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December 10, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Messenger - Part 2
                             Malachi 4:2-3
                              12/10/2024


        2    But for you who fear my name, the sun of
             righteousness shall rise with healing in its
             wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from
             the stall.
        3    And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will
             be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day
             when I act, says the LORD of hosts.  (ESV)

        The message of the Old Testament prophets and the New
   Testament apostles is consistent.  Turn from your sin, turn from
   your selfish desires, and look to your Creator.  Stop trusting in
   those things which perish, and hold firmly to the God who made
   heaven and earth, who longs to redeem you from the condemnation
   which is the just punishment of our transgressions.

        Malachi, the messenger of God, spoke of the fate of the
   arrogant and evildoers who will be destroyed.  He also speaks of
   the blessings for those who trust in God, who recognize that
   Jesus Christ is their only hope for eternal life.

        But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness
        shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out
        leaping like calves from the stall.  And you shall
        tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the
        soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the
        LORD of hosts.


        The ``sun of righteousness'' which Malachi promises is none
   other than Jesus.  Our Christmas hymn, ``Hark! The Herald Angel
   Sings,'' uses this title for the infant.  Even the Epiphany
   season has the theme that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World,
   the Light no darkness can overcome.  Those who trust in God are
   truly healed from the guilt of their sin, from the fear of
   eternal death.  They are freed from the condemnation of the Law,
   redeemed by the blood of Christ.  Even in the midst of trials
   they find the joy of knowing God's presence, especially as we
   hear His Word and partake of the Sacraments.  We look forward to
   the day when our Lord comes to restore His creation, to show
   Himself as the Sun of Righteousness.  Until that day, we call
   upon Him in prayer, we praise His holy name, and give thanks for
   His great mercy.

        May you find comfort and hope in the words of God's
   messenger.  Amen.

December 9, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Messenger - Part 1
                              Malachi 4:1
                              12/09/2024


        1    For behold, the day is coming, burning like an
             oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will
             be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them
             ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will
             leave them neither root nor branch.  (ESV)

        Although everywhere you look you see Santa Claus and the
   wishes for a Merry Christmas, the Church is still in the season
   of Advent.  We are preparing for the coming of Jesus, both as we
   remember His first coming two thousand years ago, and look
   forward to His return to judge the living and the dead.
   Traditionally the second Sunday in Advent looks forward to His
   second coming.

        Malachi, the prophet, wrote not only for those who lived
   four hundred years before Jesus' birth, but for the modern
   Church.  The words of this book are clear, but there is some
   question about the author.  Is Malachi the name of the prophet,
   or is this a title.  In the Hebrew the word Malachi means ``my
   messenger'' or ``my angel,'' which certainly can be applied as
   the title for someone appointed by God to call His people back to
   repentance.

        For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven,
        when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be
        stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze,
        says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them
        neither root nor branch.


        Malachi writes of the entire New Testament era, not merely
   the final judgment.  This era extends from the day that the angel
   Gabriel told Zechariah of the coming of John the Baptizer to the
   day when the final trumpet sounds.  We are in the last days, as
   the author of Hebrews contends: ``Long ago, at many times and in
   many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these
   last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the
   heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.''[1]

        May our Lord grant us wisdom to hear His messenger.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Hebrews 1:1-2 (ESV)

December 6, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 5
                            Jeremiah 23:5-8
                              12/06/2024


        5    ``Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,
             when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
             and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and
             shall execute justice and righteousness in the
             land.
        6    In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will
             dwell securely. And this is the name by which he
             will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.''
        7    ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares
             the LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the
             LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out
             of the land of Egypt,'
        8    but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led the
             offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
             country and out of all the countries where he had
             driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
             land.''  (ESV)

        The prophet Jeremiah wrote:
        ``Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when
        I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he
        shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute
        justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days
        Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.
        And this is the name by which he will be called: The
        LORD is our righteousness.''

        ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the
        LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the LORD lives
        who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of
        Egypt,' but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led
        the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
        country and out of all the countries where he had
        driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
        land.''


        Here we have Jeremiah's warning to the people who had
   rejected the LORD God that the city of Jerusalem would be
   destroyed and the people taken captive.  Yet God, who is gracious
   and merciful, who desires that all people be saved and come to
   the knowledge of the truth, sent His Son to pay the price of our
   sin and to declare us righteous.

        The word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah came true.  God
   disciplined those who had rejected Him, yet showed His mercy and
   desire to forgive.  Today the same offer is extended to all
   people, for Jesus Christ is our righteousness, and our salvation
   from sin and death are a gift for His sake.

        Please join us at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church each
   Sunday to hear the truth of God's rich love, grace, and mercy.
   May our Lord bless you with wisdom and faith.  Amen.

December 5, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 4
                            Jeremiah 23:7-8
                              12/05/2024


        7    ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares
             the LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the
             LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out
             of the land of Egypt,'
        8    but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led the
             offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
             country and out of all the countries where he had
             driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
             land.''  (ESV)

        The prophet Jeremiah was preparing the people of Judah and
   Jerusalem for the seventy-year Babylonian captivity.  God was
   about to inflict the punishment which those who had rejected Him
   had earned.  In His righteousness, grace, and mercy, God had
   given His people ample time to repent of their sins, to turn back
   to Him, and to live.  Even as the punishment due to them was
   coming, God sent Jeremiah to call them from worshiping idols,
   from turning their back on the One True God.

        Although Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, God promised
   that a remnant of the faithful would return.  Through Jeremiah
   God said:
        ``Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the
        LORD, when they shall no longer say, `As the LORD lives
        who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of
        Egypt,' but `As the LORD lives who brought up and led
        the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north
        country and out of all the countries where he had
        driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own
        land.''


        God keeps His promises.  Our Lord promised David that from
   his line would come a King who would reign forever, which is the
   promise of the Messiah.  Therefore, a remnant of the children of
   Israel would return from captivity, which happened seventy years
   after the defeat of Jerusalem.

        Those who heeded Jeremiah's warning, those who did not
   reject the prophet's message, survived.  Those who rejected God
   were destroyed.

        May our Lord open our hearts and minds to hear His holy
   Word, to repent of our sin, and trust in Him alone.  Amen.

December 4, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 3
                             Jeremiah 23:6
                              12/04/2024


        6    In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will
             dwell securely. And this is the name by which he
             will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.
             (ESV)

        A fun topic for conversation, why did your parents choose
   your name?  Are you named for a relative or a close friend?  Are
   you named to honor an event or a place which is special to your
   family?  Is your name a play on words, such as the name of
   William Lear's second daughter, Shanda?

        The prophet Jeremiah, writing of the coming Messiah, said as
   inspired by the Holy Spirit: ``In his days Judah will be saved,
   and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he
   will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.''

        The names by which our Savior is known tell of the love and
   grace of God.  Jesus means ``The LORD is our salvation.''
   Immanuel says ``God is with us.''

        ``The LORD is our righteousness,'' one of the titles given
   to the Messiah, clearly proclaims the Gospel, that we, by our own
   works, by our own efforts, by our own desires, cannot earn
   righteousness.  Salvation from sin and death, redemption from our
   transgressions, is a gift because Jesus lived, died, and rose
   again from the dead to defeat the devil.  Satan lies crushed
   under His feet.

        Because the LORD is our righteousness, Saint Paul could
   write: ``For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this
   is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of
   works, so that no one may boast.''[1] Because the LORD is our
   righteousness, we have the hope of everlasting life.  May our
   Lord give us the faith to hold to the name of Jesus, our
   Salvation, who is our righteousness.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

December 3, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 2
                             Jeremiah 23:5
                              12/03/2024


        5    ``Behold, the days are coming,'' declares the
             LORD, ``when I will raise up for David a righteous
             Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal
             wisely, and shall execute justice and
             righteousness in the land.''  (ESV)

        The threefold message of Advent says that Jesus came, Jesus
   is here, Jesus is coming again.  Last Sunday we heard of Jesus
   riding into Jerusalem as the humble king, seated on the back of a
   donkey.  He came, not to conquer the land, not to overthrown the
   Roman occupation, but to defeat sin and death.

        Jesus told Pontius Pilate, ``My kingdom is not of this
   world.''[1] Yet Jeremiah the prophet wrote: ```Behold, the days
   are coming,' declares the LORD, `when I will raise up for David a
   righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and
   shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.'''  Jesus,
   descended from King David, is more than a monarch over a small
   patch of land.  His reign is over all of creation, over the
   church on earth, and over all of heaven.

        Jesus, as the righteous king, makes His people righteous by
   paying the price of their sin.  He is the King who died for His
   people, who rose from the dead to show that death is defeated,
   and who will come to take His people to live forever in His
   kingdom.

        The Righteous King was hidden from our view as He humbly
   rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.  He set aside His
   kingly power to redeem us from sin and death.  He entrusted His
   message of hope, of forgiveness, of life to His apostles and the
   Church.

        In Him we are declared righteous, forgiven, and holy.  May
   our Lord grant us faith to hold firmly to His Word, to trust in
   His righteousness, so to live with Him eternally.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 18:36 (ESV)

December 2, 2024

Broadcast

                     The Righteous Branch - Part 1
                             Jeremiah 23:5
                              12/02/2024


        5    ``Behold, the days are coming,'' declares the
             LORD, ``when I will raise up for David a righteous
             Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal
             wisely, and shall execute justice and
             righteousness in the land.''  (ESV)

        Yesterday marked the first Sunday in Advent, the time in the
   Church Year that we prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ.  The
   Gospel lesson for this week was Matthew's account of Palm Sunday,
   when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, acknowledged by the crowds as
   God, only to die on the following Friday to pay the price of our
   sin.

        Our message as Christians is two-fold.  We are first
   confronted with the law, the truth that we have fallen short of
   the standards set both by God and the world.  God's standard is
   perfection, even if the world will allow some leniency.  Because
   of the sin of Adam and Eve, we are born corrupt.

        As we come to the realization that we have sinned in
   thought, word, and deed, we also realize that we cannot by our
   own reason or strength pay the price of our sin.  We stand
   rightly condemned.

        We are confronted with God's grace and mercy as our heavenly
   Father sent His only-begotten Son to pay the price of our sin.
   The prophet Jeremiah, six hundred years before the birth of
   Jesus, wrote of this undeserved love of the Father towards His
   sinful creation.
        ``Behold, the days are coming,'' declares the LORD,
        ``when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
        and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall
        execute justice and righteousness in the land.''


        Advent is about the coming of the Righteous Branch, the Son
   of David, who took upon Himself our sins.  As true God, He was
   conceived without sin.  As true Man, He died and rose again to
   earn for us the forgiveness of our sins and to grant us life
   everlasting.  May our Lord help us to prepare for His coming by
   confessing our sins and by trusting in His promises.  Amen.

November 29, 2024

Broadcast

                           The End - Part 4
                            Isaiah 65:24-25
                              11/27/2024


        24   Before they call I will answer; while they are yet
             speaking I will hear.
        25   The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the
             lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall
             be the serpent's food.  They shall not hurt or
             destroy in all my holy mountain, says the LORD.
             (ESV)

        We have come to the end.  This last Sunday marked the end of
   the Church Year.  Yesterday we gave thanks to God for all His
   rich and gracious blessings.  Next week marks a new beginning
   where we look forward to the birth of Jesus Christ.

        In our Lord and Savior we are reconciled with the Father.
   No longer will we ignore His Word, no longer will He need to seek
   us in the same way He sought out Adam and Eve in the cool of the
   evening.  Our prayers, our desires, and our trust are always in
   Him.  This world, twisted by sin, will be recreated, perfect and
   good, just as God declared seven times in the first chapter of
   the Bible.

        Before they call I will answer; while they are yet
        speaking I will hear.  The wolf and the lamb shall
        graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
        and dust shall be the serpent's food.  They shall not
        hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, says the LORD.


        Please join us at Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday morning
   at 9:00 a.m. to learn more of God's grace, love, and mercy.

        The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the
   communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

November 28, 2024

Broadcast

                             Thanksgiving
                            1 Timothy 2:1-4
                              11/28/2024


        1    First of all, then, I urge that supplications,
             prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made
             for all people,
        2    for kings and all who are in high positions, that
             we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and
             dignified in every way.
        3    This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of
             God our Savior,
        4    who desires all people to be saved and to come to
             the knowledge of the truth.  (ESV)

        Saint Paul wrote to Timothy:
        First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers,
        intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all
        people, for kings and all who are in high positions,
        that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and
        dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is
        pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires
        all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of
        the truth.


        On this day of Thanksgiving, we pray for our nation and give
   glory to God for all His blessings.
        Almighty God, You have given us this good land as our
        heritage.  Grant that we remember Your generosity and
        constantly do Your will.  Bless our land with honest
        industry, truthful education, and an honorable way of
        life.  Save us from violence, discord, and confusion,
        from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of
        action.  Make us who came from many nations with many
        different languages a united people.  Defend our
        liberties, and give those whom we have entrusted with
        the authority of government, the President and Congress
        of the United States, the Governor and Legislature of
        this state, all our judges and magistrates, the spirit
        of wisdom that there may be justice and peace in our
        land.  When times are prosperous, let our hearts be
        thankful; and in troubled times do not let our trust in
        you fail.

             Almighty God, Your mercies are new every morning
        and You graciously provide for all our needs of body
        and soul.  Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may
        acknowledge Your goodness, give thanks for Your
        benefits and serve You in willing obedience all our
        days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who
        lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God,
        now and forever.  Amen.

            From Trinity Lutheran Church to you and your family, may our
       Lord richly bless you this day.  Amen.

November 27, 2024

Broadcast

                           The End - Part 3
                            Isaiah 65:21-23
                              11/27/2024


        21   They shall build houses and inhabit them; they
             shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
        22   They shall not build and another inhabit; they
             shall not plant and another eat; for like the days
             of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my
             chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
        23   They shall not labor in vain or bear children for
             calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the
             blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with
             them.  (ESV)

        What is heaven like?  Isaiah, writing 700 years before the
   birth of Jesus, is trying to describe that which truly is
   indescribable.  He talks of the death of death, of the end of
   suffering and disasters.  He can only use words and pictures
   which are familiar to his readers.

        The children of Israel had been nomads with no permanent
   dwellings.  Throughout the history of their country they fought
   wars to preserve their land.  Isaiah wrote of the coming exile in
   Babylon where, for seventy years, the Jewish people would be
   strangers in a strange land.

        What comfort could Isaiah bring to a people who knew well
   the changes and chances of this life?  What comfort can he bring
   you?
        They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall
        plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  They shall not
        build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and
        another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days
        of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the
        work of their hands.  They shall not labor in vain or
        bear children for calamity, for they shall be the
        offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their
        descendants with them.


        The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ.  Salvation
   from sin, death, and the power of the devil is not something that
   we earn, but is given for the sake of our Lord's suffering,
   death, and resurrection.  In Him is our eternal blessing.

        May our Lord grant us faith to hold firmly to His promises.
   Amen.