07232015 Funeral Sermon Sylvia Mae Hybl

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Funeral Sermon
Sylvia Mae Hybl
July 23, 2015

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

If you were to travel to the desert southwest, it is clear that not only is it dry and a desert, but everything, from the vegetation, the animals and even the people have struggled being controlled.  From trying to establish a life, a home and even a living, it is clear that everyone living there struggles, whether with making a living or even being controlled by the situations they encounter.  Sylvia loved the Southwest.  When travelling there to help her friends, Sylvia felt at home.  But there was a reason why the Southwest was her favorite place.  Sylvia like a lot of us gathered here today struggled throughout her life.  We who gather struggle with health, jobs, relationships, school or a reality or a past that we had no control over.  But in the desert, the struggle that Sylvia personally felt was diminished.  Sylvia felt free to be the person that God had made her to be.

Today, we gather, not in a desert, but as family and friends who have encountered death very clearly and closely with our loss of Sylvia.  Sylvia no longer struggles.  She is accepted and she has been welcomed.  For today we gather to celebrate the fulfillment by God of the promise made to Sylvia in her Holy Baptism.  Though life seemed to continuously knock her down, Sylvia was promised by God very clearly an offer of grace that could not be duplicated, nor equaled by any here on earth.  For when God by the hands of a Shepherd He chose washed Sylvia with Water and the Word of God in Holy Baptism, God offered Sylvia eternal life and salvation by her baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.

With Water intimately connected to Word, God offered to Sylvia the gift of eternal life.  When we spoke only a few short weeks ago, we both knew that Sylvia’s time here on earth was short.  We laughed, we cried, we talked of the times at Spillville and the fireworks, our summer visits by all of her family, siblings, nieces and nephews, and all of the people she held dear.  We also talked about the truth she had heard from her birth of what Jesus Christ offered her in Holy Baptism.  And that when the time came God would fulfill His promise to her with her entrance into eternity, her entrance into the church triumphant, her entrance into the place prepared for her by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

For Jesus words found in the Gospel of St. John I just read are true.  God has prepared a place for Sylvia.  But God prepared it, not because she deserved it, but clearly and specifically because of His great love for Sylvia and for all of mankind.  You see, Jesus Christ prepared a place for Sylvia, because He wants to relieve the struggles we carry today.  We struggle with relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we struggle with our weight, we struggle with how we are treated by friends, family and especially our society, but God in preparing a place for us makes good on the promise made to each of us in our baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.

You see, Jesus said it plainly, “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself”.  And God has received Sylvia into His Holy Hands.  God clearly and firmly now has lifted all the struggles from Sylvia and now she rests with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For the struggles she dealt with have been paid and atoned for by Jesus Christ innocent death on Calvary.  No longer does Sylvia have the pain associated with her body, nor the weight of the world she carried for all the cats that she loved throughout the years.  Sylvia no longer bears the burdens of sin, because Jesus Christ lifted all of that from her shoulders and offered her eternal life with the forgiveness He won for her and for each of us on Calvary.

So now Sylvia today clearly rests in the place prepared for her and one day for each of us, by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Yet, this only occurs, because of something Sylvia firmly believed.  You see when Sylvia lived in Arizona, she enjoyed singing in the choir.  One Easter her choir sang a song that clearly proclaimed not only the preparation of a place for each of us in God’s Kingdom, but a clear truth we who gather here today need to hear and sing from the roof tops.

On that Easter Sunday, the choir sang, “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”.  That Easter Ballad clearly states our belief in Jesus Christ and what He did in His rising from the grave.  He was triumphant and conquered even death for each of us.  But especially stanza 7 states, “He Lives my mansion to prepare; He lives to bring me safely there.”

Today God fulfills this for Sylvia and one day for each of us.  May we not only believe Jesus Christ lives, but He offers us the greatest gift of grace for all of mankind with His life that He lived, His death where He conquered that which confronts us today, but especially His resurrection that we have been baptized into.  For God’s gift of grace is freely given for each of us and may God’s Gospel comfort each of us, but especially Virginia, Dick, Chuck and Gloria and all the family who come to say goodbye to Sylvia as she now rests from her labors in her Lord and Saviors arms.  AMEN.

Now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds and may we find comfort and peace from our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ Who holds Sylvia in His Holy Arms.  AMEN.

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04182014 Good Friday

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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.

Last night we stripped the altar bare.  This symbolized Jesus Christ nakedness on the Cross and the shame, humiliation and public ridicule he endured for all of mankind.  Just as the saying goes, ‘naked we came into the world and naked we go out’, it is more appropriate for consideration on this Good Friday.  Last night, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper for forgiveness of sins.  Tonight we mourn, Jesus death.  Last night, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, tonight, Jesus disciples watch in disbelief their leader, teacher and friend being nailed to a Cross in Crucifixion.  Last night, Jesus said to His disciples, stay awake, watch and pray and yet, He found them weak in body and asleep.  Last night, Jesus prayed, ‘if this cup could be taken away’, but Jesus ended His private time saying ‘God’s will be done’.  Tonight is the low point on our Lenten Journey, for tonight is the night that we proclaim, Jesus Christ as dead.

As has been the case in the last six weeks since Lent began we have had a number of funerals.  Each has cut close to many families in our church clan, but all have had one thing in common other than death.  At every funeral we have used the pall to make all of who have entered the church triumphant equal.  The pall is used in the funeral as a covering for the casket.  It is symbolic of the intimate connection we have with our relationship with Jesus Christ through our Baptism.  Though death is symbolized by most in our culture and society with dark colors, even wearing black as a sign of mourning, the pall is a stark contrast symbolizing life.  It is the polar opposite for a distinct reason.  The pall in symbolizing life also is to be the great equalizer of all mankind in the eyes of God and man.  No matter the money we have here on this earth, the cars we drive, the house we live in, the land we own or farm, the amount of money in our banking account, we are all equal before God as symbolized by the pall being draped over the casket.

We are equal simply because of our baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.  When the Water and Word washes us clean and makes us children of God, we no longer are understood to be sinners.  We are now redeemed children of our heavenly Father.  Yes we still sin, but God has redeemed us.  The symbol of the pall is to remind us we are equal in God’s eyes.  Yes we are dead, just as Jesus Christ died on the Cross of Calvary that we mourn tonight.  But with our spreading the pall over the casket we point not to mourning, not to loss, not to sadness, not to death, we point instead to the light of the World into Whose life we have been baptized into and that gives us life.  We point to Jesus Christ Who chose death on Calvary to Glorify His Father in heaven.  We point to the Cross not in defeat, but in triumph.  We point to the Cross of Christ and our being covered by the pall as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for all of mankind.

Tonight we gather and see and feel the pall that covers our hearts, it covers Christ’s nakedness and ours and makes us equal in God’s eyes and is the reminder for all of what Jesus Christ did on Calvary on Good Friday.  With this simple covering of the pall we are reminded of our baptism into Jesus Christ and claim this especially tonight.  For tonight Good Friday we mourn Jesus death, we cover our hearts that are filled with sadness, but we know that Jesus Christ offers forgiveness for all of mankind.  It is the forgiveness of sins through His death that compels us to not look to the Cross in the same way, for unlike the disciples who felt there was no hope, we know that we have to mourn on Good Friday, just as we do when we use the pall.  For in our baptism we put on Christ and do so with our use of the pall.  But just as we use the pall, we look to and believe that Sunday is coming, for all of mankind, but especially for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Good Friday night.  AMEN.

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04172014 Maundy Thursday

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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.

For those of you who remember back at Christmas Eve the early service.  The church moved something.  It wasn’t the Advent wreath that helped us count down the weeks til Christmas.  It wasn’t the Crucifix that is very seldom used.  It wasn’t the offering plates or vases for flowers or the missal stand on the altar.  What moved was the Christ Candle.  For part of the year from Ascension Sunday until Christmas Eve, the Christ Candle is at the Right Hand of the Altar.  This is the symbol of our remembering what we confess in the Apostle’s Creed that “Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father.”  On Christmas Eve the Christ Candle moves to the floor of the church proper to signify Christ coming down from heaven, just as this is also the beginning of making the sign of the Cross with one’s hand going from the head to the chest signifying Jesus coming from heaven to earth.

These collective actions, of moving the Christ Candle and making the sign of the Cross connect perfectly with Holy Baptism.  This is why in Holy Baptism after the individual is baptized, whether, infant, child or adult they are given a small Baptismal Candle.  The candle is lit from the Christ Candle or even from the Altar and signifies and is a remembrance of our connection to Jesus Christ and our baptism into His life, death and resurrection.

The Baptismal and Christ Candle represent three things for us this evening, a celebration, a remembrance and the hope that is found in our celebrating the Baptismal rite.  It is a celebration, because in the waters of Holy Baptism with this Candle we celebrate God’s being the light of the World and His entrance into the life of the individual and the eternal impact God makes upon their life.  God reaches down from heaven and offers in Holy Baptism, life and salvation through the Water connected with the Word of God.  In this Holy Sacrament ordained and instituted by God we find our connection not only to God but the link that God offers for all of mankind freely and without requirement on our part.

Not only is this a celebration, it is a remembrance of Jesus Christ being baptized in the Jordan River.  We remember this connection and make it to, for and with ourselves.  When I was in Israel, one of the ladies I went to Israel with gave me after our return one of the most precious gifts, it was an ornate bottle that contained water from the Jordan River as a reminder for me of our trip and to be used during my future ministry to connect the baptism of the person with Jesus Christ baptism in the Jordan.  That remembrance still to this day connects me clearly with God’s gifts offered for all of mankind through Water and Word.

For not only do we celebrate the Gift given and remember Who the giver is, but as we gather tonight the meal we partake in is a reminder of the hope God gives each of us.  Tonight as we celebrate the institution of the Lord’s Supper it is a meal of hope.  The hope is incomplete, because we still need Good Friday in order to have Easter Sunday.  But in the Holy Supper we share tonight from the altar of our Lord, God is offering us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation that is the hope for all mankind.  It is a hope that connects not only we who gather here around this altar, but with all believers of all time and place, including those who now rest in their Lord and Savior’s arms. 

The Lord’s Supper is a meal that God connects to each of us today.  This is why when we have this meal, we light the two candles on the Altar as a reminder of the specialness and sacredness of the meal.  This is why we also light the Christ Candle for our reminder of Christ being in our hearts and His Holy Baptism and our connection to it and the Holy Supper He instituted.  And why we give a small candle at Holy Baptism for it to be used yearly at our baptismal anniversary as a celebration of God’s gift of forgiveness in baptism, a remembrance that it is God’s gift for us and it points to the hope we share in the promises of God through Water and Word.  For God offers Holy Baptism and this meal of the Lord’s Supper for all of mankind, for the forgiveness of sins because of His great love for each of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Maundy Thursday.  AMEN.

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04092014 Wednesday of Lent 5

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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.

It was once said, professional sports teams do the best jobs branding themselves and gaining a loyal fan base.  Everybody has a favorite sport and their favorite team.  In baseball it is either the Royals or Rockies, in football it’s the Bronco’s or the Chiefs and we won’t even get started on college sports here in Kansas. No matter what the sport, everyone has a favorite team and we show our support.  By the clothes we wear that have the team logo, to the colors and even vows to make it to at least one game during the year.  We actively participate in order to show our support.

In a similar way, when we baptize in the church we actively participate through our promises and vows that we make.  When we baptize not only do we use oil to make the sign of the Cross over the child or adults head and heart, we as a congregation are active participants.  Unlike going to the movie where we are always receivers of the entertainment or at the football, baseball, basketball or wrestling matches, where we sit in the stands and only ‘watch’ the action.  In Holy Baptism, we take an active role.

Our active role has three elements.  They are the promises we make, the vows we take and the greeting we offer.  The promises we make include our responsibility as a church to offer Sunday School, Confirmation, Bible Study and even other opportunities to learn about Jesus Christ.  We promise we will find a pastor, find teachers, provide supplies and even teach the kids what the Gospel is all about.  We actively take this on as our responsibility.

We also take the vow that if anything happens to the parents, we will insure the child is brought up in the Christian faith.  In one sense this vow is a throwback to years gone by when the average life expectancy was only 40-50 and accidents were more commonplace.  The vow is and was meant to insure the safety and Christian upbringing of the child and originally was taken by the Sponsors at Holy Baptism, but now the church and specifically the congregation has taken this responsibility as an active participant in the baptism of individuals.

At the end of the service, the congregation as a whole, ‘welcomes’ the child into the Family of God as a fellow heir of the Kingdom of God that they are now baptized into.  In greeting the child it is not only in word, but even by the connection with the vows and promises previously made.  But why is this so important?  Of what consequence is our active participation?

Ironically this stems back to Cain and Abel and after the one brother kills the other.  The question was asked of God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  And since that time and connected to Holy Baptism, we have to respond in the affirmative, we are responsible for each other.  That is what community is all about, that is what the Body of Christ, known as the church has as our responsibility.  We are actively responsible for the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Just as neighbors out on the farm help one another when they are in need, whether at harvest or when tragedy strikes, we in the church are the support that each other needs and it is our active participation and responsibility of, for and in the body of Christ.

And this all begins with our making promises, taking vows and greeting the newly baptized.  For now they are not only co-heirs within the kingdom of God, they are fellow partakers in the grace offered through Jesus Christ and His innocent death for all of mankind.  Including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this evening who are baptized into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.  AMEN.

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040620014 Fifth Sunday in Lent (Lent 5)

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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.

Growing up in rural Southside Virginia was not that different than living in Goodland, KS.  In order for us to get to a mall we had to drive, either to Richmond or Lynchburg.  To find another Lutheran church we had to drive as well, so living here on the prairies of Western Kansas is not that much of a stretch.  However, in one town that was nearby named Danville, it was over an hour drive by car and a church there had a gem that we only visited at Christmas time.  This place was special, because it was the home and humble beginnings of what is known today as Chrismons.  Matter of fact, even here at Emmanuel like many churches across the continent, we have a tradition to hang Chrismons on our Christmas tree.

Just as Esther Splattstosser and her husband and countless others in the past and even now labored to create the beautiful ornaments, one specific one not only connects with us today, but reminds us what we will be experiencing in the coming weeks.  The one ornament that is so special is the Butterfly.  In order to more fully understand our Baptism and its connection with the Butterfly, let’s pull out our bulletin insert and delve deeper into the Sacrament of Baptism.  Let’s read responsively the answers to “What does such baptizing with water indicate?” and “Where is this written?”.  The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, What does such baptizing with water indicate?  It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.  Where is this written?  St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six:  “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  In order to more fully understand our baptism, let us ask God to help us emerge in righteousness and purity.

Gracious God, through our baptism into Your life, death and resurrection, when we emerge from being washed clean, we are forever changed.  As we come closer to the celebration of Your resurrection, may we be reminded that in our baptism we emerge as well as new creatures redeemed by the blood of the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  For these promises are made for all of mankind, but especially all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel who emerged because of what You have done for each of us on the Cross.  AMEN.

Before us we have a butterfly to remind us, not only of the beauty of God’s creation, but the connection of the grace offered when we emerge from the Water connected to the Word in Holy Baptism.  We emerge as new creatures redeemed by the blood of the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  Countless times in scripture when Jesus Christ either heals someone from sickness, removes a demon or evil spirit, the person emerges whole, unhindered and changed.  This is the beauty of God impacting our lives and touching us and changing us.

In nature if you have ever seen a chrysalis and watched as a butterfly emerges there is great struggle that is occurring.  And this is part of nature and God’s good order.  Yet the reality is without the struggle the butterfly would die.  Why you might ask?  Because the struggle of releasing itself builds muscles that are necessary for the butterfly to fly and get nectar and survive.

So to in the Christian life we need to exercise our muscle of faith given to us in our baptism and there are times where we need to struggle, like the butterfly. Just as when we get out of a shower or bath or even a pool of water this summer the first thing we do is wrap a towel around us to stay warm.  When we emerge our bodies have changed from its original state.  So to in the Christian life, when we emerge from baptism, like the butterfly we are a new creature, a new creation.  God in a clear way has reached down into our lives and made us new and imparted unto us the gift of the Holy Spirit in our baptism.

And today as we come and gather around the altar and receive His precious Body and Blood we receive the gifts of grace offered for each and every one of us.  We exercise the muscle of faith given in baptism and know that this was for each and every one of us.  Jesus own words are extremely clear, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins.  As we partake of the gift around the altar we receive life, salvation and the promises God made to us with Water and Word in our Holy Baptism.

The story is told when Lauren was a young girl that she had been baptized, but she couldn’t remember the event.  Like so many people, she was baptized as an infant and raised in the church, gone through confirmation and had become a ‘full member of the church’.  But something was missing.  She couldn’t put her finger on it, because she had been a good Lutheran all of her life, involved in youth group, even volunteered for Vacation Bible School and even went on mission trips to foreign countries and attended youth retreats and outings.  Yet, something was missing.  Finally on one particular mission trip, when the children she had played with during the week and taught the lessons of Jesus and how He was the Savior of the world finally took on a concreteness.

One little girl, simply known to her as Consuela, looked her in the eye and said, “I want what you have.”  Taken back by the simple statement, Lauren said, “And what is that?”  Consuela said, in her broken English and clear accent “I want to be baptized.  I want to be God’s child.”  Lauren knowing this was a big decision agreed and they went and found the Pastor and proceeded to have Consuela baptized.  It was not just the relationship that had emerged between the two, but the trust that God had built between them that allowed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be shared and for Consuela to hear the Gospel and desire to be baptized.

With that one experience, Lauren more fully understood and experienced how for Consuela she emerged from the waters of Holy Baptism changed, made new and now was a child of God.  Even though she was surrounded by poverty, Consuela had imparted to Lauren a greater understanding of the greatest gift of faith with her baptism and the shared experience for Lauren and the impact it had upon Consuela.  And Lauren finally understood that though baptized as an infant, her muscle of faith was still active and God was using it clearly and unmistakably to have an eternal impact.

This is what we are fed here today around the altar to do.  We are fed to spread the Gospel in our relationships.  Not just be fed, but be transformed and be reminded that we emerged with our baptism as changed children of our heavenly Father.  We like the butterfly emerge from the chrysalis to thrive and survive and can spread our wings of faith and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is the opportunity we have and which God wants us to share with others for the eternal impact upon all of mankind, because of His promise made to us in our baptism into His life, death and resurrection.  Let’s emerge, spread our faith wings and share the Gospel with all of mankind and begin with each and every saint gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

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04022014 Wednesday of Lent 4

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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.

Standing in front of the congregation on a weekly basis I look upon the faces of you the people of God.  During this time I watch how a lot of you act and react in worship.  Some who sit in the pew go through the motions, stand up and sit down at the proper time and follow along in the worship and songs.  Some not only sing the songs, they confess clearly their faith and model for others their love of God.  And still others, do something more special, intimate and a true confession of their faith, they make the sign of the cross.

For some in our midst that were raised in the Catholic church, it was taught to them and drilled into them from their CCD classes and the nuns, for others it was taught by their pastor and clearly expresses their faith.  Martin Luther in his catechism says, “In the morning, when you get up, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of X the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.  AMEN.”  This simple invocation is a clear reminder of the simple truth that not only are you honoring God, you are also remembering and confessing the truth of what Jesus Christ did.

Consider if you will there are many ways to remember what making the sign of the cross means, but it simply is telling a story of Jesus Christ.  Making the sign of the cross begins with Jesus Christ in heaven, this is why you start at the head.  Jesus Christ came down from heaven or descended from heaven, entered into the world in a lowly manger and became truly human.  Then in our baptism Jesus Christ entered into our heart.  This is why the movement of the hand goes from right shoulder to left shoulder to denote and remember Jesus entering our heart in Holy Baptism.

Now if you notice or those who have seen Catholics make the sign of the cross, they go from left shoulder to right shoulder.  Honestly the direction matters not, making the sign of the cross is more about the heart of the person or the intent of the person than the way the action is made.  Simply making the sign of the cross is to remind us of what God has done in our lives and for us by His action of coming down from heaven and how in Holy Baptism, God enters our heart and changes us.  So the end point of our hand matters not, it is more important to remember the importance of what God has done and completed for us.  God in entering our heart in baptism reminds us and wants us to remember what He has done in this action.  And we can do this when we make the sign of the cross as our remembrance of His journey.  For the sign of the cross not only is to be used at the beginning of the day as Luther reminds us, but at the beginning of worship, and when we are blessed at the end of the service, when we receive the Lord’s Supper and even when we hear the Holy Gospel. 

The sign of the Cross is simply the reminder that God came into the world in order to save the world.  And through our baptism, we are not only offered life and salvation, but God offers us eternal life through the Gospel we hear and are baptized into.  And our making the sign of the cross is not only a reminder, but a remembrance of the grace God offers for us upon the Cross of Calvary for all of mankind.  For when Jesus Christ stretched out His arms and was nailed to the Cross, it was the complete fulfillment of salvation for all of mankind.  But especially for all of us gathered here at Emmanuel who remember our baptism and Jesus Christ descending to earth and entering our heart in baptism, when we make the sign of the Cross.  AMEN.

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03302014 Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lent 4)

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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.

This Spring farmers will perform a task that involves Faith.  If one was not raised on a farm, lived in a farming community, or grew up having experienced growing one’s own garden, you might not understand.  Yet, when a farmer plants a seed they not only use the muscle of faith in the potential within the seed, but trust that their planting will yield a harvest.  Whether it is of corn as is planted in the Spring, winter wheat in the fall that needs winter to give a good harvest or barley or sunflowers.  The action of planting a seed is the clearest expression of faith that we have here on the plains of Northwestern Kansas in what God will do.  But our planting of seeds is a perfect Segway for us to understand our having “Faith in God’s Promises” as well.

Let’s pull out our bulletin insert for this morning and continue in our learning about the Sacrament of Holy Baptism by reading the response to the question, “How can water do such great things?”  The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, How can water do such great things?  Certainly not just water, but the Word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this Word of God in the water.  For without God’s Word the water is just plain water and no baptism.  But with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  This is a trustworthy saying.”  Let’s ask God to help us understand the seed planted in our own baptism as we go to Him in prayer.

Gracious God, Your Word combined with Water offers us eternal life and salvation.  May we understand that Your planting the seed of faith in us is because You can see the fruit that will be harvested from our lives and Your Work through us.  Enable us to be not only planters, but harvesters, for the harvest is plentiful of Your gifts given to all of mankind, but especially all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

The destructive nature of water is not unknown, just as the constructive nature of water for farmers here in Northwestern Kansas is clearly documented.  Some among us know all to well the difference in having an irrigation pivot running during the peak growth time of corn.  It can either add to the weight and quality or adversely impact its growth and the harvest in the fall.  If you doubt, just drive around some fields this summer and see the outer rings of corn that don’t receive the moisture, but are exposed to the wind.  But a bountiful harvest only occurs because of the faith of the farmer who planted the seed in the first place.

Without the seed being planted by the farmer, no corn would emerge, no crop would grow and farms here around Goodland would cease to exist.  In a clear and unmistakable way the farmer in planting the seed initiates the greatest testament to faith.  But faith in what?  Simply a faith that the seed will germinate and grow and have a harvest.

In the same way when we baptize an individual, whether an adult or especially a child or infant.  We as a congregation are part of planting a seed of faith in their lives.  Hence, I have before us this morning, not only seeds from wheat, but also corn and milo.  It is for us a reminder that we as a congregation are planting the seeds of faith in the lives of the children that are baptized in this very font.

When we plant the seed, it is in response to what God has already planted in our lives by someone else seeing it as important to pass down their faith.  Passing down the faith is something that is extremely imperative and we need reminded of what God offers us in our faith and by our baptism.  When we baptize it is in the promises of life and salvation that are intimately connected with Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.  These are the promises that we receive.  With the number of funerals we have had recently, I have had the opportunity to continuously remind the families of God’s promises made in baptism as the seeds that were sown so long ago.  And what is ironic is that what we experience is not the seed when we mourn the passing of someone, but of something more important and faithful.

We see the harvest when mourn at the passing of someone we know and love.  The harvest in their death is now complete, the promise made with our sowing the seed at baptism, where Water and Word intimately connected was planted has now come to full maturity.  The harvest is complete.  The person that we will lay to rest has in most cases lived a full life, providing for family, teaching the difference between right and wrong, imparting the faith to their children and having heard clearly and consistently the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Not only have they heard it, but they also shared it and insured their children and the children of the entire congregation have heard the Word of God that tells of the promises of God.  And now they can rest from their labor and now are the ‘harvest’ from the seeds that were sown.

But it was the planting of the seed of faith in Holy Baptism that God initiated in those baptized and us the greatest gift of grace the world has ever seen.  In this gift of grace that tells of Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection, the Gospel message is planted and God makes it grow.  We are fed by God’s Word, His Sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and the blessings we receive as this seed of faith is nourished and grows from its planting in Holy Baptism.  For clearly God knows what will occur when the seed of faith is planted, thus all we need to do is plant this seed and trust God to bring it to the harvest.  And our trust in God is clear when we plant the seed, for it is for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel who daily plant the seed of faith of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

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03262014 Wednesday of Lent 3

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.

If you drive outside of Goodland West on 8^th Street and turn left or South right before you go off on the dirt road, you will drive past two very important places.  First you will drive past the Ethanol Plant that is being built and next you will drive past the Sunflower plant that processes the seed.  For most, these two locations might be an eye sore or currently or in the future will smell funny, but for others, they mean business and money here in Northwest Kansas, whether from the development of each or the opportunity that will come when complete.  What is ironic is that both the ethanol plant and sunflower plant revolve around one commodity that even in Jesus day was very important.  It was oil, but for Jesus it was olive oil, like is used when cooking.  In our day and time, crude oil which is pumped from the ground even here in Northwest Kansas from decaying fossils and it is for some countries and cultures the end all be all.  Everything relies upon it from our clothes, cars and even our commodities.  But there is another application for oil here in the church, not crude oil, but olive oil in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

When in Israel there were numerous Olive groves throughout the country that not only provided great eating, but also opportunity to see first-hand olive presses.  If you were to walk down the aisle at Wal-Mart, you can find many different types of olive oil, from low grade olive oil, to virgin olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil.  Each grade is dependent upon how it was extracted.  Low grade olive oil needs to be crushed from the olives and the higher grade oil, known as ‘extra-virgin’ naturally when placed in the press needs no crushing action to extract the oil that is the finest and purest.  When traded in Jesus day it would be the most expensive and used in most ointments and perfumes because it was not crushed or bruised in its preparation.

The extra-virgin olive oil connects us with baptism because of its use even today.  When we baptize and pour Water and Word over an individual and offer life and salvation and eternal life, we receive God’s greatest blessing.  And this blessing not only comes in Baptism, but we are reminded of this with the oil used to anoint as part of the rite of Baptism.  When baptized, special extra-virgin olive oil that has been blessed is used to make the sign of the cross over the persons head and heart as an additional reminder that we are signed, sealed and delivered to Jesus Christ through our baptism into His life death and resurrection.  With this additional element of the rite we are reminded of God’s continued promises.

Not only at baptism, but when children come and receive the blessing at the Lord’s Supper it is a reminder of their being signed by the Cross of Christ forever.  For children this is a tangible way to remind them of God’s continued promises for them and their anticipation of receiving the Lord’s Supper.  Not only at the Lord’s Supper, but also for all of us on Ash Wednesday when we came forward and the sign of the cross is made over our foreheads, it reminds us that dust we are and to dust we shall return.  And the extra-virgin olive oil used to make the ash is an additional reminder of God’s anointing upon our lives and God’s continuous involvement with each of us every day.

And the connection is even more tangible for the sick, whether at home, the hospital or on their death bed, for oil for anointing is used with prayers and hymns and spiritual songs to anoint persons who are sick and in need of the reminder of God’s Promises made in their Holy Baptism.  For this is the nature of God to remind us in many and various ways of how God offers us life and salvation and even connects us to the liturgical actions in the sacraments through the simple use of extra-virgin olive oil.

For the gifts offered unto us are clear and unmistakable, they are of life and salvation and the greatest reminder of our healing that we will receive in our entrance into heaven.  We humans think only of the here and now, but God looks to the eternal, for with the oil of gladness and our reminder with the oil of anointing we are reminded of God’s promises for all eternity. 

With our being anointed with oil we will be forever healed, because of God’s anointing us over our head and heart as a reminder of our baptism into His life, death and resurrection.  Those are the promises that God makes and fulfills and when we are anointed with oil, reminded of clearly and unmistakably in this simple action.  These are the promises of God that are made to and for us and signed with the olive oil that anoints our head and heart and reminds us of when we were baptized.  For God fulfills His promises of the Gospel that is for all of mankind, but especially all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel that have been anointed with oil as a reminder of our eternal healing through Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

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03232014 Third Sunday in Lent (Lent 3)

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.

In Seminary at LTSS – Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, there was a group of guys that became very close.  They had been in college together and eventually all came to seminary about the same time.  Having already formed the closeness in college and the fraternity and small college atmosphere, seminary was just four more years of partying together, but also forging even stronger the ties that continues to bind them together for their years in ministry.  Most of these same guys had grown up in parsonages across the church and knew exactly what they would encounter after graduation.  So in this brotherhood they would not only study together, party together, but would also come up with some cool sayings for their faith that they shared in Jesus Christ.  One of these connects readily with us today.  They would say, “Lutheran by birth, Southern by the grace of God”.  Matter of fact they even had t-shirts made with this saying similar to the Old Lutheran T-shirts I have before us.  But the motto the guys came up with was reminiscent of another saying about baptism.

Let’s pull out our bulletin insert and delve into the Sacrament of Holy Baptism by reading the response to the questions “What benefits does Baptism give?”  and “Which are these words and promises of God?”  The Sacrament of Holy Baptism (II), What benefits does Baptism give?  It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.  Which are these words and promises of God?  Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”  Let’s thank God for His promises in prayer.

Good and gracious heavenly Father, we receive the greatest benefits in our baptism into Your life, death and resurrection through the forgiveness of our sins.  If it were not for You we would be lost, but Your promises are sure and certain of our forgiveness, life and salvation.  Thank you for these gifts, for they are not only for all mankind, but especially for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Yes, my friends would say, “Lutheran by birth, Southern by the grace of God”, but the truth is, they also knew more fully and believed more so, “One Lord, One Faith and One Baptism”.  In this saying written by Paul, in Ephesians 4:5 clearly articulates our Lutheran belief in Jesus Christ, the one Holy and catholic and apostolic faith and the one baptism we are all baptized into in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  And this is exactly what we receive when Water and Word is poured over us.

In, through and by our baptism we receive the greatest benefit from God in His Word and His promises in the forgiveness of sins.  Some would naturally question why bring up ‘sins’ and why constantly mention or remind us of our sins.  We live in a world full of people that remind us of how we all fall.  But Martin Luther was very clear and he only repeated what Jesus Christ constantly said, “I did not come to save the righteous, but the sinners”.  Jesus could look into our hearts and see our collective sin and it was for this reason that Jesus Christ came and offered Himself for us.  Jesus Christ came in order to set us free from our sins.  Not to beat us over the head with them, but to tell us to ‘let go of them’, because we constantly and daily reflect upon them and sometimes feel we are unworthy of anything, even from God.  Remember the confirmation saying, “SINS” really means “Sinner In Need [of a] Savior”.  And it is through our baptism that God claims us, redeems us and offers us eternal life.

These are the promises of God that we need reminded of, not just in funeral sermons, but that we need to tell others about.  This is the greatest message that we the people of God, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb have the opportunity to share with not only our family and friends, but with all of humanity.  For the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not offered to only a certain few, but it is offered for everyone, all of mankind, without age restriction, class restriction, monetary ability or any ability of our own.  This is the free gift of grace from God that is offered for all.

But the reality is our society, culture and especially Satan is trying to keep this message from getting out.  Satan is throwing events, circumstances and any ‘wrench’ he can into the spread of this message.  And we the people of God, baptized by God are letting this occur.  We allow this to occur because it is easier for us to just sit by instead of stepping up and being accountable and being the children of God baptized into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.  But this message of the grace of God is freely offered to us and for us for all of mankind.  We need only share it.  During this Lenten season we are penitential, recently I saw one member come to the altar rail and have their own private time with God having their own conversation with their God.  We also during Lent confess our sin, but we have friends that are in need of a Savior.  It is not exclusive of our own family, but inclusive for all of us, we only need to do something that is extremely hard for us as Lutherans.

The most difficult thing for us as Lutherans is to invite someone to worship.  It could be we want this to be our own private time with God.  We don’t want to have to deal with our friends while here at church, because we need ‘one place’ to escape.  We are afraid of being turned down, or we just do not know how to invite someone to meet Jesus Christ.  That is why Lent is the perfect time for all of us to step out of our comfort zone and invite someone to meet Jesus Christ.  Let me give you an acronym to help:  STEP.  This simple acronym can help you to STEP out in Faith and invite a friend this Easter to come and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ for you and for them.

S stands for – Stop doubting you can invite.  Satan is the cheerleader for you not to invite anyone to church.  Every time you pass on the opportunity to tell about Jesus or invite someone you know to church, the scoreboard for the Gospel being spread continues to read zero.  God wants you to STEP out and invite people to experience the love He has for you and them and share it with them here in worship.  Our music may not be like at Calvary or First Baptist or Harvest, but the hymns we sing were written to not only express the faith, but moved people for countless generations to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So our first opportunity is to stop doubting yourself and prepare to invite someone.

T is a reminder for you to Talk to God.  This is a no brainer, ask God to help you in not only inviting people to church, but telling them the good news of Jesus Christ even if they don’t come to church.  Talking to God will not only lower your blood pressure, your stress level at work and home, but sharing with God what is on your heart will bring you into deeper relationship with Him.  And it is in this deeper relationship that you will find not only a closer relationship with God, but a clearer understanding of what God means to you.  When we talk to God, yes we tell Him what He already knows, but in sharing, we make a connection with God that builds the bridge of relationship with Him even stronger by just talking to God.

E is simply Expect God to send His Holy Spirit.  Expecting to God to do something presupposes that you have already talked to God about sending the Holy Spirit, so ask God to send the Holy Spirit and then expect God will follow through.  For God will send His Holy Spirit to us in order for His Glory to be revealed, and inviting someone to worship is precisely the place where God’s Glory will be revealed, not only for them, but also for you.  Expect that every time you come and worship, God will send His Holy Spirit to impact your life in ways that will not only amaze you, but lift you up when you are down.

Finally P is where we Prepare for God to work in the lives of the person we are inviting and even in our own lives, empowering us to invite others to hear the Gospel message.  God clearly wants us to STEP out in faith and prepare for His glory to be revealed.  For God will radically change your life and the lives of the people you invite, and this will bring about heavenly results beyond our wildest imagination.  Prepare for this every time you come and worship, for just as a farmer prepares the field for planting, when we prepare our hearts, we prepare for God to work on, in and through us.

God wants us to understand and share with one another the truth found in “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism” and STEP out in faith to share this message and invite others to hear it.  Let’s be God’s action agents and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all mankind, including all that we encounter and for all of us gathered here at Emmanuel to STEP out in faith and invite the world to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

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03162014 Second Sunday in Lent (Lent 2)

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.

Whenever I would enter a classroom in elementary school, middle school, high school, college, graduate school and seminary, the first thing I would do would be to look at the board.  Now when younger some will be able to relate it was the old slate chalk boards that had the dusty erasers that always needed taken out to the poll in back of the school and ‘beaten out’ or ‘dusted’.  In today’s world we have what we have before us, a dry erase board.  A new-fangled invention, because some people we know have become allergic to the chalk and these boards are a little less messy and hypoallergenic.  None the less, what is on the board when you enter the classroom is a clear indication of what the teacher would be teaching about or lecturing to the class about for the day.

So to this morning, as we begin in our series on Holy Baptism, I have a simple yet very profound math problem on the board.  It isn’t bad math by any stretch, but it does relate to us and what we receive when we are baptized.  Let’s pull out our bulletin insert and delve into the Sacrament of Holy Baptism by reading the response to the questions, “What is Baptism?” and “Which is that word of God?”  The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, What is Baptism?  Baptism is not just plain water, but it is water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word.  Which is that word of God?  Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Let’s ask God to help us understand our own baptism as we go to Him in prayer.

Lord of Heaven and earth, Your Word is definitely and certainly true and commands us to trust You in all things.  Enable us as we gather here this morning to understand Your commands are not for our detriment, but our blessing, for this blessing comes because of our baptism into Your Son’s life, death and resurrection.  May we fully understand this and clearly thank and praise You for all the blessings we find in Your Word for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

On our board this morning is a simple formula that denotes not only a simple math truth, but the truth of what we receive in our baptism.  “1 + 1 + 1 = 3”  We could easily use symbols for this and would potentially make more sense for us.  The first “1” is a symbol for us in Holy Baptism of the Water.  [DRAW a DROP of WATER] A few weeks ago in confirmation we were talking about Holy Baptism and I was explaining how anybody could baptize in cases of emergency.  Again a student asked a very good question, “Does the water have to be ‘holy water?’”  I simply responded, no it is not required nor necessary.  The water can be any water.  Whether from a water bottle, river or any source, it only needs to be water.  This satisfied their curiosity and showed me they were all in fact listening and interested.

The second “1” signifies the “Word of God”.  [DRAW a BOOK/BIBLE]  It is God’s Word or the Holy Scriptures that clearly and unmistakably changes the playing field.  God’s Word reveals not only the heart of God, but prophesied about what God would do in sending His Son Jesus Christ.  From the waters of creation where the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit hovered over the Water on the Earth, to the use of the Word of God by Jesus Christ against Satan.  God’s Word sets us free and when connected with the Water in Baptism, reveals the gifts of God for the people of God.

The Final “1” signifies you and me.  [DRAW a human] Water plus the Word of God is not only tangible, but when poured over our heads or we are immersed in the Water, God makes us a new creation.  A month and a half ago, I had the extreme pleasure to baptize a man who was near death.  He had requested Holy Baptism and wanted it before he died.  The significant thing was not the use of Water or Word, but that with the connection of Water plus Word plus his presence, God in the most extraordinary and profound way entered his life and offered him life and salvation.  God came down from heaven and for the first time called him a child of God.  What is more profound is that less than a month later, I had the extreme pleasure to tell, not of what this man had done on earth, but of what God had done in him through, Water, Word and its being poured over his head and how now he after his death he rested in his Saviors arms.  He was a new creation redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ for all eternity.

In that one moment what we receive in our baptism with Water plus Word plus our presence equals the greatest blessing of all eternity.  We receive the “3” or the ‘logical part’ or the blessing of the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  [DRAW a Triangle]  With our baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection, we receive the greatest blessing for all eternity.  This is the promise and the fulfillment of the promise of eternal life we are made partakers of with our baptism.  We now are partakers of eternal life and our entrance into heaven is promised unto us.  This is the free grace that God offers unto us that we with our baptism are now partakers of with WATER, WORD and EACH OF US.  This is God’s Work, not man’s.

I was once asked about baptism and what is my role in the act of baptism?  The question stemmed from an understanding that well, you are the pastor, so you must have a significant role in baptism.  And my response was simple and clear.  Baptism is a gift that God offers unto us.  It is something that we as Pastors are only passively involved in, God is the main action agent and I as pastor am just a mere spectator.  Yes, I pour the water over the persons head, yes, I say the words, but it is not me, but God working through me.  God is the main character here in divine action.  I am only a sinful man, God is the one Who baptizes people, I am only a simple towel boy that is privileged to be used by God to impart the greatest gift of grace known to mankind.

For with our baptism, God offers us grace upon grace and offers us eternal life.  Through the WATER intimately connected with WORD being poured over US, God gives to us the greatest blessing of eternal life in the Trinitarian Name being bestowed upon us.  And today we receive another of the greatest mysteries of God of His Son, Jesus Christ precious Body and Blood.  Through our baptism we receive the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation and today are offered His precious Body and Blood.  These are the blessings we receive from Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all of mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning remembering the grace offered to us through our baptism of WATER and WORD over EACH of US by the invocation of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  AMEN.

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