Pastor Chris Brademeyer’s Podcast

Satisfied

            “They had nothing to eat.” Simple words to convey a simple reality. Food is an essential part of life in this world. Indeed, if we go too long without nourishment, we will become faint. With enough time we will eventually expire. This reality is simple because it is so immediate. Infants know hunger as well as adults. Thankfully, many, if not most of us here this morning, have not had to seriously worry about food for a while. God willing, such generosity from our God will continue.
                But this is not the only kind of hunger we experience.
Find out more in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Not One Word Falls

Jesus says that He has not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. Not an iota, not a dot, not a single stroke of a single letter of these holy texts will pass away until all is fulfilled. He does not explain them away or minimize them, in fact He intensifies them. It is not enough, says the Lord, to withhold your hand from striking in anger. You must also restrain your speech and even your thoughts. Hatred in the heart is already murder in God’s sight.
When we Lutherans speak of "the Law," we often mean it in a narrow sense: God's commands as opposed to the Gospel promises. But here Jesus refers to the Torah, a broader term that includes both the moral law and the first five books of Moses. In fact, by saying "the Law and the Prophets," Jesus means the entire Old Testament, the Scriptures that reveal both God's demands and His promises.
This matters because we sometimes fall into what we might call a "functional Marcionism." Marcion, an early heretic who died around 160 AD, famously rejected the Old Testament and claimed the Old Testament God of Israel was different from the God Jesus. While it is relatively rare to hear someone say this outright, it is unfortunately true that some treat the Old Testament as if it is less authoritative, less useful, less from God. Jesus teaches the opposite, the whole of Scripture matters. The entire Bible is God’s Word and is given for our learning. St. Paul wrote to Timothy, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." Jesus is calling us to honor all of Scripture, not just the parts that are easy or familiar.
Find out more in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Alive in Christ: The Funeral of Esther Orn

Dear friends in Christ, today we have set before us the task of laying to rest our dear sister Esther Orn. She was, and is, a great and precious gift to you from God the Father, shown that you have made it a point to come here today to see this done. That is to say, it is normal and right to mourn someone that God has put into our lives. Even though this world of ours would tell us that there is nothing to miss in a long, long life like Esther's, we Christians know better. She is a precious gift of God, given to you as a mother, grandmother, neighbor, and friend. And since she is such a great and precious gift from God, we certainly will miss her.
But today is not only characterized by grief and loss, it is also an occasion to reflect on the Savior of Esther, indeed the Savior of the entire world, Jesus Christ. And before us there are three lessons chosen by the family that teach us three things about what our Savior has done for Esther, indeed, for all the faithful.
Find out more in this sermon for the Funeral of Esther Orn from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

3P1S Episode 17: Transhumanism

In episode 17 of the 3P1S Podcast, we're diving into a topic that's not just science fiction anymore: transhumanism. It's the idea that through technology—genetics, AI, cybernetics—we can surpass our human limitations. But what does this mean for our understanding of humanity, the body, sin, and salvation?

Fishers of Men

Picture the scene: Jesus standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the crowd pressing in, hungry to hear the Word of God. He steps into Peter’s boat, pushes out a bit, and from that humble fishing vessel preaches to the masses. Then, He tells Peter to do something absurd: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter is tired. He’s fished all night and caught nothing. But something about Jesus compels trust: “At Your Word, I will let down the nets.”
And what happens next is nothing short of miraculous! They get a catch so great that their nets are breaking. Peter, stunned and humbled, falls at Jesus’ knees and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” But Jesus replies, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
This is more than a story about fish. This is a story about the mission of the Church, a mission that begins with Jesus' Word, continues through the pastoral office, and involves every believer. Today, we’ll consider this calling to evangelize, that is, to share the Gospel in three parts:
The Word that Does the Work
The Call to the Pastoral Office
The Participation of the Laity
Find out more in this sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Lost and Found

Before us stands a simple yet profound truth: God desires the salvation of every sinner. Our Lord Jesus says that He came to seek and to save the lost. And that includes you and me. Left to ourselves, we are indeed lost in sin, sorrow, suffering, and death. We are misled by the foolishness of this world and trapped in the limits of our own broken lives. No one enjoys being lost, and yet it is our natural condition apart from Christ.
Being lost is more than a passing feeling. While we could spend much time describing the loneliness and confusion that often accompany this condition, it is enough to say that “lostness” takes many forms. Some are outward, others inward. But at its root, it is a spiritual matter: the result of sin and blindness to God.
Find out more by listening to this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

Blessed Are You Among Women

Mary arose and went with haste. That is how our Gospel reading begins. She had just received the announcement from the angel Gabriel: that she, though a virgin, would conceive and bear the Son of the Most High. She asked, “How can this be?” and the angel pointed her to a sign: her elderly relative Elizabeth had conceived in her old age. “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
And so Mary goes. Not out of doubt, but in faith. In haste, with joy. Faith is never content to sit still. It moves; it acts. It runs to the Word of God, clings to His promises, and seeks out the fellowship of the faithful. And what a meeting this is! Mary, newly pregnant with the Son of God, and Elizabeth, six months along with John the Baptist.
The moment Mary enters the house and greets Elizabeth, the child in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy. Already, John is doing what he was called to do: preparing the way of the Lord, pointing to Jesus even from the womb. The Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth, and she cries out with that beautiful confession we still confess today:  “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
This is a Spirit-filled confession of faith. Elizabeth calls Mary “blessed” not because of anything Mary had done, but because of what God had done for her and through her. Mary is blessed because she bears the promised Savior. And she is blessed even more because she believed in the Lord’s promise. That is what Elizabeth says: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
To find out more, listen to this sermon for the Visitation from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

One Gospel, One Church

St. Peter and  St. Paul are two names known to every Christian, or, at least, should be. After our Lord Jesus, these two men are among the most important figures in the history of the Christian Church. Such is their importance that these two men were given the title “pillars of the Church,” due to their strong faith and great work of preaching the Gospel to multitudes of people.
One, Peter, was a simple fisherman from Galilee, a working man of humble origins. The other, Paul, was a highly educated Pharisee from Tarsus. Peter followed Jesus from the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the Garden of Gethsemane. Paul met the risen Lord in a blinding flash of light on the road to Damascus. Peter was brash, often speaking before thinking. Paul was brilliant, eloquent, and often found in chains.
But Peter denied Christ on the night of His trial. And Paul persecuted Christ’s followers, even going so far as to hold the cloaks of those who stoned St. Stephen the first martyr while the mob murdered him.
And yet God used both as instruments to preach Christ crucified. Today, we don’t celebrate them as individual religious heroes. We honor them together because they, so different in personality and background, were united in one Gospel and labored together for one Church.
To hear the rest, listen to this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!

3P1S Episode 16: Loosening and Binding Sins? Taking A Closer Look At The Office Of The Keys

On today’s episode of 3 Padres and a Shepherd, we’re talking about the "Office of the Keys." What are these keys? What do they open? What do they close?  While this topic may seem abstract, it is much more practical than one might expect!  

The Dawn from on High

The birth of John the Baptist is not just a heartwarming story about an elderly couple finally receiving the child they always longed for. It is a loud and mighty thunderclap of God's mercy breaking four hundred years of prophetic silence. It is the opening act of salvation history’s final chapter. And it is a reminder that God's promises may seem delayed, but they are never denied.
Zechariah, once silenced for his unbelief, now finds his voice again. He does not regain his speech to talk about himself or even his son, but to sing of God’s mercy, His covenant, and His plan of salvation.
Find out more in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!