Luke 5:1-11 Call stories often begin with an excuse. I am too young. I am too old. I can’t afford it. I’m not smart enough or strong...

Luke 2:22-40 In the gospel reading for the Presentation, we get a picture of a young mother and her husband heading to their place of...

Luke 4:14-21 Last week we heard John’s account of Jesus’ ministry kick-off with the Wedding at Cana and the turning of water into wine....

John 2:1-11 This Sunday’s gospel is more than a story about a good time at a wedding reception. Jesus, his disciples, his mother, and...

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 One of the most moving portions of the funeral liturgy for me is the reminder in one of the opening sentences at the...

Matthew 2:1-12 In this season, we have been exploring the question of “who Jesus is.” On this great Feast of the Epiphany, the identity...

As a pastor and preacher, I will never be able to disentangle this passage in John 1 from Christmas liturgies in my first call. The...

Luke 2:41-52 I once heard one of my mentors in ministry preach a sermon in which he declared that at the end of the day Christian faith...

John 1:1-14 Whatever you do this day, please do not give Christmas Day the ax!  An increasingly disturbing trend among many Lutherans is...

Luke 2:2:1-20 The Revised Common Lectionary presents several options for readings surrounding the Vigil of Christmas (Christmas Eve) and...

Luke 1:39-45 Though brief and often overlooked, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she arrives at the home of her relative...

Luke 3:1-6 I remember the Sunday morning that Wil walked into my office, a large grin on his face. He was carrying a bible in one hand...

Luke 3:1-6 As one who delights in studying history, I have come to appreciate Luke’s attempt at putting the story of Jesus into a secular...

Luke 21:25-36 “How do you know when the soy is ready to harvest?” I asked Caroline, then ninety and now of blessed memory. “It’s easy...

John 18:33-37 Christ the King is the most recent major liturgical observance to appear on the calendar, instituted by Pius XI in his...

Mark 13:1-8 The eschatological dimensions of November’s lectionary texts kick into high gear this week, and preachers may do well to warn...

Mark 12:38-44 In the intervening weeks between All Saints and Christ the King, the lectionary presents texts detailing eschatological...

Mark 12:28-34 The Festival of All Saints raises a multitude of significant theological issues that preachers may wish to address. No...

Pr. Ole Schenk The historic disagreement over the wording in the Nicene Creed about the Holy Spirit (the so-called “Filioque...

John 8:31-36 Warning: proceed with caution . I don’t know a Lutheran who doesn’t love Reformation Day/Sunday (actually, I do know a...