Prisons…we’re all in one…of sin, and because of sin, death, and because of sin…hell (what we deserve). Advent is the season which proclaims “deeds for freedom,” not our own, but Jesus’ deeds, who labored to set us free from the prison of sin, death, and hell by suffering under sin, death, and hell in our…

Advent and Christmas-time seem to have become more about magic than reality, the magic of “salvation coming from nothing.” But if Advent and Christmas-time are to mean anything at all these seasons must be based on reality, the reality of real history, the real labor of real people, built on the real labor of the most important person of all:…

Life consists of beginnings and endings of many sorts. Life itself begins and ends. Advent is a time of beginnings and endings. It is a preparation time to receive Jesus anew as Savior king at Christmas through repentance and faith. Jesus came into the world to begin his earthly ministry in order to put an end to…

Natural eyesight isn’t always perfect. Some are born with poor eyesight. Others age “gracefully” into poor eyesight. Some are born blind, or become blind. Poor eyesight has its consequences: we can’t see things are they are in the physical world. Now, how is your spiritual eyesight, that is, how do you see Jesus? Do you see God in…

Life in the tent of the body is not always easy. It rarely is. The temptation is ever-present to pack it in, give up, go home. God would not have us do this! In order to sustain us as we live in the tent of the body, he has given us hope. He sent his Son…

We turn our eyes away from anything we don’t want to look it. Often, we turn away from “life” for this reason. It is too hard to look at, with all the evil, trouble, and destruction in the world. To put it another way: we see only what we want to see and blind ourselves…

How many times a day do we say “thank you” to somebody? How many times do we thank that one person in our life we depend upon most, the one who cares for us most in words and actions? Many, many times a day perhaps! But I am sure we can all admit our sin:…

Evil, destruction, trouble and death we see all around us. When it touches our own lives directly, we complain, “Lord, why are you allowing this?” Do we not complain like this? Yet the Lord promises to work good for his church of believers in these trials. Through the troubles of the world, which he allows…

Martin Luther said, “When things are going well, a man cannot control himself by means of his own powers; he becomes presumptuous, prides himself on his wealth and good fortune, and passes away.” Such is the reality of our sinful nature, prideful in self, and in earthly wealth and we cannot help ourselves. But we…

In the law of God we find no rest. The law of God, in teaching us to love God and neighbor perfectly, reveals our sins because we don’t love God or neighbor perfectly, even at all, not when compared to God’s love, which is perfect. We are selfish at our core because of sin. So…