Speaker: Courtesy LHM

He’s finally behaving the way they think a good rabbi should! They miss the test.
What should they have done? Well, they could have said, “Please help her, there’s a child involved.” They could have even said, “Lord, if You do what she wants, she’ll stop bugging us and go away.” But no. “Send her away.”

Nobody is past His mercy, His love, His attention. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. Jesus is here for you. His arms are waiting for you—those arms He once stretched out on a cross, for you.

These are the people who will serve Him, yes; these are the people who will be eyewitnesses to His suffering, death on the cross, and resurrection. And these are the people who will ultimately carry the Good News to the ends of the earth—to you and to me, so that we can believe.

Doctors go where the sick people are; they are not surprised or disgusted by their problems. In the same way, Jesus comes to us, no matter how sick with sin we are. He is not surprised and He is not disgusted. Instead, He reaches out to make us well again.

Now to my co-servants in His Vineyard: Whilst we journey in this part of eternity, troubles and sufferings will abound, but, be guided that, as Moses laid his hand on Joshua; and Elijah laid his hand on Elisha, so much more Jesus has laid His hands on us through the apostolic succession…and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus enables you and me to move from this mountain of faith through the valleys of this sinful world…, my fellow workers and colleagues in His vineyard be encouraged and of good cheer, run the race of faith till the end; confidently- trusting that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is with you, and He is making the best farewell arrangement for you on your last day… Amen.

Jesus stands in our place as the one Man who represents all humanity before God the Father. He is not a sinner, but we are—and so He is baptized for our sake, so that the blessings of Baptism come to us.

During these weeks of Lent, we’ll see Jesus in action—teaching, healing, comforting, saving. As Isaiah promised, Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows—all the way to the cross (see Isaiah 53:4). And when He rose from the dead, He gave us life and joy forever

The story of Adam and Eve frustrates me. Have they ever met this snake before? No? Then why do they just believe whatever he says? On the other hand, they are very familiar with the God who created them. He even comes to the garden in the evenings for the pleasure of their company!

Although the Beatitudes may be considered in many different ways, they also reflect the blessings that are ours when our sins are covered by Jesus’ blood. The poor in spirit, the mourning and the meek are brought into the kingdom of God’s Son and humbly receive the comfort found in forgiveness