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Nov. 23, 2014 – Stewardship Sunday Texts: Deut. 7:7-8, Rom 5:6-8, John 2:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

Two men crashed their private plane on a South Pacific Island. One of the men brushed himself off and proceeded to run all over the island to see if they had any chance of survival. When he returned, he rushed up to the other man and screamed, “This Island is uninhabited and there is no food or water. We’re going to die!”
The other man leaned back against the fuselage of the wrecked plane, folded his arms and responded, “No we’re not, I make over $100,000 a week.” The first man grabbed his friend and shook him. “Listen, we’re on a deserted island. We’re doomed!” Still unfazed, the man looked the other guy in the eye and said, “It’s OK. I make over $100,000 per week and give 10% to the church. My Pastor will find us!”
It’s Stewardship Sunday. Time to take inventory of how we use God’s precious gifts to us. It’s all about Him – the Savior, Jesus. He makes what we do for Him and His kingdom worth it.
“WHY YOUR LIFE IS WORTH HIS LIFE”
Our first text from Deuteronomy, “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
That same truth applies to us. We are a chosen people that belong to God. And please know that we are not chosen and made His because we are all great and wonderful. Scripture says we are sinful people like filthy rags. We are his enemies because of our sin.
Christ through His grace has saved us. We are saved from the terrors and torment of hell. We are saved from having to prove ourselves to God. We are saved from the culture we want to adapt to. We are saved through a beaten, bloodied, spiked to a cross, facing the depths of hell Savior who loved us enough to bear the punishment for our filthy rags. Your life was worth His life.
Our Epistle lesson spells it out even more clearly. Paul writes, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We are weak, aren’t we? Struggling with our sin. Giving into temptation and the devil. Sometimes making a real royal mess of our lives. Going after the self-helps of the world only to find that makes it worse. We need Jesus. We need His love, forgiveness and guidance through His Word every day. That changes how I live and how I treat others. It is worth everything. Your life was worth His life.
Our last text is the first miracle Jesus every performed. Commonly known as “changing water into wine.” Our focus today is on verse 10, “(The master of the feast) said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’”
The master of the feast recognized the wine’s high quality, giving witness to the miracle’s greatness. The Lord always gives the best.
Think of the good wine you have been granted in this life. Financial blessings showered up on you. A country where you can come to worship without fear of retribution or imprisonment. The amazing abilities that the Creator God has given unto you. The time granted on this earth to serve God and your fellow man. The children on loan to you to shepherd in the faith. Do you recognize the good wine that comes from the hands of your Redeemer?
Sometimes though we drink from the poor wine and wallow in our self-pity. “I don’t have what my neighbor has.” “Why can’t I do ________ as well as so and so?” “Where is the time Lord to get done what needs to get done.” All this does is make us whiners filled with the poor wine of our own making.
We forget we are the ones chosen to attend the wedding feast and given the good wine. The miracle worker Jesus makes this all possible. The guests at the wedding didn’t do anything to deserve this gift. They were the blessed recipients.
What we tend to do in the church is turning away from the eternal truths of God’s Word and focus on human fulfillment. This guts the central tenet of the faith once delivered to the saints, namely God’s one-way love in his Son Jesus Christ.
Last year Tullian Tchvidjian, Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and grandson of evangelist Billy Graham, wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post deploring this capitulation of churches toward expressive individualism. He wrote:
“The hub of Christianity is not ‘do something for Jesus.’ The hub of Christianity is ‘Jesus has done everything for you.’ And my fear is that too many people, both inside and outside the church, have heard our ‘do more, try harder’ sermons and pleas for intensified devotion and concluded that the focus of the Christian faith is the work that we do instead of the work God has done for us in the person of Jesus.”
He cares for you. He loves you. He died for you. Your life is worth His life.
Amen.

November 9, 2014 Text: Matthew 25:1-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

When it comes to preparation, how well do you do? Do you usually have things in order are you running around at the last minute? Did you know what you were going to wear to church today last night or was it a snap decision this morning because you were in a green mood? I had to prepare to deliver this message: read and study the text, check the commentaries, pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom, then sit down and do it. If you have schoolwork or a project at work you prepare. If you don’t, well you know the consequences of that decision. Think of these two-word phrases that can scare most of us: “pop quiz”, “surprise inspection”, “unvited guests”.
Another area of life where most of us prepare is when we take a trip. This tends to change as we age. In college my friends and I took my car to Daytona Beach, Florida and I don’t even remember checking the oil. I would not dream of doing that today. I get the oil changed in our cars regularly. It is good maintenance. It is good preparation. It is just plain smart. Today, in our text, we have ten virgins. Five have oil for their lamps. Five do not. Who is prepared and who is not?
“CHECKING YOUR OIL”
In Jesus’ day, the couple’s parents would have arranged this marriage. Part of the joy and anticipation of the festivities would include the bridegroom coming to meet his bride. The bridegroom could come any time day or night. The bride was to be ready. The bridesmaids would help to keep her awake.
In the parable, we have half being wise and half being foolish. The Greek root of foolish is the English word moron. A moron is someone who lacks good judgment. The virgins are outwardly alike. In spite of this five of them did not have any oil. Oil symbolizes spirit and life. In other words, the foolish ones fell away from the faith. The flame of the lamp and its light is faith and its good works. The oil is grace through the Word. The lamp is our outward Christianity. The foolish virgins have the outward signs but inwardly are strangers to Christ. We need to be going back constantly for that oil. Checking your oil.
How does our faith look to the world? Is my lamp burning? Have I prepared? Have I checked the oil? Am I leaking oil as I get distracted by career, family, hobbies, anger, lust, greed. Not to mention worry and doubt. Do the distractions of this world cause us to run ourselves into the ground? Cause our light to flicker? Does our lamp become a burden?
God in his unconditional love goes to great lengths to protect our faith. Faith can die. Jesus talks about priorities and commitments. His desire, His plan, is to keep our lamps filled with oil so we can rejoice when he, the Bridegroom, arrives. Jesus is our Savior. He suffered and died for us. He gives us lamps. He lights our lamps. He fills our lamps with oil. He keeps our lamps full of oil.
How does He do this? Our lamps are filled with Christ through His Word. We need the oil that Holy Scripture can bring. In worship, oil is poured into our lamps so that we are prepared for whatever may come our way. At the font Christ filled you by washing you clean and warding off the attacks of Satan. At this Holy Table, where Christ enters your body and soul to forgive your sin, strengthen your faith in this difficult, fallen world, and where He promises you a place at the greater feast to come.
And when He comes, no matter when that will be, your lamps, your faith, your lives will be filled with Christ – the “one thing needful.”
Putting oil in our lamp is best accomplished as more than a once-a-week chore like filling the gas tank. It is more than a weekend hobby. It is an existence. We are prepared. Christ has prepared us. Jesus keeps us prepared. God keeps our lamps full of oil and our lights burning so that we can see the way to go. When are eyes are on Christ, his promise to us fills our lamps with oil.
Amen.

Nov. 2, 2014 – All Saints Sunday Text: I Corinthians 15:26

Dear Friends in Christ,
Paul gets to the point in our text. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Death is not our friend. Death is not a celebration. Death is not natural. Death is punishment. Death is the horrendous separation of body and soul.
We can dress it up any way we want. We do it in our language – “She passed away.” “He has gone to the great beyond.” “At least they died together.” We do it in appearance. “Doesn’t he look good?” “Didn’t they do a nice job with the color of her face?” When my mom died we had a closed casket but before that the family could see her. Family thought I needed to see her. I didn’t need that. I saw her the day she died and what death and sin do to our mortal body. I’ve seen death up close and personal and no amount of makeup changes the devastating affects.
We talk of death, but today, All Saints Sunday, is to be a celebration. How can that be? How can death be so tough to deal with and yet we can belt out “For All the Saints” with a smile on our face and the hair on the back of our neck tingling? You know, because you are here. Christ Jesus makes the difference. Our Christian faith brings the joy. Heaven is our home. Let us see how we overcome . . .
“DEATH: THE LAST GREAT ENEMY”
Death is an enemy and it has friends. Child abuse, genocide, starvation, violence, oppression. Picture the scenes. A soldier rapes in the name of a cause. People are beheaded because of where they are born. We see abortion clinics where mother and precious child both are sucked up in a culture of death.
Look at death in some of our neighborhoods. The homeless shivering in the winter and sweating in the heat. Drug deals stealing youth and hope alike. Gunfire breaking the silence. The rise of suicides. Children cutting themselves.
Death is ruthless. It ambushes some and slowly sucks the life out of others. Unless Jesus returns you are another statistic at the local morgue waiting to happen.
American culture does not want to hear this story. We glamourize it. We see it so often on big screen and small screen that we become desensitized. We hide it from view and seldom talk about it because it makes so many uncomfortable. There is no greater law than a dead body. It pierces the heart and is an in-your-face reminder that you to will face this enemy.
We have hope. Oh do we have hope. Defeating the enemy because we believe in the resurrection of the body. The Apostle’s Creed directs us to that victory when we confess, “I believe…in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”
We have concern for life after death – the interim state of the soul – but do we miss what has been called “life after life after death?” This is the Christian’s hope – the final day, the resurrection of the body, and the new creation of the heavens and earth.
In the Bible you will find our temporary state as we await, even in death, the return of Jesus. When He comes again He will fully and finally defeat death. Look at Jesus’ words: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40)
So what is the ultimate and final victory over death? The last day finds God not abandoning His creation but redeeming it. The last day resurrection brings back our bodies with all their senses and members. These bodies will not be subjected to disease and decay; we will be transformed like Jesus’s glorified body. Justice will prevail as all things are made right. You know the phrases – no more tears, no more hunger, no more thirst, no more pain, no more abuse, no more genocide, no more abortion, no more addiction. No more of death’s friends to wreak havoc on our bodies. And joyfully, wonderfully – no more death. Indeed, no more death!
All this happens when Jesus returns to earth. His return is the biblical answer to death. Our hope is the same as Martha when Lazarus died. “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:24) Hope anticipates. Hope looks forward. Hope eagerly awaits. We simply are not prepared to die unless our hope is the true biblical hope, which is standing on its tiptoes watching and waiting for Jesus’ return.
How do we prepare to die? By proclaiming the victory over death that Jesus’s return brings. By taking the friends of death and turning them into defeated foes on the last day. By describing the glories of the resurrection. By reading the Scriptures and looking forward to the Day of the Lord, the return of Christ, and simply declaring what those words say to us.
In the meantime, those who live with this future hope are invited, called, and urged to bring glimpses, moments of that hope into this broken world. Paul ends the great resurrection chapter in Corinthians with these words: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that in the lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58) Whatever we do to combat that great enemy death and its wretched friends is not wasted. Our acts for the least of our world, care for all of God’s creation, defense of the oppressed and defenseless, contributions to feed and clothe others, and thousands of other acts of justice and beauty in opposition to the ugliness and injustice of this evil age are not in vain.
Join in this work of re-creation now. Be kingdom people who stand confident in the face of death and know your actions make a difference.
We are prepared to die and overcome the last great enemy death when we preach and hear God’s word. Confess the creed. Celebrate the resurrection each Sunday. “There breaks a yet more glorious day: The saints triumphant rise in bright array; The King of Glory passes on His way. Alleluia! Alleluia!”
Amen.

October 26, 2014 – Reformation Text: Psalm 46

Dear Friends in Christ,

Isn’t life interesting? The ups and downs. The good times and bad times. I like to say that all of us in this sanctuary are dealing with something. Some have health challenges. Some have family upheaval. Some have job uncertainty. Some have problems with a spouse. Some have college choices to decide. Some have financial issues. Some of you have to live with the consequences of life choices.
The church is also not immune to life. Because of job movement, deaths and leaving our area we have less people in our worship services. The church at large is under attack from its adversaries to the Word of God. The church in the world is being massacred for believing in a Savior. It surrounds us. I’ve seen more of it in the last few years than at any other time in my ministry. What do you say?
“WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THINGS FALL APART?
We will look at these questions this morning through Psalm 46. These words will help us discover how we should respond when things fall apart.
The psalm is familiar, isn’t it? Martin Luther based “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” on it. As we look at Psalm 46 we will see the events described are happening all around us right now. God’s Word is always contemporary.
Right away the author makes a bold statement about the position people of faith take when things fall apart: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.” (vs. 1-2a) We will not fear. Period.
Then the author describes three scenes. Verses 2-5 describe hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. The earth is giving way. The mountains are falling into the sea. The oceans are in chaos and the earth is shaking and trembling. In the middle of the scene what do we see? “There is a river who streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.” (vs. 4-5) God is in the river. God is present. God is there to help.
Verse 6 gives us our second scene. “The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.” Sudan, Syria, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, ISIS, geopolitical conflict and terrorism, Ebola outbreaks. Yet in the middle of the chaos what do we see? “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (v. 7) A fortress. The Lord Almighty is with us. A place of safety and security. A hiding place where we can rest secure.
Our third scene is verses 8 and 9. Here we have some fascinating words that describe the holy, unbridled power of God, doing things that God in his wisdom sometimes does without our comprehension. Breaking spears, destroying kingdoms, bringing desolation upon the earth. Sometimes God’s mighty, unbridled power intersects with our lives and there is collateral damage. In the middle of this what do we hear? A voice. “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (v. 10)
Which of these three scenes do find your life right now? Natural calamities where things are falling apart in your home or with your health? Interpersonal conflicts? The power of God where things just happen you can’t explain? In the middle of the chaos and anxiety and uncertainty, how is your faith? Where is your faith? In whom is your faith?
Without intending it, Luther found himself in the midst of conflict that rocked the world. He raised some questions, 95 of them, that he wanted to debate and have an open discussion about. Those questions changed the face of Europe and the world and brought the threat of death and excommunication from his church. Where could Luther put his faith? In whom?
No matter what scene you are in, God comes to us like he did with Luther, with these words: “Be still. I am your refuge and strength. I am your fortress.” The writer of Hebrews states, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (13:5) God stands beside us through His Son Jesus. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection took away the sin that had separated us from God. This Table – this body and blood – is the guarantee that the Lord is always with you providing you strength to face life. The waters of baptism were poured over you like the river that the Lord is in the midst of during your challenges. We depend on the Lord’s presence throughout our lives. We can say with the psalmist: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (v. 11) This enabled Luther to stand against popes and armies.
Do you ever notice that in the midst of things falling apart the Lord through His Holy Spirit still gives us some joy, something to hang on to? Think of it this way. You may have health problems, but your children are a blessing. You may have job insecurity but your marriage is loving and solid. You may face financial challenges but your favorite sports team is doing well. I mean if you are a fan of the Cardinals you have nothing to whine about. They have been the most fortunate team in all of sports the last few years. Believe me, my stomach and anxiety level knows! And one thing to add on the blessing side – our church here at Good Shepherd. If we know of things causing your life to fall apart we are praying for you and lifting you up to the Lord. You have brothers and sisters in Christ who care because none of us are immune to the foibles of this world. The Lord continues to bless.
We are going to see these three scenes continue to play out in front of us. How will we respond when things fall apart? God comes in this psalm to encourage: Do not be alarmed. Do not worry. Do not be afraid.
These are opportunities for us as Christians to speak these words to one another. We will not fear. Be still. We can sit at home or in our workplace and read the words over and over again: God is our refuge and strength. In the middle of the chaos, we have a calm, peaceful river that warms the heart of God. A strong and mighty fortress. A voice speaking to us: “Be still. For I am your God.”
Amen.

October 19, 2014 Text: Matthew 22:15-22

Dear Friends in Christ,

Let me paint a picture for you this morning and you see where you fit. It’s a family dinner. You are with extended family. There is one person in the group who starts talking politics or social issues or whatever. This does not surprise you because this has been happening for years. How do you react? Do you engage in the debate? Do you change the subject to the weather or something safe? Do you run as fast as you can to the kitchen to help with the gravy? Who are you and where do you fit?
Knowing almost all of you here this morning, I would say we have all three. For those of you who change the subject or skedaddle to some other part of the house I am with you most of the time. Experience has taught me that. At times I like to engage the debate. But think about it this way – do you ever leave that family dinner thinking you really ever changed someone’s mind? Many times it just causes tension and the joy of another family gathering goes right down the toilet.
Jesus got dragged into many debates. The text says, “You do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” That should be part of the constitution of all of us. But the problem is He is God and we are not. Oh, how we would love the magic words to put someone in their place. He’s Jesus – Son of God and Savior. You – sinful human being. We are on two different playing fields. What can be done? Come along as we step into . . .
“THE GREAT DEBATE”
Do you remember a great debate when an opponent was silenced? They rarely happen. Here is one that worked. While receiving some tough questions from the press during the Desert Storm conflict, General Norman Schwarzkopf found himself debating with a reporter as to why we didn’t look to the French for more support. Growing tired his quick wit offered, “Going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without your accordion.” Insulted, but not converted, the reporter didn’t ask the general any more questions.
The great debate today is Jesus versus the Pharisees/Herodians. These two groups of people were not usually on the same side. They ask the debate question: “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (v. 17) Remember the Herodians are puppets of the Romans and believed taxes should be paid to Caesar or that person was a traitor. The Jews believed paying taxes to Caesar was against God’s will and they shouldn’t have to do it.
So we see the trap. If he speaks against the Pharisees, he’ll show He is a traitor to his own people – the Jews. If he agrees with the Pharisees, the Herodians will have cause for his arrest. Then they could lawfully kill him. In this way the Herodians could carry out the dirty work of the Pharisees. They have to be thinking: “We’ve got him.”
In a simple way, we see ourselves. Can’t we manipulate others to get what we want? Spouses do it. Kids and parents do it. Workers and employers do it. Neighbors do it. Oh, we like to play the game. Herodian or Pharisee? Take your pick, we have been there.
In this great debate, Jesus has an answer. He does not avoid the question or withhold the truth. You and I might be looking for a quick exit. Not the Savior. He proclaims both Law and Gospel. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (v. 21) Since Caesar is on the coin they are obeying the Fourth Commandment, by honoring the ruling authorities by paying taxes. That is being faithful to God, because He put the government in place. Doing our duty as citizens we are giving thanks to our loving and generous God for his gift of civil governance and peace.
But that is not the end. We are to understand the “give to God what is God’s.” It is to see the Holy Spirit at work in the Gospel. It is to believe that same gospel and to recognize that faith in Christ is the highest worship of Christ, the ultimate “rendering to God.” We receive the bounty of his grace in the Lord’s Supper, Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution. It is to cling to Jesus as the one who paid the tax debt by his suffering and death on the cross for you. The tax bill is paid in full. The bill collector of the grave was unable to hold Jesus. The effects of the debt – death and hell – had no power over him. He rose from the dead to prove that the debt is truly and completely paid.
Jesus won the great debate as only he could do. What does that mean for you and I? Don’t go off running from the great debates of our society. Recently, the Supreme Court took a pass on marriage. This is our great debate because society is on the precipice of falling. Have we learned nothing, sociologically from the breakdown of the family these last 40-50 years? If we add another layer away from God’s design what can we expect?
This is a tough one because it is government that gives me and other clergy the right to marry men and women. It is not official until I sign a piece of paper and send it to the county clerk. So, does God want us to just throw up our hands and give up because people are making these laws? No, of course not. He wants us to engage in the great debate. How do we know that? Because in his Word – our only source of right and wrong – He only blesses one avenue for His creation – male and female. “Be fruitful and multiply.” Science teaches the parts only work one way. The Creator knew this and called it good. When people want to be God they do nothing but mess things up. A gentle reminder – I’m not God, you are not God, the Supreme Court is not God, the pontificators of our time are not God. There is only one true God and He is in control.
In the greatest debate ever waged – Satan against Jesus – Jesus has won. Don’t run to the kitchen to make the gravy, but share God’s Word and keep it at that. The Holy Spirit has to do the rest. Many of you get frustrated and I feel your anguish – I too share it at times. But lean on the Great Debater. The one who loves you so much He doesn’t want to see you perish. The One who cares for you so much that He has promised not to leave you or forsake you. That’s what I take from the Great Debate. I pray you do too.
Amen.