Text: Matthew 17:1-8 They say that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. These things go together, smoke and fire. Smoke is the result of items burning in a fire. There are a number of things that always go together, but I am reminded of fire this week by what the Holy Spirit said through St. Matthew.Continue reading “Glory Through the Cross”
Author Archives: St. John's and Grace Lutheran Parish
What Sort of Man is This?
Text: Matthew 8:23-27 There’s an old Christian spiritual song that goes like this: “He’s got the whole world in His hands; He’s got the whole world in His hands; He’s got the whole world in His hands; the whole world’s in His hands.” I would bet that most of us have probably sung it atContinue reading “What Sort of Man is This?”
Of Faith and Mercy
Text: Matthew 8:1-13 Over the last few weeks, we’ve been thinking about how in the Epiphany season we confess that Jesus, the Son of Man, is also the Son of God. We witnessed this in the visit of the wise men. We heard the God the Father proclaim from heaven that Jesus is His belovedContinue reading “Of Faith and Mercy”
A Sign of What’s to Come
Text: John 2:1-11 During the Epiphany Season, we’re celebrating that Jesus Christ, true man born of the Virgin Mary, is also true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity. This was made known to the wise men from the east by the appearance of a star and by the Holy Scriptures. It was madeContinue reading “A Sign of What’s to Come”
One With Us, One with Him
Text: Matthew 3:13-17 Today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ by John in the Jordan River. Sometime toward the end of John the Baptist’s ministry, Jesus came out to him to be baptized; and, when He had come up from the water, God the Father and the Holy Spirit proclaimed the GospelContinue reading “One With Us, One with Him”
For So It Is Written
Text: Matthew 2:1-12 Today we celebrate the feast of our Lord’s Epiphany. The twelve days of Christmas are coming to a close as the glory of the Lord’s birth is made known to Gentile wise men from the East. During the Christmas season, we celebrated the mystery of the Incarnation – that the eternal CreatorContinue reading “For So It Is Written”
Now I Can Depart in Peace
Text: Luke 2:22-40 RIP. You’ve seen those letters before. If you’ve ever been in a cemetery and seen them on the old gravestones, then you know where this phrase was originally used. Nowadays, we frequently see the letters RIP in obituaries and on Facebook. The three letters are an acronym for Rest in Peace, whichContinue reading “Now I Can Depart in Peace”
Full of Grace and Truth
Text: John 1:1-14 (15-18) “In the beginning was the Word,” St. John wrote. “And the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things were made through Him…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth.” Today we celebrate a holiday unlike any other. The eternal Word of God, begottenContinue reading “Full of Grace and Truth”
The Witness of John the Baptist
Text: John 1:19-28 It wasn’t just a simple fact-finding mission when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to John. By then, he had, for a little while, been baptizing with water for repentance and forgiveness of sins and preaching about the coming of the Messiah. Many people heard John’s preaching and believed. St.Continue reading “The Witness of John the Baptist”
The Messiah We Need
Text: Matthew 11:2-11 “You can’t always get what you want. No, you can’t always get what you want. But…sometimes, you get what you need.” These were the words the great poet Mick Jagger sang on a 1969 single from The Rolling Stones. The jury’s still out on what the specific meaning of the song isContinue reading “The Messiah We Need”
St. John's and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish 