Sermon - Trinity XXIII 2026 - Matthew 22:15-22

-
Image
Tribute Money , Peter Paul Rubens, 1612 The Things that are God’s Intro: The sorrows and travails of our lives with Caesar Nevertheless, God created the three estates, therefore all are God’s, including the state We owe Caesar what little belongs to him We owe God everything, since all belongs to Him Although Caesar has much power to do harm on earth, the Lord has far greater power to bless us for all eternity Joachim Magdeburg was a 16th century German Lutheran pastor. He was a man of firm resolve and faithful to his friends. Much of the time he was faithful to the pure doctrine of God’s word, even if at times he erred in this or that way. As a result of his staunch faithfulness for the most part, Joachim Magdeburg didn’t remain in any one place for very long. Just as the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head, neither did Joachim Magdeburg, it would seem. Joachim Magdeburg during his life wrote a small set of hymns for each day of the week, and in that collection we find the first st...
Post a Comment

June 24th, 2022 - Emmetsburg Newspaper Article 7/7/22

-



The SCOTUS finally overturned Roe v Wade, correcting a horrific error. It is with joy that we Christians give thanks to God for this momentous decision! This is only the first step, since abortion is still legal in a majority of US states, including Iowa. Nevertheless, this is a step in the right direction and a victory for life in our nation. The lie of abortion has harmed millions, killing children, hurting mothers, and teaching us that a person’s value is determined by their abilities. As Christians we confess that it is wrong to kill babies.

God wonderfully knits all children together in their mothers’ wombs. Every life is valuable to God since He authored each life. God even took on our human flesh when Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. Jesus in the womb makes it clear that all lives are valuable: mothers, fathers, elderly, children, newborns, embryos, zygotes, and blastocysts! Christ took on our flesh in order to die upon the cross in our stead, and so led us out of death to LIFE eternal when He rose from the dead.

Some claim that Christians don’t care about mothers, but that’s simply not true. Christians around the country support pregnancy centers, diaper and clothing drives, adoption services, and parenting classes. We love women and children. If you’ve had an abortion, we love you too. God’s grace is yours in Christ Jesus who shed His blood so that you may be forgiven and find peace and hope in the resurrection. If you’re ever experiencing a surprise pregnancy or having difficulties providing for your family, we won’t judge you, we won’t offer to kill your unborn baby, we will only offer you support, assistance, and most importantly: Christ.

Lord have mercy upon us.

Rev. John Henry Koopman

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

Sermon - Proper 27, Year C, 2025 - Luke 20:27-40

-
Image
Resurrection of the Flesh , Luca Signorelli, 1502 The Resurrection of Man Intro The body/soul composition of man Death is the unnatural separation of the body from the soul The intermediate state of man Resurrection is the reunion of the body and soul “ There came to Him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection. ” Just as today among God’s people, at the time of Jesus there were divisions and distinctions amongst the Israelites. Most well known to us are the Pharisees and Sadducees. Today we see in particular the group known as the Sadducees. The Sadducees were a Jewish sect that flourished right around the time of Jesus. They were wealthy and powerful individuals, primarily made up of high-priestly families and aristocrats who controlled temple worship. Additionally, they were friendly to the Romans and worked with Roman authorities. While the Pharisees were lovers of man-made laws, the Sadducees were more interested in their family heritage. The Sadducees were also...
Read more

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

-
Image
"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 Corinthian...
Read more