Preaching and Teaching from St. John Ev. Lutheran Church (Sherman Center), Random Lake, Wisconsin
2,985 episodes — Page 21 of 60
"Getting the Direction of the Salvation Verbs Right" Epiphany 2B 2024
January 17, 2024
Nicodemus Comes to Jesus by Night—John 3:1-16
January 17, 2024
Behold the Lamb of God—John 1:19-34
January 16, 2024
The Baptism of Our Lord—Matthew 3:1-6, 13-17
January 15, 2024
"Cleansing Blood and Springs Fountain Flows from Jesus" Epiphany 2 2024
January 14, 2024
Bible Study: Ezekiel 44:10ff
January 14, 2024
The Lord Shows Moses His Glory—Exodus 33:12-23; Ephesians 5:22-33
January 13, 2024
The Ark of the Covenant Is Captured—1 Samuel 3:21—4:22
January 12, 2024
The Lord Calls to the Boy Samuel—1 Sam 2:12, 18-21; 3:1-20
January 11, 2024
"Jesus' Baptism Is Your Baptism, Too" Baptism of Our Lord 2024
January 10, 2024
The Song of Hannah—1 Samuel 2:1-11
January 10, 2024
The Prophet Samuel Is Born—1 Samuel 1:19—2:2
January 9, 2024
Hannah Prays for a Son—1 Samuel 1:1-18
January 8, 2024
"The Spirit will give you to grow in wisdom, and in favor with God and men" Epiphany 1 2024
January 7, 2024
Bible Study: Ezekiel 44:1-9
January 7, 2024
The Ark Is Brought into the Temple—1 Kings 8:6-13; Romans 12:1-5
January 6, 2024
The Boy Jesus in the Temple–Luke 2:41-52
January 5, 2024
The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents—Matthew 2:16-23
January 4, 2024
"Drawn out of the Nations by Word and Spirit for Worship and Thanksgiving" Epiphany (observed) 2024
January 3, 2024
The Flight into Egypt—Matthew 2:13-15
January 3, 2024
The Visit of the Magi—Matthew 2:1-12
January 2, 2024
Circumcision and Name of Jesus—Luke 2:21
January 1, 2024
"The Lord’s Christ, the Consolation of Israel, the redemption of Jerusalem" Christmas 1, 2023
December 31, 2023
"Innocent in the Blood of Jesus" Holy Innocents 2023
December 27, 2023
Bible Study: Ezekiel 43:13ff
December 31, 2023
The Spirit of the Lord Shall Rest Upon Him—Isaiah 11:1-5; Galatians 4:1-7
December 30, 2023
The Rest in Returning to the Lord—Isaiah 30:8-17; Romans 8:31b-39
December 29, 2023
Holy Innocents, Martyrs: Matthew 2:13-18; Jeremiah 31:10-17
December 28, 2023
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist: John 21:20-25; 1 John 1:1—2:2
December 27, 2023
St. Stephen, Martyr: Acts 6:8—7:60; Matthew 23:34-39
December 26, 2023
"By becoming man, Jesus assumes everything you are" Christmas Day 2023
December 25, 2023
"Messengers from God proclaiming the Good News of Christ’s birth!" Christmas Dawn 2023
The shepherds proclaimed what the Lord had done. Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart, later delivering them to St. Luke so that we, too, would hear and believe. So, all of it: the message of the Angel, the song of the heavenly host, the sign of the promise, and the promise Himself, Jesus, is given today for you, too. It all rings out in your ears, that you would hear, come, and see. Now, He wrapped up for you in bread and wine, but is the same Savior given to save you.
"In the cradle of obscurity, our Savior is born." Christmas Midnight 2023
My brothers and sisters, as we ponder this mystery again, we are invited to also embrace the divine reversal, recognizing that in our lowly estates, we, too, are recipients of the angelic proclamation. The God who chose shepherds on the outskirts and the Magi from distant lands chooses us to partake in His grand narrative of rescue and respite.
"Joseph is the noble defender of woman and child that Jesus be given to us" Vigil of Christmas 2023
December 24, 2023
Bible Study: Ezekiel 43:1-12
December 24, 2023
Prepare for the Vigil of Christmas: Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-6
December 23, 2023
St. Thomas, Apostle (observed): John 20:24-29
December 22, 2023
The Shepherds Visit Bethlehem—Luke 2:15-20
December 21, 2023
"Christians suffer persecution for confessing the truth of God’s Word" Wednesday of Advent 3 2023
John and Jesus are both also murdered unjustly for speaking the Word of God in an attempt to silence their calls to repentance. Here, too, John prepares the way for the One who is greater than he. His whole life and death is a finger that points us to Christ. John is beheaded for the sake of defending holy marriage. Jesus is crucified that He might claim all humanity anew and take each of us to be a part of His Bride, the Holy Church.
The Birth of Christ Is Announced to Shepherds—Luke 2:8-14
December 20, 2023
The Nativity of Our Lord—Luke 2:1-7
December 19, 2023
Christ’s Birth Is Foretold to Joseph—Matthew 1:18-25
December 18, 2023
“What Child Is This?” Children's Program 2023
17. December 2023 Children’s Program Hymn: “What Child Is This?” In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen. Children love to ask questions. Adults don’t always like answering them. Sometimes, the questions are absurd and don’t make sense. Sometimes, the answers are uncomfortable, and adults want to avoid answering. But as the children have heard me say, “There are no bad questions, only bad answers.” An inquisitive and curious mind is God the Father’s gift. Teaching is the art of stimulating conversation and investigating life's little and big things. This is part of delighting in God’s creation. Even taxonomy can be fun, finding joy in naming the plants, animals, and stars. Who hasn’t looked at the clouds and asked, “What does that look like?” God’s gift of creation enchants us as children. At some point, we’re told or conditioned to stop asking questions. What happened to the delight, joy, and discovery of learning something new? It’s sad, really. There’s so much to explore, pursue, enjoy, and delight in. And in learning and acknowledging that knowledge is a gift, we worship the giver of every good gift coming down from the Father of lights. Curiosity is a blessing, not a curse, no matter how many times the child asks the same question. God’s Word is given for our delight, exploration, and investigation. Jesus wants us to wrestle with Him, asking questions and listening to His answers. Every day, we begin our school day by listening to Jesus’ Word and then asking questions. Sometimes, the Word doesn’t reveal the answer to our questions. Where Jesus is silent, we can’t do anything but speculate. Guessing doesn’t save us. But some Jesus loves to have us ask Him questions about sin, death, faith, life, hope, and salvation. William Dix knew that when he wrote “What Child Is This?” one of his 300 hymns. Often used as a Christmas hymn, "What child is this?" begins with a four-phrase question, and stanza 2 has a two-phrase question, prompting the singer to answer them from the Scriptures. “Jesus” is the answer in stanza 1, which is a survey of His nativity as He is greeted by angels “with anthems sweet” and by shepherds. Jesus is identified as Christ, King, and "son of Mary." We are to "bring Him laud," an uncommon but understandable word for "praise." The answer to the question "Why lies He in such mean estate?" depends upon the meaning of the archaic and often confusing term "mean," understood here as "lowly," "inferior," or "humble." The "good Christian" observes this child in fear or reverent awe, for the Word made flesh asks us. He lies ignobly where animals feed in anticipation of His lowly, humble Passion, crucifixion, and death “for me, for you.” The line “the cross be borne” directs our hearts again to the purpose for which Christ was born. Stanza 3 has no questions, but plenty of gifts are given in faith-filled response to the gift given by God in Christ, namely, salvation from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Faithful, loving hearts enthrone this King. The Wise Men brought three gifts: incense, gold, and myrrh. Everyone, from peasant to king, claims Him as his own, confessing Christ as Lord by faith. “What Child Is This?” asks questions and directs us to the Scriptures for the answers. It encourages us to be children again, asking and inquiring from Jesus what His Christmas is all about. So, be children again. Explore, investigate, and delight as you hear the story of our Lord Jesus’s nativity again. And join in joyful song as Dix brings us back to a celebration of the birth of our Lord; for Jesus, the babe, the Son of Mary, was born to die so sinners live in Him.
"Our doubts can always be conquered by learning to know Christ himself" Advent 3 2023
December 17, 2023
Bible Study: Ezekiel 43 Excursus
December 17, 2023
Comfort My People—Isaiah 40:1-11; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
December 16, 2023
The Benedictus—Luke 1:67-80
December 15, 2023
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist—Luke 1:57-66
December 14, 2023
"The call to repentance comes, and in faith, the Spirit directs us to Christ" Advent Midweek 2 2023
December 13, 2023
The Visitation—Luke 1:39-56
December 13, 2023