The end of the church year always focuses on the last things of this life and this age. The Nicene Creed confessed before the sermon will remind the congregation of “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” You may say at the Service of the Sacrament, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus,” and His return is announced as…

One finds in our text God’s gracious irony at work. God is celebrated not as One who exalts Himself at the expense of others but as the One who humbles Himself that others might be exalted. God’s grace raises that which is low and enriches that which is poor. Ultimately, this gracious contrast is made known most fully to us on the…

“Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd. . . . Rescue and preserve us that we may not be lost forever but follow You, rejoicing in the way that leads to eternal life.” The Collect for Proper 19 well summarizes the day. In the Gospel, our preaching text, Jesus tells His parable of the shepherd seeking out one lost sheep (and also…