Category: Moments of Meditation

June 12, 2025

Broadcast

                          Pentecost - Part 4
                             John 14:28-29
                              06/12/2025


        28   You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I
             will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have
             rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for
             the Father is greater than I.
        29   And now I have told you before it takes place, so
             that when it does take place you may believe.
             (ESV)

        On the night that Jesus was betrayed He prepared the
   disciples for His death, resurrection, and ascension.  He
   promised to send the Holy Spirit who brings all the words Jesus
   taught to remembrance, even these parting words of comfort.
   Jesus said:
        You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I will
        come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced,
        because I am going to the Father, for the Father is
        greater than I.  And now I have told you before it
        takes place, so that when it does take place you may
        believe.


        Jesus first went away from the disciples as He lay in the
   tomb following His crucifixion.  He came back to them on Easter,
   proclaiming the forgiveness of sins and commissioning the
   disciples to spread the peace which comes from His death and
   resurrection.  These are the words of comfort of which the Holy
   Spirit reminds the Church, the promise that Jesus will come
   again.

        Although Jesus is truly God, He humbled Himself to be born
   of the virgin Mary, suffer under Pontius Pilate, be crucified,
   die, and be buried.  In His humility, Jesus truly placed Himself
   under the Father's will for our salvation from sin and eternal
   death.

        From the Gospel accounts, we do see that the disciples did
   not at first believe the words of comfort Jesus spoke.  Only
   after He was risen from the dead, only after the Holy Spirit came
   to them, did they truly have faith.  Only after Pentecost did the
   disciples boldly proclaim the truth that Jesus is Lord and
   Savior.

        May our Lord's words of comfort bring you peace as you trust
   in His promise to return in glory.  Amen.

June 11, 2025

Broadcast

                          Pentecost - Part 3
                              John 14:27
                              06/11/2025


        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)

        The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring to each person the
   benefits of Jesus' death and resurrection.  His sacrifice on the
   cross was the ultimate sacrifice for sin.  His empty tomb says
   that our tomb also will be empty.  Because our sins are forgiven,
   we have the gift of eternal life within the mansions of our
   heavenly Father.

        The Spirit works through the Word and sacraments to inform
   us of the Father's love and the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.  The
   result of the Holy Spirit's work is our knowlege, agreement, and
   trust that Jesus' death and resurrection are for each of us.  The
   result, we are reconciled with God, and have the true peace which
   passes all understanding.

        Jesus 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.''  The peace
   Jesus gives is eternal, freely given.  Any peace the world gives
   is temporary, easily upset by sin, easily broken by our own
   selfish desires.  Nothing, not even temporal death, can separate
   us from the love of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.

        The Holy Spirit causes us to learn of Jesus and to trust
   that His death and resurrection give us life.  That is the faith
   which holds firmly to our Savior.

        May our Lord grant you the peace of knowing you are
   reconciled to the Father.  Amen.

June 10, 2025

Broadcast

                          Pentecost - Part 2
                             John 14:25-26
                              06/10/2025


        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 spent a bit over three years teaching His disciples
   about the Kingdom of God, of salvation by grace through faith for
   the sake of His suffering, death, and resurrection.  Our Lord
   spoke of the truth of the Father's love for His creation, and the
   plan of redemption which was first promised to Adam and Eve the
   day they sinned.

        Jesus told His disciples:
        ``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.''


        The words Jesus spoke, the things Jesus did which show us
   the Father's love, are important.  They were recorded by the
   apostles as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit for our
   learning and our redemption from sin and death.  Because these
   words are precious, we treasure them, we read them, and we study
   them.  Jesus told of God's grace and mercy, that we cannot, by
   our own reason or strength, do the works of God or understand the
   wisdom of God.  His words are Gospel, ``I am the way, the truth,
   and the life.  No one comes to the Father except by me.''[1]

        By inspiring the writers of the New Testament, by creating
   the faith which trusts in Christ Jesus as our Redeemer, the Holy
   Spirit does indeed teach us all things and bring to our
   remembrance the words of Jesus.

        May our Lord grant that we hear His Word, and treasure it,
   for that Word brings to us the forgiveness of our sins and life
   everlasting.  Amen.









   ____________________

   1. John 14:6

June 9, 2025

Broadcast

                          Pentecost - Part 1
                             John 14:23-24
                              06/09/2025


        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)

        Yesterday, the fiftieth day after Easter, the Church
   celebrated Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit visibly descended
   upon the disciples.  This is not to imply that the Holy Spirit is
   something which was not known to the writers of the Old
   Testament.  Indeed, by the second verse of the Bible we hear that
   the ``Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
   waters.''[1]

        It has always been the work of the Holy Spirit to call
   people to faith in God.  It has always been the work of the Holy
   Spirit to sanctify those who trust in God, who have heard the
   Word of God, and respond in love to God.  It has always been the
   work of the Holy Spirit to teach us about God, even as the Holy
   Spirit inspired the writers of both the Old and New Testaments to
   proclaim God's Word.

        Saint John recorded Jesus' conversation with the disciples
   on the night He was betrayed.
        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.  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.''


        Those who love Jesus, those who trust in the Father, guard
   and treasure that which is revealed by the prophets and apostles.
   Jesus taught the words of the Father, the same words entrusted to
   the Church by the Holy Spirit.

        This week we will ponder the work of the Holy Spirit as He
   calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the Church on earth.

        May our Lord bless you this week as you learn more of our
   Lord and Savior.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Genesis 1:2

June 6, 2025

Broadcast

                     Cost of Discipleship - Part 5
                              John 16:4a
                              06/06/2025


        4a   But I have said these things to you, that when
             their hour comes you may remember that I told them
             to you.  (ESV)

        There is a cost of discipleship, a cost in this world as you
   hold in faith to Jesus Christ as your Redeemer from sin, death,
   and the power of the devil.  The Church is at odds with the
   world, for the Church declares the sickness of sin so that the
   cure of the Gospel may be heard.

        Although in the United States we don't see Christians jailed
   or executed for their beliefs, we are very aware of the daily
   ridicule and scorn heaped upon people of faith.  The
   constitutional freedom of religion has turned into the freedom
   from religion, to the extent that many Christian pastors are
   afraid to publicly pray in the name of Jesus.

        Yet, people of faith, people who hold to salvation by grace
   through faith for the sake of Christ, have hope in this sinful
   world.  They remember Jesus' words: ``But I have said these
   things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I
   told them to you.''  They know that the Christian daily picks up
   his cross and follows Jesus, for Jesus is our only hope in this
   fallen and sinful life.

        You have the opportunity to hear that message of hope, of
   the love of the Father who sent His Son to redeem you from sin
   and death.  Each Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. the redeemed
   children of God gather at Trinity Lutheran Church to receive
   God's gift of forgiveness.  Please join us to hear of God's love.

        May our Lord grant you faith to trust in Christ Jesus who
   bore the guilt of your sin, and gives to you the gift of eternal
   life.  Amen.

June 5, 2025

Broadcast

                     Cost of Discipleship - Part 4
                               John 16:3
                              06/05/2025


        3    And they will do these things because they have
             not known the Father, nor me.  (ESV)

        The truth of salvation by grace through faith for the sake
   of Christ changes how you look at the world.  Because you have
   received the gift of the forgiveness of your sins from God, even
   though you did not deserve or earn that gift, you change how you
   think and act.  Where you once looked out for yourself before
   considering others, now you ask, ``Does this bring glory to God
   and serve my neighbor?''

        Good works flow from faith.  Certainly you can give to
   charity or help others even if you do not have faith in Jesus
   Christ, but what is your motivation?  How many people donate to a
   worthy cause, not because they are concerned about helping those
   in need, but desire the publicity which comes from giving
   donations?

        On the other hand, the world simply doesn't know how to
   handle people who truly seek the good of others before their own
   comfort and reputation.  Unfortunately, people who act with
   unselfish motivation make society nervous.  Jesus was crucified,
   not for crimes, but for healing the sick and raising the dead and
   bringing comfort to those in distress.

        Why are Christians persecuted for their good works, for
   their rejection of the selfish ambitions of society?  Jesus said,
   ``And they will do these things because they have not known the
   Father, nor me.''  The world knows how to handle the power
   hungry, the selfish, and those who look down on the less
   fortunate.  The world cannot handle the caring, the loving, the
   person who seeks the good of his neighbor without thought of
   reward or pay-back.

        May our Lord grant you peace, even as you live in this
   world, but do not live according to the standards of this world.
   Amen.

June 4, 2025

Broadcast

                     Cost of Discipleship - Part 3
                              John 16:1-2
                              06/04/2025


        1    I have said all these things to you to keep you
             from falling away.
        2    They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed,
             the hour is coming when whoever kills you will
             think he is offering service to God.  (ESV)

        Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the twentieth century Lutheran
   theologian who was executed for his opposition to the German
   government during World War II, once wrote, ``When Christ calls a
   man, he bids him come and die.''[1] Because the Christian witness
   concerning salvation by God's grace and love alone for the sake
   of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone does not
   conform to the world's teaching, Christians can expect to be
   prosecuted for their faith.

        Jesus told His disciples:
        I have said all these things to you to keep you from
        falling away.  They will put you out of the synagogues.
        Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will
        think he is offering service to God.


        If you are looking for acceptance in this world, if you are
   looking for popularity, being a confessing Christian is not the
   way to win worldly friends.  If you are looking for the comfort
   of knowing your sins are forgiven, that you can face the
   realities of pain, suffering, and death knowing that you have the
   hope of eternal life for the sake of Christ, the rejection of
   this world is easier to take.

        You have the comfort of the Gospel, that you have died to
   sin through the work of the Holy Spirit, and have risen to new
   life in Christ Jesus.  You see beyond the immediate suffering in
   this world to glimpse the glory of the mansions of God, of being
   with the Father for all of eternity.  The Holy Spirit gives you
   the comfort of salvation by grace through faith for the sake of
   Christ.

        May our Lord strengthen your faith, that when you suffer in
   this world you have the assurance of life everlasting.  Amen.

June 3, 2025

Broadcast

                     Cost of Discipleship - Part 2
                             John 15:26-27
                              06/03/2025


        26   But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you
             from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds
             from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
        27   And you also will bear witness, because you have
             been with me from the beginning.  (ESV)

        [Jesus said:] But when the Helper comes, whom I will
        send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who
        proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about
        me.  And you also will bear witness, because you have
        been with me from the beginning.


        Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, a Greek word
   which may be translated as ``comforter'' or ``advocate'' or
   ``counselor.''  He is also a helper, one who brings the comfort
   which comes from knowing the truth of God's love, grace, and
   mercy.

        The Holy Spirit first bears witness of Jesus, of His death
   and resurrection for our salvation from sin and eternal death.
   This witness declares that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired
   by the Holy Spirit for our learning and to bring us to faith in
   Jesus.

        When the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh cause us
   to ask, ``Did God really say?'' the Holy Spirit shows us how the
   Bible is true.  Unlike a book of myths or fairly tales, you can
   find good, external evidence of the people, places, and events of
   both the Old and New Testaments.  Many scholars who are not
   friendly to Christianity continue to find objects and artifacts
   that verify the accounts rendered in the Bible.

        You and I can take comfort in knowing the Word of God is
   true and accurate, for the Word of God gives us the declaration
   that our sins are forgiven, and that we have eternal life for the
   sake of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

        May our Lord continue to bring you the comfort and hope of
   knowing you have the gift of everlasting life.  Amen.

June 2, 2025

Broadcast

                     Cost of Discipleship - Part 1
                             John 15:26-27
                              06/02/2025


        26   But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you
             from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds
             from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
        27   And you also will bear witness, because you have
             been with me from the beginning.  (ESV)

        Forty days after Easter, Christ Jesus ascended into heaven
   as witnessed by His disciples.  Does the truth that Jesus no
   longer physically walks upon the earth mean that He is not
   present?  We believe, teach, and confess that our Lord Jesus
   Christ remains with His Church through Word and sacrament. We
   also believe, teach, and confess that as Jesus sits at the right
   hand of the Father, this is not someplace far removed from each
   Christian. If the Father is present everywhere, which is one of
   God's attributes, then the Son is equally present.

        But Jesus also promised the disciples that they would also
   receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father
   and the Son. Jesus said:
        But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from
        the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the
        Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also
        will bear witness, because you have been with me from
        the beginning.


        As we will see in the coming weeks, it is the work of the
   Holy Spirit to call, gather, and enlighten the Church, and each
   individual Christian, with the truth of God's rich grace, love,
   and mercy. Through the witness of the proclaimed Word, through
   the visible Word of the sacraments, the Holy Spirit brings us to
   faith in Christ Jesus. We are declared holy in God's sight as we
   trust that our salvation from sin and death is because of God's
   love alone, for the sake of Jesus Christ alone.

        This week we will look at the promise Jesus gave to His
   disciples to send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and the cost of
   Christian faith in this sinful world.

        May our Lord grant you the peace of knowing His grace and
   mercy for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

May 30, 2025

Broadcast

                        Ask in My Name - Part 5
                             John 16:23-24
                              05/30/2025


        23   In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly,
             truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the
             Father in my name, he will give it to you.
        24   Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask,
             and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
             (ESV)

        [Jesus said:] In that day you will ask nothing of me.
        Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the
        Father in my name, he will give it to you.  Until now
        you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will
        receive, that your joy may be full.


        We are looking at the five aspects of true prayer.  First,
   we must trust in God's promise to hear our prayer.  Second, we
   pray is faith knowing that God keeps His promises.  Third, we
   pray for specific things, something we definitely name.  Fourth,
   we must truly desire that the petition be granted.  Finally, we
   ask for all things in the name of Jesus Christ.

        We are reconciled to the Father by the suffering, death, and
   resurrection of Jesus.  Only by the blood of Jesus can we come
   into our heavenly Father's presence with our petitions, with our
   praise, and with our thanksgiving.  Without Jesus, we flee from
   God, ashamed and afraid.  Joined with Jesus through the Word and
   Sacraments, we are bold to pray, to come into God's presence at
   His invitation.

        Our Lord Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven where He sits
   at the right hand of the Father.  While we await His return, and
   gather to listen to His Word, and to receive the blessings given
   through the Sacraments He has given the Church.  Please join us
   each Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church to
   learn more of salvation by God's rich grace and love alone, which
   we receive through faith in Jesus Christ alone, given to us
   through God's holy Word.

        May our Lord grant us faith to believe His promises, that we
   come to Him in prayer, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.