Sermons

January 25, 2015 Text: Mark 1:14-20

Dear Friends in Christ,

One of the helpful inventions of the 21st century has been “Caller ID.” It allows you to know who is calling. It has been especially helpful here in the church office as it cuts down on wasting time talking to companies who are selling or individuals who just want something. Who is calling makes a difference.
Today in our Gospel lesson the “who is calling” makes a difference as well. The voice of Jesus is the one identified. Will the men being called recognize it and how will they react? Come along as the call is made.
“CALLER ID”
Right away in our text the caller is identified. “After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.’” (vs. 14-15)
What is so important about “the kingdom of God is at hand?” What and where is this “kingdom of God?” All we can see is this lone new guy in town named Jesus who says to repent and believe the Gospel all because a kingdom is now at hand.
We don’t think much about kingdoms these days. But to the ears of first-century Palestine, “kingdoms” would have been a subject of great familiarity. Their minds may have focused on the oppressive, mighty rule of Rome – which they knew and experienced all too well. They may have thought of the Old Testament references to the “Sovereign Lord” – envisioning a master who sat high on a throne – personally ruling over his subjects. In either case, their minds would have been on a kingdom of power, a kingdom of might, not a kingdom like the one Jesus was bringing.
So this Jesus needs to build His kingdom. He begins along the Sea of Galilee with a couple of brothers named Andrew and Simon who were fishermen. The caller does not identify himself, we are told he says, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” If you are Andrew and Simon are you going to answer this call? Are you going to pick up?
There is always a response when Jesus calls. His presence – whether in the flesh in the first century, or by inspired Word in the twenty-first century – forces the issue. We may try to straddle the fence, but the edge is simply too narrow. Every encounter with Jesus is a force to be reckoned with. His Law crushes us – forcing us to admit we are sinners. His Gospel lifts us – freeing us to rejoice that we are forgiven sinners.
Jesus needed these men for the building of His kingdom – a future kingdom – a Kingdom called the Church. He would need foremen – pastors – to help build the Church. Jesus will train them for a far greater work than they have been doing, namely the work of winning men for the gospel and salvation.
“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” They did not stand there and stew over the Caller ID. What should we do? Do we know this guy? They probably did as we can see from John chapter 1. But this call will affect the rest of their lives. Look at the trust as they follow Jesus for the schooling they were now to receive for a far greater calling. The key is the one making the call.
Look at this call and the one to James and John. Both came on a regular workday. Fishing, mending nets, going about their daily tasks. Your “ordinary” call to your daily tasks comes with the call to proclaim the Savior. Right now, right here, wherever Monday office or Tuesday lunch or Thursday errands find you. The caller has ID’d you. With the help of the Holy Spirit we say this in the meaning to the 3rd Article of the Apostle’s Creed, “He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.” The Callers ID was put on you at Baptism, marks you as you inwardly digest His Holy Scripture and lifts you up in the Lord’s sacred meal.
The Holy Spirit helps us to pick up when we are called. As with a phone call that identifies a person you have been waiting to hear from, we excitedly heed the call of our Savior. When He calls you to share the faith with a friend or family member. When He calls you to share the truth when someone you know struggles with sin. When He calls you to prepare and serve a meal to the destitute and homeless. When He calls you to serve your congregation as they have need of elders. When He calls you to shepherd your children in the ways of the Lord. This caller – the Savior Jesus Christ – wants you to answer. He doesn’t want you to check your phone and walk away.
The phone is ringing, will you pick up?
Amen.

Jan. 4, 2015 – Epiphany Text: Ephesians 3:1-12

Dear Friends in Christ,

One of our basic human instincts is to be included. To be in a group. God did not make Adam to remain alone. We even see fellowship within the Holy Trinity, as Moses reveals their conversation in Gen. 1:26: “Let us make man…” The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit speak, a holy conversation revealing unity and purpose by the three persons of the Godhead.
It’s Epiphany and it is God’s way that we are . . .
“INCLUDED”
As the biblical story of creation unfolds, the first two created let their ears hear the voice of a separatist god-wannabe, the devil. They remove themselves from God and the fellowship they had with one another. No longer a community, with God or the other, they followed only the selfish designs of the devil. Exclusion and division.
This is how it is when the rebellious ones try to make a community apart from God on their own terms. We curve in on ourselves. This churchless community is absolutely all about me, myself, and I.
You know what that’s like. You were there once, before Christ snatched you by His gracious grip and made you His own, a decisive one-sided divine work. Oh, you still tend to lean that way, away from concern for God and each other. The Lord, though, is rather persistent in his care for you. He won’t let you fade into self-exclusion and division, to be a community of one.
He sent the unifier, and his shed blood has brought the world back to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit’s preaching. It would have been easy for this ragtag group of Ephesus, mostly Gentiles, non-Jews, to believe they were outside the circle of inclusion, that they were not God’s Church. Why, nearly their whole city was involved in the worship of Artemis, the goddess of fertility. The prostitution house was within two hundred yards of their famous library and their amphitheater, which seated 25,000. Now, that was a holy fellowship, they thought – intellect, sexual enticement, and group entertainment. But, in reality, it was only a community of perversion.
This, Paul says, is why he is sent. Yes, the Jews are God’s chosen people if they believe in the Father’s provision for their sin. But so are the Gentiles. Unholiness, whether it comes from the Jews or the Gentiles, did not advance one into God’s circle of inclusion, His Church.
You Gentiles, you members of this Church in Ephesus, and you sitting here today, do not overlook this fact. God sent a special call to man named Paul. His call papers were not filled out by a call committee but by God himself in person.
He did this so that you would know that the mystery revealed fully in Christ is that all people, all are included, all are Church members by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Kingdom inclusion is by grace, not by any kind of merit. Your unholiness is on Jesus and The Father accepts the sacrifice.
You need not doubt or despair Ephesus Lutheran Church members. You are not any less than Paul, the chief of sinners. Since inclusion is on God’s terms, that is, his Son’s replacement punishment and sin-payment for you, there is no doubt.
Even more so, you have access to the Father through Christ and your Baptism. You think all these powerful buildings around you and the pomp and power displayed by the Roman hierarchy here in town are greater than you? Just the reverse! God has declared you His, included, the Church, glorious and holy, united, one Body, Jew and Greek, male and female, all one with Him.
Through Jesus, and alongside Jesus, you petition the Father as Jesus does. You talk to God about your neighbor, and then you talk to your neighbor about your God, joining Jesus, your great High Priest, in holy work.
And what does this holy work look like? Many of you have commented on my long hair – good and bad and in fun. I have explained the story to a few of you but not to the whole congregation. I have not had a haircut for over four months. My barber had some major surgery about a month after my last haircut. He is a widower and we had my mom’s death and his wife’s death to talk about during haircuts. Anyway, we invited him and his son to the boy’s football games this fall. Then through the work of the Spirit they came to worship with us for a few weeks leading up to his surgery. Since he has gotten home, I have called him every other week and have been praying for him. He has had a rough time recovering. At Christmas I sent him a card with a picture of my long hair and encouraged him with the words that I needed him behind his barber chair in 2015. That has been my witness. That is just a small example of God’s holy work. I know many of you have your own work that the Holy Spirit is blessing.
Fear not, O Church, for God still sends those to do His work. As the Word is taught and preached, the broken and despairing are brought into his Church, no matter the race, color, or size of sin. And the Church stands.
Let all hell break loose. But do not fear. You are so secure in his wounds, drenched by His blood in baptismal splashing and drinking of the river of life at the rail, that you do not run. Rather, you, His Church, face westward into the wind and storm…snuggled right behind Him, dragging others with you.
Amen

January 11, 2015 Text: Mark 1:4-11

Dear Friends in Christ,

“There’s something in the water.” If you grew up like I did in the 1970’s and 1980’s you remember a couple of movies where that line was important – “Jaws and Caddyshack.” One used it for fear. One used it for comedy. In each case that line help to make the scene.
We also have used this sentence. Maybe while drinking a glass of water or swimming in the water or bathing in the water. When we use it, it usually means something is in the water that we don’t want near us or on our person. Today is the day of Jesus’ Baptism and water is a big part of the plot line. But apart from the way we usually think, this water is a blessing. You see there is something more than just H2O. Praise God . . .
“THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WATER”
Let’s get right to the “something in the water” from our text. Mark quotes John, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (v. 8) See there is something more in the water – the Holy Spirit. And more than that. We know from Matthew 28 that we are to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is present in Baptism. The Word of God with the water is what makes our Baptism valid. The Triune God is blessing us.
The text continues, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (vs. 9-11) What is in the water here? Jesus. The Son of God. And look at the familial relationship. The Father is pleased with the Son.
What about our family relationships? They can be a struggle, can’t they? Arguments over nothing. Words or actions punishing the ones we love. Fighting during Christmas gift opening. Letting others know they don’t please us and receiving that same putdown. Relationships that are chilly at best. Getting along just to keep peace in the family. Oh Satan does love to work on our hearts, doesn’t he?
James S. Hewett tells this story: “A woman got on an elevator in an office building. There was just one other person in the elevator, a handsome man. She pushed the button for her floor and casually looked over at the man and suddenly had one of those sudden recognition moments. Could it be? The man looked exactly like Robert Redford, the movie star. Her gaze was almost involuntarily riveted on him. Finally, she blurted out, ‘Are you the real Robert Redford?’ He smiled and said, ‘Only when I’m alone!’”
The real . . . you and me. Who are we when alone in family relationships? Are we the same person that shines in the pew this morning or do we fall short in our kindness, love, and patience. We think we are one and the same, but an honest look might reveal something different.
That is why we needed “something in the water.” Jesus is at the Jordan to be baptized as the worst of sinners. Oh no . . . it is not for His sin for He is the sinless Son of God. He is baptized on account of us. For us! Christ is taking our place. Earning our forgiveness. Fulfilling all the requirements that God demanded in our stead. This all pleases the Father. This family relationship overcame our sinful family relationships. Jesus in the water for you.
The Father is pleased that the Son has taken our place. And our baptisms are what god does for us in order that we might share in Christ’s death and resurrection. Our sins have been washed away and we are acceptable to God. Though we cannot do what we want to do perfectly – though we still struggle with the sin in us – for the sake of Jesus Christ and the baptismal grace bestowed upon us God is pleased with us.
On Nov. 3, 1996, former Royal Marine Pete Goss embarked on the most grueling competition in his sailing career: the Vendee Globe, a nonstop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race. Goss had trained for years, and this race was everything to him.
But seven weeks after Goss’s race began, he received a May Day distress signal. It was Christmas Day. A French competitor was sinking 160 miles away. Goss was the nearest person available to launch a rescue.
Goss turned his eyes from himself and his own interests of winning the Vendee Globe to the needs of this French sailor. For two days, Goss battled hurricane winds and risk to himself to search for this man who was now near death in the vast wilderness of the southern Indian Ocean. At the sacrifice of his personal dream and victory, Pete Goss heroically saved this man’s life.
The new life of the Christian in Baptism, the life that cares for others rather than for self, is a life of death – not ours, but Christ’s. We were buried with Christ by Baptism into His death (Rom. 6:4). Christ was the one who sacrificed everything that was his to save us. Because Christ was in the water, because the Word is in the water and because one day that water was on your forehead or even your full body you have been saved. Having been saved, we willingly live the new life of sacrifice for others.
Amen.

Jan. 18, 2015 – Sanctity of Human Life Sunday Text: Isaiah 40:1-2

Dear Friends in Christ,

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Our focus is on life issues, like crisis pregnancies, abortion, post-abortion syndrome, assisted suicide and euthanasia. For some these topics are “hot-button”, or “controversial”, or “political.” For the Christian they are more than that. These are issues that touch people’s hearts with life and death decisions and challenges their faith. Should we be talking about them in church? Yes, of course, because they are . . .
“MATTERS OF THE HEART”
The word “heart” for the Hebrew described someone’s inner being or soul. Hebrew idioms expressed this. Joy may be expressed as a “leaping heart.” Grief as “evil of the heart” and guilt as being “struck by the heart.” In our text we have “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.” It is literally translated “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.”
God’s people experienced much “evil of the heart” and they were “struck by the heart” because of their sin and constant rebellion. But God in His mercy and grace wants to give them a “leaping heart” once again. What a joyful message He gives, “Her warfare is ended,” “her iniquity is pardoned, “she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (v. 2b) If they deserved X amount of punishment for their sin, they instead were given 2X the amount of grace from God. They didn’t get what they deserved but received twice as much of what they did not deserve.
Twice as much grace – we could use that as well. We like ancient Israel are rebellious sinners. We chase after other gods – love of money, love of power, love of self, love of pleasure. You have your own list in your heart. Our sins flow from a corrupt heart. And something else flows from our heart – nothing. Yes, nothing, failing to do what is right, failing to love and help others.
If life issues are just political, we don’t need to discuss them in church. But if they are matters of the heart that touch people’s souls and put our brothers and sisters in need and we have what it takes to deal with matters of the heart – the Gospel of Jesus Christ – but close our hearts to doing so, how can God’s love abide in us?
Are life issues matters of the heart or political issues? You be the judge. She is sixteen, pregnant, and frightened. She knows she made a big mistake and doesn’t want anyone to know. Abortion seems a quick and easy solution. But deep down she struggles with the decision. She is confused and feels so alone. Is this a political issue or a matter of the heart?
Every day in the US of A confusion and fear leads to nearly 3,000 babies being brutally destroyed through abortion. Babies created by God, babies for whom Jesus died, and babies God wants to call into an eternal relationship with Him. Is this a political issue or a matter of the heart?
At first he panicked when his girlfriend said she was pregnant. This would ruin everything. He would pay for the abortion. But then he realized this was his child. The circumstances were not ideal but how could he pay to have his child killed? He vowed to help his girlfriend and protect the child. She called and said the problem was over – she had the abortion. He was crushed, filled with guilt and wept tears of pain. A political issue or a matter of the heart?
His beloved wife had a stroke. Recovery was slow. She could eat, but needed assistance. She had some mobility in the wheelchair but only one arm worked. Speech was slurred and no improvement had been made in a long time. This was not the quality of life she wanted. Assisted suicide was legal in their state. Should he bring it up to his wife? They were Christians and what was wrong with sending her home to Jesus? Is this a political issue or a matter of the heart?
Brothers and sisters, you and I know these are matters of the heart. We have lived them or are living them. The gospel of Jesus Christ is made for such issues of life and death, pain and suffering, grief and regret and guilt. The Gospel speaks to the heart of the pregnant teen. It speaks of forgiveness and offers the presence and strength of Jesus. The Gospel speaks to the heart of that post-abortive man. A forgiveness big enough for all sins. The Gospel speaks to the hearts of those in situations involving disease, pain, suffering. It speaks of a God who, as long as He gives life, gives life meaning and purpose. It speaks of a God who demonstrated His ability to bring good out of suffering through the cross of His own Son.
How can anyone think they are just political? The Gospel is designed to speak to your heart and my heart and all hearts. It calls us to repentance and the cleansing of our hearts. Look at the wonderful words of our text, our “warfare is ended” and our “iniquity is pardoned.” Through Christ we have peace with God. We can trust Him and turn to Him, not death, as the solution to our problems.
We receive from the Lord’s hand twice as much grace that we do not deserve. We receive it in the overflowing waters of Baptism. We receive it through his Holy Word, and we receive it in his lavish meal. We live surrounded by this “double grace” and nothing can separate us from this.
The Gospel speaks to our hearts and calls us to action. “Comfort, comfort my people says your God. Speak tenderly…” (vs. 1-2a) How do you do that? First, become informed about how God’s Word speaks to the life issues. Speak through your prayers for those dealing with matters of the heart. Pray for our country that respect for life is restored. Speak with your actions. Walk beside those who have made mistakes. Support local pregnancy centers, like my family and I do. Speak compassion. Visit the home bound and those in care centers. Help them see the body of Christ cares. Support the families of these people. Learn other ways to help through lutheransforlife.org.
My prayer is that you understand that life issues are more than political issues. They are matters of the heart that touch people deeply. The Good News is that the Gospel of Christ Jesus is tailor made for matters of the heart. May it speak to all of our hearts today with its message of forgiveness, comfort, and hope.
Amen.

Dec. 25, 2014 – Christmas Text: Luke 2:1-5

Dear Friends in Christ,

The great census in those days of Caesar Augustus that, humanly speaking, set in motion the Christmas story is plenty familiar to us today in the United States and Canada. Every ten years in the U.S. or five years in Canada, the government sends out forms in the mail and then follows them up with energetic, real-live human census takers – 585,000 of them in the last U.S. census. As with that famous Roman census, the goal was that “all the world would be registered,” that not a single soul would be missed. A census taker today could in one day knock on the doors of million-dollar houses and run-down apartments. Every person, literally, counted.
The Roman census was so that Caesar could extract taxes from every citizen. He wanted no one missed so that not a denarius would be missed for the imperial treasury. There was to be an accounting from every person. Our census is actually for a different purpose: so that no one citizen misses out on the benefits of citizenship. Every district is to be fairly represented in Congress, and every qualifying resident is to be noted for government programs. Every body counts.
Today is Christmas and we are so blessed with the coming of a Savior. Because of what that baby would someday do on a Calvary hill, we can exclaim with the angels and the whole host of heaven . . .
“EVERY BODY COUNTS”
Christmas reminds us that every single person, every soul, counts before God. Every single human being in this sanctuary right now – and every other human being who’s ever lived or ever will – will one day be called to give an account. God’s registration misses no one. Everyone will one day stand before God for final judgment. But God, in fact, set in motion the events of the first Christmas not to tax us, but to see that no one be missed with the blessings of citizenship in his kingdom. God knows each of us, each of you, by name. He calls you again this Christmas to himself. You count. Every body counts.
The census of Caesar Augustus counted millions. The census today counts hundreds of millions. But it really is the One that counts. Yes, it’s the One that counts, because God sees every single one of us through that One, the One who was first counted in that first census, a poor and easily overlooked baby boy just born in the little town of Bethlehem. He is the One for whose sake we count with God.
When Paul in Romans talks about Abraham believing in God “and it was counted to him as righteousness,” we are part of that. We too have been counted righteous. Scripture also says, “blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” (Rom. 4:8)
Whoever you are, therefore, and whatever your circumstance in life, this gift of the Savior is “for you.” You count. It has your name on it. Whether you are rich or poor, Jesus is your true treasure. Whether you’re young or old, he is the only one whose days are without number. Whether you are overwhelmed by loneliness or caught up in the crowd, He is the One who is your true friend and companion. You could not be any more important to Him.

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be take of the entire world…So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David…I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people (see every body counts). Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:1,4,10a,11)
Amen.