Is it right to celebrate Christmas? As we get close to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there are some Christians who wonder whether it’s even right to celebrate Christmas. Is it?The New Testament clearly tells us that our faith in Jesus doesn’t depend on holy days (see Colossians 2:16-17 and Romans 14:5-6). Yet, there was one very important group that most definitely celebrated Jesus’ birth…I hope you can listen to this short devotion about our freedom to celebrate Christmas and who in the Bible gives us a great example of celebrating the birth of our Savior.Jesus loves you!
You need your rest. That’s what the 3rd Commandment is telling us: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8). You need your rest! Not on a certain day. Where? In Jesus. He has rest for you! Every time you’re anxious about something, you can find rest in Jesus. Every time you’re shaken by life, you can find rest in Jesus. Every time you feel guilt in your heart, you can find rest in Jesus. What does that look like? When an old man named Simeon first saw Jesus, he exclaimed, ”Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30). I hope you can listen to this Advent sermon on the 3rd Commandment: “Rest in Jesus.” Jesus loves you!
What makes someone a good pastor? I bet you have your own opinions. Often, picking a favorite pastor can divide a congregation or even lead people to leave a church. Do you know what the Bible says about how Christians should regard their pastors? “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed” (1 Corinthians 4:1-5). Pastors are “servants of Christ” who have been sent by God to share the mysteries of his Word, especially the mystery of how Jesus came to save sinners like you and me. In Advent, as we hear how John the Baptist prepared people’s hearts for Jesus’ coming, I hope you’ll listen to this sermon about what God says about pastors: “Servants of Christ.” Jesus loves you!
What’s a manger? One of the most well-known details in the Christmas story is that Jesus was placed in a manger (Luke 2:7). What’s a manger?If you’ve ever wondered that, I hope you can watch this short video devotion about what a manger is and how the manger shows us God’s amazing grace to us.God bless you!
We have a problem when it comes to using God’s name. Either we use God’s name flippantly—“Oh my God”—or we don’t use God’s name at all. Either we use God’s name over and over again for meaningless things, or we don’t speak about God at all. See the problem? It’s good for us to think about the 2nd Commandment at Christmastime, because the message of Jesus’ birth is filled with precious names that describe God’s grace to us. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). There is nothing more special than God’s name and all he has done for us. I hope you can listen to this Advent sermon: “Name Above All Names.” Jesus loves you!
God gives us hope. Do you need to hear that? I do. Life is filled with so much hopelessness. Sickness and pain. Conflict in relationships. Frustrated plans. Guilt and regrets. Do you go through each day filled with hope or weighed down with hopelessness? God gives us hope. How? Through his Word. The Bible says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The Bible was written so that God’s people might have hope in Jesus our Savior. No matter what you are facing today, there is hope for you in Jesus! I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Hope for God’s People.” Jesus loves you!
Why did Jesus come at Christmas? Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Trees and lights and decorations are going up all over. But why? Why did Jesus come at Christmas?The Bible gives us a clear answer: “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about the very specific reason that Jesus came into our world at Christmas: To save us from our sins!God bless you!
It’s good for us to think about the 1st Commandment at Christmastime: “You shall have no other gods.” That is hard, isn’t it? To worship God alone? To rejoice in God alone? To long for God alone? There are so many distractions, so many idols and false gods, especially at Christmastime. Yet, I hope you realize that no one and nothing is greater than Jesus. Mary did. Jesus’ mother sang, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” The great things that God had done for her led her to rejoice in the Lord. This Christmas, don’t let anything take Jesus’ place. Instead, with Mary, say, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” I hope you can listen to this Advent sermon. Jesus loves you!
Wake up! Christ the King is coming. All this world is going to pass away. When Christ the King comes, he will separate believers from unbelievers like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Believers will be welcomed to eternal life in heaven. Unbelievers will be condemned to eternity in hell. So the Bible encourages, “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). It’s easy to fall asleep in sin. It’s dangerous to fall asleep in sin. Christ the King is coming! I hope you can listen to this Advent sermon: “Wake Up!” Jesus loves you!
What is “grace”? That’s a word that gets thrown around a lot in the Christian church. But what does it mean? What is grace?Here’s a great Bible verse to illustrate God’s grace: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about God’s undeserved love for you and me.Jesus loves you!
“If I sin, do I lose my salvation?” We know that sin is bad. God hates sin. Yet, even as Christians, we still sin. Every time we sin, do we lose our salvation?Here’s the Bible’s answer: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about the good news that our salvation doesn’t depend on our sinlessness but on Jesus’ forgiveness and grace.Jesus loves you!
When you think about it, the Bible’s message really sounds foolish. The Bible calls all human beings sinful. Who wants to hear that? Then the Bible says that God himself came into our world and let himself be killed on a cross to save us from our sins. Doesn’t that sound crazy? On top of that, the Bible says that after three days, Jesus raised himself back to life and promises eternal life in heaven to all who believe in him. Doesn’t that sound foolish? But it’s true! “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). I hope you can listen to this funeral sermon for a very intelligent Christian woman who believed the foolish message of God’s salvation for her through Jesus Christ her Savior. Jesus loves you!
What’s a Lutheran? With all the different Christian denominations, that’s a fair question for people to ask. What’s a Lutheran?For centuries, Lutherans have summarized their biblical beliefs with three short phrases: By Grace Alone. By Faith Alone. By Scripture Alone.I hope you can listen to this short devotion about what a Lutheran is and how everything we believe and teach is based on God’s grace to us through Jesus. Jesus loves you!
The end of the world is coming. Can you sense that? Ever since Jesus died and rose for us, we have been living in the “End Times,” waiting for Jesus to come back to judge the living and the dead. Before his return, Jesus promised there would be wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, and persecution of Christians. Do you see those things happening? Yes! The end of the world is coming. Yet, sadly, there are all sorts of false teachings associated with the end of the world. You’ve heard about the rapture and millennialism. Do you realize that neither of those is true? It’s vital for everyone to know the truth about the end of the world, and, thankfully, Jesus himself describes exactly what’s going to happen before the great day when he returns to take his people home to heaven. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “The End Times.” Jesus loves you!
What good can come from this? You’ve asked that. When trials and troubles come, our faith is tested, and we ask, “What good can come from this?”Here’s an answer from the Bible: “God comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others with the comfort we’ve received from God. God bless you!
God wants you to forever connect two things: A wedding and a funeral. At first, they might seem to have nothing to do with each other. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Each wedding gives us a taste of the wedding in heaven. Thankfully, you’re on the Jesus' guest list too! You’ve been washed in Jesus’ blood and clothed with his righteousness. Your groom, Jesus, just hasn’t come to pick you up yet. But he will, and God will wipe away every tear from your eyes. “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (Revelation 19:9)
There’s a lot of focus on the government these days. That’s nothing new! Long ago, people came to Jesus with what they thought was a hard question: “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not” (Matthew 22:17). Taxes? Government? What would Jesus say? His answer was brilliant: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” As imperfect as our government is, God is using it to bring blessings to you and me. So is it right to pay taxes? Of course! “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Yet, “give to God what is God’s.” Don’t ever think that the government is who provides for you or protects you or saves you. Who does all of that? The Lord. “Give to God what is God’s”—your heart. Your trust. Your confidence. Your hope. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Is It Right to Pay Taxes?” Jesus loves you!
When will Judgment Day be? We all realize that at some point, the world is going to end. One day, Jesus will judge the living and the dead. When? When will Judgment Day be?Jesus tells us, “About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how no one knows when Judgment Day will be and why that’s a good thing for us and our faith in Jesus.Jesus loves you!
Why do bad things happen to good people? Have you ever wondered that? Life seems so unfair. The wrong people seem to suffer. Why do bad things happen to good people?While the Bible doesn’t explain the reason behind every suffering in life, Paul understood this about his troubles: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself…. This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).I hope you can listen to this short video devotion about how God uses everything–even troubles–to teach us to trust in him. God is with you!Pastor Nathan
Are you married? Are you thinking of getting married? Here are some words from God to keep in mind: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14). I hope you can listen to this wedding sermon: “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” Jesus loves you!