The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. During this month of October, as we remember the Reformation, the sermons will come from the book of Hebrews. Today we’re warned of the importance of paying attention to the message that we’ve heard, and not falling away from it. The writer to the Hebrews is reminding us of our precious gift and salvation in Jesus Christ. Some messages and some news can go in one ear and out the other, and nothing is really lost. You can forget the latest scores, or the reports about the state building project that got held up, or some other current news item, and you are no worse off for it. But pay attention (!!) the author of Hebrews says. You can’t afford to forget, ignore, or let the message of salvation, or the good news about Jesus leak out of your ears. Our very life depends on it! God knows so well that we are forgetful, we are prone to ignore, and have leaky ears. Therefore we need to he...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. In today’s reading, Paul talks about the privilege and reward of preaching the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ crucified for our sins and forgiveness. It was his unique joy to preach to the Corinthians free of charge. Like other servants of the gospel, he knew he deserved to earn a living by it. But among the Corinthians, he chose not to accept any payment, but worked for the sheer joy and reward of serving Jesus Christ. You can only understand this joy if you grasp the marvelous mystery of what Jesus has done for you. Working for a big paycheck we can understand. Working at an easy and rewarding job, we can understand easy enough. But facing constant rejection, persecution, beatings, and failure, and still finding the work so joyful that you would do it for free—that’s not so easy to understand. But the way that Paul carried out his ministry, and the joy and willingness with which he did it, all are f...