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Let’s talk about “Kingdom of the Left” and “Kingdom of the Right” stuff; meaning Worldly or Divine authority. Jesus is quizzed about paying taxes to Caesar. Do you remember his answer?

There are certain “givens” in our earthly lives. In a letter written in 1789, American statesman Benjamin Franklin wrote: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Paying taxes is one of those unavoidable duties we have as citizens of our nation. Paul directed the Christians at Rome to pay “taxes to whom taxes are owed” (Romans 13:7) as part of their ongoing responsibilities. Jesus and His disciples also paid taxes (Matthew 17:24–27). While paying taxes may not be a joy-filled experience, giving from what God has given us to support the work done in our Lord’s name can be a source of joy as we bring an offering and come into His courts to “worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness” (Psalm 96:8–9).

There are certain “givens” in our earthly lives. In a letter written in 1789, American statesman Benjamin Franklin wrote: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Paying taxes is one of those unavoidable duties we have as citizens of our nation. Paul directed the Christians at Rome to pay “taxes to whom taxes are owed” (Romans 13:7) as part of their ongoing responsibilities. Jesus and His disciples also paid taxes (Matthew 17:24–27). While paying taxes may not be a joy-filled experience, giving from what God has given us to support the work done in our Lord’s name can be a source of joy as we bring an offering and come into His courts to “worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness” (Psalm 96:8–9).

Who doesn’t love a good meal? Nothing beats an abundant feast of food. Whether it’s a wedding feast or an awesome BBQ feast on the grill, the food is so delicious it feels like a little bit of heaven. Interestingly, Jesus compares a wedding feast to the Kingdom of Heaven. Hope that whets your appetite!

Who doesn’t love a good meal? Nothing beats an abundant feast of food. Whether it’s a wedding feast or an awesome BBQ feast on the grill, the food is so delicious it feels like a little bit of heaven. Interestingly, Jesus compares a wedding feast to the Kingdom of Heaven. Hope that whets your appetite!

Who doesn’t love a good meal? Nothing beats an abundant feast of food. Whether it’s a wedding feast or an awesome BBQ feast on the grill, the food is so delicious it feels like a little bit of heaven. Interestingly, Jesus compares a wedding feast to the Kingdom of Heaven. Hope that whets your appetite!

Following Jesus doesn’t mean we reach a point where we have everything figured out. In Philippians 3, Paul reminds us that the Christian life is one of continually learning, growing, and knowing Christ more deeply—not so that we can become His, but because Christ has already made us His own.

“God loves you.” It is not like we have never heard that before. We may even have taken that fact for granted, thinking, “Well, of course He does! That’s His thing! 1 John 4:8 says that God is love.” Nevertheless, as our lives and circumstances unfold, through the uncertainties of sin and doubt and failure, many have come up short and been forced to wonder, “How can God love me now?” Love, after all, is always in direct proportion to our worthiness of it, to how lovable we are, right? The highest love of God, agape, can commonly be defined as the love of intelligence and corresponding purpose. This definition may seem at first to drain the whole idea of the depth of emotion or the value of love. But we discover the power of God’s love even more as we are convinced of the greatness of our need—our own sin and unworthiness. That’s when the cross of Calvary and the sacrifice of Christ crucified shines forth as the highest, greatest, and almost unbelievable love of God for you—even you. Notice how many of today’s hymns examine the depth and, yes, “strangeness” of the fact that God loves you.

“God loves you.” It is not like we have never heard that before. We may even have taken that fact for granted, thinking, “Well, of course He does! That’s His thing! 1 John 4:8 says that God is love.” Nevertheless, as our lives and circumstances unfold, through the uncertainties of sin and doubt and failure, many have come up short and been forced to wonder, “How can God love me now?” Love, after all, is always in direct proportion to our worthiness of it, to how lovable we are, right? The highest love of God, agape, can commonly be defined as the love of intelligence and corresponding purpose. This definition may seem at first to drain the whole idea of the depth of emotion or the value of love. But we discover the power of God’s love even more as we are convinced of the greatness of our need—our own sin and unworthiness. That’s when the cross of Calvary and the sacrifice of Christ crucified shines forth as the highest, greatest, and almost unbelievable love of God for you—even you. Notice how many of today’s hymns examine the depth and, yes, “strangeness” of the fact that God loves you.

"Who's in charge?" is the topic of today's Gospel where the chief priests and elders of the people challenge Jesus. Unfortunately, people in our day also challenge authority figures about "who's in charge". What do you think? Does Jesus have authority in our life even today?

From the beginning, God implanted His life-creating power into His creation with the command “Be fruitful and multiply” to animals (Genesis 1:22) and to humans (1:28), with one important difference. You are not an accident or only a product of biology. Every human being is a personal soul. So we confess, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them” (Small Catechism, Creed, Explanation of the First Article). Because of our inherited sin, however, “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Nevertheless, God’s design is for life—eternal life. He declares, “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone” (18:32). Because God so loves you, He sent His Son to take away your sin by the shedding of His blood on the cross. Therefore, “we preach Christ crucified, . . . the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23–24). Christ died to sin for you. By Holy Baptism, you died with Christ and are raised to new life in Him. The love of God is yours today by faith in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Father’s declaration of Jesus now becomes yours: “My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

From the beginning, God implanted His life-creating power into His creation with the command “Be fruitful and multiply” to animals (Genesis 1:22) and to humans (1:28), with one important difference. You are not an accident or only a product of biology. Every human being is a personal soul. So we confess, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them” (Small Catechism, Creed, Explanation of the First Article). Because of our inherited sin, however, “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Nevertheless, God’s design is for life—eternal life. He declares, “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone” (18:32). Because God so loves you, He sent His Son to take away your sin by the shedding of His blood on the cross. Therefore, “we preach Christ crucified, . . . the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23–24). Christ died to sin for you. By Holy Baptism, you died with Christ and are raised to new life in Him. The love of God is yours today by faith in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Father’s declaration of Jesus now becomes yours: “My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

We don’t like it when things are unfair in life. But what happens when we feel that God is being unfair?

In our minds, justice seems strong while mercy appears weak. In reality, mercy is stronger than justice and greater in every way. While justice may seem appealing to us, what we seek from God is not fairness or equity but mercy. Mercy is what must be taught to our sinful hearts, and for this reason, it remains the higher or greater path. Justice we can understand and reason, but mercy requires God to become flesh in His Son, to suffer and die as the Innocent One for our sins, and to rise to bestow upon us grace and mercy we neither earned nor deserve. Such mercy is a scandal to us and can often be an offense to those who do not realize the magnitude of its gift. Today, we ask the Lord to open our eyes so that we may acknowledge and rejoice in His great gift of mercy and pardon in Christ and walk worthy of this grace every day.

In our minds, justice seems strong while mercy appears weak. In reality, mercy is stronger than justice and greater in every way. While justice may seem appealing to us, what we seek from God is not fairness or equity but mercy. Mercy is what must be taught to our sinful hearts, and for this reason, it remains the higher or greater path. Justice we can understand and reason, but mercy requires God to become flesh in His Son, to suffer and die as the Innocent One for our sins, and to rise to bestow upon us grace and mercy we neither earned nor deserve. Such mercy is a scandal to us and can often be an offense to those who do not realize the magnitude of its gift. Today, we ask the Lord to open our eyes so that we may acknowledge and rejoice in His great gift of mercy and pardon in Christ and walk worthy of this grace every day.