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June 5, 2026

Broadcast

                    Do You Like a Mystery? - Part 5
                               John 3:17
                              06/05/2026


        17   For God did not send his Son into the world to
             condemn the world, but in order that the world
             might be saved through him.  (ESV)

        The story of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus
   does not answer the question, ``How can God be One yet three
   Persons?  How can we worship the Trinity in Unity neither
   confusing the persons nor dividing the substance?''  The mystery
   remains.

        Yet, this conversation explains the work of each person for
   our salvation.  The Father, who loves His creation, sent His Son
   to redeem us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.  The
   Holy Spirit creates and sustains the faith, the trust, each
   Christian has that Jesus' death and resurrection is for them.

        ``For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
   world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.''

        Therefore the Church prays:
        Almighty and everlasting God, You have given us grace
        to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the
        confession of a true faith and to worship the Unity in
        the power of the Divine Majesty.  Keep us steadfast in
        this faith and defend us from all adversities; for You,
        O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one
        God, now and forever.


        We still study this mystery to learn more of God's love.
   That is why you should join us each Sunday at Trinity Lutheran
   Church at 9:00 a.m. to hear more about God's great love, grace,
   and mercy.

        God grant this for Jesus' sake.  Amen.

June 4, 2026

Broadcast

                    Do You Like a Mystery? - Part 4
                             John 3:13-16
                              06/04/2026


        13   No one has ascended into heaven except he who
             descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
        14   And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
             wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
        15   that whoever believes in him may have eternal
             life.
        16   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
             Son, that whoever believes in him should not
             perish but have eternal life.  (ESV)

        This week we are looking at the Trinity, the Church's
   understanding of God, by studying the third chapter of Saint
   John's Gospel.  How did Jesus explain the mystery of faith to
   Nicodemus?  He looked back to the days when the children of
   Israel were in the wilderness.  Because they grumbled against
   Moses, and therefore grumbled against God, they were plagued by
   venomous snakes.  A lot of people were bitten and died.

        When the people repented, God told Moses to make a bronze
   image of a snake and elevate it on a pole.  Those who were bitten
   and looked in faith to the bronze serpent did not die.

        No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended
        from heaven, the Son of Man.  And as Moses lifted up
        the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man
        be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have
        eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave
        his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
        perish but have eternal life.


        The second Person of the Trinity, the One who came down from
   heaven, would also be lifted up on a wooden cross.  Those who
   look to the cross, those who trust that the death of the Son of
   God paid for their rebellion, will have life.

        The Father, out of love, sent His Son to bear the sins of
   the world.  That is the mystery of the faith.

        May our Lord grant that we may look in faith to Christ Jesus
   for the forgiveness of our sins.  Amen.

June 3, 2026

Broadcast

                    Do You Like a Mystery? - Part 3
                              John 3:9-12
                              06/03/2026


        9    Nicodemus said to him, ``How can these things
             be?''
        10   Jesus answered him, ``Are you the teacher of
             Israel and yet you do not understand these things?
        11   Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we
             know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but
             you do not receive our testimony.
        12   If I have told you earthly things and you do not
             believe, how can you believe if I tell you
             heavenly things?''  (ESV)

        This week we are looking at the Trinity, the Church's
   understanding of God, by studying the third chapter of Saint
   John's Gospel.  Jesus told Nicodemus, ``You must be born again.
   Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
   kingdom of God.''

        Nicodemus said to him, ``How can these things be?''
        Jesus answered him, ``Are you the teacher of Israel and
        yet you do not understand these things?  Truly, truly,
        I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear
        witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive
        our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and
        you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you
        heavenly things?''


        This is the mystery we ponder.  If we are not saved by our
   good works, if we cannot please God by our actions, how can we be
   assured of eternal life?  Frankly, if we don't have faith, if we
   have rejected the calling of the Holy Spirit, the message of
   Christianity is foolishness.  It was foolishness to Nicodemus, it
   was foolishness to both Jews and Greeks in Corinth, it is
   foolishness to modern ears.

        Of course, there is a lot in the world that is true that we
   don't understand, that we think makes no sense.  Our inability to
   unravel the mystery does not change the truth.  It shows that we
   need to learn more.

        May our Lord grant us faith to learn and understand His
   grace, love, and mercy so that we may have life everlasting.
   Amen.

June 2, 2026

Broadcast

                    Do You Like a Mystery? - Part 2
                              John 3:4-6
                              06/02/2026


        4    Nicodemus said to him, ``How can a man be born
             when he is old? Can he enter a second time into
             his mother's womb and be born?''
        5    Jesus answered, ``Truly, truly, I say to you,
             unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he
             cannot enter the kingdom of God.
        6    That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that
             which is born of the Spirit is spirit.''  (ESV)

        This week we are looking at the mystery of the Trinity, that
   we worship one God yet Three Persons.  The third chapter of Saint
   John's Gospel shows us the work of each Person.

        Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council of the Jews, came
   to ask Jesus about His teaching.  Immediately Jesus told
   Nicodemus, ``Unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom
   of God.''  No matter how good one is in keeping the law of God,
   and Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, was an outstanding example of the
   perfect pious man, you cannot earn heaven.

        Nicodemus said to him, ``How can a man be born when he
        is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's
        womb and be born?''  Jesus answered, ``Truly, truly, I
        say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
        he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born
        of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
        Spirit is spirit.''


        Our new birth is not physical, but a gift of God given
   through baptism as the Holy Spirit uses the water and the Word to
   create faith.  It is the the work of the Holy Spirit to call us
   to God as we are shown our sin and as we hear the Gospel.

        This truth leads us to the definition of the Church, the
   people of God who are gathered in faith around the Word and
   Sacraments.  This truth leads us to the understanding that
   salvation is by God's rich love alone.

        May our Lord, the Triune God, grant us faith to hear and
   trust the Words given to us by Jesus Christ.  Amen.

June 1, 2026

Broadcast

                    Do You Like a Mystery? - Part 1
                              John 3:1-3
                              06/01/2026


        1    Now there was a man of the Pharisees named
             Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
        2    This man came to Jesus by night and said to him,
             ``Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from
             God, for no one can do these signs that you do
             unless God is with him.''
        3    Jesus answered him, ``Truly, truly, I say to you,
             unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom
             of God.''  (ESV)

        This week, in honor of Trinity Sunday, the sign by the road
   asks, ``Do you like a mystery?''  No, we are not talking Sherlock
   Holmes, but the doctrine of the Church.  What do we believe,
   teach, and confess?

        Trinity Sunday marks the division of the Church Year from
   following the life of Jesus from His birth, through His death and
   resurrection, to His ascension.  Unlike the other feasts during
   the year, today celebrates the Church's understanding of God.

        That is the mystery that we cannot solve.  The Bible, from
   the opening pages, shows us that God is One, yet God is three
   Persons.  Even the word which we translate as ``God,''
   ``Elohim,'' is plural.  Properly speaking, we can render the
   first verse of Genesis as ``In the beginning Gods created the
   heavens and the earth.''  The famous cry of the Old Testament,
   ``Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one,''[1]
   confesses the doctrine of the Trinity.

        Sunday's Gospel reading from the third chapter of John,
   clearly teaches the work of the Three Persons, as well as our
   need for a Savior.
        Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a
        ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and
        said to him, ``Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher
        come from God, for no one can do these signs that you
        do unless God is with him.''  Jesus answered him,
        ``Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again
        he cannot see the kingdom of God.''


        May our Lord bless us as we ponder this mystery of faith for
   our eternal salvation.  Amen.

   ____________________

   1. Deuteronomy 6:4

May 29, 2026

Broadcast

                          Pentecost - Part 4
                              John 14:27
                              05/29/2026


        27   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
             Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not
             your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
             afraid.  (ESV)

        What is the result of the Holy Spirit creating the faith in
   our hearts which receives and treasures the Word of God?  It is
   the sure and certain knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ
   suffered, died, and rose again from the grave to pay the price of
   our sin.

        Certainly, the Word of God, the Law, accuses us of sin.  You
   and I cannot escape the truth that we have broken the letter and
   spirit of God's Law by our actions and inactions.  You and I
   cannot escape the truth that we have harmed our neighbors, our
   friends, our families, by our selfish desires.

        The peace of God is not merely a pause in conflict.  It is
   the sure and certain knowledge that our sins are forgiven for the
   sake of Christ Jesus.  He told His disciples: ``Peace I leave
   with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I
   give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
   afraid.''

        Because the Word of God brings us the Gospel, the proper
   work of our Savior, we are bold to pray.
        O God, on this day You once taught the hearts of Your
        faithful people by sending them the light of Your Holy
        Spirit.  Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have
        a right understanding in all things and evermore to
        rejoice in His holy consolation.


        Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran
   Church to hear more of God's love, grace, and mercy as we
   celebrate Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday of the second half of
   the Church Year.

        May our Lord grant us the peace which is beyond
   understanding.  Amen.

May 28, 2026

Broadcast

                          Pentecost - Part 3
                             John 14:25-26
                              05/28/2026


        25   These things I have spoken to you while I am still
             with you.
        26   But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
             will send in my name, he will teach you all things
             and bring to your remembrance all that I have said
             to you.  (ESV)

        Jesus told His disciples, on the night He was betrayed, ``If
   anyone loves me he will keep my word.''  The disciples had
   traveled with Jesus for three years, learning of God's grace and
   witnessing His miracles.  How were they to remember everything,
   much less teach everything to others?  How were future
   generations to know of Christ Jesus?

        Jesus explained:
        These things I have spoken to you while I am still with
        you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
        will send in my name, he will teach you all things and
        bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.


        It is the job of the Holy Spirit to bring to mind all Christ
   Jesus did and taught for our salvation from sin and death.  The
   Holy Spirit inspired the prophets before the birth of Jesus to
   write the words of the Old Testament.  The Holy Spirit inspired
   the evangelists and apostles after Jesus ascended to write the
   words of the New Testament.  Today the Holy Spirit still uses
   God's Word to create and sustain our faith in Jesus.

        Therefore the Church prays:
        O God, on this day You once taught the hearts of Your
        faithful people by sending them the light of Your Holy
        Spirit.  Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have
        a right understanding in all things and evermore to
        rejoice in His holy consolation; through Jesus Christ,
        Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and
        the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.


        May our Lord grant us willing hearts to hear and believe
   God's Word.  Amen.

May 27, 2026

Broadcast

                          Pentecost - Part 2
                             John 14:23-24
                              05/27/2026


        23   Jesus answered him, ``If anyone loves me, he will
             keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we
             will come to him and make our home with him.
        24   Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.
             And the word that you hear is not mine but the
             Father's who sent me.''  (ESV)

        On the night Jesus was betrayed, He told His disciples:
        ``If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my
        Father will love him, and we will come to him and make
        our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not
        keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine
        but the Father's who sent me.''


        Certainly we think of keeping God's Word as obeying His
   commandments, but there is much more meaning in this statement.
   Those who truly love Christ Jesus, who trust in Him for salvation
   from sin, death, and the power of the devil, take His teaching
   seriously.  They read, mark, learn, and ponder that which He
   said.

        Keeping the words of our Savior means to protect them, to
   guard them from shame and falsehood, to preserve them intact.
   Keeping the words of our Savior means to trust them, to
   acknowledge they are the truth which brings us eternal life.

        There is much more to the word of God than the Ten
   Commandments or the other civil and ceremonial laws of the Old
   Testament.  The goal of the Bible is not our moral behavior, but,
   as Saint John wrote, ``but these are written so that you may
   believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
   believing you may have life in his name.''[1]

        May our Lord grant us faith to hear and treasure His Word so
   that we may trust in Him alone.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 20:31 (ESV)

May 26, 2026

Broadcast

                             Pentecost - Part 1
                              Acts 2:1-4
                              05/26/2026


        1    When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all
             together in one place.
        2    And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a
             mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire
             house where they were sitting.
        3    And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them
             and rested on each one of them.
        4    And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
             began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave
             them utterance.  (ESV)

        Last Sunday, the fiftieth day after Easter, the Church
   celebrated the Feast of Pentecost.  This Feast dates back to the
   time of Moses and commemorates the children of Israel receiving
   the Law at Mount Sinai.  Some people consider Pentecost to be the
   birthday of the Christian Church.  However, all who are saved
   from sin and death are redeemed because of Christ Jesus.  The
   faithful people in the Old Testament looked to the fulfillment of
   the promise that the Seed of the Woman would crush the serpent's
   head.  The faithful people in the New Testament saw first hand
   the defeat of sin and death as Christ Jesus arose from the dead.

        When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all
        together in one place.  And suddenly there came from
        heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it
        filled the entire house where they were sitting.  And
        divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested
        on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the
        Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the
        Spirit gave them utterance.


        The message of salvation by grace through faith for the sake
   of Christ is for all people of all times and places.  Whereas we
   are divided by language, customs, race, and nationalities, yet we
   are one in our Lord and Savior.  There is one message of hope in
   this world, Christ Jesus died and rose again to pay the price of
   your sins and mine.

        This week will will look at the work of the Holy Spirit who
   calls us to faith in Christ Jesus, who makes us holy in God's
   sight, and who continues to bring us the truth of God's Word.

        May our Lord grant us hearts to hear His Word and to trust
   in Him.  Amen.

May 25, 2026

Broadcast

                             Memorial Day
                            Hebrews 12:1-2
                              05/25/2026


        1    Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a
             cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
             weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let
             us run with endurance the race that is set before
             us,
        2    looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our
             faith, who for the joy that was set before him
             endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
             seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
             (ESV)

        The author of Hebrews reminds us:
        Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud
        of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and
        sin which clings so closely, and let us run with
        endurance the race that is set before us, looking to
        Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for
        the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
        despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of
        the throne of God.


        On this Memoral Day, we pray for our nation and give glory
   to God for all His blessings even as we remember those who gave
   their lives to preserve our freedoms.
        Gracious Lord, heavenly Father, on this day we pause to
        remember the sacrifices made for freedom throughout the
        past centuries. We do indeed owe a debt of gratitude to
        those who have paid dearly for the liberty we enjoy.
        Yet, O Lord, we know that good government, peace, and
        freedom are really gifts granted from Your fatherly
        hand, as we confess in the Creed. As we remember those
        who have served our nation, help us to remember that
        civic duty, no matter how well done, does not grant
        entrance to Your kingdom. We are saved by grace,
        through faith in Christ, apart from our works. Freed
        from the Law's demands, we know that we are now free to
        serve our neighbors for our neighbor's sake. May the
        sacrifices of those who have gone before us serve as
        examples.  When we meet those who have served, remind
        us to thank them. Almighty God, guide the leaders of
        our nation. Watch over those who serve in our armed
        forces, especially those far from home. And above all,
        grant that we, Your children by faith in Christ, may
        find a field of service in which we, as salt and
        leaven, may uphold righteousness, order, and peace in
        Jesus' name.  Amen.[1]
   ____________________

   1. Lutheran Book of Prayer, p. 174.