https://sermons.logos.com/profile/5379156https://files.logoscdn.com/v1/files/92124069/assets/18184363/content.jpg?download=true&signature=tDS5tCAbtPqmYveoNvacUPK23wE&e=.jpghttps://sermons.logos.com/profile/5379156RSS for NodeTue, 29 Sep 2026 11:22:06 GMT60Divine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersDivine Service Sermons by Pastor Akers. Sermon texts are the Gospel reading from the Historic Lectionary of the Lutheran Church.Divine Service Sermons by Pastor Akersbakers@ilcs.orgnohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1858020https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1858020Sun, 27 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The apostle Paul begins today’s Epistle with an exhortation to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). He goes on to explain that lowliness, gentleness, patience (or literally, “longsuffering”), and…759nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1855969https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1855969Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The so-called Rich Young Ruler of today’s Gospel text illustrates an important lesson, namely that we are all plagued by self-righteousness. The difference is that this man was honest about his self-righteousness. The young man approaches…516nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1855716https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1855716Sun, 20 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The widow of Nain had experienced the worst of life in this world. First, she was widowed—her husband had died and left her alone to raise their one and only son. And then the unthinkable happened. Her one and only son also died.…845nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1851125https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1851125Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today is the Ember Wednesday in September. In the church calendar, Ember days occur four times per year, on a Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday in early Lent, in the week following Pentecost, in the middle of September, and in the middle…490nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1848602https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1848602Sun, 13 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. There are but two ways of living in this world. There is the way of man. And there is the way of God. Many in our world today believe that there are any numerous paths one can follow. But the Scriptures constantly exhort us to reject…791nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1846501https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1846501Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If you are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus said to him, “I am not willing; you are not cleansed.” Of course, this is not what happened in…535nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1846360https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1846360Sun, 06 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Faith is a unique thing. It’s like nothing else in the world. With most things, we either have control or we don’t. Faith, however, is purely a gift of God, and yet, we can mess it up. Now, we know that there is nothing we can do…743nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1841927https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1841927Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. At the beginning of our Gospel Reading on Sunday, our Lord said to His disciples: “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen…525nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1839201https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1839201Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The man who comes to our Lord at the beginning of today’s Gospel text has it all wrong. He, like so many in our world today, is overly focused on himself and his own actions. And so, he asks the Lord: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit…759nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1837698https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1837698Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. When we think about the life and ministry of our Lord, as good Lutherans, our minds immediately go to Holy Week—the cross, the empty tomb, and the institution of the Lord’s Supper. These are the chief and defining works of Christ’s…450nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1837696https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1837696Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In our First Reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul speaks of our Christian faith as a “treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Our faith in Jesus Christ is, indeed, a treasure. For it is a free gift of God…461nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1834568https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1834568Sun, 23 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The man in our Gospel text who is brought to the Lord for healing has two problems: he is deaf, and he is mute. Which is to say, he cannot hear, and he cannot speak. Both of these problems matter, but one is more significant than…730nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1834533https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1834533Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today’s Gospel lays before us a difficult topic—namely, the sin against the Holy Ghost, or the so-called “unforgivable sin.” This sin troubles the consciences of many Christians because they do not understand what it is. And so, more…580nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1832599https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1832599Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Human beings are designed by God to be in relationship. We need community and acceptance. This is true even for the most introverted person. While we certainly may also need quiet time to be alone with our thoughts, relationship is…1078nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1828474https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1828474Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The doom and gloom of today’s Gospel text is real. It is a continuation of the theme we began considering on Sunday, when we heard our Lord’s earlier prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem—a prophecy which was fulfilled in A.D.…625nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1828251https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1828251Sun, 09 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As the time drew nigh that God would make His consummate wrath to come upon Jerusalem and the Jewish people, as the prophets and the Lord Christ Himself had threatened and forshowed them… When the Jews had consigned the righteous…955nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1824315https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1824315Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, our Lord reveals to us in today’s Gospel text that it is impossible to be both a servant of God and a servant of earthly goods. Earthly goods, or “mammon” in the Aramaic, will enslave us if we do not serve…692nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1821629https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1821629Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today’s Gospel text is the Parable of the Unjust Steward, also known as the Parable of the Dishonest Manager. Every time that this parable comes up in the lectionary, people are bothered by the fact that the unjust steward is commended…961nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1817426https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1817426Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The goal of the Christian life is that one might know Jesus and be known by Him. Saint Paul affirms the importance of knowing Christ when he describes the central aspect of the Christian life in Philippians chapter 3, saying: …that…1096nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1815747https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1815747Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On this day, the Church remembers and gives thanks to God for Saint Mary Magdalene. She was one of the women who accompanied our Lord and His disciples, providing for them from their own possession (cf. Luke 8:2-3). This Mary is designated…723nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1815288https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1815288Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In today’s Gospel text, Christ feeds four thousand men in the wilderness from nothing more than seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. However, this miraculous feat was not done merely for the purpose of revealing Christ’s power—although…740nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1811327https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1811327Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Division is often a negative thing. Usually, it signals a break between people caused by a disagreement and inability to reconcile, as when Paul and Barnabas could not agree on whether John Mark should accompany them, and so they…606nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1811326https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1811326Sun, 12 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The law of God is good and wise. It is God’s eternal and unchangeable will for creation. The law curbs our steps, lest we fall into the depths of sin. It guides our lives and leads us into the fullness of life in Christ. But the law…1062nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1805344https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1805344Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Lord’s miracle of the great catch of fish and His subsequent calling of the first disciples illustrates how Jesus is the only answer for lost humanity. Our world is filled with people who are searching for meaning and answers.…986nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1801386https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1801386Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is traditionally celebrated by the Church on July 2nd, eight days following the Nativity of Saint John the Baptizer, which we observed last Wednesday. The connection between these…882nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1801154https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1801154Sun, 28 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In today’s Gospel text, our Lord speaks words that have become quite infamous in our day: “Judge not, and you shall not be judged” (Luke 6:37a). These words are regularly leveled against Christians to protest our passing judgement…1102nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1797299https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1797299Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Nativity of St. John the Baptizer is one of only three times in the Church Year where a nativity is traditionally celebrated. Typically, when a saint is commemorated, the observance is held on the day of their death. For the day…801nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1796894https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1796894Sun, 21 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Gospel text for today is only two parts of a series of three parables which our Lord tells in Luke chapter 15. In this important chapter, our Lord tells the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost (or Prodigal)…1103nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1792716https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1792716Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Sunday’s Gospel reading of the Parable of the Great Supper finds its complement in today’s Gospel of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Sunday’s parable taught how Christ provides the extraordinary food of Word and Sacrament to sustain…518nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1792714https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1792714Sun, 14 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Lord’s Parable of the Great Supper is a parable about wisdom. A man hosted a great supper and invited many people. But when dinner time came, the guests made excuses and refused to come. So, the master sent out his servants to…864nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1788301https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1788301Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On Sunday, we reflected on the centrality of God’s Word both for conversion and for sustenance in the faith. We heard these words from father Abraham in the story of the rich man and Lazarus: “They have Moses and the prophets; let…725nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1788080https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1788080Sun, 07 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The story of the rich man and Lazarus is one of the fundamental biblical texts. It is not as well-known as many of the other Gospel stories, such as the parables and miracles of our Lord, which is a shame because this story teaches…920nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1783885https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1783885Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today, we observe the Church’s great feast of Corpus Christi. Among Lutherans, the feast of Corpus Christi often has a negative connotation, mostly because of the abominable papist practice of the Corpus Christi procession wherein…608nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1783632https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1783632Sun, 31 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. On the one hand, this day is the start of the ordinary “time of the Church.” Beginning next week we will observe the Sundays after Trinity—marked by their characteristic color…884nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1783629https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1783629Wed, 27 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On Sunday, we celebrated the Day of Pentecost, when fifty days after Christ’s resurrection and ten days after His Ascension the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and anointed them to bring the Gospel to all nations, beginning at…749nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1779042https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1779042Sun, 24 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. There’s no place like home. Dorothy longed for it in the Wizard of Oz. We take it for granted in our childhood. We spend the better part of our adult lives trying to create it for ourselves. And we often spend the final years of lives…811nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1775473https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1775473Wed, 20 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the first part of John chapter 15, our Lord speaks of Himself as the vine. He says to the disciples: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). This metaphor invites us to see Christ as our true life-source.…553nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1772928https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1772928Sun, 17 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. This Sunday fills an interesting, strange void in the church year. On Thursday we celebrated one of the most important days of the church year—the Ascension of Our Lord. Our Lord had spent time with His disciples teaching and instructing…880nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1771118https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1771118Thu, 14 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Ascension of Our Lord is one of the forgotten days of the church year. Because it always falls on a weekday it is sadly forgotten by many present-day Christians. But the church does not continue to celebrate Ascension Day simply…703nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1768131https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1768131Sun, 10 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today is the Sunday of prayer. Most of the time, when a Sunday maintains an old Latin name, that name comes from the Introit, which are the traditional first words of the service. For example, the Introit for the Sunday after Easter…847nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1763587https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1763587Sun, 03 May 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Like last week, today’s Gospel Reading comes from John chapter 16. Once again, our Lord speaks with His disciples on Holy Thursday. He is preparing them for His impending departure from this world via His death on the cross. But He…943nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1761835https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1761835Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On Sunday, we spoke about true Christian joy. And we said that Christian joy is not primarily a feeling, nor is it found in our own efforts of focusing on the right things. True Christian joy comes from Christ alone—it is founded…710nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1759010https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1759010Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today is the Sunday traditionally known as Jubilate, or the Sunday of jubilation. Therefore, we continue our celebration of Easter by being encouraged to rejoice. And yet, so often our lives are not as filled with joy as we would…828nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1757152https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1757152Wed, 22 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today we hear the Easter account for the final time in the church year. Throughout the early part of the Easter season, the historic lectionary uses not only the Sundays but also the midweek days to work through each section of the…526nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1754015https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1754015Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today is commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” And so, today we have opportunity to meditate on one of the most beloved and fundamental metaphors in all of Scripture: Christ as the Good Shepherd of the sheep. This metaphor is…963nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1752325https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1752325Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the reading from 2 Corinthians that Jeanette selected to be read today, the Apostle Paul offers us profoundly comforting words. He points us to the resurrection of Jesus as our hope as we experience afflictions and pain in this…578nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1752105https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1752105Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In our Gospel text for today, St. Mark continues his anticlimactic telling of the events of the first Easter. The resurrection of our Lord is the singular most important event in history. It grants us the glorious hope of life after…599nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1749483https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1749483Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. When a visitor experiences a Lutheran Divine Service for the first time, they are often surprised not primarily by our reverence for the Sacrament nor by our liturgy or hymns. When someone experiences a Lutheran Divine Service for…876nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1747490https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1747490Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Alleluia. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia. The appointed Gospel text for today records for us our resurrected Lord’s third appearance to the apostles as a group. As we know, our Lord made other appearances after His…693nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744701https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744701Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, this morning we gather to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. While many of our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and even family members are focused on the Easter Bunny, egg hunts, and candy,…669nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744700https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744700Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In our first reading for this morning, St. Paul writes: Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast,…466nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744699https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744699Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the beginning was darkness. The earth was without form, and it was void. And darkness was on the face of the deep (cf. Genesis 1:2). And yet, God was there too. His Spirit was hovering over the waters. He was about to bring order…635nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744698https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744698Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And Jesus, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a…657nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744694https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1744694Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lent is a somber season, even more so as Holy Week approaches. And yet, on this day we find ourselves singing “Alleluia” and Glory be to the blessed Trinity, words which we would normally refrain from singing during this somber time…494nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734883https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734883Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Death is the ultimate enemy of mankind, even more so than Satan and the demons. Satan and the demons constantly assail God’s people, but their attacks are limited in power apart from the threat of death and eternal separation from…789nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734882https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734882Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our texts for today direct us to consider the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Ezekiel prophesies of a time when the Lord would sprinkle His people with clean water to cleanse them from their filthiness and idolatry. And likewise Isaiah…691nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734879https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734879Sun, 15 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The season of Lent has come to be thought of by many present-day Lutherans as a forty-day period of reflection upon the sufferings and death of Christ for our salvation. You have probably noticed that the Church’s historic lectionary…867nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734878https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734878Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In today’s Gospel text, our Lord speaks of how defilement comes from within. The scribes and Pharisees were obsessed with external obedience to the law and traditions of the elders. But Christ says that external obedience, or lip…927nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734877https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1734877Sun, 08 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our text for this morning invites us to reflect further on a theme which we began to see unfold two weeks ago on the First Sunday in Lent. Contrary to the Rationalist Enlightenment philosophy which has dominated much of mainstream…938nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1723502https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1723502Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today’s Gospel text reveals to us a hard truth—namely that greatness in the kingdom of God comes through suffering. On some level, all humans desire to achieve greatness. To be sure, one person’s concept of greatness likely differs…820nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1723501https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1723501Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today’s Gospel text is challenging for many Christians. For here the Canaanite woman comes to our Lord asking for mercy on her demon-possessed daughter. But our Lord acts in a way which seems strange to us. First, He ignores her.…910nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1718251https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1718251Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the second part of today’s Gospel text, our Lord tells a parable of an unclean spirit who has been cast out of a man. The spirit wanders the earth, finding no place to rest. And so, it returns to the man from which it was cast…1122nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1715615https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1715615Sun, 22 Feb 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In today’s Gospel text, we read of our Lord’s forty day fast in the wilderness and His temptations by the devil. Here our Lord does battle with the devil and overcomes him. Here our Lord stands in the place of ancient Israel, whose…952nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1715613https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1715613Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today begins the great and holy fast of Lent. In the German that our forefathers spoke, the time from Ash Wednesday to Easter was called Fastenzeit, or “the time of fasting.” And going back further in time, the ancient Latin Church…1005nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1710944https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1710944Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Today is the final Sunday in the short season of Septuagesima, a time intent on preparing us for the great and holy fast of Lent, which begins this Wednesday. As a means of preparing us for this season, we are spending this brief…1012nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1710941https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1710941Sun, 08 Feb 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The season of Septuagesima continues today as the countdown to Easter goes on. Today is Sexagesima, or sixty, as we are now less than sixty days from the great feast around which our entire liturgical year revolves. During this short…935nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1701720https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1701720Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. This Sunday begins the season of Septuagesima. There are a number of reasons why this season of the church year is foreign to us. The primary reason is that this season simply does not exist in the three-year lectionary cycle used…944nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1697472https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1697472Sun, 25 Jan 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, today is the final Sunday of the Epiphany season. Next week, we will embark on a new season—the “Pre-Lenten” season—about which we will say more next Sunday. But for now, we conclude the Sundays after the Epiphany…1015nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1697469https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1697469Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. What a profound confession of faith is offered by the man of God, Job. This is a man who had it all—wife, children, land, animals, wealth, possessions, friends, reputation—This is a man who had it all. And yet, in an instant, he loses…774nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1653299https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1653299Sun, 11 Jan 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, today the Epiphany season continues as we observe the Baptism of Our Lord. We began our observance of the Epiphany season last week by recalling the visit of the Magi, as the Christ Child is revealed to be…1073nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1648336https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1648336Sun, 04 Jan 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, today we observe the Epiphany of Our Lord. In the flow of the church year, this day is actually the climax of the church year’s first act. The time of Advent is a season of preparation centered around the coming…925nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1648332https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1648332Sat, 03 Jan 2026 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. One of the times that I saw Carol in the hospital in the last handful of weeks, I shared with her the words of Revelation chapter 7 which we heard a few minutes ago. When I finished the reading, Carol specifically commented on her…689nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1646761https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1646761Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Some of the most well-known words in all of English literature are these: O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name… These words come from Shakespeare’s well-known play, Romeo and Juliet. With these…772nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1644466https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1644466Sun, 28 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, the Feast of the Holy Innocents gives us cause to consider a topic which touches many of us deeply, though it is not something that we speak of much, if at all, in our society. And that topic is the sudden…991nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1643210https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1643210Wed, 24 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Dear friends in Christ, these words of the angel…873nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1643209https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1643209Wed, 24 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As we gather on this Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, our readings invite us to consider: The promise of God which began to be fulfilled at Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. When Christ became man,…768nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1640171https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1640171Sun, 21 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, the Apostle teaches in the book of Romans that saving faith is intimately connected to the confession one makes: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised…976nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1640145https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1640145Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Marveling is something we don’t do much of today. Now, to marvel is to be in wonder, admiration, or astonishment as we reflect deeply on something. To marvel, by its very nature, takes time as we stop and ponder something amazing.…913nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1635981https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1635981Sun, 14 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Third Sunday in Advent is widely known as the Sunday of joy. The Advent wreath itself reflects this with the rose-colored candle which is lighted this day. And the Introit also exhorts us to joy, as we heard the Apostle’s famous…878nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1635978https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1635978Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Gospel text for this second Wednesday in Advent invites us to meditate on greatness. Like last Wednesday, our reading once again focuses on St. John the Baptizer, though this time we hear our Lord speaking about John rather than…834nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1631452https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1631452Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. A year and a half ago, the so-called Great North American Eclipse passed through much of the United States, including northern New England. Many drove for hundreds of miles to witness the total solar eclipse. They endured hours-long…879nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1629654https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1629654Wed, 03 Dec 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If there is one biblical character most associated with the season of Advent, it is undoubtedly John the Baptizer. And so, fittingly, he is the subject of our Gospel Reading for this first Wednesday in Advent. In our text from Matthew…778nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1627185https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1627185Sun, 30 Nov 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, as we begin a new church year with this season of Advent, I invite you to recall with me last Sunday’s Gospel text—the Parable of the Ten Virgins. We observed how the parable is concerned with the second coming…910nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1625639https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1625639Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We begin with a reading from the Small Catechism. Please open your hymnal to page 324. We will speak the Fourth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer responsively. I will ask the questions, and I invite you to join me in reading the answers.…813nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1623106https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1623106Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As we come to the end of the Church Year, our focus shifts to the end of time—to Christ’s second coming, about which we will hear even more in the early weeks of Advent as the end of the Church Year rolls seamlessly into its beginning.…883nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1618508https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1618508Sun, 16 Nov 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. From a young age, we Christians teach our children the importance of forgiveness. When one child sins against another, we are adamant: You need to say, “I’m sorry.” And to the one who is sinned against, we are likewise adamant about…893nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1614249https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1614249Sun, 09 Nov 2025 14:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear friends in Christ, it is a great joy and pleasure to stand before you today in this pulpit as your newly installed pastor. You have gone above and beyond what we could have expected to welcome us into our new home—both the house…1014nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1604036https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1604036Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Grace Alone. Faith Alone. Scripture Alone. These three Solas remain inseparably connected to the Reformation and to those churches, like ours, which continue to confess the doctrine taught by our fathers in the faith who coined these…870nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1600539https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1600539Sun, 19 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Words are what make humanity unique among the creatures that the Lord God made. The animals live and move. They have their own personalities. And they even have their own ways of communicating. But it is to humanity alone that God…904nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1598445https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1598445Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Nevertheless even among the rulers many people believed Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:42-43).…482nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1596075https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1596075Sun, 12 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Lord seems to have a habit of performing miracles on the Sabbath day. It may seem at first glance that He does so solely for the purpose of irking the Pharisees and religious leaders of the Jews. And to be sure, there may be some…853nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1594101https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1594101Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor Akers634nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1591036https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1591036Sun, 05 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. From an early age, we begin to be taught the hard lesson that everything in this life is temporary. First, it’s something relatively minor in the grand scheme of things—maybe a beloved toy wears out, or an artistic creation is destroyed.…849nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1589475https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1589475Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor Akers496nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1586908https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1586908Sun, 28 Sep 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. This is the first Sunday that I have taken the pulpit since the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. Now, regardless of what you think of his political positions, whether or not you approve of his rhetorical approach to debate, we…947nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1584905https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1584905Wed, 24 Sep 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor Akers537nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1580353https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1580353Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor Akers698nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1575815https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1575815Wed, 10 Sep 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor Akers551nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1573484https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1573484Sun, 07 Sep 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor AkersIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Word of God clearly teaches that His word is powerful, which is to say, when God speaks, things happen. Consider the creation of the world, which is quite possibly the most dramatic biblical example of this. In the beginning,…904nohttps://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1571430https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1571430Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:00:00 GMTDivine Service Sermons by Pastor Akers829no