Category: Sermons
-
Humanity Recreated in Christ (Matthew 5:21-37)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany + February 12, 2017 Text: Matthew 5:21-37 Since Jesus said, “I have come not to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them,”[1] we are called as Christians to take a whole new look at the Old Testament because, since the Christ came,…
-
Distinguishing Law and Gospel (Matthew 5:13-20)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany + February 5, 2017 Text: Matthew 5:13-20 C.F.W. Walther once wrote, “The true knowledge of the distinction between the Law and the Gospel is not only a glorious light, affording the correct understanding of the entire Holy Scriptures, but without this knowledge Scripture is and…
-
Church in the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany + January 29, 2017 Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 We know a lot of stuff about the Bible, and about the Gospel, right? We know God, or we’d like to think. Maybe a better way to put it is in the words we just confessed in…
-
Bringing Us Out of Darkness into His Light (Isaiah 9:1-4)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Third Sunday after the Epiphany + January 22, 2017 Text: Isaiah 9:1-4 One of the first works of God was to separate the light from the darkness, and making a distinction called Day and Night.[1] The difference between light and dark is a matter of contrast. For our life, we…
-
Pointing to the Lamb of God (John 1:29-42)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Second Sunday after the Epiphany + January 15, 2017 Text: John 1:29-42a Jack Friday in Dragnet was famous for saying, “Just the facts, ma’am.” Whenever they would interview a witness, it undoubtedly happened that they would trail off into personal experiences and opinions about the suspect. But what is…
-
Baptized into Grace (Matt. 3:13-17)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Baptism of Our Lord + January 8, 2017 Text: Matthew 3:13-17 If you follow the news, it can be overwhelming—shootings, bombings, betrayals of trust, and political unrest (just to name a few). One common theme in all of these is the thirst for justice. We want to see ISIS destroyed,…
-
Funeral of Dale Bruce Gray (Isaiah 40:27-31)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Funeral of Dale “Bruce” Gray – January 5, 2017 Text: Isaiah 40:27-31 Dale Bruce Gray had a long and rich life of 87 years. He had a long life of marriage to Alice, married for 65 years and 5 days. Bruce had a long life of faith, baptized and…
-
On the Eighth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave Me a Name Above All Names (Luke 2:21)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Circumcision and Name of Jesus + January 1, 2017 Text: Luke 2:21 A blessed Eighth Day of Christmas to you! That’s probably not what you’re expecting to hear on January 1. But it’s true. Today we celebrate the eighth day after Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and laid…
-
No One Can Name Themself a Child of God (John 1:1-14)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR The Nativity of Our Lord + December 25, 2016 Text: John 1:1-14 Who has the authority to make someone a child of God? Who is a child of God, a Christian? Who makes that declaration? Not what family you come from, whether a Christian home or not. This…
-
Who Is Christmas For? (Luke 2:1-20)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Christmas Eve + December 24, 2016 Text: Luke 2:1-20 What are the ideals of Christmas? “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,” getting to spend Christmas with family, getting and giving the perfect presents, hot cocoa, sweets, and ugly sweaters. We have these dreams, but they become expectations—even demands of what…