Sermon 07292012 8th Sunday After Trinity

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, You instruct we Your children with so many images in order that we can know the difference between good and evil.  But in the world that surrounds us wolves come in sheeps clothing and even here in church they sit among us.  Enable us to discern the wolves by their lack of fruit and lead them to the truth found in and through our baptism into Your life, death and resurrection.  For You came into this world to set all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel free from sin, death, the devil, hell and damnation, through Jesus Christ innocent death on Calvary for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

In the Trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf the Grey upon seeing the Ring that Bilbo leaves to Frodo goes to inquire from his old friend and fellow wizard, Saruman the White about this ‘ring’.  Upon his arrival they are old friends and quickly rekindle their relationship.  However, as time elapses and Gandalf reveals his purpose to aid Frodo in taking the one Ring that rules them all to Mount Doom to destroy it, Saruman, reveals his true character, nature and allegiance to the dark lord and the dark arts.

From our Gospel this morning, Jesus as Son of God knows the difference between Good and Evil.  Using the image of the two starkly different animals of sheep and wolf, Jesus in teaching the people about ‘false prophets’ wants the image to be unmistakably seen and understood.  Just as we could clearly call Saruman a wolf in sheeps clothes for Gandalf, Jesus as consummate teacher continues by using the image of a tree bearing fruit in order to drive home the importance of discernment.

Today, we desperately need this skill of discernment.  With the tragedy of the midnight showing of Batman in Colorado sometimes the wolves in sheeps clothing come among us.  Just as with previous tragedies there are stories of sacrifice that have come out of this tragedy.  But what about discerning the wolves that surround us today?

Just as Gandalf in going to see his old friend and fellow wizard Saruman thought he was seeing a friend, we to in coming to church expect safety and freedom.  But the fact is, even here among the four walls of the church, where we come and confess our sins and receive the forgiveness of sins offered by Jesus Christ in and through His precious Body and Blood, there are still hypocrites here among us.  Can we easily label who the ‘real believers’ and the ‘hypocrites’ are that sit in our pews?  No.  As the Pastor, should I be able to distinguish between the sheep and the wolves?  Yes I should be able to, but as fallen creature I am, I with Paul would say, I am greatest among sinners.

Yet, Jesus Christ from our Gospel this morning provides us a means to discern the difference between the sheep and the wolves.  “You will know them by their fruits.”  We as the body of Christ gathered here at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Goodland, KS are known by our fruits.  This is not a threat, but a fact of reality that Jesus wants us to understand.  We as the Body of Christ here in Goodland have both believers and unbelievers in our midst.  The believers are the sheep who follow their master, Jesus Christ and in faith and faithful obedience produce good works, not because they have to, but because of the Gospel message that Jesus Christ offers freely for all of mankind.  The unbelievers are the wolves who nit pick, talk behind people’s backs or in small groups, and do not produce good works that glorify God.  These two distinct groups, believers and unbelievers we cannot discern, that is why when we explain the third article of the Apostle’s Creed as the visible and invisible church, discerning which group we are a part of is left to God who knows and can see our heart.  Not the heart we think we have or want people in the church or community to know, but our true intent and desires laid bare before our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Clearly, we could ‘draw a line in the sand’ and say, unless we ‘do’ certain things we are not sheep and must therefore be wolves, but this is legalism and throws Jesus sacrifice on the Cross for all mankind into disarray and question.  Jesus Christ calls us to a greater purpose, cause and life; a life as a believer, a life as a sheep, a life where we produce good fruits that give glory to God, and point to His life, death and resurrection for all mankind and enable us to do good works and give God the glory.

But what does that look like for us today here at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Goodland, KS.  It means we need to have patience, purpose and passion.  Rome was not built in a day and we need to have patience with ourselves to change and become the children of God He has made us to be.  Not only patience with people we have disagreements with, but patience to learn what God has in store with and for us.  Since I arrived here in Goodland, we have made great strides in how God can work through us.  We have established the “Films of Faith” series, brought back Sky Ranch VBS day camp, built a handicapped bathroom, installed sound boards and now repainted the fellowship hall, all ways in which we as a church are trying to reach out to the community to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are still are in need of patience while we discern our purpose for Emmanuel.  If our purpose is to spread the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, what and how does that look like for us individually and as a congregation?  Is it only through Vacation Bible School, or does it also mean all of our involvement in Sunday School?  What about Bible Study?  When was the last time the Word of God was read in the home in private devotions or a small group bible study?  What about our continued involvement in the ladies organizations in the Winter or Spring Teas?  What about our involvement to minister to a grieving family at a funeral dinner?  How about visiting Wheat Ridge or Good Samaritan with a bulletin from Sunday or just to say we were thinking about you?  What about teaching Sunday School to shape the minds of the children we promised to nurture in the faith when they were baptized?  Some would easily say, “I’ve done my time” whether Sunday School, funeral dinners or visiting the shut ins, but, truthfully our time, opportunity and calling to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not complete until we rest in our Lord’s arms, for when we reach out and minister to people in these ways the fruits for the kingdom of God are clearly manifest and obvious.

We finally can have passion with all that we are involved in glorifying God.  One of the best examples of having passion for something was in the movie, “Rudy”.  The main character, Rudy, as you know played for Notre Dame football and daily exhibited the passion for his love for the game, but also Notre Dame.  We to as the children of God forgiven by the blood of the lamb, empowered by the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ can have a deep and abiding passion for the spreading of the Gospel message.  Our passion for this is fed by the Word made flesh among us Jesus Christ and enabled to spread the message of hope that Jesus Christ was sent into this world, not to condemn the world, but that the World might be saved through Him.  For the message of salvation is clear, we cannot merit or earn our salvation by fruits, it is a free gift of God offered to all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Sermon 07222012 7th Sunday After Trinity

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, Your food is to do the will of the Father, but we fallen creatures will faint without food.  Yet, You knowing our shortcomings provide for our every need.  May we be fed with Your Word and strengthened with the true knowledge that You give us what we need, even when we can’t and don’t ask for it.  For we pray in the prayer You taught us, “Give us this day our daily bread” and You do provide for us.  Assure us of this Your promise and fulfill it for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

In the latest Avengers, when the world is being attacked by the evil tyrant Loki, and all the additional alien creatures, the only hope for the Avengers is to close the intergalactic portal to another world.  Ironically the military sends a nuclear device to destroy New York City in order to protect the rest of the world, but Tony Stark understands the problem and sees an opportunity for a different outcome.  The only way to close the portal and prevent the destruction of New York and the world is for a nuclear device with enough energy to disrupt the free flow of energy.  So Iron Man guides the nuclear war head directly into the worm hole and thus closes the portal to another world and in miraculous fashion saves the world.

From our Gospel this morning, Jesus tells the disciples that they have a problem.  The problem isn’t aliens like in Avengers, but it is a “large crowd…[that] had nothing to eat”.  Unlike Tony Stark who was a genius and could quickly analyze a situation and figure out a game plan to remedy the situation, the disciples are like the proverbial deer in the headlights.  The disciples who have previously seen Jesus heal people, whether paralyzed or a withered hand, cure the man with an unclean spirit, seen Him walk on the water or free a little girl of the unclean spirit somehow do not understand that Jesus knows exactly what He will do.

Jesus in one sense is teaching the disciples that there are consequences with inaction.  Notice He says, “If I send them, [that is the people I have been teaching] away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way”.  We are weak creatures that need sustenance.  Not only do we need physical food, but the disciples and we fallen creatures today want and need to see a miracle.  The disciples put flesh on this by saying, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?”  The disciples did not understand that Jesus had placed them clearly in this situation in order for His glory to be revealed yet again, to the people, but also to the disciples and we who read this lesson today.

Jesus Christ as God’s only Son says, “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat.”  Jesus felt complete compassion upon these people that had listened to His teaching, heard Him tell them of the Gospel of salvation and now after three days were hungry and wouldn’t make it to their homes.  Jesus as compassionate Son of God wanted to not only feed their spiritual needs of the sustenance of the Word of God, but wanted to provide for their physical need of their stomachs.

As the redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ asks the disciples a simple question, “How many loaves do you have?”  This question begins a miracle of epic proportion.  Jesus Christ blesses the loaves and the fish and the people are fed.  Not just fish and bread, but the food of heaven from the Master of the Universe Holy Hands.  Jesus Christ gives enough food for four thousand people to be fed.  Now we might consider that a small miracle, but what needs to be understood is that the number counted in Jesus day and time would only have included the men, it would not have included the women and children.  Hence if half of the 4000 men were married that would be 6000 people including wives.  And if only half of the married men had two kids, that would mean that Jesus fed upwards of 8000 people.  Thus, this little miracle of feeding approximately 8000 people is equivalent of feeding nearly twice the size of Goodland in one meal with seven loaves and a few small fish.

Jesus Christ in this one meal shows a deep compassion for the people of God not only in feeding them the Word of God and feeding their spiritual hunger, but clearly feeds the people of God’s bodily hunger as well.  Jesus Christ clearly shows His interest in the needs of the people who came to hear Him speak and stayed three days.  But what about we who come today here in Goodland, KS to hear God’s Word and look for a miracle in our daily lives.

Clearly there are issues in our daily lives that are a need for Jesus Christ to come and relieve us, whether it is rain for our crops, the oppressive heat of summer, sickness in our families, brokenness of relationship between parents and children, friends and family or church and God.  We come here today asking God to come down in a more tangible way and enter into our lives.  And Jesus Christ clearly says to us today that He has compassion upon us.

We find Jesus compassion in a promise that He taught His disciples and we pray even today.  In the words of the Lord’s Prayer, the Fourth Petition we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”.  Martin Luther writes:

“What does this mean?  God gives daily bread indeed without our prayer, also to all the wicked; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?  [Daily bread is] Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”

Jesus Christ clearly promises to provide for our needs even when we do not pray and in miraculous fashion gives us what we need to survive.  May we like the disciples who witnessed Jesus feeding the people with seven loaves and a few small fish lay claim to God’s promises to us today in and through His Word and understand the miracle of the gift of God’s Son and Savior Jesus Christ.  For Jesus Christ came down from heaven and in and through the miraculous birth from the Virgin Mary began His life here on earth to offer us life and salvation by going to the Cross.  Jesus Christ in true servant fashion came to seek and serve we His children through our baptism into His life, death and resurrection in order to offer us the greatest miracle of salvation of our souls by His death on the Cross.  Jesus Christ came to not only perform miracles of healing, but feed our spiritual needs and feed our physical needs and ‘give us this our daily bread’ for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Sermon 07152012 6th Sunday After Trinity

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, it is clear from Holy Scripture that the prophets foretold of Your coming into the world.  You came to fulfill the Law of Moses and kept perfectly the 10 Commandments, because we cannot.  Though we are conceived in sin, through our baptism we are made perfect because of Your salvific work on the Cross of Calvary.  May we through the Work of the Holy Spirit lay claim to our birth right through our baptism into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

In the Avengers movie, Captain America is first seen punching a weight bag in a gym trying to stay in shape.  Nick Fury walks in and Captain Rogers immediately asks, “Do you have another mission?”  The response Fury gives is cryptic but exact, “it isn’t another mission, but an attempt to ‘save’ the world”.  Being the soldier he was created to be, Captain Rogers agrees to help ‘save the world’.

Our Gospel this morning like the movie Avengers has the main unifying character of Jesus Christ.  But unlike the Marvel Comics world that Captain Rogers lived in, Jesus Christ was born into this world for a sole purpose.  Jesus Christ tells us exactly what His role is.  Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”  Jesus Christ came to save the world for all time all place and all of mankind.

When the foundations of the world were created by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ knew what His role would be.  Jesus Christ knew that the Law, the 10 Commandments would be given by Moses to the Israelite people.  Matter of fact our Films of Faith Series today shows the “Prince of Egypt”.  On that mountain where God’s finger on stone tablets wrote what was also written on the heart on man, God knew that mortal man would not and could not fulfill the law.  We talk about the 10 Commandments and say they are simple rules, but truth be told we fallen creatures cannot keep one Commandment, let alone 10 Commandments perfectly.

Our Gospel this morning tells us what Jesus Christ came in this world to do.  Jesus Christ came into this world not to abolish the Law given to the Old Testament people, but to fulfill each Commandment in its entirety and perfectly.  Jesus Christ born of a virgin in a stable, smuggled to Egypt for protection from Herod, returned to Nazareth and grew up in the shadow of the City of David, did miracles on the beach, on the Sea of Galilee, in the desert in the towns and for the people, Jesus chose to go to the Cross in order to fulfill all righteousness and set us free.  Jesus Christ endured the shame, guilt, pain and humiliation of the Cross in order to set us free from our sins.  Jesus Christ saves the world including you and me.

Jesus Christ fulfilled each Commandment because He was perfect in every way.  The prophets foretold of a coming Messiah that would save the world and Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the prophesies of the Old Testament.  Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the prophets chose death in order to give us life.  Jesus Christ fulfilled the plan of salvation that had been set in motion from the day Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, the giving of the 10 Commandments, the tribes of Israel fleeing Egypt, the prophets calling the people to return to God from their idols and false worship, to their receipt of God’s Commands and Jesus entrance in human form in Bethlehem.  God’s divine plan had been set in motion and found ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.

We 2000 years later are in a direct line of the fulfillment of the prophesies of old by our being grafted into the Family of God through our baptism.  In and through the waters of Baptism we have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.  We have been made heirs of eternal life by Jesus Christ fulfilling all of the Laws of the Old Testament.  We the people of God gathered together to worship this morning have been redeemed by Jesus Christ innocent death on Calvary.  No longer does sin, death, the devil, hell or damnation have dominion over us.  Jesus Christ sets us free to be the people of God in Goodland, KS.

The meal we are about to partake of is yet one more manifestation of how Jesus Christ offers us life and salvation.  When we partake of the Bread, which is Jesus precious Body and drink of the Wine that is the Blood of Jesus Christ we receive forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.  In, with and through the elements of Bread and Wine, the Mystical Union of the precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ offers us a foretaste of the feast that is to come when we enter eternal life.  We have been saved and set free because Jesus Christ came to fulfill all righteousness, not by abolishing the Law, but by perfectly fulfilling the Law for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.