I've had an Epiphany!

Mark 10:2-16 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 "What did Moses command you?" he replied. 4 They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." 5 "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6 "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 7 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. 12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." 13 People were ...

Jesus knows our nature. He knows we’re prone to worry. Perhaps that’s why he warned, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25-27) Elsewhere in Scripture Paul reminds us, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”   I n spite of these words of both admonition and assurance, Christians still tend to worry. Sometimes worry about the ability to provide for our families takes over our lives to such an extent that it guides our thoughts and actions. We put off giving to the Lord through our church—“tempora...

Did you know that long before you were born – yes, even before the creation of the world – God chose you as one of his believers? Does it boggle your mind to know your belief in Christ was planned by God from eternity? God wants His dear children to know about predestination – how He has elected, chosen and called you by His grace. God wants you to be comforted and encouraged as you search the Scriptures to find out more about this important Biblical doctrine.   Predestination is a deep teaching. It is not the “milk” given to novices and new converts. It is “solid food” (1 Corinthians 3:2). NPH rates their Bible studies on a scale of 1 to 10. Predestination is a 12! (Actually, it’s only a 7, but it should be higher.) But don’t let this deep teaching of Scripture scare you away. Instead, join with the psalmist in praying, “Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders” (Psalm 119:27).  

Artwork: The Paradise Artist: Roelandt Savery Date: 1626 Technique: Oil on panel Location: Staatliche Museen , Berlin   Worship Theme: God’s plan for man was perfect. He created woman for man. They were to “become one flesh”. Sin entered the world and separation replaced union—separation from God and from one another. Bitter marriages and divorces are two examples.  But thanks be to God, Jesus even suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone and create new life and new promise of union.   Old Testament: Genesis 2:18-24 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the l...

Mark 9:38 -50 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." 39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. 42 "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 44   45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 46   47 And if your ...

In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther asks: What is Baptism? Answer: Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water included in God’s command and connected with God’s Word. On September 16, we rejoiced as Thomas Wagner III was baptized as an adult with water and the Word. What made it a bit different was that he was not baptized at Epiphany’s baptismal font, but in the Allen’s backyard pool. It was not done by sprinkling or pouring, but by immersion. From the beginning of the Christian Church, infants and adults were baptized with water and the Word. It doesn’t matter how that water is applied. The Greek Word “baptizo” simply means “to apply water.” “And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing (“baptizing”) of cups, pitchers and kettles” (Mark 7:4). Sometimes that water may be applied by sprinkling water to scrub a large kettle or pouring water to wash out a pitcher. A cup could also be washed by immersing it completely under the water. It...

September 29 is the annual minor festival of St. Michael and All Angels. In "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," C. S. Lewis reminds us that Aslan is not a tame lion. But we try to tame him. In the same way, we have tried to tame the angels of the Lord. The only images we find of angels nowadays is cute and sentimental cherubs or sweet, feminine angels. But that is not how Scripture pictures them at all! The angels of the Lord are the powerful, unseen military force of God's angelic host. But when they are seen in Scripture ... watch out! They can be terrifying! Watch the video and enjoy.