Lutheran On A Mission

A Recovering Methodist

2011-10-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

What follows is my devotional address for the Ohio District Church Worker's Conference. Typically the Vice Presidents serve as devotional leaders. I have been honored to serve as a vice president and this is my last year. Here is the message I gave last night.

Devotion for Pastor’s Conference
Text: Isaiah 55:10-11
Theme: Trust the Word

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
it brings forth and sprouts,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
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.

In the name of Jesus:

I will confess to you here and now that I am a recovering Methodist. I don’t say this lightly. It is something that as a parish pastor I struggle with daily. The type of Methodist I am referring to does not bear any similarly to being a member of a particular church denomination, or a follower of John Wesley. A recovering Methodist is one who constantly seeks a method that will work in the parish. Looking around the room, maybe I am just not the only recovering Methodist in the room!

So let’s have a Lutheran moment and ask, “What does this mean?” When a new stewardship program becomes available and has met with some success, do you wonder if it would work in my parish and have the same success rate as another congregation. When new types of groups are introduced in other congregations do you think: “Will it work at my church? Is it something that I can use?” If there is a new technique in evangelism that brings in new members, will it bring in the masses in Lancaster Ohio? Or Cleveland? Or Dayton? As a parish pastor it seems that of a practical nature I am continually on the lookout for something that works. Perhaps you are a recovering Methodist like me. For when we wonder, “why is such and such a church is growing, and mine is not, something must be wrong in what I am doing! Maybe a new methodology will work! It certainly wouldn’t hurt, or so we think.

Now that is not to say that this is inherently wrong. After all, if we are not concerned about doing a good job for the Lord and giving an account of our ministry, we are slothful servants. However, the temptation for me as a recovering Methodist is this: do I place my faith in the method, or in the Lord?

As I read continually read the Scriptures daily I am struck by one theme that is played over and over again throughout the pages of the Bible, namely, trusting in the Word. The problem that we have as pastors is that we are sinners and that first sin that our first parents committed rears its ugly head in our lives and ministry. Remember in the Garden, when God gave to Adam and Eve that simply command: Don’t eat? How did Satan tempt our first parents, simply with a question: Did God really say that? And in response to that question, Adam and Eve, doubting God and His Word, fell horribly short of God’s demand of perfection.

Throughout the Old Testament God’s people are given the Word, and they come up horribly short, don’t they? Abraham and Sarah are to have a child, and Sarah laughs. Moses is told to lead God’s people and Moses stammers and looks for an excuse. Namaan is told that in order to be cured of leprosy he simply needs to follow orders, but he becomes incredulous. Even during the era of the prophets, God’s messengers called Judah and Israel to repent, to turn to the Lord and listen to Him. Isaiah called God’s people to turn from idols and other gods, to cease trusting in what sinner man could do. Trust in the Lord, turn to Him, LISTEN TO HIS WORD. But Israel and Judah thought that they knew better. As they chose to despise God and His Word, God left them to their sinful desires and they were placed into exile! Throughout history, time and again God asks sinners to trust in Him, but sinners look for another option.

Isn’t that what happens in our lives and in our parishes? We are called to trust in the Lord, but we don’t. We are called to follow Him but we look for a convenient detour. Rather than trust in the Word to work, we look for another method, a better way of doing things, placing our trust in our own efforts rather than trusting in the Lord and His Word.

So what are we do to? Repent. When Jesus began His ministry He said: Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. We need not forget that! Jesus calls us to repent to turn from TRUSTING OUR METHODS AND WORKS AND TO TRUST IN HIM. Why? Because Jesus is God’s Word, incarnate, sent to deliver you and me from the messes we make of our ministry and lives.

Doesn’t God say in His Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God…14 and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1,14)” Jesus, throughout His life, lived to give glory to God through doing the will of the One who sent Him. When Satan tried to tempt Jesus asking as he did of Adam and Eve: Did God really say, Jesus used the Word to defeat Satan. God in Christ kept His Word to sinners by living the life you and I could not live and by dying on the cross for our forgiveness and eternal salvation.

New life is given by the power of Christ’s Word! The Word brings new life to sinners for the Word brings Christ! God works through His Word, for you have been “born again not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding Word.” (1 Peter 1:23). God works through His Word, for in Baptism sinners are given a new birth by the washing of the Holy Spirit. God works through His Word read and proclaimed, convicting sinners of sin and comforting the damnable with the Good News of His grace. God works through His Word leading sinners to repentance. God works through His Word forgiving sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God works through His Word for at His Word we eat and drink the Lord’s body and blood for forgiveness and life. God works through the Word.

In an era when we as parish pastors and professional church workers hear about a “new paradigm” or a “new model” or “a different way of doing things, perhaps it would be best to be reminded of how the Lord Jesus Christ Himself describes our work.
“A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears let him hear.”

Jesus likens our work to sowing seed. The seed is the Word. Certainly there is much work to be done in preparing the soil and fertilizing the soil, the seed still needs to be sown. God’s Word is the good seed. He blesses His Word and our work so that whenever and wherever it is sown, God brings forth fruit. Remember Luther’s analogy, where he says that when he planted a garden he prayed as if his work meant nothing, and when he worked he worked as if his prayer meant nothing. Perhaps that is what we need to remember, that God’s Word works and that God uses we lowly workers to sow the seed so that God will give the increase. Just as God promises in Isaiah: ““For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 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.”

The Word works, my friends. Christ and His Word is all we need. And maybe it is just that that a recovering Methodist needs to hear.
Amen

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

2011-10-04T06:41:00.001-07:00

AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?
GENESIS 4:1-15 ESP. 9

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

In the name of Jesus:
Have you checked the labels on your grocery items lately? You may be getting less than you thought. I noticed this trend a couple of years ago when, while eating at the local establishment, the portion size I received was much smaller than what I remembered. And if you would look closely in the supermarkets, some manufacturers are selling us the same size packages we are accustomed to, but they are putting less of the product in the box. For example, a box of well-known detergent that once held 61 ounces now contains only 55. Same size box, less soap. Companies realize that you can’t keep marking up the price on things, because then no one will buy them. So, as an alternative, the portion size gets smaller. The price will remain the same, but you are getting less and still paying more money.
How something is wrapped doesn't always show us what's on the inside. That's true with people as well. We can wrap ourselves up in the same packaging every day -- nice clothes, big smile, friendly demeanor -- yet still be less than what we appear to be. Take the case of Cain in the Old Testament lesson for today. He is the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. I have no doubt that Adam and Eve after the fall into sin were godly parents. They trusted in the Lord, specifically His Word, in spite of their eating of the forbidden fruit. How do we know that? God’s last Word to Adam and Eve was the Gospel promise of Genesis 3: 15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise your heel.” Here God promises to sinners a Savior. All the while, in the process of living on this fallen planet, Adam and Eve would have to trust in the Lord. Certainly there would be consequences to pay for sin. Women would bear children in pain and long for their husbands, while men would toil and work hard for food. And all who have fallen into sin would ultimately return to the dust in punishment for their disobedience. These punishments were true for Adam and Eve and their children, and hold true for us today.
However Eve and Adam trusted in the Lord. They clung to the Word. Listen to Eve’s words at the birth of Cain: “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” Eve’s role as a mother was a gift from God and she credited God for the new life of Cain, even though she gave birth in pain. And I have no doubt that Adam and Eve raised Cain, and later their brother Abel, to trust the Lord. Abel was faithful to God, Cain was not. In the responsibility of offering a sacrifice to the Lord and bring to the Lord gifts, Abel did so willingly, out of love for God. Cain, well, he was another story. He gave grudgingly. God looked favorably upon Abel’s offering, but the text says: “for Cain and his offering (the Lord) had no regard.” Abel’s offering sprang from faith and love for God. Cain loved himself. He was self-righteous. Just note his response: “So Cain was very angry and his face fell.” Cain got angry, at who, God! He thought his offering was good enough! God should have been pleased with what He got. But Cain would have none of it. His whole attitude was one of being argumentative with God. For the Lord said to Cain: “ Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Cain didn’t do right by the Lord, his offering was less than acceptable, and Cain was unjustly angry at God, thinking that God had too high of a standard. Cain thought that it was God’s fault for not accepting the offering. Rather than turning to God in repentance, Cain in anger turned on his brother Abel, killing him in cold blood.
After this first murder the Lord said to Cain: “Where is Abel your brother?” Now, God knows what happened. This question is pedantic in nature, God asks Cain so that Cain can come to his senses and realize what he did. But Cain lies to God and says: “I do not know” Well, he did know, and then Cain goes deeper and in anger says to God: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
What hypocrisy! Yes, Cain knew, but lied to God. His offering was not acceptable to God, and so because of this Cain kills Abel, lies to God, and in indignation says: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It needs to be noted that God punished Cain by making him a fugitive and wanderer on the earth. Cain was a marked man; so much so that Cain believed his life would now be in danger. But God in His mercy reached out to Cain and put a mark on his Cain, to protect him, for if anyone took Cain’s life God’s vengeance would be poured out on the perpetrator sevenfold.
The question that begs to be answered here is this:” Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain asked it to absolve himself of any and all responsibility to his brother. He was cold hearted to God and to the needs of those around him. Cain thought that he could just look out for old number one and everything else would turn out okay, much like Adam who said to God after eating of the fruit: “Don’t blame me, its your fault God because the woman YOU GAVE ME made me disobey you.” No pun intended, but the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Cain acted just like his father Adam, in shifting blame and responsibility. But God in His knowledge sees through the hypocrisy and the self-justification. And God calls sin what it is: disobedience, lawlessness. And the sinner stands guilty before God.
All too often we like to use the phrase “Am I my brother’s keeper?” to absolve ourselves of any responsibility toward another. So, if we see someone in need, we try to justify our inactivity by saying, “I am not my brother’s keeper.” If we see something happen to a neighbor in need, we bask in our apathy by declaring: “ I am not my brother’s keeper.” When someone has less, whether it is food, clothing or is in need of shelter, we justify our inactivity by declaring: I am not my brother’s keeper! But is this attitude God pleasing? Was God happy with Cain’s answer? Is God pleased with you when you shift the responsibility to care or show love to your neighbor in need? God is never pleased when the sinner sets himself to be God. God is never pleased with your own self-justification and self-righteousness. Doesn’t Paul write: “You were dead in your transgressions and sins and that your are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ and not of your own works? “ And doesn’t Jesus teach that: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted?” God sees through your stubbornness and pride and unbelief. And He calls you to repent.
God answers the question: Am I my brother’s keeper? With a resounding YES!!!. HIS ANSWER IS FOUND IN HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST. Unlike Cain, who fled from God in fear, God calls you to turn from your sin and turn to Him. When God is angry with you, come to Him with a humble confession of sin and ask for His forgiveness. For God has seen you in your need of a Savior. That is why He kept His promise to Adam and Eve by sending a second Adam, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was born, not just for Adam and Eve and Abel, but for Cain as well! Christ came to be a brother to sinners, for He who knew no sin became sin for US that we might know the righteousness of God in Him. Christ came to be born of our flesh but sinless, to offer Himself as the blood offering to forgive sinners of their sins. In Jesus God says: “I am your keeper.” (Psalm 121:5). In Christ the Lord blesses you and keeps you. Incredibly, the same thing happened to Christ as to Abel. Even as Abel was murdered and his blood was innocently shed, so also Christ was the innocent Lamb of God led to the cross, so that by His shed blood sins would be forgiven and guilt remitted. Jesus’ blood cries out from the cross saying: It is finished and all is accomplished! God’s anger is appeased through the blood of Christ, which cleanses you from all of your sins. It is as the hymn writer puts it in that great Lenten hymn: “Abel’s blood for vengeance pleaded to the skies but the blood of Jesus for our pardon cries.” (LSB 433 v 4). The blood of Christ offers mercy, forgiveness and peace to the sinner.
Even as God placed a mark upon Cain’s forehead, so too you have been marked. For in the waters of your Baptism God has placed the mark of the cross of Christ upon you and has made you His child. In Baptism your hypocrisy, self righteous, and sinful self was drowned and put to death so that by the power of the Spirit you might rise to newness of life. God daily calls you live out your Baptism, humbly confessing yours sins, trusting in Christ for forgiveness, and receiving the ability to live your life in service and love toward your neighbor.
God has marked you to be his own in Baptism. Today He gives you His gifts for forgiveness, love, mercy, peace, and reconciliation so that you might share these gifts with others. Jesus says: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When you see your neighbor in need, you are called by God to share His gifts with those who are in need. Doesn’t God say in His Word: “Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling? “ And “ By this (Christ’s love) we know love, that He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But is anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth.” (I John 2:10 and 3: 16-18). “For if anyone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar for he who does not love his brother who he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, whoever loves God must love his brother.” (I John 4: 20-21).
The world would have us think that each and every person is an island. But we do not live alone. God provides us with our daily bread so that we might, in faith, share God’s provisions with others. While some may like to hide behind excuses to give credibility to their hypocrisy, bragging of their freedom of responsibility to help those in need, we are compelled by the love of God in Christ to reach out an help others in the of Jesus. May God provide us with the love of Christ continually, that we never commit the sin of Cain by arrogantly asking the question of God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" for God's answer is, "Yes, you are."
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen

Jesus Weeps

2011-10-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

JESUS WEEPS
LUKE 19:41-48

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.
In the name of Jesus:
Those of you who have known me for a while know that I am, at times, prone to tears. I have cried tears of joy at my children’s baptisms and confirmations, at their graduations, and I have cried tears of sorrow at the death of my parents. The last time I had a good cry was two years ago at the death of my father. Exhausted from being up with him all night and present when he died, I collapsed in our hotel room in tears later that night, my heart overcome with emotion.
When was the last time you had a good cry? Was it when the kids left the house for the last time and you were faced with an empty nest? Was your last good cry when you tried to balance your checkbook and realized that you can’t make it to the end of the month? Have you had a good cry at the death of a family member, or at the news of an unexpected diagnosis? When did you last have a good cry?
Jesus was known for having a good cry. He was the Son of God in human flesh, exposed to our travails and He experienced the full range of human emotions. He cried at the tomb of Lazarus. That instance records probably one of the best-known verses in the Bible, at least it is best known because it is the shortest: Jesus wept. He felt the pain of death in Lazarus’ death and the Scriptures records Jesus’ emotions. In our text for today, Luke 19, we see Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. It is a most misunderstood passage today. Why would Jesus weep over Jerusalem? Why not Lancaster, or Detroit or Cleveland? Those are cities to weep over, with the high unemployment rates and drug use which has become prevalent. Why weep over Jerusalem?
Many people misinterpret Jesus’ tears. He isn’t weeping over a physical city, He isn’t weeping over Jerusalem because of the beauty of the city or because of its locale or name. A great many people misinterpret Jesus’ tears today, thinking that Jesus is crying over a physical city, and then they translate Jesus’ tears into how Americans or the Church today should support Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Certainly Jesus weeps because Jerusalem is about to be destroyed in 70 AD but there in an underlying reason, if we would only listen! For in Jesus’ tears He weeps for the people of His day and our day as well. If we would just listen to the Scriptures, and let the Scriptures explain the situation, we would have a better understanding as to why Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
The religious situation at this time was in dire straights. Yes, even though Jesus was present, the religious situation was dire. How so, if Jesus was present? Only because the people would not listen to Jesus, they would not listen to God! The city of Jerusalem was the foundation of the religious life of the Jewish people. The Temple, God’s House, was located in the city. People came to Jerusalem to worship and to offer their sacrifices to God. You could say that Jerusalem represented the Church at that time. People would look to Jerusalem in reverence because this is the city where God chose to dwell in His Temple. This is the city where the people would meet God. But the situation deteriorated to such an extent, that Jerusalem became more known for its religious corruption and its hypocrisy.
You know the saying, that the more things change the more they stay the same? That could be said of Jerusalem, for this religious hypocrisy had been going on for centuries. Just note how Jeremiah describes the situation in his day, and how he prophesies about the impending doom and demise of Jerusalem: “5 Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. 6 I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. 7 my people know not the rules of the Lord. But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. 10 Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.  No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the Lord.: (Jeremiah 8:5-12, selected verses).”
The people worshiped God with their lips, but their lives told different stories. The Scribes and Pharisees preached one thing and did another. They sought to establish their own man made rules instead of following the Lord. The Church was corrupt, more interested in selling merchandise and buying and selling for sacrifices for use in the Temple rather than devoting their lives to the Lord. There was no repentance, no sorrow for sin, no turning to the Lord in faith, no mercy, no peace, only man made righteousness and man made regulations to follow. The sin soaked religion of the Jewish people sickened God to the point that He promised to pour out His wrath on the sinner and destroy what Jerusalem, the Church, had become. And so Jesus, knowing all things, and knowing that the destruction of Jerusalem was imminent, wept over a people He had chosen and nurtured, who had willfully chosen to forsake God. They had rejected and forsaken God in the past, and they had rejected Jesus and His message and ministry. “. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” They did not recognize God incarnate in their very midst! When God was physically present, they rejected Him out of hand, seeking His death and demise.
It should come as no surprise then that Jesus took action after His tears. Note what Luke records: “And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him.” Some commentators suggest that Jesus, in this act, spent the entire afternoon at the Temple, teaching leading people to a right understanding of God’s Word. If it is true that the Temple at that time stood on 35 acres of land, then it stands to reason that Jesus didn’t just overthrow one table of sacrificial merchandise. Jesus overthrew those who bought and sold throughout the Temple grounds, blocking entry and exit ways, causing even the casual observer to recognize that Jesus was none too pleased and that Temple worship at that time needed to change for the better.
How would Jesus look at your worship? Would He be pleased, or would He weep? That is an interesting question! Does your worship show a living faith in Christ, or is it based in hypocrisy? Do you trust in Christ or your own right way of doing things? Consider where you are today. Church, a sanctuary, a place that is called God’s house. You came to church today to meet God. Is that the reason why you came? Have you ever thought about not coming to church, to the place where God is? Has your church attendance been hit and miss? Why is that? Have you thought your schedule, your interests, your life more important that coming and meeting God? Has your worship been half hearted, your singing of the hymns lackluster, your presence more an attempt to be seen by others?
Yes, Jesus wept over the cold heartedness that was evident in the worship and lives of the people, but more than that, Jesus lived and died for the sins of the people. Jesus loved the sinner so much that He set His face to go to Jerusalem, to change the hearts and lives of sinners by suffering and dying for them. And Jesus has come to shed His blood for you! The Son of God who came to cleanse the Temple came also to cleanse you of your sin. He did this by offering the Temple of His Body on the cross. His very life and shed blood on the cross cleanses you and every sinner from all sin.
Today Jesus comes to visit you and give you comfort and peace in your life. This is the place where God dwells, Jesus comes in fullness to give you His gifts. In Baptism He has claimed you to be His own. In His Word He calls you to turn from your sins, your lifeless worship, and your halfhearted attempts to serve God to serve Him with the life He now gives you. You were bought with a price, not with silver or gold but with the very blood of Christ shed on the cross for you. He calls you to repent of your sins, to turn to Christ and receive His gifts of forgiveness and peace. Jesus visits you this day in Word and Sacrament to bless you. He says: “Come to Me all you are burdened by your sins and I will forgive you and give you rest.” Learn of God’s judgment for sinners: that you are judged forgiven and saved by a free gift of His grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ offered the Temple of His Body on the cross so that your bodies might become temples of the living God!
Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. God now lives with you in Christ. So honor God in the life that you live. Seek first God’s will in all you do. Seek to serve the Lord with joy! Do not neglect the assembly of the saints on Sunday, but come to the house of the Lord to meet Christ and receive His gifts. Use the life that God now has given to you to share His gifts with others. Jesus’ heart breaks for those who do not know Him, for He came to seek and save the lost. Pray for your family, friends, and neighbors, that they may come to faith in Christ. Ask God to use you and this congregation to proclaim the love of Christ to others. For God’s good and gracious will is this: that sinners repent, come to faith in Christ, and live their lives to the glory of God. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. May God enable you to spread that joy for Christ has come to save sinners.
Amen

History is Prologue

2011-10-04T06:39:00.001-07:00

HISTORY IS PROLOGUE
I CORINTHIANS 10:6-13

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

In the name of Jesus:

Someone much wiser than me (my wife, Luann) has a saying, which rings true: History is prologue. History has a way of showing us the way to the future, of repeating itself time and again. Another way of saying this is by stating the old adage, one learns from one’s mistakes. When you learn from your mistakes, it can be a painful proposition, in that you have the painful experiences to live through in order to try to do something differently. If you have ever gotten into credit card debt, you know from painful experience how difficult it is to get out from under that burden. How much easier it would be if we could learn from other people’s mistakes, for it is less painful for us but we can benefit greatly in learning from the experience of others. Sadly, we are slow to learn from the experience of others. Oh that the Lord would give us open ears and hearts to hear and learn from the experiences of the people of Israel! For in our text today, the Apostle Paul cites several examples from the Old Testament people on how God expects us to live. These serve as types, as examples of how we are to live our lives as God’s children.
God called the nation of Israel to be His own people. Why did God call the Jewish nation to be His own? Not by their might, not by their own power, not by their own gifts. God called them by His grace. God repeated said that He would be their God and they would be His people. Called by God, Israel was expected to live as God’s people. But learning from history, we see that Israel serves as a powerful example for us, as a people who forgot about God, worshipped idols, and fell into sin and was punished by God. Paul cites five illustrations for the Church at Corinth in this letter. He does so because the people of the Church of Corinth were prone to the same sins. They needed to hear this message. You and I do as well.
Paul begins by reminding the people:” 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. “ Who desired evil? Once Israel set out from Egypt immediately after the Exodus, some craved for the meat and vegetables they ate in Egypt while still captive. Their freedom from Egypt, their deliverance by God was not enough. They grumbled and complained to God. Yes, God gave them manna and quail from heaven, but some perished, being struck with a plaque. Food became their god and God punished them accordingly.
The sin of coveting reared its ugly head again when God gave to Moses the Ten Commandments. Paul writes: “7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” When God was speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, some grew impatient in waiting for God to act, and urged Aaron to construct a gold calf along with an altar where the people would now worship. This was in direct defiance of the First Commandment where God said: “You shall have no other gods.” God’s anger was kindled against the people, so much so that God nearly wiped out the entire nation! God only relented when Moses interceded for the people.
Paul warns the Corinthian Church, as well as you and me, to guard against falling into sexual immorality. Just as Israel worshipped the golden calf and fell into sexual sin, some of the people in the church at Corinth were acting the same way. As Israel worshipped the gold calf, the people’s worship of this idol degenerated into sexual sin. They were guilty of breaking the First and Sixth Commandments! So too some in the church at Corinth indulged in idolatry and lived as if they were sexually emancipated. Paul had to warn them, and his warning is to us as well, that the sexually immoral, including adulterers and homosexuals, will not have a part of God’s kingdom:” Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality.”
Paul next cites a third illustration, another example of sexual sin: “ 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. “ Israel didn’t learn from their mistake with the golden calf. You would think that they would, but they didn’t. For later in the plains of Moab the Moabite people invited God’s people to live as they did, and so God’s people turned their back on God once again and participated in idolatry and the fertility rites of the pagan Moabite religion. Once again, God’s anger was kindled so that He sent a plague to kill thousands of those who participated in this immoral act and the leaders who encouraged the people to sin were killed as well.
God’s anger was kindled against Israel many more times, Paul here cites two instances, where God’s people complained bitterly against God and His Word. “9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Throughout their wilderness trek the Israelites continually complained and grumbled along the way. They said that there was: “no food and water and we detest this food.” They were not satisfied with what the Lord had provided them, and even when the people were about to enter the Promised Land, they balked at Joshua and Caleb’s report of how beautiful the land was. In spite of the many blessings of God, the people complained and doubted God and His Word. And God punished them with death.
Why did the Israelites travel for 40 years in the wilderness? Simply because they continued to doubt the Lord, placing their trust in their own wisdom or the idols of others instead of trusting in the God who saved them. And Paul writes: “11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written do down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. “ God would not be mocked and God will never be mocked. His judgment is swift and certain. He has punished sin and will punish sin. Paul called the people at Corinth to turn from their sinful ways and to trust in Christ for forgiveness and all things. He wanted the people at Corinth to learn the painful lessons of Israel from the past.
Paul tells us: “12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. “ Recognize the sinful times that we are living in. God has called you by His grace in the waters of Baptism. Just as God called the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, so He has called you out of the bondage to sin. He has healed you by the wounds of Christ. You have been freed from the power of sin, Satan, and death. So how now should you live?
Too many people have not learned from the lessons of the past. After receiving forgiveness, they go on and live their lives as if God does not matter. They repeat their sinning, retuning to their former ways of life. Even though they were baptized, they have turned their backs on Christ and hold fast to the evil deceptions of Satan and the culture we live in. As the Apostle Peter has written: “22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).
The very same thing can happen to you unless you seek to stay on the path that the Lord has placed you on. The same evil that attacks those who have fallen away from Christ attacks you too! The same sinful flesh which has lured them to sin and death lures you as well. So what shall you do? Repent of your sins. Trust in Christ for forgiveness. God is faithful and just. God says if you confess your sins He will forgive you your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. There is only ONE MAN who lived the way that God wanted Him to live, and that is Jesus, who lived to do the will of the Father. Jesus alone trusted in God with all of His heart, soul, and strength. It pleased the Father to nail His Son to the cross, so that whoever looks to Christ will be saved. Jesus is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
In your Baptism God has called you from the darkness of sin into the light of Christ. If anyone is baptized in Christ that person has put on Christ. Your body has now become a temple of the Holy Spirit; so don’t live so as to satisfy your carnal flesh, live instead to give glory to God. You have been bought with a price, not with silver or gold but with Jesus’ very own body and blood on the cross. So now, live to honor God with the life He now has given to you.
Who will you live for? Who will you place your trust? Satan will throw everything he can to make you fall in your walk with God. But Christ is faithful. He is your ever-present Help. When tempted, God will give you help in time of need. Today He comes as your ever-present Help, offering to you Christ’s very body and blood for the forgiveness of sin and the strengthening of your faith. He promises in Scripture: ” No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Rooted and made strong in Christ, you will give glory to God.
So stand in Christ. Rely on His grace. Live your life to the glory of God, living not for yourself but for Christ’s glory and the salvation of sinners. Yes, pride comes before the fall, so remain humble, daily confessing your sins and placing your trust in Christ as your Savior. You cannot serve God and the world. So learn of Christ, trust in Christ. Live for Christ. He will never fail you and He will never let the righteous fall.
Amen

Change

2011-10-04T06:37:00.001-07:00

CHANGE
MARK 1:14-15

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

In the name of Jesus:
Change is in the air, and you can feel it! After the hot summer months, you can now feel the drop in the temperatures. Nights are now met not with the whir of the air conditioning unit trying to keep the temperature down in the home, but with windows open and the feel of cool breezes cooling off our bedrooms. Change is in the air, as jackets are worn when stepping outside in the morning going to work. Plants are beginning to lose their greenness and are starting to change color. Change is in the air, as the days grow darker earlier.
People today talk a lot about change. Politicians always seem to talk about change but things hardly ever seem to change. When things do change, people gripe and complain wanting the status quo. In the church, the culture around us HAS already changed, as we find ourselves living among people who are less inclined to go to church. In the good old days parochial schools were busting at the seams with full enrollment, church membership was on the upswing, and people were going to church. Nowadays, church schools are closing, Pre School and day cares find fewer children enrolled, and fewer people are inclined to go to church. More and more people seem to be openly critical and even hostile to the Church and to its teachings, saying that the Church is out of date and those who believe in traditional values are irrelevant or hate mongers. Things need to change, people need to change. The change needs to begin with each and every one of us.
When Jesus began His ministry, Scripture records His words. Not for posterity, but for purpose. Jesus could have said anything He wanted but Scripture records that when He speaks for the first time in His ministry, these words are important, and serve to set the stage for what follows. We all remember Jesus’ first words as recorded in Scripture, when He as a boy the age of twelve. He was teaching the learned in the Temple, and when asked by His parents as to what He was doing, Jesus replied that He was simply going about doing His Father’s business. Those words capture the essence of Jesus’ ministry, that Jesus was sent to do the will of the Father, but not being served but being a Servant so that He would give His life as a ransom for many.
But Jesus’ first words as He begins His ministry are telling. These set the stage for what follows. And what does He say? Does He say God is great, God is good, and so we should thank Him for our food? Does He say that I just want to praise the Father for all that He has done? No, the Gospel writer Mark records that after John was arrested, that Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God saying: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
The time is fulfilled, that is to say, the long awaited time as come! The Promised One in the Old Testament has arrived. The One promised to Adam and Eve in the Garden, the One pointed to by the prophets is here! King Jesus, God’s One and only Son has been sent by God the Father to do the Father’s work. Jesus has come to seek and save the lost, namely, all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus came to fulfill all of God’s promises concerning the world’s salvation. Throughout His ministry Jesus invites sinners to live under His gracious rule and righteousness. Come to Me, says Jesus, you who are burdened by your sins and the changes of life, and I, your Savior and King, will give you rest.
We need that type of rest, that type of change in our lives, don’t we? I do and you do too. All too often we find ourselves like the rich young man in the Gospel of Mark who asks Jesus what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. He knew the Commandments, in fact he told Jesus point blank what a fine religious person he was! Jesus told him that he lacked one thing, a heart that followed Jesus. This young man needed to change but he didn’t want to. He turned and went back to life of possessions and self-righteousness. His life was full of things, and himself. How many times do we act like this one did, with lives full of things and stuff and gadgets which are supposed to make our lives easier and yet in the end we still seek the peace that surpasses all understanding?
When we talk about change, it is usually spoken about in terms of what others need to do. The person who has wronged me must change the way he treats me. The person I don’t get along with needs to change his attitude. It usually is someone else’s fault. But note Jesus’ words. He says that you need to change. You need to repent because God’s Kingdom is at hand.
When Martin Luther started the Reformation by nailing the 95 theses to the Church door in Wittenberg, his first theses set the tone not only for the Reformation but for life of the believer in Christ AND the life of the Church. Luther wrote: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Consider this for a moment. Let’s have a Lutheran moment here; a what does this mean moment. Jesus is calling you to repentance, for you are a sinner. You have tried to justify your own actions in your life and have fallen short of God’s commands. It is not just the people around you who need to change, you need to change. You need to see yourself in the light of God’s commands and realize that you are a poor wretched sinner. The good that God wants you to do you can’t do perfectly, and the evil He forbids you end up doing! Who will save you from this sinful state? Not your reason, not your strength, not your words and not your actions. Christ will and has. Only Christ.
So Jesus tells you and me to turn from your sin and trust in Jesus. How can that happen? It has! In your Baptism God the Holy Spirit has washed away your sin and given to you a saving faith in Jesus. Luther explains it in this way: “In Baptism the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever, for St. Paul writes: “We were therefore buried with Him through Baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4).”
What God demands He gives to you in Baptism. Do you want change in your life? God has already changed you in Baptism, and He invites you to live a changed life daily. How? By remembering your Baptism, repenting of your sins and trusting in Christ who lived, died, and rose for your salvation. Do you want others to change? Then live the changed life that Christ has given to you, letting the Light of Christ shine forth in your life so as to give glory to God. Do you want others to believe in Christ? Then begin at home, teaching your family and witnessing to them the love and power of Christ. It is not by accident that Luther, in his Small Catechism, begins each section by stating: “As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household.” Change begins at home. Personally and as a family. Witnessing begins at home and as an individual. Rather than wringing our hands at the state of things in our world and the Church, perhaps it is high time to let the change begin with you, with me, with each of us assembled here.
To change our life by seeking first His kingdom and righteousness. To be glad when it is time to go to the house of the Lord. To place the Lord and His work as a priority. To become students of the Word by daily devotions and in corporate Bible study. To seek to share the blessings God has given to us with others, so that they might be blessed. The change we seek begins with us.
Change is inevitable in life. Seasons change. Today will soon change to tomorrow. The challenges we face will change. But one remains---Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Repenting of sins we rise to follow Jesus, to announce to all His Kingdom is here! The age-old problem of sin and human failure will be with us. However in Christ you are forgiven. In Baptism you have been changed! And you are sent to announce to others what Jesus offers and gives.
“Lord, help us to see you clearly and so believe that your Kingdom is still among us. Move us to a steadfast hope for the future and to daily repentance and new life. In Jesus’ name. Amen

I need to start updating the Blog

2011-10-04T06:36:00.001-07:00

Well, time has gotten away from me again. Other things have taken my time, oh that I would be able to blog like my daughter Rachel! But, seeing as I now a little time since the bulk of my duties as facilitator for the Ohio District Church Worker Conference has now concluded, I will try to update this blog. So get ready, the posts will come fast and furious! After doing this, I will head out to the Palmer Course at Ogelbay for some golf this afternoon

Happy Birthday Luann!

2011-08-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today is my wife, Luann's, birthday. She truly is a blessing to me! Enjoy the day, Luann. Happy birthday and I love you!

Beware of False Prophets

2011-08-16T06:38:00.001-07:00

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS
MATTHEW 7:13-23

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
In the name of Jesus:
Jesus in our text for today warns us about false prophets, more accurately, lying prophets or prophets who appear to be speaking for Jesus when they are not. Things are many times do not appear to be what they seem. I was reminded of this recently when I read about a kindergarten teacher who was accepting gifts from her pupils at the end of the school year. The kids brought their gifts to her in big, brown paper bags. The teacher had no trouble guessing that there were flowers in the bag brought to her by the florist’s son, or a box of chocolates in the bag from the daughter of a candy storeowner. But the bag given to her by the son of a liquor storeowner presented a challenge. It was leaking yellowish liquid. She put her finger to the liquid, tasted it and asked: “Is it wine? Champagne?” “No” the little boy replied with a smile, “It is a puppy.”
Things are not always what they seem. And this holds true in the area of religion and the Church. Jesus in our text warns us to beware of, to guard against, to stay away from and steer from false prophets. It isn’t “politically correct” to bash others who teach and preach in the name of Jesus. After all, we should just be “nice nice” and not say anything that would be in any way cause anyone trouble. But this is not what Jesus says! Note what Jesus says at the end of the Sermon on the Mount: “13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” Jesus is here talking about going to heaven. The road to heaven is narrow, so one enters through the narrow gate. While it is true that God wants all to be saved, salvation only comes to those who have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other road other than Jesus. The Scriptures are clear, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved,” “Jesus says I am the Way, Truth and Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me,” “a person is saved by grace through faith in Christ, not of works, so that no one may boast.” THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN IS BY TRUSTING IN CHRIST!!!
So Jesus warns you and me to beware of false prophets. He is clear, they exist and they are present today. The way that the false teachers proclaim leads to destruction. How then can we know who they are so that we can avoid them? Jesus gives clear instructions as to who these people are and what they will teach.
Listen to Jesus: “. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
A mark of a false prophet is that the lies that they proclaim will be dressed as the truth. Deceit always masquerades as the truth. A magician will ply his trade so that you think his performance is real, when in actuality he is tricking you, for there is always a trick up the magician’s sleeve. The same holds true for those who are false prophets. They have always existed, seeking to proclaim their wisdom instead of the Lord’s Word. Just listen to what Jeremiah the prophet says about them: “16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’” And “26 How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, 27 who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name?” These false prophets speak their own wisdom; they speak visions of their own heart, and CLAIM THAT THEY ARE SPEAKING FOR THE LORD! They do not speak of sin, or repentance, or judgment. They speak of peace, they preach prosperity, and they preach what man can do to become a child of God. Noticeably absent from any of their teaching is the proclamation of sin and grace, repentance and forgiveness. And what does Jesus say of them? “You will recognize them by their fruits.”
You know what it means by knowing something by its fruit! When you go to the market to pick summer fruit, you take the time to look for good fruit, separating the good from the bad. The fruit of a true prophet doesn’t preach outward righteousness, success, or prosperity. The true prophet isn’t interested in preaching or pushing an agenda or cause. The true prophet only is concerned about one thing, preaching Christ and Him crucified and rose from the dead. The true prophet isn’t interested in his or her own ministry, isn’t concerned about the glory and praise of men, the true prophet IS only interested and concerned about the glory of God in Jesus Christ.
Note what Jesus says about these false prophets. He calls them wolves in sheep clothing. They look innocent but their teaching is deadly. They appear harmless but their teaching leads to Hell. But how can this be, because they look so nice, they appear to be clean cut and likeable. Yet Jesus says they are known by their fruits, these people are rotten to the core.
Listen to the Apostle Paul’s warning to the Church in Acts 20: “29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.” Paul continued to warn believers about false teachers in his day and age. Note again what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:13 for such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” For not everyone who says to Jesus: “‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
So what is the Christian to do? Certainly Christ warns us NOT to listen to these false prophets. So who are you to listen to? Jesus, only Jesus! Jesus speaks to you through His Word. Jesus says told the Pharisees: “You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life, but THE SCRIPTURES TESTIFY OF ME.” Jesus also says:” Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” The fruit of a true preacher of Christ points people to Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins that He alone offers by His shed blood on the cross. You belong to Jesus ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS SHED BLOOD FROM HIS CROSS. Luther reminds us in his Small Catechism: You were purchased, not with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ.”
When the Apostle Peter confessed his faith in Christ, he confessed that he believed that Jesus was the promised Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus, previous to Peter’s confession, asked the disciples: Who do people say that the Son of Man is? Each and every response was lacking. Some said that Jesus was a good teacher, that type of faith wasn’t good enough. Some said that Jesus was a good preacher, that response wasn’t good enough. Some said that Jesus did many wonders, that He could work miracles in your life. That response wasn’t good enough. Only one response was good enough, Peter’s response, that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Peter confessed his faith in the person of Jesus and HIS MISSION to seek and save the lost. The false responses and false prophets of Jesus’ day and age described a different Jesus. Jesus warns you to beware of those today who offer to you a different Jesus than the ONE that is testified of by the Bible, namely, that salvation is offered only by Christ’s cross, His shed blood, and His resurrection from the grave.
How do you guard yourself from the deceptions of these false teachers? By clinging to Christ. In Baptism Jesus was washed away your sins. You belong to Christ. So listen to His voice. His voice is heard when you hear the Word of God. The Word of God is the weapon that God has given to His Church, and to you, to ward off the assaults of the devil and the lies of false teachers. God has saved you in Christ. He wants you to listen to Christ. John the Baptist, in his ministry, took great pains not to point sinners to himself, rather, he pointed people to Jesus. John said of Jesus: “He must increase, and I must decrease.” God calls us to “seek the Lord where He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Where is Jesus to be found today? Only in His Word and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. For in Baptism we have been place in Christ, and in His Supper He feeds us with His true body and blood for forgiveness and eternal life.
Dear brother and sister in Christ, things are not always what they appear or seem. Note well the words of Scripture: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4: 1). Dear friend, we live in a dangerous world. Satan is alive and well and seeks your destruction. So cling to Jesus. Trust in Him alone. Be faithful to Christ unto death, and He will give you the crown of everlasting life.
Amen

Lest We Forget

2011-08-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

LEST WE FORGET
MARK 8:1-9

In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.

In the name of Jesus:
Lest we Forget is a phrase, first made popular in a poem by Rudyard Kipling. The phrase is found in the refrain of Kipling’s poem called “Recessional”. In the poem, Kipling warns about self-confidence, where a nation would become so full of pride or self-confidence that they would forget where they came from and thus suffer a decline as a nation.
More recently, “Lest we forget” has become a popular slogan for the Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action campaign. The phrase reminds us to remember not just the sacrifices of the military as a whole but the ultimate sacrifice made by those who have been lost in battle or captured by the enemy. “Lest we Forget” has become a rallying cry of sorts after the Korean and Vietnam wars, so that we as a nation never forget those who are MIA or POW’s and that we continue to strive to bring them home to our country.
Lest we forget should serve as the rallying cry for the Christian Church, because in spite of the many blessings that God bestows on His children, we who are followers of Christ soon forget those blessings. And even today, as we gather around God’s Word and Sacrament, we come as a people who have, at times, forgotten God’s mercy and compassion to us in Christ. But God still has compassion on us in Christ, He forgives, renews, and strengthens, so that we might not forget His mercies but continue to trust in Christ, and show that faith in our daily lives.
Note our text: In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.” Did you catch that? Again a great crowd gathered. This has happened before! In fact, it happened four pages ago, in Mark 7 where we see that a great crowd gathered at that time, and Jesus at that time had compassion on the people and fed 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish.
Here we are, some time later, and the same thing happens, a great crowd gathers and they had nothing to eat. Mark records that Jesus, seeing the crowd, and knowing their needs (because He is the Son of God in human flesh) has compassion on them. Compassion, Jesus felt compassion, a feeling in your gut where you are moved to action out of love and concern for another. And so Jesus, in compassion, acts.
In the feeding of the 5000, Jesus tells His disciples to give them something to eat. The disciples ask the first time where are we going to get something to eat for all these people? Knowing the situation Jesus at this time in the feeding of the 4000, Jesus simply states the problem: “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” What a set up! Surely the disciples will remember what happened last time. Won’t they? Certainly they will remember who is with them! Or will they? How we forget! For the disciples say to Jesus: “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” They say to Jesus: “What can WE do? How easily they forgot who Jesus is and what Jesus had done for them in the past!
So note what Jesus does: He takes what is available and blesses it. And the people were fed! Listen: “And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.”
The people were fed. They were satisfied. Their needs were met, the hunger pangs were quelled and they had no more need to be fed. Having been fed once again there were leftovers! Over seven baskets of leftovers were collected. And the Scriptures state that they went on their way. Did they remember what happened? What would be their response when trouble would arise again?
Dear friends, how easily we forget the mercies of the Lord! The Bible says: Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever!” God is always merciful and gracious, even to us, and yet, sadly, we forget God’s mercies and grace. When push comes to shove, and when you have needs or are faced with troubling issues in your lives, how do you respond? God has promised to take care of you. Do you remember that, or do you easily forget?
How many times have you worried about your physical needs: will you have enough to live on; can you make ends meet; who will take care of you when you are in need of care; will your children be provided for; what about your health; your friends; what is it that you have fretted about, worried about, what has caused you a sleepless night or two? What is it that your have worried about?
Hasn’t the Lord promised to take care of you? Hasn’t He helped you in the past? Your help has come in the name of the Lord? He has given to you what you need. He has richly and daily provided for all that you have needed to support your body and life. How easily you have forgotten how much the Lord loves you and how much He cares for you. He has never failed you, but you have failed to remember that the Lord your God is good and gracious and that He has been faithful to His promises to you. Your sinful heart has accepted God’s gifts, but has failed to thank Him. You have accepted help from the Lord but sadly, when faced with new challenges and difficulties; you easily forget God and His grace.
Freely you have received mercy from God. But how often as sinners do we fail to show it to others! God has forgiven in Christ and yet we find it within our power to hold a grudge, to withhold forgiveness to someone who has wronged us, and we even seek to pay back evil for evil. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, but we would rather take maters into our own hands instead of trusting in the Lord to work all things out for us.
You see, time and again the Lord continues to provide for you and His children. But how easily we forget His mercies! Rather than thanking God we run from Him to the pleasures of this world. All too often we despise the Lord, His Word, and His gifts.
But Christ has compassion. On you and for you! Even as He had fed the 5000, and then again the 4000, so also He feeds you today with His Body and Blood. Come and taste and see once again that the Lord is good! His mercy lasts forever! His forgiveness is for sinners! For Jesus became sin for you, enduring the cross, paying the price for your life by giving His life unto death on the cross. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ! (Romans 6:23). Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the sheep. He as the Good Shepherd laid down His life for you! He has called you by name in the waters of your Baptism. You do not belong to yourself, or the sinful world. You belong to God!
See what God continues to do for you today! He feeds and cares for you. Jesus says that He is the bread of life, and this bread, which nourishes to eternal life, is given freely this day in His Word and Sacrament. His Word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. Jesus comes in, with, and under the bread and wine to give you Himself, so that your sins are forgiven and that your soul is fed. Jesus sees your sins and in compassion forgives you your sins in this Sacrament. He feeds you with Himself so that you can once again taste and see that the Lord is good and that His mercy endures forever. Jesus bids you to come to this altar, to take and eat and take and drink His true body and blood in remembrance of Him. He is really present and in your partaking of this Meal Jesus calls to your remembrance the price He paid for your salvation: nothing else but His body and blood which is given to you in this Sacrament. Come to the Lord this day you who labor and are heavy laden with sin, for in Christ there is forgiveness of your sins. Here God meets your greatest need, for where there is forgiveness of sin, and then there is life and salvation.
Luther said to God’s people in his day on preaching on this text (and his words are poignant for you and me today): “The lesson is that we get our priorities straight and make the searching of God’s Word our first priority. We have a generous Lord, who is concerned about all of our need and in whom we should therefore trust to provide everything that is essential. Even though at times it may seem to us that we are lacking in necessities, he will always take care of us so long as we diligently hear His Word, believe it, and live a life that is pleasing to God. For when Christ is our provider, there will always be an abundance of everything, even when there is nothing, as we clearly see from this Gospel lesson…. We should burn this lesson into our memories so that we may learn to believe that, regardless how poor we may be, if we faithfully and diligently cling to God’s promises, our Lord Christ will still provide us with food and nourishment” (Complete Works of Martin Luther Vol 6: 333ff).
Jesus frequently said: He who has ears to hear, let him hear! And how we need to hear this lesson, remember it, and believe it today! The news is filled with reports of another down turn in the economy, as if there was ever an upturn in the economy! Yes, the economy today is not doing well. People still don’t have jobs; many are struggling to make ends meet. But God reminds you and me today in this passage that He loves us with an everlasting love. Rather than worry and be anxious over things that we need, He reminds us in the feeding of the 4000 and 5000 of His compassion for sinners. Christ will provide. So turn from your worry, repent of your sins, and do not forget that Christ loves you and will continue to take care of you. Make the Lord and His Word your first love and priority! Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and then all these things will be added to you.
Amen

Your Only Hope

2011-08-04T17:28:00.001-07:00

YOUR ONLY HOPE
MATTHEW 5:17-26

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In the name of Jesus:
I read about an instant cake mix that was a big flop. The instructions said all you had to do was add water and bake. The company couldn't understand why it didn't sell -- until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water. Apparently people thought it was too easy. So the company altered the formula and changed the directions to call for adding an egg to the mix in addition to the water. The idea worked and sales jumped dramatically.
This story simply illustrates the reaction that many have to salvation by grace through faith in Christ. For some who balk at God’s grace, it sounds too easy and simple to be true, even though the Bible says, "By grace you have been saved through faith... it is the gift of God, not of works" (Eph. 2:8-9). They think that there has to be more to it, that there is something more they must do, something they must add to God's "recipe" for salvation. They think they must perform good works to gain God's favor and earn eternal life. But the Bible is clear -- we are saved, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy" (Titus 3:5). God has not changed the Gospel. The Good News is that He saves by a free gift of His love through faith in Jesus Christ. Our good works are merely thank yous, flowing from grateful hearts to God.
When Jesus ushered in the Kingdom by calling sinners to repentance, He proclaimed the Law of God in its sternest terms. This is what He does today. It is the meaning of His words: “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.” True righteousness, a right standing with God exists only because a right relationship with Jesus. Salvation is given by God’s grace through faith in Christ. The Scribes and Pharisees didn’t grasp this concept because of their hatred of Jesus.
In the Old Testament lesson for today, we read of God’s Ten Commandments. The Law of God was given by God to curb lawlessness, show sinners their sinfulness, and as a third use is to be used by Christians as a guide or rule for thankful living to God. For the Pharisees and Scribes, whose hatred of Jesus blinded them, the Law of God was not enough to be right with God. More was needed, much more.
Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments in two verses: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. In addition to this, love your neighbor as yourself. These words sum up the Ten Commandments perfectly. But for the Pharisees, this wasn’t enough. The Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws. They continued to invent new laws for new situations. Even though God was the judge, they believed that they could judge others and so they held people accountable to their own standard of righteousness. People had to live to please the Pharisees, not God. The Pharisee and his version of righteousness was cold and heartless, it was not produced by love for God, it was more interested in the praise of men, instead of God’s will and lives lived to His glory.
Make no mistake, the scribes and Pharisees were religious people. They were more interested in the externals; a life rooted in works, thinking that by their works God would be pleased. They rejected Jesus and His message of love and grace. But Jesus rejected their teachings and their works. I like what author Frederick Buechner wrote: “The trouble with religious people is that they try to be more spiritual than God.” How true. The trouble with the scribes and Pharisees is that they tried to be more spiritual than God. They thought that they could live lives, which would give them a right relationship with God.
Who can do this? Not the Scribes, not the Pharisees, and certainly not you or me! NO one can keep God’s Law perfectly, this is what He commands when He says Be holy as I the Lord your God am holy. God requires perfection in thought, word, and deed. His standard is the perfect keeping of HIS commandments, not man made ones. And in this you and I and every human being falls far short!
God demands perfection! God demands holiness! Nothing more and nothing less! And so Jesus says: Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you won’t enter the Kingdom of heaven. Examine your life in light of God’s law: Have you loved God above all things? Or have money, power, prestige taken the place of God? Have you played God in your life, or has God had His way with you? Have you acted in anger, spite, or envy of another? Have you honored those who serve God in the government as His agents and prayed for those over you, or have you complained or have been indifferent?
If you are honest with God, and yourself, you will note that you have fallen far short of God’s standard of perfection. You have not been perfect as God is perfect, your life has not been holy at all times, you have not allowed God to use you, rather you have tried to use God and play the part of God in your life. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Even if you were to deny your sinfulness, you can’t deny the inevitability of your death. Death is the payoff for a sinful life. You HAVE sinned, you HAVE fallen short of God’s standard of perfection, and you WILL die.
So where can you go for help? Your help, the sinners’ help is in the name of the Lord. Turn to Christ; trust in what He has done for you. Trust in Jesus, for He is your HOPE, your righteousness, and your ever-present help in times of trouble.
Jesus came to be YOUR righteousness because you can never be right in and of yourself before God. This is why Jesus says: “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Jesus came to keep the Law on your behalf. He came to keep the Ten Commandments perfectly for you in your place. Jesus fulfilled all that was written of Him in the Law and the Prophets. The writer to the Hebrews states: “15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Your only hope for salvation is Jesus! For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is your righteousness before the Father for He gave His perfect life in death as your Substitute and Savior. Jesus is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus has accomplished all that is needed for your salvation. His righteousness, and His alone EXCEED the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. And Jesus gives you this righteousness as a free gift.
This gift was given to you in your Baptism. Note what Paul says of Baptism: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4). You have died to sin in Baptism. In your Baptism the Holy Spirit has washed your filthy rags of righteousness. Just as Christ died so too in Baptism you were baptized into His death, so that you might die to sin and rise to newness of life in Christ. This new life in Christ has been given as a GIFT to you in your Baptism. So that, just as Jesus rose from the grave, so daily you are called to rise daily by the power of the Spirit to live for God.
The life you now live, you live to the glory of God. It is done in keeping the Ten Commandments, joyfully, in thanks to Jesus to the glory of God. Jesus explains what this life looks like when He says: “13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16). You are now raised with Christ to walk in newness of life and to share in His resurrection on the Last Day. And so you are to live as if you are dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ, living out your life as a shining light to others revealing the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Today Christians just shake their heads at the state of things in our world today. It seems as if everything is falling apart at the seams. Those Christian values, which we grew up with and held so dear, are now marginalized and trivialized. I ran across an interesting comment by retired Anglican pastor John Stott. Stott, who was a pastor in London England, once remarked concerning what he saw as the declining values in America by saying:
‘You know what your own country is like. I'm a visitor, and I wouldn't presume to speak about America. But I know what Great Britain is like. I know something about the growing dishonesty, corruption, immorality, violence, pornography, the diminishing respect for human life, and the increase in abortion.   Whose fault is it? Let me put it like this: if the house is dark at night, there is no sense in blaming the house. That's what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is, "Where is the light?” if meat goes bad, there is no sense in blaming the meat. That is what happens when the bacteria are allowed to breed unchecked. The question to ask is, "Where is the salt?” if society becomes corrupt like a dark night or stinking fish, there's no sense in blaming society. That's what happens when fallen human society is left to itself and human evil is unrestrained and unchecked. The question to ask is "Where is the church?"
Where is the Church? Dear friend, YOU ARE THE CHURCH! You have been called in Baptism to follow Christ, showing by your words and action the God given faith you have in Jesus. The light of Christ has been given to you to shine in this dark world. Your only hope for your salvation is Jesus Christ. The only hope for this lost and fallen world is Jesus Christ! God seeks to use you to bring Light to the darkness and hope to the hopeless. Your hope is built on nothing less than Jesus. The only hope our neighborhoods and communities have is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has changed your life so that others might be saved!
The power of the Gospel, the power of Christ is most vividly seen in the story told when George Bush was Vice President. As Vice President, George Bush (41 not 43) represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev's widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just as the soldiers touched the lid, Brezhnev's wife performed an act of great courage and hope, a gesture that must surely rank as one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed: She reached down and made the sign of the cross on her husband's chest.
There in the citadel of secular, atheistic power, the wife of the man who had run it all hoped that her husband was wrong. She hoped that there was another life, and that that life was best represented by Jesus who died on the cross, and that the same Jesus might yet have mercy on her husband.
Jesus has had mercy on you. He died and rose for you and gives you His light and life. He has called you by name to give hope to the hopeless by living out your faith in Jesus. So let your light shine, giving glory to God, and hope to many. In Jesus’ name.
Amen

Fishers of Men

2011-07-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

FISHERS OF MEN
LUKE 5:1-11

5:1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

In the name of Jesus:
Have you been fishing lately? The last time I went fishing was over ten years ago. I had never been fishing before, being a city boy from Cleveland. Drew and Mark wanted to go fishing, some of their school friends had been fishing with their dads and both boys thought it would be a good idea to go with their dad. I had no idea what to do, the only fishing I saw were people fishing on the rocks jutting out to Lake Erie when I was growing up, and I distinctly remember Andy of Mayberry taking Opie fishing at the local pond. But me, fishing? I had no idea what to do.
Luann suggested that I go to Lancaster Sales to pick up a license and some inexpensive rods and reels. I asked around and purchased what we needed but had to go to a store to pick up bait, something to lure the fish to bite the hook on the line. I went to a store that sold bait and found out more than I wanted to know about bait. There are different baits for different fish, some like worms; others prefer something else like chicken. Different lures will entice different fish, as each fish has their own likes and dislikes.
The day of our blessed fishing event was comical. The boys took to it well, but I kept getting the line hooked in a tree or a bush. When we were lucky enough to catch a fish, the boys took holding the fish’s mouth and taking out the hook. Me? I rather watch!
Fishing is great fun, and I enjoyed my brief career as a fisherman. My experience taught me that you don’t have to know a lot about it to enjoy it. Fishing was a major industry in the days of Christ. If you live by Buckeye Lake, or one of the Great Lakes or the oceans, you know that fishing is big business today. People dedicate their lives to the sport. Fishing is a way of life for many.
Fishing is a way of life for the Christian as well. Jesus says as much when He tells Peter that He will make them catchers of men. Instead of fishing for men they will catch men. But what does Jesus mean?
Peter knew about fishing. He was one, as James and John, who dedicated their lives to the fishing industry. They knew of the lures, the bait, the right times to fish, they could tell you how to fish and make a living out of it. In our text for today, Peter, James and John, the fishermen of the bunch, were out all night fishing. The text says, “We have toiled all night and took nothing.” These men worked at their trade, they did everything within the realm of possibility to catch fish, using all of the resources of their intellect, will, and body to catch fish. But in the end, they came up with nothing. Nada. Their efforts were fruitless.
Jesus, knowing this, told Peter to “put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”. Peter probably thought: “Lord, I have been there and have done that.” But Peter responded to the Lord by saying: “But at your word I will let down the nets.” Peter had nothing; he could only trust Christ and His Word. And so he did, and Luke records that the fish were of such number that they were caught but that the nets enclosed around the fish, so much so that the boats were filled with fish and began to sink. Peter in faith recognized the power of Christ and His Word, confessed His sinfulness and begged the Lord to leave him alone, for a sinner is not worthy to stand before the Holy God. But what does Jesus do, but forgive Peter. He forgives and empowers him to do something other than hunting and killing fish; Peter would be empowered to seek to gather mortal men to everlasting life. But how would this be done?
Not by power or earthly might. Not by human wisdom or insight. To gather people to everlasting life can only occur by the power of God. So where is that power? Listen to the Apostle Paul: 18 for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,” I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Cor. 1:18-25).
The only fishing lure that God uses to bring people to eternal life is His Word, the Law which shows us our sins and our need, and the Gospel which provides the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Note what Paul is saying here. The Church is called to fish for sinners. Sinners will be gathered to God in Jesus Christ. The power of salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, in His innocent life, suffering, death, and resurrection. Only by the shed blood of Christ does God forgive sins. Only by the sacrifice that Christ paid on the cross are sinners saved. Not by human wisdom. Not by human effort. Not by hooks or tricks or modern philosophy. Only by Christ.
Christ grants salvation only through His Word. At the Lord’s Word did Peter cast the nets out, and at Christ’s Word did the fish gather to be collected. Not only Peter but also the fish obeyed the Lord! Humanly speaking, it didn’t make sense to Peter. After all, he did all he COULD do. There was nothing else FOR HIM to do but trust in Jesus and His Word. Peter’s faith merely accepted what Jesus was giving him, a whole haul of fish!
So too Jesus gives you salvation only through His Word. In Baptism the Spirit gives faith in Jesus. Modern man scoffs at such talk! It is just water, what can water do??? But Baptism is not just simple water, but it is water comprehended in and connected with God’s Word. Without the Word Baptism is no Baptism but is only water, but with the water and the Word Baptism gives faith in Christ and eternal life.
Jesus today comes to you in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine. Modern man once again scoffs at such “silliness”. It is just bread and wine, the “wise people” say. What good can that do? But Jesus says that He is really present, He invites you to take and eat, take and drink His body and blood. Why? For the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, so that you might go in peace and serve the Lord. Without the Word the elements are simple bread and wine, but with the Lord’s Word God gives His gifts of salvation won by His cross.
Peter trusted the Lord’s Word. He was blessed, called by God to cast out the net of salvation to sinners and see many believe in Jesus BY THE POWER OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST. For man is saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not of his own doing but solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus. God has so blessed you this day with faith in Jesus, and has so strengthened your faith in Jesus through this Meal that you are now sent by Him to fish for men, that through the Word of Christ working in and through your life sinners will be gathered to the Savior, Jesus.
Peter in one sense hit the fishing jackpot. He caught a boatload of fish which, when taken to market, would have been a huge financial windfall for him and James and John. But Peter wasn’t interested in the cash. Recognizing his sinfulness, he confessed his sin and trusted in Christ. And note: “when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” Peter and the others had a change in their life and priorities. What mattered most was not financial gain, or the growth of the fishing company. What mattered the most was Jesus. Receiving Christ’s forgiveness they were empowered to reach out and gather sinners to Christ, by simply proclaiming Christ crucified and risen again.
God has given to you a calling. Whether you are a husband or wife, parent or child, worker or retired, God has called you to be His disciple in this time and place. As God’s disciple God calls you to live out your faith. As Martin Luther wrote: “It is a great gift of God to live in the light of the Word and the divine calling. For the Word directs the course of life day and night…we should do nothing contrary to the obedience and reverence we owe to God.” (LW 8:83).
Dear friend, in Baptism God has called you by name, you now belong to Him. As a disciple of Jesus, Jesus now calls you to a life of discipleship. Daily you are to follow Him, listen to His Word, trust in Christ for forgiveness and life, and live out that faith in Christ for all to see. Even as Jesus sent Peter to share the Gospel of Christ, so too this day Jesus challenges you to become a fisher of men. that through your words, actions, and attitude you will proclaim Christ as Savior, to the glory of God.
Amen

Standing in the place of God

2011-07-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

STANDING IN THE PLACE OF GOD
GENESIS 50:15-19

15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

This past week at VBS I had the opportunity to teach the pre school children. One of the techniques that were suggested in teaching 3, 4, and 5 year olds was play-acting. When one play-acts in teaching children, the teacher lead the children in acting out the story being told. For example, in the case of Moses parting the Red Sea, the students will act out with their arms the separation of the waters, and make believe that they are walking through the Red Sea as on dry ground. These types of techniques can be helpful in learning.
In the area of the fine arts and drama, actors will attempt to learn all they can about a character in the part that they play in the drama. Actors will seek to get inside the character to actually and accurately portray the part. They will, in a sense, stand in the place of the person they are trying to portray.
All of this is in good fun and is entertaining for the actors and those engrossed in the story. There are times we need to be engrossed in such types of entertainment, to divert us from the problems and trials we all face. We need to be engrossed because life itself is all too engrossing. It is easy to get all wrapped up in our own problems that we fail to not only see the big picture, but that we also lose perspective. The Old Testament lesson for today serves as a reality check for us today.
The story in the familiar story of Joseph, he of whom Andrew Lloyd Webber popularized in his play: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat”. Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, was an interpreter of dreams. His God given ability to interpret dreams got him into trouble with his jealous brothers, who sold him to traders when he was young, then lied to their father Jacob over Joseph’s whereabouts, saying the Joseph was dead!
God however had amazing plans for Joseph, even though those plans led him to an unjust imprisonment over the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife. While in prison, Joseph was able to interpret a butler and baker’s dream, and once Pharaoh got wind of Joseph, the Egyptian leader summoned Joseph to interpret his own troubling dream. Pharaoh, upon hearing of an impending famine through Joseph’s interpretation, appointed Joseph to be one in charge of preparing for the famine. Joseph, because of God’s blessing and God’s gift of interpretation of dreams, became second in power only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt.
The famine was severe, and Jacob, along with his family, was suffering back home. Jacob sent his sons to see if they could buy any food in Egypt to bring home with them. They came to Joseph, who told them that they could have food only on one condition that they would leave Benjamin behind. The sons reluctantly agreed to this and brought food home with them to Jacob and the family but Jacob was none too pleased. Thinking Joseph was dead, he wondered if Benjamin would meet the same fate. Soon the food bought from Egypt would run out and Jacob once again sent his sons to buy some in Egypt. Once again the brothers approached Joseph, who gave them food along with returning the money they used to purchase the food. Upon returning to Egypt, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and they in turn went to get Jacob, to take him and the rest of the family to Egypt, there reunited with Joseph, and Jacob with all of his children, lived until he died.
After Jacob’s death, the sons of Jacob were fearful. Would Joseph now seek retribution? Would he now act in vengeance toward those who had wronged him? This was the question, the big elephant in the room so to speak, that everyone wondered about. And this is where we pick up our text for today. And we read: “15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”
Note Joseph’s powerful words: Am I in the place of God? Can I stand in God’s place and judge you? Heaven forbid, says Joseph, for God is only the one true Judge. He alone brings about good from evil, and because God has shown mercy to me and has used this to His glory many people are alive today! Joseph thus spoke kindly to them and comforted them, for Joseph rightly understood that he could not stand in the place of God and judge his brothers.
You see, God was merciful to Joseph, so he in turn, in thanks to God, was merciful to those others, even though they wronged him. Joseph trusted in God’s mercy throughout his life and having been a recipient of His mercy, he could do no less than share that mercy with others.
Do you stand in the place of God? In one respect, yes , you stand in the place of God when you seek to take matters into your own hands. When you are wronged and then stand in judgment against the one who has wronged you, you stand in the place of God. When you seek retribution and harm over and against those who have wronged you, you stand in the place of God. And this is not pleasing to God. Who are you to judge or to stand in God’s place to work your will when He alone is God and is able to do anything, which pleases Him? God doesn’t call you to take out your anger on another! Listen to what God says: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” (Romans 12:14-21). When you condemn another or seek to avenge yourself, you put yourself in the place of God, seeking to stand in God’s place. Does not God say that you shall have no other gods besides Me? To seek vengeance fails to trust in God that He is just and that He will do what is right by you.
This is what God has exactly done! He has sought vengeance and accomplished justice on your behalf. It is not as a result of anything that you have done or what you could accomplish. God has done this solely by His almighty power and His justice flows from His everlasting love.
For God’s good News is that Jesus has stood in your place! He accomplished all that you could not do by keeping God’s Law perfectly. When wronged, Jesus did not seek retribution but turned the other cheek, again, and again, and again. Jesus is the Lamb of God and when led to the cross He was like a lamb led to the slaughter, not opening His mouth but He willing lived, suffered, and died on the cross to pay the price for all sin and injustice. God’s justice in found in the cross of Christ, His only Son who gave His life for your sins and the sins of the world.
Only Jesus is merciful, as His Father is merciful. Just as Jesus forgave those who condemned Him to death so He also forgives you. His blood washes even the vilest sin away. He doesn’t condemn you today, rather He gives newness of life! Jesus places you in Him so that by God’s grace you can stand as His child. In Baptism God has placed you in Jesus so that now you are in good standing with God. Today He feeds you with His true body and blood. Nourished by Jesus you now by His grace stand in His place to share His mercy and love with others.
In Jesus you are now a son of the Father. In Jesus you are called to be merciful to those who have wronged you, forgiving those who have hurt you, doing good even to your enemies. For this is God’s good and gracious will; that you would “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” For as you stand by grace through faith in the mercies of God in Christ, you are now sent to stand in His mercy to share His mercy with others.
To God be the glory.
Amen

A New Bible Handbook

2011-07-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

I recently ordered, and received in the mail today, "Concordia's Complete Bible Handbook for Students" published by CPH. At first glance it is a beautiful book with lots of helpful information. The pictures and illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. I plan on using it as reference, along with the Lutheran Study Bible, as a tool in my sermon and bible study preparation. But one thing that I have noticed which is lacking in this book is an index. I tried to find information on Pharisees but couldn't find it easily. I know it is in there, I just have to find it. So, in the next edition, perhaps it would be helpful to include an index for easier reference.

Sinners on Trial

2011-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

SINNERS ON TRIAL
I TIMOTHY 1:15

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
In the name of Jesus:
In the world of judges and juries, we have recently witnessed another “Trial of the Century” in the events, which transpired in the Casey Anthony trial. Not since the O J Simpson trial has our nation’s attention been fixated on a verdict of a trial. The headlines in the Columbus Dispatch on Wednesday blared the news: “Casey Anthony Cleared in the Death of Her Daughter.” Then, in an Associated Press story, the article explained: “Casey Anthony's eyes welled with tears and her lips trembled as the verdict was read once, twice and then a third time: "Not guilty" of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Outside the courthouse, many in the crowd of 500 reacted with anger, chanting, "Justice for Caylee!" and "Baby killer!"
In one of the most-divisive verdicts since O.J. Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife, Anthony was cleared yesterday of murder, manslaughter and child-abuse charges after weeks of TV coverage.
Anthony, 25, was convicted only of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators who were looking into the child's June 2008 disappearance. Anthony could get up to a year behind bars on each count when she is sentenced Thursday morning. But since she has been in jail for nearly three years already, she could walk free. Had she been convicted of murder, she could have gotten the death penalty.”
Many who watched the trial were stunned at this verdict. From the circumstantial evidence, it SEEMS as if Casey Anthony killed her daughter. And yet, the verdict was not guilty. Note, the verdict was not guilty; the jury decided that they had reasonable doubt as to whether Casey killed Caylee. Casey was NOT proven to be innocent, there is plenty of blame to go around in her dysfunctional family, and Casey is not without fault. But the verdict was not guilty, and she will be able to walk away a free person, no punishment for whatever crime might have been committed by whoever killed Caylee.
The nation’s sense of justice has been violated. Many think that this verdict is a travesty. It is not my intent to place blame on anyone in this case in this message, what I do want you to see, though, is that people do walk free who are as guilty as sin of crimes committed. It happens all the time. Maybe not in a court of law, but in God’s scheme of things, in His divine justice, sinners who deserve the death penalty hear the verdict of NOT GUILTY all of the time. That is the message of our text for today; it is the message of the Bible!
In the Old Testament there is a scene recorded in Zechariah 3 of a vision that Zechariah has, to explain God’s sense of justice. The scene is a courtroom and Joshua the high priest is on trial. He stands before God as a sinner. All of the good things that he has done in life are like soiled garments when placed in contrast to God’s holiness and goodness. Satan stands on the side accusing Joshua of his sins, reminding Joshua and God of Joshua’s unrighteousness. God in His divine justice has every right to give Joshua the death penalty, to damn him to Hell. But Joshua has the best defense attorney, the Angel of the Lord, none other than Jesus Christ Himself, who orders that Joshua’s clothes be changed, from soiled garments to clean garments, to signify that Jesus has paid the price for Joshua’s ransom from sin. God the Father, looking at Joshua and hearing Jesus’ plea renders His verdict: NOT GUILTY! Another sinner goes free! Such is God’s justice. And Joshua receives this verdict in faith, leaving the courtroom singing praises to God and telling others of God’s mercy in Christ.
Humanly our sense of justice is that someone who commits a crime should be punished. The punishment should fit the crime. Why would and why should the guilty go free? And yet, in God’s divine justice, this is what has happened to you and me, indeed it is offered to all.
If you were on trial before the throne of the one Holy God, how would He judge you? God has told you what is expected of you, of how you are to love Him above all things, to show love and mercy to your neighbor. In light of God’s commands, how have you fared? What would you say to God when He would inquire of you of how you have lived your life? King David prayed: “Search me O God and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there is any grievous way in me and lead me in the way of life everlasting!” (Ps. 139:23-24). Have you searched your heart? Have you seen yourself in the light of God’s mirror of the Ten Commandments? If so, you will see yourself as you really are. You have not feared, loved, or trusted in God, as He demands. You have not properly used and heard God’s Word. You have been angry, resentful, and unforgiving toward your spouse, your family members, your friends and your neighbors. You have been envious, coveting that which does not belong to you, and you have spoken slanderous words to others. And these are only the things that you know! Think about those sins that you don’t know, that you have no clue that you have committed, but God still holds you accountable! Your unclean heart has led to a life polluted with sin. In light of God’s holiness, you are unworthy to be called His child. You have offended God with your ungratefulness. What should God do? He has every right to judge you as GUILTY, for your life shows that you are guilty of sin. You deserve no good thing from God; instead you should get God’s death penalty.
But God points you to His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus has rendered full payment for your sin. With His innocent life led Jesus stood in your place, offering Himself as the Substitute for sin, for He is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! You who should stand condemned before God’s throne of judgment now hear God’s verdict in Christ: NOT GUILTY! For God’s declaration is that Jesus who knew no sin actually became sin for you, that you might be right with God!
God has given this verdict. How then should the sinner respond? Some will reject the verdict, saying that it is baseless and without fact. Even though God says it in His Word, there will be those who reject the message. Others will hear the message of God’s forgiveness in Christ and rationalize why it doesn’t apply to them. Still others will shake their heads in disbelief. And do you know what? It is normal. Why? Because sinful man in his sinfulness cannot comprehend nor accept the things of God, for the Scripture says that sinful man’s heart and will is hostile to God.
So what does God do? God calls the sinner to change, to repent. But how can you repent? Even then God is gracious, sending His Holy Spirit working through Baptism and the Word to break the hearts of sinners to turn them to Him. The Spirit gives faith and works faith in your heart; so that you can know and believe that what God has done He has done for you! Even though you may regard yourself as one of the worst sinners, God is merciful and just, forgiving your sins in Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul knew this from experience. He violently persecuted God’s Church, seeking to destroy those who believed in Christ. Yet God was merciful to Paul, forgiving His sin in Christ and changing his heart and life so that Paul became one of the foremost of the Apostles, dedicating his life to serving Christ and spreading the news of God’s forgiveness.
This is why Paul is able to stand before God and share His love with others. And just like Paul, God has forgiven you. No matter what you have done, no matter what you have thought, no matter what you have said, Jesus has paid the penalty for your sins in His innocent life, His bitter suffering and death. In Baptism God has laid claim to your life. You now belong to Him. Called by God He now sends you to share His verdict of forgiveness with those around you. As shocking as that verdict might be to the ears of sinners today, it is sweet music to those who stand guilty before God. God forgives sinners!
So let the sinner come to Jesus! Turn to Him for He is merciful and tenderhearted. Trust in Him all of the days of your life. Serve Him in thankfulness. And share His Good News with others. For this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Thanks be to God!
Amen

The Great Banquet

2011-07-06T18:30:00.001-07:00

THE GREAT BANQUET
LUKE 14:15-24

15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
In the name of Jesus:
It’s the Fourth of July Weekend, so let’s have a party! Imagine, if you will, that you have decided to throw a party for all of your closest friends, in honor of the 4th. You have spared no expense to make certain that all is in place. There are table decorations, party favors, a red white and blue theme, and the food, oh the food! You have purchased the finest of meats and the beverages are free flowing and will be unlimited! What a great time you are planning for your friends!
Everyone shows up. The food is all prepared, the barbeque and all of the fixings have been spread out, and the table service is set. You are ready to eat. Then one friend pipes up and says, “I am sorry, I have to leave. I just bought a house today and I need to go look at it so as to see what kind of house I bought and how many rooms it has!” Now, you being you, the perceptive person that you are, recognize that this is the Fourth of July. NO ONE sells homes on the 4th, NO ONE closes on a house on the 4th, in fact, you recognize that people just don’t buy homes THEN decide to look at them, the proper course of action is that the buyer looks at the house FIRST THEN decides to make a purchase or not. You see right through this person who you called a friend and realize the flimsiness of the excuse.
Soon, another person approaches you and says: “I need to go because I just purchased a car today and I need to look at it.” Immediately you wonder what is going on here, for the car dealerships are closed, no one buys a car on the 4th, no one can get financing on the 4th, and who in their right mind buys a car without first looking at it, knowing what they purchased and at least having a test drive! And so, this friend leaves with his excuse in tow but the excuse doesn’t hold water.
Immediately another friend says to you: “I need to go and be with my wife.” And you respond: “Your wife is here with you!” But that person winks and nods, and leaves. Soon, the banquet that you prepared for your friends has more than enough spaces at the table. What do you do? Probably you stew, your feelings are hurt, and you will write these so called friends off of your “friends” list.
Get the picture? Can you relate, even if this has not happened to you, anyone with feelings would feel incredulous at this type of thing happening to anyone. And yet, this situation is exactly what Jesus is describing in our text for today. Jesus is seated at a table, having a meal with the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day. The host would have gone to great expense to make certain all was in order at this meal, for Jesus was the guest. One who was eating with Jesus remarked: ““Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” And then Jesus responds by telling this parable.
In the Scriptures, a life with God is explained in terms of having a meal with God. One way to explain it would be table fellowship. In other words, just as you have Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas dinners, cookouts with family and friends which show your close relationship with your family and friends, so also those who of the family of God, who are God’s children, have friendship or fellowship with God in terms of having a feast or banquet with the Lord. This is an image, which is consistently used throughout the Scriptures. This is why one says in our text: “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” This one is remarking that whoever breaks bread with the Lord, whoever has a relationship with the Lord is truly blessed by God!
Listen to how Isaiah the prophet describes it in chapter 25 of his book: “6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,  of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Salvation is described in terms of a banquet. God prepares this banquet for ALL PEOPLES. On that day, God will dispose of sin, of death, and he will wipe away all tears and pain from His people so that God’s children will live with the Lord forever. On that day those who have been saved by God’s grace in Christ will sing praises to the Lord saying in effect: This is the day we have been waiting for! Praise God, let’s rejoice and celebrate God’s goodness to us forever!
Note, the Bible says that ALL ARE INVITED. But the point of Jesus’ parable is that even though all are invited, many refuse to come. Many find excuses as to why they cannot fellowship with the Lord. This is more than evident every Sunday where the Lord provides His banquet of the gifts of salvation in the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus gives us Himself, His very body to eat and blood to drink so that we might taste of God’s salvation. But how do those who are invited respond to God’s invitation to come to His house on a Sunday morning?
Sadly, with excuses such as I need my own time, it’s the only day off I have, I need to sleep in, it doesn’t interest me. What excuses have you heard, or used????
Dear friends, God has invited you to His Great Banquet. This relationship and feast has already been prepared. God’s only Son offered up Himself, giving His body and shedding His blood on the cross. God has invited and called you into a relationship with Him, not on the basis of your works, or excuses, but on account of His Son, Jesus. For you have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, it is not of your own doing. He has called you by name in the waters of your Baptism. By the powerful working of the Spirit through water and the Word you possess a saving faith in Christ. Even though many today make excuses and reject God’s gracious invitation, know full well that God will not be mocked. His judgment is swift. For those who reject Christ, on the Last Day they will be rejected by Him, but those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied.
God invites all to the Banquet that He has prepared, but note that the Banquet is for only those who are hungry, who hunger and thirst after His righteousness. If you are righteous in your own eyes, don’t come to the Banquet. The Banquet is not for those who are full of themselves; it is not for those who don’t believe that they are sinners; it is not for those who don’t want what God has to offer; it is not for those who believe in Jesus; it is not for those who reject Christ; or who love the world more than God. God offers this Banquet to those who are truly hungry, who hunger for a relationship with God. God offers in this Banquet help for sinners who repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation. God offers in this Banquet His Son who was sacrificed on the cross for your forgiveness. God offers in this Banquet the Lamb of God who takes away your sins and the sins of the world.
So God invites you and sinners who hunger for what God offers satisfaction for your hunger by giving you Jesus to be your Savior. Today in our Old Testament Lesson God issues an invitation to you: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Prov. 9:5–6). The Lord calls you to repentance and faith. Repent of your sins, turn from the wisdom and the temptations of the world and trust in Christ for all things. Today He offers Himself to you in this Holy Supper, as a foretaste of what is to come. Even though many reject His offer, as did the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, His invitation to you is to come and taste and see that the Lord is good, that His mercy lasts forever.
His offer of salvation if for you this day, and His offer of salvation proclaimed through you as your live your life for Christ. For you have been reconciled to Christ, so that by the power of His Spirit you are empowered to love one another, in keeping with God’s will. For in Baptism you have been placed in Christ, and through His Word and Meal you have been fed at His Table so that you might be strengthened to live your life in His service. For this is the good and gracious will of God: “16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (I John 3: 16-18).”
Amen

The End in Near

2011-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

THE END IS NEAR
I PETER 4:7-11 (12-14)

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
In the name of Jesus:
Early this year there was a billboard on the corner of Coonpath and Business Route 33, which proclaimed in no uncertain terms that Jesus was coming on May 21, 2011. At the bottom of the proclamation was a website which, when entered into the web browser, would take you to an organization called Family Radio. The owner of the radio station and the web site, Harold Camping, spent thousands of dollars warning the world that the Rapture would take place on May 21, 2011, and then, six months later, on October 21, 2011, the end of the world would take place. How did Harold Camping make just a bold announcement? It was based in large part on his “calculations” which used symbolic passages of the Bible in order to ascertain his date. Many people looked expectantly for Jesus to return on May 21, some even spent their life savings in anticipation. Well, May 21 has come and gone, and there has been no rapture. And who knows if the end of the world will take place on October 21? The fact of the matter is that no one knows, save the Holy Trinity, when the world will end. Sadly, many have mocked God and His Word in due to the false prophet Harold Camping. Now, to be certain, Camping should be branded as what he is, a false prophet. But because of this jokester, many now don’t seriously consider that the world will come to an end. For a person to have a serious discussion on the end times would provoke laughter today because of Camping’s false assertions. And yet, God warns us that the end is coming, it is near, and so we need to be prepared.
The Scripture is clear. “The end of all things is at hand.” The end IS near. In the readings for Ascension Day, that great day when Jesus returned to heaven triumphantly after accomplishing His mission of fulfilling God’s Law on our behalf, offering His life upon the cross, and rising from the grave, the angels proclaim to the onlookers: “why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”(Acts 1:10-11).
Jesus will come back. To the unbeliever it is a warning. To those who believe, it is looked forward to in anticipation. To all it is a matter of fact. The end is coming. What shall we do? How then shall we live?
The Apostle Peter in our text for today answers those questions. Just try to imagine yourself back in the days of Peter. Crucifixions took place frequently throughout the Empire. It was punishment reserved for criminals and the cursed. In those trying days, there were those who claimed to be god. So think of what it must have been like when the Apostles claimed to everyone that Jesus, the One who was crucified, cursed, despised, was true God and offered all people eternal life! Those who heard this message believed it to be so by the power of the Holy Spirit. But most who heard this message shook their heads in bewilderment. Christians were persecuted for their faith because they believed that Jesus alone was the Savior and was God, there was no other way to be saved. Some Christians were mocked, others were ostracized, and still others were put to death. It was not easy to be a Christian at that time. Peter wrote our text to comfort those of faith, to assure them of Jesus’ promise that He was coming back and the end was near.
The names and faces have changed but the times really have remained the same. In the light of Harold Camping’s false prophecies concerning the rapture and the end of the world, many do not take seriously Jesus’ words nor do they take seriously the Word of God! And it is no easier to be a Christian in these days, is it? Some Christians don’t want to talk about their faith because they live in fear of being ridiculed or having their name drug in the mud. How many times have you heard the question: “Who made you judge? Or Am I my brother’s keeper? It isn’t easy to live out your faith in Christ when it seems as if you are the only one and you are swimming upstream.
And yet, you and I are called to be faithful to Christ. His charge to us is to be faithful unto death, so that we might receive the crown of everlasting life. How does this look? I will let Peter explain: Peter writes under the inspiration of the Spirit: “7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” Seeing as the end is coming, you are not to live like the rest of the world. To paraphrase Luther, don’t live like the heathen, don’t live like a pig. Don’t covet money, don’t be a glutton, be sexually pure in what you say and do. You have been bought with a price, the price being the holy precious blood of Christ. You belong to Christ, so live as His child. Seeing as God has given to you faith in Christ in your Baptism, then live out your life as a baptized child of God. Daily confess your sinfulness to Christ, receive His forgiveness full and free, and then seek to live out your faith so that Christ is manifested in your life. To be self controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers means that God calls us to humbly trust in Him for all things in life. Seek the Lord in His Word; seek to serve the Lord in all you do. Root your life in Christ so that your life will bring forth abundant fruit, that your faith in Christ will be active in a life of good works.
Peter explains what these good works look like: “ 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” First and foremost seeing that you have love for God, show that love to one another. Seek to outdo one another in showing love to one another, not just to the family of faith, but also to those who do not have faith. The Scriptures state: “ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (I John 4:20). To show love is to thank God for His love for us in Jesus Christ and to keep the commands which God gives us to follow. Love is the fulfillment of the Law. Love God above all things, and show love to your neighbor.
But Peter gets even more specific in these last days. Listen to what he says: “. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Be hospitable to others. What is hospitality? It is living your life so that you serve others. You treat others kindly despite being wronged. You forgive for the sake of Christ. Instead of seeking to show power or lording something over another, you show power by submitting yourself to help and for the betterment of the other. No greater example in the Scriptures can be found but in the account of the Good Samaritan.
You remember that story, how the Samaritan went out of his way to help a stranger. A Samaritan in those days was considered an outcast, an outsider, someone who was beneath the common Jew. Yet this one who was held in contempt went out of his way to be a friend and neighbor to one in need, even telling the hotel manager that if I can do anything else to help this one, charge it to my account and I will take care of it. He essentially gave the one in need a blank check that he would pay so as to help the one in need.
Dear friend in Christ, don’t be deceived. The end is near. Just as Jesus came down from heaven to save sinners, so too He will come again to be our Judge. You have been judged in Christ as one forgiven. By faith you possess this forgiveness. God now calls you to live out that faith, in love toward God and love toward your neighbor. It should be of no concern to any of us as to the date of Christ’s return. NO one knows that date, not Harold Camping, it is known only to Jesus. Christ will come, just as we confess in our Creed, He will come to judge the living and the dead. There will be no literal 1000-year reign of Christ. No one will be left behind; there will be no second chance. No, today is the day of salvation. God calls all to believe in Christ! So rather than being anxious for that day, God calls us to put our faith into action! Repent of your sins. Trust in Christ as your Savior. And then in thanks to God live out your faith so that your faith is active in love toward others. In this way many more will come to know God’s love in Christ. And this is God’s good and gracious will, that all be saved and come to know the truth in Christ. This is how God is glorified. And this is our mission. Until He comes, so to Him be glory forever and ever.
Amen

True Religion

2011-06-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

TRUE RELIGION
JAMES 1:22-27

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
In the name of Jesus:
In my frequent travels I run across bumper stickers on the back of cars. Some are humorous, but most convey a message. One such bumper sticker that I have seen around town, in fact it is prevalent throughout the country is the sticker “Coexist” The sticker has the term coexist spelled out with the religious symbols: the crescent and star for Islam; the pentagram for Wicca; the relativity formula for science; the star of David for Judaism; the Karma Wheel dotting the i for Buddhism; the Tao symbol for Taoism; and the cross for Christianity. The message is one of religious tolerance and a proclamation that all religions are the same, so wouldn’t it be nice if we all just got along?
I am all for getting along, but there is something to be said about truth and error. You see, the Scriptures do not speak of religious tolerance. God in His Holy Word does not tell us that all religions lead to heaven. NO! The Bible clearly says that there is only one name under heaven whereby man may be saved, and that name is JESUS! Jesus Himself says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life, NO ONE comes to the Father except by Me.”
It is with this understanding that James writes his epistle, and from which we read in our text the marks of true religion. Francis Pieper, one of the early presidents of the LCMS, once wrote in his book entitled Christian Dogmatics that there are only two religions in the world, one by which a person is saved by what he does, works, or one by which the person is saved by grace. Christianity is the only religion, the one true religion, whereby sinners are saved by grace, through faith in Christ, not of works, so that no one may boast. So then, what are we to think of this passage of which James writes? To be not just hearers of the word but doers as well?
James here is warning Christians against hypocrisy, of saying one thing and doing another. True religion for James, for that matter the entire Scriptures, is a matter of the heart. James warns about sitting in church and not listening to the Word. He warns of a kind of hearing that, as my moms used to accuse me of, letting things go in one ear and out the other. James is warning about the kind of hearing that deceives itself, a kind of hearing that promptly forgets after the person has heard. Being only a hearer means to hear without real faith. This is what was happening among the Christians whom James is writing to. The sinful flesh had gained control of the people. They were more concerned about their fleshly needs and living to fulfill their sinful appetites rather than living according to God’s Word. So James is calling them out, in fact, he calls out all of us who hear the Word today. James’ message is one of repentance.
Don’t fall into Satan’s trap by thinking that sitting in church merits any favor from God. Don’t think that just going through the motions in matters of your relationship with God is pleasing to God. James calls us to repentance, for this is what it means to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Do what the Word of God requires. And what does it require? God calls you to repentance, to faith, and newness of life.
Martin Luther in the first of his 95 Theses wrote: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, repent, He will the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.”” God calls you to examine your life in light of the Ten Commandments. You know, the accusations of the world are right. When the world says that the church is filled with hypocrites, they are right. We are hypocrites. We have said one thing and done another. With our lips we say we love God and our fellow human beings, but in reality, we have fallen far short of God’s demands in the Law. God says to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we do ourselves. And yet, what do our lives show? In our Confirmation vows we stated that we would live according to the Word of God throughout our lives. Have we? Have you really shown love to God when you have lived your life as if God did not matter when you have stubbornly sought your own way and not God’s way? Have you shown love to God when you have lived as if you mattered the most? How does it show love for God when you half-heartedly sing praise to God, or attend worship when it pleases you and fits your schedule? Have you shown true love for others or have selfishly lived so that others have not been helped by your apathy or indifference? Have you been so wrapped up in your life that you have not seen or neglected the needs of others?
Each of us stands condemned before God. We have sinned against God and deserve no good thing from Him. But God is good and gracious, even though we are sinners God loves the sinner with and everlasting love. God has shown His love in the Person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven to be God’s sin offering for sinners. His perfect life and innocent suffering and death are the price that Jesus has paid for the forgiveness of your sins. His shed blood cleanses you from sin. Your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God in your Baptism has changed your life so that you might lead a life of repentance every day of your life.
Repentance begins today, here and now in worship, where you hear the Word and apply it to your life. James uses an illustration, saying that if one listens to the Word in church and does not do what it says, namely, does not show the new life that he or she has in Christ, that person is like one who looks at one’s image in the mirror. Taking a good look at oneself, that person forgets what it seen and goes on living as if it doesn’t matter. Dear friend, if you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning and see your hair disheveled, you will comb your hair, and you will make a change in what you have seen so that there is a difference that is noticeable. So it is with the Christian life. Hearing God’s Word, you make it a point to change your life by the power of the Spirit. God has given to you His Spirit in your Baptism. Confessing your sin, and trusting in Christ God has changed your heart so that you will now go forth living a changed life, in accordance with God’s will. God has recreated you in Jesus Christ to abound in good works, not to save yourself, for you have been saved in Christ. Your life is to abound in good works toward others so that they will see the light of Christ in your life. You see, God in Jesus Christ has blessed you; now God wants you to go forth in your life to be a blessing and share God’s blessings with others. This is done as you abound in good works before God, sharing God’s blessings in Christ with others.
How is this done? Not by letting the Word go in one ear and out the others. Not by appearing to be religious. For in doing this, you deceive yourself and others. God says that you can’t say you love God and then show hatred toward your neighbor. True religion begins in the heart, whereby you see your life in the light of God’s law, repent of your sins, trust in Christ as your Savior, and then in joyful thanksgiving seek to share and reflect God’s love to all in Jesus.
Last week we watched in horror as a F5 tornado ripped through the heart of Joplin Missouri. Our former church members and friends, Steve and Talitha Elsea, live in Joplin. They were unaffected by the tornado, but their community looked like a nuclear weapon was dropped upon it. What does God call us to do as Christians and as a Church? Do we sit in our comfortable homes in Lancaster and say hypocritically, “I am glad that it wasn’t Lancaster?” Heaven forbid! No, the love of Christ compels us to see our neighbors in their suffering and respond to them in their need. In consultation with our congregational president, we decided to send a check to our sister congregation, Immanuel Lutheran in Joplin, to assist in their relief efforts. School teachers and other members of Immanuel have lost their homes. Many have had friends and family members who have lost their lives. The love of Christ compels us to do what we can to show the love and compassion of Christ to those in need.
But it doesn’t begin in Joplin. It begins here, at home. For we have opportunities before us to show our faith to our neighbors in need here in Lancaster and in Fairfield County, to assist those who are affected by unemployment, homelessness, and hunger. That is why we link with LSSCO (Lutheran Social Services), the Food Panty, community shelters and the like. It is why we support the work of COMA and its efforts with the Somali people to bring them the Gospel of Christ. It is why we work with other congregations in an organization like DORCAS, to bring Christ’s compassion to the people of Central and southeastern Ohio. It is why will host a servant week on the third week of June, to help a family in need in our community. We do this not to bring glory to this congregation or ourselves. We do it all to bring glory to God. We do this so that our faith might be active in love. This is what we are called to do, for God’s word is clear: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
There is only one true religion, and that truth is revealed in this: that sinners are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. And this faith is revealed in how we treat those around us. God has touched you with His grace in Christ, so that in living lives of repentance, you might be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only, thereby giving glory to God by showing and sharing the love of Christ with others. May God grant each of us such repentance and faith, in Jesus’ name!

Amen

Your Helper

2011-05-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

YOUR HELPER
JOHN 16:5-15

5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he would take what is mine and declare it to you.

In the name of Jesus:
This little card provides some peace of mind to my family and me when we are traveling. This little AAA card guarantees that whenever my car is disabled, I will receive roadside assistance. If I need a tow truck, one will be made available, within certain parameters and limitations, of course, but if I need help from a tow truck, help will be on the way. If I need a jump for a car battery, or have a flat tire, this little card provides access whereby I can get the help that my family and I need when on the road. This isn’t a commercial for AAA; it is, though, one common example available to many of us that we have within our reach a helper when we need assistance.
Spiritually we are in need of God’s help. Lost and condemned because of sin, God sent help to sinners in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. By Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection salvation has been secured forever for sinners. When Jesus spoke to His disciples in the context of the lesson for today, Jesus was preparing to depart from earth to return to heaven. His mission had been accomplished. There was nothing else left for Jesus to do. So Jesus speaks to His disciples and tells them of His impending departure. Their hearts sink when they hear this news. Their beloved Savior is about to leave them, and their hearts are filled with grief. Their lives are obsessed with grief; it would be accurate to say that they were overcome with grief. The Gospel writer John tells us: “5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.”
How is it to the disciples and our advantage that Jesus departs and goes to heaven? Jesus answers that question by telling us that if He does not go away to the Father, the Helper, the Holy Spirit will not come to help us. Why does Jesus need to go away? Because His mission is complete, He returns from whence He came. Much like a solider who in victory returns home to a hero’s welcome, so too Jesus ascends to heaven, to receive heaven’s accolades on His victory over sin, Satan, and death for sinners. But Jesus, in love for sinners, promises to send help in the Person of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, who is called the Comforter or the Helper. Jesus says that it is to our advantage, to the sinner’s advantage, that He goes to heaven so that He will send the Holy Spirit.
What an understatement by our Lord! The Holy Spirit will come to help us in our salvation. Why do we need help? Because we can’t help ourselves! We are by nature sinful; we are spiritually dead and enemies of God! We have not spark, no energy, to love for God. We are spiritually dead, lifeless before God. So the Spirit comes to give us life! He comes to give us faith! He comes to bring us Jesus in a way, which comfort and help us today.
Jesus says: “. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” The Helper comes to help the sinful world AND to help those who belong to God. He has a two-fold task. The Helper comes first of all to convict the world of sinners, which include each and everyone of us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Helper convicts us of sin, because no one believes in Jesus of his or her own volition. By our very nature we reject God, His word, and the work of Jesus Christ. Each of us is by nature unbelievers. The sin of sins is unbelief, for in unbelief you reject Jesus. And so the work of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, is to convict us of our sin, to show us our utter sinfulness and hopelessness in the light of God’s Law. We are hopeless without God. We truly need a Savior. The Spirit works through the Law to show us that great need.
The Spirit convicts us of righteousness. He helps us in our righteousness, in that first of all, He shows us how unrighteous we are in God’s sight. Our righteousness is like filthy garments; hence the Spirit helps us by showing us and revealing to us another righteousness outside of ourselves, the righteousness of Christ, which we all need. God made sinners right with Him on account of Jesus. Even as all have sinned, all also have been made right with God on account of Jesus! The blood of Christ cleanses from all sin and by faith Jesus becomes our Righteousness. God exchanges your sinfulness and gives you Jesus’ right standing before the Father. The Spirit not only shows you this, but also actually GIVES you this. This is why He is our Helper.
The Spirit finally convicts us of judgment, by revealing that the ruler of this world, Christ has judged Satan. Even though the world lies in the tight clutches of Satan, Christ has crushed Satan’s head, and this judgment is for now and forever. It has happened and it has lasting results. The work of the Spirit bears witness to what Jesus has done and now shows us and now GIVES to all who believe in Jesus.
This is the absolute truth that Christ came to save sinners. The Spirit is our Helper to reveal to us our sinfulness and also to give us the faith we need to believe in Jesus, thereby making what Jesus has accomplished our very own possession. This is not a new truth. It is, though, divine truth. It is God’s truth. It is a truth that people do not want to hear. This is why Jesus calls the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the “Spirit of Truth” for He tells the truth about Jesus, about the world, and about Satan.
Note what the Scriptures say about Satan. He is called a liar, the father of lies, and that by his very nature no truth resides in him. And so, the Spirit, our Helper, shows Satan for what he is, and exposes his lies to us. And yet, the message of the Spirit is not to expound on the lies of Satan, but to reveal to sinners their only Hope for salvation, Jesus Christ. The Spirit’s sole message is all about Jesus. The Spirit does not point to Himself, He does not seek glory in and of Himself, and the Spirit does not speak what separately apart from the Father and the Son. No, instead the Spirit works with the Father and the Son and the Spirit point’s sinners to Jesus, who died and rose for our salvation. The Spirit only speaks what the Father and the Son tells Him to say. The Father points to His Son and says: This is my beloved Son; listen to Him, for there is salvation in no one else. The Spirit also points us to the Son and tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, and that Jesus alone is the Way, Truth, and Life, that no one can come to the Father except through faith in Jesus. The Spirit is our Guide, our Helper, leading us into the truth of Jesus as our Savior and our Lord.
But how does this happen? How does the Spirit help us in this way? He does so by giving us the very faith we need. He does so by working through definite means. He uses things in our existence whereby we may know for certain that God is at work to give us His gifts.
God’s good and gracious Gifts are given to us in His Holy Word and Sacraments. Here we know and receive God’s truth, and THIS TRUTH AND THESE GIFTS ARE NOT TO BE DESPISED!!! We despise these gifts when we take them for granted, when we deem not going to church as important, when we minimize and trivialize God’s gifts to us. Here we need to hear once again God’s command: Remember the Sabbath Day! Luther explains that this means that we should fear and love God that we do NOT despise preaching and His Word, but rather we are called to GLADLY HEAR AND LEARN IT.
God desires that we gladly receive His gifts and gladly hear and learn His truth, the Word of God. God tells us all we need to know and we have all that we need from God in the Bible. God hides nothing from us regarding our eternal salvation, it is all revealed in the Scriptures. The Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation for the Spirit speaks to us in and through the Word to tell us God’s truth concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit tells us in the Scriptures what we need to know concerning the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God so that we might be forewarned and forearmed in our daily battles with the Devil.
So how can we be armed for this battle with Satan? All we need is Jesus. Jesus has defeated Satan for you and all who believe. In Baptism, God places you in Christ for the Bible says that if anyone is baptized in Christ he or she becomes a new creation, the old things have passed away and all things have now become new. Christ’s victory becomes your victory for He gives you that victory in Baptism.
Christ also speaks to you in His Word, to not only announce to you the forgiveness of your sins but also to GIVE to you that forgiveness that you need. The Spirit speaks in His Word, so we can say that Christ speaks because the Spirit speaks only words, which have been given to Him to speak through the Father and the Son, and these words give Jesus to us. The Holy Spirit is our Helper because He receives from Jesus so that He can lead us to the Father.
One of the great times we have as a family is remembering. Sitting around the dinner table after a meal, someone will recall a certain event in our lives that caused laughter. Soon there is much joy around the table, as one of the family will share their family recollection. And whenever we forget the details of the story, someone is there to help us remember, to fill in the blanks, not only so that the story is told correctly, but also to spread the joy. The Holy Spirit has been sent from God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, to help us remember Jesus. There are trials and difficulties in our lives, which get in the way of our remembering what Jesus has done. And so Jesus has sent to us the Holy Spirit, who points us to Jesus, that even in our trials we might have joy. The Spirit is Jesus’ gift to you, to point us to Jesus, who is our ever-present Help in our times of need. Amen

A reminder of the ancestral homeland

2011-05-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Rachel, the blog has a little bit of a new look. The picture in the background looks a great deal like the landscape of Scotland. And so, in a tip of the cap to my ancestors, I have changed the background to give the look of the Scottish coast. The cliff reminds me of the cliffs outside of Arbroath.

Dogs, Children, and God

2011-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

DOGS, CHILDREN, AND GOD
EZEKIEL 34:11-16

11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

In the name of Jesus:
How does one in our society explain this text? We know little of shepherds and sheep, who of us have owned a sheep or have been a shepherd? Okay, the Pohlods are exempt, but besides the Pohlods, who else know what God is talking about, who has experienced this relationship? Well, if you are a dog owner, you might be able to relate.
Many of you who have stopped by our home have seen our two dogs. Oreo, who we had put to sleep last year, was notorious for getting lost. Even though we have the invisible fence, Oreo twice, not once, but twice, wandered off through the electric fence and was no where to be found. We were frantic, looking all over the house and all over the neighborhood trying to find her. We called friends, neighbors, and we had a search party looking all over the neighborhood, up and down streets, in back yards searching for the blind, hard of hearing cocker spaniel named Oreo. The one time we found her hiding underneath the big pine tree in our next-door neighbor’s front yard. A huge winter storm was approaching so time was of the essence. Being hard of hearing she couldn’t hear the warning signal, so we reckoned that she was shocked and decided to settle down under the tree.
The second time Oreo wandered off we found her in the neighbor’s back yard. She had crossed the street and, not being able to see, was waiting, sitting under the neighbor’s back window, waiting to be let in, not knowing she was at the window and not a door and also not knowing she was not in her own yard. Both times we are frantic, and uttered a big sigh of relief and said a prayer of thanks to God.
Our other dog, Katie, also was recently lost. I was at church attending a meeting when I got a frantic call from Luann pleading me to come home, that they could not find Katie. Mark had searched the house to no avail; Luann was patrolling the neighborhood by car calling out Katie’s name. Luann found her, by the swing set over at Sanderson School across the street. How she got away, we still don’t know because she has an electronic collar. We surmised that Katie must have seen a cat or squirrel and in her thrill of the chase, Katie sprinted across the fence line chasing whatever it was to Sanderson. Yes, I know that some of you are thinking, Pastor, you need to up the amps on that electric fence. That isn’t the point. We had lost our beloved dog and we rejoiced when she was found.
There is something to be said about the love between an owner and its pet. But there is nothing stronger than a mother’s love for her child. If you have ever had a missing child, you know the heartache, you know the pain, you know that your world STOPS and time is frozen. Your only purpose in life is to find that lost child and bring that loved one home. At King’s Island one year Mark wandered off at the water park. We couldn’t find him through the crowd of people. Fanning out through the crowd, well, yes, we did find him, but we did all we could to search every space of that area to find our son. If you have ever experienced what I have shared today, you know the emotional toll, the physical pain and sickness you feel until that which was lost is found.
In our text for today Ezekiel writes of how Israel wandered from their relationship with God. God had called them to be His people. He made them a nation, brought them out of Egypt, led them to the Promised Land, gave them everything they needed including kings and prophets to lead and guide them in the way that God had desired. But through it all, Israel was unfaithful. Israel wandered off. God’s people ran away from God and sought other gods. God was their Shepherd but they acted like sheep that were led astray.
God is our Shepherd, but we have strayed from Him. The Scripture tells us that all of us are like sheep that have gone astray, we are lost, and we seek our own way. Each one of us has made messes of situations in our life because we have sought our own way. We have not let God be Master or have total control of our lives. We do not trust God, as we ought, we seek to make our own decisions, we do what we think it right, even if that goes against God and His will. We have acted like gods in our own lives, loving our self more than God, fearing what others think instead of what God wills, and trusting in our own reason and strength instead of God. We have tried to live lives separated from God, which really shows that we ARE separated from God. We would be like lost sheep, if not for the love that God has for us.
But God has loved us and still loves us. God is merciful. He is full of love and mercy for each and every one of us. Though we have run from Him, He seeks us out and searches for us. He searches for all who have run from Him and continue to run from Him. No matter if sinners continue to deny Him, God will not deny them. If the sinner runs from God God runs and seeks the sinner. For whoever is lost, God loves enough to seek out and find those who are lost, that they might know of His love and care for them. And we see God’s mercy, and love, and grace in the person and work of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
God has come to a sinful world to seek out the lost in Jesus. Jesus has come into our very existence and into our world to seek and find us. In the Gospel lesson for today, Jesus describes His love for sinners in terms of a Shepherd. Jesus is not like one who is hired out to do a job, which cares for the sheep as if he is paid for it, and then whenever some difficulty comes the one who is hired will pick up and leave. No, rather Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd of the sheep. He seeks out those who have fled from Him, who are scattered and not of the sheepfold. He gave His life in love for all. By Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection He has purchased and won each and every sinner from sin, Satan, and death, so that sinners no longer belong to themselves but they belong to Him! He has laid down His life for all who have wandered and gone astray. On the cross Jesus has endured all that sinners might be saved.
Salvation is for sinners. God’s salvation is for you! Like a shepherd who seeks out the sheep who are lost, who are broken or are sick, so Christ seeks out you! He offers to you His help and salvation for He is our ever-present Help in time of trouble. To those who are broken by the events of life Jesus offers His help and promises to work things out to your good. To those who are burdened by guilt and sin Jesus offers forgiveness and salvation. To those who are frightened by death and despair Jesus offers eternal life and Hope for He is the Resurrection and the Life. Jesus lives for you today and promises to give you sinners an overwhelming victory over sin, death, and the devil by a free gift of His love. He offers this to you and faith claims and lays hold of what Jesus gives.
This faith has been given in your Baptism. You are His new creation by water and the Word. He has restored your soul in Baptism; He leads you in the paths of everlasting life through His Word, the Gospel. He this very day prepares for you and offers to you Himself in the Table of the Lord, His Supper, for the forgiveness of your sins and for the strengthening of your faith, so that you might live in His presence today and so that you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
God is good and gracious. Peter writes: “For you were straying like sheep but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (I Peter 2:25). The Good Shepherd has sought us out when we are lost that we might live in His presence. And the Good Shepherd so sends us out, into our families, neighborhoods, nation and world, to seek those who are lost, that they might find God’s love for them in Christ.
There was much joy in our home when we found our lost dogs. Even so, there is a greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents and believes in Christ. Even as owners seek out their lost pets, and parents seek out their lost children, so too God wishes to seek and save the lost, to bring back those who have strayed. He has called you by name in Christ. You belong to Him and now His mission has become your calling and mission, that many more will come faith and belong to Jesus, for He is the Good Shepherd.
Amen

Peace

2011-05-01T11:33:00.001-07:00

PEACE
JOHN 20:19-31
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
In the name of Jesus:
Fear robs you of the things most precious in your life. Sit down some time and try to add up the costs that fear produces. When you think of fear and its cost in the world and in our lives, you can begin by adding up the costs of penitentiaries, prisons and jails. Then to that total, add the costs of lawyers, courtrooms and security forces. But the cost doesn’t stop there. Begin to take into account the cost of the locks on your doors, your windows, the security system that you have in your home, and then consider also the cost of insurance, and those who care for those who have been victims of a crime. The cost is staggering, when you think about it. Fear grips us and it is costly. Not only in terms of money, but also when you consider how fear affects each of us. How do we calm our fears?
Do you know how a lot of people handle their fears? They run from them or ignore them. When I was little, I had a fear of the dark. I still vividly remember at the old house on Hillside Ave. in East Cleveland my mom telling me to go to bed and me scurrying up the stairs. Why did I flee up the stairway? It was less of obedience to my parents, and more due to my fear of the dark! I ran up the stairs because I didn’t want whatever there was that was lurking in the dark to get me. As I grew older, my fears of the dark dissipated as I learned to ignore my fears and not let them get the best of me.
But a lot of good that does for any of us who have fears today. We can either ignore our fears of the dark, or make certain we have security systems up to date, or a gun in the drawer by our bedside. But ignoring our fears, even trying to handle our fears by ourselves won’t make them go away.
If you have a fear of being alone, no security system is going to fill that hole in your heart or in your life. There is still that uneasiness that lives in your life. That what fear does, it continues to lurk in our lives so that fear robs us of our peace. FDR said that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. It is a great line, but when you are afraid, when you have fear, you have neither peace of mind nor peace in your soul.
Fear grips us and robs us of tranquility. Estrangement among members of families takes its toll on spouses, parents and children, and siblings. Whatever it is that separates people and causes rancor and strife certainly doesn’t bring peace.
We have a need for peace in our families, and yes, even among ourselves. Individually we need to be a peace. Sickness not only causes us distress on a physical level, illness robs us of peace. We question, why am I sick? How long will it last? How much will this health care cost? And if we are sick enough, we wonder if this sickness will lead to death?
Look around and you see that there is no peace in the world. The World is at war again, the only thing missing is the title World War Three! There is war in Afghanistan, war in Libya, war in Syria, in Yemen, there is the war on terror, and we even see Americans at war with one another! There is no peace, only fear. Ignore it, but it won’t go away. You can run but you can’t hide from it.
The greatest problem we face, though, is that we have no peace within ourselves. Our consciences are in need of peace. But our lives are laden with guilt, filled with appointments to be kept, we are exhausted from running to get here and there, and still we have no peace. When we look at our text for today, we see that Thomas and the other disciples lacked peace. They lived in fear. What did they do? They did what they could, but the fear was still there.
Note our text:” On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors are locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews.” The disciples were afraid of the Jews. They feared those who put Jesus to death. They were afraid of what might happen to them. How did they handle this fear? They locked the doors! They figured if they would lock themselves in the room, no one could get in to get them. Of course, no one could get out of the room, and the fear was still prevalent.
The only remedy for their fear was Jesus! The Risen Christ entered through their locked doors in order to reveal Himself as the Risen One, who lived, died, and now lives forever. He defeated the fearful three of sin, Satan, and death and gives victory over fear to all who believe. He lives to silence all of your fears; He lives to wipe away your tears. Your Redeemer Jesus lives to grant to you peace in the midst of the turmoil in your life, He lives to grant to you His perfect peace.
Thomas needed this peace, He needed the joy that only Jesus can give. Thomas is called the doubting one, Doubting Thomas for a reason. While others witnessed the Risen Christ with their own eyes, Thomas did not. You remember what he said, unless I place my hands in those open wounds, I will not believe. But Thomas in saying that did not have peace. He may have sounded confident, but like each of us, he had questions that he needed answered. His life was in turmoil for a week. Did the others see Jesus? If so, why wouldn’t Jesus show Himself to him? If Jesus was alive, what would that mean. These and other thoughts went through his mind, because Thomas is like us and we are just like Thomas. His heart and mind were racked with questions. Just like you and me when we have questions or are puzzled over a series of events, Thomas had no peace.
And so Jesus, knowing this, appears again to the disciples, only this time with Thomas present. The same doors were locked, not because of fear, but so that the same physical conditions existed to show Thomas and all who doubt that Jesus has indeed risen from the grave. This time Christ appears and approaches Thomas gently, as a Friend, not condemning, but offerings His hands and side as proof of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus’ words to Thomas encourage him and each of us who are racked with fears today: Doubt no more, only believe!
Jesus says to Thomas and to us: Blessed are they who believe and have not yet seen. Blessed are those who hear God’s Word and believe. Those who take God at His Word and trust God and His Word, believing what the Scriptures says about Jesus, are blessed by God. Those who hear God’s Good News and trust in Gods’ Good News have as their possession what God gives, namely Jesus and salvation.
The Risen Christ casts out fear in our hearts for the Good News is that He is risen. Not has, which is the past tense and would imply that this is something that happened in the past with no effect for us today. And the news is not that He will rise, for that would mean that the Scripture did NOT come true in Jesus and that He has no meaning for us today. No, instead the greeting is He IS Risen, which means that Christ has rose from the grave, He continues to live for He has risen from the grave, and He always will live because of the resurrection. Jesus lives today and His life in a continuing reality for us today. This is why the Bible says what it says, that by believing in Jesus, that is, by CONTINUALLY BELEIVING IN JESUS we will have life in His name. He has given us faith in Baptism and by His Word. He feeds our faith in Word and Sacrament. Today God gives peace in Jesus. Believe it. It is yours. Claim it, trust in Him, for He gives that peace to you today without measure.
This Sunday is called Quasimodo Geniti Sunday. The good old Lutheran question is what does this mean? This Sunday’s name has the meaning which comes from I Peter: Be like newborn babies. In the shadow of Easter God’s call to you as His child is to trust in Christ, so much so that you will live and act like a new born baby. Just as babies yearn for milk, so yearn and hunger for the Word, for the Word brings Christ and the Word brings peace.
So, dear fellow believer, yearn for Jesus and the peace that He alone gives in the forgiveness of your sins. That peace is given to you in your Baptism, where your sins have been washed away and Christ has claimed you as His own. Yearn to come to church to hear God’s forgiveness pronounced to you in the words of the Absolution, for when the Pastor states: As a called servant I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God gives forgiveness and grants peace to your troubled soul. And yearn to attend church so that you may gather around the Altar of the Lord to receive His true Body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. For where there is forgiveness of sins, God gives to you peace that surpasses all understanding.
Jesus greeted His disciples in the locked room with the words: "Peace be unto you." In Hebrew, Jesus would have used only one word: Shalom. The Hebrew word shalom, for "peace," is a most comprehensive word, covering the full realm of relationships in daily life and expressing an ideal state of life. The word suggests the fullness of well being and harmony untouched by ill fortune. This is the absolute best that God can give to a sinner, that is, through the forgiveness of sins the sinner trusts in Christ so that you have wholeness and completeness with God. This is what God has given to you in Christ. Through the forgiveness of your sins God has given to you shalom, perfect forgiveness, reconciliation with God, perfect peace. It is no light hearted greeting, but one that comes with God’s divine blessing. This is what God gives in Christ, and as His disciples today, this is what we are called to share with others. God’s peace, His perfect peace in Christ, for Christ, you have the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Shalom!
Amen

A Matter of Trust

2011-04-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

A MATTER OF TRUST
JOHN 8:42-45

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

In the name of Jesus:

Who Do You Trust was an American game show, which aired from 1957 to 1963. It held a prime afternoon time slot, prime in that it was aired when kids got home from school.
Three couples competed on each show, nearly always a man and a woman chosen for their unique backgrounds; the announcer would introduce couples one at a time, and Carson spent more time interviewing the contestants than quizzing them. In the quiz portion, Carson would tell the male contestant the category of the upcoming question; the man would then have to decide whether to answer the question himself or "trust" the woman to do so. Three questions were played per couple, worth $25, $50, and $75; if two or all three couples tied in the cash winnings, they were asked a question involving a numerical answer; the couple coming closest to the correct answer moved on to the bonus game. The couple kept on playing on the succeeding episodes until they were defeated.
In our text for today, Jesus focuses our attention on who we are to trust. Simply put, there are two types of people in the world. There are those who do not trust God, and those who do. There are those who do not belong to God and therefore do not trust God, and those who do belong to God and hence, trust in Him. Jesus tells us the difference in our text.
Those who do not belong to God are those who do not trust in Him. They give evidence of not trusting in Him by the way they live their lives. Just note how Jesus was treated by those who did not believe in Him as Jesus explains in His own words: “It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires.”
Those who did not hear Jesus were the Pharisees of His day and age. The Pharisees did not want to hear God and His Word. Oh, they knew God’s Word, but they didn’t take it to heart. The Jews were very annoyed at Jesus’ preaching. They ridiculed Him, called Him names, such as a Samaritan, (which was the lowest and most vile you could say of anyone) and even said that He was possessed of the devil. To show their animosity toward Jesus, set even set out to kill Him by crucifying Christ.
The same holds true toady, for today people live in the same manner toward Jesus. Many do not want to hear the Word of God. They want nothing to do with God and His Word. They revile God and His Word, curse God, only know God as a curse word, and they despise the church, Godly authority and live as they please. Foolishly these people believe that humans evolved from apes, hence it is no wonder they live like animals, and it is shown in the way they treat God and others.
Jesus warns in our text that the devil himself is at work in these people. Give the devil an inch, he will take a mile. And in their own mind, they think that they are doing right and are virtuous. They will do a beautiful job covering up their ignorance of God and His Word, they allow themselves to think that they are doing right, even they may appear that they are doing right, and in their own right ways, they think that they are serving the greater good. Jesus’ judgment is decisive. You are not of God! He says “43 why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” Jesus speaks a stern word: You don’t hear Me because you are not of God. Whoever isn’t of God is of the devil, plain and simple.
This is how we were from the moment we were conceived, enemies of God. But God has called you by the Gospel of Jesus Christ; He has given to you the new birth through the waters of your Baptism. You no longer belong to yourself or the devil. You belong to God. To belong to God means that you are of God. This is what Jesus means when He says that you are of God, for God has purchased and won you by the blood shed on His cross. Christ has paid the price to make you His own, He has bought you back, He has redeemed you, you belong to Him.
Jesus says that blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. Those who belong to God love God, love to hear His Word and voice, and desire to keep hearing His voice. If you love someone in life, whether it is your spouse, parent, child, no matter whom, you long to hear their voice. That is the one thing I miss seeing as both of my parents have died, I miss hearing their voices. I treasure those times now I can spend with loved ones. So it is with our relationship with God. To be of God is to treasure His Word. To be of God means that you hear God’s Word of Law spoken and proclaimed, and convicted of your transgressions and sins, you repent. To repent means to turn around, to change. This is done when you confess that you have done wrong, ask for mercy in Jesus Christ, and seek to then give up your evil ways. God has done this for us in our Baptism whereby we have been given a new life and made into new creatures, God’s children through the washing of the water with the Word.
Daily we are called by God to turn from our sins, from the world, from the voice of Satan, and to listen and follow Christ. You have heard me talk about remembering your baptism. Remembering your baptism is simply, daily, confessing your sins to God, asking Him for forgiveness in Christ, and then making that turn in your life to follow Jesus. Baptism is not just a one time act, but it is a continual, daily washing away of your sins so that God then recreates you to be the person He has called you to be in Jesus. Just note what Luther says about Baptism and what it signifies: It, Baptism, signifies that the old Adam within us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, all so that a new person, created by the power of the Holy Spirit will rise in our lives to serve God by how we live our lives. We remember our Baptism daily when we confess our sins to God and ask Him for forgiveness. For in confessing our sins we put to death the sin in our lives so that being forgiven by Christ we rise to newness of life.
And yet, in rising to newness of life, we will still face trials and difficulties in our lives. Once we have been placed on God’s side, Satan then becomes our enemy and seeks to drive us away from God. Satan now seeks your destruction. Scripture warns that the Christian needs to remain alert and be vigilant in life for the devil is like a roaring lion seeking those whom He will devour.
This is why Christ urges His children to cling to His Word. To hear His voice, to listen to His voice, and to follow Him so that we might live in peace. If a parent sees a child running into danger, the parent shouts a warning. The child then needs to not only hear that voice, but also heed the warning the follow what has been said. Christ warns sinners of certain death. Jesus calls sinners to turn from sin, from Satan, and from certain death to trust in Christ. Change direction, Jesus says. Repent. God’s Kingdom is at hand.
God has placed you in His Kingdom in the waters of Baptism. He speaks to you in His Word. He tenderly invites you to hear of His mercy, love and forgiveness. Jesus says blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it, for when His Good News is treasured and kept in your heart and life then you have what Jesus has promised, namely forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
What then of this life? Jesus promises that there will be trouble and trial and tribulation for those who are of God. Why? Because they have turned their back on Satan and the world. They trust not in the world, but in Christ and His Word. And His Word gives life, forgiveness, and power over sin, Satan and death. Christ has rescued us from death and sin and the devil by His suffering, death, and resurrection. God’s Word is powerful for it gives what it promises. God’s Word produces in our hearts and lives joy; peace that surpasses all understanding, and a quiet confidence in Christ.
If we diligently hold to God and His Word, we will remain His people. If we treasure the Gospel, believe it, allow our lives to be shaped by it, we will be blessed beyond measure, because God has chosen to bless and show mercy in Christ. Jesus and His Word will be our armor and sure defense in times of trouble.
Yet if we forsake God and His Word, there is no greater punishment than for God to say to us: I do not know you, depart from Me you workers of iniquity. So fellow sinner, turn from sin, trust in Christ for forgiveness and life. Daily repent of your sin and turn to Christ. Follow Him, so that you might say as Joshua did in the Old Testament: “As for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord!”
Amen

Wrestling with God

2011-04-04T07:33:00.001-07:00

WRESTLING WITH GOD
GENESIS 32:22-32

22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh.

In the name of Jesus:
What we have cited in our text for today is a sporting competition, which is one of the oldest known to mankind. Wrestling is one of the first forms of human competition and one of the oldest forms of combat. Archeologists have seen wrestlers depicted on cave drawings in France, Babylonia, and Egypt. Olympic wrestlers were living legends in ancient Greece. Wrestling as a sport has had a simple premise: that is, to pin both of the opponent’s shoulder’s to the ground for a certain number of sections. The victor in wrestling shows domination and supremacy over an opponent by pinning both of the opponent’s shoulders to the ground. The one aspect that has made wrestling a favorite sport is the sheer will and drive that the participants have in the sport. To forfeit or to give in is to quit, and there is no glory in quitting, rather, the glory is in the participation and in the drive keep on going, even against all odds.
In our text Jacob is seen all alone. He had sent his family across the river for protection. Jacob, previous to this, had stolen the birthright from his brother Esau and was now about to meet him for the first time face to face. Jacob feared for his life, for he remembered that Esau was madder than a hornet once he found out that Jacob stole the birthright. You see, the birthright was THE THING, for Jacob and Esau. With it came the blessing from God that from that person’s lineage would come the Savior. With the birthright all sorts of rights and privileges and possessions were given solely because of one’s standing as the first-born. To have the birthright meant EVERYTHING, and Jacob had it, and Esau was left with the crumbs.
So Jacob took it for granted that Esau was going to kill him. So Jacob put his house in order, so to speak. Once his family was cared for, and sent across the river for protection, Jacob remained on the other side alone in his thoughts and worries.
Out of nowhere came a man to literally do battle with Jacob. It was night, so Jacob couldn’t see all around him. It is as if a man fell on him from behind. It is noteworthy to see that Moses records: “24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.” This was a battle, the type where Jacob feels as if he is attacked. You can well imagine the thoughts running through Jacob’s mind and he struggles mightily with his Opponent. The wrestling is of such a nature that there is dust flying. Jacob is literally fighting for his life, for his birthright, for that which was promised to him. That is why he did not quit, for Jacob knew the promises of God. He had no idea who he was wrestling with at the time, for all he knew Jacob thought that his very life was at stake! But this One whom He wrestled played with him.
And then we read “25 when the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. “ It is common in wrestling for a wrestler to perform a move, which would give Him the victory. Now, this One could have killed Jacob, but rather than kill him, He was playing with him. So the Unknown Wrestler puts pressure on the joint and Jacob’s hip sock is dislocated. “26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Jacob may be physically weakened but he clung to the promise of God. He still had no clue as to whom he was battling with, so he battled for a blessing. He was not going to let go UNTIL he received that blessing.
“27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” And know Jacob knows, he realizes that he had been wrestling with the true God-man, Jesus, all night. Jesus could have killed him, but instead played with him so that Jacob, in the end, would seek the blessing of God. Jacob would not let go until he got that blessing from God, and God blessed him telling him that he had striven with the God-Man, Jesus, and because he asked for God’s blessing, Jacob received God’s blessing.
All to often in our lives we are overcome by worry, fear, and the terrors of darkness. The terror and worries of life can at times be mind numbing. An earthquake in Japan, nuclear meltdown, and radiation contamination are just the three hot items from this past week that can cause all sorts of worry and concern. Then there is the fall off in stock prices, the national debt, the economy, and unemployment on the national scene. And that doesn’t include the worry over your own personal finances, your own health and well being, the health and well being of your family, your children, and your grandchildren. The bad news that has hit us over the past three months has been overwhelming. There is personal sickness, the grief over the death of a loved one, the uncertainty of the future which can leave even the most in tuned person feeling tuned out, desensitized, and perplexed. Where is God in all of this bad news? Where is He in my life now, when I feel, as the Psalmist describes: “I am up to my neck and feel like I am drowning!”
Where is God in our darkness and in the times of our despair? He is in the cross of Christ. For there on the cross God became man to wrestled with and defeat the darkness called sin, Satan, and death. There on the cross God tasted death for you! There on the cross God the Father forsook His Son making Him to be the sin offering for every sinner who has ever lived. There on the cross Jesus went through the valley of the shadow of death, there on the cross God walked in your place so that in your dark times you might know for certain that God has given to you an overwhelming victory.
So, why then, doesn’t it feel like it? Yes, God promises that goodness and mercy will follow all the days of our lives and we will live in the house of the Lord forever. But…it certainly doesn’t feel like it. More to the point, it is as if God has hidden Himself and is nowhere to be found. Evil and suffering and death seemingly have its way with the world and us. Is God playing with us?
In a sense, yes. On Easter morning the Davidson household had a tradition. The Easter bunny would come bearing gifts of candy, colored eggs, and gifts. But the Easter bunny would not just put the basket out in the open for all to see. No, the fun would be in the hiding of the baskets and the finding of them. My parents got great joy out of seeing my sister and I hunt high and lo for our baskets, and they would be hidden where we COULDN’T find them. But what joy we had when we found them. It was if our parents were playing with us, only to share the joy and magnify the joy in the end.
God loves you. That is why He sent Christ to die on the cross. Look at the crucifix and know for certain that God loves you so much that He sent Christ to be your Savior. God loves the world THAT MUCH! And so to deepen our love for Him, God in a sense plays with us, toys with us, so that we might know the joy of following Him.
Just look at the case of the Canaanite woman. Jesus was in the region of Tyre and Sidon, when a Canaanite woman, one who would be considered “unclean” and unworthy to be a child of God, approaches Him in desperation. Her child is sick and near death and she, as a mother, is reaching for straws, grasping for help and Jesus is her help. She cries out: “ “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But note, 23 But he did not answer her a word.” Jesus disciples wanted her out of sight and out of mind, saying to Jesus: ““Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” And Jesus answered the desperate woman saying: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” On the surface, this seems so cruel. Doesn’t God love all and want all to become His children? Why treat her in such a way? Only because Jesus knows all things and is seeking a stronger faith for this woman. So she kneels before Him and requests, “Lord, help me.” And Jesus again hides His love for this woman, toying with her so that she might find delight in Him. Jesus answered saying: “ “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” And then this woman exhibits her faith. This is what Jesus was seeking. This is what He wanted for her, for she says: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Yes Lord, even the dogs get a break now and then and I am a poor dog who deserves no good thing from you, but I still believe in your mercy and grace, and so I beg you I plead with you, please helps me.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Jacob wrestled with God; he would not let Him go until he received a blessing from Him. The Canaanite woman as well asked for a blessing. Even though Jesus seemingly ignores her and rejects her, she continues to wrestle with Jesus, asking for His mercy, not letting Him wriggle out of His Word of Promise. Dear friend, this is what God desires of you and for you as well. For in the darkness of life, and in the desperate times that you may be facing God wants you to know that He loves you. His will is that you now and forever trust and love Him. God allows difficulties, struggles, and temptations to come your way to test your faith so that your faith might be refined and strengthened. In your times of trouble, God doesn’t want you to forget that He is God and you are not. You are His creature and He holds you in His hands. He sent to you His Son to be your Savior and God is presently at work to bring good from evil. God doesn’t will evil, but uses all things to His glory so that you might ever and always remain His child. To that end God binds Himself to His Word, to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper so that you might be able to find Him in these Means. Do you doubt that you are God’s child? Look to your Baptism for in your Baptism God has claimed you to be His own. Are you desperate and in need of God’s mercy? Hear His Word for God has had mercy upon sinners in His Son Jesus Christ. Are you hungry and thirsty for God’s presence in your life? Taste and see that the Lord is good in His supper, and that His loves lasts forever! God hides Himself, binds Himself in Word and Sacrament so that you will know for certain of His love for you in Jesus.
Jacob only saw the face of God AFTER he wrestled with God. How would you and I know of God’s love and power in our lives if we lived without any trouble? If we had no trial or trouble or tribulation, if there was no cross to bear, how would we then know God? How would there be any resurrection is there was no death? If Jesus didn’t suffer and die, He would not have been able to rise from the grave. So also for each one of us we God permits suffering and even death, all so that we might know of God and His love. If things always went our way in life, why then would we need God? We wouldn’t think of Him, for we would be too wrapped up in our own little heaven on earth. Is it any wonder why people forget God today, when they seek to live in a heaven here on earth? You see, that is why we suffer, that is why we experience trials and tribulations, so that we might learn to trust in Christ. For in our trial we learn of our frailties, we remember that we are dust, and God then points us to Christ, who is our only Hope and Help in times of trouble.
So when you are faced with various trials, and wrestling with God in and through them, know for certain that God is your ever present Help. He spared not His only Son but delivered Him up for you. He has mercy upon you in Christ. And His promise is this:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Amen

Weeds in the Wheat

2011-04-04T07:32:00.001-07:00

THE WEEDS AND THE WHEAT
MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
In the name of Jesus:
Last spring I fancied myself to be a gardener. I spent time working in the yard as a way to try to get more activity in my life. I told Luann that I was going to finally mulch the front yard after a couple of years of neglect. She reminded me that I needed to pull the weeds BEFROE I mulched, that I would have to get the weeds at the roots in order to get them all.
I was apprehensive in pulling the weeds because a few years ago I made a grave error in judgment. It was in the middle of the summer, and Luann asked the boys and I to pull the weeds in the front flower bed. I dutifully did so, but in my throughness, I pulled up both the weeds and the flowers. When I showed my handiwork to my beloved, she gently instructed me as to the error of my ways. She asked:”Don’t you know a weed from a flower?” The obvious answer to that was no, but I had to stand up for myself so I said something like” They all look alike to me.” The moral of this true story is this, you don’t want to pull the flowers AND the weeds, just the weeds.
In our parable for today, Jesus talks about the Kingdom of heaven, it is God’s Kingdom which comes from heaven and in the end, its subjects will be in heaven. Jesus is talking about His kingdom of grace here on earth, the Church. In explaining what His Church is like, Jesus uses terms such as weeds and wheat.
Jesus begins by comparing it to a man who sows seed in the field. Jesus is that Man, He plants the Word and faith when and where He pleases. But in the night His enemy, Satan, sowed weeds among the good seed and then left the field. The point here is that the enemy, Satan, works in such a way so as to not draw attention to his evil work. His work is such that it is very difficult to distinguish between the weeds from the true wheat. Satan leaves the field because he doesn’t want others to know that he was there.
The wheat bore grain, and at the same time weeds appeared. Satan was so crafty that when the wheat appeared, and the weeds at the same time, the workers in the field were distressed. The workers went to their Master and asked what happened? Didn’t you sow good seed, yes He did, so how did the weeds appear? How is it that the field has phony wheat? They didn’t take matters into their own hands, but they consulted their Master so that they would do what He wanted.
The Master Jesus, knew what happened, because He is all knowing. He knew though no one else knew. So the workers asked, should we then pull up the phoney wheat? They left it entirely up to Him, because they didn’t know what to do. His answer is simple, no, don’t pull up the weeds with the wheat because doing that would harm the wheat. The Master didn’t want His workers to be rash, but rather He wanted both to grow so that AT THE PROPER TIME DEEMED SO BY THE MASTER, the harvest would take place, in its proper order. The Owner of the Field, Jesus, is in complete control. He placed a value on the wheat that was to be stored. And so, the harvesters were to collect the weeds and bundle them to be burned, but gather the wheat to bring it for storage and safe keeping.
What we have here in our text is a picture of God’s Church on earth. How have we become members of that Church? Not because of anything that we have done! We are not God’s people because of who we are, we are not made God’s people because of what we do. All of the things that we might base a right relationship with God upon God declares to be woefully inadequate. The Bible says that each and everyone of us are spiritually dead and depraved. We have nothing in us to move us to love God. We have no power to come to God. So God comes to us.
Not many of us like to hear a crying baby. A baby in distress. Why? Not just because of the sound that the baby makes, but because the baby is so helpless. That is our state before God. We are helpless. We cry to God for help because we have not power to help ourselves. And God is merciful. He hears our cry for mercy. He helps in time of need. We are helpless to come to God so God comes to us in Christ. We can not ascend to God so He descends to us in Christ, becoming like sinners in every way yet without sin. He makes you a member of His family, His Church, by a sheer gift of His grace. You are a member of His Church because it is His gift. It is free, undeserved and unmerited. Not one of us by our own reason or strength can come to believe in God so God comes to us. In Water and the Word, God comes. Jesus uses water and the Word in Baptism to wash us of our sinfulness, He plants the seeds of the Gospel in our hearts and He waters and feeds that faith through the reception of His Word and Supper. Planted by Christ in this place we are fed by Christ, growing up into the full maturity of Christ so that we might give thanks to God for His gifts by living our lives in thanks to Him who has given us all things. God builds His Church upon Christ and feeds it with His Word and even the gates of Hell can not over power it!
But sadly, very really, Satan is alive in our midst. Satan likes to mimic God to steer people away from Him. Satan likes to plant weeds among the wheat. There was a saying that Luther liked to use that went like this (you have heard me use it with regularity): “Where God builds His Church, the devil builds a chapel next door.” And Luther liked to also tell this story, a wive’s tale, to illustrate the same point. In olden days, when God formed man out of the clod of the earth and breathed into him the breathe of life so that man became a living being, and the devil, seeking to emulate God, also took a lump of earth in order to form man out of it, but instead it turned into a toad.
It is a cute story but Luther told it to make his point, namely, that the devil is forever and a day always trying to mimic God, and the devil will do so even by trying to appear to clothe himself with the things of God so as to appear to be like God. It has happened since the Temptation and Fall in the Garden and it continues even today. Yes, sadly, even today there are weeds in the wheat. There are hypocrites mixed in with the Church. When people say that the Church is filled with hypocrites, well, they are right. We are all hypocrites at some point in our lives, for we are all sinful people. But there are among God’s chosen people those who appear to be Christian but they are not. The devil is alive and well and will even use the appearance of Christianity to deceive and strike at Christ Himself. We see it today when the Bible says that Baptism saves, but some people who are Christians will say that Baptism is really just plain water. Or when in the Lord’s Supper Jesus invites us to take and eat and drink His true body and blood, yet others say that the Lord’s Supper is just a routine people follow, only bread and wine and nothing more. How many times have we heard from the Lord Himself that Christians are not to condemn one another, and yet there are those in the Church who are quick to condemn.
Jesus warns us in this parable to be careful not to attribute these sinful attributes to the Church, but rather we must call a spade a spade and give credit where credit is due. God plants His Church and yet Satan plants his own seeds on unbelief, discord and strife in the Church as well. The devil likes nothing more than the sow weeds among the wheat and there is no one else that he would wish to trouble than Christian people. The devil labors day and night to cause strife and disunity in the Church.. Where, then, in the world is our hope and help?
Dear friend, our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. God calls each of us to turn from sin, Satan, and death and to trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and life. Repent and believe in Christ. Remember that in your Baptism God has claimed you to be His own and you belong to Him. Stay vigilant in your daily walk with Jesus for Satan prowls like a lion seeking to devour you. Pay attention to what the Word says! Listen to Jesus! We are not called to judge, but to believe. Christ is to judge, and He will on the last day. On that day He will separate the weeds from the wheat. On that Day the angels at Jesus’ command will gather His children to be with Him forever, and those who are not, those who have not repented and not believed in Christ, they will be consigned to Hell.
But until that time, God calls us to work in His field. Work while it is day for soon Jesus will come again. Jesus gives us the seed of His Gospel to sow that seed in and among our family and friends, to be the face and voice of Christ to those who do not know Jesus that by God’s power many more will believe. God’s will is this, He wants all to be saved and to come to know and believe in Jesus.
It is a grim fact, stressed throughout Scripture, that the devil and his agents do their most nefarious work in the visible Christian Church, not outside it.. As Christians we need to repent daily. Jesus has conquered Satan, sin, and even death. Christians are not to resort to violence against those who do not believe, like Islam does. We aren’t called by Christ to use the sword, but rather we are empowered by Jesus to love others so that we might show the power of Christ’s love.
Jesus says: He who has ears to ear, let him hear! Heed Christ’s words, don’t neglect or turn a deaf ear to Him. Repent of your sins and trust in Christ. Show love to those in the Church, for this is of Christ. We are not called to separate the sinners from the saints, for we are all sinners! Christ came for sinners! He came to save sinners. He calls us to live for Christ and to share His love with sinners now, before He comes again when it will be too late. Instead of seeking to pull the weeds out from the wheat Jesus calls us to love. For in His kingdom here on earth there will be weeds among the wheat. May God gives us repentance and faith in Christ that we might be genuine wheat at all times and seek to do His will.
May God grant it in Jesus’ name.
Amen

The Sure Prophetic Word

2011-04-04T07:31:00.001-07:00

THE SURE PROPHETIC WORD
2 PETER 1:16-21

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
In the name of Jesus:
It is attributed to Benjamin Franklin that he said that nothing in life is for certain, with the exception of death and taxes. In our experience, we know that this saying is true. Death is all around us. We have seen and have experienced the death of loved ones and each of us prepare for our own inevitable death. Death is certain because the wages of sin is death. Death has spread to all people. No matter where you live, no matter how you have lived, no matter who you are, you will face death, the death of those in your family and your friends, and your own death. It is inevitable. And we know that as citizens, each of us experience the certainty of paying taxes. In January we received in the mail tax forms from the city, state, and federal government which are to completed and postmarked by April 15. And we pay taxes in different ways and forms throughout our lives, taxes on our property, taxes on what we purchase, taxes on what we inherit. We are taxed to death, but taxes are NOT the cause of our death, sin is. Throughout our lives, death and taxes are certain.
But there is a greater certainty for all of us. This certainty is expressed and revealed in our text for today, where the Apostle Peter tells us that we have the sure and certain prophetic Word of God, that is, we have the certainty of God’s Holy Word!
When Peter writes this letter, he is nearing the end of his life. he is now an old man and was about to die. He looks back over his life since he became a disciple of Jesus and acknowledges that he had learned a lot. He and his fellow disciples had many great experiences, but his faith, the faith of those who follow Christ IS NOT BASED ON EXPERIENCE, but rather the sure and prophetic Word of God.
To be certain, Peter had stories to tell. Remember how he was called to follow Jesus? He had been out fishing and was exhausted because he did not even get a bite from a fish. Jesus tells Peter to let his net down on the other side of the boat. Peter had been fishing all night, and had already let down his net on both sides of the boat but following Jesus’ command, Peter let down his net and came up with a net bursting full of fish. Jesus called Peter to follow Him where Jesus would make Peter a fisher of men.
Peter witnessed Jesus touching his mother in law who was sick with fever (that is right, Peter, the first pope was married, so much for priests not marrying!) And having his mother in law healed. He saw the raising of the dead; Peter saw many great events and had many terrific experiences. And so, Peter relates one specific incident that he never forgot.
Peter, James, and John went up the Mount with Jesus, and there on the Mount, before their very eyes, they witnessed Jesus transfigured, He was changed so that His appearance was as lightening, Peter and the others saw the God-man Jesus in all of His glory. Listen to what Peter says: “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”
Yes, Peter had so many great experiences. One of the greatest experiences was on that holy mountain, holy not because of the location, but because of what happened on that mount. The eternal Son of God in human flesh revealed to sinners His glorious majesty. Peter saw with his own eyes Jesus in His heavenly glory. He heard with his own ears the voice of the Father speaking from heaven saying: This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. These events that Peter saw as an eyewitness only served to verify, to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that what God moved holy men to write in the Scriptures about what He was going to do was completed, was confirmed in Jesus. The Scriptures prophesized, God predicted that He would send a Savior who would do battle with sin, Satan and the certainty of death. God kept His Word, He fulfilled that Word, by sending His Son Jesus, who was born of the Virgin Mary, who lived to do the will of the Father, and who died as the perfect Sacrifice, for Jesus was and is the very Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Peter and his fellow disciples saw God work in Jesus Christ, they saw that Word fulfilled and saw Jesus’ actual glory and lived to tell about it. And that is why Peter writes, that you also may know that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that by believing in Jesus’ perfect life, and shed blood on the cross, by trusting in Jesus for salvation you are forgiven, you are His child, you are His beloved.
Peter points to this Word, the Scripture, which is given to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is not just man’s word; it is the very Word of the living God! Peter writes, reminding that he did not follow, nor did he proclaim “16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” nor did Peter give this word due to his own understanding or interpretation because he writes that “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Word, which is absolutely certain and which came to us under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, causes us to lift up our heads, to Jesus, the eternal Son of God who came down from heaven, not to be glorified, but to serve sinners. That is why Jesus, while on the Mount of Transfiguration, came down from the mount. Even though Peter said, “it is good for us to be here” Jesus didn’t remain transfigured, rather, He came down from the mount, came down from His glory, to continue to live His life for sinners. Christ came down from heaven and came down from that Mount in humility so that He would give His perfect life up on the cross of Calvary for the sacrifice for all sin. By Christ’s perfect life and by His shed blood your sins are forgiven! This is God’s sure and prophetic Word to you this day, in that even though you are a sinner, Christ died for you! His blood cleanses you from all sin! God has declared this from heaven and He has sealed this with an oath. God has punished sin for sinners in Christ. For the will of God is this, not that Jesus would come down from heaven to be served by sinners but to serve sinners in giving His life as a payment for all sin.
There remains on earth false prophets who attempt to mislead Christians. False teachers who call into question the truths of God’s Word. False teachers who point to man’s ability to live a life which is based on what the sinner can do for God, rather than what God has done for the sinner. We live in an information age, where there is a plethora of material on how people can become more like God, or how a follower of Christ can be more successful in their daily life. What is a Christian to think, where is the follower of Christ to turn?
Dear friends, the Apostle Peter had those very same concerns when he wrote this letter. This is WHY he wrote this letter, to address these questions and concerns. Peter’s instruction is to the point: don’t base your life on your experience or on what the intellectually wise ones of the world say. Place your faith in Christ. And where do we learn about Christ? How does He come to us? Not by our works, our emotions, or religious experiences. God has come to us in the Person and Work of Christ. He speaks to us and comes to us this day and everyday in His sure and certain Word. And in this Word He gives faith and strength as we look for Him to come again in glory.
Until that time when Christ comes again, Peter urges all of us to place our faith and base our lives on the sure and certain Words of Holy Scripture, for the Scriptures bring us Jesus. The Scriptures have been written to share with us the salvation that is ours in Christ. This is why we need to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest His Word, for that Word is certain and true and brings us Christ.
In the midst of all sorts of uncertainties in life, there remains God’s Gift of His Sure and certain Word. This Word reveals to us the reality of our sinfulness but also brings the blessings of forgiveness and salvation through God’s Gift of His Son Jesus Christ. His Word is absolutely certain and gives not only faith in Christ but confidence as you daily walk with Christ. So turn to that Word, receive the strength that God gives through it, for God’s Word is the lamp for your feet and a light for your path.
Amen

Seeing with the Eyes of Faith

2011-04-04T07:30:00.001-07:00

SEEING WITH THE EYES OF FAITH
LUKE 18:31-43

31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was happening. 35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
In the name of Jesus:

For 51 years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn't see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming. "I never would have dreamed that yellow is so...yellow," he exclaimed. "I don't have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can't believe red. I can see the shape of the moon--and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is."
In our text for today, we have two seemingly unconnected events: the first is Jesus’ proclamation to His disciples (and us) that He was going to Jerusalem to fulfill the Scriptures for our salvation. Jesus would be betrayed, crucified, and yet rise again to save sinners. And yet the Bible records: “But they understood none of these things, This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.” They had no idea, no clue as to what Jesus was saying. Their understanding was blinded. Even though they could see with their eyes, their understanding was clouded.
Soon after this, Jesus on the way to Jericho sees a blind man begging by the road. Hearing that Jesus was passing by the blind man cries out in desperation: “Lord have mercy!” Those around him tried to hush him but he cried out all the louder: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus then spoke to the blind man, asking what He could do for him. The blind man said: “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus gave him his sight by saying:” Recover your sight, your faith has made you well.”
What are we to make of this passage, of these two passages, really? Simply this, Jesus is no magic genie. Jesus doesn’t exist to give you your three wishes, nor does He necessarily wish to give you your heart’s desire. This is not why Jesus came down from heaven. To know why Jesus came from heaven, this is why we turn to the first part of the Gospel lesson for today.
This is the third time Jesus told His disciples about what was going to happen to Him. He tells them that He is going to Jerusalem and in doing so EVERYTHING THAT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE SON OF MAN BY THE PROPHETS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED. This is why Jesus came down from heaven, to fulfill the promises of God in the Old Testament. He came to save sinners who have become God’s enemies since the Fall of humanity into sin. Sinners who are blinded from God’s love, blinded to His will, in the dark as to who God is and what His disposition is toward sinners. Sin’s blindness separates all of humanity from life, from salvation, from God Himself!
So God comes in the person of Christ, to give sight to the blind for Jesus is the Light of the World! The blind beggar turns to Jesus in extreme anxiety as a person would who was without hope. His cry to Jesus is instructive. He calls: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” This blind man sees nothing from a physical point of view, but he sees, very really, through the eyes of faith. He recognizes that Jesus is the Spirit endowed Healer, the Branch from Jesse, the Son of David, the Messiah, upon whom will rest the Spirit of the Lord and who will restore the sight of the blind. This is Jesus, the One promised of long ago, the Savior long awaited.
And so the blind man reveals his faith. He sees by faith without physically seeing that Jesus is the royal King and Messiah a promised by the Old Testament Scriptures. But note what this blind beggar asks for in faith! He asks first NOT for healing. He instead pleads for MERCY. He pleads for and prays that God will show to Him unmerited love and forgiveness. He asks not once but twice for mercy, such is his desperate straits.
And Jesus hears His cry. Jesus, after all, IS merciful. He asks what He could do for this blind beggar and this beggar humbling asks for a restoration of sight. Jesus said to him: Recover your sight, your faith has made you well. The Scriptures state that his sight was restored and he was able to see.
But note these words: “He recovered his sight and followed Him (Jesus), glorifying and praising God” This man, this beggar became a follower of Jesus. He followed Jesus not because he wanted something from Jesus but because Jesus gave Him something that he didn’t already have. As a beggar he had nothing. With Jesus, he had everything.
In his book, An Anthropologist on Mars, neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil, a man who had been blind from early childhood. When he was 50, Virgil underwent surgery and was given the gift of sight. But as he and Dr. Sacks found out, having the physical capacity for sight is not the same as seeing.
Virgil's first experiences with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colors and movements, but arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned to identify various objects, but his habits--his behaviors--were still those of a blind man.
Dr. Sacks asserts, "One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person. It is the interim, the limbo . . . that is so terrible."
To truly see Jesus and means more than just seeing Him with physical eyes. It means that you see Him with the eyes of faith, repenting of your sins and trusting in Christ for the new life He gives. Just as you have received His forgiveness, you in compassion share that forgiveness and life with others. It means a change of identity where the Spirit changes us to be in Christ and to be His people.
Our identity is a people who are in need of God’s mercy. Each of us are beggars We really are. Nothing in our hands we bring. Simply to the cross we cling. Just as I am poor wretched blind, Christ loves us and comes to save us. Even while we are yet sinners, Christ comes, in simple water to wash away our sins (Baptism), through spoken and written words to speak to us and give us life (Scripture), and in, with, and under simple forms of bread and wine to give us Himself that we may feed upon Him who is the very Bread of Life. God has restored our broken relationship with Him in His Son Jesus Christ. He has given sight to our blinded hearts by the power of the Spirit working faith in us. He has given to you sight and has so enlightened your life that you might let your light so shine among men so as to give glory to your Father in heaven. God has shown you mercy in Christ so that you might share the love of Christ with others. Christ has been compassionate to you so that you would show compassion to all. He has showered you with His love so that you might love one another, even as He has loved you. For l“4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.” (I Cor. 13:4-8). God’s love for sinners never ends because of Jesus. Because of Jesus’ love for we who are sinners, He fills us with His love to share with others. Just like the blind beggar who received his sight and followed Jesus, so we too are blind beggars who have been given faith to follow Jesus. And in our following, it is our joyful duty to point other blind beggars to Jesus, for only in Jesus can sinners see the Light of their Salvation.
Amen

A Most Generous Reward

2011-04-04T07:29:00.001-07:00

THE MOST GENEROUS REWARD
MATTHEW 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

In the name of Jesus:
In the Australian newspaper "The Melbourne Age," there was an interesting article research done at the from the University of Atlanta. The article was titled called: "Monkeys want to see justice done."
At the University of Atlanta, researchers tested capuchin monkeys. They gave them the task of picking up a small granite stone and bringing it to the researcher within one minute. If they were successful, they were rewarded with the wage of a slice of cucumber. The scheme worked well. It was happy lab situation as long as each monkey received the same wage. This turned sour when the researchers varied the pattern. They tried giving one monkey a grape for its reward. Indignation broke out. First the others withheld their labor, and later they even took to throwing away the cucumber and the granite stone.
Their sense of justice had been offended. Our sense of justice is also offended when we are happy with our station in life, only to get upset when we see someone in a similar situation that is better off. Then we cry foul! We want to go on strike and demand an end to such monkey business.
This sense of justice is a worldly sense of justice. And that sense of justice, in part, forms the framework for the parable for today. It is the parable about the householder who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed with them on the usual wage, one denarius for a full day’s work. Soon after, he hired others, some worked nine hours, others six, still others three, and then those who worked for only an hour. In the evening, when it comes time to pay up, the householder begins to pay that which he owes. To the first ones hired, he pays the full day wage. But to those who worked fewer hours, he pays the same wage. Everyone gets the same, no matter when the started, the paycheck was the same.
Now, it is obvious that this wouldn’t fly in today’s marketplace. It wouldn’t be acceptable back then either. In ordinary labor relations, it wouldn’t be deemed as fair. For in our world, and in our understanding, if you work more you get paid more. The one who labors hard gets higher wages. The one who works less gains less. In principle, the sense of justice is that it is not right to pay equal wages for unequal work.
But the Lord tells this parable, not for labor relations, but to illustrate the stark difference between His Kingdom and our worldly realm. His Kingdom operates on a different level of understanding, on a different plane than our worldly life. From a worldly point of view, there is no equality because people are so different. That is why the general rule is that if you work more you get paid more. And if you get something as an inheritance, as a gift, then someone else cannot claim that gift. But in Christ’s Kingdom, the free gift is for all.
This is why it is important for us to distinguish between God’s Kingdom and the worldly kingdom in which we live. Farmers, doctors, educators, do different work and are all paid differently according to their labor. Each is vitally important in his or her own way in the work they do. Their pay is different, one will earn more than another, and there is an inequality that exists. And this is good! A parent is different than a child. A farmer is different than a doctor. Each has different but important roles, different vocations or callings in life. But in God’s scheme of things, in His Kingdom, it is different.
How is it different? Because of who we are in God’s sight. God’s declaration is damning: All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. There is none of us, which is perfect. God demands holiness. We revel in sin. God desires contentment; we envy those who have more than us. God rejoices in good, we rejoice in getting even. Instead of seeing life and receiving God’s good gifts, we grumble and complain, thinking and reasoning that we do not have enough. Do you know what we really don’t have enough us? Righteousness. God says that in order to enter heaven our righteousness must EXCEED the Pharisees, however our righteousness is like filthy garments. When we err, we try to justify our actions, take back our words, or even strike out at those who have wronged us. We have continually failed to show love to our neighbor and to do unto others in a way in which we would want done to us.
There was once a lady who had a stranger appear at her door and simply handed her a $100 bill. She was dumbfounded! Then the same thing happened the next day.... and the next...and the next. For thirty straight days this stranger gave her $100 without explanation. On the 31st day the lady was waiting at the door when she saw the man coming down the street. But then he passed her house and walked up to her neighbor's house, and gave her a $100 bill! The first lady was indignant and yelled at the guy, "Hey, where's my $100 bill?"
Herein is our problem. Rather than being generous, we cry out in unfairness, Hey, where is mine? It's easy to think that when life is going our way that somehow we deserve it. We come to expect it. We even plan for it. This parable is not so much about the injustice of workers getting paid the same for different amounts of work. It is about God and God's mercy and grace. Sometimes it appears that some people are receiving more of God's grace than others. But as Christians we live, not in a world of justice, but of grace.
And this is the point that Jesus is making in our text for today. We live in a state of God’s grace. Grace is a free gift! We live as recipients of God’s gifts. We totally rely on God for all things. Receiving God’s gifts each and every day marks our lives, grace upon grace. In our physical lives, we have been given life as a gift of God. Not one of us popped out of our mother’s womb and said that we were in of our own choosing. We didn’t have a choice. Neither did we have a choice in making God send His Son Jesus to be our Savior. God so loved the world that HE SENT His only Son. Salvation is a free gift of God. You have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ; it isn’t of your own doing. And this faith that you possess, that too is a gift. It is not that you chose God, God chose you, He has given you faith in Christ as a gift for no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Spirit. It is utterly impossible for man to save himself, so God does the work for sinners, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! Salvation is impossible with men and possible only with God, for with Him ALL things, even the salvation of the soul, are possible. Your salvation, the salvation of each and every person is solely because of the grace and working of God.
The owner of the vineyard says to the servants: "I treat you most generously." This is how God deals with you, with me, with all of us. He is kind, gracious, and good to sinners, and yet there are those who in their own way of thinking, envious of others. Seeing as God gives us what we do not deserve, we have no right to be envious or even hateful towards others who are received into God’s grace, no matter when they come to faith. We are to bask, not in our own self-righteousness or glory, but to glory in what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. God calls us to be grateful to Him, humble, and to serve Him in thanks for what He has done for us with a child like spirit.
Aesop had a fable about two eagles, one envious of the other because the other could soar higher and more elegantly than he could. So the envious eagle would pluck his strongest feathers from his own body and shoot them as arrows, trying to wound or kill the other eagle. It was his own undoing, however. He could not hit the highflying eagle, and he was eventually grounded by his lack of feathers. Envy destroyed the eagle.
Envy or jealousy, that is nurtured and not repented of, leads to eternal disaster. This is why Jesus warns us: the last will be first and the first shall be last. Those who fall prey to envy, unbelief, hypocrisy, and comparison with others, even when they know better, will be rejected on the Last Day. But to those who rely on the grace of God in Christ are saved.
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter say's, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in." Okay, " the man says, "I was married to the same women for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart." That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points." Three points?"
He says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service." Terrific!" say's St. Peter. "That's certainly worth a point." "One point? Well I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans." Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says. "Two points!"
The man cries. "At this rate the only way to get into heaven is by the grace of God!" St. Peter smiled. "There's your 100 points! Come on in!"
By grace you have been saved, through faith in Christ, it is not of your doing, so that when you boast, your boasting will give glory to God.
Amen

Put Your Trust in the Lord

2011-04-04T07:28:00.001-07:00

PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD
JOHN 6:1-15
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
In the name of Jesus:
A minister was making a home visit to one of the younger families in his parish. A five-year-old boy answered the front door and told the minister his mother would be there shortly. To make some conversation, the minister asked the little guy what he would like to be when he grows up. The boy immediately answered, "I'd like to be possible." "What do you mean by that?" the puzzled minister asked. "Well, you see," the boy, replied, "just about every day my mom tells me I'm impossible!" 
 What seems to be impossible in your life these days, my friend? Some task you are facing in your personal life? Or maybe as you look at your present, not to mention your future, and wonder how you are going to make ends meet? The impossible becomes possible when Jesus is involved, for when you place your trust in Christ, He provides for your every need. That is what God wishes to teach us in this well-known story of the feeding of the 5000.
We need to hear this message over and over again, that God provides and will continue to provide. Today though people doubt God and His Word. They wonder and call into question whether or not God will provide. In this world our faith is under attack by either wealth or by poverty. It is one extreme or another, the haves and the have nots, if you have you then supposedly have enough, and you can live wastefully and not worry about the present and the future. The problem with being a have and having more than enough is that you are tempted to forget about God. Or on the other side of the spectrum, you are a have not, and seeing as you don’t have enough, you complain about your station in life, you expect a hand out, or you live in bitterness toward others who have more than you.
I have noticed this on television and on the talk shows today, a type of class warfare has broken out in our society and in the world. The wealthy live in opulence, seemingly as if they don’t have a care in the world, they live as if they are masters of their own destiny and as if they don’t need God and as if God doesn’t exist. They live for self, for pleasure, and for the moment. On the other side there are those who don’t have, who live in jealousy toward those who have more than them, who think if they only had more their lives would be better and that their problems would be solved! They live in anger and bitterness. The problem: both the haves and the have nots are wrong for neither place their trust in God.
We need to hear and learn again the lesson Jesus teaches in this miracle, the feeding of the 5000. Jesus desires that we seek a middle course; trust in Him for all things. He seeks to teach His disciples and us that He is all we need. He doesn’t want us to worry about our future nor be greedy for great wealth because WHAT WE NEED WILL BE PROVIDED! Here is the great lesson: God gives to us in mercy and without measure, if we only would trust in Him.
Note our text. Five thousand men, not counting women and children so the number is probably actually in the ten thousand figure, are assembled on the side of a mountain; all are in need of the most basic necessity, food. Jesus, the Son of God, knows this. He knows that He can provide, but do His followers? That is why Jesus asks Phillip the question, to play with him but also to instruct Him: Phillip, where are we going to buy bread for all of these people to get something to eat? The One asking is the One who can provide that bread, but does Phillip believe that Jesus can do that? No! For Phillip’s answer is just like the answer that we would provide. Phillip says: “We only have so much cash. Even if we could buy bread with this money, it will only go so far. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip, Jesus; we only have enough for each to get a morsel of bread. Who can be satisfied with that?”
And then Andrew chimes in and says: “Here is a little boy who has five loaves of bread and a few fish, but a lot of good that will do!” I get the sense of hopelessness in Andrew’s voice. Much like those of us you question if Social Security will be there for us in our old age, or if we will have enough in our pension fund, or what about just having enough to get by today? Just as Phillip and Andrew needed to learn the lesson, so do we today!
Jesus took what was there, as meager as it seems on the surface, and then lifts up His eyes to heaven to thank God for His gifts, and then instructs His disciples to seat everyone in an orderly manner so that all can receive the gifts of God. And Jesus feeds, Jesus provides, so much so that the Bible says that everyone ate until THEY HAD THEIR FILL. They had eaten enough, and when they were done, they collected the leftovers and even though they started with five loaves of bread, in the end there were twelve baskets full of leftovers! Even they had more than enough; there was still waste or leftovers remaining! Jesus simply wants us to know and believe that if we trust in Him, we will have everything we need. The One who took on our sins on the cross, to grant us our salvation and solve our greatest need, will also take care of His children on earth, even those needs which worry and concern us.
Now some of you may be thinking, get real, Pastor. This all sounds good but that is not how it works in the real world. My friend, Jesus knows the real world, He came into this world to really live the life as your Substitute. Jesus said of Himself that the foxes have their holes in which they live in, the birds in the air have their nests to reside, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head. Jesus knows your situation; He has been there and done that. He lived trusting in the Lord throughout His life and then gave up His life as the payment for all sin. The Son of God in human flesh has provided for your salvation, more than that, He still provides for your every need. He tells us to look at the lilies of the field, they neither toil nor spin but they are beautiful in their attire for God has provided them for. God provided for His creation, this is what Luther confesses in the explanation of the First Article of the Creed where he writes that He, God, daily and richly provides for our every need. God provides, but in our unbelief, we despair. The fault doesn’t lie with God, but in our greed and in our lack of faith.
And so God calls us this day to repent. To confess the sins of greed, and want, and our lack of faith. Confess them to God who sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. For God states that if we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins in Christ and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As God’s children God calls His own to trust in Him, for all things, physical, and spiritual.
And yet the world still offers its wares. The worldly still live as a discontented bunch. God gives faith in Baptism, and yet the devil tempts us to question God’s Work. Jesus promises to feed us in His Supper but His Meal is despised, as sinners grow tired of what He gives. Jesus speaks to us in His Word and yet hearts grow cold and hard as sinners seek to be entertained. God continues to give and bless, but for the world it is never enough. God gives bountifully, but it is never enough. Today people act as if God could not perform a miracle for them. They think that if they don’t take matters into their own hands, if they don’t look out for themselves, no one else will. And so they live in greed and want and for them Jesus means nothing.
But for those of us who are in Christ, Jesus means everything. And He teaches us in this simple lesson that we mean everything to Him. He lived, died, and rose again to give us eternal life. And seeing as Jesus gives eternal life, He also takes care of His own, He is so gracious, and He even cares for us, even without our asking! And He tells us this simple truth: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you. Jesus is rich, we are poor, but Jesus in His grace blesses us with the riches of His bounty. So listen to Him in His Word. Trust and follow Christ in your life. Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you. Let Him worry about where your next meal will come from. Just as His disciples learned this lesson may we learn it well today too!
In Jesus’ name
Amen

The Stronger One

2011-04-04T07:26:00.001-07:00

THE STRONGER ONE
LUKE 11:14-28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” 27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
In the name of Jesus:
Does the name Brian Shaw ring a bell? It will if you followed the Arnold Swartzenagger Strong Man Competition in Columbus. Shaw was recognized for winning the Strongman competition at the recent Arnold Classic. What is a strongman competition? It is a competition, which has been held since the inception of the Arnold Classic in 2002, which involves a series of weight lifting events, from carrying a large piece of timber to lifting tires, which weighed 1100 pounds. As the strong man, Shaw was crowned as the strongest man and won prize money totaling $50,000.
There is one who is stronger than Brian Shaw, though. While Shaw might be recognized for his accomplishments, the one who is stronger than Shaw, many times, is taken for granted. Some doubt his existence. Others doubt his power. However, when you note what is happening in the world, there can be no doubt as to his reality. We see evidences of his reality in the evil that exists in the world. We see it in how people treat one another, we see it in the maladies that people have and the problems people face. The strong man of whom I am referring to, and to which our text for today speaks of, goes by many names: Beelzebub, the Devil, or Satan.
The reality of Satan was not in question in Jesus’ day. Note what Luke, the Physician records in our text: “Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons,” No one doubted Satan’s existence, for they had in their midst one who was demon possessed, possessed by the devil himself. While those present did not doubt the devil’s existence, they DID DOUBT the power and the reality of Jesus’ existence. Imagine that, Jesus is right there physically present in their midst, they had seen with their own eyes His power and His miraculous healings, but doubted that He was the Son of God. How did they try to explain away Jesus’ power and work? By simply saying that He was a son of the Devil Himself. Listen: “17 but he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
There can be no doubt, dear friends, of Satan’s existence and power. The Scripture ascribes to Satan the power of evil. God created all things good, even Satan, but Satan sinned and fell from God’s glory. Satan since his fall from grace has been God’s enemy. And since the fall of mankind into sin, all of humanity has been on Satan’s side as well. Sin is never a friend or ally of God. God has been and always will be opposed to sin and Satan. Satan is called the Prince of the air, the roaring lion who prowls around seeking those whom he can devour. Make no mistake; Satan is alive and well today. Even though people will deny his existence and his power, some even will say that sin and evil is all in your mind, sin, evil and Satan ARE AN EVERPRESENT REALITY TODAY.
Just look at the evidence. Just look at what has happened in our fallen world in the past few months! There have been political uprisings, earthquakes and tsunamis, destruction, devastation, innocent people losing their lives in senseless killings; the list goes on and on! If we lived in a perfect world without sin, there would be none of these things! Their very existence reveals the reality of sin, death, and yes, Satan. Satan is like a strong man who has such a strong grip on this world and its people. He has the world in his clutches like a vice and he will not let go until he succeeds in bringing God’s creation to its destruction.
Those who were present with Jesus, who witnessed this healing of the man who was mute and gave credit to this miracle to Satan! They reasoned that Jesus was a son of the devil; hence, the devil made the man not only mute, but also gave the mute the ability to speak! Like Pharaoh of old, their hearts were hard (Ex. 8:16–24). Pharaoh, even though he witnessed the plaques, did not want to give God the credit. So God hardened his heart. Just as he did not recognize the power of God, so too there were those present in Jesus’ very midst who did not recognize the finger of God, the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through Jesus, however, refutes the notion that he was a child of the devil by clearly stating that a house divided cannot stand. Jesus asserts that He has come into the world as the Son of God, and it was His duty to overcome the strongman of the world, Satan. Jesus came to usher in His Kingdom, a Kingdom not of evil but of goodness and grace, a Kingdom of salvation and forgiveness, and a Kingdom that ushers in the good and gracious reign of God.
The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom where God reigns. Jesus brought this Kingdom to sinful people in His very birth, a birth where the angels sang of God’s Kingdom when they sang: Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth. God’s Kingdom was proclaimed in John the Baptist and Jesus’ words: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. God’s Kingdom was manifested in Jesus when He healed the sick, gave the blind their sight, gave the mute the ability to speak, and when He raised the dead. Jesus ushered in God’s Kingdom as He came to do battle with Satan on his turf, by defeating Satan, sin, and death by His perfectly led life according to the Ten Commandments and by His sacrificial death on the cross, whereby the blood of Jesus washes away your sins. . He takes the devil's armor of sin and death and destroys it from the inside out by the holy cross. In the declaration of victory Jesus cried out on the cross it is finished, and He crushed Satan’s power in His rising from the grave. Jesus has proven in His ministry that He was not a son of the devil, but rather He was the Son of God in human flesh sent from heaven to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. For to all who believe in Jesus He has given to them the power to become sons of God and inheritors of heaven.
Jesus has given to you the victory of the strong one of this world by claiming you as one of His own. He exorcizes and frees you by water and the Word. By the waters of Baptism you have been marked by the cross of Christ, you no longer belong to Satan or yourself, you belong to God. God has spoken His good and gracious Word to you and He says that blessed are all those who hear the Word of God and keep it.
To keep God’s Word means to treasure that Word of Christ, of His forgiveness, love and salvation, as your most treasured possession. To keep God’s Word means that you live by the new name by which God has given you in Christ, named as a child of Christ you now live as a child of Christ. Listen to how Paul explains it in Ephesians 5:1-9: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
You were once in darkness but now you are called to live in the light of Christ our Lord. How is this done? It was done in your Baptism, and it is done as your live out your Baptism daily. For just as you have died to sin in Baptism, so also in life you are now called to die to sin, through repentance and faith. By daily confessing your sins you turn from sin and seek God’s forgiveness and grace in Christ. And then forgiven, you are renewed to serve Him in your life.
This plays out in our worship service every Sunday. Each Sunday we begin our service invoking God to be present among us. And in coming into His presence, we confess our sin, for who of us can stand before a holy God who must punish sin? You know the answer, it is no one. Not one of us can come to God on our own terms. We have nothing to offer to God. So this is why each Sunday we begin on our knees, confessing that we are poor, wretched, miserable sinners, in need of God’s mercy and grace. And God is merciful to us, He forgives and then blesses us with His blessing so that we begin and go through the next week with God’s blessing and promise. It is indeed a blessing to begin each Sunday, and each day, confessing our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness in Christ, for this is how sin, Satan, and death have been overcome for us, not by our might, wisdom, or strength, but by the strength of the One who is Stronger, Jesus Christ our Lord. Even as He has won the victory, we receive His gifts by faith.
It is most certainly true that we live in dark times. There is a plethora of things in the world that weigh us down, not to mention our own personal burdens that we bear. But God’s Good News today is that there is One who is stronger than our burdens and our problems. He has taken upon Himself our sins and our issues. We have an ever-present Help in our times of trouble. He is Jesus, our Strong One. So call upon Him in the day of your trouble, and He will answer you, and deliver you, so that you might glorify Him and tell others what He has done.
In Jesus’ name
Amen

Doing Battle with Goliath

2011-04-04T07:25:00.001-07:00

DOING BATTLE WITH GOLIATH
I SAMUEL 17: 40-51

40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.
In the name of Jesus:
The story of David and Goliath is probably the most well known Bible story among children today. Children in Sunday school reenact the drama of a little shepherd boy slaying the big, bad, Goliath with a smooth rock plucked from a riverbed. But what are we to make of it? Certainly, we believe that this story is true, for the Bible, God’s Book, doesn’t lie. David killed the Giant Goliath. But, what’s the point? Should we look to the Bible as a handbook, or answer book, as it were, where we can come up with principles by which we can slay the giants, so to speak? Is this a story, which instructs us on how we can be victorious in our lives, like David was against Goliath, against overwhelming odds? To treat the Bible in this way cheapens it into a bunch of moralistic stories. No, the story of David and Goliath is actually a story of how God works, and how He continues to work for us today.
The issue is whom will you rely on? That was the question facing David before his battle with Goliath. Humanly speaking, if we are to do battle with anything or anyone more powerful than we are, we want to be as prepared as we can be, as much as is humanly possible. If you are going to battle you want the best equipment. You can’t beat a giant with a peashooter, can you?
So thought King Saul and the wise counselors of the day! When David came forth to do battle with Goliath, it is interesting to see how the wise ones of the age thought the battle should be fought. Note what Samuel records: “33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.”
Saul thought as many think today, that whenever someone is going to do battle with a Goliath, you have to be prepared as best you can be, as humanly possible. So if you do your best, and provide for yourself the best equipment that money can buy, well, then you will be successful. The underlying belief is that you place your trust in earthly things. Use your intellect, the things around you, that which seems to be able to get the job done, place your faith in the tangible, and that will qualify you for success. And so today, conventional wisdom inside and outside of the Church would have you believe that the answers to the problems you face are within your grasp and control. You are the master of your own destiny, and if you do your best, things will work out. But do they? Will they? There is no guarantee.
The greatest giant that you face in your life is death. Your own death and the death of your loved ones. Death is the elephant in the room, so to speak, that no one really wants to think about or address. Again, conventional wisdom would have us believe that one solution to this Giant called death is denial. Deny death’s inevitability for as long as you can seems to work, for a time, but there is this thing called, death, that always seemingly gets our attention. Death comes suddenly, unrepentantly, you can try to put it out of sight out of mind, but it is always there.
You can try to live healthier, but you will still die. You can attempt to get the best medical treatment that money can buy, but you will still die. Live life like a hermit, so that you can take out many variables, which may cause death, such as an auto accident, but death is still there. Live to an old age, but you can’t live long enough because you will still die. No matter how you try to outfit your life to deal with the Goliath called death, it is always there.
Death is the symptom of a bigger issue, the issue of sin. The Bible says that the soul that sins most certainly will die. You can deny that you are a sinner, but you will still die. Death is a nasty truth, as is sin. God, who created all, calls every creature to live in accordance with His Will. Love God first and foremost, trust in Him above all things; show love to God by loving others as you do yourself. It seems so simple, but in reality, none of us can do what God demands.
Look at King Saul. He places his trust in human things to defeat Goliath. He outfits David so that he will trust in human “things” but David tries it and finds it lacking. So too, when push comes to shove and we find ourselves in a bind, how do we react? Like King Saul when we think how can I get out of this mess? Like Saul when we say surely there is something I haven’t tried that will work? Do we look for human answers when we face the Goliath of sin and death? Or will we learn from David, who trusted not in self, nor the wisdom of the age, but solely in God?
It is instructive to note that David didn’t turn nor trust in the human element. His Help and Hope were in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. This is shown where David: 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him.”
What was David’s secret? He trusted in the Lord! The rock was the means by which the Lord gave to David the victory. But David trusted, not in himself, nor anything else other than the Lord. Sadly, today we look at the things we can trust in, rather than the Lord and the means that He uses. When it comes time to battle the Goliath called sin, Satan, and death, will you trust in self, or in God?
The Bible records that this is the reason why God sent His Son, Jesus, into this world. Jesus came to do battle with sin, Satan, and death. Tempted as we are tempted, Jesus never sinned. He trusted in God and His Word. Jesus lived His life not for His own glory, but so that you might receive God’s glory. Christ denied Himself and trusted in God so that you might have help in your time of need. Just look at what Jesus did and how He faced Satan’s arrows and temptations. Jesus simply loved God above all else and sought to serve Him. For when Jesus did when confronted with Satan’s temptations, He trusted in God and His Word. Jesus did battle with our Goliath, Satan, by using the Word of God. When tempted, Jesus said: ““‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus ultimately did battle with the Goliath of sin, Satan, and death by going to the cross. There Jesus took on your sin and mine, there He tasted death for all who have sinned, there He shed His blood for the forgiveness of all sin, and on Easter Jesus triumphed over Satan and the grave by rising again to life!
God has saved you from sin, Satan and death. Just as David used simple means as a rock to slay the giant, so too God gives simple yet powerful Help. For by the cross of Christ God has saved you. Christ on the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God. To the worldly and the so-called wise ones of our generation, the cross is foolishness. But there on the cross we see God’s love and power, for while we were yet sinners, Christ died, and then rose again to defeat sin, Satan, and death for all who believe. The word of that cross is foolishness to many but to us who are saved it is the power and wisdom of God! Through the simple means of the cross and empty tomb God has cut off Satan’s head and gives victory to all who believe.
But how can we believe? God even gives you faith! For in the waters of Baptism, which now save you, God bestows faith. Today He speaks His forgiveness and feeds your faith in Christ so that you might know and evermore believe that yours in the overwhelming victory by God’s grace through faith in Christ.
So how do you face your giants? By simply trusting in Christ and turning to Him. When you are faced with giants in your life, do not despair. The Lord God has saved you! Jesus stands in your place to do battle against the Goliath, Satan. He bore the brunt of God’s wrath so that you might have life and help in your time of need. In Christ you are victorious over the Devil. And God blesses you with His Word and Sacraments so that you might be strengthened in your daily fight against the Evil One. So do not receive the grace of God in vain, rather, go to Christ for He is your ever present Help in times of trouble! “14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Amen

Calm in the Midst of the Storm

2011-04-04T07:24:00.001-07:00

CALM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM
MATTHEW 8:23-27

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
In the name of Jesus:

One of the Pastors who trained me on my vicarage was Pastor Bob Holstein. Pastor Holstein was reared in Kansas and he loved a good thunderstorm. Thunderstorms in Southern Illinois can be quite violent, with the storms spawning many a tornado. I remember talking to him about Southern Illinois weather and how violent the storms seemed to be in that part of the country. He confided in me that he loved a good thunderstorm, in fact, Pastor Holstein recollected that while growing up in Kansas, he would stay with his grandparents from time to time. His grandpa was a pastor and Pastor Holstein remembered that, when he was a young boy, whenever a thunderstorm would approach the farmland in Kansas he would scurry up to the belfry of the church. He would get in the highest point he could get in that bell tower so that he could be close to the storm and see the lightening flash through the sky and hear the cracking boom of the thunder.
You laugh, thinking that man is nuts! I thought so too, but seeing as I wanted to pass vicarage, I nodded my head in approval, but upon further reflection, who in their right mind wants to do that? Pastor Holstein got a kick out of it, he loved it, he looked forward to being right in the middle of the thunderstorm, right in the smack dab middle where it would be the most dangerous. Now we know not to do that, it IS dangerous. Who wants to be in the middle of a storm, where you can see your life pass right before your eyes?
In our text for today, the disciples found themselves right in the middle of the storm, in a boat, all alone on the lake, with nowhere to run, and only One to turn to. They had gotten into the boat with Jesus and were sailing to the other side of the Sea of Tiberius. The Scripture says that there arose a great storm on the sea. Now mind you, this was before the weather channel and the Internet. There was no weather radio and no technological equipment. It was dark out, seeing that it WAS nighttime, and it was difficult to look at the sky and predict the weather. If you have ever been out in a boat in the middle of the night, you understand. The whole surroundings were pitch black. Storms in this area would come upon travelers suddenly. Starting in the Mediterranean Sea area, the storms would pick up strength and gather steam until the full fury of the storm would be unleashed upon the Sea of Galilee, just where Jesus and the disciples were traveling.
The winds were strong, the rains heavy, and weather violent. Hurricane force winds whipped the boat, so much so that the disciples saw their lives pass before their eyes. Water began to pour into the boat faster than the 12 could bail the water out of the boat. The waves were swamping the boat. And Jesus? He was asleep below, seemingly unaware of what was transpiring.
Frantically the disciples cried out to the Lord. It wasn’t a case of them gently trying to rouse Jesus from His slumber, “oh Jesus, time to get up…Get up you sleepy head.” No, it was a cry of desperation: ““Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
So, what are the storms in your life? What is causing you pain and anxiety in your life now? What is causing you pain, worry, and concern? What causes you to cry out to the Lord in desperation: “Save me Lord, for I am perishing? “ What causes you to look to the Lord, to cry out to Him when you feel like you are drowning in your fears? We can all relate to the Psalmist who laments: “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.” (Psalm 69:1).
Know this, dear child of God, that your Heavenly Father has heard your cry and He continues to hear your cry for help in time of need. For our God is a very present Help in times of trouble. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. Your help, my Help. Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
That is who was asleep in the bow of the boat. It was the Lord God, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who made heaven and earth. Why was He asleep? In part, because He was tired. But also because He was not afraid. And why wasn’t He afraid? Because He made heaven and earth. His creation was the work of His hands, He was in charge and He was in control.
That is why Jesus states: Don’t be afraid. These words aren’t just words without meaning, these are words which speak power and are power, for God’s Word is powerful, killing and giving life. And the same Jesus who spoke to His disciples in the midst of the storm speaks to you, today, in the middle of the storms of your life.
What does Jesus say? The very same thing that He said to His disciples, “Don’t be afraid.” Why shouldn’t we be afraid, after all, we are each and every one of us up to our neck in problems, in trials, and tribulations. Jesus tells us not to be afraid, because of who He is and because of what He has done.
He reminds you and me that He is the very Son of God in human flesh. He came from heaven to earth to cast out our fears, by taking on our flesh, by being our Substitute in His Life and death. Christ came to take on our flesh to keep the Law on our behalf, to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. And so, it should not surprise us when we hear the words: Don’t be afraid, for those words are Good News for sinners.
On the night when Jesus was born, the Scriptures state that shepherds were minding their own business, when heavenly guests surprised them. Angels announced the birth of Jesus and the Scriptures record that these shepherds trembled with fear. So what did the angels say to them to cast out their fear? “Do not be afraid, for there is Good News for to you is born in the city of David a Savior, He is Christ the Lord.” Christ was given the name Jesus because He would save His people from their sins.
And this is what Jesus has done, for in His death on the cross and His rising to life again, Jesus has defeated sin, Satan, and death for you and for al who believe. Even in death, Christ gives victory and hope. Mary Magdalene wept as she first saw the tomb where Jesus was laid. And yet God’s Good News to her through His angel was to not be afraid! “Don’t be afraid, for you look for Jesus, but He is not here, He has risen, just as He said!”
This same Jesus, who was born, who died and rose again, this same Jesus is the One in the boat, asleep, while the disciples let their fears get the best of them. Jesus said, do not be afraid, and then took action, calming the storm and quieting their fears.
Jesus does the same for you this day. For the Son of God in human flesh lives for you. As the hymnist writes: He lives to silence all my fears; He lives to wipe away my tears; He lives to calm my troubled heart; He lives all blessings to impart.
And God indeed blesses you today, even as you feel as if you are right smack dab in the middle of the biggest storm of your life. He blesses in that He reminds you that you are His very own baptized child. He has staked a claim on you, He has washed away your sins, you have been marked as one redeemed by Jesus Christ. He speaks His Word of comfort and grace and strength this day. He comes in the form of bread and wine to strengthen you on your pilgrimage. At the times in your life, in your crisis when it seems as if God is not there, just remember, Jesus is there with you in your boat. Your God is there with you. He has come to save you. His promise is certain and sure. In the middle of your crisis He says to you, don’t be afraid, for the Lord is your helper, He is at your right hand. He has won an overwhelming victory for you. So call upon Him in the day of your trouble. He will hear you, He will answer. Cast your cares on Him. He cares for you. For God says in His Word that the day that you call upon Him He will answer. God will be with you, He will deliver you. He will take care of you in the present. He holds your future in His hand. And nothing will ever be able to separate you from His love, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Amen
And now may the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen

A Sermon for a suicide

2011-04-04T07:23:00.001-07:00

CHRIST IS OUR ONLY HOPE
PSALM 46:1

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

In the name of Jesus:

Governor Jan Brewer of the state of Arizona, in remarks to the citizens of her state in the wake of the tragic deaths last weekend said in her state of the state: “ Tragedy and terror sometimes come from the shadows – and steal our joy and take away our peace.
This past weekend's events have caused me – caused all of us -- to reflect on many things, including how we respond to those terrible events. Our response is led by prayer and comfort for the families. “ Patricia’s death has stolen our joy and has taken away our peace. Dave, Sandra, and Jennifer, to Patricia’s family and friends, your grief is unimaginable. How do we respond? To whom should we turn? God tenderly invites you to turn to Him. Your hope, our hope, is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. God invites you and all who mourn today to come to Him, for God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in times of trouble.
There is a hymn in the historic Church’s liturgy, which dates to the 14th. Century. It is called the Media vita in morte sumus. It’s very words direct us to God in the time of death. The hymnist writes: “In the midst of life we are in death, from whom can we seek help? From you alone, O lord, who by our sins are justly angered, Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and merciful Savior, deliver us not into the bitterness of eternal death.” We sinful human beings deserve no good thing from God. Today we are broken but not defeated, for our help is in the name of the Lord.
Death brings home to us the reality of our own frail nature. Each and everyone of us must die. So how do we respond? Where comes our help? Our help is not found in the wisdom of other people, in our own strength, even in our own death. To all assembled here and to especially the young people today, I want to say most clearly, your death is not an answer. If you have ever contemplated taking your life, please do not. There are people, who love you, who will listen, who will help. Most importantly, God loves you. God is your help and will be your help. Your help is in the Lord. Our death is not the answer to any problems or trials that we face. God’s death, though, is the answer.
For the Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus died for you. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Christ will have eternal life. In your distress, in your grief, go to the Lord, for He loves you with an everlasting love. Listen to God’s tender invitation: “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The Psalmist writes: “Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Elsewhere we read the Psalmist who writes: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!  2 O Lord, hear my voice!  Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! 3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
How do we know this? We know this because of God’s certain Word. The Scriptures tell us of the sign of God’s love: “This is a sign to you, you will find the Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. To you has been born in the city of David the Savior, Christ the Lord.” Christ is our Lord and Savior. He loves sinners with an everlasting love. He loves you with an everlasting love and this is His promise: “37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:37-40
God saves sinners. Christ came to save sinners. In His death and resurrection, God has the only answer to our death and grief. It is Jesus. Christ became sin for us that we might be God’s children. Christ saves sinners. Christ delights in living with and in sinners. Christ is the only Hope for sinners.
Patricia was a child of God. Her favorite hymn was Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.” Through the love and care of Dave and Sandra Patricia came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Know this for certain, dear friends, Jesus loved Patricia and Patricia loved the Lord Jesus! She is with the Lord today, because of God’s amazing grace in Jesus Christ. By grace we have all been saved, through faith in Christ. And just as Jesus rose from the grave, so too His promise to Patricia, and to each and every one of us who believe in Jesus is that He will raise us up on the Last Day. Dave, Sandra, and Jennifer, on that Day when Jesus comes He will make all things new. For our Redeemer lives! Keep trusting in Jesus, for whoever is faithful unto death He will give the crown of everlasting life. You will hold Patricia’s hand again and see her in the flesh, for our Redeemer lives!
Even now, Jesus is your refuge in death. Even though you walk through this dark valley God is with you. For the Lord is your Shepherd. He is with you to be your ever present help in this time of trouble. So trust Christ. He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust. He abounds in steadfast love for you. He is your refuge and strength. And that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.
Amen
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

A Hundred Fold Harvest

2011-04-04T07:21:00.002-07:00

A HUNDRED-FOLD HARVEST
LUKE 8:4-15

4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
In the name of Jesus:
Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you are gardeners? Quite a few. Good, now I have a question that I want you to consider, what is the most important element to a fruitful garden? Is it location? Watering the garden, sunlight? You can have a great location for you garden, it can have the optimal sunlight and just enough fertilizer and water, but if you don’t have that which is most important, you can’t have a garden. What am I forgetting? The seed. Seeds are the most important part of agriculture, whether it is on a farm or in a garden. You can have all of the fancy equipment to grow plants and vegetation, you can have the optimal conditions, you can spend time pulling weeds and making certain that everything is just right, but if you don’t have the seed, you got nothing.
It isn’t by accident that Jesus, when speaking of the Kingdom of God, and the Church, talks about it in terms of agriculture or farming. People in Jesus’ day and age knew what it meant to work the land so that they could have food for their families. For us living in the 21st century, well, not so much, because unless we understand some basic principles to growing things, we won’t understand what the Kingdom of God is like. And this is the reason why Jesus speaks in parables, It is the reason why Jesus gives us the secrets to God’s Kingdom in parables, so that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, might understand what God is doing in His Kingdom, the Church, and what He continues to do among us today.
Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a sower, which goes out to sow His seed. Here Jesus is telling us that He is the Sower, the Seed is His Word, the Gospel, which is planted in the hearts and lives of people. Just as a sower sows seed in the field, so Jesus sows seed in the hearts of sinners. If you can imagine a famer picking seed out of a pouch and spreading it by hand, the seed would fall in different places. The seed would fall on pathways where it would be trampled or eaten by birds, on rocky soil or rock where it would wither under the heat of the sun, among thorny plants where it would grow for a time and be choked off by the thorny plants, and on the good soil where it would grow a hundred fold.
Jesus says that the different types of soil represent the different people who hear the Word spoken by Jesus. Some are like seed thrown on the path, where once they hear the Gospel they let it go in one hear and out the other. Others are like seed thrown on rocks, where they believe for a while, maybe they are caught up in the emotion or experience of it all, and when push comes to shove and when testing comes their way, they leave the faith. Still others are like the seed that falls among the thorns, they believe but soon the cares of the world, the opinions of others, or maybe just their love for the world and riches and pleasures of life they leave the faith and do not mature n the faith.
But there are those who hear the Word as if seed planted in good soil. They hold this Word fast, in a good and honest heart, and they bear fruit, fruit as in a hundred fold, with PATIENCE. It isn’t the heart that brings forth the fruit; it is the seed, the Gospel. So how does this happen? How does the Christian bear fruit a hundred fold?
It is only by the grace and work of God! Our hearts are hardened by sin. Like lumps of rock or clay, God cannot penetrate with His love into our hearts because we are cold hearted. Our first love is not God. It is our sinful self. That is what sin is, a turning away from God. Our sinful nature questions God, our need for God, our want of a relationship with God. We try to come to God on our own terms. We think that God might be pleased with our intentions. Our good intentions. Or perhaps God might love us if he sees that we are sincere in our relationship with Him. Or maybe we can get on God’s good side if we do something for God, surely then He will be pleased! We want God, we seek a relationship with God, on our terms, setting our rules and regulations, we make God into what we want, rather than hearing who God reveals Himself to be and listening to what He has to say. We want God on our terms, to be like a fairy godmother to wave a magic wand, so as to meet our every wish and need and whim in life. But what DOES HE have to say?
He says, “their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:15). His Word reveals our sin in our hearts and in our lives, for “the Word of God is living and active, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb 4:12-13).
We must give account. We must answer to God, for all have sinned and fallen short of His glory. Sin pays off with death! Temporal and eternal death. Satan, the world, even our sinful flesh, attacks our faith. We are all lost if not for the grace of God in Christ! And it is be God’s grace that we are saved.
God calls the sinner to repent. That is how God breaks our heart, our stony cold hearted heart, by showing us that we have sinned and we need God’s mercy. He calls us to repentance, to turn from sin, from self, from the world and its sinful pleasures, and to turn to God in Christ! For God has sent Christ to bear the attacks of the Evil One in His life and death. God so loved the world that He sent Christ to be nailed to a tree, so that by His cross-planted on the hill called Calvary your sins would be forgiven! Even though Jesus was hounded by the devil on the cross, even though He became sin for you on the cross, by His stripes, by his life, by His bloody death YOU ARE FORGIVEN! Through His dying and rising again Jesus destroyed death and Hell and all who believe. Jesus came down from heaven to die and rise so that all who believe in Him will rise to new life, bringing forth fruits to the glory of God.
This is what it means when Isaiah writes: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  11 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.”
Jesus has sown the seed of His Gospel deep into your heart in the waters of your Baptism. There God has drowned your sin so that by the power of the Holy Spirit a new person will come forth to live before God. You have been made a new person in Baptism in Christ. As you read the Scriptures, as you hear the Word proclaimed, God brings to you Christ. The Word brings Christ and God’s promise is that this Word will not return to the Lord empty but it will accomplish what the Lord wants. And what does the Lord want? He wants all to be saved and come to faith in Christ, a faith that is rooted in the heart and is lived in your life.
Yet this faith is a mystery, when according to God’s good pleasure is revealed in bearing fruit in your life. Jesus says that He is the Vine, we are the branches and that if we remain in Him, we will bear abundant fruit. The key is remaining in Jesus, being rooted in Him. And how is this done? By being faithful in worship, hearing the Word, receiving the Lord’s Supper, reading and meditating on the Word for the Word brings Christ. God makes this promise, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. To those who hear His Word, treasure it, believe it and trust in Christ and His promises, God works to bring not only faith but uses that person to bring forth fruits of a living faith in Christ.
But all this happens in God’s time, which is why our text talks about bearing fruit with patience. Fruit comes from patience. Look at the fruits in your garden. Does the garden bear fruit today? No because it is not time. Will it bear fruit in April, May, or June? No matter how much you want it to bear fruit, you cannot force it. Fruit comes with patience, in God’s time, trusting in HIm. So it is with our lives. God calls us to be rooted in Christ and His Word, to be faithful in our reception and He who plants the seed will bring forth its fruit in our lives. In His time, according to His will.
There is an old Native American story, which, as a modern day parable, can help us in our understanding of how God works. It is a story about an opossum, who one day visited his good friend, a raccoon, at his home near the river. The opossum marveled at his friend's lush garden and asked if he could grow one like it. The raccoon assured the opossum he could do so, although he cautioned him, "It is hard work."
The opossum eagerly vowed to do the hard work necessary, then asked for and received some seeds. He rushed home with his treasure, buried them amid much laughter and song, went inside to clean up, ate, and went to bed. The next morning he leapt from bed to see his new garden.
Nothing. The ground looked no different than it had the day before!
Furious with anger and frustration, the opossum shouted at his buried seeds, "Grow, seeds, grow!" He pounded the ground and stomped his feet. But nothing happened. Soon a large crowd of forest animals gathered to see who was making all the commotion and why. The raccoon came to investigate with all the others.
"What are you doing, Opossum?" he asked. "Your racket has awakened the whole forest."
The opossum railed about having no garden, then turned to each seed, and commanded it to grow. When the animals began to mock the opossum for his silly actions, he only screamed louder. At last the raccoon spoke up once more.
"Wait a minute, Possum," he said. "You can't make the seeds grow. You can only make sure they get sun and water, then watch them do their work. The life is in the seed, not in you."
As the truth sank in, the opossum ceased his yelling and began to care for the seeds as the raccoon instructed, watering them regularly and getting rid of any weeds that invaded his garden. (On some days, though, when no one was watching, he still shouted a bit.)
Then one glorious morning the opossum wandered outside to see that multitudes of beautiful green sprouts dotted his garden. Just a few days later, gorgeous flowers began to bloom. With uncontrollable excitement and pride, the opossum ran to his friend, the raccoon, and asked him to witness the miracle. The raccoon took one long look at the thriving garden and said, "You see, Opossum, all you had to do was let the seeds do the work while you watched."
"Yes," smiled the opossum, finally remembering the wise words of his friend many days before, "but it's a hard job watching a seed work."
You and I are called to bear fruit. But how is this done? By trusting in Christ, rooting our lives in Christ, being faithful to Christ, hearing Him, receiving His gifts in the Lord’s Supper, attending worship, for in all of this we received the seed of His Word. And we have His promise, that His seed will not return empty, but will accomplish what He wants. There is an old saying: “We know the number of seeds in an apple, but only God knows the number of apples in a seed." Rooted in Christ, God will use your life in unique ways to share and spread Christ’s love to all.
Jesus said:” unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Christ has died and risen to give you life. In dying to sin and clinging to Jesus, God uses His Word in our lives to bring forth abundant fruit. May God grant it in Jesus’ name!
Amen

Catching Up

2011-04-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

The following sermons are ones that I have preached in the past few months, since I have last blogged. They are in no particular order. A savvy Lutheran will note that the texts are from the One Year Lectionary series. I went to the One Year series this year because after 28 years of preaching in the Three Year Series, I thought the change might do me good. I think it has, in this respect: I am reading more Luther than ever before. I find myself, after doing my exegetical study, reading Luther's sermons. They are refreshing and keep me grounded in good old Lutheran theology. After all, if you can't trust Luther to be a Lutheran who can you trust?

Sorry

2011-04-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

Lent is a time of confession. I confess that I have not been a willing nor able blogger. My daughter Rachel is one for me to emulate. She blogs virtually every day. But between Lenten sermons, Sunday Sermons, Bible studies, sick and shut in calls.... well, you get the idea. But it is no excuse. I confess and ask for your forgiveness. I will try to do better. At least today

So, What's the Good News?

2010-12-07T13:07:00.001-08:00

SO, WHAT’S THE GOOD NEWS?
LUKE 21:25-35

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

In the name of Jesus:
The Danish philosopher, Kierkegaard, tells a parable of a theater where a variety show is proceeding. Each show is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager comes forward. He apologizes for the interruption, but the theater is on fire, and he begs his patrons to leave in an orderly fashion. The audience thinks this is the most amusing turn of the evening, and cheer thunderously. The manager again implores them to leave the burning building, and he is again applauded vigorously. At last he can do no more. The fire raced through the whole building and the fun-loving audience with it. "And so," concluded Kierkegaard, "will our age, I sometimes think, go down in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators."
When I hear or read about the Last Times, the End of the World, in the media today, I get the distinct impression that the fun loving world in which we live in will give our Lord’s Coming a rousing round of applause for the special effects that will accompany the Lord’s return. But is it for show? Is the Lord’s Coming for entertainment purposes only?
Just look at how the End of the World has been portrayed in film. In the movie “2012” millions die in violent earthquakes and volcanoes which signal the end of the world. In the movie “2008” a worldwide pandemic threatens the existence of the known world. Other movies and books have played up the theme of doomsday, to sometimes rave box office reviews, most certainly to make money, but all in an effort to entertain the masses.
Doomsday is big business, however the End of the World will not be entertaining for anyone! Listen to what the Lord says about His return in the Gospel of Luke: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” How then is the child of God to take these words? Jesus here Luke speaks to His beloved children, those who believe in Him. The Lord’s Second Coming certainly will bring foreboding and dread on the part of many WHO HAVE REJECTED HIM! That day of the Lord will be the DAY OF JUDGMENT. People who have rejected God’s grace in this life will see a cataclysmic change in nature as God removes His gracious hand from His creation. On that Day those who have rejected God’s grace in Christ, those who have thumbed their noses at God, who have been indifferent or apathetic toward God will truly feel God’s wrath. The nations will wonder, what in the Lord’s name is going on here? The seas will roar and the heavens open and then all will see Jesus coming in Judgment. As we confess in our Creeds, the living AND the dead will be judged, and at the sound of the trumpet: the mysteries of God will be fulfilled and the all of the dead will rise. It will be the great and terrible Day of the Lord that Scripture speaks of and no one will escape.
This is what the Lord says. It is His Law; you can take it to the bank. So, for those who believe in Christ, what is the Good News? In all of this, is this something we should be looking forward to? In a word: ABSOLUTELY! Jesus speaks these words to comfort His followers. These words in our text for today are words, which the believer is to cherish. Why? Because when all of this happens, Jesus instructs His followers: “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Your redemption is drawing near! Did you catch that? This is why Jesus came down from heaven to be born of a Virgin, to give Himself up in life and in death, dying a bloody death on the cross, and then rising from the grave on Easter morning! Christ came to redeem us, we are blood bought sinners, and God who lived, died and rose owns us again for our salvation! The blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin! God HAS saved you. What does it mean to be saved, but to be delivered from sin, Satan, and death.
Most certainly through faith in Christ we are forgiven. Most certainly your sins have been washed in Baptism. Today, now is the day of your salvation, today you belong to God and live for Him. And yes, Christ has defeated death for all who believe in Him. God most certainly loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes will not perish but have eternal life. But eternal life is not some pie in sky in the dream. Jesus didn’t come to just take us to heaven when we die. Yes, that will happen, but there is more, so much more! Jesus came so that we would have eternal life in the flesh. That is what Easter and the resurrection is all about!
That is why Jesus tells His followers to look to the heavens when He comes again, for He comes to take you home. The bodily risen Christ comes again, to rise up all of the dead and to take with Him all of His children. You will live with Jesus in the new heaven and earth. You will be alive in the flesh, as you are today, yet without sin. You will be with all of the saints who have gone before you. You will see and be able to say with Job: I know that my Redeemer lives and I will see Him in the flesh.
The Day of the Lord is going to be a terrible Day for those who do not believe. They will be judged and perish forever in Hell. But to those who believe, for you and me who are Jesus’ disciples, we will live forever in the flesh with Him! Think of it, no more sin, no more stress, no more disease, no more strife, no more war, no more sin, no more death. The old will have passed away and the new will come! We will see our redemption in Christ on that Day and live with Him forever, just as He has promised!
Until then, Jesus instructs us to look at the signs. When trees lose their leaves, we know winter is coming. When they bud and bloom, spring and summer are near. So too, note the signs of the times and prepare yourself for the inevitable Day when the Lord Jesus returns. The world is literally falling apart at the seams. People daily are denying Christ. Sin continues to rear its ugly head and God’s children are being persecuted and martyred for the faith. All things anti Christ seemingly now are in vogue and are the rage. It is becoming more fashionable to make fun of Christ and have a lack of respect and apathy toward Christ and His Church. The signs are there. We need to prepare. You need to prepare, for Christ comes again!
How shall we prepare? Jesus tells us: “34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Jesus here says for us to be at the ready, to watch ourselves so that our lives are not anxious about the cares and needs of this life. Jesus warns us not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, but to store up treasures in heaven. Be on your guard, then, be watchful for His coming. Daily repent of your sins, daily ask Christ for forgiveness. Seek the Lord where He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Christ has come as our Savior. Jesus will come again as Judge. Until that time, pray to God to give you strength that you may be found faithful unto death so that you will receive the crown of everlasting life. Jesus today stands at the door and knocks, He comes to you in His Word. He speaks to you in His Word. His Word is God breathed, God speaking to you. It is sharper than any two edged sword. It cuts to your soul to reveal your sinfulness that you might turn to Christ and live. Hear His Good News spoken in His Word that Christ has come, that He was born in the city of David for you. He died on the cross for you. His blood cleanses you of all sin. Know for certain that His Word will not return to Him empty but will accomplish His will. In these last days, cling to Christ. Trust in His Word, for He says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Even though heaven and earth will pass away, God’s Word will never pass away. God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among us for a time. In Christ we have seen God’s glory, His salvation for sinners, our redemption. Christ has come. He comes today in Word and Sacrament. He will come again and put an end to this madness. And so we rejoice! And we pray: Come Lord Jesus!
Amen

It's Time to Wake Up!

2010-12-02T07:02:00.001-08:00

It Is Time To Wake Up!
Romans 13:11-14

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

In the name of Jesus:

Revielie is the traditional call to wake up for the military. It is usually a bugle call to wake up our armed forces. Reveille comes from the French word reveil, which means to wake up. There are different lyrics that are associated with reveille in the United States; the first says:
I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up this morning; I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up, I can't get 'em up at all! The corporal's worse than the privates, The sergeant's worse than the corporals, Lieutenant's worse than the sergeants, And the captain's worst of all!< repeat top six lines >
An alternate rendition to the U.S. tune above:
I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up this morning; I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up I can't get 'em up at all! And tho' the sun starts peeping, And dawn has started creeping, Those lazy bums keep sleeping, They never hear my call! < repeat top six lines >
But it is probably this version that is most well known, and is appropriate to our text for today:
You've got to get up You've got to get up You've got to get up this morning You've got to get up You've got to get up Get up with the bugler's call The major told the captain The captain told the sergeant The sergeant told the bugler The bugler told them all.

God today calls His children to Wake Up! It is time for us to get up from our spiritual slumber, it is time for you to wake up, shake off the doldrums, and rise and live for Christ!
Paul uses a picture to describe the situation that Christians and the Church finds itself in while living in a sinful world. Think of the last time you found yourself asleep (not during the sermon, try another time). When you were asleep, the world went on about its own business. You were oblivious to what others were doing. Perhaps you were dreaming and all caught up in your dreams. If you were having a nightmare, you were startled from your sleep and found it difficult if not impossible to return to your slumber. But the point of sleep is this: while sleeping you were shut off from the world around you. You had no clue as to what was going one.
Paul uses sleep as a way of describing spiritual inattentiveness. Most certainly we can point to the world today and say that many are spiritually asleep. There are many today who go about their own business without thought or mind of God. They live as if they are oblivious to God and His will. They dream as if they can live without God, and many certainly many try. Their sins are listed by Paul in our text: living in the darkness as their lives are marked by drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarreling and jealousy. They exhibit in their lives neither the love of God nor the mind of God.
Yet, as sinful people we too are fallen. Before we can say, thank you Lord that I am not like those people, we have our own sins which bear their weight in our lives. These weigh us down. For we at times live as if God is not really important. There are times in our lives when we care more about what others think than what God thinks. We conform and bend to peer pressure. We are quick to judge, we snap in anger and rage at those whom we love. Rather than to treat and act in love, we love to turn and twist the truth, gossiping that which we know not is true, failing to speak up for the good name of a neighbor, failing to act because of selfishness and thus we will not show mercy and love to someone in need. You see, it is easy to point fingers at others who live without God. The sad fact is that we as God’s people choose to live without God. We live and act as if we are spiritually asleep, as if God does not matter. How many times have you thought: Oh, I don’t have to do this, God will understand. How many times have you cheapened God’s love and forgiveness? How many times have you gone about your business without seeking God’s guidance, direction, or blessings? As a child of God, you have lived your life as if God did not matter, as if His Word was not important, as if there were more important things in your life instead of God. And God’s work and His Kingdom have suffered for it.
This is why Paul tells you and me to wake up! Come to your senses! It is time to awaken from the slumber that we are in and repent! In these days before Christmas, the season of Advent, the Christian Church pauses to reflect upon its sinfulness and repent of its sins, turning to God who is merciful and who will forgive sins. God invites you to come and reason together with Him, for though your sins are like scarlet, they will become white as snow.
How will they become white as snow? Because of the mighty work of God! God the Father in love sent His only Son, Jesus, to keep God’s Law for sinners without a flaw, Jesus lived the perfect life. Then in love Jesus died, paying the price for the forgiveness of all sin. Jesus cried out on the cross: “It is finished!” Nothing more needs be done. All has been accomplished by God on the cross of Christ. In victory Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin, Satan, and death for all who believe. You have been saved by a free gift of God in Christ, not because of works, but because of Christ. You have confessed this in the Creed, professing that you believe in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism you have been clothed with Christ. You ARE FORGIVEN! Now, as a child of God, how then should you live? Like the rest of the world that acts as if God doesn’t exist? As if we are asleep at the switch? Or do we live for God, in thanks to Him for what He has done for us in Christ? You know the answer, we live in thanks to God! Paul, though, gives us another reason as to why we live for God in these dark days, we live for God because the day of our salvation is nearer than when we first believed!
It is a fact that Christ has come, born of a woman, born to redeem sinners. It is also a fact, that we believe what WILL HAPPEN, and we confess this in our Creed, that Christ will come again, as Judge, to judge the living and the dead. Paul exhorts Christians, he exhorts YOU to live for Christ today because that day of Christ’s second coming is closer by the day!
How do you prepare for that His Coming? By putting off the works or darkness. By living your life in continual and constant repentance and faith. We are called by God to examine ourselves in the light of God’s Law each day and repent, turn from sin, confessing it to God who forgives us in Jesus. And then, trusting in Christ for full forgiveness, we live lives on alert. Like a soldier standing guard or a sentinel who stands at the ready, you are called to live your life as a solider for Christ, at the ready for Christ. Being alert in your life for the temptations of Satan, who Scripture says is like a roaring lion seeking ones he can devour. Being alert, you remember what God has done for you in your Baptism, and remembering who you belong to, namely Jesus, you live a life pleasing to God.
How is this done? Let’s look at how some various versions of the Bible translate this passage, to get an idea as to what God is talking about. Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. Don't plan to have your fleshly desires aroused. Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Don't make plans to enjoy evil. Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Stop giving attention to your sinful nature, to satisfy its desires. Forget about satisfying your bodies with all their cravings. Give no more thought to satisfying the bodily appetites.
It is one thing to say that God has given us our body and therefore we are to satisfy our God given appetites. These are not wrong per se. But what God is warning us against is that we must be on our constant guard not to let these appetites rule us, nor to use them wrongly. When it's a matter of sinful lust we must say NO. In Baptism we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ, which means that you live out your Baptism each day, giving Satan no quarter or place in your life. As a baptized child of God, you don’t leave room for the devil to operate.
Even thought the world in its sinfulness stands condemned by God and under His wrath, you are called to live in the light of God. Paul tells us in verse 13: “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.” Now the good Lutheran asks, what does this mean? Simply, it means that the believer is faithful to Christ in all things. It means that the child of God will not participate in revelry and drunkenness . Paul here is talking about all night drinking parties and celebrations which cause harm to others. What am I talking about? Think in terms of riots after victorious sporting events, or riots on college campuses during Halloween. Paul goes on to warn against fornication and unrestrained pleasure. The Christian is called to hold marriage as a high and honorable estate between a man and a woman, and to keep the marriage bed undefiled, which prohibits sexual activity which is forbidden by God’s Law. The child of God is to lead a life of restraint. Too many times in the sinful world we see and hear the message, if it feels good do it. That is not becoming of a child of God. The Christian is not to live as a slave to sin, not giving in to any and all desires, of shameless greed and lust. We are not animals, but creatures of God redeemed by Christ! We are called to live as such! to not live as a slave to self indulgence or living a life without any inhibitions. Paul warns us elsewhere in Scripture: “Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls!” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Anyone who thinks they could not become the victim of such sins deceives himself.
Rather, we are called to run from sin, to repent and turn from sin, and live in the light of Christ. You are a new creature in Christ. By faith in Christ you have the power and the strength to live godly lives. Baptism is to be your daily dress, so that each day you live as a Baptized child of God! Putting off the works of the flesh, denying the darkness of the world, forgiven by Christ you rise to newness of life, living in the light of Christ’s light and sharing His love and light with a darkened world. You live by faith in the Son of God who now lives in you (Galatians 2:20) Jesus is the vine, you are His branches, grafted into Him so that you will bear fruit for Him (John 15:1-8;) You have been born again in Christ so that the world will know of Jesus in and through you! (John 17:23). Christ has redeemed us so that we may serve Him with fear for the rest of our lives IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNES all of the days of our lives until He comes again to take us home to be with Him forever!
In these next few weeks we will be preparing for Christmas. Soon the Christmas trees will be erected and lit. We will, with joy, celebrate the birth of the Savior. But all the while we must not fall asleep. We must not give in to the devil, the world, or our sinful flesh. Saved by the grace of God, forgiven as His children, we are called to stand at the ready to serve our God and others in the name of Jesus. It’s time to wake up, and continually walk in the grace of God, for the day of Christ’s coming is drawing near!
Amen

The Secret of Contentment

2010-11-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

THE SECRET OF CONTENTMENT
PHILIPPIANS 4: 10-13

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
In the name of Jesus:
Last Monday Luann and I were driving home from Nashville Tennessee where we attended the LCEF Leadership Conference, sponsored by the National Lutheran Church Extension Fund. On our drive home we stopped just north of Cincinnati at a place called Jungle Jims. Jungle Jims is a well know supermarket, no it is more than a supermarket, it is a store that has literally anything and everything related to food. If there is ever a hard to find item that you need for a recipe, you will find it at Jungle Jims. In Lancaster we joke about Slater’s Hardware, in that if you need anything hardware related, Slater’s will have it, they have so much stuff in stock they just need to find it. Jungle Jims puts Slater’s to shame. Would you like Irn-Bru, which is a soft drink in Scotland? Jungle Jims has it. Luann found a type of cheese that she used to have for breakfast when she was an exchange student in Brazil. You get the idea, if you need it and it is food related, Jungle Jims has it from any place around the world.
But the place is overwhelming. There is so much that one does not need. You can spend hours in Jungle Jims, and spend a fortune on items that you don’t need. Luann and I spent an hour in the store, just browsing and buying a few things, so few we could go through the express aisle. But if you spend any time in the store, the sheer volume of stuff would overwhelm you. Luann and the girls are planning a day trip around Christmas just to go and look. But our time at Jungle Jims reminds me of another story.
In the fifth century, a man named Arenius determined to live a holy life. So he abandoned the comforts of Egyptian society to follow an austere lifestyle in the desert. Yet whenever he visited the great city of Alexandria, he spent time wandering through its bazaars. Asked why, he explained that his heart rejoiced at the sight of all the things he didn't need. Think about that for a moment. Those of us who live in a society flooded with goods and gadgets need to ponder the example of that desert dweller. A typical supermarket in the United States in 1976 stocked 9,000 articles; today it carries 30,000. It is estimated that Jungle Jims is stocked with over 150,000 items. But how many of them are absolutely essential?
How many of the things in your life that you have accumulated are absolutely essential? How much of the stuff that is on your Christmas list is stuff that you can live without? As Americans, we, in spite of a recession, are still one of the richest countries on the planet. We have more stuff that we throw away than the majority in our world has for their own possessions! Which begs the question, how much is enough?
You see, we need to learn, above all other things, the meaning and the secret of contentment. In spite of our material riches, we are not content. We are not satisfied. Far from it, if we see something new, we want it before the store runs out, if there is a newest gadget that is to make our lives easier, we want it, but in the end, our lives are still filled with things in which moth and rust destroy and it is the type of stuff that thieves break in and steal.
Listen to what God says: “You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.” We are to fear and love God that we do not scheme to get that which is not ours. We are called by God to be satisfied with what we have. To do this means that we fear and love God above all else. But herein lies the problem! We don’t! God says that we should fear, love, and trust in Him above ALL THINGS. Yet our hearts and desires are fixed on things, these have become our gods, we base our lives and hopes and happiness on acquiring things, all at the expense of our relationship with God.
God is not fooled. He knows your heart AND your desires. He sees the insatiable lust that you have for the best of everything, the desire to have things you do not need. No wonder we aren’t content! Our god has become that which we own. Paul, in our text for tonight, calls us to repent, to turn from our love of stuff and the things of this world, and look to the One who loves us so much that He gave Himself for the world.
Paul learned to be content because He understood that everything he needed came from God. It isn’t that Paul didn’t appreciate the things of the world or the material gifts of others; it is that Paul didn’t trust in material things to grant him security and happiness. Nor is it the case that Paul was thankless for what he had. No, on the contrary, Paul saw that everything he had was a gift of God, and that as God’s child He was called to worship the Gift giver instead of the gifts.
Listen to what Paul says, I learned the secret of contentment. Paul learned it. Not many people learn the secret of contentment, but Paul did and he shares it with you tonight. God truly taught Paul and Paul was receptive of God’s teaching. He learned the secret of contentment from God. Paul says that he was content: "In every respect and on all occasions." What a blessing this is and it is something that we in the USA have to learn from Paul. Paul teaches here by example.
Paul knew what it was like to have too little, to have not enough, and even to have abundance. He was content because he didn’t trust in what he had, he trusted instead in Christ. Paul knew that the God of all creation loved His fallen creatures to the extent that He would spare no expense but give Christ as the Redeemer and Savior of all. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that you have everything you need: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, joy, the peace that surpasses all understanding, you have everything because you have Christ!
You have Christ because God gave you Jesus in your Baptism. You have Christ because God speaks in His Word. You have Christ in the Lord’s Supper. You have Christ for you have been baptized in His name and now you belong to Him. The God of all creation, who owns everything, has given to you Himself in Jesus Christ. And knowing that God has done this for you, He will also “supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19).
That is why Paul is content. That is why he is able to say: Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! For Paul has Christ, and for Paul, and for each of us, to live is Christ, to die is gain. Paul knew, and we need to learn and believe this: that when you have Jesus, and more important, when Jesus has you, you have everything that you need.
And you have Jesus and Jesus has you! He has purchased you with a price, not with silver or gold, but with His holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death SO THAT you are His own. You belong to Christ. And in Christ, you have everything you need.
So what is the secret of contentment? It isn’t something you can find at Jungle Jims. You can’t get it with a coupon, and it isn’t based on the stuff you have accumulated in your garage or basement. The secret of contentment is not a possession, but it is because God possesses you in Christ. In Baptism God has called you by name, you belong to Him. And in Him we know that nothing will ever separate us from God’s love in Christ. God showers us with His blessings each and everyday, and He tells us to trust in Him for “God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. “ And so we, repenting of our sins, look to Christ for forgiveness and for all things. Only in Christ will we be and will we continue to be: content.
In Jesus’ name
Amen

The Deadly Sin of Laziness

2010-11-15T14:22:00.003-08:00

THE DEADLY SIN OF LAZINESS
2 THESSALONIANS 3:15-16

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Dear Friends in Christ,

My mom and dad had an old saying, perhaps you have heard of it: “Idleness is the devil’s workshop.” The meaning of the saying is simple: Don’t give the devil any room to operate in your life. Be busy, stay active and busy, not as a busybody, but as one working for the Lord Jesus Christ. The early church recognized this fact when they named idleness, or laziness, as one of the seven deadly sins.
The Apostle Paul addresses the sin of laziness in our text for today. The congregation at Thessalonica was well acquainted with the Apostle Paul and his co-workers. They had witnessed Paul, Timothy, and others being active, earning a living as well as being active workers in the congregation. For Paul it wasn’t a case of either or, it wasn’t a case where he worked outside of the congregation earning a living and then used the excuse of not having the time or the energy to work in the church. No, rather it was a case of both and, that Paul taught and lived a life giving as example as how one should work for the Lord.
Paul teaches as one who is an apostle, his teaching comes from Jesus and has the authority of Jesus. No one can say, ‘Oh that is just Paul saying this” because this word that Paul proclaims IS FROM THE LORD HIMSELF. No excuses! What Paul says comes from Christ and is how Jesus would treat the situation of people being lazy, not working to earn a living, and not working within the Christian congregation.
This was not something new that Paul was saying, after all in his first letter Paul told the congregation to admonish the people who were disorderly and who were lazy. He exhorted them to mind their own business, not to be busy bodies, but to busy their bodies in service to the Lord. But some didn’t listen, they wouldn’t listen. This is why Paul writes it again and is so forceful in his words. It is sinful to be lazy; to be idle in the sense of not using the gifts God has given to a person for the common good of all. It was a sin then, and it still is today. Christians have a moral obligation to use the gifts God has given His people for the good of others. What good does it do if God gives a doctor the gift of healing and he is lazy and doesn’t use his gift? It benefits no one. The doctor can’t earn the living, and those in need of healing are still in need. What good does it do for a farmer, who has an ability to grow crops, to be lazy and not farm, for he neither puts food on his table and he doesn’t put food on the table of others.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy all made it a point to work, they were models to the congregation They plied their trade outside of the congregation, but also they “were not idle when we were with you,” they worked WITHIN the congregation a well. Certainly Paul and others welcomed the hospitality that was shown to them, but they never took advantage of people. They lived and worked, using their God given gifts, within and outside of the congregation, so that they would not be a burden to society or a burden to the church.
So Paul issues a directive, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” Paul says that no one is excluded. There are no exceptions! If God gives you the ability to work, you should work. Work is a God given gift. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy made a model of themselves to everyone; they worked inside AND outside of the Church. No one was exempt. The Greeks, who thought that work was just for slaves, are stand corrected by Paul. People who believe that they are too good to work stand corrected by Paul. No one is to be above work. Paul wasn’t. Jesus wasn’t, no one is to be above working inside and outside the church. Paul is speaking, not about those who CAN’T find work. He IS speaking about those who REFUSE to work. The elderly who find themselves in a place where they cannot work, the sick and infirmed who cannot work, the small infant or child who cannot work, these Paul is not speaking about nor is he speaking to them. He IS speaking to those who refuse to work.
Paul is speaking to the idle, the lazy ones. The ones who were living an undisciplined life, idling their time and lives away. Instead of being busy, they were busy being busy bodies. They spent their time meddling in other’s affairs and wasting their time on things of no eternal value or consequence. Paul knows who these people are, but he doesn’t name names. But he is firm, he says thus saith the Lord. They know who they are. Paul tells them to repent, to turn from this sin and live for Christ.
Laziness is a plague that is prevalent in our day and age, and yes, sadly, even within our congregation. Those who refuse to work for a living, which is different from those who cannot work for a living, are sinning against God and their fellow man. And those who refuse to work for the Lord within the context of the Christian congregation are sinning against the Lord as well.
That is where we find ourselves today, in that many Christians, here in this congregation but also within the Christian Church at large, refuse to work for the Lord. They refuse to get involved. They will not use their God given abilities; they will not take the time to work in God’s vineyard. They look for reasons NOT to get involved, they take time to do anything but work for the Lord, they hide behind their excuses believing that God as the God of love understands and will grant an exception.
But will He? God will not be mocked. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says that the end is drawing near, when all will have to give account to the Lord. Jesus calls us to work while it is day, for the days are certainly drawing to a close. God gives His people work to do. He gives you work to do. He has given you the ability, the time, the means and wherewithal to accomplish great things. And so, how will we answer the Lord?
Will we answer by continued inactivity and laziness? Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our Lord has freed us from the bondage of sin, including the sin of laziness. If we continue to be lazy when the Lord has work for us to do, then we abuse our liberty, using that freedom as a cover up for evil. The Apostle Peter warns us that we should not “use our freedom as a cover up for evil.” Make no mistake, the secular, unbelieving world looks at the lives of Christians and they see our laziness as a welcome excuse for their unbelief! How many times have you seen people rejoice at the failings of Christians today! They think: “How can church be THAT important when church people don’t even act like it is important!” We give a witness that it Christ and His death and resurrection don’t really matter at all! No wonder people doubt Christ and refuse Christ today, when they see in our own lives evidences that Christians have a higher priority on the things of the world rather than the things of God! The sin of laziness is deadly, for Christians for in our laziness our hearts and faith grow cold and our wants and cares drive us away from Christ. This sin of laziness is deadly for others as well, for in our laziness people are perishing and stand to live a Christ less eternity in Hell.
God calls sinners to turn from sin, to repent. God says if we repent of our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive all sin and cleanse the sinner from all unrighteousness. The blood of Christ shed on the cross washes away all sin, including the sin of laziness.
Repent of your sin. Look to Christ. Remember that you are a child of Jesus, YOU ARE BAPTIZED. Look to Christ, see the crown of thorns on His head, and see the price that God has paid for YOUR sin, for Jesus who knew no sin became SIN for YOU, He was punished, He died, and He paid the price. He has died and has risen from the grave so that you might live the new life! By the power of the Spirit who now lives in you WORK FOR CHRIST, LIVE FOR CHRIST, and “never tire of doing what is right.” (v13).
May God grant us faithfulness AND fruitfulness as we work for Him in His Kingdom!
Amen

Please Read: A Veteran's Day to Remember

2010-11-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

The title of this post asks you to read my meager reflections on this day. Thank you for reading up to this point. I hope that my reflections might make this day a little more meaningful to you, as it has been for me.

As a pastor you never know where the Lord will take you throughout the course of a day. As I was making appointments this morning to visit the shut ins of Redeemer, I learned that one of my members was at the VA Hospital in Chillicothe. Seeing as I had some time before my afternoon appointments, I took the one hour drive to see my member. I thought of the irony of visiting a vet on Veteran's Day at a Veteran's Hospital. I did my duty as pastor and visited and ministered this faithful saint. I read Scripture, had a prayer, thanked him for his service, and I was about ready to leave. I noticed the patient in the next bed. I greeted him and thanked him for his service on this Veteran's Day. He told me that he served in both the Army and Marines. After our conversation, he thanked me for thanking him. Isn't that odd? Here is a vet who gave a part of his life so that we can live in freedom. It is our duty to thank them, yet he thanks me for thanking him! It didn't feel right, to accept his thanks, he really needs to accept our thanks.

As I walked back to my car, I passed other vets, sitting outside, smoking and conversing. I waved to them and made it a point to thank them for their service. To a man, they thanked me for thanking them. Again, how odd! Here are men in wheelchairs, some with lost limbs, they paid the sacrifice, they deserve my thanks, our thanks, and yet, on this day for them, they thank someone who is grateful for their service. They thanked me for thanking them.

As I thought about this on the way home, it started to make some sense, as to why these veterans thanked me. It is a part of who they are. You see, when you serve your country and serve others as these men (and women) have, you aren't looking for thanks, or praise. You are just doing your duty. That is what sacrifice is, doing your part without expecting a reward. Our veterans strike me as humble people. They don't want to talk about the battles they fought to win our freedom. They don't even want to talk about themselves. It isn't about them, it is about US (the United States). That is why they served. That is why they still serve. They pay the price so that we might be free. Thank God for our soldiers and our veterans. They are truly gifts of God, serving in a vocation that many of us take for granted. Walking through the halls of the VA Hospital in Chillicothe, and meeting some veterans who are hospitalized there, has made this Veteran's Day a day that I will remember. To our vets I say thank you, not only today, but I will try to thank them every time I can. Because of their sacrifice and service, we can truly be free.

Who Are These People?

2010-11-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Who Are These People?
Revelation 7:9-17
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  16 they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

In the name of Jesus:

The Book of Revelation is one of the most complex books of the whole Bible. Written by the Apostle John on the island of Patmos, it is written in picturesque language. Picture language is not a language that is literal but it is descriptive. The sixth chapter of Revelation describes the Lamb's opening of the six of the seven seals. Here we have frightening judgments of God: the first is the white horse, which represents either the Antichrist or perhaps some successful military power. The second is the red horse, murder and death. The third is the black horse, which represents famine and scarcity on earth. The fourth is the pale horse, widespread death on earth. The fifth is the cry of the martyrs. And the sixth depicts cosmic disturbances, which cause universal panic among men.
The seventh chapter opens with a brief description of four angels, evidently Satan's agents, whose intention it is to do universal harm on the earth. But another angel, who has the seal of the living God on him, prohibits the evil angels from doing harm until the total number of God's elect is sealed. This introduces the first of the two visions in chapter seven.
In the first vision, verses 4 to 8, we are told about God's elect in the Church Militant. They are described as 144,000 people under the figure of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is clear from text and context that the writer is speaking about the total number of the elect among both Jews and Gentiles.
This is followed by the second vision, verses 9 to 17, and the multitude of the great white host surrounding the throne of God in heaven. They are crying out with a loud voice saying: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!” Angels bow down and worship God saying: “Amen, Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power the might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the 24 elders asks John a question. These elders were positioned around the throne of God. There is really no consensus from the commentators as to who the elders are. All we know is that this is a person in heaven. It is not an angel, or angels, but these are the representatives of the 12 tribes of Israel, that is, the Old Testament Church, and the 12 apostles, that is the New Testament church. It is a picture of the church of God surrounding the throne of God in heaven, both people of the Old and New Testaments, surrounding God’s throne. These 24 elders represent in a picture the heavenly Jerusalem.
Now, one of these elders approaches John and asks this question: Who are these people? In the words of our text, the elder inquires: “Who are these clothed in white clothes and from where have they come? John’s answer is simple: Sir, you know who they are and where they come from. And then the elder speaks of who they are: These are the ones coming out of the great Tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Who are these people? Let’s take a closer look:
Dateline Baghdad: Hundreds of grieving Christians and other Iraqis packed a funeral service Tuesday for members of the faith killed in a militant siege on a Baghdad church. The attack, which an al-Qaida-linked group claimed it carried out, left 58 people dead and dozens wounded. The complex attack was carried out Sunday evening October 31 on parishioners celebrating Mass at the Our Lady of Salvation church in an affluent Baghdad neighbor-hood.
Who are these people? This item from North Korea: With North Korea paving the way for its next leader, Christian persecution watchdogs are hoping that the change of leadership will mark a turning point for the country’s Christian population, which is forced to hide their faith or face arrest, imprisonment, torture and even death. Presently Christians in North Korea are forced to hide their faith, and risk arrest, imprisonment, torture, and death.
Who are these people? In North Africa: There is a region that has had next to no church for eight centuries. But now the church is rising again in spite of daily challenges, Even though there are no exact figures, the number of Christians in North Africa is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. In the likes of majority-Muslim Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, most Christians are converts from Islam. In such a hostile environment, growing in their new identity as a Christian is not easy and many new converts face losing their friends and family,
Who are these people? Closer to home parents, following the Lord’s directive, bring their children to the waters of Holy Baptism. Recognizing the need for forgiveness, desiring that their children have a saving faith in Christ, Christian parents humbly bring their infants to the fount imploring God to bless their little ones. And God does, in the water connected with the Word, washing away their sins and by the power of the Holy Spirit possess a saving faith in Christ as Lord.
Who are these people? Closer to home sinners come to church, broken and bruised. They see their loves ones dying of cancer, the elderly afflicted with dementia, they feel the brokenness of living a life here on earth where there are disagreements, disillusionment, divorce, hatred and anger in the hearts of people. They come to church, confessing their sins on bended knee. They feel the weight of their sin and they ask God for forgiveness. They plead for mercy. And in Christ, God does forgive. He shows mercy, forgiving all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Who are these people? Closer to home they are wearied and weak from the pilgrimage of life. They are looking for strength. And so they come in feed at the Lord’s Altar, receiving heavenly food for the nourishment of their souls, the forgiveness of their sins, for the eternal salvation, so that they can depart in peace forgiven as God’s people.
Who are these people? Look closely. They are a great multitude that no one can number. They come from every tribe, nation, people, color and language. They have names, and families, and places where they call home. The white robes that they are wearing, with palm branches in their hands identify them. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
Look closely. They are not identified by their individual names. God does not tell us if these people are good looking, or wealthy, or poor. We are not told how tall they are, or short, what jobs they held, their athletic ability is not revealed, neither is their political party or persuasion. Their earthly works and abilities are not revealed. All we know is that they are wearing white robes and waving palm branches. Who are these people?
They are the ones who have come out of the great Tribulation on planet earth. Certainly we all live in tribulation. Jesus promised His believers, as much when He said, “In the world you will have trouble and tribulation.” And as the time passes, and the world comes to its conclusion, the times that the Church will find itself in will be difficult. There will be persecutions, wars and rumors of wars. There will be all types of suffering, of one type or another. Paul the Apostle says that it will be necessary for the Church to go through many tribulations before it enters the Kingdom of God. (Acts 14: 22, 2 Tim. 3:12). But all the while, God is in control, building His Church so that the gates of Hell will not prevail, even cutting short the days of the end for the sake of his elect.
Who are these people? These are the ones who have repented of their sins and have trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord. These are the ones, who though their sins have been as scarlet, have had their sins washed in the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. These are the ones who have been faithful unto death and have received God’s gift of eternal life. These are the members of the holy Christian Church, from every time and place and corner of the world. Abraham and Isaac, David and Isaiah, Mary and Joseph, Peter and Paul and Thomas and Luther and your sainted grandma and grandpa and your loved ones who have died believing in Christ are the ones who are here numbered. You and I are here, and all who believe in Christ are here. These are the ones who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ. Saved by grace, through faith in Christ, these are God’s children who now live a life in eternity with God!
In this life, there are many shedding of tears. Each of us has our joys, and our sorrows. We daily are called to pick up our crosses and follow Christ. In the midst of our daily struggles, and there are many, God gives us a vision of what is to come. We are the ones, you are there pictured here singing praises to God in heaven! No matter how difficult life gets, Christ has overcome the world for you! Keep the faith. Be faithful to Him. Jesus forgives you. He works all things out to your good and to His glory. And He will see you home to be with Him on the Last Day. For God will turn our weeping and mourning into dancing and laughter. Why? Because the Lamb will be in the midst of the throne, He will be their Shepherd, He will guide us to springs of living water, He will wipe all tears from our eyes, and we will be home, with Jesus. Thanks be to God.
Amen

An Act of God

2010-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

AN ACT OF GOD
ROMANS 3:19-28

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
In the name of Jesus:
In the October 16 edition of the Columbus Dispatch, there was a picture of two men who worked for a local construction company. These men were tearing shingles off of a roof, which was damaged by a recent storm. The caption underneath the picture read: “Fixing an Act of God.”
Certainly God can work through nature, if He so chooses to do so. There are all sorts of acts of God, which are recorded in Scripture: plaques, locusts, darkness, earthquakes, and hail to name just a few. Scripture certainly does ascribe to God these acts of God at the time when they occurred. But what about today? The Bible doesn’t really speak about acts of God that are seen in or through nature. A lightening strike, hail strikes, a tornado hitting a church, may seem like an act of God, but how can we be certain? In fact, different groups of different persuasions will claim an act of God has taken place, for their own purposes, even though there isn’t a one to one correspondence revealed in the Bible.
For example, take some ill informed Christians who say that a hailstorm was God’s pronouncement on sin. It happened last week in Brooklyn New York. The Baptist congregation which has made the news for all of the wrong reasons: protesting at the funeral of servicemen and women among other things, had the audacity to say that a recent hail storm in Brooklyn was God’s judgment upon the Jews in New York who have rejected Christ. My question to the group is simply: then what about the Christian men and women who had their cars damaged as well? Was this an act of God judging them? Sadly, they would say yes, but the Bible doesn’t answer that question. God does say in His Word that God makes the rain to fall on the just AND the unjust. And God will not be mocked, He WILL punish sin, but does God act through these occurrences today? The Bible doesn’t say.
God does tell us in His Word for today that God holds the entire world accountable for its sinfulness. There is no distinction, God says, ALL HAVE SINNED. Listen to Paul in Romans 3: “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, “
God reveals in His Word through the Ten Commandments that He alone is God, that He gives His glory to no one else. God is in control and we are not. There are so many things in our lives that are out of our control, that we call them acts of God, because we can’t explain them. Insurance companies will speak about floods, tornados, and other things as acts of God, because they have no reasonable explanation as to why something happened when it did. These natural acts show us that we need to rely on Someone else, namely God, rather than ourselves. We are helpless and we see this when disasters strike. When we hold our works and ourselves up to God we are also helpless. God is not impressed by your religiosity, by your potential or good intentions. No, rather than impressed, God condemns you and all people as sinful and falling short of God’s glory.
God’s act of judgment is something that no one would be able to stand. To face God in His glory and we in our sinfulness is too much for anyone to bear. Our sinfulness separates us from God, so much so that human beings wonder if God even exists. Even Christians question where God is when they are in the midst of suffering. When suffering or any type of catastrophe takes place, people wonder is this God speaking?
God speaks to mankind most certainly and most clearly in His Word. And in His Word this day God speaks, telling us that even though we and the rest of the world are sinful people, God still loves the sinner. God loves sinners and the world so much that He HAS acted, doing something and no one else could do or would do. God has mediated this bridge, this chasm that exists between God and man because of sin by sending His one and only Son, Jesus, to be the Mediator, the only hope for a fallen world.
By nature sinful mankind is an enemy of God. But because of the act of God in becoming man in Jesus, sinful man has now been made friends with God, not by human works, but by God’s work, by His divine intervention. Through Jesus’ keeping of the Ten Commandments, His scourging, His bloody death on the cross God has acted and has slain the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Sins are washed away in Christ. Debts are paid by Christ. Transgressions are forgiven by Christ. This is what is known in our text as the righteousness of God in Christ. Man has been made right with God, friends with God, because of the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
This righteousness of God is not of our doing. It is foreign to us; we play no part in it. God has decided, and has judged Christ in your place. It is as if God as the Judge of the world sits on His throne and hears your plea of guilty, yet by His Word He forgives you and declares you not guilty so that you may go free and live freely for Him.
Pastor George Stoeckhard, an old Lutheran pastor and professor put it this way: “This righteousness of God rests outside of us in God, in God's judgment, and so is as firm and immovable as God Himself . . . He whom God declares righteous is righteous, even though all the world and all devils condemn him, even though his own conscience pronounces him guilty and judges him . . .. The righteousness of which he speaks is identical to the forgiveness of sins.”
This forgiveness is offered freely. You are reconciled to God not because of what you have done, but because of what Christ has done for you. This reconciliation is yours. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference; only an act of God can restore sinners from ungodliness to communion with God. Only God can act and He has, for God justifies, pronounces righteous, unrighteous man; He 'justifies the ungodly'. (4:5)
Jesus has given His life as a ransom, so that you are no longer a slave to sin and the world, but are now free to give praise and glory to God. And so we boast. Not of ourselves, but of Jesus. We boast of what God has done for us in Christ. We boast of His forgiveness, His new life, His salvation, and we offer this to others in our work together as brothers and sisters in Christ and members of His Church. We boast of God’s love in Christ for nothing will ever separate us from Christ. For you and I have been purchased with a price, we belong to God! We have been purchased, not with silver or gold, but with His, Jesus, precious blood and by His innocent suffering and death, that we may be His own and life under Him in His kingdom, serving Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
May God empower us to boast of our God who saves us in Jesus!
Amen

FCA Staff Devotions

2010-10-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I had the opportunity to address the Fairfield Christian Academy staff, so I chose to she with them thoughts from Scripture. Here is my devotional address.

Text: Matthew 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

In the name of Jesus:

Over 28 years ago Luann and I drove into town, new to the ministry, with grand hopes and designs. We were visiting Lancaster and the first call I had into the ministry. We drove down route 33, arriving on the outskirts of town only to see a car on a pole, advertising a local gas station. Little did I know at that time that the owner of that station, his wife, children, and parents would become members of Redeemer. But that is how God works; our ways are not His ways. It was 1982 and Redeemer Lutheran Church was a congregation in decline. It once at a thriving school through grade six. The school and church were known throughout the area as a beacon for Christian education. I had hopes of reopening the school in 1982, but it wasn’t in God’s plan.
Luann and I wondered what God had in mind. Why were we here? Oh, Redeemer gained some members, and lost some members. In these past 28 years of ministry, I have had my share of frustrations. The church hasn’t grown the way that I would have liked it to grow. After 28 years of sermons, Bible classes, visitations, counseling sessions, meetings, and other aspects of ministry, there have been many times when I have wondered what in the world is God’s plan?
Luann and I were blessed with children; you know all of them because they have all gone to school here. When Rachel was born in 1985 we were so hopeful on getting a school at Redeemer, but God had other plans. Soon other kids would follow Rachel: Emily, Drew, and Mark. We did our duty as parents, made certain that they were baptized as infants, took them to church and Sunday school raised them in a Christian home. Christ has been and continues to be the center of our home and family. We prayed for a Lutheran school in the area. But God had other plans.
FCA began as a dream here, we heard about it, and prayed about whether or not we should send our kids here. It seemed risky to go from the known public schools to a school that had not even opened their doors.

Christian education is one of the pillars of Lutheranism, when Luther wrote his Small Catechism, he began his work by writing: “As parents should raise their children…” We wanted a school that would assist us in raising our children. That is our responsibility, to pass our faith in Christ on to our kids. We take it seriously. We enrolled our kids in FCA; we kept planting the seeds of faith, asking God to give the increase.
We are a blessed family. Three of our kids have graduated from this institution (can I call it that?). Rachel graduated from Concordia University in Chicago with honors and now works as a congressional assistant for Congressman Steve Austria. Emily graduated with honors from Concordia University in Wisconsin. She is now a second year law student at John Marshall School of Law in Cleveland. Drew is now a junior at Concordia Chicago, goes to school in Washington D C this semester at what is known as the Lutheran semester in Washington, and is an intern at C-SPAN. Mark, well, I think many of you know Mark, a sophomore here this year.
My kids are doing well, but most important to Luann and I, is that they have faith in Christ. They love their Church, they are active in their church, as much as circumstances allow, but they are active. Credit alone goes to God. No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Spirit. Luann and I are thankful, we pray for them daily, and you have played a large part in their faith development. For that, you have our humble thanks.
I pray that our kids will remain, as Jesus calls us to, remain faithful unto death. Luann and I continue to try to plant the seeds of the Gospel. You have done and in Mark’s case continue to do your part. God alone gives the increase, thanks be to God for what He has done and what He continues to do.
In our kid’s case, we can see some results. I pray to God that they will be faithful and fruitful. But there are many cases in ministry, in the pastoral ministry and in the teaching ministry, that you can’t see the results. There seems to be no fruit. It is frustrating, I know, to keep on doing the work of the Lord, and you wonder if it is worth it? Do the people we work with actually get it? For all of the sacrifices made by people in the ministry, is it worth it?
I think all too often we get all caught up in looking for results. It’s the American way. We want to see something happen instantaneously. After all, who has to wait today for anything? We have instant meals, microwaves ovens to instantly cook our food. A tap on a phone means we can instantly connect and talk to a loved one, or a click of a computer enables us to instantaneously to find information or communicate with a person half way around the world. We have grown accustomed to instantly getting results. But the church, and church work, I have found, is not like that at all.
I guess that is why I continue to go back to the parable of the sower. God is the sower and He sows the seed. He uses us, as Christians, as pastors, and teachers to sow the seed. But if you know anything about farming, fruit doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes time, a long time for the seed to take root and bear abundant fruit. And when the seed is sown, sometimes it falls on rocky soil, sometimes it grows and the weeds choke the seed. Yes, I see it in ministry all of the time, sadly the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His salvation are shared with others but the cares of the world, or temptation, or any number of things inhibit and prohibit the seed. But God is still in control. He wants all to be saved and come to know Christ. That is His will. And He gives us His work to do. You have done a great job! Thank you for your work, your dedication, and your sacrifice. And in those times when you get frustrated, and we all do, remember, God alone gives the increase. This is His work we do. Christ promises that He will build His Church and the gates of Hell don’t stand a chance of succeeding. Yes there will be problems, difficulties, and frustrations. God, though, is greater than all of these. Christ has defeated sin, Satan, and death for you! And is promise is sure and certain: God’s word will not return to Him empty but will accomplish what He wants. So don’t be discouraged, don’t lose heart. Your work is so valuable. God is still using you mightily. You may not be able to see the fruit until you get to the other side. But this much I know: Christ has given to us the Kingdom, and He grants us the honor of working for Him. God has purchased and won each of us, not with silver or gold, but with Christ’s holy and precious blood, so that we and those to whom we ministry will belong to Him, serve Him in everlasting blessedness, and give thanks to Him in all we do. Thank you for your service and sacrifice, and may God bless you for your faithfulness.
To the glory of God and in Jesus’ name.
Amen

The Self Righteous Pharisee

2010-10-25T13:19:00.001-07:00

THE SELF RIGHTEOUS PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR
LUKE 18:9-14

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the name of Jesus:

The famous actor Gregory Peck was once standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for some time, the diners seemed to be taking their time eating and new tables weren't opening up very fast. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory Peck, "Why don't you tell the maitre d' who you are?" Gregory Peck responded with great wisdom. "No," he said, "if you have to tell them who you are, then you aren't.
That's a lesson that the Pharisee in our gospel reading apparently had never learned. His prayer, if it can be called that, is largely an advertisement for himself. This is why he is called self-righteous. He is the standard for righteousness; he believes that all others should be judged by his life.
It is worth noting that Jesus says that told this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and in their self-righteousness, they treated others with contempt. The parable begins by focusing on two men who were going to the Temple to pray. Why would they be going to the Temple to pray, when they could have prayed at home? They were on their way to the Temple because it was there at that time that atonement was being made for the sins of the people. It was at the Temple where the priests would slay the perfect sacrificial animals it was there where the bull, goats, and lambs would be sacrificed, the blood poured out on the altar, in accordance with God’s command. These two people, the Pharisee and the tax collector, went to the Temple because it was there where sins would be forgiven and a relationship with God restored through the forgiveness of sins.
But note closer these two men. The Pharisee was an upstanding man. He WAS a Pharisee, one who went to church, one who knew the Bible, one who felt comfortable in church. He went to the Temple because it was required; he was doing his religious duty.
Now listen to how Jesus describes this man: “The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” The Pharisee stood by himself, because he considered all of the others in the Temple unclean, so he did not want to associate with them. Oh, to be clear, all were there to have sins forgiven, but this Pharisee did not want to defile himself. So he stands by himself, off to the side, and he prays to God, thanking God that he is not like all of the other sinners, no he is in a special class of sinners. There are sinners, and there are sinners. The Pharisee thanks God that he is not like the other men, the extortionists, the unjust, the adulterers, or even like this sinner, the tax collector, the one who cheats people out of their hard earned money. And on top of that, the Pharisee fasts twice a week. He was only required to fast once a week, but so religious is this Pharisee that he goes over and beyond what is expected of him.
The tax collector, however, doesn’t consider himself worthy. The Pharisee placed his trust, not in his prayer, but in his own works. The tax collector does otherwise. Note what Jesus says in comparison: “13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
This tax collector sought a right standing with God based on God’s standard. The Pharisee compared his life with the others and in HIS JUDGMENT he thought that he was superior, of course God would be pleased with him, after all, just look at all of these other sinners! However, the tax collector didn’t compare his life or works with others. He knew that only ONE counted, and that was God. This tax collector examined his life in the light of the only standard that matters, God’s Law, the Ten Commandments. He didn’t try to justify himself; he knew that he was without excuse. So he offered none, he simply confessed his sin by pleading to God: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
In order for the tax collector to be justified, God would have to do the justifying. And God did. This man trusted in God, just like Abraham did in the Old Testament, where we read: “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15). Abraham was right with God because of what God said, not because of what Abraham did. And so too the tax collector was counted as righteous before God, not on account of his merits, works, or potential, but on account of what God has done for sinners in Jesus Christ.
The Bible states that sinners have been made right with God by God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Jesus did what no man could do: living the perfect life and dying the God ordained death for the forgiveness of sins. Faith receives what God has done in Jesus Paul writes in Romans 4: that man is made right with God and is counted to those who believe in the One who raised Jesus from the dead for our justification.
This is what the tax collector knew to be true; it is what he believed with every fiber of his being. The tax collector is one who could sing the well-known hymn: Thy works not mine O Christ speak gladness to this heart.” The prophets of old all were consistent in their proclamation that sinners needed to repent of their sins and trust in the coming One of God who would save His people from their sins. This is not of man; this is of God, according to His standard.
The message of Scripture is this: Repent of your sins for God’s kingdom is at hand. Repent, because you have not and cannot meet God’s standard of perfection. Repent, turn from your sins and ask God for mercy. This is what the tax collector did when he said: “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” This is what we do, when we kneel in confession, when we sing the Kyrie, when we kneel to receive the Lord’s Supper, we kneel, confessing our sins and asking God for forgiveness. And God does forgive in Christ, for He is faithful and just and He forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Jesus says that as a result, the tax collector left as a man who was now right with His Maker. It wasn’t anything that he had done; he was changed because he trusted in God’s word of forgiveness. Jesus says: “ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” The tax collector left taking God at His Word that he was forgiven and right with God.
Dear friend in Christ, you and I are both the Pharisee and the tax collector. Luther often said that Christians are both sinners and saints. There are times in our lives when we can see and relate to the Pharisee in our lives: times when we prejudge people, compare our lives with others, look down upon others because of their color, their culture, their religion, or their shortcomings. We like to think that when we are compared with people who “really sin” we come out smelling like a rose. But all we smell like, when we do that are sinners whose righteousness is like filthy rags. Our sins, our religiosity, our self-righteousness stink to high heaven.
God shows us that in light of His Law, we stand condemned as sinners. But God’s good News is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ died for you. In Baptism your sins have been washed away, in Baptism you have been called out of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ.
In Christ you are forgiven. In Christ you have God’s mercy. When you are self righteous, look not to yourself but to God and His standards of righteousness. See your sinfulness, confess it, look to Christ and His cross and pray with the tax collector: “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” For in Christ you have been made right with God. And you can leave knowing that nothing will ever separate you from the love God has for you in Christ Jesus. To God be the glory!
Amen

The Word Brings Christ

2010-10-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

“The written and spoken Word derives its power from its content, Christ. The Word of God, the Gospel, is powerful to save, then, because it proclaims a message, a cognitive message, concerning the saving work of Jesus Christ. He is the essence, soul, and center of the Gospel. Only this message can restore hope to a lost sinner. This is the chief and central message of Scripture. Therefore, if one does not seek in the Word of the Bible the Word that was made flesh, it would be better to spend one’s time reading adventure stories. For what is written in Scripture has to do totally with this Word…. But the Gospel actually brings Christ to those who hear it.”
"From The Theology of Post Reformation Lutheranism, by Robert Preus, pg 373)

Pray and Do Not Lose Heart

2010-10-17T16:47:00.001-07:00

PRAY AND DO NOT LOSE HEART
LUKE 18:1-8

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

In the name of Jesus:

Desperate people will do desperate things. What we have in our Gospel lesson for today is a desperate woman taking matters into her own hands.
Jesus is here telling a parable. He uses common everyday occurrences that everyone would know about. Jesus begins the story by telling us that the judge who was to hear cases before him was a scoundrel. The populace did not elect judges in Israel, as they are in our country today. Rather, judges were appointed. Moses had instructed the people in Deuteronomy that when judges were appointed, they were to be the most upright of people. Moses says in Deuteronomy chapters 1 and 16: “Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. 17 You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God's.” And “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” (Deut 1 and 16)
There was also a woman in the town who was a widow. In some way she had been wronged and needed to go before the judge to have a hearing for the case. Widows at the time of Jesus were in desperate straits; they had no economic means and had no power. She was literally at her wits end, not knowing who to turn to or where to turn, such was her desperation.
The judge SHOULD have been just. He SHOULD have shown impartiality. But he could not and would not. Why? Because as Jesus says: “he neither feared God nor respected man.” He did not care what God had to say about the matter, He could care less about God and even lesser about this poor woman. She had been wronged, she had a case, but the judge could have cared less about her plight, and so would no give her the time of day.
So what does this woman doing? Desperate as she was, she figured that she had nothing to lose to keep asking, so she became a pest. A thorn in the judge’s side, this woman repeatedly beat down the door of the judge, so much so that this judge, who still did not care what God or other’s thought, realized that the only way that he could get peace, the only way he could get her off his back, would be to give her a hearing. And so Jesus says: “For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’
This woman was desperate and so she beat down the door of the unjust judge so that she would get justice. Are you so desperate? Why is your prayer life so shallow, almost non-existent? Is it because that you feel you do not need God or His justice? Is it because you are so comfortable in your life that you feel that you don’t need God’s blessing? Is it because you don’t want to bother God or perhaps you feel that you are becoming a pest? Is it you feel that God tires of hearing your requests, so that you quit asking? Or is it because you have become so comfortable in this life, so immune to your needs that you have lost sight of whom you actually are and what you actually need?
God is not an unjust judge. He is the just judge, the ONLY Just Judge. He is holy, perfect, and all of His judgments are right and fair. God always looks out for His people; He always acts for His people. In love He created humanity. Unlike the unjust judge, who cares not for justice or man, God does care that justice is served. It is God who says that vengeance is mine, says the Lord. And it is God who loves His people. He loves sinners, so much so in that while we were yet sinners, Christ came down from heaven to live and die and rise again. God punishes sin, He pours out His justice on evil on His Son Jesus, who knew no sin so that He would become sin for us. Christ became sin for you!
Why? Because of God’s love, but also because we are sinners. Think of it, there is nothing in us that would move God to love us. Paul says that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Dead as in having no life, no spark, nothing before God. We don’t want God’s justice, for to have God’s justice would mean that God should punish us. No, rather that justice, we want, we need, and we desire God’s mercy. His underserved love. We need God to pity us. And He has in Jesus.
Martin Luther said it a day or so before his death: We are beggars, this is true. We ARE BEGGARS. This is true and it is the point of the parable for today. Jesus calls us to pray like the widow, to beat down the doors of heaven for we have, not an unjust judge, but a merciful God who looks kindly at us and hears our prayer for Christ Jesus’ sake. The persistent widow was desperate, so much so that she would do anything for a hearing before the judge. Oh that we were so desperate and persistent in our prayers like this widow!
The Bible says that for the joy that was set before Him, Christ came down from heaven to endure the shame and punishment of the cross. God spared not His only Son but delivered Him up for all. And in love God tenderly invites you to bring your requests, your petitions, your intercessions, your prayers of need and prayers of praise before God, for He hears you for Christ’s sake. And He not only hears, but He will also act.
This fact Jesus reminds us as Jesus says:” And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” God has acted for His people by sending His only Son. And Christ will come again, to judge the living and the dead. But when He returns, will people believe? Will they still have faith, or will they lose heart? God’s children WILL have faith, they WILL believe, they will pray and not lose heart, their hearts will not grow faint, because they know whose they are! Belonging to Christ, forgiven by His shed blood, they will ask their Lord, their Master for help in time of need. And He will, for God is our ever-present Help in times of trouble. So pray and not grow weary. For your Lord loves you and will keep you. Cast your cares upon the Lord, He cares for you, pray and do not lose heart, for He will answer and act, for the good of His people, in accordance with His will.
Amen

Mr P.

2010-10-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today at Redeemer we honored Len Pohlod, affectionately known as Mr. P. Len has served as Sunday School superintendent and Sunday School teacher faithfully for numerous years (I have been at Redeemer 28 years and he was volunteering before I arrived). Len has taught many Redeemer youth, my four kids included. I am forever indebted to men and women who serve our Lord as Sunday School teachers. They assist in raising children in the fear and love of the Lord. They point sinners to Christ. Their work is invaluable. Len was honored as Volunteer Teacher of the Year for the Ohio District. In accepting the award, Len humbly noted that many should have received the award, for countless men and women serve faithfully in our Sunday Schools. To Mr. P and to all of our faithful Sunday School workers, for pastors everywhere, please accept our heartfelt thank you.

A Day for Family

2010-10-16T07:43:00.001-07:00

What a glorious day! Cool and sunny, a perfect day for the fair! So we are off to grab some lunch at the fair, followed by a family dinner and then tonight we will watch the Buckeyes.

Our Duty

2010-10-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Our Duty
Luke 17:11-19

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

In the name of Christ:

On a trip to India some years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the ancient city of Varanasi. How can I describe this ancient city to do it justice? I can think of two words, cesspool or sewer comes to mind. Varanasi is considered one of the holy cities of India, where one would find the Ganges River. I had heard much about the Ganges River, but my reading and everything that I had heard did not and could not prepare me for what was to follow. After we had got off the bus, the aroma was pungent; the stench of a local crematory filled the air. The streets were filled with animal and human waste. We were literally walking on dung. There was filth all around us. As we walked through the streets, we were approached by beggars and by lepers. I had never seen a leper in my life, but now I was up close and personal, too personal for my own comfort level. Fingers and toes of lepers were not existent, having fallen off due to the disease. I witnessed blind lepers, mute lepers, and lame lepers, lepers of all sizes, shapes, and colors. It was if our party had walked into a modern day leper colony. There were a range of emotions that flowed through my being, not the least of which were fear and repulsion.
We hastened down to the Ganges River to see the ceremonial washing, where it is believed that washing in the river would wash away ones sins. But wait, the river looked and smelled like the sewer that it was. People bathing and washing and brushing their teeth, it literally turned my stomach. The trip back to the bus was a quick one, and I hoped that the bus driver would floor it to get our traveling party out of the Hellhole called Varanasi.
On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus came upon a village. There: ten lepers, who stood at a distance because they were unclean, met him. Seeing Jesus they called out in a loud voice: Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us. And Jesus did. In keeping with the Law, for Jesus always kept the Law, He told the lepers to go show themselves to the priests, for only the priests could declare the unclean clean. On the way to the priests, they were cleansed and one, seeing that he was made clean, returned to thank God. He fell down at Jesus feet and sang the Doxology in a loud voice: Praise God from whom all blessings flow! This man was not a Jew, not a member of God’s chosen people, no; he was an outsider, a Samaritan. He returned to thank God. And Jesus, seeing His faith, gave him not only his health, but also gave him heaven.
That is what Jesus does. That is His God given job, His duty, His calling. The Scriptures say that while we were yet sinners, Christ came down from heaven to save sinners. I thought about that as I walked through the streets of the Hellhole sewer called Varanasi. Jesus came down from heaven because He loved these people. Walking in human filth reminded me of my own sinfulness and of how He who knew no sin became sin for us. Christ came down from heaven, walked and lived in this sinful stench of a world, and He was not repulsed. He did not withdraw Himself from those in need. No, He had mercy. Undeserved love. Pity. Jesus gave Himself to humanity, as a gift. Lepers came to Him to be touched, and Jesus reached out His hand. Sinners came to Jesus and He forgave. Dead people could not come to Jesus so He gave them life. As hard as sinners try to wash away their sinfulness they cannot, such is the filth that we live in. So Jesus gives a holy washing, a simple washing whereby water is connected to His Word to really forgive, to give faith, deliver from the death and the devil, and to empower people to live in thankfulness to God.
As repulsed as I was in Varanasi, I thought of how I would have responded if someone showed mercy to me in that situation. Would I be grateful, or would I forget to say thanks? Looking back at my travel and of the people I saw, I have no doubt that if I was in that state, and if Someone cured me of my leprosy, that I would really be thankful.
Someone has. For I am no better than they, and truth be told, neither are you. We are in bondage to sin and we cannot free ourselves. We are enslaved to sin, we live in filth everyday and God is not pleased. Death is our just punishment, for the soul that sins will most truly die. And yet Christ came to show mercy, to be mercy, to have mercy upon us. Each and every one of us. In the water and the Word we have freely received His mercy. We have tasted His mercy and it is good in the Supper that He instituted. God’s mercy in Christ lasts forever!
And yet, what is our response? How do we react? If we are honest, we are less than satisfied with what God has done for us. We complain that we don’t have enough, we are angered when wronged, we fear death, which God has defeated, we grumble when things do not go our way, we live at times as a most miserable people!
But we are forgiven! God has said so, but we don’t seem to appreciate it, or thank God for it. While we would like to think that we can relate to the one leper who returned to give thanks, our lives give evidence that we are more like the nine who went on to live unthankful lives, as if Jesus had not done anything for them.
Our Lord still, though is merciful to those who need mercy. And boy, do we need mercy. Recognizing your sinful state, God calls you to repentance. Confess you sins to Jesus, for He is faithful and just and He forgives you of your sins and cleanses you from all unrighteousness.
And forgiven we are set free. Free from our transgressions, free from the guilt and punishment that we so richly deserve. We are free to do our duty to God. To love Him with all of our heart, to show love to those in need, to reach out as Jesus did, being merciful to those in need of mercy. Just as we have received God’s mercy, so also we are called to share it. Or as Luther says, that you were bought with a price, not with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Jesus, for which it is now your duty to thank, praise, serve and obey Him.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen

When in times of trouble

2010-09-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here is an excellent quote from the Confessions about troubling times.
"Therefore troubles are not always punishments or signs of wrath. Indeed terrified consciences should be taught that there are more important purposes for afflictions, so that they do not think God is rejecting them when they see nothing but God's punishment and anger in troubles. The other more important purposes are to be considered, that is, that God is doing His strange work so that He may be able to do His own work, as Isaiah 28 teaches in a long speech. When the disciples asked about the blind man who sinned, Christ replies that the cause of his blindness is not sin, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.....Therefore troubles are not always punishments for certain past deeds, but they are God's works, intended for our benefit, and that God's power might be made more apparent in our weakness."
(From the Apology, Article XII, paragraphs 61-63).

I beg your forgiveness

2010-09-29T09:40:00.001-07:00

For those of you who take the time to read this blog, forgive me for not posting for a while. It has been a busy time, but seeing as we are going to revamp our church web site, now is as good a time as any to begin again. Thanks for your patience

When God Damns

2010-04-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

WHEN GOD DAMNS
PSALM 22:1

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

In the name of Christ:

Today words don’t mean what they used to mean. We have either redefined words or have grown cold and callous to their meaning. Damnation is one such word. In our society, damnation has lost its meaning and power. For some, damnation is a pipe dream, a fairy tale, something that will never happen. For these people, they have redefined sin and right and wrong. What used to be called a common truth is now a falsehood or called into question. Sin, therefore, no longer is viewed as sin, but as a choice. Take, for example, homosexuality. The Bible defines it as sin, and yet our culture has redefined it as a lifestyle choice. What used to be wrong is now viewed as right.
It happens in subtle ways as well. God states in His Word that we should not harbor anger or resentment against someone else. However, in these days, people willing hold grudges and makes excuses as to why they should continue to hold a grudge. Anger becomes justified, and the words and actions which proceed are excused, because we must understand how angry a person can get.
Words mean things. In anger, today people curse in the name and under the guise of freedom of speech. Our culture has thrown away words which mean nothing to the people who use them. Damnation is one such word. I don’t say damnation or damn to get a charge out of you or to shock you. Damnation is very real. This Holy Week and the events which took place on Good Friday is all about damnation. God’s damnation is real and justified.
God is justified in threatening damnation. The Holy God created all and it was declared good. Mankind, though, has sinned and spoiled the relationship that was given by God. Sin has entered the world through the disobedience of one man, Adam, and sin and death has spread to everyone. God threatens to punish all who transgress His Holy Word and Will. The soul that sins will most certainly die. The wages of sin is death. Death affects everyone. But death is not damnation.
God would have been justified to damn Adam and Eve, but He didn’t. He banished them from the Garden of Eden, and punished them and their offspring with death. But God did not damn them. God did not damn Adam and Eve’s son Cain, the one who killed his brother Abel. God spared Cain, was merciful to him. Oh, God was would certainly be justified in damning Cain, but God did not. Instead, God placed a mark on Cain so that Cain’s life would be spared. Cain still died because of his sinfulness, but God did not damn Cain.
This can be said of every human being. God is justified in damning His creatures who have sinned, and seeing that all have sinned, God would be justified in damning us! But God did not and does not. At least, not now, for God is patient and wills that all come to know of His love in Christ. God is love and loves all. That is why He gave His one and only Son, Jesus to be the Savior from God’s damnation. At the right time in human history God sent His Son Jesus, to be born of the Virgin Mary, to live and keep God’s Law for each and every sinner, and then, as a result of Christ’s perfect life, God chose to punish His Son instead of punishing His creation.
This is what God did to His Son Jesus, on the cross. This is why Jesus cried out those words from the cross: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? To be forsaken of God means that God withdraws Himself from the sinner. It means that the sinner is all alone to face the white hot wrath and anger of God. It means that God damns, really damns, sin and the sinner in His Son Jesus Christ. God damned Jesus so that you would not be damned, but forgiven. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, but that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life.
On that First Good Friday, God damned Jesus. He damned His Son. When God damns the day light turns black. When God damns sinners and the Devil quake. When God damns, the earth shakes. When God damns the earth and all of creation turns silent. No one can stand, when God damns. So Jesus stands, in the place of every sinner. For Jesus took all of God’s punishment, all of the damnation we and sinners so justly deserve. Just listen to these words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? [2] O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. [3] Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. [4] In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. [5] To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. [6] But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. [7] All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; [8] "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"
When God damns Jesus stands, in our place as our Substitute and Savior.
Jesus took it all and died on the cross, willingly, never doubting God’s mercy and justice. This is truly God’s gift. This is truly Good News, that we have a loving God, who spared not His own Son but freely damned Him so that we might be saved. And we are! For God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice, and Jesus rose three days later, to defeat sin, Satan, and death, for you and for all!
This is what the Bible means when it says that Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for all, that we might know God’s love for all in Jesus. Yes God is good; He is gracious, all on account of His Son Jesus Christ. And so we give thanks to the Lord, for He indeed is good, His love lasts forever, because of His justice poured out on the cross.
Amen

Remember to not Remember

2010-04-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

REMEMBER TO NOT REMEMER
HEBREWS 10:3, 17

But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year. [17] Then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

In the name of Jesus:
Tonight is a night of remembering. It really has always been that way. This is a night in which the Church, for almost all of time, has remembered and given thanks. It is a night that has been set aside, commanded by God, that His people remember what He, God, has done to save His people.
In the Old Testament times, this was a night to remember the Passover. The Passover was the great saving acts of God for the people of Israel. History shows, in the book of Genesis, that God had preserved His children, the children and family of Jacob, by having Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons, appointed as a leader in the nation of Egypt. Joseph was an interpreter of dreams, and he interpreted many dreams. God revealed to him that there would be a great famine that would spread throughout the region. First, there would be seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh, when he heard of Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, asked Joseph what his dream meant. Joseph revealed the coming years of plenty and of famine, so he was appointed as one who was to prepare for the famine. In the course of time, Jacob and his family came to Egypt, to be provided for, and there they stayed. They grew to be a numerous people, a great and might people, so much so that a new Pharaoh feared the Hebrews and enslaved them.
God’s people were slaves in a foreign land. God sent Moses to speak to Pharaoh, saying “Let My people go.” But Pharaoh would not listen. His heart was hardened until the Passover. The great, last plaque, tenth in all, where the firstborn in all of the land would be put to death by the Lord God. However, whoever placed his faith in God and sacrificed a lamb, placing the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, that household would be spared, or in other words, the angel of death would pass over that place. The family inside was instructed to remember this night with a special meal, a meal made and ate in haste, for on this night, the night of the Passover, God had saved His people, freeing them from slavery, so that they could live freely in a land where God would lead them. And so this was a night to remember, a night to celebrate God’s salvation. The Jews even to this day remember this event, the Passover, and still tell the story and celebrate God’s mighty acts.
Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, instructed His disciples to prepare a room where He would be able to celebrate the Passover with them for a final time. On this night, the Passover meal was eaten, the story was retold, and God’s saving acts were celebrated. It was seemingly no different than any other Passover that had been celebrated.
But, the Scriptures say, that on the night when Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and broke it, then gave it to His disciples saying: Take and eat, this is My body, which is given for you. And in the same way He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks He blessed it and said, Take and drink, all of you, this is My blood of the New Covenant, which has been shed for you for the forgiveness of all of your sins. Do this, Jesus, said, as often as you eat and drink of it, do it, Jesus said, in remembrance of Me.
Tonight is a night we remember. We remember that we are a people who are enslaved, enslaved to sin. We have been conceived and born into sin, we are by nature sinful creatures, we and the entire human race are an enslaved people. We are enslaved and we can’t free ourselves.
And so we remember not only our sinfulness but also the Passover Lamb that God has provided. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This Jesus has done, for He is the true God who has come down from heaven, to free those who are in bondage to sin, Satan and death. Jesus has freed us, by buying sinners back, not with silver or gold, but with His own innocently led life, His suffering, His bloody death on the cross, and His rising again to life on Easter morn. Jesus was crucified for our sins and raised again that we might be called children of God!
In Baptism God has washed away your sins and have placed the mark of Christ on the doorpost of your heart. In your Baptism you were marked with the sign of the cross both upon your forehead and your heart, to signify that you have been named a child of God for the sake of Jesus Christ. In Baptism, God has guaranteed your salvation by giving you a saving faith in Christ by the power of His Spirit. Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved. And you have been saved, by a free gift of God’s grace in Christ through faith in Jesus.
Tonight, we remember what God has done in Christ. And tonight, in keeping with Christ’s command we assemble around His Table to receive the Gift of Himself, in, with, and under the earthly elements of bread and wine. We come in faith, trusting that Christ’s broken body given and shed blood shared in the Lord’s Supper is for our eternal benefit and good. And it is, for Jesus has said so. We come eating and drinking His body and blood to receive once again the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening of our faith, and the assurance of the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding. We come to the Lord’s Table, remembering the great Sacrifice of Christ, receiving the benefits of His death and resurrection, and proclaiming to all in the participation of this Sacrament the Lord Jesus’ death and resurrection until He comes again.
Make no mistake, Satan and the Old sinful nature, the old Adam within each of us, will seek to remind us of our sinful state. But remember this night, and remember that in this Sacrament, God has chosen not remember your sins. He forgives and forgets yours sins, now and forever. He in Christ has cast your sin as far as the east is from the west. He remembers them no more. He looks at you and He sees His child in Christ, on account of Christ. Remember that God doesn’t remember your sins. You are forgiven! You have been set free! So give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His mercy lasts forever.
Amen