Posts

Sermon Text for the Divine Service of the Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Image
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter  Ezekiel 36:22-28 John 15:26-16:4 Alleluia, Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia! O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  I was struck by the reason that God articulates for his decision to save His people that is found in Ezekiel. I generally think of God’s mercy toward us as coming from His love. John 3:16 comes to mind regularly. Love appears to be at the root of God’s desire for a formal relationship with His people as expressed through the covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Parental Love appears to be the motivation behind God giving Moses the law. Through the Mosaic Law, God is stating expectations of behavior, providing clear boundaries, and explains what happens when boundaries are crossed. The Psalms regularly speak of God’s love as expression of mercy. Psalm 136 tells the story of creation and Israel’s rescue from slavery in Egypt with...
Post a Comment
Read more

An inspirational and thoughtful speech by Ben Sasse

Image
  Ben Sasse will not be with us for long.  He has a terminal disease. He has decided to contribute to our national conversation about the future for as long as he is able.  Here is the text of a speech he gave at the Manhattan Institute's Hamilton Awards dinner May 6, 2026.   Mr. Sasse says many useful things.  I particularly appreciated his comments on four habits that young families need to inculcate into their way of being a family.  1. Develop the habit of intension reading books: good fiction, history, biography, etc. Reading should be apart from digital distractions.  2. Develop the habit of hard work 3. Develop the habit of a regular tech Sabbath. He also mentions his family's observance of a religious sabbath.  4. Develop the habit of intentional travel to experience and learn from families and different cultures. Sasse explains that this is more than "vacation."  
Post a Comment
Read more

Seventh Sunday of Easter - Video of Divine Service and Sermon Text

Image
7th Sunday of Easter - Video of Divine Service - St. Luke, Rensselaer   The seventh Sunday of Easter     Acts 1:12-26   1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11   John 17:1-11 Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!  O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. The prayer that we commonly call THE LORD’S PRAYER is found in two places: Matthew 6 and Luke 11. Sometimes it can be a surprise to Lutherans that the doxology that we end the Lord’s Prayer with, “ For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen, ” is not found in either Matthew 6 or Luke 11. These are words of praise that were added on later. The earliest written record of Christians using this little doxology is found in the Didache. The word Didache means “Teaching.” It is shorthand for the longer title “Teachings of the Twelve Apostles.” The Didache is one of the writings that we have from Ch...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ascension of Our Lord - Video of Divine Service and Sermon Text

Image
Divine Service at St. Luke in Rensselaer    Thank you to Pastor Dave Mueller of Trinity, Goodland and St. John's, Rensselaer; and to Pastor Andrew Keller of St. James, Reynolds for helping to lead the Divine Service at St. Luke.   2026 Ascension of Our Lord Acts 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:15-23 Luke 24:44-53 Alleluia! Christ is risen.  He is risen indeed. Alleluia!  O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. At the beginning of his Gospel of Jesus, Luke informs Theophilus that he, himself, was not an eyewitness of the ministry of Jesus Christ. His gospel is the result of a thorough investigation. He consulted other gospels of Jesus. I presume that he talked to eyewitnesses. He certainly had access. He writes to Theophilus that he wants to provide an orderly account so that Theophilus can have “certainty concerning the things that you have been taught.” After reading any of the other go...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sixth Sunday of Easter - Video of Divine Service and Sermon Text

Image
Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer   Sixth Sunday of Easter    Acts 17:16-31   1 Peter 3:13-22   John 14:15-21 Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. One of many things I enjoy about being called to serve St. Luke and Our Saviour is the relatively sane driving conditions I enjoy as I travel around the region. I enjoy the two-lane roads, except, of course, when I get behind a large vehicle that is going less than the speed limit and I have somewhere to be.  The challenge of the two-lane road is safely passing the one, two, or three vehicles that prevent expeditious travel. Often, we, or I, cannot see around the vehicles enough to know what is coming and whether the oncoming traffic is far enough away. And, is the person driving slower because they will soon turn left at the next road or driveway?  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fifth Sunday of Easter - Video of Divine Service and Text of Sermon

Image
Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Fifth Sunday of Easter   Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60   1 Peter 2:2-10   John 14:1-14 Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia! O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. The Collect of the Day serves to move us from our Praise of God to our reception of the Living Word of God. The Collect prepares us to listen to God’s Word by collecting the general themes of the appointed Scriptures for the day. I was particularly struck by the request imbedded in the prayer: “ Grant that we may love what you have commanded and desire what you promise .”  God does command us to do and not do things. Commands are demands intended for obedience. God’s commands do not always come natural to us. They may very well chafe against our impulses and preferences. It requires personal discipline for courage and for restraint. God’s demands are for your b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fourth Sunday of Easter - Video of Divine Service and Sermon Text

Image
Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer   The Fourth Sunday of Easter   Acts 2:42-47   1 Peter 2:19-25   John 10:1-10 Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  The Gospel reading today continues a conversation that began when, on a Sabbath day, Jesus healed a man born blind. Eventually, the Pharisees, the great self-appointed policemen of Sabbath keeping, got involved, because Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Chapter 9 contains an instructive conversation about who is truly blind and who really sees. But the conversation is about more than just about sight, blindness, and working on the Sabbath. It is also about hearing and obedience.  Before Jesus healed the man born blind, he responded to his disciples’ question about whose sin caused this man’s birth defect. Was it the man or his parents? Jesus says the man’s ...
Post a Comment
Read more