Advent 2 – Midweek December 10, 2025 Matthew 1:18-25   When you were born, God gave you the ability to understand life’s matters. When you were young, you didn't use this ability well; it needed to be developed. Therefore, God placed adults in your life to help you learn how to think clearly in your daily life.   Reason is the ability or capacity to use logical thinking and draw conclusions from existing information.   In our second reading this evening, Joseph used his reason to conclude that the woman he was betrothed to, Mary, was pregnant through sin and a relationship with another man.     It’s not hard to see how he would arrive at this conclusion if he had not yet slept with Mary.   But here God intercedes for the sake of salvation. He sends His angel to Joseph in a dream, and like when the angel Gabriel visited Mary, the angel says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear.”   If you think about it, even before the angel appeared, Joseph was probably full of fear. What was his family and friends going to think of him now that Mary was pregnant and not by him? Would he be shunned? Would he be an outcast? Would he be looked down upon?   Could he not lead a household?   But at the core of the angel’s message is the reality that man cannot understand the ways of God apart from Him and His Word.   Now, just as the experience Mary had with the angel is beyond human understanding, God uses His messengers to begin revealing the meaning behind these events that first Advent, as he says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”   The first part of the angel’s greeting connects Joseph, the baby in Mary’s womb, and his lineage with the line of David. This is important because it fulfills the prophecy spoken to David in our first reading this evening, as we heard, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” (2 Samuel 7:12)    This prophecy will take time to be fulfilled, but it begins to find fulfillment in the womb of Mary, where the offspring, Jesus, now resides.   But the second part of the angel’s message conveys the origin of the Christ child, that He has no human father. That through the work of the Holy Spirit, sent by the heavenly Father, the child was conceived.                  Again, this was difficult for Joseph to reason and rationalize.   However, the way to understanding the birth of Jesus begins with the source of the child’s conception, the Holy Spirit.   Likewise, you received a new birth from above when the Holy Spirit came upon you in the font of Holy Baptism and ignited faith within your heart. This faith continues to be revealed through God’s Word, and in this Word, human reason is brought into submission because God’s ways are not the ways of man.   As the prophet Isaiah wrote,             For my thoughts are not your thoughts,                         neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.             For as the heavens are higher than the earth,                         so are my ways higher than your ways                         and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)   In a glorious and comforting way, you are not tasked with reasoning or rationalizing the will of God. Instead, you are to be as Joseph and receive the messenger and Word of God as it is spoken to you. Through this word, permit the Holy Spirit to create faith within you and lead you through the trials and unknowns of life, faithfully trusting Jesus, who came in the womb of the Virgin Mary to redeem you upon the cross.   And look, faith can be difficult at different times in life, but as we read in the book of Hebrews, remember, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)   But as Martin Luther wrote, One of the noblest and most precious virtues of faith is to c

Advent 2 December 7, 2025 Luke 21:25-36     In preparation for this Sunday, I revisited and reread Martin Luther’s sermon for the second Sunday in Advent, and in it, you hear a message about how God uses nature to tell the story of the end times— the end of days, the end of this life, and the end of this earth.   This story of the end days is described in the Gospel as Jesus said, And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.   And then a few verses later, Jesus says, Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.   In a beautiful way, God’s creation is always the teacher, whether through disaster or new life, guiding you to prepare for the arrival of His kingdom.    But how often do you observe its lessons?   How often do you see eclipses of the moon or shooting stars and think, “God is coming?”   How often do you hear of hurricanes tossing waves to and fro, destroying anything in their path, and think, “God is coming?”   How often do snowstorms trap you in your homes and think, “God is coming?”   How often does a budding leaf in the warmth of spring stop you to ponder and think, “God is coming?”   God’s creation is always telling and preparing you for His return.   And in this way, it’s the darknesses that descend upon your life, the tossing waves of trials and tribulations, the coldness of your hearts that often keep you bent over and looking down, so you cannot see the budding fig leaf of spring, telling you summer is near.    New life is near.   Christ is near.   Every Advent, I like to reread the book, God is in the Manger, which includes excerpts from the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In one of his devotions from this past week, he wrote,  Let’s not deceive ourselves, ‘Your redemption is drawing near’ (Luke 21:28), whether we know it or not, and the only question is: Are we going to let it come to us too, or are we going to resist it? Are we going to join in this movement that comes down from heaven to earth, or are we going to close ourselves off? Christmas is coming – whether it is with us or without us depends on each and every one of us.   The question Bonhoeffer poses is, are you going to permit Christ to come to you, or are you going to ignore the signs that you need a Savior and close your heart to Him?   Jesus says, “Your redemption is drawing near.”   And this is what the Advent season prepares you for: like the changing seasons of this world, Advent prepares you not only for Jesus’ birth but also for His coming again on the last day, the day when He will gather you into His eternal presence.    So, how do you prepare for the coming of Jesus? You do as Jesus instructs, “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”   These words should be understood in the context of the fig tree sprouting leaves and summer approaching. It signifies that the old, dying life is cast aside so the new man can emerge.   Or through the lens of Holy Baptism, the Old Adam is drowned along with all his sins so that a new man might arise, and this occurs through Confession and Absolution.   This can also be seen in a Christian’s posture. In some traditions, a Christian continues to kneel for Confession and Absolution. They kneel to confess their sins in humility, which demonstrates how sin burdens the heart of man. But after receiving the absolution, the forgiveness of sins, they rise to new life because they see the nearness of their Savior as they hear His voice in His Word or approach this rail to receive His flesh and blood.   Reflect on how Martin Luther also teaches this truth in the Small Catechism and how the Christian sho

Advent Midweek 1 – The Angel Gabriel December 3, 2025 Luke 1:26-38   As we begin our Wednesday evening services this year, the theme will be the Angels of Advent.   Now, to begin, we need to remember who angels are. Throughout the Scriptures, angels are spiritual beings; they are warriors, and they often pray for man. As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, they see His Father’s face and do His will.  Angels are not to be trifled with.   But the most basic definition of the word “angel” is “messenger.” Angels are messengers of God who bring His news to mankind.   While we meditate on the Angels of Advent over the next three weeks, only one of these angels will have a name, and that is tonight – Gabriel the archangel.    It’s also interesting that, while Michael, the other known archangel, is mentioned throughout the Scriptures, Gabriel is the one sent to announce both the conception of John the Baptist and Jesus.   Now, meditating on Gabriel’s message tonight, let’s begin with how he was received by Mary. As Gabriel arrived, the text said she was troubled by him and his words. After all, in our hymn we sang, “The angel Gabriel from heaven came, with wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame.”   There’s an image for you, and not one easily discerned.   But the angel Gabriel perceives Mary’s fears, which is why he tells her, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”   The word “afraid” here originates from the Greek φοβος; you might hear in the background the word “phobia,” which means fear or terror.   What has your heart filled with fear and terror this Advent?   What kind of news or messages have sunk your heart in depression, filled you with dread and anxiety, and caused you terrors throughout the night?   Do you worry about your children and their faith? Have you been laid off? Did a doctor deliver the news, the news you feared, that you have cancer or another life-altering diagnosis?   This, of course, leads to the questions of a racing mind.   Will my children receive eternal life? How will I pay the bills or buy Christmas presents? Will the cancer or ailment consuming my flesh take my life?   Mary was told by the angel Gabriel as she was filled with fear, “Do not be afraid.”   This is the angel’s message for you, no matter your fears: “Do not be afraid.”   Why? Because God is with you, Christ is with you.   You see, the angel Gabriel’s entire message fulfills Old Testament prophecy, beginning with Genesis 3, as God the Father promises Eve an offspring who will come to defeat the Devil and the sin they brought into this world.   But this prophecy is also mentioned in our first reading tonight from Isaiah, as he wrote, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)   And this text from Isaiah really gets to the heart of Gabriel’s message to Mary, she is going to bear a Son, Jesus, the One whose name will be Immanuel, which means God with us.   In a very physical way, Immanuel takes His place within the womb of Mary. He is God with her, and one of the messages of the Advent season is that Immanuel is God with you in the midst of the darkness of your fears.   And this should be your prayer throughout the troubles of life, for the only Son of God to abide with you.   In fact, as we began the service tonight, our words and actions remind us of this truth as the candle entered this darkened sanctuary, and we sang…   “Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, the light no darkness can overcome.”   “Stay with us, [abide with us] Lord, for it is evening, and the day is almost over.”   “Let your light scatter the darkness and illumine Your Church.”   Remember these words and pray them when darkness in life surrounds you, when fear and terror grip your heart. Then recall how your Savior came to you through the waters of Holy Baptism. Remember how the light of His Word enters your ears just as it was brought into this sanctuary tonight and d

First Sunday in Advent November 30, 2025 Jeremiah 23:5-8 & Matthew 21:1-9   The lights sparkling on the homes around Tomah signal that Christmas is coming.    The number of emails you’re receiving is a warning to you that Christmas is coming.   The change in music on the radio alerts you that Christmas is coming.   The colors adorning the altar, the candles in the wreath, all announce, Christmas is coming.   But it’s not here yet.   It’s hard for us to understand because we live in a world that rushes everything. We’re in a rush to grow up, to get to the store, and to jump into relationships and the gifts that come with marriage before the vows have been said…   However, today we begin the season of Advent, a time for slowing down, prayer, and meditation. To review, the word Advent means “to come.”   The Old Testament reading from Jeremiah provides the well-known prophecy of God the Father raising a righteous branch, Jeremiah wrote,   Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’  (Jeremiah 23:5-6)   Then two verses later, Jeremiah says again,   Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.” (Jeremiah 23:7-8)   The thing about prophecies is that they are always looking forward; they focus on what is to come. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:17)   The words of Jeremiah are a shadow of what will come, namely, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, born to the Virgin Mary in the little town of Bethlehem. He is the righteous branch, who will take the curse of sin and death, your sin and death, to the tree of the cross, so from it, His righteousness, His forgiveness might be extended and declared upon you.   In a way, the Christian is always hesitantly and slowly walking in the shadows of the cross; the cross guides you through this life, including the sadness you feel, the grief you experience, the anger filling your heart, the disappointment with family and friends, and the sense of abandonment.   While these instances are all emotions you feel, they are also the shadows surrounding you; they are the crosses you bear.   However, like the people of Israel, you lack patience as these crosses weigh on you. Israel was never patient. They wanted to save themselves. So you try to save yourself by taking the burdens of life into your own hands.    But if you reflect on the Old Testament readings today, the cross of Jesus is ultimately what will lead the offspring of Israel to dwell in their own land, the land of milk and honey, the new heaven and the new earth, paradise.   Yet, those who lined the streets that first Palm Sunday did not truly understand the prophecies of God; instead, they sought an earthly king, an earthly kingdom. This Jesus, the Messiah, was to come and fulfill their prayers and petitions of Hosanna, now, to save them from their earthly oppressors in a rather immediate manner.   Like you, they wanted to see instant gratification. They wanted instant relief. But can you rush God? Can you make Him work on your timeframe?   Looking back at Scriptures, the fulfillment of prophecies rarely happened instantly. This serves as a good reminder and lesson today, as the world rushes into Christmas without taking time to prepare for Christ’s coming and its true meaning. Christians learn and relearn th

Thanksgiving (Observed) November 26, 2025 Luke 17:11-19   In preparation for this week, we recently watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in our house. It’s a classic, isn’t it?   You got Peppermint Patty inviting herself and others over to Charlie Brown’s for dinner.   Charlie Brown goes with the flow, being a good friend, and even though he has family plans to visit Grandma, he still tries to host his friends.   Who does that?   Amid everything, Charlie Brown enlists Snoopy’s help in preparing the meal.    Then, of course, there’s the scene where they all sit down around the Ping-Pong table to unknowingly enjoy a feast of popcorn, candy, and buttered toast prepared by Snoopy and Woodstock, the little yellow bird. (This is the part that gets the children laughing hysterically. What child wouldn’t want candy and popcorn for dinner?)   But this is also when Peppermint Patty’s expectations for a perfect Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing weren’t fulfilled. Peppermint Patty boils over, and her anger rises to the surface.   But look, she invited herself over, invited others without asking, set her own expectations for Thanksgiving, and then threw a temper tantrum when things didn’t go as she had thought they would.    In a way, there are parts of this story that you can all relate to at Thanksgiving, aren’t there?   The uninvited guests, the failure to achieve the perfect holiday, opinions on what food should or should not be served, the minefield, and arguments between family and friends.    Honesty, when Thanksgiving is presented like this, who wants it?   But isn’t this an image of your lives?   A challenge is how you handle unfulfilled expectations, not only today, but throughout life: do you lash out, yell, and scream, or do you learn to call out to God for His mercy, for His peace and forgiveness, His patience?   Look at the Ten Lepers in the Gospel this evening. The disease that covers their skin has not only rendered them unclean, but it’s also forced them to live apart from their family; there’s no holiday or feasting for them, just a realization they cannot help, nor heal themselves, as they dwell in isolation.   The only thing these lepers can do is cry out for mercy, and that is exactly what they do when they see Jesus; they cry out with every ounce of their hoarse voices, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”   Interestingly, here, all ten lepers call out together, “Have mercy on us.” They see themselves as a collective community in their misery.   This is interesting because of the widespread American belief that the family’s togetherness is the main focus of Thanksgiving, even though we live as individuals the rest of the year.    Peppermint Patty confesses this idea after recovering from her meltdown, that what’s most important is spending time with friends and family.   Spending time with family and friends is good; it’s actually a gift from your Father in heaven.   But as you look at these Lepers, only one of them now returned to thank Jesus for the gift of being cleansed, forgiven, and returned to his family.   A Samaritan.   Someone who wasn’t even seen as a friend, much less a member of the family of Israel. Yet, he gets it and returns to Jesus to give Him thanks for the mercy, forgiveness, and new life he received in the Words of Jesus.   This is important because the Leper can now reunite with his family, eat and break bread with them, drink from the same cup, and be part of fellowship and community.    This is pretty cool.   Many of us have separated ourselves not only from our families but also from each other due to the leprosy of sin that goes well below the skin and penetrates the heart. We boil over when family and friends invite themselves over, we get upset when the menu for the big dinner isn’t just right, and we struggle to navigate the emotional landmines planted between us and by us during these days of family gatherings.     In light of this, we must once again le

Trinity 26 November 16, 2025 Matthew 25:31-46     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.     We have firmly entered the final Sundays of the Church year. Just like last week, this week, and next, stay focused on the end times, the day of Christ’s second Advent, His return.    Our Gospel today began with these words, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.”   Luther remarked regarding the second coming this way: “He will then not be bedded in the manger, nor ride on an ass, as He did in His first advent, but burst forth from the clouds in great power and glory.”[1]   This is a transcending image.   But it also raises the question: Do we regularly reflect and ponder these words of Jesus from the Gospel?   Honestly, if you are like me, you probably find it hard to stay focused on anything these days, especially the words we recite week after week, for many reasons. One reason is that our attention span keeps getting shorter every day. While technology can be helpful, it can also hinder our ability to concentrate on a single task. That’s why many now think public speakers should limit their talks to 18-20 minutes, so their message is fully understood. Some online platforms that share thought-provoking content, like TED Talks, try to keep their presentations within these time limits. I’ve had a cartoon on my office door in the past showing a congregation half asleep. The caption says, “There is a fine line between a long sermon and a hostage situation.”    Whether it’s true that goldfish now have a longer attention span than humans, the truth is that we are easily distracted and lack the patience needed to wait for the Lord's coming.    Except that’s precisely what the confession of the Creed invites and calls us to do daily as we will soon recite the words of the Nicene Creed, “And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.”[2]   But why is it so crucial for us to remain watchful for the second coming of Christ?   Because if you do not patiently stay watchful, you risk falling away from the Christian faith. In this context, staying alert means exercising your faith, confessing it with your words, and making sure you remain within the sheepfold. For those who do not practice this faith, their awareness of Christ’s return fades, they become less vigilant, and they are as cold as a log separated from the burning fire. As a result, they are now at great risk of falling away, like the goats in today’s Gospel.    Another reason we’re called to be watchful about preventing our faith from drifting comes from our Epistle today, as Peter wrote,  But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.   Did you catch these words, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”   This leads us to the sheep and the goats…   We often find ourselves acting like goats—independent and stubborn people who may attend church, even appearing similar to sheep, but lack patience for the Gospel. Unfortunately, the goats do not understand or appreciate God’s patience and the ways He is giving you time to turn to repentance.   But the sheep are those who flock together. They know their Shepherd’s voice, they follow Him, and have taken the Psalmists’ words to heart,               I wait for the LORD, m

All Saints Day (Observed) November 2, 2025 Revelation 7:9-17       If you visit my mother-in-law’s house, you'll be greeted by a family tree that dates back over a hundred years. On one wall of the home, the names and dates of each person are carefully and meticulously written beside their photograph. The dates of birth and death are inscribed. The children from each marriage naturally branch out, along with all the vital information about their lives, captured and documented in the family history.   This journey into ancestry is not only a testament of love for family, but it also narrates the family story. It ensures no one in this long Lutheran heritage is forgotten. In a way, this family tree serves as a reminder of God’s faithful saints who now rest from the toils and labors of this earthly life.    I’m unsure how many of us try to remember, or even know, the story of our family’s long history: where they came from, where they lived, what they did for a living, what they believed, and how the Christian faith passed down to them the story of Jesus and provided the assurance of eternal life.    Despite all the technological advances in genealogy, it really seems that the learning of family heritage is fading with each passing generation.    While on vicarage in Palo Alto, CA, I was told one of the saddest quotes I had ever heard. The psychiatrist Irvin Yalon wrote,   Some day soon, perhaps in forty years, there will be no one alive who has ever known me. That’s when I will be truly dead - when I exist in no one’s memory. I thought a lot about how someone very old is the last living individual to have known some person or cluster of people. When that person dies, the whole cluster dies, too, vanishes from the living memory. I wonder who that person will be for me. Whose death will make me truly dead?” (Irvin D. Yalom, Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy)   No doubt, we ordinary people might never become famous; our names may never be recorded in a history book or included in college course lectures. Our likeness will never be carved into marble, granite, bronze, or steel. But does this mean the memory of your life will vanish with future generations? Will their deaths truly wipe away the memory of your life?    To be sure, this is an incredibly heavy thought to ponder. Will someone else’s death make you truly dead?   While much of the world may sympathize with this idea or even embrace it in the culture of death we live in, where assisted suicide has become legal in many places around the globe, the Christian must stand on God’s Word and respond with an emphatic “No.”    No, I will not die. But I will live in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.   And we should join Job as he faithfully wrote,            Oh that my words were written!               Oh that they were inscribed in a book!        Oh that with an iron pen and lead               they were engraved in the rock forever!        For I know that my Redeemer lives,               and at the last he will stand upon the earth.        And after my skin has been thus destroyed,               yet in my flesh I shall see God,        whom I shall see for myself,               and my eyes shall behold, and not another. (Job 19:23-27a)   Jesus’ death did not end your existence; it did not erase your life or the memory of it. Instead, the new life given to you through Holy Baptism guarantees you will never be forgotten, but that your name would be inscribed with an iron pen into the book of life.    You have been made members of the choir immortal, washing your robes in the blood of the Lamb as you enter this sanctuary, confessing your sins and receiving your Father’s forgiveness. In this way, you are being delivered from the trials and tribulations of this present life and prepared to be released from the great tribulation of this earthly life on the last day.   This is the image John speaks of in our first reading from Revelation this morning, as he wro

Reformation (Observed) October 26, 2025 John 8:31-36   What is truth?   Truth is understood as the opposite of what is false. However, in today's world, it is common for people to develop their own ideas of what is true and what is false.    We refer to this perspective as subjective truth because the individual acts as the judge of what is right and wrong.   The concept of subjective truth becomes clear when a child is confused about their sexuality, questioning whether they are a boy or a girl.    This discussion is settled not only by science, which has determined that there are only two sexes — male and female — but also by the Word of God, as we learn how our heavenly Father created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.   When considering the conception of life, is it simply a clump of cells or a human being growing and developing in the mother’s womb?   While science declares that there is truly human life from the moment of conception, scripture also affirms this truth: God creates life through the union of a man and a woman.   Interestingly, when we hear the word science, we think of chemistry sets and microscopes, but the origin of the word “science” comes from the Latin word “Scientia,” meaning knowledge or to know.   To know or to learn what?   What is to be true.   The great endeavor for truth can be heard in the words of Pontius Pilate as Jesus stood before him that first Good Friday.   Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”   There’s a lot packed into these verses.   First, Jesus says that the purpose He came into this world and took on human flesh — your flesh — was to bear witness to the truth. In other words, to confirm what is true. And for this reason, Jesus says that everyone who is in the truth listens to His voice.    You should hear in the back of your mind these words of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)   Jesus is the truth, and He reveals through His voice the knowledge and wisdom that now leads you to eternal life.   So, for this reason, to be a disciple, a student of Jesus, begins with hearing His Word.    And we call this objective truth, because His Word does not change. Jesus does not change, as we learn from the book of Hebrews, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)   Now, as it’s Reformation Day, when you really think about it, on the surface, the Reformation started because the Roman Catholic Church took a subjective approach to interpreting Jesus’ words to serve its needs. The Pope became the only interpreter of Holy Scripture, thus undermining how Scripture interprets Scripture, how Scripture interprets itself, and not only establishes divine truth but also reveals it to you.    This was the reason Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Luther didn’t do this to create a new church; he did it because he wanted the church to return to the objective and unchanging divine truth of Jesus Christ, the One who went to the cross and died to set you free from sin, death, and the pesky devil.   Now, take a moment to reflect with me on the word “Reformation.”   At the heart of “Reformation” is the word “Form” or “Formation.”   But, to reform is not to look forward in this instance, but to look back. The “re” in reformation means to return to the original form or substance. One word that comes to mind in the Church is “redeem,” which means to buy back.   The use of “form” for reform should indicate a past similarity or state once experienced. Therefore, the goal of the Reformation is to return or restore the Church to its original resemblance or condition.    The point of the Reformation is to point and lead the C

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity October 19, 2025 Matthew 22:34-46     Questions have been part of humanity since the beginning of time. The world’s chief doubter, Satan, asked the first question. The serpent said to the woman, Eve, “Did God actually say, you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) Here, the trickery, deception, and leading away from the will of God by the serpent began.   It started with a question.   The result of Adam and Eve’s actions brought mankind into sin by disobeying the command of God not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The question by Satan ultimately was a test of Adam and Eve’s faithfulness and obedience to God’s command, a test they failed.   Now, it is not wrong to ask questions. Quite the contrary, it is good to ask questions. Hang out with a child for more than a few minutes, and you'll get more than a few questions.   "What does that word mean?”   “When’s lunch?”   “Are we there yet?”   Questions, of course, come in many forms; most often, they seek to gather information and knowledge, but they are also used to test the respondent. The question posed by the Pharisees in today’s Gospel was meant to trap Jesus, and not in a good way. They weren’t genuinely interested in learning about the commandments, God’s will, or the kingdom of God. The Pharisees were insincere in asking, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” They hoped to catch Jesus off guard.    Yet, Jesus answers their question by quoting the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.” This means they are to love God in a way that reaches the core of who they are. This love encompasses every part of their being—heart, soul, and mind. To expand on that, their heart should always be turned toward God and His Word; the soul represents the life of a person, which should be focused on God and His will every year, day, hour, and minute. The mind is the seat of intellect and reason, along with all of a person's senses. Together, the whole person should always depend on and be focused on God.    However, the Pharisees were not interested in learning what the great commandment was, any more than being dependent upon God or loving God.   Just as Satan tested and tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden, so these Pharisees set out to test and tempt Jesus. As in the world today, these Pharisees were not interested in the will of God; they were more interested in how to wash their hands, what they were to wear, and how their own works would achieve righteousness or good in their lives. In this way, they would never truly love God with all their heart, soul, or mind. In turn, they would never truly be able to “love their neighbor as themselves.” All because their life was focused on their works and their own wills.   How do you ask questions of God? Do you ask to test God? Or do you ask to learn the will of God?   Martin Luther, in his wisdom, laid out the Small Catechism in a question-and-answer format. He keeps things simple, so the head of a household may teach the children and family the will of God plainly. In the Ten Commandments, you are taught that there are two tables of the Law. Jesus summarizes the two tables in today’s Gospel, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”    This is God's will for you.   However, the sinful nature you inherited from your first parents prevents you from doing good apart from Christ. You are unable to love God as you should, but instead create your own gods of this world. You become frustrated with your children, your spouse lets you down, and your neighbors abandon you. Moreover, you find yourself asking God, what is the love you command me to give? Why have you placed these people in my life?    God’s response to you, love your neighbor.   Paul write

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity October 12, 2025 Luke 14:1-11   As we observe LWML Sunday, I am reminded to reflect on our Thursday morning Bible study on the Pastoral Epistles. In the letters to Timothy, the Apostle Paul reminds him of the faith he received from the faithful women of his mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, who taught him the Christian faith.   We learn here how the faith is handed down to God’s children throughout the ages. What a precious gift these women were to Timothy.   Who was instrumental in handing down the faith to you? Was it a mother or a grandmother? Or was there someone else who was instrumental in your life?   My guess is that whomever it was, one of the main reasons you are here today is because this individual brought you to church each Sunday.   Now, why is Sunday so important for the Christian faith? Wasn’t Saturday the seventh day of Creation, the day of rest?   It was, but move ahead to Holy Week and you’ll see how Jesus completes His salvific work of redemption and new creation on the cross on Good Friday. As the women, along with some disciples, removed His body from the cross and placed it in the tomb, Jesus rested from all His work—the work of saving you, of securing forgiveness and eternal life for you that Holy Saturday.    And so, after Jesus rested from His saving work on the cross, He rose again on the first day of the week, on Sunday. As an aside, the first person to see the risen Jesus was a woman, Mary Magdalene, as she exclaimed to the Apostles, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18)   However, because of the resurrection of Jesus on that first Easter Sunday, the church now gathers on the first day of the week for Sabbath rest.   But what does the word Sabbath mean?   Luther defines the word, Sabbath in the Large Catechism, “To rest.”   In the Old Testament, the Third Commandment was given to the Jewish people to stop laborious work, allowing both man and beast to rest from their endless toil. But in the New Testament, this day shifts its focus toward resting the spirit and soul of man, finding peace and renewal in Christ. For this reason, Luther asks in the catechism, “What does it mean by keeping the [Sabbath] holy?” he says, “Nothing else than to be occupied with holy words, works, and life.”   So, how are you to be occupied with holy words, works, and life?   You come to the Divine Service to remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. You come to hear the Word of the Savior, and worship Him, to receive His forgiveness and a foretaste of the life to come.   This is a pattern of faith, the pattern of keeping the Sabbath that has been ingrained in many of us because it’s a faith handed down by a mother, grandmother, or family member.   But if we’re honest, this pattern of life was given to some of us with a little more of a heavy hand, wasn’t it?   Because of this heavy hand, attending church became more of a box to check for some, simply the fulfillment of a duty. And this use of the law isn’t always a bad thing; it can help us form the good habit of coming to church. However, if coming to Good Shepherd is seen as accomplishing something, as checking the box, then you have missed the whole point of remembering the Sabbath Day and keeping holy, or what the Sabbath of Christ is all about.   This is evident in our Gospel today, where the lawyers and Pharisees fail to understand the true meaning of the Sabbath. For them, the Sabbath is a work, tradition, and law to be done by them. It was not about God’s Word and receiving His mercy.   Jesus exposes this truth as He asks, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”   What a sad situation, the lawyers and Pharisees just sat there, silent, hardening their hearts towards Jesus and His Word of mercy.    Do you do this when one of the readings convicts you of a particular sin in your life?   If you step back, you’ll see that one of

In this episode of the Shepherd's Voice, we sit down with Dillin and Deb Lafftery and learn how they came to Good Shepherd and why this church is important to them and their family. 

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity October 5, 2025 Luke 7:11-17   What an incredible sight this Gospel must have been, as the Lord of Life encountered a procession of death.   A widow and mother follow the bier that now carries her son’s body in procession to the grave. It’s a sorrowful journey, filled with many tears and an uncertain future.    The woman must have been asking, is this it? Is this all I’m left with, a slow walk to the grave?    In ancient times and throughout early Christian history, the funeral procession started at the deceased’s home and ended at the grave, usually a tomb or cave. Due to purification laws and health concerns, the body was taken outside the city.   Of course, this was before the rise of funeral homes and similar establishments. The cosmetics of dressing up a corpse or the removal of death from our lives reflect how we have commercialized the process today. Historically, families were responsible for caring for the body and preparing it for their loved one’s final resting place. This process, along with the journey to the grave, served as a way to mourn – it was part of the grieving process.    One thing that might seem unusual to us is that it was also common to hire professional mourners, people who would lead the procession in wailing and crying. When the mourners reached the tomb, prayers, Scripture readings, and hymns would be offered.   Another aspect of burial traditions in the early church was the celebration of the Eucharist, commonly referred to as the Lord’s Supper. In this way, it served as a family meal and a foretaste of heaven. The final step was to place the body in the grave with its feet pointing east, in hope and anticipation of Jesus’ return for the living and the dead.    But that wasn’t the end; it was tradition for the family to return on the third, ninth, and fortieth days after the burial, where family and friends would again sing hymns, read scripture, and offer prayers as they rejoiced in thanksgiving for Christ’s victory over death.   The third day represented Christ rising from the dead. The ninth symbolized fulfillment and judgment. The forty days served as a time of testing, trial, and completeness.    This description reflects an intention and a ritual that were not only present but also designed to facilitate the grieving process and affirm the resurrection of Jesus at the time of death.    And this is an important point for us to remember as we live in times when funerals have become less about ritual, less about grieving, and less about the Lord of Life.   So, how should we prepare for the Christian funeral today?    Well, Luther has a helpful insight regarding this matter. He says, A Christian is a person who begins to tread the way from this life to heaven the moment he is baptized, in the faith that Christ is henceforth the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And he holds to this way until his end. He is always found on this way and is led in the truth to obtain life, as one who already sees the shore where he is to land. He is prepared at all times, whether death comes today, tomorrow, or in one, two, or ten years; for in Christ he has already been transported to the other side. We cannot be safe from death for a minute; in Baptism all Christians begin to die, and they continue to die until they reach the grave.   If you step back, the funeral dirge of life and the confession of what is received in death begin the moment you’re baptized – it’s at this moment we begin to prepare for our funeral.   For this reason, baptism begins to influence not only your journey to the grave but also how you mourn.    Think about that for a moment…   The font of Holy Baptism becomes the ongoing battlefield of life and death. It involves confessing the sins that have consumed and isolated you in grief and sorrow. It includes confronting the fears of death that fill your mind as you endure ailments and aging. It also involves the struggle with Satan himself.    In Ba

St. Michael and All Angels (Observed) September 28, 2025 Matthew 18:1-11   As a child, I would prepare for bed, get my pajamas on, brush my teeth, and get snug under the covers, and then I would use this prayer I was taught,   Now I lay me down to sleep,I pray the Lord my soul to keep;If I should die before I wake,I pray the Lord my soul to take   It’s a prayer I’m sure many of you have also prayed or taught your little ones to say. It’s a meaningful prayer, and because of its rhyme, it’s also very easy to remember.   Some believe this prayer was written by the English clergyman George Wheler and published around 1698. However, others think it was inspired by an earlier German version called “The Black Paternoster,” which simply means the “evening Our Father.” (Paternoster means “Our father” in Latin)   The Black Paternoster goes as such,   Mathew, Mark, Luke, JohnBless the bed that I lie on;And blessed guardian angel keepMe safe from danger while I sleep.   However, some believe that even this version of the prayer might originate from a medieval Jewish prayer that went like this, “In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, may Michael be at my right hand; Gabriel at my left; Uriel before me; Raphael behind me and the Shekhinah of God be above my head.”   And just so you know, Shekhinah is Hebrew for the presence of God or His dwelling place.   But if all of this is true—that the prayer we know today as “Now I lay me down to sleep” has an unusual origin tracing back to this Jewish prayer—and it has really changed a lot.    Requests for angelic protection from danger and similar matters are no longer included, as they have become more obscure.    It is also worth noting that these original versions of the bedtime prayers were sometimes flawed. For example, we don’t pray to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to bless our beds and watch over us.   However, all of this should make you think more carefully about your prayers, including their origin, history, and what they express.   And this leads me to wonder: why haven’t we, as Lutherans, fully embraced and used the Evening Prayer that Martin Luther provided to the Church and included in the Small Catechism as we should?    In many ways, Luther has taken everything from the past and present versions of “Now I lay me down to sleep” and provided the Church with a prayer of great depth.   Luther’s Evening Prayer goes like this, I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.   Ponder the prayer with me.   First, Luther begins the prayer by thanking God, his heavenly Father, through His dear Son, Jesus. Remember, all prayers are to be made through Jesus Christ. (John 14:13-14) But then the prayer guides you to thank God your Father for keeping you throughout the day, whether it was a good or a bad day.    However, the next part of the prayer is a crucial aspect of the Christian life that many of our prayers overlook at the end of the day. Luther’s Evening Prayer continues to say, “and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night.”   As the Psalmist writes, In peace I will both lie down and sleep;                         for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)   How can you lie down at night in peace if your sins still trouble you and there hasn’t been forgiveness? You won’t!   But know this: forgiveness is peace, and this gracious gift begins with your Savior, Jesus Christ. For this reason, every day you dwell in this world, the temptation of sin surrounds you, but you also have a Father who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you. So, make it a habit to pray

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity September 21, 2025 Provers 4:10-23   Our Old Testament reading is from the book of Proverbs. In some circles, Proverbs is a book that is not meditated on as it should be, and yet, it remains incredibly relevant today, especially as Christians navigate this chaotic world of evil and wickedness.    An evil and wickedness that has been on full display these past few weeks as young adults have taken the lives of other human beings. Whether it is the life of an innocent girl on a subway, children praying, or Charlie Kirk being assassinated.   And as we discussed last week, we all have to take stock and examine the ways our words and actions contribute to this downfall in humanity. In our homes, our communities, and schools.   One aspect that cannot go unnoticed in our society today is the breakdown of the family unit, especially the failure of fathers to lead their families. As of 2023, one in four children did not have a father physically present in the home.   But you have to also ask, how many children live with a father who is physically present but emotionally and spiritually absent? A father who does not lead the home and family with wisdom—wisdom that transcends society and this world—and that leads to peace in Christ.   For this reason, today’s reading remains valuable and significant as Solomon shows fatherly love for his sons by teaching them the way of godly wisdom.    A noble task, entrusted to the head of the household. The teaching of Godly wisdom is a father’s job. (Just think of how Luther begins each section of the Small Catechism, “As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.”)   So, Solomon portrays life as a journey and describes the father as the one who must guide the young person in the way of wisdom. The child’s role here is to listen to the instruction given by the father, and this becomes an ongoing conversation throughout life. However, the father also needs to be aware of where he is leading the child.   Solomon wrote,             I have taught you the way of wisdom;                         I have led you in the paths of uprightness.             When you walk, your step will not be hampered,                         and if you run, you will not stumble.             Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;                         guard her, for she is your life. (Proverbs 4:11-13)   The father is to teach and lead his children to wisdom, and wisdom is to understand God’s will, the truth revealed in His word.   Where is this will of God found?   Don’t overthink it, begin with the Ten Commandments.   Begin with the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods.”   “You shall fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”   When someone has this anchor throughout their life, they will start to walk and run in the paths of righteousness, the path, the way of eternal life.   This is where the words of the Epistle come into focus as St. Paul wrote, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)   He goes on to say, For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17)   So, what are these works of the flesh? The works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. (Galatians 5:19-21)   These works of the flesh are also the path of the wicked, where Solomon says sleep is robbed, where the diet of man is to eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of this world’s violence. (Proverbs 4:17)   In other words, the evil you consume with your lips and your ears will enslave you, not to do good, but to do evil. To attack your very heart and the seat of faith.   So, wh

September 14, 2025 John 12:32   Surely, you’ve all been there—sitting on the curb or in a comfy chair on the side of the main street through town, waiting for the festivities to begin. As the clock ticks by, and for the millionth time, a child asks, “When is it going to begin?” You tell them, “Soon,” and in the distance, you see it. You tell the child to stand up, place your hand upon your heart, son. “I see the flag coming now.”   This is how our parades start in America, showing love and respect for our country and for those who gave their lives in the fight for freedom. And whether you realize it or not, this is a type of procession.    There is a beauty to this pageantry in America; it unites us under the banner of Old Glory - the Red, White, and Blue.   If you take a step back, life is full of processions, and they either unite us as a country, a community, a family, or the Church, or they divide us from one another.   Life is full of processions.   There’s the parade that unites the community. Or the wedding march that brings a man and woman together in marriage. Each morning, you awake, go through your routines, and join the morning commute as you journey to work. As the night comes, children process one by one to the bathroom to wash up, brush teeth, and prepare for sleep.   Yet, there are other processions in life, such as protests or demonstrations through city streets, which are often signs of disagreement. Sadly, there are marches to war and armed conflict by the armies of opposing nations and views. And there is the journey to the grave.    Yes, life is full of processions.   But these are not new to us; they have been part of man’s story since the beginning of time. After Adam and Eve brought sin to mankind, they were sent and led out of paradise. Barred from entering the garden.   In reality, from this moment forward, the only choice for Adam, Eve, and their descendants is forward, to the cross, where Jesus, the long-awaited Seed of woman, promised by the Creator, will redeem man from sin and death.   And so, the whole accounting of the Old Testament documents one great procession of God’s people marching to the cross.   In fact, this is what Jesus is speaking of in today’s Gospel as He said, But for this purpose I have come to this hour. … Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:27b, 31-32)   Think about this, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem to the crowds clamoring for Him and chanting, Hosanna – “Save us now.”   Could there be a better procession than this?   Look at all the people who have gathered around and come to Him for rescue.   However, this is not how Jesus says He will draw and gather all people to Himself; He says this occurs when He is lifted up from the earth upon the tree of the holy cross. The hour when the crowds scattered from Jesus. The time when His disciples dispersed and ran away from His presence. The instance when it seemed all hope was lost.    This is one of the confusing aspects of the cross.   Jesus’ journey to Calvary is one entire act of humiliation, starting from the moment He was conceived by the Virgin Mary and became man. The God-man took on and shared in your flesh, feelings, struggles, sadness, loss, and even your temptations.    As Saint Paul wrote to the Philippians, And being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)   The cross now becomes the transformational place of Jesus’ enthronement and the beginning of His exaltation as He now descends into the depths of hell to proclaim His victory over sin, death, and the Devil - to those imprisoned in hades.   As St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22)   And for this reason, the cross is now an instrument and symbol of