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Showing posts from May, 2026

Sermon - Calov Conference Sermon 2026 - Psalm 91

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Isenheim Altarpiece, Matthias Grunewald, 1512 Trust in the Lord and Look upon the Savior God delivers us through the blood of Jesus Christ He ordains the angels to lift us up He intentionally directs us to walk in danger for the sake of our faith After Absalom killed Amnon he fled. Joab directed a theatrical scene between David and a pretend widow, in order to convince David to welcome Absalom back to Jerusalem. In this dramatic scene, the actress recites a powerful line: “ We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and He devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. ” What a rich illustration she uses of water spilled on the ground. Two other times in the book of Samuel water is poured on the ground. Once when Samuel is judge, after the ark has returned to Jerusalem, he pours water upon the ground as a sign of repentance. A second time David pours the water on the ground when his m...

Sermon - Exaudi 2026 - 1 Peter 4:7-14

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Gossip , Eugene de Blaas, 1903 Covering One-Anothers’ Faults Jesus not only overlooks our sins, but forgives them and covers us up We glorify Christ by forgiving one another, and covering up their shame Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! “ Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. ” Strife is all too common among us and it’s hard to get along with others. Some people are really mean, some are really annoying, and some people are both. Sometimes this comes out after just brief interactions, other times it’s with people you are around all the time. Perhaps this happens most often with those whom we love a lot. So today St. Peter instructs us: “ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ” When considering our sins and the sins of one another, it’s important for us to establish our love for one another in Christ. Jesus teaches us: “ Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ” St. Paul says: “ Wal...

Sermon - Cantate 2026 - John 16:5-15

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Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles , Duccio di Buoninsegna 1308 The Spirit Guides us into the Truth The Spirit of Truth inspired the prophets and apostles to preach and write the scriptures The Spirit of Truth implants the Word into our hearts Alleluia! Christ is risen! How do you know the truth of Jesus’ teachings? This is confirmation Sunday today, so how do we know that the confirmands actually know the truth and believe the right things? How do we know that the Lutheran Church speaks the truth? How do we know that Christians, broadly speaking, even know that Jesus is real and that He is true God and true man and was crucified and risen for the forgiveness of our sins?  These are questions that the church has had to ask since the beginning of time. The devil questioned Adam and Eve if God actually said those things about the forbidden fruit. Korah rebelled against Moses asserting that the whole congregation is holy and therefore they shouldn’t trust that God is speaking through...