Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Feb 5, 2012, 2:25 pm
Epiphany5 – February 6th, 2012Mark1:29-39Everyoneis Looking for Jesus
“Everyoneis looking for you, Jesus”. So Peter said when they found himalone, praying. And how true it was. Jesus had made quite a namefor himself in a short period of time. His healing touch, and hisauthority to cast out... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jan 29, 2012, 5:31 pm
Epiphany4 – January 29, 2012Deuteronomy18:15-20WhatWould Moses Do?
Mosessays, in his farewell address: “The Lord will raise up a prophetlike me from among you”. Well first there's the history.
The40 years of wandering in the desert was coming to an end. God wouldlead his people across the ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Oct 31, 2011, 10:15 am
Matthew 11:12-19Reformation DayOctober 30th, 2011“Dirges and Flutes”
A blessed Reformation day to you. Today is that one day in the church year that we Lutherans,especially, highlight our heritage. Beginning in the 1500's, withthe German monk Martin Luther, the Western church began to reform. W... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Oct 18, 2011, 9:50 am
Matthew 22:15-22Pentecost 18October 16th, 2011“Christ and Caesar”
The foolish Pharisees. Trying toensnare Jesus in his words. He, the living Word of God, the creatorof words. The arrogance. But if they could trip him up – maybethe Romans would take care of this Jesus problem and they would... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Oct 14, 2011, 3:39 pm
Or, "Another 'Is Mormonism a Cult" Blog Post"
No one denies that Mormonism and Traditional Christianity are different. But, perhaps because of some high-profile national political figures, many Christians have taken to calling Mormonism a "cult". Is this true? Is it good for us to do so?
I won... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Oct 10, 2011, 2:52 pm
We've often talked about the three functions or uses of the law, Curb, Mirror and Guide. I suppose this discussion would fall under function number 2, the Mirror. In terms of how the law shows us our sin, or, what we see in the mirror when we look. There are three ways of looking.
When the la... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Sep 26, 2011, 10:01 am
Matthew 21:23-32
Pentecost 15
September 25th, 2011
“Mind Changing”
Today's Gospel reading from Matthewtakes place during Holy Week. It was after the Triumphal Entry onPalm Sunday, when Jesus rode on a donkey and signaled with powerfulsymbolic action his arrival as the Messiah. It was also afte... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Sep 18, 2011, 9:35 pm
Matthew 20:1-16
Pentecost 14
September 18th, 2011
“It's Not Fair!”
The first will be last, and the lastwill be first, Jesus often says. God has a way of doing theunexpected, the opposite of what we think should be. He turns thingsbackwards. Or maybe we are the ones who have things bac... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Aug 25, 2011, 10:23 am
A friend of mine likes to say, “All men marry up!” In other words, all husbands are made better by their wives, whom they don't deserve. I think there's some worldly wisdom in that, but it made me think deeper. What about the great spiritual marriage of the Lamb and of his Bride the Chu... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Aug 16, 2011, 11:42 am
Matthew 16:13-20
Pentecost 10
August 21st , 2011
“Son of the Living God”
Caeserea Phillipi, or what is left of it, is one of the many places we visited on our trip to Israel in 2007. What is left of it, is, frankly, not much.
In Jesus' day, it was a bustling city ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Aug 16, 2011, 9:57 am
Matthew 15:21-28
Pentecost 9
August 14th, , 2011
“Crumbs, Please!”
The woman's request was urgent. It's one thing to have a need for yourself, but this was for her daughter. Who knows what other avenues she had exhausted. Doctors. Shaman. Folk remedies. Probably j... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Aug 15, 2011, 1:14 pm
Conservative Christians who take the Bible seriously and live in modern American society have to wrestle with what it means in Ephesians 5:22-24, where God says through St. Paul "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord".
Most of us pastor types who teach this concept are good at pointing ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Aug 7, 2011, 4:16 pm
Matthew 14:22-33
Pentecost 8
August 7th, , 2011
“Why Did You Doubt?”
It all happened so fast. The disciples were probably still trying to figure out what had happened. Jesus fed 5000 men, plus the women and children, with just 5 loaves and 2 fish. And they had 12 baskets full of leftovers. A... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Aug 5, 2011, 11:29 am
A question of pastoral practice. How does one, in a counseling situation, bring someone who is caught in a sin, to confess it as such? Especially for your average church-goer who isn't accustomed to actually confessing his sins before a pastor in person (apart from corporate confession).
I believe... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jul 24, 2011, 6:47 pm
Matthew 13:44-51
Pentecost 6
July 24th, 2011
“A Keeper”
Growing up in Baltimore, near the Chesapeake Bay, we would on occasion go “crabbing”. There are various ways to catch Maryland Blue Crabs, but one way is in basket-trap. You bait it, and then you come back later and pull it up.
But ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jul 19, 2011, 10:37 am
1 Timothy 3:2, in the midst of a long list of qualifications for the office of overseer (i.e., bishop, i.e. pastor), mentions that he must be "hospitable". So says the English translation.
In the course of a conversation with my lovely wife, we got to talking about what exactly this means for a pas... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jul 18, 2011, 9:45 am
Matthew 13:24-30,36-43
Pentecost 5
July 17th, 2011
“Weeds!”
We're in the green season of the church, and the parables are showing it. Last week we heard the parable of the sower – about how the Word of God is spread to all sorts of different “ground”, and received or not received by vario... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jul 14, 2011, 10:47 pm
A question for my fellow pastors, especially:
We regularly use the LCMS "Let Us Pray" resource for our Prayer of the Church.
This Sunday, Pentecost 5 year A, the provided prayer includes this petition:
P For those outside the Christian faith, that God would remain patient with them and delay Judgme... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jul 11, 2011, 9:20 am
12 years ago today I was installed as Associate Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Racine, Wisconsin.
The time has flown, and yet in some ways has crept. There have been many joys, as well as some times of frustration. Overall I am thankful for the blessings God has bestowed on me, and I pray I have... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jul 8, 2011, 3:22 pm
-Pastor as Prophet, Priest and King
Introduction
While in many ways the Office of the Holy Ministry is diminished or undermined in modern Christian circles, there are still those of us who cherish this precious gift of Christ to His Church, for the purposes of preaching His word and administeri... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jul 1, 2011, 10:23 am
I was reading, again, the Declaration of Independence.
One observation I've often made, as a Lutheran Pastor commenting on the role of civil governments, is that Holy Scripture speaks more in terms of responsibilities than of rights. Perhaps we could even say it more forcefully; Holy Scripture nowh... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jun 28, 2011, 10:57 am
Pastors, do you ever look back at your old sermons?
I just finished updating my "Sermon Index" (see the sidebar). I've been blogging my sermons since 2005, and every so often I update the index - it makes it easier to find an old sermon than by slogging through the blog archives.
But in the process... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jun 27, 2011, 3:11 pm
(While indexing my sermons, I realized I never posted this one at the time)
Sermon - Midweek Lent 3 - 2009
Revelation 2:12-17
“Jesus' Letter to Pergamum”
So far we've read the letters to Ephesus and Smyrna. Ephesus was criticized for her lack of love, and Smyrna for fearing persecution. But bo... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jun 27, 2011, 9:27 am
Matthew 10:34-42
Pentecost 2
June 26th, 2011
“Swords and Rewards”
So much of who Jesus is, and what he does is unexpected. Is it because he is mysterious and beyond us, or is it because our sinful flesh has warped expectations of God? Perhaps both. But in today's Gospel reading, Jesus shatter... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jun 19, 2011, 9:48 pm
Genesis 1:1-2:4
Holy Trinity Sunday
June 19th, 2011
“Creation and Recreation”
A blessed Holy Trinity Sunday to you. The Christian Church sets aside this Sunday, the week after Pentecost, to particularly confess the biblical doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The Bible teaches us about our God – o... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Lutheran Blog Directory
-
Jun 17, 2011, 9:37 am
5 new LCMS blogs1 new ELCA blog1 new Australian blog3 new "other" Lutheran blogs Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jun 15, 2011, 10:05 am
I was telling our Sunday Bible Class the other day about one of those pearls of wisdom that somehow stick with you over the years....
It was about 1993 when a wise old professor type at Concordia College, Bronxville decided to razz me and my girlfriend at the time, young Miss Brenda Miert. I don't ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Jun 5, 2011, 3:11 pm
John 17:1-11
Easter 7
June 5th, 2011
“Jesus Prays”
We usually think it's a little strange when someone talks to himself. So how can God pray to God? Here's another one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith – part of the hidden nature of the Triune God. One God, in three persons, Fat... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
May 31, 2011, 6:45 pm
Long-time Lutheran blog readers will remember the inimitable blog, "Beggars All". It's recently come to my attention that the blog has returned!
At least, Tim the Enchanter has.... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
May 29, 2011, 1:47 pm
John 14:1-15-21
Easter 6
May 29th 2011
“Goodbye, Jesus?”
(Guest Preaching at Holy Cross, Racine)
Saying goodbye can be a difficult thing. Whether its a recent graduate heading off to college. A good friend who retires and moves to somewhere that actually has a summertime. Or putting that chil... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
May 22, 2011, 6:38 pm
John 14:1-6
Easter 5
May 22nd 2011
“Jesus Only”
You intolerant Christians! You really believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven? You mean to tell me that if a good Muslim or a good Jew or a good Buddhist or even a good atheist dies, that God won't have mercy on him? Come on! What a narrow... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
May 2, 2011, 11:06 am
John 20:19-31
Easter 2
May 1st 2011
“The Breath of Life”
This First Sunday after Easter, our Gospel reading takes us to the very first week of Easter. There we see the disciples locked up for fear of the Jews – even though that had seen the risen Jesus already. Even after they had a whole w... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 28, 2011, 11:41 am
I think it is good for Christians to state their faith. As a Lutheran, I state, or confess, my faith freely and publicly. I say what I believe, for my own benefit and for others. And because, frankly, Jesus Christ tells us to confess him before men (Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8).
Some Baptists would ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 27, 2011, 9:57 am
Pride - Ash Wednesday
Envy - (I was out of town, Pastor Poppe preached this one, sorry I don't have the text)
Lust - Midweek 3
Anger - Midweek 4
Gluttony - Midweek 5
Greed - Midweek 6
Sloth - Maundy Thursday Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 27, 2011, 9:49 am
Remember your Baptism!
“It will therefore be no small gain to a penitent to remember above all his baptism, and, confidently calling to mind the divine promise which he has forsaken, acknowledge that promise before his lord, rejoicing that he is still within the fortress of salvation because he ha... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 24, 2011, 2:40 pm
Matthew 28:1-10
Easter
April 24th, 2011
“Here's What Victory Looks Like”
October 23rd, 2001. Monday Night Football. The New York Jets hosted their divisional rivals, the Miami Dolphins. The nation was watching, and your football obsessed pastor was watching. But it was looking bad for the Je... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 22, 2011, 11:31 pm
John 13:1-17; 31b-35
Maundy Thursday
April 21st , 2011
“Sloth”
Pride, Coveting, Lust, Anger, Gluttony and Greed. So now we come to the final deadly sin on our list – Sloth. As we said at the beginning of this series – these 7 sins aren't the only deadly sins. Indeed, each and every sin is... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 13, 2011, 9:43 pm
Luke 16:19-31
Lent Midweek 6
April 13th, 2011
“Greed”
Pride, Coveting, Lust, Anger and Gluttony. We're almost to the end of our excursion into 7 deadly sins. Today we come to greed.
While there's certainly some overlap between Covetousness or Envy and Greed.... here's the difference, perhaps. ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 7, 2011, 10:46 am
Philippians 3:17-21
Lent Midweek 5
April 6th, 2011
“Gluttony”
Pride, Coveting, Lust and Anger. We've been examining these deadly sins in our season of repentance. God's word calls us out, points the finger right at us – dead to rights. But then the Gospel does its work – Jesus, our loving... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Apr 6, 2011, 8:39 am
Today's OT reading from the Treasury of Daily Prayer...you know the passage where Joseph frames his brothers as they are leaving Egypt for home? I couldn't help thinking about how this points to Christ.
Joseph makes his innocent brothers into thieves, to accomplish his purpose.
Jesus makes thieves,... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Mar 30, 2011, 10:09 pm
Matthew 5:21-26
Lent Midweek 4
March 30th, 2011
“Anger”
So far we've touched on the deadly sins of Pride, Covetousness, and Lust. And we've seen how these sins of thought are, indeed, deadly. And how the only treatment for such heart disease is the antidote of the Gospel – that Jesus Christ,... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Mar 28, 2011, 9:17 am
Luke 11:14-26
Lent 3
March 27th, 2011
“Stronger than the Strong Man”
Jesus' miracles were acts of compassion for those in need, sick, afflicted, cast out from society. Often we are told it is because he “has compassion on them” that he reaches out to heal. But these miracles are also his c... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Mar 24, 2011, 11:08 am
Matthew 5:27-30
Lent Midweek 3
March 23rd, 2011
“Lust”
One of the benefits of this sermon series on seven deadly sins is we get to talk about things we don't often cover in the lectionary. We get to zero in on particular sins that trouble us, yes, even us Christians – sins that we might not s... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Mar 10, 2011, 8:54 am
Proverbs 16:18
Ash Wednesday
March 9th, 2011
“Pride”
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall. Prov. 16:18 (ESV)
And so it begins, our journey to Calvary called Lent. Our 40 days of fasting and contemplation to prepare us for a sober and meaningful observance of Good F... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Mar 6, 2011, 2:35 pm
Matthew 17:1-9
The Transfiguration of our Lord
March 6th, 2011
“Just a Peek”
Transfiguration. Now there's some churchly insider lingo for you. What does it mean? Trans, as in, change – figure, as in figure or appearance. Jesus' appearance changes on the mountain. And we mark this unusual ... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Feb 28, 2011, 10:16 am
Matthew 6:24-34
Epiphany 8
February 27th, 2011
“What are You Worried About?”
I asked around this week what worries people the most. I suppose most of the answers I got were pretty common worries – worried about losing a loved one, worried about the welfare of one's family, worried about the C... Comment - Like
Tom C. posted an article on
Preachrblog
-
Feb 22, 2011, 11:29 am
Grace Lutheran Church, Racine, WI
2011 Lenten Series
7 Deadly Sins – 1 Loving Savior
Theologians in times past developed a list of “7 deadly sins”. These grave sins, they argued, led to the destruction of faith and eternal damnation.
We Lutherans consider all sins deadly, apart from repentanc... Comment - Like
Recent Discussions
