Sermon Texts

November 29, 2020                                                                          Text:  Isaiah 64:1-9

Dear Friends in Christ,

            I am going to assume that almost all of us played hide and seek as a child.  Count to 10 or 100 and then go find your friend or cousin or sister.  Did you ever do this?  Decide you wouldn’t look for a person who was hiding.  Make them think you forgot about them. 

            Does God ever do that?  Our text from Isaiah says, “you have hidden your face from us.”  Really, is God hiding?  Ready or not, here I come . . .

“WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?”

            The prophet Isaiah is not painting a pretty picture this morning.  It is a prayer, but why in the world is he using the language he does.  “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down.” (v. 1)  Isaiah is praying that the storm of God would come down upon the whole sorry lot of us, enemies and allies alike, the whole scene that pits nation against nation, neighbor against neighbor, family against family.

            If God hides, if God take himself out of the picture, we all almost literally go to hell in a handbasket.  “We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (v. 6) 

            Did you notice that earlier in our service we prayed a prayer almost identical to Isaiah’s?  We prayed it a little more politely but it is just as powerful.  It was the Collect:  “Almighty God, Judge and King, the whole creation waits for your coming.  Come, Lord Jesus with your grace and fill our lives with your presence.  Use all of our time for your gracious purpose.”

            We prayed that we wanted the Lord’s presence.  We do not want Him to hide because He is angry at our sins.  We want God to deliver us.  We wait for God to deliver us.  Think of those who waited for God in the storms of their life.  Job had to be patient.  Jonah wanted some regurgitation as he waited in the belly of the fish.  Do you ever play hide and seek with God?  God where are you?  I’m a little lonely here.  I’m questioning my faith as I deal with this family problem.  God?  Hello?

            I don’t want to besmirch those who plan the Scripture readings for each Sunday but how many of you were thinking “Palm Sunday, Palm Sunday” as you heard the Gospel read?  Aren’t things a little out of order?  Except for this.  The God who is both hidden and revealed in this man named Jesus – born in a little town called Bethlehem, raised in an even littler town called Nazareth – never comes in the way we expect.

            The Gospel of Mark, which we are going to hear a whole lot over the coming year, shows how this God of Isaiah reverses our expectations of whom God is and what God should be doing in this person named Jesus.  When we think God is near, Jesus is far away.  When we think God is far away, Jesus is near.  When we think Jesus should enter to the sound of trumpets, he comes barefoot and half-naked.  When we expect Jesus to cower in a corner, he thunders with words that offend.  Jesus comes to overturn all our expectations about who God is and what God will do.

            We shout our “hosannas” one minute and then we are nailing Jesus to a beam of wood.  He is like a common criminal, yet He is hanging there for crimes He did not commit.  We can thank God for that, even when we don’t get what we want.  Because it means we won’t get what we deserve.  And when we finally get to the point when we realize that, we can see God as God truly is.  And Isaiah’s prayer becomes our prayer.

            Going back to hide and seek, did you ever play it with someone who always wanted to be found?  They had to make a noise or they might even scream out, “I’m in here.”  Maybe you were that child.  We can’t stay hidden, God has found us and He didn’t need our help either.  “But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (v. 8) 

            What a beautifully simple image.  The very hand of God molding and shaping our lives into a life we could never have on our own.  He blesses us like a clay pitcher and then the Lord uses us to pour out blessings on others.  He makes us vessels to do his work. 

            What do you expect?  He is not hidden at all.

                                                                                                Amen.  

November 22, 2020                                                              Text:  Matthew 25:31-34, 41

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Growing up I did not listen to many Frank Sinatra songs.  I knew who he was, his ties to the mafia and that Don Rickles liked to make fun of him.  As my musical listening expanded I started to enjoy some of his songs.  I especially enjoyed, “My Way.”  As God’s child who has always done his own thing, I could relate to the lyrics.  Do you remember this verse?

“And now, the end is near; And so I face the final curtain.  My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.  I’ve lived a life that’s full.  I’ve traveled each and every highway; And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”

            Are you ready for . . .

“THE CURTAIN CALL”

            Webster’s defines a curtain call as “an appearance by a performer (after the final curtain of a play) in response to the applause of the audience.”

            Jesus says in our text, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  Before him will be gathered all the nations…”  That is all of us.  It is the curtain call.  When our performance on earth ends, there is an evaluation of our performance.  It is the summons of God that no man can escape.  He evaluates us.

            Shakespeare wrote this in Macbeth:  “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more.”

            The curtain call is not an “if” but a certainty.  There is a foreboding in our world that grows day by day.  Even those who question the existence of God have to wonder where it is all headed.

            It’s the “when” of Christ’s return and not the “if.”  Dr. Francis Pieper wrote, “…certain as Christ’s visible return is, the exact time and hour of its occurrence is hidden, as Christ says:  ‘but of that day and hour knoweth no man, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matt. 24:36)  In vain, therefore, do men try to compute the time of His arrival.  They should however, carefully take note of the numerous signs of Christ’s return…which Scripture reveals.”

            Jesus goes on to say:  “Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.” 

            The Albrecht’s in their commentary on Matthew write:  “The whole point of the judgment is that some are saved and others are not.  This theme has been consistently presented throughout Jesus’ teaching ministry.  Although we live in an age that prizes diversity and tolerance, the sad truth is that not all people will be saved.  Some people will go to hell.  God “wants all men to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4), but the teaching of Jesus makes it clear that God will not get all that he wants.  God’s original purpose in creating hell was not to prepare a place for sinful people.  No, hell was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).  Nevertheless, the goats who are on the King’s left will join the devil and his angels in eternal flames..”

            The end of another church year draws us to end of everything of this world.  I want to be ready.  You want to be ready.  God wants us to be ready.  And please remember this – everything that is happening to this world is being directed by the great Triune God.

            God is the One who does the saving.  He makes the separation.  We are His sheep saved by the Good Shepherd.  Christ came to die for us so that we wouldn’t join the devil and his angels.  His resurrection declared us victorious in the blood of the Lamb.  Our Lord descended into hell to make that declarative statement to Satan.  He may win parts of the game, but our Savior always wins the championship.  You know that when you think of your own eternity.  You know that when the casket of a loved one is lowered into the ground.  You know that as you live out your Christian life in this world that mocks a return of Jesus.

            In Old Testament times, God sent Azariah to encourage King Asa.  He told him that if he seeks the Lord, the Lord would be with him.  If he would forsake the Lord the Lord would forsake him.  In that time in history it was written, “In their distress they turned to the Lord…In those days it was not safe to travel, for all the people of the lands were in great turmoil.  One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another…” (2 Chron. 15:3-6a)  Then God revealed this startling insight which has been lost on America and a lot of which calls itself “Christian.”  “God was troubling them with every kind of distress.  But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” (2 Chron. 15:6b-7)

            Isn’t that something?  He does that even today.  Troubles us.  Shakes us.  Wants our attention.  As a nation and as Christians.  But don’t miss the promise – “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

            As Jesus said about God “troubling” this world:  “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk. 21:28)  Well, it is.  The Curtain Call.  It’s closer than we think.

                                                                                                                                    Amen. 

November 15, 2020                                                                                   Text:  Matthew 25:14-30

Dear Friends in Christ,

            There are many ways to divide people.  We always hear there are two types of people in the world.  There are those who sleep late and those who get up early.  There are those who are patient at four way stops and those that aren’t.  There are those who enjoy conflict and those that want to get along.  There are those who cheer for the Cubs and those who back the Cardinals.  There are those who prefer air conditioning over a hot shower.  I still don’t get that one!

            Jesus has His own two types of people this morning in our parable.  We have two types of servants – those are that are faithful and those that are not.  It’s Stewardship Sunday and it is a simple question . . .

“WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR TALENT?”

            This portion of Scripture finds Jesus teaching about the end and He is doing it immediately before His Passion narrative.  Let’s briefly review the parable.  Three servants entrusted with five, two, and one talent.  Gifts received and now what will they do.  The five talent servant steps to the plate and makes five more.  The two talent servant takes his and makes two more.  The one talent servant who has also been gifted takes his and buries it.  Please note that the master was gone for a “long time.” There was time excuse for the behavior of the servants.  The master had been more than fair.  He insisted upon accountability but he showered the faithful with more blessings.

            What do we tend to do with this parable?  Many times we see ourselves in the servants.  Maybe you are sitting upright in the pew or your chair at home and thinking, “Yea, that’s me, the five talent servant.”  Or maybe you don’t want to be quite so bold so you think, “I used my talents pretty well, I am the two talent servant.”  Are there any who think, “Wow, have I wasted my life and talent.  I buried it a long time ago.”

            We will return to those thoughts, but let’s take a different angle. How about Jesus as the good and faithful servant?  All right, good job preacher.  Jesus was obedient to the Father.  Jesus was kind to the outcast and sinner.  Jesus is the faithful servant who fulfilled all of God’s promises.  He fulfilled the prophets of old and He fulfilled His resurrection promise.

            In that resurrection Jesus showed not only His servanthood, but that He was also Master.  He reigns over all things, including death.  His resurrection confirmed all of His promises and we still await the final one, His return on the Last Day. 

            The Master is faithful to us.  He is forgiving and merciful to those who trust Him.  He promises eternal joy to each of us.  He gathers us together to receive His gifts.  God makes us His good and faithful servants.

            We too are waiting for the Master to return.  What are we doing with our talents?  If we take God’s gifts and “bury them in the ground”, we act as if we’ve never been given them at all.  Kretzmann wrote, “There are few excuses so poor and so miserable in sound as those by which professing Christians attempt to evade work in the church.”

            The end of our story has yet been written.  We have been entrusted with the Master’s property.  This is already God’s act of grace that we as His servants are given property to use.  We have been brought into his service through our Baptism. We have received His Word and mission.  Whether 5, 2, or 1 the greatest gift we have been given is faith.

            We are being sent by the master to be “good and faithful” in our vocations.  We are being sent by the master to be “good and faithful” in our use of talents.  We are being sent by the master to be “good and faithful” in our use of financial resources.  His promise still stands as we, with the help of the Holy Spirit, fulfill our Christian commitments.  In faithfulness to the end we will “enter into the joy of your master.” 

            One more thing to take with you today.  The two faithful servants in the parable could have been helpful to the unfaithful servant by encouraging and supporting him.  We don’t see that they did any of that.  I invite you to be light for those in the darkness.  I encourage you to be an encourager to your fellow servants.  Let your faithfulness flow to another in your words and deeds.  They are watching more than you know.

            We have seen the two types of people – the faithful and the unfaithful. The master, the servant, the One intertwined throughout the whole parable is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Jesus is good to us and faithful to His promises.

            The master is coming back soon.  Come quickly, good and faithful Master.  Your servants are ready.

                                    Amen.     

November 8, 2020                                                                            Text:  Amos 5:18-24

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Do you ever think about who set the standards?  Who set the standard for the type of fuel our vehicles would need?  Who decided how much weight a wall could bear so that buildings don’t crash down?  Who set the standard for furnaces, air conditioners, refrigerators and that airplane you want to ride in?  I thought about all this because tomorrow I go for a colonoscopy.  Who came up with the common procedure to get ready and then perform this medical deed?  The last time I had this done, anesthesia was administered for the 20-30 minutes the procedure took.  I’ve always wondered who allowed themselves to be knocked out with this type of medicine the first time so that all the rest of us had a standard?  I picture this at the pharmaceutical company:  “Jones hop on the table and we will give you a dose.  Hope to see you when you wake up.”

            Aren’t you glad we don’t set the standards?  For the things I have mentioned we don’t.  But aren’t their times we have our self-conceived standards and people better fall in line?  Or we tell God what His standard should be?  It’s the Old Testament from Amos and we wonder . . .

“WHAT IS THE STANDARD?”

            Israel has a problem in our text.  They were smug in their estimation that they were achieving a great standard of godliness.  They looked forward to the Day of the Lord.  It would be a good thing because they were pleasing to God and their standard of living proved it. 

            However, Israel’s standards were self-made and they were failing miserably to achieve God’s standard.  His standard is perfect obedience to His holy Law.  They were going to experience judgment and not the blessings they expected. 

            They thought their worship was pleasing to God, but Amos tells them that their heart is not in it.  They lacked justice and humility and no matter how orthodox the ritual or how fine the music was, the worship was a hypocritical sham.  Corrupt worship would lead to corrupt living.

            Are we in tune with God’s standard for these New Testament times?  Jesus established our worship.  He comes with abundant blessings of life and forgiveness and salvation.  The standard was set in Baptism, in Absolution, in His Word, in Holy Communion. 

            Too many times we think we can worship apart from these means of grace.  Why can’t I commune with God on the golf course or lake?  I can receive His forgiveness while shopping or on vacation.  The Word is always available, so what if my mind is on how quick we can get out of here today.  I’ve been baptized, doesn’t that seal my faith for a number of years?  Shouldn’t I get a medal or some sort of recognition for my steadfastness in worship?

            The Divine Service is not something to check off your list.  God has established this eternal blessing so that your faith can grow.  Right worship leads to right living.  “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”  God’s people produce justice like the flow of a river.  Animals and plants need water to survive.  We need the gift of worship so that our faith grows and is strengthened.  The standard for us is Jesus.

            Jesus is the exact reversal of everything Amos uses to warn you concerning the Day of the Lord.  Repent of less than honest worship.  Repent of trying to set your own standards.  Repent of the corrupt living that comes from corrupt worship.  Repent and rejoice.

            Rejoice that on the cross, God’s justice poured out His wrath on Jesus.  Justice was served and every sin was punished.  God’s justice rolled over Christ so that His righteousness flows to you.  You have been baptized into the death of Jesus.  You have been baptized into the resurrection of Jesus.  The waters flow down to you from Jesus and roll down from you to serve your neighbor.  A new man daily emerges to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

            The next time you drive your car or go to the top of a tall building or have surgery or fly in a plane thank God for the standards that are set.  They are meant to protect you.  The Lord puts us in the shelter of His wings and protects us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.  Evil cannot overcome the Standard our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

                                    Amen.     

Nov. 1, 2020 – All Saints                                                       Text:  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a

Dear Friends in Christ,

            The date is October 28, 1989.  The time is afternoon.  The place is Oxford, Mississippi.  The Vanderbilt Commodores are playing the Ole Miss Rebels in an SEC football game.  Vanderbilt fullback Brad Gaines goes downfield for a pass near the goal line.  He jumps up to catch the pass and is hit in the back by Ole Miss safety Chucky Mullins.  Both players fall to the ground . . . only one of them gets up.

            Chucky Mullins had hardships in his life.  Both his mother and grandmother had died and a coach and his wife raised him.  Chucky enjoyed football and earned a college scholarship.  On this day Chucky couldn’t get up because he was paralyzed when he hit Brad Gaines.

            Chucky would be carted off the field, stabilized during surgery and eventually would do rehab in Memphis, Tennessee.  That is where the Ole Miss football team would find themselves in December of 1989 as they played in the Liberty Bowl.  As they went through warm-ups they starting hearing that maybe Chucky was coming to the game.  As they made their way back to the locker room, there he was, strapped in a gurney, unable to move from the neck down.  The team gathered round and Coach Billy Brewer asked if there was anything Chucky wanted to say to the team.  In a barely audible voice he said, “It’s time.”  The team then began the chant, “It’s time, it’s time, it’s time . . . it’s time.”

            All Saints Sunday.  The words from Ecclesiastes. 

“IT’S TIME”

            What is Time?  The dictionary says it is the interval, or period, between two events.  That interval is in our text, “a time to be born, and a time to die.”  Our time on this earth has an end.  How much time do you have?  None of us knows.  Whether by death or by Jesus’ return, our time is limited.

            As we ponder this, we Christians have opportunity to share our faith in Christ Jesus, who is Lord of all.  He is the beginning and end and holds all time in His hands.  Time was created by God and is only moving in one direction – forward.

            Chucky Mullins tried to move forward.  But he didn’t do it alone.  Brad Gaines, the player Chucky had hit was there.  Brad was a Christian as was Chucky.  If you have seen the play, like I have numerous times, you know that Brad Gaines did nothing wrong.  He just caught the pass.  But he was overcome by guilt by what had happened.  He needed to see Chucky.

            He was nervous.  He was anxious.  The time was arranged.  Both men cried.  Brad needed to hear that Chucky forgave him so he could let go of his guilt.  Chucky did.

            What about us?  Do we have some guilt to get rid of?  Do we waste God’s time?  I will study the Word later.  I will apologize to that person I offended later.  I will share my faith to my non-believing friend later.  No.  Now is the time.  You do not know how much time you have. 

            When you are sorry for your sins, come to the Lord in prayer, hear His Word, worship Him and trust in Him, He does not put you off ever.  He is there for you right now.  “When the fullness of time had come” Jesus was sent into our Time.  God’s Son is like us.  He has a birthday; He is fully human, born under the Law to redeem those of us under the Law.  Everything God does for our salvation is done.  It’s finished.  The dying in our place.  The overcoming sin, death, and the devil.  The rising at just the right time to secure our salvation.  Done, finished.

            And we can go into our future with confidence.  We are not there yet, like those we remember today.  We still live in a world of sin and death and broken relationships.  We do not yet fully enjoy the eternal life that Jesus gives us, but it is sure and certain, because it rests on His promises.  Rests on what He has done.

            Brad Gaines had this faith.  After being forgiven, he devoted a lot of his time to be with Chucky.  In rehab and recovery.  In conversation and transportation.  He spent time with Chucky.  Chucky would make some progress but in 1991 he would be back in the hospital in the intensive care unit.  Brad Gaines slept on the floor.  The day that eventually comes for all was upon them.  The doctor said to Brad Gaines, “It’s Time.”  Chucky was taken off life support and transported to life eternal, with no more paralysis on May 6, 1991.

            Brad Gaines knew the time the Lord had given him.  He made it his mission to visit Chucky’s grave on three occasions every year – May 6 – the anniversary of Chucky’s death; October 28 – the day of Chucky’s injury and Christmas.  He doesn’t just go and sit.  He takes bucket and scrub brush and cleaning supplies and he cleans Chucky’s grave.  Brad Gaines is using his time.

            Are we?  Do we glimpse the time we have?  “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”  May the Lord help you to use your time wisely and to use it for His Kingdom.

            The world and all its glories will pass away.  The Word of the Lord stands forever.  This is the Word you believe.  This is the Word that gives you eternal life.   You are ready when It’s your Time.

            It’s Time – because Jesus has done it all.

                                                                                    Amen.    

October 25, 2020 – Reformation                                               Text:  Romans 3:19-28

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Well, we’ve been at this for seven months now.  What fashion accessory have you added to your wardrobe?  If you said “mask” you just earned a reservation on the patio of your favorite restaurant in December – congratulations.  How many masks do you own?  I started with a hospital mask after a visit and now my collection numbers four.  Two work masks – crosses on cloth and two others for shopping and a night on the town.  The mask has become part of who we are.

            Have you enjoyed hiding behind your mask?  Head down, get what you need and get on with life.  Or has the “law” coming down on you and requiring the aforementioned face covering annoyed you?  Let’s take what we are experiencing and put it into our Reformation message.

“FREE TO LIVE UNMASKED”

            I am not making any kind of political statement with our sermon title, I am just thankful for the Holy Spirit’s leading which should help us understand these passages from Romans. 

            The Jews hid behind masks of their own making.  They needed to do the right things to merit the favor of a holy God, or so they thought.  Paul unmasks the Jews when he writes, “so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world held accountable to God.  For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (v. 19b-20)

            We too are unmasked.  Have you gone places without your mask and you get the disparaging look?  That is what the law does, it leaves us exposed.  We are naked before the judgment seat of God “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

            We wear masks for our protection and the protection of others.  That is why we have the Law.  But if we think the mask can keep us safe with no chance for infection, then it has become our god.  In the same way, if we think our own righteousness and good behavior can save us right into the safe arms of Jesus, we have let our sinful thoughts get the best of us.  The Law uncovers who we are as less than perfect human beings.  It cannot mask our need for the Gospel of Christ.

            God has revealed a new righteousness.  The proclamation is in the Law and the Prophets but it was “fleshed” out in Christ Jesus.  Christ has covered our sin.  We can stand bold and mask free before a gracious God.

            We can do this through the Lord’s grace.  It has always been about grace.  God’s Old Testament people looked forward to the final Sacrifice that was better than any that took place on their altars.  When Christ obediently gave his life on Good Friday, a literal mask was taken down when the temple curtain was torn in two and man and woman could come into the presence of a holy God.  Up to this point the temple curtain had masked them from the mercy seat of their Creator. 

            It is still grace, the means of grace, the Word and the Sacrament that allow us to take away our masks and come into the Lord’s presence.  He feeds us forgiveness and love and mercy and grace.  He welcomes us with open arms and we don’t need to follow an arrow on the floor but we walk confidently into a gracious hug that gives us a glimpse of the eternal hug that awaits us as His children.

            We are free to live unmasked before God.  We have no need of fear or uncertainty.  He even knows when the mask will no longer be part of our wardrobe.  He sees us only in the righteousness of Jesus.

            We are free to live unmasked before our neighbor.  We don’t need to pretend to be somebody we are not.  We simply boast in being God’s redeemed who know that the Lord is in control.  We confidently maintain this to all – our children, our spouse, our co-workers, our fellow students, our neighbor, our brothers and sisters in Christ here at Good Shepherd Lutheran.  It comes through in the way we worship and speak and serve.  “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (v. 28)

            Free to live unmasked . . . through Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                Amen.