Living Savior Lutheran Church - LCMS

05/26/2026

DR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
The Book Of Galatians

CHAPTER ONE 1. Paul an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead— 2. and all the brethren who are with me.
By the proclamation of this doctrine, moreover, the devil is overthrown, and his kingdom is cast down. From his hands are torn the Law, sin, and death; through these powerful and invincible tyrants he has subjugated the whole human race. In short, his prisoners are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and liberty (Col. 1:13). Is the devil supposed to stand for this? Is it not to be expected that the father of lies (John 8:44) will use all his wiles and power to obscure, corrupt, and eradicate this doctrine of salvation and eternal life? In fact, St. Paul complains in this and in all his other epistles that even in his day Satan was displaying his skill at this business through his apostles. In our day, too, we complain and lament that Satan has done more damage to our Gospel by his servants, the fanatical spirits, than by all the tyrants, kings, princes, and bishops who have ever persecuted it and who go on persecuting it by force. If we had not been on our guard here in Wittenberg and worked so diligently to plant and teach this doctrine of faith, we would not have remained in harmony for so long; but sects would have arisen even in our midst long ago. But because we continue in this doctrine and never stop stressing it, it preserves us in the most complete unity and peace. Others, however, who either neglect it or seek to teach what they suppose is something more sublime, fall into various vicious errors and endless sects, and so they perish. It seemed good to us to show here in passing why the devil and the world are so spiteful against the Gospel, even though it is the Word of life and eternal salvation.

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 14.

04/24/2026

DR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS
OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHNs
CHAPTER SIX
45. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46. Not that anyone has Christ says: “Do not murmur among yourselves because I claim to be the bread of life. You make bold to bring your reason into play here. You presume to be wiser than I am as you say: ‘Do we not know His father and His mother?’ But hear this: The message I bring to you is one by which the Father draws you; it will not be mastered by our reason and mind. Now when you hear about the drawing of the Father, array this against the drawing of reason. He who would understand this message must close his eyes. He must bar reason and permit himself to be guided like a blind man. That is what God demands. Whoever refuses to be led thus but persists in the use of his reason will be offended by the message. He will resent it and forever murmur against it.”
Thus Münzer, too, claimed that God communicated directly with him and numbered him among the prophets. These people all pretend that they are in touch with heaven without the divine Word. They despise it and treat this text as though the Father were a being entirely different from Christ, who is speaking here. But in this matter one must deal wisely and cautiously. For Solomon says: “He that is a searcher of the Divine Majesty shall be overwhelmed by glory” (Prov. 25:27). He will inevitably break his neck. Therefore beware of speculating. Do not wait for God to send you a word from heaven which you can grasp with your own reason. Do not climb into heaven in search of God’s will or of true understanding, or try to master this with your reason! Furthermore, if you sit back and wait without the Word of God, you will break your neck; for God has spoken solely through the Son. Look at our fanatics. They have heard God’s Word about the Sacraments, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16); “This is My body given for you” (Luke 22:19); and “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 22:20). But they go and exalt themselves, strip the Sacraments of the Word, disregard the words pertaining to Baptism, listen only to the voice of reason, and say: “Water is water.” Pursuing their speculation further, they declare: “Since God is a spirit and the soul is also spirit, how can water baptize, purge, and cleanse the soul?” Therefore they go and clamber into God’s lap. Of course, it is not God’s will and purpose simply to baptize with water; the Spirit must also be present. But they have fallen and broken their necks with their conclusion that Baptism is mere water, or is only an external sign, as when one marks a cow or a sheep with red chalk. Therefore we should flee and shun those who are given to speculation and who abandon God’s Word.

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 91–92.

04/06/2026

DR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS
OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHNs
CHAPTER SIX
45. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46. Not that anyone has Christ says: “Do not murmur among yourselves because I claim to be the bread of life. You make bold to bring your reason into play here. You presume to be wiser than I am as you say: ‘Do we not know His father and His mother?’ But hear this: The message I bring to you is one by which the Father draws you; it will not be mastered by our reason and mind. Now when you hear about the drawing of the Father, array this against the drawing of reason. He who would understand this message must close his eyes. He must bar reason and permit himself to be guided like a blind man. That is what God demands. Whoever refuses to be led thus but persists in the use of his reason will be offended by the message. He will resent it and forever murmur against it.”
Now when the fanatics hear this said: “If the Father does not draw you, you cannot come to Me,” they object. They disparage the external Word. They would dismiss it and drop it; they bring into disesteem the Word which Christ uttered with His own lips. They would go into seclusion, prop up their heads with their hands, speculate, and reflect on God. They want to be drawn before and without the Word and to attain salvation before the Father hears them. That is wrong, for here reason is the problem. But reason is elusive. It will not submit to anything but its own ability to bridge and build the way to God. It wants to hear a spirit from heaven without the agency of the divine Word.

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 91.

04/02/2026

Reminders regarding Holy Week at Living Savior:

- There will be no Maundy Thursday service; we pray pastor's surgery goes well.

- Good Friday service is at 6:30PM.

- Easter Sunday service is at 10AM with a potluck brunch and an egg hunt afterwards.

We hope to see you Friday and Sunday!
Have a blessed Holy Week!

02/18/2026

Join us later today for Ash Wednesday Soup & Sandwich Supper at 6:15pm followed by worship at 7pm. We hope to see you.

On Ash Wednesday – 18 February 2026, we begin a sacred journey of reflection, repentance, and renewal. ✝️✨

This holy day gently reminds us that life is precious, faith is powerful, and grace is always within reach. As the season of Lent begins, may our hearts grow humbler, our prayers grow deeper, and our spirits grow stronger.

May this Ash Wednesday bring you peace in your soul, clarity in your mind, and blessings that guide your path forward.

Let today be a fresh start — a quiet moment to reconnect with faith and purpose. 🙏

08/29/2025

DR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS
OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHNs
CHAPTER SIX

45. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

46. Not that anyone has seen the Father except Him who is from God;He has seen the Father.

Christ says: “Do not murmur among yourselves because I claim to be the bread of life. You make bold to bring your reason into play here. You presume to be wiser than I am as you say: ‘Do we not know His father and His mother?’ But hear this: The message I bring to you is one by which the Father draws you; it will not be mastered by our reason and mind. Now when you hear about the drawing of the Father, array this against the drawing of reason. He who would understand this message must close his eyes. He must bar reason and permit himself to be guided like a blind man. That is what God demands. Whoever refuses to be led thus but persists in the use of his reason will be offended by the message. He will resent it and forever murmur against it.”

06/30/2025

sDR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS
OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHNs
CHAPTER SIX

46. Not that anyone has seen the Father except Him who is from God; He has seen the Father.

Consequently, when Christ speaks thus of the Father, do not flutter about, do not run away, do not seek God in heaven while you ignore this Man Christ. Outside this Man Christ I must not search for God, and I will find no God. If I do find one, it will not be the true and the right God, but a wrathful one. Thus the Father draws us to the Son by His mouth, His doctrine, and His Word. The doctrine passes from the Father through the Son, and at the same time He thereby draws us to the Son. And when you have Him, you are grasping the very Son of God; and then you see and grasp God the Father Himself. The entire Holy Trinity is known in the Person of Christ. If we come to the Son, we are at the same time with the Father. He who sees the Person born of the Virgin Mary also sees the Son of God, for the Father places the Sons Word and Person before you. This includes all, so that all comes to rest in that Person, lest anyone conceive of God otherwise. Whenever this Person speaks, whenever you hear the Son’s Word and voice, it is God the Father’s voice that speaks and proclaims that the Son was sent into the world for you, suffered and died, etc. With this message He delights your heart and leads you only to Christ. He does not lead you beyond that; nor does the voice of the Father direct you elsewhere when He speaks through the Son.

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 23 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 89.

06/21/2025

sDR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS
OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHNs
CHAPTER SIX

41. The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said: I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42. They said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say: I have come down from heaven?
But now reason appears on the scene and wants to confuse you, saying: “If it is the Father who draws me, then I will let Christ go and preach while I gape heavenward at the Father, waiting for Him to draw me.” No, Christ will not come to you if you do this. He rejects this viewpoint here when He says:

46. Not that anyone has seen the Father except Him who is from God; He has seen the Father.

At first these words seem to say that Christ wants to direct you away from Himself to the Father. But this is not the meaning, as is evident from the context as well as from Christ’s own later interpretation. He wants to say: “You must not push Me aside like that and gape at the Father, waiting for Him to speak to your heart, and meanwhile disregarding Me or just letting Me preach.” Thus the fanatics and the schismatic spirits despise and reject the external Word or the ministry, saying: “The ministry and the external Word have no value, for people do not become more pious or better through it.” True, many people hear the Word and yet remain as evil as they were before. This, however, is because not all those who hear the Word come to Christ. But you must not imitate the fanatics and say: “Well, if the oral Word does not help, then I will retire into my chamber, speculate, and gape until the Father draws me and touches my heart.” Away with your thoughts! Don’t ever do that! The devil has his hand in that. Even if all your meditations were as sweet as sugar, they are still of the devil. Christ says here: “Not that anyone has seen the Father except Him who is from God; He has seen the Father.” “Consequently,” He wants to say, “do not suppose that I mean to say that you should see the Father without Me. No, no! Beware of that; for without Christ you will not come to the Father, and without the Father you cannot be brought to the Son. No one will see the Father without Christ. And now if you want to ascend to the Father, do not leave Christ behind; for if you do, you will not come to Him.”

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 23 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 87–88.

06/16/2025

sDR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS
OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHNs
CHAPTER SIX

41. The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said: I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42. They said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say: I have come down from heaven?
Place this word “Father” in antithesis to any human work, to a holy life, to reason, and to righteousness. They do not draw you to God; they repel you and transform you into a grumbler and wrangler or even drive you to despair. Christ says explicitly: “He alone comes to Me, and he alone finds faith whom the Father draws to Me.”
When God draws us, He is not like a hangman, who drags a thief up the ladder to the gallows; but He allures and coaxes us in a friendly fashion, as a kind man attracts people by his amiability and cordiality, and everyone willingly goes to him. Thus God, too, gently draws people to Himself, so that they abide with Him willingly and happily. Thus He wants to show that we do not come to Him through our wisdom, for that would make you really unwilling. But you come to Him when the Father shows you His great mercy, when He assures you that He will reveal Himself as having sent His Son into the world out of paternal love, as is written John 3:16, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Then you hear that God is not hostile to you, but is your gracious and merciful Father, who gave His Son for you, let Him die for you, and raised Him again from the dead. He directs you to the Son and has Him proclaimed to you. And if this is correctly taught, then we come to Him. That is meant by the expression “to be drawn.”

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 23 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 86–87.

06/11/2025

sDR. MARTIN LUTHER’S EXPOSITION OF THEs
SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS
OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHNs
CHAPTER SIX

41. The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said: I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42. They said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say: I have come down from heaven?

For Christian hearts this is a very consoling and joyful message, although the proclamation that no others will come to Christ sounds offensive, terrible, and unbearable to the schismatic spirits and those who murmur against it. This is true also of the assertion that something else must save us, namely, the bread from heaven, something that does not grow in your heart. It seems insufferable to the ungodly that their own device is to count for nothing. They say: “How about my monastic life, my alms, my holy and ascetic life, my good works?” The only thing you will accomplish with these is to bring the fire of hell down upon your head. “Well, then, are my works all in vain?” Yes, they are absolutely to no purpose. Christ says here that one cannot come to God in this way. Yet you persist in following it, and you use this in an attempt to clamber into heaven.
Therefore this sermon prompts them to murmur; they cannot restrain themselves. It is intolerable to them when I say to Turk, Jew, and pope: “All your works and laws are lost. You stand condemned with all your righteousness.” What do my words provoke? Murmuring, indignation, anger. The Jews will not have their precious wisdom and their Law of Moses accounted null and void; nor will the Turks have their religion rejected. And the monks and papists, too, refuse to have their deeds, their hypocrisy, and their life condemned. The Lord says, as it were: “Why do you suppose I am here? Am I not the Way? You cannot do it; your strength and your works will not help or save you. No one can send himself to Me or believe in Me unless the Father draws him.”

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 6-8, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 23 (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999), 86.