This week on the word of the Lord endorsed forever we finish Zephania with Israel's joy and

restoration and then move to First Timothy with introduction using the law lawfully Christ comes to save sinners and shipwreck of faith.

Join me, Pastor Will Wheaton, for the word of the Lord indoors forever, your daily 15 minute

verse by verse Bible Bible study on demand.

Listen at the Wordendores.org or your favorite podcast provider. What is the purpose of the sermon on Sunday morning?

Is it just a standalone opportunity for the pastor

to explain what the Bible means

on any particular subject or text, does it fit into the divine

service? And is that liturgy that it sits right in the middle of? Is it just a

collection of rights and rituals? Kind of a random collection of things the church has always

done. Or is there some rhyme and reason to it as well? Joining us to talk about the

purpose of the sermon and the divine service Dr.

John Bumbaro, he's senior pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Lafayette, Indiana,

an author of a recent column titled The Sermon as Lingepin.

Dr. Bumbaro, welcome back. It's nice to be back with you, Todd. Since we last spoke, you have

relocated. Tell us about your most recent call to Lafayette, Indiana. The good people at St. James Lutheran Church in Lafayette have called me to be

their senior pastor. I was installed on 18 August with the Reverend Dr Arthur Juss preaching the installation sermon.

It was wonderful to have a number of students from Fort Wayne Seminary also to come out and visit.

St James is a legacy congregation of the LCMS. We'll be celebrating our

175th anniversary next year, just one year shy of the oldest congregations in the

LCMS. Our school is transitioning, becoming classical next year,

launching that. We're experiencing both growth in the congregation and in the school. It's wonderful to be part of a great team here. The welcome by the congregation and to Lafayette, Indiana has been warm and wonderful. I want to say the same thing about the circuit to the Reverend Danny Eggold is here as our circuit visitor and he's coordinated a warm welcome for me and integration into the area and we're looking to make a big splash in the years that come.

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