A sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Josh Leigeber.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus heals a paralyzed man — not merely by restoring his legs, but by forgiving his sins. Father Leigeber preaches that this miracle reveals something deeper: Christ is the physician of our souls first, and then of our bodies.
We are all born spiritually paralyzed, unable to come to Jesus on our own. Like the man carried by his friends, each of us must be brought to Christ — through Baptism, through the Gospel spoken by another, through the Church’s ongoing ministry of Word and Sacrament. And there, in His holy presence, Jesus speaks the same words to us: “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven.”
Forgiven and restored, we are then called to carry others to Him, that they too may receive the same healing. And just as surely as Christ now heals our souls, He will one day heal our bodies — raising us from our graves to eternal wholeness.
Listen to the full sermon below.
All Saints Lutheran Church and School 