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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.

November 26, 2024

Broadcast

                           The End - Part 2
                            Isaiah 65:19-20
                              11/26/2024


        19   I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my
             people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of
             weeping and the cry of distress.
        20   No more shall there be in it an infant who lives
             but a few days, or an old man who does not fill
             out his days, for the young man shall die a
             hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years
             old shall be accursed.  (ESV)

        Throughout the Bible, Jerusalem has been a symbol for the
   Church.  Abraham offered his son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah, where
   the city was later built.  David bought the threshing floor where
   the altar of the Temple was placed.  Jesus died outside the
   gates, and rose again from the tomb outside the city walls.

        Jerusalem rejected God, and was restored.  It was destroyed
   and rebuilt.  The people disappointed God, and will, on the last
   day, be His delight.  Isaiah wrote:
        I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people;
        no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and
        the cry of distress.  No more shall there be in it an
        infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does
        not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a
        hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old
        shall be accursed.


        The new, recreated Jerusalem, had no room for evil, for
   disasters, for death, for the suffering caused by sin.  Christ
   Jesus paid the price of sin by His death and resurrection.  He
   destroyed death by rising again.  His resurrection foreshadows
   our own resurrection, our own eternal life.

        While we await the new, recreated Jerusalem, while the
   Church longs for the coming of her Bridegroom, we are assured
   that God keeps His promises.  This vision of Isaiah agrees with
   the vision of Saint John in Revelations, and agrees with the
   words of Jesus Christ as He taught His disciples.  In the
   meantime, we do not deny the reality of suffering and death, but
   do not recognize it as being final.  May our Lord grant us faith
   to trust in Jesus for our redemption, and in the promises given
   through His prophets and apostles.  Amen.

November 25, 2024

Broadcast

                           The End - Part 1
                            Isaiah 65:17-18
                              11/25/2024


        17   For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,
             and the former things shall not be remembered or
             come into mind.
        18   But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I
             create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a
             joy, and her people to be a gladness.  (ESV)

        For the past several weeks we have been looking at Jesus'
   return to judge the living and the dead.  Yesterday marked the
   Last Sunday of the Church Year, where the readings warned us to
   be watchful and ready for His coming.  We do not and cannot know
   when that will happen, so we need to always be prepared.

        What is the goal for the Christian?  Life everlasting in the
   presence of the Triune God, ever dwelling in the blessed mansions
   of heaven.  This goal is not something we attain because of our
   hard work, but it is a gift from God to those who trust in Him.

        Isaiah the prophet, writing about 700 years before the birth
   of Jesus, saw the second coming of the Messiah.
        For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and
        the former things shall not be remembered or come into
        mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I
        create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and
        her people to be a gladness.


        Isaiah sees the physical reality of God's redeeming and
   restoring work of salvation.  This sinful world will pass away,
   but He creates a new world, a new Jerusalem, for His people.
   That which the faithful forget is the pain and anguish caused by
   sin, for our Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself our
   transgressions.

        May our Lord grant that we are ready for His return and His
   eternal blessings.  Amen.

November 22, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Son of Man - Part 5
                              Daniel 7:14
                              11/22/2024


        14   And to him was given dominion and glory and a
             kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages
             should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting
             dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
             kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.  (ESV)

        Since the day when Adam sinned, thus condemning all mankind,
   until now, the Church has awaited the coming of the Son of God to
   judge the living and the dead.  God's mercy and forgiveness was
   proclaimed by the prophets, by King David, by the Apostles, and
   Jesus, Himself.

        The Kingdom of God is not temporary like the kingdoms of
   this world, but an everlasting kingdom.

        Daniel wrote:
        And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
        that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve
        him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
        shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not
        be destroyed.


        Jesus Christ, who called Himself the Son of Man, truly shall
   receive all glory and might.  His kingdom shall have no end.

        Who are the members of this Kingdom?  Those who believe that
   Jesus died and rose again to pay the price of our sin.  That
   eternal salvation, that eternal life, is a gift we do not earn,
   but are offered for the sake of Jesus Christ.

        That is the message you will hear each Sunday at Trinity
   Lutheran Church as we gather at 9:00 a.m.  Salvation from sin and
   eternal death is given to us as God's gift which we receive as we
   trust in God's almighty love as shown in Christ Jesus.  Please
   join us to hear this great message of hope and peace, that your
   sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ Jesus.

        May our Lord come quickly.  Amen.

November 21, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Son of Man - Part 4
                              Daniel 7:13
                              11/21/2024


        13   I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the
             clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man,
             and he came to the Ancient of Days and was
             presented before him.  (ESV)

        Daniel, the prophet, who wrote about six hundred years
   before the birth of Jesus, saw a vision of the judgment of the
   world.  According to Daniel, four empires would rise and fall,
   which happened just as he had seen in the vision.  As we read the
   book which bears his name, we come to know of God's almighty
   power, strength, and grace.

        Following the judgment of the four kingdoms, Daniel records
   the coming of the son of man.
        I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds
        of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came
        to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.


        The son of man comes with the clouds of heaven, a
   description which has been used with the appearance of God.
   Jesus uses this title to identify Himself over eighty times as
   recorded in the four books of the Evangelists.  Clearly this is a
   reference to the two natures of Christ, true God and true man.
   This understanding of the Savior as both God and man was dimly
   glimpsed in Genesis, when the serpent was cursed.  ``I will put
   enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and
   her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise
   his heel.''[1]

        Jesus, the sinless Son of God, the sinless Son of the virgin
   Mary, truly paid the price of our sin by dying on the cross and
   rising again.  Even now He is at the right hand of the Father
   awaiting the day and hour on which He will return in glory.  May
   our Lord grant us faith to trust in the sinless Son of Man for
   our eternal redemption from sin and death.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

November 20, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Son of Man - Part 3
                            Daniel 7:11-12
                              11/20/2024


        11   I looked then because of the sound of the great
             words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked,
             the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and
             given over to be burned with fire.
        12   As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was
             taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a
             season and a time.  (ESV)

        This morning we are discussing the judgment on the last day
   of the world as recorded by the prophet Daniel.  In his vision,
   he had seen the four kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and
   Rome come to power only to be replaced.  Daniel saw the coming of
   the Antichrist who fought against the Church and against the
   truth that our salvation from sin and death is because of God's
   grace and love alone.

        I looked then because of the sound of the great words
        that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast
        was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be
        burned with fire.  As for the rest of the beasts, their
        dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged
        for a season and a time.


        The kingdoms of the world, the power of the Antichrist who
   fights against the truth of the Gospel, is destroyed at the
   judgment.  Nothing unholy can stand in the presence of the
   almighty God as He sits on His throne, the books of judgment open
   before Him.

        God, the righteous Judge, in His mercy, allows the kingdoms
   of this world to remain for a while.  Jesus, and the prophets and
   apostles, taught that God desires all people to be saved and come
   to the knowledge of the truth.  Therefore, even the nations who
   seek to destroy the truth of the Gospel are given time to repent.

        How long is that time?  No one knows the day or hour when
   Jesus will return, when the books will be opened, and the
   judgment will happen.  Therefore, Daniel's vision is a call for
   each of us to seek first the kingdom of God, even as Jesus taught
   His followers.

        May our Lord grant us His love, grace, and mercy as we await
   the end of the ages.  Amen.