Pastor's Midweek Message

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready… Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good.” Matthew 22:8–10 Who is a good person? That sounds like an easy question until you try to answer it. Someone may do many good things but also some terrible ones. Someone with a bad reputation may unexpectedly show kindness. Where exa

The cartoon character holds a sign saying, “The End Is Near.” The Bible teaches that history is moving toward a definite end, not as a reason for panic, but as an invitation to consider what gives lasting hope and meaning. Christians believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection have already secured salvation, even as we still wait for the day when he returns and makes all things new. Because no one knows when that day will come, Jesus calls us to live with open eyes and honest

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3–4 Look around you. Where are you encouraged to value others more than yourself? You may have to dig for a while. You won’t have to dig very far to find encouragement to value yourself. “You matter.” “Know your worth.” “Realize your potential.” There is something healthy in recog

10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” Jonah 4:10-11 How do you feel when good things happen to other people? That probably depends heavily on who the other people

31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31–32 I’m not sure what your relationship with coffee is. Many people love it. Others take one sip and wonder what all the fuss is about. Coffee can be bitter. So can grapefruit, arugula, or very dark chocolate. Maybe your tastes have changed over the years. As a ch

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. Matthew 18:15 “Go and point out someone’s faults.” In our world, plenty of people seem more than happy to do that! Especially online. Someone says or does something wrong, and suddenly thousands of people pile on. Unflattering pictures are posted. Words are pulled out of context. People seem almost to enjoy exposing, embarrassing, and conde

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 16:24-26 Most of us like the idea of traveling light. We’re more open today to acknowledging everyone

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loo

The opening lines of the United States Declaration of Independence boldly assert that certain truths are “self-evident”—truths accessible to human reason and widely recognized by observation of the world. Among these are that all people are created equal and possess unalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The founders appealed to principles they believed reasonable people could recognize simply by reflecting on human nature and justice. These t

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. Genesis 18:1-10 Abraham had the remarkable privilege of welcoming the Lord himself and two angels into his home one day. When he first looked up, he simply saw three men. At what point he re

16Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18“Bring them here to me,” he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. (Matthew 14:16–19) A huge crowd had gathered to hear Je

17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. Lists of the world’s richest people attract plenty of attention. Recent headlines proclaimed the world’s first trillionaire. A trillion dollars is an amount of money that’s

Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. In the early 2000s, a line from a college commencement speech caught people’s attention: “Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” The speaker was not a Christian, but he still spoke some truth about the human heart. Everyone builds life around something. Everyone looks somewhere for meaning and hope. It

Isaiah 55:10–11 10As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. We’ve had a dry winter. There is concern about water levels. Watering restrictions are in place. Low water levels

The Bible says Christians are different. Christians are people who believe in Jesus as their Savior. But they often look the same as those who do not believe in Jesus. How are Christians different? The answer is often something internal, attitudes or perspectives that come only from the work of the Holy Spirit in Word and sacrament.

1 Timothy 6:11–12 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Paul gives Timothy, and all of us, some clear direction for a life that loves God. There are things to flee from, and there are things to pursue. To flee means more than casually avoi

But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. (Jeremiah 20:9) Jeremiah, the prophet, starts out verse 7 of chapter 20 with an unbelievable statement: You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived. Are we ever let down when we speak the Word? How could Jeremiah say that? Those thoughts came into his head because he had preached and had go

2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Corinthians 4:2-4) As we grow up, we learn to make more of our own decisions. We form our own views. We hopefully grow in wisdom and discernment. There is something good about that. God does not want

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.1 Timothy 1:13-14 I don’t really follow horse racing, but I recently saw the replay of this year’s Kent

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14) We might be tempted to think that understanding God should be simple. Then we open the Bible and God is far beyond an easy human explanation. God is one. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). And then God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God. Three persons. We call this the Trinity.