The Joshua Victor Theory

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Jesus came to the house of Simon the Pharisee for a feast. It appears that Simon and the other guests wanted to search out and listen to this important new teacher, Jesus, and decide for themselves whether or not He was a true prophet from God. Last week crowds declared Jesus was a great prophet, when they saw Him raise the young boy from the dead. Now the religious authorities are inspecting Jesus’ teaching over a meal. Along with the invited guests reclining at the table, there appears to have been other strangers and bystanders who came in, including one woman standing behind Jesus. She is described as a “ woman of the city, who was a sinner .” Quite unexpectedly, she begins to perform an extravagant act of hospitality and love toward Jesus, to the shock and dismay of Simon, the host of the banquet. With great splashes of her tears falling on Jesus’ feet, she bows before Him with a jar of ointment, and w...

Note: The following sermon is part 3 of  a 13 part series on Romans 6-14, adapted from the Series "God's Greater Story" by Rev. David Schmitt of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.            In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. The section of Romans 7 that we have before us today is familiar to Lutherans. It names a struggle, the struggle between sinner and saint. This struggle is real and hidden in the heart of every Christian. Some people confess this struggle openly, asking others to help keep them accountable; other people hide this struggle, putting on the best face they can. It’s the struggle that is magnified for every Christian, between the desire to do what is good and the temptation and desire to do what is evil. We all face this struggle and it isn’t something we can leave behind. Until the day when our conqueror, Jesus Christ, returns, we will be both sinner and saint. Paul’s description is person...