July
2, 2017
“Hold firm to the faith in Jesus Who cares for us! (1 Peter 5:6)”
Audio (Will be posted soon!)
Recently,
I was playing Trivial Pursuit with Sarah and we came upon a question that for
me jumped back to my childhood days in Virginia. The question was about ‘stalagmites’ and
‘stalactites’ and their differentiation.
When growing up in Virginia there were a lot of caverns in the mountains
that we toured. And one of the memories
was hearing the saying, “Stalagmites might touch the ceiling and stalactites
hold tight to the ceiling” enabling one to correctly call it by its proper name
in the cave. This morning, Peter like
the stalactites wants us to firmly ‘hold onto something’.
In
his letter we heard in the epistle, Simon Peter is attempting to instruct the
church, which is illegal at this time to remain true to what Jesus Christ had
called them to become. Hence why Peter,
the Rock upon whose confession the church would be built wrote, “Hold
firm to the faith in Jesus Who cares for us!”.
Peter
is pointing to what Jesus Christ clearly and emphatically lived while here on
earth and which Jesus Christ gave unto the people of God including His
disciples like Peter. It is a faith,
humility and trust in Jesus Christ, because not only did Jesus Christ descend
from heaven and be born of a virgin in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ died on the
Cross of Calvary to offer all of mankind eternal life.
So
powerful was the faith of Jesus Christ that He not only calls us to believe in
Him, but trust in Him for all things.
For as Peter says, we are to “Hold firm to the faith in Jesus Who cares
for us!” Jesus Christ cares so
much for us that we should not doubt, but hold firm in our faith, for Jesus Christ
is not only the author of our faith, but Jesus Christ perfected it by His trust
in His Father in Heaven. And we who gather
here can lay claim to Jesus Christ faith, through our baptism into Jesus Christ
life, death and resurrection.
There
are some who are wary of trusting in man and even God that much, because of
their own personal experiences. Yet,
Peter wants us to believe and desires for us to “Hold firm to the faith in Jesus
Who cares for us!” For Jesus
Christ cares for us so much it cannot be measured. If we truly look to the Cross of Calvary,
Jesus Christ willingness to go and die in order that we might live, should
clearly not only show us but inspire us to believe that Jesus Christ cares for
us that much.
In
today’s world, with the rise of ISIS, the clear sense of doubt in our fellow
man, whether justified or unjustified, we have only to step out in ‘faith’ and
trust in spite of what our world may be telling us. And this last week having Sky Ranch here to
minister to our community and church is a prime example and opportunity that we
have followed and ‘stepped out in faith’ in Jesus Christ and His offer of grace
and mercy, for all of mankind.
The
theme for this last week is based upon the celebration this year of the 500th
Anniversary of Martin Luther’s pounding the 95 Theses on the door at
Wittenberg. The counselors had had lots
of energy as they helped us “Rejoice”, understand how God’s Word is “Revealed”,
how we are “Reclaimed” through our baptism, how Christ “Restored” us on the
Cross, how through communion we are “Renewed” and how we are “Reformed” in
Christ’s image.
So
impactful and powerful has this week been that Emmanuel has again, been
inspired to remember, connect with the theme from this week and we can hold
onto not only Peter’s confession, but his inspiration for us to be embraced by
God’s love and look to eternal life as the gift that will never end. For truer words could not be said then what
Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write.
We as the saints of Emmanuel should “Hold firm to the faith in Jesus
Who cares for us”! AMEN!
If
you turn on the television, listen to the radio or even only hear the
highlights of the days news, it sounds like our world is spiraling down and out
of control. From events in the Middle
East, Asia and most recently in London and even our own Capital of Washington,
DC, sadly life is no longer valued and people dying. Sometimes as a result of evil in our world,
at other times just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong
time. The reality remains, we the church
of Jesus Christ live ‘in the world’.
We
as the church have a choice, either we can become like an ostrich and stick our
head in the sand. It seems the safe bet,
no harm if we don’t encounter that which is evil. No harm if we choose not to look and do what
is right if we ‘don’t see it’. Yet, when
and if we do this, we then forget the truth that John the evangelist reminds us
about from our epistle this morning.
In
1st John 3:16, like the Gospel of John 3:16, we are reminded of the
truth that sets us free. John wrote, “Christ
laid down His life for our brothers and sisters and each and every one of us!” Jesus Christ was willing to faithfully stand
firm against the evil of the devil and ‘lay down His life’ and die in order to offer
us eternal life. Jesus Christ knowing
not only the future, knew that the only way we would have eternal life would
require His life. And it required Jesus
Christ taking on the sins of the entire world and redeeming us and offering us
the greatest gift of grace the world would ever see or be offered, eternal life.
What
was the price? To us and all of mankind,
the cost is free because Jesus Christ has paid for our ticket to eternity. All we have to do is believe, that Jesus “Christ
laid down His life for our brothers and sisters and each and every one of us!” When we believe this and lay claim to Jesus
Christ offer of grace and mercy out of His great love for us, when we take our
final breath, we will receive the gift of eternal life. We will receive Jesus Christ offer of
salvation out of His great love for all of mankind, including each and every
one of us.
Jesus
Christ offer of grace didn’t come out of obligation, but out of love for His
Father in heaven. Jesus listened to the
voice of His Father and willingly Jesus “Christ laid down His life for our brothers
and sisters and each and every one of us!” How might we receive this? It is simple, believe in Jesus Christ and His
offer of grace on the Cross of Calvary, and feel His loving embrace as His follower.
This
coming week we as Emmanuel offer to our community again the opportunity for the
Gospel message of Jesus Christ to be shared and proclaimed again with Sky
Ranch. It is a long history and
connection we have with Sky Ranch and their coming here is one way we not only
impact our community, but inspire our church to embrace and be embraced by the
love of God and His offer of grace and mercy for all of mankind. How can we support this? Simply by praying for God’s will to be done,
helping us to get the word out and ultimately by loving everyone who walks
through the doors of our church.
When
we love unconditionally and without attitude or looking down on people no
matter how we feel, God redeems not only the relationship with Him and the
people we encounter even here in the church, but by His power inspires our love
for each other through His perfect example.
We then are not ‘hiding our head in the sand’, but taking a firm stand
with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and insuring a simple fact. That the message of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ can change us and faithfully saying with John, Jesus “Christ
laid down His life for our brothers and sisters and each and every one of us!” AMEN.
Recently
in Minnesota, a clergy friend of mine was presented with the most divine and
honorable privilege and challenge. On
December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, numerous ships were
damaged or destroyed and many lives were lost.
For those who have visited Pearl Harbor’s National Park monument it is a
clear reminder of the scope of loss and how some individuals’ remains were not
recovered and how some individuals upon their passing wish to return to be with
their shipmates as a final resting place.
Now
decades later, a young man killed that day whose remains were found, but never
identified, finally with today’s technology was identified. He was from Minnesota and his name was Glaydon
Iverson. He was killed on that faithful
day aboard the USS Oklahoma. And only
last month was finally able to be returned to his family. After years of uncertainty for the family he
was finally able to be laid to rest back home at Emmons Lutheran church in
Minnesota. He was honored and given the
burial in his hometown with full military honors that his family desired
surrounded by his community and especially his church.
Some
would ask, why does God allow things like Pearl Harbor to occur? Others would immediately ‘get angry’ and
‘blame God’ for everything that is happening in life. Whether the tragic loss of life during war, the
weather that causes roofs, windows and siding to be replaced, like last fall
here in Goodland, hail storms that mow crops to the ground or moisture that
comes at the wrong time and causes not just Plan B, but even Plan C.
Easily,
we could blame God for everything, because He is the one Who created the
World. Yet, what we at times forget is
that we who live today cannot ‘buy and sell’ God like a possession or commodity,
nor can we gain His favor nor get what we want all the time. We like the VBS theme for the pre-school a
few years ago, need to Fully Rely On God.
How
can we do this? It takes our exercising
our muscles of faith given in Holy Baptism and listening to and leaning fully
on the words from John the evangelist this morning. John wrote this eternal truth we need to
remember and hold onto dearly and clearly, “God
is love, we who abide in love, abide in Him (1 John 4:16)”. When we understand
“God
is love”, we can clearly understand that God as love has our best
interest in mind in all situations even though it may not seem that way at the
time.
Daily
we encounter situations where it seems the world is against us, we are lost and
we are easily angered at our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and even at
God. But God’s love not only can sustain
us, but enable us to understand, when the world seems to be crashing down
around us, God is still there, loving us, walking with us and holding us
clearly and dearly in the palm of His Holy hands.
Abram,
from our Old Testament lesson this morning, shows and demonstrates clearly this
faith and the exercising of this faith in God and God’s love for him. What occurred in Abram’s exercising his faith? God when Abram exhibited and put his faith in
God, God “reckoned it to him as righteousness”. So if we like Abram believe in God with our
whole heart, we to not only will be embraced by God’s love, but “we
who abide in love, abide in Him”.
And with our ‘abiding in love’ and ‘abiding in Him’ God will not only
embrace us, but when it is our time to enter the church triumphant, we will be
welcomed into eternity and fully embraced by the love of God that we find in
what His Son, Jesus Christ willingly did on the Cross of Calvary for each and
every one of us.
Today
on this Father’s Day, there is for us a final example and demonstration of love
for one’s fellow man from that faithful day in December when so many lost their
lives. The Chaplain on the USS Oklahoma Father
Aloysius H. Schmitt was also tragically killed, but during the recovery after,
they found him and his chalice and Latin Prayer book.
Father
Schmitt unlike most individuals was alive and tried to escape. Father Schmitt demonstrated the love of God
for us by his willingness to when he could not escape from the ship, he out of
his love for his fellow man helped at a bare minimum 12 men to get to safety with
his blessing before succumbing to the watery grave. It is clear his faith in the love of God and
His Savior, Jesus Christ sustained him and is a beneficial and clear example for
each and every one us of faith active in love.
For the page in his prayer book from that faithful morning was a final
word through him to us today from Psalm 8:1.
David wrote, “O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name
in all the earth.” Hence why
today on this Father’s Day, when we celebrate Father’s who willingly sacrifice
themselves for their families, we
clearly declare, not only that God’s name is majestic, but with a firm faith
that “God is love, [and] we who abide in love, abide in Him.” AMEN.
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! Heavenly Father, we gather here at Emmanuel knowing
that today what we hold in our minds eye, are not just memories, but clear
pictures of Marilyn’s earthly life which now is completed with her entrance
into eternity. As we mourn her passing,
may Your Word, paint a vibrant picture for us reminding us of Who and what
inspired her creativeness and enable us to be comforted with the salve of the
Gospel. For it is clear that the love You
showered upon her and she shared with those whom she knew and loved, found its
ultimate demonstration for her by her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the Cross
of Calvary. May the picture and
fulfillment of His love surround us today and enable us to be comforted with
the true knowledge that Marilyn was baptized into Jesus Christ life, death and
resurrection and now rests in her Lord and Savior’s arms, welcomed into her
eternal heavenly home, by her beloved Stan as they dance to the music of heaven
surrounded by God’s love. AMEN.
All of us have heard the saying
that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’.
When I was discerning the Call to Emmanuel Lutheran almost 7 years ago I
received in the packet about the church about 60 pictures. It included some of the most recent candid
pictures of the members of Emmanuel. As
I looked through the stack, one particular picture struck me. Not only was it a picture of a couple sitting
in the last pew at the back of the church, like all good Lutheran’s do, but the
picture was of an older couple, the husband was big, bald and built like a
linebacker and the wife was petite, prim and proper and had stunning silver
hair just like my mother. As I turned
the picture over, I learned their names, but did not realize then the impact
they would have upon my life, my family and ministry while here in Goodland.
The picture was of none other than
Stan and Marilyn. My first personal impression
when I met both of them was of a loving couple that would do anything for
anyone. Their love not only for each
other, but their four kids, Cindy, Sharon, Monte and Marla and their grandkids
and great-grandkids knew no bounds and the pride they felt when talking about
each and every one of them. If there was
an event occurring across the state or across the country, they were there,
come ‘heck or high water’, their attitude was clear, “Get it done” and ‘be
there or be square’. And this
willingness to travel even since I came to Goodland, showed their love, commitment
and desire to put family first even if it meant a long drive.
Clearly their personal drive was
demonstrated by Stan’s always working, whether at the Elk’s, implement
dealership or farming, yet behind every man is a great woman who is truly the
glue, but behind the scenes. Marilyn was
the glue and demonstrated her commitment to her family in many ways. In the home by being the homemaker who could
bake, cook, clean and ran her house with military precision and meticulous
detail, even down to having a special puma stone that travelled when necessary. Or on Saturday night while Stan was working
down at the Elk’s, Marilyn with her girls would watch Green Acres, My Three
Sons and of course The Lawrence Welk Show and dance around with them after
their hair was made ready for church on Sunday.
Marilyn was even willing to like a
mother hen, nurture not only her own brood of son and daughters, but even the
neighborhood children, feeding them if they were hungry, making delicacies like
sugar cookies with individual names for special occasions and even by her willingness
to be the ‘Blue Bird’ and Campfire Girl leader.
For some being a leader would have been a daunting task, but Marilyn embraced
it with her Texas tenacity and can do attitude and enjoyed these times and made
the events and the programs special, from handmade and hand sewn items expressing
her creativeness given to her by God and her willingness to make the parties
fun, from the party favors, the food, games and even with the skits that were
the envy of all the other groups.
Everybody wanted Marilyn as their leader, because she was fun, from
playing cards, to laughing to planning and executing the best ‘themed parties’.
Recently one of the young ladies
she impacted brought back her campfire vest and shared with Marilyn and her
family the lasting impact Marilyn had upon herself as well as many other young
ladies. Once her daughters had ‘flown
the nest’ and successfully become independent like her son had become in his
own right, even in the face of adversity, Marilyn continued to impact others in
the community in the courts and even the girls at the Tech College and especially
with her longtime love and dance partner Stan.
And this is the woman I first met when I arrived in Goodland who had
many creative friends right here in church who at the time were her kindred and
creative spirits that walked with her on the journey of life.
Marilyn sadly though in April
2011, in my first year here, sadly suffered the most traumatic event when she
and Stan were vacationing in Texas. Marilyn
fell and it was uncertain what the future would hold. As a Pastor, I was helpless, because I
couldn’t travel to minister to them as I wanted, but when they arrived back
here in town, and Marilyn was in the hospital, not only had their world
changed, but the next six years brought many mountain top experiences like
their 60th anniversary and sadly even some unexpected twists and
turns, but the bright tenacious, prim and proper image of Marilyn shined
through.
Yet through all of it, there has
been a thread that has been the cornerstone in Marilyn’s life, from New
Braunfels, Texas to a chance date to a young strapping Airman in San Antonio, and
ultimately moving here to Goodland, KS 64 years ago. And this thread the relationship Marilyn had
with God, epitomized in none other than the greatest Psalm that David wrote and
that we heard only a few minutes ago.
The 23rd Psalm perfectly encapsulates the journey of her
lifetime, but especially the last few years.
Stan, Marilyn and all of the family walked through the “valley
of the shadow of death”, but God’s promise that “the Lord is my shepherd”
was daily fulfilled giving unto Stan and Marilyn the opportunity to live and
love one another and their family and continue to demonstrate their love not
only for each other, their kids, grandkids and even great grandkids as the
couple that continued to be fiercely independent and the clear desire to live
life on their terms being independent and creatively staying in their own home.
But, things had changed. The image of Marilyn who was creative, meticulous
and imaginative like the image reflected in the mirror recently was not easily
seen because of the fog, like on the mirror from a hot shower. Marilyn the woman we knew and loved was still
there, but as a result of her fall and other factors, was not as clearly seen nor
experienced the same every day. But
through these times, God’s Word still rang true, God as David wrote, insured
that He would “prepare a table before” Marilyn, God “anointest [my] Marilyn’s head
with oil” and God insured that Marilyn’s “cup runneth over”. For this is what Marilyn learned growing up
in Texas, shared with her family every time they would take the long night time
ride in the cool of the night before air conditioning. And when they would arrive at “The Hill” as
you can see on the front of your bulletin, Marilyn’s Mom would be standing underneath
the arch at the gate with open arms, ready to welcome, love and embrace in true
Texas fashion and style her Kansas family.
This picture is exactly what God
wants us to firmly and faithfully hold onto and remember this morning. You see, last week, we experienced the
Marilyn we all knew and loved so much.
God gave us one last gift of grace, mercy and especially His love when Marilyn
woke up and was laughing, sharing stories and enjoying her grand and
great-grandkids. One last time, our
Yellow Rose of Texas shined through. But
on Saturday evening, Marilyn entered the gates of heaven and was welcomed with
open arms by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
God clearly welcomed Marilyn and now has given her an eternal rest from
the labors of not only her hands, but this world. David completes his picture for us and we can
take great comfort in this truth, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Today we gather here as the family
of God celebrating the truth that this woman who loved sweet deserts at every
meal, who had a strong sense of right and wrong and a lover of games and a
loving mother to everyone. Our “Yellow
Rose of Texas”, Marilyn, now rests from the labors of her hands, not because of
her work, but because of the grace and love of Jesus Christ for her
demonstrated on the Cross of Calvary by Jesus Christ and which she was baptized
into. For clearly today, the path that
has led us to this place has not been without tragedy, turmoil or tumult. But God has fulfilled His promise and now
fulfills in our sight and with our celebration the entrance of Marilyn into eternity. She is not alone, she was welcomed by her
parents, Alvin and Katie, embraced by her grandson Jarett, but is now reunited
with her Saturday night dance partner Stan, ready to cut the rug, in a place better
than the Crystal Chandelier.
May this image given to us by
David, and fulfilled by God, not only dance in our mind, but firmly cement the
truth that God, Marilyn’s Good Shepherd, now holds her dearly and today, no
longer encumbered by the inability to dance can with her beloved Stan, Jarett
and all of the rest look down upon us.
And may this image be the reminder, not of loss, but of love found in
what her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ fulfilled on the Cross of Calvary that
finds its fulfillment as she now dances in heaven not only to the music of
Lawrence Welk, but the angels singing the praise of her Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. For now and for all eternity she
will be surrounded by the choir of angels and embraced by Jarett, reunited
with Stan and gathered together for the greatest feast and party put on by her
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Now may the peace of God which
surpasses all human understanding comfort us today as we celebrate Marilyn’s entrance
into the party that knows no end with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! AMEN.
Humankind
has been looking to the skies and viewing the heavenly bodies of the sun, moon
and stars since man was created. From
solar eclipses like the one that will come on August 21, 2017, to the biblical
account of the sun standing still in the sky for Joshua. Only in the last 200 years has our
understanding of the micro and macro universe grown and allowed us to
understand that the universe that surrounds us is greater than what we can see
with the naked eye. Even today scientists
continue delving into the mysteries of the micro and macro universe, here on
earth, in the Space Station and even via telescopes whether ground based or
even in the heavens like the Hubble or other probes that visit planets inside
and now outside our known universe. What
we tend to forget is not only is our universe unfathomable, but also a clear biblical
truth revealed to us about God and our understanding Him.
In
1st John 4, John the ‘elder’ and evangelist wrote, “If
anyone says, “I love God.” And hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does
not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen”. Truly even John with foresight given by God understood
the challenges of our technological world that we face not only of being able
to believe in something we cannot see, but also how we can love one another, and
trust not only each another, but even of God.
Yet for us today, we still struggle with the simple age old question of
the existence of God and having a tangible truth and proof of His existence.
There
is the story told of a philosophy teacher who while teaching his students questions
God’s existence. Ultimately it fell to a
Marine to not only stand and defend the teacher’s right to question if God
existed, but also for the Marine to respond that God is to busy and God sent
him to prove that God existed.
Yet, Paul from our reading this
morning, not only answers our age old dilemma of God’s existence, but tells us
exactly what we Christians are to do in both the worst and best of times. Paul says, “God’s ways are unfathomable, but
to Him be the Glory forever. AMEN!” Paul the father of most of the New Testament
gives us what should be our response and points us in a direction that humanity
is at times not comfortable to go or even believe. Simply God is infinite and even beyond our
understanding.
We as humans are created finite in
our existence. We are born on a certain
date and we will die on a certain date.
God, our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier is different from us. God will never die, but God the Father willingly
out of His love for us as we heard in the Gospel this morning that we all know
and can probably quote, sent His Son to take on our humanity in order that we
will no longer be limited by our finite. For God demonstrating His love for us by
sending His Son, Jesus Christ and is graciously giving us the infinite when we
in faith believe in the unfathomable vastness of God and the gift of eternal
life given to us through His Son Jesus Christ.
With our baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection, we no
longer are limited by our earthly vessels, but we are set free. As Pixar’s Buzz Lightyear would say, we are
set free “To infinity and beyond” and we will not be limited in our death when
we enter the veil of heaven. And this is
the gift we receive from God through His Son, Jesus Christ out of God’s great
love for us.
And today on this Trinity Sunday, we
celebrate this gift of grace, mercy and love, as we do every year with our use
of the Athanasian Creed. As the third
Creed of Christendom, we not only Confess and connect together in our
Confession, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but we truly claim and acclaim that “God’s
ways are unfathomable, but [continue to declare] to Him be the Glory
forever. AMEN!” Though we only use this Creed once a year,
our remembering it as one of our Confessions of Faith, our use of it today is the
exclamation point that this Creed makes.
With our Confessing our Faith in God, we make it very clear that God
clearly receives from us not only our adoration, but we give “to Him”
“the
Glory forever”! This is why we
seek to give God Glory in how we live our lives, how we love one another and
even how we are called by God’s Word to ‘put the best construction’ on all
things in our daily lives no matter what people may do, even those who claim they
are Christian, but clearly don’t show their love for their brothers or sisters
in Christ.
For in our as Christians loving God
and one another we show our adoration of the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, but also clearly express our belief that God has our best interests in
mind no matter our own personal circumstances or the headlines in our world. We clearly not only invoke today, but lay
claim to the blessings of God of eternal life from Father, Son and Holy Spirit in
the Athanasian Creed. And today with our
confession we firmly, faithfully and fully confess and believe the
following. That “God’s ways are unfathomable, but [we
can lovingly give] to Him [our adoration as His baptized children so we can
firmly believe and give to Him] the Glory forever. AMEN!”
June
4, 2017
“They were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4)” Audio
Today
we gather like the disciples did after Jesus had been crucified, like they did
after His Resurrection that we celebrate with Easter, but today, only 10 days
ago the Church celebrated Jesus Ascension into heaven. Notice the Christ Candle, no longer resides
on the floor representing Jesus Christ birth.
It no longer resides beside the font where we bring our children to
receive the Grace, Mercy and Love of God in the Rite of Holy Baptism. Now the Christ Candle is at from our
perspective the ‘Right Hand’ of God.
The
journey has been clear, well documented, well remembered, Jesus destination is
now fulfilled, His destination and job is complete and Jesus Christ is secure
in Heaven, but Jesus promise for the disciples in the year of His crucifixion
and resurrection, is incomplete. The
next step for the disciples is recorded, not in the Gospel, but in Acts, the
book that relays to us the development of the New Testament Church.
What
happens to the disciples? Simply, “They were filled with the Holy Spirit”. The promise Jesus made to them long before
that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to them. This Spirit, the Spirit of Truth would
inhabit them, infuse into their very heart and souls and involve them in the
mission to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is the same Gospel we know and hear about when we gather here for
worship. It is the Gospel the disciples
had witnessed of the salvation offered to them, by Jesus Christ on the Cross of
Calvary.
Today
we celebrate the Festival of Pentecost. Pentecost
is the Celebration of the Giving of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the
Holy Spirit, not only to the disciples to inspire them to action, but it is the
same Holy Spirit given unto each and every one of us in our Holy Baptism. When “They
were filled with the Holy Spirit” the disciples lives were forever changed,
not only had they left everything to follow Jesus Christ, they now understood
with the gift of the Holy Spirit given unto each of them, they would be willing
to die in order that the message of the Gospel of Salvation would be given to
all of mankind through them and ultimately to each and every one of us gathered
here this morning.
Since
“They were filled with the Holy Spirit”
the disciples understood their role as followers of Jesus now changed from
one’s who received directly from Jesus Christ, to now not only active participants,
but devoted leaders in the New Testament Church. And their following would come at a cost. The cost would not be simply of time, travel
or training. The training was over, the
Gift of the Holy Spirit given unto them on the first Pentecost would change
their desire from staying their comfort zone to travelling to distant lands and
the gift of the Holy Spirit would change their perspective of time. Ultimately the gift “They were filled with [of] the Holy Spirit” would and did cost them
their lives.
You
see we remember on Pentecost what the cost is not only by reading the lessons,
but especially with the color of the paraments that adorn the pulpit, lectern,
the altar and even the stole I wear. The
red paraments signify the willingness of followers of Jesus Christ to die in
order for the message of salvation to be proclaimed. The best current example we have is the
willingness of Christians to die at the hands of ISIS as martyrs for the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.
Those
who lose their lives and die a martyrs death truly it could be said, “They
were filled with the Holy Spirit”!
Their willingness to die in order to spread the message of the Gospel,
not only connect their baptism with their lives, but are intimately connected
to and channel clearly how the disciples and “They were filled with the Holy
Spirit”!
What
can we take away from this? We hopefully
will not have the same opportunity like the disciples or Paul or even the
martyrs of today in Egypt or any of the Islamic states to have to choose death
rather than disown our faith. What we
can do though is pray for Christians throughout our world, those persecuted in
distant lands, but also locally even in our own country and community. For this can be our prayer that God not only
would ‘come again’, but that until that time, we can ask to be just like the
disciples and for the same gift they were given, since “They were filled with the Holy
Spirit”! AMEN.
In
the last two weeks I have been doing extensive personal study of the Book of
Concord, which we affirm not only in our Constitution of Emmanuel, but also
which I pledged myself to uphold in my ordination vows. Clearly, Martin Luther and all of the Reformers
of his time were clearly encountering a culture that wanted to ‘thwart’ the
true intent of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he stood his ground against those
who wanted to hide their true intent of making the Gospel and its mandates
disappear.
What
has been very clear from my study is that Martin Luther emphatically would have
endorsed what we hear from James this morning.
Last week we heard that we have received the Word of God implanted in
each and every one of us and the Word of God will save our souls. Today’s reading builds upon this. As James says, “We are to be effectual doers of the Word so we can be blessed by God”!
Just
as a child looks up to their parents and wants and desires to hear words of
affirmation, praise and blessing with everything they do, we as God’s children
desire this as well. God wants to bless
us and give us gifts that are beyond our wildest imaginations. God’s love for us and necessarily His blessing
is meant to give us not always what we want, but what we need.
Consider
the circumstance and weather we have received here in Kansas, Colorado,
Nebraska and Oklahoma in the last three months.
From the fires that destroyed many farms and entire cattle herds and
included the loss of life here in Kansas.
The snows that brought moisture that was much needed, but also has
caused for some the winter wheat crop to be destroyed and many cows to be lost
due to the extreme of the weather during the most delicate time of calving
season. To the extremes of the seasons both
of snow and rain in the last few days and we are only a little more than half
way through the month of May. We want
and need the moisture, but if we only look at the loss, we lose sight of what
the true blessing is from God, His walking with us through these times even when
we face loss.
You
see, God’s love of us does not change.
God’s desire to bless us does not change. God does not cause calamity, destruction or
doubt to fall upon us. This is the wheel
house of the devil and this is why we need to understand and believe that God
does want to bless us each and every day of our lives. God’s greatest desire out of His love for us
isn’t for the earthly things of this world, for they will pass away. God’s desire is for a greater purpose, an
eternal purpose that James points to when he says, “We are to be effectual doers of the Word so we can be blessed by God”.
How
can this come to fruition? Simply to
work in God’s Kingdom and willingly work in order that God’s Glory and love can
be revealed for each and every one of us.
A stellar example of this is the Apostle Paul. It is clear, Saul as he was originally named,
was clearly against Christians as a good Jew, but after his personal revelation
and experience with Jesus Christ on the road to Emmaus, Paul became the most prolific,
tireless and effectual doer of the Word of God that has been recorded,
remembered and revered in all of Holy Scripture.
Some
would say, how can we claim Paul was blessed by God, since he was imprisoned,
beaten and ultimately killed. But what
we do not realize is Paul, looked past his own current circumstance, his own
thorn in the flesh that he carried with him daily and looked with eternal eyes
to how God had blessed him and would bless him in eternity. This is why Paul was willing to take up the
Cross of Christ and die in order to be a ‘doer of the Word’ and ultimately be
‘Blessed by God’!
This
is our opportunity daily as well. Paul
and James inspire us to look with eternal eyes.
Look how we can work here on earth not only learning about the Word of
God, but also and especially how we can be doers of the Word and fulfill our
mission as Christians to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, fed by not only the
Word of God, strengthened by the Sacrament of Holy Communion which we receive
today, but also called by God to as James implores us with these words. “We
are to be effectual doers of the Word so we can be blessed by God”! AMEN!
If
you would look at all of human history to determine a thread that remains the
same, the one thing that consistently remains is the oral word. Whether told around the campfire, the hearth,
to entertain or keep warm or a park bench to pass the time, the kitchen table
with a meal or even today when families get together and remember the history
that has formed and shaped generations, the oral word is how we communicate. Recently the movie “Beauty and the Beast”
showed that at one time, only the rich or highly educated were able to own
books, but today with our phones, tablets, computers and the internet, everyone
is capable of reading on the go, in planes, trains or automobiles. Yet, when the first printing press was
invented, the world began to change. The
word that had been spoken and which we pass down even today shows not only
great value, but also the potential to either alienate or engage, and also the
opportunity to enrich or definitely enjoy.
This
morning here at Emmanuel, we have heard from a book of the bible that Martin
Luther was not the biggest cheerleader of, whether the doctrine or the
message. But Luther still believed it
should be a part of Holy Scripture. The
most iconic quote from the book of James is “Faith without works is dead” from
James 2:26. But James also has a meaning
and purpose that in our reading this morning reveals not only the power of the
Word of God, but its clear application for us today.
Last
week we not only watched and participated in the next faith step of Olivia as
she made public profession of her faith, the faith in which we baptize. We acknowledged and confessed alongside her
our firm conviction that the Word of God is not only powerful, but life
changing. James states and reaffirms this
truth clearly when he wrote, “Receive
the Word implanted in you which is able to save your souls”.
What
we receive in the Word of God is the most precious, powerful and profound thing
known in our universe. When we receive
the Word of God, we not only receive the book we know as the Holy Bible, we
receive the Word made Flesh and Who dwelt among us, none other than Jesus
Christ. Our culture would like to claim
Jesus as only a myth or as a prophet, but we receive more than a myth and more
than a prophet, we receive from the lectern, the pulpit and especially when we
read in our own homes the Word of God, we receive Jesus Christ, the Word. And when we bring children for Holy Baptism,
we confess and believe in His power. For
in our Baptism as James said it clearly, we “Receive the Word implanted in you which is able to save your souls”. This is not only the capability of the Word
of God, but the power that changes our individual and collective reality and
promises us eternal life out of God’s love for each and every one of us. And it begins with the oral word that we
hear, heed and if we dare to change it or its meaning or application will
deeply affect us and how we are seen and received and even our eternal
destination.
Today
we gather, as a church family honoring the Word of God, Jesus Christ, but we
also honor and remember how one individual impacts each of our lives, this
person is our Mothers. Mother’s come in
all shapes and sizes, have and provide us different ways of showing love and clearly
have differing skills, but what does not change is that one woman whether by
blood or by adoption, by circumstance or comfort, by impact or inspiration
added value to our lives by the word they spoke to each and every one of us.
In
1994, the now iconic movie, “Forrest Gump” changed our cultural understanding
of so many different ideals. It wasn’t
the typical ‘feel good’ movie, because it touched on issues like determination,
bullying, war, relationships and even the most profound, love. From the beginning of the movie sitting on a
park bench, Forrest tells the story of his life. One of the most tender moments in the movie
comes, when Forrest is given the greatest and most profound wisdom by his
Mother on her death bed. She says, “Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest, you
never know what you will get” and she continued, “I was destined to be your momma…and I did the best I could”. And her parting words reach out to us today
and resonate with what we have heard from James. “You
have to do the best with what God gave you”.
What
we need to take away from this iconic movie, this passage from James as the
message from God for us today is simply this.
God did not only the best He could, He, through His Son Jesus Christ
fulfilled for each and every one of us what we could not. Jesus Christ out of His love for us gives us
the gift of eternal life. And God in His
infinite wisdom places people like our mothers and those who are like mothers
in our lives to implant in us the Word of God.
For in our receiving the Word of God we receive the greatest gift known
to mankind, Jesus Christ. And in our
receiving Jesus Christ we receive not just an abundant life in Him, but we
receive eternal life in His Kingdom for all eternity out of His great love for
each and every one of us. May we daily
remember our Mothers as God’s gift to us and understand and be able to repeat
the truth, promise and testimony of Jesus Christ found of James that says, “Receive the Word implanted in you which is
able to save your souls”. AMEN.
If
you were to study Taoist/Daoist philosophy there is the ying and the yang
represented by a “Black and White” symbol.
There is equality and there is ‘balance’ according to not only the
symbols, but also the belief structure.
Accordingly there is no grey area, yet, for some in our current culture,
they do not believe there is grey, nor do they want to see, nor engage in this
grey area. Sadly, this temperament of
‘no grey’ does not allow any flexibility, whether in decisions, life, or especially
in relationships.
For
Christians, it is agreed, God’s laws are clear, given in the 10
Commandments. But, what some Christians
refuse to believe and understand is that God’s Grace, God’s Mercy, God’s Love and
God’s Gospel are in the ‘grey area’ and God can and does overcome even the ‘black
and white’ of the 10 Commandments.
Because only the ‘creator’ can rule over that which they created. If we Christians are rigid and put the 10
Commandments on the pedestal, we will fall and we will fail. For we have failed and this is a result of
Adam and Eve biting the forbidden fruit.
We had and have no control over this, but we have to deal with this
reality daily and God knows this clearly.
For the rigidity of the law we live with will always be the pitfall for
each of us and it is even more difficult for God’s Glory to be revealed for all
of mankind.
However,
this morning Peter in his epistle clearly states, “Do what is right and suffer for it…this finds favor with God”. Peter is looking clearly not at the law, but at
the past and to the future. In the past,
Peter looks directly at and through the grace that God lovingly and freely
provides specifically in what Jesus Christ did on the Cross of Calvary for all
of mankind. For Jesus Christ overcomes
not only the white and the black of the ying and the yang, Jesus Christ
overcomes the grey of our world with the truth that what He has done and was
willing to die for us on the Cross and His sacrifice found great favor with
God. Jesus Christ willingness to suffer
and die for all of mankind looks not with earthly eyes, but with eternal eyes.
This
is the future Peter looks with and to, the eternity that Jesus Christ out of
His love for us was willing to suffer to bring us to, looks not with the
glasses of the here and now, the latest toys or the latest gadgets. Not with desire for control, nor
manipulation, but only with the forgiveness that only Jesus Christ can and does
freely offer. It is a forgiveness that
doesn’t hide come from compulsion, but true change in each and every one of our
lives. It is a change that looks with
God’s greatest honor and glory in mind.
This is why we bring children, like Lakyn a few weeks ago, for the
Sacrament of Holy Baptism. In order that
God’s Glory will be revealed and we might understand that God’s grace is forward
looking and offered to each of us through our baptism into Jesus Christ life,
death, but especially His resurrection.
For in our Baptism, God lovingly picks us up as the broken creatures we
are and takes us into His loving arms in order for each and every one of us to
receive the greatest gift of love we could receive, eternal life.
These
40 days between our celebrating Jesus resurrection and Jesus Christ Ascension
into heaven are an opportunity for us to point to Jesus Christ and His
willingness to suffer and His finding favor with God. For Jesus Christ willingness to go to the
Cross of Calvary and suffer for us, sets each and every one of us free through
our Baptism and today we not only celebrate what Jesus Christ did, but how now today
we celebrate with the graduates, Simon Bassett, Adison Avelar, Kasey Stramel,
Kate Zelfer and Kanami Sojima, but also here in a few minutes, Olivia Bassett will
shoulder for herself the responsibility of her faith and her future growth in
Jesus Christ in her own life.
Today,
Olivia with her confirmation will shoulder the mantle of accountability and responsibility,
not as a child, but as an adult in the eyes of the church. Olivia has ‘done what is right’ learning from the Small Catechism, the 10
Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed and how the Bible connects
clearly with our Confessional teachings.
This is how we as a church have fulfilled our promise made at her
baptism, just as we did for Lakyn a few weeks ago. Yet it is not just the promises we make, but
it is also how we will and should now treat Olivia and each of our Brothers and
Sisters in Christ as equals in the Body of Christ. If we treat her or others as children or discount
her or others individuality, this is not the Christian witness Jesus Christ
died for on the Cross of Calvary. If we
want to ‘find favor with God’ not only should we point to Jesus Christ,
we are called to treat each other as if they were Jesus Christ.
The
best witness of this I have seen and experienced was last year when we, Olivia
and the other confirmation kids went up to Sky Ranch for Confirmation
Camp. It was an experience that had as
its core the desire to spiritually enrich Olivia and each of us who went ‘up
the mountain’. Olivia enjoyed living in
community, whether eating brownies with her counselors and cabin mates,
enjoying the beauty of the wilderness created by God on day hikes, but also in
worshiping God in the meadow, where we encountered and were embraced by our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was
during these times, whether in the meadow, on the mountain or in community with
one another that God was present and during which a simple, but profound
question was consistently asked. “What
will you do once you are ‘down the mountain’?”
We were asked this question, not for the leaders to provide a ‘pat
answer’, but in order to encourage Olivia and others to change our collective
perspective and remind each of us who personally encountered Jesus Christ of
His willingness to bear our sins on the Cross of Calvary and heal us.
Truly
the offer of grace we are baptized into and now Olivia will shoulder of the
responsibility for her faith and life, isn’t based upon her abilities nor
strength. The grace we receive solely
comes from Jesus Christ offer of forgiveness for mankind, but especially for
each and every one of us gathered here embracing Him and the opportunity and
ability to trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and His offer of grace
for each of us. For in, through and by
the Water and Word of Holy Baptism and now today with Olivia’s Confirmation we
remember and realize that we are grafted into the tree of life Jesus
Christ. And this offer of grace is
freely given, because of God’s love for each of us. For as we gather today God sees us through
the lens of Jesus Christ each and every one of us and we who gather to
celebrate Olivia’s Confirmation, find favor in the sight of God because of
Jesus Christ and His love for each and every one of us. AMEN.
Today was supposed to be Confirmation Sunday, but due to the weather we experienced, this prevented us from having Confirmation.
Therefore, I pinch hit with the sermon and used a Shepherd's Crook since it was Good Shepherd Sunday!!
Here is the Gospel lesson that the sermon was based upon!
John 10:11-16
11 “I
am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the
sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd,
who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep
and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13He
flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the
sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My
own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the
Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I
have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and
they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one
shepherd.
What
joy to behold as last Sunday we heard and proclaimed the triumphant
proclamation, “He is Risen! He is Risen
Indeed! Alleluia!” Here at Emmanuel we had 171 people joining us
in our proclamation of the Easter message.
Many people near and far have personally commented to me about how great
that was for our church. After church
the kids engaged in the annual, joyful and energetic Easter Egg Tradition, with
the joyful squeals of the children and the adults reconnecting with one another
and sharing and making memories with one another. All of this comes simply because one Man was
willing to die in order that we might live and have eternal life. This is the fulfilled promise of God that we
have heard clearly from Holy Scripture.
This truth we can hold dearly simply because, “We can believe in God's testimony!”
Holy
Scripture, the Bible, we here at Emmanuel give to our children as part of our promise
and responsibility when they are baptized.
Holy Scripture we as individuals affirm at our Confirmation and we as a
congregation reaffirmed our belief in the Promise of the Gospel at my
ordination. And we Emmanuel Lutheran read
and hear from Holy Scripture and the Gospel weekly in worship. Holy Scripture points us to the simple fact
that “We can believe in God's testimony!” For God is not a liar and God does not mislead
us, for God’s testimony is true, because God’s testimony in Holy Scripture points
to God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ and His Sacrifice on Golgotha is the centrality of the
Gospel message and is the one event looked for from the Garden of Eden and that
we look back to even today.
With
our pointing to Jesus Christ, His life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ
clearly not only sacrificed Himself, but we remember yearly, monthly, weekly
and should daily think upon and thank God for His Son’s payment on the Cross of
Calvary for the sin of all of mankind. This
is why ‘God’s testimony’ not only is central, but treasured, solely, because it
is with an eternal perspective in mind.
Our being with God for all eternity.
And we are promised our entrance into eternity, simply because of Jesus
Christ willingness to go to the Cross of Calvary and die so we can live
eternally. And this reality becomes ours
because “We can believe in God's
testimony!”
In
and of ourselves we are incapable of belief in the promises of God, but by
grace and through the work of the Holy Spirit as Martin Luther reminds us in
the Explanation of the Third Article, God ‘calls, gathers, enlightens,
sanctifies and keeps us in the one true faith’.
This work that the Holy Spirit does for us is a direct result of the
grace that God offers us freely and without our own merit from Jesus going to
the Cross for us. These reminders for us
are in order that we can as one of our themes from Pre-School VBS a few years
ago reminds us, we can ‘Fully Rely On God’!
And “We can believe in God's
testimony!”
In
the latest installment of the Marvel movies of the Avengers arc, “Captain
America: Civil War” Steve Rogers, Captain America is reminded clearly what
truth really means and what and why he was willing as a young man during World
War II to fight for his country and his God.
At the funeral of Peggy Carter, his first love of his life, Peggy’s
niece reminisced with the following advice she was given from her aunt. “Compromise
where you can. Where you can't, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you that
something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to
move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and
say, 'No. You move.”
We
to as children of our heavenly Father through our Baptism into Jesus Christ,
life, death, but especially His resurrection are similarly called to plant
ourselves ‘like a tree’. For just as the
tree on Calvary was planted and Jesus refused to be removed, but was willing to
die to set us free. We to are called, to
be planted like a tree and refuse to allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His
Grace to be soiled because of self-interest and self-serving goals. This is why Jesus Christ died for truth to
set us free from bondage.
Since
“We can believe in God's testimony”
as truth and God is faithful, we are empowered to stand and be faithful to what
God’s testimony is and has been from Creation to today. We look back to the truth of Jesus
willingness to die on the Cross of Calvary and we are emboldened to be the
Church and stand up and testify of God’s faithfulness on the Cross and His
death to set mankind free from sin, death and especially the devil. These are the promises of God for us and
clearly, firmly and faithfully we, Emmanuel Lutheran Church are called as the
Body of Christ, gathered as a community of faith and enabled to be the Church
of Jesus Christ, by the grace of God so “We
can believe in God's testimony!”
AMEN.
