It has been a long time since we’ve done a “Friday Sermon” post. Today, I thought it would be nice to share a lengthy lecture by Bryan Wolfmueller, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Aurora, Colorado. Pr. Wolfmueller gave this lecture last year around the time of Reformation Sunday as a guest speaker at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Cheyenne, WY.
Given in honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, this lecture takes on many of the popular ideologies that stand against the church in our days.
If you’d like to see the handouts discussed in the video, click here.
Lecture on the Combat of World-Views, Bumper Sticker Theology, and the Anti-Catechism
I hope you enjoy this lecture and find it helpful.
For today’s edition of Friday Sermon, I thought we’d introduce you guys to Rev Jonathan Fisk’s story, as told by Jonathan Fisk. There is a problem within the church of failing to teach or catechize the next generation in the faith. Personally, I’ve come to the Lutheran confessions from the outside, from the dark side of the NAR. There is a temptation of thinking that somehow I have a more interesting “coming to the Lutheran confessions” than someone who might have been born into a Lutheran family. This isn’t true. The story of how God the Holy Spirit rescues us from our sin is always interesting, uplifting, and praiseworthy… for it is God who saves.
Rev. Jonathan Fisk Bio
The Rev. Jonathan Fisk is best known for his work with “Worldview Everlasting,” a YouTube channel founded to help spread Lutheran doctrine. With over 2.3 million total views and nearly 9,500 subscribers, it has helped countless spiritually starving people renew their faith and find homes in LCMS congregations across the country. Fisk is also the author of Broken: Seven “Christian” Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break.
Fisk has served the LCMS as a missionary in New Jersey and as a parish pastor in Philadelphia, Chicago, and rural North Dakota. He has a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, (2006) and a B.A. in Creative Writing from Sonoma State University in California (2000).
He and his wife, Meredith, have five children: Chloe, Anastasia, Trinity, Fides, and Alleluia. Fisk loves to play nerdy games, has a weakness for spicy/tangy/sweet fried food and still thinks he has a small shot at playing in the NBA some day, once time and circumstances allow. (source)
I’m a Lifelong Lutheran, But… with Rev. Jonathan Fisk
Published on Feb 16, 2013
Pr. Jonathan Fisk speaks and discusses the crisis we have in catechizing our young ones (in homes, churches, and schools). He skillfully addresses the problems and honestly expresses his own ongoing struggle to find a solution with regards to how we pass down the faith from generation to generation (especially this new generation which is being entertained to death). Of particular note, Pr. Fisk discusses the phrase “I’ve been a Lutheran all my life, but…” which is how Lutherans confess non-Lutheran teachings and criticize Lutheran doctrine and practice. This has become a standard phrase which tries to introduce a non-Lutheran solution to the problems that we see out there among our youth. Commendable for trying to fix the problem we all see, it falls flat because it does not come from Lutheran teachings. Pastor Fisk asks some tough questions to wrestle with as we catechize our youth.
If you are unfamiliar with Liturgical Worship, or following the church year, we are in the season of Epiphany. The season begins with the visiting of the Magi (Christ revealed to the Gentiles) through the Transfiguration. Today’s sermon text will be looking at Christ’s first recorded Miracle at the wedding in Cana.
Today we’ll be listening to the sermon given last week by Pr Hans Fiene of River of Life Lutheran Church, Channahon, IL.
Rev. Hans Fiene
was born in Duluth, Minnesota in late 1980. The son of a Lutheran pastor, Rev. Fiene and his family spent time in Utah and Connecticut before settling in Indiana. After graduating from Indiana University with a B.A. in English, Rev. Fiene began his studies at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he earned a Masters of Divinity in May of 2008.
After graduation, Rev. Fiene was ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry on June 8, 2008. He then moved to Denver, CO where he served as pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church until accepting the call to River of Life. Rev. Fiene was installed as pastor of River of Life Lutheran Church on December 18, 2010.
Rev. Fiene and his wife Katie were married in August of 2005. God has blessed them with three young sons: John, August, and Anders. In addition to serving Christ’s flock at River of Life, Rev. Fiene also loves writing, singing, playing a little piano, and getting far too emotionally invested in the Indianapolis Colts.
Rev. Fiene is also the creator of Lutheran Satire, a multimedia project intended to teach the orthodox Lutheran faith through the use of humor. Lutheran Satire’s website can be found here (http://lutheransatire.org/) and the YouTube channel can be found here (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLutheranSatire).
Note: In a Lutheran Divine Service the sermon comes after the reading of the assigned texts (an Old Testament text, an Epistle reading, and a Gospel text) and the Pastor’s sermon will focus on one or more of these readings. That is why in this sermon you don’t hear the text being read specifically. The congregation has already heard the text read aloud while they read along.
Sermon Text
John 2:1-12 (ESV) | The Wedding at Cana
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
I hope you enjoyed listening to this sermon. Pastor Fiene did a wonderful job of rightly dividing Law and Gospel.
Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Today’s sermon comes to us from Rev Brian Flamme of Hope Lutheran Church in Aurora, CO. The Gospel text from this past Sunday (08 JAN 2017) is Matt. 3:13-17.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Today I thought I’d re-post a link to a powerful lecture given by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt at Faith Lutheran Church in Capistrano Beach, CA on November 7, 2010 entitled, “The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church“.
Video available on Vimeo
Audio Only version on Youtube
Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV) Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will,working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
November 2, 2018.
Faithful Stewardship 
You must be logged in to post a comment.