The lutheransermons's Podcast

Preparing for Worship - November 30, 2025

This marks the beginning of a new church year, with the Advent season, as we prepare for the prophecies of and then the coming and birth of Christ, our Savior. This year, we will use the One Year Historic Series of readings, with long-standing Epistle and Gospel readings, and Old Testament and Psalm readings added more recently.

The Psalm is Psalm 24, a psalm of David. David knows that the earth and everything in it are the Lord’s, and He founded and established it all. The Lord wishes David and us to seek to approach Him with pure hearts and not in false and deceitful ways. We cannot do this on our own, but we receive blessings from Him and His righteousness and His saving forgiveness and mercy. David ends the psalm with a song of praise to the Lord, the King of Glory, who comes to us with His glory and might and blessings, as we gather to worship Him.

The Old Testament lesson is from Jeremiah 23:5-8. The Lord has condemned false shepherds who have led God’s people astray and scattered them and left them in captivity to others (Jeremiah 23:1-2). The Lord now promises that He will gather the remnant of His flock and provide better shepherds for them (23:3,7-8), as they return to their homeland, after the Babylonian captivity. And the days are coming when God will provide “a righteous Branch” from the line of King David, who will be a just and righteous King. In fact, He will be the Lord Himself coming to be our righteousness and provide salvation and security for us always. See similar prophecies about this “Branch,” our Lord Jesus, in Isaiah 4:2 and 11:1-5,10 and Revelation 22:16-17.

The Gospel lesson is from Matthew 21:1-9. This is the familiar story of Palm Sunday and Jesus riding into Jerusalem. He comes as a King, in fulfillment of another direct prophecy from Zechariah 9:9ff, and yet in a humble way, riding on a donkey’s colt, and coming to suffer and die, in payment for the sins of the world, including our own. At this point, though, the people are making a carpet of cloaks and branches and honoring Jesus as the Son of David, coming in the name of the Lord. Some even call Jesus the prophet from Nazareth. This is also fulfillment of our Psalm, Psalm 24, as Jesus truly is “the King of glory.” See how Psalm 118:14-27 is fulfilled that day as well.

The Epistle lesson is from Romans 13: (8-10) 11-14. Paul reminds us to seek to love one another and how loving our neighbor fulfills many of the other commandments of God. We owe the greatest debt to Christ our Savior, though, and the salvation He has come and brought near to us, in His saving work for us. We are called to remain spiritually awake and to continue to trust in Christ, just as when we first believed and were baptized and “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and His robe of righteousness. See Galatians 3:27-29 and Isaiah 61:10-11 also.

The Advent/Christmas season brings all this and so much more to us, in Christ. Advent means “to come to.” Jesus came to and was born in Bethlehem to be our Savior. He continues to come to our hearts and strengthen us in faith, as we remember our own baptism and His promises to us. He comes to us through His Word and in the miracle of the Lord’s Supper. And as we heard last week, Jesus also promises to us at the moment of our death, “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). And he even promises our own resurrection of the body on the last day. How confident we can be as we begin another year of God’s grace for us, this Sunday, too!

Preparing for Worship - November 23, 2025

On this Last Sunday of the Church Year, we are reminded again of the Victory that is ours in Christ, even in what looks like His Defeat, in His suffering and death for us. The psalm is a familiar one for us, Psalm 46, Luther’s Reformation psalm. Even in the midst of great trouble, God is our Refuge and Strength, and is a very present Help for us, even when chaos and disturbance surround us. The psalmist refers to the River in verse 4, which is associated with the Garden of Eden in its perfect beginning, as described in Genesis 2:10. The fall into sin destroyed that perfection and created numerous problems for God’s people, as described in Jeremiah 2:11-13. Yet God still cared for His people and called them back to faithfulness, seeking to restore them in His love with His river of delights and His Fountain of Life and Light. See Psalm 36:7-9 and Isaiah 41:17-18, as well as later prophecies like Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Zechariah 14:5-9, which point to Jesus and His saving work, as well as eternal life with Christ in heaven. See how these prophecies tie in with the vision John sees in Revelation 22:1-5ff. The psalmist is willing, then, to “be still,” and trust in the Lord and His exalted ways, however He chooses to work them out in a troubled world, by His mercy and love in the Savior to come.

The Old Testament lesson is from Malachi 3:13-18. People in Malachi’s day were saying that it was vain, worthless, to try to serve God, because the arrogant and evildoers prosper and escape God’s judgment and seem to be better off. Then we hear that faithful believers gathered and spoke with one another and encouraged one another. The Lord heard them and renewed His promises to them. He knows those who are truly His by faith, and they are His treasured possession, and one day the distinction between the righteous by faith and the wicked will be clear, in everlasting life, for those saved by His grace. (We need to remember to get together and talk with one another in faith, too, as much as we can.)

In the Gospel lesson, Luke 23:27-43, Jesus and two criminals have been condemned to die by crucifixion. Some were lamenting the death of Jesus as unjust, but Jesus tells them to weep not for Him, but for the many who will suffer judgment in days to come for rejecting Him, their Savior. Jesus is taken to Golgotha, the place of the Skull, to be crucified with the two others. Many make fun of him and ridicule Him. If He really were the Chosen One of God, the Christ, the King, then He could and should save Himself. But Jesus prays that the Father would forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing, and that at least some would eventually be brought to faith and be forgiven. One of the criminals knows and confesses his sins and asks Jesus to remember him when He comes into His Kingdom. Both died that day, but Jesus promised the forgiven sinner that “Today you will be with Me in paradise. “ It looked to so many that Jesus had lost, but He was the actual Victor, earning eternal life for all who trusted in Him by faith, and showing that in His mighty resurrection. At our death, too, Jesus says, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”

The Epistle lesson is Colossians 1:13-20. It is a beautiful description of just what Christ has done for us, too, through His suffering and death and bringing us to faith in Him. God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God… and in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell… and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, making peace by the blood of the cross. In Him all things hold together, and He is the head of the church and Preeminent.” Our confidence is in Him always, as our Lord and Savior, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Preparing for Worship - November 16, 2025

As the end of the church year is coming soon, our readings tell us more of God’s plan for us and for our world. The Psalm is Psalm 98 and speaks of singing a new song of the Lord Himself working out salvation for the house of Israel and revealing His righteousness and steadfast love and faithfulness and salvation also in the sight of the nations all over the earth. A time of judgment is coming, but there can be a joyful noise and songs, all over the earth, instead, as people trust the Lord and His plan of salvation in Christ.

The Old Testament lesson, Malachi 4:1-6, is also a prophecy of what is to come. A fire of judgment is coming, when all arrogant and evildoers will be stubble, with neither root nor branch. For those who fear and trust the Name of the Lord, though, and His Word through Moses (and others), the Sun of Righteousness will come with healing, and the wicked will be like ashes under the feet of God’s people. (See Romans 16:20.) Someone like Elijah will come and turn the hearts of many back to the Lord and to fellow believers, before a decree of utter destruction comes. (See Luke 1:13-17, where John the Baptist is clearly identified as the prophet who would come in the Spirit and power of Elijah to do this preparatory work for the coming Savior, our Lord Jesus. See also Luke 1:67-79, and look at Matthew 3, where John preaches of the judgment to come and yet also tells of Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior. See how Jesus also identifies John the Baptist as “the Elijah who is to come,” in Matthew 11:2-15.)

The Gospel lesson is Luke 21:5-28 (29-35), where Jesus predicts a time of judgment, during which the temple in Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself will be destroyed. He gives His people who trust in Him and His saving Name a way to recognize and flee from Jerusalem when that terrible time comes (as it did in 70AD). None of this is the actual end, though. Faithful believers in Jesus will keep on sharing the Good News of salvation through Him, even though there will be great opposition at times. There will be the rise and fall of nations and kingdoms, and numerous natural disasters, but the Good News will continue to be spread wherever possible, as it still is today. This is “the times of the Gentiles,” when many more non-Jews will come to faith, though God still wants all people to come to faith in Christ, and the witness to Jewish people of God’s love in Christ Jesus needs to continue, too. Near the end, if we are still alive at that time, there will be “signs” in the skies and “the powers of the heavens will be shaken” and “distress” on earth. We don’t know what all that means or will be, but we are called to be ready, by faith in Christ and His Word. This is not to be a time of great fear, but we are called to trust the Lord, day by day, and straighten up and hold our heads high, because the time of the final redemption from this troubled world is near. “The Son of Man, our Lord Jesus, is coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Then, “Heaven and earth, the physical universe as we know it, will pass away, but the Words of Jesus will not pass away," and there will be new heavens and a new earth, whatever that fully means (2 Peter 3:13 and 1 John 3:2-3), in which righteousness dwells and all is in perfection and all believers will continue to be with the Triune God and the angels forever in perfect peace and joy.

In the Epistle lesson, 2 Thessalonians 3:(1-5) 6-13, Paul reminds us again of what we are to be doing, until the return of Christ on the last day. We are to pray “that the Word of the Lord would speed ahead and be honored” among many more people, and that the Lord would “direct our hearts to His love and to the steadfastness of Christ,” to keep us going in good and difficult times. Paul also warns about people in the church living in idleness and has that famous saying, “If anyone is not willing to work (who could work), let him not eat.” Paul even advises trying to keep away from such people for a time, in the hope that they will wake up and repent. All who can should “work quietly and earn their own living” and not become weary in doing good. Paul uses himself as an example to the church. He had the right to expect to be paid for his work for the believers in Thessalonica. (See 1 Corinthians 9:9-12,18 and 1 Timothy 5:18, for example.) Instead Paul worked night and day as a tentmaker, to show that the Gospel is a free gift of God (1 Corinthians 9:16-18)  and that he was not preaching and teaching for his own profit (1 Thessalonians 2:9) and so that he could be an example for others to follow (2 Thessalonians 3:7,9). Above all, Paul prays that the Lord of peace would give the believers peace at all times in every way, for He promises to be with us always, to the end of the age. (See the words of Jesus also in Matthew 28:20 and His Word of promise that the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, would be with us, in John 14:25-27.) There is our hope, in Christ, always.     

Preparing for Worship - November 9, 2025

There are only three Sundays left in this church year, and the new church year begins on November 30, with the Advent season. Our thoughts are turned, therefore, to end times in some of our lessons and the return of Christ and/or the end of our own lives on this earth and eternal life in heaven.

The psalm is Psalm 148, as all of creation is called upon to praise the Lord, beginning with the angels and all the “hosts” already in heaven, having lived and died trusting in the Lord. The sun, moon, and stars and all above the earth are also called to praise, as they witness to the glory and majesty of God as Creator, with the natural knowledge of God. (See Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:19-23, and Romans 2:14-15.) All creatures and activities of the natural world on earth are called to praise the Lord, as well, even though now in a “fallen state,” affected by sin in the world. (See Romans 8:21-22.) All people of any age or status on earth are also called to praise the Lord, for He cares about them and has a plan of salvation, here called “a horn raised up for people.” (See also Psalm 18:2, 89:19-29, and 92:10, and the fulfillment of all that in a Son of David, predicted by Zechariah (Luke 1:67-79), qho would be the “horn of salvation for us” (v.68-69), our Lord Jesus, whose powerful yet humble way was prepared by John the Baptist. See John 1:26-30. (If you have a Lutheran Study Bible, see p. 842, where a “horn” is called “an image of power. Animals with horns are bold; in Israelite thought, a horned animal with its head held high symbolized strength and triumph.”)

The Old Testament lesson is Exodus 3:1-15, where Moses is called by “an angel of the Lord,” who is also called God Himself, speaking from the fire of a bush, “burning yet not consumed.” (This may likely be God the Son, the preincarnate Christ, speaking.) Moses is called to “bring God’s people, the children of Israel, out of (slavery) in Egypt.“ Moses is very reluctant about this, but the LORD, I AM WHO I AM,  reassures him and enables him. (When Jesus came, He used this name for Himself in His “I AM” sayings, including John 8:12, and most clearly in John 8:54-58. Jesus also quotes from this passage in our Gospel lesson for today, we will see.) Jesus was ultimately that powerful Savior.

The Gospel lesson is Luke 20:27-40. Sadducees, “who deny that there is a resurrection of the dead,” came to Jesus with a theoretical question which, in their view, would show the absurdity of life after death. (Sadducees were more liberal Jews, who also did not believe in angels or spirits. See Acts 4:1-2 and  23:6-11. Some of the most powerful priests were also Sadducees, who hated the Romans yet did not want to upset them, so that they could keep their own positions of power and influence in their nation of the Jews. See also Acts 5:17 and John 11:46-52, where these leaders plan to get rid of Jesus, for their own benefit, yet were also prophetic of His own saving work.) The Sadducees also primarily believed in the validity of only the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch. In this passage, they therefore quote from Deuteronomy 25:5-6, a rule about Levirate marriage, a brother marrying a brother’s wife, if the brother died, to keep a family inheritance. If a woman married a man who had six brothers, and he and all the brothers died, who would this woman be married to in heaven, the Sadducees asked? (In reality, Levirate marriage was not considered a binding rule, and few ever followed it.) Jesus clearly affirms that there is a resurrection of the dead. People who are worthy of eternal life (through trust in Jesus and His gift of faith and His saving work for the world) will live in eternal life when they die, though they don’t marry and aren’t given in marriage in heaven. Such questions as the Sadducees raise are no longer a problem in heaven. Jesus then quotes from Exodus 3:15 and the story of the burning bush (a Scripture that the Sadducees should respect) to show that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive with God in heaven, even though they are dead. God is the God of the living, who live and die in Him. (Jesus could have quoted from other very clear passages about life after death,  like Daniel 12:1-3, Isaiah 26:19, and Job 19:25-27, etc., but the Sadducees would reject those passages, as not coming from the Pentateuch. The last verse of this Gospel text indicates that they still did not believe Jesus, but realized that they could not trap Him with foolish questions. There is life after death and resurrection from the dead, and Jesus would prove it by His own resurrection from the dead, as well as by events like His transfiguration, when Moses and Elijah appear alive with Him (Matthew 17:1ff).

The Epistle lesson is from 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17. Paul writes to assure the believers at Thessalonica that Christ had not come back secretly on the Day of the Lord, and they had not missed Him. Other events must occur, including the rise of many false prophets and “a man of lawlessness who will lead many astray,” before the Last Day and the return of Christ. We do not know what all this means, but we must be on alert about false teachings and teachers who could even invade churches. Ultimately, Christ will defeat these and all enemies by “the breath of His mouth and bring them to nothing.” In the meantime, God’s people can thank the Lord that they have come to the true faith through the Holy Spirit and trust in Jesus alone as their Savior. We are to stand firm in the Word of God, spoken by and written down by Paul and others in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. (Paul uses the word “traditions,” but he clearly means what we find in these Scriptures, things “handed down” by these Biblical writers.) We are to check every teaching we hear against what the Scriptures say. God’s Word alone is our foundation, and we are to reject any later “traditions” we hear about that we cannot find in Scripture. The Scriptures keep our focus on the “eternal comfort and good hope” we have through the “grace” of God, which comes to us through our Lord Jesus Christ, God our Father, and the Holy Spirit. In the Scriptures, we find “every good work and the Word we need.” As Jesus said, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-36). In Christ is our hope in this life and for eternal life to come.

Preparing for Worship - November 2, 2025

All Saints’ Day is technically observed on November 1st, but it can also be celebrated on the Sunday following the 1st, which this year falls on November 2nd. In our Lutheran understanding, it is a day to remember all believers in the Triune God who have lived and died in faith in Jesus as their Savior and the blessings of heaven they enjoy with the Lord by His love and mercy. In contrast, for example, the Roman Catholic Church says that only those who are canonized, declared to be saints by a vigorous process developed by the church and are completely holy and sinless by their merits, only those saints and maybe some others who have been fully purified by their time in purgatory will be in heaven. In the 1300s, the Roman Catholic church declared that November 2 is “All Souls Day,” a day for remembering those who were believers but had not yet merited eternal life and were in purgatory in order to be fully cleansed of sin and all its consequences.

To see why this Roman Catholic view is wrong, listen to the Scriptures themselves for knowing who a saint is and for hearing the promises of eternal life in heaven for all believers when they die. The Psalm is Psalm 149. Those in “the assembly of the godly” are called to sing praises to the Lord, their Maker and King, for He saves. “He adorns the humble with salvation.” They are to sing high praise to Him, with “two-edged swords in their hands.” Other Scriptures tell us that their “sword” is the Word of God, which they believe in and use. See Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” Jesus has that sword of the Word in His own mouth (Revelation 1:16-18). And we are called to use that Word as “the weapon of our warfare,” for our own encouragement, and for calling people to follow Christ and His Word (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). God’s Word is “honor for His godly ones” and “judgment” for His enemies. (See Revelation 18:10,20, even against mighty Babylon.)

The Gospel lesson is Matthew 5:1-12. Notice those who are “blessed.” They are those who know that they are “spiritually poor” and “mourn” about their sins and are “meek” before God and “hunger and thirst for His righteousness” and try to be “merciful” because they have received “mercy” from Him, (especially in the sacrificial love and forgiveness Jesus would eventually give them, through His death for them on the cross). Only through Christ Jesus could they be forgiven, be counted “pure in heart,” and be “peacemakers,” sharing the peace of God through the Good News of Christ as Savior (Philippians 4:7). In this life, believers in Christ will face “persecution” and “evil” for seeking to be Christians, but the blessings will come in the Kingdom of heaven.

And how wonderful eternal life in heaven will be! We get a glimpse of that in the vision that God gives John in Revelation 7:9-17. Note that those in heaven will not be just certain special “canonized saints” or just people who have finally been released from purgatory. In fact, the word “purgatory” is never used in Scripture. Instead, John sees in heaven an innumerable multitude of people from all over the world praising God. They know that they did not merit being in heaven, but say, “Salvation belongs to our God… and to the Lamb,” the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:29). They are pure and holy because they have been “washed and cleansed by the blood of Christ, that Lamb,” shed for them on the cross. They give no glory to themselves, but give all glory and honor and thanksgiving to God, forever. They serve the Lord day and night, with all they need provided by God. They have no more tears, but Jesus, the Lamb, will be their Guide and Shepherd forever.

John marvels in the Epistle lesson, 1 John 3:1-3, at the great love of God has given us, so that we can be called children of God; and he says, that is exactly what we are. The sinful world does not know who we are, he says, because it does not know the one true Triune God and His saving work for us in Christ. We are already counted as God’s children now, even with all our struggles and imperfections. And we can’t even imagine what the perfection of heaven will be like, when we will never sin again and see our Lord as He is. We know that time is coming to live in a perfect way, though, by God’s grace, in heaven, and we try, even now, to live more purely according to His Word and to confess our sins and receive His forgiveness when we fail.

Finally, it is beneficial to examine scriptures that already refer to us as saints, counted righteous in God’s eyes by the gift of faith, as believers in Christ. See Romans 1:6-7; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 26-31; Colossians 1:2, 12-14, and 3:12; John 15:3-5, 15-16; and 1 John 5:11-13, as examples. Seek to rejoice in the Lord always, as you await that perfect eternal life to come in heaven, along with all believers in the Lord, through Christ and His Holy Spirit.

Sermon from October 26, 2025

Sermon: Reformation and 80th Anniversary of University Lutheran Church

Revelation 14: 6-7

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

The text for our meditation is the First Lesson for Reformation, Revelation 14:6-7. Many people at the time of the Reformation chose this passage as a good description of the work of Martin Luther. He was not literally an angel, but the word “angel” also means a “messenger.” Angels often carried messages from the Lord to people, including the great Christmas message, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

It was that eternal Gospel, that eternal Good News, centered in Christ Jesus as Savior, that Martin Luther finally learned for himself and to share with everyone he could. He was asked to teach the Bible at his university. He had often felt guilty and unworthy before God, and as he read and studied Scripture and the Law of God, including the 10 Commandments, he knew clearly why he felt that way. He actually was a sinner who fell far short of God’s will and desire for him, and he could not be good enough and make himself acceptable to God, no matter how hard he tried.

That’s why, in our text, we also hear the angel, the messenger of God, also saying with a loud voice, “Fear God… because the hour of His judgment has come.” Martin Luther felt that fear, because he had tried becoming a priest and doing what his church said and going on a pilgrimage to Rome and doing other good things and even beating his own body to try to suffer for his sins - but none of that worked, and he felt no peace or forgiveness. And he knew that a popular idea of his church at the time was wrong - that you could buy your way to God and heaven by paying enough money by indulgences - that could not work, either.

But finally, as Luther read and studied the Word of God more and more, he found his answer in Christ Jesus. Jesus Himself said, in our Gospel lesson for today, in John 8:31-36, “If you abide, if you continue in My Word,… you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Yes, as Jesus says in this Scripture, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin,” and you can’t set yourself free from sin. Luther had tried. But then comes the truly Good News - “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus is pointing to Himself, the Son of Man and the Son of God, as the only Savior from sin.

Then Luther began to see this Good News again and again in Scripture. Our Epistle lesson for today, Romans 3:19-28, is a prime example. Yes, this Scripture says again, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and “by works of the Law, no one will be justified in God’s sight.” But then Paul tells us that what saves us is not our righteousness, but “the righteousness from God” coming to us through the gift of His own Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life for us, in our place, and “redeemed” us, paid the price that freed us from the condemning power of our sins - and did it by the “propitiation,” the big word that means the sacrifice of His blood and life on the cross to forgive us and allowed us to be counted acceptable to God through faith in Him, faith worked in us by Him and His Holy Spirit. That’s why Paul could end this Epistle lesson with these words: “Then what becomes of our boasting (in ourselves for our salvation)? It is excluded… For we hold that one is justified by faith in Christ, apart from works of the Law” or any of our efforts.

This was the truly Good News that Martin Luther discovered in Scripture and boldly proclaimed in his preaching and teaching - and put in the common language of his own German people, so that they could understand and believe in Christ, too. Here are the three great “Solas,” the “Alones” of the Lutheran Reformation - that we are saved by the grace of God alone, His undeserved love and favor for us, coming to us as a gift, through faith in Christ alone and His saving work for us, as proclaimed by Scripture, God’s Word alone, as the foundation for what we believe.

But this was not just Good News for Martin Luther’s time. It was Good News to be proclaimed, as our text says, “to every nation and tribe and language and people.” Jesus had said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching” (Matthew 28:19-20). And He had prophesied, “This Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

And so, in 1945, some leaders of our Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod District and from the only close Lutheran church in Lafayette, worked together to start a Lutheran campus ministry at Purdue. Purdue was growing, and people were coming back from World War II and wanted to get a good education, but also needed the same Good News of Christ and encouragement in Him through the Word of God and the Sacraments. And that ministry has continued to this very day, for 80 years.

In one sermon, I can’t begin to talk about everyone and everything, but remember that in all these years, the most important figure has been our triune God Himself, the creative and loving and saving Word and work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In those 80 years, the Lord has worked through six full-time pastors (and I am one of those - that’s why I am speaking today), and a seventh pastor beginning his work and being installed here next weekend; eleven vicars, seminary students who served here for a year, as part of their training to be a pastor; two international pastors, who helped part-time for some years, when our District encouraged us to reach out also to the many international students at Purdue - a Chinese pastor originally from Singapore; a Korean pastor who lived in Chicago; and then a DCE who worked in Chinese ministry through our church and Redeemer Lutheran, and later went on to become a pastor, himself.

Serving students has always been our priority, and all these people helped our students to be the church here and develop as leaders here and to try to think in a Biblical, Christ-centered way about their vocations and their future. So many have done well in their jobs and work and have become leaders in their congregations and communities, too. Quite a number have found their spouses here, as well - a life-long blessing, and some students were “church mice,” living free in the church in exchange for doing some work. Numbers of our students have also become Lutheran pastors and some Lutheran school teachers and deaconesses and university profs, helping others, as they have been helped. Some of our best supporters and encouragers through the years have been these Purdue alums, too.

And we can’t forget about parents and families, who were so concerned about their young people’s physical and spiritual welfare, and prayed for them and us, and helped where they could. And there have been faculty and staff at Purdue who have become members and helped us and our students in amazing ways, and others who supported us from their positions on campus. And we are so grateful to our own town members who like to be among students and are willing to take more of a back seat and let students do as much as possible. They provide stability and financial and other help and support during Summers and breaks, when there aren’t a lot of students around, too.

University Lutheran has also been a mission congregation of our District all these years, supported also by gifts from our about 230 congregations. The District owns our building and property (4 locations through the years) and has the final say about major decisions, but for the most part, that has worked well, as we work together. And being a mission church has reminded us that we need to be a church and people in mission to others, ourselves, with God’s love in Christ.

You may not know, but in the early years of University Lutheran, the pastor and vicars and other area leaders helped start three missions - a church in Crawfordsville, where Wabash College is located, a church in Greencastle, where DePauw University is located, and a town congregation right here in West Lafayette. There was a sense that if Purdue students needed ministry, so did the students and people of other college communities. We’ve helped with other missions and sponsored several mission trips to Ysleta Lutheran in Texas and Mexico, and summer camps, and other places. We’ve helped provide food for the needy, meals for the homeless, and did all sorts of social ministry projects through the years and still do them today.

As a result, we have also had Purdue grads who served our Synod in mission in Ghana and Thailand and Liberia, and we sent out their mission newsletters for them. Another grad has served in Japan and other countries in mission, and a Purdue-related person is now helping with some translation work in Taiwan for the Lutheran churches there. And for many years, our congregation sent back 20% of our regular offerings to District and Synod and seminary and other mission work.

I had the privilege through the years of baptizing and/or confirming quite a number of US and international students, including some who had grown up within an hour of University Lutheran but had hardly ever or never set foot in a church. And it was almost always not me who tracked them down, but a fellow student who invited them to come and see and learn and encouraged them until we could get them into an adult instruction class, and the Lord brought them to faith through His Word and baptism. A Korean student walked into my office one day and said that he had Korean friends who were “falling through the cracks” of a large Korean church near campus. Could we do something to help them? That’s how our Korean ministry at that time started - not by my initiative, but by a student. You don’t think of a fraternity as a mission center, but almost every year, there were students interested in our Lutheran fraternity and invited to worship and became Lutheran believers in Christ, over time.

In short, what Martin Luther was called to, in our text for today, is still our calling as a church today - to proclaim the eternal Gospel of Christ and His love with as many people as we can, of every background, so that we do not glory in ourselves, but give God the glory and worship Him and receive His Word and Sacraments, and then share His gifts of love and forgiveness and eternal life, with others.

Let us pray: Now may the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds safe only where they are safe, in Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 4:7), and may the Lord continue to guide and bless our mission and ministry in the days and years ahead. Amen.

Preparing for Worship - October 26, 2025

These readings focus on key Biblical ideas emphasized by Martin Luther and many others at the time of the Lutheran Reformation and expressed by Lutherans ever since. The psalm is Psalm 46, the basic text for Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” God is our refuge and strength. He is always present in times of trouble to help us. He is like a “fortress” of protection for us, even when there is chaos among people and nations and kingdoms on earth. And one day (through Christ our Savior), He will take us to eternal life, to “the city of God,” to His “holy place of habitation.” In the meantime, we are called to “be still” and to have faith and trust in Him as our Lord and God.

There is no other Old Testament lesson this week, but as in the Easter season and other times, we have a reading from the Book of Revelation, Revelation 14:6-7. An angel, a messenger from God, is flying overhead and proclaiming with a loud voice “an eternal Gospel,” Good News for all people in all languages. This reminds many of the clear Gospel of God’s Word that Luther proclaimed, calling people to fear, love, and trust in the one true Triune God, Creator of all things, and His saving work through His Son, Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to glory in the Lord, not themselves, and worship Him alone. Luther also made a great effort to put the Scriptures and many of his writings into the ordinary language of his own German people, so that they could understand and trust in Christ as their Savior, through the living water of God’s Word, and one day enjoy the waters of eternal life (Psalm 46:4, Revelation 22:1, etc.). The angel of verse 6 certainly represents the proclamation of the Gospel since the time of Christ and continues to this day, until the day of final judgment and Christ’s return. (See Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:10, and Revelation 22:16-17.) The goal is always to have more believers in Christ as Savior, and that we remain strong in that faith.

Martin Luther learned a great deal from his own study of the Scriptures, guided by the Holy Spirit. That is what Jesus Himself promises in our Gospel lesson, from John 8:31-36. If we abide in, continue in, Jesus’ Word, the Word of God, we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free from the curse and condemnation of sin. We are all sinners and slaves of sin if left on our own, but Jesus, God’s Son, forgave us and set us free by His own sacrifice on the cross for us. He brings us to faith and sets us free indeed to be children of God, now and forever.

The alternate Gospel lesson is Matthew 11:12-19. Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven has come, but it is being treated violently. John the Baptist is the Elijah to come, preparing the way for Jesus the Savior, but he has been rejected and thrown in prison. Jesus Himself is the Promised One, come from heaven, but He too is being criticized and rejected by many, because He is doing what He was sent to do - to be a friend of and Savior for sinners, which we all are. That mission will send Him to the cross. His followers and we, too, are called to trust Him, though He will seem to be “least in the kingdom of heaven” in His suffering and death for us, but the victory will finally be His in his resurrection - an eternal victory for us, too.

The saving work of Jesus is described so clearly in the Word of God, as given to us by Paul in our Epistle lesson, Romans 3:21-28. Paul has just explained that all of us are sinners and that none of us could be justified before God by doing works of the Law (Romans 3:9-20). But now, a righteousness from God has come to us as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ for us and all who believe in Him. We are counted justified by His grace (His undeserved love and favor for us) through the redeeming work of Christ. The big word for that is “propitiation,” a sacrifice of Christ Jesus Himself and His blood on the cross, in our place, in payment for all of our sins. God is thus the Justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. Any boasting of our own about our works or efforts is excluded. “We hold,” Paul says, “that one is justified by faith (in Christ) apart from works of the law.” This statement is foundational to what Luther taught and what we believe today as Lutherans. This passage, along with the others today, focuses on the three “solas,” the three great “alones” that we emphasize as Lutherans. We are saved by God’s “grace alone," through "faith alone” in Christ as God’s gift to us, with “Scripture alone” as the foundation for our beliefs.                                                                                

Preparing for Worship - October 19, 2025

The Scriptures this week encourage us to keep looking to our Lord for help and calling upon Him in prayer and trusting Him and His Word, even in very difficult times. Jesus’ Words in His Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:7-11, could be a summary of these readings. Approach the Lord and ask and seek and knock. If we, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our Father in heaven give good things to those who ask.

The psalm is Psalm 121. The Psalmist says that he will look up to the Lord, the Creator, when he needs help. The Lord does not need to sleep and will “keep” him in His care, as He knows best. The Lord will watch over him day and night, and will keep him and his life from evil and guide his coming and going in this life and even forevermore, in eternal life.

The Old Testament lesson is from Genesis 32:22-30. Jacob is asked by the Lord to return to his homeland, but is very worried about a confrontation with his brother, Esau, since he had stolen his birthright, which Esau should have had as the oldest son, though Esau had done wrong himself and forfeited that birthright. As Jacob waits to meet Esau, he wrestles with a man all night. Neither wins until the man, who is God, throws Jacob’s hip out of joint with a touch. Still, Jacob does not want to let him go without receiving a blessing. God blessed him and gave him a new name, Israel, which means “He strives with God.” From Jacob and His sons would come, then, the whole people and nation of Israel, and from that nation would come our Savior, Jesus. Jacob realizes that he has seen God, though only in the form of a human face, and yet his life had been spared by God’s mercy. (This is a true story, as described, in the history of God’s people. Some say that this also gives permission for us to wrestle with God in prayer, when we are having difficult times and seek to understand God’s will and ways for us.)

Jesus Himself gives us that kind of permission in the Gospel lesson, Luke 18:1-8. teaching us with a parable that we should “always pray and not lose heart.” The parable is of a widow who is seeking justice from someone who had badly mistreated her. She complains and complains, but the judge is unrighteous and cares neither about God or the people he hears from. The widow keeps asking and asking for help, and finally the judge is tired of her “bothering” him and decides to give her justice  to stop her from “beating him down.” Jesus then says that God will do right by His “elect” believers who call upon Him day and night, and give them justice speedily. (Of course, remember the words of 2 Peter 3:8-9, about God’s timing.) But, Jesus asks, will He find faithful people on earth when the last day comes? This is one of a number of Scriptures that predict that in the last times before Jesus, the Son of Man, returns, there will be many who have turned against God and His Word and work. See passages such as Luke 17:28ff. and Matthew 24:9-14, 21-24, 30-31, but Jesus will rescue His believing people for eternal life. They will have perfect peace in Heaven.

The Epistle lesson continues Paul’s letter to Timothy, a younger pastor, in 2 Timothy 3:14 4:5. Timothy is to continue in what he has learned and believed, through his Christian baptism and upbringing centered in “the sacred writings which are able to make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. For all Scripture is breathed out by God.” It is entirely His Word and is useful for teaching, showing people where they are wrong, lifting them back up and forgiving them and correcting them, and showing them the righteous ways of God, by faith in Christ. Then they are ready to do some good, in thanks to God for His mercy in Christ. Timothy is to preach that Word with patience, sharing the Good News of Christ Jesus, even though, as predicted in the Gospel lesson, “many will not endure sound teaching” and will find “teachers to suit their own passions” and desires, “turning away from listening to the truth” of God’s Word. There will be suffering for God’s faithful people, but their ministry, their service to the Lord, will be fulfilled. For God, the Lord is a “Righteous Judge” who will judge justly and give eternal life to all who have lived by faith and await the appearing of Christ on the last day, or on that day they die and are taken to heaven (2 Timothy 4:1-5,8). In the meantime, until Christ returns, we are to live in faith and keep calling upon our Lord in prayer, asking for His help and guidance, and trusting His ultimate deliverance (Psalm 50:15).

Sermon from Sunday, October 12, 2025

“Remember Jesus Christ and His Word”

(2 Timothy 2:1-13 and other readings)

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

The text for our meditation today is the Epistle lesson, 2 Timothy 2:1-13, along with some thoughts from our other readings. Ten people are cured, in our Gospel lesson (Luke 17:11-19), of the dreaded disease of leprosy, but only one, a Samaritan, comes back specifically to thank Jesus. “He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks.”

The other nine were likely Jewish people. They were likely spiritual people, in some way, and thankful for their good fortune in being healed. But too busy or too excited, they missed out on the greatest gift they needed - the gift of Jesus Himself as Savior. Only of the Samaritan who came back does Jesus say, very literally, “Rise and go your way; your faith has saved you.” Jesus had worked in him the gift of faith.

Many people today would call themselves spiritual, and they have some sense of God, but they are primarily centered on themselves and their well-being. They tailor their religious ideas to their wishes and desires and their own thinking, and they become in danger of missing out on Jesus Himself and His greatest blessing - and may even think that Jesus is just one choice among many viable choices that people have. They may never even get around to following Jesus very faithfully, if at all.

And could it be that even we in the church could be influenced by such thinking, as common as it is, today? Think about even Naomi, in our Old Testament lesson for today (Ruth 1:1-19a), who says to her daughter-in-law, Ruth: “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return, after your sister-in-law.” It almost sounds as if Naomi thinks that the God of Israel is her choice, but that it’s OK for Ruth to choose any other gods that fit her better. Thank the Lord that Ruth had already come to believe and trust in the one true God, as she says so clearly, “Your God shall be my God” - for there is no other.

Paul is telling, in our Epistle, our text for today, a younger pastor, Timothy, to follow, in his teaching and personal faith, that same God, now more clearly revealed as the One True Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And Paul is calling us to that same faith in God’s Word and His saving plan for the world, centered only in Jesus Christ, as Savior.

“Remember Jesus Christ,” Paul says, “risen from the dead, the offspring of David.” Jesus is the very Son of God, who became a real human being, born from the human line of Ruth and later, David, and even later, the Virgin Mary. And by His perfect life and death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, in our place, there is provided for us, Paul says, “the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”

Jesus is not just one of many roads that lead to God and to eternal life. He is the only way, as He Himself said (John 14:6), and as Peter proclaimed: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

This sounds so narrow and exclusive and contradictory to what we constantly hear today - that we should be more inclusive and accepting of others, no matter what they believe and what they do. After all, so many people say, “They have their rights to do whatever they choose.” In this free society, people do have their rights. But that does not mean that they are right or that their words and deeds are right or good or helpful, for themselves or for others.

Paul reminds Timothy, and he reminds us, that we must be centered in Christ Jesus, our Savior, and in the Word of Christ, revealed by His holy prophets and apostles, including Paul himself, as he was inspired by God. Paul tells Timothy to “be strengthened by… what you have heard from me”… “by the Gospel I preached.” Paul says, writing from prison near the time of his death because of his faith, he is “bound with chains as a criminal. But the Word of God is not bound.”

That Word of God is always available to us, to lead and guide us and point us to Jesus. It is only bound if we leave the Scriptures, the Bible, bound and don’t open it up and read it and listen to it and ask God to help us. Paul says, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding,” through His Holy Spirit, who works through that very Word of God and teaches us.

It was not easy to stay centered in Christ and His Word, in Paul and Timothy’s day, and it certainly is not easy today, either. Paul gives three examples of the kind of self-discipline we need.

• It is like being a soldier of Christ, not getting too entangled in civilian pursuits, but listening to the voice of our Lord, our Commander.
• It is like being an athlete, who must stay in training and have discipline, and follow the rules of the competition.
• It is like a farmer, who knows he must put in hard work if he wants a harvest, and he also needs to receive from the harvest and keep believing and receiving and using the Word of God for himself.

The goal is to stay in faith in Christ all our life. “If we endure, we will also reign with Christ.” And there is the sober warning, “If we deny Christ, He will also deny us.”

In a recent Bible study on this passage, someone asked a good question: “Doesn’t this sound like righteousness by our works?” No. Paul had clearly said in the first chapter of this letter that God “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ before the ages began” (2 Timothy 1:9-10). God had this saving plan for us before all ages and has now completed it in Christ. As believers, we try to do the good and right things in thankfulness for what God has done in Christ, but we trust not in ourselves and our efforts, but in God’s saving work for us, completed in Christ, by His grace.

No wonder, then, that Paul begins this text with those words to Timothy and to us, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” It is only by the grace (the undeserved love and favor of God) that Christ came for us in the first place and that we have been saved. And it is only by the grace of God, in Christ, that we are forgiven of the times that we have failed Christ, in word and deed, and have caved in to the world’s way, and have neglected God’s Word. Christ died for the very purpose of forgiving us of all that and of all our sins, and to restore us to Himself.

How good it is that we are able to be at worship today, remembering Jesus and hearing His Word, and speaking and singing God’s Word to one another - and how good it is to be able to do this regularly.

And when we speak the Confessions of Sins, with our heads bowed, and kneel for Communion and the Lord’s real presence and blessing at His altar, we are right there with the Samaritan in our Gospel lesson, who “praised God… and fell at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks” for His mercy to us, too. And we hear Jesus saying to us, too, “Rise and go your way from this service; your faith has saved you.” Christ has saved you!

One last thought. Jesus also asked in our Gospel lesson, “Where are the other nine?” There’s an old Charlie Brown cartoon where Charlie and his team have lost another baseball game by a huge amount. Charlie says, “How can we keep on losing when we are so sincere?” Our text reminds us that people can be sincerely wrong in what they believe and do - and apart from Christ, they are lost and will lose.

So, Paul encourages Timothy to keep sharing the Word of God faithfully, and he says, “What you have heard from me, in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Therefore, we pray for more pastors and teachers and church workers who will teach the Word of God faithfully, and all of us can think about ways we can help out some more, too, for the sake of “the nine” - those people who are still spiritually lost - and as we share Christ’s Words and deeds and our love and care for others in Christ. And remember the final Words of our text: “Christ remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” He will help and bless us. That is His promise.

Let us pray: Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds safe, only where they are safe, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

Preparing for Worship - October 12, 2025

The Scriptures today emphasize both the Words and the deeds of our Lord, culminating in the saving Words and deeds of our Lord Jesus. The Psalm is Psalm 111. Notice how often the “works” of the Lord are mentioned, which we study and for which we thank Him as we gather as His people, His congregation. His works are “great” and “wondrous” and are to be “remembered.” His works are “gracious and merciful,” and he is “faithful” to His “covenant” promises, especially in “sending redemption to His people,” rescuing them from slavery in Egypt (and eventually in the saving Word and works of Jesus our Redeemer). “Wisdom” and “good understanding” come from “fear” and love and trust in Him. He provides needed “food” for His people, too, physically and especially spiritually.

The Old Testament lesson is from Ruth 1:1-19a. Naomi and her husband and sons moved to Moab because there was famine in Israel. Over time, the husband and sons all died, and they had married Moabite wives. It is a difficult time, and when Naomi hears that “the Lord had visited His people and given them food,” she decides to go back to her hometown in Israel, to Bethlehem. The name literally means “the house of bread.” She wants her daughters-in-law to go back to their families in Moab, as she cannot care for them. She is even willing to have them return to the false gods of the Moabites, though she hopes that the Lord, the true God, will be kind to them. The daughter-in-law, Ruth, wants to go with Naomi and has come to trust in the true Lord. Naomi shows a lack of faith and is very bitter and thinks the Lord has just turned against her. She allows Ruth to go with her, though, and they return to Bethlehem. If you remember the story, Naomi, whose name means “pleasant,” thinks her name should be Mara, which means “bitter,” because the Lord has treated her so badly. The Lord turns this for good, though, as Ruth meets and marries a man, Boaz, who cares for her and Naomi. From that family line eventually came King David and, much later, our Lord Jesus, Himself born in Bethlehem. Jesus would be the “Bread of Life” and our Savior. The fact that Ruth was not a Jew also indicates that God’s saving plan was for all people, not just for Jews.

The Gospel lesson is from Luke 17:11-19. Jesus is approached by ten lepers who plead for His mercy. (Leprosy was a dreaded disease and considered very contagious, and lepers had to stay far away from ordinary people.) Jesus sends them off to see “priests,” religious leaders who could declare them to be “cleansed.” While they were headed to the priests, they were all “cleansed” and healed. They still needed the approval of the priests to be declared healed and then return to their homes and families, though. Only one of them first returned to Jesus, praising God and falling at the feet of Jesus and giving Him thanks. And that man was a Samaritan, of the people hated by most Jews. Jesus wondered where the other nine were, who were likely rejoicing in their healing, but not in God who gave it. Jesus, the Son of God, then indicated that the Samaritan man had also received the greatest gift, saving faith in Jesus, which would help him through this life and for eternal life. Here, the deeds of Jesus helped affirm the truth of His Words.

The Epistle lesson is from 2 Timothy 2:1-13. Paul continues his letter of encouragement to a young pastor, Timothy. Paul had written from prison before. This time, though, he is bound with chains and suffering much more “for the sake of the elect,” his fellow believers. Paul encourages Timothy to be ready to endure whatever suffering may be coming with three images: as a soldier, loyal to and aiming to please the Lord, who enlisted him; as an athlete, staying in shape and competing according to the rules; and as a farmer, hard-working and aiming for a good harvest and his share of the crops. Paul asks Timothy to think about what he writes and pray for understanding. Above all, Paul calls Timothy to keep remembering the risen Jesus Christ, the true Son of David, and be strengthened by the grace and salvation that come in and through Jesus. Paul is now bound and limited, but the Word of God preached and written by Paul is not limited, and the Gospel is, as Paul said in Romans 1:16-17, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘the righteous shall live by faith.'” Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit work through this Word, which “is trustworthy,” and our Lord “remains faithful” and “cannot deny Himself” and His promises. Timothy is to share that truly Good News and find other faithful men who can teach that Word, also, so that more and more people can live with Christ now and eternally, by faith in Him. That is still the calling of our Lord to us to this very day.