Sermon Texts

December 1, 2024 Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Dear Friends in Christ,

Some days are more important than others.
Look back over your life. Not all days are equal. Some fade. Some stand out. The JFK assassination. The Challenger explosion. 9-11. Maybe you remember a special holiday. The year and date of a great vacation. The day your team won the Super Bowl or World Series. Your wedding day. The day your child or children were born. Or it could be a painful day etched in your memory. A death. A tragedy. Some days are more important than others.
In our text the prophet Jeremiah speaks to the people of Jerusalem about some stand-out days. “Those days” sound like some pretty great days. Jeremiah declared that “those days” are coming. Here in our house of worship, we gather before the cross, knowing that “those days” have already come. They came with the advent of Jesus Christ. He was here in human flesh. Healing the sick. Driving out demons. Dying for our sins. Rising on the third day. Those were the days – the days when our Savior, walked visibly on the earth and won our salvation. They are the most important days the world has ever seen. They are the centerpiece of human history.
“FULFILLING THE PROMISE OF ‘THOSE DAYS’”
Jeremiah was pointing the people toward “those days,” but the people of that time, just like today, were more interested in these days. I have rent to pay, and my health isn’t the greatest and oh my boss! The kids have to be shuffled here and there and now it’s December and Christmas. Come on Jeremiah talk to me about these days. This is what I see ahead of me.
The people of old were not any better than today. They neglected the words of God’s prophets. They turned to false gods and false prophets whose messages focused on the here and now. For centuries God had sent prophets to warn the Israelites to turn back to Him. “Those days” are coming – the Messiah is coming.
Finally, God’s patience had run out. In punishment for their unbelief and idolatry, God said he would bring the Babylonians against Jerusalem. He told Jeremiah he had made up His mind to destroy the city, and nothing could change it.
Into this desperate situation, Jeremiah speaks the words of our text: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely.”
What kind of reaction did the prophet get? Most of the people despised him. We don’t need a God speaking about “those days.” We need prophets who will speak about peace for this day. Look around man. We are surrounded by the Babylonians who plan to kill us or carry us off to slavery. We don’t care about “those days.”
Then it all happened like Jeremiah said. The city did fall. The city was looted. The people were led off to exile. But some believed the promise. They saw past the present hardship to the days that were coming.
“The days are coming,” God promised. And come they did. In God’s time a new branch sprouted. His name was Jesus. He came to Jerusalem and Judah. Fulfilled every promise made. Conquered sin and death. Restored the relationship between God and his people. “Those days” – Jesus’ days are a comfort for us living in 2024.
This is why we observe a liturgical church year, year after year. From Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, to Lent, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost, our hymns and readings direct our lives to the saving life and work of Jesus. It directs our attention to “those days.” We begin another church year today, we set our hearts and eyes on “those days.”
Some days are more important than others, more outstanding, more crucial. For those who know Jesus, those days, His days, are the most important and dear of all.
In this sermon we have been mostly looking backward, to the days of Jesus. But there is another great day. Jesus calls it “that day.” That day is yet to come. The return of Jesus in glory. We watch for that day. In your everyday worries and concerns, dear friends, set your hearts on that day. On that day, all troubles end. Jesus reigns forever. That day is coming soon.
Some days are more important than others.
Amen.

November 27, 2024 – Thanksgiving Eve Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Dear Friends in Christ,
The idea of giving thanks has been around for years. Who doesn’t know the story of the Pilgrims. President Washington had issued a proclamation in 1789 that had its origins in religious proclamations by bishops. President Lincoln had made a few Thanksgiving proclamations, but it wasn’t until 1863 that anything became official in the United States. That year the Union won Civil War battles in Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The harvest of 1863 was also a good one. So, it was made official that the country would celebrate on the last Thursday of the month of November. Dr. Cullom Davis, a nationally recognized Lincoln scholar said this, “Lincoln saw the day as an appropriate time to give national gratitude for God’s plan and goodness. It was yet another reason to be thankful.”
This won’t surprise us, but the proclamation makes repeated religious references such as “watchful providence of Almighty God,” “the gracious gifts of the Most High God.” We know that all of our gifts come from the Lord Almighty. All of our thanks and praise go to Him. This holiday we pray He might create within our hearts . . .
“AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE”
This comes through beautifully within our text, it really could not be any clearer. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
These powerful words from the Lord through the Apostle Paul were not only meant for the Christians of Thessalonica, but they were also meant for you and me. The basis for our rejoicing and thankfulness is Jesus Christ. An attitude of gratitude is showered upon us by the grace of God. We have come to know and trust in the forgiveness that has been earned for us through the cross and empty tomb. How can we not give thanks unto the Lord?
Except some find it a struggle. Are you one of them? Never quite happy with where you are in life. When you were young you wanted to be old. If you are now older, you want to be younger. Things just haven’t always gone your way, and God has to take some of the blame for that. There are those who struggle with this sad existence. It is hard to be around that negativity. It can take you down.
Prayerfully the Lord puts people in your life that lift you up with their gratitude. Or are you the gratitude lifter? Always appreciative of what you have. Giving God the thanks for your life and all the good that is a part of your daily existence. People notice. That is the kind of attitude they want to be around. The Lord does the lifting by using you and the words you use, the actions you do, the smiling disposition and the God Blessed way you show gratitude daily.
It should be easy, right? This attitude of gratitude. God gives it to us through His Son Jesus Christ. By being in God’s Word, we can grow in our thankfulness. By partaking of the Sacraments our gratitude will strengthen. God has placed the gift of salvation within our hearts. He has placed a song of praise within our mouths. As King David reminds us, “He has brought us out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay…and He has put a new song in our mouths, even a praise unto God.”
In 1941, Congress authorized a resolution that switched Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday of the month. No matter where it is, it is still a good day to thank the Lord our Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier. His Almighty hand is upon us. Let’s live it every day . . . an attitude of gratitude.
Amen.

November 24, 2024 Text: Jude 20-25

Dear Friends in Christ,

Wondering why that steak you enjoy continues to be expensive? It is because of all the Texas beef cattle destroyed in the fires earlier this year. The fires raged in the Panhandle during the end of February into March.
RFD-TV had a story about a month ago about how one rancher saved his property. He did it by burning all of the land around his property before the fires got to him. This charred land would not burn again, and he was kept safe. This tough West Texan did not vacate his home, and he was smart enough to know what to do to be . . .
“SAFE FROM THE FIRES”
What about us? How can we be kept safe from the fires? And what fires are we talking about? The fires of hell. The demonic powers are active and angry. Their hatred rages at the church. Then we live in a world that has bitterness and evil. Parts of society would like to burn our faith to a crisp. We can’t outrun these wicked powers. We can’t put them out and we can’t get away from them.
Someone knows the way of escape. His name would be Jesus. He is not a tough West Texan, but He is a Galilean, Middle Eastern descent. He took on the fires of hell. On a cross. On a Good Friday. The fires of hatred and evil raged . . . and Jesus suffered. Th fury of hell attacked, and Jesus died. The world did its worst to Him, and Jesus gave His life for us.
Now we have a safe spot where we can stand. The ground we walk on is protected by the Savior. The gates of hell cannot prevail against Him. Entrusting our lives to Jesus, the fires of Satan cannot touch us. The evil of the world cannot destroy us.
Like the wildfires, they may dissipate in one state, but they pop up in another. In our lives they are controlled, but we still need to get away from the smoke and flames. Get down on your hands and knees, crawl with me and listen up.
False teachers still blow a bunch of smoke. “Who needs Jesus, there are other ways to salvation.” “Look to yourself. Your strong, bright, articulate. All you need is you. You can do it.” The problem is they leave Jesus out. When you leave Jesus out, you get burned.
Pontificators continue to breath in the smoke and it’s fogging their brains. We can have abortion on demand, and nobody gets hurt. We can have biological males in the locker rooms and in the sports and it’s still fair. You want to cry about an election, because you are so fragile that you need a safe space. It is all a smoke screen perpetuated by those who have their trust in a god apart from the one true God.
The devil tries to burn you with discontent. He adds the accelerant that has you questioning about where your life is. Selfishness flares up. Anger boils up.
Enough. Enough. The flames deceive us. The flames want us. It is dangerous and we can easily get burned. Like the fire investigator who has to think like the fire, we have to use our wisdom to know where to turn.
The Holy Spirit reminds us of the ground we stand on. It is not blackened, burnt grass. It’s not a scorched earth. Just the opposite. It’s teeming with life, new life.
You see, Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive. He is with us. He looks with mercy upon His church. This safe haven in the midst of the fires give us blessings beyond compare. Truth. Faith. Prayer. Love. Protection. Glory. Power. Joy. And the most joyful, we are seen by God as those without fault because of Jesus.
Here in the safety of the church, He gives us each other. Together, we are better. He tells us to be merciful to those who doubt, to those who are being pulled toward the fire He tells us to reach out and snatch anyone who is getting close to those deadly flames.
How can we do this? Our text says, “build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” (v. 20). A kind word. Encouragement when life is difficult. Help in time of need. Stop looking at the fires out there so much and look at each other. What can be done to help someone in their faith walk?
Pray. Pray for yourself and for others. Pray we all stay close to Jesus. We have seen people drift from our safe haven and at some point, you get singed and maybe engulfed with flames that at one point in your life you were protected from. Pray we stay fixed on the truth of the Bible.
Stand up and hate evil and corrupting influences. It is hard to do the right thing when it seems as if the rest of the world doesn’t care. This is what I love. It is an opportunity to be a shining light. Be counted.
You can play with fire. But as Holden knows all too well, it can bite back and fire is as hot as . . . well you know. The Lord is our protection. Step into the gear of His grace and mercy and love. He died. He rose. The church is on the way to the Promised Land and isn’t it nice to know . . . we are safe from the fires.
Amen.

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.