Sermon Texts

January 12, 2020 – Baptism of our Lord                                       Text:  Isaiah 42:1-9

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Back when newspapers were the most important way to communicate news and happenings they would sometimes have two editions.  One was the regular edition of the paper but then they would put out an “extra” edition of the newspaper.  Young people would stand on the corners, especially in the big cities and yell, “Extra!  Extra!  Read all about it!”  Then a brief description would be given.  “Pearl Harbor Bombed!”  “Full Surrender Brings War To An End!”  “President Shot in Dallas!”  “Man Walks on the Moon!”

            In text for this morning God is coming to us with an “Extra!  Extra!  Read All About It!”  He begins by saying “Behold.”  Behold is a transitive verb that means to see or look.  The Lord wants us paying attention to His message.  He ends our text with “I tell you of them.”  He is getting our attention.  Are we ready to behold?  “Extra!  Extra!  Read All About It!” 

“GOD’S SERVANT BRINGS RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THE NATIONS”

            What a mission that is.  The Servant comes to bring “justice” to the nations.  For us that means as guilty sinners we can be declared “not guilty,” “righteous.”  This is because the Servant is bringing a new “covenant” for the people.  The “old” covenant is the Law, which all men and women have failed to keep.  Through the shedding of His blood on the cross, He establishes a new way for us to be acceptable to God.

            This Servant comes to be “a light for the nations.”  We can live some pretty dark times.  Our minds can be in some pretty dark places.  This Servant comes to be the light and a beacon of hope.  He comes to give sight to the blind and release to those in prison.

            What a servant.  This is the chosen One of God in whom He takes great delight.  We see this in our Gospel lesson at the Baptism of Jesus.  We all like to be uplifted by a parent and God the Father says this to His Son, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” 

            This Servant could only be Jesus.  God’s “Spirit” will be upon him.  He is righteous.  God’s “glory” is upon Him and no other.  Only the perfect Son of God could be the servant to carry out this mission. 

            This Servant comes in humbleness and mercy.  He is not blowing his own horn in the streets.  He is dealing tenderly with those who are hurting and broken – He is dealing with us.  He is not going to “grow faint or be discouraged.”  He will fulfill the task no matter how hard it is.

            Why does God make this special announcement to us?  Why does God in this text stand on the street corner and yell out for all to hear, “Extra!  Extra!  Read All About It”? 

            Because through this Servant He brings all that we need.  He brings justice – we need it.  We need breath – He provides it.  We need sight – He opens our eyes.  We need release as prisoners – He gives us the key.  We need forgiveness – He died for it.  We need eternal life – He rose for it.  Are you putting your hope in Him?  This Servant is for all the nations.  What about your neighbors and relatives and friends, your co-workers and your school classmates?  Are they putting their hope in Him?

            Jesus is the only way.  As we believe in Him and the work that He has done in our life, we join God in standing on the street corners and proclaiming Christ to the nations.  We, too, join God in yelling out for all to hear:  “Extra!  Extra!  Read all about it!  God’s Son has come and died for us on the cross so we might have eternal life.” 

            The evangelist Dwight Moody once spoke to a group and after his talk a locomotive engineer came forward.  He said he wanted to go to a foreign country to be a missionary.  Moody asked him if his fireman was a Christian.  (In those days steam locomotives needed someone to keep the fire ablaze.  That man was called the “fireman.”)  The engineer said, “I don’t know if he is a Christian, I’ve never asked him.”  “Well,” said Moody, “why don’t you start with your fireman.”

            Who close to you needs the hope that only Christ can give?  When we consistently and actively encourage others we live with joy and purpose.  Maybe we can’t stand on the street corner but we can use our God-given abilities to tell others of this hope we have in Jesus.  Don’t we want others to have what we have? 

            Epiphany is the revealing of Jesus as God’s Son and the only Savior.  To whom can you reveal Jesus?

                                                Amen.  

January 5, 2020 – Epiphany                                                                     Text:  Matthew 2:1-12

Dear Friends in Christ,

            As we celebrate Epiphany today let’s continue to debunk a couple of myths about this day.  First, this is one you hear me talk about all the time – we do not know the number of wise men who visited Jesus.  We just sang “We Three Kings” but that is just a number in a hymn.  There could have been an entourage of men or very few.

            The second myth perpetuated by manger scenes and greeting cards is that the wise men worshipped Jesus in the manger.  Verse 11 of our text tells us they went into “a house.”  No barn or feeding trough.  Just a nice bi-level for the carpenter and his wife and their new baby.  Oops, let’s not create another myth – nobody knows what style of home the first family lived in.

            What is clear is that these Magi from the East have come to worship Him.  The Christ Child – Jesus by name.  So do we.  With the Wise Men, on this Epiphany…

“WE HAVE COME TO WORSHIP HIM”

            Why?  Well along with the mistaken ideas about Jesus’ coming there are some even stranger ones that have circulated throughout the years.  Ever hear the one about Jesus turning mud into doves.  How about bringing a dead playmate back to life?  My favorite is this one – Jesus zapped dead a buddy who cheated in a game. 

            What we do know is that the first miracle Jesus performed was turning water into wine at a wedding in the town of Cana.  This did not happen until he was 30.  Jesus’ miracles were always acts of kindness.  He wasn’t zapping people dead.

            The biggest misconception of Jesus has been the one that has now gone on for centuries.  He is a great religious teacher and prophet who espouses love to one another.  That is partly true but does not reach into the realm of who He really is.  The Bible says there is so much more.  There would be no need for worship and our gathering here today if he were just a prophet that is here today and gone tomorrow.

            What did the Wise Men think of Jesus?  “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” (v. 2) 

            Word of their arrival quickly reaches King Herod.  He is a descendant of Esau and more than a little edgy about a legitimate “king of the Jews.”  When Herod gets edgy people die, including many in his own family.

            The other thing that upset Herod is that these Wise Men have come to worship Him.  Not only was He the crown prince of Israel, but the crown prince of heaven as well.  They have come to worship Him because they know who He really is.  Christ deserved to be worshipped then.  He deserves to be worshipped today.

            Why?  Why worship Him?  Because in His birth He took on human flesh, and his death he took all the sins of human flesh to the cross.  When he died, the sins remained there on the cross.  Now he lives, having arisen from the dead.  He is to be worshipped.  That baby is the Savior of the world.

            Herod couldn’t bring himself to worship Jesus.  He hated Jesus.  To acknowledge Jesus means we have to admit that we are sinners.  Can we do that?  Can you and I admit we are horrible human beings and we deserve death and hell on Judgment Day?

            Yes, we can do that.  We did it this morning in our confession.  We do it daily in our prayers.  You confess.  Jesus forgives.  The Holy Spirit lives in you and works in you.  He inspires your prayer life and your worship life.  Like the Wise Men you have come to worship Him.

            There in the home they fell down and worshipped Him and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  One day Jesus would hang on a cross robed in a glory gold can never show, sending forth into heaven a prayer that frankincense could never carry, buried as a sacrifice myrrh could never make sweeter.  They are grand gifts to be sure, but they do not compare to the greater gift Jesus would offer.

            Jesus has a gift for you.  It is the gift of forgiveness.  It is the gift of salvation.  It is the gift of eternal life.  All for free.  A gift paid for by His sinless death on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead.

            So we come to worship and we also bring our gifts.  We offer up our prayers.  We lift our voices.  We bring our offerings in joy.  In the eyes of Jesus these gifts are as precious as gold and frankincense and myrrh. 

            In humbleness Lord, accept our worship this day.

                                                                                                            Amen.    

December 29, 2019                                                                     Text:  Matthew 2:13-23

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Toni needs your prayers.  For those of you visiting Toni is my wife.  I am a planner.  I come from a lineage of planners.  I do not like it when things don’t according to plan especially when I vacation.

            After last year’s winter, I know it is hard to remember it after this week of beautiful weather, I told Tone that this winter we needed to go south for my mental health.  What was especially hard last winter was all the ice/snow we got on Sunday mornings.  I knew coming into this January/February time period I would need a break.  Other than the week we are going we are not making plans, yea, it’s true.  We are going to drive where it is warm.  We don’t know where we will lodge.  We don’t know what activities are on the agenda.  We do know we are going together and it will be south of here even if North Dakota hits 80 degrees that week.  Thank you in advance for your intercessions.

            Joseph and Mary had plans.  After the visit of the wise men, they planned to return home to Nazareth.  The Lord sends a dream and the plans change.  Will it be for their good?  Let’s travel along and see if God knows what He is doing.

“ACCORDING TO PLAN”

            The plan as revealed in a dream is for Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus to travel to Egypt, which is 175 miles southwest of Jerusalem.  Instead of heading north to Nazareth they are sent another direction.  This is no small change.  Going this far on foot is going to take days and weeks.  What is the reason, Lord?

            According to plan God has a reason – Herod is searching for the child to destroy him.  They need to get out of his jurisdiction.  They need to get to safety.

            Have you ever had to go miles out of your way?  I don’t like to go one exit out of my way, how about you?  How about in your life?  Does the Lord ever send you down a road you had no plan to go down?  A job shift.  An unexpected birth.  The death of someone close you didn’t see coming.  A diagnosis that ruins your plans?

            Herod’s plans changed when he heard from the wise men about Jesus.  His rage got the best of him and he knew Jesus had to die.  The thing is Herod was right but not according to his plan.  Jesus had to die but not because Herod willed it or because of a schedule Herod made.  It wasn’t until the fullness of time that it all happened.  It was God’s time.  It was God’s plan.  He had to die because of our fear when things don’t go the way we want.  He had to die when we suffer anxiety because our plans get messed up.  He had to die because of our unbelief when life goes off in a direction we just can’t comprehend.  Our lack of trust in God’s plan can lead us to some dark places.  Go to Egypt, come on Lord!

            Joseph trusted.  Joseph trusted the Lord.  Joseph trusted the plan.  The text is hard to read when we know of all the male children who were killed.  That was also part of the plan, even if we don’t understand it.  Why Lord?  Why let those young men die? 

            The blame does not fall on God.  Herod caused the anguish and death.  God was there.  God saw what happened.  In the midst of Herod’s wickedness the Lord was working on his plan of salvation for the world.  God is not the author of evil – man is – but God is always working to turn what is meant for evil into good.

            According to plan, the family makes it to Egypt.  According to plan, they eventually end up back in Nazareth.  According to plan, Jesus was saved because of God’s intervention. 

            We too are saved by God’s intervention.  His intervention led Jesus to the cross.  He allowed Jesus to die so that you and I might live.  His intervention led to a glorious resurrection.  His intervention has given us a plan for salvation.  His intervention has given us faith and an eternal future.  God is still active in human history.  He continues to lead babies and adults to the safety of His church through Holy Baptism.  He continues to feed and nourish His Church with His Holy Word and with the precious body and blood of His Son.  He continues to announce and give His forgiveness to all who confess their sins and seek His mercy.

            We do not always know where God is leading us, but we can be sure that He will be with us and His plans are for our good.  When Karson was 1 ½ we vacationed with my family on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  Remember again it is in the Lueck genes to plan.  We did.  We planned to take a day trip with my parents up the coast to Maine.  Seeing a part of the country we had not been to.  That night, Karson cried the whole evening.  In the morning, we had to take him to the doctor.  He had an ear infection.  After a dose or two of antibiotics, he was fine, but there would be no trip to Maine.  Plans changed.  We decided instead to spend the afternoon on Martha’s Vineyard. We had a glorious rest of our day.  We enjoyed the island and you couldn’t even tell that K-man had been sick.

            Lesson learned.  According to plan, we must be ready for things to change.  Why can we be so confident?  Because the one leading the way has given us the promise.  His plan of salvation through Jesus always gives us hope and direction.  May we all see daily where the Lord is leading us – according to plan.

                                                                                                                        Amen.

December 22, 2019                                                                   Text:  Matthew 1:18-25

Dear Friends in Christ,

            In Adult Bible Class we are doing a study on Joseph – the stepfather of Jesus.  I challenged the class to find hymns/songs that speak of Joseph.  In our hymnal you won’t find him in any of our Christmas hymns.  He does have a verse on saints in LSB #517.  There are a few songs on the Internet and one member e-mailed a song entitled, “It Wasn’t His Child.”  It has this line, “It wasn’t his child it was God’s child.”

            We don’t sing hymns about Joseph and there are no postage stamps of him holding the Christ child.  But Matthew begins the Christmas story with a Joseph problem.  What is he going to do about a wife carrying another man’s child?  Joseph is just living life and boom, in an instant, things change.  Have you had a Joseph moment?  Are you living a Joseph moment?  We are going to need some help here . . .

“THE CHRISTMAS PRESENCE OF GOD”

            Joseph and Mary are betrothed to each other.  It is like an engagement but in their cultural times it is different from ours.  P.E. Kretzmann explains:  “As a rule some time elapsed before a betrothed virgin was formally given in marriage and taken to her husband’s house…During this time (living together) did not take place, though the marriage contract was legal and binding…(Mary’s) situation was not only delicate, but the most distressing and humiliating which could fall to the lot of a pure maiden.  Knowing herself to be innocent of even the slightest transgression in deed, and fully convinced of the fact that her condition was due only to the supernatural working of the Holy Ghost, she nevertheless could expect no one to believe her defense, should she attempt one.”

            Then there is Joseph “being a just man” he wanted to divorce her quietly.  Keep it out of the papers and the town gossip.  He wished no harm on Mary.

            His wife is pregnant and he’s not the father.  This is a tough moment in his life.  And get this:  God designs all of it.  This is the Christmas presence of God.  He is in the womb of Mary.  Who in the world is going to believe this?

            Such a sweet and tender story, unless you are the one living it.  We know the outcome and so did God – before it happened.  It is the presence of God for the hard moments.

            Are you having a hard moment?  Or, is it moments?  They are part of the tapestry of living in a sinful world.  In spite of our optimism we travel from one difficulty to another – or so it seems.  Anyone here not have life push you up against a wall and maybe bash your head a time or two?

            Jesus told us, “In the world you will have trouble.” (Jn. 16:33)  Paul and Barnabas assured us, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22b)  Troubles…hardships…who wants to dwell on those?

            George Orwell observed, “Men can be happy only when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”  If being happy all the time is your goal in this world you are due for a crash.  Everything is fleeting.

            Why?  Because of our sin.  You and I have a terrible inability to live as God designed us to live – in perfect harmony with Him.  There is no “utopia” out there even as man continues his search.  Joseph must have felt this, do you?

            Look at the Christmas presence of God for Joseph.  He comes to him in a dream and tells him to take Mary home as his wife and she will give birth to a son and God gives him the name – Jesus.  This is the big reveal party.  It’s a boy and I’ve got his name.  Talk about the Christmas presence of God.  This child is going to save people from their sins.  The Presence of God enters this fallen and self-destructing world in the person and work of God’s only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.  Mary had this presence.  Joseph had this presence and did as the angel of the Lord commanded.  For legal purposes Jesus was Joseph’s son.  He would have other children and with the loving presence of God he would be a wonderful parent.  It all started here when it all looked so dark and dreary.

            When we have hard moments sometimes all we see are dark and dreary.  The future is cloudy.  What now Lord?  First, he forgives our sins and our doubts about His care.  He is there, even if we don’t always see Him.  To be forgiven gives us comfort as we hear the Word and partake of the Holy Sacrament.  The hard moments are only temporary.  You know as well as I do we don’t stay there forever.  An eternal home awaits where our eyes can see the presence of God.  Look the Lord.  I’m home!

            You may receive some wonderful gifts this Christmas – hey, look new underwear – but no matter how grand and glorious, even if it’s parked in the garage, nothing compares to the greatest present.  It is something with you every waking moment of your life – THE CHRISTMAS PRESENCE OF GOD.

                                                                                                            AMEN.

December 15, 2019                                                                          Text:  Isaiah 35:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Most of us have had the opportunity to see the country of Iraq as we have watched footage of war and violence.  The country is mostly barren desert.  You get a few splashes of green by the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers but Iraq is mostly dry, desolate wilderness.  It hasn’t always been that way.  The Tigris and Euphrates once flowed out of the Garden of Eden.   Paradise probably once flourished where Iraq now sits.  But Adam and Eve were driven out by their sin and the great flood showed God’s judgment and changed the landscape.

            Today the prophet Isaiah will take the lead as we see how . . .

“GOD RESTORES OUR RUINED WORLD WITH NEW LIFE”

            There is trouble in our text.  This wasn’t how Judah’s world was supposed to be.  Israel was a ruinous desert and the streets of Jerusalem were deserted.  Their world was ruined because of their sin.  They kept worshipping false prophets and they weren’t listening to the prophets, including Isaiah.  The destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC was violent and devastating.  The Jews were banished from the land because of sinful behavior.

            We too have trouble in our world.  Pollution and natural disasters indicate a world in decay.  Blindness and deafness and birth defects affect the quality of life for many.  Cancer and heart disease and chronic pain further indicate the fallen world we inhabit.  Add to this our “living for pleasure and power” over the peace and forgiveness of Jesus and we are in the middle of a mess.

            The ruin of our world is judgment on our sin.  From the time Adam and Eve knew better than God, creation has broken down.  Banished from the Lord’s sight.  Death and decay all around.

            But God restores our ruined world with new life.  God brought renewal for the people of Judah.  The wilderness and wasteland would blossom and rejoice with streams of water and new growth.  “They shall see the glory of the Lord.”  The blind will see, the ears of the deaf will be opened and the lame will leap like a deer.  These promises were fulfilled in Christ’s coming.

            This new life was a sign of God’s forgiveness and presence in their world.  God would come to save his people when Jesus suffered the vengeance of God for all the sins of all the people.  Instead of casting them out, He would come in strength to take away their fears.  The exiles would return on the “Way of Holiness.”  The ransomed and redeemed would return.

            God will restore our ruined world with new life.  When Jesus returns on the last day God will make a new heaven and a new earth.  A river of life will spring forth from the throne of the Lamb.  The life-giving waters of Holy Baptism are turning us into new men and women, forgiven, and redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  There will be no more death, disease, or pain in the renewed earth.

            This new life is a sign of God’s forgiveness and eternal presence in Christ.  The Lord will wipe every tear from our eyes.  We will enter the heavenly Jerusalem and walk the streets of gold.  Christians from all nations will enter the city whose gates are never shut.

            Most of us have seen a sports movie or two in our days.  What is the one thing they all have in common?  The pep talk.  Whether The Rookie or Hoosiers or Facing the Giants or The Mighty Ducks.  The team is losing and down in the dumps and here comes the coach or a father or even a girlfriend and they give some inspiring talk about courage and not giving up.  Then it happens.  The comeback, the determination seemingly out of nowhere and the sweet, sweet victory.  The underdogs win and somebody gets carried from the field or basketball court.

            Do you ever wish that could be your life?  Your world is up and then it’s down and you don’t want to face the next day.  But wait, here comes someone, yes, I believe it is your life pep talker.  Give it to me, pep talker!  And they do.  You are so inspired you that you ace that test you dreaded, you impress your co-workers with your jaw-dropping presentation or you throw your walker away and start skipping down the hallway.  Is it all a movie?

            The reality is we have a God who comes alongside us when the odds are against us, and by the power of His Word he gives us the strength and courage to keep going in life.  God gave this pep talk to the Jewish exiles in our text.  And it is the best kind of pep talk, because he is not telling them what they can do, how they can “win one for the Gipper.”  He is telling them what He will do for them.  It is the same message we hear today:  “Be strong; fear not…your God…will come and save you.” (v. 4)   The desert is restored and the world is renewed with new life.

                                                                                                                                    Amen.      

December 8, 2019                                                                           Text:  Isaiah 11:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

            When you are a fan of the University of Illinois football you expect defeat rather than victory.  Coming into this season you just wanted see some competitive gridiron action.  Earlier in the season they stood at 2 wins and 3 losses but I told Karson I felt good about their chances against Michigan because they usually play Michigan well even if they don’t win.  Well, they lost.  The next game on the schedule was Wisconsin.  They were undefeated and ranked #6 in the nation.  In their history Illinois is not competitive with Wisconsin.  That week I told Karson this, “Illinois has zero chance of winning this Saturday.  None.”  For most of the three hours on that Saturday it looked like my prediction would ring true.  Then plays start happening that you can’t explain.  I still have the game on DVR if you want to come over and see.  On the last play of the game Illinois kicked a field goal and beat the cheeseheads from the north.  The improbable, no the impossible happened.  They went on to win three more games and today will find out what bowl they will go to.

            Friends, I have witnessed the impossible – remember I am a lifelong Cubs fan.  One night in Cleveland changed lives and a franchise.  The improbable, no the impossible happened.  It is improbable this sermon will go past ten minutes, but remember it’s not impossible.  I wonder how long I would have to preach before one of you would stand up and shout, “He’s either sick or out of his mind!”  Mmm . . . I wonder if I should try it someday.  Improbable, but not impossible.

            Come on along as together we see that . . .

“THE IMPROBABLE IS POSSIBLE”

            In our text from Isaiah a most improbable kingdom is described.  Wolves and lambs live together?  A child plays over the hole of a cobra?  A calf and lion together and a little child is leading them?  Improbable, impossible we say, but is it?

            What if provision were made for the improbable to happen?  God provided for the improbable and made it possible.  A shoot comes out of a seemingly dead stump.  It seemed improbable but God brought David’s kingly line out of exile and back to Jerusalem.  This kingly line found its full growth in the birth of Jesus.  He was a physical descendant of Jesse and David, the “shoot from the stump of Jesse.”  The child born in Bethlehem was improbable but God made it come to pass in history.

            In Jesus God makes provision for the most improbable act of all, making saints of sinners.  Isn’t it improbable to consider us candidates for inclusion in heaven?  We are self-righteous filthy rags.  We think that just being a confirmed Lutheran gives us a free pass to the perfection of the eternal.  John the Baptist calls us out “you brood of vipers” – we are snakes.  When will we strike with a coarse word here or a cold shoulder there?

            It may seem improbable for sinners to become saints, but it has actually happened because a loving God has made provision for the improbable.  God counts us righteous and holy through faith in Jesus.  His sacrifice on the cross changed our filthy rags to white robes of righteousness. 

            In Jesus God makes provision for his improbable kingdom to be previewed in the church.  In the Christian church God draws us together as a unified people through our Baptism into Christ.  In the church we are safe because the cross heals and mends all our wounds.  In the church God leads people of all kinds to live in harmony.  Wolf and lamb, calf and lion, cow and bear and dare I say it – cardinal and cub.  Our harmony is imperfect, we must admit, but in our unity around the cross of Christ we make a powerful witness to the world of the transforming power of the Gospel.

            The improbable promise of a future perfect kingdom gives us hope in our present troubled times.  A kingdom is coming when all will be set right.  The wicked will not prosper, the loudest voices will not rule, the misguided will not be listened to.  Until then, we hold up the Gospel for all to see.  We take the improbable body and blood of Christ, another provision of God, to live in a remarkable way – as forgiven sinners who know the path of salvation.  Is it improbable for us to live as God’s saints?  Not with God on our side – the improbable is possible.

            Well, the impossible is not going to happen today.  This sermon is going to end at its usual appointed time.  But always keep this in the back of your mind as you sit in that pew week after week – the improbable is possible.  You saw it today – thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.

                                                                                    Amen.