The righteous man, Jesus, is your sure and certain hope

This year, today is the third Sunday in the fourth part of the Trinity season. The weekly readings continue be proclaimed in order to turn their hearers hearts and minds to their emphasis on the power Christians are given to endure as we live under the cross, that which comes to us through the Faith of Jesus. The texts reveal the power of God that gives you strength in your struggle against the temptations of the world. They lead you to hear and believe that our victory against all those who oppose us, on account of the Faith we rightly confess is assured through the death and resurrection of the only truly righteous Man, Jesus the Christ…For more, click on the title above.

King of the Hill

Stained glass window fro Christ the King Lutheran Church, Redlands, California

King of the hill. I’m sure you’ve all heard of that game. My father was in the Air Force and we moved around a lot. Before I was 10 we lived in Newfoundland, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Germany and Illinois. Everywhere we went we would end up playing this game and the rules never changed.
The object was to take the hill—even if you had to make little secret pacts with other kids (or even your brother)—to get to the top of the hill. …for more, click on the title above.

The Word of God dispels death

She was the mother of the dead. We all expect to bury our parents. This woman had probably already grieved over both of hers. We expect one spouse to have to bury the other. This widow had already buried her husband. And now the unthinkable: she had to bury her only son. St. Luke does not tell us how young this boy was, but in the eyes of a mother, she was burying her little boy… .For more, click on the title above.

You have been given the endurance you need

Starting with the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, members of this congregation began to hear again that we have entered the time of the Church that is given to focus us upon endurance through the Word. We were reminded that it is the Word of God, proclaimed, heard as well as Incarnate, that gives us the power of God to stand fast in the face of our enemies. The Word is what the members of the Body of Christ truly need in order to grant us faithful endurance in all the battles that the forces of evil wage against us. It is that which continues to remind us that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus. …click on the title above for more

Life according to God’s Word

Jesus heals the Ten by Patrick J Murphy

The Word of the Lord in the changable readings of the day—called the Propers—began for us with a question and an answer. Those remind us how wonderful and beneficial it can be to hear God’s Word as we are doing today. They emphasize God’s answer to the question posed by many of the faithful in our day, that is, “how may I live the Christian life?” That is just what the second section, or “Beth,” (B) division of Psalm 119 continues to communicate with these words:
How can a young man keep pure his way?
By (his) guarding (it) according to Your Word.
… click on the title above for more

The sacrifice of thanksgiving comes from grateful hearts

This week’s readings proclaim the difference, as seen from God’s all-knowing vantage point, between true God-pleasing worship as a response to His gifts and God-rejected worship that people attempt to give to God to move Him to act upon that which humans will, desire and covet. The readings declare God’s desires that His people, you, would worship Him in Spirit and Truth. The readings condemn mere outward religious acts, no matter how well they are performed. … click on the title above for more