Pastor Chris Brademeyer’s Podcast

Stubborn Faith

This passage from Matthew is a gripping one. Jesus has a, for lack of a better word, confrontation with a Canaanite woman who is not of the house of Israel. Jesus says plainly that He has come to save Israel, not the Gentiles, but the woman refuses to back down. She would be happy, she says, to even get the crumbs. And her dogged refusal to look anywhere else than Jesus for help is commended as an example of great faith. The Canaanite woman is easy to sympathize with. She was, no doubt, desperate to see her daughter healed. And she, in her great need, came to Jesus. This was no fluke or accident; she did not come to know Jesus in by a dream or sudden spiritual awakening. The report of Christ was circulating the countryside; the Lord’s reputation was widely known at this point. And so she went to see if Jesus could do anything for her. This is the root of trust that makes faith. And this passage is a profound teaching on faith—what it is, where it comes from, and how it clings to Christ alone. Many misunderstand faith as something we muster up ourselves, but as we will see, faith is entirely a gift from God, sustained by His Word.
To hear more, listen to this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Honoring God Through the Three Estates

Authority and hierarchy, structure and order: these are the things protected by God’s holy Law, the Fourth Commandment, “Honor your father and your mother.” This commandment is more than just a rule for children; it is the foundation for how we honor all authority established by God. Martin Luther, in his Large Catechism, explains this commandment by referencing what he calls the Three Estates—the Family, the Church, and the Government. In each of these, God has placed people in authority for our good, and in honoring them, we ultimately honor Him.
In brief, this commandment reminds us of the order that God wills and creates for us in our interactions among ourselves and the protection that God grants to such things. If you find yourself in a position of authority, then you ought to use that authority in God-pleasing ways and for the promotion of order and benefit for those under that authority. And if you find yourself under an authority, then you ought to obey and seek the success of that authority so long as he or she does not require you to disobey God.
Find out more in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Tested

Jesus is sent into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the Devil. Temptation is so common to us in this world that even Jesus Himself was tempted. This was, ultimately, for our good, as Hebrews notes that Jesus is now able to sympathize with us in our temptations. And even though we are tempted in this way, temptations still come. They come from our sinful selves, they come from the world around us, and they come from that old liar, the Devil. There is much that can be said about this, but this sermon is about one in particular: Satan. What should we make of him? What are his tactics? And, most importantly, how can we overcome him?
Find out more in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Repentance, Alms, and Fasting

Tonight, we gather on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our Lenten journey. A journey marked by repentance, reflection, and renewal as we prepare ourselves to dwell on the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Listening to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6, we are confronted with a fundamental question: Where is our treasure? Where is our devotion?
To find out more, check out this Ash Wednesday Sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

What is Love?

Love. It is a word used so frequently that it has almost lost its meaning. The world talks about love as a feeling, as an attraction, as something that “just happens.” But what does God say about love? Today, we turn to St. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13, one of the most famous passages in all of Scripture, to understand what true love is
Listen to the rest of this sermon for Quinquagesima from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Sow What?

The Word of God is very important; it is the foundation of our faith, the means by which God speaks to us, and the power that transforms hearts and lives. Think of a time when a single verse of Scripture provided you with hope, strength, or conviction—this is the power of the Word at work. It is more than just ink on a page or sounds in the air. It is the very power of God unto salvation. It is the difference between life and death, heaven and hell, forgiveness and condemnation. And because it is so powerful, there are many enemies who seek to choke it out.
The devil, the world, and our own sinful nature all conspire against the Word. The devil knows that the Word is his death, and so he fights against it with lies, distractions, and temptations. Persecution arises, seeking to make us fear the consequences of holding fast to the Word. The cares and concerns of this world press upon us, luring us away with the false promises of wealth, comfort, and self-fulfillment. The old Adam within us resists the Word, twisting it to serve his own ends, or rejecting it outright when it challenges his desires.
Despite these obstacles, this parable of Jesus reminds us that the great Sower continues to sow the seed of His Word, demonstrating God’s unwavering commitment to reaching His people with His saving Word.
Find out more in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Just Wages

          We live in a world where hard work is often measured by what we receive in return. We expect fairness, just compensation, and recognition for our efforts. When that expectation is disrupted, it can stir frustration or even resentment. Jesus' parable of the workers in the vineyard challenges that thinking and instead directs us to something greater: the abundant and undeserved grace of God.
          At first glance, this parable appears to be about work and wages. Some labor from dawn until dusk, others only for an hour, yet all receive the same payment. Naturally, those who worked longer feel slighted. But to focus on the workers and their efforts is to miss the heart of this parable. The emphasis is not on human labor but on the generosity of the master—and ultimately, the boundless grace of God.
           Imagine for a moment that you were among those workers. You labored all day under the scorching sun, pushing through exhaustion, while others arrived just before sundown and received the same wage. Wouldn’t you feel frustrated? Yet, the master reminds them—and us—that he has done no wrong. He has simply been generous.

The Cloud

Imagine standing on a mountain with Jesus. Suddenly, His appearance changes—His face shines like the sun, His clothes become dazzling white. Then, out of nowhere, Moses and Elijah appear, speaking with Him. If that was not overwhelming enough, a bright cloud covers the mountain, and the voice of God thunders from heaven: “This is My beloved Son... listen to Him.”
How would you react? How would you feel?
The disciples’ reaction is exactly what we might expect: terror. They fall to their faces, overwhelmed by the presence of God. But then, Jesus comes to them, touches them, and says, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lift up their eyes, everything else has disappeared. No Moses. No Elijah. No cloud. Only Jesus remains.
This moment—the Transfiguration—is one of the clearest revelations of who Jesus truly is, But there is a detail in this account that often gets overlooked: the cloud.

Like Us

                One of the more difficult things for us human beings to contemplate is that our God, specifically the Son, is a man named Jesus Christ. This is hard thing for us to understand for a few reasons. There is the simple fact that fitting God into a man is a difficult proposition. After all, how does any human being have the capacity to contain the Almighty God? Besides this, there is an assumption that this material world is too base, dirty, unclean, even gross for the pure and holy God. After all, sin and death lurk here, and God wants nothing to do with these things.
                While you Christians have heard this truth, that God has become a man, often enough to have become habituated to it, this proposition often shocks, confuses, and upsets those who are outside of the Christian faith. More to the point, there is something of an instinctual revulsion, a deep-seated nervousness around this idea.
                Why is this the case? Why do we human beings have this strong dislike of the idea that God would become a man?

Cleansed

Have you ever felt dirty? I mean, I would think most of us have. If you spend an afternoon in August doing yardwork, you’ve needed a shower. Even if it wasn’t yardwork, you’ve probably had the same experience with some other grungy task. Bathrooms, messes, dirt, stench: these all make the us feel outwardly dirty. It doesn’t take much to need a shower, but the solution is also rather simple: take that shower. Use the soap. Don’t skimp on the shampoo. And when done, you will feel clean.
                Outward filth and dirt are easy to take care of, this is true. Even deeper uncleanness, like that of disease and bodily harm is easy enough to deal with, particularly today with our host of antibiotics and surgical interventions that weren’t available in other times. That being said, we must admit that being a leper is not a terribly fun thing, particularly in a time before the wide use of antibiotics.
 
To find out more, listen to this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!