The readings for today are in commemoration of Saint Mary Magdalene. She is remembered for remaining faithful to Jesus while others flee, for standing at the foot of the cross as Jesus is crucified, as the first witness of the risen Christ, and the first to proclaim His resurrection.
Commemoration services like this give you the opportunity to remember the saints of old. In honoring them, your own faith is strengthened, and you’re encouraged by the truth that grace abounds more than sin. These saints serve as examples for you to imitate in their faith, their godly virtues, and the good works they carried out according to their callings. You are called to do the same in your own vocations and calls. …For more, click on the title above.
Tag: Vicar Hartman
Last man standing
In our Old Testament reading for today, the voice of the Lord speaks to a despairing prophet in the desert wilderness of Egypt on Mount Sinai. But this isn’t where the story begins. It begins in the fertile highlands of northern Israel on Mount Carmel. It begins with the theological showdown for the ages….For more, click on the title above.
Lost and Found
Before we explore the reading from Luke’s Gospel, we need to set the table for the parable Jesus tells. Throughout Luke’s account the Pharisees repeatedly test, challenge, and oppose Him. If Jesus is the protagonist or main character of the story, then the Pharisees clearly function as the antagonists, opposing His mission at every turn. They challenge His authority, they attempt to trap Him with Sabbath laws, and they test Him over purity practices.
That’s why when the ruler of the Pharisees invites Jesus to dine with him on the Sabbath, we should understand that their intentions are far from pure….For more, click on the title above.
Blessed reversal
The fullness of time had come. God honored His promise and acted on His mercy when He sent the messenger Gabriel to Mary. Gabriel said, “You have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Mary responded to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” …For more, click on the title above.
Biblical narrative in the liturgy
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central event in salvation history, the culmination of the true biblical story. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Every Sunday is the Lord’s Day and a day of celebrating His Resurrection. Every Sunday is a “little Easter.” The Resurrection is the heartbeat of the Church that pulses throughout the Church Year in every
service. Your salvation was earned by Christ and given for you on Easter. Everything hangs on this event as Paul says, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” Easter is the day the firstborn from the dead became the first fruits of the
new creation. …For more, click on the title above.
Let me not understand
Today marks the end of the Festival Half of the Church Year as we celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday. Throughout the festival season we’ve traced our salvation history as it was revealed through Jesus Christ in His incarnation, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and finally the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. But this day stands apart from every other Sunday. …For more, click on the title above.
Ascension is not departure
The Feast of the Asension is a celebration of Jesus’ ascension into the heavens, and His return to the Father in glory. We give thanks that Christ is exalted and reigns in full divine power as He sits at the right hand of God. As we await Jesus’ glorified, bodily, and visible return from the heavens, we pray that Jesus’ continued presence in Word and Sacrament continually dwells in our hearts and minds….For more, click on the title above.
Man’s complaint
A lament is a passionate expression of sorrow. It’s crying out in grief. It’s a complaint. That’s why there’s good reason the author of the book of Lamentations is called the weeping prophet. Jeremiah wrote the book to express the profound sadness, anguish, and despair that was before him. But to better understand the events that He and the Israelites in the Southern Kingdom went through we need to go back in Israel’s history about four hundred years. What was Jerusalem like at that time? …For more, click on the title above.
Another Resurrection Day
The apostle Paul writes,
“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”
But your sins are forgiven, and your faith isn’t empty. Your faith isn’t meaningless because Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, Alleluia. Your faith rests upon this proclamation of the Resurrection of the Lord. …For more, click on the title above.
Crown of thorns
To fully understand the Passion Narrative from the book of John we need to go back several chapters and pluck out a few verses. Just after Lazarus was raised from the dead we read,
“So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, ‘What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’” For more, click on the title above.