Author Archives: pastortapken

When the Lord Jesus says to the crowds at the Sermon on the Mount, “That unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven,” this seems to them as an unbearable task of good works and ritual purity. At the time of Jesus’Continue reading “Sermon for Sixth Sunday after Trinity (Matthew 5:20-26)”

 The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome, “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Our faith and trust in Christ are the work of God entirelyContinue reading “Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity (Luke 5:1-11)”

  The words from our gospel reading, “Judge not,” have been turned into a slogan by misguided Christians and unbelievers. I use the word slogan purposely because the way they use these words of our Lord is not the way He uses them. And so they are not Christ’s words at all, but they goContinue reading “Sermon for the fourth Sunday after Trinity (Luke 6:36-42)”

The commonly attributed title for this parable, “the prodigal son,” is misleading because it assumes that the father has only one son who has sinned against him. Instead, Jesus makes very clear that this man has two sons. The younger son, whom we all remember. He goes to his father to ask for his inheritanceContinue reading “Sermon for the third Sunday after Trinity (Luke 15:11-32)”

The Lord Christ tells the Parable of the Great Supper in response to the faithful saying, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” This is what our Lord Jesus, the second person of the most Holy Trinity, has done: He has come in the flesh and has assumed our humanityContinue reading “Sermon for the second Sunday after Trinity (Luke 14:15-24)”

Today, 50 days after Easter, the church receives the Holy Spirit as promised by her Lord on the night before He willingly entered His passion. The spirit of the Lord comes upon the twelve apostles to unite the people of all nations in the confession of God’s Son. Therefore, at Pentecost, the apostles who spokeContinue reading “Sermon from Pentecost (Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21)”

Alleluia Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! In the death and Resurrection of the Lord Christ, He accomplishes what poor sinners cannot, and the Lord accounts it all to us by faith and in prayer. We see, once again, as Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure, that in today’s text He instructsContinue reading “Sermon for Sixth Sunday of Easter (John 16:23-33)”

Alleluia Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Last Sunday, our gospel was taken from the verses that immediately follow today’s text. In that portion of the discussion with His disciples before His departure, Christ told them that He would go away, and that all Christians would see Him again on the last day.Continue reading “Fifth Sunday of Easter (John 16:5-15)”

Alleluia Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! This Sunday, we are presented with a passage from John 16 as Jesus prepares the disciples for His departure. Notably, the disciples repeat back what our Lord tells them, “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you willContinue reading “Fourth Sunday of Easter (John 16:16-22)”

Alleluia Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! From the time of the Hebrew Prophets until the holy Christian Church, the people of God have often been compared to sheep. As the prophet Isaiah spoke, “All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned, everyone to his own way.” No matter how self-sufficientContinue reading “Third Sunday of Easter (John 10:11-16)”