The Keys of St. Peters

Sermon: The Thief on the Cross

Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

Note: This sermon is adapted in large part from a series of sermons by Martin Luther and published under the title “Sermons on the Passion of Christ.”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the sun beat down on the hill of Golgotha, two thieves were nailed to crosses on either side of a man named Jesus of Nazareth. The first thief had always been a sceptic. Despite hearing the rumours surrounding this man’s teachings and miracles, he never believed them. The thief watched and listened to the crowd gathered around the crosses. The Messiah was supposed to free them from the Romans and establish a kingdom on earth. But, the religious leaders were confident that messiahs were not crucified.

The thief joined his voice with those standing at Jesus’ cross’s foot. What an embarrassment to die next to this lunatic. “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” the man shouts at Jesus. Not even a condemned criminal had any respect for Christ the King. This thief was an unbeliever who refused the salvation next to him. He mocked the only Savior that there is. Even in the despair of death, he’s full of hatred and mockery. His salvation is next to him, but he refuses to see it. In that Jesus, he could have found pardon for his sins, acquittal before God, and the promise of Paradise. But he would not have it. Instead, he mocks Jesus even in death.

Sermon: Entrusting Ourselves to God

Text: Romans 8:1-11
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

How safe do you feel living under the care of God? We can see how much we trust God when we’re afflicted by suffering outside our control. Look at your reactions during a crisis. There’s a saying, “A crisis does not make a man; it shows what a man is made of.” The true test of a person’s faith is how they handle challenges. How you responded shows a lot about your confidence in God’s grace. You might respond to a crisis with self-reliance and self-confidence. Or, you might feel the pains of panic and despair. You might be confused about why God would allow such a crisis to happen to you. Either way, your response during a crisis shows just how much you trust in the grace of God. The point at issue here is the trustworthiness of God. The question before us is why should we entrust “ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ, our Lord?” (Litany, LSB p. 251).

Sermon: Responding to the Word

Text: Luke 1:26-38
Annunciation of Our Lord
Listen to the Sermon here.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, why do we have a service tonight? Before there’s a birth, there has to be a conception. Conception occurs nine months before birth, give or take a few weeks. Do you get it yet? Which other church festival always happens on the 25th of the month? That’s right, Christmas, which always falls on December 25. Since we celebrate our Lord’s birth on December 25, nine months before that, March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation. That’s the day Mary heard the message spoken by the angel and conceived the Son of God, our Savior Jesus. Today we have paused during this season of fasting and repentance and take a moment to celebrate. “Conceived by the Holy Spirit” on March 25, “born of the virgin Mary” on December 25, nine months later.

Today we hear again the angel Gabriel and his startling announcement that Mary “will conceive in [her] womb and bear a son … and he will be great.” Every day announcements and news items elicit various responses; God’s Word is no different. Start talking to people about God and Jesus; you’ll receive various reactions. Some people will even respond with bitterness and hatred. Canadians tend to have a different response: apathy. Most people today simply don’t care. So, how about you? How do you respond when God’s Word of salvation and life comes to you? Today we will examine how the Virgin Mary responded to the angel.

Sermon: I Once Was Blind, But Now I See

Text: John 9
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our eyes are incredible tools. They allow us to see the world in all its beauty. Unfortunately, we often take this incredible gift for granted. But have you ever considered what it would be like to lose sight? Everything is bright and clear one moment; the next, you’re in complete darkness. As we age, our eyesight weakens. But what might you do if you began to lose your sight more rapidly? You would probably seek out an optometrist to help you. There was once a faithful woman who suffered from deteriorating eyesight. During an appointment with her optometrist, he sadly informed her that he could do nothing to improve her condition. Surprisingly, the woman remained calm and shared with him how good the Lord had been to her and her husband. The optometrist replied, “You have no eyesight,” he said, “but you can truly see.” And he spoke the truth. Spiritual sight is something better than physical eyesight.

Sermon: The Road to Golgotha

Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

Note: This sermon is adapted in large part from a series of sermons by Martin Luther and published under the title “Sermons on the Passion of Christ.”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our reading ends with Jesus on the road to Golgotha. How would you apply this to yourself today? Two points caught my attention. First, we heard about Simon of Cyrene who was forced to carry the cross for Jesus. And second, Jesus’ command to the women who were weeping for Him to cry for themselves.

Simon was a pious man who had gone to Jerusalem to attend the feast, but when the soldiers saw that Jesus could no longer carry the cross which was placed on Him, they forced Simon to carry it following the Lord. Simon’s act of bearing the cross is a reminder to us that we too must bear the cross of Christ in our own lives. Just as Simon carried the heavy weight of the cross, we too must “take up [our] cross, and follow” Jesus (Mt 16:24). What does take up your cross mean? Simon of Cyrene gives us a clue. It doesn’t mean just to suffer in general, nor does it refer to suffering caused by our sins. Peter wrote, “Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name” (1 Pe 4:15–16). Not all suffering is to be called a “cross;” because that which the wicked suffer is not their cross, but what they have earned for themselves. When Christians suffer, like Simon here, is called a “cross,” because it is not merited, it is something that others do to us.

Sermon: Reconciled to God

Text: Romans 5:1-11
Third Sunday in Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The human story is one of war and conflict, endless struggle and strife. From the earliest days of recorded history, we have fought and bled and died for causes great and small. We have seen empires’ rise and fall and the birth and death of countless civilizations. And yet, for all our striving and struggling and our triumphs and tragedies, there remains a deeper conflict, a battle that lies at the very heart of our existence.

This is the war that we wage against God. From the beginning of time, we have rebelled against His authority, spurning His love and rejecting His grace. We have turned away from His commandments and followed after our own desires, seeking to make ourselves the masters of our own destinies. And in doing so, we have brought the wrath of a just and holy God upon ourselves.

But amid our rebellion and defiance, something remarkable has happened. This morning we’re going to explore that. We’ll see first our need for reconciliation. Second, God’s act of reconciliation. Third, the hope of reconciliation.

Sermon: Peter Denies Jesus

Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

Note: This sermon is adapted in large part from a series of sermons by Martin Luther and published under the title “Sermons on the Passion of Christ.”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The story of Peter’s fall and subsequent redemption is one of the most powerful and moving examples of God’s grace and forgiveness in the Bible. It reminds us that even the greatest saints are capable of terrible sin and that we must always live in fear of God. However, it also teaches us that we can find hope and comfort in God’s Word, even when we have fallen into sin.

Sermon: Part of Abraham’s Family

Text: Romans 4:1-8, 13-17
Second Sunday in Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is a family? How would you respond if you were asked to define what constitutes a family? It isn’t quite as easy as we may think. A family isn’t just a bunch of people living under one roof. By that definition, any hotel or prison would be a family. Neither is a family, a group of people with the same last name. Many people have the same last name from all over the world and are total strangers. To complicate matters, a family doesn’t have a specific composition either. A family can include parents and children, a married couple without children, and a single parent and children. You don’t even have to be a blood relative to be family. For example, some people are adopted.

What about God’s family? To be part of God’s family, you must also be part of Abraham’s family. “Father Abraham had many sons. Many sons had Father Abraham, and I am one of them, and so are you.” We teach our children that song: that they are children of Abraham. Abraham was the beginning of the God’s family. God singled out this one man of all the people on earth – seventy-five years old, married, and childless. God promised Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3). Then the Apostle Paul comes along and says that to be part of God’s family, you must also be part of Abraham’s family. Christians now belong to that family. This morning we’ll look at two questions. First, “How do we get into Abraham’s Family?” Second, “What are the blessings of being in Abraham’s Family?”

Sermon: Tempted Yet Victorious

Text: Matthew 4:1-11
First Sunday in Lent
Listen to the Sermon here.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians worldwide pray, “Lead us not into temptation”, several times daily. Jesus taught us to pray that God would “We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice” (SC III.16). And there is a reason why Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” Because even in the best of times, we have a poor track record of resisting temptation. But did you notice this morning’s Gospel reading? “Jesus was led … to be tempted by the devil” (Mt 4:1). Jesus was led into temptation. John had just baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and then He was filled with the Holy Spirit. And what does the Holy Spirit do? Leads Him into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. The Temptation of Jesus allows us to ask, why was Jesus tempted? But first we will see that we are tempted in precisely the same ways.

Sermon: Remember That You Are Dust

Text: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Ash Wednesday
Listen to the Sermon here.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s so easy to forget things. We’re good at forgetting things, aren’t we? Sometimes, we don’t just forget things but intentionally put them out of our minds. If something is particularly unpleasant, we try not to think about it. We don’t want to remember it. We like to avoid things because we don’t want to deal with them. And then comes something which reminds us of that very thing we were trying to forget. That’s why we have ashes on Ash Wednesday.