Author: TechCommittee

December 14, 2022 – Advent                                    Text:  Isaiah 9:6

Dear Friends in Christ,

    Are we at peace tonight?  In one way, yes.  Our church is pretty peaceful in the evening.  The lights of Advent/Christmas, the cross, the banner, the fellowship of our fellow members.  We can come into this sanctuary and have a peaceful time.

    How far to do we have to venture before that peace starts to wane?  Economic uncertainty, government honesty and encroachment, conflict in the home, random killings.  Take a wider path and nations continue to fight nations.  There has never been a time in our lifetimes where countries have not been at war with one another.  We have men and women around the world trying to keep the peace.  It’s a battle.

    We need some help, but not from human beings who have shunned God and therefore find themselves jumping from one failed solution to another.  There is only One who can give us help.  We are preparing to celebrate His birth.

“THIS CHILD IS . . . THE PRINCE OF PEACE”

    Let’s fix these words on our hearts this evening as they continue to build and intensify.  “See that no one leads you astray.  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place (must, not might), but the end is not yet.  For nations will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matt. 24:7-8)

    Why do men and women continue to think we can find peace within ourselves?  Is heaven on earth within the grasp of man?  Do these words of Jesus say anything close to that?  Has the Camp David Peace Accord or Détente or any other various peace agreements held on forever?  The first peace treaty was in 3100 BC and the latest in 2021.  In between have been thousands of such pacts.  Do you see the peace that they strive for?

    Have you seen this bumper sticker?  “It has become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity.”  What our technology has done is exacerbate the flaws of humanity.  It intrudes into our personal lives, created a massive arena for gossip and slander, distracts communication and thought, and has dumbed down worship and growth in the Word of God.  In the last month I have had two instances of church business.  What used to take a one-minute phone call now takes 20 minutes on a computer and the frustration of creating another password.  Why, oh why, must be complicate things?  Peace, hah!

    We need these words of Jesus.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27). We need His peace.  When we stand before God we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  We are enemies of God, separated from God by our sin.  We have no peace within ourselves apart from Christ.

    Christ intervened.  “But God shows his love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  God is at peace with us.  For the sake of Christ’s suffering and death, the wrath against us because of sin has been removed.  We are no longer an enemy of God.  

    Commentator Gary P. Baumler writes:  “Jesus’ peace is not the same as the world’s peace.  It doesn’t depend on harmony between countries and tranquility in families.  It isn’t as fragile as the next temper flare-up or grab for power.  It isn’t disturbed by plans gone awry.  Even Jesus’ arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion couldn’t cancel it.  Jesus’ peace calms troubled hearts and makes fearful hearts confident.  His peace transcends human understanding and sustains us in all conditions.  His peace keeps us at one with God and serene in our salvation.  We need not be afraid or overcome by troubled hearts.”

    How significant are the words of Paul?  “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Jesus’ peace is beyond us.  It is above man’s mind.  It is grace.  Though still sinful and at times ignoring God and our walk with Him, because of the work of Jesus, He is always there and He always loves us.

    Of course, we still live in the moment.  Our lives can be chaotic.  The world a wicked place.  Shortly after the Apostle Paul was stoned at Lystra, the disciples declared to the church then – and now – “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”  No commentary needed.  Just our ears.

    As King David wrote, “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”.  We venture through it day by day.  Yet, our Prince of Peace, who has gone ahead of us says, “I have overcome the world.”  He has.  The Prince of Peace says, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”  It is the Prince of Peace who says to our still sinful ways, “…whoever believes…is not condemned.”

    Finally, it is this Prince of Peace who enters our daily walk in the valley of the shadow of death and enables us to say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

                            Amen.       

December 11, 2022                                        Text:  Isaiah 35:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

    As I said in the sermon last week and as most of you know I have a certain fear of dogs.  So, picture the Lueck four in Eldorado Canyon State Park in Colorado this past summer.  It was a beautiful day to hike in the Lord’s creation.  We pick our first trail and as we begin up the mountain there’s a sign:  “watch out for mountain lions.”  “Uh, I’ll be in the car.”  No, I am going up this mountain.  One thing to do is make noise.  I talk the whole way – loudly.  We walk two trails that day – no mountain lions.  Thank you, Lord.  It was one of the best days of 2022.

    The wilderness is a dangerous place.  I just watched a recent show on park rangers.  The things they do to rescue people is amazing.  People getting lost, suffering heat exhaustion, encountering wildlife and going off the beaten path.

    Our text today uses “wilderness” as a metaphor, an illustration for the dangerous things we live with that are very real.  The point of the text is that Christ’s coming delivers us from all those things.

“GOD BRINGS LIFE TO THE WILDERNESS”

The wilderness is a great illustration of how difficult life is in a fallen world.  Isaiah pictures burning sand, jackals, lions, ravenous beasts.  God’s people in the Old Testament knew the wilderness as dangerous, populated by deadly animals, water is scarce, and crops don’t grow.  It is easy to get lost.  But the wilderness is also where God’s people learn to trust.  In the wilderness God carried them and gave them water and guarded them and cared for them.

What is your wilderness?  Living a lie?  Personal shame?  A relationship on the outs?  Family members ostracizing you?  Lost on a trail?  Scared of what’s around the next corner?  When you travel this wilderness of life there are serious dangers.  We need deliverance.  We need rescue.  Hello, can someone send a park ranger?

God comes into this wilderness with life-restoring vengeance.  Christ’s coming will make all things right again.  Visualize what Isaiah wants us to see.  The wilderness will flow and flower.  The sufferers of personal “wildernesses” will rejoice in health and vitality.  These were fulfilled in part in Jesus’ ministry as we see in today’s gospel lesson.  They will be fully realized when Jesus returns in glory on the Last Day.  Life, health, joy forever.

The heart of the promise is in verse 4, “Be strong; fear not!  Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.  He will come and save you.”  He will exercise vengeance on his enemies – sin, death, and the devil.  Because of Christ’s coming and going to the cross we are no longer God’s enemies.  We have been baptized into His death.  It is relief and rescue for us as God brings life to our wilderness.  He forgives our lies and shame.  He can restore broken relationships with friends and family.  He can lead you on the trail of life.  He is with you always – even when frightened of turning the next corner of your journey.

I know.  That day in the canyon I trusted His leading.  He kept me alert.  We had to turn some tricky, rocky corners that day but every time we did it was another “wow” moment of what God had made.  After a while you almost forgot the danger.  That is God’s presence.

We celebrate that presence again this Christmas.  It is beyond the superficial feelings that characterize many Christmas playlists.  Christian joy is the natural response of the people of God who are beginning to enjoy the fruits of a creation that will be restored to paradise.

This joy is so different from the world we live in.  In our eternal world there is no more “sorrow” and “sighing.”  No more weak hands or feeble knees.  No more blindness, deafness, lameness, or muteness.  No thirst.  No ravenous beasts to devour which means no more “watch out for mountain lions” – woo hoo!  We will gather together in the city of God in joy and gladness forever.  

Christmas provides us a glimpse.  It is partial and temporary.  Give thanks for these moments during this holy season.  It is a dim preview of the full rejoicing we will have with the return of Jesus.

As a church and as individuals we proclaim this promise to the weak and feeble.  “Be strong.  Fear not.  God will come and save you.”  Tell the anxious you know that God will come with vengeance . . . He will bring life to their wilderness, to save them.

No matter where you are placed, you can tell of these saving promises of God.  Luther calls this the “mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren.”  These promises encourage others.  In our rejoicing the joy becomes contagious.  Wouldn’t it be nice if this was the new pandemic?  All of us feeling the joy of knowing Christ as Lord and Savior.

Where in the wilderness could someone use your aid?  Who is stuck on a mountain of apathy?  Who has left the trail of their faith?  The Lord has given you, in his strength, the joy and privilege of speaking uplifting, joyful words to those struggling in their own personal wilderness.  Christ is coming with vengeance to make right that wilderness.  He will come and save you because God brings life to the wilderness.

                            Amen.        

December 7, 2022                                      Text:  Isaiah 9:6

Dear Friends in Christ,

    In his last speech to Parliament as Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill said this:  “Which way can we turn to save our lives and the future of the world?  It does not matter so much to old people.  They are going soon away.  But I find it poignant to look at youth in all its activity…and most of all, to watch little children playing their many games, and wonder what would lie before them if God wearied of mankind.”

    Since that speech the world’s efforts have only intensified in trying to get rid of God’s truths.  We wander around in gloom and uncertainty.  The words of Jesus are but a whisper heard by a few:  “people fainting with fear and foreboding of what is coming on the world.  For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”  (Lk. 21:36)

    Here we are moving through another Advent/Christmas season.  We look to another glorious Christmas as we consider the birth of Jesus and his names from Isaiah . . .

“THIS CHILD IS . . . MIGHTY GOD”

    The Adam and Eve sin brought destruction to everything.  Confused thinking, death, suffering, horrible human interaction and worst of all separation from God.  So where was God?

    Amazingly, He was right there with Adam and Eve.  He was making a promise when he said to the serpent, “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 his heal.”  (Gen. 3:15). “He shall bruise your head.”  That’s Jesus.  On the Cross.  The words, “It is finished.”  Everything for our forgiveness and eternal life.

    Many generations later the promise is magnified in the words of God to Isaiah:  “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us).” (Is. 7:14). And shortly after that these words to Isaiah:  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called…Mighty God…”. And then 700 years after those words it would be fulfilled in the angel’s words to the Shepherds:  “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk. 2:11)

    Isn’t that uplifting and assuring?  Progressive churches want to discredit the inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture.  They want to confuse.  Yet a clear look at God’s Word shows its consistency, its understanding of human history and prophecies that have all come true.  This Jesus, whose birth we celebrate, is Mighty God.

    Why must this Son to be born for us, why must He be Mighty God?  Because the filth and monstrosity of every sin would be piled on Him.  He would willingly take it to Calvary.  Only God could pay for the forgiveness and salvation of every sinner.  Only God could extend that love to us in the Word and in holy Baptism and in the Lord’s Supper.

    What this world thinks of Advent or Christmas or Easter does not disturb or threaten our Lord.  The Psalmist writes, “Who sits in the heavens and laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” (Ps. 2:4). What do you think is happening to this God rejecting country and world, today?

    Vance Havner wrote, “Salvation is free but not cheap…the writer of Hebrews speaks of those who count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing.  One translation puts it, ‘who treats as a cheap thing’; another, ‘treated like dirt.’

    “We hear these days about ‘cheap grace’ and how it doesn’t mean much to be a Christian.  But salvation is the costliest item on earth.  It cost our Lord everything to provide it and it costs us everything to possess it.

    “We are a generation of cheap Christians going to heaven as inexpensively as possible; religious hobos and spiritual deadbeats living on milk instead of meat, crusts of bread instead of manna, as though we were on a cut-rate excursion.

    “In a day when tragedy has become comedy, we play fast and loose with eternal issues.  The pearl of great price is not cheap!  I have read that years ago in that part of Africa where diamonds in the rough were plentiful, a traveler chanced on boys playing.  Closer investigation revealed that they were playing marbles with diamonds!  God forgive us today that we handle His treasures as though they were trifles and the coinage of the eternal as though it were play money.  It is not time to play marbles with diamonds!”

    The Mighty God is before us this 2nd mid-week worship service.  This is the One who holds the world on his shoulders.  Ultimately, what the world thinks is of no significance.  In eternity, it will be of no concern as we stand before Him who gives us unending love, light, and life.  Mighty God!

            Amen. 

December 4, 2022                                      Text:  Isaiah 11:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

    The well-established convention of expressing historical dates as BC and AD is gradually being discarded in favor of BCE and CE.  Out of sensitivity to non-Christians many textbooks, instead of BC, “Before Christ,” are using BCE, which is “Before the Common Era.”  And instead of AD, which is short for the Latin phrase that means “in the year of the Lord,” various publications are now using the initials CE, which is “Common Era.”

    Even as the world does these silly things like trying to replace “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays,” BCE and CE may avoid the name of Christ, but the numbering system stays the same.  The anchor date is still the birth of Jesus.  The Common Era still begins with the baby Jesus being born.  Scholars and the worldly may do their best to erase any Christ connection but our calendars do not lie.  In the year 2022 Common Era it is still 2,022 years since Jesus’s birth!  What Isaiah prophesied in our text has come to pass:  the “signal for the peoples” has come.

    Let’s delve into the prophecy a little deeper and discover how . . . 

“A STUMP CAN BEAR FRUIT”

    Don’t we love the poetry of Isaiah this morning?  It sounds so idyllic.  Wolf and lamb together.  A leopard with a goat.  Calf and lion.  A child playing near a cobra.  Oh, how wonderful.  Yea, that’s a place I want to live.  Is that the way you see things on earth right now?  Of course not, animals do not play nicely together.

    As someone who suffered a dog bite as a child and is still leery of dogs, I would love to love in this Isaiah world.  But I watch re-runs of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom on RFD-TV and that is not what my eyes see.  Marlin and Jim don’t just walk into a lion’s den.  They don’t play near a cobra.  When approaching a wolf, they don’t greet it with a kiss.  What do they do?  Approach everything with caution.  It is a scary world out there.  There is no peace in the animal world.

    The same can be said in the human world.  People still die from animal attacks.  Humans get blown up by bombs in war.  Men and women are killed in the random shootings that keep occurring.  Peace eludes us as we listen to the news and see an economy in free fall.  Who is safe anymore?

    Is peace as far away as the shepherds on a lonely hillside, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.” (Luke 2:14).  Can a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots still bear fruit?  Do we see a wasteland or a garden?

    It has to start somewhere.  How about in Bethlehem?  This prophecy of Isaiah was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born.  His arrival is like a shoot out of a stump.  Judah, at the time of this writing was in rebellion against God and many were in exile.  It looked dead, like a stump.  But God had promised that a Messiah would come one day, and He would be called the Prince of Peace.

    In this prophecy the glory of King David is not mentioned.  His father Jesse is named.  The reason?  To show the birth of the Savior would be from humble beginnings.  A carpenter and virgin wife.  A small town.  A manger.

    This shoot out of the stump is going to bear fruit.  He has the wisdom and the counsel and the knowledge and the might to bring true peace.  Isaiah says his delight is the fear of the Lord.  Every breath He takes is to do just what the heavenly Father has sent him to do.  He was sent to bring to bring peace.  He was sent to bring justice.  He was sent to bring forgiveness.

    He brought peace between God and man.  His death would take care of whatever anger and hostility God had against us because of our sin and rebellion.  We call it forgiveness.  We call it peace.  That peace then bore fruit as it flowed from Jesus to his followers.  He rose from the dead.  The violence done to Him was undone.  These disciples were afraid that day.  Locked in a room.  Then Jesus appeared.  He gave them peace.  He sent them out to share that peace with the world.  Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled, “In that day, the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples – of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” (v. 10)

    Lions eating straw and wolves lying down with lambs?  Crazy, right?  The Gospel can do even greater things.  The wild beasts are us, devouring each other.  But a lion going vegan, is nothing compared to God taking a sinful human being, releasing him from all the guilt of all his sin, and giving him a heart that no longer wants to sin but only wants to do the will of God.

    This shoot, this stump, sprouts branches.  That’s you.  That’s me.  We are called to bring peace to this world of hurt and fear.  Where can you bring peace?  A prayer for someone shattered by a crime.  A contribution to a Christian organization that provides an alternative to abortion.  A Twitter message that uplifts instead of tears down.  A visit to a nursing home to bring some joy to a lonely existence.  A word of encouragement to someone confused in their sexuality.  A “Merry Christmas” to that worker running your grocery items.

    The world we want, and Isaiah’s prophecy will be completely fulfilled on the Last Day.  Peace on earth.  Until then, we are the branches from the root of Jesus.  We are the instruments of peace for the Prince of Peace.  A stump that will bear fruit.

                                        Amen.       

November 30, 2022 – Advent                                  Text:  Isaiah 9:6

Dear Friends in Christ,

    In today’s world because of the loud voices, we hear about everything “Christian” going away.  Nobody follows God’s Word anymore; I mean look around you.  Because of this people tend to buy into the myth.  Here is just a small example.  Have you noticed the names dads and moms continue to give their children.  Look at a top ten list or top 50 list and Biblical names are all over especially with boys.  Just in the top ten for boys you find Noah, Elijah, Levi, and Asher.  These aren’t even New Testament names, they are from the Old Testament.  God continues to work and the Christian influence is going nowhere.

    I love my name and pray you do too.  Joseph and Mary didn’t need to get out the latest name book.  They got something a little more immediate and dramatic – an angel.  They both heard, “You shall call His name Jesus.”  With the assigning of the name Jesus the angel was saying, “This Child Is . . .”  Jesus means “The Lord Saves.”  That has a life-changing meaning for us.  Let’s begin these mid-week Advent sermons with . . . 

“THIS CHILD IS . . . WONDERFUL COUNSELOR”

    Our theme verse is Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be on His shoulder, and His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Tonight, we look at “wonderful” and “counselor.”

    We will start with the 2nd one first – Counselor.  What do you think of when you hear that term?  Someone who can provide guidance.  Someone who might provide comfort.  Before we see a counselor we like to know they will lead us down the right path or to the right answers for our lives.  We want to trust them.  We look to their experience.

    Jesus does all of this and more.  We can trust Him and His Word.  He comforts us in tough times.  He guides with His eternal light.  He has perfect knowledge and absolute truth.  There is no hourly charge.  His rate is always the same – grace, mercy, forgiveness – and it all comes from his Hand. 

    All right you wonderful people, how about wonderful?  How will you decipher this?  Remember being starry-eyed when getting to know your spouse?  “Dad, mom he’s wonderful!”  “Pa, ma, isn’t she just wonderful!”  It was used as an adjective.  For Jesus, it is a name.  It is the content of who He is.  He is wonderful because of all His goodness and his self-sacrifice on the cross.  It is about who He is and what He came to do.  It takes us directly to His desire to give Himself for the sins of the world – wonderful!

    Now, what does this all mean for us?  How does Wonderful and Counselor apply to us?  Think of it this way.  Jesus is His name but as we see in Scripture Jesus has so many other titles.  If I asked every one of you here tonight for a title of Jesus, you could each name a different one.  We would have to bring in more people to even get close to all his names in Scripture.  

    It is the same for you.  You have a name.  But think of everything you have been called in life?  Prayerfully mostly positive.  Jesus is “The Lord saves” let’s start there.

    So, what are we being saved from?  Sin.  Jesus addresses our deepest need.  We must acknowledge who we are.  John helps to identify us in His Gospel, “Jesus needed no one to bear witness about man, for He himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:25). We can’t hide anything from God.  He knows what is in you and I.  “We have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed.”  

    Jesus doesn’t drag us into a courtroom to face the judgment we deserve.  Rather, in the courtroom He declares us “Not Guilty.”  He can declare that because He took our guilt and nailed it to a cross.  This Counselor intervened for us and it is wonderful.

    Most counselors want us to find solutions to our problems within ourselves.  They want to point to man.  “Read a book, keep a diary, speak with your parents about how they screwed you up.”  What?  Jesus operates outside that realm.  He knows our problem is solved by who He is and what He has done for us.  He insists that our problem of sin, death, and the devil can only be taken away by Him.  He takes our sin.  He takes our death.  He faces the devil and conquers.  

    Too good to be true?  Go to Bethlehem this Christmas and see the child born of a virgin.  His name is Jesus – the One who saves.  Listen to the angels sing “Glory to God and peace on earth” because of His birth.  In the manger is “Wonderful.”  The shepherds come to behold their “Counselor.”  What is in a name?  Everything.  The names tell us who this child is and all that He has done.

            Amen.        

November 27, 2022                                            Text:  Isaiah 2:1-5

Dear Friends in Christ,

    OK, I admit it.  I love the darkness.  If I lived alone, you would never know I was home.  When we go out at night and I am the first one back in the house, I don’t turn on a light.  I hang up my coat, walk up the stairs and then maybe flip on the TV.  If I work at night at church – same thing.  I come in the front door and walk to my office in the dark.  I leave the same way.  One of the greatest sleeps I ever had was in a room with no windows.  Loved it.

    How about you?  Same thing or do you flip a light on as soon as you can?  You don’t care for the darkness or walking down the hallways with your hand on the wall.  Any adults still have a night light?  

    While I enjoy the dark, I do not care for the dark times we live in.  The heart of men and women can be cruel and nasty.  Some people want their way so bad in the world they will lie and cheat and manipulate and their soul is so cold it almost isn’t there.  

    Ancient Judah was living in the same conditions.  When Isaiah was doing his prophetic work, Israel had split in two.  It was a time of darkness.  We know.  We need the reminder . . .

“A NEEDED LIGHT IN OUR DARK TIMES”

    In Judah the people were far from God in their hearts.  They didn’t trust the Lord, they were looking to the outside for peace and security.  They were selfish and greedy.  The courts could be bought.  Most people preferred injustice if it benefited them.

    Has a ring of plausibility, doesn’t it?  Look around.  People today are so selfish that they don’t care about justice.  As long as it benefits what they believe then it is ok.  People today don’t care about the minds of our young people.  It is the adults making the decisions who are messing with these young brains.  People today can attack the faith around the world, and nobody seems to think it is important.  People today in their speech take the 1st Amendment way past what the framers of our Constitution had in mind.  You can’t just say what you want at all times.  If we let all this continue, we will no longer live in a civilized society.  The road ahead can be dark and lonely, and we can get depressed thinking there is no end in sight. 

    What we need is a light in our dark times.  Isaiah called the people of Judah to do that by looking ahead.  Days will come when people from all nations will stream to worship the true God.  The little hill where the temple stood in Jerusalem will become the greatest mountain.  People will listen to the teachings of the Lord, and do them.  There will be peace.  Swords will become plows to provide food to eat.  Isaiah’s message is simple:  walk in the promise of this light of the Lord during dark times.  Better days will come.

    And they did.  The days of light arrived a little over seven hundred years after Isaiah wrote these words.  Jesus, the light of the world, came down from heaven above.  “Peace on earth,” the angels sang when Jesus was born.  People flocked to listen to the Savior when he preached His Sermon on the Mount.  He instructed Peter to put away the sword when Jesus was arrested.

    Jesus is the light in our dark times.  On the cross, the world was plunged into eternal darkness in the middle of the day.  Jesus took the selfishness and the cold hearts and the injustice and the filthy language and the power plays, all these dark times melodramas, it all went with Him on a wooden cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem.  He died there for everything the world has done or will do to blacken our hearts.  After death, His darkness continued in a tomb with a stone rolled in front of it.  Dark, dark, dark.

    The dark, dark, dark was shattered.  The tomb had light.  Jesus as he was surrounded by angels shone brightly. He came walking out and the promise of Isaiah was kept.

    Do you see the fulfillment of the prophecy?  All nations worship the true God.  On every continent this day worship services were held.  People on every continent heard God’s Word.  People on every continent were reminded of the light – Jesus Christ their Savior from sin.  Hundreds of languages were heard.  People on every continent were in church and Bible study and they want to do what is right.  With the Holy Spirit’s help, they want to walk in the light.

    Yet, we still wait for the final fulfillment.  Where nations worship God without persecution.  Swords are laid down.  When will this all happen?  On the Last Day.  On the day Jesus returns in power and glory and light.  Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.  We still wait.

    While I enjoy the darkness do you know what I always see when I leave the church at night?  This eternal light in our sanctuary.  A reminder that I don’t go out into a dark world alone.  Jesus goes with me in His Word.  Jesus goes with me in His Sacrament.  Jesus goes with me in my prayers.  A Needed Light In Our Dark Times.

                                Amen.