Pastor Scamman

There are seven petitions in the Lord’s Prayer, just as there are seven signs, seven miracles, in the Gospel of John. In the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus directs us to ask, “Give us this day our daily bread.” In the Fourth Sign of the Gospel of John, we see Jesus answering this prayer,…

On the First Sunday in Lent, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into waterless places, the haunt of demons, in order to be tempted by the devil. On the Second Sunday in Lent, a Canaanite woman doggedly begs Jesus to help her daughter, who is tormented by a demon. And this morning, the Third Sunday in Lent,…

The Master of the vineyard is God the Father. The vineyard is the Church. And you are the idle and unemployed whom God finds and sends into His vineyard. Notice that when God calls each new group into the vineyard He says to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” He doesn’t say “that vineyard over there”…

The greatest occasions of the Church Year have what is called a vigil, that is, the celebration begins the day before. Christmas Eve, or the Vigil of the Nativity of our Lord, is on December 24th. All Saints Day is preceded by the Vigil of All Saints, or All Hallow’s Eve, which we now call Halloween.…

Our text today concerns the question of authority. The Pharisees, members of the ruling class in Jerusalem, send priests and Levites to John the Baptist. Levites have authority, priests have authority, and the Pharisees had authority. But who was this John? And what authority does he do these things?…

The third Sunday of Advent is called, Gaudete, the first Latin word of the Introit: Rejoice, in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice! ( Phil 4:4 ). And yet, as the picture on the front of the bulletin illustrates, the present circumstances may not seem like the time for rejoicing. John the Baptist…

The church has long understood that the advent of our Lord occurs in three ways: the first coming of Christ in the Incarnation, His continuing presence in the church today through His Word and Sacraments, and His triumphal return in glory at the end of the age. We have witnessed this second advent this…

There are two daughters in the Gospel text today: Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter, who has just died, and the poor woman, who has been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. Jairus is a ruler of the synagogue, a man with standing and authority, and he is prepared to publicly advocate for his beloved…

Then Peter came to Jesus and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with…

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen ( Heb 11:1 ). Faith is the opposite of the old saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” for faith does not believe what it sees; faith believes what it hears. St. Paul writes in Hebrews, Chapter 11, “By faith we understand that…

From beginning to end, the kingdom of heaven is about the invitation to the wedding banquet. You have all been invited to a banquet before, so you have some idea of what’s it’s like to get an invitation. This banquet is the wedding feast of the Lamb that has no end, and God the Father has been inviting…

When a loved one dies, people often comfort themselves with thoughts, such as, “God needed another angel,” or, “She’s in heaven looking down on us now.” People mean well by these sayings, but it doesn’t make them true. No, according to Scripture, we do not become angels when we die, nor do we watch over…

Today we’re going to talk about one of the most politically incorrect topics in existence: slavery. Our sinful world considers slavery to be the ultimate evil. God considers it to be the chief good. It is, after all, the reason that Jesus suffered, died, and was buried. As we confess in the Small Catechism:…

The Gospel text this morning has been associated with the baptismal liturgy of the church from ancient times. “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly ( Mk 7:34–35 ). Although the word “baptism” is not mentioned in…

The Feeding of the Four Thousand is completely at odds with the prosperity gospel which has infected so much of American Christianity. Countless faith teachers and faith healers promise that if you follow Jesus, every need in your life will be met immediately. After all, God exists for no other purpose…

Jesus says, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” ( Mt 5:23 ). Think of how much trouble in this congregation…

“Judge not!” This is the favorite Bible passage of unrepentant sinners. It’s used by Christians and unbelievers alike as a trump card to excuse all manner of sin. “Jesus said, ‘Judge not!’ That means that I can do whatever I want!” But Jesus also says, in John 7:24 , “Judge with righteous judgment.”…

Repentance is required for salvation. Unless a man turns from his sin, he cannot be saved. It is not possible to enter heaven while holding on even to the smallest and seemingly most harmless sin. As Jesus tells us, the way of salvation is narrow, and few are those that find it. Yes, repentance is necessary…

When Jesus tells you, “Ask, and you will receive” this is nothing other than an admonition to pray. God wants you to pray. He commands that you pray. And He promises to hear and answer your prayers. But many Christians are confused by prayer. How does it work? How do we do it? What should we pray for?…

After Adam and Eve plunged the world into darkness by eating the forbidden fruit, God placed an angel with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. This was not a punishment. It was mercy. Adam and Eve now lived in a broken and sinful world. Their lives would be filled with sorrow and suffering.…

Last Sunday is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Perhaps we might call this Sunday, “A Little While” Sunday. “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father” ( Jn 16:16 ). Seven times in the text, we find the words “a little while.”…

In observance of Maundy Thursday, the night our Lord was betrayed, many Christian churches are celebrating a Seder meal. This practice first appeared in the 70s as a way to reach out to unbelieving Jews. They were told: “You can still be Jewish and be a follower of Christ.” This is true enough. Salvation…

The temple is the place where God ordained that sacrifices would be made. For without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. At this time of the year, the Jewish nation was preparing for Passover. One lamb per household would be slaughtered and its blood placed upon the doorposts…

In the Gospel text for Reminiscere , the Second Sunday of Lent, Jesus calls a Canaanite woman a dog. As you might imagine, this passage causes a lot of trouble for some Christians. I’ve even heard one woman try to preach a sermon about this, saying, “Jesus was having a bad day. He lost His temper and…

Fasting is not an American virtue, and so this biblical discipline can seem very foreign to us American Christians. We’ve been taught to indulge every desire, to scratch every itch, to sate ourselves with food and drink, pleasure and luxury. “Why wait for good things? Have them all now, with no payments…