The appointed reading comes after Amos receives a vision of a basket of summer fruit (8:1–3). It is a sign of the prosperity that the people have enjoyed, but one which signals its own coming end. To what lengths have God’s people gone to attain such bounty? What has been the true cost? How much longer can it last? The voice of…

Paul instructs Timothy on how he is to conduct himself as a servant of Christ Jesus. This is especially important since some individuals within the church have strayed away from the sound doctrine of God (1:3–7) and even destroyed their faith in Christ Jesus because of it (1:19–20). Only when one rightly understands the sound doctrine of God, in terms of both…

To love the Lord, to obey His voice, and to hold fast to Him requires grace. It requires the gifts of Word and Sacrament and the Holy Spirit who works through these means to create and preserve faith in our hearts and to anchor us always in Christ and His perfect atoning work for us. Link to Service video on Vimeo Link…

We learn about those who will recline at table in the kingdom of God with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets. They will come from east and west and from north and south; indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last. Many will seek to enter, but the door is narrow. Here Jesus…