A New Blog Feature - Ask Me Anything

This is a new feature on the blog! If you have any questions you would like answered, please feel free to send them my way and I will try and respond to your questions.

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051120104 3rd Sunday After Easter Mother's Day

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.

Christ is risen!  He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

If you look around this morning, you can see our connection with the past.  In churches that were built in the middle ages, the acoustics were purposefully built so that sound would not only travel, but you could clearly hear chanting, the lessons, sermons and especially the liturgy which all pointed to Jesus Christ from any seat in the church.  The highpoint for all services was the celebration of Holy Communion, which was celebrated as Jesus intended, on every day the church gathered for worship.  But to hear the words of institution not only reminded people of Jesus entrance into the world, but His sacrifice for all of mankind.

This morning before us, I have a microphone and its holder.  It is meant to be a reminder, not only that we need to hear, but more specifically what we need to hear.  Let’s pull out our bulletin insert this morning and answer the question, How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?  The Sacrament of the Altar How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?  Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”  These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament.  Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: “Forgiveness of sins.””  Let’s ask God to help us believe His promise made to us today.

Heavenly Father, the Word we hear spoken in the Words of institution tell of the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.  Enable us to believe these promises You make to us today, for all of the saints of Emmanuel gathered here today.  AMEN.

Clearly every Sunday we use the technology that was developed in the last millennia to hear the Word of God clearly spoken here at Emmanuel.  Whether it is the pulpit mike to hear me preach, the lectern mike to hear the lector read the lessons of the day or even the wireless mike I have around my ear that enables me to be heard even from my office over the PA system.  We have technology that helps us hear the Word of God.  But what we are hearing is only part of the equation.  Like any good mathematician, they always want an equal sign.  Because on the right side of the equal sign, there is a result.

In our celebrating the Holy Supper this morning we have a clear result, and that is what we hear when we understand clearly the answer to ‘How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?’.  What we receive in this meal is clear, it is the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.  When we gather around the altar, come up and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus whether around the altar or continuously, we receive the greatest gift of grace from Jesus Christ of His Body and Blood.

But it is not just receipt, but our hearing the grace offered and provided for us in the meal that we receive God’s greatest gift of grace.  This is why I have a microphone and stand up here.  When we clearly hear God’s gift and offer for us, we understand more fully what God is offering us through the sacrament.  Not only His precious Body and Blood, but life and salvation and the ‘forgiveness of sins’.

In the words, ‘Given and Shed for you for the forgiveness of sins’, God is clearly offering us the greatest free gift of life and salvation.  Last week we heard how around the bed of Marty Spomer, his family received this gift and shared one last meal together as a family of faith.

Today, I want to tell you about Margaret.  She was a special lady.  Known in the community as a woman who gave to the local arts council, served on the hospital auxiliary and was active in the VFW woman’s auxiliary, because John her husband had served in both World War 2 and Korea.  In the church she was constantly active.  Not only in bible studies, small-groups, but also in the altar guild.  Margaret always served with Vickie her lifelong friend, confidant and buddy after John had passed away.

One Sunday after cleaning up from communion, she had been thinking and made one request of Vickie, her lifelong friend.  She said, “When I die, would you do me a favor?”  Vickie said, “Sure.”  Thinking it was something like put flowers on her grave or make sure they used the pall for the funeral.  But Margaret said, “Would you make sure that they put a fork in my hand when I am buried?”  Taken a back, Vickie, said, “Why do you want to be buried with a fork in your hand?”  Margaret said, “Because when I get to heaven, I know I am entering the greatest feast ever made as Pastor told us this morning.  But I also want to be prepared to eat right away and not have to wait for someone to hand me a fork.”

In that one statement, Margaret stated clearly and emphatically, the truth of what we receive in the Feast God is preparing for us.  It is not just a meal that will be finer than any other meal made with human hands.  It is not just a meal to feed our bodies.  It is a meal that we need to prepare for here on earth.  It is a meal with spiritual dimension and divine results, in essence the other side of the equal sign.  We need to prepare for our receipt of God’s gift to us of life and salvation each and every day here on earth.  Just as the farmers prepare the soil with watering it before planting, fertilizing it in order to give the corn the best chance of a great harvest and insuring the water continues to shower it by the irrigation wells running through the summer, both night and day.  We need to prepare for our entrance into heaven and our receipt of God’s feast offering us eternal life, salvation and grace and every blessing.

We can prepare today by hearing clearly God’s call of each of us here this morning to have a better relationship with Him.  Not only in heeding the call to prepare for the sacrament, but also in preparing our hearts just as we do the soil and our homes for guests as well as like Margaret with the fork a her burial.  For when we prepare for God to bestow upon us the gift of grace offered to us in the sacrament and in His Word, we receive not only grace upon grace, but the greatest blessing of eternal life.  We will clearly hear His call and can heed His desire for us to receive His blessings that He offers.  For it was on the Cross of Calvary that He not only offered Himself, but Jesus Christ offered Himself in order for all of mankind to be in His kingdom.  And this especially includes all of the saints of Emmanuel gathered here to hear His Word through a microphone that sits on a stand like we have this morning and to receive the blessing that He offers us in Word, but especially the sacrament for all who have heard the Word of God in the forgiveness of sins.  AMEN.

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2014 VBS Sign-Up Form

Good Morning Everyone,

Here is the link to the initial form for those interested in our 2014 Sky Ranch Day Camp here at the church:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Fv4xM8l6Ysu5-QG_2VtFTB_3CQ2trVpxcK1hV_st574/viewform

When you click this link, it will take you to the page to fill out important information for our preparation.

Please forward this information to anyone interested.  Every child will need to have an INDIVIDUAL form filled out.

We are getting excited and looking forward to this event!!!

YIC,

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

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Welcoming a New Pastor....Or Even what we should do with our current Pastor

Ron Edmondson in this article presents well thought out ideas about what one should do and not do with a new pastor.

Having served in a parish for nearly four years, it also has some great material for my current situation.

http://www.churchleaders.com/outreach-missions/outreach-missions-how-tos/167048-ron-edmondson-welcome-the-new-pastor-in-style.html

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Name Calling....Christian

This video is appropriate for our culture today....

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05042014 Second Sunday After Easter

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.

Christ is risen!  He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

When someone we know and love has entered the Church Triumphant, we mourn in ways that sometimes defy reason or logic.  In Jesus day, the women would moan and wale loudly, they even did this when Jesus came and told the parents of the little girl that she was not dead.  For us today, whether it was our parents who lived a long life, a friend that we grew up with from grade school, or someone we got to know through work or our serving in the military who became closer to us than even our own siblings.  When someone close to us dies, we begin to grieve almost immediately.  For some the stages of grief are a jumbled mess, they hit all five and sometimes even go back to steps they have previously experienced.  For others grief is a life-long obsession, because they can’t, don’t want to or refuse to let go.  But clearly, grief is not something that ends when we close the casket and lay our loved one in the ground.

Even for the disciples, their grief was clearly manifest in the weeks that followed Jesus crucifixion and death.  Last week in the Gospel we heard how Thomas wouldn’t believe until he had seen, touched and personally encountered the resurrected Jesus Christ.  Thomas best known for his doubting was probably a story that was well heard not only from his day, but by other disciples and apostles, including Paul and has been passed down to we their spiritual children and disciples who gather here today.

Here at Emmanuel when I meet with a family after someone has passed away, I try not only to comfort them, but assure them of the truth that we find and believe in through Jesus Christ and His resurrection.  One of the most comforting passages, I use comes from Paul in Romans 8.  Paul writes, “If God is for us, who can be against us?  He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32)  Not only does or can this be an assurance for us when we face death, but it also is even more appropriate for us as we celebrate life and what God offers us in the Sacrament of the Altar that we again celebrate today.

Let’s pull out our bulletin insert and answer the question, What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?  The Sacrament of the Altar, What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?  These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words.  For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.  Let’s seek these promises as we go to God in prayer.

Gracious and Resurrected Lord, we believe Your word of forgiveness that we find in the Sacrament of the Altar that gives us Your precious Body and Blood.  Enable us in our receiving Your Body and Blood to understand we receive the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, not by our own work, but by believing in Your Word.  For it is through Your life, death and resurrection for all of mankind that we receive grace upon grace and will one day enter into Your Kingdom by Your call.  This is most certainly true for all of mankind, but especially including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Last week we had a chalice and paten presented to me at my ordination.  This morning we again have a chalice and paten, but it is not any ordinary altar ware, it is special and significant for us here at Emmanuel, because it came as a result of one of our sister’s entering the Church Triumphant.  One of the traditions here at Emmanuel is that when someone enters eternal glory, the family can designate the memorial money to be given to the church and then designate what the money could be used for.  This also is the opportunity for any gift given to the church in honor and memory of a family member as well as any anonymous gift.  Matter of fact this has happened not only from money being given for the Eternal Light over the Altar, by Carol Jarrett’s mother’s memorial money, to the building of the handicapped bathroom in the cry room from the church money from Colorado, to the doors both on the sun deck and east end of the educational wing from an anonymous donor to the hymn board as a confirmation project to the gifts given for the replacement of the organ blower system from the memorial from a sweet generous member of the congregation.  Our church has members who have been generous, even to the purchase of the new fridge.  But the fact is this chalice and paten we have before us this morning are not just altar adornments, but instruments for our receipt of the gifts and grace of God.

What we receive from their use is life and salvation.  As we heard from our reading the bulletin insert, we are offered in, with and under the bread and wine, that is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, “life and salvation”.  When we use this chalice and this paten, we receive God’s gifts of grace and mercy manifest in the breaking of bread and offering us the forgiveness of sins.  It is not based upon our merit, but solely a gift from God for all of us who gather here and believe in the forgiveness of sins.

But of what importance is that for us today?  Why should we not only lay claim to, but remember clearly what is offered here on the paten and in the chalice?

Simply it is something that we have already heard, sung and proclaimed a few minutes ago.  When we rose in preparation for hearing the Holy Gospel, we sang a ‘liturgical verse’, known as the Alleluia Verse.  We sang, “Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life.”  These same words of eternal life we hear in the Gospel are given to us in the breaking of bread in the Sacrament of the Altar.  They give us eternal life and prepare us for our entrance into the church triumphant.

The Last Sunday in March, was a prime example of the importance and sharing of Holy Communion with one of our own who was preparing to enter the church triumphant.  When Marty Spomer was in Hays, I had the extreme pleasure to bring and offer Holy Communion to his family as we surrounded him not only with our love, thoughts and prayers, but in the sharing of the most intimate meal of Jesus Christ precious Body and Blood.  As we shared not only the Word of Truth of Eternal Life, heard the hymns of grace that we weekly sing, but also the gift of grace offered in sharing Jesus Christ precious Body and Blood we partook of the most sacred meal of the Lord’s Supper.  This meal that we shared around his hospital bed was a clear reminder of Jesus Christ being offered for each and every one of us and His offer to us and especially to Marty of Eternal life.

As you know less than a week later we buried Marty, but clearly the reminder that we needed that day surrounded by the machines and tubes that helped him breathe, the doctors and medical teams that ministered unto him and all of his family who surrounded him with love was the Holy Supper God offers us.  For in that meal of Jesus precious Body and Blood, just as is offered on the paten and in the chalice this morning, we receive in the Sacrament of the Altar the greatest gift of eternal life for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

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Jraze Reece's Rainbow

This is something we all need to watch. I am not advocating giving money, only if you are led, but this story touched me!!!

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2014 VBS at Emmanuel Lutheran

This is for 2014 VBS at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. This is the sign-up page for kids so we can get an accurate count. Every child will have to be 'enrolled' INDIVIDUALLY! Scan the QR Code and you will be taken to the sign up page. Here is the URL for the page if you would like to do this from your phone or computer (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Fv4xM8l6Ysu5-QG_2VtFTB_3CQ2trVpxcK1hV_st574/viewform).

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