Pastor Ike

Ash Wednesday: From Cheers to Jeers

From the green branches of Palm Sunday to the ashes of Lent, the Church walks a sobering path of truth and mercy. In this Ash Wednesday sermon, “From Cheers to Jeers,” we hear how quickly our cries of “Hosanna” become hearts in need of repentance - and how the Lord’s call, “Yet even now, return to Me,” is spoken to sinners who cannot fix themselves.
This message proclaims the full weight of the Law that reduces our false righteousness to ashes, and the even greater Gospel of Christ, who entered the fire of judgment in our place. Marked with the cross, our ashes are no longer a sign of despair, but of Baptism, forgiveness, and the sure promise of the resurrection.
This is a sermon about coming home - returning not to a season or a feeling, but to a gracious and merciful God who already comes to us in His Word, His absolution, and His Supper. Dust we are, yet in Christ, dust is not the end.

Quinguagesima: Love that Gives Faith

This sermon for the Gesimatide season speaks tenderly to the question that so often rises in the midst of suffering: Does God really love me? Drawing us into St. Paul’s great chapter on faith, hope, and love, in I Corinthians 13, it moves us away from the burden of trying to produce a stronger faith and anchors us instead in the love that comes down from God in Christ.
Here the wounded conscience is directed not inward to feelings or outward to circumstances, but to the font, the pulpit, and the altar- where the crucified and risen Lord continues to give what He promises. In a time when many measure God’s love by their experiences, this sermon proclaims the enduring comfort of the Gospel: even weak and trembling faith saves, because it clings to a strong Savior, and the love that is greatest is the love that remains for you in Him.

Sexagesima: Scripture Alone

2 Corinthians 11:19—12:9 | Pre-Lent – Scripture Alone
In the season of Pre-Lent, the Church begins turning our eyes toward the cross through the great themes of the Reformation: Grace Alone, Scripture Alone, Faith Alone. This sermon focuses on Scripture Alone, not as a slogan or debate point, but as a deep comfort for weak and suffering sinners.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul confronts a church captivated by impressive leaders, spiritual experiences, and visible strength. Against that backdrop, Paul does something shocking: he boasts—not in success or power, but in weakness. He refuses to ground his authority in visions or spiritual achievements and instead directs the Church to the one thing that truly carries Christ’s power: His spoken Word.
At the center of the text stands Christ’s promise to Paul in the midst of his suffering: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That Word- not a miracle, not an experience, not inner strength—becomes Paul’s comfort, theology, and confidence.
This sermon shows how Scripture Alone anchors faith outside of ourselves, protects weary consciences, and teaches us where Christ is found when life hurts and strength fails. God’s power does not arrive in spectacle or success, but hidden in weakness - delivered through the sure and saving Word of the crucified and risen Lord.

Septuagesima: Grace Isn’t Fair

Why do Jesus’ stories about grace so often make us uncomfortable?
In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, the problem isn’t injustice - It’s generosity. In Matthew 20:1-16, the landowner gives the same wage to those who worked all day and those who came at the last hour. And suddenly, grace feels offensive.
On this Pre-Lent Sunday (Septuagesima), the Church begins turning our eyes toward the cross by confronting the hardest truth for the human heart: salvation is not earned, compared, or deserved. It is given. Freely. Extravagantly. Equally.This sermon explores why that clashes so deeply with our instincts, why the Reformation insisted on grace alone, and why that same grace is our only comfort when our conscience, the devil, or our own comparisons tell us we haven’t done enough.
In the vineyard of Christ’s kingdom, the wage is the same for all - because the payment was made by One alone.

Transfiguration Sunday: When You Don’t “Feel It”

Matthew 17:1–9
Peter wants to stay on the mountain.
Bathed in light. Surrounded by glory. Standing in one of the most breathtaking spiritual moments of his life, he blurts out what we all would have been thinking: “Lord, it is good that we are here.” And then he makes a plan - build shelters, preserve the moment, hold on to the experience.
But while Peter is still talking, God interrupts him.
“This is my beloved Son… listen to Him.”
This sermon explores the clash between our natural desire for a theology of glory - a faith built on visible power, emotional highs, and spiritual experiences - and God’s insistence on a theology of the cross, where His true glory is revealed not in dazzling light, but in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Sometimes God’s interruptions are His greatest mercy. He stops us from mistaking feelings for faith, spectacle for truth, and success for salvation. He redirects us to Christ crucified - the place where sin is forgiven, death is defeated, and real glory is found.
When the shining fades and only Jesus remains, we discover that He is enough.

Epiphany 2: What Marriage Reveals

Moses once asked God a dangerous question: “Show me your glory.” What he received was not clarity, control, or mastery - but mercy. In this sermon, that moment becomes a lens for understanding marriage, sin, and the Gospel itself. As Scripture exposes how love and submission prove difficult for us, it also reveals a deeper truth: marriage is not a test of our strength, but a place where Christ shows His faithfulness. This message is honest, confronting, and ultimately freeing - because it does not rest on what we give to God or to one another, but on what Christ has already given for us.

CCLS Chapel - Baptism of our Lord

Before Jesus preached, healed, or went to the cross, God spoke: “You are my beloved Son.” That moment matters - not just for Jesus, but for us. At the Baptism of Our Lord, we are reminded that God’s love is not a reward for good behavior or strong performance. It is a gift given first.
In this sermon, we reflected on how our world - and especially school life - constantly defines us by grades, achievements, reputations, and the opinions of others. But baptism gives us a deeper, steadier identity. We are not defined by how others see us, or even how we see ourselves, but by how God sees us in Christ.
Because we are baptized into Christ, God names us His beloved children before we prove anything. From that gift flows sanctification: not earning God’s pleasure, but living and growing as those who already belong to Him. When voices of pressure, failure, or doubt grow loud, we are invited to return to our baptism - where God has already spoken His final and forgiving word.

Epiphany 1 - Grace in Desolation

What does it mean when the twelve-year-old Jesus stays behind in the Temple?
Luke tells us this account not simply to show us a remarkable child, but to reveal who Jesus truly is - the Son who claims His Father’s house. Set during the Passover, this moment draws together the whole story of God dwelling with His people: from the Tabernacle in the wilderness, to Solomon’s Temple filled with glory, to Christ Himself standing in the midst of His Father’s house.
This sermon explores how the God who once filled the Temple with cloud and glory now comes to us in flesh and blood, and how that same Lord still comes to us today with forgiveness and life. In a world where sin and desolation are real, this text proclaims with clarity and comfort that God’s grace is just as real - and that He always comes to His people where He has promised to be found.

Christmas 2- When God Calls Us into the Enemy’s Territory

What does faith look like when God leads us into danger instead of away from it? In this sermon, “When God Calls Us into the Enemy’s Territory,” we follow the aging patriarch Jacob as God calls him to leave the land of promise and journey down into Egypt—a place marked by fear, failure, and future suffering. From a human perspective, it feels like retreat. From God’s perspective, it is grace at work.
Drawing from Genesis 46, this sermon explores how God meets His people in weakness, not strength; in fear, not confidence. The Law exposes our sin and helplessness, while the Gospel proclaims the astonishing promise: “I myself will go down with you.” Ultimately, this is fulfilled in Christ, who enters the ultimate enemy territory - the cross - and brings His people out again through resurrection. This sermon proclaims the comfort that when God calls us into hard and frightening places, we never go alone.

The funeral of Gilbert Wohlk

The funeral sermon from the funeral service for Gilbert Wohlk.