A Pastoral Approach

Sermon: Matthew 1:18-25, December 18, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 09:17:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 18, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Matthew 1:18-25. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Matthew 11:2-15, December 11, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 09:12:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 11, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Matthew 11:2-15. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Matthew 3:1-12, December 4, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 4 Dec 2022 11:40:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 4, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Matthew 3:1-12. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Isaiah 2:1-5, November 27, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 08:57:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 27, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Isaiah 2:1-5. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: 1 Timothy 2:1-4, November 23, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 17:52:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 23, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on 1 Timothy 2:1-4. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 23:27-42, November 20, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 09:09:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 20, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 23:27-42. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 21:5-28, November 13, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 09:08:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 13, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 21:5-28. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: 1 John 3:1-3, November 6, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 6 Nov 2022 11:16:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 6, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on 1 John 3:1-3. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: John 8:31-36, October 30, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 09:12:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 30, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 8:31-36. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 18:1-8, October 16, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 09:19:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 16, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 18:1-8. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Ruth 1:1-19a, October 9, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 9 Oct 2022 14:33:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 9, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Ruth 1:1-19a. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 17:1-10, October 2, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 2 Oct 2022 08:56:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 2, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 17:1-10. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: John 12:20-33, September 18, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 09:25:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 18, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 12:20-33. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: 1 Timothy 1:5-17, September 11, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 08:59:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 11, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on 1 Timothy 1:5-17. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 14:25-35, September 4, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 4 Sep 2022 08:58:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 4, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 14:25-35. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 14:1-14, August 28, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 09:05:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on August 28, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 14:1-14. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 13:22-30, August 21, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 09:01:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on August 21, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 13:22-30. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 12:49-56, August 14, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 09:14:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on August 14, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 12:49-56. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 12:22-34, August 7, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 7 Aug 2022 09:09:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on August 7, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 12:22-34. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 12:13-21, July 31, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 08:59:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 31, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 12:13-21. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 11:1-13, July 24, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 10:49:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 24, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 11:1-13. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 10:38-42, July 17, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 09:20:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 17, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 10:25-37. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 10:25-37, July 10, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 09:15:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 10, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 10:25-37. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Galatians 6:1-10, 14-18, July 3, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 3 Jul 2022 09:00:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 3, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Galatians 6:1-10, 14-18. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: 1 King 19:9-21, June 26, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 08:53:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on June 26, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on 1 Kings 19:9-21. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from the First Book of the Kings, the 19th chapter:

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

49 years. In 1973, the Supreme Court made the horrible decision to put into law a command that every state, regardless of its citizens, would have to allow abortion. And this didn’t just say that it would have to be 12 weeks or 20 weeks, but Roe v. Wade codified abortion for any moment of pregnancy, right up until that baby was actually born. It took 49 years of work from the pro-life community, one of which many of you have been members, but it was finally decreed that Roe was undone as of this last Friday. And praise God. As of January of this year, 63, 459, 781 babies have been aborted since Roe v. Wade was passed. A holocaust, a genocide of 63 million babies was the cost of this law. 63 million babies were sacrificed at the altar of Molech, the ancient god that demanded the sacrificial death of infants. 63 million babies. It wasn’t worth it.

I worked in the pro-life community for a time. My family has a long history of working there. Many of you, through your work with A Place of Refuge, and in other places, have been a part of this. We’ve prayed, we’ve lobbied, we’ve begged. We’ve supported mothers and families, and taught men to be fathers. And, finally, after 49 years, we have the right, again, to keep abortion out of our state.

Our work begins now, though. We still must support mothers and fathers and babies and children. We must keep standing for life, not just against abortion. It’s not enough to make abortion unthinkable, we, the Church, must work to 1, bring people to repentant faith in Christ Jesus, and 2, support families as best we can to give them a fighting chance in this world.

I can only imagine what it must have felt like 49 years ago. Faithful Christians woke up that day and realized that their own home was now sanctioning the murder of the unborn. How alone they must have felt. And since then, too. How alone they must have felt for years, fighting against the culture, fighting for the law, fighting for what was right, even while your tax dollars were spent subsidizing abortion, even while people firebombed pregnancy resource clinics, while you’ve been slandered and demonized for not wanting people to murder their babies. You feel alone.

This is not an uncommon thing. Elijah felt this way. Elijah thought that he was the last faithful person in all of Israel, that everyone else had either been killed by Jezebel and her minions or had bowed down to Baal. He had been running for what seemed like ages. He was afraid. He wasn’t just afraid for his life, but he feared what the Lord would do to Israel for their unfaithfulness. He feared for everything and he felt alone.

Elijah finds a cave to hide in and rest. And God comes to Elijah through His word and asks him what he is doing there. Elijah knows he’s in the wrong. He’s feared for too much and hasn’t left it in God’s hands. Worse, he’s run from his duty of preaching the Word to those who need to hear it. So Elijah prevaricates: Oh, uh, I’ve been very jealous for you, everyone has gone astray, and I’m the only prophet left, and I just ran to make sure you had at least one prophet left. But that’s not what God was looking for. Elijah felt alone, and he acted alone, so alone he stood on the mountain.

He saw the wind shake the mountain apart. He saw the earthquake topple stones. He saw the fire burn up everything around him. And there he was, standing alone like the sole tree that survives a windstorm when everything else has been knocked down. He was alone there.

I think sometimes it’s normal to feel alone. You never are, for God is always with you, but it’s normal to feel that way. Loneliness leads to fear: what if no one loves me, what if I’m never happy, what if I’m alone forever? This, of course, leads to sin because we don’t trust God. And so we should pray. We pray so that we never feel alone, for when we speak the word of God, we know He is with us. He surrounds us with the voice of His Scriptures and we can rejoice, for we are never left alone, but always have Christ near us and in us.

Elijah must’ve been praying right then because he was alone, himself only spared. It wasn’t Jezebel taking the prophets down; it was God destroying field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, they all disappeared and Elijah was standing alone. And the word of God came to him in a still small voice, a low whisper, and asked again, What are you doing here, Elijah?

Now Elijah sees. He sees that he has been protected by God. He sees that he has been guided by God. And though he gives the same answer, now, it is predicated on the fear of the Lord, not fear of Jezebel, fear of the sword, the fear of loneliness. Now he sees that it is God only should he fear, and Him alone.

For all those who have fought for the lives of the unborn, you have fought well. And now that the Lord has used this Supreme Court to strike down an unjust law, we stand and see that no matter what happens, no matter if people attack us, besmirch us, vandalize or destroy this building, it is God alone we should fear, for only He can do marvelous things. He alone can transform the hearts of those who are violent. He alone can change the minds of those set to murder their children. He alone can restore the family to a place of prominence and rightness. He alone can bring fathers back to their children. He alone can strengthen a marriage. He alone can preserve those who live lives of celibacy and singleness. He alone can do marvelous things, and He alone should we fear for His marvelous works.

We have put our hope, then, in a God who is greater than violence, angry words, or death. We have put our hope in a God who has conquered death in Jesus Christ. We have put our hope in a God who gives to us the forgiveness of sins so that we might live an everlasting life like His own.

God comes to you this day in a still small voice, a low whisper. He doesn’t come with angry words. He doesn’t come screaming for his rights. He doesn’t come with graffiti. He doesn’t come tearing down every institution. He comes with His Word, just as He did with Elijah. He comes surrounding you with His word, speaking His forgiveness, speaking His promises over you. You are not alone, for the Lord is with you. You are not alone. You have been called here by the very Word of God, and this Word accompanies you each and every moment of your lives until, like Elijah, you are taken to the bosom of Jesus. You are not alone; you are with Christ and He is with you, always. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.

Sermon: Luke 8:26-39, June 19, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 09:10:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on June 19, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 8:26-39. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: John 8:48-59, June 12, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 09:08:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on June 12, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 8:48-59. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: John 17:20-26, May 29, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 29 May 2022 08:53:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 29, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 17:20-26. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Acts 1:1-11, May 22, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 22 May 2022 09:01:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 22, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Acts 1:1-11. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Acts 11:1-18, May 15, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 15 May 2022 09:07:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 15, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Acts 11:1-18. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Acts 20:17-35, May 8, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 8 May 2022 08:58:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 8, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Acts 20:17-35. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Acts 9:1-22, May 1, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 1 May 2022 09:39:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 1, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Acts 9:1-22. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Acts 5:12-32, April 24, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 09:25:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on April 24, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Acts 5:12-32. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 09:23:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on April 10, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on the Palm Sunday texts. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 20:9-20, April 3, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 3 Apr 2022 09:11:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on April 3, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 20:9-20. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 15:1–3, 11b–32, March 27, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 10:34:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 27, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 13:1-9, March 20, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 10:46:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 20, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 13:1-9. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: 1 Peter 2:2-10, March 19, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 09:06:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 19, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on 1 Peter 2:2-10 for the LWML Heart to Heart: Sisters of All Nations event. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from Peter’s first letter, the second chapter:

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

It is a joy and a privilege to be here among you today, to bring God’s Word to you through the liturgy, through the sermon, through prayer. There is nothing else that we should rather do than join together around God’s Word. This is what binds us together. This is what makes us one. This is what brings us to the joy of enteral life, walking boldly forward, hand in hand, to see the face of Jesus. Whatever else we do today, this is the best part. This is what Jesus tells Martha is the one thing necessary, that we sit at His feet and receive all that He would give us.

And He gives us everything through His Word. It is by His authority that the Word never returns to Him void. It always accomplishes His purpose, spurred on by the testimony of the Holy Spirit, leading us into all knowledge and truth. It is by His authority that the Word brings us life. It is by His authority that the Word brings us salvation. It is by His authority that the Word brings us forgiveness.

To know this is that pure spiritual milk of which Paul speaks. The knowledge of Christ and His authority, His power for you, is the sweet milk of salvation for the soul. It is that which will grow you into full maturity. The knowledge that God the Father sent His Son to die for you, to forgive yours sins, to give you His righteousness, to grant you eternal life is that wonderful news that commends the Christian into a Christian life and a life with one another.

We live in the glory of God that we are constantly seeking what He desires for us to do. And I can tell you what that is: it is to turn to Him for all that we need in this body and life. And He gives that to you here and every time you gather around His Word.

His Word is not just a thing, but it is the living, God-breathed message of Jesus Christ for you. It is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword. That living and active Word brings you Jesus, the cornerstone of faith and the stumbling block for those who reject Him.

We reject Christ in so many ways. We trust in our leaders and government to bring the peace which surpasses all understanding. We choose to harbor the secret sins we commit in our hearts that no one would know, rather than to confess them and be forgiven. We ignore our duties to our neighbors, our friends, our family members. We think ignorant thoughts, hold to silly opinions, focus on outward accoutrements. In doing this, we make ourselves higher than God and His ways. We seek our glory and not His. We give up our role as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession. We are closer to the idols of our hearts than the Lord of the heavens.

Yet, we are called to more. As a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, we are set apart, holy to the Lord, to bring His Good News of Jesus Christ to the nations. And this is seen in this congregation today. Though we have different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different contexts, different priorities, we are the one body of Christ, coming together for a singular purpose this day: to sing to the Lord for all of His glory, to sing to the Lord for all of His goodness, to sing to the Lord for His steadfast love endures forever. We rejoice with the earth, with the heavens, with the seas, with the fields, with the trees that He will redeem us all in His judgment over the nations.

This beautiful tapestry we see in this church today is a pure symbol of who Christ is, what He’s done, and to whom He’s done it. That we can come together as one prefigures the earth and the heavens and all that is in them crying out for joy together on that Last Day that our Lord is good and has vindicated our faith in Him by raising us from the dead.

Until that day, we are being built together into a spiritual house of living stones that we might bring the sacrifice of praise due our Lord. He joins us together into His body to bring you honor. In His the glorious humanity of His sacrifice for you upon the cross, the Father honored Him to raise His body from the dead. If it is true that we are being built into the spiritual house He so desires to see, with Christ as the cornerstone, you share in the honor the Father has bestowed the Son. Because He is honored, you are honored. Because He is honored, you are His people. Because He is honored, you are receiving mercy.

You are made a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. As the body of Christ, His people, we gather together as one people, to sing of His glory. This pure spiritual milk that brings us here, this understanding of who Christ is and what He’s done strengthens us in life together, for we have tasted it and we’ve tasted indeed that the Lord is good. His doctrine is life. His salvation is hope. His forgiveness is marvelous light. He has the power, the authority to give these things to you, and He does. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.

Sermon: Luke 13:31-35, March 13, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 09:16:00 -0700

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 13, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 13:31-35. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 4:1-13, March 6, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 6 Mar 2022 09:06:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 6, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 4:1-13. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Deuteronomy 34:1-12, February 27, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 09:30:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 27, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Deuteronomy 34:1-12. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from Deuteronomy, the 34th chapter:

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

This is one of these weird accounts that in scripture, we know that there were two authors writing. The first was Moses and the second is Joshua, because Moses, in the middle of this passage, dies. How can Moses write the end of the story, especially how can Moses know that no other prophet has arisen like Moses in all of Israel if Moses dead. We have these two authors, Moses and Joshua ,two men who were appointed as prophet and as judge over Israel to men, to lead people to and into the promised land, and of these two men, there would be no one greater for many, many years, at least not in terms of the leadership.

We know that Jesus is actually the fulfillment of the prophet, the one that no one has risen arisen like Moses until Jesus. But what about their leadership? Joshua certainly was a leader on par with the leadership of Moses. At least it seems that the people rebelled against Joshua a little bit less than they rebelled against Moses and all of his ways. Between the two them, until David, there could be seen to no greater leader than these two men.

But with these two, we have a problem. We have kind of a big problem actually, because we see it through Moses's life and we see it after Joshua's death: that Israel, as the book of Judges is wont to say, her people did what was right in their own eyes. You see, they had been moving, at least for the last 40 years, to a land called Israel, named after, of course, Israel, Jacob, who the Pharaoh did not know. The Pharaoh did not know Joseph. The Pharaoh did not know Israel. He probably had no idea how all of Israel came into the land of Egypt, except that they were there as slaves. Yet, Moses took his people out by God's power and delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh, and by their own disobedience, they were forced to wander through the desert until all the people of the generation that was willfully defiant against God and against Moses had died out.

Moses was not immune to this defiance. Of course, we know that God told him to speak to the rock that water would come out, but Moses, in his anger, struck the rock. And because of that disobedience, God promised he would not enter the promised land. We think that that's maybe an overreaction, but it's not, because Paul tells us that the rock that traveled with them that gave them this water was Christ. Moses then struck Christ, the Son of God. The picture of Moses striking Christ is so tied to the crucifixion, and that was obviously the greatest disobedience ever. Moses, in that same spirit, broke the will and the Law of God by doing this. And so Moses even seemed to do what was right in his own eyes.

Joshua seems to be a little bit more holy in his life than Moses. Moses had been a murderer, he didn’t circumcise his son, so the angel of the Lord was trying to kill him, Moses was too lenient on his brother in his idolatry, Moses was prone to anger and overreaction, made excuses for himself, like he was a stutterer. Moses was not exactly a paragon of virtue. But Joshua, one of the faithful spies to go and search out the land of Israel, that promised land, seems a bit more holy, and yet, despite all of the wonderful things that Joshua did in leading the people Israel into the promised land, the people only gave him lip service. He wasn't the leader that I think everybody had needed. After all, the people went off and worshiped different gods, they fell prey to the temptations of the flesh, when it came to the people that were living among them, they did not obey God. When He said to strike them all down, well, they didn't quite do that, or to destroy all the plunder, well, they didn't quite you do that either.

And that's okay. These are problems because they are failures in leadership; to not have people do the things that you're leading them into, that is a failure of leadership. Certainly it's a failure of the people, but Moses and Joshua, we know we'e sinners. It's no surprise then, that the things that they did were sinful. That's why Jesus is kind of a surprise for us. A prophet above all prophets. No one expects a prop above all prophets to be sinless. And yet Jesus was.

Moses was able to see all of Israel, all the promised land that God had promised to give to his beloved people, that the land in which he would bring forth the line of the Messiah. Moses was given to see all of that. And still Moses could not live righteously, could not live in a holy way. Joshua was to take the people Israel into that promised land to destroy the people there, and still, he could not live in a righteous way. He could not live a holy life by his own merit. But both of these men show us something greater because they point us to Jesus. They show us that, yes, they were sinners, but there is redemption for such sinners as these, they show us that there is a way that they will enter the promised land, not a land of this earth, but a land of the earth that is to come.

You know, Moses had been taken up on the mountain a couple of times to stand in God's presence. And I heard it said, and I like it, and I can't prove it, but I'm going to share with you one theory, which is one of these times that Moses went up on the mountain with God, that he was somehow taken in that moment into the future to stand with Jesus and Elijah at Jesus's transfiguration. Because God is certainly eternal, He can bend the rules of space and time. And it seems that, well, at least in one of these instances, Moses had a very clear vision of heaven, and heaven is very clearly defined in the scriptures as the presence of Jesus. So is it possible he was taken to the transfiguration while he was alive? Sure. Although, is it possible that Moses was taken from heaven and given to Jesus to tell him about the exodus which Luke calls Jesus's departure, His death, which was to come in Jerusalem? Yeah, that's possible too. So, we don't really know either one, but we do know Moses was given amazing visions of what would happen, not just that the Israel of God would enter into this promised land, but that they would enter into the promised land of eternal rest. Moses was given that and he tried his best to teach his people, do not rely on your own power, but rely on God.

You might think that that's weird considering that Moses has been seen as the great Law giver. I mean, after all, all 613 commandments from God that people had to obey came right out of Moses's mouth to the people. But the point of the Law isn't to say, just do this and you'll live. That that's part of it. But the point of the Law was to show Israel that they couldn't do this. Every so often they would realize they had broken the Law, but, more often than not, the response of Israel was, All that the Lord has said, we shall do. Oops. They made vows before their God that they could not follow through.

Now, Elijah. We don't have any readings about him in our pericopes for today, but Elijah is another prophet. And certainly one of the greatest prophets ever to live, somehow less than Moses and Jesus, and yet still greater, it seems than almost all the prophets. Now Isaiah is probably my favorite prophet, but that's just because his writing is so beautiful. Elijah had almost as tough a time with Israel as Moses had because all of Israel was trying to kill him. It's kind of weird how that happened. There were still the faithful remnant, but we see in Elijah's story how he's bemoaning the fact that he's all alone, they killed all of his brother prophets, and the people don't support him. I mean, it even came to the point that he had to be fed by ravens instead of other faithful people, but still, Elijah knew what it was to be a failure, just like Moses and just like Joshua and still somehow Moses and Elijah were brought to stand with Jesus at perhaps the clearest moment in all of Jesus's earthly life, up until the resurrection, of his divinity, his being the Son of God. How is it that these two imperfect men could stand with God in all of his glory and not be destroyed? We’ll come back to that in a minute.

How is it that we're here? We're called, certainly, as children of God, but we are called by his Word to be in this place. And if we take his Word seriously, then all the commandments that Moses gave to the people of Israel stand also for us, because God's Word is true always and forever. Let's take 10 of those commandments that we know so well. The other 603, we don't know as well, and they don’t all apply because we aren’t the people of ancient Israel, but the 10 commandments that we know so well, we know we don't stand up the 10 commandments. They tell us, do these things and you'll live. And we don’t. We not only fail in our leadership, we fail in our ability to follow after our Leader. We don't treat God as though He is the only God. We certainly don't honor the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. We misuse His name all of the time. We don't obey the authorities that are over us. As much as we might argue with the things that they do do, we should honor our government every single moment. We hate people in our hearts and, by doing so, we murder them. We lust after people and so commit adultery. We steal, we lie, we don't assume the best thing about people when they sin or when they do something, and we just automatically jump into assuming the worst. We covet what we do not have. We covet who we do not have.

There is no commandment of God that is presented before us, that we say, This, at least, I have kept. And yet we're called before God into this holy place. This is a holy place because the Word of God is read and meditated upon and the Sacraments are delivered here every time we gather together. We’re called to this place and if God is truly here, we expect him to strike us down dead. We expect to be like Moses, to not be allowed into the promised land. We expect to be like Joshua and have our friends and our family and our people around us, who we love, betray us at every moment because they just can't help themselves. And because of that, we expect God to strike us dead here, too. But He doesn't. Instead, He welcomes us in this place. He brings us into His loving embrace through Word and Sacrament. He enters into you through your ears and through your eyes as you read, through your mouth as you receive Christ’s body and blood in his holy Sacrament, and for all this, you expect to die.

I mean, Moses died out in the wilderness because he struck a rock. You, a sinner, chew and drink the body and blood of Christ. It seems to be almost worse in some way, and still you're not struck down, but you're given life. You're given forgiveness. You're given salvation and you're given the promise of a land that is greater than any kingdom of this world. For all your sins, you are given the glory of God. How is this possible? It is possible in the same way that Moses and Elijah stood with their divine Lord in that moment. It’s possible in the way that Peter and James and John were enveloped by the cloud of God and hearing his voice did not die. It's possible because the Son of God, the great prophet, priest, and king over all people, died to forgive your sins. He died to take your unrighteousness away from you and to give you everlasting life. He died so that you might have the righteousness of God put upon you, so that, not only is your sin taken away, but life and goodness and holiness and righteousness and everything that is a good gift from God is given to you.

And you have that as a sure and certain thing, not some imaginary declarative statement that it’s just kinda like I lived righteously. No, you have been given the real and forensic, legal, righteousness of Christ. It belonged to Him and now it’s yours. You are counted righteous. You know you're a sinner, but you have all of the righteousness of Jesus. And so if you look in the mirror, you're going to see the Law standing as your accuser and saying, you don't deserve any of this, but Jesus doesn't look in the mirror at you. He sees you with his own two eyes in light of his glory, the glory that He had as He was hung up on that cross. And He says, You are righteous. It's not just a wink wink nudge nudge. We can say something is something else and it doesn’t make it true. We can say it’s snowing three feet today, and it’s not. That's not the kind of declaration that Jesus puts on you. He says, It is snowing three feet today, and by his Word, His command, it would snow. But instead of just something silly like that, He says, You are a righteous child of God. I love you. I welcome you into my presence forever and ever and ever. And it is a real and true thing, that by His Word, the entire universe, including your sinful flesh, bends to His will, and you are made righteous.

That's what the transfiguration is truly about. It is to show you the glory that Jesus has as the Son of God, the glory that is found in His crucifixion, and the glory that is given to you this day and every day as His beloved baptized child of God. That's what the transfiguration is about. So, it doesn't matter if you're like Moses and Joshua and you’re failures in leadership. It doesn't matter if you are like the people of Israel who failed to follow in the footsteps of God. It doesn't matter if you're like Peter, who puts his foot in his mouth at every single circumstance. God has declared you righteous by the blood of Jesus.

And instead of striking you dead, he heaps life and life and life upon you. By the forgiveness of your sins, we are empowered to turn from our wicked ways and trust in the righteousness He gives to us. Every time you remember Christ and His Word, and you remember your Baptism and you receive his Sacrament in the Supper, every time, every moment, every second that you remember that you belong to Him, He gives you more of Himself. Jesus in His transfiguration shows that He is the beloved divine Son of God, being of the same substance of the Father. He is God himself. And if He can accept people in His midst like Moses and like Elijah, like Peter and James and John, and if He can be in heaven with all the saints who are now in their glory, He can also be with you. He promises to be with you now and always, and you know that He can fulfill that promise because He shows you that He is divine. And if He is divine, there is nothing He cannot do, including saving our sorry selves.

So be like Moses, be the failure, be like Joshua, be the failure, and know that your Lord has brought you here this day, not to look at your failure, but to forgive it and to give to you every good gift under heaven, forgiveness, life, and salvation, the good gifts of God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.

Sermon for the Funeral of +Phyllis G. Bohlmann+, February 26, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 12:22:00 -0800

A sermon preached on the occasion of the Funeral of +Phyllis G. Bohlmann+, February 26, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Isaiah 29:17-24. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text today is from the prophet Isaiah, the 29th chapter:

Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.”

Thus far the text.

Dear Mel, family, and my dear friends in Christ,

God, through the prophet Isaiah, was not pleased with His people, Israel. And still, He gives them hope. He tells them of the wonders He will do for them. But, most importantly, He gives them a picture of the world which is to come, a world that Phyllis had hope for, a world we have hope for, also. This world will be so thick with fruit for the picking that it will be as difficult to get through as a forest in the middle of the summer. Bodies will be healed; the dear will hear, the blind will see. Those too meek to speak for themselves will be lifted up above all and those who had too little will be given everything. It’s a beautiful picture Isaiah writes for us.

But the people had been far from God, honoring Him with their lips, but not their hearts. And so they feared the Lord. Phyllis had her feet in two camps. On one side, she was the sinner, the one who deserved the wrath of the Lord, but on the other, she had been made a saint in Christ, an inheritor of every good thing He promised her. Phyllis, the sweet, kind woman, who cared so much for everyone, who always had a pleasant word, who loved her husband so deeply, was a sinner in the eyes of God. We know this, for the promise of the Law to those who break it is death. And so, Phyllis, asleep in the Lord, was a sinner.

But, Phyllis is asleep. She is waiting. Her story is not done. She was made a saint in Christ. She was the ruthless one, the scoffer, the one who did evil, the offender before God, but she was taken from these things and brought into the marvelous light of the Lord. Phyllis knew the hope of Jesus Christ crucified and risen for her, thus she would no longer be ashamed before the face of God. She is not ashamed now, either, standing in the presence of her God, waiting for the day of resurrection. She stands vindicated before the Lord, knowing that her hope was not in vain, that her sin had been taken away from, that the Lord Jesus had given her His righteousness.

Phyllis is the work of the hands of God. From the dust He formed, shaped her, gave her breath, gave her life. And to the dust He called her again, but not forever. Phyllis sanctified the name of the Holy One of Jacob, the Holy One of Israel. She, by her life, by her witness, by her blessed death, and by the life which is to come blesses the name of God. We look at her and we see Christ crucified. We look at her and we see Christ risen. We look at her and we see Christ ascended. We look at her and we wait for Christ returned. We look at her and we see Jesus.

You see, our Lord blessed Phyllis so that He might be blessed. And so He is. He looks upon her and upon you with His love, and He promises her and He promises you the wonders of the world to come, the world in which all things are made new. It’s no secret that the last two years have been so hard for Phyllis and Mel, with the surgeries and the sicknesses and the COVID, and now death. But this is but a blip in the span of eternity. This is nowhere near the end of the joys that come to those who believe in Jesus.

Phyllis will be raised from death, never to need a surgery again, never to hunger again as she did in her last days. She will be made whole, she will be fed by the Lord, she will bless Him even as He brings her joy. And we shall be with her. Phyllis received the Lord’s body and blood in her last days. She prayed. She confessed the faith. She knew her end. She knew the Lord redeemed her from the pit, forgave her sins, and was welcoming her into His loving arms. And so it should be also for us, that we should share this same hope, keeping our eyes fixed on the day of our Lord’s coming, when we shall finally understand all things and live righteously even as He is righteous.

The Lord sees our sin, as He saw Phyllis’, but this did not stop the love He would show her by sending His Son to die for her. Jesus did this that God would love her forever and ever. And so He does. And so He loves you, that you would see Him also in faith, that you would be made whole, that you would live in a world gone right, that you will live with Phyllis and all who love Him forever and ever. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.

Sermon: Luke 6:27-38, February 20, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 10:40:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 20, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 6:27-38. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Jeremiah 17:5-8, February 13, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 09:06:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 13, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Jeremiah 17:5-8. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from the Prophet Jeremiah, the 17th chapter:

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

It's an interesting juxtaposition we have with Jeremiah and our Gospel lesson from Luke, where we have in Luke, a somewhat familiar thing where Jesus is preaching what we normally call the beatitudes. Luke has a different emphasis than Matthew. While Matthew records all of Jesus’ sayings, Luke's ideas certainly portrays the woes that Jesus speaks. And so we have in Jesus's sermon, in his beatitudes, this idea that there are those who believe in him and those who do not believe in him. As you look at them, it’s not that being rich is necessarily bad. It's when you trust in your riches, as opposed to trusting in God, that's a woe. It’s not bad to have food to eat, but when you make satisfying your belly your god, this is idolatry. It’s okay to not be weeping, but to seek out distraction to the point of letting it take over your life, this shows a lack of devotion to God. It’s not bad to be praised, but to seek adulation, to do everything to be noticed like some kind of Instagram influencer, notoriety is your god.

Luke has woes in his beatitudes. That doesn’t mean that Matthew missed them but that Luke wants you to hear them. A woe is like a condemnation. I know it’s an outdated word for today. A woe is the opposite of the benediction. The Lord bless you and keep; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord look upon you with his favor and give you peace. That’s a benediction, a good word. It’s a statement of fact. It’s not a wish. It’s not just hope. The Lord will do these things because it’s his benediction.

But the woes are something else. They also are facts, they will happen. The woes are a malediction, a bad word. They indicate that the Lord is doing this very troubling thing upon those who will not make him their God but seek out the gods of the world. There is no consolation from God when the woe is pronounced, because the woe leads to death, just like the prophets who were condemned under the Law of God.

Jeremiah is the same. He warns us of the woes to come. Cursed is the man who trusts in man. That's very much the same thing of speaking woe upon somebody. It’s not just to know that a person is cursed, but it’s a pronouncement of it, it’s a condemnation, it’s a damning someone to hell. And who is cursed? The man who trusts in man.

A man who trusts in man doesn’t realize that their trust only goes so far as life. But death comes for all. You put your hope in somebody, you love somebody, someone who’s dear to you., someone you trust, someone that's close to you, someone that looks like you, someone that acts and behaves like you. The problem is man is always going to let you down. And if you do that, it's kind of like a shrub that grows up in the desert. A shrub in the desert has to access to water. Sure, it might rain for a hot minute, but the water disappears and no roots can form. So, when the heat and the sun come down on the shrub, it dries up and it tumbles away. Think of the old Westerns, where these tumbleweeds blow through town. This shrub had held on for dear life, gasping for breath, but the wind takes it away and all it is is a nuisance.

We put our trust in another person, the one who looks to us to be God, but never quite is, and we do this all the time. We do this with our parents. I mean, that's where we all start out as children. We look to our parents as if they are gods to us. They provide for our needs. We fear them because they can punish us and we love them because of who they are and what they do for us. But, your parent is always going to let you down. I can't tell you the number of times that I've let down. My two kids, just in the six years that I've been entrusted with them, know what that’s like. I can’t tell you the number of times that I do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing and completely break their spirits, or where I get mad at them for no reason except something that's going on in my own personal life or stresses. And that just weighs on them. And they don't know why dad is angry. They put their trust in me to protect them and I let them down. It's very easy.

If that becomes habitual without teaching them the right thing to do, which is to put your trust only in the Lord, which is to have me repent and teach them what forgiveness is and how we're made right in Christ, if you don't do that, you end up with bitter children who look at their parents and, and say, well, I'm not going to mess up my kids the way that you messed me up. No, that's probably true. They're probably not going to mess up their kids the way that their parents messed them up. They're going to mess up their kids in whole new, different ways because they're putting their trust in man, even themselves. And they make themselves out in that moment to be God, as if they are the arbiters of what is good and right and true.

We see this in the world today, don’t we, these people who say, put your trust in man, or put your trust in science that man comes up with, or put your trust in all these different agendas that are thrown at us, put your trust in politicians, put your trust in all these political ideologies, put your trust in whatever it is. It is going to let you down somewhere, a person is going to do something wrong, say something wrong, have a secret revealed about them that, well, it's just going to rub you the wrong way. If you put your trust in the person and that's what ends up happening, your trust is going to be completely destroyed. You're going to dry up and you're going to wander through this world with no life in you whatsoever. You're just going to be a nuisance. You're just going to be in the way. You're just going to be blowing in the wind.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. That's a big difference, because when you put your trust in God, you all of a sudden begin to realize that you're putting your trust in God because of God. You're putting your trust in God because of what he's done for you. You're putting your trust in God because of who he is to you. And you're putting your trust in him because he himself is trust.

Trust is an interesting word in the Greek. It's the word pistis, which we often translate as faith. Faith and trust are very much the same thing. Our trust, our faith is in the Lord because our faith comes from and is, in fact, the Lord’s. You do not have faith that you've created in him. It's been given to you. You cannot rely on faith that you can somehow make within yourself. It must be trusted from outside of you, because if it's something that you create, if it's something that you can come up with, then it's dependent upon you, just as if you put your trust in man. But when we put our trust in the Lord, when we put our faith in the Lord, when we recognize that everything that we have in this life, is from the Lord, then we grow. As this world moves us towards everlasting life, if we come to realize that that is from the Lord and our life is the Lord, and he is our only hope, our only trust, then, then we grow up, not as shrubs that can't find water, but as trees that find themselves next to a river.

We’ve all heard the phrase that something is like drinking water from a fire hose. That's what it was for us in seminary. When our professors would teach us in class, it was like drinking water from a fire hose. You can get sips. You just can't get it all. And that's what it is to be in the Lord. The water races by you. You can't get everything, but there you find a sure foundation in that water. There you are provided for all of the time. There you are given everything that you need and more. In rivers, not only is there water, but there's new dirt, which means new nutrients, a way for you to grow up and have life and have it abundantly. Rivers flood, rivers retract and that's good because it brings new life to all of the vegetation that grows in and around it. This is what the Egyptians would look forward to every year when the Nile would flood. It would come up and fill its land with all kinds of nutrients that would come from down river. And then it would recede so that everything could grow.

And we are so much like that. If you are trusting in the Lord where the water races over you, more than you can even bear, and as it retracts and recedes, you find that you have everything that you need for life. You have food and you've got drink. You've got life itself coming from God. This is what it is to put your trust in the Lord. After all. this Lord is Jesus Christ, the one who hung upon a tree for you, the one who took your sins to himself so that you wouldn't have to bear them yourself. And as he takes your sin from you and puts it upon the cross, you find that you are now free to flourish. There is no malediction for you. There is no malevolent disease for you. The people gathered to hear Jesus, heard his word and were healed. So, too, are you healed unto everlasting life.

You are given every good gift even as all the evil in you is taken away. As sin and death are taken from you and placed on the cross, you are left free to flourish, free to life with the bad stuff of life and sin coming to you. This is the reason for the death of Christ, that you would have life. That's what Paul is saying. That if Christ is not raised from the dead, then your faith is in vain, your trust in the Lord is in vain. But, because Jesus is raised from the dead, you too will be raised from the dead. And if Jesus has life, then you have life because of him, because of the cross, because of what he's done for you.

And then, when the hardships of this world come upon you, when drought comes, we can look at that, not as a forsaking of love, but as a time to teach us to wait to know that the Lord will indeed still come, the water will still be provided. We can bear up under a drought. We can bear up under the scorching heat because the Lord has shown us that he is good and will provide everything that we need. It's true. The world is going to come at us with everything that it has. It is going to try to burn us to a crisp, and why? Because it sees that it can do that to a whole bunch of people who put their trust, not in God, but in man. So, the world thinks it can do the same thing to us, but it can’t.

The world, it doesn't see the river that flows in and through us, the world does not see how the word of God is pushing into us and bringing us life so that even if they were to chop us down and make us nothing, it's still can't take away the life that we have in Christ. The world is going to hit us with everything and we will endure because what we have is greater than the world, what we have is greater than the drought that it wants to give us. The world can’t make a drought when the Lord has given rivers of living and abundant water.

So put your trust in the Lord, look to his word, look to his sacraments, see how he feeds you, see how he nourishes you, see how he waters you and gives you everything that you need in this place and even more as you go out. And know that this, what you have now is merely a foretaste of that life which is to come. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.

Sermon: Isaiah 6:1-8, February 6, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 6 Feb 2022 10:39:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 6, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Isaiah 6:1-8. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Jeremiah 1:4-19, January 30, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 09:07:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on January 30, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Jeremiah 1:4-19. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Luke 4:16-30, January 23, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 09:21:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on January 23, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 4:16-20. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from the Gospel according to St. Luke, the fourth chapter:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious Words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

Do you notice today that our readings centered around the idea of the Word? Now, not necessarily the Epistle reading, although that’s going to come back a little bit here. But, the Old Testament and then the Gospel lesson, did you notice that this was centered around the Word of God? Let me put the Old Testament in context for you: the Israelites had been taken into captivity in Babylon, they're all in exile. And finally they were allowed to return and they started to rebuild the walls and they started to rebuild the temple. Those are the first things that were done in all of Jerusalem. What they discovered as they started rebuilding the temple was a copy of God’s Word. Now you might think, well, you know what, what's the big deal with that? The big deal was, when they were taken into exile, they couldn't take it with them. And it's not like people had copies of the Bible at home and they stuffed it in their bags and took it off into Babylon. They lost the Word of God. And the only way that they were taught the Word of God had been directly from the Levites, the priestly tribe who were teaching the people, which is good.

You should teach the people the Word of God. That's kind of what pastors do today. We not only read the Word of God to you, but then, just like they did here, they read it and then clearly gave the sense of that Word so that you can know what the Word of God is saying without question. Well, the Levites were forced to do that all the time that they were an exile, but they didn't have the Word of God written down in front of them. And as they were excavating the temple to rebuild it, they found the Scriptures.

That's pretty cool. No wonder then the people wept. That's really what that's all about. Not because they heard the law of God and it was convicting them, though, hopefully, and most certainly, it was doing that, but they wept because they had not heard the Word of God read in so long and there were people there living who had never once heard the Word. So you can imagine the people were overjoyed, not out of grief, where they weeping, but out of joy.

And then we have in our Gospel lesson Jesus reading the Word. Notice what had been set up in our Old Testament lesson in Nehemiah, they kind of showed the way that the synagogues worked, someone got up and read the lesson and everybody stood as they would read. And they would remain standing as the Word of God was taught. That's why Jesus would sit. That was actually a very common pose for teachers, as the teacher would sit down and all the students would stand up and around him. And so you can almost even imagine the little boy, Jesus, 12 years old, sitting in the temple, just sitting down, leaning his back against the columns while he's teaching all of these old rabbis the Word of God. And they're standing around him, listening to him. It's a sign of respect because that one teaches with authority.

And so Jesus having learned this, even at the tender age of 12, comes back into a synagogue in his own hometown, the one that he grew up in. He reads and sits down. Now, it was pretty common. Almost anybody could read. It didn't necessarily have to be the rabbi. It often was somebody who was given an honored place. Maybe somebody who was very wealthy, someone who had given huge gifts, someone who is taking care of the poor and all of a sudden, you've got this rabbi who's making news all through the land of Israel. He comes back and you go, he's gotta be our reader for today. And so Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah and it's very common. They would read probably not all of Isaiah because that's a very, very long book, but probably a big old section of it. And what does Jesus do? He unrolls the scroll to the very place that prophesies about the Messiah and the people think, Well, this Jesus is going to be teaching us about the coming Christ, this Messiah.

And so he reads, The Spirit of God is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. This is all about the Messiah and Jesus, you can almost hear, just as I did, is putting the emphasis on the Word me. He has sent me. He has given me, he has put it in my hands to do this. He rolls up the scroll and he sits back down. That's the equivalent today of the mic drop, right? I mean, you've kind of seen these, probably heard of these, maybe in these, you know, musical battles, usually some kind of rap battle. The guy dropped some lyrics that insults the other person that they're battling against and just holds the mic and drops it on the ground. It's a statement. It's something to say, beat that.

And so Jesus now rolls the scroll and sits back down and he says, Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Now there's no question: Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah. Jesus says, Today, as you heard me read this, this has been fulfilled. This is done. You don't need to look for someone who's going to do this. I just did it. It's pretty incredible statement. Jesus is saying this Word of God that you've had for generations was all about me, and everyone in that moment looked at this guy and all spoke well of him. They marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.

So you’ve got to imagine there was probably more teaching than just this, but Jesus was doing really well. People were buying what he was selling, but Jesus, knowing the heart of man and perhaps even using his divinity in this moment to see into their hearts, to see into their minds, knew exactly what was going to happen next because this Messiah that they had been waiting for, well, they hoped he was going to set all things right. Right? I mean, if you were a Jewish person in the first century, living under Roman rule, your idea of the Messiah was well, pretty much like whatever political party says their candidate for president is going to be for the nation. If you don't elect this guy, then the whole nation is going to go to pot. I mean, we've heard it in the news even recently, right? If you don't pass this law, your rights are going to be completely trampled on, your vote is not going to count at all. Therefore, make sure your Senator knows not to filibuster or to filibuster or whatever it that either party is telling you to do.

Well, Jesus knows. He knows that they want him to be some kind of political Messiah, some savior of the nation. Now he is the savior of the nation. Kind of like what we sing in our advent hymn, Savior of the Nations Come. But he's not the savior of the nation like a president would save the nation by passing some good policies or even the destroyer of a nation passing bad policies. That's not what Jesus is about. He is literally coming to save the nation of Israel, to bring them back to their God that they had wandered so far from, to make up for everything that they had done, to do it right, and to take from them all the evil that was in their hearts and to give them all of the righteousness that God would give to them. That's what he was there for, but that's not what they wanted.

And so Jesus says, No doubt you're going to quote to me the proverb physician heal thyself, which not a bad proverb, right? But what he's going to point out is they see him as part of themselves. They want him to count himself as one of them, so that when he sees their problems, he’ll do what one does when they see a cut, feel sick, get injured. They want him to heal them. He’s Joseph’s son, he’s from Nazareth, we watched him grow up. So, look at us and show us that you do the deeds that match the beautiful words you preached.

Jesus looks at them and says, well, here's the deal. You're going to say that but the reality is, when you realize what I'm all about, you are going to reject me because no prophet has any honor in his own hometown. When I was training to be a pastor, people in my home congregation I think were more than half serious about calling me back there. And I can tell you that made me really uncomfortable, not because I didn't love the people there, I did, but because these people had seen me grow up. I mean, literally, in the narthex of our church, there's pictures of our history. And there's a picture of me with this really stupid bowl cut that I had in the nineties, parted right down the middle, of course this was when I had hair, and I've got another kid in a headlock. We're just goofing around in a youth group thing, but how do you think that would go, your pastor on the wall, putting another kid in a headlock? How long do you think it would be before somebody came up to me and said, Well, you can't say this kind of thing after all, I watched you, or, Well, you know, pastor, I know you're kind of saying this, but it's not going to work for me after all. I know kind of who you are.

Now, Jesus didn't have this where he did stupid things as a kid because he didn't do that. But you can imagine that people are going to look at him and think, well, what kind of authority does he have? I mean, after all I saw him, when he was a baby, I saw him when he was a kid, I know more than him. I'm older than him. Certainly, I've gotta be wiser than him. And so, Jesus says no prophet has any honor in his own hometown. He's right. In fact, they're going to prove that he's right, because all he's doing is preaching the Word and what happens because of their hardness of heart? There was nothing that he could or even would do for these people who had gathered. They heard the Word of God and they didn't rejoice over the hearing of it. They heard the Word of God and thought, all right, what can we get out of him? And because of that, there was nothing he could do.

Now, that doesn't mean that God didn't want to save them. Certainly he did. He was going to forgive their sins. He died for these people. However, it was true that out of their hardness of heart, because of the lack of faith, there was no sign, there was no miracle that he could do other than to preach the Word. And they became enraged, and so much so that they took this man that they had watched grow up as a boy to a cliff to stone him. That's what stoning was back then; you take a person to a cliff, you throw them off the cliff so that their body is broken and then you find the biggest rocks you can find and see who can hit the mark the best. That was stoning. Most people didn't survive that.

And this is what they were going to do to Joseph's son. This is what they were going to do to Mary's son. You better believe that as he's in this synagogue, his mom is there with beaming with pride. They're going to do this to her. Of course, they're going to do it to her, right? Didn't they do it to Jesus in Jerusalem? As he set his face toward the cross, didn't they, in front of Mary, take her son, strip him naked, pierce him onto some wood, lift him up and watch him die, mocking him as he did? Of course, but it wasn't yet his time. And so, Jesus, using the power of his divinity, did not let them kill him then. He let them wait to kill him later.

So what does this have to do with us? Well, I've already mentioned one aspect of this, where we look at this political stuff that's out there. And we think if only we could get a Republican in office, if only we can get a Democrat in office, if only we can get everybody vaccinated, if only everybody would fight against the vaccines, if only if only if only if only, then everything would be fine. How stupid are we? How stupid are we? It's even worse, I think, though, when we look at God and we think, All right, what can I get out of you?

Which one of us haven't bargained with God? God, if you'll only do this, then I will do this. If you only heal this person then I will dedicate myself to you. If you only show me a sign, then I will dedicate myself to you. If you only provide for me in this circumstance, then I will dedicate myself to you. And even if you bargained with God, and he gave you what you were asking for, how's your end of that bargain holding up? I mean, the thing is, we look at God still today, just as they looked at the Messiah back then, as a God who’s going to bring us out of all of our troubles, the guy who's going to give us the desires of our hearts, the guy who's going to take care of our needs.

I mean, it's true. God is going to give you exactly what you need. But what you think you need is very different than what you need. And so, we look at God and we say, All right, you're going to give me this stuff, without realizing that God does what he wants to do. You see, we don't get to boss God around. That's what these people of Nazareth didn't realize. They don't get to tell Jesus what to do. They don't get to say, heal us. They don't get to say, make us well. They don't get to say, restore our reputation. They don't get to say, you're going to do this or else. They don't even get to say when it is that Jesus dies. Jesus takes all of that away from them, all of it.

And so it is that Jesus does what he wants. He leaves them. And he goes on in the rest of his ministry until finally it becomes time for him to lay his life down. No one takes my life from me, He says, unless first I lay it down. His time. His means. His way.

We so often think that it's on us. It's our time. The means we want. The way we want. That's not how God works. God gives us what he wants and what he wants is to give us what we need. He takes care of us in so many ways. I mean, the fact that our hearts are still beating, the fact that we still have air to breathe, the fact that most of us have food on our tables, I’m guessing all of us have food on our tables, the fact that all of us have the home to go to, the fact that all of us had some kind of transportation to get here to hear the Word of God, the fact that we have friends, the fact that we have family, I mean, all of these things, God gives these to us. They're all gifts from him.

With all his goodness given to us, with all of it in our laps, we can now hear this Word from Jesus: you are forgiven for all these horrible expectations you have of God, for all these weird expectations you have of Jesus. He died to forgive that sin of yours. He died to turn your heart from what you can get into what he is giving you. And he gives you a lot.

Last week, we talked very much about the Supper, how he comes to us in his body and blood and how he puts his Word of promise with this Supper. But he puts it ,not just in the supper, He's put it in the waters of baptism and he's put it in the Word itself, where when the Word is preached or the Word is read, when the Word is taught, the Word actually does something to you, which is to give faith, to convict you of your sins, and ultimately to forgive you of those sins, to show you that you are beloved of God and that you indeed have been saved through the cross of Christ.

The Word does something to you. It's not just something that happens around you, but something that happens to you, something that happens in you, that Jesus is working on you, that he is passing through you to point you to himself. That's what the Word of God does. It takes your hard heart, it takes your selfish thoughts, and it turns you to thoughts of God and of others.

And so now it is that we approach God, not in all of these things that he can do that we want him to do, but we look to God first and we recognize what it is that he has done for us to us and in us and with us. And in this, we find that the Word of God has done exactly what he has promised to do.

Hear again the words from Isaiah and think of where you sit in this: the spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus because he has anointed Jesus to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent Jesus to proclaim liberty to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Now I'll show you where you find yourself. The spirit of the Lord is upon Christ and his Word because he has anointed this Word to proclaim the good news to you who are poor. He has sent Jesus to proclaim liberty to you who are captive to sin, to recover the sight of you who are blinded by sin and unbelief, to set at liberty you who are oppressed by sin, death, and the devil, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor upon you who struggle, you who doubt, you who sin.

If I can be so bold, I'll say in the Words of Jesus today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing, your hearing, for indeed Christ has done these things to you. He has freed you by his Word through that yoke of oppression, those chains of slavery that bind us down into sin and death and the devil. And he has given us life. He has given us the favor of God. He has given us liberty and freedom and the recovery of sight. We will look to him who died upon the cross and be brought back out of our selfish ambition into a life of service and thankfulness. This Word of God is fulfilled in your hearing today. Hear it, believe it, let your hearts be turned. Look to God and repent, and find today and every day, the forgiveness of sins from Christ upon that cross, the one who laid his life down for you, that you might be with him forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.

Sermon: John 2:1-11, January 16, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 09:58:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on January 16, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 2:1-11. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from the Gospel according to St. John, the 2nd chapter:

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

Jesus is the bridegroom of the Church. Men, I think, get a little uncomfortable thinking about this, especially today when this would seem to imply that we're married to another man, but let's put your minds at ease. The Church is seen as a collective as the bride of Christ. You are not individually married to him, but you are married to him through the Church. And it gets a little confusing, of course, because you talk about the one body and then, of course, you think of consummation in the marriage, where the man and the woman know each other intimately and become one flesh.

And here's the deal. Jesus is the bridegroom; we are the bride. And he does consummate his relationship with the Church, not through that sexual act that we are aware of in terms of marriage, but in the intimate act, the heavenly act of making us part of himself. And he does that first through the Word. That Word then is attached to His means of grace, and so, for most of us, it came to us first through the waters of Baptism. Then it comes to us, not just the reading, preaching, and studying of the Word, but also through the Sacrament of the Altar. First the Word gives us faith, then it gives us strength. It brings to the day of everlasting life, when we find our life in the body of Jesus Christ. This is much more intimate than what a husband and wife share with one another.

This is the way that Christ brings his Church from all times and all places into himself to be one with her forever. Theologians call this the mystical union. And there's a whole lot that we could talk there. I mean, you could probably have an entire series of sermons on each aspect of what the mystical union actually composes, but it is enough to say that mystically, which is not magically, but mystically, mysteriously, Christ uses his Word and his sacraments to join together with you forever.

So, understanding that Christ is the bridegroom, let’s ask here, from the text, who is the master of the feast speaking to when he tastes the good wine? Now, if you follow along in the story, you want to go, well, he's speaking to the bridegroom of this wedding. But I've got to tell you, John is one smart cookie, and he loves what we call double entendres, where he says one thing and means two things by it. For instance, when Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and asks all these questions as a secret believer in Jesus, Jesus says,You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus says, What, am I supposed to crawl back up into my mother that I might come out of her again? But the word Jesus says, the word John uses in Greek is anothen, which means two things: to born again and to be born from above. These two things are both tied into that one single word. And John is using that word to portray this reality in such a way that Nicodemus would get it and still have to seek it by faith, but that you, having now been enlightened by the Spirit, would understand all of it. So when John is telling you about this first miracle that Jesus performs, he's not intending you just to look at the idea that, well, Jesus did this nice thing with water and wine and that's great, but instead that you see Jesus, as we just sang, is the guest and the host, he is both. We sometimes say the host and the meal; Jesus is both of these things for you.

So, when the master of the feast tastes this wine and he goes to the bridegroom and he says, You know, everybody gets everyone drunk on the good stuff first and then when they run out of that, then they don't notice the bad stuff. But you you've saved the good stuff for last. You know, I don't drink very much anymore, just with all my diet stuff, but I enjoyed beer. I liked a good beer, but the honest truth is it doesn't matter how bad the beer is. If you can get down two swigs of it, you generally can drink the rest of it. The master of this feast has been brought the good wine. And now, having tasted it, he realized the stuff that usually was good was mere swill compared to what he had now in his cup. There has never been a wine like this before. Never had any palate tasted anything like this. But there is a wine like this now.

And that's what we have here today in front of us. Granted, Jesus hasn't turned water for purification into wine in front of us, but he has taken the wine that we humbly bring to this place and he has made it greater than what it is by attaching his Word to it. And by his very Word, which you'll conspicuously see is absent in the text, in front of us, all of a sudden it is greater than anything that you've ever had. Now, granted, we don't have money coming out the wazoo; we can't afford the very best wine. We bring that which is humble, that which is very much like the water that's in these purification jars. And yet Jesus makes it magnificent by bringing us his blood in this place.

Notice though, in the reading for today, Jesus, doesn't speak a word over it. He doesn't say poof and there it is. He doesn't wave his hands. He doesn't do anything, but by the very power of his being God, the water knows what to do. The water becomes wine in such a way, and we'll never understand how this can be, but it's like Jesus is commanding all of the universe and the universe bends to his will, whether the universe hears it or not.

But here, in the Supper, the will of Christ is not just inside of him. His will is in your ears. You hear the Word because he's attached a promise to this Supper, that every time we have it, there is something amazing going on here, every time. I mean, I would challenge you all go home, go out to Menards or Home Depot, buy one of those big buckets that catches the rainwater, start filling that thing up and wait and see how long it takes for that water to become wine. It won't happen, right? I mean, could it happen? Sure. Are we expecting it to happen? Of course not. And as long as you wait, it probably never would become wine. You have no promise attached to that, but you have a promise here. You have a promise by the guest, by the host, by the meal himself that, here, this is something greater than what you can see, here is the sweet wine in which comes to you the blood of Christ, here is the sweet bread, if we can call it bread, that brings with it the body of Christ. His Word of promise is here, not in some miracle that he performs.

John uses a word here that it doesn't really mean miracle. John uses the word semeron, which means sign. Miracles are those breaking of the natural wall to let the supernatural in. But this thing that Jesus does is more than a miracle, it’s a sign. What's a sign do? It tells you something, right? You see a stop sign, you stop. You see the green light, you go. You see a yellow sign with kids running on it with a little ball in front of it, you know that children are going to be around, possibly at play, and you should watch out for them. A sign tells you what to do. The sign that Jesus performs in this first miracle, this first thing is to point to him as the coming, as the promised, Messiah. All the people there should have seen that sign and believed and it's likely that didn't happen because they weren’t reading the sign. It was private. But you see the sign performed here in the Supper, it’s public, it’s in front of everyone, and so you believe that this Jesus has come for you.

In our lives, as we struggle with our sin, as we struggle with faith, with doubt, with not understanding everything, not believing things, we might cry with the hurting father of the young boy afflicted with a demon, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. It might be a ton of different things that have brought us to this very moment, whatever it may be. But you can be comforted for this sign here is for you because Jesus speaks. And he speaks his Word of promise to you with this Supper, that your sins are forgiven and that you will be strengthened to see the day of resurrection.

He uses these humble gifts that we've brought to the church. It used to be that the Church would actually bring bread and wine into the church. That was what the offertory was for. You know, that song that we sing before or after the offering? That was when all the gifts would be brought up, not just for the church in terms of our offering, our money, but also it's when the bread and the wine would be brought up to be used for communion. That was the place that that would happen. Nowadays, what we do is we give our offering and the church goes out and buys the bread and the wine, but there are still churches that do this. These are just humble gifts though, that you've given to this place and Christ attaches his Word to your gift to promise you that there is something greater here for you.

It's very easy to forget what the Supper is. It is. It's easy to take this for granted, but this is here that every time we gather together in this kind of way, around his Word, we also gather around his Sacrament so that we know that Jesus is for you, that he has come to you, that he has saved you, that he forgives you, and that he has promised you something greater than all of these things that we're going through: everlasting life.

We don’t just have an ephemeral faith, one that you can’t pin down, something that’s little more than a feeling. You can have faith in your ears and in your eyes and on your tongues. You have faith that everything that your Jesus has come to you and has given you what he’s promised. And this Supper is a down payment on the idea that everything even will have a greater fulfillment. The Supper is a mere taste of the feast to come. It’s like the good wine served before the water-made-wine wine. You can have faith because you’ve been given a substantive thing to hold on to.We can see his promises are true here, where he said, this is my body and this is my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.

That's what this is all about. That's a mystical way in which Christ comes to you and speaks to you. Jesus doesn't speak to the bride groom in the story. He speaks to you instead through his Word and Sacrament. Christ is the bridegroom, and this is a wedding feast. This is greater than anything else we can eat or drink this day or any day, because this is greater than food alone. But this is food that leads to everlasting life. You only get that if you are a part of the bride, the Church, and you only get that if the bride has been taken by the bridegroom. This is how we are joined with Christ.

So, turn your eyes to Christ, my friends, and be like the disciples, believe in him, who has given you this gift so you may know that Christ is for you, that Christ is with you, and, in a very real way, even today, Christ is in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.

Sermon: Romans 6:1-11, January 9, 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 9 Jan 2022 09:05:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on January 9, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Romans 6:1-11. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Colossians 3:12-17, December 26, 2021

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Lewis Polzin) — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 08:52:00 -0800

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 26, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Colossians 3:12-17. You may play the audio of the sermon here.

A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the third chapter:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

It is the First Sunday of Christmas, and, if you’ve been here the last two days, you know that, as always, we’ve focused heavily on the incarnation of Christ. After all, that’s what we are celebrating, that we can see our God face-to-face in the person of Jesus and that we’re invited to do so. We’re not like Moses, who wasn’t allowed to see God’s face lest he die. We’re not like Jacob, who wrestled with God, not knowing it was Him, and then feared, when he found out, that he would die. We’re not like Gideon who talked with God and then freaked out in his weakness because he ought to have died. No, we are invited to gaze upon the lovely face of Christ and see God there. We’re given a face, an image, to look at and to love. We’re given Jesus.

The fact that our Lord has taken on human flesh is something I think we so often blast right past. This is God from before all worlds. Jesus is the Son of God, eternally begotten. That doesn’t mean He was created, but that He has always been the Son to the Father. He has always been and always will be. This is the mighty God who speaks and the universe and all that is beyond it bends to His command. This is He who has been in communion with God forever, and yet, at one point in time, decided to make a people for Himself and so created not just a garden but a planet, and not just a planet but a solar system, and not just a solar system but a galaxy, and not just a galaxy but a universe, and not just a universe but the heavens beyond all comprehension. All things came into being by His Word, Let there be, and all things bent to obey, all so that He, Jesus, would make a people that He would love. That He would make you.

This is the God who is greater than all things, and yet knew that His people would rebel. So, before He ever spoke the first light into existence, He made up His mind that, no matter their rebellion, He would love them, and He would love them as a dearest friend, to lay down His life for them. This is God. God cannot die. God is spirit. God has not a body. God cannot be killed by that which is less than Him. But, He knew that He would come to save the people He made, and, to do that, He would die, for salvation could only come through the shedding of blood. So, He made the earth and the heavens and all that is in them, and, as He knew, Adam and Eve rebelled against Him and plunged all that He had made for them into decay and despair. All the beauty of creation was made for Adam and Eve and their descendants, and they didn’t care. They wanted to make creation in their image. And they got what they wanted. All of creation would be made in the sinful image of man, subject to corruption and death. They had taken the image of God in which they were created and drove it into dust and destruction.

And yet, the Lord knew this would happen and had already planned to redeem Adam and Eve and all their descendants back from sin, death, and the devil, those evil taskmasters who would preside over a mass of obscenity. While we would have, perhaps, hoped He would come in such a way that all may see Him, He came in the way that He had desired for His people to live: humbly and in service. Hence, while the Messiah was hoped to have come in strength and with a sword, He came otherwise. He humbled Himself so far, from the mighty God of all creation to be placed into human flesh and to be put into the womb of a woman. He would come into this life as all life does, through blood and tears. He who created Eve in His own image now took the image of Eve from His mother, Mary. He who is mighty beyond all ken became completely dependent upon the breast of His mother. He who spoke creation into being now spoke through the cries of a baby, cries of dirty diapers and hunger and surprise.

This child we think of today grew in wisdom and stature, in every way identifying with His beloved people, except that He was without sin. He did all things well, obeying the Law that He might exchange His obedience with our disobedience that we might be saved and He condemned. And so, the boy became a man, and laid down His life at the hands of the Romans and the Jews that He might die for all people, all of His beloved, His chosen, and rose from the dead that those who believe in Him might have life and have it eternally. By this, you know that your sins, your disobedience, your contribution to the decay and destruction of His creation, have been taken away from you and, instead, you have been given the robes of righteousness that have won for you everlasting life.

In this knowledge of the incarnation then, Paul writes to the church at Colossae, instructions for life together, life which imitates our beloved Lord. Now that you know you are chosen, now that you know you are holy and beloved of God, live like Christ. Put on compassion, as Christ had compassion over His fallen creation. Put on kindness, as Christ has befriended you. Put on humility, as He deigned to lower Himself into the flesh of man, to make Himself a little lower than He was for a time. Put on meekness, as Christ never assumed His Lordship over His people as He lived among us. Put on patience, as Christ bore up under the yolk of those who were over Him, bearing their scorn and shame. We imitate Christ in His life that His life might be seen by all, though Christ is not with us bodily. We bear the life of Christ into the world, first by the Word and our sharing of it, and then by His works.

We endure other people, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. We forgive one another, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. We love one another, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. For Christ has bound us all together in His Church, that we might be a beautiful tapestry, more beautiful than Joseph’s many-colored coat, more beautiful than Christ’s robe woven together in one piece, more beautiful than your favorite Christmas outfit. He has put us into harmony with one another, not that any part is more important than another but that all of us, playing our part, sing in concert together to make a concerto beyond all music.

Most of all, Christ has called us together in one body, His body. He has called all of us to Himself in the very body He assumed from Mary. He has made us members of one another. He has made us members of Himself, with Him as the head. He has made us one that we might live in peace, moving and breathing and having our being in Him. In Him, we are made righteous. In Him, we are made thankful. In Him, we are made rich by His Word. In Him, we are one together.

The mystery of the incarnation is one which we should ponder, and now that Christ is risen and ascended to the right hand of the Father, we also should ponder, wonder, at Christ’s bringing us into the mystery, being made one in Him. In Christ, we are part of His mysterious, mystical body in that we speak His Word and do His work in the world. There is not one person who is living, has lived, or will live that Christ has not died for. There is not one person who doesn’t matter to Him. Thus, we bear with one another to teach us to bear with those still in the world.

While the world does not see the mystery of Christmas and rejoice that our Lord would wish to be with us, we, by our very act of being here, teach them that there is something greater than opening presents on Christmas morning, listening to 24/7 “Christmas music” on the radio, big feasts, friends, and family. There is more to Christmas than just what the world has to offer; there is Christ, come for us in His body to save all people, and come again today in Word and Sacrament.

You have come together in the one body of Christ today to receive the forgiveness He won for you upon the cross. Do so. Receive it by His absolution, His word of forgiveness. Receive it through Baptism, which you remember daily in drowning your hard-hearted Old Adam and finding the New Adam, Jesus Christ, rising in you. Receive it through the Supper, by which that very body and blood which came out of Mary, which lived perfectly, and was crucified, died, buried, and was resurrected for you, come to you to strengthen your faith and deliver you to the day of everlasting life. You have come together in the incarnate body of Christ that you may be His own. You are. You have been chosen. You have been made holy. You have been blessed with the very presence of Jesus, the God from all eternity who saw fit to make you, that you may be with Him forever and ever. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.