Sermon Texts

March 12, 2025 – Lent Texts: Genesis 1:1-5, Ephesians 5:8-9, John 12:44-46

Dear Friends in Christ,
When the Holy Spirit put the idea in my head to do our Lenten sermon series on soap opera titles, I knew the names of these shows would work nicely for the messages. What I did not know is that some of these soap operas have religious underpinnings.
The prime example is tonight – The Guiding Light. This holds the record of the being the longest running soap between radio and TV – 72 years. When the show started in 1937 it centered on Rev. John Rutledge. The “Guiding Light” in the show’s title originally referred to the lamp in Rutledge’s study that people used as a sign for them to find his help when needed.
How did this come about? The creator of The Guiding Light was Irna Phillips. Irna had given birth to a stillborn baby, and she found spiritual comfort listening to the sermons
of Preston Bradley, a famous Chicago preacher.
Where do we look for help? I pray it is the Light of Christ. It shines in our dark times and is always there to lead the way. Tonight, look to . . .
‘THE GUIDING LIGHT”
This idea of light first began on the first day of creation. Our Old Testament reading tells us that “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” (v. 2a). Darkness was there, but it doesn’t say anything about God calling it good. Have you ever noticed that before? The positive comes in verse 3, “God said, ‘let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” (vs. 3-4a)
That is the power of God’s Word, it is “performative” – it does not merely state something, but it accomplishes, or brings about, that which it declares. This was not mere natural sunlight, but light called into being by God’s Word to contrast the unbroken darkness. This anticipates the restored creation at the end of time, in which God’s presence will enlighten all things, there will be no need for sun or moon.
When The Guiding Light hit television the series revolved around the Bauer family, a German immigrant family. We have a lot of German ancestry in our sanctuary tonight. Plus, other nationalities as well. What do all have in common? Dark times, dark places, dark decisions, dark thoughts, souls that can be taken over by the Prince of Darkness. Jesus says that Satan is like a strong man. No one around can match his strength, and by his might, he keeps hold of all his possessions. We cannot escape by our might. No human being is strong enough to defeat this strong man. The devil’s house of darkness and blackened kingdom are terrifying to us.
That is, until they come up against the finger of God. The finger of God is used as a way of describing God’s work of creation. The finger of God is His Word. Jesus Himself is the Word of God. At Jesus’ Word, the demons shudder and flee. Jesus is the finger of God. It takes only the finger of God for Satan’s dark tyranny to come crashing down.
Jesus embodied the light of God’s presence, and God shines this light in us to create faith in Him. For these reasons, lights – lamps and candles – are used in Christian worship to symbolize God’s active faith-creating and faith-sustaining presence among his people.
Paul reminds us we were once darkness, but now are the light of the Lord. We are to walk as children of light. Our good words and deeds flow naturally from one planted in Christ. Flip the switch through prayer, devotional time and worship.
Christ walked the road. He was on some dusty highways and paraded through dark alleys. He saw the face of darkness when spit on and beaten and tortured. He had to enter the gates of hell to win our salvation. He lit that place up like the 4th of July. He states in John, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (v. 46). Jesus is our Guiding Light.
In the final episode of this soap opera, in the final scene in fact, in the background you can see a lighthouse. A reminder of that original light on the desk of Rev. Rutledge. As our lives play out, we have that same presence of a light in our day to day living. It might shine as a beacon at times and struggle to be a flicker at others. But it is always there guiding, leading us to the place of eternal light. Joy awaits.
Join us next week on this same station for . . . “As The World Turns.”
Amen.

March 9, 2025 Text: Romans 10:8b-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

Have you ever used your name to back the reputation of another? As a parent you have maybe had to co-sign a loan for a car or even a house for your son or daughter. You are putting your reputation on the line and backing the loan if your namesake cannot meet the obligation.
Or have you ever had this scenario? You are asked to testify on someone’s behalf in court? You have to polish and shine their name by what you say. If you are credible, people will look to what you have to say about that person.
In both of these instances you are preserving the honor of the name by your actions. This, of course, is how God works. He has promised to care for His children. He asks us to honor His name. He asks us to confess his name. When we do, the saving act of Jesus will be ours. Do you ever consider?
“GOD’S REPUTATION IS TIED TO YOUR REPUTATION”
Now at first that sentence can be a little scary. He’s God and well, we are not. God is perfect and well, we are not. God is good, right, and salutary and well, we are not. How in the world can we live up to God’s name? I don’t want that pressure, and you don’t either.
You see, if you are going to be known as a Christian, if you are going to wear that cross around your neck and share God’s Word with people, then you have a certain responsibility. If you are going to stand in the marketplace and the workplace and the family gathering as God’s child, then your actions are going to be judged.
If you are going to profane God’s name, it is profaned. You profane your own name when you do not live up to the name Christian. If your language is less than uplifting, people notice. If you are always running people down or talking negatively, people notice. If your language is always about you and less about Him as the God of your life, people notice. If you ever doubt the Word of God, people notice. Your reputation may suffer, but more importantly the Lord’s reputation may take a hit. If you don’t believe it, why should anyone else? You make Him out to be a liar or incompetent or weak or unloving.
God has put His name on the line for you. He obligated Himself to make you holy by taking your sinful shame on Himself. He fulfilled His obligation when on the cross He endured the shame you deserved. He endured the shame of the only obedient Son being forsaken by His Father. His resurrection from the dead guarantees that your name is hallowed, that means it is kept holy in spite of your shortcomings.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (v. 9). Quite simple, isn’t it? “Jesus is Lord” is the confession of the early Church. They were making a clear testimony of Christ’s deity. Christ is God.
When Christ works in our lives so that we bear His name with Christ-like behavior, then the name of the Lord is to be praised. Our reputation is saved by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. You receive the Lord’s holiness in His Word and His Sacraments. In these Means of His Grace He delivers to you His unending forgiveness. The signs that God is faithful to His promises.
Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the name of the Lord can be spread far and wide. All people, Jew and Greek, can call on the name of the Lord. We uphold this name by preaching and teaching his name in truth and purity. Imagine what can be done if we live what we say? As God’s child, you make a holy confession of his name. And people do notice. That is why God’s reputation is tied to your reputation.
The Lord will not let you down. Trust Him, and you will not be put to shame. The Word of faith is in your heart and in your mouth. Call upon the name of the Lord. There is a reputation on the line!
Amen.

March 5, 2025 – Ash Wednesday Texts: Psalm 90:9-14, Hebrews 1:1-3
Dear Friends in Christ,
Did you know that the soap opera began in Illinois? The first was called “Painted Dreams” and was broadcast on WGN out of Chicago on October 20, 1930. The soap opera is still going today.
The soap opera got its name because in the early days of radio and TV they were sponsored by soap manufacturers. Companies like Proctor & Gamble the makers of Tide. For these midweek Lenten sermons and Holy Week sermons we are going to use the soap opera as the backdrop to tell the story of Jesus, His passion and resurrection. Do you realize what these both have in common? They both have multiple storylines. They both have people dying that is not permanent. They both get people emotionally involved. Therefore, the word “passion” can be used for both.
Tonight, we begin with a soap opera that is just two months younger than I am. It began November 8, 1965. I saw it a lot during my freshman year at ISU. My roommate on the 5th floor of Manchester was a huge fan. If I was there over the lunch hour, we would watch it on my 12-inch black and white. Who can forget the beginning, “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the . . . .
“DAYS OF OUR LIVES”
This is one of four soaps still in production. It is streamed on Peacock. Interestingly enough it is set in Illinois, in the fictional town of Salem, even though we know Illinois has a Salem. It has focused over the years on the Brady and Horton families. It has been one of the most daring series in this particular genre. It shows what the title promises . . . the days of their lives.
Lent is the story of days of the life of Jesus. The days that lead to Holy Week. The days of Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and culminating in the greatest of days – Easter.
We journey through these 40 days of our lives together. Because we all experience the days of our lives. Recently, I came upstairs from my lair in the basement and announced to Toni, “For the 400th month in a row our checkbook is balanced!” I was excited. She not so much. It was the Lord’s reminder of our time together.
In our first text from Psalm 90, it is written in verse 10, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”
These numbers are a good average and fall within the average lifespan today. When the Psalmist wrote these words, humans of this era were only living to about 40. Another indication that still today Scripture speaks to us. Do you see your life as toil and trouble? We do toil. Toil at our jobs. Toil in our homes. Toil in our leisure. Trouble? Sure we have trouble, but do you see it as the overriding theme of your life? Maybe some do. But that is a rough way to live. We probably do agree with the last part of the verse that are days are soon gone and we fly away.
“Fly away” is poetic language that evokes the despair of life’s all-too-rapid fight into death. This is why we number our days. The days of our lives in this world are limited. This is where we look to God’s glorious power. Verse 14 gives the spiritual lift to our days, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” That is how I want to spend my days, how about you?
This Ash Wednesday if you received the ashes on your forehead you heard, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We die because we are sinners. If our lives were left in our hands – the only reward we would have earned is God’s judgment and wrath. What does the Lord do for us? He creates in us a clean heart and right spirit. God has taken your sin and put it out of his memory. How has He done this? By speaking to us in these last days by His Son. Christ is the heir of all things.
An heir inherits all that belongs to the parents. Jesus, as God’s only begotten Son, shares with His brothers and sisters the Father’s mercy, forgiveness, and new life. That is the Lenten message. The days of our lives are filled with the Lord’s mercy, forgiveness, and new life. This Ash Wednesday you are sealed and marked with this eternal promise.
Join us next week on this same station for . . . the “Guiding Light.”
Amen.

March 2, 2025 – Transfiguration Text: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Dear Friends in Christ,

A little girl was on a cruise ship with her parents, and as they were looking out over the deck, the girl said to her father, “Look daddy, I can see farther than my eyes can see.” Where have you been that is farther than your eyes can see? Looking out over an ocean? A mountain peak? For those of us in Central Illinois, we can say about every one of us has been to the top of the Willis Tower or the Hancock in Chicago, the Arch in St. Louie, or even Watterson Towers on the campus of Illinois State. All places where you see farther than the eyes can see.
How is your vision? In a congregation our size it is varied. Many of you have glasses or contacts. Some of you have reading glasses. Some have retina problems or macular regeneration. Others have great vision and have never had their eyes checked by a professional. Today in our text Moses sees, but what does he see? Moses did not lose what the Lord what trying to show him. How about you?
“DO YOU HAVE A VISION OF THE LORD’S PLAN?”
How did Moses get to this point? We have to go back to the Lord’s words to Abraham in Genesis 12:1 when the Lord promises to bring the people “to the land that I will show you.”
So, Moses leads two million, incredible right – 2 million people out of their slavery in Egypt. This is no walk in the park. The complaints he must have heard. You didn’t bring enough food and water…Aren’t you going to stop and ask for directions or are we going to keep on wandering…This desert area doesn’t look like a good place to bed down. Quiet you people. I am going up a mountain and you need to wash yourselves so you can be in the presence of Almighty God. Nice plan. Except when he comes down, they are singing and dancing to a golden calf. So, you want to be a travel agent? Moses sees everyone at their best and their worst.
There are times we see each other at our best and worst. It happens in our homes, at our workplaces, in our churches, on the roads, at the ballgames, the hospital, the nursing home. Up and down. Left and right. “Let’s go Moses.” “Uh, this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.” We are a funny people.
This doesn’t come through in the Bible, but Moses had to be gifted with a sense of humor. This does come through in the Bible, his vision was tempered with patience. God promised him he would see the Promised Land but only from a distance. He was 120 with eyes undimmed and vigor unabated. The Lord kept the vision alive for Moses, but He also kept it alive for Joshua, the man who succeeded Moses.
Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when you lie in a hospital bed? Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when you look at your accident scars? Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when your marriage or family goes off the rails? Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when facing a death or your own mortality? This Promised Land trek took years to complete. Many of the people lost the vision. I’ve seen many of you struggle to look even a week ahead. Lord grant us your vision and patience.
Other than Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one guy in all our readings is Moses. The Lord knew him face to face. The signs and wonders he did are unequalled. He is unmatched in his display of leadership and influence. He is honored for his faith in Hebrews, “Now Moses was faithful in all God’s House as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later.” (Heb. 3:5) The writer of Hebrews also points out that while Moses was great, no one is greater than Jesus. God buried Moses, and he is still dead. We do not worship Moses. We do not lead people to Moses. Instead, through the leadership of Moses, as well as the prophets, we lead people to Christ, who leads us all to the promised land of heaven. That’s the vision. Can you see it?
God kept his promise to the Israelites. God keeps His promise to us through Jesus. Standing on the threshold of Lent we are going to view some dark, dreary days – suffering, rejection, killing. But you can see the rest of the vision. “On the third day He will be raised.” (Luke 9:22). This is God’s promise and God keeps His promises.
Our greatest vision is what Moses is experiencing. His perfect eyesight views a heavenly landscape. One day there will be people farther than the eye can see who will be assembled around the throne of God. Open your eyes and catch the vision!
Amen.

February 23, 2025 Text: 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42

Dear Friends in Christ,

Louis XV, the king of France, ordered that no one should speak about death in his presence. He tried to avoid any visible sign or symbol or place that would remind him of the mortal nature of life in this world. Yet, the king could never escape this last great enemy. He died on May 10, 1774, at 3:15 a.m. Age 64.
Death is hard to ignore. God in the Scriptures doesn’t deny it or conceal it. We all die because we are sinners. Every human body will undergo decay in the grave. But the good news is that the curse and punishment has been removed through Jesus Christ. By His resurrection from the dead Christ has defeated sin, devil, hell, and death. The grave for the Christian becomes the gate to life eternal. We wonder what will that look like? Let’s answer that question as we examine . . . .
“THE RESURRECTION BODY”
A final resurrection is going to take place. Believers and unbelievers will be made alive on the Last Day. Believers will join their Savior and all the faithful in heaven. Unbelievers will be consigned to everlasting shame and contempt in hell.
Because as a Christian we live in our baptismal grace every day we can look forward to our own resurrection transformation on the Last Day.
The Apostle Paul was very good at rhetorical questions. He liked to pose a question, but then answer it. Paul asks, “Why am I in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day.” (v. 30-31) Paul is asking rhetorically, “Why would I risk my life for things I don’t truly believe in?”
I had an uncle growing up who knew how competitive I was. I still remember him telling me, “Every time you lose, a little part of you dies.” That has been true for me. But whether you feel that way about losing or not, you still see a little dying each day. Maybe your walk isn’t as brisk, your mind regresses, hair leaves your head but grows out of your ears, you remember being 25, but the movies, music, and TV shows shove off into the distance. At some point we all realize, this isn’t going to last forever.
Time in this world, that is. We do have a forever appointment with our resurrection body. Paul ever the questioner poses another one, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” The resurrection body is the same but different. The Lord who created our physical bodies will give us spiritual bodies. Our bodies in their present state or condition will be changed instantly. We will no longer have bodies full of lusts, no longer sinful, no longer limited by hunger, thirst, pain, losing, or mortality. We will have resurrection bodies free from the debilitating effects of our sin.
Imagine experiencing this by God’s grace. Stepping onto a shore and finding it heaven…taking hold of a hand and finding it Christ’s hand…breathing new air and finding it celestial air…passing from a storm to unbroken calm…waking up and finding it….home!
The first time she saw a dead child, Corrie ten Boom began to worry about her own death and the death of her loved ones. She thought, “What if I am persecuted and must suffer?” She went to her father with her fears. He asked her a question: “When do I give you the ticket when you take the train from Haarlem to Amsterdam? Three weeks ahead of time?” “Why, no,” Corrie replied. “You give me the ticket the day I need it.” “Right,” said her father. “That’s exactly what God does. Today you don’t need the strength to be brave if someone dies or you are persecuted. But when the time comes, the Lord will give you the ticket right on time.”
Fearing death may cause us to ignore it. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” (Jn. 11:25). We can place our hand in Christ’s nail-scarred hand and face death with peace and confidence. As baptized believers, we have the ticket. We live in Jesus now with a foretaste of the feast to come. By God’s grace in Christ we anticipate our resurrection body.
Amen.

February 16, 2025 Text: Luke 6:17-26

Dear Friends in Christ,

Charles Schultz was the syndicated cartoonist who delighted millions with his Peanuts comic strip. He wrote a book entitled, “Happiness Is . . . “ For Linus, “Happiness is…a warm blanket”; for Snoopy, “Happiness is…a full dish of food.” How would you answer that question, “Happiness is….?”
In our Gospel for today Jesus speaks about being “blessed” or “happy.” But it looks a little different than how the world defines “happy.” The blessings of which Jesus speaks are centered in the cross and open tomb and a life of cross bearing for His sake. Let’s take a few minutes this morning to ponder what makes us happy and what challenges us. In your life do you have . . . .
“MORE BLESSING OR WOE?”
The beginning of our text shows large crowds coming to Jesus to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. Luke even says, “power came out from him and healed them all.” Now that would be a blessing.
This winter of 2025 has been full of sickness. Most of us have been touched with something. When you are sick and feel crappy, it is hard to remember when you felt well. But eventually you start feeling better and you thank God for his healing. So, we can relate to these crowds. They want to be near Jesus because he has given them a great gift – their health. Both physically and mentally. With this captive audience before Him, ready to listen to Him because of what He has just done, He shares his Word with the crowd.
Jesus starts on the positive side – blessings. But telling us we are blessed because we are poor? Ah, Jesus, are you sure you know what you are talking about? He does. We are poor in spirit. We see the need for a Savior. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.”
The next one – hunger. Again, how can this positive? Stomach growling. Body weak. But the followers of Jesus hunger for the bread of life and thirst for the living water of salvation. We look in faith to the Christ who hungered and thirsted for us and for our salvation. Jesus fills us with Word and Sacrament.
We are blessed if we weep now, because we shall laugh. I think we all understand this one pretty good. We have our moments of crying, but our moments of laughter are greater. Christ “will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Rev. 21:4). Christ gives us so much to be joyous about. Laughter is great for physical health and mental health. Smile, the Lord loves you.
The last blessing can again cause some confusion. Who wants to be hated and reviled and excluded? But we are to rejoice and leap for joy. Our reward is eternal. Our blessing is heaven. Perfection forever and ever. No more struggle or hunger or weeping.
The woes can stop us in our tracks. How do you get a horse to stop? Whoa! Spelled differently but the same concept. The woes are God’s reminder that He condemns those who live for today, neglecting the ways of our Lord and the care of His people. When pride and self-interest allure you, turn to the Lord in repentance. Daily He provides for all your needs and forgives you by grace.
I pray you have more blessing than woe in your life. Today is that wonderful reminder that because of faith in Jesus as Savior, salvation and forgiveness our yours. “Happiness Is….?” You can complete the sentence now . . . right?
Amen.