The Joshua Victor Theory

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Discipleship is the word we use to describe following Jesus and all that means for our life. To be a disciple is to be a follower of Jesus. Our reading from 1 Peter 2:21 begins: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” We follow in the example of Christ’s suffering for us? A good Lutheran question to ask is, “What does this mean?” First of all, clearly only Christ can redeem us from our sins by His suffering. Following Christ’s example does not include redeeming ourselves by suffering for our own sins. Jesus has already finished that for us! That chapter of salvation is already completed, the ink is dried, and it’s done! A chapter earlier, Peter tells how Christ ransomed us from our old sinful ways by the price of His precious, innocent blood. So following Christ’s example in suffering, is not about paying for...

Part 11 of a sermon series based on Romans 6-14, "God's Greater Story".  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Last week in the first half of Romans 12, we reflected on how Paul is looking at the church through the lens of Christ Jesus—that is, conscious of our sins and guilt that put Jesus on the cross, but also conscious of the new life that Jesus gives us by faith. Not surprisingly, the verses you heard today, Romans 12:9-21, are a perfect description of Jesus—sincere in love, blessing and not cursing those who persecuted Him, living peaceably, and not overcoming evil by evil, but by good. My Bible has the heading “Marks of the True Christian” over the section. So let’s check off which marks fit you—right? If we have any honesty about ourselves, we’ll find that checklist embarrassingly incomplete, when we measure ourselves by it. But instead of reading this as further proof of our unworthiness and failures (of which there’s more ...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today is part five in our sermon series, the letter to the church of Sardis. Last week we heard about the church of Thyatira which was being lead astray into immorality and idolatry, and was called to repent and hold fast to Christ. Today’s letter is addressed to the church of Sardis, which was the most prominent of the 7 cities, and had a rich, storied history. Like the city they were in, they were a church that lived in the glory of their reputation. But Christ saw that they were in fact dead and dying. He calls them and us to wake up and strengthen what remains. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Sardis. One of the great cities in antiquity—greatly admired by the Greeks. Once the capital of a kingdom, situated high on a rocky ridge with great cliffs—it held the reputation of being an impregnable fortress. The old saying went that to capture the c...