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.
2024
See the Shame of the Cross with Our Shameless Eyes
The Gospel accounts trace betrayal, arrest, kingship, exposure, family, death, and resurrection through questions about Jesus' suffering.
2023
Questions for the Coming of Our Lord
Questions about waiting, certainty, and how God's promises come to pass draw together Psalm 27 and Luke 1.
2023
Questions to Ask Ourselves As We Read the Messages to the Seven Churches
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.
2023
Why Must the Servant of the LORD Suffer?
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.
2022
Lessons on the Coming of Our LORD From His Genealogy
Our Advent sermons for 2022 give us lessons we can learn from several people in Jesus' genealogy.
2022
Christ Overcomes Death for Us
Christ defeats death and confronts the fear, betrayal, hatred, and isolation that accompany it.
2021
The Glory of the LORD is Revealed
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.
2021
Rays of Divine Glory as Seen in Christ's Passion
For the 2021 Lent season we look at the moments where we get glimpses of Jesus' full glory and deity in the hours leading up to his death on the cross and his resurrection three days later.