My Lord and My God Podcast—St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church (UAC), Magnolia, Texas

This sermon, preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church (UAC) in Magnolia, Texas, explores how Jesus prepares believers for the inevitability of disappointment, betrayal, and sin even within the church family. Using Scripture and examples like St. Stephen, it emphasizes that the church is a true spiritual family, united by baptism, yet still marked by human weakness. The message urges forg...

A confessional Lutheran sermon on Christ’s ascension and Colossians 3, calling Christians to set their minds on heavenly things rather than the distractions and anxieties of this world. Hear the comfort of Christ reigning at the right hand of the Father for His people. Join us at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church every Sunday for Divine Service at 9 AM and Family Catechesis at 10:30 AM. Worsh...

Explore the meaning of Rogate Sunday and the power of prayer in Jesus’ name. This sermon, preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church (UAC) in Magnolia, Texas, explains why some prayers seem unanswered, what it means to pray as a Christian, and how God’s will works for our salvation. Be encouraged in persistence, trust, and the assurance that God hears and answers every prayer for your good...

A confessional Lutheran sermon on John 16 exploring the Holy Spirit as a divine person who convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. Hear the comfort of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil through His cross, resurrection, and intercession. Join us at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church every Sunday for Divine Service at 9 AM and Family Catechesis at 10:30 AM. W...

In this sermon from St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas, serving listeners across The Woodlands, Texas; Montgomery County, Texas; Tomball, Texas; and Conroe, Texas, the sermon explores Jesus’ words in John 20 and the biblical doctrine of the Office of the Keys. Learn how Christ gave His Church the authority to forgive sins, call sinners to repentance, and faithfully administe...

What difference does it make that Jesus rose from the dead? In this Easter sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15, we confront the stark reality: if Christ has not been raised, then everything—faith, preaching, church, and life itself—is meaningless. But if He is risen, then everything changes. Through a striking illustration from Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find , this sermon exposes the...

What does the burial of Jesus teach us about our own death? In this Good Friday sermon, we confront the fear, horror, and mystery of death—and the deeper reality revealed in Christ. The world sees death as tragedy, but Jesus enters death willingly, bearing sin and the wrath of God, and is laid in the tomb to sanctify the graves of His people. By His death and burial, Christ has taken away the eter...

What does it mean that Jesus washes the disciples’ feet—and gives them His Body and Blood—on the night He is betrayed? In this Maundy Thursday sermon, we see the deepest condescension of Christ. Knowing that He would soon suffer, be forsaken, and die under the Father’s wrath, Jesus does not withdraw. He stoops. He serves. He feeds His people with His own Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins....

Christians are not promised comfort in this life—they are promised the cross. Yet in Christ, the cross is not the end. In this sermon, we hear that all who are joined to Jesus in Holy Baptism are united not only to His death, but also to His life. What happened to Christ in His physical body—His suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection—will and must also happen to His mystical body, the Churc...

In this sermon on John 8:47–58, Jesus declares, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” revealing Himself as the eternal God in the flesh. This text confronts us with a stark division: those who are of God hear His Word, and those who are not reject it. Though the descendants of Abraham had received the covenants, the Law, and the promises, many rejected the very Messiah to whom all of Scripture pointed. This...

What is the kingdom of God—and how does it come? In this sermon, we examine Christ’s teaching in John 6 alongside Galatians and Romans to clarify a widespread modern confusion: the nature of Christ’s kingdom and its relationship to Israel, the Church, and earthly power. Rather than being established through political movements, military conflict, or prophetic speculation, Christ’s kingdom comes th...

This sermon on Luke 11:14–28 was preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas, serving the communities of Magnolia, The Woodlands, and Montgomery County. In this passage Jesus casts out a demon and is accused of doing so by the power of Beelzebub. His response exposes not only the blindness of His enemies but also the deeper corruption of the human heart and tongue. This s...

Why does Scripture say, “Let a man examine himself,” and what does that mean for pastoral responsibility at the Lord’s Table? In this sermon from St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas (serving The Woodlands and Montgomery County), we work through 1 Corinthians 11:27–30, James 3:1, and Hebrews 13:17 to show why the Church takes the reception of the Lord’s Supper seriously—and wh...

In this sermon, we contrast private confession and absolution (a cherished Lutheran tradition) with fasting (a discipline clearly commended in Holy Scripture and practiced by the Lord Jesus and the apostles). The sermon explores why both practices have fallen into disuse, and why voluntary self-restraint matters—not to justify us, but to discipline the flesh and prepare us for faithful living in o...

Why do Christians fast? And why do Lutherans retain private confession—even though there is no direct command from Christ establishing it? In this Ash Wednesday sermon preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas (serving The Woodlands and Montgomery County), we examine Jesus’ words from Matthew 6 and the teaching of the Lutheran Confessions on fasting, discipline, and the...

In this sermon preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church (UAC) in Magnolia, Texas, Pastor Stanley Lacey proclaims Christ crucified through the lens of 1 Corinthians 13 and Luke 18. The familiar words, “Love is patient, love suffers long,” are often heard at weddings and admired for their beauty. But in this sermon, we are confronted with something deeper: our blindness. We easily hear the...

In this special episode, Pastor Stanley Lacey of St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church (UAC) in Magnolia, Texas joins Mason Moon of Odyssey (Odyssey Lessons) for a wide-ranging conversation on the foundations of the Lutheran faith. Together they discuss the history of Lutheranism, justification by faith alone, the authority of Holy Scripture, the distinction between Law and Gospel, Holy Baptism,...

In this pre-Lent sermon, Pastor Stanley Lacey reflects on the Church’s historic emphasis on exile during Septuagesima and Sexagesima. Drawing from Ephesians and Hebrews, the parable of the sower, and Christ’s teaching on grace and discipline, this sermon explores what it means to live as citizens of a Kingdom not of this world. Christians are warned not to place their hope in earthly success, comf...

In this sermon preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas, Pastor Stanley Lacey reflects on the Transfiguration of Our Lord and why Jesus revealed His divine glory to Peter, James, and John. Drawing from the Gospels, the witness of the apostles, and the Church’s confession, this sermon shows how Christ’s radiant glory prepares His disciples for the scandal of the cross,...

In this Epiphany sermon preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas (Montgomery County), we reflect on John 2:1–11 and the wedding at Cana. “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” At Cana, our Lord reveals two great mysteries celebrated during Epiphany: He is true God and true Man, and He has com...

This episode comes from St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas , serving families throughout Montgomery County with faithful Lutheran teaching rooted in Scripture and the Confessions. In this sermon, we examine the unchanging nature of God’s Law and how it relates differently to believers and unbelievers. St. Paul teaches—and the Formula of Concord confesses—that the Law remains...

Who is really in control of life—us, or God? In this sermon preached at St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas, on the Feast of the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents, we hear how earthly rulers like Pharaoh and King Herod sought to take God’s place, with devastating consequences. The murdered children of Bethlehem stand as martyrs, bearing witness to the truth that we are not king...

What kind of peace does Christmas bring to Magnolia and Montgomery County? Not the peace of silence, distraction, or pretending that everything is fine—but the peace that remains when Satan accuses, when the world terrifies, and when affliction presses in. In this Christmas sermon from St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Magnolia, Texas , we hear how God answers real guilt and real fear, not...

What does Advent really prepare us for? In this Advent sermon preached in Magnolia, Texas, we reflect on the Three Advents of our Lord: His first coming in humility to bear our sins, His present coming through the Word and Sacraments, and His final coming in glory to raise the dead and judge the world. Using the Gospel accounts of Christ’s triumphal entry and the preaching of John the Baptist, thi...

When Christians struggle with doubt, suffering, or the feeling that their faith and sacrifices might be in vain, where does true consolation come from? In this sermon on Matthew 11:2–11 and Romans 15:4, preached in Magnolia, Texas, we hear how Scripture gives more than instruction or correction—it gives comfort. John the Baptist, imprisoned and nearing death, sends his disciples to Jesus not to as...