Month: April 2020
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Third Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:13-35)
At the outset of the day, Jesus’ disciples were in sorrow and grief. Their present circumstances were weighing them down, because in their estimation, “the chief priests and rulers delivered him up to death and crucified him.” End of story. The world had won, in spite of all that Jesus had said. Their hopes were…
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Second Sunday of Easter (John 20:19-31)
In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Right now we’re all too familiar with barriers. If you make it to Costco, they have Plexiglass shields between you and the checker. We’re can all play bank robber and put a mask on and ask the teller to give us money (as long as it’s ours, of course).…
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Resurrection of Our Lord (Matthew 28:1-10)
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Good news beyond comprehension. That’s what Jesus’ resurrection was. Mary of Magdala and Mary, the mother of James, go to the tomb after resting on the Sabbath. They come with burial spices to complete what was taken care of with haste as the sun set on Friday. It wasn’t fitting that…
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Good Friday (Isaiah 53:4-5)
One of the strongest illustrations of the Gospel coming out the Reformation is that of the courtroom scene—forensic justification—where God looks upon the guilty sinner and His verdict is “not guilty” because Christ is the One who stood in our place and bore the punishment. This makes sense, because people were often under judgment and…
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Maundy Thursday (Matthew 26:17-30)
Normally, Maundy Thursday is a night I look forward to as a pastor—imagine that, a holiday in the Church year dedicated to the Lord’s Supper! I love the hymn, “Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness.” It brings me to tears as we sing, “Jesus, bread of life, I pray You, Let me gladly here obey You.…
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Palm Sunday (Passion According to St. Matthew)
Matthew 26:1-35 Jesus is surrounded by failures. The woman who anoints him does a beautiful work, Judas who betrays him, the eleven other disciples who claim to be faithful but later abandon him. And this is nothing unique to this moment in time. Among people, we are a mixed bag. We have good intentions at…