WEEKLY UPDATE January 31, 2014

Here is some information from Emmanuel

Events coming up here at Emmanuel

THIS WEEK

Today                9:00 A.M.      Worship w/Communion

                        10:15 A.M.      Sunday School Journey to the Cross/Movie

                        10:15 A.M.      Coffee Fellowship
                          6:30 P.M.       Hebrew Bible Study @ Eklund’s
Tues 2/4             1:30 P.M.       Worship Comm. Meeting

Thurs 2/6           5:30 P.M.       Ruth Circle @ Helen’s (Carpool at 5 at church)          

Fri 2/7                                      Pastor’s Day Off
NEXT SUNDAY

Sunday              9:00 A.M.      Worship-Boy Scout Sunday & Noisy Offering
            10:15 A.M.      Sunday School-Journey to the Cross

            10:15 A.M.      Coffee Fellowship

             6:30 P.M.        Hebrew Bible Study @ Eklunds

 

 

 

Recycle and Help Kaylee go to China!   
Kaylee Willems has the incredible opportunity to travel to China next summer with the People to People Student Ambassador Program. To help pay for her trip she is collecting used inkjet cartridges and old cell phones. These used items are sent in and recycled according to EPA regulations. If improperly disposed of, one cell phone can pollute up to 35,000 gallons of drinking water.

 

If you would like to send cards to Kay and/or stay in contact with her, here is her information... Kay Hull

                      4181 Menlo

                      Wichita, Ks. 67218      Phone-- 785-223-5248

 

Thank you to all who supported the Chili/Bean Feed.  The donations and attendance were greatly appreciated.  We will be able to buy several acolyte robes!  Thank you!  Autumn Mays

 

 

 

 

WE PRAY FOR:  Our homebound, *Dan Dorn and family, *Shirley Reed, *Verneda Bowman, *Della Helzer, *Merwin Jensen *Jan Malpert *Amy Busse, *Ruth Knodel, *Patrick O’Neal, *Bethany Rice, *Lee Tubbs, *Jake Wilkening, *Ruby Heinrichs, *Mike Fink, *Kay Hull, *Sylvia Hybl, *Roger Blume, *Kari Snethen, *Mary Lou Isernhagen, *Lavern Rapier, *Edna Snethen, *Diana Spinney, *Evelyn Kowalke, *Mike Ginn, *Fred Dietz
 In the Military:  *Brandon Zelfer, *Pr. Joanna Grimshaw, *Adam Rector, *Shane Mac Donald     

 

 

SERVING February 2, 2014

Worship Leader:   Pastor Darian Hybl                                 

Organist:  Marla Harrison

Lector: Connie Hatcher                    

Acolytes:  Alexis Wynn & Sydney Hahn

Communion Asst:  Ken & Virginia Palmgren

Altar Guild:  Alberta & Duane Coash        

Usher:             

Greeters:  Harold & Mary Ann Snethen                 

Sunday School Snacks:  Dennis & Rose Snethen                            

Flowers:  Stan & Marilyn Martin

 

 

Pastor’s Sermon Blog – For those who may not be able to attend worship on Sunday, Pastor has started a new blog of the sermon preached.  The address is http://emmanuelgoodland.blogspot.com/.  Please let us know what you think!!

February Newsletter Update

Good Morning,

Just wanted to let everybody know the Newsletter for February will be late due to illness here in the office.  Please bear with us and pray that the sickness that is going around Goodland will soon leave us!!!

Yours In Christ,

Pastor Darian L. Hybl

Alice Isenrhagen

Please keep Pastor Glenn and Louanne in your prayers!!!

I just received an e-mail that Glenn Isernhagen's mother, Alice Isernhagen died this morning.  The funeral is Friday at Peace Lutheran Church at 2:00 PM CST.  I also heard from Joe. He has not been feeling well since before Christmas.  He is at home. That is all I know.  

 Mary Lou

Alice D. Isernhagen

ST. FRANCIS -- Alice Dorothea (Zweygardt) Isernhagen, 94, died Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. She was born Jan. 22, 1920, in Cheyenne County. Preceded in death: husband, Otto, and daughter, Maxine Barbach.


Survivors: sons, Glenn and Fred; brothers, Victor, Harvey, Wiliam and Norman Zweygardt; sisters, Lenora Zeilimnger and Sylvia Queen; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.


Visitation: 1-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, at Knodel Funeral Home, St. Francis. Funeral: 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at Peace Lutheran Church in St. Francis.


Memorials: Good Samaritan Society, St. Francis Senior Center or the church, in care of the funeral home.

- See more at: http://www.salina.com/mobile/obituaries/Alice-D--Isernhagen#sthash.QjTTfDkR.dpuf

Updating Posts of Sermons

Please find I have been busy updating the sermons since November.  Finally took a little while to update all of the audio files.

I would love to hear from anybody who receives edification of God working through me via these sermons!!!

YIC,

Pastor Darian L. Hybl

01192014 2nd Sunday After Epiphany

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Recently I was going through some files on my personal computer at home and found some images that were very near and dear to both Michele and I.  They weren’t of our time at Western, where we first met, or of our wedding day where we said the immortal words, ‘I do.’  Nor were they of our first house we bought and moved into.  The pictures I found were not from a camera, but from the image that was created using some amazing medical technology.  It wasn’t the fascinating journey of a camera that is swallowed that takes pictures every second for the next 12 hours as it journeys through the body, nor was it the journey that no one enjoys of the colonoscopy, where no one wants to go.  The pictures I found were from the 3D sonogram from before Sarah was born.  Remarkably these pictures showed in clear detail her eyes, nose and face and created for Michele and I a special image of what our future daughter would look like once she was born.  It also created in our mind and heart the ability for us to identify with Sarah while still in the womb.

This morning we begin our adventure and journey of learning with the Lord’s Prayer.  Last week, I asked the question are you laying down or are you going to sit up?  Meaning, not your physical posture, but your spiritual posture.  This morning, we have before us three individual and distinct objects or representations.  The first is an artistic depiction of our church, Emmanuel, the second is the symbol we are best known for with Luther’s Rose and the third is the founder of our faith family, Martin Luther.  Each of these three items are distinct, but have a connection with the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

Let’s pull out our bulletin insert for this morning and read responsively as a congregation the “What does this mean?”  and “How is God’s name kept holy?” sections.  “The First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer,  Hallowed be Thy name.  What does this mean?  God’s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also.  How is God’s name kept holy?  God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it.  Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!  But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us.  Protect us from this, heavenly Father!  Let’s go to God in prayer and ask with confidence for God to help us to keep His name in its truth and purity.

Let us pray, Gracious God, Your name is certainly hallowed in itself.  Enable us to call upon You in prayer and petition and use it rightfully in prayer and praise and not with malice, anger nor conceit.  For as Your children we are called to not profane but proclaim Your salvific deeds for all mankind through what Your Son, Jesus Christ did on Calvary for all mankind, including all of us saints here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

Emmanuel, Luther’s Rose and Martin Luther, each object of itself has distinct meaning and value.  Martin Luther for standing up for the faith of the Bible and proclaiming “Grace by Faith in Jesus Christ”.  Luther’s Rose as the symbol that explains perfectly the belief that Jesus Christ died for all of mankind.  And our church of Emmanuel as a beacon of this faith here in Goodland.  Each of these images in and of themselves not only are unique and tell individual stories, they have an identity which all of us can individually connect with, but collectively they highlight for us today our individual and collective identity with God and the connection we have with the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

Consider if you will the Lord’s Prayer taught by Jesus to His disciples was meant as a simple means of prayer.  It also begins with calling upon God’s name and “hallowing” God’s name in whatever we do or say.  I remember as a child sitting in the front pew as my Pastor, Dr. Ortner explained clearly that taking the name of the Lord in vain was not only wrong it was blaspheming and dishonoring His name.  It also was against the intent of the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer.  Needless to say his admonition and warning was enough to scare me to never take God’s name in vain, even when I slam my finger in a door, stub my toe on a piece of furniture or even stepping on one of Sarah’s toys with my bare feet.  But even though God wants us to not use His name in vain, we still do at times and in our own way.  What if we were to do that to our earthly parents?

If any of us were to curse at our parents when we were growing up we either received a thorough rinsing of the mouth with soap, a quick hard slap either across the mouth or our backsides or we may have even felt the sting of the strap, whether their belt, a paddle or even the strap that hung by the bathroom sink to sharpen Dad’s razor.  We immediately understood what respect was all about and how if we talked in this way, we immediately would know we had done wrong.  Please understand I am not condoning any of these responses, but I want all of us to realize this is how our earthly Fathers and Mothers reacted.

But let’s ask the question, do we parents have the same reaction from our Heavenly Father?  Definitely not.  But the reality is that we have or we know of people that take God’s name in vain.  So how can we instead of using God’s name in vain, hallow His name and keep it holy?

For Martin Luther, he kept God’s name holy by holding fast to his faith.  When he stood before the Emperor and stood firm in his faith saying, ‘Here I stand, I can do no other’, he honored God and hallowed the faith given to him in Baptism.  Luther made his declaration and kept God’s name holy and blameless and honored God with not only his determination, but his firm belief in ‘grace by faith.’

The explanation of Luther’s Rose clearly illuminates the faith we share daily in our word and witness.  Whether the white rose and the purity, the spikes representing the wounds of Christ, the heart and how God enters our heart and the cross is the central part of our faith.  This is just one of the symbols that we not only use in teaching the faith, but how we honor God and His name.

And finally as we gather here today we honor God’s Name in our celebrating the Lord’s Supper.  Our remembering the feast He instituted on the night He was betrayed not only strengthens us, but it empowers us to understand our faith as our communion with Him.  Our identity is no longer a matter of opinion, but a reality that clearly expresses our conviction of faith found in Martin Luther, the symbols of faith we have, but especially in our faith here at Emmanuel.

This is perfectly expressed by our sign that we have announcing our presence in our community here in Goodland, not only with our outward expression in the Films of Faith we will enjoy today of October Baby, but also on our front yard.  Last week the men of the church took down our outward expression of the Nativity, but what still remains is a more permanent expression, it is our sign.  Our sign includes Martin Luther in the name Lutheran, the seal we use to teach the faith, but also our name of Emmanuel as our declaration of keeping God’s name holy here in Goodland.  May we always keep God’s name holy for His Name offers us salvation through His Son Jesus Christ for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning, ‘hallowing His name.’  AMEN.

01122014 Baptism of Jesus

Gospel Reading
Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

The first real apartment I had when I was at seminary was an upstairs dwelling of an older ladies house in Western New York.  It included a kitchenette with fridge, stove, sink, bathroom, bedroom and my own entrance to the house.  It was perfect for me, because I didn’t need much, wouldn’t be doing much entertaining and only needed limited room.  At that time I didn’t have as many books as I do now.

When I first moved in, a friend who had previously had the apartment still needed a place to stay, so I went out and bought a cushioned chair that transformed into a bed as well, matter of fact, the one we have here this morning.  Whenever I had company or my friend would come in from Canada and spend the night, I always had this mini-futon seat that turned into a bed.  It has travelled from Western New York to North Carolina, to Virginia and all the way out here to Kansas and I still use it today.  But ironically it is a great metaphor for us to understand our next topic in our Catechism series.

So let’s pull out our bulletin insert for this morning and read responsively as a congregation the “What does this mean?” section.  “The Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer, Our Father who art in heaven. What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.  Let’s go to God in prayer and ask with confidence for His presence and blessing upon our time deliberating about the prayer His Son taught us to pray.

Let us pray, Gracious Father, You tenderly invite us to boldly come to You in prayer and pray with confidence.  May we Your dear children believe our prayers will not only be heard, but answered by You.  Not with possessions or objects that pass away but with the Gospel that saves us for all eternity that is found in what Your Son Jesus Christ did on Calvary for all of mankind.  Including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

When I would lay on the futon and sleep, it provided a soft place to lay my head and rest.  Not only could it be easily moved from room to room and state to state, it also was easy to transform it from a seat to the bed.  Let me show you….As you can see it is extremely easy, but the ironic part is that its ease of transition from seat to bed is perfect for our consideration of the Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer.

Jesus disciples had asked Him to teach them how to pray.  They had been taught the liturgical prayers of the Jews in the synagogue from when they were young in order to have the Bar Mitzvah and knew exactly what they were, but now with Jesus Christ among them and having heard that John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray, Jesus disciples wanted to ask Jesus specifically the what and how of prayer as His dedicated, loyal and determined followers.  Just as we have this cushioned chair here, unless you ask someone who knows how to ‘transform it’ from chair to bed, it can be difficult even to put it back from bed to chair.  So to with prayer, unless you have someone to teach you how to pray, it can be intimidating and even a missed opportunity that we even miss on a daily basis in our own personal lives, even as pastor.

Yet, the prayer that Jesus taught wasn’t just about the words, it was about the intent for the individual praying.  Jesus intent was to not make the prayer a rote thing, or something that people memorized and said only when ‘prompted’ whether in the service or even around a hospital bed.  The Lord’s Prayer is meant to have a deeper meaning.  It is ironic that when I go and visit people who are nearing their entrance into the Church triumphant, or in Good Sam who may not be as responsive, when I first get there, when I launch into the Lord’s Prayer they chime in clearly and regularly and follow along very easily.  When we Lutherans baptize our children one of the things I as pastor remind parents, sponsors and even you the congregation is that we as the Body of Christ have the responsibility to teach our children the Lord’s Prayer.

So like having a person who knows how to ‘transform’ the seat to a bed, we need someone to teach us the real meaning and importance of the Lord’s Prayer.  Hence, our series on the Catechism and now our concentrating upon the Lord’s Prayer we need a guide and that is exactly what Jesus Christ has sent to you today, this is my calling as your pastor.  I am the guide to help you understand its meaning, but also as the Spiritual Leader of the Church you have called me to hold everyone in the congregation accountable.  The way I want us to frame our responsibility is to ask a simple question using the seat before us this morning as a metaphor, are we laying down or are we sitting up in our use of the Lord’s Prayer?

It is ironic, that before I was called here as Pastor of Emmanuel I had and still have a higher calling.  It is to my family.  I as Husband to Michele, Father to Sarah and head of the household am personally responsible for the spiritual life of our home.  This is the same responsibility that all Fathers have in their home.  Some take this responsibility seriously, others do not.  Some Fathers pray with their families at meals, lead nightly devotions with their families and teach their children about the faith.  Other Father’s are less comfortable with this responsibility, because either their Father never did it or their Father felt it was not important or they are always working trying to provide for their family by working long hours on the farm, at the shop or even on the road trying to make ends meet.  Yet, when we baptize our children this is the responsibility that we have to and for our children, not only as Father’s, as Mother’s and even as members of the Congregation.

Let me share how important this is and how I have seen the fruit of this responsibility in my own life.  As you know we had a difficult time having children and we are blessed to have Sarah.  When we first came to Emmanuel Sarah was quiet and didn’t talk so we found help here in the school system and now she can talk a blue streak with the best of them, matter of fact she talks so much we sometimes have to have ‘the no talking game’ now.  But as Sarah grew I felt it was important as her Father for me to teach her the Lord’s Prayer.  As much as she has been in church she had picked up some of the phrases and wanted to learn this prayer.  Well, I found the best way for me to teach her was on the way to school.  So every Friday for a month, we practiced the Lord’s Prayer, and now she knows every petition.  To say the least I am a proud Father of my daughter Sarah.  But what is ironic, Sarah does not say this prayer ‘laying down’ or lazily, she says it so everyone can hear her.  Matter of fact every Sunday I can hear her voice as we pray this prayer and it puts a smile on my face.

When we look at this chair or bed, depending upon it’s configuration, one can lay down in comfort or sit up.  My question for us today is, as a saint of Emmanuel redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ for all mankind, including all of us saints gathered here this morning, when you pray the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, are you laying down in quiet comfort going through the motions, or are you being the leader of your family, modeling for your children the faith and free grace given to you and them in baptism by Jesus Christ and sitting up to be heard?  May God help you sit up and be heard from this day forward praying the Lord’s Prayer.  AMEN.

01052014 Epiphany (Observed)

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Gracious Father, You give us food to eat, homes to live in, jobs to labor at and even Your own Son Jesus Christ.  Enable us to thank You and give Your praise for these gifts including Your Son’s precious Body and Blood around the altar this morning.  For all of this is from Your bounty for all of mankind, including all of the saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

When Jesus on the road to Jerusalem between Samaria and Galilee had encountered the ten leprous men, He felt nothing but compassion for their plight.  Segregated from society, outcast because of their skin disease and destined to never feel the love of any of their family and friends ever again because of the sickness of their skin, these ten men had nothing to loose.  Like our society today when we go to Wal-Mart and see people in dirty clothes, unkept hair, smelling from not taking a shower we like the society of Jesus day turn our collective heads and noses and do not want to be around them because we are afraid they will ‘rub off on us.’  When they come to church we move away from them and even some of us look down our noses, even when people who have attended for years get to close for our comfort.

But Jesus saw past the lepers skin ailment, saw past their low estate in the socio-economic strata of their time and had compassion.  What did Jesus do, but simply tell the men to “Go show yourselves to the priests”.  While they were on their way, they were healed.  Instantly they had gone from being outcast and ostracized from society, their families and even the temple to now being able to transact business, reenter the city gates without hecklers and jeers from the crowd and enter the temple without scornful looks of derision.  These ten men would be like anybody else walking the streets of Jerusalem.

Then one of the ten men, turned back after realizing the life change he had been given as a gift by this Man, Jesus Christ.  This former leper began to glorify God and give thanks for what he had received.  It was not just healing, but his very life returned to him and now a future without the sickness that had previously separated him and made him an outcast.  In a clear sense this one man not only gave thanks for the gift he had received, but gave glory and returned thanks to God for this clear gift of healing.

This morning in our review of the Catechism we are here to learn about ‘returning thanks’ after a meal.  We remember that after we have a meal, whether, breakfast, lunch or dinner we also have the opportunity like the leper to return thanks.  When we eat whether at home, a restaurant or even in fellowship downstairs here at church we have the opportunity to return thanks for the meal we have just received.  For some families this is part of their ritual at meal time to return thanks for the meal that was prepared and just consumed.  For me while at seminary and on retreat before our school year began, we would not only offer a blessing before the meal, but we would also ‘return thanks’ to God after the meal, bringing full circle our experience and gifts provided by God.

Yet, our society and even our church is to fast paced sometimes to do this simple gesture of returning thanks.  Our claim is that why should we give thanks we have to pay the bill if we are eating at Crazy R’s, go to Confirmation Class, get back on the road if we are travelling and had just stopped for a quick bite.  We have to get back to our work, whether it is planting corn, wheat or milo in the spring, checking wells during the summer to insure we have a crop to harvest, harvesting winter wheat, before a storm blows up, getting back on the time clock at work or back to the task of checking cows, putting up fence or moving cows.  In a real sense we are no different than the nine lepers who did not turn back and give thanks to Jesus for healing them.  We put our own self-interest first and turn a blind eye to God Who blessed us in the first place.

Today we celebrate not only the first Sunday in 2014, but for some we have begun trying to ‘keep our New Year’s resolutions’.  Our resolutions range from losing weight to treating our boss, spouse or kids better to making a lifestyle change like not drinking as much diet soda, stop smoking or even spending more time with our family and not so much with our job.  But the reality is we have to have some action in order for us to make a change in our lives.  In the same way the one man who was healed and turned back to give God praise and thanks had clear action.  He took the concrete step to thank Jesus for giving his life back.  We as well are called to do this in our own lives as well, in essence returning thanks.

You probably wonder why I have a simple bell here up front if we are talking about ‘returning thanks’ after eating a meal.  Simply this bell is a metaphor of what we have the opportunity to do in our lives.  Given to Michele, Sarah and myself many years ago by my parents the bell symbolizes for me how we can give thanks.  If we were to get in our car and drive to Colby or Burlington, there is something there that we do not have here in Goodland.  For some of us, it is simply a fast food restaurant, but for others it is a bit of nostalgia and good food that people’s mouths become watered over just thinking about.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about “Arby’s”.  When you enter the restaurant and order a roast beef sandwich or mozzarella sticks, curly fries or any of their sandwiches the service you receive is usually given with a smile and great courtesy. 

After eating the meal, which usually always has horseradish sauce for Michele or ‘Arby’s Sauce’ for myself, Sarah get’s to do something very special.  It may not seem like much, but for her it is the highlight of the trip before we head home or get back on the road to Colorado Springs if we are in Limon.  It isn’t a toy or even to play on the playground outside, Sarah gets to be lifted up and grab a piece of rope and ‘ring the bell’.  The bell symbolizes for the staff at Arby’s that their service was appreciated and gives the customer the opportunity to return thanks.  Sarah gets involved in the action of thanking the staff for the great time she has had at their restaurant and for their kind and courteous service to her.

In the same way today we like the one leper and Sarah can turn and ‘return thanks’.  How are you going to return thanks for God’s gift to you today?  How will you thank God for the gift of His Son given on Calvary and offered for us around the altar this morning?  We do this not to earn anything, for we cannot and do not earn salvation, but we like the leper can return thanks for the gifts offered for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  So will you ‘ring the bell’ today?  AMEN.

12292013 First Sunday After Christmas

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Gracious God, You teach us clearly how to ask a blessing.  May our hearts be opened to not only thank You for Your gift of food, but also of Your Son for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

When I was a child growing up in Keysville one of the prized possessions that we had in our dining room not only was the china cabinet that came from my mother’s parents in Pennsylvania.  It also included a picture that hung on the West Wall and looked down upon our table.  When my parents lived in North Carolina after my Father had taken his first job as a College counselor, they had purchased this picture not only because it was from Minnesota where my Father still had many relatives, but because the image portrayed what we always did at the table before every meal.  We asked a blessing over our meal.  Hence this morning, I have brought the picture from our fellowship hall upstairs to help us ponder how we ask a blessing.

For this morning we are reminded as we sing the Christmas songs of the blessing of Jesus Christ in our lives and we remember that every time we join in fellowship downstairs, we ask a blessing.  Our request of God is not only in honor of His eternal blessings of His Son’s sacrifice for us upon our lives, but also of our meal and the bounty that we have, whether of a bountiful crop, good health, the home that we live in, the cars we drive, the friends we have, but especially of the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

The blessings God gives us He gives because of His great love for each and every one of us.  God clearly offers us the greatest gift of His Son Jesus Christ.  And when we come and gather around our family tables and our tables here in the church we remember not only the food that He provides us, but especially His Son Jesus Christ.

As we sing our hymns, this morning and hear about what His Son, Jesus Christ has done, may we always be reminded of the promise of salvation He offers us.  For you see the picture that hung on the wall in our home in Keysville is the same picture that we have before us this morning.  For me it is a constant reminder not only of my family in Keysville, but also of what our Savior Jesus Christ did in His coming into the world for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning singing the Christmas songs, but also sharing in the blessing of grace offered before a meal for each and every one of us gathered here this morning.  AMEN.

12252013 Christmas Day Service

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Jesus Christ, thank you for coming in the manger.  As we celebrate Your birth, enable us to point to You and celebrate Your entrance into the world for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Christmas morning. AMEN.

When Jesus Christ was born in the manger in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, it was the fulfillment of the prophecies of old and yet in reality just another birth.  But for us who gather here at Emmanuel this morning, we are intimately connected to this event.

Paul Harvey the radio legend loved to use the catch phrase, here’s ‘the rest of the story’ in his radio program.  And many like myself would wonder and anticipate what the connection was for each story he told.  So to this morning the rest of the story of Jesus birth is just as important and we are connected to it.

Our connection is not by some mysterious story or person, our connection is simply by our being here, believing in Jesus Christ and being baptized into His life, death and resurrection.  With Jesus entrance in the manger, this was the beginning of His ministry here on earth.  We believe that not only was this a fact of reality, but it has an impact upon us today and we are here because of that fact.  Not only our presence this morning is a confession of our belief, but it points to the reality that we who gather and are baptized not only lay claim to Him, but also are claimed by Him and connected to Him each and every day of our lives and especially today Christmas Morning with our celebration of His Birth.

The rest of the story is yet to be written if we look from the perspective of the manger, but when we look from our perspective today we are part of the story of salvation with our belief, baptism and being here on Christmas Day.  For the story of salvation that we celebrate in the manger finds its completion on the Cross of Calvary where Jesus Christ died for you and for me.  Our baptism into Jesus Christ, grafts us not only into His work of salvation but also our inclusion in the book of life.  We are now partakers not only of the heavenly food we receive from His altar, but also life eternal offered to all of mankind.

This morning the rest of the story is yet to be written from our perspective.  We have the opportunity to not only share it with our families as we do so around the tables with all our relatives and friends, but also in our work here in Goodland for the Kingdom of God of the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  May we continue to write the rest of the story which clearly points not only to the manger, but especially to the Cross of Jesus Christ.  For the rest of the story is yet to be written of our spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Christmas morning!  AMEN.

12242013 Late Christmas Eve Service

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Tonight we come to honor the new born King, Jesus Christ!  Simply this service is not only to tell of the message of His birth, but especially the joy of His coming to save us.  We are simply gathered to honor Jesus Christ Who comes in the manger to begin His earthly life and the salvation that He offers us.

The story is told of World War I when the Germans and British on opposite sides are in the most desperate and heated battles of the war on December 24^th.  Each side attempts to take the same the piece of ground that divides them before the traditional Christmas peace.  As midnight comes the guns once blasting and booming fall silent.  The deafness and stillness fills the void of what is no-man’s land.  As the moments of stillness expand, from both sides in the fox holes the soldiers have lit fires for their smokes and to gain some sense of warmth in their hands since in war darkness is king and fires are forbidden.

As the minutes turn into hours soldiers from both sides hear their enemies of only hours ago singing in equally foreign languages and tongues, but hauntingly familiar tunes from their respective countries.  At times the same tune we know as “Silent Night” is clearly heard over the stillness of the battlefield.  Ironically this song sung in German and English though different languages unites these former foes.  As both sides sing their version, a white flag on both sides suddenly springs up and the soldiers quietly peek out across the battle lines and see that both sides are offering the international sign of peace symbolized by a simple white cloth.

Slowly each side united in the song of “Silent Night” in German and English emerge from their collective foxholes and move toward each other and quickly and with surprising fondness clasp each other’s hands and begin to share not only their meager food rations, but also their drink, souvenirs and smokes.  For one brief moment not only the songs of Christmas were shared, but also the understanding of worshiping the same God Who came in a lowly manger wrapped in strips of cloth.

Tonight we gather together around a manger half a world away and a hundred years later celebrating the coming of the same Christ child with our sharing of the Christmas story and songs.  May each of us who gather with our families and friends tonight, not only find the truest meaning of Christmas in Jesus Christ, but may we find camaraderie around the manger with our celebrating Christ’s coming into the world.  May we be united and enabled to celebrate with each other our sharing His Gift of His Son’s Body and Blood for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Christmas Eve night.  AMEN.

12242013 Early Christmas Eve Service

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

When the beloved song, “Chestnuts roasting over an open fire” comes on the radio there is a palpable change in my personal mood.  Not only does this song denote the comfort of a nice warm fire crackling as logs are ablaze, but the lyrics and intent give everyone the warm sense of being home and together with family for the holidays, gathered to share not only good food and drink, but clearly the love that all of us have with our family.  The mood at times can be sad especially at Christmas, as we remember those loved ones that no longer are with us, whether they are parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters or good friends. 

In the “Little Drummer Boy”, a Christmas children’s classic, coping with loss is a fact that is clear for the little drummer boy who believes his little lamb is near death after being run over by a Roman soldier.  And he goes to the kings whom he had followed to Bethlehem, who he believes will save his lamb because they are rich, all knowing and all powerful.  But reality sets in that none of the three kings can do anything to save his lamb, they confess they are mortal just as he and his lamb are and they cannot work a miracle to save the lamb.  Not until the little drummer boy goes to the manger does he not only meet the King Who can save his lamb, but also the King Who comes and is wrapped in swaddling cloths.

The image we have tonight of a manger, similar to the one we have in the center aisle tonight is meant to remind us of the reason for the season.  We come here tonight because we like the drummer boy have been introduced to and believe in a God Who came down from heaven and entered our reality in a lowly manger.  Though He was King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ entered in a manger and tonight we are here at the manger because we, all of us gathered here believe in Jesus Christ.

Tonight we gather with our families, hear the Christmas Story read, sing the carols that remind us of Jesus Christ coming and His offer of salvation for all of mankind, but more importantly we are here at Emmanuel because we believe His message of salvation is for each and every one of us.  The presents we find under the tree pale in comparison to the present of the Son of God we find in the manger.  The feelings we have with a warm crackling fire and the warm embrace of our loved ones mean more than the food we eat, the meals we share, the time of joy and remind us of the warm embrace that we wait for with Jesus Christ as we enter into His Kingdom.  But tonight is not about sorrow and loss or who is not here with us this year, tonight is about hope, fulfillment and our belief that Jesus Christ came to die for you and for me.

May all of us gathered here tonight firmly believe that Jesus Christ coming in the manger was for each of us and may we always remember His gift offered for us begins with His entrance in the manger.  And we believe this because we are here to receive Him as the gift for all of mankind, but especially for and including all of us saints gathered around the manger here at Emmanuel this Christmas Eve.  AMEN.

12222013 Advent 4 Children's Program

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Gracious Father, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit that continues to call, gather and keep us in the one true faith.  May we celebrate in Jubilee not only the coming of the Christ Child, but also that the Holy Spirit unites us during this Advent season, especially all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

Right here in this very sanctuary in July we celebrated with the Counselors of Sky Ranch the Jubilee of the camp that our congregation helped begin and fund in Colorado.  And today we come together not only to continue this celebration, but put the perfect exclamation point on it for us here at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Goodland, KS, with our celebration of the Jubilee!

We join today in Jubilee celebration, because of Jesus Christ entrance into the world as we know it.  In a few minutes all of you young people will tell the story of Jesus birth, but what all of us need to understand is that not only do you tell the story and the people here in the audience hear again the story that never gets old, but we celebrate the Jubilee of Jesus Birth in the manger in Bethlehem.

We come to celebrate, because the Holy Spirit fulfills His job to call, gather, enlighten and sanctify us in the one true faith.  This dovetails perfectly with our review of the Apostle’s Creed.  Hence, this week instead of hearing and reciting again what the Holy Spirit does in the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed, I want you to think for a second, who first brought you here to this church.  [WAIT 5 SECONDS].

Do you remember who it was?  Was it your parents, grandparents, your friends or a relative of yours?  Ironically, we may not remember who it was who did this initially, but I want you to understand that the important part is there was always someone who did this for each of us.  The person who brought us was inspired to bring them and you, because of the Holy Spirit Who calls us by name, gathers us in God’s house, opens the scriptures to us as you will do in a few minutes and keeps us in the one true faith til we go to heaven.  This is why we come today to celebrate, not only the work of the Holy Spirit in each of our lives, but also the entrance of Jesus Christ in the manger.  This is what the Christmas message of Jubilee is all about.  We are celebrating the Jubilee and the work of the Holy Spirit of telling of Jesus Birth.

May we who gather today around the manger because of the work of the Holy Spirit, hear the clear message of Jesus Birth to save all mankind and come and celebrate in Jubilee, with hearts, voices, tamborines, drums, bells and songs the Joy of Jesus birth.  Thank you to all of you young adults and the leaders for this gift you are giving to all of us that was given in a lowly manger to save us.  And thank you for you the children who tell this sacred story of Jubilee for all of mankind, including all of us saints here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

12182013 Advent 3 Wednesday Service

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ in Your taking on humanity, You chose to take human flesh and become man.  Because of Your choice our salvation comes in a lowly manger.  Enable us to embrace our humanity, but see our baptism into Your life, death and resurrection for all of mankind for our salvation for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Advent evening.  AMEN.

The hardest part for some is to become something we are not.  For Jesus Christ in His coming down from heaven, He took on our human likeness in a state of humiliation.  Previously He was King, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, helping to form and shape the world that we call home.  But in one moment Jesus Christ chose to enter into time in Human form and begin life as a baby in a manger.

But being wrapped in swaddling cloths was not the end, it was the beginning of the work of salvation that offers all of mankind including all of us gathered here tonight, life.  Simply it is not a life of ease, but more importantly it is a life that when we look to the Cross of Jesus Christ is of promise and ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  We find ourselves tonight only one week from our celebration of Jesus entrance into the world, but we are a lifetime away from when it actually occurred.  If we look through the eyes of an adult we rationalize what salvation means.  But if we look with the eyes of faith that a child has we know Christmas as wonder and majesty, full of excitement and anticipation.

The salvation that Jesus Christ offers us because of His coming in the manger is a work that isn’t like doing homework in math or English, driving a tractor planting or harvesting a crop, tearing a ceiling down here in the church, turning a wrench in a shop, shoveling out a grain bin, building or remodeling a house, working on books in an accountants office or the farm books, it is about the work of Jesus Christ coming to save mankind.  Jesus Christ comes to offer us eternal life by His humiliation.  Jesus Christ endured everything in His life here on earth as part of the work of salvation so we can be with Him in His Kingdom.  Jesus Christ endured this so we can have eternal life.  This is the salvation that is offered to each of us by Jesus Christ for all of mankind.

Jesus Christ offers us this gift of salvation, because He loves us and wants to share with us what He has prepared for us in His Kingdom in heaven.  In John’s Gospel, Jesus says something very profound that applies tonight for our salvation, (15:13)“¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”  This is the offer and work of salvation that Jesus Christ offers us with His entrance in the manger.  May we always remember this not for only a few, but for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Advent evening.  AMEN.

12152013 Advent 3

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

As a child, many of the teachers that I had in Sunday School always would teach us neat little sayings, motions and hand gestures that have stuck with me.  Even my wife has taught me some sign language that was not as common for me in my family growing up.  They include, “Yes” like knocking on a door, “I love you”, and in church one of my all time favorites was the church.  You know the one I mean.  Put your hands together, here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors and here are all the people.

This simple gesture taught by countless generations of parents, grand-parents, Sunday School teachers and leaders portrays a simple truth.  When we open the doors of the church we the people gathered here are God’s people.  This morning we transition from talking about Jesus Christ and what He did for all of mankind, to the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  Not only could we talk about the Holy Spirit and what the Spirit’s role was from creation, but the Holy Spirit also has a role here in the church.  Hence this morning I have before us, not only a small church model, but also the picture of Emmanuel Lutheran church drawn and painted by a member of the Goodland community.  And I ask one question, what is the church?

While this question percolates in your minds, let’s pull out our bulletin insert and join together and read together in unison the “What does this mean” section as a congregation.  “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  AMEN.  What does this mean?  I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.  In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.  In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.  On the last day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.  This is most certainly true.”  As we ponder the work of the Holy Spirit, let’s go to God in prayer.

Let us pray, Holy Spirit comforter of all the afflicted, as You call, us through the Word, enable us to understand Your work is to prepare us for home.  And our home is not here on earth, nor here in the visible Church, but in the invisible Church with Jesus Christ in heaven.  Help us to see our church as Your vessel of grace for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

All of us have seen pictures of Emmanuel with our bell tower, educational wing, stain glass windows and beautiful vaulted ceiling.  Some have climbed to the peak inside to paint, climbed on the outside to lubricate the bell that we ring before service, tossed cans across the peak to get a cord connected for the outdoor chimes to work or others have cleaned out the gutters or helped paint the walls to help the church last longer and look more beautiful.  Others have helped place ornaments on the lawn during Advent of the Manger scene.  Sometimes the manger scene was in the direction of the park across the street and other times aimed in other more obvious directions.  There are some here gathered and from years past that helped deliver meals on wheels to those who are in need of a hot meal, even including our own members.  Each of these activities is a clear answer to the question, what is the church?

From being surrounded and supported by Word and Sacrament in these four walls all of us serve a God within our individual comfort zone.  Each of us shine in our own way, whether by building steps, reframing walls or windows, laying carpet, giving to people within the community and even to me and my family, all because we are the church.  We are the visible church here in Goodland, Kansas.  We are the direct expression of what we receive this morning, not only the Word of God, but also in the Sacraments the direct expression of the Church that Jesus Christ came and lived for and died to save on the Cross of Calvary.  Yet all of this only occurs because of what the Holy Spirit does.

You see the Holy Spirit, Third Person of the Holy Trinity has the hardest job.  Not only does He call us by name in our Baptism, He claims us in Jesus Holy name in our baptism, He reminds us when we need Grace in our lives, He gathers us together here in the church, He enlightens us and reminds us of Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection for each and every one of us.  The Holy Spirit is also our constant reminder here in the church.  If we were to look to the Altar, above the Altar is our reminder of the Holy Spirit.  That flame, reminds us of the promise that Jesus Christ made before His ascension and which we today lay claim to as part of our belief in the forgiveness of sins and our receipt of Jesus Christ precious Body and Blood around the Altar of our Lord.

But not only do we remember the Holy Spirit and the church of Emmanuel.  We need to remember we are a part of the one Church here on earth.  In recent months many of the members here at Emmanuel have spoken to me about one word that we say in the Apostle’s and Nicene Creed.  For those of us who are sticklers that one word was changed in what we read this morning in our insert.  Instead of saying “catholic” the word “Christian” was used.  In our case this morning that is what and how the material was written.  For some saying the word, ‘catholic’ is like saying a ‘four letter word’.  The argument is we are not ‘catholic’, the church across the street is and we are nothing like them.  Clearly this is something that each of us have different and varied beliefs, positions and understandings of and about and all of us defend our beliefs and personal opinions with great vigor, even at times and in ways which divide instead of unite us as a church and brothers and sisters in Christ.  The reality is, we are the Church of Jesus Christ, whether the label of Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist, Harvest or Bible Baptist.  We as the church on earth are meant to be the direct expression of grace offered by Jesus Christ and are here to represent Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins and how we joyfully serve Jesus Christ here in Goodland, Kansas.

The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity is here to unite us as the Church, because if we are not united behind the banner of Jesus Christ, we are divided and will fail and fall.  Not only fall victim to the wiles of the devil, but away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ we have been baptized into and are members of with our confession and our receipt of Jesus Body and Blood in the forgiveness of sins.

As we prepare for our celebration of Christ’s coming this Advent season, may we be like Michael Jordan in the ad for Gatorade.  Being the consummate athlete the exertion he always showed on the basketball floor or the baseball diamond always and continuously showed His enthusiasm, but also the sweat pouring from his body from giving it his all.  May we who gather here today exude and allow the Holy Spirit to come out in each of our lives and help each of us to gather and be the church on earth as we come together this Advent season to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child as we prepare for our celebration of Christmas.  For in celebrating Christ’s coming it is for all mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

12112013 Advent 2 Wednesday Service

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Jesus Christ, Your office of Prophet, Priest and King helps us to understand why You came to save us.  Enable us to more fully understand it is not a position of authority, but a reality that You chose to come and set us free from sin, death and the devil.  May we be set free because of the promise of the Gospel You lived for each of us that we have been baptized into.  For this occurs not only for all of mankind, but for each of us gathered here at Emmanuel this Advent evening.  AMEN.

When I was a kid and was called to the office in school, my pulse quickened, my palms began to sweat and I was worried that I was in trouble for something I had done, said or been seen doing.  And I knew that my fear was not only for who I would meet in the office, which was usually the principal, but also for the punishment to be levied, and also when I would get home and honestly tell my parents I had been called to the office and gotten in trouble.  But as Christians, we tonight are gathered in a kind of office, not like the principals, but still an office we know as the church.  Yet, in this office we meet not a secretary to usher us to meet the principal and receive punishment, but we meet Jesus Christ in His Church to receive grace.

We gather this evening to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us on the Cross of Calvary.  God in His infinite wisdom has sent His Son to suffer for us and pay for our sins by His innocent death on Calvary.  Jesus Christ came to fulfill the three fold office of Prophet, Priest and King.  Not only did He prophecy about His own death, He offers us the forgiveness of sins as the Great High Priest and now reigns as King of the World seated at the Right Hand of God the Father.  Hence we look to the altar and see the Christ Candle as our reminder of not only where God is currently, but our preparing and looking forward to celebrating Jesus entrance in the manger and fulfillment of His offices.

Jesus Christ threefold office He holds is to fulfill the promises from the beginning of Genesis through Revelation.  But it also is for us to understand we hold an office as well as His children in His Kingdom.  Our office in and of itself is not royalty, but a true reminder that we are baptized into the Kingdom of God and now are partakers not only of the mysteries He reveals in His prophecy, but also partakers of the forgiveness of sins offered in Word and Sacrament and fulfilled with His being seated on the throne as King.  Our office is as Jesus Christ called children waiting for His promises to be fulfilled.  And our waiting is not only for His appearance in the manger, but our baptism into His life, death and resurrection.

The reality for us tonight is that though Jesus Christ held each of these offices, He came down from heaven and offered Himself in order that we might live with Him in His Kingdom.  This sacrifice is not only what we celebrate, but what God offers to us through Jesus Christ.  May we as we prepare for His Advent, truly understand God’s call is not only to fulfill the three fold office, but to die for all of mankind to set us free in our baptismal office to be with Him in His Kingdom.  This is the grace He offers all of mankind, but especially for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Advent night.  AMEN.

12082013 2nd Sunday of Advent

Gospel Reading
Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

What would you do if you were king or queen for a day?  Throw your enemies in jail, give yourself a raise or become the boss at your place of work or business.  Buy the most expensive toys that money could afford, like a new King Cab Truck, a fancy new snowmobile for this winter.  Would you buy a new house or go on an elaborate vacation.  You could do so much if you were just the King or Queen and in charge.

When Victoria, future ruler and Queen of England was a child, she did not know of her destiny and she could not be motivated to follow directions, learn her lessons, nor adequately prepare her for the role that she would play as ruler of England.  Frustrated, her instructors and tutors could not help her to see nor understand the importance of learning nor the weight of the entire kingdom that would be upon her shoulders when she ruled her sovereign nation.  It was not until they sat the future queen down and told her of her true destiny that she responded, “Then I will be good.”  The realization that struck her with their revelation of her high calling and future, gave her a sense of responsibility that profoundly affected her conduct from that moment on and for the rest of her life.

This morning we have before us one of the seats from here in the chancel, the front of the church by the altar.  As we continue in our learning from the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed, this article deals specifically with Jesus Christ.  And how Jesus Christ not only came down from heaven to live, teach and die for us, but He returned to heaven and sits on the throne in heaven waiting to come again.  But why a throne and what impact is that for we the residents of Goodland, Kansas today?  Simply, of what significance is a throne for us today?

As this question fires your neurons in your brain, let’s pull out our bulletin insert and join together and read together in unison the “What does this mean” sections as a congregation.  “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into hell.  The Third day He rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.  What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.  This is most certainly true.”  While the image of Jesus sitting on the Throne gains greater importance, let us seek God’s divine favor in prayer.

Let us pray, Gracious Lord and ruler of the earth.  As we look to Your throne of Grace, may our hearts be turned and our lives blessed by not only Your presence, but the peace You offer to us through Your gift of grace.  Enable us to hear Your call through the Holy Spirit and look at Your throne, not in fear, but in anticipation of our welcome into Your kingdom for all of the saints, including all of us gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

One of the television shows that has become very popular in the last few years is entitled “Game of Thrones”.  It is of the rise and fall of an empire around a family of nobles and the twists and turns of each attempting to ascend to the throne.  The most iconic symbol of the entire show and as the title of the program indicates it is the throne.  Not a seat like we have here, this morning, but one that is ornate, exudes power and strength due to the numerous swords that surround the seat of power.  But as has been shown, the throne holds people’s attention, but also that true power comes not from the throne itself, but from the individual who sits on the throne.

So for us in Christianity, the true power of the throne is not the item or our image or imagination of it, but the person Who sits in or on the throne.  And for us that is Jesus Christ.  As we look to Jesus Christ as we hear and learn more about the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed, we begin to realize that Jesus Christ did come and live among us on earth.  He walked with His disciples between the cities in Israel.  Fished with them on the Sea of Galilee, sat and ate with tax collectors and sinners and even turned water into wine.  But we might have a challenge understanding Jesus Christ also sitting on the throne and its true understanding for us today here in Goodland, KS.

For some, a throne like in Game of Thrones is not about doing what is best for all, but ‘lording it over people’.  This past week at Ministerial Alliance we talked about how the town of Goodland is on a ‘power trip’.  How everyone looks out for themselves and what they can get, but not the collective good of the community.  The challenge we have during this Advent season is to change this reality.  This is the difference that Jesus Christ makes for all of us gathered here at Emmanuel.  When He came down from the throne to the earth, He was looking out for the good of all of mankind.  Jesus Christ came to sacrifice Himself in order to set all of us free from sin, death and the devil.  He gave up His power seat on the throne of God to set all of us free.  This is the gift of grace that we partake of and are baptized into.  Our personal and individual goal should not be about power, nor authority, nor lording it over anyone, but only concentrated upon the gift of grace God offers to each of us through His Son Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.

Clearly this is a mind-set change.  It is a change that we need to see, understand and make a reality in Goodland, but also here at Emmanuel.  As we prepare during Advent for the coming of the Christ child, may we not only change the decorations, like the Christmas tree, the wreaths, the paraments, the manger scene and the anticipation of the Christmas program.  May we also change our hearts and not only welcome the gift of grace God offers in His Son Jesus Christ, but embrace God’s grace and look with anticipation of the throne that Jesus will return to, but also that we will be invited to see and partake of with our entrance into eternal life.  For when we look to the throne with the lens of God’s grace for mankind, we look with anticipation of what God can do for all of us through His Son Jesus Christ.

For you history buffs, you have probably heard the name, Charlemagne.  He was the great king and Emperor of France.  When he died in 814, he was buried in a very elaborate tomb, with all of the ‘niceties’ of someone rich, including treasures of the kingdom and many other relics.  Years later when archeologists entered into this sacred space, they found in the center of the vault a large marble throne where Charlemagne was seated, now nothing more than a skeleton.  On his lap, wasn’t a sword or a scepter or what most would expect from a King, sitting there was a Holy Bible.  It was opened to one passage with his finger pointing to a specific reference from Matthew 18:26.  It read, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

So to for us this morning, if we place ourselves on the throne for our own profit to lord it over others to gain the world, we have lost our own soul.  May we in true humility come to the throne of God and understand clearly it is God’s throne not ours, and Jesus Christ came down from the throne to set us free.  For this is the gift of God given by His Son Jesus Christ for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning preparing for our celebration of His coming for you and for me.  AMEN.

12042013 Advent 1 Wednesday Service

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Jesus Christ reveal unto us Your humanity and divinity and enable us to clearly understand You are not only our God, but we are Your people through our baptism into Your life, death and resurrection for all of mankind, including all of us gathered here at Emmanuel this evening.  AMEN.

Who is Jesus Christ?  This is a question I pose as we prepare for Christmas during this Advent Season, because it is asked of clergy and laity all the time by individuals who did not grow up in the church and have no idea about the church year, the change of seasons and their importance, nor of what significance the colors on the altar or adornments around the church have.  But this is also a question that some life-long church members actually ask, because, either they have forgotten what they were taught in their Catechism class, didn’t pay attention to what their Sunday School teachers taught them, never talked about it in their homes or with their families, hadn’t been to church in a while or had not celebrated Advent or Christmas.

The plain and simple answer is Jesus Christ, is “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary”.  Now it may seem this is just a quick easy knee jerk reaction from a Pastor who has attended seminary, but this answer not only has profound truth of Who Jesus is, it also is the answer we give every Sunday.  This simple answer clearly articulates where and from Whom and by whom Jesus came into this world.  This answer is what we confess in our Creeds, what we read in Holy Scriptures and what we believe when we gather around the table of our Lord and receive the sacrament.

Simply, Jesus Christ not only is God, He is also our companion on our earthly pilgrimage.  Jesus Christ walks with us daily and invites us to open our heads, hearts and hands for His blessings offered to and for us daily.  God in and through His Son Jesus Christ blesses us with unimaginable blessings, all we need to do is call on His Holy name, understand His attributes that bless us and see His Divine Hand in our lives.

There are nay-sayers who undeniably doubt the existence of God, but clearly as His children we are called to give God, honor, praise and glory.  Recently, this became very clear for one of our extended family in the congregation.  While driving they were in an automobile accident.  It wasn’t with another vehicle, it wasn’t because of their inability to handle the vehicle.  They simply were hit by a deer that caused them to wreck.  Thankfully no one was hurt, but just as we experience in our daily lives being derailed or pulled away from God by the things of this world, this young man gained a deeper and more profound faith, because of His companion on His earthly pilgrimage, Jesus Christ.  In essence, Jesus took the wheel and not only spared him harm, but reminded him of God’s great love that we find in Jesus Christ and that we look towards celebrating as we prepare during this Advent season.  The great I AM, Jesus Christ is calling us today.  For Jesus Christ is not an unknown to us, but someone Who calls each of us to be in personal relationship with Him and individually seeks us out to save us and offer His life for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel, including all of us gathered here this evening in preparation during this Advent Season for the celebration of His birth on Christmas.  AMEN.

12012013 1st Sunday of Advent

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Have you watched kids on a playground?  Whether the activity of tetherball, basketball, playing on the slides or teeter totter.  At younger ages the children always are running in groups, sometimes chasing the person who ‘leads’ the group, at other times they follow one another whether down the slide or up the ladder or across the wobbly bridge, the kids are in constant motion.  As they mature and get older there are groups that form whether of all girls who practice cheerleading, boys who toss the football or play soccer or other smaller groups that just sit around, pick clover and wait for the outside activity to be over.  Then there inevitably comes a time where one child, whether by circumstance or blind luck is put on a pedestal.  Now this pedestal is not the kind like a beauty queen or sports athlete, but a pedestal where the child is humiliated.  Whether it is because they are not athletic, like I was, the first in the class to wear glasses, they are the smallest kid in the class and school, the clothes they wear are hand-me-downs that their parents wore in school, or even they have a cast or walk with a limp or cannot keep up with the rest of the kids on the playground.  Inevitably picking on a kid or putting them on a belittling pedestal does occur in our culture and world that this one child is singled out and humiliated.

Intentionally or not, all of us have either been this humiliated child or we have been a part of the group that humiliated our classmate and sometimes even our friend.  When this occurred, sometimes we felt guilty because we did not do anything, other times we felt powerless because if we said or did anything we would have been the object of the ridicule and then became the humiliated.  The reality also exists that sometimes we do not say anything, because we chose the path of least resistance because the person who was ‘bullying’ we have known longer than the person being bullied or we are just caught off guard and do not know what to say and cannot and choose not to defend the victim to their face, only after and when they have gone do we possibly offer some comfort.  What is even more personal for us is that this not only happens in the world by countries, in the schools with bullies that even the teachers cannot react to, because of the fear of lawsuits, bullying occurs in the workplace because the person is the bosses best friend or pet, and this has even happened here in the church, not only in years past, but even recently since my arrival.

As this reality sinks in let’s pull out our bulletin insert and join together and read together in unison the “What does this mean” sections as a congregation.  “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into hell.  The Third day He rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.  What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.  This is most certainly true.”  As the reality of Jesus humiliation for us sinks in, let us ask God in prayer to change our hearts to love Him more fully and bless us with His Word.

Let us pray, Jesus Christ our Lord, You came and took on not only our sins, but were truly humiliated for us in order to redeem us.  Enable us to truly understand Your suffering, humiliation and death are to remind us of the cost of following You.  For the gift of grace You offer to and for us is not without cost, but in our being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God, today we can be partakers of the greatest mystery of faith in the Sacrament offered with Your humiliation for all of mankind.  This gift is given not for only a few but for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

The stark reality of humiliation that occurs in our schools, workplace, homes and here in the church is sad.  But the reality is that though this occurs we have a God Who overcame humiliation.  Jesus Christ chose to be humiliated in order that all of mankind may be set free.  And we are set free because of the free grace God offers us on the Cross of Calvary for all mankind.  This offer is not of silver or gold, not of fine gems or anything that can be bought with money.  Our freedom that we live in and experience through our baptism occurs with and because of Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection for you and me.

Jesus Christ lived on this earth, giving up His heavenly home to come and walk among us.  Teach us the greatest gift of love for all mankind, model His commitment to our redemption even to the point of death.  In Jesus humiliation, whether by His being beaten by the guards, stripped naked in front of all the crowds to receive his lashes or on the Cross as He suffered the agony, Jesus chose His own humiliation for each and every one of us.  Because He knew that only with His humiliation, would the resurrection come and not only be sweeter, but offer to each of us the greatest gift for all of mankind of our salvation.  Jesus willingness to endure this not only modelled the gift of grace, but offers it for us daily when we read His Word in Holy Scriptures, serve as His hands delivering meals on wheels and even when we come and sing songs and celebrate His gift of grace offered to and for us every Sunday.

But it does not end nor begin with our doing acts of service, for God does not expect anything.  God’s gift of grace is freely offered because that is what grace actually is, unmerited forgiveness of sins and the offer of salvation for all mankind so that we can be with Jesus Christ in His Kingdom.  God’s offer of salvation reminds each of us in many and various ways, but especially when we see the Cross.  Hence this morning, I have the cross we use during Lent and Easter front and center this morning to remind us as we come to His table to receive His gift of grace of His precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ humiliation for you and for me.

May we whenever we see a cross whether on television, in nature where tree’s cross just right, around someone’s neck that we wear as jewelry or even that we display in our homes or offices always be a reminder not just of Jesus humiliation and being stripped.  But may we always be reminded that Jesus chose His humiliation in order that we would be set free to be His children in His kingdom and experience the greatest gift of grace ever offered of His precious Body and Blood around the altar of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  And may we always remember that His gift of grace is ‘given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins’ for all mankind, but especially including all of us saints here at Emmanuel who see the Cross of Christ as Jesus humiliation for each and every one of us gathered here on this First Sunday in Advent of the New Church Year.  AMEN.