Author: Evangelism

SERMON TEXT 05.03.2026 — “WHEN OUR VIEW IS BLOCKED”

May 3, 2026                                                                        Text:  Acts 6:1-9, 7:2a, 51-60

Dear Friends in Christ,

            About a year ago Toni and I vacationed with Karson, Elizabeth and Asher in the Smoky Mountains.  We had a house rental in the mountains.  Karson and family were already at the rental as we made our way up the mountain.  It was a series of hills and winding roads.  We had no idea what was around the corner because our view was blocked.  At some of the corners they had mirrors hung on poles so you could see what the vehicle coming the other way was doing.  We finally made it, but only because Karson was standing near the end of the steep driveway.  It was a beautiful house in a scenic location, but a challenge to get to.

            The things of the world can block our view of God’s kingdom.  Even as this happens the Holy Spirit is working to keep our eyes on His glorious kingdom, which will be revealed one day.  As we consider the account of the martyrdom of Stephen, let’s think about . . .

“WHEN OUR VIEW IS BLOCKED”

            Hills block our view of God’s kingdom on earth.  The scribes and elders stoned Stephen because they could not see of the kingdom of which he preached.  The disciples got weighed down and had their view blocked because they were serving tables and not preaching the Word of God.  It is not unlike your Pastor’s view which has gotten a little blocked this year by all the building minutiae, when you called me here to preach and teach and administer the sacraments. 

            Stephen was one of the called seven.  We know about him and Philip.  The other men mentioned we don’t know much about.  The text says, “Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.” (v. 8). The Holy Spirit was allowing Stephen to preach and perform miracles.  When that preaching reached the elders and scribes, they could not see the kingdom of which he preached because of the hills they erected before their own eyes.  Their view was obstructed, and they lacked faith in the Son of Man.

            Do the things of this world ever block our view of God’s kingdom of grace?  How about caring for our child’s physical needs?  Do they block our view of their spiritual needs?  Do we leave their spiritual welfare to the church and confirmation class when the duty is ours at home?  Are their false teaching and theologies out there they we might buy into that block our view?  Do we watch a movie or read a book that don’t agree with the teachings of Jesus?  Do life’s anxieties block our view of all our blessings?  So, we don’t have hot water for a few days.  Inconvenient, but not tragic.  Can we see what’s ahead?

This is the beauty of the Holy Spirit’s work.  He helps us to keep the focus on heaven.  Stephen’s view could have been blocked as he took the pounding of the stones.  The Holy Spirit gave him a view of heaven and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.  Even with everything coming at him, he is able to commend his spirit to the Lord and to pray, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”  Those words draw us back to the words of our Savior on Good Friday.  Then don’t miss this.  Something good comes from this murder.  Notice the young man witnessing all this?  Who is it?  In the text he is named Saul.  After his conversion it would be Paul.  This event changed the life of the Apostle Paul.

This happens to us.  The Holy Spirit grants us a view of the glory of heaven, though it might be hidden under earthly things.  The Holy Spirit preaches Christ both to parents who neglect their children and to the children through grandparents, God parents, friends, neighbors.  The Holy Spirit sometimes moves faithful Christians to produce movies and books that give an accurate portrayal of Christ Jesus.  The Holy Spirit brings surprises out of anxieties.  Blessings from curses. 

In the Divine Service the glory of heaven is most clearly revealed.  The glory of heaven is hidden under earthly means of bread and wine, we receive a foretaste and a fore view of the feast to come.

For the five days we were in the Smokies, we made that trip up and down the mountain several times.  Every time the trip got easier and easier because we knew what was around the corner.  The view was still blocked, but things had been revealed to us.  God often accomplishes his greatest good in the midst of suffering and when things go against human reason.  The hill of Calvary, on which Jesus gave up his spirit unto death and sought the forgiveness of his persecutors, is always in view.  It has been revealed to us.  We know what is around the corner – an eternity in the glorious presence of our Lord.

                                                                                                                        Amen    

SERMON TEXT 04.26.2026 — “MORE THAN AN EXAMPLE”

April 26, 2026                                                                                 Text:  1 Peter 2:19-25

Dear Friends in Christ,

            If you want to show someone as a good example, where do you turn?  If you want to commend good behavior, a kindness that didn’t go unnoticed or somebody who handled their finances well, where do you turn?  Do you look to people in the public eye?  Maybe.  But as we learn so often, many of these folks are deeply flawed and have their moral failures.  There are no perfect examples.  If there are people out there who are good examples, and there are some, maybe even in your own life, we may feel they set the bar so high we can never measure up to them.

            Today in the text Peter holds up another example.  This one is different than any role model.  The apostle commends to us the Good Shepherd, Christ Jesus.  He is the Savior, who suffered for our sins and was raised from death to give life to unruly and straying sheep.  This Good Shepherd is . . .

“MORE THAN AN EXAMPLE”

            Leonhardt Goppelt describes the context of 1 Peter:  “Christians were discriminated against by slanderous accusations…This verbal hostility against the Christians comes from their fellow citizens, also and precisely from their relatives, colleagues, and acquaintances.  It is more than personal insult:  It takes from them the public respect on which existence in society depended, even more than in our time, and public officials have found action against them appropriate.”

            The Christians suffered.  Peter writes they were suffering unjustly.  The suffering here is what happens when Christians are doing what is good and right in the Lord’s eyes.  They are cross bearing.  Identified with the Lord.  It recently happened to a pro basketball player of the Chicago Bulls.  He was cut from the team because he called homosexuality a sin on a personal web page.  He wasn’t speaking for the team.  This is what we can be up against, especially in corporate America.  Some of you know of what I speak.  Herman Sasse writes, “To believe in the cross always means also to carry the cross.  A yes to the cross of Christ is also a yes to my cross.”

            Christ is an example of endurance.  Before we go any further, let’s make this clear.  Christ’s suffering for us always comes first.  Because he has suffered for us, he becomes an example for our bearing of the cross.  We are not justified by imitating Christ.  But he is the pattern for the life of the Christian in the world.

            When Christ was insulted and ridiculed.  He received it.  He was betrayed by friends.  Spit upon.  Heckled by soldiers.  He is then unjustly executed as a blasphemer.  The One who knew no sin is made sin for us. 

            Our Good Shepherd is an example of forgiveness for those who do us wrong.  Forgiveness of sins was his mission.  He innocently suffers and atones for our sins.  Throughout his life he extended this forgiveness.  The healing of the paralytic.  The woman caught in adultery.  He even prayed from the cross that his tormenters would be forgiven.

            More than an example, Christ forgives us.  He is a victim who does not victimize.  History is full of examples of how oppressed people became oppressors themselves.  But Jesus does not make victims of those who persecute him.  He bears the sin of the world – and our individual sin – in his body.  Being forgiven, we are released from sin’s power.

            Our Good Shepherd is the example of putting our lives into the hands of a faithful God.  Jesus commends his spirit to the Father.  The Jewish “now I lay me down to sleep” prayer becomes his prayer.  We follow Jesus’ example with, in effect, the same prayer in Luther’s Morning and Evening Prayers:  “For into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things.”

            More than an example, Jesus is the shepherd and guardian of our souls.  We have the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  We are not snatched from the hands of the Good Shepherd.  The evil of others, He can work for our good if we trust in him.

            This theology of Jesus as example, can be a little tricky for Lutherans.  But if we remember it all flows from him by faith then we can happily live the life he has earned for us.  He is an example for the life of faith in the Father and love for our neighbor.  Rescued by the Shepherd, reconciled to the Father, the Gospel enlivens us to live in Him and for Him.

                                                                                                                                                Amen. 

Sermon Text 04.19.2026 — “LIVING IN REVERENT FEAR”

April 19, 2026                                                                              Text:  1 Peter 1:17-25

Dear Friends in Christ,

            The Apostle Peter had begun this epistle with a section titled, “Born again to a Living Hope.”  Is this kind of hope an escapism that turns its back on the present world?  Will it lead to a “pie in the sky” mentality?  Not so.  The apostles were energized by the Holy Spirit, and they laid the foundation for the conversion of the Roman Empire.  In the centuries that followed, the living hope resulted in acts of mercy and concern by Christians for all humanity.  C.S. Lewis gives us the maxim, “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’:  aim at earth and you will get neither.”  Peter is urging the church and in turn us to be . . .

“LIVING IN REVERENT FEAR”

            There are many kinds of fear.  Punishment might be the most frequent.  A child who misbehaves and a thief who steals are descendants of a man who said to his Maker, “I was afraid because I was naked.”

            Fear of injury or death can occupy our thoughts.  Jesus rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith when they thought they were going to drown when a storm engulfed their boat.

            Fear of the unknown occurred when the appearance of angels surfaced.  Zechariah, the shepherds in the fields, the women at the empty tomb.  And remember this about the soldiers on Easter morning – “The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became as dead men.” (Matt. 28:4)

            Despite all this, there is good fear.  We would call it “reverent fear.”  It works like this.  The Lord has showered so many good gifts upon us, we want to please him by keeping his commandments.

            Loving God and living in reverent fear means that we conduct ourselves as “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Pet. 2:11), for we are a “people belonging to God” (1 Pet. 2:10).  As such we do not become attached to earthly things.

            Living in reverent fear is an ongoing rejection of the cravings of sinful man.  How are we doing?  Here is a quote I came across, “The Lord Jesus Christ has called his church to holiness.  The Christian is called to live by high standards.  Recent surveys indicate that the conduct of the church isn’t too different from the world.”

            We have been redeemed from the empty way of life.  Peter is writing to converts who have come out of their heathen ways.  They inherited it from their forefathers, but they found it empty and unfulfilling.  There was no joy.  This happens still today by those who have a form of godliness, an outward expression of religion and religious activity but it is not Christ-centered or biblically oriented.  While these people know that God exists, they do not give Him glory.

            The precious blood of Christ makes us free.  In March 1960, the little town of Agidir, Morocco, Africa, was reduced to rubble by an earthquake.  At the time, Lt. Gerald Martin was stationed there with his wife, Sue.  While he was not harmed, his wife could not be found.  After several days of searching the military people were told to leave because a 2nd earthquake could occur.  Lt. Martin stayed on.  One day later he found Sue, still alive, under six feet of debris.

            What did he do?  Scold her for coming to that area?  Offer advice so she could free herself?  Pass her a survival kit?  Cheer her up with words?  Of course not.  He got busy.  With his two hands he dug away the rubble until she was free.

            So, God dealt with us.  A “do-it-yourself” salvation kit would do no good.  Cheerful encouragement would not help.  Rather, through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, God set aside the rubble of sin to rescue us.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin…If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (Jn. 8:34,36)

            Christ as our text says, “was foreknown before the foundation of the world.” (v. 20). He accomplished what we could not do.  It reminds us that we are the elect, chosen by God.  This is not an easy teaching to understand. 

            A few years back in a chapel service at the LCMS International Center, a seminary student from Korea said, “I am the first Christian in my family in 5,000 years.”  Strange and awesome!  Why him?  Why us?  Why me?

            Not easy to understand.  We leave it to the wisdom of God, whose judgments are unsearchable and paths beyond tracing out (Rom. 11:33).  But what we can do, as we live in the hope of our inheritance, is to give him the glory forever.  Living in Reverent Fear.

                                                                                                                                                Amen.       

SERMON TEXT 04.05.26 — “OUR FASTING GIVES WAY TO FEASTING”

April 5, 2026 – Easter                                                                 Text:  Zechariah 8:19-23

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Today is a day of feasting.  Easter breakfast.  Easter baskets.  Easter dinner.  Even better, we feast on the triumphant news of Christ’s victory over sin, death, Satan, hell.  We linger over this savory statement:  “He is not here; he has risen.” (Matt. 28:6)

            Let’s back up.  Did you fast during Lent?  We are not talking about getting ready for a medical test or skipping a meal.  Did you observe the ancient spiritual discipline of fasting?

            God commanded the Israelites to abstain from food one day:  the Day of Atonement.  But in the Bible David fasted and Jesus fasted and the believers at Antioch fasted and there are other examples of voluntary fasting.  Fasting can help keep focus on Jesus or devotional time or remorse over sin.  Maybe you fasted from sweets or alcohol or social media.

            But after a time of self-denial, we anticipate a celebration.  Imagine Jesus at the end of his 40 day fast.  We have looked forward to the end of the 40 days of Lent, and today – Resurrection Day . . .

“OUR FASTING GIVES WAY TO FEASTING”

            At a recent circuit Pastor’s conference, we had a study on fasting.  There is a group of LCMS clergy who have been fasting during Lent.  We looked at Bible verses and what fasting is and what it is not.  We were given practical helps for this spiritual discipline.  And I learned again that the work breakfast came to be from breaking the fast.

            In Lent we have been looking at the prophecies of Zechariah, the Holy Week Prophet.  None of his prophecies directly foretell of Jesus’ resurrection, but today we will hear the prophet predict that fasting will give way to feasting.

            The text says that in the fasting “love truth and peace.”  Even if you didn’t fast during Lent, it is a nice reminder that every day we should live the truth.  We need to lament that it was “my fault, my own fault” that caused Jesus’ torture and torment.  We confess we have not always loved truth and peace, and we deserve to be deprived of God’s presence for all eternity.  Yet it was Jesus who was deprived of the Father’s presence on the cross.

            Lent is also a time to see that the prophecies have been fulfilled.  The fasting has ended; let the feasting begin.  Easter is a joyful occasion for God’s people, because Jesus’ work is complete.  The truth is, “he is not here; he has risen.”  The peace is, we have a restored relationship with God. 

            That is why you rolled out of bed this morning to see the lilies and white paraments and to hear the return of “Alleluia” and to sing, “I know my Redeemer lives.”  And maybe you invited people to be here with you like the prophet wrote, “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” (v. 23).  What a testimony.  The church throughout the world.  Think of all of your fellow Christians around the world who have worshipped, are worshipping and will worship.  This Easter joy ties us all together.  Next Sunday, we see it in person with our seminary student Corrie Steel whose home is Australia.

            God is with you Mary Magdalene as you weep outside the tomb.  God is with you apostles as you hide behind locked doors until Jesus says, “peace be with you.  God is with you Emmaus disciples as you lament the death of Jesus but then He explains the Scriptures to you.  God is with you persecuted Christians, as you hold tightly to the faith under pressure.  God is with you suffering Christians as you weep and grieve.  God is with you faithful Christians as you seek to defend the truth in a hostile world.  God is with you dads and moms as you equip your children for life in a world that hides so many spiritual land mines.

            Live your faith.  Live it so loud that people are envious of your joy.  Make church attendance a Sunday thing that if the neighbors see your car in the drive, they know you must be sick.  And when they ask why you handle things so confidently tell them about God who says:  “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Is. 41:10)

            On Easter, the fasting of that fatal Friday gave way to feasting for Jesus’ disciples.  On Easter, the fasting of Lent gives way to feasting for us.  Fill your heart with the triumph of the resurrection.  Stuff your schedule with satisfying service to your Savior and your neighbor.  Show the curious minds of your friends the power of the living Lord in your life.

            And then don’t be surprised if one or two or ten people take hold of you by the hem of your clothing and say, “Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.”

A Blessed Easter!

                                    Amen.      

SERMON TEXT 04.03.26 — “GONE IN A SINGLE DAY”

April 3, 2026 – Good Friday Tenebrae                                      Text:  Zechariah 3:1-10

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Back in the 1980’s TV preachers were big business and quite well known.  In my last year of seminary, I wrote my 25-page dissertation on their theology.  To say most of it was unbiblical or came up short would be an understatement.  But another problem was their public lives.  Names like Swaggart and Baker and others were exposed for their behavior.  It certainly affected how the nominal Christian and unbeliever looked at the Church.

            If Satan can get the spiritual leader, it will help His cause.  Tonight, we see Satan go after the high priest Joshua.  Satan was the prosecutor in God’s supreme court.  But the Lord was on Joshua’s side, and the charges were dismissed.  It is Good Friday and sins are . . .

“GONE IN A SINGLE DAY”

            Let’s remember that the name Joshua is a form of the name Jesus.  This is the vision.  Joshua is before the angel of the Lord and Satan is there to accuse him.  Joshua is human so Satan has some good material to draw from.  What might he have done in boyhood?  How about any foolish actions as an adolescent?  Mistakes as Israel’s religious leader?  Evil thoughts that lurked in his heart?  As I wrote this sermon it brought up my own indiscretions in life.  How would I fare in the courtroom?

            The truth is.  Satan owned you and I.  The accusations can stick, because they are all true.  “Look at the evidence judge.  Many people can testify how they have been hurt by the defendant’s selfish actions.  I have audio of the defendant’s less than holy language.  Here is a list of worship services missed because something else was more appealing.  As for the defendant’s thoughts, well, we don’t want to be here all day.  You have to convict.”

            The text said Joshua stood in the court with “filthy garments.”  Our garments don’t look or smell any better.  What was the Lord going to do with Joshua’s “filthy garments?”  The text says, “Remove the filthy garments from him…Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” (v. 4)

            Pure vestments.  This formerly filthy felon looks like a dignified high priest.  More important, he is declared holy – he can appear in the presence of the Holy Judge.

            Your filthy clothes have been taken away; Jesus himself will now wear them.  In exchange, Jesus dresses you in his own spotless garments; they are now your new wardrobe.  The prosecutor’s charges are dismissed.

            Here is the clear reference to Good Friday, verse 9, “I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.”  It can also be translated, “I will remove the sin of the earth in a single day.”  That is why we are here to give thanks this day.  Every person’s sin…every Pastor’s sin…removed on a single day…by a single sacrifice…by a single Savior who snatched us burning sticks out of the fire.  The judge has rendered his verdict, and will not change his mind.  You are acquitted.  You are forgiven.  You are dressed in the clean garments of Christ’s righteousness.

            The text concludes, “In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” (v. 10).   Jesus is excited to bring us to the place he has been preparing for us since his ascension.  It is a place where we will be safe, where we and our neighbor will sit under the vine and fig tree in perfect peace, where we will eat from the tree of life and live forever.

            You can extend that invitation now.  Let your neighbor know that under the cross of Christ there is forgiveness; under the vine of Christ there is abundant fruit; and under the fig tree of Christ there is cooling shade from the hot, harsh, hostile world.

            Satan went after the supreme Shepherd, the highest Priest, on Good Friday, hoping to make him fall.  Had Jesus failed, we would be forever wearing filthy clothes, disqualified from a home in God’s holy heaven.  Instead, Satan failed, while Jesus succeeded in removing the sin of the world in a single day.  The price has been paid.  It is finished!  Your new forever home is waiting.

                                                Amen.         

SERMON TEXT 04.02.26 — “A CLEANSING FOUNTAIN”

April 2, 2026 – Maundy Thursday                                                Text:  Zechariah 13:1-3

Dear Friends in Christ,

            The Centers for Disease Control has a whole page dedicated to washing your hands.  The headings are, “Why it’s Important,” “Key times to wash hands,” and “How it works.”  We all know how important it is in protecting your own health and that of others to wash our hands.

            What about cleansing our hearts?  The Washington D.C. government has on their website a “Clean Hand Mandate.”  But it is not about washing hands.  It is about being up to date on your taxes so you can get city permits etc.  It goes to the heart and a business’s honesty.  How honest are we?  We know that no amount of soap and water can clean a mouth spouting disgusting words or a heart that harbors hate.  Isaiah calls us “filthy rags.”

            But God provided a fountain where we can be cleansed.  On this Holy Thursday . . .

“A CLEANSING FOUNTAIN”

            We cannot scrub the iniquity from our insides.  So what are we to do?  There is nothing we can do.  The Lord has already done it for us.  “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” (v. 1).

            That day is the day the Savior was crucified.  The day of salvation and the fulfillment of God’s plan.  Jesus’ side was pierced and there was a flow of blood and water.  Cleansing blood and water. 

            This night, as we partake of the Lord’s blood, we also drink from the fountain.  We rejoice that this same body and blood present at his sacrifice are also present in his Sacrament, with the same power to cleanse our dirty souls.

            Typical hand sanitizers promise to kill 99.9% of germs.  But what about that sneaky 0.1% that could still make you sick?  Jesus removes our sins not at 99.9% but at 100%.  He removes even the tiniest sins, the ones we don’t recognize anymore.

            As you come to the Lord’s Supper, know that Satan (that spirit of uncleanness) has lost his grip on you.  One day he will no longer tempt you with unclean thoughts.  One day you will sit at Christ’s table in heaven with completely clean hands and permanently pure heart.

            As you leave the altar and reflect on the sacrifice, remember the cleansing.  Then pray to the Holy Spirit for a grateful response.

            We have some shocking language in our text.  According to God’s Old Testament Law, children who struck or cursed a parent were to be killed.  God did not put up with the worship of other gods from His people.

            We do not live under that law, but there can still be consequences to our sinful actions.  Are you serious about keeping your hands and heart clean?  What idols need to be eliminated from your life?  What is luring you from the Lord:  a job? a friend? a romantic interest? a hobby? a sport?

            Examine your budget and calendar.  Are you wisely managing your time, talents, treasures?  Are you shouting any pro-world, anti-God philosophies from the rooftops?  Even so, get away from them, even if the rot is in your own family.  That is the warning of Zechariah tonight.  “If anyone again prophesies, his father and mother who bore him, will say to him, ‘you shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.’  And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.” (v. 3)

            Parents, please don’t pierce your children, even if they have wandered from the truth of God’s Word. Sense the urgency.  It is a matter of life and death.  Pray for those who are straying but don’t tolerate false teaching they may be professing.

            Germs are everywhere.  That is why we wash our hands often.  Threats to your faith are everywhere too.  Act decisively against any influence leading you away from your Savior – work, play, social media, friends, even family.  Pierce it and get it out of your life.

            Do it because you have been cleansed in the fountain that flowed from that Friday morning sacrifice.  Do it because you have been cleansed by Jesus’ body and blood in this Thursday evening sacrament.  Do it because it feels good to be clean . . . and you want to stay that way.

                                    Amen.