Sermon Texts

November 10, 2024 – Stewardship Sunday Text: 1 Corinthians 4:1-8a
Dear Friends in Christ,
Stewardship is a constant struggle. As human beings made in the image of God, we
are to be stewards of everything God made. The first stewards failed. Do you remember
the “great stewardship crisis” of Genesis 3? Adam and Eve didn’t defend perfection from
the serpent. But their stewardship was not terminated.
Our Creator restored the role of steward. He did this by sending His perfect Son.
This Son Jesus never failed to steward the Word and will of His Father. He paid the price
for our failure. We now strive to reflect the will of the Father, who desires that all men be
saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
There are dangers. We are saint/sinner at the same time. Too often, we reflect our
will rather than the Lord’s will. Our flesh can fall before the devils’ schemes. Let’s be on
the lookout for . . .

“STEWARDSHIP SELF-SABOTAGE”

Where to begin. Where can the devil start to creep into our hearts and minds with
cunning and craftiness?
When we focus on what we don’t have. Not enough time. I need more money. I
don’t have that skill. We come to the Lord’s Church with everything. Word and Sacrament
ministry. Look at what we do possess. Wow!
Comparison. Comparison is the thief of joy. When we start to compare to
individuals, churches, and those around us, the devil will always make sure that it appears
we are lacking. But this is false. Look at our text. “Moreover, it is required of stewards that
they be found trustworthy.” (v. 2).

Things out of our control. Believe me, I get this one. How about you? We can’t
control how the message of the Gospel is received. The steward is called to be faithful to
what is entrusted to him. We give and serve and trust because we know that the Lord is at
work. We don’t control the results. I learn that every day. How about you?
Discouragement. News media and social media want to airbrush the message of
perfection. This is the devil’s ongoing work. He loves it when we suffer discouragement or
discontentment. This self-sabotage gets us asking, “Did God really say . . .?”
We get distracted. The cares and concerns of the world put us sometimes in a
mental fog. We lose our way with nostalgia or “good old days”, but stewardship happens in
the here and now. May the Holy Spirit help us to remain focused on Jesus the author and
perfecter of our faith. It all flows from him.
Many of you still remember, because I hear your comments, last year’s stewardship
message. We had some challenges I placed before you. And did you respond! We have had
a nice 2024. What I see is the hand of the Lord. In 2023, Janet Evans, our office manager,
and I were figuring things out, especially the last few months, of our stewardship
responsibilities. As we approached 2024 what would life throw our way? Janet was
diagnosed with liver cancer and eventually died. We have not had to worry about finances
in 2024. Joann Hart filled the gap and got bills paid. What a blessing. Do not miss what the
Lord has done. Therein lies the key.
Our text warns against being “puffed up.” The Lord must really be blessed to have
us as His stewards. This attitude will sabotage our stewardship. The Lord carries it out in
and through us. We are not “all that and a bag of chips.”

Repenting of these behaviors is the only answer. Confess daily that we fall short of
the glory of God. The Lord then forgives, renews and restores us. Having been given this
new life in Christ, we live that new life with a different perspective on the whole of our life
and on all the things of this life.
Whether in the church, at work, in school, at home, in the community or traveling,
God’s stewards are God’s stewards. We do it all to His glory as revealed in Holy Scripture.
It is a reflection and expression of God’s love and grace given us through Christ Jesus.
Amen.

November 3, 2024 Text: Revelation 21:4

Dear Friends in Christ,
Today is All Saints Day. Not a day to remember the big saints in Christian history, they already have special days. Rather, it is a day to remember instead all those who have passed on with the sign of faith whose lives and deaths were mostly ordinary, but who are nonetheless important to us. One congregation I know calls it “Kleenex Day.” They expect to cry. And why not, when we sing “For All The Saints” or remember those who died, it can be emotional. I got a little teary eyed preparing the message, who says I won’t drop a tear or two while delivering this message.
Our text is from the Book of Revelation, and it gives us a spiritual lift. As we celebrate together as the Lord’s Church All Saints Day . . .
“DO WE NEED TO PASS THE TISSUES?”
For the first time ever, I learned that what we observe today is a Totenfest. A Totenfest is a German Church tradition of remembering those who died in the faith. It means, “celebration of the dead.” We read the names of those who died in the past year, we ring the bell, we read Scripture, and sing the hymn. These are all powerful and appropriate. So also weeping is appropriate. Please, pass the tissues. The Church Triumphant is filled with quiet saints, loved and missed by us. There are persons in that crowd that we remember and our eager to see again. They also matter to God. We rejoice why we weep.
Everything the Lord does today is personal. You noted that, didn’t you? The first part of our text, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (v. 4a). That is personal. Life is tough. Disappointments, hurts, pains, conflicts . . . lots of tears. But do you get the point? God is directing all of that. Pointing us, ultimately, to home – HEAVEN. And there – praise God – there He will wipe away all the tears. Indeed, it is the personal touch.
Look at what all of this is saying to us – to you and me – people who spend so much time holding on to this world. He is telling us, this world is passing away. Listen to the last part of verse 4: “Death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (v. 4b). Isn’t that something? The former things have passed away.
Do you see? Death . . . mourning, as we do over the death of loved ones and friends . . . crying about life and our failures and traumas, crying about the death of our loved ones and friends . . . and pain; aching bodies, broken hearts, broken bones, fearful news from the medical profession, pain.
And look at us. We hang on to this. We love it. We prefer to mourn, cry, suffer. We prefer all of that until we remember why our Jesus came here: to earn for each of us the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life.
For us as Christians every day is Easter. This is what our faith is all about. From the Emmaus disciples: “It is true! The Lord has risen…” (Luke 24:33)
That’s right. Jesus is alive. Jesus lives. Because He lives, we will live forever. We really should be finished with this world. The former things have ended. The dead will rise.
He will raise you as well. That is one of the themes of All Saints Day. Unless the Lord returns first, you will physically die. Jesus died for you to take your sins away. He died your death. Now death cannot have you. You belong to Jesus, who is risen from the dead. In Baptism, He gives you His life. All Saints’ Day is a little preview of your funeral. Your body will rise!
On All Saints’, we mock death and spit in his eye. Christ is risen. We will rise. The risen Christ stops death in its tracks. Our loved ones will be given back to us – alive, healed, and whole. That means my mom. That means your loved ones who are with the Lord and all the saints now safely home in endless day. That means you. We long for the day when the tissues are no longer needed.
Amen.

October 27, 2024 – Reformation Text: Psalm 46

Dear Friends in Christ,
Just a few weeks ago I was telling Toni how excited I was to preach this Reformation sermon. The reason? For the first time in 33 years of ministry I have a new perspective on the Reformation. This summer we were privileged to walk where the reformers walked. We saw the buildings and the churches and the topography of the land. We got to experience how far away some of the towns were from each other. We went into the woods to see where Martin Luther was kidnapped and taken to Wartburg Castle. Those of us brave enough made the walk to the castle, the others came by van, but we saw how steep it was to get up there, even with modern day steps. We saw the Castle Church in Wittenberg and the 95 Theses. We went to Leipzig and Eisleben and Torgau and Schmalkalden and Coburg and Worms. Beautiful German towns.
I did not realize until being there, how much travel they had to do for the Reformation to take place. As an example, if you went from Wittenberg to Worms by car today it would take you five hours. Just imagine in Luther and Melanchthon’s time the travel time. I appreciate even more the effort to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the forefront of what we teach and preach. It took a lot on . . .
“THE LONG WALK TO FREEDOM”
We walked a lot on this trip, and I loved it – 11,000-13,000 steps most days. How do I know? One lady counted them. It was strange watching her leave the hotel . . . one, two, three . . . well, actually did you know they have these things on your wrist that count your steps. Amazing! The topography to go from town to town was rarely flat and, in some cases, could be quite steep up and down the valleys.
This was the world the reformers lived in. It would take some stamina to do what they did. Here I stand. Here I walk. Here I travel. They thought it was worth it and it was.
The most interesting thing learned on the trip and the reason we saw many buildings and churches still intact was because someone you would never think of was affected by the reformers. Josef Stalin. He ordered his Russian troops not to bomb the Luther sites. In a way nobody really knows, he appreciated what they stood for.
What did they stand for? Why did they travel so far to get their message out? Because the church at that time had people chained up in the Law. They couldn’t break free from indulgences and doing enough and a vengeful God. The Church was locked up. Our text for today, Psalm 46 says of the church, “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.” (v. 5) Luther clearly understood that the Word of God makes us alive, grants us freedom to walk on the straight and narrow path. Our baptism is a deposit that guarantees what is yet to come. Christ’s holy body and innocent blood continually forgives our sins and relieves our guilty consciences. Without these we don’t have the strength to continue on. We receive the Means of Grace through faith. Christ lives within us.
We visited two castles that Luther stayed in. Wartburg, where he was hidden, because he had a death sentence against him and the Veste Coburg, where he stayed during the Diet of Augsburg, because he couldn’t leave his territory. They are both fortresses. Beautiful places. High up. The walk was worth it and was blessed to do a devotion at Coburg.
Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress” sometime after his time at Wartburg. He had to feel protected there. He worked on his translation of the New Testament there and at Coburg he translated the Old Testament. The Scripture was going to the masses. The printing press came along and the road to freedom was opening up. The Reformation is our blessing. The message that Christ won our salvation without any merit or worthiness in us, is a great comfort. When you feel a little worn out, like we all did who walked up to the Wartburg Castle, you just have to keep going in the freedom of the Gospel, in the love of Christ who carries us through and in the grace and Word of God that is our “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
There is a phrase semper reformanda, “always reforming.” The 18 of us on this trip had a reformation of sorts. Being where they were gives you a new perspective and appreciation for what they did. The world is going to keep changing around us. The challenges the reformers had are not going away. The Word of God is always going to have people go after it. Our hearts and our lives will always require God’s restoration and reformation until the day when we have been raised from the dead and completely transformed into the image of Christ Jesus. Then we shall be free. Until then, enjoy the long walk to freedom through Christ alone, by faith alone, grace alone, and Scripture alone.
Amen.

October 20, 2024 Text: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

Dear Friends in Christ,

During my years of growing up in Argenta, there were those trying to keep up with their neighbor. We lived on the south side of town where most of the older homes were. The north side of town had the newer homes. One year the folks up there all had to have a boat. One person buys one, then another, then another. Eventually my friend and his family buy a boat. Everyone was trying to keep up. Having that possession, a boat, was that important to how they looked to the fellow neighbors.
The things of this world can be alluring and tempting as tangible proof that our lives have meaning. But is that true? Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes calls it “vanity.” If we exclude God all of our life is meaningless. But when He is present . . .
“YOUR LOT IN LIFE AND YOUR TOIL ARE GOD’S GIFTS”
Our culture certainly holds material success up as a panacea to conflict. If we have enough, we can insulate ourselves. But our culture daily proves that wrong. Millions play the lottery, but most of the winners have more conflict because people want to get to them and their money. Gambling, especially sports gambling is huge. You can make a bet on what a guy had for breakfast or if he is going to tie his shoes in the 2nd quarter. We are so vain about it that every commercial for this type of gambling tells you where to go to get help. Hello! We are not immune. The boys move out of our house, and we still struggle to have enough closet space for all our stuff. Can you relate?
This week was part of Bloomington’s bi-annual bulk pick-up. Toni and I set things out both Tuesday and Wednesday. By morning everything was gone, so that by Thursday the city had one old dehumidifier to pile on to the truck. This happens every year. Somebody likes “our junk.” It is a great study of our world. People love things. But it is never enough, and that is the warning.
So, what is the blessing? We can all relate to the first part of our text, but let’s focus on the last two verses. “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil – this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” (vs. 19-20)
All that we have is gifted from God. Good things should be enjoyed. We confess, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” Our lot in life is that God is at peace with us. Not bought with gold or silver, but with the blood of Jesus.
Items we have will perish. Our soul is eternal. Our eternal soul is bound to an eternal God. God loves you and has bound your life story to that of His own Son. In Baptism, you were bound to the Son of God.
The life of Jesus was not lived in luxury. If Jesus had an estate, what was in it? I’ll tell you. His only possession at death was the garment on his body and that became the prize for a game of lots played by the soldiers who crucified him. Jesus left not a trail of selfish gain, but of sacrificial giving of Himself to the poor, the needy, the hurting, the afflicted.
When we were bound to Christ in baptism his righteousness replaced our unrighteousness. The shedding of His blood frees you and I from a world caught up in the great accumulation. Even his lifeless body was placed in a tomb he did not own. That tomb could not hold him. Those words of Easter morning were our inheritance: “He is not here. He has risen!” This is your story, your lot in life, your victory. You toil for an inheritance that will not spoil or perish, kept in heaven for you.
You do not have to go looking for the treasure that is Jesus. He searches and finds you. No matter who you are, how confused your priorities might be, or how much you have trusted in your possessions and substituted them for God as the object of your love – He is even now, this moment, coming to you. He engulfs you with baptismal water. He speaks the sweetest words a sinful human can hear: “Your sins are forgiven.” He invites you to a meal that brings his own marriage feast to you right where you are as He gives you his body and blood.
These are God’s gifts, and they have great meaning. You are the eternal recipient. Toil in joy, live a blessed lot in life, but remember what’s in the will. Heaven . . . forever.
Amen.

October 13, 2024 Text: Mark 10:17-22Dear Friends in Christ, About 15 years ago I was here before church on Christmas Day. As I was in the narthex, a little sports car drove up and a nice dressed lady got out. She was carrying a box. She was heading to the front door of the church. Before I got there she had laid the box down. I opened the door and asked if she needed anything. I looked at the box and it was a Bartles & Jaymes wine cooler box. Odd, but maybe she was dropping something off. She was. She proceeded to tell me she had caught a mouse that morning, put it in the box and brought it to church. I’m thinking, “What?” She then said, “Well, you know the story about the church mouse.” Mice, I am afraid of. Thankfully this one had escaped and ran off. I just stood there dumbfounded. This lady had completely missed the point of what a church is. A place for dropping off mice. I don’t think so, my friend. People miss the point all the time. Nothing was different in the days of Jesus. The Bible is always relevant. Let’s evaluate . . . “MISSING THE POINT” We begin with the first verse of our text, “As (Jesus) was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” (v. 17) Life always gets down to this. What is going to happen to me after I die. This fella wanted to know how to have eternal life. He was you might say, anxious. Do we ever get anxious about that question? Someday death will arrive, and we want to know we have eternal life. My friend and I were just talking about this the other day. For the first time in our lives one of us heard from a doctor the words “tumor” and “biopsy.” It is my friend. We talked about life and death and the things that swirl in the mind. Some of you have been through this and understand the anxiety. “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” (v. 18) Jesus lets it stand: He is God. So, God through Christ is going to give the answer. Please note the man’s wording, “what must I do?” It is not, “What can God do to help me a poor, miserable sinner?” Jesus answers, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” (v. 19) This is where the man’s thinking becomes less than honest. “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” (v. 20) This has been man’s thinking for thousands of years, “But, I’ve been a good person?” Really? Jesus drives him back with his thinking that his accomplishments will get him eternal life. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (v. 21-22) What should he have done? Something we all should do, fall to our knees and cry out, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” No, not this one. He wanted to earn heaven. He is Missing The Point. Does life ever find us Missing The Point? “Lord, I have done a lot of good things, and I am really good on commandments 2, 3, 5 and 7.” Can’t we help this eternal life business along? I want to participate with my stellar human record. Look it up, Lord, I’m one of the good ones. We come here to the Lord’s House to rid ourselves of those thoughts. We should be walking in the doors with sincere repentance ready to stand before Calvary’s Cross where the Lord forgives and reconciles us with God. The point is: He takes our sin away not because we are wonderful and momma’s favorite. He does it because He loves you and me. He knew and He knows we need a Savior. A little Wisconsin town on the shores of Lake Superior has an annual dog sled derby for young people. A mile course marked out on the ice. One year they had large boys with large dogs competing with one little fellow with a little sled and little dog. As the race began the big boys outdistanced the little shaver by quite a large distance. Then it happened. The sled in 2nd was trying to pass the sled in 1st. There was a melee. Each subsequent rider and dog got caught up in the mess, until all the dogs were fighting. That is – all but the little fellow with the little dog and the little sled. He was the only one to finish the race. We have a clear course marked out for us. The course won for us by the blood of Jesus. We exist as a congregation for this reason: to share Christ’s love with others. No matter how difficult and messed up things look in front of us, we know the course. Just keep going. Christ the Leader. Eternal life the destination. We haven’t missed the point, have we? Amen

October 6, 2024 – LWML Sunday Text: Luke 1:38

Dear Friends in Christ, The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was passed by Congress on September 16, 1940. It required all men between the ages of 21 and 64 to register with the Selective Service. Then on December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor happened. Congress then amended the act to require all able-bodied men ages 18 to 64 to register with their local draft board for the duration of World War II. In practice, only men from 18 to 45 were drafted. Thirty days after the Pearl Harbor attack, 134,000 Americans enlisted in the military. More than 16 million served during the War. Of the over 16 million service members, 6 million of them were volunteers. You may remember the famous recruiting poster with Uncle Sam pointing at you and saying, “I Want You for U.S. Army.” Today in our text God points his finger at Mary and says, “I want you.” God calls on Mary and in faith and trust she is . . .“READY TO SERVE” Every time we make confession in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, we remember the Virgin Mary. Mary would have been around 15, a virgin, living in Nazareth, and engaged to Joseph. Then she was brought a message that would change her life. Gabriel, a messenger of God delivers Mary’s job description: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31). This sinner, Mary, was not worthy of God’s grace, but God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus. God was going to fulfill his promise. His Son Jesus would be sent on a mission to save the world. God’s Son was going to pay the debt of sin for you and me and all people. After years of waiting, it was going to happen. Mary, of all people, was about to be the mother of the Messiah. Now Mary was a little perplexed and we are not surprised. Things just don’t add up. “How will this be, since I am a virgin,” (Luke 1:34) Mary asks. An answer is received. This child would have no human father. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). This child was not conceived and born in sin. This is God’s Son. He is sinless and our Savior. Mary responds in faith. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38a). Mary was ready to go. Ready to accept the angel’s message. Ready to serve. Why was she ready to serve? She trusted and believed God’s Word. It was all going to work out according to the Word of the Lord. Mary came to serve. Her son Jesus came to serve. The task of Jesus was even bigger. He explained it to the disciples: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He taught and healed people, then went to the cross and rose from the grave to bring us salvation. He was a true servant. Jesus made the impossible possible. He opened up eternal life to all who believe in Him. Jesus accomplished His mission on that first Easter morning. Death and sin and devil had been conquered. He provided the greatest service the world has ever seen. Mary served. Jesus served. What about us? Do we trust the Word? Can God count on you to work in his Kingdom for His mission? God has redeemed us for this very purpose. Paul wrote it this way: “(Jesus) died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (1 Cor. 5:15). We stand ready to serve with joy. Today we are celebrating Lutheran Women in Mission, the LWML. Their motto: “Serve the Lord with gladness.” Since 1942 the LWML has encouraged and equipped women to serve. They are active in mission ministries, and they support global missions. With their mite box offerings, they have a goal from 2023-2025 to receive $2.35 million dollars to fund mission projects in the U.S. and around the world. You can go to lwml.org and look at these impressive missions that they support. God called Mary and she was ready to serve as she spoke to Gabriel, “I am the servant of the Lord.” God sent His Son to serve, and He gave his life for us. May our response as baptized children of God be one of service as Martin Luther expressed it: “that I may be his own and live under him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.” Amen.