God's Word in Our Lives

The prophet Isaiah vividly described humanity as “people walking in darkness.” We are completely enveloped by sin and suffering and death. Worse, when we honestly assess the content of our minds and hearts, we find darkness there too. However, the prophet also foretold that within this deep darkness, a light would shine. The light would be so brilliant that it would be impossible to miss. As Jesus...

For centuries the priests of Israel offered sacrifices to God for sin. Over and over blood flowed, testifying that the penalty of sin was death. But over and over a substitute stood in the place of the sinner. Countless animals died under the priestly knife as generations of the faithful brought lamb after lamb to the temple. This week we see the Lamb that God himself was bringing to the temple. T...

“Christ” is not Jesus’ last name, of course. It is a title. The Greek word “Christ” and the Hebrew word “Messiah” both mean the same thing—“The Anointed One.” Anointing was the practice of pouring liquid (typically oil) over the head of someone to signify selection for some special task. However, when the Lord anointed heroes to do his saving work, what he poured over them was his Spirit. For cent...

For centuries on Christmas Day the Church has read chapter one of St. John’s Gospel. There, in just a few simple words, Scripture describes the indescribable: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). The word God had spoken in the Garden, promising to send a Savior who was part of mankind, came true. God himself became flesh and blood—to be born under law, to suffer, and...

Families cherish their Christmas traditions. Year after year, they decorate the tree with the same ornaments, play the same music, bake the same Christmas cookies. Without asking, family members know when they will open presents. If you try to change your family’s Christmas traditions, you just might pick a fight! When it comes to family Christmases, people generally don’t like things to change. B...

This time of year it is so easy to get caught up in the beautiful trappings of Christmas and forget why this birth had to take place. Mankind fell into sin. Sin brings an awful burden. Hatred and oppression. Suffering and pain. Guilt and shame. The devastation of death. These are all natural consequences of sin. And what can we do about any of it? Nothing of substance. We can numb ourselves to pai...

Our midweek Advent series is based on the hymn My Soul in Stillness Waits .  Each week we will focus our attention on one portion of the hymn. 

Humanity wants a made-to-order Messiah. We want the Savior we want. The Jews wanted a political Messiah who would remove Roman oppression and reestablish the kingdom of Israel. The generic Christian of today wants a Messiah who is a good teacher and an inspiration for brotherly love. Even faithful Christians face the temptation of a made-to-order Messiah. We want a Messiah who isn’t bothered by th...

Our midweek Advent series is based on the hymn My Soul in Stillness Waits .  Each week we will focus our attention on one portion of the hymn. 

When Jesus comes back as judge, everyone will face a binary outcome. Either they will be judged righteous and experience the peace and joys of Paradise. Or they will be judged wicked and suffer unquenchable fire (Matthew 3). John the Baptist’s job was to point to the only way to prepare for a judgment, one where the stakes are that high. Repent! And look to the Lord Jesus. For when Jesus came into...

Our midweek Advent series is based on the hymn My Soul in Stillness Waits .  Each week we will focus our attention on one portion of the hymn. 

Why would the Church Year begin with a gospel reading that describes an event near the very end of Jesus’ life—his entry into Jerusalem at the start of Holy Week? Because the events of Palm Sunday serve as a perfect summary of the entire plan of salvation. It is an odd sight, this man riding into Jerusalem on a baby donkey, to cheers and the celebratory waving of palm branches. Understandably, man...

Jesus promised, “I am coming soon." But what does soon mean to the one who is the Alpha and Omega, the eternal God? We do not know. We want Christ to return quickly, because we know the Last Day will be a day of great deliverance for God’s people. But how long will we have to wait? Will it be in a few months or a few millennia? We cannot know. As we await Christ’s return, we want to avoid two...

Everyone alive on this planet knows death lies ahead. Christianity offers a solution to the certainty of death. Resurrection and life! And yet, if there really is hope of life after death, then that better future to which we look forward must be good enough that we are content to wait for it. But that's not all. The better future to which we look forward must also be certain enough that we ar...

We value freedom and strive to protect freedoms. But do we truly understand freedom? Freedom for many means doing what you want without control or coercion. Jesus helps us to understand true freedom: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Gospel). Jesus says that you will never be free by living however you want. Ta...

Last week we heard Jesus ask, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). As we consider Jesus’ question, it might be easy to assume that any decrease in faith we observe in the world corresponds with an increase in secularism and disdain for God’s Word. That type of unbelief certainly can be observed in our world. However, today we see there is another type of unbel...

Disciples of Jesus need to learn how to pray. We need Jesus to teach us to ask for those things which our Father in heaven promises us. We need to learn to claim in prayer what he wants for us more than what we want from him. However, learning to pray is not like many of the other things we learn to do in our lives. Once we know how to write our name, tie our shoes, or ride a bike, the learning is...

Gratitude is the appreciation and thankfulness we feel when someone does something kind to us or for us. There are two key factors that influence the intensity of gratitude. First, there is the deservedness factor. Say you do a favor for your neighbor, picking up his mail when he is out of town. A month later he does a favor for you, giving you a ride to the airport. You are grateful for his help,...

Look up “duty” in the dictionary. It's defined as “something that one is expected or required to do.” Look up “duty” in a thesaurus. Some of its synonyms: chore, burden, obligation, work. “Duty” can carry some strong negative connotations. Now, consider this. In the world, as you rise through the ranks, you are able to leave many duties behind. For example, if you are high-up on the corporate...

This week we celebrate another minor festival! The medieval commemoration of St. Michael and All Angels was retained as a minor festival by the Lutheran reformers and serves to arouse believers to thanksgiving for the victory of heaven's armies against the forces of Satan. Today we become better acquainted with angels—a blessing for all God's children!

What do you do with a rebel? Many parents have had to wrestle with that question. "What do I say to them? Who can I ask to talk to them?" This week, we praise God for the grace he showers upon us in his choice to use a guy like Matthew to serve in his kingdom.

This week we see that as much as money lets us down in life, its ultimate failure to deliver on its promises happens in death. Those who live with hearts filled with love for money and void of love for God will receive the only eternity that money can buy: one void of God and filled with pain. Though we might be fooled into thinking money helps in life, it will certainly fail us in death. Converse...

“He’s lost.” We use that term not only to refer to someone who is bewildered about where they are but also to refer to someone who is in a helpless, hopeless state. Mankind’s natural state is one of complete spiritual helplessness, a profound lostness. It manifests itself in countless ways. The one who simply wants God to leave him alone: lost. The one who feels she can handle life on her own: los...

Everyone knows that humility is a positive trait and pride is a negative one. So, why bother talking about what we already know? Because in spite of that knowledge, we still helplessly fall into the trap of pride. We cannot help but think that our ascent to the exalted status we desire is our responsibility. We even take our exaltation into our own hands, either by treating poorly those we believe...