December 1, 2024 Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Dear Friends in Christ,

Some days are more important than others.
Look back over your life. Not all days are equal. Some fade. Some stand out. The JFK assassination. The Challenger explosion. 9-11. Maybe you remember a special holiday. The year and date of a great vacation. The day your team won the Super Bowl or World Series. Your wedding day. The day your child or children were born. Or it could be a painful day etched in your memory. A death. A tragedy. Some days are more important than others.
In our text the prophet Jeremiah speaks to the people of Jerusalem about some stand-out days. “Those days” sound like some pretty great days. Jeremiah declared that “those days” are coming. Here in our house of worship, we gather before the cross, knowing that “those days” have already come. They came with the advent of Jesus Christ. He was here in human flesh. Healing the sick. Driving out demons. Dying for our sins. Rising on the third day. Those were the days – the days when our Savior, walked visibly on the earth and won our salvation. They are the most important days the world has ever seen. They are the centerpiece of human history.
“FULFILLING THE PROMISE OF ‘THOSE DAYS’”
Jeremiah was pointing the people toward “those days,” but the people of that time, just like today, were more interested in these days. I have rent to pay, and my health isn’t the greatest and oh my boss! The kids have to be shuffled here and there and now it’s December and Christmas. Come on Jeremiah talk to me about these days. This is what I see ahead of me.
The people of old were not any better than today. They neglected the words of God’s prophets. They turned to false gods and false prophets whose messages focused on the here and now. For centuries God had sent prophets to warn the Israelites to turn back to Him. “Those days” are coming – the Messiah is coming.
Finally, God’s patience had run out. In punishment for their unbelief and idolatry, God said he would bring the Babylonians against Jerusalem. He told Jeremiah he had made up His mind to destroy the city, and nothing could change it.
Into this desperate situation, Jeremiah speaks the words of our text: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely.”
What kind of reaction did the prophet get? Most of the people despised him. We don’t need a God speaking about “those days.” We need prophets who will speak about peace for this day. Look around man. We are surrounded by the Babylonians who plan to kill us or carry us off to slavery. We don’t care about “those days.”
Then it all happened like Jeremiah said. The city did fall. The city was looted. The people were led off to exile. But some believed the promise. They saw past the present hardship to the days that were coming.
“The days are coming,” God promised. And come they did. In God’s time a new branch sprouted. His name was Jesus. He came to Jerusalem and Judah. Fulfilled every promise made. Conquered sin and death. Restored the relationship between God and his people. “Those days” – Jesus’ days are a comfort for us living in 2024.
This is why we observe a liturgical church year, year after year. From Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, to Lent, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost, our hymns and readings direct our lives to the saving life and work of Jesus. It directs our attention to “those days.” We begin another church year today, we set our hearts and eyes on “those days.”
Some days are more important than others, more outstanding, more crucial. For those who know Jesus, those days, His days, are the most important and dear of all.
In this sermon we have been mostly looking backward, to the days of Jesus. But there is another great day. Jesus calls it “that day.” That day is yet to come. The return of Jesus in glory. We watch for that day. In your everyday worries and concerns, dear friends, set your hearts on that day. On that day, all troubles end. Jesus reigns forever. That day is coming soon.
Some days are more important than others.
Amen.

November 27, 2024 – Thanksgiving Eve Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Dear Friends in Christ,
The idea of giving thanks has been around for years. Who doesn’t know the story of the Pilgrims. President Washington had issued a proclamation in 1789 that had its origins in religious proclamations by bishops. President Lincoln had made a few Thanksgiving proclamations, but it wasn’t until 1863 that anything became official in the United States. That year the Union won Civil War battles in Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The harvest of 1863 was also a good one. So, it was made official that the country would celebrate on the last Thursday of the month of November. Dr. Cullom Davis, a nationally recognized Lincoln scholar said this, “Lincoln saw the day as an appropriate time to give national gratitude for God’s plan and goodness. It was yet another reason to be thankful.”
This won’t surprise us, but the proclamation makes repeated religious references such as “watchful providence of Almighty God,” “the gracious gifts of the Most High God.” We know that all of our gifts come from the Lord Almighty. All of our thanks and praise go to Him. This holiday we pray He might create within our hearts . . .
“AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE”
This comes through beautifully within our text, it really could not be any clearer. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
These powerful words from the Lord through the Apostle Paul were not only meant for the Christians of Thessalonica, but they were also meant for you and me. The basis for our rejoicing and thankfulness is Jesus Christ. An attitude of gratitude is showered upon us by the grace of God. We have come to know and trust in the forgiveness that has been earned for us through the cross and empty tomb. How can we not give thanks unto the Lord?
Except some find it a struggle. Are you one of them? Never quite happy with where you are in life. When you were young you wanted to be old. If you are now older, you want to be younger. Things just haven’t always gone your way, and God has to take some of the blame for that. There are those who struggle with this sad existence. It is hard to be around that negativity. It can take you down.
Prayerfully the Lord puts people in your life that lift you up with their gratitude. Or are you the gratitude lifter? Always appreciative of what you have. Giving God the thanks for your life and all the good that is a part of your daily existence. People notice. That is the kind of attitude they want to be around. The Lord does the lifting by using you and the words you use, the actions you do, the smiling disposition and the God Blessed way you show gratitude daily.
It should be easy, right? This attitude of gratitude. God gives it to us through His Son Jesus Christ. By being in God’s Word, we can grow in our thankfulness. By partaking of the Sacraments our gratitude will strengthen. God has placed the gift of salvation within our hearts. He has placed a song of praise within our mouths. As King David reminds us, “He has brought us out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay…and He has put a new song in our mouths, even a praise unto God.”
In 1941, Congress authorized a resolution that switched Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday of the month. No matter where it is, it is still a good day to thank the Lord our Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier. His Almighty hand is upon us. Let’s live it every day . . . an attitude of gratitude.
Amen.