10132013 20th Sunday After Trinity

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.

When my younger brother Dale started college back in 1990, he didn’t choose a typical school.  It wasn’t UVa, Duke, UNC or Longwood, which were all ‘well-known’ schools.  Dale, chose to attend a college with not only a history, but a heritage that spanned back over 150 years and predated the Civil War.  Now living here in Kansas it is more interesting because the school, Virginia Military Institute better known as VMI was founded in 1839.  In opposition the territory of Kansas was not formed until 1854 and the State of Kansas did not join the Union until 1861.

But Dale, as a student at an all-male military institute was instilled with many important virtues that have served him well during his nearly 20 year military career.  One of the most profound and interesting for me when I first visited him was that all around campus there was a ton of loose change that was just lying on the ground.  I thought I had found the mother load of spare change.  Since VMI was founded to train young men to be gentleman and serve in the states militia, it was believed that the change ‘dropped’ or ‘lost’ by people was not theirs even if they found it on the ground in the middle of a field.  It was considered stealing if they picked up the change, so that is why the campus was strewn with lots of loose change.

I start with that story, because today we continue in our Catechism series with the Seventh Commandment.  Let’s pull our bulletin insert out and respond to God’s Seventh command beginning with “We should”.  “The Seventh Commandment, You shall not steal.  What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.”  Isn’t it a neat connection with this commandment the value and virtue instilled in students at VMI that comes directly from the Seventh Commandment.  Ironically VMI is a public institution, state funded and has values like this at its core.  Before we continue, let’s pray asking God’s blessing and wisdom upon our time as we learn a new understanding and application of the Seventh Commandment.

Let us pray!  Gracious Father, even the thief on the cross who hung next to Your Son Jesus Christ was rightly convicted for his breaking the law, but the reality is that we are just as guilty of stealing as he was.  It may not be items or valuables, but the reality is that we steal from each other, from the church and from You daily, whether in what we do or do not do.  Even though we deserve to hang on the cross, Your Son Jesus Christ came, lived among us and died in order to pay for all of our sins, even when we steal from You.  Continually remind us of His sacrifice that was for all mankind, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

If it were only a matter of loose change, or a piece of candy that had fallen to the floor in the store, we easily could rationalize our not being guilty of breaking the Seventh Commandment.  But the reality is that it is not about the item, but it is about the concept of stealing that the Seventh Commandment brings to mind.  Everyone of us is guilty in some way of stealing from not only the government with the loop holes of taxes either personally or professionally.  From our community by our own self-interest in only our homes and farms or what will benefit our own family or small group, whether it is sports, the arts, our bridge club or even our pet projects or groups like Kiwanis, Elks or the VFW.  Or our stealing even here in the church where we are only consumers and not wanting to take our ‘valuable time’ and usher, greet, be a communion assistant, Sunday School teacher or lector, either because we have done our time in years past, or we expect the ‘younger generation’ to pick up the slack and serve.  The reality becomes that we are guilty of breaking the Seventh Commandment even here in the church.

Hence this morning, we have a clock and a model church to remind us that the Seventh Commandment is not only about stealing items, it is about our stealing time and stealing from God’s church what God has entrusted to us.  I am not here to make us feel guilty or shame anyone into doing something they do not feel led or called by God to do.  Nor am I here to put down any group like the Kiwanis, Elks, VFW, Boy Scouts or any recreational organization.  Hear clearly, all God wants us as His children to do is not only understand that stealing is wrong, which is very clear, but more specifically for us to build the body of the Church for God’s Glory and His Honor.

When we have the understanding and perspective that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins, even of our time and wasting it without eternal gain, we begin to change our perspective on time and our relationship not only with the church, but also with God.  Remember the Seventh Commandment deals specifically with the relationship on the horizontal level, or between our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Though Jesus came and died for all of our sins, His offer of life and salvation was not so we can sin even more, it was so we can be transformed into His image of perfect sacrifice and obedience to use our time as precious as it is in His Glory here in the church and in our community.  We will never be perfect, but by our striving to serve in God’s service, we change the landscape of our reality, not our being saved, but our being continuously transformed, continuously reminded of our salvation and continuously serving God when the opportunity arises in the community, the church, and especially for the eternal gains for God’s Kingdom.

God is simply calling us to not steal, not just the physical, but also the eternal blessings that He has in store for us.  This is why we can and should be transformed by His Word and empowered by His blessings He wants to bestow upon us.  When we continuously remind ourselves of His sacrifice by telling, living and embodying the Gospel story, we change not only our perception of this commandment, but also our action not only as a fulfillment of His offer of salvation for us, but also as our opportunity to devote our time for His Glory and not our own.  May we hear His calling clearly and be empowered to use our time, not in stealing it away for our benefit, but in service to Him in the church and for His Glory for all of us saints who bask in the free grace offered by His death on Calvary for all of mankind including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

10112013 Funeral for Lee Rivers Highland

Sermon Audio

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our redeemer!!  AMEN!!

Let us pray!  Gracious Lord, as we gather here to celebrate the life of Lee who has been washed by the Blood of the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, remind us that Lee found peace in receiving the sacrament of Holy Baptism.  No longer will the pains of memory of this life bind him, for it is in, through and by his baptism into Your life, death and resurrection that Lee now rests in Your loving arms.  May Your Gospel message of salvation given to us and which we share around the altar today remind us not only of Your love for us, but how the veil of death that separates us today from Lee cannot separate us from the love You have for us that is manifest in the meal of Your precious Body and Blood that we share with him around the altar this morning.  May we be comforted by this thought and truth and allow the salve of Your Gospel message to embrace us in Your loving arms offered by Your Son Jesus Christ innocent death on Calvary for all of Your saints, especially including all of the saints of Lee’s family gathered here at Emmanuel to say goodbye.  AMEN.

The 23^rd Psalm reads in part, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” we certainly can relate to this biblical image today.  We are here today in this valley mourning the loss of Lee.  But is this a valley or are we on a mountain top?  Consider if you will the 23^rd Psalm is meant to be a Psalm of comfort, but also to point directly to a promise from God for each of us today.  It is the promise of the message of salvation and the comfort that God offers to each of us today that we lay claim to as we gather together remembering the stories of Lee’s life and how we came to know him and how we share today the message of the victory over sin, death and the devil on the mountaintop, not in a valley.  This message I as Pastor bring to you today, but remember that Lee was a message bearer as well.

If I were to begin, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…[anybody know what this is from?  Or how it ends?  It continues]…stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”  Yes, this is the unofficial mantra or motto that many of us heard about mail carriers like Lee.  Ironically it is originally from an ancient Greek work by Herodotus that describes the Persian system of mounted postal carriers from approximately 500 years before Christ.  It was made famous because of its inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City and has found its way into song and legend about our United States Postal Service of which Lee was a member for many years as a Postmaster and rural mail carrier.

I tell this anecdote because mail carriers like Lee not only were responsible for the delivery of mail, but carried packages and even mail order poultry, mail order clothes and carriers even today deliver items that were only a dream in the minds of innovators not ten years ago, but more importantly mail carriers carried messages.  For some people today mail and the messages they convey are outdated due to the internet and instant messaging, texting or even cell phones or Face time chatting and for mail today the messages are only important to the sender and receiver.  But for all of us gathered here today, the message we have heard today of the Gospel of Salvation has been heard not only in the lessons read, but the liturgy and especially in what we will receive later in Holy Communion.  The message carried and proclaimed to us today is important for all Christians of all time and all space, especially Lee and all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel, whether sitting in the pews or as we gather around the Table of our Lord with all the Saints of All time and All place on the other side of the altar in eternity.

The message we have and need to hear today and share is that Jesus Christ came and personally lived and delivered the message of salvation for all of mankind, including Lee and each and every one of us here today.  Nothing, not even World War or Satan could keep this message from getting through.  It is a message that impacts both God the sender and we the receiver today.  The message of salvation that Lee heard later in life and acted upon in being baptized not only tells a story, it fulfills a promise made by God from the formation of the world to our very existence today.  Clearly Jesus Christ sacrifice on Calvary was for all of mankind and this is a message that we have the opportunity to retell and proclaim, but we also can remember that this is a message the Old Testament prophets foretold, whether by Isaiah or the Psalmist David that we have heard from today. 

This is also a message we lay claim to today as we remember Lee and his baptism into Jesus story of salvation.  Just as Lee was a surgical nurse during some of the worst battles on the Pacific Theater during World War II, endured the hardships of losing friends and comrades as well as men and women who laid on the operating tables due to their injuries, the message and meaning of loss hit home for him as well as many other heroes that served our country and insured our opportunity to worship and gather here this morning to say goodbye.

Yet, the message that we need to share today and proclaim from the mountain top we are on today is not the completion of Lee’s appointed rounds, nor the finality of death or being in the valley of the shadow of death, but how Lee now has eternal life with His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ because of the message first given to him of the Gospel of salvation.  We here today celebrate the gift of eternal life offered for all of mankind through Jesus Christ and the message of salvation.  Just as Jesus modelled humility for mankind and sacrificed Himself on the Cross of Calvary, we celebrate how Lee modelled this for his children and for our nation as a soldier who lived in harms way, even ready to storm the beaches of Japan to insure our freedom. 

The model Lee lived for his family, community and world was first modelled perfectly by Jesus Christ and how He offered Himself as the sacrifice for Lee and for all of mankind.  This is the message that we remember as we come and celebrate the Lord’s Supper around the altar of the Lord today.  This meal not only contains the message of salvation, but is a perfect reminder of God’s sacrifice for all of mankind.  This is the message of eternal life and salvation that Jesus Christ promises us as we gather here this morning and remember, not only the carrier of the mail, but more importantly the carrier of the message of salvation found in Jesus Christ for Lee, for all of mankind, but especially for all of the saints of Lee’s family that gather 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 Lee and each one of us!  AMEN!