Preaching in the autumn of the Church Year reminds us that in the midst of death there is life, for the crucified King has been raised from the grave and all who trust in Him will live with Him in a kingdom which has no end.
Jesus is the ultimate, endearing, and definitive answer to the world’s problems, not any political party or ideology, nor any religion or the combination of the two.
Confident in the good and gracious will of God revealed not by reason but by Christ, Christians are free for the vocation of citizenship without nationalistic idolatry.
Reconciliation with God affirms the worth of our persons, and it banishes the inhibitions and fears, as well as the resentments and desire for revenge, which create gulches between us and those around us.
Forgiveness is ours, Luther continually proclaimed, because Christ has put His claim on our sins and taken them as His own to the Cross and into His tomb.
This restoration to righteousness that results in our freedom for loving and supporting other people whom God places within our reach takes place, Luther believed, through Christ’s liberating victory over Satan.
In the final analysis it isn’t a matter of whether you use rhetoric, but how. Inasmuch as your preaching is still public speaking...you’re going to get rhetorical.
This is one of the earliest bits of New Testament literature, and the words of this relative of our Savior are inspired and useful for teaching and reproof, for correction and training in righteousness.