Author: Evangelism

January 25, 2026                                Text:  Matthew 4:12-25

Dear Friends in Christ,

            A portion of our text for today is the calling of four disciples.  He calls.  They follow.  This is hard for us to understand in our twenty-first century context.  It is important to understand when they lived and who is doing the asking.  This was eventful.   A big moment in their lives.  We cannot wrap our minds around it.  We think, “I would have to do this, I would have to do that, how could I leave this person, how could I leave that person.”  I get it.  I canceled our internet service provider, and it took me a half an hour.  I was literally sitting at our kitchen table and praying that I could get through it.  Leaving everything in a moment’s notice?  No way.

            A Pastor tells the story of being at a Christmas party and talking to a Christian man.  The man knew he was a Pastor so he said to him, “You know what the hardest part of being a modern day disciple is?”  The Pastor figured he was going to say something about kowtowing to company policy to not play Christmas music or not being able to say “Merry Christmas” or simply daring to speak the name of Jesus boldly and plainly.  The Pastor then was surprised when the man said, “It’s that the Christian life is so ordinary for most of us.”

With our text in front of us . . .

“ARE YOU OK BEING ORDINARY?”

            As we get into 2026 how does the Christian life look?  Probably a lot like 2025 or similar to 2024.  We come to the Lord’s House, we hear the Word, we partake of the Sacrament, we encourage one another and fellowship with each other.  We spend time in Bible Study and Sunday school.  It is a nice respite from the rest of the world. 

            When we leave here we do a lot of the same things.  We may go eat after.  Or go to the grocery.  We head home and watch sports or take a nap or do laundry.  For those still working Monday is just around the corner and the alarm goes off.  It is off to school or work.  Maybe have a few other stops during the day and then home for dinner.  Then it’s bathe time for the kids or quality time with the spouse.  Interspersed are doctor’s appointments and balls games and a trip to the mechanic.  The weeks just run together.  Except for me who just came off of a week-long jury trial.  One of the longest weeks of my life.

            I would have given anything this past week to have Jesus walk into that man-made prison called a jury room and said, “follow me.” 

            Jesus does but not in a way we expect.  He tells us in our text, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  We follow Jesus in this ordinary command.  Rejoicing that each day is a gift from Him.

            Think of these four men called by Jesus.  They receive a simple invitation and maybe had an inkling Jesus was something special.  What do we have?  An entire Bible that reveals God’s plan of salvation promised and fulfilled in Jesus at the cross.  We have the words of Peter, Andrew, James and John.  We have apostles who were a witness to the Christ.  He comes to You in the preaching and teaching of the word.  In our repentance, He forgives our sins.  In the ordinary elements of bread and wine, He gives you His body and blood for your salvation. 

            We are called to follow Jesus in your vocation.  We serve our neighbor.  I did that this week.  Many times I failed my Lord.  It was difficult.  The interactions were not easy.  He kept me calm most of the time.  My kindness was there.  My patience was not.  I prayed many times.  I thank Him for His presence.

            Have you been there?  Like the disciples we get put into a box we feel we are trapped in.  The things we left unsaid weigh on our heart.  Could I have been a better witness?  Did I follow Him?

            I let it go.  I pray you can as well.  Jesus is forgiveness.  He still has plans for you.  Maybe not big and dramatic plans, but ordinary ways you follow and serve Him.  Gentle service.  Knowing that even in your ordinary days, Jesus is reigning in and through you.

                                                                                                                                                Amen. 

January 18, 2026 – Sanctity of Human Life             Text:  Romans 12:1-2, 9-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Well, it is no longer “out there.”  It is now on our doorstep.  Assisted suicide.  Illinois has become one of 13 states that is by law allowing this practice.  They added this lethal practice to a measure on food sanitation and as we see over and over again there were not enough strong-minded decent legislators to stand up and block it.  They try to pretty it up by calling it “aid in dying care.”  They are not fooling us; they are abandoning our state to darkness.

            The motivations are many.  Pritzker signed it because he has this illusion of the presidency and as told to me by a connected politician, he has to play in the same sick arena with the Gavin Newsom’s and others.  For some states, it is a cost saving measure.  They will be paying out less in pensions.  The prime motivation has to be a heart sickened by sin that sees no value in life.

            For the years the Hemlock Society of America has been pushing this agenda.  They see death as the compassionate relief of suffering.  What is so wrong with sending Grandma to be with Jesus?

            This type of thinking lacks compassion.  It lacks a Godly understanding of living.  A Christian’s view is radically different from the world’s view.  In the world’s view, life should be free from the crosses of affliction.  In the Christian’s view, life is lived under the cross.  Based on the Word of God before us, let’s grow in our understanding of . . . .

“LIFE UNDER THE CROSS”

            The message of the cross is that God revealed the great depth of his love for sinful people in the midst of suffering.  This is foolishness to the world.   They do not think that any good can come from suffering.  Faith sees that the greatest of all good came from suffering.

            St Paul writes in our text, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (v. 2)  Do not buy into the world’s lies.  Use your mind and see what is happening.  Wherever this gets started it just keeps building until there is the killing of Downs Syndrome babies and people who think they might contract a disease.  Life under the cross is different because of who we are – redeemed children of God.  We are to “abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.” (vs. 9-10)

            Here is quote from Forced Exit by Wesley J Smith.  “I have participated in the intensely human drama that surrounds dying.  I’ve witnessed the difficulties, I’ve smelled the odors, I’ve seen the unpleasant liquids which assisted suicide advocates claim make life at the end inherently undignified, horrific, and hence worthy of a death sentence.  Yet, such conditions need not diminish the inherent value of human life.  Dying people remain people, and when properly treated, they usually transcend the limitations of their physical conditions – especially if they know they are cared for and about.”

            This is how those who live under the cross view suffering and dying.  We do not see grandma’s suffering as a burden, rather we carry grandma’s burdens until Jesus sends His angels to take her home.  We show our loved one love and care.

            Three “life under the cross” attitudes come out in verse 12.  “Rejoice in hope.”  The cross give us hope.  God did not spare Jesus, but gave Him up for us all.  We have hope in the certainty that as long as God gives life, God gives life purpose and meaning.  Christian joy is tied to the presence of this hope and not to the absence of pain and suffering.

            “Patient in tribulation.”  This does not mean the Christian will enjoy pain and suffering.  Martin Luther once said, “affliction is the best book in my library.”  Luther understood life under the cross.  In the book Christ and Human Suffering, E Stanley Jones writes:  “Jesus did not bear the cross – he used it!  There at the cross was the deepest injustice ever done, and Jesus turns it all into a healing of injustice and sin.  There men were at their worst, and through it Jesus reveals God at his best.  There hate was bitterest, and  Love met it and conquered it by taking it into his own heart and transforming it.  The darkest hour of history becomes the lightest!  The cross becomes a throne!  The end – a new beginning.”  Patient in tribulation, light and momentary, compared to the glory that awaits.

            Lastly, “constant in prayer.”  I have been in these situations both personally and professionally.  While sometimes difficult, life under the cross allows us to go to our Heavenly Father.  We have access to His mercy; He understands our tears and frustrations.  He grants us direction and a pathway to grace for our dying loved one. 

            Being on the front lines, I have compassion when in the midst.  But putting the person to death, before the Lord is ready is not the life under the cross answer.  With the Spirit’s help we put the needs of others before our own.  We have hope and patience because God’s love is at work in our suffering.  We pray to a merciful and understanding God.  Life under the cross – no matter what the circumstance – is life worth living!

                                                                                                                                                Amen.

January 11, 2025 – Baptism of our Lord                          Text:  Romans 6:1-11

Dear Friends in Christ,

            What connects things together and has an unmistakable sound?  The answer we are looking for today is…Velcro.  A man named Georges de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, took a walk in the woods in 1941 and noticed how the burs clung to his pants.  He thought – this might be useful.  Through years of trying, he came up with two strips of material, one with thousands of tiny hooks, the other with thousands of tiny loops into which the hooks would stick.  He named his invention Velcro, combining the words velvet and crochet.

            Since that time, it has been used by NASA to secure items in space, grandparents to put their grandchildren’s shoes on, hospital gowns and even a toss and catch game.  Velcro is a universal way of connecting two items together.

            In our text today, St. Paul writes to the Roman Christians about being connected to Christ.  Not through Velcro of course, but through our Baptism.  Paul makes clear that . . .

“IN BAPTISM, GOD CONNECTS US WITH CHRIST”

            If we are going to say that baptism connects us to Christ, we must say that prior to our Baptism, we were disconnected from Christ.  We were born in sin.  By our very nature we are disconnected from the Lord.  We venture out on our own.  We take things into our hands instead of Jesus’ hands through prayer.  We disconnect when not in worship or the Word.  He is the vine, and we are the branches.  We can only be fed when connected.

            Fortunately, God is at work in Baptism to connect us to Christ.  First, God connects us to Christ’s death in and through Baptism.  Paul writes, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death.” (vs. 3-4a). We are connected to Good Friday.  Dead with Him as the sun goes down and the body is prepared for burial.  Every time a soul is baptized, young or old, God is joining that person to the death of Christ.

            But God does not leave us in Christ’s tomb.  He raises us to new life.  Paul writes, “in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (v. 4b). That newness is something we are walking in right now.

            What a contrast.  Dead and now alive.  Now we see how nonsensical Paul’s question is at the beginning of our text.  “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means!” (vs. 1-2a).  Now that we have this grace of God, this undeserved, unmerited, favor through faith in Jesus Christ – should we “sin boldly” so He has more opportunity to exercise His grace? 

            Paul recognizes the absurdity of the question.  If you think this way, then you might start down this road with your thoughts.  “Maybe I should set my house on fire so that the fire department can get more practice at putting out fires.”  “Should I crash my car into a building so first responders get a little more experience with accidents?”  By no means, indeed!

            We do know we will not be free from sin on this side of heaven.  Even as we walk in newness of life, we will still sin.  The difference is that we don’t live to sin.  We repent daily and receive the forgiveness that is ours in Christ Jesus.

            Our new life doesn’t end when life here on earth ends.  Our connection with Christ in our Baptism has future blessings for us and all Christians.  Paul writes, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (v. 5). There is more to come.  Jesus was bodily raised from the dead, so we too will be raised from the dead in our body. 

            This is the sure and certain hope of the baptized child of God.  Death is no end.  Death is a doorway, a gateway into an eternal life in the presence of God with all who have gone before us and all who will come after us.

            Velcro has become such a daily part of our life, we probably rarely think about it, but oh that sound.  The next time you hear it, think of the connection to your Baptism.  In Baptism, God connects us with Christ, both in His death and in His resurrection.

                                                                                                                                                Amen. 

January 4, 2026 – Epiphany                                                           Text:  Matthew 2:1-12

Dear Friends in Christ,

            They say that getting there is half the fun.  The Wise Men traveled between 500 and a thousand miles to see Jesus.  It was a mainly a bumpy ride on camels and over sand.  But think of their anticipation.  Think of the talk about what they would see when they arrive.  Getting there.  Half the fun?

            The other half, we assume, is supposed to be being there.  But once these Wise Men arrive, do you think they found it was worth the trip?  They probably thought they were going to cosmopolitan Jerusalem, but they follow the star to the little podunk hamlet of Bethlehem.  The King of the Jews?  Well, they find he just has a regular dad and regular mom.  Now something is different, because they bow down and worship and offer gifts.  But then they leave.  Probably stayed only a day, just enough to water the camels and head back.  There was no party.  No time for sightseeing.  They come all this way and then just turn back in twenty-four hours . . .

“WAS THE TRIP WORTH IT?”

            Isn’t this also how we look at our travel?  Was the trip worth it?  We shell out good money to travel and we want to have a good time.  I was blessed to grow up in a family that traveled.  Saw a lot of the US of A.  Still have five states to go.  Have also been blessed to travel as an adult.  I would have to say that almost every vacation I have been on, it was worth the trip.  How about you?  Doesn’t just thinking about travel, bring back some fond memories?

            Let’s think of the Wise Men.  Be reminded there were at least three but possibly more.  What kind of fears did they have as they set off on this journey?  First, distance.  They were following a star, but they didn’t know how far.  Did the camels need a tune-up?  Were they watered and well fed?  Did the Wise Men have enough provisions?  It’s just like us.  Did we pack everything?  Do we have enough money?  Don’t forget the atlas!  Is the plane on time?  Are the tires inflated?  We could go on and on.  Do you, like I, still get anxious about travel?  My stomach does a few rolls thinking of everything that needs to go right.  I and you, need some perspective.

            What is a fear some have right now?  AI – artificial intelligence.  Will it take over my mind?  Lead to loss of jobs, human contact, poor business, lack of help and I can’t get the internet fixed because I am only talking to a computer.  These are all imagined, because we don’t know.  But let me take you back to some other fears, that were imagined, but never came to fruition.  The threat from the Soviet Union.  They never pushed the red button or sent missiles into Alaska.  The year 2000.  Computers didn’t go crazy.  Jesus didn’t return and you could still program your VCR.  Covid.  It didn’t last forever.  We didn’t all die.  You get the picture.  It is like me with travel, I imagine what might happen, but rarely does.  Then when it does happen, like our adventure getting back from Germany, it is never as bad as you think, and God gives you a story for a lifetime.

            Didn’t these Wise Men have a story for a lifetime?  They saw the Savior.  Sure, there destination was a little off, but only by five or six miles.  Not bad after that many miles.  The Christ child was nowhere near the glitz and glamor of Jerusalem.  He was in humble Bethlehem.  Soon enough, he would again be near Jerusalem, but just outside, on a hill near the city walls.  He would take our fears, real and imagined.  He would pile upon himself our anxieties and our what ifs?  He would answer the question:  was the trip worth it?  Yes, eternally.  For it cost us nothing, but it cost him everything.  He gave that life so we would be forgiven for our lack of trust.  He bowed his head and gave up his spirit so that his death would overcome our death.  He rose three days later to announce that our last trip would be worth it.  We would make that crossover from sin and pain to light and life and oh my what a destination.  We will not believe the beauty.  Think of your fellow travelers who you will see again. 

            If those Wise Men lived another 30 years and heard this biblical account or even saw it with their eyes, think of the truth they could share.  I know many of us still have destinations we would like to get to.  That’s great.  It is nice having something to look forward to.  But also see today that place that awaits you in faith.  It is on no map or GPS.  It is not just a bit of heaven, it is heaven, and I am sure you will say . . . IT WAS WORTH THE TRIP.

                        Amen.            

December 31, 2025 – New Year’s Eve                                  Text:  Numbers 6:22-27

Dear Friends in Christ,

            How important has the Lord’s name been throughout the centuries?  In 1979, archaeologists were digging in some caves right outside the city walls of Jerusalem when they found two intriguing objects that were about the size and shape of cigarette filters.  They were tiny silver sheets rolled up like scrolls, and they had been placed as precious objects next to their owners in their tombs.  When the scrolls were carefully unrolled, Hebrew letters could be seen faintly scratched on the surfaces.  These silver scrolls are one of the most significant discoveries ever made because they are “the earliest known artifacts from the ancient world that document passages from the Hebrew Bible.”  What passages were scratched on the scrolls?  The Aaronic blessing, our text for tonight from the Book of Numbers:  “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (v. 24-26)

            We now know and we have hard evidence, that these words brought great comfort to God’s people living six centuries before Jesus was born.  They accompanied the dearly departed in their graves.  They are an early confession that the Lord is the one saving them from their sins.  The Lord blesses.  The Lord gives peace to troubled sinners.  The archaeologists dug in the dirt, down to the bedrock, and there they found the name of God that was put upon his people through the Aaronic benediction.  This New Year’s night . . .

“DIGGING IN DIRT”

            Have you ever gone digging to find something about your ancestry?  It probably didn’t happen in dirt, but maybe you went through some pictures or files left by a grandparent or parent.  Some may have gone to a courthouse in the county a relative lived or called their church to find a baptism, confirmation, or funeral date.  We have names that identify us, names that mean something to us, names that have a history.

            But have we ever besmirched that name when digging in some dirty places we shouldn’t be?  Trying to find some juicy info about a friend or neighbor?  Ever go into someone’s room, not your own, and you snooped around?  How about entering a business establishment where you feel uncomfortable the whole night?  Oh our digging can take many forms and not all for the good.

            Let’s dig back into this name Jesus.  In our gospel for tonight it says, “And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21).  We no longer practice circumcision as a churchly rite.  It is an Old Testament worship law that did foreshadow Jesus and his work.  Paul in our Epistle ties together circumcision with baptism and forgiveness. 

            The meaning of Jesus is that he saves his people from their sins.  In our Baptism the water washed away our dirty deeds done dirt cheap.  We also put on the name of Christ and became Christian.

            This is our name.  No matter if in this new year we change locations, get offered a new job, make resolutions to better ourselves, or have a child.  Wherever we are, whatever we do for a living, we know that God is our Father, Jesus, by his life, death, and resurrection, has saved us.  The Holy Spirit keep us in that faith.  A faith that will not find us six feet under in the dirt, but spending an eternity with the Holy Trinity in heaven.  A Blessed 2026!

                                                                                                                                                Amen.    

December 28, 2025                                                                      Text:  Galatians 4:4-7

Dear Friends in Christ,                                                          

            Have you ever thought about your identity and how many ways you have been identified over the years?  This was a fun little exercise as I worked on this sermon.  When I was born in 1965, I became a son, a grandson, and a nephew.  A few years later a brother and then a cousin.  I was also a friend and neighbor.  When I got to school it was student and athlete.  At Illinois State fraternity brother and TV-10 anchor.  Shortly thereafter I was asked to be a sponsor and Godfather, which I have been blessed to do numerous times.  At seminary I was a field worker and then a vicar and after graduation I became a husband.  At age 25, we arrive in Texas and my identity becomes Pastor.  Then I add uncle a few years later.  Two years after that I take on the important identity of dad.  A year and a half ago another identity when I became grandpa.  I don’t see surviving to great-grandpa but I might make “the cranky retired guy that lives down the street.”

            How do you identify yourself?  How many different titles have you had?  Do you ever ask . . .

“WHAT, REALLY, IS MY IDENTITY?”

            It may be harder to answer than we thought.  In the verse right before our text, Paul writes that we “were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.” (4:3).  Do you identify with being “enslaved to sin?”  Do you have any sins that chain you to this world?  How about idolatry?  Do you ever put things before your Creator?  Does money, health, family, pleasure or recreation come before your God relationship?  Do you ever get mad?  Yell at another driver?  Scream at a referee or your television?  Do you have a rival, someone you hold a grudge against?  Do you envy another’s spouse, job, kids, clothes, house, car?  What shackles you?  Are all these sins your identity?

            When Paul talks about being enslaved in these verses to the Galatians he isn’t talking about slavery to sin.  He is talking about the ways we try to free ourselves from our sin.  We start the bargaining process to get in good with God.  “Lord, I have done pretty good this week and really for a lifetime.  Why give me these health problems and money challenges?  Don’t I deserve better?”  How soon we forget, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23).

            Here is the Christmas induced announcement, being a slave to sin is not your identity.  It was at one time but now Paul says in our text, “you are no longer a slave.” (v. 7a). You have been redeemed and set free.  “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.” (vs. 4-5a). Jesus took that enslavement to sin.  He walked it to the cross and He died there for you.  You are free and forgiven of your sins.  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1)

            Even better you are an adopted son of God, in baptism born again.  You have a new identity placed upon your heart.  Because you are a son, then you are also an heir.  You belong in God’s kingdom.  You are in that kingdom today as his child and in eternity when Jesus returns in glory, and you will be free from sin, accusation, suffering, pain, sorrow, and death. 

            Who are you?  This First Sunday of Christmas there is a joyous answer, because God’s Son was born of a woman, born under the law, you have a newborn identity:  sons of God and heirs of the promise.  Or as our sermon hymns says so beautifully, “I am baptized into Christ; I’m a child of paradise” – now and forever.

                                                                                                Amen.