Concordia Sermons

When a young man appears to some scared women at Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning, he announces Jesus’ resurrection and then gives the women a mission: “Go, tell His disciples and Peter” (verse 7). Peter is listed separately from the disciples because Peter walked away from Jesus as a disciple. He made Himself an outsider. Maybe you walked away from faith when you were younger. Like Peter, Jesus is inviting you back to a life of hope.

We use filters on our camera to make things look different – and better. The resurrection is the ultimate filter. Before Jesus’ resurrection, everything looked dark and hopeless. After the resurrection, everything Jesus did and taught was seen in a different light. We can view our lives through the filter of the resurrection, too.

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit My spirit." When He had said this, He breathed His last.

The night before Jesus goes to the cross, He celebrates the Passover with His disciples, the night God passed over His people and struck down the firstborns of the Egyptians. It is critical to understand that God did not pass over His people because they were without sin, but in spite of their sin and because of a sacrifice. When Jesus shares this Passover a final time with His disciples, He is pointing to His final work on the cross.

When Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds shout, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9). Their perception of blessing, however, is that God’s blessing will lead Jesus to take on their enemies. God’s blessing, however, will come through cursing His Son.

The night before Jesus goes to the cross, the disciples are afraid at what will transpire. But Jesus explains how His death is actually the ultimate expression and creation of the friendship we have with God. When we are fearful at what is to come, we can remember that Jesus has already gone through the most fearful experience imaginable and is still our friend. This means that He will never leave us no matter what fearful experiences we may face.

The words we use are powerful. It is important, then, to choose them carefully. Every words we speak has the potential of drawing someone closer to Christ or leading them further from Christ.

Jesus is loved by Mary at a visit to Mary and Martha’s home. She expresses this love by giving Him an extravagant gift. When Judas hypocritically complains that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus calls His disciples to truly care for the poor, noting that they will have plenty of opportunities to love those who have little.

Sometimes, the most powerful witness that we can offer is not in the words we say, but in the things we do. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus emphasizes the importance of being a merciful neighbor.

Those who are grieving need a friend. They can often feel like people forget their losses or simply stop caring. Jesus expresses His deep care to Mary and Martha after the passing of Lazarus. He not only raises Lazarus, He loves Mary and Martha.

Paul is doing his best to share the gospel, but he keeps meeting resistance. This, however, does not dampen the joy given him by the Holy Spirit. How can we have joy even when we face opposition sharing our faith?

Jesus befriended people no one else wanted to befriend. In John 4, Jesus cares for a woman who was hated by the Jews because she was a Samaritan, and rejected by her own community because of her scandalous sin. What outcasts can we befriend in Jesus’ name?

When someone offends us, our reflexive reaction can be often to strike back. But Abigail shows David and his men a different way when they are offended by Nabal. She stands between two angry parties to make peace. Christ can be our peacemaker when we feel locked in a world of angry debates.

Jesus is a friend to those who think they already have plenty of friends! Nicodemus would be an example of one such person. A member of the Jewish ruling council, he was well-connected and comfortable. But his comfortable life blinded him to what God was offering in His Son.

What happens if you feel like you just can’t forgive someone who has hurt you in a relationship? In this message, we discuss practical strategies to move from bitterness to forgiveness.

Marriage is meant to be a beautiful picture of how Christ loves His Church. Because of sin, however, this picture can be distorted and, tragically, sometimes even destroyed. How do we recover the picture of love God desires and has designed for our marriages? Paul answers, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

The most needed asset in a relationship is forgiveness. When two sinners get together, there are bound to be bumps and bruises along the way. In Luke 7, Jesus teaches us that much forgiveness leads to much love. Conversely, unforgiveness can destroy a relationship.

When couples first marry, they often carry different – and sometimes unspoken – expectations into their marriages that come from their backgrounds. The Pharisees had certain expectations of who the Messiah should be that blinded them to who Jesus actually was. How can we understand and properly align our expectations?

New Years’ resolutions often revolve around caring for our bodies. But though we can start strong, we can regularly quickly lapse into old, unhealthy habits. Paul speaks of the taking care of our bodies not just of the sake of our physical health, but for the sake of our witness. If we can keep our bodies in check, then we can keep our spirits in check. If we can reshape our bodies, then we can reshape our very selves as we seek to share our faith (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

When God appears to Solomon at night, He warns Solomon that Israel will meet tough times. But during these tough times, God shows Solomon a way forward through humility, prayer, and focus. During the tough times we face at this moment in our nation's history, this can be the Church's way forward, too!