A note from Pastor regarding his sermon:

Our readings for this week continue to warn us about what the Christian life will look like in this world, stained as it is by sin. We will hear plenty of false teachers tell us that everything is all right – that we are guaranteed all of the blessings we desire in this world, or that we need not worry about any of the choices we make to break God’s Law. But Jesus reminds us that He is coming to judge this world, and that the message He brings is one that will divide humanity, nations, and even families.

It is not easy to live by faith, to give up our tendency to believe that we must do something to prove ourselves worthy of God, or that we must make our own decisions and do what it takes to accomplish our own comfort or happiness. But this week, we continue to read Hebrews’ examples of people who lived and died in the faith of a new creation, and we witness a baptism that reminds us that it is God’s work that gives us blessings in this life and hope in a perfect future creation, as well. And that work is finished!