02122017 Septuagesima Sunday - We are to run so we may win for Christ!

February 12, 2017
We are to run so we may win for Christ.

This morning we begin a journey that has been celebrated since and before the time of Martin Luther.  We begin the Sunday’s that lead up to the beginning of Lent.  Simply these Sunday’s are known as the Gesima Sundays.  Next week, our service will revolve around these Sunday’s and tell the story of their connection with the church, the songs that relay the sole reason for our worship, Jesus Christ and how they impact us today.

But today on the first Sunday, known as Septuagesima, our focus will be Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.  Paul begins our reading not with biblical wisdom, but a simple question of all things a ‘sports event’.  Similar to the movies “Chariots of Fire”, “Broken” or others that portray ’physical prowess’, Paul invokes a ‘race analogy’, but Paul connects it clearly to a prize.

When we receive a prize, whether in a spelling bee, a trophy for athletic prowess or a ring like the Patriots will receive for winning the Super Bowl, it is a ‘token’ of the accomplishment.  However, for Paul he clearly understands the discipline it takes to attain the prize.  Paul writes, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection”.  Paul knows what it is like to prepare for races, but ironically, all Paul is doing is relating to the people of Corinth who receive this letter with experiences they are familiar with not only as Roman Citizens, but this analogy is easily understood by we who gather here today.

However, Paul’s intent isn’t about gaining money for the coffers in Jerusalem.  It isn’t about controlling the actions of the people in Corinth, Paul’s sole intent is to point to what will save, sustain and securely change their eternal destination.  Paul’s intent is to point to a man he encountered on the road to Emmaus.  Paul is pointing to none other than the Rock Jesus Christ.

Our society asks, of what consequence is this Rock, Jesus Christ  for us today?  It is claimed no one has seen the Rock for 2000 years.  The Roman and the Jewish world doubted His resurrection as the movie “Risen” portrayed.  People feared what they could not believe, explain nor understand.  Yet clearly, Paul agreed at one point about this ‘Rock’ by hunting down the people who claimed to be Christians.  But on the road to Emmaus, Paul was changed.  No further proof of Paul’s change needs to be looked for than this passage we have read this morning.

The Rock, Jesus Christ, that Paul is pointing to for the Romans and for us today is the same Man that he met on the road to Emmaus.  This Rock, Jesus Christ is the same man Whom we celebrated His birth in a lowly manger in Bethlehem not two months ago.  This Man, this Rock, Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity and Who we have been baptized into, His life, His death, but especially His resurrection.

This Man, this Rock, Jesus Christ not only is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Our Rock Jesus Christ comes to offer us today eternal life.  Jesus Christ ran the race and now offers we His followers from our altar below the window with His likeness, His precious Body and Blood.  We are offered the greatest offer of grace from Him for us that gives us eternal life.  And all that He asks us to do is ‘discipline our bodies and bring them into subjection to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ’.  For when we bring our bodies into subjection, we then have the greatest opportunity.  We as disciples of Jesus Christ, “We are to run so we may win for Christ”.

God, through His Son, Jesus Christ is calling us to run the race of perseverance, in the face of adversity, against that which is evil and does not have the Gospel at its center and run the race so we can ‘win for Christ’.  Does this mean we earn eternal life?  By no means, eternal life is the gift of God offered to all of mankind out of God’s great love for us.  We are called by God to ‘run this race’ so that God may be Glorified and God may truly work through us so others not only can hear the Gospel of salvation of what Jesus Christ did on Calvary, but truly understand that God’s gift of grace is freely given for all, independent of our abilities, but fully dependent upon God and His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Recently, I saw a video on Facebook that epitomized running a race of a young boy with Cerebral Palsy.  The teacher of the class said the boy didn’t have to run, but he would have nothing of it.  Lining up with his class, he began the race.  Quickly this young boy was left in the dust.  All of the kids had finished the race, but this young boy, continued on.  As he neared the half way point the teacher went to offer him the opportunity to stop.  But again he would not.  So the teacher ran along side of him cheering him on.  With every step, classmates of his joined this procession and when he finally came to the finish line, the entire class was cheering him on giving him encouragement and praise.

Today, Paul, through his letter to the Corinthians, is encouraging each of us to run the race of our lives in order to receive the prize of eternal life.  It is my prayer that we not only encourage one another, but run this race in order to inspire one another so that “We are to run so we may win for Christ” Who is our Rock and our Beautiful Savior.  AMEN.

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02052017 Transfiguration and 5th Sunday After Epiphany - We are moved by the Holy Spirit to speak of God!

February 5, 2017
We are moved by the Holy Spirit to speak of God (v. 21)

SERMON TEXT

All of us have heard the tale of the young preacher who went to see a member of his congregation, but the conversation that occurred didn’t contain condemnation for the old man’s lack of attendance.  The fiery young preacher didn’t tell the member, he needed to give more money.  The young preacher didn’t try to get the man to get on a committee or come to church because he hadn’t attended during his entire tenure.

The young preacher sat quietly with the old man around an open fire pit, watching the fire burn brightly not only with glowing embers that consumed the wood added to the fire, but with a clear warmth.  After many minutes without a single word conversation.  The preacher reached over to the pair of tongs that were used to move the logs for maximum burn and warmth.

The preacher had noticed a lone rather large piece of cold coal from a long ago fire that was sitting very close to the old man’s feet that were outside of the warmth and clear burning of the rest of the fire.  Reaching purposefully, he picked up the cold coal and carefully placed it in the center of the fire with the bed of coals.  Very quickly the coal began to glow, the once cold coal now was glowing and heated up and burning with all the rest of the fire, heated by the warmth of its surroundings.

Minutes passed and with each moment the fire continued to radiate the warmth of the fire.  Slowly the preacher arose and bid his host a good day and left.  The very next Sunday, the old man, visited by the young preacher was seen returning to the warm embrace of the people that were journeying with him.

This story is a metaphor for us this morning of what we are celebrating.  Today we remember and celebrate when Jesus Transfigured before Peter, James and John.  Like the coal that had been separated from the fire for too long, once ‘reintroduced’ or ‘returned’ to the warm embrace of the fire that cold piece of coal became aglow from the fire.  Jesus in His transfiguration, showed His true Glory to the three disciples and enkindled in them not only an awe, but especially the realization that Jesus Christ, the man they had walked with and lived with, was not just a simple man, but truly the Son of God.

The change or transfiguration that occurred of Jesus not only changed the reality of the disciples understanding of Who Jesus was, but would radically change not only their understanding of the man in their midst, but especially Whose Son He was, the Son of God.  It would also transfigure their future after Jesus was raised from the dead and walked with them, ate meals and became transfigured by Jesus Christ.

We who gather here today are not only the spiritual descendants of the disciples, our understanding of Whose Son Jesus was is clearer than it was for the disciples.  We look back with 20/20 vision of Jesus Christ.  We see through the lens of the Gospel message not only portrayed, but fulfilled on the Cross of Calvary.  We see a Savior Whose death on Calvary transfigured us and our reality through our baptism into Jesus Christ, life, death, resurrection, but also His Transfiguration before Peter, James and John.

What does this mean for us today?  With our celebration of Jesus Transfiguration, we have but one joyful task to do.  We are moved by the Holy Spirit to speak of God.  For Peter since he witnessed these events, wrote his epistle and we who read it are empowered, no, we are moved by the Holy Spirit that has been given to us in Holy Baptism and inspired to speak of God and His Son Jesus Christ to all that we meet.

While I was under the weather this last week, I watched Risen, in preparation for our “Films of Faith” next month.  So compelling is this story that it isn’t just a story of mystery of the risen Christ, or of relationship, but of discovery and how one individual, a non-believer, discovered the truth and began to truly understood the Gospel message and was moved to become like the disciples, ‘fishers of men’.

We who gather here today gather having heard the first-hand account of the disciples who witnessed the transfiguration and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We have heard read Peter’s message which has one intent in mind.  Not only to give God the greatest glory, but in order that we who gather here today, may be moved.  Moved not to division nor indifference, but in order that the Gospel message of salvation of what Jesus Christ did on Calvary may be spread to the ends of the earth. 

Just as the Roman Prefect was changed by this message in “Risen”, we to can be transfigured.  It is my prayer that we through the Work of the Holy Spirit can be changed, in order that “We are moved by the Holy Spirit to speak of God”.  Not only here within the walls of the church, but in our community, in order that the saving message of Jesus Christ will impact our world.  So today let us resolve to move each of us closer into the fire and warmth of the church and set us ablaze to speak of God.  In order that God can transfigure each of our hearts, our minds and our spirits, just as He did with the three disciples.  And ultimately move us by the Holy Spirit to speak of God daily.  So that on the last day God will usher each of us into eternity with our transfigured Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

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05312015 Trinity Sunday - To God be the Glory

Gospel Audio
Sermon Audio

May 31, 2015

To God be the Glory

 As I entered the room, the people gathered around the bed had tears running down their cheeks.  The bed wasn’t like what I get into at night, it was metal, functional and looked uncomfortable.  The wires that were draped over the sides running to the machines were clear sentry’s with an unmistakable purpose, to signal when the battle was over.  The faces of the people that were huddled around the room and especially the bed were drawn and showed signs of the weariness that words could not heal nor take away the pain they were feeling inside.  But this wasn’t just a sterile hospital room, this wasn’t just a place that would witness the final hours, minutes and seconds of relationship between husband and wife, father and daughters, brothers and sisters.  This humble room was where God’s Glory would be fully revealed and the promises of God would be clearly and unmistakably fulfilled.  This was where God meets man and this is holy ground.

The people gathered around the bed are not unknown to me.  I have played games with all of them, I have eaten meals around the table with each of them.  I have worshiped God both in their church and mine.  This is my family gathered together, huddled, holding each other and helping each other because of the reality that confronts us now, death is about to intimately touch and visit us.  Laying in the bed is someone I am more like than I can truly comprehend or understood.  Laying in the bed, dying from four types of cancer is my Uncle Don.

Though we grew up in different times, had different experiences as well as parents, what my Uncle taught me in death has stayed with me for the last twenty two years.  Simply it is what Paul concluded our epistle with today.  Paul wrote, “To Him [that is To God] be the glory forever. Amen.”

Paul in his epistle clearly understood how death does separate loved ones.  Even when Paul finally encountered and understood on the road to Emmaus the Person Jesus Christ when he saw Him face to face, that place of his encounter with Jesus for Paul was holy ground.  Jesus Christ had died outside Jerusalem and right in front of Paul’s eyes Jesus stood and spoke to him.  From that moment on, Paul’s very existence changed from being destructive of human life and Christianity, to a life epitomized in what he wrote in Romans.  “To Him be the glory forever.  AMEN”

Some of us have not had this ‘mountain top experience’ of clear personal encounter with the divine while here on earth.  But we have encountered death in our lives, whether of children we never met, spouses that we built lives and experienced love with, parents that carried us and nurtured our very nature and even siblings or friends that died at a young age or even after a long life.  Death has touched each of our lives.  But for Christians, death is not an enemy, but a doorway to walk through in our lives and an opportunity for us to look beyond death and not just repeat Paul’s words, but know the connection we have with Paul and all the saints of all time and place.  Paul understood this and hence why he stated clearly for God’s glory to be forever.

But how can we have ‘God’s Glory forever’ here at Emmanuel?  I do not have the answer.  Let me state that again, so everyone can clearly hear my personal confession.  I, Darian Hybl, Pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran in Goodland, Kansas, do not have all the answers.  I cannot by my own reason or effort explain what or why.  I cannot foresee what will happen in the next month, year, three years or five years.

This is a very humbling and hard pill to swallow.  What I have to do is like Paul, die to self.  I have to die to my knowledge, my ego and my ability, because with them, all I have done, and will do is drive people away from God and the church.  Like Paul, who captured Christians and dragged them to the authorities and to have them executed, all I am personally capable of in and of myself is the destruction of the church.

Hence, why Paul’s statement is so profound for me and for us today.  On this day that we celebrate the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the confession of the Athanasian Creed, I need to stand with Paul and say clearly and emphatically, “To God be the Glory”!

You see, in order to stand with Paul and make this confession that we all will do in a few minutes, I have to do something I learned from my Uncle Don, who died of cancer.  My Uncle Don loved to fish, and he was good at it.  He could horse fish out of the side of a stream bank that had been fished hard on opening day of trout season.  He could walk up to a part of the stream and tell exactly where every fish was and if there were multiple fish.  In less than 100 feet of stream he could catch his limit of 7 fish and easily go back for more, because he was that good.

While visiting him eight years before he lay in the hospital bed, I went out fishing with him to learn some of his tricks and tips, because I wanted to learn how to be a better fly fisherman.  We came to a stream that flowed out of the bottom of a lake not far from his house.  For those of you who don’t know, the coldest water is at the bottom of any body of water and the water flowing from this lake out of the bottom into the stream was about 35-38 degrees.  As I had learned from my father, get close to the stream and make a good presentation of the fly.  With clear determination I got as close as I could without getting wet and cast the fly.  It landed perfectly.  My uncle stood back and watched.  I held my breath and waited.  The fly floated closer and closer and finally went down stream past me, so I did as any fisherman does, I tried again and again, and again.  But I couldn’t get any fish to rise.

With the wisdom of many years, my Uncle Don, looked at me and said, ‘you have good technique, but you are in the wrong place’.  Being right next to the stream I looked at him with great pessimism and in a teenage tone said, where should I be, in the middle of the stream?  And he said simply ‘yes’.  You see I had to die to all the knowledge I had up to that point and be humble and in one sense get out of my comfort zone, on the side of the stream and get right in the middle of the stream.  I had to get wet.  As I inched into the water my ankles began to lose all feeling.  Not only were my shoes wet, my pants were drenched and I was getting cold.  For the next ten minutes I stood in the middle of the stream with cold water streaming between my legs and faithfully casting my fly to every part of the stream that I could reach in search of the illusive trout that was supposed to be in the water.

Each time I would cast and follow the fly, my teeth would chatter because I was thigh deep in the coldest water I had ever experienced.  My Uncle Don watched every move and would on occasion give me little nuggets of direction and advice to catch the illusive trout.  Then it finally occurred.  I was concentrating on my casting technique, and just happened to look down.  Lo and behold right behind me swimming right up between my cold legs was none other than a….mink.  At that moment, I was supposed to be fly fishing by picking up my fly for another cast up stream, but I froze.  Right underneath me was one of the most elusive creatures in the wilderness world.  And because I had been so concentrated on ‘fly fishing’, I was now blessed to have one of God’s creatures swim up behind me and between my legs like I was a part of nature that he called his world.

In utter disbelief I stood there trying not to breathe to hard, trying not to move, chatter my teeth or shake my legs and scare the mink.  And as quick as the mink swam up and between my legs he swam up stream in search for his next meal. What I experienced in that short window of time was nothing other than exhilarating.  My Uncle Don watched the whole experience from the shore and was in utter disbelief of how close I came to such a wild animal.  As I stood there in the stream I stood on nothing other than holy ground. 

The reason I tell you this story is because I didn’t deserve the experience that even my Uncle Don had never had in all his years of fishing, hunting and trapping.  The place where I stood in the middle of the stream of extremely cold water was holy ground.  In that one moment, being as close to the wild mink as I was I saw and experienced the greatest nature experience I have ever had.  Clearly at that time, I felt closest to God and nature all at the same time.  What it also did was cement an experience between me and my Uncle Don.  For me it epitomizes what Holy Ground was for Paul and what and why he meant for people like us to join together and confess our faith.  Where we stand or sit today when we confess our faith is holy ground.

Years later as I entered his hospital room, I stepped again onto holy ground.  In that place, where my Uncle met face to face with His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and was taken home, Paul’s acclamation of “To God be the glory forever and ever.  AMEN.” was surely felt though probably not spoken.  But God’s presence was palpable and tangible for everyone gathered around the hospital bed and in the room on holy ground.  Even for us today God’s glory surrounds us daily and this is a fulfillment of His promise to and for each of us gathered here this morning.  God’s glory is a constant and what we need to do is be active in what we are supposed to be doing and God will show up when we least expect it, like the mink that swam through my legs.

For when God shows up His plan and purpose is simply for His glory to be revealed.  Whether standing at the bedside of a loved one close to death, in the middle of a stream with a wild animal swimming between your legs or even here at Emmanuel as we work on the kitchen remodel or confess our faith in the Athanasian Creed.  God clearly shows up and we can celebrate the certainty of His presence with and for us today.  For God comes not only to gather us up into His Kingdom, but to clearly unite us in the faith we confess.  For this faith points to what God has done for each and every one of us on the Cross of Calvary.  May we today be emboldened to confess with Paul and all the saints of all time and place in the words of the Athanasian Creed what God offers each and every one of us through His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, eternal life.  AMEN.

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04032013 Funeral Sermon for Ila Dale Smith Zeigler

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 Heavenly Father, we come together today mourning the loss of Ila on Good Friday,  but reassured of the empty tomb we celebrated Easter morning because of the promises You made to her and each of us in our baptism.  We are assured of the promise of life and salvation given to Ila and now fulfilled with her entrance into the Church Triumphant.  For today Ila has the resurrected perfect body that no longer has cancer, neither pains nor ills and now rests with You in Your loving arms.  Though the veil of death separates us today from Ila, may we be comforted by Your Gospel and hear clearly the promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the message of salvation offered through Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection for all of mankind, but especially the saints of Ila’s family and all the saints gathered here at Emmanuel to say goodbye.  AMEN.

Here in Goodland there is a tradition that Michele, Sarah and I enjoyed since our arrival.  It is the Cancer Society walk that occurs on the high school track.  When we went, Sarah was so desperate to be involved that when the Cancer survivors, including Ila, walked or rode the first lap as an encouragement and remembrance of those who have battled with this disease and for those who had lost the battle with this dreaded disease, we had to hold on to her and keep her separated from the group in honor and respect for those walking.  Ila was one of those being honored who had battled cancer many years and her dedication and determination were an inspiration for all who witnessed and knew her history and story.  But Sarah didn’t understand the history nor story so keeping her separate and away from those being honored was a challenge, because of her determination and drive.  In a similar way our Epistle lesson for this morning asks a question about being our being ‘separate’ that God has an answer for us today.

Paul’s question that he is speaking to the Romans states, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?”  For the faint of heart or someone who does not have any faith, this question could easily make us question God and His love and commitment to us His children.  As we gather here this morning to say goodbye to Ila, we might question God as well.  But the truth of the matter is that we cannot be separated from God, but we do have someone who is against us and it is Satan.  Satan at every turn reminds us of our sins and that we were conceived in sin and attempts to strip us away from God and the faith.  Whenever the cares of life like “tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword”, hunger and sickness smash into our lives, Satan is right there trying to get us to question God and fall victim to our sins, both the ones we remember and the ones that we cannot remember.  I know in Ila’s life with her nearly forty year battle with cancer, she daily fought the battle against Satan and the unmerited and undeserved manifestation of all human sin with cancer in her body, but God had given her a gift that made her life and her battle against sin and cancer not a struggle, but a constant reminder of the promises of God.

You see it was through Ila’s baptism in February 1962 that she was given not only the greatest gift of salvation, but Ila was given the answer that buckles Satans knees and set Ila free from sin, death and the devil this past Good Friday.  On the day of her baptism, Ila clearly understood Paul’s response inspired by God that buckles Satan’s knees.  Paul answered our initial question of separation with, “God is the one who justifies” or keeps us from being separated from Him and has now set Ila to be free with her heavenly Father in heaven.  For Paul further says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  This firm conviction we can be comforted with today.

For it is in the promise of life and salvation that God offers us the assurance of Ila’s presence for eternity with Him in His kingdom and through her baptism which knocks the wind out of Satan and his attacks and clearly with the our baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection sets us free.  Yes, we lost Ila to this earthly life on Good Friday, the same day we mourned Jesus Christ earthly death on Calvary, but on Easter Sunday we came to the tomb and found it empty of Jesus.  We did not find His body, because Jesus Christ rose from the grave.  In His rising Jesus Christ offers Ila and all of us who gather here life as well.  For in our baptism God promises our being with Him in His kingdom.  Just as Ila is now with Him in His kingdom for all eternity waiting for all of us to be called home and set free.

When I would visit with Ila in her home since my arrival here at Emmanuel, I felt my calling was to visit and provide comfort and assurance during her daily struggles through sharing both the Word of God and the Sacraments.  But what is ironic is that I would leave, not having ministered to her, but being blown away by the model of her faith and life and how in this gift of faith given to her by God she ministered to me.  Though she daily experienced the pains of the disease, Ila’s faith in God was rock solid and modeled for everyone who knew her the strength of God that clearly connected her faith, with her life and clearly pointed to the answer that Paul gave the Romans.  “God is the One Who justifies.”  And that justification was and is found in Jesus Christ Who lived on this earth, walked among the Jewish people, healed the sick, bound up the broken hearted and suffered on the Cross of Calvary for all of mankind and ultimately died, but was raised on the third day.  Jesus Christ the cornerstone of our faith, the faith which Ila was baptized into and which we celebrate today in her life as a child of God.  This is the faith that clearly was modeled and articulated in Ila’s life and was the ultimate gift given to her and now fulfilled with her entrance into eternal glory.

May we who gather here this morning also share this gift of faith with one another, and clearly hear God’s calling us through His Word and promises where He makes us His own through our baptism into His Son Jesus Christ, life, death and especially His resurrection.  For the answer and the promise Ila found through Jesus Christ is offered for all of us who gather here to say goodbye.  The answer is clear, Jesus Christ died for Ila, for all of us and nothing can separate us from the love of God found in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  For the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to all of mankind, but especially for all of the saints of Ila’s family and friends gathered here to say goodbye.  AMEN.

Now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding guard our hearts and minds and comfort us today, because of what Jesus Christ did for Ila and each one of us!  AMEN!