Month: July 2007

Let us pray: Dear Lord Christ, we know that as the King of all creation, You can do anything. We also know that as our loving Savior, You have done the seemingly impossible in taking on our flesh and both living and dying to save our souls. So today we ask You to exercise Your power in our lives in all those “little areas” that loom so large on our consciousness. Listen to our prayers for help each day and act on them with our very best interest at heart. And cause us to trust that You are and will do this every single moment of our lives. Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, OUR LORD WHO FULFILLS ALL HIS PROMISES TO US!

TEXT: Genesis 18: 1-14

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:

Have you ever laughed at God? Have you ever listened to the prayers in church and inwardly laughed at some of the specific things asked for? Have you ever thought: God is too big to care, too busy to act, too far-removed from the details of our lives to get involved? Well, if you have you’re in good company! For in the book of Genesis we see both Abraham and Sarah, his wife, laughing at God.—Abraham in chapter 17 and Sarah here in chapter 18. And the reason they laugh at God inwardly is that in both cases He has promised to fulfill His long-standing pledge to give them a legitimate heir, a child, a natural born son. Both of these Christians laugh because it seems just too hard, too difficult, to be true. After all, Abraham is approaching 100 and Sarah is almost 90 years old! And yet, yet, God does the seemingly impossible, doesn’t He?  And this begs the question in our own lives:

IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?

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What’s included on your prayer list? What items do you specifically ask the Lord for? Job improvement? More money? Kids who behave? Extended families who get along and don’t always fight each other? Do you ask Him to alleviate your cancer, heart condition, or get you through a dehabilitating disease? And just because you haven’t recognized immediate improvement in any of those areas, have you concluded: 1. God doesn’t care. 2. He’s too busy. Or, 3. It’s just too much to ask for? Put more succinctly, Is our God far-removed from daily life, or is He up close and personal? Do you turn to Him only when things get out-of-hand in your life, or do you share everything with Him because you view Him as your Best Friend? Do you laugh at those who really believe God changes the course of human history to protect and preserve one single Christian—as one person I knew many years ago laughed at that notion? Or, do you really believe that He cares that much for you? Well, let’s examine our lesson and see how it answers all these questions.

Abraham was almost 100 years old. Sarah, his wife, as about 90. For over 26 years they have been waiting for God to fulfill His promise to send them a natural son, an heir, through which God would also, someday, provide the Messiah and thus save their souls. In human terms they were old, worn out, and just waiting out life. They knew of God’s goodness and compassion. They had experienced it first-hand. Think of how God had called them out of the Babylon area, had them pull up stakes and go to the Holy Land. Think of how God had given them tremendous wealth. Think of how God had even appeared to them at various times over the years and talked to them. You’d think they would never laugh at anything God said. And yet, age had dimmed their trust a bit. Unfortunately, life had taken the edge off their faith and they succumbed to the human fiction that some things are just too hard for the Lord to do.

And then, one day, the Lord appears to Abraham. The Angel of the Lord, pre-incarnate Christ comes to him with two angel escorts. Does Abraham immediately recognize the Lord? Well, the English text seems to say so (he calls him: Lord), but the original Hebrew text is a bit more ambiguous. For “lord” is often used much like “sir” in Hebrew. So, perhaps Abraham was just being polite in his greeting. However, it soon becomes apparent just Who this Visitor is due to His message and knowledge of their situation. Likewise, in chapter 19 of Genesis we see these same two angels going on to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family for that den of moral poison. So, right here, the Lord acts, He intrudes into human history to help His faithful!

After Abraham personally oversees a meal preparation, this retinue asks specifically about Sarah. “Where is your wife Sarah?” Then the Lord (Christ) said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” You can imagine Abraham snapping to attention upon hearing this! Thoughts of: how? and what? Must have crossed his mind. Meanwhile Sarah is outside the tent listening. She also had some inner thoughts which the commentator Leupold aptly translates this way: “So Sarah laughed to herself and said (this is going to happen now?) ‘After I have become worn out, have I enjoyed sexual delight and my lord too is an old man?” Post-menopausal Sarah recognizes that humanly speaking sex and procreation and a son is not in the cards. She’s incredulous. But, the Lord shows His omniscience and then adds: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

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Well, the rest is history. God kept His Word. He delivered on His promise because nothing is too hard for the Lord! And because of all this Abraham and Sarah were saved. A nation of believers was spawned and grew into what we know of as the Holy Christian Church. For from Isaac (remember his name means “Laughter”) ultimately came the Messiah. Yes, the Angel of the Lord eventually was born from this line of Abraham to Isaac to Jacob and on down to both Joseph and Mary.  Think about that. Right here the pre-incarnate Christ has His own suffering and death and resurrection in mind to save us when He speaks to Abraham and promises this son! As St. Paul says today in our Epistle from Colossians: “…the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.”

You and I are those saints. And this mystery of: how can this happen? Has been disclosed to us through a manger and a cross and an empty tomb. Think of the depth of God’s love shown therein and then ask yourself: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” The only answer there is, is: Obviously NOT!

So, as you talk to God and ponder the ageless truths of His Word, don’t be afraid to be bold in your prayers. Don’t grow weary and set your own timetable for Him to follow. Don’t succumb to laughter, the human, mocking kind, when it comes to God. Instead, laugh for joy that God can do anything and has!—Both to save your soul and make your life blest! Amen

Let us pray: Dear Savior, as we examine our own lives against the magnifying glass of Your Word we see our inner hypocrisy revealed. Although we say we love You with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, in reality our love has more downs than we care to remember. And although we say we love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves, in reality we all practice “selective love” when it is convenient. Today we ask that You break us out of our shell! Empower us to be honest and compassionate people to all. For that truly is the best way to let our light shine. Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, THE ULTIMATE “GOOD NEIGHBOR”

TEXT: Luke 10: 25-37

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:

What is your thought process as you go about being a good neighbor? Let me give you an example in mine. About every 6 or 7 years I have to tackle a not-so-fun job. Our bell just outside the front door of the church is a huge temptation to the neighborhood children. Once they discover it, they sneak up to the entrance, ring it, and run. It doesn’t hurt anything or anyone. But I’m concerned things might get a bit out of hand. So every 6 or 7 years, when a new crop of kids grows into that age of bell-ringing madness, I have to deal with them. Usually, once I discover who they are, I approach them and say: “Kids, if you really want to learn how to ring our bell, come to church some Sunday morning and I’ll show you how to do it right.” That takes the fun out of their prank and to this day none of them has ever taken me up on my offer! I have adopted this approach because being a good neighbor is going directly to the source—plus, it works.

This past week I had to go a bit further. Some neighborhood kids crept up to the bell around 9:30 one night, but my evening walk with the dogs interrupted their revelry. As they thundered away I slowly followed until they faded into the woods by their house. That gave me a pretty good insight into exactly who they were. I decided to follow my usual plan in the upcoming days and make my offer. The next morning in sunlight, I realized that they had torn down part of a rock wall and left those rocks around the bell. They were going to hurl them at it all at once. Well, that concerned me what with the glass panels of the front door being so close not to mention the safety of a $40,000 bell. So, I called the police and an officer came. I laid it all out and he said he’d take care of it. Was that being “neighborly?” In this case, I believe the answer is: Yes. I say that out of concern that their foray into silly vandelism could well progress into something more serious and I don’t want them to suffer a juvenile record, or worse.

Adults live in fear of children today in America.  We worry that if we say or do something about an out-of-control child we’ll be tongue lashed by overly protective parents, or sued, or worse. This is a natural outgrowth of a nation which is sue-happy and in which no one ever wants to admit their foibles or take responsibility for them. Also, in our cell-phone age, it’s easier to just make a call and let somebody deal with the problem, isn’t it?

True neighborliness is a forgotten thing, isn’t it? In our urban/suburban/move every seven years culture people don’t know their neighbors and even live in fear of them. We fail to act when problems occur because of our fears, too. And in this we’re all a lot like the priest and Levite in our lesson who fearfully shielded their eyes and “passed by on the other side” of the road. And so today I want to talk to you about this little lesson which might well be:

THE MOST UNPOPLAR PARABLE IN AMERICA

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On a superficial level everyone likes the parable of the Good Samaritan. We like the idea of people caring for others and putting themselves out for strangers because one day we might well be on the receiving line of such compassion. Likewise, we enjoy patting ourselves on the back when we engage in a neighborly act such as: looking after a person’s house when they are away, calling in an accident, or taking a sick neighbor to a doctor’s appointment. In such cases, we didn’t “pass by on the other side.” We put ourselves out a bit and it felt good.

But, on a deeper level, this parable is disquieting. That’s because all too often we’ve all acted exactly like the priest and the Levite, ignored those in need around us, and passed by on the other side. Like them, we view neighborliness as something confined to those we know and not to those who are strangers. This fear of the unknown, coupled with sensational news reports of nasty things done to good Samaritans, often paralyzes us. I know of a local older man who is afraid to walk his dog around the school next door because someone might report him as some kind of lurking voyeur! Such stories and more have lead to the popular axiom: No good deed goes unpunished. Yes, the parable of the Good Samaritan is the most unpopular parable in America today!

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Bearing the Christian cross entails overcoming one’s fears and relying on God in all things. Think of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” God’s truths dare not be confined to a little religious world walled off from the larger world in which we live in and play in every day. When Christ summed up the commandments by saying: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind—and love your neighbor as yourself” He meant it! Those marching orders for the Christian soldier are in effect 24-7.

Of course, like the lawyer of our text who sought to justify his actions, we, too, ponder his question: “And who is my neighbor?” And that’s where the rubber meets the highway of our lives. I’ve heard many fine Christians express serious concern over this parable in our modern world. They feel guilty over their fears. They feel guilty that they didn’t stop to help that stranded motorist, or didn’t say something to that out-of-control parent. After going through various possibilities—make the cell call, talk to DSS, call the police, etc.—we’re still left with Christ’s words, aren’t we? When He says: “Go and do likewise” He meant it. And He practiced what He preached! God’s Son didn’t pass us by but went out of His way, gave His life on a cross, to save our souls. He even banked a love-reserve for us to draw on in His absence. We find that reserve in baptism, communion, and His glorious absolution.

And yet, yet, we modern humans chaff under this parable because it means personal involvement. It means getting your hands dirty with another’s problems. It often means sweat and tears and emotional upheaval. My friends, don’t dwell on all that “bad” stuff—let the media do it! Instead, dwell on the thought that by getting involved, this Samaritan made a friend for life. He made a difference. And as Christ proved: Kindness really does cover a multitude of sins. You have the ability, by God’s grace, to make this world a little better, one person at a time. So, take back your neighborhood, take back your nation, by showing kindness to all people. It’s o.k. to “be wise as serpents” in this world. But don’t forget the second half of that verse which says: “Be gentle as doves” too. Amen

Let us pray: Dear Savior, we hide our sins from others and we don’t think they matter. But, we cannot hide them from You. You see and hear everything we do and think. Lord, keep foremost in our minds the truth that You’re always at our side. And while You’re there to judge our sins, what You really wish to do is to forgive them. Moved by that kind of love, may we all seek to walk that narrow road to heaven on a daily basis. Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, OUR LIVING LORD!

TEXT: Galatians 6: 1-10, 14-16

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:

Do you know why a serial rapist or a serial killer or a serial thief never quits until they are caught? It is because of pride, arrogance, and the selfish thrill that their sinful side gets out of it. They continue to engage in such sins because it makes them feel on top of the world. It makes them feel smarter and more in control than those they prey upon. That same pride afflicts each of us, too. And that’s why we seldom, totally, give up a particular sin. We like the feeling of “getting away” with it. Pulling a fast one over on others makes us feel very self-important. But, of course, when we engage in such self-destructive behavior, we’re really not getting away with anything, because God sees all. And today, God’s inspired messenger, St. Paul, remind us:

DO NOT BE DECEIVED: GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED

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You cannot con God! It sounds so simple. It is so true. And yet, every day we forget that sobering fact. Yes, you can con your spouse. You can con your kids. You can con your fellow workers. You can con any human being. But, you cannot con God. He sees everything you do. He hears everything you say. He’s always reading your mind. He knows all about the envy, the lust, the greed, and the self-destructive anger you harbor inside. He knows all about your secret sins. He knows them intimately. For Christ, God’s Son, came to carry those sins to the cross and to die for them.

Jesus is always with you. That’s a truth that every single Christian knows. And He’s always there at your side with one thing in mind: He wants to forgive you! He wants you to turn to Him in love and trust and say: “Lord, I’m sorry!” And when you do, His heart soars with joy! And His joy and love and strength is then transferred to you. When St. Paul says: “Brothers, if someone is caught in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” When Paul says that, he’s providing us a blueprint of how Christ deals with each of us. And if you have any of Christ’s love in your heart, then you’re going to try and try again to follow that blueprint. Indeed, you’re going to pick yourself up when you fail, plead for His mercy, and then fight on. Why? Because in your heart you know you cannot con God and you cannot con yourself. Moreover, you must, must, live with both every minute of every day!

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“You reap what you sow.” Truer words have never been spoken. And to provide us with even more food for thought, Paul goes on to add: “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Nothing in life is free, except the love of Christ! And armed with that love we have choices to make. One, we can resist evil, have our flesh and the world mock us, but retain a clean heart and a clean conscience; or we can give in to evil, have our flesh and the world applaud us, and live with a heart filled either with haughty pride or shame. What’s your choice? Are you going to forgive and forget another’s past sins against you, or are you going to chew on them like a dog on a ham bone? Are you going to cling to Christ in humble faith and always seek to do the Godly thing, or are you going to grow weary of such goodness because the results come slow? Are you going to value your fellow Christians above all others; or are you going to take them for granted and ignore their needs? You know, if you’re not happy with your life, you have no one to blame but yourself. For “you reap what you sow.” And if you are content, then thank God! For it’s only by His grace. So, what will it be? Happiness or discontent? Heaven or hell? The choice is yours as you walk His path of holiness. Only, make sure you never deceive yourself, for God cannot be mocked!

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As we struggle to resist sin and walk in holiness, there’s one thing that we must all keep first and foremost in our minds. That is: sow in the cross! “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. What counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule.”

Jesus is always thinking about you. You were on His mind as He carried that heavy cross on the Way of Sorrows and as He hung up on it at Golgotha. You were on His mind as He arose from the tomb. You were on His mind when He ascended into heaven after telling the disciples: “I go to prepare a place for you.” Likewise, your worries and hurts are on His mind right now. And just as the cross liberated us then, so it liberates us each day as we struggle to fight the good fight of faith. Paul’s point is: do what Jesus would do. Act as He acted. Speak as He spoke. Focus your mind on the same things that He focused upon. Selfishness mocks God. But selflessness glorifies Him and liberates your conscience. So, through the power of His cross rise above your sins, live forgiveness, and that inner peace and mercy you so long for will be yours! Amen

Let us pray: Dear Savior, as we bask in the afterglow of our country’s independence day, may we especially bask in the truth that genuine freedom belongs only to Christians! For by Your grace You have set us free from the ravages of sin and the guilt that it brings. Moreover, You have replaced our human license to sin with a Spirit-wrought love which enables us to live apart from the reign of guilt and shame. May we always rejoice over such Christian freedom! Amen

GRACE MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM CHRIST, WHO HAS TAKEN ALL OUR GUILT AWAY THROUGH HIS CROSS!

TEXT: Galatians 5: 1, 13-25

Fellow Redeemed Sinners:

I really enjoy teaching confirmation class. It is a challenge to make God’s truths memorable and applicable to the lives of young people. And when I have an especially “good” day, when they really “get” it, I’m thrilled. I recall one young man who “got” it when it came to understanding original sin vs. the voice of the Spirit. In his mind it was like having two voices, each one perched on an opposite shoulder and each one whispering competing thoughts into his ears. The question for him was: which voice do I listen to? Well, in view of this morning’s lesson, that same question comes to each of you. Yes,

WHICH VOICE DO YOU LISTEN TO?

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Slavery is abhorrent. America fought a civil war against slavery about 150 years ago and over 600,000 men died in that war. What sane person would want to live in slavery? And yet, all people are born into spiritual slavery. We call it original sin. We all easily listen to the voice of selfishness, pride and personal evil, because it seems so natural. Although, as Paul writes, Christians have been set free from the clutches of such spiritual evil, nonetheless, it is easy for us to abuse our new-found freedom in Christ and once again succumb to its devilish voice perched on our shoulder. “But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature…the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Over the years, I’ve had a debate with others and with myself as to whether sin was more rampant in previous generations of Americans vs. today. Finally, I’ve come to a conclusion. It is worse today. And I’ll tell you why. First, sin has always been with us. Hatred, drunkenness, immoral behavior and the like never seem to go out of style—unfortunately. That being said, previous generations of Americans generally looked down on such behavior because the restraining voice of Christianity was more pronounced. Christianity introduced a sense of shame among the populace. Because of this, often you had to go looking for avenues to indulge the flesh and had to work harder to find them. All that has been tossed aside with our information age and the internet. It has been tossed aside with liquor stores on every corner, legalized gambling in every state, legalized prostitution in some, and our all-encompassing, greed-filled, materialistic culture.

I’ve seen how easy it is for Christians to get caught up in all this and more, simply because it’s so commonly accepted and available. You know the litany: “Who are you to judge? Do you want to re-institute Puritan times? Satanic worship and the occult don’t hurt anyone, so who are you to tell them what to do? Pornography is a personal preference that doesn’t hurt anyone else. Wife or husband swapping may not be your taste, but whatever is done in the privacy of one’s home is o.k. And for young people, “hooking up” or sex before marriage is just fine as long as it is “safe sex” because they’re just going to do it anyway.”

The fallacy in all those statements is three-fold. One, sin hurts not only the person doing it, but others either directly or indirectly.—Just ask the wife who’s husband is addicted to porn or gambling. Two, it breeds a sense of guilt among those who know better and yet succumb to temptation. And three, it alienates people from God, Who calls us to higher ideals in life—namely to: “Love one another.”—Which includes telling someone they are engaged in self-destructive behavior. Yes, when life is all about “me” and what I want, respect for others and a dwelling upon truths which transcend human life get left in the gutter, don’t they?—And that my friends, is not love!

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So, which voice do you listen to? The voice of sin, or the voice of the Spirit? The voice of momentary gratification, or the voice of eternal happiness? The voice of slavery in which your body controls everything about you, or the voice of freedom, Christian freedom, in which you can rise above such baseness and live with a clear conscience?

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery….the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Occasionally I listen in on the Narcotics Anonymous group that uses our hall each Sunday night. The stories are tragic, and yet uplifting, too. And they all have a similar refrain.—“I didn’t listen to my conscience. I went along with the crowd. Shame didn’t mean anything to me. I thought I had life under control, that I was in charge. But, finally, I couldn’t quiet the voice of inner guilt any more and I crashed. Then I sought help.” Folks, armed with the Spirit’s power we don’t have to go through those steps of heartache, that kind of slavery, anymore. For when we focus on the fact that God sent His Son to suffer and die for our sins on a cross and thereby has won a full and eternal pardon for our shame; when we focus on the fact that He personally gives us that pardon through the gift of faith in Christ; and when the Spirit replaces life’s bad side with His good side, we’re free! Free, not to go back to the sad past, but free to go forward into a blessed future! Free to live without any fear, because God’s love is the absence of fear.

If you or I were left alone to decide all on our own whose voice we’d listen to, we’d be sunk. Our past experiences show the imperfect choices we make. But, but, we have the Holy Spirit on our side. His voice whispers loudly in our ear. We know right from wrong. We know truth from error. We know good from bad. Yes, aren’t His fruits of: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control better and more appealing than their opposites? So focus on His voice and you’ll discover that eternal freedom really does belong to you, His beloved child! Amen