Category: Uncategorized

November 19, 2025

Broadcast

                       Sheep and Goats - Part 3
                           Matthew 25:37-40
                              11/19/2025

        37   Then the righteous will answer him, saying,
             ``Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
             or thirsty and give you drink?
        38   And when did we see you a stranger and welcome
             you, or naked and clothe you?
        39   And when did we see you sick or in prison and
             visit you?''
        40   And the King will answer them, ``Truly, I say to
             you, as you did it to one of the least of these my
             brothers, you did it to me.''  (ESV)

        The Gospel reading for this week, the Second Last Sunday of
   the Church Year, concerns the judgment, when Christ returns and
   the angels separate all people into two groups.  On His right
   hand are the sheep, on His left the goats.  Jesus invited the
   sheep on His right to enter into the kingdom prepared for them
   from before the foundation of the world.

        Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ``Lord,
        when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
        give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and
        welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we
        see you sick or in prison and visit you?''  And the
        King will answer them, ``Truly, I say to you, as you
        did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you
        did it to me.''


        We do not earn our salvation from sin, death, and the power
   of the devil.  Those on the right protest that they are not
   worthy of heaven, that they did not do the good works attributed
   to them.

        Jesus, however, says that the way they treated His brothers,
   the ones He sent to proclaim the forgiveness of sins for the sake
   of His suffering, death, and resurrection, is the same as doing
   it directly to Him.  Earlier in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus said
   essentially the same thing: ``Whoever receives you receives me,
   and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.''[1]

        Good works, the way we respond to the message of God's love,
   grace, and mercy, are the result of our faith in Christ Jesus.
   We are declared holy and righteous in God's sight for the sake of
   Christ.  How we support the Office of the Ministry reflects God's
   love for each of us.

        May our Lord grant that we hear His word and grow in faith
   towards Him.  Amen.


   ____________________

   1. Matthew 10:40 (ESV)

August 20, 2025

Broadcast

Faithful in Little, Faithful in Much – Part 3
Luke 16:11
08/20/2025

11:
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (ESV)

Jesus was teaching His disciples about stewardship, the faithful use of our time, talent, and treasure. Our response to temporal blessings is a direct reflection of our spiritual understanding. If we truly believe that we own our time, talents, and treasures, we will use them for our own benefit. If we truly believe that we are managers who are entrusted with God’s gifts, then we will seek to grow His investment.

Jesus told His disciples: ‘‘If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?’’ Our actions reflect our understanding of our relationship to God and neighbor.

Several times Jesus reflected on the words of Moses as quoted in the New Testament:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.[1]

How we use that which is temporary, which has no eternal value, reflects our beliefs and priorities. Do we selfishly hoard that we are given, or do we use it to serve God and our neighbor? When we suffer a setback such as fire or flood or other disaster, do we panic or do we trust in God? Are we willing to go out of our way to help our neighbor, or are we focused strictly on our own interests.

May our Lord grant that we use His gifts wisely and according to His will. Amen.

May 6, 2025

Broadcast

                      The Good Shepherd - Part 2
                             John 10:12-13
                              05/06/2025


        12   He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who
             does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and
             leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches
             them and scatters them.
        13   He flees because he is a hired hand and cares
             nothing for the sheep.  (ESV)

        If Jesus is the Good Shepherd, what are the other shepherds
   like?  Jesus tells us:
        He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not
        own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the
        sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and
        scatters them.  He flees because he is a hired hand and
        cares nothing for the sheep.


        The false shepherds, the hirelings, give the sheep a false
   sense of security, a false message of hope.  The devil, the
   world, and our own sinful flesh hold the glitz and glamour of
   created things before our eyes.  They claim if we work hard
   enough and sacrifice enough, we might obtain power or wealth or
   some future life of leisure.

        False shepherds demand that we be strong, that we be perfect
   in every way.  There is no room for weakness, there can be no
   letting up.  Failure is not an option.  Those who do not measure
   up are cast by the wayside, abandoned, and left alone.

        Our selfish ambition cares nothing for others, reflects no
   love, and uses people even as we are used by others.  The wolf,
   be it natural disaster or health issues or some other danger out
   of our control, finds us defenseless.

        The Good Shepherd, however, protects His sheep.  He gives
   His life for the sheep, covering their sins with His
   righteousness, strengthening them in weakness, and binding their
   wounds.  He is not a hireling.

        May our Lord give us faith to know and trust in the Good
   Shepherd for our eternal blessing.  Amen.