A sermon for the Season of Lent

Matthew 16:17-19

During Lent this year we will take up the major personalities who are involved in the Passion account, beginning with Peter. The difficulty with a project of this kind is the temptation to make it interesting. Of course we are interested, but the main thing is to ask what it means for the Gospel.

The Apostle Peter is the apostle we know the most about. Even though Paul wrote more of what we call the New Testament than anyone else, we don’t know as much about Paul’s life and what he did as we do about Peter.

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A sermon for Transfiguration Sunday

Matthew 17:1-9; Second Peter 1:16-19

In this season of Epiphany we remember that the Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. We are coming out of winter, the darkest time of the year. We celebrate the coming of the light. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). During this season the light has been increasing. Soon it will explode.

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John 1:1-18

A sermon for the Season of Epiphany

In Hamlet Polonius comes to Hamlet and asks him: “What are you reading?” And Hamlet says: “Words, words, words.” What are words?

 The Gospel of John 1:1 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14 reads: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only son of the Father.” Two words are central, “Word” and “glory.”

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A sermon on the sacraments for the Season of Epiphany

Matt 5:13-20

The gospel lesson is pretty tough. We are to be salt of the earth, light to the peoples, and we’re to keep every tiny detail of the law and commandments. It says every jot and tittle. That’s the same as saying we must dot every “I” and cross every “t.” We must keep every commandment. At the end of Matthew 5:48, it says: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That’s referring to Leviticus 11:44-45. It is also found in 1 Peter 1:15-16: “He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

Note that it doesn’t say you are to do the best you can. “After all, we’re only human, what can we do?” It says: “Be holy the way God is holy.” The Old Testament text, Isaiah 58:1-9, says the same.

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I Corinthians 10:16-17, 12:12-27

A sermon on the Lord’s Supper for the Season of Epiphany

In this season of Epiphany we’ve been looking at how God works practically, how he works though his Word. Last week it was Baptism and today it’s the Lord’s Supper. In order to deal properly with the Lord’s Supper, communion, Eucharist, it is important to go to the baseline: God became a human being and died and rose again for you and me.

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