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

Advent 3 + Gaudete | Matthew 11:2-11 | The Traditions of Advent Help Point Us to Jesus

Advent 3 + Gaudete
December 14, 2025
Matthew 11:2-11
 
In the latest issue of the Lutheran Witness, the magazine of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the topic of “Traditions” is discussed, which is fitting as we go through the season of Advent and approach Christmas. Every family has its own traditions. Every congregation has its traditions. In the end, every tradition we observe and uphold should help us confess the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 
 
In the opening article of the Lutheran Witness, our synod president, Matthew Harrison, reminded readers that tradition is a Scriptural idea, taught in both the Gospels and the Epistles.
 
St. Luke wrote,
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)
 
The idea here is that Luke would “Deliver” or pass down what he received to others.
 
Or as the St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
 
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)
 
The use of the word “delivered” here is rooted in the Greek word for tradition, so St. Paul is truly saying, “For I gave to you, the tradition of what I received.”
 
And this is none other than the tradition of passing down and sharing the story and good news of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. 
 
But we don’t think of words being passed down from one generation to another in the same way we think of Grandma’s sugar cookies at Christmas, the trimming of the Christmas tree, or the family games played around the table on Christmas Day.
We tend to see tradition as things we do.
 
The Lutheran Confessions address the idea of traditions, the things we do, too, by saying,
Our churches teach that ceremonies ought to be observed that may be observed without sin. Also, ceremonies and other practices that are profitable for tranquility and good order in the Church (in particular, holy days, festivals, and the like) ought to be observed.[1]
 
From this, the traditions and ceremonies of the Church, such as the pastor wearing robes, lighting candles, making the sign of the cross, Gospel processions, and celebrating the festival of Christmas, are all for the good of the Church. There’s nothing wrong with them.
 
So, what does any of this have to do with today?
 
Well, there’s a tradition during the season of Advent that we’ve usually just accepted without knowing the story behind it, and that is the rose-colored candle in the Advent wreath. The rose-colored candle represents the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday.
 
Gaudete comes from the Latin word for “Rejoice!”
 
Soon, the Sunday School choir will sing the musical piece Gaudete. While it’s a sacred Christmas carol written in Latin, it is believed to have actually been composed around the 16th century as part of a Finnish or Swedish collection of songs. It’s not as old as one might have believed.
 
But getting back to that rose-colored candle and the history of Gaudete Sunday. The season of Advent originally began around the 5th century as early as November 11th, when it was known as St. Martin’s Lent. No, this was not for Martin Luther; it was for St. Martin of Tours, a Soldier turned pastor, known for his generous heart and love of Christ.
 
It was around the ninth century when the season of Advent was shortened to the current four weeks, and with this shorter season, Gaudete Sunday occurs in the third week to reflect that we are now more than halfway through the penitential season, it provided a brief reprieve from the traditions and discipline of increased fasting, prayer, and alms giving. 
 
You see, Advent didn’t used to be as commercialized as it is today; it has long been a penitential season, much like Lent. But over time, the world has snuffed out the penitential aspect of Advent to get a jump-start on the Christmas festivities. In light of this, Gaudete Sunday has lost some of its importance. There’s no need to have a respite from the toils of a penitential season if all you are doing is partying and rejoicing already.
 
In a fascinating way, while the church is adorned with the tradition of an Advent wreath to help us mark time and properly prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior, do we keep this tradition correctly so that we might stay focused and receive Christ’s coming properly? 
 
Or do we permit the more recent traditions of the world to imprison us with “parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling in the snow?”
 
You see, the season of Advent, like Lent, is a time set aside for Christians to examine what sins and tribulations of life have imprisoned them (You).
 
What’s interesting about the Gospel reading today is that while John the Baptist is in a physical prison, his disciples might find themselves in a mental and spiritual prison of sorts. They have followed John the Baptist and heard his teaching about the coming of the Messiah, but now their excitement likely turned to disappointment because John the Baptist, their leader, is in captivity and will die soon.
 
So, from his prison cell, John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus. Some believe this is because John’s faith had weakened or that doubts began to arise in his mind about Jesus. Still, I’ve joined those theologians who see this event as John the Baptist, not seeking his own confirmation of who Jesus is; he knows who He is but continues to point his disciples, who are in a weakened state, to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who will go to the cross to take away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
 
And I believe John the Baptist knew his disciples would need this lesson, so they might seek the comfort of Jesus as they approach their time of mourning and sadness, the day when John the Baptist would be beheaded.
 
So, what has imprisoned you this year?
 
Has the tinsel of the season blinded you and caused you to lose sight of your Savior? Has an illness hindered your ability to walk and serve your neighbors? Has cancer made you feel like a leper, cut off emotionally and physically from friends and family? Have you noticed yourself drifting away and ignoring Jesus’ voice and words? Has depression and anxiety made you feel poor and dead inside? 
 
If so, the words Jesus spoke to the disciples of John the Baptist are for you, too.
 
 
Jesus said to them,
Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (Matthew 11:4-5)
 
This is what the traditions of Holy Scripture do when they are handed down correctly: they deliver the Good News of Jesus Christ to those imprisoned, whether by ailment or sin. The Good News of Jesus grants you forgiveness of sin and raises you to new life, eternal life. 
 
This is why the traditions of the Church, such as those observed during Advent, include acts like penitential self-examination and confession, as well as the simple details of the Advent wreath that mark the passage of time, preparing you for the coming of your Savior on the last day. The day when you are not only raised out of sin but also out of the grave, the day when you shall join the heavenly choir, rejoicing eternally. 
 
For this reason, the lessons of John the Baptist, like the traditions of the Church today, must always point you to your Savior, Jesus Christ. +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
 
 
www.goodsheptomah.org
 
 
 
[1] Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 39.

Get to Know Us | Interview with Dave and Barb Scardino

On this podcast, we get to know another family of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Dave and Barb Scardino!
 
Please take a listen and learn how they moved to Tomah and became members at Good Shepherd over thirty years ago!
 
www.GoodShepTomah.org
 

Advent 2 Midweek | Matthew 1:18-25 | The Birth of Jesus Beyond Human Reason

Advent 2 – Midweek
December 10, 2025
Matthew 1:18-25
 
When you were born, God gave you the ability to understand life’s matters. When you were young, you didn't use this ability well; it needed to be developed. Therefore, God placed adults in your life to help you learn how to think clearly in your daily life.
 
Reason is the ability or capacity to use logical thinking and draw conclusions from existing information.
 
In our second reading this evening, Joseph used his reason to conclude that the woman he was betrothed to, Mary, was pregnant through sin and a relationship with another man.  
 
It’s not hard to see how he would arrive at this conclusion if he had not yet slept with Mary.
 
But here God intercedes for the sake of salvation. He sends His angel to Joseph in a dream, and like when the angel Gabriel visited Mary, the angel says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear.”
 
If you think about it, even before the angel appeared, Joseph was probably full of fear. What was his family and friends going to think of him now that Mary was pregnant and not by him? Would he be shunned? Would he be an outcast? Would he be looked down upon?
 
Could he not lead a household?
 
But at the core of the angel’s message is the reality that man cannot understand the ways of God apart from Him and His Word.
 
Now, just as the experience Mary had with the angel is beyond human understanding, God uses His messengers to begin revealing the meaning behind these events that first Advent, as he says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
 
The first part of the angel’s greeting connects Joseph, the baby in Mary’s womb, and his lineage with the line of David. This is important because it fulfills the prophecy spoken to David in our first reading this evening, as we heard, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” (2 Samuel 7:12) 
 
This prophecy will take time to be fulfilled, but it begins to find fulfillment in the womb of Mary, where the offspring, Jesus, now resides.
 
But the second part of the angel’s message conveys the origin of the Christ child, that He has no human father. That through the work of the Holy Spirit, sent by the heavenly Father, the child was conceived.               
 
Again, this was difficult for Joseph to reason and rationalize.
 
However, the way to understanding the birth of Jesus begins with the source of the child’s conception, the Holy Spirit.
 
Likewise, you received a new birth from above when the Holy Spirit came upon you in the font of Holy Baptism and ignited faith within your heart. This faith continues to be revealed through God’s Word, and in this Word, human reason is brought into submission because God’s ways are not the ways of man.
 
As the prophet Isaiah wrote,
            For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
                        neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
            For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
                        so are my ways higher than your ways
                        and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
 
In a glorious and comforting way, you are not tasked with reasoning or rationalizing the will of God. Instead, you are to be as Joseph and receive the messenger and Word of God as it is spoken to you. Through this word, permit the Holy Spirit to create faith within you and lead you through the trials and unknowns of life, faithfully trusting Jesus, who came in the womb of the Virgin Mary to redeem you upon the cross.
 
And look, faith can be difficult at different times in life, but as we read in the book of Hebrews, remember, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
 
But as Martin Luther wrote,
One of the noblest and most precious virtues of faith is to close one’s eyes to this, ingenuously to desist from exploring the why and the wherefore, and cheerfully to leave everything to God. Faith does not insist on knowing the reason for God’s actions, but it still regards God as the greatest goodness and mercy. Faith holds to that against and beyond all reason, sense, and experience, when everything appears to be wrath and injustice (AE 43:52).
 
What a marvelous gift!
 
If you are going through a difficult or uncertain time in life, resist the urge to weigh your heart down with trying to reason and rationalize this period. Instead, learn from Joseph to rise and put your faith and trust in God’s words, entrusting Him to care for you today and always. 
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI

Advent 2 | Luke 21:25-36 | Creation Tells How Jesus is Drawing Near

Advent 2
December 7, 2025
Luke 21:25-36
 
 
In preparation for this Sunday, I revisited and reread Martin Luther’s sermon for the second Sunday in Advent, and in it, you hear a message about how God uses nature to tell the story of the end times— the end of days, the end of this life, and the end of this earth.
 
This story of the end days is described in the Gospel as Jesus said,
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.
 
And then a few verses later, Jesus says,
Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
 
In a beautiful way, God’s creation is always the teacher, whether through disaster or new life, guiding you to prepare for the arrival of His kingdom. 
 
But how often do you observe its lessons?
 
How often do you see eclipses of the moon or shooting stars and think, “God is coming?”
 
How often do you hear of hurricanes tossing waves to and fro, destroying anything in their path, and think, “God is coming?”
 
How often do snowstorms trap you in your homes and think, “God is coming?”
 
How often does a budding leaf in the warmth of spring stop you to ponder and think, “God is coming?”
 
God’s creation is always telling and preparing you for His return.
 
And in this way, it’s the darknesses that descend upon your life, the tossing waves of trials and tribulations, the coldness of your hearts that often keep you bent over and looking down, so you cannot see the budding fig leaf of spring, telling you summer is near. 
 
New life is near.
 
Christ is near.
 
Every Advent, I like to reread the book, God is in the Manger, which includes excerpts from the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In one of his devotions from this past week, he wrote, 
Let’s not deceive ourselves, ‘Your redemption is drawing near’ (Luke 21:28), whether we know it or not, and the only question is: Are we going to let it come to us too, or are we going to resist it? Are we going to join in this movement that comes down from heaven to earth, or are we going to close ourselves off? Christmas is coming – whether it is with us or without us depends on each and every one of us.
 
The question Bonhoeffer poses is, are you going to permit Christ to come to you, or are you going to ignore the signs that you need a Savior and close your heart to Him?
 
Jesus says, “Your redemption is drawing near.”
 
And this is what the Advent season prepares you for: like the changing seasons of this world, Advent prepares you not only for Jesus’ birth but also for His coming again on the last day, the day when He will gather you into His eternal presence. 
 
So, how do you prepare for the coming of Jesus? You do as Jesus instructs, “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”
 
These words should be understood in the context of the fig tree sprouting leaves and summer approaching. It signifies that the old, dying life is cast aside so the new man can emerge.
 
Or through the lens of Holy Baptism, the Old Adam is drowned along with all his sins so that a new man might arise, and this occurs through Confession and Absolution.
 
This can also be seen in a Christian’s posture. In some traditions, a Christian continues to kneel for Confession and Absolution. They kneel to confess their sins in humility, which demonstrates how sin burdens the heart of man. But after receiving the absolution, the forgiveness of sins, they rise to new life because they see the nearness of their Savior as they hear His voice in His Word or approach this rail to receive His flesh and blood.
 
Reflect on how Martin Luther also teaches this truth in the Small Catechism and how the Christian should arise each morning; he says you should make the sign of the cross to remember your Baptism, that drowning of the Old Adam and the raising of the new man, then pray the Morning Prayer like we do at the beginning of Sunday School and then conclude with the Lord’s Prayer before going about your tasks.
 
Remember, in the Lord’s Prayer, you pray, “Thy kingdom come.” With these words, you are always asking for Jesus to come with His grace and mercy.
 
But how often do you give attention to what you are asking for when you speak these prayers?
 
When you follow this Lutheran practice of prayer in the morning, you not only use your words but also your entire body, which was burdened by sin and needed sleep, to rise from bed to embrace the new life of the new day. 
 
But of course, you must also pay attention and be aware of how the darkness of each night yields to the rising sun of each new day, how the slumber from the past night’s sleep gives way to the sounds of the new morning. And how your first words of each new day either confess the life of a curmudgeon or the joy of one who looks to the coming Savior who has protected you through the most dangerous part of your life, the time of night, the time while you sleep unaware.
 
In a marvelous way, every aspect of God’s creation and this life is a reminder of the coming of Jesus.
 
Look, the Gospel readings for Advent can be startling to many because the world has convinced you that it’s already Christmas, but it’s not. Christmas lasts twelve days, starting December 25th. It’s not time yet.
 
It’s Advent now, a season of longing and preparation. The readings remind you to look around, observe the fallen world, and see how creation is telling you that God is coming, see the signs of cosmic events and the storms in your own life. Learn again to confess your sins, because only then will you be ready for the coming of Christ.  
 
As we come to a close today, I want to share the final part of Bonhoeffer’s meditation. He wrote,  
Such a true Advent happening now creates something different from the anxious, petty, depressed, feeble Christian spirit that we see again and again, and that again and again wants to make Christianity contemptible. This becomes clear from the two powerful commands that introduce our text: “Look up and raise your heads’’ (Luke 21:28). Advent creates people, new people. We too are supposed to become new people in Advent. Look up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed. Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. Something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come.”
 
And He does come; He comes to you here, around this altar.
 
So come on bended knee and then arise to new life, to the redemption found in Jesus Christ.
 
My friends, as you look forward to the coming of the Christ child in the manger this Advent, see Him also on the cross, and then see how the happenings of daily life and the world are reminders for you to “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your Savior [is near].” +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
Good Shepherd Website: www.goodsheptomah.org
Donate and Support Good Shepherd: https://www.goodsheptomah.org/donate 

Advent 1 - Midweek | Luke 1:26-38 | The Angel Gabriel Comes to Mary

Advent Midweek 1 – The Angel Gabriel
December 3, 2025
Luke 1:26-38
 
As we begin our Wednesday evening services this year, the theme will be the Angels of Advent.
 
Now, to begin, we need to remember who angels are. Throughout the Scriptures, angels are spiritual beings; they are warriors, and they often pray for man. As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, they see His Father’s face and do His will. 
Angels are not to be trifled with.
 
But the most basic definition of the word “angel” is “messenger.” Angels are messengers of God who bring His news to mankind.
 
While we meditate on the Angels of Advent over the next three weeks, only one of these angels will have a name, and that is tonight – Gabriel the archangel. 
 
It’s also interesting that, while Michael, the other known archangel, is mentioned throughout the Scriptures, Gabriel is the one sent to announce both the conception of John the Baptist and Jesus.
 
Now, meditating on Gabriel’s message tonight, let’s begin with how he was received by Mary. As Gabriel arrived, the text said she was troubled by him and his words. After all, in our hymn we sang, “The angel Gabriel from heaven came, with wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame.”
 
There’s an image for you, and not one easily discerned.
 
But the angel Gabriel perceives Mary’s fears, which is why he tells her, “Do not be afraid, Mary.”
 
The word “afraid” here originates from the Greek φοβος; you might hear in the background the word “phobia,” which means fear or terror.
 
What has your heart filled with fear and terror this Advent?
 
What kind of news or messages have sunk your heart in depression, filled you with dread and anxiety, and caused you terrors throughout the night?
 
Do you worry about your children and their faith? Have you been laid off? Did a doctor deliver the news, the news you feared, that you have cancer or another life-altering diagnosis?
 
This, of course, leads to the questions of a racing mind.
 
Will my children receive eternal life? How will I pay the bills or buy Christmas presents? Will the cancer or ailment consuming my flesh take my life?
 
Mary was told by the angel Gabriel as she was filled with fear, “Do not be afraid.”
 
This is the angel’s message for you, no matter your fears: “Do not be afraid.”
 
Why? Because God is with you, Christ is with you.
 
You see, the angel Gabriel’s entire message fulfills Old Testament prophecy, beginning with Genesis 3, as God the Father promises Eve an offspring who will come to defeat the Devil and the sin they brought into this world.
 
But this prophecy is also mentioned in our first reading tonight from Isaiah, as he wrote,
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
 
And this text from Isaiah really gets to the heart of Gabriel’s message to Mary, she is going to bear a Son, Jesus, the One whose name will be Immanuel, which means God with us.
 
In a very physical way, Immanuel takes His place within the womb of Mary. He is God with her, and one of the messages of the Advent season is that Immanuel is God with you in the midst of the darkness of your fears.
 
And this should be your prayer throughout the troubles of life, for the only Son of God to abide with you.
 
In fact, as we began the service tonight, our words and actions remind us of this truth as the candle entered this darkened sanctuary, and we sang…
 
“Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, the light no darkness can overcome.”
 
“Stay with us, [abide with us] Lord, for it is evening, and the day is almost over.”
 
“Let your light scatter the darkness and illumine Your Church.”
 
Remember these words and pray them when darkness in life surrounds you, when fear and terror grip your heart. Then recall how your Savior came to you through the waters of Holy Baptism. Remember how the light of His Word enters your ears just as it was brought into this sanctuary tonight and dwells in your heart. Remember how His flesh and blood have been placed upon your lips and how your Savior remains with you, even now. 
 
Remember this... because when darkness falls upon you, Jesus is your light. He is your Immanuel; He is God with you.
 
This is the angel Gabriel’s message for Mary, and it is His word for you. +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
www.goodsheptomah.org

Advent 1 | Jeremiah 23:5-8 & Matthew 21:1-9 | The Christian Life is Preparation for Christ to Come

First Sunday in Advent
November 30, 2025
Jeremiah 23:5-8 & Matthew 21:1-9
 
The lights sparkling on the homes around Tomah signal that Christmas is coming. 
 
The number of emails you’re receiving is a warning to you that Christmas is coming.
 
The change in music on the radio alerts you that Christmas is coming.
 
The colors adorning the altar, the candles in the wreath, all announce, Christmas is coming.
 
But it’s not here yet.
 
It’s hard for us to understand because we live in a world that rushes everything. We’re in a rush to grow up, to get to the store, and to jump into relationships and the gifts that come with marriage before the vows have been said…
 
However, today we begin the season of Advent, a time for slowing down, prayer, and meditation. To review, the word Advent means “to come.”
 
The Old Testament reading from Jeremiah provides the well-known prophecy of God the Father raising a righteous branch, Jeremiah wrote,
 
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’
 (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
 
Then two verses later, Jeremiah says again,
 
Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.” (Jeremiah 23:7-8)
 
The thing about prophecies is that they are always looking forward; they focus on what is to come. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:17)
 
The words of Jeremiah are a shadow of what will come, namely, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, born to the Virgin Mary in the little town of Bethlehem. He is the righteous branch, who will take the curse of sin and death, your sin and death, to the tree of the cross, so from it, His righteousness, His forgiveness might be extended and declared upon you.
 
In a way, the Christian is always hesitantly and slowly walking in the shadows of the cross; the cross guides you through this life, including the sadness you feel, the grief you experience, the anger filling your heart, the disappointment with family and friends, and the sense of abandonment.
 
While these instances are all emotions you feel, they are also the shadows surrounding you; they are the crosses you bear.
 
However, like the people of Israel, you lack patience as these crosses weigh on you. Israel was never patient. They wanted to save themselves. So you try to save yourself by taking the burdens of life into your own hands. 
 
But if you reflect on the Old Testament readings today, the cross of Jesus is ultimately what will lead the offspring of Israel to dwell in their own land, the land of milk and honey, the new heaven and the new earth, paradise.
 
Yet, those who lined the streets that first Palm Sunday did not truly understand the prophecies of God; instead, they sought an earthly king, an earthly kingdom. This Jesus, the Messiah, was to come and fulfill their prayers and petitions of Hosanna, now, to save them from their earthly oppressors in a rather immediate manner.
 
Like you, they wanted to see instant gratification. They wanted instant relief. But can you rush God? Can you make Him work on your timeframe?
 
Looking back at Scriptures, the fulfillment of prophecies rarely happened instantly. This serves as a good reminder and lesson today, as the world rushes into Christmas without taking time to prepare for Christ’s coming and its true meaning. Christians learn and relearn the discipline of patience, and how prayer strengthens your faith to wait on the coming of Jesus Christ. 
 
This is why we started the Divine Service today by prayerfully reciting the Litany. This historic prayer, which often replaces the Prayer of the Church because of its length, dates back to the fifth century. Martin Luther appreciated it so much that he created two different versions. Recently, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has highlighted the importance of praying the Litany not only during the Divine Service but also at home.
 
Why?
 
Because this lengthy prayer helps us learn to pray and petition God to have mercy on us, it teaches us patience, which is invaluable during a season of the year when patience is seldom found.
 
It also teaches dependence.
 
For this reason, just as the true exercise of the Advent season is countercultural, the slowness to decorate, the wait to set up a tree, or fill its trunk with presents, also makes a life of prayer countercultural. 
 
But your prayers are the expression of a faith placed in Jesus Christ, who comes to redeem the world from sin and death. Which if you take a step back and listen to the words of the liturgy and the Divine Service, it’s one long exercise of prayer petitioning God to come to us, to lead us, and bring us into His eternal presence.
 
Just listen to the words we will pray as we prepare to receive the flesh and blood of Jesus in a few minutes, and I will speak the words, “As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” And you respond, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
 
And He is coming, but not in the way the world expects Christmas to approach. Instead, He’s coming through His Word, at this rail in the Sacrament of the Altar, where He gathers you with the whole company of heaven, and on the last day, to gather you, His Israel, His Church, to dwell with Him in the land He has prepared for you, forever. 
 
What a glorious celebration this shall be.
 
Isn’t this something? The whole exercise of the Christian life is looking forward to the end, to the coming of Christ.
 
Yes, Christmas is coming, but it’s not here yet. Instead, this is the time to learn the discipline of faithful patience, to pray for Christ’s coming to His people. Let us remain focused on this Advent season so we might rightly take to heart how the liturgy of prayer prepares you for your Savior’s arrival. +INJ+
 
www.goodsheptomah.org 
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI

Thanksgiving | Luke 17:11-19 | Come to the Great Meal of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (Observed)
November 26, 2025
Luke 17:11-19
 
In preparation for this week, we recently watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in our house. It’s a classic, isn’t it?
 
You got Peppermint Patty inviting herself and others over to Charlie Brown’s for dinner.
 
Charlie Brown goes with the flow, being a good friend, and even though he has family plans to visit Grandma, he still tries to host his friends.
 
Who does that?
 
Amid everything, Charlie Brown enlists Snoopy’s help in preparing the meal. 
 
Then, of course, there’s the scene where they all sit down around the Ping-Pong table to unknowingly enjoy a feast of popcorn, candy, and buttered toast prepared by Snoopy and Woodstock, the little yellow bird. (This is the part that gets the children laughing hysterically. What child wouldn’t want candy and popcorn for dinner?)
 
But this is also when Peppermint Patty’s expectations for a perfect Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing weren’t fulfilled. Peppermint Patty boils over, and her anger rises to the surface.
 
But look, she invited herself over, invited others without asking, set her own expectations for Thanksgiving, and then threw a temper tantrum when things didn’t go as she had thought they would. 
 
In a way, there are parts of this story that you can all relate to at Thanksgiving, aren’t there?
 
The uninvited guests, the failure to achieve the perfect holiday, opinions on what food should or should not be served, the minefield, and arguments between family and friends. 
 
Honesty, when Thanksgiving is presented like this, who wants it?
 
But isn’t this an image of your lives?
 
A challenge is how you handle unfulfilled expectations, not only today, but throughout life: do you lash out, yell, and scream, or do you learn to call out to God for His mercy, for His peace and forgiveness, His patience?
 
Look at the Ten Lepers in the Gospel this evening. The disease that covers their skin has not only rendered them unclean, but it’s also forced them to live apart from their family; there’s no holiday or feasting for them, just a realization they cannot help, nor heal themselves, as they dwell in isolation.
 
The only thing these lepers can do is cry out for mercy, and that is exactly what they do when they see Jesus; they cry out with every ounce of their hoarse voices, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
 
Interestingly, here, all ten lepers call out together, “Have mercy on us.” They see themselves as a collective community in their misery.
 
This is interesting because of the widespread American belief that the family’s togetherness is the main focus of Thanksgiving, even though we live as individuals the rest of the year. 
 
Peppermint Patty confesses this idea after recovering from her meltdown, that what’s most important is spending time with friends and family.
 
Spending time with family and friends is good; it’s actually a gift from your Father in heaven.
 
But as you look at these Lepers, only one of them now returned to thank Jesus for the gift of being cleansed, forgiven, and returned to his family.
 
A Samaritan.
 
Someone who wasn’t even seen as a friend, much less a member of the family of Israel. Yet, he gets it and returns to Jesus to give Him thanks for the mercy, forgiveness, and new life he received in the Words of Jesus.
 
This is important because the Leper can now reunite with his family, eat and break bread with them, drink from the same cup, and be part of fellowship and community. 
 
This is pretty cool.
 
Many of us have separated ourselves not only from our families but also from each other due to the leprosy of sin that goes well below the skin and penetrates the heart. We boil over when family and friends invite themselves over, we get upset when the menu for the big dinner isn’t just right, and we struggle to navigate the emotional landmines planted between us and by us during these days of family gatherings.  
 
In light of this, we must once again learn to confess the leprosy of sin and to stop being individuals; instead, we must call out to God for mercy, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
 
In a way, this reflects what we do as we will soon sing the words of the Sanctus. We sing as a family, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to the Son of David,” and in this way, we pray to be saved, we ask for God’s mercy, to be cleansed, and forgiven of all our sins.
 
And then approach this rail on bended knee to receive the greatest meal of Thanksgiving in the flesh and blood of your Savior Jesus Christ.
 
In fact, throughout many parts of the Scriptures and the history of the Church, this meal, the Lord’s Supper, is called the Eucharist or εὐχαριστέω, which means “to give thanks.” Because of this, it’s the greatest Thanksgiving meal you could receive, as through it, you share in the meal of God’s eternal family, where you receive the bread of Christ’s body and drink from the one cup of His blood for the forgiveness of sin. 
 
What a gift it is to be members of this eternal family of God.
 
Remember this if things do not go as planned over the next couple of days, if your Thanksgiving does not live up to expectations, the meal just isn’t right, or you’re overwhelmed by the conflict and strife that has existed between you and others.
 
Don’t be overwhelmed, but call out to Jesus when things begin to spiral and say with your fellow Lepers, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on me.”
 
And then return to Him and thank Him for dying on the cross to cleanse you of your sin, to grant you His mercy, and to make you members of His eternal family. +INJ+
 
 
Pastor Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI

Trinity 26 | Matthew 25:31-46 | Jesus Comes in Glory

Trinity 26
November 16, 2025
Matthew 25:31-46
 
 
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
 
We have firmly entered the final Sundays of the Church year. Just like last week, this week, and next, stay focused on the end times, the day of Christ’s second Advent, His return. 
 
Our Gospel today began with these words, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.”
 
Luther remarked regarding the second coming this way: “He will then not be bedded in the manger, nor ride on an ass, as He did in His first advent, but burst forth from the clouds in great power and glory.”[1]
 
This is a transcending image.
 
But it also raises the question: Do we regularly reflect and ponder these words of Jesus from the Gospel?
 
Honestly, if you are like me, you probably find it hard to stay focused on anything these days, especially the words we recite week after week, for many reasons. One reason is that our attention span keeps getting shorter every day. While technology can be helpful, it can also hinder our ability to concentrate on a single task. That’s why many now think public speakers should limit their talks to 18-20 minutes, so their message is fully understood. Some online platforms that share thought-provoking content, like TED Talks, try to keep their presentations within these time limits. I’ve had a cartoon on my office door in the past showing a congregation half asleep. The caption says, “There is a fine line between a long sermon and a hostage situation.” 
 
Whether it’s true that goldfish now have a longer attention span than humans, the truth is that we are easily distracted and lack the patience needed to wait for the Lord's coming. 
 
Except that’s precisely what the confession of the Creed invites and calls us to do daily as we will soon recite the words of the Nicene Creed, “And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.”[2]
 
But why is it so crucial for us to remain watchful for the second coming of Christ?
 
Because if you do not patiently stay watchful, you risk falling away from the Christian faith. In this context, staying alert means exercising your faith, confessing it with your words, and making sure you remain within the sheepfold. For those who do not practice this faith, their awareness of Christ’s return fades, they become less vigilant, and they are as cold as a log separated from the burning fire. As a result, they are now at great risk of falling away, like the goats in today’s Gospel. 
 
Another reason we’re called to be watchful about preventing our faith from drifting comes from our Epistle today, as Peter wrote, 
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
 
Did you catch these words, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
 
This leads us to the sheep and the goats…
 
We often find ourselves acting like goats—independent and stubborn people who may attend church, even appearing similar to sheep, but lack patience for the Gospel. Unfortunately, the goats do not understand or appreciate God’s patience and the ways He is giving you time to turn to repentance.
 
But the sheep are those who flock together. They know their Shepherd’s voice, they follow Him, and have taken the Psalmists’ words to heart,
 
            I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
                        and in his word I hope;
            my soul waits for the Lord
                        more than watchmen for the morning,
                        more than watchmen for the morning. (Psalm 130:5-6)
 
To be watchmen implies one is vigilant and prepared. They have not fallen asleep but continue to watch over the city, even in the waning hours of the night.
 
And that is what the pastoral office is called to do: keep watch over you. To speak to you the words of the law, but also the words of the Gospel. Here, however, one must ask oneself, are you humble enough to see yourself as a goat, so that you might confess your sins and be received as a sheep?
 
The pastoral office is established by Christ Jesus Himself to care for His sheep. And Jesus emphasizes that how you receive those whom He has sent and the words they speak to you are important. He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
 
Yes, you probably haven’t seen me, your pastor, needing a drink of water, nor have you needed to clothe me or visit me in prison. But where was Jesus hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, and weak?
 
On the cross.
 
And ultimately, this is where your life leads you: to where Jesus bore the judgment of sin for you. As He called out, “It is finished,” He declared His victory over sin, death, and the Evil One.
 
Yet, as you live in this world, this unholy trinity of sin, death, and the Devil continues to distract your thoughts and words. They strive to silence your confession and vigilance, so you won't be ready for the day of the Lord. This is why you must exercise your faith that through the work of the Holy Spirit, you will be made ready and kept faithful in thought, word, and deed.
 
It all begins with confession and absolution. Every time you gather and confess your sins, you exercise your trust and faith in Christ Jesus to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. You approach the judgment seat of God and stand before your heavenly Father and admit that you have not kept His law. You have acted like stubborn and rambunctious goats toward the gifts you freely receive. And you know what? As the Father looks upon you, He sees His Son’s death on the cross for you and renders His judgment: not guilty (Forgiven).
 
This is the pattern of faith you must continue to exercise throughout your lives as you strive to remain vigilant for the day of Christ Jesus’ second coming. It’s a pattern of calling upon Jesus for forgiveness, a way of waiting and watching, and a life that has hope in His Word.
 
The Lutheran Theologian Albrecht Peters wrote regarding the second coming of Christ,
For this reason, true Christians must tirelessly beseech their Lord to return, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer; with heads held high, they are to run as fast as possible toward that day of judgment (Luke 21:28), which even Christ Himself describes as our redemption, “that is, not death, but eternal life, no wrath, but pure grace, no hell, but the kingdom of heaven, neither terror nor danger, but pure comfort and joy.” (Creed, pg. 202)
 
Aren’t these words wonderful? While the word judgment often causes us discomfort, here, Albrecht Peter encourages Christians to look forward to the day of judgment because you are God’s saints. You are His children. And He provides you all with the words to beseech Him, to exercise your faith daily, and to wait patiently as you pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” 
 
So, how do you exercise your faith and remain vigilant for the Lord's return? By praying, by speaking the words Jesus has given to you in the Lord's Prayer. These words are your petitions for all that is needed within this life: for your Lord’s kingdom to come, for His will to be done here within your lives today, for you to receive your daily bread with thanksgiving, for your sins to be forgiven as you forgive those who sin against you, for you to be kept from temptation and at last, delivered from the evil one. 
 
Through these words like those of the Creed and of Confession and Absolution, you are given the faith needed to keep watch throughout the days of life, your hearts are turned to Christ’s second coming, and with eagerness, you await the day, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, [the day when] He will sit on the throne of His glory.”
 
And to you, He will say, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” +INJ+
 
 
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
 
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
 
 
 
[1] Pieper, F. (1953). Christian Dogmatics (electronic ed., Vol. 3, p. 516). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.
[2] McCain, P. T. (Ed.). (2005). Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (p. 16). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

All Saints Day (Observed) | Revelation 7:9-17 | Your Name is Written in the Book of Life

All Saints Day (Observed)
November 2, 2025
Revelation 7:9-17
 
 
 
If you visit my mother-in-law’s house, you'll be greeted by a family tree that dates back over a hundred years. On one wall of the home, the names and dates of each person are carefully and meticulously written beside their photograph. The dates of birth and death are inscribed. The children from each marriage naturally branch out, along with all the vital information about their lives, captured and documented in the family history.
 
This journey into ancestry is not only a testament of love for family, but it also narrates the family story. It ensures no one in this long Lutheran heritage is forgotten. In a way, this family tree serves as a reminder of God’s faithful saints who now rest from the toils and labors of this earthly life. 
 
I’m unsure how many of us try to remember, or even know, the story of our family’s long history: where they came from, where they lived, what they did for a living, what they believed, and how the Christian faith passed down to them the story of Jesus and provided the assurance of eternal life. 
 
Despite all the technological advances in genealogy, it really seems that the learning of family heritage is fading with each passing generation. 
 
While on vicarage in Palo Alto, CA, I was told one of the saddest quotes I had ever heard. The psychiatrist Irvin Yalon wrote,
 
Some day soon, perhaps in forty years, there will be no one alive who has ever known me. That’s when I will be truly dead - when I exist in no one’s memory. I thought a lot about how someone very old is the last living individual to have known some person or cluster of people. When that person dies, the whole cluster dies, too, vanishes from the living memory. I wonder who that person will be for me. Whose death will make me truly dead?” (Irvin D. Yalom, Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy)
 
No doubt, we ordinary people might never become famous; our names may never be recorded in a history book or included in college course lectures. Our likeness will never be carved into marble, granite, bronze, or steel. But does this mean the memory of your life will vanish with future generations? Will their deaths truly wipe away the memory of your life? 
 
To be sure, this is an incredibly heavy thought to ponder. Will someone else’s death make you truly dead?
 
While much of the world may sympathize with this idea or even embrace it in the culture of death we live in, where assisted suicide has become legal in many places around the globe, the Christian must stand on God’s Word and respond with an emphatic “No.” 
 
No, I will not die. But I will live in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
And we should join Job as he faithfully wrote,
 
         Oh that my words were written!
              Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
       Oh that with an iron pen and lead
              they were engraved in the rock forever!
       For I know that my Redeemer lives,
              and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
       And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
              yet in my flesh I shall see God,
       whom I shall see for myself,
              and my eyes shall behold, and not another. (Job 19:23-27a)
 
Jesus’ death did not end your existence; it did not erase your life or the memory of it. Instead, the new life given to you through Holy Baptism guarantees you will never be forgotten, but that your name would be inscribed with an iron pen into the book of life. 
 
You have been made members of the choir immortal, washing your robes in the blood of the Lamb as you enter this sanctuary, confessing your sins and receiving your Father’s forgiveness. In this way, you are being delivered from the trials and tribulations of this present life and prepared to be released from the great tribulation of this earthly life on the last day.
 
This is the image John speaks of in our first reading from Revelation this morning, as he wrote.
These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
 
The blood of the Lamb, Jesus’ sacrificial death, ensures that you will never pass away, you will never cease to exist, and never become just a memory because you already live in and with your Savior. 
 
Like the multitudes, those faithful Christians from your family tree who make up your heritage also live and now dwell before God’s throne. They find shelter in His presence. They no longer hunger or thirst. Nor do they experience hardship or pain. No, their Shepherd, your Shepherd, has led them to springs of living water. 
 
The water of Holy Baptism has led them to eternity.
 
Similarly, the water of the font continues to lead you to follow the example of the saints who have gone before you, to give thanks for their lives and how God used them in His Church. As we remember those who rest with Jesus, we allow our faith to be strengthened as we reflect on the ways God was merciful and faithful to them. And finally, we strive to imitate their love for God and love for neighbor in and throughout our daily vocations.
 
Reflect on this and consider how the memory of God’s saints endures. It lives, and every time we gather here, the proper preface leads us to remember how God’s saints live with Him as the pastor sings, “Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify the Lord, evermore praising you and saying…”
 
Think about that, in this instance, heaven comes to earth and the voices of the church militant, those still living on this side of heaven, and the church triumphant, those already in the eternal presence of Jesus, are joined in one gloriously spectacular choir, singing to Jesus, the Lamb who sits upon His throne. The Lamb who dwells in our midst. The Lamb who wipes away your tears and brings an end to all sadness.
 
This is a heritage worth following, worth living, because it ensures, by the grace of God, that you are more than a memory, you are an everlasting saint, a child of God who shall never die, but live with Him forever. +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
 

Reformation (Observed) | John 8:31-36 | What is Truth?

Reformation (Observed)
October 26, 2025
John 8:31-36
 
What is truth?
 
Truth is understood as the opposite of what is false. However, in today's world, it is common for people to develop their own ideas of what is true and what is false. 
 
We refer to this perspective as subjective truth because the individual acts as the judge of what is right and wrong.
 
The concept of subjective truth becomes clear when a child is confused about their sexuality, questioning whether they are a boy or a girl. 
 
This discussion is settled not only by science, which has determined that there are only two sexes — male and female — but also by the Word of God, as we learn how our heavenly Father created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
 
When considering the conception of life, is it simply a clump of cells or a human being growing and developing in the mother’s womb?
 
While science declares that there is truly human life from the moment of conception, scripture also affirms this truth: God creates life through the union of a man and a woman.
 
Interestingly, when we hear the word science, we think of chemistry sets and microscopes, but the origin of the word “science” comes from the Latin word “Scientia,” meaning knowledge or to know.
 
To know or to learn what?
 
What is to be true.
 
The great endeavor for truth can be heard in the words of Pontius Pilate as Jesus stood before him that first Good Friday.
 
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
 
There’s a lot packed into these verses.
 
First, Jesus says that the purpose He came into this world and took on human flesh — your flesh — was to bear witness to the truth. In other words, to confirm what is true. And for this reason, Jesus says that everyone who is in the truth listens to His voice. 
 
You should hear in the back of your mind these words of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
 
Jesus is the truth, and He reveals through His voice the knowledge and wisdom that now leads you to eternal life.
 
So, for this reason, to be a disciple, a student of Jesus, begins with hearing His Word. 
 
And we call this objective truth, because His Word does not change. Jesus does not change, as we learn from the book of Hebrews, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
 
Now, as it’s Reformation Day, when you really think about it, on the surface, the Reformation started because the Roman Catholic Church took a subjective approach to interpreting Jesus’ words to serve its needs. The Pope became the only interpreter of Holy Scripture, thus undermining how Scripture interprets Scripture, how Scripture interprets itself, and not only establishes divine truth but also reveals it to you. 
 
This was the reason Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Luther didn’t do this to create a new church; he did it because he wanted the church to return to the objective and unchanging divine truth of Jesus Christ, the One who went to the cross and died to set you free from sin, death, and the pesky devil.
 
Now, take a moment to reflect with me on the word “Reformation.”
 
At the heart of “Reformation” is the word “Form” or “Formation.”
 
But, to reform is not to look forward in this instance, but to look back. The “re” in reformation means to return to the original form or substance. One word that comes to mind in the Church is “redeem,” which means to buy back.
 
The use of “form” for reform should indicate a past similarity or state once experienced. Therefore, the goal of the Reformation is to return or restore the Church to its original resemblance or condition. 
 
The point of the Reformation is to point and lead the Church —and you —back to Christ.
 
His Word is the only truth that will create faith, redeem you, and free you from the bondage and confusion of this earthly life.
 
This is the difference between true and false disciples of Jesus. False disciples hear His word, but Luther notes that they become like parrots, repeating the words of others; their hearts are not changed, and there is no faith in them.
 
In contrast, a true disciple listens to the Word of Christ, takes it to heart, allows it to transform who they are, and confesses it throughout their life. 
 
This is what McKinsey will do today: she will confess the faith she knows to be true, the faith she has learned and received through the Word of God. She will confess that she won’t stop coming to church but will return as often as possible so that the Holy Spirit might continue to change and reform her heart into the likeness of Christ Jesus. She will confess the redeeming truth that Jesus Christ died upon the cross of Calvary to redeem her, a sinner.
 
In other words, she’s going to confess that she’s a Christian. Confessing her sins and her need for her Savior’s forgiveness.
 
Every time we gather in this sanctuary, we join her in confessing our sins and our need for redemption. In doing so, we confess our need for a Reformation of our hearts—that Christ would come, forgive us, and return us to the Baptismal identity we received at the font, becoming children of God. 
 
Because this is how true freedom is received, through faith in Christ Jesus, who is the “Truth” that frees your restless hearts.
 
My friends, there are many Pontus Pilates in your lives, asking, “What is truth?” even encouraging you to become the judge and creator of your own truths. This is one of the great challenges of the culture that children like McKinsey are growing up in.
 
But if we understand that Confirmation is more than just a step on the journey of life, but part of ongoing maturity in the Christian faith, a time to learn more deeply how to confess the faith received at one’s Baptism, then we begin to see that Confirmation is really about a reformation of the human heart. It’s a time to return to the cross and confess your sins, so that you might come to know and confess the divine love of Jesus Christ.  
 
A love that does not depend on you, but comes to you through the Word of Christ Jesus and in His flesh and blood, present for you here at this altar.
 
If spiritual doubts ever arise in your mind, or if the world feels overwhelming, return here — to where Christ Jesus has promised to be present for you. Hold fast to Him and never be ashamed of His Gospel, for it is the power and divine truth for salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)
 
So, listen to His voice, hold on to it, and believe. +INJ+
 
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
 
www.goodsheptomah.org