Author: TechCommittee

March 14, 2021                                                                          Text:  Ephesians 2:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

            A teacher was explaining to her class how a thermos works.  “You can bring hot soup to school for lunch, and the thermos will keep it hot.  The next day you can bring a cold drink to school, and the same thermos will keep it cold.”  One doubting but clever little boy asked, “But how does it know?”

            Good question.  “How does it know?”  It also a good question for this morning.  How does the community around us know we are Christians?  How do you know I am a Christian?  Maybe I am in this job for the attention and money! 

“HOW DOES IT KNOW?”

            If we want to know where we are going, we need to know from where we came.  “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked. . . were by nature children of wrath.” (vs. 1-3)  That sounds pretty bad…and it is.  Under the rule of the world and the devil and alienated from God.

            There are no exceptions.  Verse 3 says “we all.”  Everyone is the same condition by virtue of our human nature.  Not a use-friendly introduction to a conversation when on an evangelism call.

            Have you ever had a life threatening experience where someone else had to rescue you?  You could do nothing to save yourself.  That is what God does for us because He is “rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us.” (v. 4) 

            We had a terrible fate in front of us if the Lord did not intervene.  He rescued us from a terrible death.  He made us alive when were dead in trespasses (v. 5).  At our birth He breathed new life in us and He continues to do the same as He makes us new people in Christ Jesus.

            St. Augustine, one of the great church fathers, was once a cultured, civilized, wicked man.  One day he was greeted by a former mistress who said, “Hey, Augustine, It is I.”  He replied, “But it is no longer I, It is Christ.”  After his conversion he was a great Christian theologian.  An Aborigine tribe in Australia translates conversion as “given a new heart by God.”  Right on target.

            It gets even better.  “Raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  Wow.  We are part of the resurrection story.  God does this for you and I through the cross and the appearance of Jesus three days later.

            What prompts you and I to do nice things for others?  Why do others do nice things for us?  Are our motives always pure?  What prompted God?  It is important as troubled sinners, and doubting sinners and sinners with guilt and a bad conscience to be reassured that the new life in Christ has nothing to do with us.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (v. 8)

            When did God do this for many of us?  Before we were old enough to know about it.  He acted in us with His grace at our Baptism and He still keeps us in that covenant. 

            Society wants us to believe that there essential requirements for success – degrees, certificates, natural talent etc.  Our going to heaven doesn’t depend on our goodness.  It is God’ gift.  It is God’s grace.  Grace is more than God’s undeserved love for us.  It is His undeserved love in action.

            How does the world around us know that God has done all these incredible things for and in us?  If you were wondering when I would get to our sermon theme, here it is.  We are God’s workmanship who have been created in Christ Jesus for good works, and we walk in them. (v. 10)

            Through our sanctified life, the things we do and say, the world will know we are His children.  The message of salvation by grace stands by itself.  God did not save us to sit back and relax, basking in the sunshine of salvation by grace.  Spiritual atrophy would quickly result.  A long time ago He planned that others should see Christ in us.

            Our Christian life is part of God’s purpose.  Christ within us.  Why are we God’s children?  To let the world see and know what the grace of God can do.  During this pandemic I have said Christians must be above the fray.  The great masterpieces of our Christian faith are not stored away in vaults.  They are on display at all times so that people will “see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.”

            You know about product placement.  Companies work to have their products seen in movies, TV, sporting events, everywhere.  We are the sanctified products of God’s gracious plan of salvation, which He puts on display all over the world.  Through the Holy Spirit be the best product you can be for Him.  St. Paul never forgot the sheer joy and astonishment of his conversion when God surprised him.  He was never the same as His life showed what the grace of God truly is.  In the same way and through Christ, let the world know what God has done for you.        Amen.      

March 7, 2021                                                                                    Text:  Exodus 20:1-7

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Every year in Confirmation class I get to teach the Ten Commandments to the Lord’s young people.  To help these young cherubs understand the Law, this is the example given.  Let’s take the stoplights away at the Corner of Oakland Ave. and Veteran’s Parkway.  No stop signs or traffic cop.  Who wants to go through that intersection?  These nimble minds realize that there would be chaos, accidents, vehicles honking and the middle finger salute.

            We may not like the law but we know we need it.  We’ve all been in a classroom led by a student teacher or a substitute who had no control.  Maybe fun for a while, but we all need structure in order to live the lives God has for us.  The Lord knew this about us and so he gave His creation a simple set of 10 Commandments.  You might hate to hear it like a parent telling you to eat your lima beans but the Law is . . .

“FOR YOUR OWN GOOD”

            “You shall have no other gods before me.” (v. 3)  This commandment indicts the pagan but also spears us when we devote ourselves to money, popularity, me-ism, sports, work, and the pleasures of the body whether active on Saturday night or asleep on Sunday morning.  Would we rather gather around the golden calf or dwell in the House of the Lord?

            Our language pollutes the air.  God’s name as expletive is everywhere, even sadly in the verbiage of Christians.  I wear headphones at ballgames but could use them at restaurants and shopping malls and just about anywhere.  Our silence over the years has given profaners free reign.

            If we forget the Sabbath we harm ourselves.  It can be hard to get out of bed but once you get to church and worship you feel better.  We were created to live in God’s presence. 

            The law is a better place.  Watch a daughter mouth off to her mother at the store or look at a world where fathers are not there to provide spiritual guidance for their flesh and blood.  From this vantage point, the Fourth Commandment looks better every day.

            Rage and vengeance is not the answer.  We can’t go around harming others.  Abortion doctors who keep the remains of dead children in their homes is not the world I want to live in.  We stand at the foot of the cross.

            Adultery is a fruit that is tempting but the damage is long-term.  Our understanding of the body has many young people abandoned and confused.  The sixth commandment bleeds into the fifth and no amount of penicillin can make it better.

            Who will notice if I take a little something from the office?  They owe me…I work hard. 

            Doesn’t it feel good to speak down about others?  Kind of makes me superior.  But I don’t really like it when others whisper about me.  The residue is left on both parties in this equation.

            Why am I not happy for my friend or relative?  What a wretched person I am.  Do I covet their success?  Can’t we be joyous for each other?

            We know the society would be better if we paid a little more attention to God’s directives.  I am part of the problem.  You are part of the problem.  We are in the middle of the intersection and we are scared to death.  In order to live the Spirit induced life of love and kindness and charity and patience the law must indict us. 

            In the heart of the Christian it does.  We know shame and regret and guilt.  In this life we live under the law.  For your own good though Christ lived for you and I.  For our own good Christ was obedient to the law, not simply as a past event, but as a life He gives to us even now.  For our own good we have been redeemed out of Egypt of our sin and death.  For our own good the Lord Jesus Christ abolished the law so that in eternity we only live in the Gospel.  For our own good we will be in God’s presence forever and ever.

            The air is heavy in our world.  The pagan is feeling pretty good.  In a world that celebrates death come to worship where life is seen in the faces and actions of God’s people.  Experience kindness and fellowship and generosity and encouragement and joy and occasionally when needed consolation.

            We know sin remains in each of us and that the devil is still on the prowl.  But the glorious word today is that Christ makes all the difference and if we can’t see that then we need to pray for the Spirit to open our eyes.

            Through our living God and for our good we have been freed from our slavery to the law.  The law does not bind us in chains.  We are held close to the Lord and He directs our daily life for our own good.  Now pass the lima beans.

                                                                                                                                    Amen. 

February 28, 2021                                                                Text:  Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Ever tried a shortcut?  You spout off about a shorter route to somewhere and you end up sitting in a Wal-Mart parking lot with the Rand McNally out.  You have some assembling to do – a kid’s toy, a desk, an entertainment center – the directions just jumble your brain and you just know there has to be an easier road to completion.  Except it doesn’t quite work that way . . . and why am I still working on this hours later?

            Abraham is looking for a shortcut.  Here is his dilemma – he is 99 years old and has no heir with Sarai his wife.  Let’s fill in some blanks not in our text.  Sarai had an Egyptian servant named Hagar that she gave to Abram to bear him a son.  And she did – Ishmael.  Abram was 86 years old.  Abram thinks that he can be the heir and tells God of his wonderful shortcut.  “I mean God Sarai and I are too old to have children so let’s just call Ishmael the heir of the promise and get on with it.”

            All of this shows the weak faith that Abram and Sarai have.  Have you been in there shoes?  You see something in front of you, want to take the shortcut and leave God out of it.  When we do that we . . .

“LEAVE THE BLESSING BEHIND”

            Abram’s actions make sense to us.  He wants to fix the problem.  He wants to take the matter into his own hands.  He has got the solution:  “God, let’s do things my way this time.”

            The Law reflects back at us.  We are Abram.  We have struggles and challenges in life.  Everyone does.  So, we go to Him in prayer.  Our emotions pour out and we know He promises to answer.  And we finish the prayer with a heartfelt ‘Amen’ and instead of giving the Lord the time to intervene in your life, we start looking for our own answers and the way that we really think the problem should be fixed.  And that leads to worry and anxiety and despair.  We leave the blessing behind because we give it to God but then we take it right back.  Couldn’t my sickness been cured yesterday?  I really needed that money last week.  My child is destroying themself, what are you doing God? 

            We miss the blessing of his answer.  We miss the sign of His intervention.  We don’t really trust that He has our best interests at heart.  After all, you might not like God’s answer and His solution.  Just like Abram.

            The Lord needs to see His servant face-to-face.  He isn’t there to belittle him or tell him that he can’t believe his behavior.  God is there to strengthen his faith as He speaks to him the promises of the covenant.  God goes above and beyond the old man and old woman having a child as senior citizens.  The promises that He shares are mind-boggling and are still happening today.

            The other night I was listening to a CD of Elvis Presley’s greatest hits.  As I lay there in the dark, I had this thought.  Would Elvis have been so popular and called the ‘King’ if his name were say . . . Joe Yablonski?  I don’t think so.  The only thing Joe Yablonski could be the king of would be sausage!

            God knew names mean something so He is going to change the names of these two servants.  Abram becomes Abraham and the father of a multitude of nations.  Sarai becomes Sarah because she would be the mother of many nations.  Two miracles happen here – a son being born and many nations coming into being.

            God would make this everlasting covenant with Abraham and so many descendants would spill out of this relationship that the world would grow through his offspring.  Eventually one of those descendants would be the Savior, Jesus Christ.  Abraham and his descendants would also have an everlasting possession – the Promised Land.

            God didn’t leave the blessing behind He gave it to Abraham and Sarah.  When He fulfilled this promise to them, He kept this same promise to you and to me.  Jesus Christ, the descendant of Abraham, has come.  He came for all nations.  He came for all generations.  He came to fulfill God’s promises.

            He has done this by removing the sins of our weak faith, our doubts, our constant desire to do things my way and our penchant for solving problems without regard to God’s will.  His suffering and blood and death paid for our misguided actions.  He even conquered death for us in his glorious resurrection.  All the promises to Abraham and to us have been fulfilled.  By faith in Jesus, we, too, are now descendants of Abraham.

            Your name has also been changed.  At the day of your baptism when you became an heir of eternal life, God gave you a new name:  Christian.  He also grants us a new covenant through the shed body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.  All of this keeps us in the faith until we walk into the everlasting Promised Land.

            Don’t leave the blessings behind.

                                                                        Amen.    

February 21, 2021                                                                     Text:  Genesis 22:1-18

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Here is a simple story that makes a point:  “A little boy came running into the house after playing outside.  His mother stopped and asked what was on his right hand.  He said, ‘Just a little mud.’  His mother then asked if he was going to get the mud off his hand.  He paused and said, ‘Sure, mom, I will just wipe it off with my other hand.’  One dirty hand with a clean hand now equals two dirty hands.

            People are like that little boy.  They see the evil in their life and figure they can make themselves clean by bringing good into their life to bear the problem.  But you and I know it doesn’t work that way.  To be spiritually and morally clean we need another way.  The only solution is found in the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us from all our sins.”

            This first Sunday of Lent we consider . . .

“THE LORD WILL PROVIDE”

            We delve into the first two verses of our text, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’  And he said, ‘Here am I.’  He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 

            This is always an emotional story.  A father who loves his son is to sacrifice that son.  It cuts deep into our soul.  How could God ask this of Abraham?  Just like a boss who should be willing to do what his employees do, God is not asking Abraham to do anything that God wouldn’t do.  More on that later.

            We’re whiners.  I’ll admit that.  Who hasn’t been whining about the cold and the snow and the roads and trying to get things done and . . . it could go on and on.  Look at father Abraham.  He doesn’t whine, doesn’t debate God – “what again are you asking me to do?”  He even tells Isaac, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” (v. 8)

            He binds Isaac and even has the knife out – he is going all the way – somebody please stop this.  “The angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’…Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (vs. 11-12)

            Do you know who the angel of the Lord is speaking from heaven?  This is the pre-incarnate Christ speaking.  This is Jesus before His birth into the world.

            This is a foreshadowing of God’s love for us.  God took his son and laid him on a cross on top of wood, just like Isaac.  God carried a knife as He allowed His Son to be beaten and whipped and mocked and crucified at Calvary.  Christ died for our whining and our lack of faith.  He gave His life for the world’s people who are always questioning what He is doing.  “All the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (v. 18)

            Jesus died for people who mess up, have to swallow a lot of regrets and sometimes, can’t find their way through an open door with the lights on; people who are afraid of tomorrow and horrified by death.  He died for you – for me – for all the sinners on this earth.  You can count on this; He loves us beyond anything we can imagine.  Would you kill your child so that others might live?  God did.  That is the kind of sacrifice and love that He demonstrates.  It is a love that we should never take for granted.  It is a love that promises an eternal future.  It is a love that is with you today and tomorrow and forever.

            The Lord will provide . . . He has . . . He will . . . let it show in your life.

                                                                                                                                    Amen.  

February 17, 2021 – Ash Wednesday                                            Text:  John 11:45-57

Dear Friends in Christ,

            We live in an era of platitudes.  You know many of them – “alone together”, “united as one”, “let’s end so-and so.”  Almost every college basketball team has some sort of short saying on their warm-up jerseys or even on their uniforms.  We think that a saying is going to change behavior. 

            The definition of platitude is “a flat or trite remark.”  It’s nice but it doesn’t carry much weight.  We can use all the words we want but only the Lord can change hearts and minds.  It really is that simple.

            “The New Normal.”  You have heard this one over and over and you will continue to hear it over and over.  Ask some to define it and you would get many diverse opinions.  Continue to social distance . . . wear a mask in certain situations . . .  limit travel . . . be ready for the next virus . . . listen to me or I will destroy you.  Nobody knows what they mean but they continue to use the words like they do.  It is a flat and trite remark.

            During this penitential season of Lent our overall theme is going to be, “The New Normal Or Is It?”  We will use the Gospel of John to prayerfully show that nothing has changed in our world since the time of Jesus.  What we deal with on a daily basis is exactly what Jesus and his followers dealt with.  We know we need Jesus and His teachings – “not more than ever” – but the same way we have always needed them.

            It’s Ash Wednesday and Caiaphas has a platitude . . .

“IT IS BETTER FOR YOU THAT ONE MAN DIE FOR THE PEOPLE, NOT THAT THE

WHOLE NATION SHOULD PERISH.”

            Try putting that on a t-shirt.  In our text we have the plot to kill Jesus, but why?  Well, right before this he had raised Lazarus from the dead.  Now, shouldn’t this be a good thing?  Giving someone their life back?  Jesus lived in a sinful, upside down world.  Sound familiar?  The Jews and Pharisees were threatened.  Jesus had greater power than they had.  There are also political considerations.  Sound familiar?  If Jesus led a rebellion the Jews could lose their nation to the Romans. 

            Caiaphas knew he needed to do something.  He is going to utter a phrase which he thinks will satisfy the people and keep them in power.  He is basically saying that if one guy dies then the nation can be saved.  Great plan.  It should work.  These must have been the whispers.  Let’s get a billboard up. 

            What they miss is God’s hand in all of this.  Sound familiar?  God compels Caiaphas to utter this simple sentence and as they say in the country, “it has a whole lot of buckshot in it.”  Jesus would die for the nation.  He would die for the Jews and the Pharisees and Caiaphas.  But it would be more than that.  Jesus would die for the world.  Jesus would die for you and me.  Jesus would die for the platitude speakers and the sloganeers. 

            The cross He died on would be a simple, wood structure, so easy to design that the cross would adorn His followers until His return.  On an altar or above it, hanging on a church sign, worn around the neck, tattooed on an arm, scratched in the dirt of a cell, written in chalk, found on a hymnal, seen in the design of a telephone pole or other structure, standing above an interstate, hanging on a mountain, found on a rearview mirror and adorning a coffee cup.  See, the Lord God always knew what He was doing.  He always will.

            Jesus practiced social distancing, at least from certain people.  He couldn’t walk openly because of the public opposition.  His life was at stake and they couldn’t take His life, He had to give it.

            Jewish leaders had hearts that were hard.  They wanted to kill Jesus before the Passover.  Their hatred made them callous to God’s grace and mercy and compassion.  Sound familiar?  We need every day to repent of our sin and be in prayer.  May the Holy Spirit confirm this faith daily as we fulfill our calling faithfully.  Look around there is no new normal.  There is only what has been.  Rejoice that nothing stopped Jesus from graciously giving His life for all people at God’s appointed time.  He gathered us, His children, to Himself.

            Don’t live in platitudes, unless you can define or explain them.  Live with God’s Word.  It explains itself when it works on the heart of the atheist or agnostic or misguided.  It explains itself when it changes the mind of a relative or friend.  It has been explaining itself for centuries and it works for the good of those who love Him.

            It is not a trite remark because it’s true – “Jesus Died So We Might Live.”

            Next week the Gospel of John tackles the cancel culture.  See you at the foot of the cross.

                        Amen.    

February 14, 2021                                                                            Text:  2 Kings 2:1-12

Dear Friends in Christ,

            What is the hardest separation moment you have had?  The death of a close friend or relative?  A child that has gone to college or the military or moved halfway across the United States for a new job?   A mentor left at your workplace?  A divorce you never saw coming? 

            One that tears at the heartstrings were a few moments when the boys were little and I got called away for a death, a hospital call, even a meeting I had to attend.  To see them standing at the door crying or with that disappointed look in their eyes gave this Pastor an emotion that is difficult to comprehend.  If you can relate to this story you know what it is like.  I was fortunate as they got older to take them with me and the separation was lessened.

            In our Gospel lesson for this morning Christ is leading three of his inner circle to a mountain to prepare them for his death and resurrection.  He is giving them hope in the Transfiguration.  In another location across the Jordan River and many years earlier, despite the pain of separation from his master, Elijah, Elisha received a similar confidence via a spectacular display of God’s presence. 

            For our title today I am going to use a line that I share with people like the brothers and sisters at our former congregations or relatives and friends that may not be seen for awhile – if ever here on earth.  It fits our direction this morning . . .

“IF I DON’T SEE YOU IN THIS LIFE, I’LL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT”

            That line is used for people that are Christians.  It is our great hope to see them again.  But even for those of us who believe in God and His Word, separation is still a painful loss. 

            Elijah is the one man in the Bible who didn’t die.  He was literally taken to heaven and separated from Elisha.  And while Elisha knew this was going to happen he still cried when it occurred.  He mourned. 

            It can be like this for us who watch a loved one creep toward death because of cancer or other lingering illness.  We know the separation is inevitable but the end pounds the last nail in the coffin.  Even in the midst of that we know the separation is temporary.  Elisha knew that this was not a forever situation.

            Jesus’ disciples would mourn his suffering and death.  They grieve from a distance at his trial and crucifixion.  The believing women are still in sorrow at Sunday’s first light.  They all are weeping even though the Lord shared the final chapter of the story.  He told them numerous times that on the third day he would rise again. 

            Death’s sting inflicts pain on us.  We can’t make that phone call or have that conversation we had in the past.  We can’t see the joy on their face in our accomplishments or the grandchildren’s victories.  We miss them at the dinner table and next to us in the pew.  Even though death is the result of our sin, we still can have tears flow for what seems like the silliest of reasons even though we know that in Christ it is only temporary.  “If I don’t see you in this life, I’ll see you in the next.”

            God’s divine plan brings comfort and hope.  Elijah knows the comfort of God’s promises.  He goes to his final destination knowing that his crossover to heaven brings a joyous end to his times of misery and despair.  Elijah felt abandonment in life and he had Jezebel who wanted to kill him.  This man of God was resuscitated by the Lord’s angel and was shown that God had not abandoned him.  It is this quiet confidence in his destination that we see in our text.

            Elisha confidently follows his master to the end.  He knew the Master had a plan.  God revealed this truth in each stage of the journey.

            God’s glory, which we will experience some day, is on display this morning.  The chariots and horses of fire and Elisha exclaiming, “My father, my father!  The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”  Our Lord’s transfiguration elicits awe and this from Peter, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here.  Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  Even our Lord’s greatest manifestation of glory on the cross, which takes away the permanent sting of death and sin, caused at least one man to declare, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mk. 15:39)

            As a result of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil, the company of heaven broke out in jubilant song.  When reunited with one another and in the visible presence of Almighty God day and night, they never stopped saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” (Rev. 4:8)

            One day we join that heavenly chorus – no tryouts needed.  One day we celebrate the eternal reunion of all believers in Christ and with our loving and gracious God.  One day the promise we hear in church and read in our Bible will be our reality.  Home at last.  But until then remember . . . “If I Don’t See You In This Life, I’ll See You In The Next.”

                                                            Amen.