November 8, 2020                                                                            Text:  Amos 5:18-24

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Do you ever think about who set the standards?  Who set the standard for the type of fuel our vehicles would need?  Who decided how much weight a wall could bear so that buildings don’t crash down?  Who set the standard for furnaces, air conditioners, refrigerators and that airplane you want to ride in?  I thought about all this because tomorrow I go for a colonoscopy.  Who came up with the common procedure to get ready and then perform this medical deed?  The last time I had this done, anesthesia was administered for the 20-30 minutes the procedure took.  I’ve always wondered who allowed themselves to be knocked out with this type of medicine the first time so that all the rest of us had a standard?  I picture this at the pharmaceutical company:  “Jones hop on the table and we will give you a dose.  Hope to see you when you wake up.”

            Aren’t you glad we don’t set the standards?  For the things I have mentioned we don’t.  But aren’t their times we have our self-conceived standards and people better fall in line?  Or we tell God what His standard should be?  It’s the Old Testament from Amos and we wonder . . .

“WHAT IS THE STANDARD?”

            Israel has a problem in our text.  They were smug in their estimation that they were achieving a great standard of godliness.  They looked forward to the Day of the Lord.  It would be a good thing because they were pleasing to God and their standard of living proved it. 

            However, Israel’s standards were self-made and they were failing miserably to achieve God’s standard.  His standard is perfect obedience to His holy Law.  They were going to experience judgment and not the blessings they expected. 

            They thought their worship was pleasing to God, but Amos tells them that their heart is not in it.  They lacked justice and humility and no matter how orthodox the ritual or how fine the music was, the worship was a hypocritical sham.  Corrupt worship would lead to corrupt living.

            Are we in tune with God’s standard for these New Testament times?  Jesus established our worship.  He comes with abundant blessings of life and forgiveness and salvation.  The standard was set in Baptism, in Absolution, in His Word, in Holy Communion. 

            Too many times we think we can worship apart from these means of grace.  Why can’t I commune with God on the golf course or lake?  I can receive His forgiveness while shopping or on vacation.  The Word is always available, so what if my mind is on how quick we can get out of here today.  I’ve been baptized, doesn’t that seal my faith for a number of years?  Shouldn’t I get a medal or some sort of recognition for my steadfastness in worship?

            The Divine Service is not something to check off your list.  God has established this eternal blessing so that your faith can grow.  Right worship leads to right living.  “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”  God’s people produce justice like the flow of a river.  Animals and plants need water to survive.  We need the gift of worship so that our faith grows and is strengthened.  The standard for us is Jesus.

            Jesus is the exact reversal of everything Amos uses to warn you concerning the Day of the Lord.  Repent of less than honest worship.  Repent of trying to set your own standards.  Repent of the corrupt living that comes from corrupt worship.  Repent and rejoice.

            Rejoice that on the cross, God’s justice poured out His wrath on Jesus.  Justice was served and every sin was punished.  God’s justice rolled over Christ so that His righteousness flows to you.  You have been baptized into the death of Jesus.  You have been baptized into the resurrection of Jesus.  The waters flow down to you from Jesus and roll down from you to serve your neighbor.  A new man daily emerges to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

            The next time you drive your car or go to the top of a tall building or have surgery or fly in a plane thank God for the standards that are set.  They are meant to protect you.  The Lord puts us in the shelter of His wings and protects us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.  Evil cannot overcome the Standard our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

                                    Amen.     

Nov. 1, 2020 – All Saints                                                       Text:  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a

Dear Friends in Christ,

            The date is October 28, 1989.  The time is afternoon.  The place is Oxford, Mississippi.  The Vanderbilt Commodores are playing the Ole Miss Rebels in an SEC football game.  Vanderbilt fullback Brad Gaines goes downfield for a pass near the goal line.  He jumps up to catch the pass and is hit in the back by Ole Miss safety Chucky Mullins.  Both players fall to the ground . . . only one of them gets up.

            Chucky Mullins had hardships in his life.  Both his mother and grandmother had died and a coach and his wife raised him.  Chucky enjoyed football and earned a college scholarship.  On this day Chucky couldn’t get up because he was paralyzed when he hit Brad Gaines.

            Chucky would be carted off the field, stabilized during surgery and eventually would do rehab in Memphis, Tennessee.  That is where the Ole Miss football team would find themselves in December of 1989 as they played in the Liberty Bowl.  As they went through warm-ups they starting hearing that maybe Chucky was coming to the game.  As they made their way back to the locker room, there he was, strapped in a gurney, unable to move from the neck down.  The team gathered round and Coach Billy Brewer asked if there was anything Chucky wanted to say to the team.  In a barely audible voice he said, “It’s time.”  The team then began the chant, “It’s time, it’s time, it’s time . . . it’s time.”

            All Saints Sunday.  The words from Ecclesiastes. 

“IT’S TIME”

            What is Time?  The dictionary says it is the interval, or period, between two events.  That interval is in our text, “a time to be born, and a time to die.”  Our time on this earth has an end.  How much time do you have?  None of us knows.  Whether by death or by Jesus’ return, our time is limited.

            As we ponder this, we Christians have opportunity to share our faith in Christ Jesus, who is Lord of all.  He is the beginning and end and holds all time in His hands.  Time was created by God and is only moving in one direction – forward.

            Chucky Mullins tried to move forward.  But he didn’t do it alone.  Brad Gaines, the player Chucky had hit was there.  Brad was a Christian as was Chucky.  If you have seen the play, like I have numerous times, you know that Brad Gaines did nothing wrong.  He just caught the pass.  But he was overcome by guilt by what had happened.  He needed to see Chucky.

            He was nervous.  He was anxious.  The time was arranged.  Both men cried.  Brad needed to hear that Chucky forgave him so he could let go of his guilt.  Chucky did.

            What about us?  Do we have some guilt to get rid of?  Do we waste God’s time?  I will study the Word later.  I will apologize to that person I offended later.  I will share my faith to my non-believing friend later.  No.  Now is the time.  You do not know how much time you have. 

            When you are sorry for your sins, come to the Lord in prayer, hear His Word, worship Him and trust in Him, He does not put you off ever.  He is there for you right now.  “When the fullness of time had come” Jesus was sent into our Time.  God’s Son is like us.  He has a birthday; He is fully human, born under the Law to redeem those of us under the Law.  Everything God does for our salvation is done.  It’s finished.  The dying in our place.  The overcoming sin, death, and the devil.  The rising at just the right time to secure our salvation.  Done, finished.

            And we can go into our future with confidence.  We are not there yet, like those we remember today.  We still live in a world of sin and death and broken relationships.  We do not yet fully enjoy the eternal life that Jesus gives us, but it is sure and certain, because it rests on His promises.  Rests on what He has done.

            Brad Gaines had this faith.  After being forgiven, he devoted a lot of his time to be with Chucky.  In rehab and recovery.  In conversation and transportation.  He spent time with Chucky.  Chucky would make some progress but in 1991 he would be back in the hospital in the intensive care unit.  Brad Gaines slept on the floor.  The day that eventually comes for all was upon them.  The doctor said to Brad Gaines, “It’s Time.”  Chucky was taken off life support and transported to life eternal, with no more paralysis on May 6, 1991.

            Brad Gaines knew the time the Lord had given him.  He made it his mission to visit Chucky’s grave on three occasions every year – May 6 – the anniversary of Chucky’s death; October 28 – the day of Chucky’s injury and Christmas.  He doesn’t just go and sit.  He takes bucket and scrub brush and cleaning supplies and he cleans Chucky’s grave.  Brad Gaines is using his time.

            Are we?  Do we glimpse the time we have?  “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”  May the Lord help you to use your time wisely and to use it for His Kingdom.

            The world and all its glories will pass away.  The Word of the Lord stands forever.  This is the Word you believe.  This is the Word that gives you eternal life.   You are ready when It’s your Time.

            It’s Time – because Jesus has done it all.

                                                                                    Amen.    

October 25, 2020 – Reformation                                               Text:  Romans 3:19-28

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Well, we’ve been at this for seven months now.  What fashion accessory have you added to your wardrobe?  If you said “mask” you just earned a reservation on the patio of your favorite restaurant in December – congratulations.  How many masks do you own?  I started with a hospital mask after a visit and now my collection numbers four.  Two work masks – crosses on cloth and two others for shopping and a night on the town.  The mask has become part of who we are.

            Have you enjoyed hiding behind your mask?  Head down, get what you need and get on with life.  Or has the “law” coming down on you and requiring the aforementioned face covering annoyed you?  Let’s take what we are experiencing and put it into our Reformation message.

“FREE TO LIVE UNMASKED”

            I am not making any kind of political statement with our sermon title, I am just thankful for the Holy Spirit’s leading which should help us understand these passages from Romans. 

            The Jews hid behind masks of their own making.  They needed to do the right things to merit the favor of a holy God, or so they thought.  Paul unmasks the Jews when he writes, “so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world held accountable to God.  For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (v. 19b-20)

            We too are unmasked.  Have you gone places without your mask and you get the disparaging look?  That is what the law does, it leaves us exposed.  We are naked before the judgment seat of God “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

            We wear masks for our protection and the protection of others.  That is why we have the Law.  But if we think the mask can keep us safe with no chance for infection, then it has become our god.  In the same way, if we think our own righteousness and good behavior can save us right into the safe arms of Jesus, we have let our sinful thoughts get the best of us.  The Law uncovers who we are as less than perfect human beings.  It cannot mask our need for the Gospel of Christ.

            God has revealed a new righteousness.  The proclamation is in the Law and the Prophets but it was “fleshed” out in Christ Jesus.  Christ has covered our sin.  We can stand bold and mask free before a gracious God.

            We can do this through the Lord’s grace.  It has always been about grace.  God’s Old Testament people looked forward to the final Sacrifice that was better than any that took place on their altars.  When Christ obediently gave his life on Good Friday, a literal mask was taken down when the temple curtain was torn in two and man and woman could come into the presence of a holy God.  Up to this point the temple curtain had masked them from the mercy seat of their Creator. 

            It is still grace, the means of grace, the Word and the Sacrament that allow us to take away our masks and come into the Lord’s presence.  He feeds us forgiveness and love and mercy and grace.  He welcomes us with open arms and we don’t need to follow an arrow on the floor but we walk confidently into a gracious hug that gives us a glimpse of the eternal hug that awaits us as His children.

            We are free to live unmasked before God.  We have no need of fear or uncertainty.  He even knows when the mask will no longer be part of our wardrobe.  He sees us only in the righteousness of Jesus.

            We are free to live unmasked before our neighbor.  We don’t need to pretend to be somebody we are not.  We simply boast in being God’s redeemed who know that the Lord is in control.  We confidently maintain this to all – our children, our spouse, our co-workers, our fellow students, our neighbor, our brothers and sisters in Christ here at Good Shepherd Lutheran.  It comes through in the way we worship and speak and serve.  “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (v. 28)

            Free to live unmasked . . . through Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                Amen.