36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” Its Sunday. The people are gathered. Jesus is in their midst. He gives them his peace. He sends them out into the world. What am I describing? Am I describing our text orBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Last week we heard how the women come to the tomb early in the darkness. They leave in the glorious light of his resurrection. They come bearing the accoutrements of death. They leave with the promises of life. Similarly in our text today the disciples begin hiding in fear but in the end, leave filled…

Last year I was reading a book and came across a quote that surprised me. It was a quote from a second century Roman general who referred to the Jewish nation and their “tribal god.” It’s not surprising that an ancient roman would view the Lord God in such a way. Yet, it was oneBy Pastor Matthew Ude

At Marah the Israelites found water but they could not drink it because it was bitter. The Lord showed Moses a particular tree. This wasn’t just any tree, but one in particular which God chose. Moses cut it down and when he put it in the water, the water became sweet. Today God has shownBy Pastor Matthew Ude

The words of institution to the Lord’s Supper are filled with the sacrificial language of the Old Testament. Words like body, blood, given, shed, poured out, and remission, call to mind the offerings and sacrifices of the Old Testament. Jesus makes it clear that his supper is to be an offering. Not an offering from…

It always takes me a while to pick out a Christmas tree. I want to find the perfect one. You may know how it goes. One is too high, one too short, another too thin, too fat, crooked, or lopsided. When you think you have found the prefect one you walk around and on theBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Matthew 26:31-35 |By Pastor Mark Tiefel

Introduction: Leading up to our text today, something very prominent and shocking from Bible History had just taken place. The people of Israel had gotten disgruntled and impatient with the fact that Moses had not yet come down from the Mountain. (He was up on Mt. Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments from God) Just one…

|By Terrel Kesterson

Imagine driving through the Arizona desert. On your way through the desert, you see a pile of dry bones. Imagine someone in the car stepped out and started preaching to the dry bones. What would you think? You would probably think him a complete nut. This is exactly what God told Ezekiel the prophet to…

The Battle Is Difficult There are seven petitions in the Lord’s prayer, seven things that we ask for. Which of these is the hardest to pray? The fifth can be difficult. We ask that we learn to be as forgiving to others as God is to us. When we are filled with anger and resentmentBy Pastor Matthew Ude

John 18:1-11 |By Pastor David Ude

There was one professor in particular at ILC who always made you show your work. Even if you got the answer right, if you didn’t get there the right way you still got it wrong. Similarly, some teachers want you to explain why on the true or false questions. Its not good enough to markBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Our midweek Lenten series this year is all about battles. Battles that the Lord fights for us in our lives and battles that Christ fought when He secured our redemption. Our series is appropriately named after the same confession of David when he declared before Goliath – “The Battle is the Lord’s.” We are reminded…

Back in the early 80s three students wrote the SAT board to point out that there was a mistake on the SAT. The board reviewed the test and realized they were right. They removed that question from the test and adjusted all the scores accordingly. For some people this was a good thing, their scoreBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Betrayal – it makes for a great movie. There is nothing more suspenseful than a good betrayal. Whenever you hear “this show/movie has it all,” it almost always includes the word betrayal. In real life betrayal destroys relationships and is a seed for serious sins in the lives of both the betrayed and the betrayer.…

I’ve been up and down a lot of mountains in my life, the Appalachians, The Rockies, the Sierra Navada, Cascades, Himalayan, Nilgiris, and others. This last summer we were driving up and down the mountains in Olympic National Park. It is a lot of work getting up to the top. Even if you are drivingBy Pastor Matthew Ude

A made the star in the back of church for Advent. It is a simple woodworking project and even as simple as that is the angles are off. The one at the back of the church is much better. This chair, however, shows a far greater proficiency with woodworking. This was made by an IndiaBy Pastor Matthew Ude

God’s kingdom is like the energizer bunny, or an avalanche, or that boulder that chases Indianna Jones out of the temple, it just keeps going. God himself describes it that way in Daniel 2:34. He calls the kingdom of God a rock cut without hands. It rolls down and smashes the statue representing the kingdoms…

Jesus’ ministry begins and end with baptism and preaching. John came preaching and baptism. Jesus was baptized then began his ministry. When Jesus ascends into heaven, he told his disciples “Go teach, baptize.” In acts on the day of Pentecost, the apostles preached the word, and the people were baptized. In our sinfulness we often…

When my brother David was in college, we drove together to Austin, Texas without stopping. We drove all night and all day. When we arrived, we were there for maybe twenty minutes, turned around and drove all the way back. About twenty-four hours one way and the same back. Why would we do that? AllBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Happy is the man who has a warm coat and hot beverage. Considering the weather outside, such a phrase would not normally surprise you. However, if we were on a Caribbean beach, or if it were the middle of August, such a phrase probably would surprise you very much. If I were to say suchBy Pastor Matthew Ude

What is the easiest and quickest way to get your homework done? Answer: trick your parents or teachers into doing it for you. Here’s a tip for any students. Ask your parents for help when they are busy or tired and they are more likely to just give you the answer, rather than try toBy Pastor Matthew Ude

It’s comforting to know where something is. Packing for a trip can be hectic but once everything is in the car and you are on your way there is peace knowing everything is in the car. When you finally get through the airport and on the plane, you can relax, you made it. Everything isBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Luke 1:26-30 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice,By Pastor Matthew Ude

Let’s start this evening by agreeing that I am right. Think of all the time we could save at meetings if I just made all the decisions. Think how peaceful everything would be if everyone just agreed with me all the time. The only problem is that I’m not always right and I don’t alwaysBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Our kids usually learn at a young age how to identify Jesus in any given picture. Even if the physical depiction of Jesus is different from the classic European with a beard and long hair, still there are certain clues they pick up on. Jesus is the one holding the lamb. Jesus is the oneBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Last week we saw how two lines come together in the point of the star. This reminds us how God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ, man and God made one, to bring us peace. Tonight, our text moves us down to the arms of the star. These arms can be seenBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Verses 1-2 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’S hand Double for all her sins.” God speaks comfort or rather tenderness to his people. God knows how…

You need two lines to make a point of a star. Each line by itself would continue forever. Here at the point of a star the two lines come together. We need earthly things to live. We need food and clothing. We need money and friends and family. We need to know that people careBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Isaiah 64 is a prayer by the prophet Isaiah. The prophet desires that God would remove those barriers which keep him hidden from us and come and make his home in our hearts. He prays that the Lord would shake us and shape us until we are God’s people. Isaiah 64:1-3 Oh, that You wouldBy Pastor Matthew Ude

When Israel first entered the land of Canaan, God made them a promise. He would be their king. Fast forward four hundred years, the people are sick of Judges and demand an earthly king. God warned the people that it is not a good thing they asked. He warned them that kings would be selfish,By Pastor Matthew Ude

There are many things in this world which even if I don’t like them, I can see why they are good. Onions are a good example. They are not my favorite food, but they are a source of many good things. There are other things which don’t seem to have any good qualities. Mosquitoes, poisonBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Verse 14 There are a number of these parables which begin with a master or a landowner, or a king leaving. These parables come near the end of Jesus ministry. Our current parable is spoken by Jesus after his entry into Jerusalem during the last week of before his death. Such parables anticipate Jesus’s ascension.…

Some of you know we’ve been having problems with our van. Joe Brown helped us take it down to the Kia dealership. While I was talking to the guy at the service desk, I admitted that we sometimes go a couple hundred miles over before getting our oil changed. The man replied saying that wasBy Pastor Matthew Ude

God granted Elisha this gift. He saw the end. Through all the difficulties of his life Elisha knew that victory that would someday be his. God has granted us this same vision. We see the victory that will be ours through Jesus Christ.By Pastor Matthew Ude

Matthew 11:12 12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 1903 is considered the first successful flight of a powered airplane by the Wright brothers. Wilbur Wright died nine years later in 1912. Orville Wright lived another 45 years.…

The Jews hated Rome and because they hated Rome they despised the tax-collectors who served Rome. Throughout the Gospels we see evidence of this hatred in passages like Matthew 9:10.Matthew 9:10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with…

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; Vanessa and I were in a bit of a bind this week. Both cars ended up in the shop. However, Lillo’s were kind enoughBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Matthew 21:33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. You are God’s vineyard. This parable begins with a detailed description of God’s love…

2 Corinthians 4:6 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Because Christ is our light, therefore our text reminds us to always be mindfulBy Pastor Matthew Ude

November 23, 2001, the day after thanksgiving. I was home from college trying to sleep in when my mother woke me up at 7am. She wanted me to go to Best Buy to get a TV that was on sale. I tried to tell her that by the time I got there they would allBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Greetings dear friends in Christ! His grace and peace be with you all! As you know, Jesus’ had many fans and followers at the Palm Sunday parade. But they began to disappear as His cross drew near. Mark tells us in chapter 14 that none of Jesus’ closest disciples chose to follow Him. MarkBy Vance Fossum

After Jonah was swallowed by a sea creature and spit back out. After Jonah preached to the city of Nineveh. He went and sat on a hill watching the city of Nineveh. He was sitting there hoping the city would get what it deserved. As he sat there God caused a tree to grow upBy Pastor Matthew Ude

Last week we heard Peters confession “you are the Christ.” We saw how through this confession Peter became one who was built on the rock that is Christ. We all also with Abraham, Job, David, Peter and many others become children of God through this same confession. Having become children of God through faith, Jesus…

“On this rock I will build my church.” The meaning of this passage is one that has been in contention for over 500 years since the beginning of the Lutheran church. The Catholics have always insisted that “this rock” refers to Peter and that therefore Christ’s church is those who follow the one they consider…

By Ken Haupt

By Tom Zucconi

By Tom Zucconi

By Tom Zucconi