Moments of Peace

God wants us to love him above all things. This is hard for us to do. God continues to show us love even though we fall and don't perfectly love him. He shows us his love by sending his Son for us. We love God as thanks for his love.

The prophet Jeremiah does not have an easy ministry. He is beaten and thrown into prison many times for sharing the message of the Lord. He toys with the idea of giving up being a prophet of the Lord. But he realizes that he can't contain God's Word; it is like a burning fire. We can't contain God's Word, either. We can't hold onto the burning fire of God's Word too long; we must share it.

Joshua has the hard task of following Moses as the leader of the people of Israel. The Lord provides Joshua to lead his people because Joshua has the Spirit within him. Joshua makes us think of the better Joshua, Jesus. He is the perfect leader, the perfect shepherd. God still provides shepherds for his church.

The Trinity is a teaching of the Bible that we can't fully understand. Even though it is difficult to understand, the Trinity brings order to the sin-corrupted world. We look at how the Trinity brought order to the earth at creation and marvel at the incredible work of the Trinity.

The work of the Holy Spirit is often unseen, but it is important and powerful. Jesus compares the work of the Holy Spirit to great rivers flowing from within us. Our spiritual thirst is quenched by Christ so much that we have rivers flowing in us.

We celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord. It's a good thing that Jesus ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of God. Because Jesus ascends, he sends the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit opens our minds to understand the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit remains with us to give us the boldness and confidence to share the gospel with all nations.

The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by faith. The Bible also talks about doing good works and loving God above all things. How can we balance the idea that we are saved by faith and that we do good works and live a God-pleasing life? The key to understanding this is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to us to create faith and leads us to live a God-pleasing life. Listen to this sermon...

Jesus comforts his disciples before he leaves them and goes to the Father. Thomas wonders how we can get to the Father. Jesus says that he is the way to the Father. Jesus is the only way to the Father, the only way to God. We come to God by faith in Jesus.

Jesus calls himself our Good Shepherd, and we are his sheep. And as his sheep, we are to listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd. There are many voices that are competing for our attention on a daily basis. But the voice of our Good Shepherd is the only one that matters.

Join two disciples on their journey towards Emmaus. Jesus comes up to comfort these grieving disciples. He points them to his Word that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again. Jesus joins us on our way toward our home of heaven, and he walks beside us in his Word.

On Easter evening, the disciples are cowering in a room in fear. Jesus comes and stands among them and brings them peace. He comes into our lives and brings us peace, too. It's peace that we don't deserve, but he brings it to us.

The women go to the tomb on Easter morning expecting to find Jesus' body still in the tomb. But he is not there! He has risen! His resurrection means everything changes for us. Because he lives, we, too, will live!

This Holy Thursday Sermon based on 1 Corinthians 11:23-28. The Apostle Paul teaches us what we receive in the Lord's Supper and why we celebrate it. He also tells us how we are to examine ourselves to come to the table in a worthy manner. Additional Scripture references include: Jeremiah 31:31,34

For the Fifth Sunday in Lent, we are reminded that we need life. Christ raised Lazarus from the dead and assures us that he is the resurrection and the life. How do we know we will rise? Paul says that we will rise because we have God's Spirit. God's Spirit is the same Spirit that raised Christ and will raise us, also. Additional Scripture references: Romans 7:18, 8:7; John 11:25.

Listen to a sermon based on Ephesians 5:8-14 for the Fourth Sunday in Lent. The Bible uses the picture of darkness and light to describe the change that has occurred in us when we are brought to faith. We are brought out of darkness and into light. Paul encourages us to live like we are in the light. Additional Scripture references: Ephesians 4:17; John 9:5; 1 John 1:5-7

Listen to a sermon based on Romans 4:1-5,13-17 from Pastor Caleb Gustafson. This sermon was preached for the Third Sunday in Lent but uses the Scripture readings for the Second Sunday in Lent. Here, in Romans, Paul emphasizes that we are saved by faith just as Abraham was saved by faith. Additional Scripture references include: Acts 16:16-31; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 11:1; John 20:29.

Listen to Pastor Caleb Gustafson's sermon for the First Sunday in Lent based on Romans 5:12-19. Paul makes a comparison between Adam and Jesus. It is clear that Jesus is better than Adam and reverses all the damage done by Adam's sin. Additional Scripture references: Genesis 3:1-15; Psalm 51:5; Matthew 4:1-11.

This is a midweek Lenten sermon, first delivered on Ash Wednesday. It is part of the WELS Lent series titled "It Is Finished: The Holy Week Prophecies of Zechariah." Listen to Pastor Caleb Gustafson's sermon on Zechariah 13:7-9. We get a glimpse of Jesus as our shepherd who gets struck for us. We deserve the punishment for sin, and yet our Good Shepherd takes the punishment for us. Additional Scri...

The Last Sunday after Epiphany - The Transfiguration of our Lord. Listen to Pastor Gustafson's sermon based on Matthew 17:1-9. Jesus reveals his glory on the Mountain of Transfiguration. Peter wants to stay on that mountain in the glory of God. Jesus had to leave that mountain in order to accomplish our salvation. Additional Scripture references: Matthew 16:23-24; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Revelation 21...

A sermon on Exodus 19:1-8 from the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany from Pastor Caleb Gustafson. We hear what God calls the people of Israel and what he did for his people. That is still true for us today as God's people. We are delivered, treasured, and called by God. Additional Scripture references include: Exodus 3:12; Galatians 3:22,4:8; 1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 5:16.

A Sermon on Zephaniah 2:3,3:11-13 on the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany by Pastor Caleb Gustafson. God humbles us through his Word by revealing sin, and he exalts us by declaring our sins are forgiven, and there is no condemnation for us in Christ. Additional Scripture references include: Romans 8:1 and 2 Corinthians 5:21