Author: admin

February 19, 2026

Broadcast

                      Going to Jerusalem - Part 4
                             Luke 18:32-33
                              02/19/2026


        32   For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and
             will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit
             upon.
        33   And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on
             the third day he will rise.  (ESV)

        During Lent the Church prays:
        Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You
        have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent.
        Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our
        sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive
        from You full pardon and forgiveness.


        Traditionally the Collect for Ash Wednesday, the prayer of
   the Church for the first day of Lent, is repeated during every
   service during the next forty days.  The prayer speaks of God's
   love, grace, and mercy.  Because God forgives the sins of the
   repentant, we pray that He will create in us a new heart which
   readily acknowledges our sin and which trusts in Him alone for
   forgiveness.

        We believe, teach, and confess that our works do not and
   cannot earn us forgiveness, but that God's love alone leads Him
   to grant us mercy.  It is because Jesus traveled to Jerusalem
   knowing all that would happen during the Passover celebration.
   Jesus told His disciples:
        For [the Son of Man]  will be delivered over to the
        Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and
        spit upon.  And after flogging him, they will kill him,
        and on the third day he will rise.


        May our Lord richly bless us as we ponder His great love and
   compassion for His creation.  Amen.

February 16, 2026

Broadcast

                      Going to Jerusalem - Part 1
                             Luke 18:31-34
                              02/16/2026


        31   And taking the twelve, he said to them, ``See, we
             are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is
             written about the Son of Man by the prophets will
             be accomplished.
        32   For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and
             will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit
             upon.
        33   And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on
             the third day he will rise.''
        34   But they understood none of these things. This
             saying was hidden from them, and they did not
             grasp what was said.  (ESV)

        On Sunday, the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent, we
   prayed:
        O Lord, mercifully hear our prayers and having set us
        free from the bonds of our sins deliver us from every
        evil; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who
        lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God,
        now and forever.


        This prayer is answered by the work of Christ Jesus.  For
   the next fifty days we will look at our sin and at the love of
   God by which we are redeemed from sin, death, and the power of
   the devil.  It is fitting that the Gospel reading for last Sunday
   is a summary of the events which await the Church in the next
   seven weeks.

        And taking the twelve, [Jesus] said to them, ``See, we
        are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is
        written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be
        accomplished.  For he will be delivered over to the
        Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and
        spit upon.  And after flogging him, they will kill him,
        and on the third day he will rise.''  But they
        understood none of these things. This saying was hidden
        from them, and they did not grasp what was said.


        May our Lord grant us hearts and minds to hear the words of
   Jesus for our eternal blessing.  Amen.

February 13, 2026

Broadcast

                        Growing Plants - Part 5
                               Luke 8:8
                              02/13/2026


        8    ``And some fell into good soil and grew and
             yielded a hundredfold.'' As he said these things,
             he called out, ``He who has ears to hear, let him
             hear.''  (ESV)

        On Sunday we prayed:
        O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You,
        mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended
        against all adversity.


        This week we have looked at faith, which comes from hearing
   the Word of God, as that which trusts in Christ Jesus as the
   answer to this prayer.  In the Parable of the Sower we find that
   God causes the seed of His Word to be offered to all people.
   Some refuse to hear.  Others turn away from God when life becomes
   difficult, thus removing themselves from the very source of hope
   and comfort in times of adversity.  Even the good times of
   abundant blessings can entice us from trusting in God.

        Jesus said to His disciples: ``He who has ears to hear, let
   him hear.''

        The good news of salvation from sin and death is not
   revealed in nature or in human efforts to understand the world.
   It is revealed to us in God's Word which alone reveals the
   Father's love for His creation.  Only in the Bible to we hear
   that our redemption from sin is because of the death and
   resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That message of hope is complete.

        Please join us this Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church at
   9:00 a.m. to hear more about God's grace, love, and mercy.  If
   you have questions or comments, please visit our website, Ask the
   Pastor, at http://ask.trinityslayton.info.

        May our Lord grant you ears to hear and a heart that trusts
   in Him alone.  Amen.

February 12, 2026

Broadcast

                        Growing Plants - Part 4
                               Luke 8:8
                              02/12/2026


        8    ``And some fell into good soil and grew and
             yielded a hundredfold.'' As he said these things,
             he called out, ``He who has ears to hear, let him
             hear.''  (ESV)

        On Sunday we prayed:
        O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You,
        mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended
        against all adversity.


        Jesus told His disciples about the sower who planted the
   seed of God's Word.  ``And some fell into good soil and grew and
   yielded a hundredfold.''  Faith in Jesus Christ is bound to bring
   forth the fruits of good works.

        How are these fruits of good works an answer to the Collect,
   the prayer of the Church?  How do good works defend against all
   adversity?

        The fruits of faith are not simply the things we do to help
   others.  Yes, visiting the sick, helping the poor, feeding the
   hungry are certainly good works.  But faith brings more than
   showing love to our neighbors.

        Saint Paul wrote to the congregation in Galatia:
        But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
        patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
        self-control; against such things there is no law.[1]


        These fruits of the Spirit are also good works which flow
   from faith and trust in God's rich grace and mercy.  At times God
   removes the adversity of life.  At times God uses the adversity
   of life to strengthen our faith.  He gives us the hope of life
   everlasting, the assurance that even the most difficult trials
   cannot separate us from His love.

        May our Lord grant us faith which bears the fruits of love,
   hope, patience, and faithfulness even as we trust in Him.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

February 11, 2026

Broadcast

                        Growing Plants - Part 3
                               Luke 8:8
                              02/11/2026


        8    ``And some fell into good soil and grew and
             yielded a hundredfold.'' As he said these things,
             he called out, ``He who has ears to hear, let him
             hear.''  (ESV)

        On Sunday we prayed:
        O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You,
        mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended
        against all adversity.


        A sower went out to plant seeds.  Some of the seeds landed
   on the road where it could not grow.  Some of the seeds landed on
   rocks where they grew for a while, but the roots were not deep,
   so the plant withered away.  Some of the seeds were choked by the
   weeds.  Then Jesus said: ```And some fell into good soil and grew
   and yielded a hundredfold.' As he said these things, he called
   out, `He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'''

        Saint Paul told the congregation in Rome that faith comes by
   hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.[1] Those who are
   willing to hear, who do not reject the Word of God, come to know
   of the Father's love which caused Him to send His Son to redeem
   us from sin and death.  The good news of salvation by grace
   through faith for the sake of Christ Jesus makes an immediate
   difference.  As the Holy Spirit creates faith in our hearts which
   trusts the Word of God, our perspective changes.

        We begin to see the lies of this world, the false teachings
   which demand that we overcome all things by our own strength.
   Despair is replaced with hope.  The fear of death is replaced
   with the knowledge that we have eternal life with Christ Jesus.

        May our Lord grant us faith to hold firmly to Christ Jesus
   and the promise of life in Him.  Amen.

   ____________________

   1. Romans 10:17

February 10, 2026

Broadcast

                        Growing Plants - Part 2
                              Luke 8:5-7
                              02/10/2026


        5    ``A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he
             sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled
             underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
        6    And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it
             withered away, because it had no moisture.
        7    And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up
             with it and choked it.  (ESV)

        On Sunday we prayed:
        O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You,
        mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended
        against all adversity.


        How does the Word of God, the seed which was sown, defend us
   from all adversity?  How is the Parable of the Sower an answer to
   this prayer?

        For many people, the Word of God serves no lasting good.
   They resist the good news that Christ Jesus bore our sins, that
   for His sake we are forgiven.  Where there is forgiveness there
   is everlasting life.  Yet this message falls on deaf ears.
        A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some
        fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the
        birds of the air devoured it.  And some fell on the
        rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it
        had no moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the
        thorns grew up with it and choked it.


        Many things get in the way of God's Word.  Some people
   simply refuse to hear of the Father's love for His creation.
   Others fall away from the Church when things get difficult, or
   leave the Church when things are going well.  No matter the
   reason, the Word of God that falls on unreceptive ears can bring
   no comfort, no hope, no joy.  Those who do not hear reject God's
   Word because of the hardness of their heart, because of the lies
   of the devil, or the desires of their own sinful flesh.

        May our Lord grant us ears to willingly hear His Word, that
   faith and trust in Him may grow for our temporal and eternal
   blessing.  Amen.

February 9, 2026

Broadcast

                        Growing Plants - Part 1
                              Luke 8:4-8
                              02/09/2026


        4    And when a great crowd was gathering and people
             from town after town came to him, he said in a
             parable:
        5    ``A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he
             sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled
             underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
        6    And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it
             withered away, because it had no moisture.
        7    And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up
             with it and choked it.
        8    And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded
             a hundredfold.'' As he said these things, he
             called out, ``He who has ears to hear, let him
             hear.''  (ESV)

        On Sunday we prayed:
        O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You,
        mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended
        against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Your Son,
        our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy
        Spirit, one God, now and forever.


        As we look at this week's prayer of the Church, the Collect,
   we do so in light of faith.  Faith is knowledge of God's rich
   grace and mercy.  With that knowledge comes agreement that the
   Word of God, which speaks of His undeserved love towards all
   sinners, is true.  Finally, faith trusts that Word, which bears
   the fruits of good works.

        And when a great crowd was gathering and people from
        town after town came to him, he said in a parable: ``A
        sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some
        fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the
        birds of the air devoured it.  And some fell on the
        rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it
        had no moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the
        thorns grew up with it and choked it.  And some fell
        into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.'' As
        he said these things, he called out, ``He who has ears
        to hear, let him hear.''


        This week we will look at the Word, and the comfort and hope
   it brings in times of adversity.

        May our Lord grant us ears to willingly hear of His love as
   shown in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

January 23, 2026

Broadcast

                      You are the Christ - Part 5
                             Mark 8:34-35
                              01/23/2026


        34   And he called to him the crowd with his disciples
             and said to them, ``If anyone would come after me,
             let him deny himself and take up his cross and
             follow me.
        35   For whoever would save his life will lose it, but
             whoever loses his life for my sake and the
             gospel's will save it.''  (ESV)

        On January 18, the Church celebrated the Confession of Saint
   Peter.  We prayed:
        Heavenly Father, You revealed to the apostle Peter the
        blessed truth that Your Son Jesus is the Christ.
        Strengthen us by the proclamation of this truth that we
        too may joyfully confess that there is salvation in no
        one else.


        The Church is built on the Confession of Peter, that Jesus
   is the Christ, the One who died and rose again for our salvation
   from sin, death, and the power of the devil.  How, then, do we
   live as Christians?

        And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and
        said to them, ``If anyone would come after me, let him
        deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For
        whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever
        loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save
        it.''


        We are called to remain faithful to Christ Jesus even in the
   face of persecution and rejection.  The devil, the world, and our
   own sinful flesh conspire to pull us from the love of God.  We
   may not be martyrs in that we lose our lives because of our
   faith, but we are rejected by this world for confessing that
   Jesus is the Christ.

        That confession of our faith shows that we fear, love, and
   trust in God above all things.  In so doing, we know that we have
   life everlasting in Jesus Christ, for He has redeemed us from sin
   and death.

        Please join us at Trinity Lutheran Church this Sunday, and
   every Sunday, at 9:00 a.m. to receive more of this good news.

        May our Lord grant that we confess Jesus as the Christ and
   trust in Him alone.  Amen.