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Page de couverture de The Shepherd’s Voice – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tomah, WI

The Shepherd’s Voice – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tomah, WI

The Shepherd’s Voice – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tomah, WI

Auteur(s): Good Shepherd Lutheran Church - Tomah WI
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Welcome to The Shepherd’s Voice, the podcast ministry of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Tomah, Wisconsin. Each episode shares Christ-centered preaching, Bible teaching, and encouragement for your walk of faith. Rooted in the historic Lutheran confession, we proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins.

Whether you’re a lifelong Lutheran, exploring the Christian faith, or seeking hope in daily life, The Shepherd’s Voice offers clear Law and Gospel preaching, devotionals, and reflections grounded in God’s Word.

Join us as we lift high the cross of Christ and connect listeners to the Shepherd who knows His sheep by name.

Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Christianisme Pastorale et évangélisme Spiritualité
Épisodes
  • The Second Sunday after Epiphany | John 2:1-11 | Marriage is for the Journey to Heaven

    The Second Sunday after Epiphany | John 2:1-11 | Marriage is for the Journey to Heaven
    Jan 18 2026
    The Second Sunday after Epiphany January 18, 2026 John 2:1-11 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This past fall, I officiated a wedding in Nashville, TN, and the groom requested an interesting wedding hymn, “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing.” As I mentioned then, the hymn selection was unusual for a wedding; I had never sung it for such an occasion. However, as I ponder the hymn’s story of being brought to the eternal wedding feast of Jesus, it began to make sense. The hymn, “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing,” encourages us to look beyond this earthly life toward the destination where the gift of marriage is meant to accompany us. Eternal life with Jesus. Now, I share with couples who are getting married in premarital counseling a rather lengthy quote from the Church Father St. John Chrysostom, who died in the 5th century; his words speak to the purpose of their journey. But it remains worth hearing in its entirety. He writes, Some say that marriage was ordained by God as a blessing to the human race. Others say that marriage is a necessary evil for those who cannot restrain their sexual appetites. In truth it is impossible to speak in such ways about marriage in general; we can only make judgments about particular marriages. There are some marriages which bring great blessings to the husband and the wife, to their children, and to all their neighbors. But there are other marriages which seem to bring few blessings to anyone. The difference between these two types of marriages lies in the spirit with which the bond was forged and is maintained. If a man and a woman marry to satisfy their sexual appetites, or to further the material aims of themselves or their families, then their union is unlikely to bring blessings. But if a man and a woman marry in order to be companions on the journey through earth to heaven, then their union will bring great joy to themselves and to others. With this lens, Chrysostom saw marriage as a gift for man and woman to forge and maintain, to journey and be led through this valley of life on earth to the eternal joys of heaven, to the Lamb’s High Feast, and this changes the lens in which we view marriage, doesn’t it? Marriage is a celebration of a man and a woman being united and becoming one, and it’s for this reason that, should a divorce or separation of husband and wife occur, it’s so painful. Marriage is for the procreation and gift of children, but also to console one another when children are not given. Marriage is for the encouragement of the Christian faith, to learn to pray not only for one another, but with one another. Marriage is for a man and a woman to support each other through burdens, whether it’s losing a job, caring for aging parents, or them dying, dealing with erring and rebellious children, or caring for each other during illness. Marriage is a gift for this earthly life. If you recall, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Sadducees approach and ask Jesus about the resurrection by posing a question to Jesus. They say, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22:24-30) In light of these words of Jesus, marriage is a gift for this life, for the companionship along the way to eternity. And viewing marriage through this lens should change how you speak, approach, and conduct yourself in this blessed estate. Do you argue and fight among one another? Do you speak unkindly to one another? Are you short with one another? Confess your sin, reconcile, and be at peace in Christ Jesus at once. Have you gone through trials and tribulations? Has cancer, illness, or has aging caused unexpected struggles and crosses in your marriage? Learn to pray together, read God’s Word together, and bear one another’s burdens so your faith can be strengthened. This way, you can support each other as companions on the journey through this life to the eternal joys of heaven. Have you begrudged the children God has entrusted to you? Do you see them as commodities to be entertained or as a means for you to live out your dreams? Stop this and confess this sin of idolatry and recognize them as the unique and precious treasures they are from the Lord. The Gospel this morning shows how much God loves marriage. If you step back, you’ll see that all of Scripture is the story of ...
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    11 min
  • The Funeral of Sharon Herried

    The Funeral of Sharon Herried
    Jan 15 2026
    The Funeral of Sharon Herried January 15, 2026 Psalm 23 Dear Don, family, friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ Jesus, grace, mercy, and peace be unto you this day. Psalm 23 is probably the most well-known of all the Psalms. Since many children learn the Psalm early in life, many people can recite and pray it from memory throughout their entire lives. This highlights a frequently overlooked aspect of the Psalm: it’s meant to be prayed as one journeys toward the grave. It’s a Psalm for the sojourner as they walk each day. Just reflect on verse 2 as we prayed, He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Who is taking the lead here? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is leading His flock to where the good pasture resides. But a challenging part of this journey is highlighted in verse 4, where the Psalmist prayed, a verse that has become one of the most well-known in Scripture. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. In reality, most of our lives unfold in the shadow of death. This was true of our sister Sharon, whose illnesses caused her to be in and out of the hospital over the past years, going from one doctor’s appointment to another, as she wrestled with the growing shadows of death that drew near. But the valleys and shadows of death aren’t purely physical; they’re also mental, emotional, and spiritual. And for this reason, Sharon was not alone on this journey to the grave; everyone who cared for her was affected by the shadows of the mental, emotional, and spiritual valleys she experienced. Or, to put it another way, everyone who made this journey with Sharon supported her in carrying the crosses of her life. In light of this, the passage that comes to mind here is when St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) This is what you did, Don, as you cared for Sharon. You bore the shadows, valleys, burdens, and crosses of Sharon’s life with her, just as you both committed to do when you married on January 22, 1966; the two of you became one flesh. And from that day forward you learned together to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) In other words, the law of Christ can be most simply summarized as love for one another. And the most vivid image of this love is seen in the sacrificial death of Jesus, the bridegroom, for His bride, the Church, upon the cross. Honestly, to understand the valley and the shadow of death, one must view it through the lens of the cross and the Passion of our Lord. It’s truly remarkable. After Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was led through the valley of the shadow of death for your sake. You see, the Kidron Valley, where Jesus was led on His way to trial, is the place where the blood of sacrificed lambs from Passover flowed. So, as Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley, He not only walked in the shadows of death but also foreshadowed how He would pass over and conquer death for you by journeying to the cross as the great Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Throughout these days entrusted to you in this life, you are called to follow Jesus even now to His cross. This journey begins at the font of Holy Baptism, a journey that Sharon began in May of 1946 when she was baptized and united in the death and resurrection of her Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, she still had to journey from the font to the day her Savior called her into His eternal presence. But every time she confessed her sins in order to receive God’s forgiveness, she was led back to green pastures and still waters; she was guided like all lambs to where God is present for them in His Word and in the flesh and blood of Jesus, a foretaste of that great meal prepared in the presence of her enemies. And who or what were those enemies? Cancer, chronic illness, broken relationships, and the burdens of mental, emotional, and spiritual crosses. These aren’t just facets of a broken world and lives, but the ongoing consequence of the broken relationship between our first parents, Adam and Eve, and their God and our God. For Sharon, these struggles stem not only from our first parents’ sin but also from the sin that resided within her. Yet, because she returned to the font and confessed her sin, she heard the voice of the Good Shepherd; she had confidence in knowing He was with her, even while she was homebound. You see, Jesus came to her in His Word as it was read at her bedside and in the Lord’s Supper as it was placed upon her lips and gave her His forgiveness. It’s a forgiveness that remains for you today. In a wonderful way, you walk the same path...
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    8 min
  • The Baptism of Our Lord | Matthew 3:13-17 | Baptism Means a Life of Prayer

    The Baptism of Our Lord | Matthew 3:13-17 | Baptism Means a Life of Prayer
    Jan 12 2026
    The Baptism of our Lord January 11, 2026 Matthew 3:13-17 We Lutherans talk about Baptism a lot, don’t we? But over the years, how we talk about baptism has influenced our view of this sacrament and blessed gift. Simply saying “I was baptized” shifts our perspective on baptism. While there is a specific moment—a date—when you were baptized, if you only see “I was baptized” as just a historical event, it can lead you to view baptism as a human act. This perspective makes baptism seem more like a family tradition rather than a sacred rite and sacrament of the Church. In turn, this affects how families and the Church see Confirmation and its link to baptism. Because if baptism is just a family event, a civic duty, or a way to get grandma and grandpa off your back, then what happens to Confirmation? It also becomes a family event, a civic duty, a coming-of-age, or, worse, a graduation where the individual is led to believe they’ve achieved something and no longer need to return to the font of Christ where His Word and forgiveness is present for them. But if you examine the rite of Confirmation, it reflects maturity in the Christian’s faith, an acknowledgment of the ongoing gifts God grants in Holy Baptism and continues to give today. So, in a way, confirmation is a time for the Christian, often the younger ones, to learn how to confess and clearly express the gift and faith received in Holy Baptism. And for this reason, we rightly say with Martin Luther, “I am baptized,” because the baptismal life of the Christian is an ongoing reality that extends beyond any single day, leading the Christian to continually confess their sin, drown the Old Adam, receive Christ’s forgiveness, and walk in holiness, guiding them toward eternal life. However, the often-overlooked importance of Baptism can be best emphasized by these words of encouragement from Luther, as he wrote, In all Christian earnestness, I would ask all those who administer Baptism, who hold the children, or witness it, to take this wonderful work to heart in all its seriousness. For here, in the words of these prayers, you hear how meekly and earnestly the Christian Church concerns itself about the little child and how it confesses before God in plain undoubting words that he is possessed by the devil and is a child of sin and wrath, and prays very diligently for aid and grace through Baptism that he may become a child of God. Remember, then, that it is no joke to take sides against the devil and not only to drive him away from the little child, but to burden the child with such a mighty and lifelong enemy. What a burden, indeed. For the baptized child of God to face such a mighty and lifelong enemy as Satan. This is why Luther continued, Remember too that it is very necessary to aid the poor child with all your heart and strong faith, earnestly to intercede for him or her that God, in accordance with this prayer, would not only free him from the power of the devil, but also strengthen him, so that he may nobly resist the devil in life and death. Luther concludes by saying, And I suspect that people turn out so badly after Baptism because our concern for them has been cold and careless; we, at their Baptism, interceded for them without zeal. Here you can see how Luther encourages Christians to view Baptism as more than just a sentimental moment or the latest reason to gather friends and family. Because those who are baptized are now united with Christ Jesus, they also become enemies of the devil. Therefore, Luther encourages Christians to pray for the poor child with all their heart. I wonder how often parents, grandparents, godparents, sponsors, congregations, or even pastors sit down and pray for the faith of the children baptized in the name of Jesus. What follows the Gospel reading this morning—the Baptism of Jesus—is the temptation of Jesus. It’s the time when Jesus is led into the wilderness for forty days and nights to be tempted by the devil. What happens to Jesus after being baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist is exactly what happens to every child of God who becomes a son or daughter of the heavenly Father. A life of temptation from the Evil One himself, as he seeks to lead you to hunger and thirst for things that are not given to you in this life, or to tempt God’s care for you as he invites you to test your heavenly Father or lead you away from His Church, or to seek false power and glory in this life that have not been granted to you. However, while man often depends on their own weak powers to resist the temptations faced throughout this life’s wildernesses, Jesus depends on the Words of His heavenly Father. And in a way, it points us back to His baptism, where His Father spoke over Him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Father is pleased because His Son is obedient and fulfills His will to ...
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    12 min
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