We would also like you to join the Retirement Celebration for Dennis and Marsha Neumeyer on Sunday, May 20, 2012. To mark the occasion of the retirement of Immanuel’s long-time teachers Dennis and Marsha Neumeyer a special service will take place on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. Friend of the Neumeyers, and special guest preacher, the Rev. Harry Edenfield, from Brownstown, Michigan, will be with us that day. Special music is also planned.

If you would like to donate a monetary gift for these individuals, please send in to church office no later than May 13, 2012. If you have photos or special stories to share, send digital copies by email to Scott Neumeyer or send actual photos by mail to the church office also no later than May 13, 2012.

NOTE: Please, please, please….remember to make a special effort to spread the word to any former students of the Neumeyer’s that you may be able to contact (via Facebook or word of mouth) since we are not mailing special invites to them.

Immediately following the 10:30 Church Service, we will gather in the school gym for a Potluck Dinner and Celebration Program. Meat, bread, drinks, and table service will be provided.

Family names A-J are asked to bring a hot potato or vegetable dish. Family names K-R are asked to bring a salad (pasta, fruit, jello, vegetable, etc.). Family names S-Z are asked to bring a dessert.

You may drop off the food in the school kitchen anytime after 9:00 a.m. Sunday the 20th. Any questions regarding the Potluck Dinner can be directed to Todd and Sandi Brechtelsbauer.

~In His Service, The Immanuel Retirement Celebration Committee

Jesus Christ Is the True Vine Who Bears Much Fruit in Us  The crucified and risen Lord Jesus is with His Church through the word of His Apostles, who “are witnesses of all that He did.” He was anointed by God “with the Holy Spirit and with power” and “He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,” and so He was with those whom He sent “to preach to the people” (Acts 10:38–42). The Holy Spirit is bestowed on those who hear that apostolic preaching, who are “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,” so that “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (Acts 10:43–44, 48). For as He came by the water of His Baptism, even to the blood of His Passion, so the Spirit testifies to the truth with “the water and the blood” in the apostolic ministry of the Gospel (1 John 5:6–7). By these means, Christ Jesus speaks to us, that His joy may be in us and that our “joy may be full.” For this purpose He appointed the Apostles to “go and bear fruit,” in order to make known His divine friendship to us (John 15:11, 15–16).

Reminder: Ascension Day is coming up quickly. Ascension Vespers Service on Thursday evening, May 17: 7:00 p.m. Plan now to attend!

2012-04-29 32k Good Shepherd Sunday 2012 Psalm 23

 Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 I would like to say the 23rd Psalm, again. And I am going to say it the way most of us learned it by memory. And I invite you to say it for memory with me.

Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life and lives nevermore to die. Amen. 

David, who wrote the 23 Psalm, was a shepherd long before he was ever King over Israel. He knew the ways of shepherding and he was familiar with sheep. He knew how sheep acted and behaved; what was normal for them and what was unpredictable about them.

David also knew what made a shepherd a good shepherd for his sheep. A good shepherd would do whatever was in the best interest for the sheep, even if it required the use of the rod and staff to make them lie down or lead them. And even if it meant giving up his own life for the sheep.

While David was a good shepherd and eventually led God’s people as King of Israel, he was far from perfect. David himself needed someone to guide and lead him. He also depended on the Lord to protect him, as he watched over the sheep in the pastures outside Bethlehem and later as king over the people of God.

And David confessed, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1).

Jesus is the Shepherd David speaks of in Psalm 23.  Jesus is the One who shepherds each of us. In Psalm 100 the Psalmist also says, “we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3) And in today’s Gospel Lesson Our Lord says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

Sheep need a shepherd. Without the shepherd’s leading and guiding, seeing that they are fed and protected, the sheep would not make it. Left in the wild they can not make it on their own. This is especially true because of the wild animals that roam about seeking to devour some poor, hapless, sheep that has wandered off. Without a shepherd sheep wouldn’t last long.

Without the Good shepherd the sheep fall victim to all kinds of troubles, temptations and eventually are lost. They must have a shepherd!

But the Shepherd has to be more than an office holder: just playing the part. He can not be a hireling. A “Johnny-come-lately”. A flock-pleaser. A sheep stealer. A wolf in sheep’s clothes.

The shepherd must know the lay of the land. Know where the water is good and safe to drink. Where the grass is fresh and the safe places to graze and open pastures so that all the sheep can be watched and protected.

The way of the Good Shepherd is along paths chosen carefully by the Shepherd. He leads the way. The righteous paths may be unfamiliar to the sheep, but they trust the Shepherd’s familiar voice.

They know His way is right, even when they don’t comprehend it for themselves. They know that His thoughts are only thoughts of peace, and not of evil, so that they have an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Even when the sheep are frightened: when they must go through looming places that threaten from all sides, where wolf and lion might be hiding and easily pounce upon the sheep, the Shepherd’s leading and calming voice takes the sheep through, so that they go unafraid, trusting that they are His.

This is the way it is with the Good Shepherd. And also this: that the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. What makes Jesus the Good Shepherd is that He lays down His life for the sheep.

The message of Easter is about the Shepherd begin struck down and taking His life back up again. It is about the feeding of the sheep; the Lambs; the sheep. “You were straying like sheep,” says the Apostle Peter, “but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25)

In Holy Baptism the Lord first brings us to still waters. The Lord has brought us up and nurtured us in the faith. We’ve been confirmed, come to His table, drank from His overflowing cup. Experienced His goodness and mercy. The Lord is faithful. He shepherds us throughout life.

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1).  As a child I always thought this was strange. But I grew to realize that it means that we will never be in want. And that we want no other shepherd.

“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.”  He invites us to call upon Him in the day of trouble and He will deliver you (Psalm 50:15). The Lord knows our every need, from food and drink, home and clothing to safety and security. No matter where we go, the Lord is there, especially when we traverse the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus gives us strength not to be afraid. 

He died for the sins of the whole world on Good Friday and rose Easter Sunday.  Jesus lives forever. No matter how dark the road or difficult the journey, Jesus promises never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us1 that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21 

 Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Many churches have given up having an Ascension Day Service, or never held one. Everyone is welcome to attend and hear more about this  important event in Jesus’ life and its significance for us. Jesus’ Ascension to heaven means that He is returning one day to take all believers in Christ to live there with Him forever.

 Over the recent academic break at the seminary, from February 27–March 10, 2012, Rev. Pless made his sixth teaching trip to Pretoria. He reports:

Coming to LTS twice a year has allowed me to build an ongoing relationship with numerous students who now are nearing the completion of their studies.  I have been able to mentor and advise some of these students in their thesis projects at the University as well. I am willing and eager to continue to come to LTS two times per year to teach courses in practical theology (pastoral theology, ethics, catechetics, pastor’s devotional life, and Luther as pastoral theology) as well as a systematics course in Law and Gospel as long as funding can be found.

He asks, “If we could target funds from your congregation for my trip this coming February that would be good. I’m going back in November but we have a congregation in Montana that has agreed to cover that ticket. Your thoughtfulness and the willingness of Immanuel congregation to assist in helping me provide theological education in South Africa is very much appreciated. LTS in Pretoria is the most strategic and theologically-well positioned seminary for all of Africa in my opinion. I’m not going to cease advocating that our Synod make it a priority for mission work in Africa. I’m honored to have a small part in it.”

The Rev. John T. Pless is assistant professor of pastoral ministry and missions at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, where he also serves as director of field education and editor of For the Life of the World. Since 2009 he has served as a visiting lecture at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Pretoria, South Africa.

Besides serving as our guest preacher at both services Sunday, Rev. Pless will also speak on his work during the Bible study hour at 9:15 a.m. Refreshments will be served at the presentation. A door offering will be received to support this work.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

God’s Word for our glad hearing and learning is the second reading for this Third Sunday of Easter, from the First Epistle of St. John, chapter three.

Let us all pray: All praise, O risen Lord, we give To you, once dead but now alive! To God the Father equal praise, And God the Holy Ghost, we raise! Alleluia! Thank You, Father, Son, and Spirit, for our continued Easter joy. Go with us, Triune God, as we serve You every day. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

“Appearances can be deceiving.” We’ve all heard that; said that. “Appearances can be deceiving.” It has a ring of truth to it.

We know from experience that sometimes things aren’t always quite the way they appear.

Perhaps we learned this on a first date. “That person is not the kind of person with whom I want to spend the rest of life!” Or maybe it was at a younger age. Something we at hoped for turned out not as great as we thought. The toys on the TV commercial were a lot smaller and needed a whole lot more imagination to go with them in order to come close to doing what they were shown to do in the commercial.

Or maybe this is something we have had to re-learn later in life. “The symptoms that seemed so dreadful are really nothing” But usually it isn’t so positive. “Things are far worse than we originally thought.”

The Apostle John, who is also known as the apostle of love because he speaks so much about God’s love and because he calls himself in his Gospel the disciple whom Jesus loved  tells us that we are children of God. That God has lavished His love upon us. And that we are righteous.

Now at first glance, if we really look at ourselves, we have to wonder about all this. Because if you were to judge whether we –whether you, or I– are God’s children solely on the basis of the way things appear in the world –in this life– well, ­then, we would have to come up with no other conclusion than we are not God’s children.

For you see, as godless as the world is around us, it still operates under the law of God. And the law always says we stand condemned. The law always accuses. So, the world sees us and says, “you are no child of God! Look at the way things are going for you. If God really loved you and favored you, things would be far different for you! Look at your health. Just look at really how successful you’ve been. Look at how happy you are!”

And while we may enjoy some health for a while, or be successful for a time, or find a bit of happiness for a while, when we do have these things it is really for a moment in the grand scheme of things. And eventually the world’s conclusion appears to be the right conclusion. Everything is altogether vanity. And of all people, we are the most to be pitied.

Now, if this doesn’t depress us completely, then how about the second line of attack the world uses to completely rob us of our joy and assurance as God’s children?

“You’re no child of God. Look how you act and behave. Think of all the sins you have done. God’s child doesn’t behave in that way.”

And so on.

Again, the world is good at following the Law of God to the letter when it comes to accusing us of our sins. It may even entice us to sin and then leave us to be caught holding the bag and with a guilty conscience, only later to come again at a time of weakness to remind and accuse us of what we have done that makes us no child of God. And it all appears to be right, and correct, and true, and we seem hardly fit to be called God’s children.

But God says differently With God things aren’t necessarily always they way they first appear. Especially when He says so. And to us He says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

On the night He was betrayed Jesus told His disciples,

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:15–17)

Jesus says that since we are loved by Him; that seeing we are Children of God. And if the world realizes this about us. Then it will go after us full force. And try to convince us that we are not God’s child. And that we are not loved by God. And that we are not deserving to be called a child of God. And in a way it all has the ring of truth to it because in many ways it is all correct.

Except for the lavishness of God’s love. Except for Bible verses like John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Or Romans 5:8  “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Or, as we heard last week,

“If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

You see, by the Law it would seem that the only way to be pure before God is to live pure lives. To have only pure thoughts and motives. To be completely innocent and holy before God.

But by the Gospel–through the Gospel–we are made pure in Christ. Jesus is pure and he makes us pure so that we can be called children of God. His blood sprinkles us and makes us pure. His holiness shines on us and makes us a holy people. His Sonship makes us adopted sons and daughters of the King. What is His is made ours and what is ours is made His.

And, so, as our Lesson teaches us, it should come as no surprise to us if the world hates us.

Jesus also told His disciples on Maundy Thursday,

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause. (John 15:18-25)

So you see, we, the children of God, are not recognized by the world. This should not come as any surprise to us; for the world did not recognize Jesus. Yet in spite of appearances we remain God’s Children. And although we don’t appear to be that way now. When Jesus returns we will appear as He appears. That means that all the sin and evil and unholiness and impurity and whatever else that sticks to us now will be removed for ever. Never to have to be seen or heard from again.

And this hope –that is, believing this to be true– is evidence of our faith. And it comforts us. And because of it we find we are becoming more like Jesus.

This is not the situation of sinful people. They continually break God’s law.

Yet, we are pure because we are in Jesus and He makes us pure. In Him we are pure. So the distinction between the child of God and the one who is not a child of God is seen in that the one that is not in Christ keeps on sinning. And so we strive to do better.

So don’t let those false accusations deceive you. The righteous practice righteousness.

And the righteousness of child of God is this: Christ is our righteousness. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Our Scripture for our glad hearing and learning is from the Gospel for this Second Sunday of Easter,

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)

Let us all pray: Eternal Savior, we thank you for your presence in our lives. You have forgiven us, renewed us, and empowered us to serve you. Strengthen our faith. Help us trust Your promises when we are afraid and anxious. You are our Lord and God, now and forever. Amen.

Dear bothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus  Christ,

Easter is a joyful time for the church. For fifty days–all the way up to Pentecost–we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and His promises to give the Holy Spirit to His Church, to be with us always, and to someday take us to live with Him forever in heaven.         

How sad, then, that for so many people Easter is only about “spring” and the “rebirth of the world” around them. Like Thomas about the only thing they can say concerning Christ’s resurrection is, “I will not believe it!” Their Easter joy lasts about as long as the ears and tail of a chocolate rabbit.

On the other hand, we who believe Christ is risen find true joy believing Jesus died and rose victoriously–and that we are now at peace with God.

Paul Gerhardt writes in his great Easter hymn “Awake, My Heart, With Gladness,”

This is a sight that gladdens; What peace it doth impart! Now nothing ever saddens The joy within my heart. No gloom shall ever shake, No foe shall ever take, The hope which God’s own Son In love for me hath won.

Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus disciples; to have experienced all of this first hand. You would think it would have been something of immense joy. Yet the Gospel writers report that on the first Easter there was an awful lot of fear and anxiety. 

First, we’re told that fear seized the hearts and minds of the women and disciples as they encountered the empty tomb. Then, fear drove the two followers of Jesus out of Jerusalem towards Emmaus. Fear was also apparent from the locked doors of the room in our Gospel Lesson. And we heard how fear took over Thomas’ heart and mind so that he refused to believe that Jesus had risen.

Certainly this mentioning of fear on Easter morning and evening, and in the days following is worth considering. After all, if the resurrection of Jesus is the main event of the Bible, why do we hear so much about fear in connection with it?

The word for fear that is found in the Bible covers a broad range of meanings. There is fear as when we are in the presence of something or someone greater than we are, and we feel threatened or in danger. This fear can often lead to terror. Then there is fear as when we are in awe of something or someone. This fear finds its fullest expression in love and trust, like we find in the First Commandment when we are told to fear, love and trust God above all things. 

A criminal fears a judge. He is terrified at the thought of the capital sentence about to be handed down. The same judge’s children call him “Daddy.” And while they may be disciplined by him, they know it is done out of love and kindness, and they grow up admiring him.

Oh, and another thing, you cannot be in terror something or someone and at the same time love and trust them. You see, the kind of fear you have has to do with relationship.

In our Gospel this morning the fear the disciples and Thomas experienced at Jesus’ resurrection was because of their broken relationship with Jesus as much as it had to do with fear of Jesus’ enemies.

On Maundy Thursday, in the upper room, just hours before his arrest and trial, Jesus told his disciples that a new relationship was about to begin. They were now considered His friends.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:13-15)

What joy these words of Jesus should have brought to the disciples hearts! Yet, sadly, we know that this new relationship was to be short lived and completely severed by Jesus’ death on Good Friday.

Jesus did show his friends that greatest expression of love by going to the cross. But they, in turn, failed him as friends. By the time Jesus’ crucifixion, his disciples had scattered and were hiding.

It seems that only John stood remained at the cross, and he tells us what he saw happen.

No doubt later Good Friday evening John shared with the other disciples how Jesus had died, how He was laid in the tomb and how the stone was rolled into place. Since then, they had been cowering in a locked room, behind closed doors. Now the disciples were really afraid. If they were consider Jesus’ friends like He had said, then Jesus’ enemies might come to get them next!

What a surprise and comfort it must have been when Jesus appeared to them!

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)

For one thing, here was their Lord and Master! But the fact that He speaks so kindly to them, and forgives them and offers them peace, that was the source of true joy for their hearts! Why did Jesus presence dissipate all their fears? Because they were told by Jesus that their relationship as friends was restored. And since Christ arose, death had also lost its power! The grave has no hold! Oh death where is your victory! O death, where is your sting! There is nothing more to fear!

In another stanza to his hymn, Paul Gerhardt adds,

Now hell, its prince, the devil, Of all their pow’r are shorn; Now I am safe from evil, And sin I laugh to scorn. Grim death with all his might Cannot my soul affright; He is a power’less form, Howe’er he rave and storm.

Jesus’ death and resurrection restores us to God. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5,

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:9-11)

Now my dear friends, this morning you might well ask, “Pastor, how is fear—fear associated with sin, death, and the devil—how is such fear ultimately struck down from my life?” “How can I know this peace in the midst of all that I experience and must confront day in and day out?” “Where’s the joy for me?”

The answer is, “It is the same for you as it was for the women and the apostles on that first Easter morning and evening.” The fear that seized their hearts and minds at the entrance of the empty tomb releases its grip on us when we also believe the words, “He is not here. He is arisen!”

Our fear vanishes as did the fear that sent the two followers of Jesus onto the road to Emmaus when Jesus’ manifests himself as Lord and abides with us, especially in the breaking of the bread.

Our fear of doubting and unbelief like Thomas’ is replaced by faith in Jesus when we hear the word–even though we haven’t seen.

Fear is struck down by Faith: Faith, which comes by hearing the Gospel. As our confession teach: For through the Word and the Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given—just as Jesus gave to his disciples that Easter evening—and the Holy Spirit produces faith, where and when it pleases God, in those who hear the Gospel.

The Gospel: the good news that because of Christ’s perfect life, his innocent suffering and death and his victorious resurrection, we have a gracious God–and not because of our own works qualities and virtues,

When Jesus first appeared to the disciples, and then a week later again with Thomas present, they heard Jesus forgive them.

 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. (John 19:23)

The news they heard was the forgiveness of Christ. This is the Gospel! And they went from being afraid, to loving and trusting, because they came to know peace and joy in Christ.

Today, in our Gospel, we see the beginning of the proclamation of the Gospel. “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” The Gospel brings peace and joy, because the Gospel brings Jesus!

Jesus appears to His disciples and transforms their fears and doubts into faith and courage. By the working of the Holy Spirit, we trust that Christ is alive today. His resurrection from the dead, together with his crucifixion, are the pivotal events in our lives.

Baptized, we have confidence to face every spiritual enemy in our Lord’s strength. And at the Last Day He will raise us to eternal life and share His glory with us in heaven. In peace and joy everlasting. Amen.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Scripture I have selected for my confirmation sermon for you, class, is 1 Timothy 6, verse 12:

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

There really aren’t many people in the Bible that you can relate to when you are 13 or 14 years old. We don’t know how old Adam was when he was created, but God made him an as adult, (which means he probably didn’t have a belly button.) Noah built the ark at 120. Abraham was at least 80 when he was called out from his homeland. And when Moses led the people from Egypt, he was older than almost everyone here.

Mary, the Mother of our Lord, is thought to have been in her teens, though Joseph is thought to have been much older. The twelve disciples, with the exception of the disciple John–who was a teenager, and the Apostle Paul, were much older than you.

Yet, I guess when we consider other Bible stories we do have Samuel, David, and even Jesus when he was in the Temple, —all of these were young and faithful to God.

But mostly the Bible is about adults–which is fine.

The Scripture I have selected for your confirmation sermon is from a letter written to a young man who was a new pastor. ­Granted, he was a man at the time, but he was a young man. And what’s more, we do know some things about this young man when he was a child.

That young man is Timothy, and from his name we get the name of the letter or Epistle to Timothy. And it was the holy Apostle Paul who wrote to him. And, like I said, we know a number of things about Timothy.

He was young. As a matter of fact, at one point the Apostle Paul writes to him not to let people despise him because of his youth (So see, even young people in the Bible weren’t always respected.)

We also know that he was taught the faith from when he was a child. We learn in Paul’s second letter to Timothy that he had learned the Scriptures from infancy, from his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois.

And finally, at some point in his young life Timothy, made a confession concerning his faith in front of many people.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Sounds a lot like confirmation, doesn’t it?

You are young. Rarely today do we find decisions made concerning religion and faith at the age of 13 or 14. So today we give thanks to God for you and for the confession of faith you are making. Truly, this is evidence of the presence and working of the Holy Spirit in Your lives.

Like Timothy you have been learning the Christian faith since your baptism, which is to say, since infancy. You are about to make a confession of what you believe before a large group of people. That’s a good thing. Jesus says, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)

Like Timothy, you are contending for the faith, that is, you are at that important point in life when you will be making choices about the direction you will take in spiritual matters. And the question for us to answer today is, are you starting or finishing something today? Is confirmation the beginning or the end?

Obviously, Confirmation is the completion of a number of things. You’ve been learning the basic teachings of the Christian faith through school, Sunday school and confirmation classes.

You know the basic Bible stories: creation; Adam and Eve; the flood; Moses and the Children of Israel; Samuel; King David; John the Baptizer; Jesus and his life and teachings; Easter; Ascension; Pentecost and the teachings of the Apostles—all of these are very familiar to you.

In John 8:31-32 Jesus says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Last Sunday at questioning you told us about the Chief Parts of the Christian faith. You discussed Law and Gospel; sin and salvation. You confessed our Triune God; you spoke of Jesus being divine and human; talked about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. All of these and more are Our Faith. And what you have been doing is what the Apostle Paul calls “fighting the good fight of faith”.

You know, now a days it is popular to make being a Christian a lifestyle. And you will hear all kinds of ideas about how a Christian is at war with the devil and the powers of darkness. And all that sounds real attractive, and makes a person thinks we have to fight the devil.

Let me assure you now, you don’t have to fight the devil! Jesus already has done that. Jesus fought the devil when he was tempted. Jesus fought the devil when he healed people and taught them. Jesus fought the devil when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus fought the devil when He was on the cross. And finally, as you have learned, Jesus defeated and proclaimed victory over the devil when he descended into hell and rose on the third day, according to the scriptures.

Fighting the good fight of faith is not spiritual warfare to overthrow the devil—we could never do that—but rather, it is believing what is true: that Jesus died and rose again for our justification; true faith and holding to true teaching keeps the devil at bay.

In Ephesians, St. Paul describes Christian belief as the armor of God.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

You have your Bible. You have your Catechism. You have you Hymnal. Always recall the things you have learned. Don’t forget your Parents, teachers, pastor who have loved and love you very much. Remember those who have gone before you. All of these make up the good fight of faith.

By now you’re perhaps thinking, “Pastor, it is obvious! I am not done! I really am just getting started.” And that is exactly how it is. Confirmation is the start, but it is not THE START.

Your baptism was your start. At your baptism God made you His child. He washed you with the water of regeneration. He forgave your sins and called and made you His own by the Gospel. Romans 1:16 says, “the Gospel is the power of God.”

True, you have been on your way for quite a while now. And soon you will have another gift from God to help you contend. It is the Sacrament of the Altar. Luther writes in his Large Catechism,

He who does not highly esteem the sacrament suggests thereby that he has no sin, no flesh, no devil, no world, no death, no hell. That is to say, he believes in none of these, although he is deeply immersed in them and is held captive by the devil. On the other hand, he suggests that he needs no grace, no life, no paradise, no heaven, no Christ, no God, nothing good at all. For if he believed that he was involved in so much that is evil and was in need of so much that is good, he would not neglect the sacrament in which aid is afforded against such evil and in which such good is bestowed. It is not necessary to compel him by any law to receive the sacrament, for he will hasten to it of his own accord, he will feel constrained to receive it, he will insist that you administer it to him.

It may seem remarkable to you, but as a pastor I have looked upon many confirmation classes and in those classes saw the faces of young people who since have rarely been back to church.

I pray each of you are not added to that list; for absence from preaching and the Lord’s Table is not the way to hold on to eternal life.

Rather our prayer for each of you today is this: That you “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 

Lets’ pray: Dearest Lord Jesus, we give you thanks that you have made these ten young persons before us today your children by calling them by the Gospel in their Baptisms, and that you have enlightened them through the truth of Your Word. Continue to sanctify and keep them in the one true faith. Help them always to fight the good fight of faith and to keep hold on eternal life. Bless them as they make the good confession this day in the presence of many witnesses. Amen.

God bless each of you. Amen.

In the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

Our Scripture this morning is from the Palm Sunday Gospel read at the beginning of this service, from John chapter 12.

 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. (Mark 12:12-16)

Let us all pray,

Dear Jesus, on this Palm Sunday as we offer up our glad hosannas to you, may we, by your holy Word, see that you are the Son of David who comes in the name of the Lord, and are therefore indeed blessed.  Amen

Dear fellow pilgrims, journeying to the Paschal Feast:

There is a strange similarity between this Sunday, we call “Palm Sunday”, and next Sunday, called Easter Sunday.

I say strange because, as we all know, the events that take place in between these two Sundays during Holy Week are the deepest and blackest of all of human history,  and they include the betrayal, arrest, trials and crucifixion of Jesus.

And yet, while the days ahead recall the Passion of our Lord, these two Sundays are days which we look forward to celebrating.

All this while we have been speaking of our Sundays as being “in Lent” to allow them to be the little Easters that they are, and so even now, let us allow ourselves to be transported back not only to Jerusalem and it’s crowds, but also to Gethsemane, to the governor’s court, to Calvary and the cross, and singing,

Jesus I will ponder now, on Thy holy passion, With Thy Spirit me endow For such meditation. Grant that I in love and faith May the image cherish Of Thy suffering, pain, and death, That I may not perish.

But let’s consider the joy of this day. Joy that expresses itself in the words of the people in our Scripture when they shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

For the joy of Palm Sunday is this, that with those first Palm Sunday crowds we see that Jesus is the Messiah; that he is truly the Son of God. And we also know joy today, because we see Jesus as he comes to us in the name of the Lord; that He enters Jerusalem to be the Savior of all mankind.

When Jesus came into Jerusalem so long ago the scene was quiet different than here today on this Palm Sunday, at Frankentrost, Michigan, thousands of miles from Jerusalem.

On that first Palm Sunday Jesus approached Jerusalem and coming to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. His disciples brought the donkey and colt to him as he had instructed, and they placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. And a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” That is what the Gospel writers tell us happened on that first Palm Sunday.

Yet we call this day Palm Sunday because, like that first Sunday before Good Friday almost twenty centuries ago, when the Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem while the people placed and waved Palm branches before him, shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David,” we too, sing hymns to Him and our little children raise their praises!

Indeed, as one Palm Sunday hymn raises:

‘Hosanna in the highest!’ that ancient song we sing, For Christ is our Redeemer, The Lord of heaven our King. Oh, may we ever praise Him With heart and life and voice And in His blissful presence Eternally rejoice!  

Palm Sunday whether now or then is when the people of God hail his Son with the name that is properly his, calling him the Son of David: the King of Israel. Recognizing Jesus as the Christ: true God, and true man.

This Messianic name was given to Jesus long ago by the Heavenly Father. The scriptures record the words of the heavenly Father, spoken long before the creation of the World. Words spoken in eternity:

(Psalm 2:7) You are my Son, today I have begotten you.

(Psalm 45) God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

(Psalm 29) Ascribe unto the Lord the glory due His name.

(Zechariah 9) From the house of the Lord we bless you.

In the Service of the Sacrament we sing,

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He, Blessed is He, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!

But we also know that on that first Palm Sunday not all who were present at Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem held to the Words of Scripture, and Jesus was to encounter enemies who would seek to deny him his title as the Son of God.

We heard this morning how Jesus enemies spoke against Him. Later at his trial, Jesus enemies would scream at him, “Tell us, are you the Christ!” His reply of course, was “I am.”

At this they tore their clothes and said, “there, we have heard it for ourselves, this man is guilty of blaspheme.”

You’ll recall that at the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple, Simeon had told Mary that Jesus came into the world so that the hearts of many might be revealed.

It was too much for them to be in the presence of the one who rightfully deserved the praise and adoration of the people. They perceived that the Son and heir was in his vineyard, and these wicked servants wanted to kill him and throw him out so that they might posses it.

How truly blessed are we that we know Jesus! We believe in him. We believe that Jesus is the holy and righteous Son of God. We want to worship him today. It is a wonderful blessing to know Jesus and that he is indeed the David’s Son and David’s Lord.

That first Palm Sunday was a day of blessing Jesus, to call him blessed. Why? There was much enthusiasm about Jesus because of what the crowds had heard he had done, including the raising of Lazarus.

Luther tells us that that is the biography of our dear Lord. He writes,

He preached in Galilee, and He healed the sick and ailing. For two years He served many people with the Gospel, but at the same time He aroused the resentment of the chief priests and the Pharisees. On this journey to Jerusalem He preached and performed many miracles. Now that the last year had come and the time had arrived for him to die for us poor sinners, He bade Capernaum farewell, never to return there again, and set His face toward Jerusalem. His mother Mary and many other women accompanied Him on this trip, as the Gospel tells us.

The group progressed at a leisurely pace; for Christ devoted much time to preaching and performing miracles along the entire route through Samaria and Galilee to he royal capital, Jerusalem. And as we hear, He made an impressive entry into the city as a king and a lord of that realm. And when the Lord journeyed from that countryside to Jerusalem, preaching and working miracles, the chief priests accused and condemned Him, because, among other things, they alleged that He had misled the people all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem.

This is recorded by the evangelists to give us a brief biography of Christ. He labored with the Word of God as a pastor: He visited those in need of His help; He served all people night and day, whether they lived by the sea, in the wilderness, or elsewhere; and He performed miracles.

…The Lord’s biography deals exclusively with His service to mankind. It tells how He enlightened people with the divine Word, how He comforted the mournful, how He preached to the Jew and the Gentile, how He exercised demons, how He fed the hungry, and how He healed those afflicted with diverse ailments—all this according to prophecy.

Because of the wonders many of the people recognized that Jesus was a blessing. But Christ’s coming and his blessing to mankind was even deeper than the miracles. Paul tells us in the Epistle lesson appointed for today,

Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant, being born in likeness of man And being found in human form, he humbled himself to death—even death on a cross!

Jesus did not chose the easy part. His love for mankind ran as deep as eternity. That same love we hear and sing and pray about today and all this week. It is the love we will share at the communion rail today, and Thursday and next Sunday. It is the love that tells us good news that our sins are forgiven. It is a love that compels us to love one another even as I have loved you; to forgive one another. To serve one another.

Palm Sunday is like all Sundays in that our Lord comes to us through the Means of Salvation. With repentant and thankful hearts we receive him. And we keep the feast in that way, until our Lord’s reappearing. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is from the Gospel of St. John, chapter 3.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:14-17)

 

All blessing, honor, thanks and praise
To Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God who saved us by his grace;
All glory to his merit.
O Triune God in heaven above,
You have revealed your saving love;
Your blessed name we hallow.

Dear fellow redeemed in Christ Jesus:

All everyone seems to be talking about is the weather. How unseasonably warm it is.

What an early spring we’re having!

Since in the past I have expressed my amazement at snow on Easter –and this being the fourth Sunday in Lent, half way to Easter, I feel compelled to add to the conversation by pointing out that it still is winter. That it is not spring, yet. And we have had a high of 80. And that I feel that the groundhog should have his meteorological license revoked.

But a lot of folks are also saying “we’re going to pay for this” “This is going to cost” Although that doesn’t help much because they can’t say specifically how we’re going to be paying for this nice weather. April snow storm? Tornados? Hot summer? Bugs?

Why can’t these fair days just be God granting us the favorable weather for which we so often pray? This could be a blessing from God. A gift.

I’ve noticed this idea of pay-back is prominent in our community. If you do someone a favor they are likely to say “I’ll pay you back,” or, “I owe you one.”

Why?

Why do we do that? Why can’t we just say “thank you”? Why can’t we be grateful to one another and give the other person the pleasure of serving us?

There is such a thing as the debt of love which is allowed. Paul says in Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

Sometimes we act so weird. Like the weather.

This morning our three Lessons won’t let us view our salvation in any other manner than as a gift from God. You can’t earn it. You can’t brag about it. It’s all God and nothing you.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast,

St. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9.

Now if we know this to be true, do we act like it’s true? believe it? Don’t we sometimes think that there’s going to be a pay-back time with God? It must cost something.

After all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. We in our German-heritage community now that. Every coupon to the restaurants in Frankenmuth has restrictions. “Can’t be combined with any offer.” –heavens! don’t try to celebrate your birthday and use this coupon! “Can’t be used on Easter or Mother’s Day.” –sorry Mom!

I’ve learned that when I’m taken to lunch it’s going to cost. The Thrivent guy wants me to know about their products. Church Extension would like me to promote their ministry. Who could turn down a free meal in Frankenmuth? Severe food sensitivities are a blessing. “I’m sorry, I can’t eat there.”

But doesn’t God restrict His grace? It’s only for those who deserve or earn it? We might think that way if we follow the way of the Law. Always doing. 

What must we do, to be doing the works of God?

the crowd asked Jesus in John 6:28.

I suppose one could argue that those Israelites who looked upon the serpent that Moses lifted in the wilderness were doing something to be saved. That they had to do something in order not to die. And that might be true. But we also need to keep in mind that what happened there was not salving them from sin but saving them from the consequences of their sins.

The serpent is a sign of someone greater to come. The serpent pointed to Christ. When Jesus told Nicodemus that just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness He, too,  was to be lifted up he saying that the serpent was made as a sign by Moses; that the serpent pointed to Him; and that He would fulfill that sign.

Christ is the one who saves. And those Israelites were saved eternally when they believed in the promised coming one who God was to send through Abraham’s descendants. Jesus answered them,

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.  For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:39-44)

 Again, what beautiful passages of Scripture we have today to tell us of God’s boundless love toward us!

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience–among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ– by grace you have been saved– Ephesians 2:1-5

We have something more wonderful than the sign of the serpent. While the thought of having a convenient means of healing such as Moses snake would save us thousands in deductibles, we have something far better in the Means of salvation when we hear the Word preached to us, or when were baptized, or when we or receive the Lord’s Supper. We receive the forgiveness of our sins. Grace is applied to our lives now. And these give us salvation.

But what if one doubts that the Word and Sacraments are valid means of God’s Salvation? Or that if we have Christ, why do we need the Means of Grace? How does this fit in with all we hear about Christ’s passion in Lent?

Our Catechism explains:

Christ has indeed won full forgiveness and salvation for the whole human race with His perfect life, suffering, death, and resurrection. Through [the Means of Grace] He distributes this same forgiveness.

As we have come to the mid-point between the start of Lent and Easter Sunday we are reminded today that each Sunday is in Lent and not of Lent. Every Sunday has the unique reminder built-in. But this Sunday in particular is special. We have those wonderful words of Jesus and St. Paul that tell of our salvation as a gift to us by God’s grace, through faith.

The Proper-preface for the Lord’s Supper which was prayed at Lent and now has been assigned to Holy Week says this, (It first starts, of course,)

It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who accomplished the salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross that, where death arose, there life also might rise again, and that the serpent who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross overcome. Therefore, with angels and archangels and, so forth…

That preface says it all. It speaks of our victory over the devil, sin and death. It Thanks God for His saving us. And it places us within the communion of the whole Christian church here on earth and in heaven. All by the grace of God and His favor toward us in giving us His Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

There are many things that quite possibly can interrupt the Sunday morning service.  Certainly an unruly child is the most common, but everyone is willing to overlook even a prolonged crying spell. If anything, we feel for the parents.

Someone becoming ill during a service can also be disruptive, but understandably, at the same time it is absolutely necessary to attended to them. We’ve had a few scares since I’ve been pastor here, but all had good out comes.

Lights can blink, power can fail, and microphones can give out in the middle of a sentence. We might notice these things and then go on, if possible, without making too much of them.

The people in our Gospel reading for today attending service at Capernaum’s synagogue on the Sabbath had a completely unexpected experience in the revealing of a demon and its exorcism by Jesus.  From the last part of the our reading we can see that nobody came to church expecting that. “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

This morning’s Gospel Lesson tells of Jesus’ authority over the powers of darkness.

The famous Christian author C.S. Lewis writes about these very things in the introduction to his Screwtape Letters, noting that in our modern world there are those who are obsessed with the demonic, and also those who see them as total nonsense.

Lewis says both approaches are off. And I agree. The demonic is something that we cannot deny, but neither should we be fascinated by it.  The people in the Capernaum synagogue observed rightly.  These are matters that are best dealt with on the basis of authority and Christ’s Word.

A strange fact is that in the ancient world there was a great presence of the demonic.  The religions of Egypt and of Babylon all have the stuff.  But when you go to the Old Testament there is hardly any.  There are very few references to Satan in the Old Testament.

And then, if you go from the Old Testament to the New Testament, something surprising happens after Jesus’ baptism.  He is led into the wilderness by the devil and is tempted there.   And right away we come to this story about the demon possessed man in the Synagogue.  And it is everywhere.  Wherever Jesus goes the demons are uncovered. Until that time the devil and the demons are hidden.

The revelation of the light is also the revelation of the darkness.

St. John in the first chapter of his Gospel speaks of Christ as the light of men coming into the world.  There had been nothing like Jesus and the incarnation and God becoming man before this.  When we speak of Epiphany as the season of the manifestation of Jesus as the Son of God and the light coming and dispelling the darkness of our world, then this reading makes perfect sense to be read at this time in the church year.

St. Paul points out that the devil and the demons disguise themselves as angels of light.  That is, that they hide themselves and rarely show themselves as they are: as agents of darkness and of evil. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

The devil has two attributes and they are that he always lies and he always murders. He is never to be trusted.  Our Gospel Lesson is a window into this.  A dramatic scene.  Jesus has been baptized.  He has been tempted and has defeated the devil in the wilderness.  He has called his first disciples.  And they go into the Capernaum and on the Sabbath he teaches.

And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. (Mark 1:22-26)

Probably this guy had been going to the synagogue his whole life, but what was the difference on this day? Jesus and His Word: Jesus’ preaching. There was the preaching of Jesus: The Word of Jesus. Jesus’ presence brings out what was hidden in darkness out into the light. And Jesus uses His Word to deal with the demon.

Luther says of the devil in his great hymn “A Mighty Fortress” that he is already defeated by Christ. “One little Word can fell him.”

And there is an important thing we shouldn’t over look here: it wasn’t the man, it was the demon. St. Paul writes,

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

We need to remember this when the powers of darkness and the demonic become apparent, especially in dealing with others.  Our brother and sister is not the enemy.  Even when they sin–and even when they sin against us–they are not the enemy.  They simply have been tempted and led by the devil and the unclean spirits who are our real enemies and seek our destruction.  That means we can always pray for one another, especially when they seem to have fallen under the power of such forces.  And with our prayers help them and ask that they be released.

Now another thing.  Rather than call them demons, it is certainly better to identify them as “unclean spirits.”  And that is more accurate to say because their domain is uncleanness and impurity.  That is their domain.  And unclean spirits work in filth.  They dig up dirt.  They work in what is impure.  And that is how you can identify their work.

Also notice how the unclean spirit is attracted to Jesus.  This is a very holy setting described here.  Not only is it at the Synagogue but Jesus is also there!  And the unclean is attracted by the clean and holy.  The unclean isn’t going after the unclean but is attracted to the clean and holy.

And we also see the cosmic battle that is going on.  Jesus and the demon.  The Holy Spirit and the evil spirits.  The unclean spirits and we ourselves.  Jesus comes from being baptized and is filled with the Holy Spirit and He comes and preaches the Holy Spirit and the unclean spirit is drawn to Him.  And this continues throughout Mark’s Gospel as Jesus’ opponents side with the powers of darkness, eventually to have him killed. 

And what’s more, this explains why we suffer so much from the devil and his unclean spirits.  And why they seek us out.  Recall what the Catechism says about the Sixth and Seventh Petitions of the Lord’ Prayer, “lead us not into temptation” and “deliver us from the evil one.” (And that’s really what that is saying there: “the evil one”–meaning the devil.

The Catechism says,

And lead us not into temptation.

What does this mean?

God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

And, also,

But deliver us from evil.

What does this mean?

We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

Another thing I want to address here is the importance of a good conscience.  Our Epistle Lesson brings that to our attention today as Paul writes to the Corinthians, speaking about: “sinning against your brothersand wounding their conscience when it is weak, [that] you sin against Christ. (1 Corinthians 8:12)

This comes under what I was saying about the unclean spirits working in the dirt and filth.  And they do this to hurt our conscience when they cause us to recall and dwell on sin and such things that bother our consciences because we know it is evil and wrong.  That’s also demonic work.

And when we sin, and harm the conscience of others, leading them to sin and also harming them, this is also sin.  And, and as Paul says, it is a sin against Christ.

St. Paul writes to Timothy,

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. (1 Timothy 1:18-19)

And good conscience is of absolute necessity in all this if you are to withstand the onslaughts of the devil.  Thankfully, where we are weak and unable Jesus has already completed the work; won the battle; defeated the devil.  The forgiveness we have in Christ means we have a good conscience as we stand before God and justified for Christ’s sake because of his death on the cross.  The darkness of Good Friday was overcome with the brightness of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus meant that sin, death and the devil are defeated and have no more power.

And our Baptism is so important for this. The Apostle Peter writes,

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus promised his disciples and the Church, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

This promise means that we speak with authority when we speak the Word of Christ. When we baptize.  When we announce forgiveness in the absolution of sins.  Where Christ is present and His holy Word is spoken and His gifts are given the light shines forth and darkness is repelled. This God gives to us. But only on the basis of Christ’s authority.

But is it a comforting Word and casts away all fear.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

God’s Word for our glad hearing and learning this morning is the Old Testament Lesson from 1 Samuel, chapter 3, as was read. (1 Samuel 3:1–10)

Let us all pray, All glory Jesus be to Thee at this Thy great Epiphany, whom with the Father we adore and Holy Ghost forevermore. Amen.

Dear Fellow redeemed of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The story we have for our Old Testament Lesson this morning about the young boy Samuel is one of the most delightful stories in the Bible.  I’ve always liked it.

Having grown up as a P.K., or “preacher’s kid,” I was very familiar with the sanctuaries of the churches my father served, and­ (without his knowledge, of course) my brother and I would assume full reign of these sacred spaces and entertain ourselves in a whole variety of ways.  In other words, what Dad didn’t know was that we would get into all sorts of mischief.

At one church my dad served, there was an intercom system between the office, which was in the church, and the parsonage kitchen.  It was so that the pastor’s wife (our mom) could call to the pastor without having to use the phone (which cost in those days) or having to walk over to get him.

And so, one day my brother and I came up with a brilliant idea.  We took the church’s intercom unit, which was portable, and extended it out of the office and put it into the pulpit.  And then we had the neighborhood kids pay us a nickel or a dime to be brought into the church to “speak to God.”  Of course, I was on the other end doing the talking. I also got the worst of the punishment when we were caught.  I was the oldest and should have known better.

Quite different from our Old Testament Lesson for this morning that tells how God really called to Samuel for the first time when he was just a little boy.  Like I said, I always have enjoyed hearing and reading it.

Martin Luther tells how as a child he never knew this story about little Samuel because it was not part of the medieval church’s lectionary the regular readings of the church at that time.  It was only later, when he was studying the Bible at the university, he came across this story of young Samuel and God calling him in the night.  Experiences like this were partly behind Luther’s desire to translate and get the Bible into the hands of the German people so they could hear stories like this.

If you listen to this account carefully, however, you will notice a couple of things that at first are quite easily overlooked.

First, in verse 1, it says, “the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.”  And second, in verse 7, it adds, “Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.”

“The word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision,” and, “Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.”  Do we realize what these things mean?  They tell us that at this time in the history of God’s people a separation existed that meant the people were not hearing from the Lord.  They were not receiving His word from Him on a regular basis.

And there were two reasons for this.  One was their sins, as we learn from the rest of the story (which you can read for yourselves– about the priest Eli and his sons, who exemplified the general attitude of the people toward the word of God at that time.)  And the second reason was, like Samuel, the people were not listening for God to speak to them.  They didn’t recognize the Lord’s voice because they hadn’t heard it–for sure, but they also hadn’t been listening for the Lord to speak to them.

Samuel did not yet know the LORD.  I believe there is much for to learn from this.  If we want to hear God speaking to us–and I assure you that He wants to speak to us–then we need to listen.  And listening requires first, that we repent of our sins and be forgiven so that we can approach Him to hear from Him, and second, that we be quiet, and listen.

Now what sins do we need to confess in order to hear from God?  ALL SINS.  Including those sins the Apostle Paul warns us about in our Epistle: (1 Corinthians 6:15-20)

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

I find it remarkable as a pastor how I will address the sin of adultery with a person who is having an affair or with a couple preparing for marriage and are fornicating and they seem to be unable to comprehend or accept the fact they are sinning.  As a matter of act, they often refuse to hear God’s Word all together–the Word they have been taught since a child–and arrogantly and brazenly continue in such sins.

Is it a wonder then that such people begin to fall away and are more and more unable to hear God’s Word or have it applied to their lives?  They’ve driven the Holy Spirit from their bodies. God’s Spirit is a spirit of cleanness and holiness.  He can not dwell where there is sin and filth. He will not stay long.

And parents and grandparents support this sort of thing and think that the welfare of the son or daughter­, grandson or granddaughter, is in not upsetting them toward the church, rather than a genuine concern for the soul.  And they’re even proud when they find another church that will tolerate and bless this sinful behavior.  Is it any wonder they cannot comprehend the things that are spiritual? Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”( John 3:6)

God speaking to us must take place in the context of a temple that is made holy and suitable for His presence.  If hate, or sexual impurity, or covetousness, or even despising the Word of God is in the heart and on your mind, how can you then expect God to speak to you, let alone come to you and remain with you?

Thankfully, we have forgiveness in Jesus Christ. He has forgiven us all our sins. The writer of Hebrews tells us, (Hebrews 12:22-24)

 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Jesus’ blood gives us complete remission of all our sins.  And as we receive it today it cleanses us so that we may be in the presence of God and the angels and the righteous, and we may also have God speak to us.

For you see, God talks to us all the time.  We’re just not listening.  That is, we don’t take time to listen to Him speaking to us through His Word, yes, but also in the Service, the liturgy, hymns, prayers, anthems. And especially we miss God speaking to us through one another.  Remember how Eli helped Samuel? (1 Samuel 3:8-10)

Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the young man. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Yes, God speaks to us through one another.  No matter who that person might be.  And especially through your Pastor.  God has given each of us to one another to speak words to each another.  Words to comfort, to teach, to sing.  And to pray and praise and glorify God together.

And most importantly, to forgive.  To speak about forgiveness but also to speak forgiveness.  And when those Words are from God–and I am not speaking about some special revelation someone might claim to have in the form of a dream or vision–which we would rightly be skeptical of–but when it is the Word of God in the Service and prayers of the church, especially, then God speaks.  And it is time for us to say, “speak Lord, Your servant is listening.” Amen.

Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

God’s Word for our glad hearing and learning as we commemorate the Baptism of our Lord is from this morning’s Gospel,

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. (Mark 1:9)

Let us all pray, All glory Jesus be to Thee at this Thy great Epiphany, whom with the Father we adore and Holy Ghost forevermore. Amen.

Dear Fellow redeemed of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The verse I have chosen to preach on this morning is a very simple verse that is short and direct and to the point.  I’ll read it again: “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

This verse is typical of Mark’s Gospel, which is the shortest of the Gospels and also the most concise. One of his favorite words is immediately.

And although Mark doesn’t use the word immediately in our Gospel Lesson until he describes Jesus coming out of the water and the Holy Spirit appearing to John in the form of a dove, nevertheless, we get Mark’s typical sense of great urgency when we realize that within just a few verses – at the beginning of the Gospel – we are told about the appearing of: John, Jesus; the baptizing ministry of John, and the Baptism of Jesus.

Just a short time ago we celebrated Christmas (which Mark doesn’t even mention) and now today, we hear how Jesus was anointed by the Holy Sprit to begin His ministry, which we will now hear about for the next several Sundays!

Like I say, with Mark things move rather quickly! (And I image that like his Gospels, his sermons were also shorter in length–which some how I have to admire!) But that doesn’t mean Mark doesn’t have anything to tell us.

Consider our verse: “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

Right away Mark tells us that the Baptism of Jesus was a real, historical event that took place in real time and that happened at a real location. In other words, the baptism of Jesus is not a myth, but rather, it is a great event that the Church has deemed worthy to recognize and commemorate every year at the start of the Season of Epiphany.

Jesus left home and headed into the wilderness where John was preaching and baptizing at the Jordan River.  There Jesus is baptized by John.

“And was baptized by John in the Jordan.” These are remarkable words. Here in Mark’s Gospel there is no record of John’s attempt at preventing it. No report of John’s questioning Jesus that we get from Matthew –John asking “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14)

Mark doesn’t even feel the need to tell us that John consented. Simply: “…Jesus came…and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

John had been preaching repentance of sins in connection with his baptism. He appeared by God’s direction and was given the task of the fore-runner of Christ. He came in fulfillment of the words of the prophet Isaiah, and he dressed and ate and preached like a prophet. But he wasn’t an Old Testament prophet. And he wasn’t a New Testament apostle, either. And when questioned he also made it clear that he wasn’t the Christ.

John had the unique role of preparing the Lord’s way. To some he was a curiosity –an oddity.

To others he was theologically compelling. To King Herod he was an embarrassment and, quite possibly, he also thought a threat.

But for many others John was a teacher, a preacher, one to be heard and followed. “And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Mark 1:5)

Why? Because he pointed out peoples sins, he preached baptism for forgiveness of those sins and he heralded the coming Christ. He proclaimed God’s salvation. And he was successful. However, John’s chief reason for appearing and preaching repentance and baptizing was that one great event celebrated by the Church today: the Baptism of Our Lord. John was there above all so that Jesus could be baptized.

Which might at first glance seem as no reason at all and even an utter disappointment because there was no need for Jesus to be baptized for Himself at all. No need for confession on Jesus’ part. No sins to have washed away. No alienation from God and the need for reconciliation.

He already is the Son of God! He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary.

He is, after all, Jesus! No need here for a baptism!

But it was because we need Baptism that Jesus was baptized. He does it for us. For you, and for me.

He leaves Nazareth, where he has passively been obedient to the Law of God as a child and teenager, and now, as a thirty year old man he comes to John because He knows that it is the Father’s will. He knows the plan of God for our redemption. He was there at the beginning. When God spoke, and heaven and earth came into being. When the Sprit of God hovered over the face of the deep. He is the eternal Word of God of whom we heard the Evangelist John say on Christmas Day “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

What’s more…He was there before the beginning and heard the counsel of the Holy Trinity plan that the only-begotten Son of the Father would assume our human flesh in order to save us and be our Lord. That He would take on human flesh and soul and dwell among us full of grace and truth. That He would suffer and die, and that the sprinkling of his blood would be the means by which we are cleansed of all our sins and our souls and hearts and consciences made pure before God .

He would become our Lord, and the old lord and all his wicked works and all his wicked ways would be expelled from us and a new, life-giving Sprit would occupy us. He would makes us a holy people for his own, to live with him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness.

And He would do this by water and the Sprit.

And so, “Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

We also, have been to the same waters. Only the waters we entered in Baptism have been sanctified–made holy–before we ever entered them by Jesus. Without the Word, the waters of baptism would be just what too many say they are, plain, simple water and nothing more. But because the waters of Baptism are connected to the divine command to baptize and combined to the Word of the name of the Holy Trinity, father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they are something far different. They are a life giving, saving water.

All because Jesus entered them and also because he went up from them and continued on the way assigned him –all the way to the cross and then beyond in His resurrection. So, then, says St. Paul,

…all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3-5)

And there also is assigned a way for you, too, ever since your Baptism. It is also connected to Christ’s dying and rising to life. It is the way of the cross, which probably why many don’t want to go there. It means that in this life because Jesus suffered, we will have suffering too.

That we are marked as one of God’s. A child. A soldier.

But it also means that what the father said of Jesus as He came out of the waters is also said of us, “Because of my Son, you, too, are my son –my child– in whom I also am well pleased.” Amen.

Services:  Sunday and weekday (e.g. Advent and Lent midweek),  The decision to cancel services will be made by Pastor, the head elder, and the elders on duty for thst day—in the consultation with the head trustee if necessary.

The decision will be based on  weather conditions and forecast, road advisories issued by the county or state, cancelations by sister churches, other closings in the community, and condition of the facilities (heat, electric, parking lot, etc.)

Cancelations will be communictaed to all the elders, announced on radio station WSGW 790 AM and local television stations, posted on the church’s web site, and announced through the school’s information phoning system.

Members are advised that when conditions are doubtful to call the church office, Pastor’s cell phone, or contact your elder before coming out in bad weather.

On days when public school is canceled public school catechism class will also be canceled.

Since 1997, more than 38,000 visitors have made their way to Bethlehem via this unique presentation of the familiar Christmas story.

Some fun facts include:

268 costumed cast members participated in 2011 with 93 helping from outside our congregation. Each night over 140 cast members presented, with a combined cast and crew of approximately 170 people. The ages of our volunteers over the years have ranged from 3 – 92 years old.

From start to finish, this year’s production took  approximately 300 volunteers -from rolling scrolls, mending costumes, baking cookies to building Bethlehem and cleaning-up.

2502 visitors kept Caesar Augusts’ census takers busy as they journeyed this year to be counted, listened to the shepherds tell of  the angel’s message, heared prophets recall ancient promises, and visited the town alive with villagers. Going from inn to stable, they heard and saw that God has come to us in human flesh—as a baby lying in a manger.

For more information about the 16th annual presentation for 2012, click here: 2012 Living Nativity Information

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God’s Word on this National Day of Thanksgiving for our hearing and learning is from the Old Testament book of First Chronicles, chapter 16, verse 34.

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34

“Let’s not leave the table before we give thanks!” –how many times must a father have to say this to the children? And even we adults sometimes forget. We’re all so busy, and in the middle of the week we’re barely lucky enough to eat together, let alone able to do so properly. And by “properly” I mean that we remember to say the meal prayers.

Some families remedy this by saying both the “before” table prayer and the “after” table prayer together. I guess there is nothing wrong with that. However, I also think it is better to just give thanks afterwards, like Luther suggests in the Catechism. There he says:

The children and the members of the household shall go the table reverently, fold their hands, and say:

The eyes of all look to You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:15-16).

Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:

Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

For Returning Thanks, Luther also says,

Also, after eating, they shall, in like manner, reverently and with folded hands say:

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever. He gives food to every creature. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. Psalm 136:1, 25; 147:9-11 (NIV)

 Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:

We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for all Your benefits, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Notice that in addition to prayers of thanks Luther also adds the praying of the Lord’s prayer. This is chiefly because of The Fourth Petition,  “Give us this day our daily bread.”

 What does this mean?

God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?

Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

Wilhelm Loehe, the founding pastor inGermanyof our Franconian colonies expected that the Lord’s Prayer be said at the Sacrament. He was, of course, following the Church’s ancient practice. Saying the Lord’s prayer follows our Lord’s Testament and to do as He had done in instituting His holy Supper. We are told that on the night Jesus was betrayed that he and the disciples with Him sang Psalms and prayed. He also gave thanks. The apostles record:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples..in the same way also he took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them…

At the close of our celebrating of the Lord’s Supper the, we properly repeat these words,

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures forever.”

And what mercy is this? Like patriarch Jacob, each of must say, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant” Genesis 32:10 (KJV)

In truth, more often we behave like the nine lepers in our Gospel who gave no thanks when Jesus healed them than as the foreigner and alien who returned, thanking and praising God and to worship at Jesus’ feet.

Notice how when they had approached Jesus their cry also was one for mercy.

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’

Notice also that Jesus sent them to the Temple to be declared clean. We come to this holy house of God to be cleansed. In the Kyrie we cry as sinful human beings, acknowledging our sin and asking for forgiveness and cleansing,

“Lord have mercy upon us!

Christ have mercy upon us!

Lord, have mercy upon us!”

That cleansing for us is much more than the ten lepers received. Our cleansing comes from the blood Jesus Christ, which cleanses all unrighteousness. Our Lord

–who provides us with all things, all the First Article gifts that we have including, our body and soul, eyes, ears, and all our members, our reason and all our senses,

also clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all that we have; also richly and daily providing us with all that we need to support this body and life; and, defending us against all danger and guards and protects us from all evil. –our Lord has given us the greatest gift we have in the redemption we have in His Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for us, and also the faith given to us to believe in Him.

Look around you. Everything about his place is about your redemption. About God coming and serving you. About the mercy of God being shown to you. And how have you responded? Like the nine, or the one?

Why are we such a financial crisis in this congregation? Shame on us for being so ungrateful! May God have mercy!

When David sang,  “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures forever,” it was on the occasion of the ark of the Covenant being brought into the city of Jerusalem to be placed in the tent he had set up for that purpose. 

IN A TENT! There was no Temple at that time. Yet the people rejoiced that the ark was brought to them because it was the presence of God among them. It held the Ten Commandments, some of the manna, and Aaron’s rod. These were reminders of God’s mercy to His people despite their disobedience and grumbling as God led them through the wilderness to the promised land. He fed them. Gave them water to drink. Protected them. Their clothing lasted the journey and their sandals miraculously did not wear out.

His mercy had been great to them as God had given them  the land He promised to them and had established His people as a great nation under David. David conquered their enemies and had received back the ark from the Philistines who had captured it. He established Jerusalem as his city–all by God’s blessing and approval. And then we read in First Chronicles 16:

⁷ Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers. ⁸ Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! ⁹ Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! ¹⁰ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! ¹¹ Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! ¹² Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered, ¹³ O offspring ofIsrael his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! ¹⁴ He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. ¹⁵ Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, ¹⁶ the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, ¹⁷ which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob, as an everlasting covenant toIsrael, ¹⁸ saying, “To you I will give theland ofCanaan, as your portion for an inheritance.” ¹⁹ When you were few in number, and of little account, and sojourners in it, ²⁰ wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, ²¹ he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, ²² saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” ²³ Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. ²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! ²⁵ For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. ²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. ²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. ²⁸ Ascribe to the LORD, O clans of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!  ²⁹ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; ³⁰ tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.  ³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!” ³² Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! ³³ Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. ³⁴ Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endures forever! ³⁵ Say also: “Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise. ³⁶ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!” Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. 1 Chronicles 16:7-36

Before we bring our offering to the Lord’s altar we cry for mercy and thank and praise Him that He has been merciful to us and has forgiven us all our sins. We also show mercy by forgiving others. Cain’s offering was rejected because he came to the altar with hate in his heart towards Abel. Our offerings will do us no good and will testify against us if we dare approach the altar of God without thankfulness for the mercy we have received by showing mercy to one another.

The apostle Paul writes, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 (ESV)

As we look around us we see much for which to be thankful. The fields are once again being put to bed for the winter, having yielded their fruits as promised by God. Families gather today to feast and enjoy one another’s company.

And the people of God gather at His holy House. To plea for mercy. To come before His altar with gifts. To hear His Word. To offer prayers and sing hymns.

 How blessed we are on this Thanksgiving day–that these words are truly fulfilled to us by God, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endures forever.”

 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Religious News Article for the Frankenmuth News November 2, 2011

By Pastor Mark Loest

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:16-17 (ESV)

Yesterday, November 1, was All Saints Day for the Christian Church. Our popular culture gets just about everything wrong concerning the state of the souls of the dead and their relationship to the living.

Take the popular Twilight vampire series of books and movies. Not only is Twilight the culmination of recent teen vampire-frenzy, it also feeds the frenzy with its demythologizing of vampires–doing away with all that we previously thought about them, so that the whole genre has gone through a sort of revisionism.

There are no vampires, nor are there ghosts, nor any of the other creatures that roamed about in people’s minds and fantasies Monday night. The dead cannot return. David said of Bathsheba’s dead son whom she bore David as the result of their adulterous, murderous affair. “He will not come to me, but I will go to him.”

The state of the dead in Christ is blessedness in paradise. The living are separated from the dead; the departed may not return. We experience this separation in the grief we feel as we mourn the loss of loved ones in death–even in the death of a loved one who has died in Christ.

John, the exiled apostle, experienced a similar sense of separation from those he loved as he remained banished on the Island of Patmos and could only gaze across the sea towards Ephesus and the congregation he had served. There he received the visions that he was told to write down as the book of Revelation. And that sense of separation comes out in Revelation when he speaks of the “great sea.” Even later, in chapter 21, in his description of heaven he says there will come a time when there will no longer be any separation between God and man. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” Revelation 21:1 (ESV)

In the Revelation to John God is in control. Satan has been defeated. The dead await the resurrection. And in the presence of the Lamb, the faithful departed are with the Lord and they know rest. This is how it is for those who have gone before us. And this is how it will be for us, unless we live until judgment day.

Therefore we can already sing in preparation of our future joining with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12 (ESV) Amen.

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

The Word of God for our meditiaion this morning is the Epsitle Lesson, from Ephesians chapter 5:

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  (Ephesians 5:8 ESV)

Let us all pray:

“Love caused Your incarnation; Love brought you down to me. Your thirst for my salvation Procured my liberty. Oh, love beyond all telling, That led you to embrace  In love, all love excelling, Our lost and fallen race.” (O Lord, How shall I Meet You? Lutheran Service Book 334)

Dear fellow Pilgrims journeying to the Paschal Feast:

I don’t know if you have visited anyof the web sites on the internet that show a satellite view of the earth below at night. It is rather fascinating to see where the great cities lie and where people live –just by their light. The ocean coasts are outlined distinctly with millions of dots of light. Places like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston can easily be found –as well as many other great cities of the world.

It has also been pointed out that there is a dramatic difference between the developed nations and the third world.  Botswana, in southern Africa, has very little light.  My missionary friend Daniel tells me about being able to see other parts of our galaxy at night, as they gazed up into the sky at the Milky Way.

From a light and dark perspective, the contrast is strong between capitalist South Korea and communist North Korea. North Korea is eerily in perpetual darkness.

The light and darkness picked up by a satellite’s complex camera is not the same as the light and darkness spoken of in our text.  We know that that light is the light of Christ that comes from within us, that shines on sin and reflects God’s love. Yet we do not always appear as children of light: reflecting Christ’s light: showing Christ’s light.

Maybe our sins too often get in the way.  Perhaps we think we are not qualified to reflect Christ’s light.  “Not so!” says the Apostle Paul.  We are all children of light and as such we are sent by Christ to shine to those who remain in darkness!  Our text begins:

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),  and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Eph. 5:8-10)

When I was a pastor in Southern Indiana I had a member who stilled lived with out light. He and his brother and two sister had never married and while on their farm they did not have electricity or running water. The first Sunday I visited before my installation as pastor I happened to sit next to him. He told me after the service: “you’re the new pastor!” I asked how he knew. He said, “You’re the only one here I don’t know.”

At the time I became George’s pastor he was 94. Once in a while George would mix his German and English.

George lived alone in town and after a while he couldn’t make it to church.  I went to see him late one afternoon and as the day went on it was getting darker and darker in the house.  There was an old –what they called an “Aladdin” lamp–the oil kind–on the parlor table. I wondered when he would light it.

With that George jumped up and said, “Pastor it’s getting dark! Let me make some hell!”  Good thing I knew enough German to know that the German word for light is hell!

But isn’t it that way with us so often?  As God’s children we are no longer children of darkness.  We are not hell bound – but heaven bound.  We’re not to “raise Cain” as my mother used to call it.  Yet we often times act that way.  We let our old nature get the best of us and we forget who we are!  The Christian we expected makes a little hell! And sometimes a lot!

The Apostle Paul warns us,

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.  (Eph. 5: 11–12)

Now those of you born and raised here at Frankentrost; who were batized, confirmed and lived here all your lives; you might protest and say, “we never were children of darkness” –but the evidence speaks against us.  If we search our hearts there are things that come from us that at times even surprise ourselves.  Jesus says,

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (Matthew 15:19)

If you trace back our ancestors back far enough and where they came from, you will find a time when they did not know of the love of Christ and were people of dark deeds. 

I’ve said to my boys that on my mother’s side they have Iroquois Indian in them. –just a drop: but it’s enough.  Greater and more potent however, are the drops of Jesus blood that He shed for us to make us His people.  The Apostle John expresses the same thought as our text when he says,

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

 Since coming to Michigan over seven years ago, I have tried to find some interests unique to this  part of the country.  I have become fascinated with lighthouses and have visited several.  I’ve even been on a boat tour in the Mackinac Straights (some friends took us a couple of summers ago) and have seen lighthouses that are almost inaccessible otherwise. Lighthouses are a significant feature on the great lakes. More than tourist attractions: they shine out and save lives.

This has led to me collecting miniature light houses and with any collectible, there are all kinds in all price ranges.  I have a few rules for my collection: 1. I must have seen the lighthouse, 2. I want an authentic reproduction, and 3. No one disturbs Dad’s lighthouses.

I have only one lighthouse that lights up. It is of the lighthouse at White Fish Point. When the boys and I are in the man-cave and it is dark we light it up and its powerful LED bulb flashes. Compared to the others, it is the real lighthouse –the others do us and all our imaginary ships at sea no good not shining in the dark.

Paul concludes in our text,

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,  for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph. 5:13–14)

We are made visible to all by Christ who has redeemed us on the cross.  The light of the love of God has shown on each of us and we have the light in our Baptism which has awakened us from the dead of our sins.  Having been thus lulled from our sleep we are to go as God’s people and share the light of His grace.  We do so when we live lives in keeping with His Word. We do so when we forgive and help each other. We do so when we extend the ministry of His Word by supporting it. Otherwise we’re just lighthouse statues with no lights!

May God continue to keep us in the light of His grace, that we may continue to walk in His light –showing others the light of Jesus. Amen.

1 Lent A Matthew 4:1-10

Earthquake Destruction in Japan March 2011

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

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and     him only shall you serve.’”  Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to  him. (Matthew 4:10-11 ESV)

Let us all pray. “Love caused Your incarnation; Love brought you down to me. Your thirst for my salvation Procured my liberty. Oh, love beyond all telling, That led you to embrace In love, all love excelling, Our lost and fallen race.” (O Lord, How shall I Meet You? Lutheran Service Book 334)

Dear fellow Pilgrims journeying to the Paschal Feast: 

For almost three days now we have been shown the terrible destruction caused upon the country of Japan and its people by Friday’s earthquake.  It is possibly the worst Japan has ever suffered. Certainly it is the worst in recently recorded history. 

It was followed by tsunamis and now failure at nuclear power stations.  The earthquake brought down buildings. The tsunamis brought in tidal waves and further devastation and flooding.  The inability to cool nuclear reactors have meant melt downs.  And what we are shown looks like a Hollywood disaster movie –or possibly even the end of the world. 

When such events come we Christians can’t help but think of the end of the world.  The rest of the world might scoff, and the scientists might objectively tell us that the earth shifted and all of Japan moved eight feet –but we also remember the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 24, 

For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. (Matthew 24:5-8) 

Not long ago we took our kids out to eat.  That was a treat for them, since it was in the middle of the week.  When we sat down –and after we had ordered –we told them we had something we wanted to talk about with them.  Anna said, “Oh, no!” and Andrew, thinking he had already been left out asked, “what? what?”  Anna said, “Andrew –I remember a time when Mom and Dad took us out eat and said they had something to tell us…and we ended up finding out we’re were going to have a brother!” 

Mindy and I sat there taking it all in with amazement.  All we wanted to do was talk about spring break this year.  That’s the idea about the signs of the end times.  Christians don’t know when the end will come.  But we know the signs.  We may very well not know the hour, but we can say that the end is near.  No wonder thoughts of the end of the world pop into our heads when we see such death and destruction! 

But if you are still skeptical–remember the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 13:11, 

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 

So, why do such terrible things have to happen in the world?  Why doesn’t God prevent them? And where does evil come from?  The answers to these questions are found in our Lessons for this first Sunday in Lent (Genesis 3:1-21). 

Sin is the reason for earthquakes and every other natural and man made disaster.  Adam and Eve were given a beautiful earth and a beautiful garden to live in our.  Our first parents chose to listen instead to the devil and rebel against God. They brought a curse down upon us all. 

The Apostle Paul explains in today’s Epistle Lesson, 

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned – (Romans 5:12) 

God did not make evil or sin.  The devil did. God does not tempt us, the devil does.  We have lost the image of God with which we were created.  We walked and talked with God.  We were meant to be friends with God, and as his creatures to love and serve him in holiness and righteousness.  In that world we were made to be happy. 

The Apostle Paul also tells us elsewhere about the devastating effects of sin upon the whole creation.  Just as people suffered in the earthquake, so did the planet.  The ocean left its limits.  The earth shifted and left huge cracks.  Plants and animals too, were washed away or buried in mud and debris by the tsunamis.  Paul tells us in Romans chapter 8, 

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (Romans 8:19-22) 

We might even be tempted to think that since the Japanese are a godless people as a whole and that Christianity makes up a very small number of the people–perhaps one or two percent–that they are suffering because of their sins.  People thought that way when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf region.  They said that God was judging those people for the way they carry one–especially just before Lent at Mardi Gras; that the drunkenness and prostitution and everything else that goes on brought God’s wrath upon those people at that time. 

But good people suffered along with the evil ones who do those things.  Our St. Paul’s Missouri Synod Lutheran Church in downtown New Orleans suffered a great deal of damage then, too. 

In Luke 13:1-5 we read about Jesus answer to the idea that all suffering is direct punishment because of particular sins. 

There were some present at that very time who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 

 I remember this text as the assigned Gospel Lesson for the Sunday following 9/11!  I also remember one of my former seminary professors telling me later that he lost a nephew in one of the towers. 

Jesus says, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 

In our Gospel Lesson Jesus contends with the devil.  He takes up the battle with Satan where Adam and Eve left off.  God told our first Parents the first Gospel: 

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) 

We have now entered the Time of Easter and the Season of Lent.  Lent is a penitential season.  We ponder the holy Passion of our Savior, Jesus.  The devil did go after Jesus heel and bruised it.  He struck him terribly in the foot and hands and side.  Our Savior’s brow bled.  His beard was ripped out.  His face was struck multiple times.  He was beaten to a pulp.  He was psychologically mistreated.  Spat upon.  Abused.  Murdered. 

But that was just a heel wound in comparison to what our Savior did to Satan.  You see, Jesus struck the devil down.  He stomped on him.  He crushed his head.  Jesus fought with Satan and He won.  And our Gospel Lesson shows that all the temptations and ways that Satan comes to us and would try to harm us –it is undone by this one word: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. 

As we see the world get worse around us.  As we see the effects of sin upon our bodies.  As we wonder what might be happing to us and our loved ones as each disease and hardship threatens us, we keep in our minds these words and promises of God.  That He sent Jesus into the world to suffer and die for us –to save us from the sin of Adam, and from all of our sins.  That He is victorious over Satan.  That He will come again some day to take us to be with Him forever.  And that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 God’s Word for our meditation this morning is from the Gospel just read, Luke chapter two, and I would like to re-read part of that selection again,

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature1 and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:49-52)

Let us all pray: Christ, Our Lord and Savior dear, Be Thou ever near us, Grant us now a gladnew year. Amen, Jesus, hear us.

Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Yesterday’s unseasonable New Year’s Day weather made it tempting to start taking down some of the Christmas decorations. If you had some outside this year, then maybe you did. I decided not to –partly because it is still Christmas until Epiphany, which is this Thursday, –partly because we had company and I didn’t want to be rude, –and mostly because we’ve had church for three days in a row now–on top of Advent and Christmas–and I was not in the mood to do much of anything! (Not that I am complaining)

But this morning when I saw our Michigan weather was back to winter I was already regretting that I didn’t take some of them down. But then again, it’s Michigan–if you wait 10 minutes the weather will change.

I suppose the same thoughts apply to the decorations in our homes, and at the stores and malls–so festively decorated recently. It all has to come down. Soon, even church will become undecorated and the church year will move us on. Like all baby boys and girls, Jesus does not remain little for long. Next week we will hear about Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan.

But does it mean that because we put the decorations away, that somehow Jesus is put away, too? Of course not! He is Immanuel: God with us, and He is still with us. The prayer we sang in Old Little Town of Bethlehem remains as much our prayer today as it was Christmas Eve.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in, Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell:
Oh, come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel!

Yet one of the things that always amazed me about Christmas is how quickly things go back to routine. This afternoon we’ll be checking to see if there was any homework to be done. Buses will have to be caught Monday morning. There’ll probably be a basketball game this week.

Even Epiphany and all its wonderful accounts of Jesus made manifest as God and man: the visit of the wise men; Jesus’ Baptism; His first miracle at Cana; His other miracles like calming the storm on the Sea and healing the sick; and finally His transfiguration showing His glory –even with all the brightness and glory of the Lord at Epiphany, for too many of our members worship will be back to the same old routine habit, or even worse, back to the routine of not coming to church at all.

This morning God Word teaches us two thing important things about our services at the end of our Christmas celebrations: that, while our worship may become routine–and that can have it advantages and disadvantages–with Christ present, our worship is never “routine.”

Take Mary and Joseph. It was routine for them to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast. St. Luke writes that they went “according to custom.”  Luke also tells us that the whole family went. (Now, Mary was not required, but she loved her God and her family and willing went). Jesus at Twelve was expected as a “son of the law.”

Now isn’t it true that a regular worship routine is easy? We like to open up our hymnals and find the service is familiar and that the hymns are ones we know. Nothing can be more upsetting than having to sit through a hymn we can’t sing or to try new a liturgy with which we’re not familiar.

But routine worship can also become mechanical. We easily sit there and don’t even open the book–saying the parts we know. The mind can be easily elsewhere while the mouth is still going. We may wake up during the singing of the offertory wondering how we got there? “Did anyone hear me snoring” (You know, I can see you wives poking your husbands to wake them up from up here!)

One of the dangers of routine worship is that it can become legalistic–and I don’t mean having to do certain things a certain way without some flexibility. I mean that we get it into our heads that if I go to church, and if I make the required communions, that I have fulfilled my obligations to God and won’t hear from the elders or the pastor.

It was amazing to see the last two days of this past week–all the people trying to arrange to get their offering in for the year. What time does the office close New Year’s Eve? Can it still count if I put it in on Sunday for this year? (We might wonder why God rejected Cain’s offering even though he brought one to the Lord. –Perhaps it was New Year’s Eve and his heart wasn’t into it!)

But for all the complaining we might do over routine worship, our Gospel Lesson shows us that sometimes regular worship leads to non-routine results. Take the Temple teachers and those who heard the twelve years old Jesus. They were amazed.

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Luke 2:46-47

For Mary and Joseph their routine worship also produced unexpected results! They didn’t expect to loose Jesus. They hadn’t planned on a u-turn and a return trip back to Jerusalem. And it took them three days to finally check the Temple!

But what really made their routine worship different was that Christ was present. This was not just another twelve year-old home-schooled Jewish boy from the hinter-lands of Galilee. This was the Lord.

The prophet Haggai said long ago,

“The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,” says the LORD Almighty. “And in this place I will grant peace,” declares the LORD Almighty.”  Haggai 2:9

And Jesus “changed” the worship life for His mother, Mary, and for all mankind when He continue to pursue His father’s work of growing up and going to the cross and suffering and dying on our behalf. At His trial He was charged with blaspheming the Temple, but He was the Temple–God’s presence among men.

Jesus fulfilled all the Scripture that they possibly could have asked Him, and in addition–He shed light on what they and we don’t understand because of our fallen condition. He completed the Father’s plan that Paul speaks about in our Epistle Lesson this morning from Ephesians 1, and by rising to life makes us all adopted children through faith in Him.

Luke says that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.  By His death and resurrection He has “brought us into favor with God.” And today Jesus is present with us in Word and Sacrament. And the Holy Spirit enlightens and teaches us so that we may see these things with the eyes of faith.

When Christ is present, worship really is never routine–even when it is most familiar. Jesus makes our worship different because He is present–serving us first. And He will guide and keep us throughout the new year, through the means through which He reveals Himself and promises to be present–with great blessings for all of us. Amen.