allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Free to Live in Peace

In Sunday’s homily, Fr. Jerome Leckband reminded us that the Ten Commandments were not given to enslave us, but to guide those already set free. Just as God rescued Israel from Egypt before giving them the law, so He sets us free from sin through Holy Baptism before calling us to live holy lives. The commandments describe the life of the redeemed—they don’t earn us righteousness, but show how the righteous, made so by faith in Christ, are to live.

Jesus challenges the shallow righteousness of the Pharisees, showing that sin begins not just in outward actions, but deep in the heart. Anger, left unchecked, leads to bitterness, pride, and even hatred. Rather than justify our anger, we are called to examine it, confess it, and seek reconciliation. Jesus says that if we approach the altar but harbor resentment against a brother, we must first seek peace before offering our gift.

God has made peace with us in Christ, forgiving our sins and reconciling us to Himself. As free people, we now live out that peace by confessing our own wrongs, forgiving those who wrong us, and treating our anger not as a right but as a sin to be laid before God. Love for God and love for neighbor are indivisible. In Christ, we are freed not to hate, but to live in peace with one another. “When God gives this peace to us, He also fills us with his Spirit so that we may learn to love as we have been loved.” Listen to the entire homily here.

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Let down the nets for a catch!

On this Fifth Sunday after Trinity, our Gospel lesson from Luke 5:1-11 points us to the reality of Christ within the boat of the Church and His command to His disciples (which includes all Christians) to let down the nets for a catch by striving to catch men with the Gospel. In our baptisms we enter this holy ark of the Christian Church; through God’s constant provision of Word and Sacrament, we are kept safe with Him as our Captain and sent forth to share Christ and to invite people into the boat with us. Like Peter, we may have “toiled all night” in sharing the Gospel, only to feel empty-handed. Yet at Jesus’ word we cast the nets again—trusting that He, not we, fills them. This miraculous catch points us to our duty within our various vocations: every baptized Christian is called to “fish for men.” Evangelism isn’t firstly the job of a committee or the pastor—it’s our daily calling in our homes, workplaces, and friendships. We speak of Christ not because we have the power to persuade, but because Jesus works through the words and witness of His people. Just as others once brought us into this ark of salvation, so now we are sent to rescue others from the flood of sin and death. Fed and strengthened by Christ within the Divine Service, may we joyfully and faithfully let down the nets again and again.

allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Repentance is God’s Work

Repentance is God’s gracious work—His seeking, finding, and restoring of the lost—and yet it is a resistible work of God. Like the lost sheep or coin (Luke 15:1-10), we cannot find ourselves; God must bring us to repentance and faith through His appointed means: Word, Sacrament, and the ministry of the Church. Just as we cannot become Christians on our own, neither can we remain Christians apart from God’s continual work through the Means of Grace. This is important for us to remember, both for ourselves and for those we love. For those resisting God’s work to bring them home to the Church where He desires to feed them and care for them, we must not only pray, but also work to actively invite and encourage them to return to Christ, who still receives sinners and eats with them. Listen to Father Leigeber’s homily from yesterday to learn more.