March 16, 2025 Text: Jeremiah 26:8-15

Dear Friends in Christ,

October 16-28, 1962, is probably that as well known to be people today as it should be. In those 13 days nuclear war was averted. We know it as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union was sending missiles to Cuba because the US had a build-up in Italy and Turkey. Cuba, 90 miles from Florida, was dangerously close. The US set up a blockade. After a US plane was shot down, a US invasion force was ready. Robert McNamara, US Defense Secretary later said, “I thought it was the last Saturday I would ever see.” President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev had intense negotiations. The Soviets turned their ships around. No nuclear missiles launched. No World War III. Crisis averted.
In our text today, it is a pivotal moment for God’s people, will they survive as a nation? God sends his prophet Jeremiah to speak some harsh words. Will the words be heard, and the crisis averted?
How about us? Do you feel your survival is threatened? Are missiles pointed our way? Will God’s Word preached to us . . .
“AVERT THE CRISIS?”
God’s people, the kingdom of Judah, had a crisis because they were rejecting the Word of God. They were dissing the Creator – Yahweh. Jeremiah had just spoken and let’s just say . . . it was not well received. He told them they were turning to other gods and away from the God who had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and given them a Promised Land.
Jeremiah finishes his little diatribe, and the corrupt priests and prophets do not give his speech a favorable rating. They tell him “You shall die!” Like a playground fight, everyone gathers together. It is not a standoff between two superpowers, but between good and evil. Jeremiah tells them that he is speaking for God, and he calls them to repent. If they repent, crisis averted. If they refuse, well . . . God has a little destruction plan. “Is this the last Saturday they will ever see?”
What crisis do we will live under? Eternal catastrophe in hell caused by sin. We have gods we haven’t given up. Carnal desires. Trust in plastic and glass and steel. Lying and cheating for temporal things that don’t last.
You hear it every Sunday from this pulpit, but the desire is still there to turn inward and rebel. On this journey of Lent, as we live the days of our lives, we are in crisis, we know the wages of sin is death.
There is a way out of the crisis. We need a mediator. The Living Word in the flesh intervenes. Don’t these priests of Jeremiah’s time remind you of the Pharisees and Sadducees and chief priests scurrying from the lairs to get Jesus before Pilate and condemn him to death? Jesus too spoke God’s Word. God had sent many prophets who were murdered. Now it is time for the Son. They will listen to Him, won’t they?
This is the only scenario where our crisis of damnation can be averted. God in the flesh would have to live the commandments perfectly. God in the flesh would have to take the punishment for our sins. God in the flesh would have to shed his blood to save us from hell. It is God’s love for us that averts the crisis.
The verses after our text tell us cooler heads prevailed. Jeremiah wasn’t killed. But 22 years later Judah was dragged off into captivity in Babylon. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, just as Jeremiah had warned. The people never really took God’s Word to heart.
Let’s listen to God’s messengers of today. Let’s hear the voice of repentance and live as children of God. History bears out that over the years many crises have been averted and millions of lives have been saved. Jesus’ death and resurrection overcame our crisis of sin and death. We look forward to the final resolution when Christ will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
Crisis averted.
Amen.

March 12, 2025 – Lent Texts: Genesis 1:1-5, Ephesians 5:8-9, John 12:44-46

Dear Friends in Christ,
When the Holy Spirit put the idea in my head to do our Lenten sermon series on soap opera titles, I knew the names of these shows would work nicely for the messages. What I did not know is that some of these soap operas have religious underpinnings.
The prime example is tonight – The Guiding Light. This holds the record of the being the longest running soap between radio and TV – 72 years. When the show started in 1937 it centered on Rev. John Rutledge. The “Guiding Light” in the show’s title originally referred to the lamp in Rutledge’s study that people used as a sign for them to find his help when needed.
How did this come about? The creator of The Guiding Light was Irna Phillips. Irna had given birth to a stillborn baby, and she found spiritual comfort listening to the sermons
of Preston Bradley, a famous Chicago preacher.
Where do we look for help? I pray it is the Light of Christ. It shines in our dark times and is always there to lead the way. Tonight, look to . . .
‘THE GUIDING LIGHT”
This idea of light first began on the first day of creation. Our Old Testament reading tells us that “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” (v. 2a). Darkness was there, but it doesn’t say anything about God calling it good. Have you ever noticed that before? The positive comes in verse 3, “God said, ‘let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” (vs. 3-4a)
That is the power of God’s Word, it is “performative” – it does not merely state something, but it accomplishes, or brings about, that which it declares. This was not mere natural sunlight, but light called into being by God’s Word to contrast the unbroken darkness. This anticipates the restored creation at the end of time, in which God’s presence will enlighten all things, there will be no need for sun or moon.
When The Guiding Light hit television the series revolved around the Bauer family, a German immigrant family. We have a lot of German ancestry in our sanctuary tonight. Plus, other nationalities as well. What do all have in common? Dark times, dark places, dark decisions, dark thoughts, souls that can be taken over by the Prince of Darkness. Jesus says that Satan is like a strong man. No one around can match his strength, and by his might, he keeps hold of all his possessions. We cannot escape by our might. No human being is strong enough to defeat this strong man. The devil’s house of darkness and blackened kingdom are terrifying to us.
That is, until they come up against the finger of God. The finger of God is used as a way of describing God’s work of creation. The finger of God is His Word. Jesus Himself is the Word of God. At Jesus’ Word, the demons shudder and flee. Jesus is the finger of God. It takes only the finger of God for Satan’s dark tyranny to come crashing down.
Jesus embodied the light of God’s presence, and God shines this light in us to create faith in Him. For these reasons, lights – lamps and candles – are used in Christian worship to symbolize God’s active faith-creating and faith-sustaining presence among his people.
Paul reminds us we were once darkness, but now are the light of the Lord. We are to walk as children of light. Our good words and deeds flow naturally from one planted in Christ. Flip the switch through prayer, devotional time and worship.
Christ walked the road. He was on some dusty highways and paraded through dark alleys. He saw the face of darkness when spit on and beaten and tortured. He had to enter the gates of hell to win our salvation. He lit that place up like the 4th of July. He states in John, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (v. 46). Jesus is our Guiding Light.
In the final episode of this soap opera, in the final scene in fact, in the background you can see a lighthouse. A reminder of that original light on the desk of Rev. Rutledge. As our lives play out, we have that same presence of a light in our day to day living. It might shine as a beacon at times and struggle to be a flicker at others. But it is always there guiding, leading us to the place of eternal light. Joy awaits.
Join us next week on this same station for . . . “As The World Turns.”
Amen.

March 9, 2025 Text: Romans 10:8b-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

Have you ever used your name to back the reputation of another? As a parent you have maybe had to co-sign a loan for a car or even a house for your son or daughter. You are putting your reputation on the line and backing the loan if your namesake cannot meet the obligation.
Or have you ever had this scenario? You are asked to testify on someone’s behalf in court? You have to polish and shine their name by what you say. If you are credible, people will look to what you have to say about that person.
In both of these instances you are preserving the honor of the name by your actions. This, of course, is how God works. He has promised to care for His children. He asks us to honor His name. He asks us to confess his name. When we do, the saving act of Jesus will be ours. Do you ever consider?
“GOD’S REPUTATION IS TIED TO YOUR REPUTATION”
Now at first that sentence can be a little scary. He’s God and well, we are not. God is perfect and well, we are not. God is good, right, and salutary and well, we are not. How in the world can we live up to God’s name? I don’t want that pressure, and you don’t either.
You see, if you are going to be known as a Christian, if you are going to wear that cross around your neck and share God’s Word with people, then you have a certain responsibility. If you are going to stand in the marketplace and the workplace and the family gathering as God’s child, then your actions are going to be judged.
If you are going to profane God’s name, it is profaned. You profane your own name when you do not live up to the name Christian. If your language is less than uplifting, people notice. If you are always running people down or talking negatively, people notice. If your language is always about you and less about Him as the God of your life, people notice. If you ever doubt the Word of God, people notice. Your reputation may suffer, but more importantly the Lord’s reputation may take a hit. If you don’t believe it, why should anyone else? You make Him out to be a liar or incompetent or weak or unloving.
God has put His name on the line for you. He obligated Himself to make you holy by taking your sinful shame on Himself. He fulfilled His obligation when on the cross He endured the shame you deserved. He endured the shame of the only obedient Son being forsaken by His Father. His resurrection from the dead guarantees that your name is hallowed, that means it is kept holy in spite of your shortcomings.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (v. 9). Quite simple, isn’t it? “Jesus is Lord” is the confession of the early Church. They were making a clear testimony of Christ’s deity. Christ is God.
When Christ works in our lives so that we bear His name with Christ-like behavior, then the name of the Lord is to be praised. Our reputation is saved by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. You receive the Lord’s holiness in His Word and His Sacraments. In these Means of His Grace He delivers to you His unending forgiveness. The signs that God is faithful to His promises.
Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the name of the Lord can be spread far and wide. All people, Jew and Greek, can call on the name of the Lord. We uphold this name by preaching and teaching his name in truth and purity. Imagine what can be done if we live what we say? As God’s child, you make a holy confession of his name. And people do notice. That is why God’s reputation is tied to your reputation.
The Lord will not let you down. Trust Him, and you will not be put to shame. The Word of faith is in your heart and in your mouth. Call upon the name of the Lord. There is a reputation on the line!
Amen.

March 5, 2025 – Ash Wednesday Texts: Psalm 90:9-14, Hebrews 1:1-3
Dear Friends in Christ,
Did you know that the soap opera began in Illinois? The first was called “Painted Dreams” and was broadcast on WGN out of Chicago on October 20, 1930. The soap opera is still going today.
The soap opera got its name because in the early days of radio and TV they were sponsored by soap manufacturers. Companies like Proctor & Gamble the makers of Tide. For these midweek Lenten sermons and Holy Week sermons we are going to use the soap opera as the backdrop to tell the story of Jesus, His passion and resurrection. Do you realize what these both have in common? They both have multiple storylines. They both have people dying that is not permanent. They both get people emotionally involved. Therefore, the word “passion” can be used for both.
Tonight, we begin with a soap opera that is just two months younger than I am. It began November 8, 1965. I saw it a lot during my freshman year at ISU. My roommate on the 5th floor of Manchester was a huge fan. If I was there over the lunch hour, we would watch it on my 12-inch black and white. Who can forget the beginning, “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the . . . .
“DAYS OF OUR LIVES”
This is one of four soaps still in production. It is streamed on Peacock. Interestingly enough it is set in Illinois, in the fictional town of Salem, even though we know Illinois has a Salem. It has focused over the years on the Brady and Horton families. It has been one of the most daring series in this particular genre. It shows what the title promises . . . the days of their lives.
Lent is the story of days of the life of Jesus. The days that lead to Holy Week. The days of Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and culminating in the greatest of days – Easter.
We journey through these 40 days of our lives together. Because we all experience the days of our lives. Recently, I came upstairs from my lair in the basement and announced to Toni, “For the 400th month in a row our checkbook is balanced!” I was excited. She not so much. It was the Lord’s reminder of our time together.
In our first text from Psalm 90, it is written in verse 10, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”
These numbers are a good average and fall within the average lifespan today. When the Psalmist wrote these words, humans of this era were only living to about 40. Another indication that still today Scripture speaks to us. Do you see your life as toil and trouble? We do toil. Toil at our jobs. Toil in our homes. Toil in our leisure. Trouble? Sure we have trouble, but do you see it as the overriding theme of your life? Maybe some do. But that is a rough way to live. We probably do agree with the last part of the verse that are days are soon gone and we fly away.
“Fly away” is poetic language that evokes the despair of life’s all-too-rapid fight into death. This is why we number our days. The days of our lives in this world are limited. This is where we look to God’s glorious power. Verse 14 gives the spiritual lift to our days, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” That is how I want to spend my days, how about you?
This Ash Wednesday if you received the ashes on your forehead you heard, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We die because we are sinners. If our lives were left in our hands – the only reward we would have earned is God’s judgment and wrath. What does the Lord do for us? He creates in us a clean heart and right spirit. God has taken your sin and put it out of his memory. How has He done this? By speaking to us in these last days by His Son. Christ is the heir of all things.
An heir inherits all that belongs to the parents. Jesus, as God’s only begotten Son, shares with His brothers and sisters the Father’s mercy, forgiveness, and new life. That is the Lenten message. The days of our lives are filled with the Lord’s mercy, forgiveness, and new life. This Ash Wednesday you are sealed and marked with this eternal promise.
Join us next week on this same station for . . . the “Guiding Light.”
Amen.

March 2, 2025 – Transfiguration Text: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Dear Friends in Christ,

A little girl was on a cruise ship with her parents, and as they were looking out over the deck, the girl said to her father, “Look daddy, I can see farther than my eyes can see.” Where have you been that is farther than your eyes can see? Looking out over an ocean? A mountain peak? For those of us in Central Illinois, we can say about every one of us has been to the top of the Willis Tower or the Hancock in Chicago, the Arch in St. Louie, or even Watterson Towers on the campus of Illinois State. All places where you see farther than the eyes can see.
How is your vision? In a congregation our size it is varied. Many of you have glasses or contacts. Some of you have reading glasses. Some have retina problems or macular regeneration. Others have great vision and have never had their eyes checked by a professional. Today in our text Moses sees, but what does he see? Moses did not lose what the Lord what trying to show him. How about you?
“DO YOU HAVE A VISION OF THE LORD’S PLAN?”
How did Moses get to this point? We have to go back to the Lord’s words to Abraham in Genesis 12:1 when the Lord promises to bring the people “to the land that I will show you.”
So, Moses leads two million, incredible right – 2 million people out of their slavery in Egypt. This is no walk in the park. The complaints he must have heard. You didn’t bring enough food and water…Aren’t you going to stop and ask for directions or are we going to keep on wandering…This desert area doesn’t look like a good place to bed down. Quiet you people. I am going up a mountain and you need to wash yourselves so you can be in the presence of Almighty God. Nice plan. Except when he comes down, they are singing and dancing to a golden calf. So, you want to be a travel agent? Moses sees everyone at their best and their worst.
There are times we see each other at our best and worst. It happens in our homes, at our workplaces, in our churches, on the roads, at the ballgames, the hospital, the nursing home. Up and down. Left and right. “Let’s go Moses.” “Uh, this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing.” We are a funny people.
This doesn’t come through in the Bible, but Moses had to be gifted with a sense of humor. This does come through in the Bible, his vision was tempered with patience. God promised him he would see the Promised Land but only from a distance. He was 120 with eyes undimmed and vigor unabated. The Lord kept the vision alive for Moses, but He also kept it alive for Joshua, the man who succeeded Moses.
Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when you lie in a hospital bed? Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when you look at your accident scars? Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when your marriage or family goes off the rails? Do you have a vision of the Lord’s plan when facing a death or your own mortality? This Promised Land trek took years to complete. Many of the people lost the vision. I’ve seen many of you struggle to look even a week ahead. Lord grant us your vision and patience.
Other than Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one guy in all our readings is Moses. The Lord knew him face to face. The signs and wonders he did are unequalled. He is unmatched in his display of leadership and influence. He is honored for his faith in Hebrews, “Now Moses was faithful in all God’s House as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later.” (Heb. 3:5) The writer of Hebrews also points out that while Moses was great, no one is greater than Jesus. God buried Moses, and he is still dead. We do not worship Moses. We do not lead people to Moses. Instead, through the leadership of Moses, as well as the prophets, we lead people to Christ, who leads us all to the promised land of heaven. That’s the vision. Can you see it?
God kept his promise to the Israelites. God keeps His promise to us through Jesus. Standing on the threshold of Lent we are going to view some dark, dreary days – suffering, rejection, killing. But you can see the rest of the vision. “On the third day He will be raised.” (Luke 9:22). This is God’s promise and God keeps His promises.
Our greatest vision is what Moses is experiencing. His perfect eyesight views a heavenly landscape. One day there will be people farther than the eye can see who will be assembled around the throne of God. Open your eyes and catch the vision!
Amen.