Concordia Sermons

It can be difficult to confess sin because it requires you to give up your pride. The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable is proud, but it is the tax collector who confesses his sin who finds mercy.

We all have struggles. The apostle Paul was no exception as he struggled with “a thorn in his side.” Though we do not know specifically what Paul’s struggle was, his call to lean on God’s grace when we struggle with sin or the effects of sin is the best way to address the thorns that afflict us.

As we celebrate service at Concordia, we remember that Jesus came to serve us. Jesus gave up His rights and privileges to be served and instead took up a towel to serve us. He invites us to do the same for others.

Because we live in a sinful world, there are thorns all around us that can try us and even tempt us to lose our faith. In a world that is thorny, Jesus invites us to have tender hearts that allow His Word to take root in our lives.

The Sabbath was a day to give up work so people could take up rest. Sadly, the religious leaders turned the gift of rest into a burden. Jesus invites His followers to experience the Sabbath as a gift rather than a requirement.

Before the Israelites enter the Promised Land, God tries to give them guidance on how to live in their future homeland so they do not fall into the thorny traps of the pagan nations currently living there. But the Israelites do not listen. How can we better heed the warnings of sinful traps that lie ahead so we avoid needless thorns?

In Matthew 4, Jesus spends 40 days fasting. The discipline of fasting – giving up food – can help us take up spiritual control. When we can tame our physical appetites, we can better endure spiritual temptations.

When Adam and Eve fall into sin, part of the curse God places on Adam in punishment for his sin is that his work will become, quite literally, thorny. There will be thorns for Adam. This sounds grim. Yet, the answer to Adam’s thorns are more thorns – a crown of thorns twisted on Jesus’ head.

Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar are a family who breaks each other's hearts. But even in the midst of pain and betrayal, God is giving them a new start. How can God give us a new start even when we struggle and suffer with a broken heart?

Because every human relationship is between two sinners, offenses will happen. Adam and Eve sinned against God, but also against each other – especially when Adam blames Eve for feeding him some forbidden fruit. Yet, Adam and Eve stayed together. How do we stay together when we hurt or are hurt by each other? The answer lies in how God stays with us – through forgiveness.

What is the secret that people in long-term relationships know? It is simply this: always humbly put the other person first. The first century world was patriarchal. The man was expected to be first and be treated as first. But Priscilla and Aquilla provide a counter-cultural example. While Aquilla, the husband, is at first named first, primacy is quickly given to Priscilla. Being willing to take a secondary role instead of jockeying for position ascribes value to another person and is the secret the relationships that go the distance.

There can be certain aspects of relationships that just “happen” to you. For example, a child does not choose their father or mother. But for a relationship to thrive, assembly is required. You must not just feel love, but choose to be committed to another person. The story of Ruth and Naomi is a beautiful example of this intentional choice.

It can be scary to share Scripture! We’re worried about whether or not we’ll have an answer to a question someone is asking, or we’re worried we don’t know the Bible well enough to share it with anyone else. We can learn how to share the Bible with others by looking at the way Jesus shared the Bible with His disciples.

Reading the Bible can be frustrating because so much of it can sound so foreign. This is why the Psalmist invites us not just to read the Bible, but to meditate on it. Studying the Bible takes time and effort. So, it’s okay if you still feel like you have a lot to learn about the Bible!

Many people have read the Bible, but they don’t know the backstory to the greatest story ever told. How did this book come together? In the introduction to his Gospel, Luke tells us that careful research went into all the books that in the Good Book.

A popular acronym to understand the theme of the Bible is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. But though the Bible does contain plenty of instruction, instruction is not its primary theme. Jesus is. Paul speaks of how the Scriptures are able to make us “wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.” If we miss Jesus, we miss the main point of the Bible.

Pastors Tucker and McIntosh answer your faith-related questions!

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6

Pastors Tucker and McIntosh answer your faith-related questions!

See our Christmas Lineup! Most people make New Year’s resolutions because they want to make a change in their life. But sometimes we don’t choose change. Instead, it chooses us. Joseph and Mary planned to raise Jesus in Bethlehem. But then, because of a murderous plot of a mad king, they had to first flee to Egypt and then settle in Nazareth. Sometimes, the changes we most don’t want to make are the changes that do us the most good.