Sermon Series

“Every why hath a wherefore.” That was Shakespeare’s poetic way of saying that very little happens by chance. Generally there is an agent behind an action. There is cause and effect. And to navigate life well, it is vital we understand both. If you want to effect a healthy heart, you need to know the causes of heart disease. Before a major purchase causes you to go into debt, you need to think about the effect it will have on your budget. If you want the peace of being close to God, you need to know what causes that effect. Again, to navigate life well, it is vital we understand cause and effect. We are nearing the end of the Church Year. This past year, we have reviewed Jesus’ life and teaching. The Scripture readings in these final weeks recall some of the major themes that are woven throughout the Church Year. In this final series we will be looking at those themes with the understanding that “every why hath a wherefore.” We conclude the year by talking about cause and effect in God’s kingdom.

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is celebrating its 175th anniversary in 2025 under the theme "Christ Through Us." From one seminary in 1865, one world mission in 1893, and 800 congregations mostly in the Midwest as of 1965, we can now easily see how Christ has worked through his good news of salvation in Word and sacraments to move this body of believers to establish a Scripture-based ministerial education system, world missions in 45 countries, and more than 1,200 congregations across the United States. The "Christ Through Us" theme will also inform the work of WELS in a ten-year detailed plan to proclaim our Savior's love.

Not all wounds are bad. A skilled surgeon takes a deadly sharp scalpel and cuts through flesh and muscle. The result of that wound: not harm, but healing. In the same way, we often say that words cut us to the heart. Words can wound. Sometimes, however, those painful words provide the very healing we need. “Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem” (Luke 13:22). Jesus knows that when he gets to Jerusalem, he is going to die. So, with a sense of extreme urgency, Jesus shares truths we need to hear, even though it hurts to hear them. In this series, we might not like everything that Jesus says. Yet, to ignore what Jesus teaches is to court eternal death. Hard as it may be, let us listen and take all that Jesus says to heart. For while Jesus speaks words that wound us, his intent is to heal our very soul.

The Gospel accounts trace betrayal, arrest, kingship, exposure, family, death, and resurrection through questions about Jesus' suffering.

Questions about waiting, certainty, and how God's promises come to pass draw together Psalm 27 and Luke 1.

The point of the Book of Revelation is to provide comfort to Christian churches, as they have always and will always face persecution and hatred from this world. In this series Pastor Schurman explains the messages as they applied to the original churches and as they apply to Christian churches today.

Our Lent sermons for 2023 look at the prophecies from Isaiah about the servant of the LORD -- who we know to be Jesus -- and the suffering he would endure.

Our Advent sermons for 2022 give us lessons we can learn from several people in Jesus' genealogy.

Christ defeats death and confronts the fear, betrayal, hatred, and isolation that accompany it.

Our Advent sermons for 2021 look at the times when the Glory of the LORD was revealed to the Israelites throughout Exodus as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus.