Faith Lutheran Oregon, Wisconsin

St. Paul lamented that for the enemies of God, "their god is their stomach."  That often describes us too.  But when 4,000 men, plus woman and children go hungry in a desolate place, Jesus' stomach does something unique and amazing.  Jesus' compassion on the crowd shows His compassion for us in our daily needs.

In Matthew 5:20–26, Jesus is trying to get us to despair of our own righteousness so that we trust rather in his.

The question Jesus is asked by the Pharisees in our text – Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” – is a lot like another question you might hear today: “Is America a Christian nation?”  On the 4th of July, we look at the relation of the Kingdom of the World with the Kingdom of God.  Sermon on Matthew 22:15–22 (Propers for Trinity 23) by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

Guest preacher Rev. Mark Marozick.   The Liberation of All Creation:  1. Of God’s People  2. Of the Created World (Romans 8:18–23)

Fathers are not fathers because they have children.  Fathers are fathers because God has made them a reflection of Himself.  Sermon on Luke 15:1–32 for Trinity 3 (Father's Day) on the Father who Forgives in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

The good gifts we have from God always have the potential to become our gods.  This is evident especially when they become our excuses for forsaking God's invitation to come to His great Supper.   Sermon for Trinity 2 on Luke 14:16–24 by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

Is anything more reliable than our senses, what we can see, touch, hear, taste, or even smell?  Yes, and the answer may seem obvious, but challenging to accept: The Word of God. Yet, it is the only thing that endures forever.   Sermon on Luke 16:19-31 by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

What is the Athanasian Creed and why do we use it on Trinity Sunday?  In place of today's sermon are a series of meditations on the Creed confessed on Trinity Sunday, the Athanasian Creed.  In between we sing verses of Luther's hymn paraphrase of the Nicene Creed, "We All Believe in One True God."

The peace and comfort that the world gives is based on what can be seen, felt, or experienced.  This, as Pentecost shows, is very different than the peace that Jesus gives through the Holy Spirit. Sermon and Exordium based on John 14:23-31 + Acts 2 for Pentecost Sunday / Confirmation Sunday at Faith Lutheran Church, Oregon, WI.

Jesus' ascension gives us a new perspective on ourselves and on the world.  It's not what you expect.    Sermon on John 15:26-16:4 for Exaudi Sunday by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

The habit of prayer is hard.  And on top of that, we’ve been conditioned, by our rationalistic modern era, to only do what’s pragmatic.  Prayer doesn’t seem pragmatic.  I can fix all my problems on my own.  And so we feel ignorant, foolish, or naive if we pray anywhere else but in church.  So, to help us pray, Rev. Hendrix gives four things to know about prayer, in a sermo...

It’s been said that when you come to church, church should be a house of gifts.  God giving you His good gifts.  This is a distinction that our church, the Lutheran church, has historically tried to make clear.  We call what we do on Sunday the “Divine service,” meaning that it’s primarily God’s service to me.  God is serving me.  The primary direction is not up, but down....

After hanging around the apostles, Mark is known for finding himself exposed in the Garden of Gethsemane. But Mark shows us who Jesus is, and who He has made us.  Though we have found ourselves exposed in our shame and guilt after hanging around the Apostles and Prophets, through the Gospel and through Baptism, Jesus clothes us and makes us a vine on the branch, a beloved son of God, in whom...

April 18, 2021 is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's testimony at the Imperial Diet of Worms.  Luther was a sheep among wolves, and so are we. Sheep without a good shepherd, when confronted by a wolf, are caught off-guard and "don't know where to stand." Not us. We stand upon the Word of God because we are assured of its power and truth because our Shepherd fought the foe and won. Sermo...

8 days after Christ first appears to the disciples, He appears to Thomas and tells him the faith he should have.  Meanwhile we are encouraged 8 days after Easter to have the same faith: faith like babies.   Sermon preached by Rev. Jeff Hendrix for Quasimodogeniti Sunday, adapted from a sermon by Rev. Nielson: “Like Newborn Infants”

Most of us are not surprised that we celebrate that Christ was risen from the dead. However, to the women and the disciples that first Easter morning, it changed everything.  It still does. Sermon (Preceded by Exordium and Festival hymn) on Mark 16:1-8 by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

The Easter Vigil homily of St. John Chrysostom, preached by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

What Jesus does for His mother on that Good Friday, His family, He does for us, His family.  Sermon on John 19:25-34 by Rev. Jeff Hendrix.

“Maundy” comes from the word for Mandate, which Jesus gives on the night of his betrayal: “A new commandment [mandate] I give you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another.” Sermon on John 13:1-15, 34-35 by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

Palms and Passion.  How do these two emphases reflect the life of the Christian?  We are at the same time saint and sinner. Sermon for Palm Sunday on Matthew 21:1–11 and St. Matthew's Passion by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of life.  So what place does the Holy Spirit have at the death of Jesus? The writer to the Hebrews says this: “Christ...through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God.”     Sermon for the 5th Lent Vespers at Faith Lutheran Church, Oregon, WI on the 3rd Article of the Creed and Hebrews 9:13-14, by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

It is in the cross and the death of God, that we see the true glory of God.  However, death as a wrongly-condemned criminal on a cross is not, by any definition, glorious.  It is the ultimate paradox, but this is the comfort of Christianity.  The less glorious our faith seems, the more glorious it actually is.   The more Christ seems hidden, the closer He actually is. &nbs...

One year ago, on Lent 4, Laetare Sunday 2020, we were not able to physically gather together, but we rejoiced all the same.  We heard the same lesson, Jesus' feeding of the 5,000. Here, John proclaims that we can rejoice even in the midst of sorrow; that there’s a little rose in the middle of the deep penitential of Lent; that God provides in the desert.  Through this miracle, Jesus proc...

Does the devil have power over plagues?  The Devil is called "Beelzebul" or the Lord of the Flies.  A way to answer that question is to see how much power the devil has over flies.  If Jesus is stronger than the devil, what does that mean when He gives you His promise that He will guard His house? Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 by Rev. Jeff Hendrix

Sermon based on the 1st Article of the Creed by Rev. Jeff Hendrix for Lent 2021.