families that are no longer fractured or fighting.  It should be by a robust economy where luxuries are common and all the bills are paid.  It should be by winning the Power Ball lottery.  I suppose you have your own criteria for what would prove that God loves you and cares for you.  If any of our criteria is not met, we may doubt that God loves us or that God is even real.  To paraphrase Thomas, “Unless I see the blessings in my life and in this world, I will not believe.” 

     Repent!  For, the Creator is not answerable to what he has created.  The one who grants life does not take orders from those who live because of him.  Nor is the evil in the world proof that God does not love or care for us.  The holy God is not the author of evil that men do.  God does not sponsor mass shooters.  God does not approve of the murder of babies in their mothers’ wombs.  God does not commission drunk drivers or encourage political violence.  These are the evil acts of sinners.  What you see and what you experience tells you more about this sin-fallen world than it tells you about God.

     The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “Faith is being sure about what we hope for, being convinced about things we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).  That does not mean Christians live in the land of make believe.  And it does not mean that Christians are so gullible as to believe anything.  Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  God declares what is true.  God’s people take those words to heart.  We believe what our Lord tells us, even if our senses suggest something else.  The Bible is full of promises that seemed impossible but were fulfilled by our Lord, nonetheless.  When God says so, it is so.  Just because we don’t see the Lord’s goodness does not mean that the Lord is no longer good.  You don’t see the sun at night, either, but it still shines.

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  That was not enough for Thomas.  The words of the prophets were not enough for him.  Jesus’ words were not enough for him.  The eyewitness testimony of Thomas’ colleagues was not enough for him.  Thomas demanded more: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25).

     Jesus did not owe Thomas a special revelation.  In fact, Jesus could have remained hidden from Thomas and let that be an act of judgment upon him.  Instead, Jesus graciously appeared to Thomas and said, “Put your finger here and look at my hands.  Take your hand and put it into my side.  Do not continue to doubt, but believe” (John 20:27).  His wounds were proof of his death.  His body was proof of his resurrection.  His words were proof of his mercy.  For, when Jesus appeared to his disciples again, he declared, “Peace be with you” (John 20:26).  He could have turned to Thomas and said, “Well, not with you,” but he did not.  He spoke to him with tender mercy.  He bestowed his peace, even to Doubting Thomas.

     Jesus has mercy on those with questions, with skepticism, and with doubts.  But he does not address these questions with dazzling displays of power.  When our Lord did display miracles in the past, it did not prevent people from dishonoring and disobeying his word.  Rather than proving himself with what we see with our eyes, our Lord consoles us with words for our ears.  God’s goodness is revealed in promises which are fulfilled.  God’s mercy is proclaimed to console troubled hearts and minds.  Faith believes with the ears, not with the eyes. 

     Our Lord Jesus Christ entered our world at a time when there were not cameras to log video footage.  While some consider that a negative, it shows the wisdom of God.  Videos on YouTube, TikTok, or other media platforms are mostly staged.  Increasingly, videos are becoming AI, so you can’t be sure what is real.

     In his wisdom, the Father sent his Son into the world when we were forced to rely on eyewitness accounts and records passed down to us in writing.  The Bible is overwhelming reliable with these accounts and records.  The Bible is far better attested than any other piece of ancient literature, and it’s not close.  We have more testimony about Jesus than we do about Confucious, Socrates, or Nebuchadnezzar.  It is not living in the land of make believe to trust the words and works of Jesus.  It was all done in public.  It has been recorded, preserved in copies, and proclaimed around the world.  The apostles, even under torture and sentenced to death, never changed their testimony.

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  Jesus had invited Thomas to touch the nail marks and to inspect his wounds.  St. John does not record if he did or not.  St. John did record Thomas’ confession, declaring Jesus to be God and Lord.  Tradition tells us that Thomas did not continue in his skepticism.  Instead, he preached about the Savior who paid for the sins of all, even for skeptics like him.  He travelled as far as India to preach about the Savior who died for sinners and who rose from the dead.  The way to heaven is not by the Ganges River, but by faith in Jesus.  Thomas testified to the wounds that bore witness to God’s love.  And for that, Thomas himself received wounds that killed him.  In the end, Thomas willingly died for the faith.  He did not die as a skeptic, but as a faithful witness who was sustained and saved by the word of the Lord.  The living Savior is greater than a dying world. 

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  What you see and experience in this world may be heart-breaking, frightening, or infuriating.  But God’s love and care—and certainly his salvation—are not determined by what you see with your eyes.  His love and care, his mercy and forgiveness, are made known in words.  In that word, he reveals how he left the glories of heaven to come to this sin-riddled world.  In that word, he reveals how he did the work to deliver you from all of life’s pains and sorrows, and that he will bring you to the glories of heaven.  In that word, he soothes your troubled hearts with words of peace and forgiveness.  This world is deceptive.  God does not lie.  When God says so, it is so. 

     Faith believes with the ears, not the eyes.  But faith in his word always results in seeing his glory with the eyes.  Joseph saw it in Mary’s child.  Thomas saw it in the wounds of Jesus’ risen body.  And you will see it in the resurrection to life everlasting.  He who has ears, let him hear.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Minor Festival -- Festival of St. Thomas

            Lutheran worship is liturgical.  While that often refers to an order of worship, it can also refer to the calendar of the Church Year.  The Church Year includes major festivals, such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, etc...  On Sunday, December 21, we will recognize a minor festival, the Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle.

            If we know Thomas for anything, it is his doubting of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Thomas, also called Didymus, demanded visible proof that Jesus was risen.  Though Jesus did not owe him such proof (the words of the prophets and apostles should have been enough), Jesus lovingly appeared to Thomas to give the proof Thomas yearned for.  Earlier, Thomas had also demonstrated an unconditional loyalty to Jesus.  When Jesus had announced his intentions to go to Judea despite threats on Jesus’ life, Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:16) Tradition says that Thomas preached and built a church in India where he was martyred with a spear.

Sermon -- Festival of St. Andrew, Apostle (November 30, 2025)

JOHN 1:35-42

ST. ANDREW: A DISCIPLE WHO FOUND WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR.

In the name + of Jesus.

    During the Advent season, we prepare for the coming of our Lord.  That could refer to Christmas, which has a definite deadline.  It could also refer to Jesus’ return on the Last Day.  It, too, has a definite deadline, but that is known only by our Lord.  The Old Testament believers had an Advent season, as it were.  Since Adam and Eve had been expelled from the Garden of Eden, God’s people had been waiting for the Messiah who would open the way back.  The centuries went by.  God’s people waited, hoping to find what they were looking for.  They waited; for, there was no specific deadline.  They looked, but they never found the fulfillment. 

     Among those who were waiting and looking was Andrew, son of John.  He was from Bethsaida in the far north of Galilee.  Andrew knew the promises and had taken them to heart.  He was one of the two disciples who were with John the Baptist, as St. John described it: “The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples.  When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look!  The Lamb of God’” (John 1:35-36)!

     John the Baptist preached along the Jordan River in Judea.  If Andrew was from far north Galilee, how did he become a disciple of John the Baptist?  I offer this as a reasonable guess.  Since Andrew was a faithful Jew, he would have regularly attended the festivals in Jerusalem.  No doubt, he would have encountered John the Baptist on his way to and from Jerusalem.  The people regarded John as a prophet, as he called the people to repent and prepared the way of the Lord.  Since Andrew was looking for the Messiah to come, John’s message would have resonated with Andrew.

     Andrew found what he was looking for.  He found a prophet, the likes of which Israel had not seen for four hundred years.  Andrew not only took his words to heart, he also would have been baptized by John.  And rather than return immediately to Galilee, he would have remained to listen to John’s preaching.  After all, he became one of John’s disciples.

     Soon, Andrew truly found what he had been looking for.  “The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples.  When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look!  The Lamb of God!’  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:35-37).  Apparently, Jesus had made his way down to Judea from Galilee, too.  It was likely for a religious festival.  The way John the Baptist identified Jesus suggests that it was the time of the Passover.

     In their Passover celebrations, each Jewish family would have slaughtered a lamb to roast for their celebratory meal.  It commemorated the slaughter of the lambs back in Egypt on the night when the angel passed over the homes there.  The Egyptians had oppressed, enslaved, and endangered the future of the people of Israel.  To endanger the future of the nation was to endanger the promise of the Messiah.  That was a promise that was never to be threatened.  So, the Lord sent his angel to put the firstborn of every home to death that night.  The Israelites, however, were to take the blood of the lamb and smear it on the doorposts of their homes.  When the angel saw the blood of the lamb, he would pass over those homes.

     This was commemorated annually.  It was a reminder how God preserved his people.  It was a reminder that God preserves his promise.  This commemoration was repeated so that future generations would never forget the Lord’s deliverance.  They were reminded that a lamb was slain in place of God’s people.  They feasted on the lamb which gave its life for theirs.  They remembered that the blood of the lamb delivered them from death and prepared the way to deliverance from their enemies.

     Now, if they had just celebrated the Passover, imagine the fireworks going off in the mind of Andrew when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and declared, “Look!  The Lamb of God” (John 1:36)!  Andrew was a disciple who found what he was looking for.  Here is the Lord’s Christ!  Here is the one who would be slain in place of his people.  Here is the one whose blood would be shed to deliver his people from death.  Here is the one who would open the way back into Paradise.  For centuries, God’s people had been looking for the Messiah.  Now Andrew found him.

     “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.  When Jesus turned around and saw them following him, he asked, ‘What are you looking for?’  They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’  He told them, ‘Come, and you will see.’  So they came and saw where he was staying. They stayed with him that day” (John 1:37-39).  When Jesus asked John’s two disciples what they were looking for, I suppose they could have answered, “You!”  Instead, they wanted to be with Jesus and listen to him.  It is not enough to just have knowledge about Jesus.  Disciples listen to their teacher.  God’s people pay attention to his words.  They found what they were looking for and they wanted to keep it.  So, they stayed with him that day.

     Here is a disciple who found what he was looking for.  Andrew’s heart rejoiced that the long-awaited Messiah could be seen.  Perhaps Andrew was surprised when he and the other disciple asked, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” and Jesus did not evade them or regard them as an imposition.  Jesus welcomed them and spent the whole day with them.  Jesus was not too holy or too important for the likes of Andrew.  Yes, Andrew was a sinner, but Jesus had come for sinners.  This disciple found what he was looking for.

     It is no different for you.  But then, I guess it also matters what you are looking for.  If you want the Lamb of God to be cuddly, cute, and harmless, Jesus will be a disappointment for you.  For, the Lamb of God did not come to be snuggled.  He came to have the sins of the world laid upon him and to be slain for them.  So, if you are looking for the God who takes away your sins and who delivers you from the curse of death, then you will find what you are looking for in Jesus.  If you are looking for a God who guides you in paths of righteousness, then you will find what you are looking for in Jesus.  If you are looking for the God who teaches you to not crave life in this world but to yearn for life in the heavenly kingdom, then you will find what you are looking for in Jesus.  This is the Lamb of God who was slain for sinners.  And now sinners get to feast on his body and blood to be delivered from death.  If this is what you are looking for, you find it in Jesus.

     Andrew not only became a disciple who found what he was looking for, he also found others who were looking for the same thing.  “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his own brother Simon and say to him, ‘We have found the Messiah!’ (which is translated ‘the Christ’).  He brought him to Jesus” (John 1:40-42).  Andrew knew he was not alone in his longing for the Messiah.  We would be impressed to hear that Andrew immediately went all over Galilee to tell others about Jesus, but he didn’t.  Instead, Andrew went home.  There, he found a brother who also looked for the Messiah.  Just as John the Baptist directed Andrew to Jesus, Andrew directed Simon to Jesus.  And just as Andrew had spent the day with Jesus to become convinced that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah he was looking for, Andrew had Simon do the same.  “He brought him to Jesus” (John 1:42).

     This is what the Church has always done.  We could go knocking on doors to invite people to church.  We could stand outside Twelve Oaks Mall with a megaphone to confront the shoppers with their sins and call them to repent.  We could all get on a plane and visit some distant land to dedicate time and effort to a foreign mission field.  We could do any of that.  Or we could do what the Church has always done, and what Andrew did: We could bring our own family and friends to Jesus.  We can encourage children who have been consumed with their schedules to return to God’s house.  We can talk to friends who are fearful of the future or who are plagued by unanswered questions.  We can bring them to hear the words of Jesus so that they can find the relief and the hope that they are looking for.  Many look for relief and hope in places that will only end in death.  You know the Messiah who came to deliver you from death and to grant a life of peace here and a life of glory to come.  This is what many people are looking for.  They will only find it in Jesus.  Like Andrew, you can bring them to him.

     About three years after John the Baptist pointed Andrew to the Lamb of God, Andrew pointed some others to Jesus.  In this case, it was not Jews who were looking for the Messiah.  It was outsiders.  St. John wrote, “Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival.  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus.’  Philip went to tell Andrew.  Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus” (John 12:20-22).  Andrew did not tell others what they should believe.  He brought them to Jesus so that his words would be heard.  Jesus’ words would grant them peace and hope.  Jesus’ words would give them what they were looking for.  That’s how it always works in the kingdom of God.  Jesus uses his people to bring others to him.  And if a crude fisherman from the backwoods territory of Galilee can do it, so can you.

     We don’t know what happened to Andrew after Jesus ascended to heaven.  Traditions don’t help much, either.  Different traditions have Andrew travelling in different directions.  The one tradition that is consistent is that Andrew died on an X-shaped cross for preaching the good news he found in Jesus.  If Andrew had been looking for glory or fame or riches in this world, he did not find it.  But that is not what he was looking for.  He was looking for the Lamb of God who would be slain for his sin and whose blood would deliver him from death.  He was looking for the one who would open the way back into Paradise.  He found it in Jesus.  That is where you have found it.  And it is the only place it can be found.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.