For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16) For the entire month ahead we’re going to focus on some key insights from Paul’s letter to the ...

“Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” Acts 14:15 The verse above comes from a longer story ...

God’s voice said to him (Peter) again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” (Acts 10:15) Have you ever sensed that God wanted you to do something that you didn’t want to do? In the verse above, God is instructing Peter to eat foods ...

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I ...

Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. (Matthew 28:9) The resurrection of Jesus is not something we expect. It isn’t something that we can explain either. But once we encounter the risen Christ the instinct to worship ...

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna ...

“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13) There is much in scripture that talks about readiness and alertness. There is much in life that distracts us and makes it hard for us to be alert and ready. This tension between readiness and reality ...

“Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.”  Matthew 22:9 The verse above is from another puzzling parable that Jesus tells to help us understand who God is and how God works. In the story a king has prepared a wedding ...

Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ Matthew 20:15 One of the most frustrating parables in Jesus’ teaching is the parable of the workers in the vineyard. In the story, the owner of the vineyard ...

Jesus said, “If another member of the church[a] sins against you,[b] go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” (Matthew 18:15) There is enough in this simple sentence of Jesus to change the world. More things go ...

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) We emphasize grace a lot in our tradition. It is the strength of the Lutheran message and a gift to us and the whole church. ...

And all ate and were filled; they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:20-21) Our culture teaches us to think about things scarcely. Advertisers spend entire careers convincing us ...