April 2013 Sermons

Posted on April 14, 2013 by ZionMember
Quasimodogeniti Sunday
April 7, 2013                                        Like Newborn Babes
Today Our Lord says, “Peace be with YOU!” May this peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding and which is found in His Word and Supper, keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus Our Lord!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Newborn babies crave milk, especially their mother’s milk. In the same way, children of God ought to crave the “pure milk of the Word,” namely, the Gospel in preaching and the Sacraments (Introit). For “whoever is born of God has overcome the world” because He has received the victory over death in Christ (Epistle). This craving is faith which firmly holds to our Lord and finds in His wounds the comfort He both promises and delivers (Gospel).  Our prayer is that such craving faith in Our Lord and His Word will allow us to grow up to produce godly living and conversation (Collect).
The Sermon
They fled, abandoning Him in His darkest hour.  They denied Him.  And still His Word to them is one of peace.  They lock themselves in a room, He seeks them to bring them peace.  And He does more.  He gives to them the Office to distribute the saving Gifts that He won with His crucifixion and death.  He comes in peace, He comes in grace, He comes bringing life.  And the breath that animated the first man continues in the work of creating – creating forgiven, redeemed saints by the proclamation of the remission of the sins of all men.  So blessed are you have not seen, and yet have belived.
The Holy Eucharist
Spiritual milk, faith that craves it, and the wounds of Christ—all this is found in the eating and drinking of Our Lord’s resurrected Body and Blood. And by this Sacrament, your faith is strengthened, your life in God preserved, and your hope increased.
Readings
Genesis 32.22-30; 1 John 5.4-10; St. John 20.19-31
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                331 (stanzas 1-5)
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       208
OFFERING HYMN                                                          206 (stanzas 1-5)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                       202; 206 (stanzas 6-10)
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                   331 (stanzas 6-8)

Download (right-click, save as):04-07-2013 John 20:19-31
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Misericordia Domini
April 14, 2013                                   The Good Shepherd
Our Lord is Good Shepherd and Paschal Lamb, Host and Food, Server and Nourishment. May you receive here true nourishment for your life in Him!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Our Lord says, “I am the Good Shepherd” (Gospel); and the Church sings, “Rejoice in the Lord, all you righteous” (Introit). Our Lord bears our sins in His own body to death on the cross (Epistle); and the Church prays the Father to make us “partakers of the eternal joys” which Our Lord has won for us (Collect). The Lord promises to search out His flock and feed them (Old Testament); and the Church knows her Lord and His loving-kindness in the breaking of the Bread (1st Alleluia verse).
The Sermon
This Gospel shows us the compassionate heart of our Lord Jesus. Sheep who love to stray and get themselves stuck in all kinds of trouble the Good Shepherd seeks out and gently brings back to Himself, calling them by name. Even in the face of imminent danger He sacrifices Himself to save His precious flock. Therefore, you need fear no evil, even in this valley of the shadow of death. Jesus the Good Shepherd is with you, and He will lead you safely to pastures of eternal bliss.
The Holy Eucharist
“The good shepherd has laid down his life for his sheep in order to change his body and blood into a sacrament for us, and to satisfy the sheep he had redeemed with his own body as food” (St. Gregory the Great).
The Readings
Ezekiel 34.11-16; 1 Peter 2.21b-25; St. John 10.11-16
The Prelude
“Sheep May Safely Graze” – J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      210
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       436
OFFERING HYMN                                                       207 (stanzas 2.4.6)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                              196; 648
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                         195

Download (right-click, save as):04-14-2013 John 10:11-16
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March 2013 Sermons

Posted on March 21, 2013 by ZionMember
Oculi, Third Sunday in Lent
March 3, 2013                                         Only Look and Behold
The Faithful find their strength and armor against evil in the Gospel preaching and Holy  Sacraments. May you also be strengthened and nourished by Our Lord and His Word in today’s Mass.
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Eyes that are fixed on the Lord are confident that He will have mercy and pull ensnared feet out of the trap (Introit). So we look to the Lord, beseeching Him to look on us and “stretch forth the right hand of His majesty to be our defense against all our enemies” (Collect). And in fixing our eyes on Jesus , we also then follow God as dear children, walking in the same love Christ has for us (Epistle). For our confidence is that the Stronger One (Christ) prevails for us against the strong man (Satan), takes away his armor, and saves us from death and hell (Gospel).
The Sermon
It makes sense.  If a strong man has possessions, they are safe.  Until a stronger man comes along, that is.  Then the stronger man plunders the strong man’s possessions, and keeps the spoils.  This men understand, even fallen men.  But what fallen men cannot understand is that the stronger Man defeated the strong man by surrendering to His enemies.  He won by dying.  In His weakness is His strength.  The stronger Man came not with armies, but alone.  And alone He took on the transgressions of the world.  And then He died for those sins.  By His death He conquered the strong man.  The Finger of God was nailed to the cross.  The miracles He did, He did by the Finger of God.  For He is God, God with hands and feet and fingers, God scourged and mocked and spit upon, God crucified.  And the greatest miracle is in His taking up of His life again.  It is by His death and resurrection that He plunders the devil’s palace, and sunders your soul from the devil’s powers, that your last state is better than your first, that your last state is holiness in His Name.
The Holy Eucharist
To fix your eyes on Jesus is to fix your eyes on the Most Blessed Sacrament. For there you are given the forgiveness which calms a troubled conscience and the Life which overcomes the devil’s death.
The Readings
Jeremiah 26.1-15; Ephesians 5.1-9; St. Luke 11.14-28
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                            151 (stanzas 1-4)
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                                    258
OFFERING   HYMN                                                                                           145
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                    151 (stanzas 5-7); 367
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                                     263

Download (right-click, save as):3-03-2013 Luke 11:14-28
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Laetare, Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2013                                       The Bread of Life
Our Lord invites those who have followed Him into the Lenten wilderness to be fed by Him. May you seek the Lord while He is near! And may the heavenly Bread you receive today in Preaching and Sacrament be for your soul the highest good!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Where do you go when you are weighed down? To the Lord’s house! That is where you are made glad (Introit & Gradual). That is where the Lord is found to be your refreshment and nourishment (Old Testament). That is where the children of promise are nurtured and cared for by their mother (Epistle). And that is where the bread of Life is given to you (Gospel). Here in the Lord’s House is where your prayer is heard and answered – where the Lord Himself gives you the comfort of His Grace to mercifully relieve you (Collect).
The Sermon
Our Lord stood on the mountain and freely offered men what they needed the most – forgiveness of sins and life eternal.  And as an external sign of His power to grant eternal life, as proof of His Divinity, He multiplied the fish and loaves.  But the multitudes, steeped in their sin, chose barley loaves and fish rather than the Bread of Life.  As the Christ stood upon that grassy place and multiplied the fish and loaves, His hour had not yet come.  Now they desired Him as king.  Then they would desire only His death.  For you He showed heaven and earth that He is truly King.  He is your King.  God is a God of mercy.  God is a God of grace.  God is a God who provides, and pardons, abundantly.  He satisfies your temporal needs.  He fills your soul with good things.  And He brings you into His Flock, the fellowship of believers, the Church of Christ, those who rejoice in His Kingdom now, those who will join Him in heaven for eternity.
The Holy Eucharist
In the Blessed Sacrament, we are given the Bread of Life. Christ is both our Food and Host. He himself feeds us miraculously with His own Body and gives us to drink of His own Blood. Then we are truly satiated and fully satisfied.
The Readings
Isaiah 55.1-7; Galatians 4.21-5.1; St. John 6.1-15
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                387 (stanzas 1-6)
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       347
OFFERING HYMN                                                          142 (stanzas 1-3)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                              312; 179
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                  387 (stanzas 7-10)

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Judica, Passion Sunday
March 17, 2013                                The Great High Priest
The great I Am both speaks His Word and gives His Body and Blood today. This is your Lord and God! You are welcome to feast on Him with your ears and mouth, taking in the full benefit of His Passion.
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Today the Lenten focus sharpens as we consider more deliberately Our Lord’s Passion and Death. The crosses are veiled to remind us that Christ hides His power and glory in humility. Our salvation from sin and death is hidden in His suffering and death. The picture of the bronze snake on the pole (Old Testament) tells the reason, the High Priest offering the perfect sacrifice (Epistle) tells the necessity, and His dispute with the Jews (Gospel) tells the beneficiaries of Our Lord’s Passion. So we pray “Oh, deliver me” so that we deceitful and unjust ones might be caught up in His saving Passion (Introit). And we beg the Lord to look mercifully on us so that we are sheltered from that same sort of suffering (Collect).
The Sermon
Here the Jews take up stones to throw at our Lord, but He hides Himself from them. So, too, is He hidden from us behind veils at the beginning of this blessed Passiontide. But soon they will succeed in capturing and killing the Son of God, and we, His Bride, will accompany Him in faith every step of the way. In horror and grief we will look on as they subject our Lord to the cruelest of deaths. But our mourning will also be full of hope and joy, as we recognize the blessed benefits of our Lord’s Passion for us.
The Holy Eucharist
The self-sacrificing High Priest now lays down the eternal redemption He purchased for us with His own precious Blood. God is satisfied and you are saved!
The Readings
Numbers 21.4-9; Hebrews 9.11-15; St. John 8.46-59
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      152
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       168
OFFERING HYMN                                                                               320
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                172 (stanzas 1-5, 8-10); 261
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                         245

Download (right-click, save as):03172013_John8_46-59.mp3
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Palmarum, Palm Sunday
March 24, 2013                                The Man of Sorrows
Our Lord enters Jerusalem triumphantly, by joyful shout and palm branches.  But that triumph is soon eclipsed by His suffering and death, where His true Triumph is found.  May His victory be your consolation this day as you see through His Passion to His entry into the Heavenly Jerusalem.
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
“The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer” (Introit).  The deliverance He brings comes through His riding in, through His Incarnation and death on your behalf (Epistle).  It is yours this day to hear the account of His Passion, His willing suffering and death, His active and passive obedience, by which He earns for you salvation (Gospel).  That salvation is won by His drinking of the cup (Communio), that He bring you the Cup of Salvation, that you enter heaven triumphantly (Processional Gospel).
The Sermon
“Behold, your King is coming to you!”  The ancient words of Zechariah find their fulfillment as the Christ draws nigh unto the City of Peace.  The crowds shout “Hosanna!”  They openly call Him the Son of David, a Messianic title.  But before this Holy Week was out, He would leave the City of Peace surrounded by crowds mocking and scorning.  Although He rode in on the King’s mount, He would walk out, stripped, beaten and scourged, staggering under the weight of the cross.  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!
The Holy Eucharist
“If now I seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there. But I will find in the Sacrament or Gospel the Word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me the forgiveness which was won on the cross.” (Bl. Martin Luther)
The Readings
St. Matthew 21.1-9 (blessing of palms); Philippians 2.5-11; St. Matthew 26.36-27.60
 
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      160
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       162
OFFERING HYMN                                                                           insert
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                            insert; 55
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                         161

Download (right-click, save as):03-24-2013 Matthew 21:1-9
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The “Triumphal Entry” reading that the sermon is based on was at the beginning of the Mass and has not been included in the recording. Rather, the Passion account from St. Matthew (in 3 voices) has been included.

Maundy Thursday

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Easter (Feast of the Resurrection)

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1 Timothy Study

Posted on February 17, 2013 by ZionMember

We began a study of 1 Timothy on January 27th 2013. Unfortunately my “Blue Snowball” microphone fell and broke that morning, so I was unable to record the Introduction. Thankfully, my husband was able to fix the microphone, so I was back in business the following Sunday.

Download (right-click, save as): 02-10-2013 Part 1
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Download (right-click, save as): 02-10-2013 Part 2
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Download (right-click, save as): 02-17-2013 Part 3
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Download (right-click, save as): 02-24-2013 Part 4
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Download (right-click, save as): 03-03-2013 Part 5
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Download (right-click, save as):03-10-2013 Part 6
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Download (right-click, save as): 03-17-2013 Part 7
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February 2013 Sermons

Posted on February 17, 2013 by ZionMember

Sexagesima Sunday

February 3, 2013                                The Implanted Word
Today our Lord plants the seed of Himself in the hearts of all those who hear and receive His preached Word and are fed. We welcome you to this planting and pray that His Gospel may take root in you!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Our prayer in today’s Collect provides a summary of the themes of today’s Mass: “O God, who sees that we put not our trust in anything we do…” Instead, we place our hopes on, and boast in, Our Lord’s grace (His gift of mercy) which is sufficient to see us through all our hardships (Epistle). And we have confidence that He will not cast us off forever nor forget us in our affection (Introit). For By His Word preached and publicly read, Our Lord plants the Seed of His saving Word in our hearts, and so by Faith we receive Christ (Gospel).
The Sermon
The world that falsely arrested, brutally tortured, and murdered the Son of God can do no less to His Word.  It is only the man steeped in His own sin that would hear the clear Word of God and reject it and mock it.  The rock on that untillable path is the heart of unbelief.  Still, in mercy, the Sower sows His seed generously.  He spreads His Word across all men and all ages.  In love, He suffers His Holy Word to be plucked out and discarded.  He takes precious Seed, He takes what is Holy, and gives it to unholy men who do violence to it.  In this He is longsuffering in this time of grace, that while many reject Him, some may hear.  This He does in love.  As He laid down His life, so does He lay down His Word.  In love, He suffers His Holy Word to endure indignity and scorn, mocking and rejection by most, that His elect, that you, might hear and believe and live.
The Holy Eucharist
In the Holy Eucharist, Our Lord places not only His Word but His very Self in us. In this way we receive the eternal Word of God – Christ Jesus Himself. His Body and Blood are planted in us and grown up to produce in us the fruits of His own life – faith in God and love for our neighbor.
The Readings
Amos 8.11-12; 2 Corinthians 11.19-12.9; St. Luke 8.4-15
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                523 (stanzas 1-4)
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       500
OFFERING HYMN                                                                                 49
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                        294; 523 (stanzas 5-8)
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                          52

Download (right-click, save as): 02-03-2013 Luke 8:4-15
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Quinquagesima Sunday

February 10, 2013                                  Up To Jerusalem
This is where the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for your benefit is given to be your food and drink! Welcome to this gathering of the Faithful. May His Body and Blood be for your soul the highest good!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Today we stand on the threshold of Lent. The Holy Mass reminds you that your Lord “delivers you in His righteousness” (Introit). He does this by setting “us free from the bonds of sins and defend [ing] us from all evil” (Collect) by going up to Jerusalem to suffer, be put to death, and, to rise again (Gospel). This is the wonder that our God does (Gradual) and it empowers us not only to enter His gates with thanksgiving, but also to serve Him with gladness (Tract). For His death-march to Jerusalem models in us the perfect love, even as His death received plants that Love of God within us (Epistle).
The Sermon
The Words are unambiguous and straightforward.  And yet St. Luke reports that the Twelve understood none of these things.  This saying was hidden from them.  Their eyes functioned well, and still they could not see.  They had ears, but could not hear. And then St. Luke tells us of a blind man who heard and saw clearly.  He confessed his faith by crying out to Christ.  When our Lord told the Disciples plainly what was to be, they could not see.  But imagine the blindness of those now, when the arrest, death and resurrection of the Christ are historic facts, who will not believe.  Imagine the spiritual depravity of one who fails to see that lust and anger, jealousy and pride are harmful to you, and to those around you.  Imagine the profound blindness of someone who does not live as God demands.   The Lord did what He promised the Twelve He would do.  Even in death, He was true to His Word.  Believing in Him, trusting in Him as the blind beggar trusted, your faith receives the forgiveness He earned.   Your faith makes you well.
The Holy Eucharist
Following Our Lord to Jerusalem also means following Him to His Table. For that is where His broken Body and shed Blood bring you the good you need and which He desires for you! That is where His death becomes your Life and Living!
The Readings
Jeremiah 8.5-9; 1 Corinthians 13.1-13; St. Luke 18.31-43
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      421
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       524
OFFERING HYMN                                                          375 (stanzas 1-3)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                              409; 316
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                   375 (stanzas 4-5)

 

Download (right-click, save as):02 -10-2013 Luke 18:31-43
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Invocabit, First Sunday in Lent

February 17, 2013                   Lead Us Not Into Temptation
You are among the Faithful today! Gathered around the Word and Altar of Our Lord you receive strength for your faith and comfort in the face of fear. Our prayer is that your trust in the Savior may also be bolstered by His Word and Supper.
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Doubt, lack of faith, unbelief – that is ultimately what Satan wanted from Jesus (Gospel), and that was the test for Abraham (Old Testament). It all goes back to the old question “Did God really say…” (Gen 3). Therefore we pray that our Lord “mercifully hear our prayer and stretch forth the right hand of [His] majesty to defend us from all those who rise up against us” (Collect). For our confidence is that we shall call upon the Lord, and He will answer and deliver us (Introit), by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Sermon
The first Adam failed.  He was tempted.  He ate.  And so have the weaknesses of the flesh been temptation for you.  And to some you have yielded.  But the Last Adam prevailed.  He was not tempted.  He kept the fast.  The Bread of Life did not command stones to become bread.  The Lord of the angels did not call the heavenly host down for His protection.  Having put off the glory of heaven, earthly glory was no temptation to Him.  For His Kingdom is not of this world.  He hungered not for bread, but for the salvation of your soul.  He sought not honor for himself, but that you join the holy angels in the Kingdom of God.  He conquered the devil by the Word.  By that Word does He save you from the devil.  And by the faith that same Word works do you resist temptation.  And in mercy, the One who would not turn stones into bread places His Body with Bread that you might eat and be filled, and delivered from this desert place.
The Holy Eucharist
The Blessed Sacrament is given to us by God to strengthen and preserve against the assaults of the devil. The Sacrament is also a pledge and constant reminder of the One who not only has overcome the devil, but also promises to fight him for us in our flesh.
The Readings
Genesis 22.1-14; 2 Corinthians 6.1-10; St. Matthew 4.1-11
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      446
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       262
OFFERING HYMN                                                                               437
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                              144; 383
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                         369

Download (right-click, save as):02-17-2013 Matt 4:1-11
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Reminiscere, Second Sunday in Lent
February 24, 2013                                  Remember, O Lord
As they implore the Lord to remember them, so the Faithful also faithfully remember the Lord by heeding His Word and partaking of His Body and Blood. May this Feast bring to your remembrance Christ Jesus and His Passion, Death and Resurrection!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
“Of ourselves we have no strength” (Collect). So our only comfort is to “cry, O faithful God, to Thee for rescue from our misery” (Chief Hymn). And our plea is much like the pleading mother (Gospel)—that the Lord remember His mercies and lovingkindnesses (Introit); and that He look upon our affliction and pain, and forgive all our sins (Gradual). And our Lord does remember us. He remembers us with His favor and visits us with His salvation (Tract).
The Sermon
Like a contagious disease, Israel was to have destroyed the Canaanites when they entered the Promised Land so that their idolatry did not infect God’s chosen people.  But in sin, Israel never finished the job.  So the woman that approached Jesus was unworthy.  She was a sinner, born of sinners.  The cry of the Canaanite woman is a Lenten cry.  Her cry is your cry.  It is the cry of the unworthy as they draw nigh the only One who can cleanse them.  Israel was to have put the Canaanites to death.  But the true Israel, Jesus Christ, died for the Canaanite woman.  Love trumps the Law.  Her sins, her idolatries, her indiscretions and her doubt were forgiven, by God’s grace, through faith in Him.  By the same faith, you too confess Jesus as Lord.  You confess Him as the promised Seed of David, David’s Son and David’s Lord.
The Holy Eucharist
The “crumb” of help the woman seeks, the food you need is given to you in the Lord’s Supper. And that is sufficient, since it is the Food of Our Lord’s mercy.
Readings
Exodus 33.12-23; 1 Thessalonians 4.1-7; St. Matthew 15.21-28
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      319
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       522
OFFERING HYMN                                                                               526
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                              517; 142
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                         393

Download (right-click, save as):2-24-2013 Matthew 15:21-28
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January 2013 Sermons

Posted on January 13, 2013 by ZionMember

Epiphany of Our Lord

January 6, 2013                                  The Glory of Christ
Led by the Holy Spirit, the faithful gather to worship and adore Christ the Lord as their Savior and Redeemer. May your worship be one of true faith so that you rely solely upon the Lord Jesus as He gives Himself at this Holy Mass.
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Today’s Mass announces that “the Lord, the Ruler has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you” (Introit; Gradual; Old Testament). No longer, then, do you need to wonder or fear if the Lord’s coming is good for you. For to you “this grace is given” (Epistle). Yet how can you know this? By the Holy Spirit, who leads your hearts to Christ – just as the star led the Magi – so that you, too, may come and worship Him (Gospel). And just as they were led by the star, our prayer is that we also may know the Lord Jesus by faith so that, after this life, we may also know the fullness of His glorious Godhead (Collect).
The Sermon
The coming of heaven to earth is marked by a celestial sign.  A new star appears, that as the True Light is found on earth, Light shattering the darkness, a new light pierces the dark night to mark His presence.  And although the reluctant prophet tried to curse Israel, still the ancient prophecy is fulfilled, as the new light in the sky leads oriental diviners to the only true God.  He is the Glory of God, the Glory of His People Israel.  But He is also a Light to lighten the Gentiles, the Sacrifice He will make sufficient for the sins of the world.  The gifts the Magi prophesy, His Kingly and Priestly Offices foretold.  For He is the Ruler that will Shepherd the true Israel.
The Holy Eucharist
The Magi were led by a star to worship and adore the infant Jesus and to receive Him by faith as their Savior. As the star led the Magi, so does the Holy Spirit lead us to worship and adore Christ the Lord, and to receive Him not only by faith but also bodily when we consume His Flesh and Blood in Holy Communion.
The Readings

Isaiah 60.1-6; Ephesians 3.2-12; St. Matthew 2.1-12

Download (right-click, save as):January 6th 2013 Matthew 2:1-12
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First Sunday after Epiphany

January 13, 2013                               The Father’s Business
In the House of the Lord you receive the blessing and benefit that sees you through all hardship and suffering. May the preaching and Sacraments gladden you. For this is where the Lord richly fills you with Himself in His Word and Supper!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Today, Our Lord reveals His purpose: to be about His Father’s things in the Temple, yet seated in the midst of His enemies (Gospel). This contrasts with the image we have of Our Lord now; sitting on a throne, high and lifted up (Introit). And as Our Lord offers Himself willingly for our salvation, we pray for grace to do the same (Collect) by presenting our bodies a living sacrifice (Epistle). In this way, as we are made members of His body, we bless God (Gradual), make a joyful noise (Alleluia), and give Him praise (Chief Hymn).
The Sermon
He had to be among His Father’s Things.  He had to be where the sacrificial blood once was poured out onto the Temple sands.  He had to be where the Holy of Holies once was, filled with the Glory of God, the physical presence of the incomprehensible Lord.  He had to be where the Priests kept their office.  It was part and parcel of His Holy Incarnation.  For now, the Holy of Holies, long empty, was Holy again, for the God that once dwelt between the cherubim now gave instruction to Israel’s teachers.  He would make the prescribed Sacrifice, as those who were now astonished at His answers would demand His death.  At age twelve He had to be among His Father’s Things.  Now the risen and ascended Christ is where He has promised to be: in Word and Water, in Bread and Wine, that you be numbered among the beloved of His Father.
The Holy Eucharist
The things of the Father begin and find fruition in the Father’s house. This is where the Jesus is found even now – in the midst, among the preachers and teachers, laying down His Body and Blood for the Life of all.
The Readings
Ecclesiastes 12.1-7; Romans 12.1-5; St. Luke 2.41-52
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      133
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                         91
OFFERING HYMN                                                          130 (stanzas 1-2)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                              625; 629
RECESSIONAL HYMN        104 (stanzas 1 & 7) [Tune: Von Himmel Hoch]

Download (right-click, save as):January 13th 2013 Luke 2:41-52
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Transfiguration of Our Lord
January 20, 2013                               We Beheld His Glory
Welcome to the foretaste of the Feast to come! Here you see and partake in Our Lord in all His glory. In this way, this Feast becomes your food in turmoil, suffering, heartache and death. May this both encourage you and enliven your faith and hope!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
In the glorious transfiguration of His Son, God confirms the mysteries of the faith (Collect). The deepest of those mysteries is that Our Lord lets humans see and partake of His divine glory (Gospel, Epistle, Old Testament). The glory of the Lord is made known in His Church (Introit). There He pours His wealth and riches into us (Offertory) just as the Father spoke His grace and blessing over Him (Gradual). In the Sacrament, we receive this glory for our saving good (Post-Communion Collect).
The Sermon
At His birth, He is shown to be Divine as He receives the worship of His earthly parents and the Magi.  At His baptism He is shown to be Divine by the Father’s voice and the Spirit’s visible anointing.  But now, at His Transfiguration, His Divinity is manifested visibly.  His brightness is the brightness of the True Light, the Sun of Righteousness.  Moses and Elijah testified of Him, and now mysteriously testify of Him again, as heaven lends the Prophets and their Lord that men might know His Light.  Into the darkness of this fallen world, Light has come.  But His exodus from life would be covered in darkness.  To you trapped in that darkness the same Lord comes, risen, living, and touches you, and says “Arise, and do not be afraid!”  And you look up in faith, and you see Jesus only.
The Holy Eucharist
In the Eucharist we participate in the glory of Our Lord’s Transfiguration. For when we eat His Body and drink His Blood, we are taking into ourselves His victory over death and the grave. At the same time, we are enveloped in the heavenly banquet.
The Readings
Exodus 34.29-35; 2 Peter 1.16-21; St. Matthew 17.1-9
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      359
CHIEF HYMN                                                                  343 (stanzas 1-4)
OFFERING HYMN                                                                                 41
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                        343 (stanzas 5-7); 130
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                     insert

Download (right-click, save as):01-20-2013 Matthew17:1-9
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Septuagesima Sunday

January 27, 2013                                   Wages and Grace

The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ is not only spoken, but is given and poured out on the Faithful in the Preaching and Sacraments. May that Grace enliven and uplift your Faith and Hope in Our God and Savior.

The Theme of Today’s Liturgy

During the three Sundays before Ash Wednesday, we are instructed in Our Lord’s grace. Today we learn that our Lord’s grace does not depend on how hard we work, but that He freely gives what is good (Gospel). So our prayer is that “we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by His goodness” (Collect). Because this grace is tied to Our Lord and His death, He is your strength, rock and fortress (Introit). We can rely on Him (Old Testament) and trust in Him in every need (Gradual, Tract). With this grace of Our Lord, we live in the certainty that He has given and continues to give us the incorruptible crown (Epistle).

The Sermon

Like the first workers in this parable, we complain about what we have and demand more than what God gives. We foolishly think we deserve better. But the master is good even though our eye is evil, and he gives what is right. The latter workers are of a different attitude than the former. They do not puff themselves up but humbly trust in the goodness and justness of the master. And so we see in them the example of faith, which does not ask to be rewarded according to merits (for it knows how deadly that would be) but simply trusts in the goodness of the master. Indeed, this is like the kingdom of heaven, where God does not reward us for our merits but pardons us freely on the account of Christ. He makes us who are last equal with Christ who is first.

The Holy Eucharist

What is Our Lord’s own He gives us. His own is His life – His Body broken and Blood poured out. Here, at His table, we are equally and freely given this grace. It depends not on what we have done, but how He chooses to deal with us.

The Readings

Jeremiah 9.23-24; 1 Corinthians 9.24-10.05; St. Matthew 20.1-16

The Hymns for Today’s Mass

PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                528 (stanzas 1-6)
CHIEF HYMN                                                                  377 (stanzas 1-6)
OFFERING HYMN                                                          373 (stanzas 1-4)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                            528 (stanzas 11-15)
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                  377 (stanzas 7-10)

Download (right-click, save as):01-27-2013 Matthew 20:1-16
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December 2012 Sermons

Posted on December 18, 2012 by ZionMember
First Sunday in Advent
December 2, 2012                                   The Lord Comes
In this place Our Lord Jesus comes both for us and to live within us. But most of all He comes to save us and deliver us from whatever threatens us. May you also greet Him joyfully and join Him as He comes for you in His Word and Supper.
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
While the world prepares for parties and presents, the Church prepares for the coming of Her Lord by the lifting up of the souls of the faithful unto Him (Introit). For your salvation is near (Epistle) as our Savior comes in poverty and humility (Gospel). He comes to forgive your sin and save your life (Old Testament). So we pray that Christ would stir up His power and come (Collect), as we await Him in true faith (Gradual) and prepare to welcome Him aright (Chief Hymn).
The Sermon
The New Testament is a Testament of Blood.  It must be, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.  So the Christ rides in to Jerusalem, the city where they kill the Prophets and stone those who are sent to them.  The sign of the King is fulfilled as Prophet, Priest and King rides in, the Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.  He rides in for you, that the Testament be complete, that your iniquity be forgiven, that your sins be remembered no more.  Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!
The Holy Eucharist
The Blessed One who comes in the Name of the Lord comes most certainly in His Body and Blood to be our food and drink. There both His heart’s desire and our hopeful expectation combine as one.
The Readings
Jeremiah 31.31-34; Romans 13.11-14; St. Matthew 21.1-9
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                       55
CHIEF HYMN                                            58 (stanzas 1-5) [Second Tune]
OFFERING HYMN                                                                                 70
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                    57; 58 (stanzas 6-9) [Second Tune]
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                          66

Download (right-click, save as): 12-02-2012 Matt 21:1-9
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Second Sunday in Advent – Populus Zion
December 9, 2012                            The Coming Redeemer
If you seek deliverance from the things that can harm you; if you seek help and salvation; then you have come to the right place.  Here, in this Holy Mass, the Redeemer comes to you to be your Rescue and your Savior.  Receive Him as He comes to you, as He comes for you, in His Word of Forgiveness and in His Body and Blood.
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
Our Redeemer comes mightily to “cause His glorious voice to be heard” and to give you “gladness of heart” (Introit). He is “the Sun of Righteousness” who comes with healing in His wings (Old Testament). This is why we are told the signs of His coming so that “when these things begin to happen” we might “look up and lift our heads”(Gospel), because Our Lord will “stir up our hearts and to make ready the way of His only begotten Son” (Collect).
The Sermon
“Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.”  Our Lord points His disciples to the signs of the times.  Rebuked for His disciples fervor at His coming, the Lord said “…if these should keep silent, immediately the stones would cry out”.  So it is that fallen man, intoxicated by pride and self-aggrandizement, overlooks the clear signs.  But the signs are there nonetheless.  While fallen man gazes in adulation at himself, the Lord directs “…look up, and lift up your heads.  To watch for our salvation requires that we look outside of ourselves, from whence cometh our help.  Our Redemption draws near.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will by no means pass away.
The Holy Eucharist
True redemption draws near as Christ our Redeemer comes to us in His Body and Blood.  He laid down His life for us on the cross, that we might receive Him in His most Holy Sacrament.  In Him, we do not fear, rather we pray that He would hasten His Coming.
The Readings
Malachi 4.1-6; Romans 15.4-13; St. Luke 21.25-33
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      444
CHIEF HYMN                                                                   607 [With Amen]
OFFERING HYMN                                                                               606
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                                                 56; 67
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                          68

Download (right-click, save as): 12-09-2012 Luke 21:25-33
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Gaudete – Third Sunday in Advent
December 16, 2012                              Gaudete! (Rejoice!)
If you feel the weight of your sin, if you are caught up in the stress of life, if you long for rest and peace in the Lord, if you know of no place to turn for comfort—, then enter into the joy of your Lord. For at this Mass He relieves you in your tribulations!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
We rejoice (Introit) because there is comfort in the pardon of our iniquity (Old Testament). That pardon comes through the Mysteries of God (Epistle), the Mysteries that bring Christ to us. Rejoicing, pardoned, we yearn for the coming of our Lord (Gradual), knowing that our God will come and save us (Communio).
The Sermon
In the midst of earthly strife, in the confusion of the fallen flesh, man cannot know God aright.  Steel bars and Herod’s sword, hunger and loneliness, worked doubt in John.  If John, who received the Revelation of God’s Mystery in Christ, can fall into doubt, how much more we fallen men.  And doubting, we have turned to false gods for comfort and help.  But look at the signs:  the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.   Blessed is he, blessed are you, dear Christian, who is “not offended because of Me.”  For you the Way is prepared.
The Holy Eucharist
The comfort that Isaiah announces in today’s Old Testament, that faithful preachers deliver in the mysteries of God, and that Jesus points to in His help of the poor and sickly and distressed – that comfort is given to you today in the Blessed Sacrament.
The Readings
Isaiah 40.1-8; 1 Corinthians 4.1-5; St. Matthew 11.2-10
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                       63
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                         75
OFFERING HYMN                                                                                 64
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                          59 (stanzas 1-3); 272
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                          72
Download (right-click, save as): 12-16-2012 Matt 11:2-10
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no recordings for Dec 23rd or 25th

Sunday after Christmass

December 30, 2012                             The Man of Sorrows
If you are looking for a Jesus who is more than a baby in a manger, a Jesus who is destined to be your Peace, Goodwill, and Life, and a Jesus who will deliver you from yourself, then receive this Jesus as He comes to you and for you at His Holy Mass!
The Theme of Today’s Liturgy
In the midst of the Twelve Days of Christmass, we are reminded why the almighty Word of the Lord descended from the royal throne of heaven (Introit). Our Lord was born of a woman and born under the curse of the Law, so that He might buy us back from our slavery to sin and set us free to be children of God (Epistle). To accomplish this, Our Lord must be destined for the falling and rising of many and become the Man of Sorrows (Gospel). Yet His destiny to death gladdens us since we know that He speaks the grace and is clothed with the strength that will overcome death and the devil (Gradual and Alleluia).
The Sermon
The miracle of the Nativity of our Lord is incomprehensible, yet by faith we believe.  A seemingly greater mystery is that our God, who took on Flesh, the Babe of Bethlehem, submitted to an earthly step-father and mother.  He submitted Himself to the Law.  And the God Whom the heavens cannot contain became a Boy, a boy Child that grew.  God not only submitted to human birth.  He lived out His life a Boy growing into a Man, all the while filled with wisdom, with the grace of God upon Him.  By that grace, He comes as the Redemption in Jerusalem, the Redemption for which faith hungers, the Redemption that you need.  In Christ, you too, with Joseph and the Mother of Jesus, can marvel at those things spoken of Him, those things which He gives to you.
The Holy Eucharist
Those who receive Their Lord in the Holy Sacrament cannot escape the same sword piercing sorrow that comes to the Holy Mother. For while the Blessed Sacrament is a source of strength, it also sets us at odds with the devil, the world and our sinful flesh. But we take heart since Our Lord strengthens and uplifts us in this Holy Food!
The Readings
Isaiah 63.7-16; Galatians 4:1-7; St. Luke 2.33-40
The Hymns for Today’s Mass
PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                                      136
CHIEF HYMN                                                                                       105
OFFERING HYMN                                                            98 (stanzas 1-2)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS                                            79; 98 (stanzas 3-5)
RECESSIONAL HYMN                                                                          97

Download (right-click, save as): December 30th 2012 Luke 2:33-40
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November 2012 Sermons

Posted on December 18, 2012 by ZionMember

Sorry. No November sermons were recorded due to illness (3 Sundays) and tardiness (one Sunday). It was a stressful month in our household. Playing catchup now with December recordings.

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October 2012 Sermons

Posted on October 21, 2012 by ZionMember

Second Sunday after Michaelmass
They conspire and plot and pick up stones, He tells them a Parable. By that Word will the Pharisees be judged. And by that Word will you be judged. So hearken to His Word. For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man, a king, who made a marriage for his son. God’s Kingdom is hidden in this fallen world. It is not like this fallen world. For the wedding is ready, but those who are invited are not worthy. So, in mercy, God fills His marriage feast with others, bad and good. The King sees you vested in holiness. In Christ, you are worthy. And the Feast is prepared.

Download (right-click, save as): 10-7-2012 Matthew 22:1-14
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Third Sunday after Michaelmass Sermon read by Rev. Sem. Peter Eckardt
Like this nobleman, so do we have trouble believing without seeing signs and wonders. The weakness of the nobleman’s faith (and ours) earns God’s rebuke. But Our Lord strengthens the nobleman’s faith by His Word so that he might believe without seeing. Then Our Lord gives him a sign nonetheless. So, too, does Christ strengthen our faith by the promises of His Word and give us signs of His faithfulness in His Sacraments.

Download (right-click, save as): 10-14-2012 John 4:46-54
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Fourth Sunday after Michaelmass
To limit the number of times we must forgive those who trespass against us is to commit the sin of Lamech. For it is to make oneself greater than God. God’s forgiveness is without limit. How boundless has your forgiveness been? Have you readily forgiven those who have trespassed against you? Have you put their offense out of your mind and heart, as if it had never happened? The Blood of Christ wetting the dust of the earth cures all men born of the first man, men formed from that dust. For in the Blood of Christ there is forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is boundless. His shed blood is sufficient for the sins of all men. God gave His Firstborn for your transgression. God gave the Fruit of His Body for the sin of your soul. He has shown you, O man, what is Good.

Download (right-click, save as): 10-21-2012 Matthew 18:21-35
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TITLE
SUMMARY

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Galatians Bible Study – Post Updated

Posted on September 9, 2012 by ZionMember

I’ve updated the Galatians Bible Study entry.

http://www.byhearing.net/blog/2012/07/19/galatians-bible-study/

Some of the files are still uploading as I make this blog entry.

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September 2012 Sermons

Posted on September 2, 2012 by ZionMember

14th Sunday after Pentecost
Pastor’s mic batteries died today, so I had to amplify the sound picked up by the other micrphones. Sorry about the hiss.

He was an expert in the Law, but he didn’t know Christ. Therefore all his learning availed him nothing. Asking Jesus about salvation, he failed with his question. For he asked what he must do to be saved. And there is nothing the sinner can do to be saved. That’s the point of the account of the Good Samaritan. The man lies helpless, unable to save himself. So it is with every sinner. Jesus is the Good Samaritan. It is He that saves those who cannot save themselves. He made Himself helpless. He was beaten, and left dead on the cross. And that atoning death He makes yours. He does it by slaying you with His Law, and then healing you with His Gospel. Then, in mercy, He brings you to His Church, where He provides for you until He returns.

Download (right-click, save as):09-09-2012 Luke 10:23-37.mp3
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15th Sunday after Pentecost
He is Holy. They were decidedly unholy, and proclaimed so by the Law. They could not approach Him. And they were dying. Their cry for help is heart-felt. They do not call Him God or Lord, but Master. So He commands them according to the Law. They turn and leave at His command, and His Word is proved True. But against love there is no Law. The Word of Christ’s command worked faith in one. And He returned thanks, the very thing that faith is wont to do. So the nine remained constrained under the Law. They were sent to a Levitical priest. So it is with every sinner. The Law can proclaim clean only that which God has made clean. The Law has no power to make clean. The one, however, was healed by Christ’s Word, and free in the Gospel. He showed Himself to the Great High Priest. But it was not his skin, rather his heart, that the Priest in the Order of Melchizedek saw. And so his healing is eternal.

Download (right-click, save as):09-09-2012 Luke 1:23-37
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16th Sunday after Pentecost
I was out of town, sermon not recorded. Sorry.

17th Sunday after Pentecost
That lifeless body sprang to life. God breathed into his nostrils, and man became a living being. God is life. And yet the Lord of Life stands outside of Nain and is met by death. There is loss and sorrow. There is mourning. He preaches promise to the widow, and then delivers what He has promised. She needn’t weep. The only begotten son lives. And yet He who speaks the lifeless to life must Himself die. The only begotten son interrupted the procession out of Nain to the grave, and still He must fill His grave. But the report of the faithful is true. A great Prophet has risen up. He who emptied the coffin at Nain emptied His own tomb. He comes to you in the midst of your dying. His Word brings you forgiveness and life. For God has visited His people.

Download (right-click, save as):09_23_2012 Luke 7:11-17
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Michaelmas Preached by Rev. David Petersen, Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne

Download (right-click, save as):09-24-2012 Michaelmas
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First Sunday after Michaelmass
It was a blemished offering, but that is the best that fallen men can do. The man offered up to the Christ was paralyzed. He had to be carried in. The Lord healed Him. He proclaimed the forgiveness of his sins. That is what faith desires. But doubters abound. So they held the Christ to be a liar. Every sin men commit makes the same accusation. In mercy, the Lord added to the spiritual healing a physical healing. He added a concrete, external sign of the miraculous forgiveness of sins. So the Incarnate God adds visible elements to the miracles that heal you.

Download (right-click, save as): 09-30-2012 Matthew 9:1-8
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