allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Enter Into the Rest of Your Lord

A sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Dan Suelzle.

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath and His teaching about places of honor at a feast both confront the same issue—human self-righteousness. As the Pharisees watch Him, hoping to accuse Him of breaking Sabbath law, Jesus exposes their misunderstanding: the Sabbath is not about rule-keeping but about God’s mercy and rest in Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath. Their silence reveals hearts unwilling to confess their need or recognize the Messiah who heals and restores. Likewise, their eagerness for seats of honor shows the same pride—seeking to exalt themselves rather than receiving righteousness as a gift. Jesus teaches that true rest and righteousness come only through him. As His people, we acknowledge our unworthiness and trust Him who took the lowest place, even death on a cross, to exalt us with His righteousness. Now in His Church, Christ continually gathers His people into that perpetual Sabbath rest, feeding them with His body and blood and nourishing them on the journey towards His eternal feast in the new creation. Listen to the entire sermon below.

allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

The God Who Raises the Dead

A sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, by Fr. Jerome Leckband.

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus meets a funeral procession in the town of Nain and restores life to the dead son of a widowed mother. This account reveals the very heart of our Lord: He is the God of power, who can raise the dead; the God of compassion, who sees our grief and acts in mercy; and the God of grace, who comes to help us before we even ask.

Just as Jesus spoke life into the young man—“Young man, I say to you, arise”—so He speaks life into us. By nature we are spiritually dead in sin, but through His Word and Holy Baptism Christ raises us to new life with Him. We are united to His death and resurrection, forgiven, and made alive to live by faith in the Son of God.

This new life transforms how we face suffering and death. Even in trials, we trust that God’s love is at work, shaping our faith and fixing our eyes on the greater promise: eternal life with Christ. The miracle at Nain points us forward to the final resurrection, when Jesus will again speak the life-giving word and raise all the dead to be with Him forever. Until that day, we live in the comfort of His compassion, His victory over death, and His abiding presence with us. Listen to the whole sermon below.

allsaintsjonesboro Sermons

Let Thy Holy Angel Be With Us

Yesterday (Sept. 29) was the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel. The holy angels aren’t something we give a lot of thought to, and when we do, often our imagination is informed more by popular culture than God’s Word. God’s angels are warrior ministers—creatures who are deployed to comfort and protect God’s people, fighting the spiritual battle that is being waged against Satan and his fallen angels. This war, highlighted in the Feast of St. Michael, is real and affects Christians, as the devil works subtly to tempt us, to destroy us, and to cast doubt in God’s Word and promises. God be praised that, though Satan’s wrath is great, it is not too great for our Lord. Satan’s time is short; he and his angels are already conquered in Christ. Therefore, rather than fearing, despairing, and losing heart, we thank God for his angelic protection, as he deploys these warrior ministers to defend and guide us, preserving us from danger and finally directing us to Christ. Listen to Father Suelzle’s entire sermon below.