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

The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

October 18, 2026

St. Matthew 22:1-14

Weddings are joyous celebrations that bring together friends, family, and sometimes a community.

However, while weddings tend to focus on the bride and groom, today’s parable tells the story of two types of wedding guests: those invited but who don’t come, and those who do come...

The Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity

October 11, 2026

Text: Matthew 9:1-8

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

Today’s Gospel is one of the most explicit texts you’ll hear about the forgiveness of sins.

The Christian Church is centered and grounded in forgiveness, secured for you by Jesus Christ upon the cross. From the cross, forgive...

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

October 4, 2026

St. Matthew 22:34-46

Before this morning’s Gospel reading, the Sadducees debated with Jesus about the resurrection. However, Jesus silenced their inquiry, and now the Pharisees have arrived to ask Jesus a question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

The text says these sch...

The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels (Observed)

St. Matthew 18:1-11

September 27, 2026

What images come to mind when you hear the word “angel"? Go ahead and take a moment to picture an angel in your mind.

I wonder what the angel you imagined looked like…

Was it cute? Was it a man, a woman, or a child? Did it have wings? Or a long ...

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

September 20, 2026

St. Luke 7:11-17

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The famous novelist Agatha Christie once wrote,

“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

September 13, 2026

Matthew 6:24-34

Today’s Gospel is a well-known passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He says, “Do not be anxious.”

These words are in the imperative; they are an order.

Do not be anxious, you who have gone back to school and are learning that middle school, high sch...

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

September 6, 2026

Galatians 5:16-24

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This weekend usually marks the end of summer, but the meteorological calendar indicates summer still has a few weeks before fall begins. It’s also Labor Day Weekend, offering one last chance to visit the lake, go to a water park, or enjoy a picnic — a perfect excuse to take a break from work. 

The first L...

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

August 30, 2026

Mark 6:14-29

I already know you may not appreciate the cover on today’s bulletin. It appears graphic: a head on a platter; it’s just sitting there, staring back at you. You heard the story in the Gospel with your ears, but seeing it, seeing the head of John the Baptist before you, that’s another story. Why would we use such an image on the bulletin cover?

Ch...

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

August 23, 2026

Mark 7:31-37

Have you ever found yourself speaking to someone and they don’t hear you?

You know their hearing works well, but strangely, they don’t seem to listen to you. They miss instructions, conversations, and what’s being taught. While some say a person has selective hearing, this is actually about the brain focusing on one person in a noisy environment, not ...

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

August 16, 2026

Luke 18:9-14

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

C.S. Lewis once wrote in his book Mere Christianity, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”

This quote brilliantly captures what pride does to the heart of man, how pride leads man to believe he is superior t...

The Funeral of Stanley Martin Schleusener

August 10, 2026

Dear Marilyn, family, friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ Jesus, grace, mercy, and peace be unto you this day.

It’s always interesting to sit with members in their homes, you learn so much about them, you hear about their childhoods, their likes and dislikes, the jobs they had, the love they have for a spouse, their children, and grandchildren.

You also get to ...

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity

August 4, 2024

Text: Luke 19:41-48

Whenever this Gospel is mentioned, I always think it’s important to reflect on the time when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. 

Armies had surrounded the city on each side, and the walls were torn down; no stone was left unturned. The inhabitants were slaughtered, crucified, and dismembered as blood filled the streets, and the utter destruction of...

The Ninth Sunday after Trinity

August 2, 2026

Luke 16:1-13

This past week, we finished another year of family night. The theme of our Family Nights was stewardship. Coincidentally, the Gospel reading today is called the “Parable of the Unjust Steward.”

The purpose of Family Nights this year was to teach children how to be stewards in many areas of daily life, to care for their families through food, home, and resource...

Mark 10:35-45

We all have questions, but are we willing to ask them?

What keeps you from asking questions? Are you afraid that the other person might think your question is too simple or silly? Are you worried about how they might respond? What if you already know the answer? Or, of course, maybe the person you’re asking doesn’t know the answer, or doesn’t have the authority or permission to answer your questio...

July 12, 2026

The readings today really provide a nice little sermon for us to ponder.

The Old Testament gives us the Law, including the Ten Commandments. The Epistle explains how we should be dead to sin and alive to God. Finally, the Gospel shows how Jesus fulfilled the Law. 

For this sermon, we will start with the Old Testament reading from Exodus. These words from God remind Israel of how He rescued them from Egyptian s...

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity

July 5, 2026

Luke 5:1-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Yesterday, the country paused for fireworks, picnics, and celebrations. But why? It was our nation's Independence Day. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, some 250 years ago in 1776, a document few continue to read, but many will quote these words, “We h...

The Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul

June 29, 2026

Matthew 16:13-19

+INJ+

As we celebrate the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, maybe you are wondering, why?

Why would we observe this date in the Church’s calendar? Do we need to? No.

Is observing this day worthwhile? Absolutely.

But why?

Well, if you were to open your hymnals to the roman numeral page xii, you’d read,

Our churches teach that the remembrance of th...

Trinity 3

June 20, 2021

Luke 15:1-10

This past week, I was at Fort McCoy for a promotion ceremony, and it reminded me of the days I traveled to the base for military training.

One of the basic skills a soldier must learn early in their military training is land navigation. Technology is great, but if you can't find your way with a compass and a map, you might be in serious trouble when the batteries die or GPS goes dark. 

A...

The Second Sunday after Trinity

June 14, 2026

Proverbs 9:1-10 & Luke 14:15-24

The first reading this morning came from the book of Proverbs. In many ways, the book of Proverbs can be difficult to understand. A reason for this is that a proverb often requires the reader to meditate on it to grasp its deep meaning and truth. 

You see, proverbs are usually short sayings that express deep, universal truths regarding life.

S...