"Love the neighbor God drops in your path" Trinity 13 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

"Love the neighbor God drops in your path" Trinity 13 2025

You don’t love God. You don’t love your neighbor. But Jesus does. Jesus loves His Father completely, and Jesus loves His neighbor completely. And then He dies for every failure of yours. He dies for the times you looked away. He dies for the grudges you still carry. He dies for the names you called people in your heart. He dies for your selfishness, your coldness, your Cain-heart. And in exchange, He gives you His heart. His Spirit. His love. Paul says in Romans 5: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” You don’t love by nature. You love by gift. And the gift is Jesus.

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"The blind shall see, the deaf hear, the mute sing, the dead rise!" Wednesday of Trinity 12 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

"The blind shall see, the deaf hear, the mute sing, the dead rise!" Wednesday of Trinity 12 2025

And this is your hope: what He begins here, He will complete on the Last Day. The blind shall see, the deaf hear, the mute sing, the dead rise. For the same Jesus who opened eyes and loosed tongues has conquered death itself. “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Therefore, we join the blind men in their prayer: “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” This is the Church’s daily cry. In sickness, in sorrow, in sin—we cry for mercy. And Christ answers. Not always with a miracle of healing, but always with forgiveness, always with His presence, always with the promise of resurrection.

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Why We Study the Bible
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

Why We Study the Bible

In our busy world full of distractions and daily hustle, it's easy to forget about that amazing book on your shelf or in your phone app: the Bible. As a Lutheran, I believe in Sola Scriptura—that Scripture alone is the top authority for faith and life. But this isn't just for Lutherans; it's a great call for all Christians. Whether you've been following Jesus for years or are just starting to check it out, digging into God's Word can change your life, bring you closer to Christ, and help you handle whatever comes your way. Let's chat about why making time for Bible study is so important—and not just a nice idea.

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The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis VII — September 7, 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis VII — September 7, 2025

Thesis VII — The holy preaching office is the authority, conferred by God through the congregation as the possessor of the priesthood and of all churchly authority, to exercise the rights of the spiritual priesthood in public office on behalf of the congregation.

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His Word went out and the people “were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well.’” Trinity 12 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

His Word went out and the people “were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well.’” Trinity 12 2025

As Jesus cried out, “Ephphatha!” more ears were opened and more tongues confessed. Within eleven years, the congregation had grown so that it called its first teacher, Jakob Brater, to assist the pastor in opening the children’s ears to Christ and His Word. In that same year, some of our own who lived closer to Cascade began a new congregation there. And through fire and plague and Civil War, Jesus continued to open ears and loosen tongues, with new buildings, new congregations, and pastor after pastor. His Word went out and the people of Sherman Center “were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak’” (Mk 7:37).

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The Sacred Value of Everyday Work
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

The Sacred Value of Everyday Work

As we approach Labor Day, it’s worth considering the value of our work. When we think of holy work, our minds often go to pulpits and altars, to missionaries in distant lands or saints who lived extraordinary lives of sacrifice. Yet Martin Luther, in his Small Catechism and throughout the Lutheran Confessions, while upholding church vocations, reminds us that the work of parents, farmers, teachers, mechanics, and office clerks is no less sacred. In fact, it is precisely in these everyday tasks that God delights to serve His world.

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The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis VI — August 31, 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis VI — August 31, 2025

Thesis VI—The preaching confers the preaching office through the congregation as the possessor of all ecclesiastical authority, or the Keys, and through the call that is prescribed by God. The ordination of those who are called with the laying on of hands is not a divine institution but an apostolic, churchly order and only a solemn public confirmation of the call.

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"You are sinner and saint. But in Christ you go home justified!" Trinity 11 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

"You are sinner and saint. But in Christ you go home justified!" Trinity 11 2025

Here, Pharisees and tax collectors, hypocrites and doubters, saints and sinners, come together as one. Here you confess together: “I, a poor miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities.” And here you hear together: “I forgive you.” Here you cry out: “Lord, have mercy.” And here you hear: “Take, eat; take, drink. This is My body, this is My blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Come, then. Come with your shame, your guilt, your fear, your grief. Come as a sinner. Come to the altar where Christ welcomes sinners. And go home justified.

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The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis V & VI — August 24, 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis V & VI — August 24, 2025

The preaching office has the authority to preach the Gospel and administer the holy Sacraments, as well as the authority of spiritual judgment. The preaching office is conferred by God through the congregation as the possessor of all ecclesiastical authority, or the Keys, and through the call that is prescribed by God.

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"Come and See Greater Things!" The Feast of St. Bartholomew 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

"Come and See Greater Things!" The Feast of St. Bartholomew 2025

So when you are tempted to doubt, when you ask, “Can anything good come from this?” hear again the words of Philip: “Come and see.” Come and see Jesus in His Word. Come and see Him in water, in bread, in wine. Come and see heaven opened, angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Come and see your Savior, who sees you, who knows you, who forgives you, and who gives you His Kingdom.

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Why We Study the Bible
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

Why We Study the Bible

As the fall approaches, many Christian communities gather for Bible Study, Sunday School, and confirmation classes, refocusing on the Scriptures. Our congregation of St. John Ev. Lutheran Church and School in Sherman Center have been committed to preaching and teaching the Word for 170 years! However, the new school year also brings distractions and daily demands that can easily overshadow our commitment to studying God's Word.

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“Take your bill, and write zero — you owe nothing, for I have paid it all.” Trinity 9 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

“Take your bill, and write zero — you owe nothing, for I have paid it all.” Trinity 9 2025

Jesus still calls you to His house, calling you away from that. He is wise, zealous, and shrewd — keeps on forgiving you — keeps on calling you His baptized child, keeps on giving you His Body and Blood. And do you know why? “No servant can serve two masters.” You can’t serve two masters — Jesus is your Lord, and He calls you here to His House, constantly reminding you over and over that you are His and that you are forgiven. 

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The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis IV & V
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

The Office of the Holy Ministry: Thesis IV & V

Thesis IV The preaching office is not a special state in opposition to or holier than that of ordinary Christians, as was the Levitical priesthood; rather, it is an office of service.

Thesis V The preaching office has the authority to preach the Gospel and administer the holy Sacraments, as well as the authority of spiritual judgment.

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“How do we defend ourselves against these false prophets?” Trinity 8 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

“How do we defend ourselves against these false prophets?” Trinity 8 2025

The stakes are high, and the Evil One and his demons are relentless. But with your faith firmly grounded in Jesus and your hearts opened to the power of His Word and Sacraments, you can withstand the attacks of an army of false prophets. So be vigilant, bold, and steadfast in your devotion to the One who has already won the victory for you. When you’re with Jesus, with his gospel in your heart, with his promises in your ears, and his body and blood on your tongues and in your guts, you don’t have to budge for anyone. And why would you? You have God’s Word and faith, the ultimate defense against the schemes of the devil. 

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"What makes a Christian a Christian?" Trinity 6 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

"What makes a Christian a Christian?" Trinity 6 2025

There’s only one thing, one person, who makes you a Christian, and it’s not you. It’s Jesus Christ alone through the work of the Holy Spirit for you because the Father wants it. That’s the only thing that translates sinners into Christ’s kingdom.

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"No one is righteous, and Christ alone, the righteous one, makes you righteous" Trinity 4 2025
Christopher Gillespie Christopher Gillespie

"No one is righteous, and Christ alone, the righteous one, makes you righteous" Trinity 4 2025

Think of it this way: Sinners in yourself. Saint in Christ. This is the only freedom to live in this old, dying world with its partial forgiveness and petty mercies. This freedom allows you to live in a world that either forgets its sins too easily or can't seem to let them go. So you trust God absolutely when you pray: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

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