August 30, 2020                                                                    Text:  Jeremiah 15:15-21

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Do you remember this story from two years ago?  It involves a teenager in the United Kingdom who went deaf and blind due to his junk food diet.  Here’s a portion of the article from Fox News.

            “The case involves a teen, believed to be the UK’s first such case, who slowly lost his eyesight and hearing after eating nothing but fries, chips, and other kinds of junk food…The then 14-year-old boy, described as a “fussy eater,” complained of experiencing tiredness to his family doctor.  By the age of 15, however, his hearing and vision became impaired…At 17, he was declared legally blind…The teen was eventually diagnosed with nutritional optic neuropathy, a result of nutritional deficiencies…The boy’s mother told the Telegraph that the teen’s condition has “devastated his life” and that he’s since dropped out of college.  She also left her job in order to care for him.”

            What a cautionary tale.  Many health situations can be linked to our diet.  What we put in our mouths has a bearing on one’s state of mind and health.  What are you feeding yourself spiritually? 

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”

            If you have been around the Lutheran liturgy for a while you can recall these words:  “Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy Holy Word we may embrace, ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which Thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ…”

            Inwardly digest the Word of God.  Eating the Word is throughout the Scriptures.  Eating led to death in the Garden of Eden but eating is also connected to the promise of life.  At the Last Supper the promise of the New Covenant there was eating and drinking that gives forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.  “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

            In our text it is the prophet Jeremiah eating the Word of the Lord.  “Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.  I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation.” (v. 16-17)

            What are we going to eat?  A feast on the Word of God or will we open that bag of chips and gorge ourselves on the incessant junk food that is communicated to us daily?  You ever sit down with a snack while watching TV and before you know it half the bag is gone?  We just keep shoveling it in without a realization of what we are doing?  This happens to us spiritually.  We skip the daily devotions; we neglect the hearing and reading of God’s Word.  We fill our plates with that which does not satisfy. 

            Listen to this insight from an enlightened author.  “Spiritual junk food is comprised of the things we take in, that sometimes provide temporary comfort, but have little to no spiritual value; and once the moment passes, we feel worse than before.  Those things are often hidden in entertainment.  Many times entertainment serves as a means to distract us from the problems in our lives, escape reality, cure boredom, or make us feel better.  The content in entertainment is often high in spiritual sugar, salt, fat, and…empty calories.  Most people don’t like to admit that what they watch read or listen to, has an effect on their spiritual welfare.  To one who is accustomed to eating junk food, healthy food isn’t very appealing.  The same is true for one who is accustomed to enjoying spiritual junk food.  And the result of a spiritual junk food diet is a diseased soul.”

            What should we be putting into our mouths and minds?  God’s Word.  When hearing the Word what provided you comfort?  As you read the Word think of the grace that helped your trembling soul.  In marking your Bible how many times do you come back to that passage that you gives you a spiritual lift when life has you in the doldrums of the basement?  As you digest the Lord’s Words you fill yourself with forgiveness and life and salvation that the Lord died and rose again to provide.

            God’s Word doesn’t always have to be in a formal setting such as Bible Class or Sunday School.  Those are wonderful.  I love where Scripture says, “talk about them as you walk along the road.”  This puts it in our daily experiences.  It is part of our ongoing Christian walk.  What we eat we share with others.  Don’t always know what to say?  God has a word for that.  Know your Bible so that what you eat flows out of you to those around you.

            You are what you eat.  What will it be?  It is the prayer from this pulpit today that you choose the food that lasts forever.  As Jesus says, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” (John 6:27)               Amen.

August 16, 2020 – Building/Church Anniversary                         Text:  Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

Dear Friends in Christ,

            It was the summer of 1993 and a young LCMS Pastor from Texas brought his relatively new wife to Normal IL to show her where he went to college.  One of their stops was his college church – Wittenberg Lutheran Center.  They were informed a new mission congregation was forming in the Twin Cities with offices at Wittenberg.

            By 1994 this mission had 15 original members, one of which is still a member.  In 1995 a large influx of souls joined what was called Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.  Many were as Isaiah says in our text “outcasts” from another congregation, even to the point of being asked to leave.  This mission was made an official member church of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod on February 19, 1995 under the leadership of mission developer Rev. Clarence Mankin.

            This small band of believers would wander, like the Israelites in the Exodus, from Wittenberg to Holiday Inn to Eastland Conference Center to McLean County Farm Bureau where offices were procured.  Would they find a permanent home?  Would this mission last?  Many of us have lived the story.  But it is not about us.  It’s about Him – our Lord Jesus Christ.  This anniversary day . . .

“PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW”

            Many of the verses in our text from Isaiah have been marks of this congregation.  “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come . . . keep the Sabbath.”  The Lord’s people here have always known the importance of Sunday Worship – keeping the Sabbath.  Where the Synodical average in worship is around 35%, Good Shepherd has always been in that 60% range.  Even now in this “blip in our lives” the importance of coming together as God’s people in this place is reflected in those coming to the Lord’s House.

            God blessed that as well.  He gathered us together and when you called a Pastor from Shawnee Kansas with 7-½ years experience, the thought had to be where are we going from here?  He looks so young and he told us he likes to sleep in.  Is this going to work?

            Pastor and people prayed.  Another mark of these sheep of the Shepherd.  Isaiah says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”  They had a voter’s meeting and were presented three plans for a church home.  They met in the middle and voted to ask the Church Extension Fund of their district for a $1.8 million dollar loan to build their place of worship and Bible study and fellowship.

            A group of them went to Springfield and presented a plan that most bankers and financial advisors would laugh at.  We are 150 little church mice and we prayerfully ask for almost 2 million dollars.  There are some concerns but they vote unanimously to grant the funds.  Huh?  What?  The Lord must know what He is doing.

            And of course He does.  As He promised the Israelites, “soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.”  The Lord’ righteousness is victorious over wickedness.  His salvation comes to His people solely because of Him.  Jesus would procure our salvation.  The Good Shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep.  This is our temporary home but while here on earth we are blessed by our Lord to be part of this congregation.

            Ground was broken in 1999 and the Lord blessed us with mild winter weather – construction would continue.  On June 11, 2000 a cornerstone was put in place.  Later that summer this church would find it’s promised land in southeast Bloomington and begin worshipping in this sanctuary.  Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.

            There is no doubt this is where we are suppose to be.  The unexpected blessings are too numerous to list but just a few:  church pews we didn’t expect to have, construction overruns of $200,000 we paid off, a pipe organ refurbished and paid for, putting the short pews in the middle of the sanctuary, instead of the back, and having a family from our neighborhood canvas come to worship that first Sunday with a wheelchair-bound family member.  Wow!  If you have been in this church for any length of time, you see the gracious hand of our Lord.

            He has allowed us to touch 535 members in 25 years plus visitors and family members.  We have been blessed with twice as many baptisms as funerals.  We have had adult confirmations almost every year of our existence.  We’ve maintained stability in spite of all those who have moved from our area because of our state economy and job opportunities elsewhere.  Even now, the Lord’s Church is resilient.

            Praise God From All Blessings Flow.  He has hold of us now and into the future.  It is a great time to be the church.  We are always a mission church.  Who needs the stability and rock solid foundation that only our Good Shepherd can provide?  Pray for that person.  Look to the Holy Spirit for guidance.

            We look forward to burning our mortgage and other blessings in the coming years.  That young Pastor in 1993 had no idea he would be called to lead this group.  What a joy it has been for our family.  Lord Jesus continue to grant us your grace, mercy and love as we await your return.  Until then . . . Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!          Amen.