St. Pete's on Repeat

If it's hard to agree on what to put on a pizza, imagine how difficult it is to be "perfectly united in mind and thought" as Paul encourages for us. The question for consideration today is, how can Christians find true unity?

Just because something has been washed once, doesn't mean it will stay clean forever. Life happens. That's as true for microwaves as it is for the human soul. But one thing that is true for the soul that is not true for microwaves - or any other small appliance, for that matter - is that God will keep you blameless to the end, through Christ Jesus our Lord.

We're used to making snap decisions. Corporations spend thousands of dollars on branding and advertising for just that reason - so that you don't have to think, but can react positively to what you see. God doesn't work that way, though. He doesn't make snap decisions based on what he sees. His love for you runs deeper than that, and baptism is one of the many ways he proves it.

What's the difference between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? One way to look at it would be the difference between Jesus' humanity and his divinity. Christmas Day shows this little baby to be none other than the supreme Son of God.

Joseph doesn't get much of the attention around Christmas. Understandably, a lot of that goes to Mary and the shepherds, angels - even the "Wise Men." But it would be a mistake to ignore Joseph's role in Jesus' life, and this section of Matthew's Gospel gives us some fascinating food for thought as we prepare to celebrate Jesus' birth.

If the greatest man born of woman could doubt, what does that mean for weaklings like us? Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 11.

Repentance is not so much an ultimatum as it is a promise. God doesn't need you to be good or godly in this world. He could raise up stones to do his bidding, if he really wanted. But he wants you. God wants you. That's why he sent his Son for you and why that Son is coming again. So, prepare the way for him. Change your heart and your life, in eager expectation of the return of your Savior.

Do you have a "bug-out bag" ready for the zombie apocalypse? How about a bunker prepared for nuclear war? Or, more practically, are you CPR certified? Have you practiced your fire escape route lately? Do you have insurance? We make lots of preparations for things that are fairly unlikely to happen. What preparations have you made for the one event in your future that you know is going to happen -...

What pictures make you think of a king? A crown? A throne? How about a sheep and a stick? That's what Jeremiah used to describe Jesus. See why they're the perfect pictures for our King.

Have you ever wondered what the afterlife holds in store for you? Wonder no more! God gives us a beautiful picture of peace and painlessness, but, best of all, one that is in keeping with his promises. Whatever problems you experience here and now, God has not forgotten you and he promises you relief through Jesus and his promised heavenly home.

Maybe the last 5 words anyone will want to hear or say on Judgment Day - "If Only I Had Listened..." God gives us warnings, and they sound horrific, but the very fact that God warns us demonstrates his immense patience with us and, maybe even more importantly, his loving heart that wants us to live with him forever.

Jeremiah wept over it. Luther reformed the church because of it. We still have need to change it. It's not a certain, unpopular teaching. It's not even a particularly bad behavior. It's a mindset - a change of heart - and it starts today.

Does church feel like home to you? For some of us that may be true. For others, though, there's not enough history for it to feel like home - or there's too much. Thankfully, as much as the homey feeling comes from our brothers and sisters being together, what makes God's house our home is the presence of our Brother, our Savior, the one who unites us in his blood - Jesus.

Usually with a concept like contentment you don't think of great wealth. If you're content, you're not endlessly struggling for more. You're happy with what you have. God flips the script on us a bit and tells us that when we're content, we will receive more than we could have ever earned by our own effort. Listen find out what how contentment actually pays off.

Whatever your political leanings, watching events like the Federal Leaders Debate can get the blood boiling. It can be difficult to be encouraged by or confident in our government at times like that. But with a few short words from 1 Timothy 2, Paul urges Timothy to pray for "kings and all those in authority" as of first priority, and he says we should do this not only because it would ultimately...