Sermon 02102013 Quinquagesima Sunday

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 redeemer, when You chose and anointed David to be King of Israel, You looked, deeply into his heart.  In the same way You look at us today as Your children and know our deepest darkest secrets, but in spite of our sins, You redeem us through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Enable us to understand Your commitment to us and how You graciously anoint us in our baptism to be heirs of the gift of eternal life.  This occurs as a free gift for all of mankind, but especially for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

When Samuel entered into the presence of Eliab and his sons began to parade in front of him, this probably felt like a modern day pagent or even a job interview.  Looking with the eyes of this world Samuel probably looked for the fiercest, the most resplendent and best dressed son who would be king.  Samuel like society looked with his eyes, measured every feature with his intellect and felt he would choose based upon the things he could see or perceive in his interactions with each of Eliabs sons.

But Samuel experienced and heard God speaking plainly to him with these words, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature…”  Each of these are outward physical features that only show what is on the outside of each of us.  God clearly says concerning each of the sons of Eliab that first paraded in front of Samuel with these features, “I have rejected him”.  And there is a reason for this, God continues, “for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

With these last seven words, the perspective and the landscape of how God looks at all of mankind has changed.  It is not with human abilities that God uses to discern if one man is better than another, God, Holy and Divine being Who created the heavens and the earth, formed the trees that give us oxygen, the animals that feed us, the oceans that nourish us, looks not with eyes for appearance, but God ‘looks at the heart’.  This revelation for us today not only changes the landscape, but reveals God’s interest in our lives even here at Emmanuel.

This past month we as a congregation chose new members of the council, which we will install this morning.  We as a congregation voted with eyes of the outward appearance of each person, just as Samuel began to do when searching for a king.  But God who looks not at the outward appearance looks at the heart of the person and wants us to look like Samuel heard from God with more penetrating eyes at the heart with these three realities for each of us today.  God wants us to look with forgiveness, faith and for the future that God has in store for us here at Emmanuel.

We are to look with eyes of forgiveness, because God has first forgiven each of us.  We begin our communion service with confession and forgiveness.  Just as God is the One Who baptizes us into His Son’s life, death and resurrection, God is also the One Who forgives us our sins.  Though our sins are like scarlet, God makes them white and cleanses us from our unrighteousness.  God does this because of His great love for each and every one of us as we are reminded from our Epistle lesson this morning as well as our Gospel.  God having mercy upon us frees us from our sins and sets us free to be the children of God He formed and shaped in our mothers womb.

Not only looking with eyes of forgiveness we are to look with eyes of faith.  This faith we have been given in our baptism with the intimate connection of Water and Word where God again reaches down from heaven and not only forgives us but imparts to each of us the muscle of faith that we are to use daily.  Our muscle of faith is to be exercised, used and relied upon in every aspect of our daily lives.  Just as farmers you plant a seed in the fall and in faith wait until spring and the harvest of wheat, God planted the seed and muscle of faith in each of us and God waters it, exercises it and makes it grow and one day like with Margie, Brad or Judy takes them home to be with Him in His kingdom.  We with the eyes of faith experience in relationship with God the fullness of His love and wait for God to take us home to be with Him in His kingdom.  This is the fulfillment of God’s promise made through Jesus Christ to and for each of us.

And finally we like Samuel can look with God’s eyes of forgiveness, faith and to the future.  Samuel didn’t know or understand what the future would hold for the one he would anoint with oil as king, but God looking in David’s heart knew what the future would be and with the eyes of faith saw the future and the leader David would be for the people of Israel.  So to when God poured Water and Word over our heads He knew everything about our future.  God knows what will occur for all eternity and prepares us for the future He has in store for each and every one of us.

The preparation of forgiveness, faith and the future is to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for all of mankind.  This is made full, manifest and complete on Calvary by Jesus Christ, but individually made complete for us with our baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.  For God fulfills these promises and enables us to understand that God looks not at our outward appearance, but at the heart of all of mankind, with the eyes of forgiveness, faith and our future, especially including all of us saints that are gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Sermon 01272013 Septuagesima

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 confess that we are sinful creatures in need of Your redeeming us from our sins.  We doubt not only You as our Lord, but even Your presence among us.  May we though tempted by Satan to turn from You return and answer clearly the question, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” with a resounding Yes.  For we can make this answer only because of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross of Calvary for all of mankind, including all of us saints here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

Having children is clearly God’s gift for all of mankind.  When our children are sick the parental instinct takes over and our nurturing, caring and compassionate side comes to the forefront.  With the slightest cough, congestion or difficulty of breathing we as parents immediately jump into action and try and ‘fix’ or correct the situation, because we cannot stand to see our children in any peril.  We want to make our children feel better no matter the cost.

Enter the children of Israel who are journeying in the wilderness of Sin.  Now ‘Sin’ is not a description of what they have done, but the name of an actual place.  It is a barren region somewhere west of the Sinai plateau on the Sinai Peninsula.  Remember that the people have left the bondage and slavery of Egypt and now are travelling in the wilderness.  Remember there are approximately 600,000 men alone, not including children.  If one were to do the math, every man has one wife and a minimum of 2 children, you are talking of nearly 2 million people travelling in the Wilderness of Sin, not including all the animals and livestock each family has taken with them.

What is the first thing they need besides food, which God had already given them in Exodus 16 of Manna and Quail, they needed water.  They didn’t have any so the “people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink””.  Moses who is their leader feels he is in the middle between a mob of unhappy people and God Who called him in a burning bush to lead the people from Egypt.  God had divinely provided for their escape from Pharaoh and now in the middle of the desert without water, Moses was near to becoming the ‘sacrificial scape goat’ by the people.

Moses said, “Why do you quarrel with me?  Why do you test the Lord?”  The people had easily forgotten how God less than two months earlier had parted the waters to allow them to walk across on dry land to escape Pharaoh.  The people had forgotten how they when starving had been given Manna and Quail from heaven.  The people doubted that God could actually provide simple water in saying, “But the people thirsted there for water, and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?””  The people in a clear sense were delirious and did not remember God’s clear and divine providence for them that had just occurred.  They did not and were not looking with eyes of faith.  They were looking to blame Moses since he was right there in their midst.

“So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying “What shall I do to this people?  A little more and they will stone me.””  Moses was fearful for his life.  Moses felt he couldn’t trust the people that they would have his back or protect him, but sacrifice him because of their lack of water, but more importantly their lack of faith in the divine providence of God.

But God clearly is using this experience to test the Israelite people if they trust Him, through His servant Moses.  Our text continues, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.  Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strick the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.””  God is not only promising Moses His divine presence, but again God is clearly revealing Himself as the true provider for the people of Israel that are in the Wilderness of Sin.

This test and quarrel with God is not unlike what we do today.  We daily put God to the test and doubt not only God’s presence, but His divine favor with His people gathered here at Emmanuel.  As a Pastor, I feel for Moses, because Moses is standing in the gap between God and the people, just as I do here at Emmanuel.  There are times where I sin and fall short of the glory of God, just like Moses.  Just this last week I did not give clear credit for Tayler Thorson’s awesome and beautiful service project of the hymn board for our congregation.  To say the least I sinned and fell short of the glory of God and like Moses have felt the displeasure of you the people I love and serve as Pastor.  So just as all of us did earlier, I confess my sin and ask for forgiveness of all of you the congregation, which is what God calls us to do.

Yet, this still does not answer the question Moses posed, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”  If God is here among us, we clearly have an opportunity.  Our opportunity is three fold.  We can trust God to provide.  Last week we stepped out on faith and elected new council members and ratified the budget for this year in faith that God would work through us and increase His presence in Goodland through each of us.

Second, we can follow God.  Like the people of Israel following God through the Wilderness of Sin, we too today can follow God in the direction He is leading us.  This began with the establishment of a church here in Goodland, building of a church and educational wing and now with our joining LCMC and calling a pastor and lastly celebrating 90 years of ministry and following God.  We are following God and have the opportunity to continue to be faithful in His plan for all of us saints here in Goodland.

Finally, we have the opportunity to forgive like God forgives.  Every Sunday we have the opportunity to confess our sins and receive the forgiveness of sins that God offers us.  When we confess like I have tried to do this morning, God wipes away all of our sins and does not keep track of them.  We as brothers and sisters in Christ are called to forgive just as God does, for if we hold onto grudges, keep track of wrongs or remember everything that someone has done to us or against us, we are not following God’s perfect example.  We mock God and dishonor God’s gift and example of His Son Jesus Christ on the Cross for all of mankind.

For God’s example is clear for us today that we should not test God like the people of Israel did in the Wilderness of Sin.  We are called as God’s children to trust Him, follow Him and forgive just as God offers us the forgiveness of sins.  God’s forgiveness frees us from the slavery and bondage of sin and allows us through our baptism to be the new creation that does not have to test God like the people of Israel.  For God’s gift of His Son Who forgives each of us without reservation gave Himself on Calvary for all of mankind, including all of us forgiven saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Sermon 02192012 Quinquagesima Sunday

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.

Heavenly Father, may Your Word guide us and enable us to see our being chosen as Your children was not chance, but Your divine plan.  For You have anointed us, changed us and made us Yours by and through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  May Your Holy Spirit speak to us and guide us as we chart our course for all of us Saints here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

During the last two weeks we have been lost and thirsty and heard how God struck the Rock and provided us drink.  How God feeds us through the sacrament of the Altar like this morning through and by the Word made flesh that has dwelt among us, Jesus Christ.  As we conclude our series this morning, we hear how God chooses a King, anoints him and changes him and us through the power of His Word for His Work.

This May Michele and I are looking forward to the movie, the Avengers arriving in theaters.  For those of you who don’t know this is the Marvel Comic Books that have been made for  the big screen thrillers with hits like Iron Man and Thor.  One of the characters from the Avengers is Captain America.  When first introduced to Steve Rogers in the film entitled, Captain America, he is 98 lbs. sopping wet, scrawny and according to military standards, not even acceptable to be a soldier.  The military personnel see nothing but failure and weakness in Steve, but the scientist who is the major advisor for the project, sees in Steve the keen intellect, the self-sacrifice and especially the heart of a warrior.

In our Old Testament lesson this morning, Samuel like the scientist has the ability given by God to not see the outward trappings, but to see the heart.  We heard how Samuel looked upon the seven sons of Jesse, including Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah, but Samuel looking with the eyes of man like the military looked at appearance, but God spoke to Samuel, because “the Lord looks at the heart” and rejected each of the sons of Jesse.  Finally, Jesse sends for the youngest, the sheep tender.  “Now he [that is David] was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance.”  This the last of Jesse’s children, had been tending the families flock, he probably hadn’t bathed, was dirty and had been summoned by his father to pass before Samuel.

And what occurs, “And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”  This boy, this child, God looked at his heart and God chose him.  God looked through the outer man and saw in David, the shepherd and the King that he would become.  God looks at us as well.  God see’s through our designer clothes our bib overalls, our John Deere, Fontanelle, Pioneer, K-State or KU apparel and see’s our heart.  Through the sweat of our brow the Kansas fine dirt, oil or grease that cakes on our face, arms, lips and skin, God penetrates to our soul.  For God Who formed us in our mother’s womb, chooses us!

Samuel then “took the horn or oil and anointed him [that is David] in the midst of his brothers”.  God anointed through Samuel, David to be King.  Just as when we baptize and anoint the head and heart with the chrism of oil in the sign of the cross sealing the child as God’s, Samuel, took the horn of oil and anointed David.  Right in front of his older brothers, this child, God seeing the heart of David anoints him and makes him King of Israel.

As David was anointed in the sight of his brother’s, father and family, “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David”.  God’s Spirit descended upon David and signed, sealed and delivered him to be the King of all of Israel.  God’s Spirit inhabited his heart and would lead David to become the greatest King of all of Israel.  Not only would God’s Spirit inspire David to write the Psalms which we use for our liturgy, God’s Spirit would guide the people to become a great nation.  God made David who he would become, because His Holy Spirit would rest upon him, just as it rests upon us today.  It changed David so profoundly that God foretold David the Messiah would come from his line.  The Messiah that would come to save God’s people would be of the off-spring of David.  David’s life was changed by God and we are grafted into the promise to David, because of our baptism into Jesus Christ Who changes us.

For we who have been baptized have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, baptized into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and we are changed.  As Luther would say, we are still sim ul ustis et pecator – saint and sinner – at the same time, but by the blood of the Lamb of God Who came to take away the sin of the World, God has changed us.  God has redeemed us through His Son, Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection and made us heirs of eternal life.

As heirs of eternal life, we have been chosen, anointed, changed and enabled to worship, work and witness God’s work through our lives.  We come as chosen children to worship our Lord and Savior and partake of His Feast He offers to us that gives us eternal life.  This food of His precious Body and Blood, broken and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins, satisfies our spiritual thirst and hunger and enables us to work as God’s children for His glory, whether here in the church, in the community or in our service to God for His Glory.  This then is the witness we become not only for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ here within the four walls of the church, but also the witness for those who have not heard what Jesus Christ has done for each of us on the Cross of Calvary.  Our witness brings glory to God, for it is Him, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that we come and worship on Sunday, His message that we come to hear proclaimed, His work in worship and the church and our witness for others of God’s choosing us, anointing us and changing all of us saints who gather here at Emmanuel. 

Yet, the question still remains, “What is God’s Plan for Emmanuel?”  God’s plan isn’t a difficult long drawn out set of steps or challenges for us to accomplish, God’s plan of salvation has been completed and we now are empowered to proclaim the message of salvation through Jesus Christ innocent death for each and every one of us.  Through Jesus precious Body and Blood that we receive, we are called by the Holy Spirit to worship, sent out to work in our world modeling the message of salvation that changes us and therefore witnesses of what God’s Holy Spirit has done in each of our lives.  For the promises of God are sure, His Word will not return without accomplishing His purpose and we having been baptized, anointed and grafted into the promise of salvation.  May all of us in unity discern God’s plan for Emmanuel and fulfill it for all of the saints gathered here at Emmanuel, in Goodland, Northwesk KS and our world.  AMEN.

Sermon 02122012 Sexagesima Sunday

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, the rain and snow come in their season and You shower us with Your Grace.  As we come and worship You we come to thank You for Your Grace which You pour out upon us.  For Your Grace feeds us physically, mentally, emotionally and especially spiritually through our receipt of Your Word.  For Your Word frees us and accomplishes Your task of our salvation.  May we continue to be blessed and prosper as we receive Your Word for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

This morning we continue our 3 part series entitled, “What is God’s Plan here at Emmanuel?”  In the movie “Soul Surfer” the main character Bethany Hamilton, has suffered a tragic attack from a shark, losing her left arm. At a point of desperation, she is talking with her youth leader Sarah.  In the conversation, Bethany faces a dilemma that is not uncommon for all of us, why did this happen to her, and what is God’s plan?  And Sarah with divinely inspired words of wisdom, says, “I don’t know why, but something good has to come out of this.”  Encapsulated in those words are a faith in God and what He can, does and will do for each and every one of us.

From our Old Testament passage this morning, Isaiah with a prayer of faith, says, “For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;”.  God provides the rain and snow we receive for a divine purpose.  And not only does He provide the rain and snow, God also provides us His Word.  Isaiah says, “So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth”.  God in infinite wisdom provides His Word for us to hear, read and digest.  But the Word is not only some written document, it especially includes the gift of the Word made flesh that has come and dwelt among us.  We not only have beheld His Glory, Jesus Christ, but we hear the Word on Sunday, and partake of the Meal of His Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar.

For the Word, Jesus Christ came to fulfill God’s purpose here on earth.  It accomplishes the divine task the Word would fulfill.  Simply stated that task was to descend from heaven, become incarnate of the Virgin Mary, become truly Human, suffer on the Cross of Calvary for Your sins and mine and die an innocent death to set all of us free from sin, death and the devil.  And then on the third day, rise from the dead and ascend unto the Father.  This was God’s purpose and plan of salvation for all of mankind.  And God accomplished through Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh our salvation.

Since the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ has accomplished our salvation, Isaiah’s further statement is true, “It [that is the Word] will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”  For in accomplishing God’s task, we, the people of God have not only the benefit of God’s Divine Hand upon our lives, but God’s Word working through us that accomplishes His plan.  Yes, the divine plan is the ultimate plan of salvation that God accomplishes, but for we here today at Emmanuel, like Bethany who dealt with tragedy, asks, ‘what is God’s Plan?’, we to this morning come to God asking for ourselves, “What is God’s Plan for Emmanuel?”

As I have said previously, my goal and intention is not to ‘proclaim’, ‘thus sayeth the Lord’, but to allow God’s Word from scripture to guide us in our conversations.  From this mornings readings, God through the prophet Isaiah is very clear, “My Word will accomplish ‘what I desire’”.  We can take away when we use God’s church and His Word for His glory for His divine purpose of spreading the salvation message of Jesus Christ to and for each of us gathered here today and for all the people in Goodland, North Western Kansas and the United States and World, God will bless us.  This is a large responsibility, but the promise is clear, God will use His Word to accomplish the plan of salvation.  But of the other things in our church and world that we worry over, argue over, discuss and debate, God will inspire and use us for His Glory and will bless us.  What does this look like here at Emmanuel?  I don’t know, but God does and I believe God will bless us, because of the promise that “It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

This is the promise God makes to us through the Work of the Word, His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  For He feeds us daily with His Word and has accomplished for all of us our salvation, may He continue to guide us as we discern where and what God wants us saints at Emmanuel to do to fulfill His Plan for all of Emmanuel.  AMEN.

Sermon 02052012 Septuagesima Sunday

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, when You told Moses to lead Your people out of Egypt, they couldn’t prepare for the trip.  You took them into the Wilderness and they complained that they were thirsty.  Today, we to long for Your guidance in our plans for Emmanuel.  We yearn for Your divine presence to quench our thirst and enlighten us and enable us to fulfill Your plan here among all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

This morning we begin a short 3 part series entitled, “What is God’s Plan here at Emmanuel?”  Please understand my reason for embarking on this series is not to preach on, what ‘I think’ we should do.  My intention is for us to collectively ask God to guide us through His Word, the scriptures and to enlighten each of us as we begin to prepare for our 90^th year celebration in December and look back how God has blessed Emmanuel.  It is also my prayer that the scriptures will help us dialogue and lay claim to God’s plan today and enable us to discern the future as a congregation in association with the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.

In our text this morning we heard about the “congregation of the sons of Israel” who had “journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the Lord”.  These people God had sent Moses to lead out of Egypt and be freed from the bondage of Pharaoh.  They are the same ones that God had allowed to cross the Red Sea on dry land and then ‘swallowed up’ Pharaoh’s army that was in their pursuit.  But now, these same people God had delivered from the hand and bondage of Pharaoh “quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.””

The Israelite nation was thirsty, they had been marching for days and were extremely thirsty.  Just like here in Goodland, where water is a precious commodity, the people God had just freed were thirsty and needed water and Moses, their leader was the person they were ready to quarrel with.  But Moses says, your beef isn’t with me, its with God, but “why do you tempt the Lord”?  The God who delivered you from the hands of Pharaoh, defeated the army that came to take you back to slavery, why would He allow you to go thirsty?  Would God not provide for them?  What was the root of the problem, was it ‘lack of water’ or was it ‘doubt in the merciful presence of God’?

So what does Moses do, but go to God and say, “What shall I do to this people?  A little more and they will stone me.”  Moses feared for his life and is asking God for deliverance.  Is it a fear for his own safety?  Probably it is.  But it also is a form of faith by Moses in God that He would provide.  What the answer would be, Moses didn’t know, but he had faith that God would provide.

The providence of God is revealed when “the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.  Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.””  In this passage God affirms the miracle He will perform through Moses of striking the rock for the people of Israel.  The people would be the witness to the miracle God would provide in the water for them to drink.  But fulfilling their thirst is only one part, Moses to remind the people names the place as a reminder of the people’s doubt.  The names given indicate what the people had done, for Massah means temptation and Meribah is strife, so the miracle that Moses performed would forever be linked and be an example of warning during both the Old Testament and New Testament times of the people’s doubt of God’s presence and providing for the Israelite people.

Easily and sincerely we here at Emmanuel could say we have not been freed from bondage from a tyrannical national leader, nor have we travelled into the wilderness only to be thirsty.  Yet, it could be said this story may be a metaphor for Emmanuel!  The situation is not identical, but our doubt during the last few years of the direction of Emmanuel and wondering if God really is present, active and working in, with and through us.  For we have thirsted for God to ‘perform a miracle’ and ‘give us a drink’.  For Emmanuel the story of the people of Israel can inspire us to ask the question, “What is God’s Plan for Emmanuel?”  As I said earlier, I am not going to give my opinion, but I will provide some insight from this story.

God tells this story to highlight for us today our similar state of wondering about His presence with us here in Goodland, KS.  Though we are fallen creatures, just as the Israelite people were, the opportunity is for us to in faith seek God, not to stone the leader like Moses or the Pastor, but to discern the direction God is leading us.  Yes we have been thirsty, but throughout the ministry of Emmanuel, God provided the Word and Sacrament for us to be fed by.  God provided for us His only Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  As we heard the Word of God and ate His Body and drank His Blood as we do this morning, God proves His presence by providing for our physical and spiritual needs.  God in and through His Word and this Meal which is a foretaste of the Feast to come feeds us and works the greatest miracle of His presence in, with and under this Bread and Wine that now is His precious Body and Blood.  We have partaken of this meal to feed and nourish us and as Jesus Himself said to the woman at the well, to be the gift of Eternal life, the Well Spring that will never go dry. Thus, as we are fed the promise of Word and Sacrament God is present with us and in us and transforms us on a daily basis.  May God’s precious gift of His Body and Blood nourish and feed us just as the water did for the Israelite nation as we discern where and what God wants us saints at Emmanuel to do to fulfill His Plan for all of Emmanuel.  AMEN.