Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 20, 2022
“From the Domain of Darkness to the Kingdom of His Son” (Colossians 1:13-20)
Our reading today from Colossians says that God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” And this gives us our outline for today’s message: first, the domain we’ve been delivered from; second, the kingdom we’ve been transferred to; and third, the Son whose kingdom it is.
Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 24, 2019
“Whose Kingdom Will Have No End” (Colossians 1:13-20)
All good things must come to an end. And this week we come to the end of the church year. Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year, and at this time of the year, we focus on the last things, the end times. Last week, for instance, we said that “The Day Is Surely Drawing Near,” that day when Christ “will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.”
But if we just stop there, at the Last Day, we have not gone far enough. There’s more to come after that. The end is not the end! Think about what we just said in the Nicene Creed, “to judge both the living and the dead.” What comes right after it? “Whose kingdom will have no end.” No end! There is a kingdom that has no end! A never-ending kingdom, an everlasting one. So today let’s find out more about this kingdom and how we get to be part of it.
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
August 4, 2019
“In What Does Your Life Consist?” (Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11)
In the Holy Gospel for today, Jesus says these words: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Well, if your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions, then what does your life consist in? That’s what we’re going to explore this morning: “In What Does Your Life Consist?”
The Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Day
Sunday, April 16, 2017
“Raised with Our Risen Lord” (Colossians 3:1-4)
Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)
Yes, indeed Christ is risen! And because he is, guess what? You are risen too! That’s our message this morning on this beautiful Easter Day: “Raised with Our Risen Lord.”
Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 20, 2016
“Changing Kingdoms” (Colossians 1:13-20)
Perhaps you recall, earlier this year there were a number of celebrities who said they would move out of the country if a certain candidate got elected. They were all going to move to Canada if he got in. They were willing to change their citizenship from one nation to another, because things would be so bad. Well, come November, that candidate did win, and so you would think there would be planeloads of celebrities evacuating the country and heading to Toronto. But somehow that didn’t happen. They’re still here. I guess their promise to leave and change nations wasn’t that serious.
Have you ever thought about moving to another country and changing your citizenship? It would be a big step, a big change. Imagine what our forefathers and foremothers went through when they decided to get on the boat and come over here from Europe. But they figured they were moving to a better place and a better life, so they went ahead and did it. But changing nations is a pretty big deal and not undertaken lightly.
Yes, so how about you? But do you realize you have already changed your citizenship? You already have moved from one nation, if you will, to another. You have moved from a really bad situation to one infinitely better. And the amazing thing is, you didn’t do a thing to earn it or deserve it or to make it happen. And so our theme this morning: “Changing Kingdoms.”
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 31, 2016
“Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26; Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11)
We all want to live the good life, don’t we? I mean, we want to have the best life now that we can have. Financial security, good health, no worries about our future, a nice place to live, happy family life, good friends and neighbors–who doesn’t want all that? Your best life now. Ah, wouldn’t that be sweet! A steak on the grill, a margarita in your hand, relaxing on the patio in the shade. Take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry!
And is there anything wrong with that? I mean, after all, our reading from Ecclesiastes today says as much, that this is about as good as it gets. The writer says: “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.” Well, there you have it: “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry,” in so many words.
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
July 24, 2016
“Raised, Rooted, and Walking” (Colossians 2:6-15)
“Raised, Rooted, and Walking”: This is the rhythm of the Christian life. “Raised, Rooted, and Walking”: This is God’s will for you, in your life. “Raised, Rooted, and Walking”: This is how Paul describes it in our Epistle lesson for today, from Colossians 2. Let’s take a look.
Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 24, 2013
“Transferred to the Kingdom of His Son” (Colossians 1:13-20)
Have you ever been transferred? People get transferred or relocated due to their work from time to time. The transfer can be a good thing or a bad thing; sometimes it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Just this past Friday, the third baseman for the Cardinals got transferred from St. Louis to “Los Angeles of Anaheim.” There will be plusses and minuses in this for Mr. Freese. On the downside, he won’t be a hometown hero out there, and the team he’ll be playing on is not as good as the one he left. On the upside, the climate will definitely be better–it’s going to be close to 70 degrees today in Anaheim–and the pizza has got to be better than the provel-laden “Square Beyond Repair” that you get in St. Louis. So this transfer will be a mixed bag.
That is not the case with the transfer that you and I experience as Christians. This kind of a transfer is all good. Even the stuff that seems to be bad at the time turns out to be for our ultimate good. The transfer I’m talking about is the one described in our reading today from Colossians, namely, that God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
“Transferred to the Kingdom of His Son.” This morning, then, we’ll look at, first, the domain we’ve been delivered from; second, the kingdom we’ve been transferred to; and third, the Son whose kingdom it is.
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 4, 2013
“Where Is Your Head At?” (Colossians 3:1-11)
“Where Is Your Head At?” That, basically, is the question that comes out of today’s Epistle reading from Colossians 3. There St. Paul puts it like this: “Seek the things that are above,” and “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” On things above, or on things on earth? Where is your head at? Today God’s Word would direct us to set our minds on things above.
Our text today will tell us where not to set our minds, where we ought to set them, and why we need to set our minds there. So let’s go.
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 1, 2010
“The Closed System of the Rich Fool” (Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11)
Do you have a closed system? Or are you open to the things that are above? Here’s what I mean: In our Gospel reading for today, we see a rich man who is operating with a “closed system,” as I’ll explain in a minute. By way of contrast, our Epistle reading instructs us to “seek the things that are above.” So which is it? How will we live our lives? “The Closed System of the Rich Fool”? Or the true life that comes to us from above?
St. Matthew Lutheran Church 