In today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke, we see that the child Jesus is growing and maturing, specifically in strength, or stature, and in wisdom and favor. As we read of his visit to Jerusalem with His parents, we can see that Jesus’ growth is based on His...
The entire goal of Simeon's life had been to see God bring about the salvation of Israel, and the old saint's patience, his hope, his immersion in sacred scripture, and his refusal to filter out the sorrow that colored that hope allowed him to recognize,...
In Psalm 2 Yahweh calls the Messiah his firstborn son, laughs at all their enemies who long to rebel against his rightful authority, and warns all the nations of the earth to submit to the Son lest they be destroyed. Readings and Sermon: Pastor Aaron Mueller. Order of...
The Bible insists that the motive for God the Father sending his Son to be the Savior of the world is his life-giving (he gave up his life to be a propitiation for our sins) and life-saving (he came so we might live through him) love! And now, although we cannot see...
When Elizabeth and Mary first meet after they both became pregnant, Elizabeth and her baby – the future John the Baptist – respond to Mary's unborn child, Jesus, with joy, recognizing that he is God, recognizing that he is the one to put into action...
Jesus compared his and John’s ministry to kids who play a game where they play happy and sad music, but no one dances to their happy music and no one mourns at their sad music. His point: outside of the work of the Spirit, Law and Gospel do not satisfy the average...