By William W. Schumacher The text of this passage from the Epistle of James is interesting both grammatically and lexically. The passage is rich in imagery, and the vocabulary is rather unusual. The preacher is invited to echo the colorful, creative language in a sermon that does not reduce the message to simplistic platitudes and ..
Editor’s note: The following homiletical help is adapted from Concordia Journal, July 2006. By Joel P. Fritsche In chapter two of his epistle James warns these Christians about the danger of “head faith.” He doesn’t specifically label it as head faith, but that seems to be what he is referring to. Note what James says ..
By Jason Broge The image of the Christian as warrior has become more distasteful in recent years. War-weary people cringe at the classic battle hymns, fearing hymns like “Onward Christian Soldiers” create images of militaristic aggression that don’t fit with the gospel of peace. However, the hymn presents an image, not of a lone soldier, but ..
By William Wrede Marriage. A man and a woman united. The standard for this union has been established by God and is fully rooted in his love for us in Jesus Christ. A quick review of the readings from Ephesians for the prior two Sundays will frame our reading for today; we are imitators of ..
Editor’s note: The following homiletical help is adapted from Concordia Journal, April 2008. By Joel P. Fritsche This epistle reading turns our attention toward living the Christian life. It builds off the foundation that St. Paul laid earlier in Ephesians, namely 2:8–9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not ..
By James Voelz This pericope is typical of the latter portion of Paul’s letters, that is, it deals with everyday matters of the Christian life (cf. 2 Thes 3). As is the case in most of Paul’s letters the first portion of Ephesians focuses upon more overtly doctrinal matters, the second on more practical concerns. In ..
By Rick Marrs Paul has regaled the Ephesians with rich spiritual blessings they have in Christ (Eph 1), how both Jews and Gentiles are saved by grace alone through faith alone (Eph 2), how the mystery of the gospel has been revealed by the Spirit through the very human apostles and prophets; Paul then prays for spiritual strength ..
By Benjamin Haupt How big are we talking? That might be a question that you have discussed if you have ever built a house or a church or any other kind of building. That is the question Paul seems to be addressing in Ephesians 3:14–21. In Ephesians 1 and 2, Paul reminds the Ephesian Christians that they are chosen ..
By Jeff Gibbs I say to my students with some regularity, “Careful exegesis often makes the text harder to preach.” What I mean, of course, is that the concerns of a particular text of Scripture might not, at first glance, be the sorts of things that concern a Christian/Lutheran congregation in twenty-first-century North America. When this is the ..
By Timothy Dost Here is a passage of great comfort that is a blessing and help in times of hardship and times of plenty. Paul thoroughly grounds the promises of predestination to salvation in the gospel of Jesus Christ and thereby assures us of the durability of the promise in the face of the troubles and difficulties of this present ..
By Andrew H. Bartelt Exegetical Notes If one has been preaching through 2 Corinthians with the lectionary, then the isagogical issues have been addressed, including the question of the number of letters and visits to the Corinthian congregation (discussions are available in commentaries and summarized in most study Bibles). This lesson skips ahead to chapter 12, where we find Paul ..
By Glenn Nielsen Paul urges the Corinthians to finish up their part of the collection for the church in Jerusalem. They started a year earlier, setting aside an amount each week. But it seems the giving had slowed down such that it would not be ready in time for Titus to receive it. But notice Paul doesn’t use the ..
By Joel Elowsky Servants of God as a Study in Contrasts This text follows on the heels of the well-known “glorious exchange” passage at the end of chapter 5, “God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” Our text begins by telling us that ..
By Daniel Eggold Throughout 2 Corinthians, Paul rides a roller coaster of emotion. In the opening apology, Paul defends himself against accusations of carelessness and callousness (1:8–2:16). He then writes with joy concerning his apostolic mission and of the glory of the gospel (2:16–4:6). But while the gospel has glory, a minister of the gospel should not expect plenty ..
By Michael J. Redeker Christians are faced with the realities of this world. We cannot escape this. Along with the joys that come from life, we also face the trials and tribulations that come with living in a broken world. These present realities can wear down a Christian’s faith. And some people might abandon the faith altogether because ..
By Erik Herrmann The Christian confession of the Trinity is both sublime and difficult. Trying to grasp the distinction of the divine persons while maintaining the unity of the Godhead can feel like an abstraction that places God further away from us instead of drawing near. The distinctions are important as the language of the Athanasian Creed gives ..
