Month: October 2016
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Christians Abide in His Word (John 8:31-36)
Reformation Sunday + October 30, 2016 Text: John 8:31-36 Celebrating the Reformation is an exciting time in the Lutheran Church. Next year for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we really get to go all out. But it’s important to double check that our excitement is more about being “Church” than it is about being…
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Naked Sinners Clothed by a Gracious God (Luke 18:9-17)
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost + October 23, 2016 Text: Luke 18:9-17 In the age of social media, exhibitionism is at an all-time high. People are sharing everything from their child’s first steps to what they had for dinner. This has invited friends and acquaintances to “like” and comment their way into previously private moments. …
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Praying in God's Faithfulness (Luke 18:1-8)
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost + October 16, 2016 Text: Luke 18:1-8 There’s a lot of material out there about prayer. And most of it is misguided. In much of what we hear about prayer, we’re led to believe that if we get down on our knees enough, or with just the right heart, or…
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God's Blessings Come Through the Cross (Luke 17:11-19)
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost + October 9, 2016 Text: Luke 17:11-19 Today’s Gospel tells us of one of the many healings which Jesus did. The recipients were ten men of Jewish descent. We know this because Jesus directs them to show themselves to the priest in Jerusalem.[1] As people with a Jewish background, they…
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Protecting the Faith of Little Ones (Luke 17:1-10)
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost + October 2, 2016 Text: Luke 17:1-6 (p. 876 in pew Bible) When you first hear this passage in Luke 17, it may seem like a cobbling together of different teachings of Jesus. In fact, this is the capstone of Jesus’ teaching from the beginning of chapter 15, alternating between…