Sermon Texts

February 25, 2025 – Lent                                                         Text:  Zechariah 11:7-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

            What is it worth to you?  Each day we make decisions on how much to pay for dinner out, a hotel room, a flight, laundry detergent or toilet paper.  Should you go to the gym today or just wait until tomorrow?  Do I really need to see a doctor, or can it wait?  It is worth it?

            Toni and I had this decision on our trip to Aruba.  The trip was paid for by Toni’s work, so when we decided to have massages at the resort, it was easier to pay the higher prices.  If we have paid for the trip, what would we have done?  Just speaking for myself, the massage would have been a go.  It would have been worth it.

            In our text, Zechariah changes the question a bit.  He doesn’t ask “what’s it worth to you?”  Rather it is . . .

“WHAT’S HE WORTH TO YOU?”

            The He in our title is obviously Jesus.  What value do you put on Jesus?

            In this week’s prophecy, Zechariah describes a shepherd (himself) who’s fed up with his job.  He was called to pasture the flock (Israel), but the sheep were not kind.  Their spiritual help had deteriorated under their religious leaders, who had been unfaithful in their duties.  The Lord had lost confidence in the sham shepherds and the sheep were now “doomed to be slaughtered.” (v. 7).

            In one month, Zechariah had gotten rid of three shepherds.  Fired them.   Surely the sheep would be happy about that?  They weren’t.  They detested Zechariah.  Who could blame him for quitting?  If the sheep were determined to die, he wouldn’t stop them.  He didn’t even care if he got his severance paycheck – thirty pieces of silver.  The Lord told him to throw it to the potter.  He did.  He threw it down in the temple.

            Zechariah was actually prophesying about another prophet-shepherd far into the future.  You know that shepherd.  Cared for His people perfectly.  Loved them.  Had their best interests at heart.  The people had no interest in that shepherd.  They rejected Him with shouts of “crucify! crucify!”  They didn’t think he was worth a single piece of silver, much less 30.  And that fulfillment came with Judas.  Who betrayed Jesus for those 30 silver coins.  He also threw his coins back into the temple and ended up dying in a potter’s field.  Can you hear Zechariah’s prophetic words?

            This price paid for Jesus is insulting.  Jesus went humbly to the cross where He would pay an infinitely greater price for the souls of sheep who didn’t want Him.

            What is He worth to you, Christian?  Would you betray him for four month’s wages?  Would you pretend you don’t know him for a sack of silver?  I can guess your answer.  “I would never sell out the Savior.”  Maybe not.  Or maybe it would take much less.

            Have you ever traded Jesus for the acceptance of your peers?  Swapped time with the Teacher for extra hours of entertainment or sleep?  Held so tightly to your 30 pieces of silver that you couldn’t even give him one?  Does “me time” come before “He time?” 

            Jesus has reason to leave us.  Dismiss us in disgust.  Yet He stays on the job and shows us great favor.  If Jesus were asked, “What is that sinner – the one in the pew over there – worth to you?”  He would answer without hesitation, “That sinner is worth everything.  That sinner is worth my life.  That sinner is worth my divine blood.”

            Our Savior wasn’t concerned about the value placed on Him by the ungrateful sheep and their unethical shepherds.  He was more concerned about the value he placed on you.  The holy Son of God was willing to be sold for 30 pieces of silver, willing to be betrayed with a kiss, willing to be handed over to his enemies, willing to be sentenced to death as a criminal.  He bought in to a plan to be sold out by Judas so that he could buy you with his blood.

            The Good Shepherd, though rejected by most of the sheep, paid for our ticket to heaven “not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.”  (Luther’s Explanation to the second article)

            What is He worth to you, Christian?  Is He worth setting aside some time to serve in His House?  Is He worth the risk to talk to someone about what He has done in your life?  You show Jesus what He is worth to you by where He fits in your budget, your schedule, your heart.

            Many consider Christ worth 30 pieces of silver or even much less.  You know Him as your precious, priceless, irreplaceable Savior.  He is worth everything you have and everything you are.

                                                Amen.      

February 22, 2026 Text: Romans 5:12-19

Dear Friends in Christ,
Like me many of you compare and contrast when buying something like a new car
or a refrigerator. Recently I have been looking at wired headphones. My current
headphones have been a Godsend but the earholes are getting worn. I am trying to find
something just like I have but it has been difficult. They are out there but wireless. Some of
the wired don’t have the larger earholes needed for comfort and noise cancelling. I was on
the computer the other night for well over an hour. What to do? Eventually, a decision will
have to be made, but it is never as easy as we would like. We can get compare and contrast
overload.
In our text for today, Paul compares and contrasts the effects of what Adam and
Christ have done. In this compare and contrast exercise, Jesus is always the greater part of
the equation. We know about Christ’s grace and life, but to fully appreciate these gifts, we
need to understand how sin and its consequences has corrupted our lives.
“COMPARING AND CONTRASTING ADAM AND CHRIST”
Let’s start with Adam. “Sin came into the world through one man.” (v. 12). It is all
laid out in our Old Testament lesson. Adam and Eve sinned. They brought death into the
world. God never intended it to be this way. These poor souls just couldn’t handle
perfection.
The first comparison does not involve Christ. Adam sinned and died. We “all have
sinned.” You and I are going to die just like Adam.
“Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses.” (v. 14a). Adam broke a specific command
of God’s. Moses didn’t receive the Ten Commandments until thousands of years later.
Those folks for thousands of years are contrasted to Adam. Do they get a pass because no
laws were in place? No. Paul wants to make clear that people are still accountable for their
sin, even without an explicit command. Like us, they knew in their conscience when they
had done wrong. Some of the consequences of their sin – the destroying of Sodom and
Gomorrah and the flood which wiped out every human being except for Noah and his
family.
There may still be people today who don’t know the revealed Word of God or have
never heard the Ten Commandments. They are still guilty of sinning against conscience,
because everyone has one, and they die.
“But the free gift is not like the trespass.” (v. 15a). Adam’s one trespass brought
death to every man, woman, and child who would follow. It is still the great weight that
hangs over every human’s head. We are going to die. Thank you, Adam.
Interestingly enough nobody treats the name Adam like the name Judas. People still
name their boys Adam. It was very popular in the 1970’s and 80’s. Why do you think that
is? Could it be that we understand Adam? Haven’t we been told what to do. A specific
thing we should stay away from. And then we go ahead and do it anyway. We pick the fruit
we shouldn’t be tasting. Lord, get us out of this garden.
Here is the beautiful contrast. Christ does. Every trespass, whether committed by
Adam or Eve or St. Paul or you or me – they were all answered with God’s gracious gift,
leading to a decree of righteousness. If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned
through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the
free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (v. 17)
This First Sunday in Lent focuses on the active obedience of Christ. Jesus keeping
the Law perfectly, where every other human being has failed. In obedience Christ went to
the cross to pay the sins for those of us who could not keep the Law. We receive this
forgiveness and life by faith.
The last verse summarizes the theme. “For as by the one’s man’s disobedience the
many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
(v. 19). The comparison continues. Adam sins – we all sin. Christ makes us righteous.
Memorize and live by it.
When we compare and contrast, our decisions have consequences. But they are not
life and death altering. I want to be happy with my headphones, you want a car you can
rely on. Good enough. But today’s exercise has eternal consequences. Living an Adam life
of breaking the Law can lead to a path of destruction. Following Christ the Savior, the one
man who dispenses grace and love in His Word and Sacrament leads to eternal life.
Amen.

February 18, 2026 – Ash Wednesday                                          Text:  Zechariah 1:1-6

Dear Friends in Christ,

            The young man stormed out of the room, and slammed the door on the way out.  He had been caught lying to his dad and didn’t like the way his dad talked to him.  He was done with his dad.  Done with this house, done with these rules, done with others telling him what to do.  He didn’t need a high school diploma, there were other jobs in the world.  He left in a rage . . . ready to be on his own.

            Dad waited up late that night.  And the next.  And the next.  Would his son ever return?  Would they ever have a good relationship?  Eventually dad stopped staying up late.  He had other children who needed his energy.  He never stopped thinking about his estranged son.  He never gave up hope that his son would return home.

            This sad but true story illustrates the way God looks at his wayward and wandering people.  He never stops loving them.  Never stops holding out hope that they will return to him.  He won’t force them to return.  He does offer the promise that when they return to him, he will return to them. 

            This Lent, we’ll be hearing from Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo.  Each week we will look at one his prophecies to see how he described Jesus’ suffering and death in such vivid detail that he has been called the Holy Week prophet.  Tonight . . .

“RETURN TO ME”

            Zechariah states this theme in the opening verses of his book.  “Thus declares the Lord of hosts:  Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.” (v. 3)  Why does God say that?  Where had his people gone that they now need to return?  Zechariah’s prophecies were made around 520 B.C. some 15 years after the exiles had returned from Babylon to the Promised Land.  They were back home, living in relative peace and comfort.

            God wasn’t calling them to return physically but spiritually.  He was calling them to repent.  See when they got back home, they got so focused on rebuilding their lives, planting their fields, and restoring their bank accounts that they forgot the God who had restored them to their land.

            So, Zechariah calls them to turn from their evil ways.  “Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.  But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.”  He was tired of their repeated rebellion.  He told them to knock it off.  He disciplined them.  He took away their homes and their land and their freedom.  They were enslaved by an enemy nation. 

            Zechariah told the people to look around.  Look what happened to your ancestors when they disobeyed.  Will you learn from their history?

            Will we?  Or will we repeat them?  We too need to be called to turn back to God because we sin daily.  We get distracted by life, the cares and concerns, our jobs, our homes, our bank accounts.  Everyday life can have us forgetting about God.  If God ever seemed distant from you, who wandered away?  Hint:  it wasn’t God.

            Not only can we have strained relationships with others, slammed doors, rebellion.  We can do the same with God.  Bolt the door behind us with our apathy.

            God though never forgets us.  Never stops loving us.  Never stops hoping for our return.  “Come home,” says the Father.  “Repent, turn back to me, and know that I will return to you.”  The Lord is faithful, steadfast, his never-ending love remembers us.

            Remember the angry young man in our introduction?  He eventually went home.  After rebelling against his earthly father and his heavenly Father, he returned to both.  Both fathers forgave him and welcomed him home.  That young man was Lee Strobel, who would later author The Case for Christ, The Case for a Creator, The Case for Easter and other Christian books that have helped many wayward sons and daughters to find their way home.

            The Lord remembers.  He remembered his promises to send a Savior.  Jesus was estranged from his Father on Calvary so that he could reconcile you to God.  Jesus led a pure and holy life for us and died on the cross to pay the full price for our sins.  Through faith in Jesus, we have been clothed in our Savior’s perfect righteousness and holiness.

            No matter how often you have wandered, no matter how far you have run from home, the Lord’s promise remains:  “Return to me . . . and I will return to you.”  So come on, friends, let’s go home.  Our Father is waiting with open arms!

                                                                                                            Amen.

February 15, 2026 – Transfiguration                                      Text:  Matthew 17:1-9

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Many of you know I thought of my parenting at a young age.  I wanted to love my children, give them time, take them to church and not be a dad of cliches.  The boys rarely asked why they had to do something, and I never used the line, “because I said so.”

            That doesn’t mean they didn’t need to learn to trust me.  We did the exercise where they fell backwards into my arms, and I told them I would always be there for them.  They had to trust me the first time they jumped into a swimming pool or rode a rollercoaster.  Like Ronald Reagan said about the Soviets and their military equipment, “trust but verify.”

            This continued as they got older – trust but verify.  One year for my birthday I wanted to go to Kobe where they fix the food in front of you and give you a show.  They complained, didn’t really want to go and I said, “trust me.”  Well, we went and they had a wonderful time.  Dad got saki squirted in his mouth and the fiery volcano onions were a treat.  I never heard much after that.  They could always trust me.  In fact, I would say to them, “you are just like a son to me.”  They would respond, “Dad, I am your son.”  My one-liner back was, “that’s what the blood tests say.”

            Today we are on the mountain with Jesus, a few disciples, and two of the greatest figures from the Old Testament.  God the Father and Christ our Brother patiently give us a very good reason to . . . .

“TRUST BUT VERIFY”

            Our Father and Brother give us clear reasons to trust Jesus.  Most of us know the basics of the transfiguration.  Jesus with Peter, James, and John go up a mountain.  Jesus was transfigured.  Face like the sun and clothes as white as light.  Moses and Elijah join in the cloud and then the Father’s voice.  It is a trust but verify moment.  Who better to give it than God Himself?  “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (v. 5b)

            There on the mountain we are given ample reasons to trust this Jesus.  His radiant glory.  This is no ordinary man.  With Moses and Elijah there it shows that Jesus is the fulfiller of the entire Old Testament.  The voice.  Shouldn’t that be convincing enough?

            Following this time on the mountain, we have the experiences that move us to trust and listen to Jesus.  Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, and it happens.  Trust but verify.  Jesus showed that He was the Spon of God by rising from the dead.  Trust but verify.  We can trust His promises of forgiveness and eternal life.  The inerrant Word of God says it is so.  Trust but verify.  The witnesses who saw all of this with their own eyes.  Trust but verify.

            There are those who don’t want us to trust this Jesus.  They say that Jesus’ claims are outdated and ridiculous.  People’s lack of trust in this Savior show when they leave the church because they think all religions are the same.  They are not.  Only in the Christian religion did God love us by dying to pay for our sins.  Jesus is the only way, truth, and life.

            Others distrust because they think they need to add something to this Jesus.  They may be pulled away by false churches who grow big with a false message.  No means of grace.  For us Christ says, “This is my body” and “This is my blood” for life and salvation. 

            Others may say, “follow your heart, do what makes you happy.”  But our hearts can lead us astray.  Only Christ’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit in the means of grace lead us to eternal life and cause us to love as He did.

            Like our boys had to trust me, even when it was hard and maybe didn’t always make sense, we must trust Jesus in these same circumstances.  As His children He asks us to take up our cross and follow Him.  He asks us to trust His Word even as the world makes fun of it and twists it and misuses it.  He asks us to trust even when our life events don’t seem to make much sense.  He verifies His love for us daily, hourly, minute by minute.  When we fall backwards, He is always there to catch us.  He is always there for us.

            Our heavenly Father could get away with, “do it because I said so.”  Sometimes for our good, He may do that.  But even more importantly He asks to trust.  He says, “Listen to Jesus; hear Him and the message of the cross.  He will rise again.”  You will hear about that in Lent . . . and then Easter.  Another time to “trust but verify.”

                                                                                                            Amen.

February 1, 2026                                                                                           Text:  Micah 6:1-8

Dear Friends in Christ,

            Many of you may remember the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.  In one strip Calvin gives his mom a card for Mother’s Day.  It reads:  “I was going to buy you a card with hearts of pink and red, but then I thought I’d rather spend the money on me instead.  It’s awfully hard to buy things when one’s allowance is so small, so I guess you’re pretty lucky you got anything at all.  Happy Mother’s Day.  There, I said it.  Now I’m done.  So how about getting out of bed and making breakfast for your son?”

            Calvin gives the card not out of love but out of obligation.  He feels it is duty that he just wants to get done easily and without cost.  He has forgotten everything his mom has done for him and the joy of thanking her for that.

            Israel was making the same mistake with God.  We might also make the same mistake with God.  Yes, there are things God commands us to do, but Micah reminds us in our text what God has done for us.  We a little assist from Larry the Cable Guy let’s title today’s sermon . . .

“WE WEARY HIM – HE GETS ER DONE”

            We fall into Israel’s sin when we think what we do for the Lord is just something we have to get done.  The Lord publishes an indictment against Israel.  Here are the charges:  They weary Him with wicked scales, their lies, their violence, and their idolatries.  They give sacrifices but not with thankfulness in their heart.  They do it out of obligation.  These things meaning nothing to the Lord because Israel sees Him as a God who must be appeased.

            Oh, we weary our Lord as well.  Do we ever treat worship or Bible study as a box to be checked?  Do we hang Christian décor in our house, but our actions are far from the cross or the Bible verse adorning our walls?  Do we ever demand that God do this or that instead of just trusting and humbly following Him?

            Micah speaks as the voice of conscience to the Everyman:  “(The Lord) has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you?” (v. 8a). Yes, there are things the Lord wants us doing for Him.  Whether it be Mother’s Day or the Lord’s Day or tomorrow.  What is the good to do?  Not offerings we invent and give half-heartedly “but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (v. 8b). We don’t just check boxes to get er done.  It comes from a heart that loves.  Justice, kindness, and walking humbly with God means being sincere in our worship life and loving service for the Lord.

            To do for God is a delight when we remember what He has done for us.  Micah reminds the people of God’s acts of love and righteousness.  He rescued them from slavery in Egypt.  He gave them faithful leaders like Moses and Aaron and Miriam.  He delivered them from Balak’s schemes. 

            These all foreshadow what God has done for us and the whole world – sending Jesus.  Jesus came to do.  Jesus came to get er done for us.  He provided the justice.  He modeled loving kindness.  He walked with God.  He did the good we could not do.  He did it buy living and loving, by suffering, dying, rising, ascending.  Why talk about what God has done for us?  Because this is how God changes hearts. 

            When we remember what God has done, we want to do justice for our neighbor.  We delight in being to kind to the brothers and sisters of the faith – and to those not yet in the Lord’s Kingdom.  We love walking humbly with Him.

            The Lord has given us a ready-made illustration.  Monday when I did my daily tour of the building, a sprinkler head leak was discovered.  We had water on two floors.  One of my first calls was to a member to activate the emergency contact list.  We also sent out an e-mail.  Within twenty minutes we had around 10-12 people sopping up water, having it drip on their heads, picking up wet ceiling tiles, mopping, trying to save what could be saved.  Nobody thought about lunch or convenience.  The Lord allowed us to stay focused and finish the task.  By the end of the day, things were starting to dry, the insurance agent had been here, and the restoration company contacted.

            The Holy Spirit allowed us to get er done.  Nobody thought about “what is in it for me”.  Nobody was checking a box that the Lord provide something the next day for them.  No pay was involved.  They were motivated by a love for their Lord and His Church.

            God has done it all for us.  We then can love and delight in what is good for Him and for our neighbor.  We can walk with Him.

                                                                        Amen.                 

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.