Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The Word of God that engages us today comes from the prophet Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is […]

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Today in our Gospel lesson, Jesus once again says things that are confusing and difficult to understand: “The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who […]

Introduction – Growing hostility against Christianity in America Mockery  Suspicion  Isolated persecution  Organized persecution Types of Persecution Mockery Beatings Arrest and Seizure of Property Death (11 of 12 apostles were martyred, 1 died in exile) Jesus says that persecution will come to his Church (10:16-22) from… Government (vv. 17-18) Family (v. 21; […]

In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  Today our meditation on God’s Word comes from the Gospel lesson, especially this verse: “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36, ESV).[1]  What do you call sheep without a shepherd?  Lunch!  That’s right: […]