Category: Sermons

A homily for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Joshua Leigeber.

In Matthew 9, Jesus forgives the paralytic’s sins before He says a word about his legs. Only then does He command: arise, take up your bed, go to your house. The Christian life follows the same order. It begins in Baptism, where we are forgiven and clothed in Christ. It continues in the daily walk of newness of life, putting off the old man and putting on the new, as St. Paul describes in Ephesians 4. And it’s a walk we engage in together, as members of one another in Christ’s body, in ordinary vocations and honest work for our families and neighbors. And it ends at, finally, at home: the resurrection of the body and the renewed creation, where Christ raises us from the grave just as He raised the paralytic from his bed.

Listen to the full homily below.

A homily for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Daniel Suelzle.

When Jesus asks the Pharisees how the Messiah can simultaneously be David’s descendant and David’s Lord (referencing Psalm 110:1), he silences his critics by pointing to a profound paradox: the Promised One must be both fully human and fully divine. As David’s son according to the flesh, Jesus fulfills God’s ancient covenant promise of an eternal kingdom born from David’s royal line, while also stepping in as the true “seed of Eve” required to represent humanity. However, a mere man could never conquer the inherent corruption of sin or defeat death. By demonstrating that David himself addresses the Messiah as “Lord,” Jesus forces his listeners to confront his divinity—revealing that he is the eternal God who existed before David and possesses supreme authority at the Father’s right hand.

The understanding of the two natures in Christ is not just a clever piece of theological apologetics; it is the absolute bedrock of our salvation. To satisfy divine justice and rescue humanity, the Savior had to be a real man to suffer and pay the penalty for human sin, but also true God so his perfect sacrifice would accomplish victory over sin, death, and the devil. Because Jesus is both David’s Son and David’s Lord—the one and only God-man—his death fully pardons our transgressions, and his resurrection establishes an unbreakable, eternal kingdom. In Christ, God has kept every promise, bringing divine forgiveness and eternal life directly to us through Great David’s Greater Son.

Listen to the full homily below.

A homily for the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, by Fr. Dan Suelzle

We find ourselves directly in the midst of a fierce spiritual war, waged by Satan and his fallen angels who use lies, guilt, and oppression to attempt our destruction. It is a war of words. However, we do not stand in this battle alone or unarmed or unprotected. Because Satan and his demons are created beings with millennia of practice, we are no match for their strength in our own power. However, God equips His believers with the full divine armor—from the belt of truth to the sword of the Spirit—and sends His holy angels to guard us in body and soul against the devil’s relentless deceptions, that we would be able to stand in the evil day (Eph. 6).

Ultimately, the defining truth of this cosmic conflict is that while Satan is strong, Christ is stronger. Because Jesus is not a created being but the eternal Son of God, Satan and his forces remain entirely subject to His supreme authority. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has crushed the serpent’s head, answering every accusation of Satan, not by denying our guilt, but by covering it with His own blood. Marked by Holy Baptism and clothed in His righteousness, our identity is secure in Christ. Guarded by Christ, who enlists his holy angels for our protection, we are directed to His gifts, that we can stand firm with confidence, knowing that victory belongs eternally to the Lamb.

Listen to the full homily below.