Sermon Text 1.5.2020 — We Have Come to Worship Him

January 5, 2020 – Epiphany                                                                     Text:  Matthew 2:1-12

Dear Friends in Christ,

            As we celebrate Epiphany today let’s continue to debunk a couple of myths about this day.  First, this is one you hear me talk about all the time – we do not know the number of wise men who visited Jesus.  We just sang “We Three Kings” but that is just a number in a hymn.  There could have been an entourage of men or very few.

            The second myth perpetuated by manger scenes and greeting cards is that the wise men worshipped Jesus in the manger.  Verse 11 of our text tells us they went into “a house.”  No barn or feeding trough.  Just a nice bi-level for the carpenter and his wife and their new baby.  Oops, let’s not create another myth – nobody knows what style of home the first family lived in.

            What is clear is that these Magi from the East have come to worship Him.  The Christ Child – Jesus by name.  So do we.  With the Wise Men, on this Epiphany…

“WE HAVE COME TO WORSHIP HIM”

            Why?  Well along with the mistaken ideas about Jesus’ coming there are some even stranger ones that have circulated throughout the years.  Ever hear the one about Jesus turning mud into doves.  How about bringing a dead playmate back to life?  My favorite is this one – Jesus zapped dead a buddy who cheated in a game. 

            What we do know is that the first miracle Jesus performed was turning water into wine at a wedding in the town of Cana.  This did not happen until he was 30.  Jesus’ miracles were always acts of kindness.  He wasn’t zapping people dead.

            The biggest misconception of Jesus has been the one that has now gone on for centuries.  He is a great religious teacher and prophet who espouses love to one another.  That is partly true but does not reach into the realm of who He really is.  The Bible says there is so much more.  There would be no need for worship and our gathering here today if he were just a prophet that is here today and gone tomorrow.

            What did the Wise Men think of Jesus?  “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” (v. 2) 

            Word of their arrival quickly reaches King Herod.  He is a descendant of Esau and more than a little edgy about a legitimate “king of the Jews.”  When Herod gets edgy people die, including many in his own family.

            The other thing that upset Herod is that these Wise Men have come to worship Him.  Not only was He the crown prince of Israel, but the crown prince of heaven as well.  They have come to worship Him because they know who He really is.  Christ deserved to be worshipped then.  He deserves to be worshipped today.

            Why?  Why worship Him?  Because in His birth He took on human flesh, and his death he took all the sins of human flesh to the cross.  When he died, the sins remained there on the cross.  Now he lives, having arisen from the dead.  He is to be worshipped.  That baby is the Savior of the world.

            Herod couldn’t bring himself to worship Jesus.  He hated Jesus.  To acknowledge Jesus means we have to admit that we are sinners.  Can we do that?  Can you and I admit we are horrible human beings and we deserve death and hell on Judgment Day?

            Yes, we can do that.  We did it this morning in our confession.  We do it daily in our prayers.  You confess.  Jesus forgives.  The Holy Spirit lives in you and works in you.  He inspires your prayer life and your worship life.  Like the Wise Men you have come to worship Him.

            There in the home they fell down and worshipped Him and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  One day Jesus would hang on a cross robed in a glory gold can never show, sending forth into heaven a prayer that frankincense could never carry, buried as a sacrifice myrrh could never make sweeter.  They are grand gifts to be sure, but they do not compare to the greater gift Jesus would offer.

            Jesus has a gift for you.  It is the gift of forgiveness.  It is the gift of salvation.  It is the gift of eternal life.  All for free.  A gift paid for by His sinless death on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead.

            So we come to worship and we also bring our gifts.  We offer up our prayers.  We lift our voices.  We bring our offerings in joy.  In the eyes of Jesus these gifts are as precious as gold and frankincense and myrrh. 

            In humbleness Lord, accept our worship this day.

                                                                                                            Amen.    

Bulletin Announcements January 5, 2020

THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP:  Luke 2:49 – “And he said to them, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ ”  What a privilege the Lord has given to us by calling us to come to His house! It is not a burden but rather an honor and a blessing for us to always be able to come to a place where we know God is present for us in His gifts of Word and Sacrament.  Likewise, the Lord has honored us by allowing us to support the work of His house with our tithes and offerings.

FAITH IN ACTION OF BLOOMINGTON/NORMAL:   One ride, one visit, one Senior at a time.  Need a ride?  Want to volunteer?  Need more information?  Call (309) 827-7780; or email: office@bnfia.org or contact Barry Hamlin at (309) 750-9424.

THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS meets in the basement at 9:15 a.m. and is studying a DVD-based Study entitled: “Joseph: Carpenter of Steel!”  Come learn about this important person in the Christmas Story.

OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL meets at 9:15 a.m. in the Choir Room which is located on the 2nd level (the west side).

TODAY:  If you purchased a Poinsettia, you may take it home TODAY.

THE LADIES MORNING BIBLE STUDY will meet twice a month starting this month.  We will meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m.   This month we meet on January 7th and January 21st.

OFFERING ENVELOPES:  The 2020 Offering Envelopes are now available for you to pick-up.  They are located in the narthex with your name on them.  If you are not sure of your name, please check with the church office.  Thank you.

FROM THE OFFICE:  We received a card from our adopted Seminary Student Aaron Wendorf and family—child #3 is to be born any day.  To read more about their lives, the card is posted on the bulletin board outside the church office.  Next Sunday, January 12th, will be our monthly Offering for Aaron.

FROM THE OFFICE:  Georgia Boriack’s new address is:  Georgia Boriack – Resident, Sunrise Assisted Living, 4300 George Mason Blvd., Suite 103, Fairfax VA 22030.

CAN YOU HELP: John and Paula Hardy are planning their annual trip to Ft Wayne, IN.  It will be sometime after the holidays, hopefully mid-February. The Seminary needs clothes for men, women, and children. They also accept shoes, coats, and kitchen supplies.  Please be sure all donated items are clean and in good repair.  Please bring your donations to the church.  There is a closet located in the hall upstairs where items are collected, and packed for our trip.  If you need help finding it just contact John (309) 310-7917.  Thank you!

PORTALS OF PRAYER:  The January—March 2020 Portals of Prayer are available on the bookrack in the narthex.  Pick up your free copy today!

FELLOWSHIP HOSTS:  We have two separate sign-ups: Donut Pick-up and Coffee Set-up.  We would like to encourage you to sign-up for one or the other.  You may also sign-up for both if you wish.  The sign-up sheet is by the door by the north stairwell.

THE LUTHERAN HOUR:  “People Are Treasure” is the topic for next Sunday.  The sermon text will be from Genesis 39  The speaker will be Reverend Dr. Michael Zeigler.  Hear his message on The Lutheran Hour on WGN (720) at 6:00 a.m.; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.  Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Tune in!  You can also listen to The Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org.

FROM THE OFFICE:  The church now has a new email address.  Our new email address is: office@goodshepherdblm.org.

FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE:  If you miss church, please be reminded that copies of the previous week’s sermon are available on the table in the narthex.  Also, the sermon will be available on our web site at www.goodshepherdblm.org.  Thank you.

INFORMATION REQUESTED:  Please notify the church office if someone in the congregation or any family or friends are ill or hospitalized.

PRAYER CIRCLE:  If you have a prayer request please submit them by email to Mary Anne Kirchner at makirchner@yahoo.com or you may phone a Prayer Request to Mary Anne; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582.  The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.

Stewardship Corner January 2020

Our God is a God who works through means. He can and has worked immediately without agency, as the Bible testifies, but primarily, on the whole and for the most part, our God works through means. He does this not only for all of our earthly needs but also for all of our spiritual needs. And He does this for our benefit.

He provides for all our needs of this body and life through means. He gives us fathers and mothers to care for us when we are young. Through them, God provides house and home, food and clothing, education and training in the arts and work of this world.

He gives us good government to protect us from harm and danger; He gives us faithful neighbors and good friends to help in times of need and lack. He gives us employers who trade our work for income so that we may acquire the needs of the body. He gives us brains and brawn so that we will have something to trade with those employers for that needed income. This work, which we are able to do only because of what God has provided to us, redounds to the benefit of others. And so, the cycle of God giving through means continues.

He provides for all our needs of our souls. He sent His Son into the flesh to be our Savior. In that body, our Lord Jesus Christ lived the life that God demands of us all – a life we have failed to live because of our sins – and, in that body, He made payment for those sins on the cross, once and for all.

God delivers this forgiveness through the means of His Word and Sacraments. He calls pastors to proclaim, in His stead and by His command, that our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake. Through these same pastors, God Himself claims us as His own in Holy Baptism, placing His own name on us in water and Word, igniting faith by the gift of the Holy Spirit. And He gives us His life-giving body and blood to nourish us in this same faith until the end. Our God is a God who works through means.

This is true also of stewardship. This is what St. Paul wrote in Philippians:

“I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:18–19).

The gift St. Paul received from the Philippian church is a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. They gave to God. God provided for St. Paul through the Philippians. And the God who loves both Paul and the Philippians will supply their every need according to the riches in Christ Jesus. Our God is a God who works through means.

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus Christ],” St. Paul tells us in 2 Cor. 1:20. This is true also of you. Trust in the God who provides for all that we need in body and soul through means. And not only will you find His “yes” to you, but others will find it, too, through you. “But as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you – see that you excel in this act of grace also” (2 Cor. 8:7).

Celebrating January 2020

Birthdays

Carin Henson   1/1
Nicholas Hitch   1/2
Bud Kessler   1/4
Mary McEleney   1/6
Cathy Cloyd   1/9
Robert Hanner   1/9
Nancy Thomas 1/19
Greg McNeely 1/20
Linda Dirks 1/28
Jill Holland 1/31

Baptismal Birthdays

Charles Nottingham   1/1
Shirley Potter   1/1
Chloe Hitch   1/2
Jackie Kwasny 1/11
Jessica Isaac 1/12
Bud Kessler 1/21