Sermon Texts

June 23, 2019                                                                        Text:  Galatians 3:23-4:7

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Have you made your plans for the 4^th of July?  We all know what the 4^th is right?  The birthday of our country, Independence Day, July 4, 1776.  Rein in your minutemen, my Christian friend, that’s not quite right.

            July 4, 1776 was the birthday of 13 countries, which don’t exist anymore and were never formally named the United States of America.  Here is what the Declaration of Independence actually said:  “We…solemnly publish and declare that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States.”  Each had its own power to raise an army, conclude treaties, and elect a leader.  Not one, but 13 separate countries.  It wasn’t until 13 years later when “we the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union” wrote the Constitution, that we all became one.  This new government and Constitution went into effect in 1789.

            The holy Christian Church includes billions of souls, free and individual.  We are scattered in thousands of denominations.  We are diverse and independent and not always in harmony.  St. Paul writes in our text that we as Christians are all one in Christ Jesus.  How can that be?

“HOW CAN WE BE ONE IN CHRIST?”

            Christian churches are not all in agreement.  Thank you Pastor Obvious.  You see it among your family members and your friends.  You hear it from your co-workers and acquaintances.  We see it even among our brothers and sisters in our own Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

            Having been a Pastor in this Synod for almost 28 years I can say that we have had relative harmony the past few years.  It wasn’t this way when I was a non- gray hair Pastor.  But even now as I and our delegate Steve Parry vote for the synodical president and the church gets ready to meet in convention next month, we have some disharmony.  Not a lot, but Steve and I get mailings urging a vote one way or another.  This is because the church on earth is made up of individuals.  Sinful, I want things my way, human beings.  How can we be one in Christ?

            You Mr. and Mrs. pew sitter understand this.  Why?  Because something inside you tells you that you aren’t even one with yourself.  Are you always of one mind – in your own mind?  Don’t we all do things that we don’t want to do?  Haven’t we changed our minds about situations because we lived through them or were close to someone who went through something?  Do you really know yourself or are you just blowin’ in the wind?  What does it mean to say we’re all one in Christ Jesus when we’re not even one with ourselves?

            Inside every Christian believer there is a war between believer and unbeliever.  We are sinner and saint at the same time.  The struggle will not go away.  We are not as one with ourselves because the Christian can never be one with sin.  This is also why we are not one with other Christians because they have the same conflict going on inside themselves.  They may be glossing over a sin, not seeing a sin because of selfish motives or refusing to honor God’s Word on a certain subject.  All doctrine is not true.  Some is false.  God expects us to study His Word and declare to the world what we believe just like the reformers did. 

Isn’t this a little gloomy, Pastor?  There is hope.  Listen to the words of St. Paul in our text.  “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male nor female, for you are all on in Christ Jesus.” (v. 26-28)  We may look like a whole bunch of independent countries each going its own way, but beneath that, beneath it all, incredibly, the forgiveness we have by Baptism into Christ has formed a perfect union.

Wherever sin is forgiven, we are one.  Wherever sin remains – as in false doctrine – separation must remain.  But where sin is forgiven, we are one.

The beauty of that is that even with Christians from whom we must remain outwardly separate, we are one, because all true Christians – all who truly believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection has saved them – are forgiven, even those many believers who hold some teachings we find false.  We will not be visibly one with them because we cannot be one with their sin.  But we know that as we look at one another, inside we are one.  “You are all one in Christ Jesus.”

We are all on in Christ as we declare His death and resurrection.  We are all one in Christ as we stand in the Savior’s forgiveness.  We are all one in Christ when we live in His love and mercy and grace.  This how we CAN be one in Christ.

                                                                                                                        Amen. 

June 16, 2019 – Trinity Sunday                                           Text:  Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Back in August of 2000, we the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church placed a cornerstone (though it’s not really in a corner) in the front of our church.  We placed in there items such as a bible, a hymnal, a newspaper, a list of our congregation members and a few other things.  We sang a hymn and had prayers.  Someday, like at many churches that celebrate a 100^th Anniversary, this might be opened.  What will people see?  They will see God’s Word, the words of his people and the words of the world.

            It was our prayer that day that God would bless our congregation and the mission of God’s people.  We lifted to God our petitions that people would hear the Word of God, proclaim that Word in the world, lift up to God their songs of praise.

            In our text for today we do not have a time capsule with objects in it, but we do get a rare glimpse of what was there at the earth’s foundation.  Our goal is to open this text so that we can see the . . .

“DELIGHT OF GOD”

            This Old Testament Reading from Proverbs gives us some additional knowledge of what was happening at creation beyond what we know in the Book of Genesis.  Creation is something that is constantly argued in our world.  Let’s keep it simple as God’s people and say this.  We were not there when the world was created, but God was, and He has revealed how it happened.  God is credible.  We believe what His Word has to say.

            What Proverbs adds so beautifully is we are given a glimpse of God even before His work of creation.  Before the world began, God was rejoicing, and his delight begins the story of our salvation.

            What was God delighting in?  First God was delighting in Jesus.  Verse 30 says, “I was daily his delight.”  Christ, the Son of God, was and is an object of delight and pleasure for the Father.  Paul clarified this in Colossians 1:16:  “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth.”  This ties the Father with the Son.  We also know from Genesis that the Spirit “hovered over the waters.”  The Trinity was present at creation.  Jesus is the master workman who is with the Father before the world was created.  Father, Son, and Spirit worked together to bring all things into being, and after it was all created, God called it good.

            After the fall into sin, Jesus had to come to restore creation.  If we go back to the foundation of the world and found this time capsule we would see that the story of our salvation begins with this delight of God.

            Many times we are guilty of approaching God for a temporary fix in our lives.  When something is wrong we turn to God.  A divorce.  A death.  A disaster.  A challenge.  A question.  We reduce God then to a temporary healer or fixer.  We make him fit our needs. 

            People are more like what W. Somerset Maugham wrote, “The nature of men and women – their essential nature – is so vile and despicable that if you were to portray a person as he really is, no one would believe you.”  Is that you?  Is that me?  Do we want all our thoughts exposed?  Our actions to be known? 

            This is why we need the delight of God.  Forgiveness for God is not a momentary fix in our lives.  It is part of a much larger story.  God found delight at creation after he formed us.  When we fell into sin, He still delighted in His Son.  Why?  Because Jesus chose to come, to die for your sin, and to rise for your salvation.  By His death and resurrection, Jesus promises to bring you from this world into the new creation of God, where you will sing an everlasting song of praise.

            I do enjoy the Book of Proverbs.  I think of most of it as God’s Instruction Book.  There are short proverbial sayings that help us in discipleship.  It helps us to walk in the ways of God.  It is easy to think we are the ones pursuing Wisdom.  In our text though we are not pursuing God.  Instead, we come across words about God pursuing us.  Wisdom goes to the crowded places, calls to all people, and sings of God’s delight.  Before we ever pursue God, God pursues us.  Before we ever delight in God, God already delights in us. 

            Thus, our salvation begins and ends with God’s delight.  As verse 31 sates, “rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.” 

            The delight of God is with us for a lifetime.  Most of us or maybe all of us will not be around when the cornerstone of our church is opened some day.  But the delight of God will continue through Jesus to make a difference in the lives of our sons and daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  That brings a smile to my face, to your face and most importantly to the face of God.  He delights in the salvation of all.

            Amen.        

June 9, 2019 – Pentecost Text: John 14:23-31
Dear Friends in Christ,
Who do you go to for counsel? As you know I am pretty self-assured person,
but there are areas of life I need some advice. When I bought my first car I talked
with my parents who had the experience and then I took them along. It was high-
pressure, with the salesman blocking our path to the door and my dad got a
headache but thanks to my parents the deal was pretty good. Two years ago we
leased a vehicle for the first time. I had lunch with a college friend who counseled
me on how to go about it. He is also on the ready when we turn it in next year.
Parents and friends are just some of the people who counsel us. You may
also seek out a Pastor or therapist or boss or coach or teacher. How many times do
you seek the help of the ultimate Counselor – the Holy Spirit? We don’t always
understand His work. He appears in Scripture as a dove and tongues of fire and a
loud, rushing wind and a quiet whisper. Will the real Holy Spirit please stand up?
Our text gives us help. The Greek word is paraklaytos, which literally means
“one who is called to and stands by one’s side.” In our text it is translated as
“helper.” I like the NIV translation, which is “Counselor.” It is Pentecost and we
ask…
“WHO CAN COUNSEL YOU BEST?”
What does a good counselor do? They listen and sometimes like with Nathan
and King David they confront us. We have all been counseled to repent, to make
right a wrong and to own up to our problems. This is also the work of the Holy
Spirit. He uses the Word of God to let us know about our secret and not-so-secret sins. This is not an easy job for our Counselor. We can be hardheaded and we don’t
want to acknowledge our guilt and our weaknesses.
Pastor Eldon Weisheit tells of the time he was doing a children’s sermon and
he help up words like “short”, “tall”, “smart”, “popular”, “handsome.” He then asked
the children to raise their hands if they thought these words applied to them. Most
raised their hands on at least a couple of them. Then he held up the word “sinner”
and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited, until finally one youngster in the front row
took hold of his little brother’s hand and lifted it high in the air.
Aren’t we like that little shaver? Ready to lift someone else’s arm up as a
sinful person? Do you ever think the problem might be you? The best counselors in
our life confront us with the truth in love. They are honest but compassionate. This
is the Holy Spirit. He is concerned about our welfare and He does not want us hiding
from the sin that harms us.
The Holy Spirit does not just convict of us of our sin – thank God. This is not
His most important job. His main priority is to comfort us with the Gospel, the Good
News of our forgiveness in Christ.
The Spirit convicts us to lead us to repentance. We all know what that looks
like, don’t we? We are told we should apologize or tell someone we are sorry. We
might do it a little hesitantly, but we do it and prayerfully feel better after. Our
Counselor reminds us we are poor, miserable sinners but this leads us to the great
joy that God still loves us and we are His children. How wonderful that is.
Daily the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Scriptures. Daily we are
reminded of the promises of our Baptism. Daily he reminds us of Christ’s
death on the cross so that we can be forgiven. We then can pass that forgiveness on to others.
Someone close to us can hear it from our lips, a wife or husband, son or daughter,
brother or sister or Christian friend.
There was an older Pastor who grew up on a large vegetable farm in Ohio.
All the family worked there, aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins. They had a
beautiful tradition that kept division at a minimum. Each Communion Sunday
before going to worship they would hold hands around their large kitchen table and
starting with the oldest down to the youngest they would ask forgiveness for any
hurtful words or sinful actions committed during the week. Then each would say, “I
forgive you in Jesus’ name.” Then it was on to church to receive with great joy the
body and blood of their Savior and to sit at the feet of their divine Counselor, the
Holy Spirit.
Who Can Counsel You Best? While you may get wonderful advice from a
trusted confidante, it is still coming from an imperfect human being. Also, our
human counselors may not always be available. The Holy Spirit is there for us at all
times. Call on Him to lead you. Call on Him for direction. Call on Him for that
problem that weighs on your mind. He will provide the answer as He makes you
spiritually aware of where you need to be or what you need to do.
Our Divine Counselor works powerfully in our lives to become the holy
people that the Holy Spirit calls us to be.
Amen.

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.