Jesus the Way to the Father

Pastor Tim Zingale St.Olaf Lutheran Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501   Grace and peace to you from our Lord and risen Savior, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen Our text for this morning is a text that is used many times in a funeral sermon. It is a text that gives comfort to a grieving family […]

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

The Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter John 10:1–10 St Paul Lutheran Church, Manito, IL Rev. James T. Batchelor   Christ has risen!  He has risen, indeed!  Alleluia!  This morning we remember that the one who rose from the dead is our Good Shepherd.   In the time and place that Jesus first spoke […]

Jesus appears to Thomas

The Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter John 20:19–31 Rev. James T. Batchelor   Christ has risen!  He has risen, indeed!  Alleluia!  Our Savior who once was dead now lives. The Gospel that we just heard begins with a time marker, “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week.” (John […]

Easter Sunday

The Sermon for Easter John 20:1–18 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hoopeston, IL April 20, 2014; Rev. James T. Batchelor Christ has risen!  He has risen indeed!  Alleluia! From an earthly point of view, that first Easter seemed like a day of confusion.  From God’s point of view, everything proceeded according to plan. Many commentators have […]

Palm Sunday

The Sermon for Palm (Passion) Sunday John 12:12–19 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Hoopeston, IL Rev. James T. Batchelor   It is a good idea to be aware of the context of any form of communication that comes your way.  This is true whether you are reading a book or listening to the news on the […]

By faith Abraham

John 11:1-45 Pastor Jason Zirbel Grace Lutheran Church Greenwood, AR   Joy in the Midst of Regret   The grace, mercy, and peace of Christ Jesus rest upon each and every one of you this day. Like it or not, regret is a sad part of each and every one of our lives.  How many […]

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

The Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent John 9:1–41 St Paul Lutheran Church, Manito, IL Rev. James T. Batchelor   One of the things we do to prepare for the Lord’s Supper is confess our sins and receive absolution.  Those of us who received baptism as infants and attended services regularly ever since probably […]

Living Water

The Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent John 4:5–30, 39–42 St Paul Lutheran Church, Manito, IL Rev. James T. Batchelor   One of the ways to add a little variety to daily Bible study is to vary the amount of the bible that you read from day to day.  On some days, you can […]

The Second Sunday in Lent

The Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent John 3:1–17 St Paul Lutheran Church, Manito, IL Rev. James T. Batchelor   Today’s Gospel is one of those readings that reminds us that not all Pharisees were hypocrites.  Some were genuine.  Nicodemus was one of the genuine ones.   Some of the Pharisees were convinced that […]

First Sunday in Lent

Sermon for Invocavit Sunday Pastor Robin Fish Shaped by the Cross Lutheran Church Laurie, MO   Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Our Gospel this morning is the familiar account to the temptation of Jesus.  These temptations echo the temptation of Eve.   Jesus was recapitulating the testing of mankind, taking a second run at it if […]