Sermon - Trinity VII, 2026 - Mark 8:1-9

-
Image
The Multiplication of Loaves, Daniel Halle, 1664 Those who abide with Jesus will be satisfied by Jesus Jesus has compassion on those who abide in Him Jesus provides for us by means of others Those who sacrifice for Christ shall receive far more later Jesus satisfies our hungry hearts so that we do not faint on the way but have strength to reach our heavenly home St. Paul explains: “ I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. ” We’re simple people, or at least I am, and the way in which the Lord reveals Himself to us is through natural, human things. As such, the miracles of Jesus are always more than meets the eye. Of course the feeding of the four thousand reveals God’s providence for us. Of course each miracle reveals the divinity of Christ. However, the miracles are more than the miracles themselves, and they do more than reveal the divinity of Christ. Each miracle Jesus performs is meant to teach us and reveal to us God’s greater work of redemption for all o...
Post a Comment

"Help! My loved one is dying and my pastor can't come!"

-
"My loved one is dying, and the pastor can't come, what do I do?"

Over the past few months, nursing homes and hospitals have been closed to visitors, and at times they won't let the pastor come in even when someone is nearing death. What can you do, even when pastor can't come?

Read the Bible
While it may seem that your loved one is unconscious or asleep, especially since they aren't talking with you and their eyes are closed, however, from my experiences, I've seen hearing improve as death looms closer. Even if they appear to be asleep, it's highly probable they can hear you. So open your Bible and read to them. It will comfort you and them.
Some suggested readings:
Psalms 6, 22, 23, 32, 38, 51, 102, 118, 130, 143
The passion and resurrection accounts: Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, John 18-21
Psalm 4:8
Psalm 27:1
Psalm 31:1
Psalm 73:26
Luke 2:25-32
John 3:16-17
John 10:14-28
Isaiah 53:4-5
Luke 23:39-43
John 11:21-27
Romans 14:7-9
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
2 Timothy 4:6-8
Revelation 7:9-17
1 Corinthians 15

Sing Hymns
Music has a way of bringing comfort to a situation in which the spoken word cannot. Many of our Lutheran hymns have been written with death and resurrection (both Christ's and ours) in mind. If you have a Lutheran Service Book, then I would recommend a few sections to you: Easter (457-490), Christmas (358-393), Trust, Hope and Comfort, Prayer (708-780), and Evening (877-891).
Otherwise, some specific recommendations I find particularly suitable:
Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart 708
God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It 594
For All the Saints 677
Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying 516
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright 395
O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is 372
From Heaven Above to Earth I Come 358
A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth 438
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded 450
Upon the Cross Extended 453
Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands 458
Awake, My Heart, with Gladness 467
The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us 514
By Grace I'm Saved 566
God Loved the World So That He Gave 571
Jesus Loves Me 588
Jesus Sinnders Doth Receive 609
Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior 619
At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing 633
Jerusalem the Golden 672
Jerusalem, My Happy Home 673
Behold a Host, Arrayed in White 676
Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me 683
Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus 685
O God, My Faithful God 696
I Am Jesus' Little Lamb 740
Jesus, Priceless Treasure 743
Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me 756

Pray
During emotional times, such as when your loved one is nearing death, it can be hard to find the words to pray. Simply praying: "Lord, have mercy!" is sufficient. If you're looking for something more, I would recommend these two resources:
This includes readings, psalms, prayers, hymns, the whole deal! When you finish it, you can just start right over and do it again.

The Great Litany has been a part of the church's prayer for centuries. When you need the words to plead God for mercy, this prayer is one of the best. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Defense of Headcoverings

-
Image
A Defense of Headcoverings in the Lutheran Church by Rev. John Henry Koopman “ Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, ...
Read more

The Fruit of the Womb are a Reward - Algona Newspaper Article

-
Image
Children are very often treated as a curse in our culture; we don’t want to have “too many” of them. Fertility is regularly treated like a disease, something which we medicate against. Unborn children are treated like commodities or science experiments. For example, Francis Collins, the former head of the NIH presided over, funded, ordered, or participated in experiments on human fetuses procured from abortions, such as a University of Pittsburgh experiment which grafted infant scalps onto lab rats. These are the types of atrocities we’d expect from Nazis, yet they’re taking place in our own modern day nation.  Approximately 800,000+ abortions are performed yearly in the United States. About 3,500 abortions take place here in Iowa each year. Think about those numbers for a moment. About as many people as live in Emmetsburg are killed before birth in Iowa. More people than live in Des Moines are killed yearly in the United States. Those are some sobering numbers. Contrast that with ...
Read more

Sermon - Easter Vigil 2023

-
Image
The Resurrection of Christ , Giovanni Battista Moroni, circa 1545-1548 This is the night When the Pascha is not merely celebrated but enacted in us by faith To borrow a phrase from T. S. Elliot’s epic poem about time, tonight is a “still point in the turning world.” The Creation of the world, from darkness to light, and chaos to order; the Exodus out of Egypt, in which the angel of death passed over the faithful and the Israelites passed over the Red Sea on dry ground; the Passion of our Lord, instituting His Supper, His betrayal in the garden, the unjust trial and His bloody crucifixion; the Resurrection from the tomb; your Resurrection on the final day. All this, the past and the future of redemption is right now. This, your redemption, is not merely celebrated like a birthday or an anniversary, but it is relived in us by faith this very night. At the Passover meal the Israelites did not merely remember the historical event of the Exodus, but they relived the Passover as their own de...
Read more