The Shepherd’s Voice – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tomah, WI Podcast Por Good Shepherd Lutheran Church - Tomah WI arte de portada

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

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

De: 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. Cristianismo Espiritualidad Ministerio y Evangelismo
Episodios
  • The Second Sunday After Easter | John 20:19-31 | The Conflicts of Faith

    The Second Sunday After Easter | John 20:19-31 | The Conflicts of Faith
    Apr 12 2026
    Easter 2 April 12, 2026 John 20:19-31 Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Disappointment, grief, and fear are difficult feelings to process. Certainly, you’ve experienced a time when you loved someone so deeply that you couldn’t imagine life without them. There are others you’ve trusted in life so completely that you’d follow them anywhere. And there are people you’ve depended on for their steady advice during tough times, and now you feel lost without them — like you’ve lost your sense of direction, and you would have followed them anywhere. You can experience these feelings of disappointment, grief, and fear after a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or the death of a spouse. Maybe you and a close friend had a falling out. Or, in other situations, a confidant or a pastor was called away to shepherd a different flock. These situations are difficult for everyone. They often cloud a person’s thinking. For instance, grief can lead to brain fog, memory loss, and rollercoaster emotions. One moment you’re happy, and the next you’re crying or screaming. The body may become physically exhausted, and you may even experience digestive issues, sleep deprivation, and cardiovascular problems known as broken heart syndrome. These darknesses and their shadows lead you onto new paths filled with distorted realities. In these moments, your faith is tested—faith in man, faith in God. You might wonder, is this what is occurring with Thomas in today’s Gospel? After all, earlier in the Gospel of John, Thomas was not known to be the doubter he is in today’s reading. No, instead, he was bold as he said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we might die with [Jesus].” (John 11:16) Where were the disciples headed here? Where is the location Thomas mentions? They were going to the tomb of Lazarus, to the place where life and death confront each other, the site where faith and hope struggle, and where Thomas believes death and martyrdom await him and the others. What happened to this Thomas? The death of Jesus shattered his hopes and dreams, taking away his rabbi and teacher—somebody he depended on and believed in to rescue and save him and the others from oppression, want, and need. Thomas would have followed Jesus anywhere... Surely you can relate to this, Thomas. Surely you’ve felt like Thomas. Some of you might not even blame him for being full of doubt and unbelief. This is, after all, what has happened here: bold Thomas has become doubting Thomas because he no longer believed in Jesus, His Word, because he could not see his Savior with his eyes or touch Him with his hands. The Church Father, Gregory the Great, wrote regarding today’s Gospel, It was not an accident that [Thomas] was not present (with the eleven). The divine mercy ordained that a doubting disciple should, by feeling in his Master the wounds of the flesh, heal in us the wounds of unbelief. The unbelief of Thomas is more profitable to our faith than the belief of the other disciples. For the touch by which he is brought to believe confirms our minds in belief, beyond all question. (Gregory the Great) Alright, so what is Gregory the Great saying here? He is saying, the doubting faith of Thomas is for us, for you. Gregory is saying that Thomas placed his finger into the print of the nails and his hand into the side of Jesus for your faith. Which raises another difficulty: understanding God’s will and timing throughout life. Why did my high school sweetheart break up with me? She was my everything. Why did God take my spouse to be with Him? I need them. Why did God permit me to have such a falling out with my dear friend? Why did God take away the pastor who understood me the most and always pointed me in the right direction? The answer to these questions is rarely what you desire or want, because when disappointment, grief, and fear arise, as they did for Thomas, you rarely think clearly and often find your faith wavering at best. However, through the example of Thomas today, we see that these instances are opportunities for us to trust, have faith, and cling to Jesus’ Word all the more. And this is what St. John says in the closing verse of the Gospel as he wrote, And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31) This belief and faith are how you place your fingers with Thomas into the print of the nails and your hand into the side of your Savior. Remember from last week, Jesus never stops being the crucified, and for this reason, every time you enter this sanctuary through the remembrance of your baptism, you enter the cross of Christ the crucified. When you receive God’s forgiveness through the absolution and the ...
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    10 m
  • The Festival of Easter | Mark 16:1-8 | Jesus is Preparing You for Resurrection

    The Festival of Easter | Mark 16:1-8 | Jesus is Preparing You for Resurrection
    Apr 5 2026
    The Festival of Easter April 5, 2026 Mark 16:1-8 Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Since ancient times, family members have cared for their loved ones’ bodies after death. The family washed the body, dressed or wrapped it in linen shrouds, and surrounded it with incense, spices, and costly ointments. These practices of using pleasant fragrances served a practical purpose, masking the smell of death, as it was common for loved ones not only to carry the body to the family tomb but also to spend time with the deceased in the burial chamber. On a different level, these practices of caring for the deceased also served as therapy, helping family members cope with their grief. In ways many of us are unaware of today, this process enables the living to accept the death of a loved one, gives purpose in caring for and dressing the body for burial, provides time to say goodbye, and ensures that rituals and dignity are maintained throughout the burial preparations. The idea of using a funeral home, embalming, and paying others to prepare a loved one’s body is fairly recent, emerging within the last one hundred to two hundred years. But this morning, as we heard in the Gospel, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were walking to the tomb where Jesus was laid to continue the burial and ritual process that had begun in haste on Good Friday. They bought and brought additional spices to the tomb, since the smell and stench of death would likely have started emanating from the body. You can assume that their walk to the tomb was rather slow, as they probably lacked joy in the tasks ahead. No one enjoys the journey to the grave, whether on foot or in a hearse. No one. Because we understand that when we leave the grave, this is where the deceased will stay. We will depart, life will continue, but the dead remain. But that’s why the morning’s Gospel is so surprising and exciting—because the women went to the tomb to care for Jesus’ body, but it wasn’t there. No, instead, what they see is an angel clothed in white, who announces to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.” What wonderful words for their ears to hear. What wonderful words for our ears to hear. Now, there are a few things we can learn from the words of the angel. First, he says, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” We often like to disconnect the crucifixion from the resurrection, yet even in the earliest words announcing the resurrection of Jesus, it is clear that He remains the crucified. With Romans 4 in mind, St. Paul reveals this profound link between the crucifixion and resurrection as he says, “[Jesus] was delivered for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:25) So, what is Paul saying here? He explains that Jesus was crucified to pay the penalty for your sins, every one of them. But His resurrection now demonstrates His power over the grave, confirming that forgiveness is available to those who believe in Him. It also assures you, the faithful, that when the time comes, you will not remain in the grave, but like Christ, you too will rise from the dead. And this is the great news of Easter, that “Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.” In a way, on Easter, we all become Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome as we come to this sanctuary. While we do not bring spices and ointments for His burial, we do bring songs of praise as we seek and celebrate the resurrected Jesus who is here as He has promised. This journey we are on, whether alone or with others, is also a preparation for our own death in Christ—the grave we enter through our baptisms—shaping not just the body but also the soul, for eternal rest and new life in the resurrection with Christ Jesus. And this is why we come and return to this sanctuary as often as possible, for Christ Jesus to prepare our bodies and souls for our deaths and burials. To die to our sins, to walk away from the devil and the grave. To be clothed and made ready to be raised in forgiveness and new life, every Sunday and Lord’s Day. My friends in Christ, as the days go by, don’t let today or the next funeral of a loved one be the last time you journey here or walk past the font where Jesus, the crucified, placed His name upon you and made you a partaker of His resurrection. Instead, come back—come back often—to where Jesus has promised He is present for you for the forgiveness of sin. Come and sing praises to your heavenly King, come and receive the foretaste of heaven prepared for you at this rail, come, rejoice, and confess with your brothers and sisters in Christ and the whole company of heaven... O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, ...
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    9 m
  • The Great Easter Vigil | The Church has Always Kept Watch

    The Great Easter Vigil | The Church has Always Kept Watch
    Apr 5 2026

    The Great Easter Vigil

    April 4, 2026

    Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

    The Psalmist writes, “My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:6)

    Since the beginning of time and the fall into sin, mankind has been keeping watch for its redemption.

    In fact, the entirety of Scripture is nothing but the prayer of the Psalmist, “My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:6)

    The image the Psalmist is painting for the reader is that of a vigil.

    Honestly, vigils are not that foreign to us, are they?

    We keep vigil when a woman is near giving birth.

    We keep vigil for a child’s return late at night.

    We keep vigil for the soldier overseas.

    We keep vigil for the one who is ill.

    We keep vigil when death draws near.

    The idea of keeping watch, of keeping vigil, is ingrained in the rhythms of life.

    It began with Adam and Eve as they waited for a seed, born of woman, to crush the serpent’s head. It continued with Israel as they observed the Lord’s Passover and remembered His promise to redeem them. And it was fulfilled in the coming of the Christ Child that first Christmas.

    The Church is no different; throughout its history, it has always gathered in the darkness of night, with candles and torches in hand, as a reminder that the Light of Christ will scatter the darkness of sin and this world. (1 Corinthians 4:5)

    You see this most clearly when we gather on Christmas Eve in the darkness to pray, sing Silent Night, and wait for the birth of the Christ Child.

    It really shouldn’t surprise you that, when we gather to celebrate the birth of Christ, we would also come together on this most holy of nights to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and to welcome the new life given to man through His resurrection.

    As St. Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3)

    This is why, throughout the centuries, this night has been dedicated to baptizing and confirming catechumens and students of the faith, symbolizing their transition from the darkness of unbelief into the light of faith and new life.

    This is a night for you to recount God’s mercy through the reading of Scripture to His entire Church. It is a night of new birth and the remembrance of your baptism. It is a night for the light of Christ to dawn upon you, His creatures who are in need of rescuing.

    So don’t be shy, but out of the darkness of your life, remain ready and learn to pray with the Psalmist and the Church, “My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:6)

    Pray in the night of waiting, pray at the time of anguish and yearning, pray when death draws near.

    But then rejoice, because morning has come, your Savior has risen from the dead, and He has an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance for you in heaven.

    So, rejoice and greet this happy day, saying…

    Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

    Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

    Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

    Rev. Noah J. Rogness

    Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

    Tomah, WI

    Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Website: www.goodsheptomah.org

    The Shepherd’s Voice Podcast: https://goodsheptomah.podbean.com/
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    6 m
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