Pastor Chris Brademeyer’s Podcast

The Lord Visits His People - The Visitation 2026

Today the Church observes the Feast of the Visitation. As we heard in the Holy Gospel, this day commemorates the visit of the blessed virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, to St. Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist. It is a seemingly simple event. A young woman visits her elderly relative. Yet hidden beneath this ordinary meeting is one of the most profound moments in all of Scripture. Here two expectant mothers meet, but more importantly, the unborn Savior comes to the unborn prophet. The Lord visits His people even before He is born.
The Church has long treasured this feast because it teaches us several important truths about our God, about ourselves, and about our salvation.

Unity - Trinity 5 2026

There is perhaps no word more frequently used in the Church today than the word unity. Nearly everyone says they want it. Church leaders call for it. Congregations long for it. Christians rightly grieve divisions between churches. But before we can pursue unity, we must first ask a much more important question: What is Christian unity?
Our answer cannot come from our feelings, our preferences, or our experiences. It must come from the Word of God. St. Peter helps us address this question: "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." He does not merely say, "Be united." He says, "Have unity of mind." This is not accidental. It tells us exactly what kind of unity the Lord desires for His Church.

Judge Not - Trinity 4 2026

Few passages of Scripture are quoted more often by unbelievers, and even by many Christians, than the simple phrase, “Judge not.” It is held up as though Jesus had forbidden every moral evaluation, every criticism, every act of discernment. The prevailing wisdom of our age says that the highest virtue is to approve of everyone’s choices and to leave all matters of truth and error to personal preference.
But that is not what Jesus is teaching. If Christ truly meant that no one should ever judge another person, then He Himself would be contradicting the rest of Scripture. He commands the Church to rebuke false doctrine. Parents are to discipline their children. Pastors are to exercise the Office of the Keys. Civil authorities are to punish evildoers and praise those who do good. Christians are repeatedly told to test the spirits, to distinguish truth from falsehood, and to admonish brothers caught in sin. Jesus does not end our reading by saying, “Leave the speck in your brother’s eye.” Instead He says, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck.” The goal is still helping your brother. The problem is not judgment itself. The problem is hypocritical judgment.

Sober, Not Afraid - Trinity 3 2026

St. Peter presents a careful balance that we Christians are to maintain. On the one hand, he tells us to be alert, vigilant, and sober. On the other hand, he does not tell us to panic. He does not tell us to despair. He does not tell us to live in terror of the devil, of sin, or of the troubles of this world. There is a great difference between sobriety and fear.
A sober driver recognizes the dangers of the road but continues confidently to his destination. A fearful driver becomes paralyzed, seeing disaster around every corner. Likewise, the Christian acknowledges that temptation is real, that Satan is real, and that suffering is real. Yet the Christian does not cower before them, because Christ is greater than them all.

Excuses - Trinity 2 2026

Jesus’s parable here illustrates a similar point: the master is disregarded. His feast is a momentous event and an important matter. The excuses, which may be valid for a lesser thing, are silly in comparison to the grand feast that he wants to throw. Wives, and oxen, and fields are matters that are not minor, but they are also not pressing in the sort of way that would prevent attendance at the feast of the master. And even more surprising than the lack of interest on the part of the people is the insistence of the master that the party still go on. He does not cancel; he still desires a full house. And, indeed, his house will be filled. 

True Riches and Lasting Poverty - Trinity 1 2026

Our Lord Jesus tells a striking parable this morning. He places before our eyes two men whose earthly circumstances could hardly have been more different. One was rich, clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. The other was poor, covered with sores,  who laid at the rich man's gate, longing for scraps from the table. One was honored by the world. The other was despised.
But when death came, everything was shown to be reversed. The rich man found himself in torment. Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. Through this parable our Lord teaches us about stewardship, faith, heaven, hell, and the true riches that endure forever.

The Comforter - Pentecost 2026

By saying that “[t]he Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” our Lord teaches us not only that the Holy Spirit is real but also what the Holy Spirit does. This matters greatly, because there is much confusion about the Holy Spirit in the world today.
Many people speak of the Spirit as though He were merely a feeling, a force, or an experience. Others imagine that the Holy Spirit’s primary work is to produce dramatic signs, ecstatic speech, or emotional excitement. But Jesus teaches us otherwise. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal power. He is God Himself, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and with the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He proceeds from the Father and the Son and is sent into the world by Christ.
*Correction: The Azusa Street Revival which began in 1906 was in Los Angeles*

The King and the Messenger - Exaudi 2026

After His resurrection and before Pentecost, Jesus prepared His disciples for something important. He knew that He would shortly ascend to the right hand of the Father. In doing this, He took up openly and publicly the reign and authority that already belonged to Him as the crucified and risen Lord. Christ is King. This is not a title that merely has meaning in some symbolic or poetic sense, but truly. All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him, the crucified King of kings. 
But kings seldom rule from the front lines so to speak. Usually they rule through messengers. Throughout history, kings have used emissaries, heralds, and ambassadors to make known their wills. A king sends these officers to his people, bearing his authority and carrying his message. When the herald of the king relays this message faithfully, the people do not merely hear the messenger; they hear the king himself through the messenger. To reject the herald is to reject the ruler who sent him.

Ascended to Reign - Ascension Day 2026

Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. Dear Christians, saints of the Lord, the Ascension is not Jesus leaving His Church behind. It is not Christ withdrawing from the world. Rather, the Ascension is Christ taking His throne. The crucified and risen Lord is now enthroned as King of kings and Lord of lords at the right hand of God. Ascension Day is a feast of victory and comfort. Jesus reigns. This is not a future reality alone; it is not a metaphor or mystical idea that sounds nice but has no reality behind it. Jesus truly reigns even now. The Jesus Christ, true God and true man, rules over all things for the good of His Church.
The disciples themselves struggled at first to understand this. In our reading from Acts, they ask, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” They were still thinking in earthly categories. They expected visible political power, national restoration, and worldly glory. But Jesus directed them to something greater. His kingdom is not limited to one nation or earthly throne. His reign extends over heaven and earth.

Dead Faith? - Rogate 2026

Faith without works is dead. This is true. After all, the Holy Spirit caused St. James to write these very words. More than this, it is also somewhat obvious. Actions are physical confessions of what one holds dear. What we treasure and trust will shape what we do and how we live. For example, someone who claims to be a Vikings fan but who refuses to watch the games, buy the gear, and hope against all reason that this year will somehow be different isn’t really much of a fan. Why? Because faith directs action.
No matter how we slice it, there is an intimate unity between what we believe and what we do. The ancient Christians summarized this with the phrase lex orandi, lex credendi, that is, the law of prayer is the law of belief. In other words, what one truly believes inevitably expresses itself outwardly. Indeed, we rightly recognize hypocrisy when someone’s words and actions contradict one another. We expect unity between confession and conduct in others, and rightly so. Therefore, we should also desire such unity in ourselves.
But this raises an important question: what is the foundation of the Christian life? Is Christianity ultimately about behavior? Is the Christian faith merely moral improvement? Is St. James teaching that salvation depends upon your ability to produce enough good works? No. Not at all. St. James is not saying that works create faith. He is teaching that living faith produces works.