Sermon Texts

June 2, 2019 Text: Revelation 22:12-20
Dear Friends in Christ,
It is vital for all forms of life. It affects our metabolism and respiration.
Depending on body size, 55-78% of our bodies are made up of this. We need 1-2
gallons of this to sustain bodily functions on a daily basis. 19% of this is found in
our foods. We use it for transportation and power and 70% of the fresh kind is used
in agriculture. This morning you took a shower in it, washed your teeth with it and
drank it down in your coffee, OJ, or hot chocolate. It might be a little hard to talk
about with all the precipitation we’ve had, but talk about it we shall. By now, you
have the answer . . . it is water . . . cool, clear, water.
This morning’s text is from John’s Book of Revelation and while I have
parishioners tell me they don’t always understand the whole book, today’s message
about water is one we can understand. We need it. God provides it.
“COOL, CLEAR, WATER”
How many of you know Leonard Slye? Leonard was part of a singing group
in the 1930’s named “Sons of the Pioneers.” A member of that group, Bob Nolan,
wrote a song in 1936 about a man, his mule Dan, and a mirage in the desert. That
song was titled, “Cool, Clear Water.” That song has been so popular over the years
that it has been recorded by Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, and
Fleetwood Mac.
In the song the man and his mule need water. They are in the desert and
they are parched. Do you ever feel that way? Our thirst is usually a short duration.
Have we ever suffered from deadly thirst? We say things like, “I’m gonna die, if I
don’t get some water” or “My mouth is so dry, I can barely talk.” We are good at
drama, aren’t we? But have we really been that close to withering away because of
our lack of liquid hydration?
Sometimes we try to quench our thirst with the wrong things. A few are
mentioned in our text. “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually
immoral and the murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices
falsehood.” (v. 15) We may spend a lifetime trying to quench our thirst and we
continually turn on the wrong faucet.
For our thirst we need, cool, clear water. The water offered in verse 17, “Let
the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without
price.” This water Jesus makes available from a very deep well – the reward he
earned by His death and resurrection. This water is fresh and wholesome, for
everything that Jesus offers is the highest and the best. In this case the water is the
coolest and the clearest.
Jesus offered this water to the Samaritan woman in John 4. We have drunk
deeply of this water when it was poured on our body and soul at Baptism.
This is water that Jesus offers freely to all. It is as near to us as His Holy
Word, which proclaims to us the saving work of Christ. It is offered regularly with
the bread and wine, body and blood of the Holy Supper. This Word and this
Sacrament quench our thirst, keep us alive and sustain us as God’s people until Jesus
comes again.
Earlier I asked if you knew Leonard Slye? Well . . . How about we try the
name he changed to when he left the “Sons of the Pioneers” and became an actor in
the movies . . . Roy Rogers. Aah, you say, I know that name. Do you also remember
his television show? Once he had corralled the bad guys he would sing the song,
“Happy Trails.” Life isn’t always going to be happy trails. You have experienced
enough saddle sores and dust in the face to feel dehydrated and lost.
Our Lord doesn’t leave you there imagining an oasis in a desert drear. He
provides it now with his hydrating love and mercy and grace. He showers His
forgiveness into every crevice of your body so that sin can no longer cling to you.
When feeling like a dried up well, Jesus primes the pump so that the water of life
will engulf you. Man, that feels good.
There are blessings for the people of God, who make their way through this
life until the their Lord comes again, well-supplied with the cool, clear water of life.
Amen.

May 19, 2019                                                                                     Text:  Acts 11:1-18

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Before I share this true story with you, I need to say that Toni and I may not be Mr. and Mrs. today if this had happened to us.  Here is what transpired.

            In October 2017, a stray dog crashed a wedding.  A couple named Matheus and Marilia were getting married in Brazil.  They planned an outdoor wedding but rain forced them under a tent.  Unfortunately for the guests, the storm brought a dog.  They tried to get the dog to leave but he kept coming back.  Then he did the unthinkable plopped right down on the bride’s dress during her vows and went to sleep.  Surprisingly, the bride left him there.  I think she was too frightened to move!

            This wasn’t the only “dog” that crashed a wedding.  Our text from the Book of Acts leads us to this Scriptural truth . . .

“SALVATION FOR ALL – EVEN GENTILES”

            The Jews thought the Gentiles were dogs.  They had other names for them – heathen, outsiders, reckless.  There was not a lot of love between these two groups.  That is why the Word concerning the Gentiles and Peter’s vision was so shocking.  This meant they – the Gentiles – could be part of the wedding of Jesus and His bride, the Church!

            This shouldn’t be so shocking.  Recall what God said to Abraham:  “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” (Gen. 17:5b)  Then there was the parable Jesus taught about the wedding feast.  The invited Jews wouldn’t come so Jesus explained the king sent his servants to find other guests on the roads and bring them so that the wedding hall would be filled.  And it was filled, even with Gentiles.  Those stray, unclean dogs!

            This was the thinking of the Jews.  They let Peter know, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (v. 3)  Don’t you know you don’t do that?  They are Gentiles and we are Jews?

            But God included them.  The Gentiles were on the guest list and there would be room in heaven for them.  Peter had to explain through his vision and he gave evidence of the word of Jesus and then look what happened.  They were convinced.  They allowed for the dog.

            Our concluding verse tells us:  “They glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.’”  (v. 18)  This was a bombshell and it shook the world back then.

            God’s Word is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Because of that listen to this from the Book of Romans:  “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.  For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Rom. 10:12-13)  Christ died for all.  The sins of the whole world were nailed to the cross.  Salvation is for all.

            Now that is big news.  I must admit it.  There will be Packers and Cardinal fans in heaven.  There will be people who right now hate Jesus and the Church and His Word and they will be singing with us around the throne of the Lamb.  How do I know this?  Ever heard of Saul?  Maybe you know him a little better as the Apostle Paul.  Scripture says he was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.”  (Acts 9)  Just think if he had a blog today.  What would he be saying about us Christians?  It wouldn’t be kind.  But the Lord loved him and changed his heart.  Do you join with me in looking forward to meeting him in your heavenly home?

            I know people on the outside of the Lord’s Church can bother us.  I try to remind myself that they are misguided just like Paul was.  Why do the agnostic and atheist fight so hard against Christ if they don’t believe in Him?  It’s because there is a flicker of something bigger than them or they ponder the world and how it got here.  The Lord hasn’t given up on them.  Love them.  Pray for them.  Put it in the Lord’s hands, He can do the rest.  Doesn’t the Bible make this promise:  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  It sure does!

            Remember the wedding crasher?  It seems the dog came and went.  The reception went on as planned.  The dog finally disappeared.  But days later, the couple found him . . . they cleaned him up . . . adopted him . . . and named him Snoop.  Who would have thought?

            Then again, who would have thought the Lord would find us, clean us up, and adopt us into His family?  Who would think the Lord would give us a place at His table?  We commonly pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest . . .”  But we don’t make up the guest list.  We are always Jesus’ guests at the heavenly banquet table, always by His grace in giving His life for us.  He loves us strays – who would have thought?  He may just be bringing others guests to the table with Him.  But as you know . . . there is plenty of room for more.

                                                            Amen.

May 12, 2019                                                                                            Text:  Psalm 23

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Before worship today I help up a sign where the letters were altogether.  I wonder what you saw?  Many of you saw, “God is no where.”  But I wonder how many of you saw, “God is now here.”  Too often we focus on the negative.  When things go wrong in our life we figure God is no where.  We think He doesn’t care about us. 

            Our Psalm for today – Psalm 23 is that wonderful reminder that God does care for us.  God is here for us and always will be.  Sure, there are times we go our own way, drift from the Lord.  But the Good Shepherd doesn’t just let us roam freely doing whatever we want.  With the Psalm as our backdrop, it is a good day to ask . . .

“WANDERING SHEEP – WHO’S YOUR SHEPHERD?”

            For many of us this part of Scripture is a calming influence.  We hear, “I shall not want…lie down in green pastures…still waters…fear no evil…comfort me…my cup overflows…dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Doesn’t the heart stop racing?  The anxiety grinds to a halt.  The nerves relax. 

            But why do we need this calming influence?  Because we are dirty sheep.  Laura Ingalls Wilder in her book Farmer Boy had a chapter called “Sheep Shearing” in which the protocol is described.  First, the sheep need a good washing.  What comes to us as nice, soft wool starts out as filthy and muddy.  Once cleaned you better shear them right away or they are going to get dirty all over again.

            That is because sheep love to wander.  Sheep can also be headstrong and stubborn and not too keen on listening.

            Does any of that sound familiar?  Aren’t we as Christians good at picking up dirt?  How often do our actions and words reflect our non-Christian neighbors?  Instead of being content with our green pasture, we want bigger lawns and a nicer house on a beautiful street where all the neighbors are friendly.  We value our friends’ envy above our Lord’s goodness.  Instead of trusting God to vindicate our enemies, we smear them and speak evil against them and gloat when they stumble.  This why we confess our sins daily and weekly in the public worship.  As sheep we keep getting dirty and dirty again.

            We also wander.  We wander from God’s truth when influenced by friends or media or interest groups.  We push God away when a hurtful death occurs or a loved one rejects us.  We wander from His Word and Sacrament because we just cannot understand how this is the richest table anyone could spread before us.  Wandering sheep – Who Is Your Shepherd?  Isaiah said it well, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” (Is. 53:6)

            In order to solve this for you and I God had to do something radical.  The Shepherd of Israel, took on flesh and became the Lamb.  Jesus – the Lamb of God washed our dirt away with His blood.  When we wandered away, He searched for us.  His search took Him to a lowly virgin in Nazareth, to a humble cave in Bethlehem, and to a lonely Friday afternoon outside Jerusalem where the Shepherd died.  He conquered our willfulness by yielding his own will to that of the Father.

            The Shepherd became a lamb.  With His resurrection on the third day, the Lamb has become our Shepherd.  We might even say at our congregation – He is our Good Shepherd!  He feeds us in the pasture of His Word.  He leads us by the still waters of Baptism.  Our cup runneth over as He feeds heavenly bread and the cup of life.  Sheep, who could be in want, with the Shepherd providing all of this?

            To think this Shepherd loves us in spite of Him knowing us so well.  Our horrible thoughts, reactionary behavior and the stink of sin that surrounds our person.  Pew wee!  This wonderful Shepherd still feeds us and leads us and guides us through all the up and down spots in our life.

            Little by little, as we feed on his love and stay with his flock, He breaks our wandering and our stubbornness.  He makes us His servants who love and obey and trust in the Shepherd above all things.  We give so others won’t be in want.  We act as a calming agent for friend or family because of our faith.  We display goodness and mercy in a world that seems to love the opposite.

            Hopefully the next time you see a sign like I held up earlier, you will notice right away that “God Is Now Here.”  As we come together as His flock, the Shepherd is here now.  He speaks, we listen.  He leads, we follow.  We have His promise that He will keep leading “all the days of our life” until we “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

                        Amen.    

May 5, 2019                                                                                       Text:  John 21:1-14

Dear Friends in Christ,

            The Day Jesus Fixed Breakfast.  I like a good breakfast, how about you?  Ever since I could sit down with a bowl of cereal, a pop-tart and the sports page at age 4 I have enjoyed the first meal of the day.  Breakfast provides nutrition for the day, helps you to wake up or for you early-risers it might provide some stimulating conversation before your day begins. 

            Jesus too knows the importance of this meal.  It happens on a shore of the Sea of Tiberias better known as the Sea of Galilee.  It involves a group of men who are still grappling with a resurrected Savior and their place in His Kingdom.  This Savior is ready for a third revealing on…

“THE DAY JESUS FIXED BREAKFAST”

            Peter wants to go fishing.  It is time to get back to the routine of life.  Six disciples join him for a night of fishing “but that night they caught nothing.”  They had plans, but nothing happened. 

            You know, we put a lot into this world.  We expect a lot back.  We might get some moments of excitement and elation and an honor or two but the sacrifices are astounding.  We could say this:  without Christ there is nothing.  How many honors or trinkets can be loaded in a casket?  People have been hauling garbage out of Egyptian pyramids and tombs for centuries.  Nothing from them made it to “the other side.”  Nothing.

            Malcolm Muggeridge made this interesting observation:  “I may, I suppose, regard myself or pass for being a relatively successful man.  People occasionally stare at me in the streets – that’s fame.  I can fairly easily earn enough to qualify for a higher tax bracket of the IRS – that’s success…It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently heeded for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time – that’s fulfillment.  Yet I say to you – and I beg you to believe me – multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing – less than nothing…measured against one (drink) of the living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who they are.”

            On The Day Jesus Fixed Breakfast the first glimpse of the resurrected One came with no identification.  The boat was 100 yards out and the light of the day was still dim.  He addresses them as “children” an endearing term for these rugged anglers.  They have no fish but after a quick encouragement from Jesus the haul is so large it can’t be brought in the boat.

            Here’s what we must remember:  Jesus doesn’t take away the troubled moments of life…He doesn’t stop the tragedy.  He sees the sin – something we blabbed that a friend told us in confidence, undercut a co-worker, lied to our spouse, failed a child, not followed through on a promise, failed to live up to our profession of Christ.  What He does in these moments is this – He enters them!  He turns our nothing moments into something moments.  The Lord is everywhere entering people’s lives, even on a shore in the Middle East fixing breakfast.

            Jesus provides a miraculous catch of fish.  The thing is. . . did you catch this?. . the breakfast was already on the fire.  “Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.” (v. 13)  He served them – just as He served and serves us in the Word – in Baptism – in His Supper.

            Why did He do this?  Why feed these men who argued about “the greatest” in his presence?  Why provide breakfast for these disciples who often failed to understand what he was saying?  Why be IHOP to these weak human beings who couldn’t stay awake for one hour?  Why quench the appetite of ones who abandoned him and denied him and locked themselves in fear because of him?  Why fix the breakfast?

            Why?  We know why.  He fed and comforted those disciples for the same reasons He feeds and comforts us.  Because they were and we are sinful, helpless and in need.  Because He loved them, as He loves us.  Because we have need for His love and forgiveness and assurance, and that’s exactly what He feeds us in the Word and Sacraments. 

            The Day Jesus Fixed Breakfast is the day He once again underscored His love, mercy, and forgiveness for fearful, lowly disciples.  That is why He stepped out of the tomb and put a lock on the death and hell we deserve.  That is why He called the world-weary disciples to leave their nets and continue following Him.

            He does the same for us.  Something smells pretty good. . . what is that a fire on the shore? . . . food for my world-weary soul . . . I have to get out of the boat, there is work to do . . . first, I need to by fed by my Savior. 

            And that is what happened to the first disciples and to you and I . . . THE DAY JESUS FIXED BREAKFAST.

                                                AMEN. 

April 28, 2019                                                                              Text:  Revelation 1:4-18

Dear Friends in Christ,

            It is that time of year when different media outlets try to question who Jesus is, what He did and if He was really resurrected.  A few shows I saw just this past week were “The Real Jesus of Nazareth” and “The Lost Years of Jesus.”  With church attendance going down and down at least they are still talking about the Savior.  The debate continues to prove that the Lord is alive and well. 

            The disciples’ witness of Acts 5 proves that even under threat of death and prison they could not stop telling what God had done.  Peter and the apostles answered the authorities with this, “We must obey God rather than men.  The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior…we are witnesses to these things.”

            Today with John’s Book of Revelation as our backdrop we take comfort in knowing that Jesus is . . .

“ALIVE FOREVERMORE!”

            Some 60 years after the witness of the apostles only John still remained alive.  Almost 100 years old he was exiled to the island of Patmos because of his testimony about Jesus.  Here is a portion of our text:

            “Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood . . . ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (v. 5 & 8)

            Why does the world have such a hard time believing the resurrection even after all the eyewitness accounts?  Because people know that the resurrection of Jesus calls for repentance.  They don’t want to admit or recognize that someone died in their place or had to die in their place.  They don’t need Jesus and feel like they are doing o.k. on their own.

            What about us?  We too would like to think sometimes that we are o.k. on our own.  I can handle this.  I can take care of this.  Is it a family problem?  A health problem?  A recurring sin problem?  We have experience and know that this type of thinking just makes things worse.  We need the One who has freed us from our sins.  We need the One who is the Alpha and the Omega.  Like our culture we can’t fit Jesus into a box of our own thinking.  We can’t reduce Him to a category we can explain.  The Jesus of Scripture will not allow Himself to be limited by us.

            The apostolic witness is clear:  Jesus bodily rose from the dead.  That fact supersedes everything.  When John saw him, he said, “I fell at his feet though dead.  But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” (v. 17-18)

            Have you ever had the opportunity to watch a funeral director crank shut the lid of a casket?  Jesus has the key that opens every casket.  He will speak, “Come out of there.”  We will rise, just as He said. 

            Yes, we die a real death.  Jesus also truly died – no one took His place.  He rose from the dead and is alive forevermore.  He will raise us and give us life that never ends.

            What proofs do we have of this resurrection?  The continued existence of the Christian Church for over 2,000 years.  The apostles who were martyred for their faith.  The eyewitnesses who touched him, saw him, ate with him.  It is a matter of public record that the grave was empty (Matt. 28:11-15).  No one went looking for the body.  None of the disciples ever changed their testimony.  Saul the persecutor was turned into Paul the Preacher.  The explosive growth of Christianity in the face of constant opposition.

            There is another reason and it is what we are doing right now.  Gathering for worship on a Sunday.  For centuries, Jewish believers gathered on the Sabbath, on Saturday.  Suddenly and without turning back, Jewish believers in Jesus began to worship on Sunday – the Lord’s Day.  What changed their deeply held practice?  Only something as fundamental as a real Sunday-morning resurrection from the dead.  Also, as we gather on Sunday believers for 2,000 years have been acting on the Lord’s command, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”  You and I join today that long line of believers who trust that behind forms of bread and wine there will stand, by the power of His Word, the living Lord Jesus Christ, giving us His body and blood.

            As the Church of Jesus Christ continues to be persecuted around the world and close to home we hear our Lord’s Words:  “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I died, and I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and hell.”  In the name of this Jesus.

                                                                        Amen.     

April 21, 2019 – Easter                                                                   Text:  Exodus 15:1-8

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Do you like to play the odds?  Odds of winning the multi-state power-ball?  One in 185 million.  If you are a high school baseball player the odds of making the majors?  One in 6,600.  Odds of being struck by lightning?  One in 3 million.  Odds of you listening to most every word of this sermon?  One in 10.  Take a look around who is that attentive human being?

            The most important “what are the odds” question is this.  What are the odds that a man, brutally beaten and then crucified by the Roman Empire, would come back to life?  No one is going to let you lay odds on that because it is astronomical.  But get this – it happened.  It really happened!  Christ is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!

            The goal of this sermon is for us to profess Easter and to possess Easter.  Easter happened.  That’s profess.  Easter is happening in me.  That’s possess.

            We wrap our Lenten sermon series today as we come to Exodus 15.

“AGAINST ALL ODDS!”

            The drama begins in Exodus 1:11 when we are told the Egyptians would be the slave masters of the Israelites.  They would make their lives bitter.  But it gets worse.  You may remember from the sermon on Ash Wednesday that the quota per day for the Israelites was 3,000 bricks – in the heat, all day, every day.  It gets worse.  When they flee the powerful Egyptian army chases them – there is going to be hell to pay.  It gets worse.  They complain to Moses, “Did you bring us out into this desert just to die?”

            Just when they are up against the odds our text states, “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.” (v. 4)  No wonder the Israelites sing in verse 2, “The Lord is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation.”  This is the first Hallelujah.  All of this is just a prelude and preview into the Bible’s greatest against all the odds story.

            People opposed Jesus early in His ministry.  Pharisees plot with Herodians.  Detractors think he is demon possessed.   Scribes test with Torah trivia.  His brothers ridicule him.  It gets worse.  Christ will have hell to pay.

            Once arrested, Jesus is bound, accused, blindfolded, and mocked.  But it gets worse.  They strip him naked and beat him into a bloodbath.  But it gets worse.  He is spiked to a tree for six hours.  He is crucified, dead, and buried.

            Just when everyone thought is was all over, the angel announced, “He is not here.  He has risen just as he said.”  Thomas for the ages, “My Lord and my God!”  Against all the odds, Jesus lives.  Hallelujah!  Again our goal is to profess Easter.  Easter happened.  That’s profess.  Easter is happening in me.  That’s possess.  What are the barriers to us possessing Easter?

            Maybe you grew up in a family that didn’t work.  Childhood is a haze and you are broken inside.  Your parents divorced or one had a mental illness.  Maybe you had a dad not around or a mom who controlled you.  You feel the odds are against you.

            Maybe you experienced a devastating loss.  Your spouse died.  Your marriage died.  Your child died.  Your mom died.  Maybe for some of you your dreams died.  You feel crushed.  You feel as though the odds are against you.

            Maybe you are crippled by a destructive habit.  Always on your phone.  Always critical of others.  Gambling.  Drugs.  Work.  Play.  Your problems have you looking around and thinking the odds are against you.

            Lee Capps knows about having the odds against him.  He was flying with a pilot friend when that friend had a heart attack.  It was Lee and the plane and an air traffic controller who told him, “Would you be interested in a flying lesson?”  Lee Capps brought that plane in like a drunk duck.  He was all over the place.  He hit it hard.  But Lee Capps walked away with only a few minor cuts.  Later, the air traffic controller was interviewed and asked if he thought Lee would walk away alive.  His answer, “Folks, Lee Capps made it against all odds.”

            I know.  God knows.  You have a lot of stuff going on in your life.  You are circling the runway and trying to land and your greatest fear is that you will crash and burn.

            Let me remind you of two honest-to-God facts.  Against all odds, Israel made it out of Egypt.  Better yet, against all odds, Jesus Christ is risen today.  We profess Easter with all our being.  We also long to possess Easter with every ounce of our being.

            Paul says we can.  “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11)  Through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, Easter can happen in us.  God promises resurrection for everything that looks so lifeless, so hopeless, so dead!  May the Holy Spirit make all of this real for you.

            In John 14:19 Jesus puts it this way, “Because I live, you also will live.”  Easter happened.  That’s profess.  Easter is happening in me.  That’s possess.  We live now and we will live forever.  We have a word for all of this.  What word would that be?

Hallelujah!

                        Amen.