Advent is a season for us to grow in hope. We gather amid a world that in many ways seems hopeless. Extremists on both ends of the political spectrum seem to control almost everything we hear, read, and see. Deep divisions over race, politics, and economics loom over us like a dark storm cloud. How can the Church possibly make a difference in all of this? Today’s Readings acknowledge the distress and fear that the world’s foundations are being shaken. And right in the middle of it all, there is hope. Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Luke 21:33). The prophet Jeremiah declares God’s promise to restore His people and all creation. If we were left to ourselves, there would be little room for such hope. But God does not leave us alone. By His Word and Sacraments, God establishes our hearts and prepares us for Jesus’ coming final restoration. Until that day, we wait, we pray, we hope. Listen-In or Watch below!

The Last Sunday of the Church Year is here as we prepare to celebrate the return of Christ our King. When will it be? How will we know so that we are ready? There are the signs in nature, the sight of the Son of Man, and the angels. For these things, we keep an eye on the sky while we watch and wait, living our lives under God’s grace as His righteousness draws near. Listen-In or Watch below!

Veterans Day – Like the disciples of old, we look around us and presume that our accomplishments will endure. But even now, they are falling, brick upon brick. There is no repairing a world that must be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. The urgent need is not to predict when these things will happen, but to endure when they do come. The world is in labor until God delivers His eternal kingdom, but you are not of the world. You belong to the Lord. Through your witness, the elect of many nations will be called by the Spirit through the preaching of the Word. The world will reject you, but you belong to God. He who endures in this faith to the end will be saved. Listen-In or Watch below!

All Saints – Today we lift our eyes from the present and focus them on the promises of God that will be fulfilled in the future. What a blessed day it will be when we will gather with all of Jesus’ holy ones around His throne in heaven! But today is also a blessed day. In Matthew 5, Jesus speaks blessings over a crowd gathered on a mountainside. Place yourself in that crowd today. Hear Jesus bless you also! Listen as He speaks of mercy, purity, and peace. And know this: Jesus does not simply speak of these blessings; He freely gives them to you! How blessed you are—today, tomorrow, and forever!Listen-In or Watch below!

In his day, the reformer Martin Luther did a similar thing, restoring the Gospel of Jesus Christ front and center to be the main thing in everything. The main thing is the justification of the sinner by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Filter everything through that, through Him, and your faith is secure. We do well to open the catechism even daily to help us stay on track. In the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, we have the heart and center of the Christian faith, the sure guide of God’s Word. Listen-In or Watch below!