Audible Gospel

Everybody in this room, in fact, in this whole world glories in something. Something becomes the most important and significant thing in our life because we feel it gives us importance and significance. When you figure out what your glory is, you will know what you are living for.

Jesus Christ says, “Here’s what it means to follow Me. You have to hate your life to find it. You have to lose your life to discover it.”

In our Gospel Reading, Mary wastes expensive perfume – which cost a whole year’s worth of wages – anointing Jesus’ feet. Why does she do it? Why would any of us offer such an extravagant waste to Jesus? Or, are we more practical, like Judas?

In today’s Gospel Reading, we see two important truths. First, when Mary and the Jews are grieving deeply, Jesus feels their grief and shares their tears. Secondly, there is a word that most English versions translate as deeply moved or greatly troubled though it actually means to snort or bellow with anger, and it most often used for animals in their response to a threat or an attack. So, the que...

Father, Jesus says, “I AM the Resurrection AND the Life.” Give us renewed faith that the grave is not the end; but only the portal through which we will one day receive new bodies like His glorious body. And, today, may we reflect on our Baptism and the new Life we have through our connection to His death and Resurrection. We ask in Your Son’s precious name, the Same who is the Resurrection and th...

The problem with pain has often been expressed with a twofold question: [1] If God is so loving, why does He allow it? [2] If God is so powerful, why doesn’t He stop it? Our Gospel Reading tells us that Lazarus’ two sisters sent this message to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.” So, Jesus loves Lazarus, yet, He is deathly ill. And, Jesus’ power, as we learn later in John, chapter 11, is powe...

Father, like silly sheep, we have often gone astray, wandering off into the wilds of our own whims and wants. We are sorry. Send Your Holy Spirit to help us to turn from trusting in ourselves and our schemes to trusting in the Good Shepherd and His love for us. For He quenches our parched soul thirst with cooling streams of living water and who feeds our persistent soul hunger with the green pastu...

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of...

Father, show us daily Your Word of Law and Gospel, that is, Your light and truth. Open our eyes to the light and truth of Your Law showing us ourselves, our true nature; and, also to guide our day-to-day walk in this world. But, more importantly, enlighten our eyes and our hearts with the LIGHT and TRUTH of Your dear Son’s death on the cross and His glorious resurrection from death’s tomb. In fact...

Heavenly Father, without Your Holy Spirit, given to us through the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we may feel that our prayers are inadequate, or are not heard because we do not choose or use the right words, or we are not sufficiently bold and confident in our prayers. Send Your Holy Spirit anew today to remind us that He intercedes for us in accordance with Your good and gracious will...

Father, we are somewhat dismissive of Trinity Sunday because we fail to understand how impactful the doctrine of the Trinity is for our world and our individual lives. Please forgive us and give us a new desire to share with our world the same joy and love You have been experiencing with Your Son and the Holy Spirit from eternity. We ask in the name of Christ Jesus, the Same who lives and reigns w...

Heavenly Father, without Your Holy Spirit, given to us through the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have no power, either as individuals or as a Christian community. Energize us today to rejoice in and to witness to the reality of Jesus in our lives by enabling us to live with confidence and courage through forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Father, You have safely brought us to the beginning of this day. Defend us in the same with You mighty power and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger, but that all our doings, being ordered by Your governance, may be righteous in Your sight; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Dear Father, we ask You to send Your Holy Spirit to remind us that You love us and accept us unconditionally and eternally through Your Son, Christ Jesus; yet, the accusations of those within our Christian community, of those amongst our friends and within our families who hurt us and make us feel “condemned.” Help us today to hear loudly and clearly Jesus’ “no condemnation” verdict. We ask in His...

Father, we are thirsting for what only the presence of Your Holy Spirit can give us. And, we have frequently sought to quench our thirst through our own feeble efforts to secure a sense of worth and significance by ourselves. Please forgive us for the sake of Your Son who was crucified in our place and raised to LIFE to be our Source of new and eternal LIFE. We ask in His name, the Same who lives...

Gracious Father, on this day when we celebrate our Mothers’ love, may we see in their desire to protect us from every danger, a compassion that is willing to risk life and limb for the sake of their child. And in this sheltering protection and compassion, send Your Holy Spirit to help us better understand and appreciate Jesus’ love for us. We ask in His name. Amen!

Father, through hearing Your in-Spirited holy Word, may we wholly trust that Your Son, Christ Jesus, is more than a good Man or a great Teacher; that, in fact, He truly is the God-Man who died on a cross for us and was loosed from death’s grip to sit forever and everywhere at Your right hand of power, giving us never-ending forgiveness, righteousness, and LIFE.

Father, again today, take us to the cross and the open tomb that we might experience the power of Your Holy Spirit to give us an eternal perspective. And with this new perspective, enable us to serve You by serving others with a selfless and other-directed love. We ask in the name of Christ Jesus, Your Son and our Lord, the Same who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Father, we beg You, we plead with You, send Your Holy Spirit to inject joy into our lives through the Easter Readings and the Easter Message. Please! Give us real authentic tingling in our toes joy today and every day. We implore you in the name of Jesus, for He is our risen and living Lord. Amen!

Father, send Your Holy Spirit that we who see Jesus being tortured, suffering, and dying may so look that our hearts are melted and transformed by His love. And, having been warmed by that love, we ask You to send Your Holy Spirit to transform our lives so that we, individually and as a Body of Christ may love others as He has loved us. We ask in Jesus’ name, our loving and life-giving Lord. Amen!

Father, send Your Holy Spirit that we who will experience the kindness of Jesus in His Meal, feeding our souls with His presence and forgiveness, may be exemplars of kindness in our communities. We ask in the name of Jesus, our kind and life-giving Lord. Amen!

Gracious Father, we see the Jerusalem crowd greet the long-awaited King. We too need a King in our lives – One who will defeat the destructive forces of fear we face every day. Send Your Holy Spirit that we might experience the power of this King to establish His kingdom in our hearts and lives today and forever. We ask in the name of Jesus, Your Son and our King, the Same who lives and reigns wit...

Father, may we again hear the Message that is central to Your holy Word and, is also central to our lives, that is, that out of Your amazing love, You sent Your dear Son to die on a cross and to be raised to Life again. For in this Message alone do we experience purposeful lives empowered with the Holy Spirit’s energy. We ask in the name of Your dear Son, Christ Jesus, the One who died for our sin...

Jesus says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws them.” Jesus is saying, “The reason you are coming to Me is not because of something you did; rather, it is solely because My Father has drawn you to Me.”

Luther writes concerning today’s Gospel Reading: “It is obvious that in this chapter the Lord is speaking of spiritual eating and drinking. For He Himself interprets this as a thirst and a hunger of the soul.”