The text begins the descent toward Jerusalem in the Gospel according to Mark. The event it records occurs right after the transfiguration and is immediately preceded and followed by Jesus speaking of His coming death and resurrection. This death-and-resurrection bookending of the text in the Gospel highlights its events as a proclamation of our Lord, who has come to do what we…

In the Old Testament Reading, the basis for this study, we hear how the Lord will reverse all the ramifications of sin for His people. This happens in Jesus, the Messiah. During his ministry, He foreshadowed what is to come on the Last Day as He cared for those who cried out to Him in their physical needs (cf Lk 7:18–23). We…

The Pharisees and scribes had gathered to Jesus when they witnessed His disciples eating with defiled, unwashed hands. This contradicted the tradition of the elders. They questioned Jesus for allowing His disciples to do this. Jesus called them hypocrites. This “heart” of the Pharisees and scribes, and really of all mankind, Jesus speaks to specifically in our Gospel text today. Link to…

Each congregation has its own local customs and traditions, many of which will likely be used in the Divine Service that will surround the reading of this Gospel. Ideally, these traditions serve the Gospel by pointing God’s people to the works of  Jesus Christ and His salvation, which is received only by faith in Him. Link to Service video on Vimeo Link…

Each of our readings for this Sunday contains an invitation to a unique relationship with God. To understand the connections between our Old Testament Reading from Proverbs and the other readings, we must understand the nature of wisdom. More than just a collection of clever sayings or even a knowledge of the truth, wisdom is knowing God, and that knowledge comes as…

The hymn “Es ist genug” expresses the same feelings Elijah cries out in our text, even using the same words of his lament, “It is enough” (1 Ki 19:4). Ironically, our hymn “I Am Content!” by which we know the tune from this sad hymn is a song of victorious Easter confidence. Thus, the tune forms a bridge from the words of…

The Old Testament Reading (Ex 16:2–15) is our text, in which God miraculously provides the manna from heaven out of the generosity of His hand. It is the Lord God who provides for the needs of His people. The Gospel records that when Jesus addresses the crowd, He refers to Himself as “the bread of life” who has “come down from heaven”…

In Psalm 136 the psalmist praises God for the wonders of creation (Ps 136:4–9) with the echoing refrain, “for His steadfast love endures forever.” This wonderfully connects to the Old Testament Reading when God places the bow in the clouds (Gen 9:13–15), demonstrating to Noah and his family that His steadfast love will indeed endure forever, for God will never again destroy…

We welcome Pastor Roger Rohde as our guest pastor today. May his words glorify our risen Savior and bless us with the knowledge that a heart of repentance has the sure and certain hope of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Link to Service video on Vimeo Link to service bulletin

For the past several weeks in the Gospel readings, worshipers have heard of the teaching and miraculous power of Jesus. Last week, the Gospel displayed the hometown rejection of Jesus. This rejection, even when followed by the successful ministry of the Twelve, sets the scene for the rejection, arrest, and execution of John the Baptist in today’s Gospel. We praise God for…