November 3, 2024 Text: Revelation 21:4

Dear Friends in Christ,
Today is All Saints Day. Not a day to remember the big saints in Christian history, they already have special days. Rather, it is a day to remember instead all those who have passed on with the sign of faith whose lives and deaths were mostly ordinary, but who are nonetheless important to us. One congregation I know calls it “Kleenex Day.” They expect to cry. And why not, when we sing “For All The Saints” or remember those who died, it can be emotional. I got a little teary eyed preparing the message, who says I won’t drop a tear or two while delivering this message.
Our text is from the Book of Revelation, and it gives us a spiritual lift. As we celebrate together as the Lord’s Church All Saints Day . . .
“DO WE NEED TO PASS THE TISSUES?”
For the first time ever, I learned that what we observe today is a Totenfest. A Totenfest is a German Church tradition of remembering those who died in the faith. It means, “celebration of the dead.” We read the names of those who died in the past year, we ring the bell, we read Scripture, and sing the hymn. These are all powerful and appropriate. So also weeping is appropriate. Please, pass the tissues. The Church Triumphant is filled with quiet saints, loved and missed by us. There are persons in that crowd that we remember and our eager to see again. They also matter to God. We rejoice why we weep.
Everything the Lord does today is personal. You noted that, didn’t you? The first part of our text, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (v. 4a). That is personal. Life is tough. Disappointments, hurts, pains, conflicts . . . lots of tears. But do you get the point? God is directing all of that. Pointing us, ultimately, to home – HEAVEN. And there – praise God – there He will wipe away all the tears. Indeed, it is the personal touch.
Look at what all of this is saying to us – to you and me – people who spend so much time holding on to this world. He is telling us, this world is passing away. Listen to the last part of verse 4: “Death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (v. 4b). Isn’t that something? The former things have passed away.
Do you see? Death . . . mourning, as we do over the death of loved ones and friends . . . crying about life and our failures and traumas, crying about the death of our loved ones and friends . . . and pain; aching bodies, broken hearts, broken bones, fearful news from the medical profession, pain.
And look at us. We hang on to this. We love it. We prefer to mourn, cry, suffer. We prefer all of that until we remember why our Jesus came here: to earn for each of us the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life.
For us as Christians every day is Easter. This is what our faith is all about. From the Emmaus disciples: “It is true! The Lord has risen…” (Luke 24:33)
That’s right. Jesus is alive. Jesus lives. Because He lives, we will live forever. We really should be finished with this world. The former things have ended. The dead will rise.
He will raise you as well. That is one of the themes of All Saints Day. Unless the Lord returns first, you will physically die. Jesus died for you to take your sins away. He died your death. Now death cannot have you. You belong to Jesus, who is risen from the dead. In Baptism, He gives you His life. All Saints’ Day is a little preview of your funeral. Your body will rise!
On All Saints’, we mock death and spit in his eye. Christ is risen. We will rise. The risen Christ stops death in its tracks. Our loved ones will be given back to us – alive, healed, and whole. That means my mom. That means your loved ones who are with the Lord and all the saints now safely home in endless day. That means you. We long for the day when the tissues are no longer needed.
Amen.

October 27, 2024 – Reformation Text: Psalm 46

Dear Friends in Christ,
Just a few weeks ago I was telling Toni how excited I was to preach this Reformation sermon. The reason? For the first time in 33 years of ministry I have a new perspective on the Reformation. This summer we were privileged to walk where the reformers walked. We saw the buildings and the churches and the topography of the land. We got to experience how far away some of the towns were from each other. We went into the woods to see where Martin Luther was kidnapped and taken to Wartburg Castle. Those of us brave enough made the walk to the castle, the others came by van, but we saw how steep it was to get up there, even with modern day steps. We saw the Castle Church in Wittenberg and the 95 Theses. We went to Leipzig and Eisleben and Torgau and Schmalkalden and Coburg and Worms. Beautiful German towns.
I did not realize until being there, how much travel they had to do for the Reformation to take place. As an example, if you went from Wittenberg to Worms by car today it would take you five hours. Just imagine in Luther and Melanchthon’s time the travel time. I appreciate even more the effort to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the forefront of what we teach and preach. It took a lot on . . .
“THE LONG WALK TO FREEDOM”
We walked a lot on this trip, and I loved it – 11,000-13,000 steps most days. How do I know? One lady counted them. It was strange watching her leave the hotel . . . one, two, three . . . well, actually did you know they have these things on your wrist that count your steps. Amazing! The topography to go from town to town was rarely flat and, in some cases, could be quite steep up and down the valleys.
This was the world the reformers lived in. It would take some stamina to do what they did. Here I stand. Here I walk. Here I travel. They thought it was worth it and it was.
The most interesting thing learned on the trip and the reason we saw many buildings and churches still intact was because someone you would never think of was affected by the reformers. Josef Stalin. He ordered his Russian troops not to bomb the Luther sites. In a way nobody really knows, he appreciated what they stood for.
What did they stand for? Why did they travel so far to get their message out? Because the church at that time had people chained up in the Law. They couldn’t break free from indulgences and doing enough and a vengeful God. The Church was locked up. Our text for today, Psalm 46 says of the church, “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.” (v. 5) Luther clearly understood that the Word of God makes us alive, grants us freedom to walk on the straight and narrow path. Our baptism is a deposit that guarantees what is yet to come. Christ’s holy body and innocent blood continually forgives our sins and relieves our guilty consciences. Without these we don’t have the strength to continue on. We receive the Means of Grace through faith. Christ lives within us.
We visited two castles that Luther stayed in. Wartburg, where he was hidden, because he had a death sentence against him and the Veste Coburg, where he stayed during the Diet of Augsburg, because he couldn’t leave his territory. They are both fortresses. Beautiful places. High up. The walk was worth it and was blessed to do a devotion at Coburg.
Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress” sometime after his time at Wartburg. He had to feel protected there. He worked on his translation of the New Testament there and at Coburg he translated the Old Testament. The Scripture was going to the masses. The printing press came along and the road to freedom was opening up. The Reformation is our blessing. The message that Christ won our salvation without any merit or worthiness in us, is a great comfort. When you feel a little worn out, like we all did who walked up to the Wartburg Castle, you just have to keep going in the freedom of the Gospel, in the love of Christ who carries us through and in the grace and Word of God that is our “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
There is a phrase semper reformanda, “always reforming.” The 18 of us on this trip had a reformation of sorts. Being where they were gives you a new perspective and appreciation for what they did. The world is going to keep changing around us. The challenges the reformers had are not going away. The Word of God is always going to have people go after it. Our hearts and our lives will always require God’s restoration and reformation until the day when we have been raised from the dead and completely transformed into the image of Christ Jesus. Then we shall be free. Until then, enjoy the long walk to freedom through Christ alone, by faith alone, grace alone, and Scripture alone.
Amen.

October 20, 2024 Text: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

Dear Friends in Christ,

During my years of growing up in Argenta, there were those trying to keep up with their neighbor. We lived on the south side of town where most of the older homes were. The north side of town had the newer homes. One year the folks up there all had to have a boat. One person buys one, then another, then another. Eventually my friend and his family buy a boat. Everyone was trying to keep up. Having that possession, a boat, was that important to how they looked to the fellow neighbors.
The things of this world can be alluring and tempting as tangible proof that our lives have meaning. But is that true? Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes calls it “vanity.” If we exclude God all of our life is meaningless. But when He is present . . .
“YOUR LOT IN LIFE AND YOUR TOIL ARE GOD’S GIFTS”
Our culture certainly holds material success up as a panacea to conflict. If we have enough, we can insulate ourselves. But our culture daily proves that wrong. Millions play the lottery, but most of the winners have more conflict because people want to get to them and their money. Gambling, especially sports gambling is huge. You can make a bet on what a guy had for breakfast or if he is going to tie his shoes in the 2nd quarter. We are so vain about it that every commercial for this type of gambling tells you where to go to get help. Hello! We are not immune. The boys move out of our house, and we still struggle to have enough closet space for all our stuff. Can you relate?
This week was part of Bloomington’s bi-annual bulk pick-up. Toni and I set things out both Tuesday and Wednesday. By morning everything was gone, so that by Thursday the city had one old dehumidifier to pile on to the truck. This happens every year. Somebody likes “our junk.” It is a great study of our world. People love things. But it is never enough, and that is the warning.
So, what is the blessing? We can all relate to the first part of our text, but let’s focus on the last two verses. “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil – this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” (vs. 19-20)
All that we have is gifted from God. Good things should be enjoyed. We confess, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” Our lot in life is that God is at peace with us. Not bought with gold or silver, but with the blood of Jesus.
Items we have will perish. Our soul is eternal. Our eternal soul is bound to an eternal God. God loves you and has bound your life story to that of His own Son. In Baptism, you were bound to the Son of God.
The life of Jesus was not lived in luxury. If Jesus had an estate, what was in it? I’ll tell you. His only possession at death was the garment on his body and that became the prize for a game of lots played by the soldiers who crucified him. Jesus left not a trail of selfish gain, but of sacrificial giving of Himself to the poor, the needy, the hurting, the afflicted.
When we were bound to Christ in baptism his righteousness replaced our unrighteousness. The shedding of His blood frees you and I from a world caught up in the great accumulation. Even his lifeless body was placed in a tomb he did not own. That tomb could not hold him. Those words of Easter morning were our inheritance: “He is not here. He has risen!” This is your story, your lot in life, your victory. You toil for an inheritance that will not spoil or perish, kept in heaven for you.
You do not have to go looking for the treasure that is Jesus. He searches and finds you. No matter who you are, how confused your priorities might be, or how much you have trusted in your possessions and substituted them for God as the object of your love – He is even now, this moment, coming to you. He engulfs you with baptismal water. He speaks the sweetest words a sinful human can hear: “Your sins are forgiven.” He invites you to a meal that brings his own marriage feast to you right where you are as He gives you his body and blood.
These are God’s gifts, and they have great meaning. You are the eternal recipient. Toil in joy, live a blessed lot in life, but remember what’s in the will. Heaven . . . forever.
Amen.