The Shepherd’s Voice – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tomah, WI

The Festival of the Reformation
October 25, 2026
St. John 8:31-36
 
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
 
Amid all the celebrations of the Reformation, have you ever paused to ask whether we’re celebrating who we are—or simply who we are not?
 
Sometimes I fear that, in observing the Reformation, we, as Lutherans, open ourselves to the attitude in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector- you know the one…
 
Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
 
Are we more likely to exalt ourselves like the Pharisee, to thank God we’re not those Roman Catholics, those Baptists, or name your denomination, than to simply utter the words of the dreaded Tax Collector, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (St. Luke 18:10-14)
 
Sometimes we’re so focused on “Not” being someone else that we exalt ourselves into being who we shouldn’t be, and we miss being who we’re supposed to be.
 
We see this in children trying not to be like their parents; you know what I mean, trying not to adopt the habits we believe are unflattering and unhelpful. Yet all that “work” to avoid being like someone else often leads to a cycle of exhaustion and an internal struggle that brings fits of despair.
 
Lutherans can sometimes be like children, striving, arguing, and working hard not to be seen or considered someone other than themselves. The Lutheran Church, or the local congregation, can then become exhausted by insecurity and alienation from others, maybe even from your family, and adopt an “Us vs. Them” mentality.
 
And yet, it’s all this work, the going out of a Lutheran’s way to say, I’m not Roman Catholic, or I’m not this guy or that guy that binds them up, robs them of their freedom, the freedom of who they are and the peace they receive in Christ Jesus.
 
And here is a pivotal point of the Reformation: it wasn’t so much about Luther saying who he wasn’t as it was about him confessing who he was.
 
Remember, the Reformation was never about forming a new church; it was about being the Church Scripture calls Christians to be.
 
The “Re” in Reformation means to return, and “formation” means returning to the original form. Luther wanted the Church, the Roman Catholic Church, to return to its proper foundation: Scripture and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
For Luther, the book of Romans played a critical role in his understanding of the Christian faith and in his boldness in confessing it.
 
A key passage was Romans 1:16-17; St. Paul wrote,
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
 
Let’s parse these verses out for a moment.
 
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”
 
Yet too often, the Lutheran, the Christian, walks through life ashamed of their faith and burdened by guilt about it, and this shame shows up not only in our words but also in our silence, our inability to confess the Gospel that dwells within us and fills us with faith. (2 Timothy 1:5)
 
Just examine your daily lives outside of Good Shepherd: how do you consciously exercise your faith?
 
But still, to understand “the Gospel as the power of God for salvation” is to focus less on your own works, how others see you, or what they think. Instead, it’s about rejoicing in the gift of God’s forgiveness. The joy of this gift, this forgiveness, is too great to keep to yourself, so confess and share it with others who may also come to this saving faith.
 
And it’s for this reason, “The righteous (you, are to) live by faith.”
 
The Gospel of Jesus Christ frees you from the tireless yoke of works righteousness, the belief that you must earn your salvation (forgiveness). Instead, the Gospel, in its proper place, points the Christian to the cross, where Jesus died for you, and to the words of Holy Scripture, which deliver forgiveness of sins and make you righteous on their own, so you can stand before God.
 
Martin Luther wrote regarding this passage from Romans,
They (The Roman Catholic Church) had said: The righteousness of God, that is, the wrath of God. But as often as I (Luther) read this passage, I wished that God had never revealed the Gospel; for who could love a God who was angry, who judged and condemned people? This misunderstanding continued until, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, I finally examined more carefully the word of Habakkuk: ‘The just shall live by his faith’ (2:4). From this passage I concluded that life must be derived from faith.… Then the entire Holy Scripture became clear to me, and heaven itself was opened to me. Now we see this brilliant light very clearly, and we are privileged to enjoy it abundantly” (WLS § 2600).
 
These are not the words of an angry man or of someone focused on who he isn’t, but of a man who, for the first time, understood who He was—whose eyes the Holy Spirit had opened to the greatest news for mankind: that the gift of the Gospel delivers forgiveness, peace, and faith.
 
The righteous live by faith, and you are to live by it too: faith in Jesus Christ.
 
Sure, living by faith is not easy; it’s downright challenging, as the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh desire to lead you away from Christ, whether it be through the idea that you can earn salvation, the forgiveness of sin, or eternal life, or to silence the confession of faith you have been given through the work of the Holy Spirit within you.
 
Living by faith isn’t easy. But it’s necessary.
 
As we rejoice at the baptism of Simeon and reflect on his name this morning, consider the old man who took the Christ child into his arms following the Christmas story, as He was presented in the temple. It was written that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel, the salvation and forgiveness promised of old to arrive. He was told he would not see death until he saw the Christ.
 
But Simeon had to learn to be patient, to keep watch, and to pray for this day to arrive, and once it did, what did Simeon do? He broke forth in song,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
  for my eyes have seen your salvation
  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
  a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.” (St. Luke 2:29-32)
 
What joy is this? What joy and jubilation does Simeon feel as he cradles the Savior of the world in his arms?
 
Again, Simeon’s words don’t focus on who he isn’t; they confess who Jesus is, why He came into this world, and who Simeon is because of that child: a forgiven and redeemed son of God.
 
Isn’t there more joy in confessing who you are than in fighting not to be someone else?
 
Remember this, because just as Simeon once took the Christ child into his arms, the Christ has now cradled baby Simeon in His arms. Likewise, He has taken you, bringing you all into His grave through His death on the cross, and has also raised you out of these waters to new life, to forgiveness of sin, and to faith in Him, a peace meant to abide with you as you traverse this life and to prepare you for the life to come.
 
As another Reformation Day comes and goes, let us focus less on who you are not and more on the gift of who you are: God’s baptized children, children of paradise. Is there anything more joyful than this? Let this be your confession of faith this day as you forever sing, “I am God’s Child, I Gladly Say, I am baptized into Christ.”
 
Yes, sing this, confess it, have faith, and be at peace. +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
The Sermons of Pastor Rogness can we found at www.RognessOnTap.com
Learn more about Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at www.goodsheptomah.org
 

The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
October 18, 2026
St. Matthew 22:1-14
 
 
Weddings are joyous celebrations that bring together friends, family, and sometimes a community.
 
However, while weddings tend to focus on the bride and groom, today’s parable tells the story of two types of wedding guests: those invited but who don’t come, and those who do come but don’t attend the feast properly.
 
For those invited but who don’t come to the feast, it’s a total rejection of the invitation. Their conduct isn’t just rude to the servants who delivered the invitation; it’s vicious.
 
Jesus said, “They paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.”
 
Today we get angry when people don’t respond to a simple dinner invitation, but these invited guests didn’t just fail to respond at first; some responded to the messengers with violence.
 
At first, it may not be clear, but hidden within the parable is the story of Israel being invited to the feast and rejecting the Lord’s invitation. The sad unfolding of the story of God’s people is that they not only give no attention to His Word and invitation to come to the wedding He is preparing, but they reject the messengers God has sent to call them into His presence; they kill the servants of the Lord, and they will also kill His Son, Jesus Christ, by crucifying Him on the cross.
 
The rejection of Israel still occurs today among God’s people; we see it not only in churches that have no respect for the Holy Scriptures, but even in churches such as Good Shepherd, when the sheep don’t like the words of God or when those words don’t align with how we desire to conduct our lives, so we are inclined to become angry and frustrated with the messengers God sends among us.
 
But today, let’s focus on the latter part of the parable: a guest arrives at the wedding feast without the appropriate attire—the wedding garment. At that time, wedding guests were expected to dress a certain way, wearing celebratory wedding garments, and if someone didn’t have the appropriate garments, the host would provide them.
 
Now, remember that a parable is often a story with a deeper meaning. Today, Jesus’ words tell the story of someone who doesn’t appear to be what or who they seem.
 
Life is full of people, places, and things that aren’t what they seem, each with its own hidden reality.
 
For instance, we all know that some people wear masks to hide who they truly are, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Some places aren’t as their names describe; Greenland isn’t green, and Iceland isn’t full of ice. Or even more simply, a firefly isn’t a fly; it’s a beetle. A shooting star isn’t a star but a meteorite; shortbread isn’t bread but a thick cookie. A lead pencil isn’t even lead; it’s graphite.
 
The philosopher Phaedrus wrote, “Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.”
 
And this raises the question: are things what they always appear to be, especially in the Church? Or, more specifically, are people who they appear to be when they gather in the sanctuary of God’s church?
 
Or do you and others conceal who you truly are?
 
Reflecting on when the Lord sent Samuel to anoint scrawny David king over Israel, God said to Samuel in the Old Testament, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature… For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
 
Honestly, this can be hard to hear; God knows your heart. God knows why you enter this sanctuary, whether to receive companionship or belonging, which can be a healthy second or third-order effect of the Church, or because “it’s just what you do?” You were raised to come to church, and over time the church has become more a place to gather and maintain membership, like a club or civic organization.
 
However, entering this sanctuary is more than mere membership; it’s entering the ongoing wedding feast of Christ and His Church in true faith.
 
And for this, today’s parable also helps us begin to understand what is known as the visible versus the invisible church on earth.
 
Here’s what we mean by this…
 
Everyone physically present in the sanctuary is a member of the visible church gathered around God’s Word and His sacraments; we know this because we can see one another with our eyes. But the parable also reveals that some who gather in the Lord’s sanctuary may not be true members of Christ Jesus’ church, the invisible church, because they don’t wear the appropriate clothing of faith. Instead, they come into this sanctuary merely because of tradition, the gift of earthly relationships they have formed, or, sadly, in some situations, for status within a community.
 
But the Church is more than this, and this is what today’s Gospel reading reveals.
 
So, what is required of you to faithfully be gathered in this place, in this wedding feast?
 
The true faith given in the waters of Holy Baptism calls you to return continually to the font, confess your sins, wear the garment of Holy Baptism each day, and exercise the faith that receives the forgiveness granted to you.
 
You see, the wedding garment that Christ, the King of the wedding feast, expects and demands you wear is what you received at baptism, often symbolized today by the white gown placed on a child. The true garment of faith is a gift God places upon you from above through His Word. However, if you fail to remain in this faith and do not exercise the faith spoken into your hearts by the Holy Spirit, you become the man in today’s parable, who snuck into the feast without the proper clothing: “[Bound] hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
 
And here is why we cannot take the Christian faith for granted: it’s a matter of eternal life and death.
 
You cannot hide who you are; you cannot make yourself appear differently than who you truly are. Not before your Father in heaven. He is omniscient; He is all-knowing and sees the faithfulness of man’s heart, your heart.
 
So, what does this mean?
 
If you have found yourself gathering in the sanctuary of the Lord because it’s just what you do, or if you’ve been guilty of placing the earthly companionship of one another above the heavenly invitation of the Lord, or if you struggle or have wrestled with your faith, return to your Baptism, confess these challenges, ask for help, confess your sins, and put on the garment of salvation your Father in heaven wants to give you, because He desires not only that you come into this weekly wedding feast in faithfulness but also that you be with Him in the eternal feast that has no end.
 
In a way, while there is so much throughout this life, whether it be people, places, or things that appear to be something they aren’t, however, the Gospel this morning is about the Christian, you, being exactly who you are supposed to be, God’s child.
 
As you enter this sanctuary, remember who you are, remember your baptism, and exercise it through the confession of sin and faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and then have confidence not only for the troubles of each day, but for the day you are called to gather around the Lamb’s High Feast. +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
The Sermons of Pastor Rogness can we found at www.RognessOnTap.com
Learn more about Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at www.goodsheptomah.org
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity
October 11, 2026
Text: Matthew 9:1-8
 
 
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
 
Today’s Gospel is one of the most explicit texts you’ll hear about the forgiveness of sins.
 
The Christian Church is centered and grounded in forgiveness, secured for you by Jesus Christ upon the cross. From the cross, forgiveness of sins proceeds through the Church’s liturgy, including absolution, the Gospel, the Sermon, and the Lord’s Supper, and then flows into your lives, paths, and conversations you encounter every day and every week.
 
Yet this article of faith is one of the hardest for Christians to truly exercise in their lives. To forgive is often seen as a form of surrender; it’s the end of a battle and conflict, and it’s admitting a wrong, whether real or perceived. The old Adam residing in your hearts can’t afford this kind of humility before friends and foes. Thus, this hardness of heart paralyzes you and renders you immovable in your life and relationships.
 
In today’s Gospel, the paralytic is said to have been brought to Jesus by his friends. Those are some good friends. They cared for this man and brother. They wanted him to be healed again, to walk with them, to converse, and to be part of who they are as a community. 
 
But as the friends bring the paralytic to Jesus, He says something odd, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” A better way to translate this pronouncement from Jesus may be, “Be courageous, child; your sins are forgiven.” It’s a nuance, but the courage needed for life is to face sorrow, hardship, broken relationships, and the like with confidence in God, remaining hopeful and courageous through the good and the bad of each day.
 
Jesus also says to you, as He did at the beginning of today’s service, “Be courageous, child, your sins are forgiven.” But like those gathered with the paralytic, that’s not what you genuinely want to hear. The friends brought the paralytic to Jesus for healing, and likewise, you want the challenges and tribulations of life removed from your path.
 
The person you struggle within the church, remove them! The child who struggles, who bullies others, send them away. The cloud of sadness that follows untimely deaths—well, just don’t let this happen to me.
 
Today, Jesus doesn’t treat the symptoms of paralysis in your life; he treats the cause – sin.
 
You see, the paralytic was healed, but there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t lose his ability to walk again. There’s no promise he wouldn’t face danger or trial. So Jesus tells him to be courageous – to face the days of his life and take comfort in what is eternal – the forgiveness of sins.
 
So, my friends, which is easier, “to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?” Sure, at first, you might say that forgiving sins is the easier path. But you can’t necessarily see forgiveness, can you? You may know what’s in your heart, but can you see your brother or sister’s heart?
 
For the scribes gathered, they thought within their hearts that this Jesus was blaspheming God. Do you know why this whole interaction should scare you? Because Jesus likewise knows your thoughts and hearts and says, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” He sees the paralysis of sin dwelling within you.
 
At this moment, Jesus reveals His omniscience in today’s Gospel. He sees beyond your external actions and knows your secret thoughts and words. He knows the deep waters of your heart and the evil that lies within, just as He knew the hearts of the Scribes.
 
Truthfully, we don’t want to face life’s darkness. We don’t want to confess what truly troubles us. We don’t want to reconcile with those brothers and sisters we genuinely loathe and despise. We don’t desire forgiveness; we simply want to be told, “Arise and walk.” We desire cures for the symptoms of life’s troubles, not the cause. 
 
Reconciliation makes us uncomfortable and forces us to speak with one another. To say, “I’m sorry and I forgive you.” Yeah, no, thank you. Let’s just devise ways to coexist, tolerate one another, and keep the banter going for good measure.
 
Seriously, when was the last time you sat down with someone you disagreed with or had sinned against and walked through confession and absolution? When was the last time you spoke the tearfully freeing words to your greatest nemesis? We need to learn again how to say, I am sorry, and I forgive you – because it is life-giving, restoring, and eternal.
 
The healing and forgiveness of God did not remain in heaven but entered this world through the incarnation, taking the form of a man, the Father’s only begotten Son. He bore the world’s sin on the cross, and now, in the font, you have been united with Christ in death and resurrection. In the font of Holy Baptism, you have been made brothers and sisters. You are family.
In the Epistle this morning, the Apostle Paul wrote, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
After coming to the font, you are called to confess your sins and “put off your old self,” your pride, anger, and the secret motivations of your heart. But instead, you are called to go forth in “the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness.” In other words, having received the forgiveness of Christ Jesus, you are to be little Christs to your neighbors, to everyone you encounter – friend or foe.
Don’t just walk past the font as an ornament within the church, but be reminded of who you are in Christ Jesus. Seek reconciliation throughout life. Be a friend and neighbor to one another, and carry those paralyzed by sin in prayer to God – that their hearts would be softened and moved to confess. Above all, be courageous throughout this life, for when you confess, you can be assured your sins are remembered no more.
Life is full of adversity, periods of darkness, and unfortunate conflict. Do not permit the world to form you, but through confession and absolution, be continually renewed in Christ Jesus and His likeness – for on the last day He will return and say to you, “Arise and walk.” Come forth from the grave, for your faith has healed you. +INJ+
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
 
 Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI 
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
 

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
October 4, 2026
St. Matthew 22:34-46
 
 
Before this morning’s Gospel reading, the Sadducees debated with Jesus about the resurrection. However, Jesus silenced their inquiry, and now the Pharisees have arrived to ask Jesus a question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
 
The text says these scholars ask this question to test Jesus, but it’s more than that; they desire to entrap Him. They want to take Jesus down. They want to silence Him. So these legal minds ask Jesus a question on the only topic they “think” they know: the Law of God, the commandments.
 
But for a moment, let’s take a step back and ask: what is a commandment?
 
In the most simplistic manner, a commandment is a word from God or God’s word.
 
And what is the purpose of these words? These words, these commandments, reveal God’s will for man. What man is to do. They provide order for the Christian life.
 
However, we are all like children, turning to one another and saying, “You can’t tell me what to do.”
We’ve all said this at some point in our lives. Sometimes we say this not with our words, but with our silence, with a deaf ear, and with the actions we continue to do even after being told they are against God’s will and His commandments.
 
For instance, you encourage a child to come to the Divine Service, to hear God’s Word, receive His forgiveness, and be made ready for eternal life, but they just turn over in bed, pull the blanket over their heads, sleep in, and wait for you to return home in the early afternoon.
 
It’s a silent act by a child raised in the Christian faith who fails to keep the Third Commandment.
 
Or there’s the child of an aging parent who knows they need to call their mother or father, visit them, take them to a doctor’s appointment, spend time with them, love them, and cherish them, but instead they silence their parent’s call when it comes in and avoid their mother and father.
 
It’s a silent action of avoidance that fails to keep the Fourth Commandment.
 
There’s the couple who lives together without being married. Maybe a pastor told them to get hitched; maybe they haven’t, but they grew up in the church. They know God’s plan for marriage; they know that the union and fellowship of a man and a woman in one home is a foundational gift from God, not only for the family but also for society, and that it must not be abused or neglected. However, their failure to marry and their continued cohabitation brush aside the joys of marriage.
 
It’s a silent action by a man and a woman that fails to keep the Sixth Commandment.
 
But where does a person learn to break God’s Law in these ways?
 
At home, silent actions and examples are often shown to one another. The child learns most from what is done, not from what is said. 
 
So ask yourself this question. What do the day-to-day actions in your home teach others about the faith that is within you? In other words, what silent aspects of life are confessing your faith, or lack thereof…
 
For instance, when someone comes to your home, do you invite them in? Do you expect them to remove their shoes, or do they keep them on? Do husband and wife serve one another, or is one expected to serve the other?
 
Are the toys scattered throughout the home, or do the parents get down on the ground to help teach the child how to put their toys away?
 
When the family sits down for a meal, do they quiet their voices, fold their hands, bow their heads, and pray, or do the conversations continue as if God hadn’t provided the food before them?
 
As the day comes to its close, does a parent or grandparent tuck in their little ones, sing a hymn, teach them to pray, and entrust their lives to God’s care? Or is the child simply sent off to bed and reminded to turn off the lights?
 
Within all of these situations I just brought up, we see unspoken commandments of a home, a way order is being instilled into the hearts and minds of those dwelling together, especially children.
 
And reflect on this. If the removal of shoes or the picking up of toys is as important in your home as it is in many, how much more important is the keeping of God’s Word, His Commandments, the way He orders your life, the way He wants you to walk throughout this life, so that you might inherit eternal life?
 
Just reflect on the words of the Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy,
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
 
In order to walk in the ways of the Lord, Moses says that one must have a godly fear, that is, a sense of amazement and respect for God and His Word. This happens only when you know God’s will, found in His commandments, and put it into action.
 
That is, to learn to walk in His ways.
 
Too often, though, we know but don’t do.
 
We know and were taught the commandments in Sunday School, Confirmation Class, or the opening of Bible Class, but we don’t put them into action- not then, not now.
 
Our hearts are silent toward them, silent toward God’s Law.
 
However, some have summarized Martin Luther’s teachings on Law and Gospel this way: “The law can show you the way to go, but it can’t give your legs the strength to get there. Only God’s good news can do that.”
 
The idea here is that the Law reveals God’s will for you, showing how He wants you to come to Him and how He wants you to go to your neighbor in love. But you also need to let the Holy Spirit stir up the good news of Jesus Christ within you so you can listen, be forgiven, obey, walk in His ways, and put His love into action toward your neighbor.
 
Again, it’s not always our knowledge of God’s will that’s lacking; you’ve been taught; it’s the failure to live according to it, to put it into action.
 
And here lies the problem for the Pharisees in the Gospel this morning as they attempt to entrap Jesus when they ask, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
 
One of the challenges for the Pharisees is that they have read and interpreted the Scriptures absent of mercy.
 
Through the lens they have developed for interpreting God’s law, they do not see mercy and love as they ought, and throughout Jesus’ engagements with the Pharisees, they have consistently attempted to challenge His authority and knowledge of the Scriptures.
 
But listen again to how Jesus responds; He says,
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (St. Matthew 22:37-40)
 
Upon these two commandments rests all the law and the Prophets…
 
Jesus says that everything that has been spoken up to this moment was to lead you into the way of love, for my Father, and for you, my neighbor.
 
But was that how the Pharisees interpreted the Law? Is that how you interpret the Ten Commandments?
 
Through a lens of love and mercy?
 
No, and this often comes from a narrow understanding of the Law.
 
Often, we only see the Law through what we call its second use, through the mirror that reveals our sin. But Lutherans see three ways the Law functions in and throughout our lives.
 
The first use is like a curb; the Law keeps us from going into the ditch.
 
As I mentioned a moment ago, the second use of the Law is to reveal our sin, as a mirror reflects your image.
 
But the third use of the Law is to guide you in the way of loving the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself.
 
We need to pay as much attention to the first and third uses of the Law as to the second, because all three functions lead us back to God and propel the Christian to action.
 
And here’s the thing: when a parent turns on the lights in their sleeping child's room and says, “Get up, we’re going to church,” that is love, because you want the child not only to learn about Jesus, but to receive His forgiveness.
 
Or when you pick up the phone, go and visit, or take an elderly parent to a doctor’s appointment, you teach the young not only to care for their elders but also to show love and mercy toward those who first loved you.
 
When a cohabiting couple stops masquerading as a couple and marries, they become an image of Christ and His Bride, the Church. Their sacrificial love for each other, and for those who witness it, strengthens the home, the church, and the community.
 
And yet, we struggle to do what is right and good; we know God’s Word, but we do not keep His Law and His Commands, and for this, our lives are not in the order they ought to be, but in chaos.
 
This is where the second use of the Law comes into play. It reveals what we try not to acknowledge: that we have sinned against God and our neighbor, and that we have not loved our Father in heaven as we ought, or our neighbor as ourselves.
 
But look to this cross, and you will see the fulfillment of the Law and all the words of the Prophets. You will see a Savior whose sacrifice kept the will of His Father perfectly, a love that performed the greatest act of mercy by taking the place of sinners, by taking your place upon the cross.
 
Here, love lives not only in word but in deed.
 
But now, having heard these words, you must also begin to put them into action. You must learn to truly love the Lord your God by examining yourself, your heart, and mind, confessing your sin, and seeking your Father’s forgiveness for how you have lived. Then pray for the Holy Spirit to bring you the forgiveness of Christ won on the cross into your heart so you may walk in this new way of life, the way of Christ.
 
The way of love for your Father in heaven and love for your neighbor, understanding how the Christian faith is never silent, but active and always confessing the love and mercy of Christ Jesus who was willing to die upon the cross for you. +INJ+
 
 
 Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI 
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/

The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels (Observed)
St. Matthew 18:1-11
September 27, 2026
 
What images come to mind when you hear the word “angel"? Go ahead and take a moment to picture an angel in your mind.
 
I wonder what the angel you imagined looked like…
 
Was it cute? Was it a man, a woman, or a child? Did it have wings? Or a long robe? Did it hold a globe in your hands? Or a scepter? Or was it like those cherubs on the stamps that look like toddlers with no clothes? Those cherubs, actually called putti, symbolize death.
 
Some things just aren’t what you imagine, are they?
 
Truth be told, how we envision an angel has changed over the years. History has a way of altering our view of things, doesn’t it?
 
The way we view angels has changed for a few reasons: first, because angels are often unseen to the human eye, how should we imagine what God has hidden from our sight?
 
Second, our view of angels today is directly reflected in how they are depicted in art. Early art presented angels as masculine creatures, holding globes that represent their cosmic service to God as guardians of His children. The scepters that the angels held represented their divine authority, power, and roles as God’s messengers.
 
But over time, these images changed and softened, as many things in the world and the church have. Throughout the medieval period, artists began depicting angels more youthfully, with vibrant colors and majestic backgrounds. During the Renaissance, angels became more realistic and humanized; this is where our idea of cherubs and putti comes from. But then, in the Victorian era, the portrayal of angels became feminized. Modern and contemporary art reimagined angels, and their depiction became subjective, reflecting both a change in artistic expression and how the Holy Scriptures were treated, with the idea that man could interpret the words of the Scripture, just as art, as they desired.
 
Another reason our view of angels has shifted is that we simply don’t speak of them as we ought to, at least not in the church. While nearly seven out of ten adults believe in angels, the church has long failed to teach about them or help the flock see how angels are sprinkled throughout the liturgy of the Divine Service or have been included in many of the prayers handed down from old.
 
None of this is new either. The feast of St. Michael didn’t appear until the 5th century. While you may say that’s a long time ago, the church year was already taking shape one to two hundred years earlier. During the Reformation, this festival became St. Michael and All Angels Day. Why? Because people needed reminders of the angels and their service to God, and they needed teaching.
 
Are we that different? Don’t we also need instruction on the angels, let alone constant reminders of all the doctrines of the faith?
 
We do, because without this teaching and constant reminders, we are liable to veer away from a proper understanding of these messengers of God, including who they are and what they were created and sent to do here among us on earth.
 
Alright, so let’s take a moment to examine how angels functioned throughout today’s readings, especially St. Michael.
 
In the Old Testament reading from Daniel, it began by saying, “Behold, a hand touched me…” This is kind of a startling way to begin: “Behold, a hand touched me…”
 
Whose hand?
 
It was the hand of a heavenly messenger God sent to the prophet Daniel. Daniel has been grieving for his people and Jerusalem: they are in captivity, and Jerusalem has been destroyed. As he continues to mourn what has happened, God sends a heavenly messenger to console him and offer him hope, telling him that St. Michael, who helped defeat the kings of Persia, will come again and fight for you.
 
And this is what the latter half of the reading from Daniel addresses: St. Michael, the archangel, is seen as having charge over Israel and its people. God’s people will be released from their captivity, their sin, and their death. Daniel writes that those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall be awakened, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2).
 
What does this sound like to you?
 
It’s the day of judgment. Daniel’s words provide a vision of Christ’s death and resurrection, His ascension, and His return on the last day. These words point us to the reading from Revelation, which says that war broke out in heaven, “Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon [and his angels].” (Revelation 12:7)
 
These words from Daniel and Revelation reveal to us that this is not a normal battle; it’s not simply an earthly battle; it’s a cosmic battle.
 
St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians,
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
 
Behind any earthly opponent to the Church stands a demonic force that does not wish for the Christian to worship God, to receive His forgiveness, or to receive eternal life.
 
You see, up until this battle in heaven, Satan stood in God’s holy presence, accusing God’s saints. (Revelation 12:10) As one theologian remarked, “It was a war, so to speak, of words with which Satan accused God’s saints of their sins.” (Brighton, 333) And by doing this, Satan was claiming to represent the children of God.
 
But Satan was expelled, thrown out of heaven to earth below with all his angels when Christ ascended into heaven. Before Jesus died on the cross, Satan could accuse the children of God of their sins, but once Jesus returned to the right hand of His Father, the devil could no longer remain.
 
He is now confined to this earth, where he continues to attempt to deceive God’s children, for he is their adversary, enemy, and accuser. This is what the name Satan means: to be an adversary, enemy, and accuser.
 
All of this leads us to the Gospel reading from St. Matthew, where Jesus warns, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
 
Reflect on this for a moment: the disciples of Jesus just asked Him, again, who would be the greatest in heaven. They have been led into sin; they have permitted the spiritual forces of evil to lead them into temptation and sin.
 
Why? Because they want to be great, they seek what has not been given to them; does that sound familiar? Sounds like the Garden of Eden, where your parents were led into temptation, disobeyed their Creator, and brought sin into the world?
 
But Jesus places a child in their midst and says, “Be like this little one, this child, if you want to inherit heaven.”
 
What are children?
 
If you’ve spent any time around a child, you know they can be talkative, loud, tiring, dirty, and sometimes stinky creatures. But they’re God’s creatures, His children.
 
If you want to be great in the kingdom of God, then you have to be like one of these little ones. You have to see yourself for who you are, an often too talkative, loud, tiring, dirty, stinky child of God.
 
That’s you.
 
You have to humble yourselves, have humility, learn to confess your sin, the ways you have given in to the temptations of the devil, and place all your trust in God to care for you, to protect you.
 
Learn not to look down on other children of God, your brothers and sisters in Christ, His little ones; because Jesus says, “I have given my angels charge over them, and they see my Father’s face in heaven.”
 
If you see and understand who St. Michael and His angels truly are and how God has used them throughout Scripture, you should pause, because God still uses these warriors to care for His children on earth today.
 
So how are we to remember these truths about angels?
 
First, read the Scriptures faithfully, and you’ll hear stories of how God uses angels and how He defends and protects His people from His enemies, whether through the battles of the Old Testament or the announcements of Christ’s birth, His resurrection, or His ascension.
 
Or how they still dwell among us today.
 
You won’t take long to understand this, either, if you faithfully attend the Divine Service. Throughout the liturgy, you’re reminded of the angels’ role in the story of salvation: in Gloria Patri, when your voices join those of the angels at Christmas; and in response to the Proper Preface, when the pastor sings, “With angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven,” and the congregation breaks into the Sanctus—a hymn of praise to God, sung with the angels as heaven descends upon earth and dwells within the walls of Good Shepherd.
 
When you participate and sing in the liturgy of the Divine Service, you join the angelic choirs, and you can be confident they dwell among you, here and now, in this moment.
 
Why? Because they see the Father’s face in heaven, and their job is to ensure you are able to hear the voice of your Father in heaven.
 
But we must not overlook that, though Satan was cast down to earth at Jesus’ ascension, he continues to tempt you and draw you away from God’s holy Word. The devil wants you to compete with one another, boast in yourselves, and act proudly. He desires your downfall, seeking to break the fellowship and unity you share. When you do not live according to God’s Word, the devil stands ready to be your accuser, for he is your enemy and adversary.
 
Make no mistake about this.
 
So you need to be on guard, but most of all, you need to exercise your faith and pray to God to continue sending His holy angels to be with you, to guard and protect you, so the evil foe wouldn’t have any power over you.
 
Here is the benefit of praying Martin Luther’s prayers both in the morning, as you wake, and in the evening, as you prepare to lay your head down to sleep: they remind us of the work of angels and of who angels truly are—messengers of God’s Word, guardians, and protectors of His children.
 
This is who angels are, after all, guardians and protectors of God’s children. When you imagine an angel, this is who you should see, a cosmic warrior doing the will of your Father in heaven by watching over you. +INJ+
 
 Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI 
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
September 20, 2026
St. Luke 7:11-17
 
 
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
 
The famous novelist Agatha Christie once wrote,
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”
 
When I hear this quote, I think of the common saying, “Don’t mess with a momma bear.” I say this endearingly, too.
 
A mother’s love is special; what won’t a mother do for her son or daughter? What lengths will she go to comfort and protect her little one? How many mothers would give up their lives for the life of their child?
 
Watching and following Lindsay Clancy’s recent court proceedings has been very challenging. For those unfamiliar, Lindsay Clancy faced trial in Massachusetts for the killing of her three young children. Ultimately, the judge declared a mistrial as the jurors couldn't agree unanimously on her guilt or innocence.
 
The central issue of the trial was whether Mrs. Clancy was aware of her actions, mentally stable, or affected by postpartum depression, experienced by 1 in 7 women, or, more severely, postpartum psychosis, a rare but very serious psychiatric crisis.
 
Now, I’m not going to act as an expert on her mental health or anyone else’s, for that matter, but this particular situation has raised many arguments and discussions across the spectrum of beliefs.
 
In some corners of society, Mrs. Clancy is viewed differently: some see her as a victim deserving sympathy due to the medical system’s failure to protect her, while others see her as a murderer who must be held accountable for her terrible crimes.
 
Ultimately, none of us can truly know her heart or her mental state at that moment. Instead, we should pray for her, for justice according to God's will, for the father who will never hold his children again, and for the three young lives lost to be welcomed into our heavenly Father’s presence.
 
But all of this is difficult for us because, again, when we imagine a mother, we envision that Mama Bear with immense love for her child.
 
And this has been true since the beginning of time.
 
In our Old Testament reading, the son of a widow dies; the mother immediately says to Elijah, “What have you against me, o man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” (1 Kings 17:18-19)
 
The widow initially viewed Elijah’s words as condemning, perceiving them as exposing her sin and linking them to her son’s death. She openly expressed her thoughts to Elijah. However, once Elijah restores her son to life and reunites him with her, she recognizes that Elijah’s words truly come from the Lord, offering life and salvation and hinting at the greater resurrection through Jesus.
 
Earlier in First Kings, there’s a story involving mothers: two prostitutes living in the same house each had a baby. One mother accidentally rolled onto her newborn during the night and killed him. Seeing what happened, she took the other woman’s child and put her dead child in the woman’s bed. In the morning, when she realized the child was not hers, a conflict broke out over who had the right to the living child. They brought their case to King Solomon, who finally addressed them.
 
“Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” (1 Kings 3:24-26)
 
Once more, it is a mother’s love for her child. Out of love, she would rather give up her child to be raised by someone else than see their life end. (This beautifully illustrates adoption, where a mother unable to care for her child entrusts them to another.)
 
Again, in the Gospel today, we hear of another mother, another widow, whose son has died. There’s no commentary on how the death occurred, what the cause of death was; all that we know is that the corpse was being taken to the grave, where it would be laid to rest and placed into the earth.
The mother, the widow, was following behind the corpse. As a widow, this day meant she was destined to be poor, with no one caring for her. But here comes Jesus, and He sees her need and has σπλαγχνίζομαι for the woman. He has compassion.
 
σπλαγχνίζομαι is a deep feeling of pity and sympathy that proceeds from one’s innermost being, from the very bowels of Jesus.
 
Jesus goes to the woman, shows compassion, and says, “Do not weep.”
 
What unfolds before this mother’s eyes foreshadows the day when life and death will contend on the cross of Calvary. It foreshadows that Jesus is the Lord of life, that death cannot defeat Him, and that the grave will not contain Him.
 
So Jesus not only says to the young man, “I say to you arise,” but he touches death with His hands; He takes into His own flesh the sin and death that resided in the young man and gave him His life.
 
Once more, all of this points us to the cross, where the struggle between life and death is evident, and where Mary, the mother of our Lord, stands at the foot of His cross, watching with sadness as tears fill her eyes. She could do nothing. The boy she conceived, gave birth to, nurtured, and watched grow, whom she would do anything for, hung there for the salvation of the world.
 
In this moment, it was not Mary’s will be done, but her Father’s, who is in heaven.
 
Gut-wrenching it had to be, to witness the death of a child, no matter the age. No matter the mother, from a prostitute to the mother of our Lord.
 
In these biblical stories of mothers and their love for their children, we see a love that defies law and protects at all costs, even if it means destroying anything in their path. This makes it hard to understand how a mother of three could harm her children.
 
For good reason, you should struggle with what happened to those three little children in Massachusetts.
 
It’s not normal, it’s not okay, and it requires our prayers.
 
But we must also understand that the cause of death, for all of us, is sin. The sin that breeds anger in the hearts of some to viciously take life, the sin that alters the chemicals of the brain so one does not act as they ought, the sin that leads to the grave.
 
Our society and culture still struggle with the tension between life and death, but the faithful know that victory has already been achieved, and it’s the Church’s role to be the voice of that triumph. We allow ourselves to feel deep pity, sympathy, and compassion. We adopt a posture of prayer for all women who are pregnant, seeking their well-being and joyful births. We should also pray for women facing infertility, miscarriages, and the emptiness of childlessness. Additionally, we must pray for those suffering from mental illness or satanic attacks, asking that they be strengthened through the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, their Savior and the Savior of all children.
 
We must bring the hurting, ourselves included, to the Church, a Mother above all mothers, where life and death have already fought. Like an umbilical cord, the Church is where life and salvation are present for you, the source of nourishment, faith, and safety from the darkness of the world.
 
St. Cyrpiran, a third-century bishop, once wrote, “He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.”
 
You may find this an odd statement at first, but let Martin Luther flesh it out in the Large Catechism, where he says, “The Church…is the mother that conceives and bears every Christian through God’s Word.” (Large Catechism, para 42)
 
And this begins at the font. At the font, we confess not only our sins, the evil thoughts that plague us and lead us into temptation and evil, but also our death with Jesus on the cross; at the font, we also confess our resurrection in Him, our new birth and life.
 
By your Baptism, you are a child of your heavenly Father and a member of His Church, a mother who offers comfort and refuge, even in the darkest of times. Remember this; remind your neighbor and point them to this joy, for as baptized children of God, you all belong to paradise, because your Savior Jesus Christ reaches out and touches you in your weakness and says, “arise.”
 
Arise to new life in Him. +INJ+
 
 
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
September 13, 2026
Matthew 6:24-34
 
Today’s Gospel is a well-known passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He says, “Do not be anxious.”
 
These words are in the imperative; they are an order.
 
Do not be anxious, you who have gone back to school and are learning that middle school, high school, or college are much more demanding than your previous years of education.
 
Do not be anxious, you who are newlyweds, who desire children, who’ve purchased homes, or are learning to support a family.
 
Do not be anxious, you who spend more time behind the windshield driving children from one event to another than enjoying time speaking with the child or using your time to get to know your husband or wife more.
 
Do not be anxious, you who have retired and must now learn new routines.
 
Do not be anxious, you who have become a widow or widower.
 
Do not be anxious.
 
It’s easy to say, but when we say it to one another when life is busy and challenging, it seems to make things worse.
 
In the Gospel, being anxious means being apprehensive, experiencing anxiety, or being unduly concerned. Other dictionary definitions add extreme uneasiness, worry, fear about what may happen, or being driven by a strong desire for something. 
 
In some situations, a person with anxiety suffers from illness, but in others, it is a feeling or emotion that comes and goes for a person. Yet it’s rising in America and places throughout the world. Some reasons for this are our willingness to discuss mental illness and our feelings and emotions more openly. Even the military has worked tirelessly to remove stigma among those we have long seen as the strongest men and women of our time. 
 
Economic pressures significantly impact families, with rising costs making essentials like food, housing, and education less affordable. Students face stress from assignments, achieving high grades, college admissions, job hunting post-graduation, and fitting in. Parents, eager to do their best, increasingly prioritize entertainment over quality family time. Retirees must adapt to new routines and reconnect with spouses, while widows and widowers deal with the quiet of a home once filled with conversation, alongside mountains of paperwork and grieving for their lost spouse.
 
Beyond all of this is the noise in the background of life: the 24/7 news cycle, real-time reports from Iran, and ongoing events around the Strait of Hormuz, along with news alerts streaming across your TV or phone, train your brain to stay constantly alert.
 
Many remember watching 9/11 on TV twenty-five years ago; now, instant news updates are just a tap away. Fifteen years ago, people live-tweeted the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. Today, your phone can instantly connect you to loved ones abroad or to the school bully next door, or it can sit unused, awaiting a text or call that may never arrive. This increased connectivity raises a new concern: an addiction to perpetual busyness.
 
The addiction to busyness is when a person feels they must be constantly engaged in something, always searching for something, always working towards achieving a goal, never unplugging. Never taking rest. Never caring for the body or the soul.
 
There is work to be done, and this type of person is going to do it.
 
Have you ever thought about that? The work or tasks you often find yourself doing are causing you anxiety; it’s the reason you worry about things that are out of your control. It’s why you keep going, because you believe you can control the situation, slog through it, or at least attempt to control it.
 
But any parent that has held a crying child knows that not all situations are controllable.
 
You can, however, entrust the affairs of life to your Father in heaven. As St. Peter wrote, “[Cast] all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
 
And this leads us back to our Gospel this morning, where Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
 
Our lives are often understood through a lens of being pulled in multiple directions, which leads us to having more than one master, and when this occurs, anxiety is not far behind.
 
As Jesus stated, “You cannot serve God and money.” A more accurate translation would be, you cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon represents not just money, but also clothing, food, property, and all worldly possessions and desires.
 
When Jesus says you cannot serve God and mammon, He’s simply reiterating the words of His Father when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments, “You shall have no other Gods.” Why? Because He is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14), and He doesn’t put up with anyone serving Him and His enemy at the same time. “Either it is all mine” or “let it all be gone.”
 
These words should strike your hearts and call you to consider what holds and leads you. What keeps you up at night? What robs you of hearing, pondering, and cherishing God’s Word, and of allowing it to feed and clothe you? 
 
Have you thought about that? The birds of the air and the lilies of the field trust God more than we do because we believe we have the power to control life’s outcomes. We believe we can fix situations, trudge through the valleys, lift a friend out of their fog, and tune out hurtful voices, earthly demands, and the weight of this life all on our own.
 
But when things don’t go as planned, and we try to solve life’s challenges alone, should we be surprised that the anxiety only deepens, builds, and compounds?
 
Scripture clearly teaches that the comfort for anxious hearts resides in the Word of God.
 
Jesus said in the Gospel, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
 
“Seek first the kingdom of God…”
 
To seek is to devote serious effort and energy toward an objective; it’s to strive for and aim for the goal.
 
This verse is also central to this morning’s Gospel reading. It outlines the priority for how to live: putting the divine and eternal gifts of life first. It encourages living according to God’s Word and letting it guide one’s vocations in life, whether as husband, wife, parent, child, widow, or widower, with the understanding that in all things, seek God first, then love your neighbor. Seek Jesus in His Word, because there He will give you the balm to calm your heart or the patience to endure adversity.
 
Be like the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
 
While this trust may not come as naturally as it ought, Jesus is instructing you to put in the effort: make a routine, practice, exercise, and learn to depend on Him, who truly cares for you. You may not always see or experience this care in this life, but it is preparing you for the life to come. This is, after all, the goal, right? To be with Jesus eternally. For your spouse, child, family, and friends, the goal is to be with Jesus.
 
If this is the goal, then you must begin to exercise the faith needed along the way; you must learn to “[Cast] all your anxieties on [Jesus], because [in doing so you exercise faith and trust that] He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Learn not to depend upon yourself; learn not to believe you can fix everything; but do learn to pray.
 
I’ve undoubtedly shared this prayer with some of you, but it’s a prayer from Luther based on the text from First Peter, and it goes like this,
 
Heavenly Father, You are my Lord and God, who created me when I was nothing and redeemed me by Your Son. You have committed and assigned to me this office and work, in which it is not as I will, and there is much that would oppress and afflict me that I find myself no help or solution. Therefore take it into Your own hands. Provide the help and solution, and be all things in these matters. Amen. 
 
It’s not a long prayer; it’s not a difficult prayer, but it is a prayer for faith and trust in God and His Kingdom, to provide help in times of need, to grant the peace to endure, trusting that He has permitted the changes and challenges of this life to occur, not to your detriment, but for the building up and fortification of your faith.
 
Why?
 
Because the Lord God has already clothed you as the lilies of the field in the waters of Holy Baptism, giving you the robe of righteousness, claiming you as His own dear child, and inviting you to speak to Him as your dear Father in heaven; He also feeds you as a nestling bird in need of heavenly nourishment, the food of the forgiveness of sin, which prepares you for the heavenly banquet.
 
When you remember your baptism, hear the words of your Lord, and receive the Supper, you are seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And for that reason, you can hear the final words of today’s Gospel, depart, and take them to heart. 
 
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
 
Today has its own troubles, but none that your Savior doesn’t understand. His very own words in the Garden of Gethsemane teach us as He prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Even as your Savior was preparing to die for you upon the cross, He was teaching you how to commend the anxiety and trepidation of your heart to His Father.
 
Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by the new school year, experiencing challenging early days of marriage, exhausted from driving children to various activities, frightened by the thought of retirement, or grieving the loss of a spouse that still weighs on you, remember Jesus’ words today: “Do not be anxious.” He speaks these words with love and compassion for you and to you.
 
Trust your worries to the Lord and take what happens throughout this life as opportunities for God’s good. Face adversity and anxiety with patience and faith in the cross of Christ, making it your focus of trust and believing that your redemption is assured in your Father’s kingdom through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.+INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
September 6, 2026
Galatians 5:16-24
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
This weekend usually marks the end of summer, but the meteorological calendar indicates summer still has a few weeks before fall begins. It’s also Labor Day Weekend, offering one last chance to visit the lake, go to a water park, or enjoy a picnic — a perfect excuse to take a break from work. 
 
The first Labor Day was celebrated in 1882 in New York City; a couple of years later, the day became a Federal Holiday. As many see it today, it’s a day off from work, but its history reveals that the day would include speeches on the holiday’s economic and civic significance. Labor Unions might use these days as opportunities to build support for their causes and sway public opinion on pay and benefits for today’s workforce.
 
But what is a Labor Union anyway?
 
At the most basic level, a Labor Union is an organization of workers who join together to negotiate with employers for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. A Labor Union is a group of people, united in their work, their toil, and labor.
 
Have you ever pondered how the world around you might influence how you view the Christian faith? Have ideas about the labor force influenced the Church or the local congregation? A group of people, united in a common work, to “make” Christians.
 
But if the work conditions aren’t favorable or up to your standards, can you go on strike from “making” Christians? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? What we’re really asking here is this: can we go on strike from living the Christian faith if the conditions of faith aren’t favorable or acceptable to us? Can you negotiate better working pay, benefits, and surroundings so it’s easier to “make” a Christian? Or could there at least be some hazard pay when life becomes difficult?
 
The answer is no. To all of this.
 
The reality is that you dwell, live, and labor in this world, in the flesh inherited from your first parents, which means this life will be difficult, just as it was for your father, Adam, who worked the land full of thorns and thistles. Your flesh will be tempted, as King David’s was, to take for yourselves men and women who are not your husbands and wives, and to suffer the consequences of such sins.
 
Like laborers in the vineyard, you will complain and grow jealous of your neighbor who receives a higher wage than you, which in turn will lead you to jealousy, strife, and anger, if not with them, then within your own heart. If you permit these events to overtake you, if you permit your careers, positions, and places in society to become your sole focus and identity, you will likely begin to see yourself more at odds with one another than in union or unity with one another. 
 
The reason for this is that you’ve permitted yourself, or what you perceive as your “work,” to become a god. You began to idolize yourself and what you do. This is why some mutter, “No one appreciates me.”
And here is one of the reasons St. Paul warns you in this morning’s epistle: to walk in the Spirit so as not to gratify or give way to the works of the sinful flesh that clings to your bones and surrounds your heart.
 
The way we read the words of St. Paul is interesting, too, because we tend to lose something in translation. We hear “you” and think St. Paul is speaking individually, in the singular, but we need to take into account not only the context of his writing but also the Greek grammar. He is speaking in the second person plural, saying that you all, the whole community of the Galatians, are to walk in the singular Spirit of God. 
 
Likewise, you all, the people of Good Shepherd, the body of Christ, are to walk in the way of the Holy Spirit, to be in union with one another and led by the Holy Spirit in faith.
 
But here lies the divide: we wish to live according to the flesh, and when we do this, we are led away from the unity of Christ, living for ourselves through “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”
 
In these ways, we live for ourselves; we aim to elevate ourselves above others, trying to control the uncontrollable. However, this only leads to brokenness, death, and eternal separation from one another and, most importantly, God. 
 
And of course, this catalog of vices is not exhaustive or conclusive; that’s why St. Paul ended it with, “And things like these…”
 
Still, St. Paul doesn’t simply end the sermon there; he continues to warn the Galatians, and we receive the same warning today that if we continue in these behaviors, these works of the flesh, we too will not inherit eternal life. So, Paul then moves forward by outlining the things that lead to faithfulness, unity, and eternal life.
 
Also, did you notice that Paul didn’t call these items works; no, he called them the fruit of the Spirit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
 
Again, if you reflect back to the Garden of Eden, what is it that Eve takes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to eat? It’s fruit. She ate the forbidden fruit, and now, by partaking of it, Adam and Eve, along with all their children, you, will have to labor and work for the things needed for this life. 
 
However, as we move forward, Jesus will also use fruit as an illustration to teach about faith, the Christian life, and eternity.
 
In the Gospel of John (15), Jesus says that He is a vine. However, the branches attached to Him that do not bear fruit are to be taken away and pruned so that the vine might bear more fruit.
 
Remove the bad so the good can grow. 
 
In this illustration, removing bad branches is achieved by confessing our sins and the works of the flesh we have committed and continue to commit. 
 
Jesus goes on to say that the branches cannot bear fruit by themselves unless they are united to the vine. This is an image of the Christian life. The Christian, you, cannot bear good fruit unless you abide in Jesus. 
 
He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” (John 15:5)
 
So, you are called to confess the works of the flesh, to be pruned through the work of God’s word, His Law within your heart, so that absolution, the forgiveness of sin, is announced and applied to you. This forgiveness then affects your heart and begins to form new fruit within you, and when this occurs, it’s because of what God is doing through you, how you “all” are being led by the Spirit as one, in communion, to possess the fruit of the Spirit.
 
There are no individuals in the Church.
 
And this is taught in the third article of the Creed as we confess the work of the Holy Spirit. We confess,
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
 
We go on to say in the meaning,
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
 
Sanctification is God’s action of making you holy through the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. It is the way your faith is strengthened, and the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of faith, increases in you because the Holy Spirit is keeping you with Christ. 
 
In a wonderful way, the Holy Spirit works to gather you together, to bring you into communion, to remove the bad fruit from your heart and life, so new fruit may come forth. He leads you to walk together as a united people, not giving in to the desires of the flesh, which wish to separate you from one another, but rather to walk together, loving and caring for one another.
 
Unlike the chaotic and disjointed nature of the works of the flesh, we should note that the fruit of the Spirit is singular, and it begins with love.
 
Remember, we read that “the fruit” of the Spirit “is” “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
 
The list begins with the virtue of love for a reason, because everything that follows and is recorded as part of the fruit of the Spirit is a manifestation of love.
 
Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, all manifestations of love.
 
God the Father’s love is most clearly seen and understood in His sending of His Son to atone for the sins of the world, a self-sacrificing love demonstrated by dying on the cross for you, for all of you.
 
It’s for this reason that St. Paul is recorded as saying at the end of the epistle, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
 
The cross and the crucifixion of Jesus are the singular act of love that redeemed mankind from sin, death, and eternal separation from God the Father. For this love of Christ to abide in you, it requires a daily crucifixion, a daily pruning of the branches, confessing your sins, and putting to death the works of the flesh, so you can be raised in the resurrection of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit, who produces life and new fruit within you, gathering you who were many into one people, one church, and leading you not only through this life together but also to the communal meal of fellowship at this altar, as people who partake and look forward to the day when your Savior will give you not just a day off for rest or a weekend to get away, but an eternal rest, as He says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
 
The reality is that few things in this life truly unify us as they ought. Too often, the entities and organizations meant to unify society only deepen division, often because we are led by the flesh rather than the Spirit.
 
The Church likewise must be on guard because the earthly rewards will never be satisfactory, the conditions of the Christian life will always be burdensome, nothing will be fair, and you can’t go on strike if you disagree with God’s Word.
 
But when you abide in God’s Word and permit the fruit of the Spirit to guide and gather you into the body of Christ, you learn to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37). You also learn how the Spirit of God dwells and He works within you and through you, He alone does the work of making Christians.
 
Praise God for that!
 
So go ahead and take a holiday, take rest in the Lord not only this weekend but every day of this earthly life. Permit Him to work the love of Christ within you so that the fruit of the Spirit leads you through this toilsome life with joy. +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
 
 

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
August 30, 2026
Mark 6:14-29
 
 
I already know you may not appreciate the cover on today’s bulletin. It appears graphic: a head on a platter; it’s just sitting there, staring back at you. You heard the story in the Gospel with your ears, but seeing it, seeing the head of John the Baptist before you, that’s another story. Why would we use such an image on the bulletin cover?
 
Children will see it!
 
However, is this image as striking as you first believed? Is it as graphic as you think?
 
Ponder this for a moment… I’ll give you time.
 
Now, I asked these questions because I would argue that an even more graphic image is before you each and every day; in fact, every time you imagine this image in your mind, this figure appears, and the brutality is inescapable.
 
How could you carry such a graphic image with you each day? How could you be so dark and troubled?
 
Of course, you’re sitting here and saying, “Pastor, I have no idea what you are talking about, I would never carry such a horrid image of death with me each and every day.”
 
Oh yeah, then what’s wrong with you? Why wouldn’t you?
 
What’s wrong with me, what’s wrong with you?
 
Nothing…well, that’s not completely true. I am a sinner, just like you.
 
So why wouldn’t this disturbing image appear in your mind as it does in mine? I mean, you were brought into it just as I was; it was placed on both your forehead and your heart as a child, as an infant, like a tattoo so you’d never forget who you are.
 
Well, that’s morbid; you’ve been walking around all these years with an image of violence in your heart and mind, but you haven’t noticed?
 
Reflect on what I’m telling you now. I’m saying that since the time of your birth, you’ve been carrying an image within you that is worse than the cover of today’s bulletin. But why haven’t you noticed this? 
 
That’s a good question: why haven’t you noticed this?
 
Probably because you’ve become complacent; maybe all the violent and horrendous imagery of the news on the television you watch or in the video games you play has made you numb, or maybe you’ve decided to bury those images in the depths of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the part of the brain that suppresses unwanted thoughts and visuals you’d prefer not to have. 
 
Maybe that’s it; maybe that’s why you can’t ponder or visualize the image that’s honestly worse than the cover of today’s bulletin.
 
You’ve become complacent, numb, and buried the image of proof.
 
However, the image, the cross, and Jesus’ mangled body still remain before you; you can’t escape it; it’s right here to my left.
 
That vivid, horrible image of violence, the most horrendous violence known to mankind: crucifixion.
 
Whips, lashes, and nails. A crown of thorns for the King and Kings, rough wood that digs deep into the open wounds of His back for a throne. Yes, Jesus cleans up real nice for our purposes today, for public display, but make no mistake, the day He died for sinners like you and me, it’s not an image we would have looked on with glee, joy, or celebration. No, His cross would have brought us shame. It would have been seared into our memories, the kind of image you can’t outrun or ever forget, the image of tragedy.
 
Being there that first Good Friday would have stayed with you until the day you died.
 
But that’s one of the reasons you might not want to think about it, to ponder it, or wrestle with it – it is graphic, vicious, and horrendous.  
 
But you are also the reason Jesus went to this cross.
 
Your sin, the ways you have not lived rightly, according to your Father’s will, as we learn from the Ten Commandments and Holy Scripture. How you have not loved God with all your heart or your neighbor as yourself, the way you have not been faithful in confessing your faith in your Savior, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for you.
 
And here is the difference between you and John the Baptist, the one whose head ended on a platter; he was faithful, even to the end.
 
He confessed Jesus until his dying breath.
 
He refused to compromise God’s law, even at the risk of his life. He would not dilute God’s commands regarding the adulterers in King Herod’s court, which ultimately led to his death, just as he wouldn’t soften his message for his apostles. Despite the potential for mental or physical harm, John the Baptist consistently proclaimed God’s Word in full.
 
In this way, the rejection of the word John preached foretold the rejection of Jesus’ words. John’s violent death foreshadowed Jesus’ death.
 
And you, the baptized, have been brought into this death, too. Hear those familiar words of the epistle again:
 
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4)
 
The newness of life you have received is the life of forgiveness; it’s how you are set on a new path that departs the old life of sin and death behind and leads to eternal life.
 
However, this new path of life is not as many want it to be; it’s not free from danger, threat of violence, or tribulation; in fact, it’s full of it, and it follows in the footsteps of John the Baptist, the martyr.
 
A martyr.
 
Someone whose life, witness, and confession of faith point to Jesus Christ and His cross, even if it would cost them their life.
 
Tertullian, a theologian of the second century, made this interesting point when he wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
 
The fascinating thing about martyrdom is that while the blood of God’s children has been spilled, it hasn’t been silenced.
 
Ponder that… while the blood of God’s children has been spilled, it hasn’t been silenced.
 
The house of Herod believed that by killing John the Baptist, they would kill the message he proclaimed, but instead, it only inspired the Gospel to spread even further, strengthening and growing the Church.
 
But an important point to make here is this: martyrdom is never sought; it is the reluctant acceptance of death for the sake of the Gospel.
 
John the Baptist didn’t seek death; he accepted it, never forgetting his Savior.
 
And all of you have made this confession at your Confirmation, that you would be willing to die, rather than deny and betray your faith in Jesus Christ, the crucified.
 
This is your cross, and if it should be required of you, as it most certainly is, you will suffer for your faith at your jobs, as you might be shamed for being a Christian, or you may be mocked by peers at school for not cheering on the bullies or for refusing to join those who wish to hurt, harm, and slay their classmates, or even in your homes you’d find it easier to silence your heavenly faith for the illusion of earthly tranquility. 
 
These are your crosses to bear, the ordinary days and instances that require you to confess your faith boldly. But do you, and will you?
 
Will you confess the cross of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin, even when it’s difficult?
 
Or would you prefer not to think about Him or His cross? Is it too difficult or violent an image for you to bear in your heart?
 
You know, Martin Luther gives us this thought regarding the cross,
 
For whether I will or not, when I hear of Christ, an image of a man hanging on a cross takes form in my heart, just as the reflection of my face naturally appears in the water when I look into it. If it is not a sin but good to have the image of Christ in my heart, why should it be a sin to have it in my eyes?
(Against the Heavenly Prophets, 1525; LW, Vol. 40, 99-100)
 
The most horrendous image of death is never far from the Christian, for you have been baptized and united to this death at the waters of Holy Baptism. However, the image of the cross also brings great comfort; it is the sign of triumph, the symbol of the world’s redemption for the body which hung upon thee.
 
And this is what changes one’s perception of an image: its meaning.
 
John the Baptist did not seek death, but accepted it, pointing all men to Jesus and thus taught us how to do as he did, even if it would require our lives. The cross, on which hung the salvation of the world, joins each and every Christian into the one mystical body of Jesus Christ, a reminder that no threat or evil death will harm God’s child, but rather be the blood that nourishes the soil of the Church of Christ and become a portal unto eternal life.
 
My friends, if seeing John the Baptist’s head on today’s bulletin makes you pause, praise God; it should. This image is a reminder of the confession you made on the day of Confirmation, the confession of faith for every Christian. Yet remember that you also carry within you a more powerful, beautiful, and disturbing image: the death of Jesus, the payment for your sin. On the cross, He secured salvation and eternal life for you. Look to the cross daily; let it shape your thoughts and heart, even if it’s hard to grasp. Keep it ever before you, for in its suffering lies profound beauty—a testament to what God has accomplished for you and to His love for you. +INJ+ 
 
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
 
 

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
August 23, 2026
Mark 7:31-37
 
Have you ever found yourself speaking to someone and they don’t hear you?
 
You know their hearing works well, but strangely, they don’t seem to listen to you. They miss instructions, conversations, and what’s being taught. While some say a person has selective hearing, this is actually about the brain focusing on one person in a noisy environment, not about choosing to ignore another.
 
However, might a person subconsciously become deaf in certain situations? Causing them not to hear you? Might this be why a child doesn’t clean their room when they’ve been instructed to do so?
 
Well, Google says no; men cannot physically or medically become deaf purely through a subconscious choice or psychological will.
 
So why don’t individuals hear you when you speak to them, in a setting where people can converse normally?
 
Because they choose not to.
 
That’s all; they just don’t want to hear you. They’ve become preoccupied with their own thoughts and dreams; their desires, choices, and wills have become more important than you or anyone else. 
 
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus encounters a man who is truly deaf and has a speech impediment. It’s probable that this man has had these ailments since his birth.
 
The man’s friends brought him to Jesus and begged Him to heal their friend.
 
Can you imagine?
 
Living all the days of your life in silence…not being able to hear, not being able to speak, not being able to communicate.
 
None of this is a choice for the man.
 
But his friends bring him to the One they believe can help and heal him. They bring him to Jesus.
 
It’s interesting: what follows is a liturgy of sorts, an order of service.
 
First, the man in need of healing is brought to Jesus; then there are prayers for him, followed by an absolution, and finally a dismissal.
 
Jesus instructs the man and his friends, “Don’t tell anyone what I’ve done,” but they do anyway.
 
But walk with me through this sequence.
 
The man’s friends bring him to Jesus for healing. We do the same. The first step is to bring our broken bodies to the Divine Service to confess our sins before Jesus. Then we pray to God for help and healing. This is followed by the absolution, the forgiveness of sin, and finally the dismissal, the sending out of God’s people in peace. 
 
Now, in this liturgy involving the deaf man, his friends bring him and beg Jesus to lay His hands upon him to heal him. The laying on of hands, as seen in the Old Testament, was part of the liturgy of healing. Often, anointing oils would be used, in addition to touching the person, to say, “This person, this man, this woman, is the one who is to be healed, cleansed, and forgiven.”  There’s a specificity in the laying on of hands.
 
But Jesus does something that we might find repulsive today. He puts His fingers into the man’s ears, spits, and touches his tongue.
 
What in the world is this?
 
Well, some scholars believe this would have been understood by the deaf man, but remember, it’s not uncommon for the Word of God to be accompanied by a visible sign. Where do we see this? Does not the water of Holy Baptism, joined with the Word of God, grant forgiveness and healing, declaring this one, this child, this man, to be God’s?
 
Another aspect here is how Jesus looks up to His Father in heaven as He says, “‘Ephphatha,’ that is ‘be opened.’”
 
Again, another connection to the Baptismal liturgy we use at Good Shepherd as we pray and ask for the ears of the one to be baptized to be open to God’s Word, His teaching, and His will.
 
As we learned last week, growing in this way, the baptized life, by being open and submissive to God’s Word, His teaching, and His will, requires humility. Jesus pulls the man aside, places His fingers and spit upon and within the man, and then looks to His Father, demonstrating that all He does is in accordance with His Father’s will. Jesus is submissive to His Father.
 
Honestly, this is where we often go wrong; we do not truly live in submission to Jesus or His Father. It’s not physical deafness we show but rather spiritual deafness. 
 
Spiritual deafness occurs when we do not listen to, hear, and take to heart the word of God.
 
And here are a few ways we demonstrate this deafness in our own lives.
 
The issue of closed communion has been a concern for the church lately, a time characterized by spiritual deafness. A faithful family that raises their children in the Church understands God’s teachings about the Lord’s Supper—that before participating, one must examine themselves to avoid judgment and condemnation.
 
Receiving at this altar signifies confessing unity, fellowship, and adherence to this church’s teachings. However, when families see their children go off to college, move away, and join a church of another confession that does not align with Good Shepherd, they sometimes become deaf to God’s warnings in 1 Corinthians 11. Consequently, the meal is no longer the Lord’s Supper but has become our supper.
 
The situation of cohabitation, or living together, is also relevant. Everyone raised in the Lutheran Church, who attended Confirmation classes and learned the Sixth Commandment, understands that a man and a woman should not engage in sexual relations outside marriage, nor should they cohabit without being married. 
 
However, today, couples are increasingly inclined to take this path to test-drive the relationship, to save money, to avoid losing money, especially from the government, and to avoid commitment and sacrifice.
 
Again, there is a spiritual deafness in these situations: one has heard God’s Word and knows His will but does not want to live according to it.
 
This is a choice made by man.
 
Or forgiving one another, have you ever said, “I’m never going to forgive that person for what they’ve done to me?”
 
That’s a choice, a decision.
 
What does Jesus say, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (St. Matthew 6:14-15)
 
When we refuse to forgive others, we are refusing to listen to God’s clear Word; we are refusing to be Christians.
 
We have entered a state of spiritual deafness and have actively closed our ears to God’s will, His Word, and His teaching.
 
Even pastors are vulnerable to spiritual deafness when they ignore the Word of God and His commands to avoid offending members, friends, or family. In doing so, they also heed the devil's voice. 
 
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, that first sin that brought all of humanity into sin, it was because they were no longer trusting and listening to the one who created them and gave them life; they were listening to the one, the devil, who desired to lead them away from life.
 
Think about this: by not listening and heeding God’s Word, we reject it. Instead, we often accept the Devil’s lies and stray from life, including eternal life.
 
So where is your life found?
 
In the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the One who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6)
 
The One who said, “The words that I [speak] are spirit and life.” (John 6:63)
 
And if the words of Jesus are spirit and life, then we cannot neglect them, no matter how painful they may seem to us, how unfriendly they may appear to us humans, how they may offend some, how they may permit crosses to be placed upon us, or how they may force us to face our enemies and speak those freeing words, “I forgive you.”
 
Because these are the words that heal.
 
Jesus is the Word that heals.
 
This is what we sang in the hymn of the day, today, “Word of God, Come Down to Earth.”
 
Word of God, come down on earth,    Living rain from heav’n descending;Touch our hearts and bring to birth    Faith and hope and love unending.
Word that came from heav’n to die,    Crucified for our salvation,
 
Word that caused blind eyes to see,    Speak and heal our mortal blindness;Deaf we are: our healer be;    Loose our tongues to tell Your kindness.
 
Word that speaks God’s tender love.  Word of truth, to all truth lead us;Word of life, with one bread feed us.[1]
 
My friends, how wonderful are these words to hear?
 
That the Word of God descended from heaven to earth, to live, to die, to rise, and ascend. To do this for you, to open your eyes, to open your ears, to free your tongue, so that you might hear His love, then confess Him, His love, His forgiveness.
 
But all of this begins with His Word, a Word spoken over you at the font of Holy Baptism. At the font, you’ve been brought; prayers were made for you; the pastor lays his hand upon you, looks to heaven, and speaks to Jesus and His Father, saying, “‘Ephphatha,’ that is ‘be opened.’” A prayer for the baptized not only to hear the precious words marking them as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified, but also to set them apart to live a life of hearing God’s Word, living within God’s Word, and confessing God’s Word in what they say, what they do, and how they live. 
 
Because in the end you have heard God’s Word, and as the Baptized, you are to continue to learn and grow in His ways, you are to have joyous confidence even when it’s not popular among friends and family, even if His Word permits crosses in your relationships and life, because this Word, your Savior, Jesus Christ, is the one who leads you out of this life into eternal life. 
 
If you find yourself wandering away from the path of the cross or feeling overwhelmed by worldly pressures, and you notice yourself drifting from God’s Word, return to the font and pray, “Ephphatha,” asking God to open your ears to His Word. Then, stay attentive and listen, because Jesus is speaking to you. +INJ+
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
 
 
[1] Selected lines from the hymn “Word of God, Come Down to Earth.” The Lutheran Service Book, 545.