By David Peter This text is appropriate for reflection early in the Epiphany season for several reasons. First, it reports one of Jesus’s first acts of his public ministry. Second, it is one of the first times that Jesus publicly identifies himself as the Messiah. Third, it sets him clearly on the path to rejection ..
By David Schmitt At the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, there is an installation called Cup by Thomas Skomski. It’s basically a shelf extending out of the wall with a cup at the very end. The shelf is about the height of a countertop, making the cup perfectly within reach. Suspended there, this cup promises water for the weary. ..
Editor’s Note: The following homiletical help is adapted from Concordia Journal, October 1998. By Quentin F. Wesselschmidt Textual considerations: The Old Testament lesson for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany begins with chapter 9 of Isaiah, which contains one of the best-known prophecies of the birth of Christ in Scripture, namely, verses 6 and 7. The first ..
By Andrew H. Bartelt Exegetical Issues The central point is clear: the unity of the corporate body of Christ, made up of diverse parts with different functions, all working for the common good. This is integral to the overall theme of 1 Corinthians, in which Paul deals with a conflicted congregation that, ironically, “was not ..
by Bruce Schuchard “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me’” (Jon 3:1–2). But Jonah was not happy. In fact, Jonah was most displeased (4:1–3), disillusioned, and determined not to ..
by Bruce M. Hartung How rich can a text be? How many options can one text give a preacher? The richness of options is almost overwhelming as God speaks to us as preachers and to his people. Following his temptation, Jesus begins his Galilean ministry. In summary and rapid-fire form, Matthew ushers in Jesus’s work. ..
By Bruce M. Hartung Sermon theme Without a center and a core, life is chaotic and without overall meaning. The center and core of life and of living for a Christian is Jesus Christ; the testimony to Christ (the Word) is God’s Word (the Scriptures). Introduction to the sermon … the context Nehemiah and Ezra ..
By Francis C. Rossow Sermon notes 1. Like our text, the Epistle for this Sunday (1 Cor 7:29-31) has something to say about time. Paul’s comment that “the time is short” echoes the urgency of our Lord’s announcement, “The time has come” (v. 15)—the only difference being that Paul is speaking of the quantity of ..