01082017 Epiphany Observed - We are called to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ!

JANUARY 8, 2017
We are called to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ!

One of the best and most enduring traditions that we have here at Emmanuel is our placing the Nativity out on our South lawn.  We like the Catholics across the street every year show the importance for our community of our celebration of the Nativity of the Savior of the World.  I remember one year the dedication that was shown by one of the men of the church in order to insure the placement of the Nativity he spent 20-30 minutes with the snow blower making a place for our nativity to rest.

So important is our tradition and this ministry that it boils down to a simple reason.  We not only acknowledge the gifts given to give God the greatest glory from our past we do this by pointing to the riches found in Jesus Christ in the manger.  Today as we celebrate Epiphany we point and step to another stepping stone in the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child.  We have heard about Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, the Angels proclaiming the birth of Jesus Christ, the shepherds being inspired to go to see the child wrapped in swaddling cloths and today we come with the three Wise Men who bring gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.  Each gift denoting one of the offices of Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest and King.

Yet, what is found in these gifts by the Wise Men are not monetary riches or value in the gifts placed at the foot of the manger, but the ‘unfathomable riches’ found in the manger of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  For Jesus Christ is the greatest gift given not only unto Mary and Joseph, but unto the entire world.  Just as we build and yearly rebuild a manger scene, insure it remains erect even in spite of the wind of Western Kansas.  The gift of Jesus Christ found wrapped in swaddling cloths is meant to be shared with our world.

Jesus Christ sole purpose was to come into this world in order to save each and every one of us and take us home to be with Him in His Kingdom.  Jesus Christ offer of life and salvation, eternal life is in order that we might enter into eternal glory and be with Him for all eternity.  Jesus Christ wants His gift for us and the message of salvation that was foretold in sacred story to be told not only by the shepherds, the people in Israel, but by all of us who claim to be Christian.

After the business of this holiday season, Michele, Sarah and I spent our ‘vacation’ close to home.  During this time we introduced Sarah to the “Star Wars” movies, not just the latest, “Rogue One” in the theater, but even the original trilogy, then the prequels and finally the latest episode.  In the first movie that began the series of movies nearly 40 years ago, entitled, “Star Wars: A New Hope” the character, Luke Skywalker, learned that in of himself, trusting in technology he would fail in trying to destroy the Death Star.  But when Luke trusted in the Force he would succeed.

Translating this message for us today, just like the wise men, they knew what the prophecies were, but the treasures they carried, their journey if focused upon themselves would ultimately fail.  But if they trusted in Who they found in the manger, their journey and experience would be successful.  We who gather here today need to apply these lessons both from Star Wars and the Wise Men who followed a star to ourselves.

For Who we find in the manger is none other than the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ.  His riches are endless and the gifts He can give us are limitless.  When we trust and are willing to tell others, or preach and proclaim what we find in the manger, and the gifts He offers all of mankind, our reward, our eternal reward will be beyond our wildest imagination.

You see the message of the wise men and our celebration of Epiphany is not static or for the here and now, but it is forward looking to what is to come.  How out of God’s great love for us our world would be radically changed and out of God’s love manifest in His Son, Jesus Christ, the world would be offered eternal life found in the manger, by the Three Wise Men and we who gather to celebrate today.  The message of Jesus Christ is what we are called to share in season and out of season.  This is the message we are called to bring others to the saving knowledge of the Savior of the world.  This is the true message the Three Wise Men found in the manger of a Savior Who came to offer Himself in order that we might have eternal life.  For Jesus Christ is the ‘richest treasure’ found in the manger.

And we who gather here today not only find the treasure, but we are inspired, dare I say, “We are called to preach the unfathomable riches of Christ!”  For in our preaching the ‘riches of Christ’, we not only give nod to the gift found in the manger, but lay claim to the love He showers upon each of us with each and every day of our lives.  May we today during this season of Epiphany be inspired to share this message of the Messiah that was found by the Three Wise Men.  And not only point to, but boldly fulfill our calling to tell others about Jesus Christ, since we are God’s children in, through and by our baptism into the Savior, we find in the manger that we celebrate today with the Three Wise Men.  AMEN.

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Speak Your Mind

01042015 Epiphany (Observed)

Gospel Audio 
Sermon Audio

New Years Resolutions

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

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we gather here this First Sunday of the Calendar New Year, all of us have either heard, made or are challenged with "New Years Resolutions".  Whether from the radio, Facebook or even our families traditions, new years resolutions seem to be the norm.  Our society makes many different and varied new years resolutions that include losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising more or regularly, making more money and spending time with our friends or on vacation in exotic locations.  But ironically the church has a different perspective on New Years resolutions.  It isn't about our physical appearance, our job or our location away from home or what we have in the gun safe, garage or the latest fad in technology or equipment.  New Years resolutions for the church should focus upon something that is far more important.

What about Emmanuel Lutheran Church?  What resolutions do and should we as a church have?  Some in our society would say, the church doesn’t need any resolutions for the new year. There are others who would say, finishing the window and wall foundation project that will help the church for years to come should be a priority.  Others would say, begin the kitchen remodel so we can serve Lenten Soup Suppers, Easter Breakfasts and especially meals for families that are mourning their loved one’s entrance into the Church Triumphant.   But if we look to today’s lesson for Epiphany there are two resolutions or takeaways we can apply in the here and now that are extremely clear and we need to be reminded why they are important for we who gather this morning.  

First, the church of Jesus Christ has the perspective that when we enter the new year, our resolution should be focused on the gift that the three wise men found in the manger, the gift found in the person Jesus Christ.  Last week in our Lessons and Carols service we sang of the Three Wise men who offered the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the baby Jesus, today we celebrate that event with the entire church on earth of the coming of these wise men.  The clear resolve of the three wise men, not only to find the promised Messiah by following the star, but their resolution to offer Him the three gifts they carried for weeks and months that clearly shows the importance of Who they found, even for we the people of Emmanuel.

The second resolution from both the season of the church year and our lesson is and becomes more personal for each of us, because it is from the perspective of Jesus Christ, the babe in the manger.  It is Jesus Christ resolution from the manger to grow up and go to Golgotha and die for each and every one of us.  For Jesus Christ resolution to offer us the free grace has an eternal goal and impact, our entrance into eternity to be with Him in His Kingdom.  Jesus resolution points to the greatest gift of grace and mercy that our world will ever see.  It is the experience from the manger to the Cross of Golgotha.  And Epiphany is just one more step and stepping stone in the plan of salvation of all of mankind that began with Jesus entrance in the manger in Bethlehem.

But there is a fact we need to understand about resolutions that we make at the beginning of the year, for even we who gather here today as the church, we may easily break our new years resolutions.  But the fact remains, the resolution made by Jesus Christ will never be broken.  Jesus resolution was to come and die in order that we might live.  As we celebrate the coming of the Three Wise Men today, may we remember Jesus gift for each of us as our eternal life saver for all of mankind, but especially each of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel as we celebrate Epiphany and the resolution Jesus comes to fulfill for each and every one of us.  AMEN.

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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.

Sermon 01132013 Epiphany 2 Baptism of Jesus

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!  Father, Son and Holy Spirit through the intimate connection of Water and Word, we have been baptized into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.  Though our baptism pales in comparison to Jesus by John in the Jordan that we celebrate today, the promise made was foretold in the story of the Exodus of the people of Israel.  By God’s divine protection they walked through the waters on dry land protected by the Ark of the Covenant, in essence Your presence.  By our baptism we are now covered by our covenant relationship through Jesus Christ and made new creatures enabled to love, honor and serve as Christ serves and saves all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

As a child growing up we would watch cartoons as entertainment and enjoyment.  Some of the cartoons that we would watch included “Road Runner”, “Bugs Bunny”, “Daffy Duck” and “Yogi Bear”.  As you know some of these cartoons have had resurgence with feature length movies or on television re-runs, but some because of the perception of violence have been changed or adapted to be ‘less violent’ or more family or culturally friendly.  Do you remember some of the cartoons that would either have the character ‘walk on air’ or ‘walk on water’?  For kids this is a magical mystery that it seemed only could occur on the big screen, television or in stories that would peak the curiosity and imagination of anyone listening.  Yet as we grew older we’d try these feats of screen legend ourselves and the reality would set in that this was only either a ‘Hollywood’ thing or it was the stuff of legend and was not possible.  Sometimes this was after broken bones or our feeling of being invincible and ‘walking on water’ or ‘flying off the roof’ like Superman or Spiderman.

Enter our Old Testament lesson this morning.  Joshua in writing how the Lord would fulfill His promise to give Canaan as an inheritance to Israel is telling of the crossing of the Israelite people across the Jordan River.  In a similar vein as the comics the story that Joshua tells is of a people who ‘walk on water’ or better and more aptly said, walk without their feet getting wet.  You see Joshua clearly is not telling something of legend or absent of reality, but truly telling the story of the people Israel and the promise that will be fulfilled by their God.

This promise Joshua is telling about is a connection for us from last week where we heard the promise of the Messiah and the coming of the three wise men.  In this mornings lesson we hear the covenant promise of God being with His people in the Ark of the Covenant.  For Old Testament people God made His presence known with His being and dwelling with the Ark.  Entrusted to the Levitical priests the Ark contained the stones that Moses brought from God that had inscribed on them the Ten Commandments or Laws from God.  The Levitical priests were the ones who carried the Ark during the entire 40 year journey in the wilderness.  They were the same group of men who set up the dwelling place of God, offered the sacrifices and were ceremonially clean and the representative of the people to God.  This line of priests extended from Moses time to Zechariah, who was the Father of John the Baptist as well as to Jesus Christ, the great High Priest.

With the divine promise of God’s presence with the people of Israel, Joshua tells what will occur when the Levitical priests feet touch the Jordan River.  Joshua says, “It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.”  In essence a miracle will occur of epic proportions.  Since usually at this time of year of harvest the banks were over flowing, God would stop the flow of water.  It would not be by word of a person, it would not be a sign from the sky, but simply by the soles of the feet of the priest touching the water, that this miracle would occur.

Clearly this is a miracle that isn’t of little consequence.  God during the Old Testament time was very active with His people.  With the miracle of walking across on dry land as fulfilled in the sight of the people and with the priests feet who carried the Ark of the Covenant God was sending a clear message for us today.  God not only fulfills His promise, He constantly looks out for us and keeps us safe on a daily basis.  This covenant promise we remember even today.

With our celebration today of Jesus Baptism this is a covenant God makes with each of us the day we were baptized.  When the Water intimately connected with the Word of God is poured over our heads this is a remembering of not only the water being stopped that we heard about from Joshua, but a connection with the flood waters of Noah, the promise of the rainbow and especially the covenant promise of the Messiah that we celebrated on Christmas and last week of the three wise men.  God clearly and consistently makes covenants with His people and with us today and we are not only recipients of the covenant, but partakers of the grace offered to and for us.  The grace is of what God gives to each and every one of us, not only His Son in the manger, but also His precious Body and Blood that we received last week, but also the covenant promise of life and salvation for all of mankind.

We clearly have received great promises from God and been recipients of the covenant promises that God made with His people.  May we not only remember the stories and promises of the Old Testament people, but understand through our Baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection, we have been given eternal life through the water of life that we remember in our baptismal covenant.  For God’s promises are clear, He came into this world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  This is the promise made for all of mankind and especially for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Sermon 01062013 Epiphany

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, today we celebrate the coming of the Wise Men.  With their entrance on the twelfth day of Christmas their gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to Mary and Joseph were the fulfillment of the prophecy of the gifts by the wise men to the Messiah through Isaiah.  May Jesus Christ Who comes in the flesh to and for each of us enable us to see not the gifts, but how Jesus Christ fulfilling the prophecy of the promises of God not only fulfills God’s Word, but especially the plan of salvation.  For God’s plan is clear to save us and Jesus birth begins the fulfillment of the plan of salvation for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Today is Epiphany, a Feast Day of the Church Year that celebrates the wise men visiting the Christ Child and the “First Family”.  Historically it is the culmination of the Christmas season and the celebration of the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world.  In some cultures this is a day where the children receive one last Christmas gift in their stockings.  Hence, the tradition of keeping up the Christmas tree and decorations, including stockings to receive that one last gift as if it were from the wise men coming from the East.  This is certainly unlike our current culture which removes every piece of tinsel the day after Christmas and fails to remember the real reason for the season and the complete fullness of the Holidays.

From our Old Testament lesson this morning, we hear clearly Isaiah prophesying of the coming of the long expected Messiah foretold of long ago.  Isaiah is clear, “Arise, shine; for your light has come”.  This world full of “darkness will cover the earth” and the sin that surrounds us daily from Adam and Eve through the journey into slavery in Egypt, being led by God’s chosen to freedom and now the prophecy of the Messiah is a new found freedom from bondage, and slavery of the heart soul and spirit even for us today.

It is clear from Isaiah that the prophecy of the Messiah is not the idle ramblings of a prophet that is out of touch with the world or out of touch with God.  For Isaiah says, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising”.  The world will see this ‘brightness’, they will ‘come’, they will in essence be changed by the ‘light’ that ‘has risen’.  This is the potential and abject reality of the coming Messiah.  This is the fulfillment of God’s promises through Isaiah the prophet to and for each of us today.

But why should promises of a prophet that lived 2700 years ago impact us today?  We just celebrated the New Year, we ended the Mayan Calendar, we avoided the Fiscal Cliff, why should the prophecy and promise of a Messiah born in the midst of darkness hold weight upon us?  Why should we here at Emmanuel in Goodland, KS have our lives altered or impacted by this prophet today on Epiphany 2013?

The reason is simple, but yet so profound.  This prophecy was not only written with only certain people in mind.  This prophecy from God was written for all people of all time and all place.  God in the wisdom beyond our knowledge and understanding through the prophet Isaiah is speaking to us today to remind us of the great mystery of the manifestation of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment we celebrated this past Christmas in the lowly manger and which today we remember with the coming of the three wise men.

Isaiah knows what our reaction should be, he says, “And your heart will thrill and rejoice”.  This is in reaction to the ‘light coming’, Jesus Christ being born in a manger and coming to begin the fulfillment of the plan of salvation.  Jesus Christ coming and laying in a manger because there was no room in the inn begins the road to Golgotha and His sacrifice on the Cross for you and for me.  For the promise being fulfilled in the birth of the Savior of the nations is clearly confirmed by the appearance of the three wise men and their gifts that Isaiah foretells.

For as Isaiah says, “They will bring gold and frankincense, and will bear good news of the praises of the Lord.”  Their gifts will enable Joseph and Mary to survive their pilgrimage to Egypt and return after the death of Herod, but more so the ‘good news’ that the wise men reveal fulfills yet again the prophecy of God through Isaiah for us today.  We not only receive the ‘good news of great joy’ we also celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s prophecy in the Old Testament and especially the promise of God revealed with Jesus birth in the manger and surrounded by the three wise men.  For God clearly fulfills this promise of Jesus Christ entrance into the world for all of mankind around the altar and table of our Lord this morning.  We receive Jesus Christ precious Body and Blood this morning for eternal life, the forgiveness of our sins, eternal life and salvation for all of mankind, but especially for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Epiphany morning.  AMEN.

Sermon 01062012 Epiphany

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, tonight heralds the end of the Christmas season where we celebrate the coming of the Three Wise Men.  May our hearts be overjoyed that again we have against the devil come again to hear Your Word preached and proclaimed in its purity.  For we know Your Word will not return without accomplishing Your purpose and Your purpose is the proclamation of the saving message of the Gospel for all mankind, especially we Your saints gathered here at Emmanuel, this Epiphany night.  AMEN.

On Epiphany 1532, Martin Luther preached a sermon with Matthew 2:1-12 as the text.  Hear a quote from that sermon:

“All the cunning of the devil is exercised in trying to tear us away from the Word.  If in the external preaching he does not succeed in making people unwilling to hear the Word, yet he succeeds in the heart by persuading them not to cling to it.”

Even nearly 500 years ago the symptom we face daily of not coming to hear the Word of God was persistent and pervasive.  Satan with the cunningness unmatched by any wielded the means and power to ‘tear us away from the Word’ and we here today in Goodland, KS this January 6, 2012 are no different.  Around every bend and every turn, we encounter the draws of our society, our life and our world to pull us away from the proclamation of God’s Word.

Yet, tonight we hear from sacred scripture about three men who enter Jerusalem and find the same disdain for sacred scripture and the prophecies of old.  The three wise men, learned men from the East in the natural sciences thought they would encounter a people who would know who the Savior of the World was and where He would be at.  Their question to Herod of “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” was met with such uncertainty since they were in the capital of Jews that the wise men probably wondered why nobody knew Who or Where the King was.  We know, He wasn’t born in a palace, His entrance into the World was not on satin sheets with hot running maids and a team of doctors.  But the Savior of the World came in a lowly manger because there was no room in the inn.

But tonight three men enter the story of salvation coming from a far to worship the “King of the Jews.”  They bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  They enter into salvations history to offer gifts, but take away the greatest gift of all, being in the presence of Jesus Christ, Savior of the World.  These three men of story and song come to worship the long foretold King.

Tonight we have that same opportunity to Worship the King.  In my office, I have a very small nativity set that I have had set up for most of Advent and Christmas.  One of the traditions that has been passed down for generations is how the Wise men always are on a journey from the beginning of Advent until Epiphany.  So tonight the wise men finally reach the place where the star stopped moving.  Tonight we come to worship the King, and like the wise men we bring our burdens we carry daily, they are not Gold, Frankincense or myrrh, but we like the wise men depart having heard the Word of God in its truth and purity.  For we know Jesus Christ came into this world to bring us salvation for all mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel, this Epiphany night.  AMEN.