March 25th/26th – Glorify Your Name!

John 12:20-33 – Glorify Your Name!

Pastor Brett Ehlke

Youcef Nadarkhani.  Maybe you’ve heard that name over the last few months.  Youcef Nadarkhani.  Even if you haven’t heard his name, maybe you’ve heard his story.  He’s a Christian pastor in Iran who about three years ago was imprisoned on charges of apostasy – he became a Christian and spread Christianity.  His story made national headlines last Fall because there was a concern that he was going to be executed.  The UN Human Rights Council is urging for his release, but no one really knows what’s going to happen to him. Stories like these tend to grab our attention because Christians dying for their faith is relatively uncommon in our country.  I’ve never felt physically threatened because of my faith, and most of you, I would guess, would say the same thing.

Imagine being in this man’s shoes.  Sitting in a prison cell not knowing what’s going to happen, possibly facing death.  Every time you hear footsteps walk near your cell, maybe you think, “Is this it?  Are they coming to kill me now?”  I would think that’s got to be one of the most difficult things about being on death row.  The waiting.  In his case, the not knowing when. But then again, maybe it would be worse to actual know the date and time.

Did you hear Jesus talk about that struggle in our Gospel lesson for today?  Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour”?   Jesus spoke those words Tuesday of Holy Week.  He’s talking about going to the cross.  I don’t think we always appreciate this difficult struggle that Jesus went through.  He’s true God, but he’s also true man, and so this was absolutely gut-wrenching for him to know what was going to happen.  He knew he was going to be crucified.  He knew he would suffer greatly.  He knew he would suffer hell for the sins of the world.  It’s no wonder why Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death” (Mark 14:34)  Yet, in spite of this gut-wrenching struggle, in spite of knowing what’s going to happen, he speaks these words: “Father, glorify your name.” Glorify your name.  Today we’ll see what that exactly means.

So it’s Tuesday of Holy Week.  Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem, and we see some Greeks – Jewish converts – come to celebrate the Passover.  But they also wanted to see Jesus.  They ask Philip to see Jesus.  Philip doesn’t really know what to do.  So he consults another disciple Andrew, and then both of them tell Jesus about the request. This is where Jesus’ response is interesting.  The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Can you picture Philip and Andrew listening to his response?  I would have expected Jesus to say, “Yeah, sure let me talk to them,” or “No, maybe later.” But he talks about being glorified and then a seed falling to the ground.  What’s he talking about?

Think of glory.  When you hear that word, what comes to your mind?  Glory.  Good things, right?  Think about Jesus’ glory.  We usually think of his resurrection on Easter Sunday, his ascension into heaven, how he rules all things now.  We talk about the time that Jesus made full use again of his power and authority.  But that’s not what Jesus is talking about here.  Notice that his glory is connected with this short parable of the seed falling down to the ground. What happens when a seed dies?  “It produces many seeds.”  He’s talking about how it’s necessary for him to die to produce many seeds, believers – you and me.

So here when Jesus talks about glory, he’s got his suffering and death on his mind.  How remarkable is that!  That’s his glory. In a week and a half we’ll see Jesus’ glory as he is in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, as he’s arrested like a common criminal, as he’s spit at, as he’s punched, as flesh is ripped off his body, as nails are driven through his hands, as he hangs suspended on a cross.  That’s his glory?

In the late 1990s, a law was passed in Oregon called the “Death with Dignity” Act.  The law says that people who are terminally ill can actively end their lives by voluntarily taking lethal medications prescribed by a physician.  Dying with Dignity. The law goes against what our Lord says about the importance of life, but even in the phrase “Dying with Dignity,” there’s a contradiction.  Yes, people can die peacefully, in their sleep, but there’s no dignity in death. Because death is the result of sin.  Death was not God’s will for this world.  Death is not natural.

Especially at Calvary, there’s no dignity.  There’s shame.  There’s blood.  There’s agony. It’s messy.  That’s his glory?  That’s what Jesus boasts in?  Yes, because of the result: But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.  Jesus says, “This is my glory, this is my Father’s glory.” Because this is his greatest achievement.  Through the cross, he makes you at one with him again.  Through the cross, he fixes your broken relationship with him.  Through the cross, he draws you to himself as he takes away your sin and flings heaven’s door wide open for you.  This is his glory! That’s why he says: “Glorify your name!”

What do you glory in?  What about the suffering that the Lord sometimes ask us to endure?  Are we able to say with Jesus, “Glorify your name!”?  That’s such an odd concept, especially in 21^st century America – that we glory even in our suffering.  Because everything around us tells us the opposite, right?  Life is about pleasure.  Life is about stuff, making your house look good and having that new, nice car.  Life is so much about happiness and joy right now.

But then notice what else Jesus says: The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  That might sound a little over the top.  This verse might be used by some to say that life in this world is bad, and it’s sinful to enjoy life.  So what are we to make of this statement? Jesus is really talking about priority.  Loving our lives means putting this earthly life first.  Hating our lives means putting Jesus and the life he gives first. Loving life happens when earthly things take a higher priority than our relationship with Jesus, when they lead us to miss out on things that help us grow in our relationship with Jesus, when our list of priorities involves only earthly things and little or no time to grow in our faith.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the earthly blessings God gives us, but it’s similar to something Jesus said earlier: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). It’s recognizing that those things – your house, your car, or whatever it is – can’t meet a much deeper need.  What happens when people rely on those things or turn to those things as a reason to be content?  They might gain a lot earthly speaking, but often it’s to their soul’s detriment.

Because where are those things when times get really tough?  It might be nice to enjoy them for a time being, but they’re not going to last, and when our lives are done, it won’t matter one bit whether we were millionaires or barely scraping by.  That’s why we can also “Glorify your name” in our suffering, in our hardships, in our difficult times because of what those things do for us.  They help us to see that life on earth – no matter how long or how short it might be – is temporary, and that our God through Christ has given us everything we need for life eternal in heaven.

The Apostle Paul knew that.  In 2 Corinthians he talks about that thorn in his flesh, a special cross he bore that the Lord gave him.  Listen to how he viewed it: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-12). Paul’s saying – I glory in my difficulties too. Not because I like going through them.  Not because I like pain.  Not because they’re making me more worthy in God’s sight.  No, because they remind me of my weakness.  Because they remind me that God’s grace, his undeserved love in Christ, is sufficient for me…it’s all I need.  You can say the same thing too.  Whatever may come, glorify your name, Lord.  Because your grace is all I need.  Because heaven is all I need. And I know that these problems of mine help me see that. 

Glorify your name.  Those weren’t exactly easy words for Jesus to say as he thought about the cross, and those aren’t easy words for us to say through our own suffering in this world.  But Jesus spoke that way because he knew what the cross would bring for you.  We say that too because we know that God uses our suffering to help us see that all we need in this world is him and his love.  And in this Lenten season, and in our daily lives, we can’t help remember of the other glory the Father talks about in our lesson: Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”  God glorified his name on Good Friday as he gave his Son for us.  But he would glorify it again when his Son would rise from the dead and show us why he could glory in the cross and why you can glory in your suffering.  Because it will end.  The Lord will glorify his name again as he brings you to your real home in heaven.  So, let’s say in all circumstances in life: Glorify your name!

 

March 11, 2012

John 2:12-23 – Jesus Cleans House!

Pastor Brett Ehlke

 

Pretty soon, over the next few weeks and months, many Americans will engage in something that happens every year.  Spring cleaning.  Maybe you roll your eyes when you hear those words because you hate to do all that work.  Maybe you perk up and get really excited about cleaning your house.  People sweep the floors – getting on their hands and knees to scrub them.  Dusting the entire house, trying to get every last cobweb out of there.  Cleaning out closets and basements and garages. 

If you’re like me, one thing you promise yourself when you do some spring cleaning is this: I’m not going to let things get this bad again.  I’m going to stay on top of things this year.  My clothes will always get hung up and be put away.  The garage isn’t going to get filled with clutter.  Things are going to stay clean and in order.  But then, if you’re like me, it doesn’t take too long before things start piling up again.  The dusting and vacuuming get delayed.  The garage slowly begins to look like a mess.  It won’t be too long before you need another spring cleaning in July.  It’s always a struggle and battle.

Isn’t that a very appropriate picture to describe our struggle against sin?  We make promises.  We’re never going to do that sin again.  We’re never going to let that sin get such a hold on us.  We’re going to keep our hearts tidy and clean.  But then pretty soon, sin starts piling up again.  Cobwebs start to grow in our hearts.  We go back to the same sins we struggle with.  Things get dirty again.

The temple that Jesus went to during his years on earth needed a cleaning.  You wouldn’t know it just by looking at it from the outside.  It was a very beautiful, impressive building.  The original temple built by Solomon had been destroyed in 586 B.C. But it was rebuilt about 70 years later by the Israelites under a man named Zerubbabel. Then about 500 years later, it was Herod the Great who renovated and reconstructed this temple.  The whole temple as a whole was so big you could fit 20 football fields inside.  Some estimate that it could hold over 100,000 people for major festivals like the one Jesus is at in our lesson.  Stones used to build the outside temple walls weighed five tons.  It was a massive project that took 46 years to complete.   But what was even greater than the magnificence of the structure itself was what the temple represented.  It represented God’s dwelling, God’s presence, among his people, Israel.  Because of that, it was the heart and center of Israel’s worship life.  This was where the sacrifices for the sins of people were made – the ones that pointed ahead to Christ.  This was where God assured people that he loved them and lived among them.

But it needed a cleaning.  In our lesson, Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  This was a time for the Jews to reflect on how God had rescued his people from slavery in Egypt – 1500 years ago.  This was also a time for them to prepare for the Passover Lamb God would send in the Messiah. It was a time for reflection, prayer, and preparation.  But what does Jesus find in the temple? In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.

God’s house had been turned into a market.  This place of prayer and worship had been turned into a place of business and greed.  People needed animals for the sacrifices they were to make.  People from foreign places needed Jewish currency to pay the temple tax.  So profit – not worship – became the priority of many of the people there.  You can almost hear the chaos in the midst of the crowds.  Venders trying to beat the prices of their competition.   It can easily get out of hand when a hundred people are shopping for specials on Black Friday.  Imagine thousands and thousands of people here trying to get the right currency and the best deals on animals. So easily forgetting the reason why they came.  They had desecrated this house of worship and prayer.

But the question can be asked: Didn’t God command these sacrifices to be made?  Certainly.  But his intent was never that his house be turned into a place of business.  It wasn’t so much a matter of the selling of animals, but rather the place where they sold them – right in the temple courts.  Imagine if you came to worship and there were dozens of vendors in the narthex trying to sell you crosses, Bibles, and books. It would be hard to focus.  God cared about the sacrifices, but he cared more about people’s hearts and the real meaning behind their worship.

So we see a different Jesus today.  We don’t see that kind, gentle Jesus here.  So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market! Whoa! He’s upset and angry and rightly so.  When we get angry, usually (if not always) sin is involved.  But Jesus’ anger is righteous and holy.  There’s no sin here.  His motivation is zeal for his Father’s house and care for people’s souls.  Jesus cleans house as he drives them all out.

What about your house?  What about your temple? I’m not talking about the place of your residence.  I’m not talking about this church building here.  I’m talking about what Paul says in 1 Corinthians: “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:20).  What’s cluttering your heart?  What in your heart does Jesus want to clean and drive out?  All we have to do is look at our first lesson for today, the 10 commandments.  Really, all we need to do is to look at the first one: “You shall have no other gods.” Wait a minute, someone might say. I’ve never bowed down to an idol. I’ve never worshipped Allah or another false god.  But often my idolatry is done in secret.  It happens when in my heart I place something ahead of God, when I consider something more important than God.  My job.  My possessions. My money. My popularity. My selfish desires.

Martin Luther gives a good and simple explanation to the first commandment: “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” So simple and yet so hard to do.  Don’t all the other commandments end up dealing with the first one?  When I covet or steal, I’m not trusting that God will provide, and I’m making money to be my idol.  When I lie, I’m taking matters into my own hands and not trusting that God has things under control.  When I put myself and my desires above others, I’m really putting myself ahead of God and what he wants.

Jesus wants a clean heart.  He wants the sin swept out. He wants it scrubbed and made holy. That’s something we can’t do on our own.  That’s what Jesus wanted for the temple too.  Notice the reaction of the people wasn’t to say he was wrong.  They knew he was exactly right.  But instead they say: “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” They were saying: Who are you to tell us what to do?  Isn’t there a part of us that likes to respond in the same way as these money changers and vendors?  When God tells us in his Word that something is sinful, when a Christian might confront us of doing something wrong, one natural reaction is “Who are you?” Who are you God to tell me how I should live?  It’s my life after all.  But Jesus reminds us exactly who he is in our lesson – that he has authority to clean the temple and to clean our hearts of sin too.  “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

Destroy his body and he would raise it again in three days.  And they would destroy his body.  Jesus wouldn’t be the one with the whip.  Instead he would be one who was whipped.  They would take Immanuel – God with us – God’s dwelling among his people and they killed him.  Then we remember that it was also our sin that destroyed this temple, his body.  It led to his death. But he did so – he went to the cross – so that our hearts would be cleaned.  Through the cross, he takes the dirt, the mess of sin in our lives and cleans it out.  Through the message of the cross he makes his dwelling in our hearts.  This is the promise God has made to us: I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will put my sanctuary among them forever” Ezekiel 37:20-21. God’s saying I’m going to live among you.

And he gave us a sign.  He rose again.   Now his resurrection assures you that Jesus has authority as the Son of God. It shows us that he had every right to cleanse the temple.  It assures you that Jesus has power and authority to clean your heart – washing away all your sin by his blood.  His resurrection assures you that he sends the Holy Spirit into your heart and that now you are his dwelling place. This gives us the motivation with the help of the Holy Spirit to let sin not dominate our lives.  This gives us the motivation to fight against sin and keep our hearts clean.  Right now, God dwells within you and your heart.  Amazing! This sign- Jesus’ authority over death – assures you that one day he’s going to take you to God’s house – not a manmade temple in Jerusalem – but to your heavenly home.  Oh and by the way, that’s a place he’s right now preparing and making ready for you too. Amen. 

February 5/6, 2011

February 5/6, 2011 – Epiphany 5

Mark 1:29-38 – Pastor Jon Kruschel

Last weekend we met Jesus at a synagogue in the town of Capernaum preaching to the people and driving out a demon from a demon-possessed man. Today I invite you to walk with Jesus after he left that synagogue. Watch Jesus, listen to Jesus and to learn from Jesus three things. We see Jesus teach us about problems and their purpose. We see Jesus teach us about prayer and its place in our lives. Finally, we see Jesus’ passion, a passion that he wants us also to have.

When I was five years-old, I had one of the most disappointing Christmases of my life. You see, on Christmas Eve afternoon I started getting sick. By evening I was so sick I could barely get out of bed. Although I felt terrible, I managed to unwrap a few presents and take a look at them, but that was about it. I wanted so badly to play with my new long anticipated set of Legos, but I couldn’t because I was just too sick. It was an awfully disappointing Christmas.

Imagine how Simon Peter’s mother-in-law must have felt when Jesus arrived at her house. Of all days to have a fever! Was this the first time that she had met Jesus or was he a regular guest at her house? We don’t know for sure. But you can be sure that Peter had told her about Jesus and who he believed Jesus was, the message he proclaimed and the miracles he performed. How disappointing and frustrating it must have been for her. Jesus was at her house and she was unable to serve her special guest when she wanted. Yet, Jesus had a purpose for her problem. We’re told, “So he [Jesus] went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them” (Mark 1:31). Here, the one she thought she was going to be serving, served her, but she wasn’t the only one.

We’re told, “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases” (Mark 1:32-34). The sickness, diseases, and demon possession from which these people suffered all served a purpose – a purpose that maybe had not been so evident to them at first. Their problems provided Jesus with the opportunity to demonstrate his divine power, for them to see that this man who stood before them was exactly who he claimed to be, the Son of God and the promised Messiah. While their sickness and disease may have prevented them from serving in a way they wanted, every one of their problems served a good purpose. Dear friends, the Lord promises the same to you with the problems of your life. 

You might be thinking, “So what’s the purpose of this problem in my life?” Maybe your retirement years didn’t quite work out the way you intended. You were looking forward to spending more time serving the church, visiting your grandkids, traveling with your spouse. But there was the heart problems, the arthritis, the bout with cancer, the loss of your spouse, the stroke or something else that leaves you frustrated and wondering. The selfishness of your former spouse now leaves you a single parent, trying to juggle a plethora of responsibilities. All those years of college classes preparing you for a career that you can’t find a job in. All those years of parenting only to see your child make one bad decision after another. Yes, we have plenty of problems.

This past week, I saw a bumper sticker which read, “Life is good. Eternal life is better.” Every problem that we face in this life reminds us that we’ve got something incomparably better to look forward to because of Christ Jesus our Savior. I think of what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” Sometimes we need the problems of this life to remind us of the eternal life which Jesus gives us through faith, and to make sure our life, our decisions, our priorities reflect the value of that truly priceless gift.

Unexpected changes, frustrations and disappointments in life often present us with opportunities to serve our Lord in ways we never intended or expected. The single mom that now needs to provide the spiritual leadership in her home because dad is no longer present. The single dad that now makes lunches for the kids and cleans the house because mom isn’t around. The elderly Christian who may no longer be able to live at home sees a way to serve the Lord by accepting the care provided in an assisted living facility. The college graduate begins to appreciate just having a job even if it may not be their dream job.

While the purpose for the problems in life, may not always be evident at first, we can always be sure that Jesus will use those problems for our eternal good, and often for the good of those around us as people watch how we handle disappointment and difficulty – patiently trusting the Lord and his plans for us because we know of his great love for us in Christ who lived and died for us so that our eternal destination is absolutely secure.

What did Jesus do after his long day of preaching, teaching and healing? We’re told, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). There were certainly enough people for Jesus to heal, many synagogues that Jesus still needed to go to, people that he needed to reach. But before Jesus began that work, Jesus took time to go off by himself, away from the distractions, and prayed to his heavenly Father. This time allowed him to meditate upon the plan of salvation for which God the Father had sent his Son Jesus to do, to consider God’s promises and his plans. This was time to ask for the Father’s strength as Jesus fought temptations, to pray for his disciples that they might continue to grow in faith, to pray for those that were not yet part of his flock, that they may be brought to faith. Jesus took time for prayer, how often do we?

You’ve probably noticed it too, people walking around or standing like this  with their heads down. If you didn’t know better, you may think that we live in a very humble society. I know what they’re doing because I’ve found myself doing it. They’re checking their phones. We live in a society that always feels like we need to be doing something and provides for us countless means to keep busy nearly every waking moment of our life. If we’ve got a few moments free, we can easily find something to fill it up – flip on the TV, pull out the smartphone, log onto the computer, pull out the ipad or pick up the phone. While there is nothing wrong with using those things, where is our quiet time with our heavenly Father? Do we take time to pray? Do we take time to meditate on God’s Word, to read and think about what the Bible says, how it applies to me, to those around me, to consider God’s promises to us, his plans and purposes for us? While I realize that quiet time may come at a premium in your house especially if you have children at home, make time to talk to your heavenly Father through prayer and realize the blessing he promises. Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Turn off the TV and computer, put away the phone for awhile, turn down the radio in the car and just spend some time with your Heavenly Father in prayer, and find that refreshing and refocusing that Jesus found by spending time with his heavenly Father.
When Jesus’ disciple finally found Jesus, so did the crowds which the gospel of Luke tells us tried to convince Jesus to stay. We read, “When they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them” (Luke 4:42). Jesus’ response was simple and to the point, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (Mark 1:38). With these words Jesus shows his passion for people, his love for the lost. While Jesus could have very easily stayed in Capernaum, become a local hero and healer and lived a rather comfortable life, his love would not allow it. Jesus was not only concerned about those who were already Christians, he was equally concerned about reaching those who did not know him that they may know him in faith and have salvation.

I think that Jesus’ passion for the lost is something good for us to see because it is a passion that he wants us to share in. While Jesus gives us the important work of instructing Christians in God’s Word so that they may mature in faith and be equipped for their Christian lives, do we sometimes get so comfortable being around fellow Christians that we forget about those who do not have the comfort of Christ, who do not have the freedom that Christ’s forgiveness of sins provides, who do not have the anchor of Christ to weather the storms of lie, who are unsure of their final destination? Jesus preached. His miracles confirmed his message and then he said, “Time to go. We have more people to reach with the gospel.” That is the passion, a love for the lost, that God gives to us as we realize that there are real people in our community and throughout our country who are going to be lost to hell, and that God in his grace has given to you and me the message that can change that outcome. We know that power of that gospel message first hand because it has made you who you are today. It found you when you when you were lost in sin, and pointed you to the cross. It showed you a Savior who lived and died in your place in order to make you one of his dear children.

Dear followers of Christ, walk with Jesus every day, confident of his love for, refreshed in his forgiveness, and passionate about showing and sharing his love with those around you. Amen.

Jesus is different – January 29, 2011

Text – Mark 1:21-28 – Pastor Ehlke

Jesus is different.

1. In his message

2. In his power.

Do you ever wonder what kind of a preacher Jesus was?  I sometimes do.  I wonder what it would have been like listening to him talk. Was he a loud, fiery preacher or a quiet, gentle one?  Did he move around a lot when he preached or did he stand in just one place?  Did he use a bunch of hand gestures, or did he keep his hands folded? I sometimes wonder about that, but then I also remember it’s really not important.  It doesn’t really matter.  It doesn’t matter what his style was.  It doesn’t matter what kind of clothes he wore.  It doesn’t matter whether Jesus used the latest lingo or not.  Today, we’ll see why.

The gospel writer Mark starts by saying: They went to Capernaum.  “They.” Jesus and the four disciples he had already called – two sets of brothers: Peter and Andrew and then James and John. It was early in Jesus’ ministry, not long after he was baptized.  This man from Nazareth wasn’t probably well-known. So where does Jesus start his work? When the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.  It didn’t take very long before people realized this wasn’t your typical rabbi.  As they listened, they knew Jesus was different.  The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

How was Jesus different?  Do you think it was because those teachers of the law were boring preachers, and that Jesus was much more energetic?  Do you think it was because those teachers of the law didn’t tell jokes, but Jesus did?  Do you think it was because those teachers of the law stumbled over their words, and Jesus spoke clearly?  I don’t think that’s what it was.

That’s a temptation we can fall into very easily.  Why do you belong to this specific church?  Is it because the pastors are funny and charming?  Is it because the building’s really nice?  Is it because this church has screens up in front?  Is it because this is the church my family has always belonged?  Yeah, it’s nice having pastors you can relate to.  It’s nice to have a beautiful building. It’s nice to have these screens up in front.  It’s nice to go to the same church as the rest of your family.  I agree with that 100% – definitely.  But those aren’t the main reasons why a person should belong to a church. The main reason (more important than anything else!)  should be this – that the Word of God is taught and proclaimed truthfully here.

That’s how Jesus was different than the teachers of the law: he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Jesus’ message was different.  It wasn’t because of his fashion sense or even because of his style of preaching. What made Jesus different was he spoke as “one who had authority.”   Jesus’ message was authoritative. It was true because Jesus came from God and Jesus is true God.  Unfortunately, these people in the synagogue had grown up in a religion that had been twisted, distorted, and mangled over the centuries.  Yes, they had God’s law and the Old Testament, but the teachers of the law turned it into something God had never intended: a way to become right with God.  They had taken God’s law – threw in some additional man-made laws – and said if you want to be right with God, just follow these things.  Make sure you don’t work on the Sabbath.  Make sure you don’t eat with Gentiles and sinners.  Make sure you pay for your sacrifices.  Make sure you do enough to make God accept you.

Jesus and his message were different.  Jesus looked at mankind and knew there was no way we could ever do enough to make us right with God.  He showed just how bad our relationship with God used to be.  He’s the one who said “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). And this too: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).   He’s saying if you want to do that, if you want to base your relationship with God on what you do, ok, but make sure you are perfect.  Perfect in action. Perfect in word. Perfect in thought. Jesus is different because he shows us just how bad our spiritual situation before God was.

Those teachers of the law had turned people away from the promised Savior and told them it was up to you.  It was up to you to follow God’s commands and rules.  They taught sin but their solution was this: Try harder! Not a real solution. But Jesus was also different in that. He provided the solution. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  “Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  Then on the cross, “It is finished,” (John 19:30). Jesus not only provided a solution. Jesus is the solution.  Your sin. Your debt to God. Gone. Paid in full.  Taken away.

And he backs it up too. I do sometimes wonder what Jesus sounded like and what it would have been like to hear him preach, but as I was reading through these verses, I kept wondering about something else: What would it have been like to be at this synagogue on this day? Something crazy happens.  Some of my seminary friends and I stay in touch and email each other every so often. Every now and then, someone will tell an interesting or funny story that happened in a church service or in a Bible class.  Imagine trying to tell your friends what happened if you were at this synagogue:  Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” Wow! A man with an evil spirit starts yelling and crying out!

Skeptics will look at accounts like this and assume there’s no way it ever happened.  Maybe at best, Jesus encountered people with mental diseases and issues.  But it’s clear this isn’t someone who’s suffering from only a mental illness.  This is an evil spirit crying out, and he recognizes who Jesus is.  He knows he’s the Son of God.

Why isn’t this more common in our society today? That’s a good question.  Perhaps, we see more of this at Jesus’ time because this was the devil and his evil angels attempting to counter Jesus during the pinnacle of his public ministry.  I think that’s a good possibility.  Also, consider this: C.S. made a comment that the devil doesn’t care if people think he exists or not.  In fact, for him if people don’ t think he exists, that’s good for me. What he cares most of all is prying people away from their Savior.  So look at our society and how it views the devil. Horns. Tail. Pitchfork. He’s a cartoon character.  But it was Peter who says this:  “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  The devil is perfectly happy with people thinking he’s this cute, little kitty cat who poses no harm, instead of a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

He’s hard at work and often very secretly.  It’s the temptations he puts in your face day in and day out.  It’s when he tells that God is an angry old man who just doesn’t want you to have fun.  Then when you do sin, he turns the table and says, “There’s no way God could ever forgive that sin!”  It happens in churches – like the synagogue Jesus was at – when the Word of God is twisted, distorted, and mangled, and it’s turned into not the story of God providing a Savior but instead a rule book that turns people away from Christ and to themselves and what they do. The goal’s the same.  It doesn’t matter to him.  He wants to bring down as many people as possible, and it is just as serious, as he tries to rob you of the comfort you have in Christ Jesus.  But Jesus is different.  His power is different.  With a simple rebuke, he shows his power over Satan: “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The devil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

Notice how Jesus did it! It was with his powerful Word.  That’s how we fight Satan today too.  When we’re tempted, we run to God’s Word and remember his will for us.  When he tries to get you to doubt God’s love and goodness, you can turn to his Word and hear  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons…will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).  “In my Father’s house are many rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Remember this: Jesus has defeated Satan.  He has conquered him and he has freed you from his control. You fight Satan in the same way as Jesus: with his powerful Word, with his sure promises, with the comfort of forgiveness and life through Christ. 

Jesus once sent out seventy-two disciples to go from town to town and preach that the Savior had come.  When the disciples came back, they were pumped up because, as they said, “even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). This was his response: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). Satan falls from heaven still today.  He falls from heaven when the pastor announces God’s forgiveness to you in worship.  He falls from heaven as we hear the gospel in our Scripture lessons and sermon.  He falls from heaven when we baptize children and when people receive the Lord’s body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  He falls from heaven as we train our children to know Jesus’ love and forgiveness.  He falls from heaven as you share you faith with others.  Because we have the one thing that makes him fall: Jesus.  And as neat as it would have been to hear Jesus preach and see him do miracles, Jesus himself told the seventy-two this:  “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).   Rejoice too because you have something as good.  Your name is written in the book of life. Because of that same power Jesus showed in our lesson.  The people were amazed at Jesus. Be amazed that Jesus is different too.  Amen.

Baptism of our Lord

Mark 1:4-11 – Pastor Jon Kruschel

The Message and the Messenger

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger!”  Have you ever said those words in defense of the message you were asked to deliver?  It’s usually because you’re the bearer of bad news.  You were the “lucky” person selected by management to deliver the news to a fellow employee, “Due to the hard economic conditions, our company has decided to downsize our department.  I’m sorry, but your position has been eliminated.”  If the person becomes upset and starts to ask questions, you might defend, “Hold on!  I’m just the messenger.  I don’t get to decide on the message.”  On the other hand, if you are asked to deliver the news to the employees in your department that because of sales this past year everyone is receiving a large bonus, I doubt if you’re going to follow that up with, “Hold on!  I’m just the messenger!”  In fact you might kind like the connection between being the messenger and the message you have to deliver.   

This morning in our gospel lesson we have described for us both a messenger and a message.  The gospel of Mark gives us a brief description of John the Baptist’s ministry and then Jesus’ baptism.  This morning look with me at the connection between these two men.  One was the messenger, the other was the message.  See how closely connected they are while at the same time serving distinctly different purposes.  

John the Baptist is one of those people that was “unique” to put it nicely or to put it bluntly, “he was strange.”  The Bible makes note of his desert diet of “locusts and wild honey”, and also of his clothing, “Camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist.”  But it’s actually his clothing that may give us a little indication of why so many people, large crowds of people, were willing to travel all the way from Jerusalem, twenty some miles to see John the Baptist.  John’s clothing resembled that of another great prophet.  In 2 Kings 1:8 we are given this description of the great Old Testament prophet Elijah, “He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist.”  Realize that it had been over 400 years since the Jewish people had seen a real life prophet sent by God.  To think that God had sent a prophet like the great Elijah, was something that the people just had to go out, hear and see for themselves.

However, John was only doing what the Lord had foretold.  The Old Testament Prophets had said, “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way…a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 40:3, Mark 1:2,3).  John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, said at John’s birth, “And you my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 2:76,77).  In the gospel of Mark, we see John being that prophet, preparing God’s people and more importantly their hearts, with the message that God had sent him to proclaim. 

John called the people to repent of their sins.  He used the law to expose their sin, how their thoughts and lives had wandered from the ways of God.  The people saw their need for the promised Messiah, the Great Deliverer who would come to rescue them from the punishment of their sin.  And through the washing of water called baptism, the Lord promised the forgiveness of their sins. 

That powerful promise of God is the same promise of God found in baptism today.  The ONLY difference between John’s baptism and your baptism is in perspective.  John’s baptism pointed ahead, connecting people of every age to the saving work of Jesus that was yet to be completed.  Our baptism points us back, connecting people of every age to the saving work of Jesus that has now been completed.  Yes, different perspectives, but the same power of God is at work in baptism.  The power and effectiveness of a person’s baptism is not found in the person performing the baptism, the place of the baptism or the mode of baptism.  No!  The power of baptism is found in the promise of God, the message of the gospel that proclaims “You are a forgiven child of God!  Your sins forever washed away because of Jesus Christ, your Savior!”   

So then, why was Jesus baptized?  Jesus’ baptism is rather briefly described in the gospel of Mark.  Jesus comes down from his hometown of Nazareth where he likely had been living with his parents for the past 30 years.  He goes to the Jordan River and finds his “unique” relative John the Baptist and asks John to baptize him.  At the moment of Jesus’ baptism, something unusual and extraordinary took place.  The Bible tells us that John, “Saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).  At Jesus’ baptism, we have all three persons of the Trinity present.  The Holy Spirit takes the form of the dove descending on Jesus.  God the Father states his love and satisfaction of the Son.  The Son stands before John the Baptist now baptized.  It obviously was an important event.  In fact, we’ve set aside an entire Sunday to celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  So why was Jesus baptized? 

If you’ve ever wondered why Jesus was baptized, you’re not alone.  John the Baptist was actually wondering the same thing.  The gospel of Matthew tells us that John the Baptist actually tried to deter Jesus from being baptized by saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 1:14).  John understood what you and I also know from the Bible.  As the Son of God, Jesus was holy and perfect.  He had no sin to forgive.  Because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit he had no sinful nature.  And as true God, although tempted, he never gave into sin even once as Hebrews 4:15 says, “[Jesus]has been tempted in every way, just as we are– yet was without sin.”  Therefore, Jesus did not need baptism for the forgiveness of his sins.  So, we’re right back where we started with the question why was Jesus baptized?  Listen to the answer Jesus gave to John the Baptist, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).  The key is found in the phrase, “to fulfill all righteousness.” 

Jesus was doing his Father’s will.  Jesus was doing exactly as his heavenly Father wanted and had foretold the Messiah would do.  Maybe you’re like so many others who wish that the Bible would have included accounts about Jesus’ boyhood, his teen years and those of his early adult life.  Although the Bible may not tell us everything that we would like to know about Jesus’ life, it does tell us everything that we need to know with the words of the Father, “With you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).  God the Father is only “well pleased” with perfection.  With the Father’s words “With you I am well pleased” God puts his stamp of approval on Jesus’ entire life.  Jesus had done every single thing right, exactly according to God’s will. 

But Jesus’ life was not lived for himself.  When you think about it, Jesus ended up in the same place he started.  He came from heaven and he would return to heaven.  His perfect life earned him nothing.  No, Jesus lived so that we could hear the Father say to us, “With you I am well pleased.” How is that possible?  If God is only pleased with perfection, how could he ever be pleased with us?  Just look at the way we at times treat and talk about each other.  The condescending tone of voice we’ve used.  The excuses we’ve made for not going to Bible study, for not sharing what God has so abundantly given to us.  The credit we’ve taken for someone else’s efforts, and the blame we’ve placed on others.  How could God possibly be pleased with us? 

You might picture like an old piece of furniture whose paint is chipped and pealing, sitting out by the shed in the rain and snow.  Then someone takes it, refinishes it, sands it, glues up the joints and puts a fresh coat of paint on it.  You’d never guess what that piece of furniture had looked like before.  At our baptism, God the Holy Spirit took you with all our ugly sinful imperfections that make us appalling in the sight of a holy God and he applied a fresh coat of Jesus’ perfection to us.  God the Father looks at you and what does he see?  He sees a perfect person, coated in the perfection of Jesus, part of his treasured collection of priceless souls, and ready to one day be placed in his heavenly home to his glory and for our eternal blessing. 

This, my friends, IS the message of the gospel.  Jesus IS the message.  The gospel is not a nebulous thought that God loves the world.  No the gospel is the real life that Jesus lived in our place, and the real death that Jesus died in our place.  Jesus is the message of our salvation.  At Jesus’ baptism, God the Father made it clear that this Jesus was the Christ, literally, “the anointed one.”  His anointing was unlike any other this world has ever seen as God the Father poured out the Holy Spirit on Jesus in the visible form of a dove.  This marked the beginning of what we call “Jesus’ public ministry.”  Jesus now publicly revealed himself to be the Son of God and Savior of the world through word and action.  He would begin preaching and teaching the people, equipping his disciples to be his messengers, and preparing for the culmination of his saving work as he traveled to the cross. 

During these weeks of Epiphany season, look again at the life of Jesus as he reveals himself to be the Savior, the Message of salvation, a Message he has given to you to be one of his messengers.   Amen.   

Epiphany – January 8, 2012

Ephesians 3:2-12 – “The Mystery Is Revealed!”

Pastor Brett Ehlke

Christmas is now two weeks over, and most of us have returned back to normal, everyday life.   But this morning for a second, I want you to think back to Christmas, especially to the gifts underneath the Christmas tree.  It’s amazing to see how kids react to those wrapped presents.  What do they do to the ones they’re not allowed to open yet?  They might give it a shake.  They examine it, looking it over, trying to figure out what’s inside.  When I was a child, my “trick” was to find a tear in the wrapping paper – maybe a small one I created myself and see if I could get a small peek at the box.  That never worked though.  There’s something mysterious about a wrapped Christmas present as people are trying to figure out what’s hiding beneath the wrapping paper.

There are plenty of mysteries in this world.  Think to the universe and just how big it is.  Think to the mountains and oceans in our planet.  Think to your own human body.  There are many complex mysteries in this world, but Paul speaks of the greatest mystery of all revealed to you: This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s not much of a mystery,” but this was a huge deal especially for Jews living at the time of Paul.  God in the Old Testament had kept the nation of Israel separate from other nations to preserve the line of a Savior.  Some, however, wrongly concluded that the Savior would just be for the Jewish people, but Paul says, that was never God’s intent.  The promised Savior was for both Jew and Gentile, and that believers in Christ – regardless of race – are “heirs together, members of the same body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” So we see Gentiles – non-Jews – receiving that promise even in the Old Testament.  People like Ruth and Rahab.  Next week we’ll hear about the Magi who came to worship their Savior.  God’s promise of a Savior was always for all people. 

Maybe you’re still thinking, “Ok, that’s not much of a mystery.  I’ve known that since I was young.  I know that God sent a Savior for all people, a Savior who died for all, and a Savior who has taken away my sins.” But without the Holy Spirit working faith in our hearts, this God of love and forgiveness would have forever remained a mystery to us.  By nature, we didn’t know who God was or how to get to him.

Think about it in this way: A young boy has a birthday coming up. He’s excited about it and can’t wait for it.  But as the day approaches, he looks around, and there’s no sign that a birthday celebration will be coming.  He sees no presents.  He doesn’t smell any cake baking.  He looks in the freezer, and there’s no ice cream.  So on the day of his birthday, he wonders if maybe his parents forgot about it.  He starts thinking that maybe even worse, his parents don’t care it’s his birthday.  Or worse yet, they’re angry with him about something.  Then he thinks about all the bad things he had done recently.  Not doing his chores.  Getting in trouble.  Fighting with his sister. Then he thinks he’s going to be punished.  He looks at his surroundings and assumes the worst.  But then all of a sudden, as he comes home, the door swings wide open and he hears, “Surprise! Happy birthday!”

You are that young boy, and your parent is your heavenly Father.  By nature there are certain things we know about God. We can know he exists.  We know that he’s good and kind.  But then when we remember our sin, we see how we haven’t been the type of person God wants us to be.  So excitement to meet God is replaced with fear.  Instead of a “welcome!” we can expect punishment.  But then just when it seems like there’s no hope at all, there’s our God swinging open heaven’s door and saying: “Surprise!” In the gospel, God reveals his love to you – that through Christ, you are forgiven! It is a mystery because God could have left us forever in the dark about him, but he didn’t.  He has revealed to you the glorious riches of our Savior Christ Jesus.

You are included in that mystery.  What Christ has won for the world, he gives to you through faith.  Because of that, you are an heir – you are a child of God who receives the inheritance that Christ has won for you.  You are part of the same body – along with brothers and sisters in Christ, you live in fellowship with Jesus and live under his protection.  He dwells with us and within us. You share together in the same promise in Christ Jesus – that Jesus loves you and gives you forgiveness – no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you look like, or what your race or gender is.  The mystery is revealed that you share in the glorious riches of Christ Jesus.

This mystery gets even better!  Paul writes: “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ…His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” Not only are you included in this mystery, not only do you share in the glorious riches of Christ, but you are also included in sharing those glorious riches with others, that through the church, “the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.”

What do you think of when you hear the word “church”?  Many people think about an actual church building, a physical location.  Other people might think about “going to church,” that is attending a worship service.  Some might think of a larger church body like the Wisconsin Synod. But when Paul uses the word “church” here, and in most places in Scripture, he’s talking about people.  He’s talking about all believers in Christ.  He’s talking about you and me. Paul says just a couple of chapters later: “…just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).  Jesus didn’t love and die for a building.  Jesus loved and died for people.   You are the church.

What does the church do?  We make known the glorious riches of Christ Jesus.  The church makes known this mystery to others. The church proclaims the gospel to the world.  Since you are the church, you are an important part in that work.  Maybe sometimes we don’t want to be included in that.  Maybe we don’t feel like we really fit in.  Maybe we don’t feel like we have the gifts to do this work.  Maybe we think we’re not qualified.

In my opinion, we sometimes think like that because we look at people like the Apostle Paul and think, “I could never do that.”  I could never go from town to town spreading the gospel.  I could never live his life.  I could never stand up in front of a group of people and preach the gospel. But being a participant in this work doesn’t mean you need to be like Paul and travel the world proclaiming the gospel from town to town.  Today you don’t need to try to search the unsearchable mind of God and come up with a bunch of extravagant ways of how you can share the gospel.  Because it’s something you do in your daily life, in your vocations.

Our 2^nd Rally Day we especially think about service in God’s kingdom.  Service here at St. Paul’s.  That’s a huge part of our ministry, the many volunteers who serve here. But really it’s service that spills over into our everyday lives.  It’s parents who raise their children to know the love and forgiveness of Christ.  It’s encouraging family members who’ve been away from worship to get back and make it a priority.  It’s inviting someone you know  to church.  It can be as simple as being a faithful spouse, faithful son or daughter, faithful student, faithful employee or employer.

Where does it start?  It starts with being amazed at the mystery of God’s love and forgiveness in Christ.  It begins as we think about the wonderful mysteries of the gospel – that this all-powerful God who created the world would know and love me personally.  It continues as we grow in our faith as we hear and study God’s Word, as we remember our baptisms, and as we come to the Lord’s table.  It spills over into our daily lives as we reflect Christ’s love and share that love with people who are wondering: “Could God ever love me?”

So did you get anything good this year?  Were there any big surprises once the wrapping paper came off the present?  Whatever presents you received this year, rejoice in the mystery that wasn’t wrapped neatly in box.  It wasn’t placed under a tree, and there was no bow on top of it.  But this mystery is a gift, and it has your name written on it.  God’s saving love in Christ.  Your God has revealed that saving love to you.  Now be included in the wonderful gift of sharing that love with others. Amen.

Midweek Advent 2

Matthew 1:18-25  – Living the Nativity: Joseph

Pastor Jonathan Kruschel

What was Joseph supposed to think?  Mary had seemed like such a nice girl, the woman he wanted to marry.  Not only had Joseph and Mary talked about marriage, but they had agreed to get married.  They were excited to announce their engagement, to prepare for their wedding day, and to begin their married lives together as husband and wife.  But three little words suddenly changed everything.  With three words, muttered by Mary, the dream came crashing down.  The three words?  “I am pregnant.”

What was Joseph supposed to think?  There was only one LOGICAL, RATIONAL conclusion to Mary’s pregnancy.  Mary had been unfaithful to Joseph and had slept with another man.  You can almost picture Mary begging Joseph not to be angry with her because there was a perfectly good explanation.  And then Joseph saying to Mary, “Let’s hear it, then!”  She told him that she loved him and would never be unfaithful to him.  She went on to explain to Joseph about the angel who had appeared to her and how the angel said that she was going to have a baby, and that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that this baby was no ordinary baby, but this baby was the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, and the promised Savior.  Alright, Joseph had heard a lot of stories in his time and could understand that maybe Mary was scared, trying to cover up a bad decision she had made, but really?  Come on!  A miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit?  An angel?  Sure Joseph had heard of angels, but he hadn’t seen one before.  Angels appeared to people like Abraham and Moses and the prophets and other important people, but not regular people like Joseph and Mary.   

What was Joseph supposed to think?  The Bible tells us, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19).  Although the announcement of Mary’s pregnancy must have hurt Joseph deeply, he did not seek revenge.  He did not try to embarrass or humiliate Mary or make a public spectacle of Mary’s alleged unfaithfulness.  No.  Joseph probably thought he was doing the right thing, quietly ending the marriage that he thought had been broken by Mary’s unfaithfulness.  It would just be over between the two of them and each of them could move on with their separate lives.  But God had a different plan for Joseph, a plan that he would reveal to Joseph in a very special way.

God gave Joseph a dream in which he saw an angel who delivered a very clear and concise message from God.  In no uncertain terms God told Joseph to take Mary as his wife.  Everything that Mary had told Joseph was true.  The baby that was in her womb was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  The baby was the long awaited Messiah who Joseph was instructed to name, “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).  As much relief as Joseph must have felt to hear that Mary had not lied to him and had not been unfaithful, this angelic announcement must have been equally shocking as the reality of the situation began to sink in for Joseph.  God had chosen Joseph’s wife Mary to carry and give birth to the Son of God, the Messiah.  How humbling for Joseph to think that he, this carpenter from Nazareth was supposed to raise the Son of God as his son, a son who was to be his Savior and the Savior of all.

The Lord was doing exactly as he had repeatedly promised throughout the Old Testament and which the gospel of Matthew is so good at showing us.  In Matthew 1:23 we have the first of over 60 Old Testament Messianic prophecies which the gospel of Matthew uses to show how Jesus perfectly fulfilled every single one of them, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, God with us.”  The Son of God enters our world as one of his creatures, taking on human flesh, being born and living his entire life under the conditions of a sinful world with sinful people, all so that he can rescue Joseph, Mary, you, me and all people from the punishment that sin requires. 

During this Christmas season and especially as we enter another new year, we may be haunted by the guilt of our past sins, failures to be what we had resolved to be, a better mother or father, a more caring grandparent, a better friend, a more patient brother or sister.  But anger and vengefulness have been harbored in hearts and hurtful words that have slipped out of our mouths.  There have been times of unwise use of our time, and deviations from God’s ways.  And the list of past sins goes on and on.  But that’s exactly why we celebrate Christmas, isn’t it?  Jesus was born to free you from the guilt of your sins.  He paid the price on the cross so that the devil can no longer demand from us payment for our sins.  Jesus came to rescue his people, you me and all Christians, from their sins, and to share with us the treasures of heaven.  By faith Joseph and Mary knew that love of their Savior-God, and so what did they do?

In Matthew 1:24, with very simple words, we’re told, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home to be his wife.”  Joseph wakes up from his dream through which God had revealed the new plan for Joseph and Mary’s lives, and Joseph simply says, “Alright, God.  I’ll marry her.”  Joseph’s decision to take Mary as his wife would certainly bring with it some hardships and even disgrace.  What would people say when he married this supposed adulteress?  How would this decision affect his relationship with his parents?  What would they think, how would they treat Mary?  What would Mary’s parents think of their new son-in-law Joseph?  How would his decision affect his carpentry business?  Would he lose some of his friends as they tried to convince him that he was crazy for believing Mary’s story?  It may have been difficult, but the decision to do what their Savior-God asked of them was worth it, even if it was hard.  It was worth it because Joseph saw his decision as a demonstration of his faith, a way for him to show his love and thanks to the God who was giving them a Savior, and a very special way to honor that Savior who was going to be part of his family. 

As I again looked at this very familiar character of the nativity, usually depicted in every nativity set as standing along side Mary in the stable, I was again amazed at his willingness to follow his Savior even though he was aware of the difficulties it would bring, and unexpectedness of God’s plans for him.  It made me think, how about us?  During this Christmas season what will people see us doing?  Will we be like Joseph?  Where will our focus be?  Will take time to quietly contemplate the miracle of the Christ-child or will we be caught up in the whirlwind of commercialism?  Will we spend more time decorating our house than we do at God’s house to celebrate the birth of Christ?  Will we bask in the temporary joy that big gifts and time with our family can bring, while missing out on the eternal joy that God’s gifts and our relationship with Jesus brings?  Are children more excited about Santa coming and the gifts he brings, than about the Savior coming into the world and the priceless gift his brings us?  What will people see is most important for us during this Christmas season?

Like Joseph, it’s time for us to wake up!  It is time to wake up from the spiritual sleepiness that this sinful world tries so hard to lull us into by providing so many distractions that Christ nearly disappears from Christmas.  It’s kind of like the child who asks his parents where the nativity set with Mary, Joseph and Jesus went.  He remembered setting it up when they brought out the Christmas decorations and putting it under the tree, but he couldn’t see it.  His parents assured him, “Oh, don’t worry.  It’s under the tree somewhere, behind all the presents.  It probably just got pushed to the back.” 

Dear friends, where is the Christ-child in our Christmas celebration?  Has he got pushed to the back behind all the presents, the parties, and plans, covered by the tinsel and lost in the bright Christmas lights?  It’s time to wake up!  With the Lord’s forgiveness for our spiritual slumber and empowered by Christ’s love, be like Joseph, ready to say, “Alright, Lord.  You guide the way.  I’m ready to follow.”  Yes, it might mean, like Joseph making some difficult decisions.  Maybe it will mean changing some of the old family traditions and even the time of Christmas dinner so that your family can come to worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Maybe it will mean making some new traditions for your family, using an Advent calendar that counts down the days until Christmas, or re-reading the gospel of Luke’s account of Christ’s birth before the first Christmas present is even opened.  Yes, changing old traditions and making new ones can often be difficult, but when they help us to focus on Christ, the difficulty is certainly worth it because of the priceless blessings that come to you and to the people around you.  What better gift can there be?    

Joseph, is a wonderful example of humble faith, someone who heard his Savior, trusted his Savior, and was moved to action, ready to follow his Savior in faith.  May the Lord give us such a faith during this Christmas season focused on and ready to follow Christ.  Amen.

November 27/28, 2011

John 12:37-43 – Advent 1

Pastor Gerald Schroer

“Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him.  This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: ‘Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’  For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‘He had blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn — and I would heal them.’  Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.  Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him.  But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”

How many of you have ever had… a drink of milk?  Raise your hand!  How many of you drink milk regularly?  Raise your hand!  Maybe some of you are “lactose intolerant,” so answer me this, how many of you have eaten a hamburger?  Raise your hand!  How many of you will eat more hamburgers?  Raise your hand!  Maybe some of you have chosen to be a vegetarian.  How many of you have eaten “macaroni and cheese”?  Raise your hand!  How many of you will eat macaroni and cheese again?  Raise your hand!  Why?  Think about it!  Why do you continue to drink milk, eat hamburgers and macaroni and cheese over and over again, when you’ve already eaten all of them several times?  “That’s easy!  It’s nourishment!  It’s good for me!  I need to eat to stay healthy and strong.

Alright!  Then you really can understand why we need to go over the teachings of God’s Holy Word time and time again.  The Word and Sacraments are the spiritual “food” for nourishing, strengthening and maturing our faith.  You can’t just say, “I know that, already.”  That would be like saying, “I already know what milk and hamburgers and macaroni and cheese taste like, so I don’t need to eat any of that this week.”

The Christian Church Year begins again, (today/yesterday) with Advent.  It will be the same basic “menu” until next June: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Our challenge, as your preachers, is to bring this spiritual nourishment to you well-prepared and maybe even with a few new “recipes.”  It’s not different food, but maybe new ways of “tasting” it.  Your challenge is to be here week in and week out to get the spiritual food that the Holy Spirit will use to mature your faith.  To neglect daily spiritual nourishment will stunt your growth, and if continued for any length of time results in spiritual weakness, immaturity and, ultimately, even could result in the loss of faith.

As you have read in the recent newsletter and bulletins, and heard pastor say, our “recipe” through Advent, up to Christmas, weekends and Wednesdays, is titled LIVING THE NATIVITY!  For the children who may not yet have learned the word “nativity,” let me explain.  “Nativity” is a word that means: “the process of being born,” but especially, “the birth of Jesus.”  That’s right from the dictionary!  We want to learn real life-lessons from the people who were actually involved with the nativity of Jesus, from Isaiah, who foretold it, to the ones who were there to behold it, so that the truths of Jesus’ birth really nourish our faith, mature our faith, and make us stronger to live our faith!  We start with LIFE LESSONS FROM ISAIAH’S AND JESUS’ DAY FOR OUR DAY 1) regarding personal outreach with the Gospel and 2) regarding the temptations that still beset believers to “hide” our faith.

Isaiah lived 700 years before the time of Christ.  Martin Luther wrote this comment about Isaiah’s Spirit-inspired words: “First he preaches a good deal to his people and rebukes their many sins, especially the manifold idolatry which has gotten the upper hand among the people…”  “Second he prepares and disposes them to expect the coming kingdom of Christ, of which he prophesies more clearly and in more ways than any other prophet…, proclaiming His (Christ’s) kingdom as powerfully and plainly as if it had just happened, already at that time.”  Isaiah “saw Jesus’ glory” by faith and “spoke about Him” in prophecy! 

Proclaiming sin and salvation was not easy with Isaiah’s rebellious people. They thought they knew all the answers.  It was actually like today in many ways!  Yet, you heard in today’s Old Testament Lesson how Isaiah responded to God’s call.  “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I.  Send me!’ ” (Isaiah 6:8) Has that question of the Lord touched your heart?  “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us? (Notice the “us,” Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)  Young people, is it possible that the Savior might be calling you?  There is always the need for those willing to tell others about Jesus in public ministry, as pastors and teachers.  Adults of every age, do you hear the Savior calling you to personal witness?  There is always a need for those willing to tell friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors about Jesus in personal outreach.

Isaiah understood that only some will believe, by the grace of God and the working of the Holy Spirit, and be comforted.  “Comfort, comfort, my people says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her…that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double (double mercy, that is; full forgiveness) for all her sins.”  Yet, Isaiah asked and John echoed: “Lord, who has believed our message?”  Many would not believe, resisting the work of the Holy Spirit, and finally were even hardened in their unbelief, like the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt.  God did not want that to happen.  He said, “I would heal them.”  Yet, Isaiah, and then John, as late as Palm Sunday, reports: “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him.”  Then John quotes the words of Isaiah.

In spite of all that potential opposition, Isaiah was not deterred.  “Here am I.  Send me!”  This is a real life-lesson.  Will we be deterred from telling about Jesus, about the only real meaning of Christmas, just because some, even many, reject?  Or, will we find courage in the Lord’s promises and like Isaiah think far more, far more, about those who will be comforted?

2.

The other life-lesson in our text is from Jesus’ day and is no doubt similar to Isaiah.  It regards the temptations that still beset believers to “hide” our faith.  The Holy Spirit inspired John to be very direct about this.  “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. [Think of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea who by the end of that week would finally step up.  Yet, many still did not!] … because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men, more than praise from God.”  Ouch!

That’s a pointed life-lesson for each of us when we are tempted to remain quiet and “hide” our faith.  Are we really afraid that we don’t know enough?  Are we really saying that we don’t know about sin and the only way of salvation through faith in Jesus?  Are we tempted to “love praise from men, more than praise from God”?  That can be really negative peer group pressure in our lives.  On the other hand, many, many Christians are stepping up.  On Friday, a man painting the trim on our son Adam’s house promised to pray for him.  Our member takes the pastor to meet a terminal friend.  Another member speaks up for Bible truth at breakfast with friends.  Where do we find what it takes to do that?

Where did Isaiah find the strength and courage to do his outreach with Law and Gospel?  If you look back to Isaiah, chapter 6, just before the Old Testament lesson, you hear Isaiah: “‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (v. 5)  It was a vision and Isaiah was scared, because he knew that he was a sinful human being like everybody else.  Nevertheless, read about the tongs and the angel and a burning coal with which the angel touched Isaiah’s lips.  Hear the message of the angel: “See this touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” (v. 7) That’s the Good News that reassured and motivated Isaiah.  He “saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him,” foretelling what Jesus would do to save us!  What Jesus has done for us motivates us, when we just think about it!

When tempted to “hide” your faith, think about what Jesus, the Christ of Christmas, was willing to do for you and promises to do for you.  Remember how He said: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:13-15)  The very Son of God is your friend, who paid for every one of your sins with His life and death and resurrection.  He atoned for all mankind’s sin, so His command is simply, “Go and tell others!”

The “praise from men,” at best, is what?  “Oh, you’re great!  You’re cool!  You’re so ‘with it!’”  The “praise from God” is, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21, 23)  He doesn’t say perfect servant.  He doesn’t say that everyone has the same talents.  He says, “Faithful.”  That’s our Lord’s greatest praise.  “Faithful” includes humble, repentant, trusting, and active faithfulness.  “Faithful” is a gracious gift worked in us by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament.  So, we are back to that good, spiritual “food” that we need to digest daily and weekly, year in and year out. 

LIVING THE NATIVITY is a gift from God to all who hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice by His help and blessing.  Today’s life-lesson is that the Lord needs you and me to be willing to tell others and reach out with the Gospel.  And, if we’re tempted to hide our faith, the other lesson is that God’s praise, “well done, good and faithful servant,” is far more important and far more powerful motivation than any praise that people could give.  Isaiah “got” that, and so he said, “Here am I.  Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)  Lord, help each of us say it, too.  Amen.

Thanksgiving Eve – November 23, 2011

Ephesians 5:19,20

Pastor Jon Kruschel

The Apostle Paul writes by inspiration of the Lord, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19,20). 

 “Thank you.” Those are some of the very first words that your parents probably taught you to say.  Someone gave you something and your parents looked at you said, “What do you say?” and you responded, “Thank you.”  Since that initial lesson from your parents of proper etiquette, just think of how many times that you’ve said those words, “Thank you.”  Someone holds open the door, someone gives you a compliment, someone helps you out, someone gives you a gift and you respond, “Thank you.”  Still with as much practice as we’ve had saying those words, why are they sometimes some of the most difficult ones for us to say?

Think about it!  Usually we say those words in response to someone who has just done something FOR us.  Do you like to need help?  Be honest.  Isn’t there a part in each of us that, to put it nicely, strongly dislikes the idea of needing someone else’s help?  Why is that?  It probably comes back to our pride – not wanting to admit that we have limitations and weaknesses, that there are things we cannot do on our own.  Our sinful nature abhors the idea of needing help and especially does not want to hear that we need God’s help.  Instead it wants to cry out like the little child, “I can do it myself.  Leave me alone!”  But the truth is that we are by nature are in dire need of God’s help. 

The Bible says in those familiar words, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).   Each and every one of us has fallen short of what God demands us to be.  God demands of each of us nothing less than perfection – to be the perfectly patient parent, the perfectly caring spouse, the perfectly obedient child, the perfectly hard working employee.  So how do you measure up?  We don’t even come remotely close to what God demands us to be.  We have fallen far, far short of God’s glory.  As much as our sinful nature may try to convince us that maybe we can help ourselves out of this sinful mess, that we don’t really need God’s help, nothing could be further from the truth.  We need help and the Lord announces his saving help in those beautiful words found in Ephesians 2. 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9)  God our Heavenly Father sees that we cannot gain salvation on our own no matter how hard we may try, so he gives his Son Jesus to gain it for us.  The perfect Son of God suffers the punishment of hell for your imperfections – your disobedience, selfishness, anger and impatience. The Son of God daily fought the very real temptations to sin, but was at all times victorious as the Bible says, “We have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are– yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).  With his perfect life and innocent death, he purchased salvation for all people, and gives this payment of salvation to you, no strings attached.  It’s not because you have tried to be a good person or because you promise to try harder to be a better Christian tomorrow or next week.  No.  It is solely because of his grace, because he loves you.  He forgives us our sins, he calls us his child and he promises us a place in heaven.  Everything that we could not obtain on our own, God has given to you through faith in his Son Jesus.  And what is your response?  It is a humble, confident, and continuous, “Thank you!”  It is no wonder that Paul tells the Ephesian Christians, “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19,20).    

There are two words in that sentence that caught my attention because they are rather inclusive and leave no room for exceptions.  Do you see them?  “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.”  Can you really be grateful all the time?  Can you be grateful when loss and distress and disaster invade your life?  When a relationship suddenly comes to an end, when the diagnosis is not what you had hoped it to be, when tragedy strikes, when you lose someone close to you, when you think things could not get any worse, and then they do?  Will you still give thanks to God the Father? 

The hymn we sang before our sermon, “Now Thank We All Our God” was written by a German pastor named Martin Rinkart.  The hymn was written around 1630 during the middle of the Thirty Years War which historians have called one of the most destructive conflicts in European history.  Pastor Rinkart’s church was located in the city of Eilenberg, a city that was overrun by invading armies on three different occasions.  The people were forced to provide supplies for the soldiers and pay tribute to each of the occupying countries even if it left the citizens starving and destitute.  In addition to the horrors of war, the plague killed an additional 8,000 citizens of Eilenberg.         

“Now Thank We All Our God” may seem like a somewhat odd thing to write and encourage others to do considering the circumstances in which they were written, the death and destruction the author saw taking place all around him.  You might even think that a sarcastic, “Thanks a lot, God” would be more fitting, or maybe even, “Later, we’ll thank you God, but right now we’re just trying to stay alive.”  How could the author and his fellow Christians possibly sing, “NOW Thank We All Our God?”  Simple, look at what he wrote.  They thanked God because the wondrous things that God had done for them in Christ Jesus, the warfare their nation encountered could not change.  The tragedies of their lives could not take away from them the everlasting treasures of heaven.  The loss of their earthly possessions and property could not rob them of the peace of sins forgiven, and the confidence of heaven’s home which would be free from the ills and perplexing circumstances of this life.  In fact, the loss of their life would result in eternal life where they would be able to continue their praise forevermore.  Yes, in our Savior Jesus, Christians of every age and circumstance find a reason to thank God now and always.    

After all, not only is the Lord the source of our salvation, he is the source of everything that we have.  As Paul writes, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything” (Ephesians 5:20).  While God owes us nothing, he gives us everything that we need and so very much more.  The difference between necessities and luxuries has become very blurred in our modern American world.  The electricity goes out and we barely know what to do with ourselves.  I remember talking to an African Missionary who said that one of his members in Africa was astounded because the missionary had more than 2 shirts.  How many shirts and pairs of shoes do you have?  The one car or single TV family is a rarity.  Families not only have multiple cars, but multiple homes, with surround sound theatre systems.  I realized not too long ago that my kids had hardly ever been inside a gas station because why walk all the way inside when you can pay at the pump.  Living in such a materially wealthy nation can be a great blessings, but also comes with its temptations.  There is the danger of thinking the amount of our things or money can provide security and safety.  There is the danger of thinking that the number of your material possessions is indication of God’s approval or disapproval of your life.  There is the danger of allowing the material things to crowd out time for the spiritual.  Yet, as we look around there can be no doubt that the Lord has given us a wealth of material blessings – additional reasons for “Always giving thanks to God our Father for everything.” 

How will you thank him?  Paul says, “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).  It starts in the heart with a humble recognition that all I have is a gift from God.  My abilities, my health, my home, my family, my friends, my job, my time – it all comes from the Lord.  We show our gratefulness by being content with what God has given to us.  You think of how often we act like the child who opens the final Christmas present and instead of saying, “Thank you” screams, “That’s it?  That’s all?”  Every gift that God gives to us, is one more than we deserve.  While TV adds try to convince us to never be content with what you have, that there is always something newer, faster, bigger and better that you must have, how about we take time to thank God for what he has already given to us, and not to be afraid to be content with what God has given to us.

That humble, content and grateful heart flows in grateful hands and voices.  These are hands that instead of greedily holding on to what God has given us, is ready to hold it out and ready to share it with others.  These are voices that show their gratefulness to the Lord in the way they speak about our Savior and our fellow Christians, the encouragement we give to others, a readiness to forgive others just as God has forgiven us, to love the sometimes difficult to love, to use what God has given to us in time, energy, and possession, to honor him.  Yes, our entire life, our every word, our every action and reaction, our attitudes – all are ways for us to always give thanks to God the Father for everything. 

May the our Savior-God’s love lead us to give him thanks now and always!  Amen.

November 13/14, 2011

Matthew 25:1-13 – End Times 3 – Saints Triumphant

Pastor Jon Kruschel

One of the modern electronic devices that I’ve grown to greatly appreciate is the Digital Video Recorder or DVR.  Maybe you have one at home.  It’s this box that you hook up to your TV that allows you to record anything on TV and then watch it at a later time.  I especially like the DVR when it comes to football games because it allows me to fast forward through commercials and skip over the timeouts and just watch the action of the game.  However, you do have to be careful because someone might unintentionally ruin the ending by telling you the outcome of the game or movie you had recorded before you’ve had a chance to watch it.  While that might bother some people to know who won before watching the game, it doesn’t really bother me.  I still like to watch the game.  Like my frustrated and bewildered daughters, you might wonder, “Why watch a game when you already know who wins?”  It’s simple, I like to see how the win came about, the plays that were made and missed that brought about the victory.

On this Saints Triumphant Sunday, we already know the outcome.  God has already told us who has won.  In fact, we are here to celebrate that victory – the victory of heaven that belongs to our fellow Christians who have died in faith and now live with Jesus.  By God’s grace, that victory will one day also be ours as we join them in the presence of our Savior and fellow saints.  However, this morning, Jesus’ words in our gospel lesson hit the rewind button.  Jesus’ words direct us to take a close look at what takes place during the time that leads up to that victory of heaven.  What does Jesus show us?  He uses a parable, an illustration to teach us a very important lesson.

Jesus tells the story of a wedding celebration.  As was the custom of Jesus’ day, the groom and his friends would go to get the bride at the bride’s house.  The wedding feast would then begin either at the bride’s house, or if the wedding party was too large, the celebration would be held at another place.  Jesus tells of ten virgins who were supposed to meet up with the wedding party and go with them to the wedding feast.  It was night, so each of the virgins took a torch that was dipped in oil which would provide light.  Five of the virgins brought extra oil just in case it was a long wait.  Five did not.  They waited and waited and waited some more.  Finally they heard the wedding party approaching.  They got up and looked at their torches.  The five virgins who had brought extra oil along were able to keep their torches burning.  The other five virgins ran out of oil and quickly tried to go and get some more, but it was too late.  While they were gone the bridegroom came and the five virgins who were present with burning torches went with the groom to the wedding feast.  The virgins who were not ready, were not allowed in.  The point of the parable is simple.  The point is one of preparation.  Jesus concludes, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).  Like the bridegroom, Jesus will return and we need to be ready so that we can enjoy the wedding feast of heaven. 

So, the important question then is, “How?  How can we be ready?”  Just like our fellow Christians who are already enjoying the marriage feast of heaven, God gives us everything we need to join them.  It all began when God the Holy Spirit created faith in your heart.  The Holy Spirit enlightened us.  That bright and burning flame of faith that the Holy Spirit put in your heart burst through the darkness that once blinded you to the work of Christ, showing us what God’s love had accomplished for you.  Through that light of faith you saw the Son of God Jesus – someone who entered our world for no other reason than to live a perfect life in your place and die on the cross for the payment of your sins.  The light of faith showed us and clothed us in the garments of Christ’s perfection and holiness that cover our sin stained hearts and lives, and the dirt and grime of our selfishness, jealousy and anger.  Through faith, the Holy Spirit gives us the truly perfect “clothing” of Christ which makes us ready to enter that wedding feast of heaven, and to live with our Holy Triune God, in never-ending perfection and joy. 

However, just like the torches of those 10 virgins, our faith also needs fuel to stay bright and burning.  It’s kind of like those antique lamps.  I remember watching my mom when the electricity would go out, lighting up one of the oil lamps that usually sat unlit on the shelf.  If you watched closely, you could actually see the oil getting lower and lower as it was soaked up by the wick and burned.  If the oil ran out, the light would eventually go out. 

God says the same is true with our faith.  What is the fuel of faith that keeps it burning bright?  The Apostle Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  The fuel of faith is, “the word of Christ”, that is the gospel – the good news that proclaims that Jesus has forgiven us our sins and promises us life eternal in heaven.  That fuel of faith comes in baptism as the Holy Spirit creates faith in Christ and strengthens faith in Christ.  That fuel of faith comes in the Lord’s Supper as Jesus miraculously gives us his body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.  That fuel of faith comes every time we open our Bibles in our homes, when we hear God’s Word in a church, in the hospital, or nursing home, when we think about the Bible passages we have memorized and the Christian hymns we have sung.  The Holy Spirit provides the fuel that keeps our faith burning brightly throughout life, preparing us for the time, whenever that may be, when the bridegroom Jesus comes to take us to our heavenly home. 

Still, sometimes we’re tempted to act like the five foolish virgins whose torches ran out of oil.  What do you think those foolish virgins would have said if you asked them before leaving, “Don’t you want to bring some extra oil along?”  Might they have said, “I’ll be alright!  Don’t worry about me.”  That is the lie that Satan tries to get every Christian to fall for.  He wants us to think that we don’t need the continual refueling that the gospel provides for our faith, that “We’ll be alright without it.”  We are tempted to put the refueling of our faith on hold because we’ve got families to raise, careers to pursue, goals to achieve, success to be gained.  We excuse, “I don’t really need to go to church EVERY weekend”, or, “I studied the Bible when I went to Catechism class and I go to church.  I don’t really need to go to Bible study.”  Dear friends, do not fall for the devil’s lie and dangerously allow your faith to run on fumes.  Our faith needs the constant refueling of the gospel in Word and Sacrament so that our faith burns brightly.  This is especially true because as Jesus said, “The bridegroom was a long time in coming.” 

The wait for the wedding feast of heaven can at times seem very long and difficult.  When you watch a fellow Christian suffering from disease or enduring surgery after surgery the wait can seem very long.  At times we might wish we could just hit the fast forward button and skip over the hard parts and just get to the victory.  But it is in the burdens of this life that the Lord has some of the greatest of blessings and best opportunities for his people.  The difficulties of this life often help to pry our hands off the things of this world and to cling to the everlasting, Christ and his Word, to look forward even more to the perfect home of heaven that is awaiting us after this life. I think about the number of Christians who knew they were about to cross the finish line and gain the victory of heaven, and how they were shining witnesses to family members, friends, and medical staff of their trust in Christ, his promises and his times.  I think about Christians who have endured lengthy struggles with a patient and humble trust in the Lord, his plans and the confidence of heaven. 

That last name on the list in your worship folder today of Saints Triumphant, is probably unfamiliar to most of you.  She never was able to attend church here at St. Paul’s.  She died a week ago yesterday at the age of 53.  Around the age of 40 and suffering from multiple sclerosis she was placed in a nursing home by her husband who told her she was too much work to take care of, a sentiment that was reinforced when he divorced her shortly afterwards.  Terri was a roommate of one of our elderly members that we visited regularly.  Terri listened to our devotions, and when the elderly member died, Terri asked if we would keep on visiting.  Over the years her disease progressed.  She went from wheelchair bound to bed bound and had a very difficult time talking.  Still, she regularly confessed her faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and her Savior.  When I visited her and thought about all that she had and was going through, if anyone had a right to complain, I thought, it sure was her.  But in all the years I visited, I never heard her complain.  She regularly told me that she knew the Lord had a purpose for her being there even if it wasn’t clear right now.  She watched the DVD’s of our church services and whenever we would talk about heaven, her eyes would light up and she would nod longingly.  Last Saturday, she received what she had patiently waited for.  The Lord had used this burden as a blessing to her and to many people around her including us. 

This morning, we celebrate the wedding feast, the victory of heaven that Jesus has brought our fellow Christians to enjoy.  This morning, we pray that the Lord graciously continue to prepare us for that heavenly wedding feast, patiently waiting, persistently watching.  Amen.