Author: admin

October 22, 2024

Broadcast

                       In the Beginning - Part 2
                             Genesis 1:1-3
                              10/22/2024


        1    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the
             earth.
        2    The earth was without form and void, and darkness
             was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of
             God was hovering over the face of the waters.
        3    And God said, ``Let there be light,'' and there
             was light.  (ESV)

        In 1802, the French philosopher and scientist Pierre Laplace
   published a monumental work on the mathematical operation of the
   universe.  When he was questioned by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte,
   ``You have written this book on the universe but never mentioned
   the Creator,'' Laplace replied, ``Sire, I had no need of that
   hypothesis.''[1]

        The Bible begins:
        In the beginning, God created the heavens and the
        earth.  The earth was without form and void, and
        darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit
        of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And
        God said, ``Let there be light,'' and there was light.


        At the time that Pierre Laplace dismissed the Creator as
   irrelevant to science, the established scientific community
   believed the universe was eternal.  Edwin Hubble discovered that
   the universe is expanding in 1929.  Arlo Penzias, a researcher at
   Bell Telephone Laboratories, won the Nobel Prize for his work in
   1965 which further showed the universe had a beginning.

        Modern science can't explain what caused the universe to
   begin.  They have a very good idea of what may have happened
   within the first second of time, but that first instant, the
   cause, the mechanism, remains out of their grasp.  The first
   chapter of Genesis is looking more and more plausible.  The
   prophet Isaiah was correct, ``The word of our God will stand
   forever.''[2]

        May our Lord give us the wisdom to see Him in creation, and
   to trust His Word.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Drawn  from:  Meyer,  S.  C.  (2021).   Return  of   the   God
      hypothesis.  New York: HarperOne, p. 86 (Kindle edition).

   2. Isaiah 40:8

October 21, 2024

Broadcast

                       In the Beginning - Part 1
                             Genesis 1:1-3
                              10/21/2024


        1    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the
             earth.
        2    The earth was without form and void, and darkness
             was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of
             God was hovering over the face of the waters.
        3    And God said, ``Let there be light,'' and there
             was light.  (ESV)

        Is the Bible the Word of God?  The late Doctor Al Barry, who
   served the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod as president in the
   1990s, wrote:
        Real human beings were given real words from God to
        write down. As our Lord Jesus Christ was both true God
        and true man, so the Bible is truly the Word of God and
        also the writing of human beings. Even as our Lord
        Jesus took on human flesh free from sin and error, so
        God used human beings to provide a written revelation
        of Himself that is free from error. Thus, we believe
        that the Bible is both incapable of error (infallible)
        and free from error (inerrant).[1]


        Has the Bible been disproven by objective evidence, such as
   archaeology, geography, astronomy, or history?  Surprisingly, for
   a book whose first chapters were written three thousand six
   hundred years ago, it has been shown to be quite accurate.
   Because we believe, teach, and confess that the Bible is the Word
   of God, we accept the Bible as true.  Where the Bible and modern
   science disagree, we look for the flaws in the human reasoning of
   science.

        Now comes one of the more controversial statements in the
   Bible.
        In the beginning, God created the heavens and the
        earth.  The earth was without form and void, and
        darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit
        of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And
        God said, ``Let there be light,'' and there was light.


        This week our Old Testament lesson is the creation account
   in Genesis.  We are going to look at selected verses of this
   account to learn more of this most important truth, that God the
   Father is our Creator.

        May our Lord grant us open ears to hear His Word, and faith
   to trust in Him.  Amen.

   ____________________

   1. Barry,  A. L. (1996).  What about the Bible.  St. Louis: LCMS.
      https://resources.lcms.org/reading-study/what-about-pamphlets/

October 18, 2024

Broadcast

                        Seek the LORD - Part 5
                             Isaiah 55:8-9
                              10/18/2024


        8    For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
             your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
        9    For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
             are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts
             than your thoughts.  (ESV)

        How many religions exist in the world?  Many theologians
   suggest there are only two, a religion of the law and a religion
   of the Gospel.  Either you must strive to be good enough for God
   to accept you, or God has, Himself, declared you His own child in
   spite of your sins.  The religion of the law makes great logical
   sense, and brings absolutely no comfort.  The religion of the
   Gospel, that God so loved the world that He gave His only-
   begotten Son to pay the price of our sin, to call us to Himself,
   makes no sense whatsoever.

        Isaiah, writing God's Word as inspired by the Holy Spirit,
   addresses this very thought.
        For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
        ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens
        are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
        your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.


        Saint Paul made the same point in his first letter to the
   congregation in Corinth.  ``For the word of the cross is folly to
   those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the
   power of God. ... For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
   and the weakness of God is stronger than men.''[1] As you hear
   these words, know that God, Himself, is inviting you into His
   presence to give to You the benefits of Jesus' suffering, death,
   and resurrection.  Although the world may think this foolish, the
   world gives you no comfort.  Therefore, please join us at Trinity
   Lutheran Church at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning to hear of God's
   rich love, grace, and mercy.
        Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he
        who has no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine
        and milk without money and without price.


        Amen.
   ____________________

   1. 1 Corinthians 1:18, 25

October 17, 2024

Broadcast

                        Seek the LORD - Part 4
                             Isaiah 55:6-7
                              10/17/2024


        6    Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him
             while he is near;
        7    let the wicked forsake his way, and the
             unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to
             the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and
             to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.  (ESV)

        Isaiah has given us a picture of God's rich grace, love, and
   mercy as found in Jesus Christ.  Isaiah calls each of us to be in
   God's presence, to receive the fullness of His promises, and to
   have the hope of everlasting life.  This invitation is for all
   people.

        However, the invitation may not always be available.  Isaiah
   warns us:
        Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him
        while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and
        the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the
        LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our
        God, for he will abundantly pardon.


        You and I do not know the future.  There will come a time
   when we no longer are able to hear of God's grace, when we can no
   longer take advantage of the invitation to His heavenly banquet.
   For some people, the government actively surpresses the good news
   of salvation from sin and death for the sake of Christ Jesus.
   For all people, on an unknown day, we will depart this life.  For
   whatever reason, the invitation cannot be heard, the invitation
   is not available.

        Today is the day to hear of God's love, to know of His
   mercy, to accept the forgivess of sins offered to you by the
   suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Tomorrow our
   Lord may not be near to you.

        May our heavenly Father grant that we hear His invitation,
   that we accept His mercy, and know of the hope of life
   everlasting.  Amen.

October 16, 2024

Broadcast

                        Seek the LORD - Part 3
                              Isaiah 55:5
                              10/16/2024


        5    Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not
             know, and a nation that did not know you shall run
             to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the
             Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
             (ESV)

        This week we are looking at Isaiah 55 where the prophet,
   writing as inspired by the Holy Spirit, invites all people to
   partake of God's banquet of grace.  There is no cost of
   admission, no tickets to purchase, simply the call to come into
   the presence of the LORD that our soul might live.

        How do we know that God invites sinners to Himself?  As He
   promised King David, the Messiah, the Christ, would be born from
   that noble line.  That promise is fulfilled with Christ Jesus.

        Isaiah spoke directly to the promised Messiah, telling of
   God's grace and mercy extending to all people of all races.
        Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
        and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
        because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of
        Israel, for he has glorified you.


        What a beautiful picture Isaiah paints.  People of all
   races, of all nations, come to Christ Jesus at His invitation.
   Although the children of Israel were ones from whom the Messiah
   would come, His offer of mercy and love are not tied to one group
   of people.

        From the days of the Apostles, the good news of salvation by
   grace through faith for the sake of Christ Jesus has spread
   throughout the world.  Each person, you, your family, your
   friends, your neighbors, are invited by God to receive the
   fullness of His blessings of peace and hope.

        May our Lord grant us hearts to thank and praise Him for His
   grace and mercy, to trust in His promises, and to cling firmly to
   Jesus as our Redeemer.  Amen.

October 15, 2024

Broadcast

                        Seek the LORD - Part 2
                             Isaiah 55:3-4
                              10/15/2024


        3    Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your
             soul may live; and I will make with you an
             everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for
             David.
        4    Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a
             leader and commander for the peoples.  (ESV)

        The prophet Isaiah, speaking as inspired by the Holy Spirit,
   invites each person to join in God's rich banquet of wisdom and
   blessings.  This invitation gives a time and place and menu.  Now
   is the time, wherever the good news of salvation from sin and
   death is proclaimed is the place, and the menu is God's rich
   blessing of everlasting life.

        Isaiah pleads for everyone to listen to this invitation for
   their eternal blessing.  He shows by the example of God's
   promises to King David that this invitation is real and for all
   people.
        Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul
        may live; and I will make with you an everlasting
        covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.  Behold, I
        made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and
        commander for the peoples.


        What is the promise made to King David to which Isaiah
   refers?  It is the promise that the Messiah, the Redeemer of all
   people, is to be a descendant of the great king.  Indeed, the
   Evangelists Matthew and Luke show conclusively that Jesus is
   descended from David.

        The covenant God makes is simple, He grants us pardon and
   peace because His Son, Jesus Christ, took upon Himself our sins.
   This forgiveness is offered to us as a gift, not as something we
   earn.

        Who needs this forgiveness?  We do.  No one, except Jesus
   Christ, is without sin.  No one has perfectly kept the letter of
   the law, much less the spirit of the law.  Yet God, in His mercy,
   invites you to Himself, to trust in His promises, and to receive
   complete remission of our sins.  This is the message of the
   Gospel, proclaimed throughout the Old and New Testaments alike.

        May our Lord grant you the peace of knowing your sins are
   forgiven, for where there is forgiveness, there is life
   everlasting.  Amen.

October 14, 2024

Broadcast

                        Seek the LORD - Part 1
                             Isaiah 55:1-2
                              10/14/2024


        1    Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
             and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!  Come,
             buy wine and milk without money and without price.
        2    Why do you spend your money for that which is not
             bread, and your labor for that which does not
             satisfy?  Listen diligently to me, and eat what is
             good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  (ESV)

        Who in the United States has not had an opportunity to hear
   about Jesus?  Essentially every town has a church or two or more,
   each claiming to tell of Jesus Christ, each calling people to
   come to Him.  Have you heard the truth of God's love, or have you
   heard promises never mentioned by God?  Have you been taught that
   being a Christian begins with your good works, your decision,
   your becoming righteous before approaching the Almighty?

        The prophet Isaiah, writing about 750 years before the birth
   of Jesus, spoke of God's rich love, and mercy.  He spoke God's
   invitation to hear His Word, to feast on the truth that God
   desires all people to know of His grace.
        Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he
        who has no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine
        and milk without money and without price.

        Why do you spend your money for that which is not
        bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
        Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and
        delight yourselves in rich food.


        Often times the Old Testament compares the longing for
   wisdom and the knowledge of God to a banquet.  Isaiah invites all
   people to know of God's goodness and mercy, to take part in the
   banquet, at God's gracious invitation.  This is a gift, not the
   results of our work or our own goodness.  All our striving to
   please God fails if we believe that we must first be good enough
   to accept His invitation.

        This week we will look at the compassion of God as revealed
   by the prophet Isaiah.  May our Lord grant that we hear His
   invitation, that we receive His mercy, and that we know of His
   love.  Amen.

October 12, 2024

Broadcast

                        Jacob's Ladder - Part 5
                           Genesis 28:16-17
                              10/11/2024


        16   Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ``Surely
             the LORD is in this place, and I did not know
             it.''
        17   And he was afraid and said, ``How awesome is this
             place! This is none other than the house of God,
             and this is the gate of heaven.''  (ESV)

        On Monday we quoted an old Spiritual about Jacob's Ladder.
   The theology of the first verse did not bring the comfort which
   Jacob received from God's rich promises of presence, protection,
   and forgiveness.  But Jacob did respond to God's love, to the
   vision which brought him hope.
        Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ``Surely the
        LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.''  And he
        was afraid and said, ``How awesome is this place! This
        is none other than the house of God, and this is the
        gate of heaven.''


        The last verse of the Spiritual gives the same response.
        Rise, shine,give God glory,
        Rise, shine, give God glory,
        Rise, shine, give God glory,
        Soldiers of the cross.[1]


        God invites us into His presence each Sunday morning at 9:00
   a.m. when the members of Trinity Lutheran Church are gathered to
   hear of God's love and to respond is song and acts of mercy.
   Please join us to receive the same hope which Jacob had, that God
   will be with you to comfort you and protect you, until His angels
   ascend with you to the gates of heaven.  Amen.

















   ____________________

   1. https://hymnary.org/text/we_are_climbing_jacobs_ladder_we_are_cli/fulltexts

October 10, 2024

Broadcast

                        Jacob's Ladder - Part 4
                             Genesis 28:15
                              10/10/2024


        15   ``Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever
             you go, and will bring you back to this land. For
             I will not leave you until I have done what I have
             promised you.''  (ESV)

        Jacob received several promises as he dreamed of the ladder
   which joined heaven and earth.  This vision showed him that God's
   angels are constantly doing God's work on earth, bringing the
   message of hope to those who believe in Him.  God, Himself,
   speaks of the redemption which will be for all people through
   Jesus Christ.

        Yet the promises made by God would not be fulfilled for many
   centuries.  Jacob and his children would go down to Egypt, not to
   return for almost 400 years.  The birth of the Redeemer was even
   farther in the future.

        God reassured Jacob of His love even in the near term.
   ``Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and
   will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until
   I have done what I have promised you.''

        As Jesus was preparing to ascend into heaven, He promised
   His disciples, and us: ``And behold, I am with you always, to the
   end of the age.''[1] He is present in His Word, in the sacraments
   which He gave the Church, and in the love which the Church
   reflects in the world.  We may not see Him, but He is with us and
   will never forsake us.  In times of trial, He strengthens us with
   the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of everlasting life.

        The Bible tells us how the promises made the Jacob were
   fulfilled.  We see in our own lives how His promises of comfort
   and hope are fulfilled as He works through the Church.

        May our Lord grant us the faith to know that He is with us
   and will care for us even in times of trouble.  Amen.













   ____________________

   1. Matthew 28:20b (ESV)

October 9, 2024

Broadcast

                        Jacob's Ladder - Part 3
                           Genesis 28:13-14
                              10/09/2024


        13   And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, ``I
             am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and
             the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will
             give to you and to your offspring.
        14   Your offspring shall be like the dust of the
             earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and
             to the east and to the north and to the south, and
             in you and your offspring shall all the families
             of the earth be blessed.''  (ESV)

        Jacob had a vision of a ladder stretching from heaven to
   earth upon which angels ascended and descended.  Jesus spoke of
   this vision when He called Nathaniel to be a disciple.  ``And he
   said to him, `Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven
   opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son
   of Man.''[1] The ladder is Jesus, who is both true God and true
   Man.  There is direct communication between heaven and earth, and
   the complete reconciliation of sinners to God the Father because
   of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

        And behold, the LORD stood above [the ladder] and said,
        ``I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the
        God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to
        you and to your offspring.  Your offspring shall be
        like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad
        to the west and to the east and to the north and to the
        south, and in you and your offspring shall all the
        families of the earth be blessed.''


        God promised Jacob protection and the fulfillment of the
   promise once given to Abraham.  God spoke of the Messiah, the
   Redeemer, through whom all the families of the world are blessed.
   That blessing is our redemption from sin and death, our hope of
   life everlasting because our sins are forgiven.

        Jacob did not earn God's love, neither do we.  God's promise
   was a gift, God's promise gave hope, and God's promise was
   fulfilled.  His promise of life is also sure and certain, even if
   we are at the moment alone in the wilderness.  May our Lord
   strengthen us to trust in Him, that His Word and promises are
   always fulfilled.  Amen.







   ____________________

   1. John 1:51 (ESV)