Sermon for the Last Sunday in the Church Year (Nov. 22, 2009)

“Stay Awake!” (Mark 13:33-37)

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A few years ago a top college basketball player was one of the leading candidates for the U.S. Pan-American team. The tryouts were held at the Olympic training facility in Colorado Springs, and this promising star went to participate. The final cuts were scheduled. He was given the chance to come back for one more tryout. But … he didn't show up. Officials knocked on the door of his room, but there was no response. Worried that something was terribly wrong, they managed to get into his room, only to find him fast asleep.

You'd think that such an important moment would be sufficiently exciting to keep a young athlete awake. You might also wonder how many other important events are missed, simply because someone is too bored or too tired to stay awake. When I was a student I used to have nightmares of sleeping in too late and missing an important test. Now, as a pastor, I have nightmares of sleeping in too late and missing church.

There is an important event coming for us, too. Jesus is coming back. “But concerning that day or that hour,” Jesus said, “no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” When is Jesus coming back? Nobody on earth knows. But it will happen.

Until then, it's easy for us to fall asleep spiritually and to not think about the promised return of Jesus. However, Jesus calls us to “Stay awake” and be ready for His return, and He gives us the strength to do so.

In the parable that Jesus told in today's text, Jesus is the master of the house who leaves and puts the servants in charge. He ascended into heaven 40 days after His resurrection, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. We now wait for His promised return. We don't know when it will be. One thing we do know. It will be when we least expect it. In the parable, Jesus mentions the hours of sleep as the time when the master will return – the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at dawn. That would be an unusual time for the master to return. It would also be the time at which everyone in the household would be sleeping. However, that's no excuse to be unprepared. Rather, it gives us a reason for diligence. Jesus tells us that we must stay awake and be alert for His return. We must not let Him find us sleeping, not watching for Him.

It's easy for us to get lazy spiritually, to fall asleep, to be lulled into complacency. In the upcoming shopping season as we prepare for Christmas, there is a great temptation to conform to the world's view of the supreme importance of material things. Now, I'm not saying that gift giving is wrong at Christmas time. The gifts we give one another can be wonderful reminders of the gift of God's Son that first Christmas morning. The gifts we give can also remind us of the ultimate gift of the life of that Son, who gave Himself into death so that we might have eternal life. Nevertheless, it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of it all. It's easy to forget about the real meaning of the season.

There is also a grave danger in getting lazy about doctrine. We live in an age where everything is relative. There is no absolute truth ... and that goes for doctrine, too, even in the Christian Church, where compromise seems to be the order of the day. Scripture warns us to stay awake to these things, too. In his farewell to the Ephesian pastors in Acts 20, he said, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert.” (Acts 20:29-31)

Jude, too, in his letter, dealt with a similar situation. Early on, he writes about the false teachers who had wormed their way in among the folks to whom Jude's letter was addressed. He writes, “I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of God in sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 3-4) Both Paul's words and Jude's words are timely for us today, too.

The call of Jesus is to “stay awake,” to remain vigilant while He is gone, to look forward to His return with eager hearts. How do we do this? For one thing, watch the signs. Jesus told us that there would be signs to watch for that would indicate His return is getting closer. He names some of them in Matt. 24: "Wars and rumors of war, famines and earthquakes in various places ... many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." Sounds like a summary of history since Jesus ascended into heaven, doesn't it? Yes, it is, and those are the signs that Jesus has given to people of all centuries to see and to recognize and to be reminded to stay watchful. And with each passing day, his return is getting closer.

We also “stay awake” by being diligent in prayer. The reading from Jude today says, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus that leads to eternal life.” (Jude 20-22) Recall what Jesus said to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when He found them sleeping. He told them, "Watch” … and the Greek here, by the way, is the same for “stay awake” … “Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41) Paul also connected the ideas of being alert and praying in Eph. 6:18, where he wrote, “[Pray] at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert [or “stay awake”] with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." While we wait for the Lord's return, we pray that He might keep us and all Christians watchful, avoiding temptation, fervently fighting false teaching, and ready for His coming.

And like the servants in the parable, each of us has our own particular work to do. While the master is gone, we serve Him as good stewards with the gifts, talents, and abilities He has given us. He has provided His Church with everything that she needs to carry on His work in the world.

Perhaps you might be saying to yourself, "What is my work that God wants me to do?" Or, "I don't have any special abilities." If so, then listen to the following.

A celebrated conductor was holding a gigantic rehearsal. The chorus sounded, accompanied by hundreds of instruments. That was when the piccolo player stopped playing. He thought his small instrument wouldn't be missed amidst so much music. Suddenly the great leader stopped and shouted, "Where is the piccolo?" The sound of that one small instrument was necessary, and the conductor's ear missed it.

When you go to work, your employer might not know you exist. When you go home, you might find yourself ignored. When you go shopping, you are just another customer. The government knows you only by your social security number. But God's wonderful ear is tuned to the music of your life. You are important to Him, important enough to give His Son's life for yours. He listens to your prayers and praises. He knows even the very small ways in which you serve Him, even if you don't think they are very special. He has given us each of us our work to do, our parts to play. So don't stop playing your part, no matter how small it may seem to be. There's always at least one Person listening.

You know, we've talked a lot about watching and praying and serving while the master is gone. Yes, He has ascended into heaven. Yes, he will come again in glory. Every eye will see Him on that Day. But He really hasn't left us. His presence is still with us, and He is the one who gives us the strength to stay awake. Listen again to Jude's words at the end of his epistle, “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.” You and I have no strength on our own to stay awake, to be watchful. And we especially have no way of being blameless on our own. Our gracious God will keep you strong, keep you vigilant, and will present you blameless on Judgment Day because your sins have been covered with the holy and innocent blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

If you are trying to stay awake at night, what do you do? Perhaps you go and splash a little water on your face, to invigorate yourself, to feel refreshed.

Maybe you pick up a good book to read – not a boring one that will put you to sleep – but one that is so riveting you just can't put it down, and you can't help but stay awake to read it.

Or maybe you go into the kitchen to have a bite to eat, a nourishing meal to give yourself a little energy to stay awake.

Jesus calls us to stay awake, and He has given us the means by which to draw on His strength to "stay awake" for His return.

So go ahead. Splash a little water on your face. Remind yourself that you are God's Baptized child, and be refreshed, be invigorated. You are forgiven. You are marked with His Name. You have the Holy Spirit who enables you to say, “Jesus is my Lord and Savior, the One in whom I trust, the One for whom I am waiting.”

Read a good book. Read the Word of God, the Bible, in which we keep in touch with Jesus the Living Word. With the Word working in you, you won't fall spiritually asleep. In His Word, we hear the Gospel message. The Gospel is a riveting story that attracts our attention, that draws us in … that the God of the universe loves you so much that He sent His Son to die and rise for you, and that He still today takes a personal interest in you to give you faith and to keep you strong to the end.

And have a nourishing meal. "Chicken Soup for the Soul" doesn't compare to the real food for the soul that we receive in the Lord's Supper, the precious body and blood of our Savior Jesus. Now that is real nourishing food which gives spiritual well-being and alertness.

Only by God's grace in Christ can we “stay awake” and eagerly look forward to the Lord's return. While we wait, He gives us the strength we need to stay awake and to serve Him with whatever tasks he has given us.

Amen.

Sermon for the Wedding of Jimmy Neel and Luetta Smith (November 21, 2009)

“Making Beautiful Music Together” (Col. 3:12-17)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:12-17)

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, especially to you, Jimmy and Luetta, as we join together on this joyful occasion. Amen.

There's an old song called “We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together.” Some guys have probably used that as a pickup line. Jimmy, you don't seem like the kind of guy that would use a pickup line. But it is certainly true that music brought you and Luetta together.

And it's also true that marriage is a lot like a variety of instruments playing together to make beautiful music. Let's take a typical Western Swing band, for example, since that's what you both love so much. You've got six-string guitars, dobros, bass guitars, fiddles, banjos, and drums. Each of them look different. Each of them sounds different. Sometimes certain instruments might play the melody in unison. Others will play along in harmony. They all combine to play the right notes at just the right time to make beautiful music together.

Marriage is a lot like that. Husbands and wives should have similar goals as a couple, and that's like instruments as they play in unison, playing the same notes. But you are two unique individuals, too. You may have different interests, different emotional needs, different ideas about how certain things should be done. That's like the different notes that instruments play. The notes are quite different. But they all fit together quite well to make a harmonious, pleasant sound.

Disharmony occurs when the instruments don't work together. The drums begin to play loudly when they should be in the background, keeping a nice, solid beat. The guitars begin to pick and strum so loudly that you can't hear the vocalist's lyrics. All the musicians begin to play whatever they feel like. They disregard the other musicians. They fail to follow the written guide that is on the stands in front of them, the musical score that they are supposed to follow. The beautiful music they were supposed to be making turns ugly and chaotic.

Likewise, a marriage can turn ugly and chaotic when each partner tries to outshine the other. Tension grows when one partner does whatever they feel like wihtout regard for the other. And like a musical score which a band ought to follow, we have a “written guide” called the Bible in which God gives us some instruction about how husbands and wives are to relate to one another. In the Bible, the relationship that Jesus has to his Church is described as a marriage. He is the Bridegroom. The Church, which is all baptized believers in Jesus as Savior, is the Bride. He tells wives to “submit to their husbands as the Church submits to Christ.” He tells husbands to “love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.” In others words, husbands are to love their wives sacrificially, unconditionally, just as Jesus loved us when he died for our sins at the cross. As husbands love and serve their wives in such a Christ-like way, then wives will love their hubands and acknowledge them as the spiritual head of their marriage and family. The trouble is, because we are sinners, we have a hard time doing this. Our sinful, selfish natures become evident in our marriages, and we no longer make beautiful music together.

And so daily, we need to repent of our failures in our marriages. And then we get to hear some beautiful music that God made for us. That beautiful music is called the “Gospel,” the Good News that Jesus also died for the sins of the world, including the ones that we have committed in our marriages. Forgiven, we can once again look to the relationship that Jesus has with his Church as a model for our marriages. We can begin again to make beautiful music together as a Christian couple. What are some of the notes we are to play? St. Paul mentions some of them in today's reading from Colossians 3: “compassionate hearts” … “kindness” … “humility” … “meekness” … “patience” … “bearing with one another” … “forgiving each other” just as the Lord has forgiven us. And then, Paul adds the most important note, “love,” which, as he says, “binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Now, Paul isn't only talking here about marriages, although his words certainly apply to marriages. He's talking about our relationships with all fellow believers in Jesus. Having said that, it's important to remember that Christian couples need to continue to hear God's beautiful music together with their fellow believers. Paul goes on in our text, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” In Holy Baptism, you were made to be a part of the Body of Christ. So don't sever yourself from that body. Come to church. The beautiful music of the Gospel we sing to each other here in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Here in the Divine Service you will receive strength for your faith and for your life together as husband and wife. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Come often to eat and drink the body and blood of your Savior in the Lord's Supper. As you do so, our gracious Savior, Jesus the Bridegroom of the Church, will be with you so that you can love each other and forgive each other and support one another in your marriage. Now that's some beautiful music.

Amen.

The Biblical Basis for the Nicene Creed

Click here to see a cool post at Chris Rosebrough's Extreme Theology. It's The Nicene Creed According to the Scriptures. It lists the phrases in the creed, followed by Biblical references supporting that particular phrase. Place your cursor over the reference, and a box appears in which you can instantly read the Scripture verse.

Germs and the "Common" Cup

Pastor David Petersen at Cyberstones posted an article from the Jan. 1, 2005 issue of the LA Times. The article addresses concerns about germs in the chalice in Holy Communion. Although this article is close to 5 years old, it is still timely, what with all the concerns over H1N1 as of late. Click here to read it. It seems that we are wiser to avoid the passing of the peace rather than avoiding the chalice.

Wii Praise You, O God

Hat tip to Pastor Juan Palm at Palm Sundays for posting this video. He titled his post "The Lord be Wii You." He's of the opinion that this thing might not be a spoof. God help us if it isn't. But after having seen so many goofy things marketed at Christian book stores, I wouldn't be surprised.

Nord Est Haiti Lutheran Mission

Lately, I've been posting Pastor Sam Wiseman's email updates about the mission work in Ouanaminthe, Haiti ... specifically the orphanage begun by the Rev. Daniel Paul. I won't be posting these updates regularly any longer unless there is one which I feel the need to highlight. However, you may wish to bookmark the website of the Nord Est Haiti Lutheran Mission (NEHLM), www.nehlm.com. There are regular updates available there. Here's a description of NEHLM from their website...

Pastor Sam Wiseman of Faith Lutheran in La Grande, OR met Pastor Daniel Paul from Haiti in seminary at Ft. Wayne, IN. Pastor Daniel Paul, being an orphan himself, shared his vision of building an orphanage in his home country to shelter, feed, and educate orphans of Ouanaminthe, Haiti. Feeling a call to aid in this effort, Pastor Wiseman introduced this mission to Lamb of God Lutheran Church (Everett, WA) and Faith Lutheran Church (La Grande, OR). Together, these churches formed a stateside organization, Nord Est Haiti Lutheran Mission, to support Pastor Daniel Paul’s ministry in building an orphanage and school.

From 2003 to 2009, seven mission teams have traveled to Ouanaminthe in northeast Haiti to expand Pastor Daniel Paul’s hope of serving the children of Haiti. La Maison de Agne aux de Dieu Orphanage (MADO) is a quarter complete and houses over 25 orphans. A multi-purpose building serves as a church where over 200 children attend VBS on Sundays. During the week, 80 children from the orphanage and community attend school.

Lamb of God in Everett is a sister LCMS church in our circuit. That's how our congregation heard about the work in Ouanaminthe and decided to highlight the mission there. Perhaps there are some folks from our congregation who will one day consider going along on one of the trips sponsored by Lamb of God and Faith, La Grande.

I will also include the link to NEHLM on our church website links page which you can navigate to by clicking here.

2012: A Review

I haven't seen the movie. Don't plan to. Don't get out to the theater much anymore. But click here to read my friend Jim Pierce's review.

Youth Group Food Pantry Contest

The contest is on! The junior youth have accepted the challenge from the senior youth!

The Goal: To see who can collect the most food for the church pantry (the one for those who ask for assistance, homeless, etc.)

The Items: Foods that can be eaten without much preparation (for example, pudding cups, snack packs, crackers, peanut butter, tuna with pop top cans or tear open foil packages, things like that...think like someone who has no place to cook or prepare their food).

The Deadline: Sunday, November 29

The Collection Center: Boxes in the Council Room at church...but make sure you put your food in the right one. Don't let the wrong youth group get all the credit!

Above all, remember that this is a great way to give thanks to God for the blessings that you have been given and to serve your neighbor in love for Jesus' sake.

Sermon for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost (November 15, 2009)

“Stones Torn Down…Stones Built Up” (Mark 13:1-13)

I'll never forget my visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Forbidden City was the residence of the Chinese emperor from 1420 until 1924. The complex covers 7.8 million square feet and consists of 980 surviving buildings and 8,707 bays of rooms.

Our group first walked through the expansive and infamous Tiananmen Square. On the north side of the square was the Gate of Heavenly Peace, with its towering red walls, its red tile roof, and the huge portrait of Mao Tse Tung looking down upon the crowds. Upon entering the complex, you are greeted by another huge courtyard and another towering wall and gate just ahead. This goes on until you finally reach the center where the emperor's throne room stands, the “Palace of Heavenly Purity.” To a certain degree, the emperor was endowed with divine characteristics. He was called the “Son of Heaven,” the representative of heaven on earth. Although the Chinese empire may not have ruled over the entire world, yet he was said to be the “sole and supreme overlord of the entire civilized world.” His words were sacred declarations. To be near the Forbidden City was to be near the divine, as far as the Chinese were concerned.

That's the way it was in fact for the residents of Jerusalem as they approached the temple. The Jerusalem temple complex was quite a sight to see. Moreover, it was the place where Yahweh had promised that his very presence would dwell in the Holy of Holies. Set upon Mount Zion, pilgrims would ascend and marvel at the huge stones that Herod had used when he remodeled the temple, some weighing up to 600 tons apiece. Herod also faced the temple complex with white marble, causing it to gleam in the sunlight.

The disciples looked at the stones in the temple and said, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” It was hard for them to imagine that this gigantic edifice could ever be destroyed. But it would. Those stones would be torn down. Jesus said, “There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” The disciples then asked Jesus two questions: “When will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” Jesus answers their question, and he uses the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as a picture and a foreshadowing of the end of all things and the final judgment.

Until that time, there are other stones that will be torn down as signs that the end of all things is certainly coming and that Jesus’ words are true. But we can also rejoice that even though stones will be torn down, you and I as living stones in God’s holy church will be built up and by God’s grace will stand firm until the end.
These other stones that will be torn down until the Last Day are the things in this life that seem so permanent. Just like those massive stones in the temple that seemed so permanent, so immovable, there are things in this life that seem permanent and immovable, but will be torn down.

The “stones” of human lives will be torn down by wars, as Jesus says that we will “hear of wars and rumors of war.” Some people try to deny the reality of death. Everyone is looking for some remedy to stay youthful. But life is not permanent. And wars most definitely tear life down. This past week we honored all the military veterans in our country. But Veterans Day often becomes another Memorial Day for us, too. As we thank those veterans who are still alive, it's hard not to think of all the veterans who, at such young ages, lost their lives in battle and conflict.

The “stones” of kings and kingdoms will be torn down. Jesus said, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Wars do not only cause the death of people. It causes the death of nations. Consider how many times our maps have been changed over the centuries because of empires rising and falling, kingdoms conquering other kingdoms. As an example, think about how the former Yugoslavia was ravaged by war in the 1990’s. Ethnic, religious, and nationalistic fervor caused that nation to break apart into smaller nations such as Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Macedonia, among others. This is just a small example of what has happened throughout history. Our maps and our atlases have short lives.

The “stones” of our possessions, not to mention our lives, will be torn down by natural disasters. Jesus said, “There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.” Living on the west coast, we are familiar with the results of earthquakes. The presumed permanence of our possessions doesn't seem so permanent when the earth beneath your feet starts to move and the walls around you begin to shake. Although you and I may lose a few prized possessions that fall from our shelves, people in lands with less strict building codes are not so fortunate. They lose everything when the ground grumbles and houses crumble. Our nation has known famine, too, like in the Dust Bowl era of the 1930's … although that was nothing like the famines that occur in places like Africa.

All of these “stones” seem so permanent … our lives, our nation, our possessions … but all of these may be torn down at any moment. When we see it happening to others, and if, in God’s permissive will it happens to us, we know that these are just signs that the end that Jesus promised will come. But it’s not the end yet. Jesus says it's like the signs that a woman has as she begins to go into labor. There's some pain now, that's for sure. But there's more to come.

What else will be torn down as signs of the end that is to come? People will try to tear down God’s Word. Jesus warned the disciples, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.” That was true in the days immediately following Jesus’ ascension. It’s true for us today, too. There are false teachings, false prophets, and false messiahs all around. Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, and other cult leaders have claimed to be prophets. Sun-Myung Moon, Jim Jones, and David Koresh claimed to be Messiahs. Every so often, other people pop up, claiming to be the messiah or modern-day prophets and apostles. Jesus’ words are for you and I today, too: “See that no one leads you astray.” The only way we can do this is by being rooted in the Word, knowing God’s Word and the truth so well so that we will easily recognize the counterfeits when they come our way.

Jesus also warned the disciples about the persecution they will face. “They will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues.” Those who are opposed to Christ and His Word will attempt to tear down those who are the “living stones” in Christ’s building, the Church. In addition, because of opposition to Christ and His Word, relationships will be torn down. “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.” This really happened among the early Christians. Family members handed over their own relatives to the authorities simply because they of their confession of faith. That's not the case today in our nation, of course. It is in other parts of the world. But our family relationships are often strained and torn apart because of one’s confession of faith.

In all of this, Jesus says, “The one who endures to the end will be saved.” Those who stand firm are those who are not torn down, torn out, torn off of Christ’s temple, the Church. That’s a tall order. How can we stand firm when there are so many forces outside of us … and inside of us, our own sinful nature … that are trying to tear us down?

Even though stones will be torn down, you and I as living stones in God’s holy church will be built up and by God’s grace will stand firm until the end. Jesus is our living stone, as 1 Peter 2:4 calls him, “the living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” Our Lord Jesus was rejected by man as he was sentenced to die and was crucified. But our Lord Jesus was chosen by God the Father. He is God’s One and Only Son, chosen before time and eternity and sent to be the Savior of the world.

In Holy Baptism and by faith, you have been made to be a living stone in Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 says, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.” United to Christ Jesus, and as part of His building, the Church, you will be rejected by the world, just as Christ was rejected. But more importantly, you have been chosen by God in Christ, adopted into His precious family. And so you can stand firm, because you have been placed into this building by the Master Craftsman, God Himself. You can stand firm, because it is God who does the building, the saving, the guarding, the protecting.

You also have been given the Holy Spirit to bear witness to Christ. Jesus told the disciples, “you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” Moreover, they were not to worry about what to say, because, as our Lord said, “it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” They were given that special gift of inspiration to boldly preach the Gospel.

You and I don’t have exactly the same promise that was given to the apostles, that we would be divinely inspired. However, we do have the same Holy Spirit dwelling within us. And we have the Spirit-inspired word of the Apostles in the Holy Scriptures. It is God’s Word. And so, we learn, study, and speak God’s Holy Word, and the Holy Spirit will speak when we speak God’s Word. And in this way, Christ’s words are true for us, today: “it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

By God’s grace, you can stand firm as a living stone in God’s temple.

Jesus stood firm to the end for you. He stood firm as he faced the devil’s temptations. He stood firm as he walked towards his appointment with the cross. He stood firm with nails in his hands and feet, willingly suffering and dying for your sins. And thanks be to God that the stone in front of His tomb did not stand firm.

United to Christ, your Savior, you can stand firm to the end. You can endure. Stand firm in your forgiveness. Stand firm in your righteous status before God. Stand firm in the new, restored relationship you have with God. Stand firm in his unfailing love.

And do as the writer of Hebrews told us: Hold on to the hope you profess. Spur one another on to love and good deeds. And don’t give up meeting together, but “[encourage] one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:25)

“What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” the disciples exclaimed as they looked at the temple. But that temple crumbled and fell. Not one stone was left upon another.

You are God’s Church, living stones, placed into God’s building in Holy Baptism, built to be an enduring structure. And because you belong to God, you are forgiven, perfect in his eyes, and through Christ your Savior, God looks at you with love and says, “What a wondeful stone you are! What a wonderful building you are!”

Amen.

Smorgasbord Worship: Bad Idea

My friend Pastor Greg Alms highlights an article which contends that different worship styles under the same roof often divides congregations. I've contended this...and observed it...for a number of years now. Click here to read the post.

Sermon for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost (November 8, 2009)

“The End” (1 Kings 17:8-16; Heb. 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Burt Reynolds starred in a movie back in 1978 called “The End.” Reynolds plays a man who finds out that he doesn't have long to live. After a failed attempt at committing suicide, he ends up in a psychiatric hospital, where he enlists the help of a fellow patient (played by Dom Deluise) to end his life. As the movie progresses, each attempt gets bungled one way or another.

When I lived near Los Angeles as a young person, my family used to quote one part of the dialogue from the movie. Reynolds is trying to explain to his teenage daughter Julie (played by Kristy McNichol) that he's going to “go away for a while.” He hasn't told her yet that he's dying. Thinking her father is going on a business trip, Julie declares, “I wish I could go.” Reynolds gets a pained look on his face and turns away from his daughter. She asks, “Dad, where are you going?”

“Bakersfield,” he replies.

“Well, you sound funny,” Julie says, “Like you're going someplace awful.”

Reynolds looks at her and says, “You ever been to Bakersfield?”

At the time, I had a number of relatives who lived in Bakersfield, so those lines got a lot of mileage in our family.

There's going to come a day when it is “the end” for each one of us. The end of our earthly life will come when we die. The end of all things, the end of history, the end of this sinful existence, will come when Jesus returns. In November, we draw near to the end of the Church Year. This is the time when we focus on the end of time and the final triumphant return of Jesus. So why, then, do our readings today tell us about two widows … one whose supply of flour and oil was running low, and the other who put all she had to live on in the offering plate? Why were the accounts of these two widows chosen to be read at this time of year in our lectionary?

Maybe they were chosen because when our supplies run low, we think that OUR “end” might be just around the corner. Perhaps we're out of a job. Maybe our health has taken a turn for the worse. Our reserves are quickly becoming depleted. The cupboards are looking sparse. Our emotions are frayed. Nevertheless, in the face of our lack, God has promised to supply our every need.

A drought had struck the land of Israel. The prophet Elijah was instructed to go visit a widow in the Sidonian town of Zarephath. The Lord told Elijah that the woman would feed him. This came as quite a surprise to the woman, since the drought had affected her to the point that there was only a handful of flour and a little bit of oil left in her house. She was gathering sticks to make a fire and bake one more cake for herself and her son … and then die. Yet Elijah gave her a promise from the Lord: “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.” And that's exactly what happened.

Then there was the widow whom Jesus noticed in the temple court. She dropped her last two coins in the temple treasury box. Jesus tells us that it was “all she had to live on.” Most people give an offering only when they have more than enough to give, and usually when all their other obligations have been met. But Jesus commends this woman for giving out of her poverty. It was more important to her to give to the Lord than even to eat. Although she could have expected her end to arrive soon, yet she trusted that somehow God would take care of her.

You and I can trust the Lord to take care of our needs, too. The psalmist declared, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:15-16) We pray in the Lord's Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The Small Catechism tells us that “daily bread” is “everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body.” And St. Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 6:8 that “If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

Someday our “end” will come. We heard earlier in today's Epistle reading, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Heb. 9:27) We trust God to take care of us in this life until that “end.”

But that’s really not “the end.” The author of Hebrews says that Christ is “the end.” “...he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice once for all.” (Heb 9:26) All of history finds its fulfillment in Christ, through whose sacrifice our sins have been put away.

Have we doubted God’s provision? Jesus died for our sin of doubt.

Have we been like the teachers of the law in today's Gospel reading? Loving to be the center of attention at the expense of others? Thinking we are better than the rest of the common rabble? Being so greedy that it not only affects our offerings, but that it also affects the way we share with others, such as poor, needy widows like the one in Zarephath or the one in Jerusalem? Showing off how “spiritual” we are? Jesus also died for our sins of greed and pride and arrogance.

All our sins are forgiven through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. “Once for all.” For all people. For all sins. And God’s forgiving love motivates us to live a God-pleasing life until Jesus comes again a second time, as he promised. Then comes “the end” … the end of this current age and the beginning of eternity … of which we have a share in right now. Remember, in Christ, you HAVE eternal life as a present possession. In John 17, Jesus prayed to his Father, “This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) And in chapter 3 of his Gospel, St. John declares, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36) Not “will have.” “Has.”

And so, when Jesus returns at the end of time, we do not need to fear that “end.” “Christ … will appear a second time, not to deal with sin,” Hebrews 9 says. That already happened at the cross. Christ “will appear a second time … to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

All this sort of reminds me how you always used to see the words “The End” when a movie was over. The story has been brought to a conclusion. But it wasn't really “the end.” The gunslinger may be riding off into the sunset as the words “The End” are splashed across the screen … the sweeping musical number crescendos … the credits begin to roll. But tomorrow the sun will rise again, another day starts, and another story in the life of that rugged hero will continue in another town, another prairie, with other outlaws to hunt down. “The End” is not really the end.

Likewise, our “end” is not really “the end.” When we die, we will be with the Lord, as Jesus promised the thief who was crucified with him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) And then, another day will dawn for us as we wake up from the sleep of death. Our bodies will rise again and our story will continue in the new heaven and the new earth, where we will be in God’s unveiled presence and serve Him in eternal joy and bliss forever.

What exactly will that be like? What adventures await us as we beyond the horizon of this life? I'll use the words of the 12th Century hymn writer, Bernard of Cluny, in the hymn “Jerusalem the Golden”: “We know not, oh, we know not / What joys await us there: / The radiancy of glory, / The bliss beyond compare.” (LSB 672, st. 1))

You can trust that God will take care of you until “the end.” He will provide for all your needs, both physical and spiritual. “All depends on our possessing / God's abundant grace and blessing / Though all earthly wealth depart. / They who trust with faith unshaken / By their God are not forsaken / And will keep a dauntless heart … If my days on earth he lengthen, / God my weary soul will strengthen; / All my trust in Him I place. / Earthly wealth is not abiding, / Like a stream away is gliding; / Safe I anchor in His grace.” (LSB 732, sts. 1, 6)

The same God who gave the widow of Zarephath an unlimited supply of flour and oil can certainly give you an unlimited supply of grace, mercy, and forgiveness until Jesus returns.

Now this is “the end” of my sermon.

Amen.

Sermon for All Saints' Day (November 1, 2009)

“The State of Blessedness” (Matthew 5:1-12)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Famous words from Thomas Jefferson as written in the Declaration of Independence. That last phrase is the title of a 2006 movie starring Will Smith as the main character, Chris Gardner.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is based on the true story of how Chris Gardner went from living as a homeless salesman to being a Wall Street stockbroker. Gardner invests his family savings in a company making medical equipment, but things don't work out as planned. He's financially ruined. The stress on his marriage is too much. His wife leaves him and moves to New York to work in a pizza parlor. Knowing she won't be able to take care of their son, Gardner insists the boy stay with him.

Still out of a job, with the rent due, Gardner decides to shoot for a stockbroker's job with a major brokerage firm. Trouble is, during the six-month training period, there's no pay … and no guarantee that he will get hired once the training period is over. Instead of giving up, Gardner forges ahead with the program. But this means that he and his son will be forced to live in motels, then on the streets, scrounging for food, sleeping in homeless shelters and train station restrooms.

At one point in the film, when Gardner was still homeless, he says, “It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it.” It was the pursuit that made all the difference for Gardner. Happiness, after all, is elusive. And most of the things that make people happy are transitory. Here today, gone tomorrow. One moment you feel like you have it in your grasp. The next, it's slipping through your fingers like fine, dry sand from the desert.

Jesus had something to say about “happiness.” The word he uses is “blessed.” That word in some translations is rendered as “happy,” but that doesn't seem to tell the whole story. Puppies can make you happy. Pizza can make you happy. But I wouldn't say those things make you “blessed.” There's something much deeper behind this idea of “happiness” that Jesus is trying to get across.

And this “blessedness” is not something that you can pursue. If it were, I'm not sure there would be a lot of takers. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” Hey! Sounds like fun! Sign me up!

Oh, there's more. Poverty of spirit. Mourning. Not happy stuff.

Meek and merciful? That might make you happy. But then again, it might cause you to get walked all over and taken advantage of. Wouldn't you rather be strong and assertive in order to get your own way?

What about being hungry and thirsty for righteousness? But that means there are some fun things that I'd be missing out on, right?

Pure in heart? How can I pursue that? I've already looked inside my heart and know that it's a far cry from being “pure.”

And a peacemaker? Well, there are some people in my life that I know I will never like and never get along with. So that's just the way it's going to have to be.

It's a good thing that this “happiness” or “blessedness” or whatever you want to call it is something that we don't, and in fact, can't pursue. Instead, it's something that you “are” simply because of who you are in Christ.

Jesus is the “blessed” one. Jesus became “poor in spirit” and “meek” for you. In his Incarnation, he set aside his rights as God and humbled himself to become a man. St. Paul writes in 2 Cor. 8, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

Jesus knew what is was to “mourn.” The prophet Isaiah called him “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Is. 53:3) In the Gospels, we see Jesus weeping over the death of his friend Lazarus. On Palm Sunday, we also see him weeping over the city of Jerusalem, grieving over the coming judgment because of that city's rejection of him as the Messiah.

Jesus did not need to “hunger and thirst for righteousness” because he already was righteous as the sinless Son of God. Without the stain of original sin, Jesus is the only person who ever lived who was truly “pure in heart.” The “pure in heart … shall see God.” And Jesus tells us in John 6 that no one has seen the Father “except he who is from God” … meaning himself … “he has seen the Father.” (John 6:46)

Jesus was “merciful.” He was constantly acting in mercy towards those who cried out to him for help … the blind beggars, the Canaanite woman with the demon-possessed daughter, the Gadarene demoniac, blind Bartimaeus, the 10 lepers, and so many others.

Through his death on the cross for the sins of the world, Jesus has brought peace between God and man. He is the great “peacemaker.” “For in him,” Paul writes in Colossians 1, “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Col. 1:19-20)

And what did he get for all this? Persecution. Revulsion. Just like the prophets who went before him and foretold his coming. All kinds of evil uttered falsely against him. Crucifixion.

But Christ's reward was great in heaven. Rising from the dead and ascending to be seated at the Father's right hand, he now shares with us his reward of eternal life. Jesus is the “blessed” One, and we share in his blessedness by baptism and by faith. All who are baptized in his name and who trust in his saving death will also rise to life again and rule and reign with him in eternity. (Rev. 4:4) They will be a part of that great multitude that no one can number who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:14)

This is not something we pursue. This is something that is given to us. The pursuit of happiness gives way to the state of blessedness. We recognize our spiritual poverty, but we have a place in God's kingdom. We mourn over our sin, but we are comforted with the promise of forgiveness in Christ. We can be meek and humble, but know that Christ will exalt us to be with him in the new heaven and new earth when he comes again on the Last Day. We can hunger and thirst for righteousness, and be satisfied because the righteousness of Christ has been credited to us. We can be merciful, because God has already shown mercy to us in Christ. We can be pure in heart, devoted only to the Triune God who gives us faith not “by [our] own reason or strength” but by the power of the Holy Spirit. And we can be peacemakers, seeking to reconcile with whomever we are at odds, forgiving as Christ has forgiven us.

But if we share in Christ's blessedness, that means we will also share in his suffering. You can expect persecution and lies told about you because you are a follower of Jesus. That's what our fathers and mothers in the faith endured. Why should we be surprised, then, when the Christian life is not always a bed of roses? As St. Peter reminds us, “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you … if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” (1 Pet. 4:13-16)

On this All Saints' Day, we give thanks to God for all those believers in Christ who have gone before us and have given us an example of faith to follow. In this life, they were sinners just like you and me. But they were forgiven in Christ. Through Christ they enjoyed the state of blessedness that he earned for them at the Cross and which he applied to them in their Baptism. Many of them were persecuted for their confession of faith. Many were martyred because they confessed the name of Christ. Today we join them as we worship on this side of heaven. Here we get a foretaste of the feast to come in the Holy Supper of Christ's Body and Blood. One day we will join them on the other side of this earthly veil, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in our hands. And there we will no longer hunger or thirst for righteousness, because sin and death will be done away with and we will see God the Righteous Lamb with our own eyes. He will shepherd us for eternity. He will guide us to eternal springs of living water and quench the thirst of our souls. And there will be no more poverty of spirit or mourning over our sins. Once and for all, God will wipe away those tears that were shed over any sin or sorrow or suffering or slander that came our way in this life.

Chris Gardner came to realize that “the pursuit of happiness” is just that. A pursuit. Happiness is something we may never have in all its fullness. For those who are saints – and that describes all believers in Christ, not just those who have gone before us – you can already enjoy “the state of blessedness.” It's not something you pursue. It's a gift. So rejoice that, in Christ, you already enjoy “the state of blessedness” and can look forward to the day when we “come to the unspeakable joys [God] has prepared for those who love [Him].” (from the Collect for All Saints)

Amen.