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More Than 30 Killed as Islamists Target Christian Communities in Benue State, Nigeria More than 30 people were killed in Benue State, Nigeria, as Islamist terrorists unleashed three days of violence ... View MoreMore Than 30 Killed as Islamists Target Christian Communities in Benue State, Nigeria More than 30 people were killed in Benue State, Nigeria, as Islamist terrorists unleashed three days of violence against Christian communities. The killings are just the latest massacre in what Nigerian church leaders have called a “genocide” of Nigerian Christians. Barnabas Aid estimates that at least 45,000 Christians have been killed by Islamists in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria since 2009. Most of the deaths took place in Kwande Local Government Area (LGA), beginning on February 3 at Abande market, where sixteen civilians and a police officer, Isaac Madu, were shot and killed by terrorists. A further 13 were killed just three days later in the village of Anwase. On the same day Fulani militia killed two residents of the Akpete community in Apa LGA, Matthew Ochanga and Isaac Adanu. Elsewhere in Benue State on Sunday, February 8, nine worshippers were abducted from an early morning prayer meeting by 25 men with weapons. “They were speaking Fulfulde [the Fulani language] and chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they surrounded us,” said a member of the congregation who was able to escape. Erasing Christianity from Nigeria On a recent visit to Plateau, another Middle Belt state, the British author and journalist David Patrikarakos described a landscape of burned-out church buildings and “broken crosses.” “It’s as though someone has tried to erase every visible sign of Christianity from this land,” writes Patrikarakos. “In the face of all this,” he continues, “calling the violence here merely a ‘farmer-herder conflict’ … begins to sound like a diplomatic euphemism.” “We are being displaced,” Patrikarakos was told by Iliya Ayuba Fwangle, a local leader in the Christian Association of Nigeria, adding the need to make known “the genocide we Christians are experiencing here.” According to a survivor of a May 2023 Fulani Islamist attack, “The churches are always their main target.” Patrikarakos’s investigation confirms what Barnabas Aid project partners and contacts in Nigeria have long reported, that militants attack Christians villages “screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ and calling the Christians living there infidels.” In December 2025, 27 Christians were abducted from a church and the village of Aiyetoro-Kiri in Kogi State. The attack left one worshiper dead. Two others died in captivity and a fourth after being released and hospitalized. “If anybody is telling me that this is not genocide against Christians,” said village head Olusegun Durowaye, “I don’t know where you are getting your story from.”

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February 18, 2026 9:04 am

MARTIN LUTHER Reformer of the Church – There is no more important spiritual question than how we’re saved, and who we’re saved by. The Bible is clear – we’re saved by God’s grace alone, through fai... View More

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February 18, 2026 9:02 am

THE BIBLE STUDY – February 18, 2026 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto - A Confessional Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession ... View More

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February 18, 2026 9:01 am

A Sermon for Ash Wednesday – Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto - A Confessional Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession Gospel Text: Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21 ... View MoreA Sermon for Ash Wednesday – Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto - A Confessional Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession Gospel Text: Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21 Old Testament: Joel 2:12-19 Psalm 51:1-19 Epistle: 2nd Corinthians 5:20b-6:10. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Those words are not poetic exaggeration. Nor are they a spiritual metaphor. They’re divine verdict. Ash Wednesday begins with truth. Not flattering truth, but saving truth. In our Old Testament Reading, the Lord speaks through the prophet Joel: “Return to Me with all your heart.” That call to return is necessary because we have wandered. We have wandered not only in what we do, but in what we love. Our Lord’s words in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 6 expose the heart of our problem. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.” Jesus is not condemning good works. He is uncovering false worship. He is laying bare the sinful heart that wants the reward now. The heart that wants to be seen, to be praised. The heart that wants treasure on earth. Ash Wednesday confronts us with some difficult questions. Do we give to serve our neighbour, or to polish our reputation? Do we pray to speak with our Father, or to impress those who overhear? Do we fast to discipline the flesh, or to appear spiritually serious? Our Lord says, “They have received their reward.” And that reward is tragically small. A passing compliment. A moment of admiration. A fragile human approval that is quickly forgotten. Ashes on the forehead are a sign of repentance. But even repentance can become performance. Even humility can become pride. Sorrow over sin can become a subtle display. This is why the prophet calls us deeper. In Joel Chapter 2, the Lord says, “Rend your hearts and not your garments.” God is not impressed with torn clothing. He desires contrite hearts. He desires truth in the inward being. As we prayed in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” That is not a cosmetic request. It is a cry for re-creation. For the heart by nature does not seek God. By nature, we seek ourselves. The ashes remind us of Genesis: “You are dust.” They remind us of the wages of sin, and that death is not natural. It is earned. And yet today we hear something more – the plea of God Himself in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Be reconciled. Not performative. Not pretending. Reconciled to God. For “He made Him to be sin who knew no sin.” On this day of ashes, we dare not look only at ourselves. If we do, the result will be either despair or pride. Instead, we look to Christ. He did not practice righteousness to be seen by others. Though He was seen, mocked, scourged, and crucified, He did not seek human praise. He sought the will of His Father. He prayed not on street corners, but in Gethsemane, sweating blood. He fasted forty days in the wilderness and then drank the cup of wrath to its bitter end. If there was ever One who could have claimed righteousness before men, it was Him. And yet He became sin for us. He entered our dust. Bore our hypocrisy. Carried our false piety. He endured the Father’s hiddenness so that we might receive the Father’s reward. Jesus says, “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” That reward is not earthly approval. It is forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life. It is the treasure laid up in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys. Martin Luther understood this text as a call away from outward show and into true repentance. Preaching on this very chapter of Matthew, he said: “God does not want us to make a show of our piety, but to be pious; not to appear righteous, but to be righteous before Him in the heart.” That’s the difference between ashes as adornment and ashes as repentance. The world says, “Appear.” Christ says, “Be reconciled.” The world says, “Store up treasure here.” Christ says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So, what is your treasure? If it is your reputation, then your heart will live and die with public opinion. If it is your possessions, then your heart will rise and fall with markets and moths. If it is your own righteousness, then your heart will always be anxious, always comparing, always pretending. But if your treasure is Christ, then your heart is anchored where He is. Hidden now. Revealed in glory to come. Lent is not about spiritual self-improvement. It is about repentance and faith. It is about returning to the Lord who is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” Those words from Book of Joel are not sentimental. They are cruciform. For God’s mercy is not cheap. It is purchased at the cross, by the blood of Christ. And we approach this day not to display righteousness, but to receive it. We come not to offer a spiritual résumé, but to confess spiritual bankruptcy. We come with dust on our heads and sin in our hearts. And we hear Christ say, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” That forgiveness is your treasure. It cannot be stolen. It cannot decay nor be taken away by death. For even though you are dust, you are baptized dust. Dust claimed by Christ. Dust washed in water and the Word. Dust destined for resurrection. Ash Wednesday tells the truth about the end for Christian believers. Good Friday tells the truth about your redemption. Easter tells the truth about your future. So repent. Not outwardly only. But from the heart. Fast, yes. Pray, always. Give, to help the neighbour in need. But do so as a Christian already reconciled by the Redeemer. Do so not to earn the Father’s love, but because you have it. Not to store up merit, but because your treasure is secure. And when the day comes that these ashes are no longer symbolic, when your body returns temporarily to the earth, your treasure will remain. For Christ has gone before you. Where He is, you will one day be as well. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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February 15, 2026 6:53 pm

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 15, 2026 (The Fiftieth Day before Easter) Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church ... View MoreQUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY – FEBRUARY 15, 2026 (The Fiftieth Day before Easter) Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church OUR OPENING HYMN is 685 “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” From Lutheran Service Book CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Page 184-185 THE INTROIT – Psalm 31:1, 5, 9, 16; antiphon: Ps. 31:2b-3 Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me. KYRIE (Lord Have Mercy) Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us. Pastor: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And with thy Spirit. OUR COLLECT PRAYER – O Lord, mercifully hear our prayers and having set us free from the bonds of our sins deliver us from every evil; through Jesus Christ, Your Son; our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OUR BIBLE READINGS Old Testament: Isaiah 35:3-7 Psalm 146 (antiphon: v.2) Epistle: 1st Corinthians 13:1-13 Gospel Reading: Luke 18:31-43 THE APOTELES’ CREED Page 192 HYMN OF THE DAY: 849 “Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness” THE SERMON – The Gospel reading this Sunday presents us with a stark contrast. On one hand, we have the Twelve — the disciples who have heard Christ’s teaching, seen His miracles, and received His instruction. On the other hand, we have a blind beggar: poor, marginalized, sitting by the roadside near Jericho. Here is a great and holy irony: the ones who have physical sight do not understand, and the one who cannot see has received the truth most clearly. Our Lord begins by taking the Twelve aside and saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.” Jesus speaks plainly. He will be delivered to the Gentiles, mocked, shamefully treated, and spit upon. He’ll be flogged and killed, and on the third day, rise. It is a clear description of His suffering, death, and resurrection. Jesus interprets His own ministry for them. He cannot be understood apart from the cross. His miracles, preaching, His compassion—all of it is moving toward Jerusalem. All of it is travelling toward Golgotha. And yet, St. Luke tells us, “They understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.” The disciples still see Jesus as the redeemer of the state of Israel. They expect a restoration of political glory. They hear the words, but they do not yet see the truth. And so, it often is, today. We can read of the suffering of Christ’s passion and recoil. We can hear of the cross and try to put that hard reality out of our thoughts. We may prefer a Christ of glory without a Christ of wounds. But Jesus will not be separated from His crucifixion, from the complete payment for our sins – God’s ultimate act of love for His creation. As He foretells His suffering, He also affirms the resurrection and our justification through Him. The cross and the empty tomb belong together. The humiliation and the exaltation are one saving work. As Isaiah prophesied, “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities.” And yet the prophet also foresaw joy: “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” That promise stands at the heart of today’s Gospel. As Jesus draws near to Jericho, a blind man is sitting by the roadside begging. He hears a crowd and asks what this means. They tell him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” Immediately, he cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He calls Him “Son of David.” This is no casual title. It is a confession of faith. The Son of David is the promised Messiah. The King whose kingdom will have no end. This blind man sees what the disciples do not yet fully grasp. He sees by faith. Those who walk ahead rebuke him, telling him to be quiet. But he cries out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Faith clings to Christ. It will not be silenced, whether 2,000 years ago or today. Faith knows its need. The pauper does not demand alms. He doesn’t claim merit. He asks for mercy. Jesus stops. The Lord of heaven and earth stands still for a beggar. He commands the man to be brought to Him and asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus says, “Recover your sight; your faith has saved you.” The Greek word Luke uses here can mean “healed,” but also “saved.” This is classic justification theology from the Bible. It is the heart of the Lutheran Reformation. Faith does not create the power to heal; it receives Christ and His mercy. This is more than the restoration of physical vision. This is salvation breaking in. A fulfillment of Isaiah’s promise. Immediately, the blind man recovers his sight and follows Jesus, glorifying God. He follows Him. That’s no small detail. Where is Jesus going? To Jerusalem. To the cross. And the once-blind man follows Him there. He worships the giver of the gift. The receiver of mercy praises the Merciful One. Psalm 146 declares, “The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down.” Here, in flesh and blood, that Psalm is fulfilled. But notice the irony. The disciples, who have eyes, do not yet see the necessity of the cross. The blind man, who has no sight, sees in Jesus the Son of David and cries for mercy. The miracle isn’t only in the eyes restored, but in the heart awakened. And so, it is with us. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans tells us that by nature, we are blind to the things of God. We can’t see that our greatest need isn’t political stability or earthly success, but redemption from sin and death. And unless Christ opens our eyes, we cannot see Him rightly. As Jesus did with the Emmaus disciples, He showed how Moses and all the Prophets spoke of Him. Then, after Christ’s breaking of the bread, they understood, and their blindness was lifted. The love that would go to the cross, is also the love that saves beggars like us. For we are that blind man. We sit by the roadside of this fallen world. We can’t heal ourselves. We cannot earn mercy. But Jesus passes by in His Word. He comes near in His Sacraments. In Holy Baptism, He opened our eyes to see Him as Lord, unites us to Himself, claims us as His own. In the preached Gospel, He continues to give us faith that allows us to see Him as Saviour. In His Supper, He places into our mouths the very body and blood given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins. Salvation flows from His merciful presence among fallen creatures. Without Jesus, we remain blind to the new creation. But He has come, spoken, suffered, risen. And He attends to beggars who cry out, “Lord, have mercy.” This healing at Jericho is the last miracle recorded in Luke before Jesus enters Jerusalem. The light is shining just before the darkness of the cross. The eyes of one blind man are opened, even as the world prepares to close its eyes to the Son of God on Good Friday. Yet, the darkness will not overcome the light. The third day will come. And those who see by faith will behold the glory of the risen Christ. Like the healed man, we follow Him. We glorify and worship the giver of the gift. Each week in the Divine Service, we gather not as spectators, but as those who have been given and continue to receive grace. Faith clings to, follows, and worships our Saviour. Not because we see perfectly now. But because He has opened our eyes. May we, like the once-blind beggar, receive the sight Christ alone can give. Amen. PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer Page 196 Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Page 198 Post-Communion Collect (Left-hand column) Page 201 OUR CLOSING HYMN: 861 “Christ Be My Leader” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTBAtLXbjJ8&list=RDeTBAtLXbjJ8&start_radio=1

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February 8, 2026 6:08 pm

SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY – Feb. 8, 2026 ‘The Sixtieth’ Day (Indicating the approximate time before Easter) Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto ... View MoreSEXAGESIMA SUNDAY – Feb. 8, 2026 ‘The Sixtieth’ Day (Indicating the approximate time before Easter) Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto OUR OPENING HYMN: 904 “Blessed Jesus, at Your Word” From the Lutheran Service Book CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Page 184-185 THE INTROIT – Psalm 44:1-2, 7-8; antiphon: Ps. 44:23, 25a, 26a Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Rise up; come to our help! O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old; you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted, you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free. But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! For our soul is bowed down to the dust; Rise up; come to our help! KYRIE (Lord Have Mercy) Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us. Pastor: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And with thy Spirit. OUR COLLECT PRAYER – O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You, mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Your Son; our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OUR BIBLE READINGS Old Testament: Isaiah 55:10-13 Psalm 84 (antiphon: v.4) Epistle: Hebrews 4:9-13 Gospel Reading: Luke 8:4-15 THE APOTELES’ CREED Page 192 HYMN OF THE DAY: 823 “May God Bestow on Us His Grace” by Martin Luther https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnhQJ8m3B3o&list=RDKnhQJ8m3B3o&start_radio=1 THE SERMON – “He Who Has Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear” Last Sunday, Jesus fixed our eyes on God’s grace alone in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. The Lord’s shocking generosity overturned every human view of fairness, merit, or reward. Salvation was shown to be entirely God’s gift, freely given for Christ’s sake, apart from works. Today, the Lord points our attention to another pillar of the Christian faith: Scripture alone. The question before us this Sunday is how saving grace is delivered and received. In the Parable of the Sower, the farmer is generous to the point of appearing wasteful. Seed is scattered everywhere, even indiscriminately. That seed is the Word of God. It is living, active, powerful. And yet, the outcomes are very different. Some seed is snatched away. Some withers under trial. Competing loyalties choke off growth. While some seed bears fruit in patience and endurance. Yet this parable forces us to confront a sobering truth: the problem is never with the seed, with the Word. The problem lies with the hearers. Jesus is not teaching us how to become better farmers. This isn’t a self-help parable or a lesson in spiritual technique. Christ exposes our total dependence on God. Left to ourselves, we abandon the Word. We neglect it. Resist it. We allow it to be crowded out or stolen away. The Law here is sharp and unavoidable. As sinners, we do not naturally cling to God’s Word. We need His grace not only to be saved, but to remain in saving faith. This is why Isaiah’s promise is so crucial: “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God’s Word doesn’t return empty. It accomplishes what He purposes. It succeeds in the thing for which He sends it. This is not a statement about human effort. It is a declaration of divine faithfulness. Where God’s Word is preached, God Himself is at work. Jesus outlines the great enemies of that Word—enemies well known to the Church and often named by Martin Luther. They are the devil, the world, and the flesh. The devil snatches the Word away before faith can take root. The world offers riches, pleasures, or cares that slowly choke the Word until it bears no fruit. The flesh retreats when the Word brings trial, discipline, or the cross. These aren't abstract dangers. They are daily realities in the Christian life. We live in a culture that is constantly distracting itself. Entertainment fills every silence. Busyness can crowd every hour. Endless information replaces wisdom, noise displaces reflection. In such a world, the Word of God can be easily pushed aside—not rejected outright, but neglected. A question is put to us today: What are the cares, riches, and pleasures that are crowding the Word of God out of our lives? What is more important than hearing, reading, studying, and praying God’s Word? The Apostle Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” But hearing alone is not the end. Faith must endure. It needs to be sustained through trials and temptations. As Jesus says, the good soil are those who “hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Here we must look away from ourselves and back to Christ. For Jesus is not only the sower of the Word. He is also the perfectly faithful hearer and keeper of that Word. He is the Word made flesh. Where we fail, He stands firm. He faced the devil in the wilderness and defeated him with the Word of God. He endured suffering, rejection, and the cross in perfect obedience to His Father’s Word. He trusted the promises of God even unto death. And He did so for us. The truly good and honest heart belongs to Jesus. Our hearts are only good in, and through, Him. The Gospel shines brightly here. Christ has made full and complete payment for our sins. For every time we’ve ignored the Word. Every time we’ve allowed it to be choked out. For all the times we have fallen away under pressure. The Word that condemns us as sinners is the same Word that declares believers righteous. In Christ, God’s verdict is final and sure. “You are forgiven.” “You are mine.” This saving Word doesn’t float abstractly in the air. God delivers it through concrete means. Through preaching. Holy Baptism. Absolution. Through the Lord’s Supper. These are the means of grace. Here, God creates faith. Here, He sustains it. He strengthens weak and faltering hearts. And these means are found within the Church. The Church is not a human invention or a voluntary association. It is the place where Christ has promised to be present for us. To absent oneself from the Word and Sacraments is not a neutral act. It is to place oneself in danger. But where the Church gathers around the means of grace, Christ Himself is there, holding His people fast. We do not cling to the Word by our own strength. We cling to it because Christ seeks out and clings to us. Martin Luther provided the most clear and succinct teaching on this in the Small Catechism, in his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed. Luther wrote, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” Where did Luther find this teaching? In the Bible. In Philippians 2:13, where Paul wrote: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” In the Book of Hebrews that called Jesus “the founder and perfecter of our faith.” In Ephesians, where Paul made clear that faith is a gift of God, “not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God’s Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are not human achievements. They are gifts. They open eyes and ears. And through these gifts, He produces fruit that will endure. Crops to be gathered on the Last Day. An abundant harvest—not because of us, but only through Him. Through His cross and righteousness. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Amen. PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer Page 196 Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Page 198 Post-Communion Collect (Left-hand column) Page 201 OUR CLOSING HYMN: 924 “Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing”

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