Monday, April 26, 2010

The Fourth Sunday after Easter - Jubilate - April 25, 2010

The Church Season of Easter,
Easter 4, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (April 25, 2010)

“Strength to the Weary”

Readings:
        Psalm 147:1-11   
        Isaiah 40:25-31   
        1 Peter 2:11-20
        John 16:16-22

Sermon Form:    Deductive

+INI+

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today’s message will be from the Old Testament lesson as recorded in the 40th chapter of Isaiah, especially the following verses:

Isaiah 40:25-31 (NIV)
25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Amen.

The Holy One of Israel calls to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and tells him to “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens” and asks him “Who created all these?  He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name.”(v. 26)  This is the same Holy One, God the Father Almighty that calls His people to faith.  This is God who has told you to set aside your cares, for he speaks to you saying, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”(Is 43:1)  It is an amazing love that God would speak to us in such unfathomable terms.  Because if you think about it, this is God who has set the stars in the heavens, and they are uncountable, unreachable, and they are untouchable.  And the more we peer at them, their numbers appear to grow greater and we appear less significant. This God tells you that He gives you strength, and will renew that strength.  He tells you, you will run and not be weary, you will walk and not be faint, He tells you that with all the magnitude of the universe with all these great things there is none other like Him.  And so God tells Isaiah, that He cares for you and He will give...

“Strength to the Weary”

    Well of course we like the part about the strength, the running, and the lack of weariness, yet the thought of actually doing all those things also brings our minds to doubt.  Because, life is never exactly what we want nor what we expect.  Have you ever noticed that?  No matter how hard we try, something always seems to go wrong.  Something different happens from what we expected and sometimes, something is missing.  You can make a little bit of money, have everything you need, want for nothing, yet still want more.  You can make a lot of money, but there is never enough.  Our needs, or our desires, our thoughts always seem to outrun our income.  You struggle for the perfect home, but there is always one more project.  What wasn't even conceivable before now it seems almost imperative.  We plan our budgets so carefully, and yet, when we get to the end of it, it isn't what we expected to end up with.  And what’s the problem with all that want?

The problem is sin.  The consequences of sin are much more readily apparent to us than the underlying cause.  We are never quite satisfied.  Others don't respond to us - or our circumstances - the way that seems only reasonable to us.  We give it our best shot and it is never quite good enough, or, when we achieve what we set out to do, it is no longer satisfying, we don't find ourselves fulfilled by it, and we stretch toward the next goal in search of that elusive thing called satisfaction, or success, or happiness, or whatever we may call it. 

“Who is my equal?”  Who knows what I see?  We look up to the heavens and wonder if God can see where we are in our lives.  To us, those are the words of temptation.  We are tempted, at times, to give up, or to feel crushed and defeated by the difficulties of life.  If we have the big problems under control, the little ones drive us nuts.  It often tempts us to think that God is punishing us, that our troubles are God's response to our sins. 

But, think about it.  Every morning, when you get up, there is air to be breathed, and it is filled with Oxygen in just the right proportions.  Too much would damage you.  Too little and you could not function.  The peculiar properties of water still work, making life possible.  Food is still digestible, and it nourishes your body.  The properties of electricity, which God prepared, still work, and the trace elements in your body are still so constituted that they allow nerves to sense and muscles to flex.  On rare occasions, the human body loses or distorts those abilities.  We call that "disease," or "paralysis," or "Muscular Dystrophy," or "Parkinson's," or "Macular Degeneration,” Osteoporosis," or even "cancer."  Yet, it doesn't seem that rare because we hear about it so often.  That happens, ultimately, because everyone gets sick and everyone dies eventually - but consider the wonder of your body!

Your body functions flawlessly for decades, often repairing itself when it is injured.  It works twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  You go to bed, your body keeps working.  Your heart pumps millions of gallons of blood every year, year after year. Your brain keeps calculating for close to a century, doing more work every hour - and more complex work, even while you sleep.  Your mind store memories in sound and color pictures - with smell and taste connected to many of those memories - in a space the size of a grapefruit that would require a roomful of flash-drives to store, if we knew how to store sensory data, and you keep them indexed by subject and person and season and emotion and scents of the air on that day, available for instant retrieval.  You smell something cooking and immediately your mind is back in mother’s or grandma's kitchen sixty years ago.  We get frustrated on those days when our retrieval system fails us in one or two memory request out of the thousands each hour we just take for granted.  When the whole system finally begins to fails, we call it "dementia".

But God has given us great things, for “those who hope in the Lord [for He] will renew their strength.”(v. 31)  And how is your strength renewed?  God does that for you in His loving-kindness as He gives us His Son Jesus Christ!  He gave His only-begotten Son into death for our sins.  He hung Him on a cross to bleed and die in agony, that we might be forgiven.  And He raised Him from the grave on Easter to show us irrefutably that our sins have been forgiven, paid for completely.  Rejoice!  Jesus Christ is Risen! Your sins have been paid for.  You are forgiven.  You have been redeemed by the blood of the very Son of God!  It is finished! He loves you with a love that transcends any full comprehension!

But we still say, ‘Oh yeah I know all that, but why do things keep going wrong?’  Why do we get sick?  Why is life painful and difficult and frustrating at times?  Why do I  grow tired and weary, and why do I seem to stumble and fall?  I cannot tell you how every event in your life is good.  But God can, and He tells us that it is good.  I can’t bring myself to call God a liar, so I must accept that even the things in my life which I do not like are for good, and that God is with me.  

Maybe a different question to ask is this, ‘What is the will of God for us?’  And the answer to that is, He desires our salvation.  The Apostle Paul said it this way, "if [we are God's] children, [we are] heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:17-18 

In every situation, St. Paul finds that whatever we endure will prove to be well worth it, and more!  God will renew your strength to face each day.  God gave Jesus the strength to face a day on the cross, and the strength to conquer death, for you.  And God in Christ Jesus gives that strength to you too.  The Lord will, has, and does renew YOUR strength in Holy Comunion, in giving you the true body and blood of His Son Jesus Christ.  The Lord will indeed renew your strength and bring you to Himself in His heavenly home.  There in God’s arms there will be no more worrysome or wearisome “Whys? or Why me’s”  There in God’s kingdom in the arms of Christ You will “soar on wings like eagles; You will run and not grow weary, You will walk and not be faint.”(v. 31)  And you will do all these things forever and ever.  That is the hope and strength for  you the weary, the hope and promise sealed by the resurrection of Christ.   Amen.
   
Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen!  
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
+SDG+

Friday, April 23, 2010

Funeral Sermon for Emily Manning - April 23, 2010

The Church Season of Easter
Easter 3
Funeral Service for Emily Schmidt Manning
Zion Lutheran Church, Bay City, MI
April 23, 2010

Readings:
Psalm 100
Rev. 3:10
“Patient Endurance”

Psalm 100 (ESV)
1 A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Revelation 3:10 (ESV)
10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

+INI+

Friends and family of Emily, Pete and Peggy, Nancy and Jim, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Emily Manning was born in Bay City on June 1, 1913.  She was baptized on July 6, 1913 and confirmed in 1928 here at Zion Lutheran Church.  Emily Schmidt was married to her beloved husband Gilbert Manning on June 1, 1940 and they were married for over 63 years.  Emily and Gilbert were blessed with two children, Peggy who married Pete, and Nancy who married Jim.  Emily had two brothers who preceded her in death, and Emily was blessed to have five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.  On April 20th, God blessed Emily with a holy death and took her home to rest in the arms of Jesus to await the resurrection of the Lord. Blessed are they who die in the Lord, from this time forth and evermore.

The text for today’s message is from Revelation the 3rd chapter

Emily was born in Bay City the daughter of Fred and Elizabeth Schmidt. But, to be fair, Emily’s story does not begin here, because Emily was conceived in Grimm, Russia in the area of the Volga River.  That little town of Grimm, was founded in 1767, and one of the founding families was Emily’s ancestors in the Schmidt family.  But as time passed and the century turned toward the 1900’s there was political unrest, the Bolshevik revolution was imminent and so families began to leave their homes.  So with patient endurance, the Schmidt’s became one of those Volga German-Lutheran families who left Russia with what they could take in their hands and on their backs and they came to America.

And so Emily was born here in America, baptized here at Zion, confirmed here at Zion, she married her beloved husband Gilbert here at Zion, they lived and worshipped together here at Zion literally their entire lives. About 6 ½ years ago, Emily’s husband Gilbert was laid to rest here in the knowledge of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And now upon a lifetime of patient endurance, Emily joins her beloved husband in the loving arms of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

The New Testament reading today from Revelation was Emily’s confirmation verse, “10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”(Rev. 3:10)  We are sometimes amazed at how appropriate confirmation verses are for God’s people, but in reality we should not be surprised.  For God knows us before we even begin our life’s journey, for He has told us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”(Jer. 1:5)  So God is the one who gives us the patience, to endure the trials and travails of this world.

Certainly Emily was set apart by God to be His child.  For God guided Emily on a journey from the far away land of Russia to be born a citizen of America.  God guided Emily on her journey to meet her beloved husband Gilbert, who also journeyed here to Bay City from Tennessee.  Quite a journey for both Emily and Gilbert, born many miles apart, yet brought together by God, who loved them both.  And from God’s love for Emily and Gilbert, and from their love of each other, came two daughters Peggy and Nancy. 

And though I only knew Emily for these last few years I am told that Emily was a very quiet person, very proper, she loved reading, and she loved her Lord.  Emily valued her time at home, she valued her family, her husband, her children, her grandchildren and even her great-grandchildren.  Emily’s family was very important to her, it brought warmth to her heart and a smile to her face.  And though Emily would just as soon prefer to stay at home, in their later years Emily and Gilbert traveled a bit.  They traveled to see the sites and sounds of this country, but they also traveled to see their growing family.  A lifetime of journeys, a lifetime of patient endurance.   It is certainly amazing to think of the changes that occurred during her lifetime.  Changes which included the Bolshevik revolution to the great depression, from two world wars to the emergence of computers and electronic gadgetry beyond the imagination of Emily in her simple childhood surroundings.  Emily’s life certainly was a grand journey.

But as much patient endurance Emily had for nearly 97 years, there is a greater journey than all those years combined for which Emily is now eternally thankful.  And that journey, which many of you here today made also is a journey guided and directed by God Himself.  For God guided and directed Emily from the guiles of sin into which she was born to an everlasting freedom and promise of eternal life.  For Emily and we too are born sinful into a sinful world separated by an infinite distance from God, yet God in His infinite love brought Emily to the waters of her baptism, and that made her infinitely close to Himself.  In fact, it was nearly 97 years ago that Emily was united with Christ here in this church.  And there is still here a font which stands as a reminder of that journey.  A journey of a patient and enduring God, who in the water combined with God’s Word kept Emily from any lasting hour trial and gave her the blessed assurance of everlasting life.

And that assurance of everlasting life was given to Emily by Jesus Christ Himself.  For it was Jesus Christ who came into this world, who became incarnate, and who patiently endured all that we endure in our lives.  It was Jesus Christ who taught the way of salvation, it was Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way the truth and the life.”(Jn 14:6)  And that way of Jesus Christ included that He must patiently endure trials, trials  before corrupt judges and false witnesses, He stood reviled by men, beaten and stricken down by the actions of zealous people, He was nailed to a cross, and there Jesus patiently endured nail pierced hands and feet, and the insults of thieves about Him and the wicked crowds below Him.  And Jesus patiently endured all this just for Emily, and Jesus endured all this for you too.  For without Jesus’ patient endurance, we would be lost to sin, sin which we commit by the things we’ve done, sins by the things we’ve left undone.   Jesus Christ died and on the third day rose again enduring not only the cross, but death itself so that all who would believe in Him may have eternal life.

Emily’s confirmation verse is, “10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.“(Rev. 3:10)  God in Christ Jesus kept His promise for Emily and Emily knew she would live in that promise.  And, quite frankly, Emily knew that she would die in that promise too. 

Emily was blessed to have a wonderful family.  She was blessed to have a wonderful husband and church here at Zion.  Emily was blessed by her children and their spouses whom she loved very much.  Emily was blessed by her grandchildren and great-grandchild who brought immense joy to her life.  God indeed blessed Emily beyond imagination, and kept His Word about patient endurance.  For by God’s Word, the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, God has patiently cared for Emily, and still cares for her even now in His loving arms.  For God has a blessed eternal, everlasting, and patiently enduring love for His child Emily who no longer dwells on the earth, but rather Emily now dwells with Her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.

Blessed are they who die in the Lord Jesus Christ
from this time forth and forevermore. Amen.

+SDG+

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Third Sunday after Easter - Misicordias Domini - April 18, 2010

The Church Season of Easter,
Easter 3, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (April 18, 2010)

“The Good Shepherd”

Readings: 
        Psalm 23   
        Ezekiel 34:11-16   
        1 Peter 2:21-25
        John 10:11-16

Sermon Form:    Deductive

+INI+

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

The text for today’s message will be from the Gospel lesson as recorded in the 10th chapter of St. John, especially the following verses:

John 10:11-16 (ESV)
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The 11th and 14th verses of our lesson from St. John today, reads in our text as “I am the Good Shepherd”, but in the original text with word order being just a tad different Jesus says, “I am the Shepherd, the Good one.”  Not much of a difference some would say, just a trifling a nuance, it has the same sense, meaning and outcome.  “I am the Shepherd, the good one.”  And so it is also obvious that Jesus didn’t say, I am the “Great Shepherd.”  Nope, Jesus said, just a good one.  And if you think about all that Christ did, and all that He taught, He would have been quite able to accurately say that He was a “Great Shepherd.”  But He didn’t.  Although once an angry crowd ask Jesus if He was, “greater than our father Abraham, who died?”(Jn. 8:53) Jesus responded, “if I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing.”(Jn. 8:54)  And another time He said, “No servant is greater than His master.”(Jn. 15:20  Maybe He didn’t call Himself the “Great Shepherd” because it would have meant that He would have had to interact a little differently with people He met and with the people who would gather around Him.  Maybe He wasn’t about puffing Himself up, rather He was about His Father’s business, the business of caring for His sheep.

So for instance, think about those people who we would label as the great leaders of our world today, from business to politics, from religion to science, from charities to industries, sometimes these people do lead by example.  But along with along that there are others who are called to lead by example but they aren’t really great or good leader’s at all.  But one thing is for sure in our world today, it is all too common these for leaders of any organization to spend countless hours going to seminars or reading books on how to lead people, how to “Win Friends and influence People.”  Because, that’s how the people of the world say you get to be a Great leader.  By getting in touch with your peers, your constituency, you co-worker’s, to learn to know what they want, to get in touch with their inner feelings, so that all may advance some sort of business or cause in uniform way.  The business word would be, with synergy.  Meaning the force and action of all working together is greater than the sum of the parts.  Not mathematical at all, but a great banner to fly when rallying troops for the greater good, whatever that may be.

But Christ the Shepherd, the good one, does not lead by tapping into the latest polling data, nor by speaking in the newest business language.  Nor does He cozy up to the current powers to be, or the latest worldly fads.  He does not look to advance some sugar coated pie agenda to impress the crowds or to improve earnings for shareholders.  No, Jesus does not ask the people what they want, instead He gives them what need.  Jesus is the Shepherd, the Good one, because He seeks only to tell the truth, because He knows it is only the truth which will “make you free.”(Jn. 8:32) 

Jesus tells us truthfully what a “Good Shepherd” is.  The qualifications for a “Good Shepherd” Jesus says, is that “He lays down His life for His sheep.”(v. 11)  Now the word “life” in that last sentence is the way we most often hear this scripture read.  But as many of you know, that word there for “Life” has a much deeper meaning than what we are first inclined to think.  It can mean “soul” or inner being, or it can even mean breath.  Jesus breathed on His disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”(Jn 20:23) and as the Good Shepherd He gave up His breath, for on the cross He, “uttered a loud cry, He breathed His last.”  Not many Great leaders we know of have done that, but the Shepherd, the Good one did just that for us.

And in worldly terms have you ever heard of a management theory or strategy which states it is in the best interest of being a Good Manager to make sure every single last employee must achieve ultimate success.  And that in doing so every last resource, right to the last drop, must be expended to make sure that happens?  Nope. in the business world the big numbers drive the words which make up the Corporate goals and mission statements that are printed on the corporate banner head.  The shareholders must be pleased and appeased.  And when the big numbers don’t pan out, the Good Manager may do whatever it takes, maybe abandon the program, maybe abandon some people, and if the going gets rough maybe even abandon the ship.  Because a really Good Manager can find a way, to live to fight another day.

Ironically that lands us back in the Greek again, in verse 13, “The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”  The word for “Hired hand” here is μισθωτός, meaning wage earner.  And when learning the Greek words, one way to remember words is by assimilation, in this case μισθωός we would learn by saying, “Miss those Wages.” 

And when there is nothing coming in, when we miss those wages, then the business adage is it is time to look out for number one.  The hireling runs, forget the sheep,  how do I help me first?  Certainly, not the way of a great shepherd or good shepherd, but it is the way of post-modern, or should I say Post Adamic man to seek that which seems good for oneself, while casting away that which God calls good.  And then when we find ourselves in conflict, like Adam we point to the woman to blame her, and the woman points to the snake to blame it.  Ironically when success is at hand we puff our chests and say how Good we are.  Yet when our eyes are opened and when we are faced with the sin of our own failure, like Adam and Eve we don’t have the courage to point at ourselves and we quickly find the nerve to point to others for our failures.

Repent, for salvation is not found by looking out for ourselves, nor is it found by looking inwardly for a better way to be good.  We cannot fool Christ, by our outward appearance.  Jesus knows us down to the bone, He sees past our sheepish public persona, through the wool we used to dressed up in to cover our sin, and He sees us, He sees us right down to the dry bones that we are.  And though Jesus should, He does not leave us, nor does He ever forsake us. 

Christ’s disciples, His own flock scattered when they were confronted by the evil forces of the world, and yet Jesus didn’t run away from them.  We are Christ’s people and when we are confronted by the things of this world, by depression, by physical and mental anguish, we too would run from Christ to find some respite in this world.  Yet as we would turn from the Good shepherd, He does not turn from us.  Jesus does not walk away from us in times of trouble.  In fact in the face of death He did not run, instead He merely walks.  He walks to the cross and He lays down His life for His sheep.  Christ did give his all for everyone,  Christ gave up His last breath for you, He gave up His body and blood for you.  Not the wisest option that a worldly person would have chosen.  But the most compassionate thing that the Good Shepherd could do and that is humbling, “Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”(Phil. 2:8)  Christ did not say to hell with you, no instead He gave up His life, He descended into Hell, and on the third day He rose again, just for you.

The sheep know the voice of the Shepherd, the Good one because they hear His voice each time the scriptures are read.  The sheep know the Shepherd because they feast on His true body and His true blood.  The sheep know the Shepherd because He is with them in their baptism.  The Good Shepherd does not change His banner nor His mission statement because a breeze has turned the weather sock nor does He follow the latest fad to make Himself more like His fellow men.  For, “12 These men are blemishes....shepherds who feed only themselves.”(Jude 12)

Yes, Jesus Christ is the Shepherd, He is the Only Good one for He feeds everyone else by forgiveness.  Jesus lays down His life so that all that would wound you His sheep, may be healed by the promise of everlasting life.  He will never leave you, you will not be shaken, lost, shattered, or scattered by the forces of this world, rather Jesus the Shepherd the Good one, lays down His life that you will live with Him forever and ever.  Amen.
Alleluia, Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
+SDG+

Monday, April 12, 2010

The Second Sunday after Easter - Quasimodogeniti - April 11, 2010

The Church Season of Easter,
Easter 2 - Quasimodogeniti
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (April 11, 2010)

“We Have Seen The Lord”

Readings:
Psalm 33
Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 John 5:4-10
John 20:19-31

Sermon Form: Deductive

+INI+

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

John 20:19-31 (ESV)
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” 24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.


Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

Jesus has risen from the dead, and Mary, Mary, Salome, Joanna, and the other Mary knew that for a fact, they saw it with their own eyes. An angel had told the women to tell Jesus’ disciples and Peter(Mk 16:7) and so they all saw that the resurrection was true too. There were two on the road to Emmaus who saw and talked with Jesus. Jesus was seen on a mountain.(Mt. 28:16), Jesus was seen by the Sea of Tiberias.(John 21:1) St. Paul notes that Jesus appeared to 500 at one time.(1 Cor. 15:6) And Jesus also appeared to St. Paul.(Acts 9) So there were many who had seen the Lord after the resurrection.

But, as we heard in the Gospel text, the one disciple Thomas was not present when Jesus first appeared to the gathered apostles on the night of the Easter Resurrection. But Thomas was told by the other disciples, that they had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to them. But amazingly, hearing all about the risen Lord from his beloved brothers, Thomas refused to believe. In fact, upon hearing the news, Thomas said that “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” For this statement Thomas will always been remembered as the one who was labeled with doubt.

And it is quite easy for us to scoff and make fun of Thomas, saying, “How could he not believe?” His most important friends, the ones who he had traveled with for several years, his friends who he had sat with and listened to the teachings of Jesus, those same brothers had just told him that Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to them, just as he said he would. How could someone be shown so much evidence and still not believe?

But, maybe we are too hard and too quick to condemn Thomas as the only disciple who overlooked the obvious signs, who refused to see, and who still had doubts? What about the other disciples? Had they perfectly believed and followed Jesus at every step in His ministry? We know that Judas, became greedy and betrayed Him, but what of the others? Even though all the disciples had heard Jesus prophesy of his immanent arrest and how they would scatter, when the Chief Priests and Elders came for Jesus, the disciples still fled, just as He had predicted. Peter who Jesus loved, and who recognized Jesus as the Christ, denied him three times in His final hours. Others, like Mary Magdalene doubted as she approached the tomb and only believed when Jesus revealed Himself.

Truthfully, we are not alone in our times of doubt, the disciples also denied Jesus, they deserted Him, and they quickly forgot everything that He had taught and promised them. But Thomas was not there that night and so his doubt remained, his belief seemed to be waiting on hold. Thomas wanted to see it for himself.

We too have times that we struggle with our faith and doubt that God is with us. Faith is tested and doubt wants to creep in when our jobs are not quite going the way we think they should, when we see that our family not getting along, when we see there is sickness attacking us or our friends, when we see tragedies, or when death touches our lives. We wonder “Where is God when I really need Him?”, and our doubt tends to override that evidence that Christ died and rose again for us.

But, for Thomas only eight days later he and the other disciples again gathered and Jesus again appeared to them and greeted them as before by saying “Peace be with you.” The next words from Jesus were spoken directly to Thomas as He said “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here with your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas was seeing what He needed to see, Christ’s words were what Thomas needed to hear. He could see Jesus was real in His flesh, real in His word, and in His spirit and so Thomas declared “My Lord and my God.”

And if all who heard the evidence from that moment in time onward would have left their sin and doubt behind, then in just a few minutes we would be standing to confess together one of the very first creeds of the church, “My Lord and my God.” Pretty simple really, but a true confession of Christ as Lord of the Church. Maybe we shouldn’t give Thomas such a hard time. Think of all the generations that Thomas has taught. Rather, think of all the generations whom Jesus has taught by offering to let Thomas touch His wounds.

Jesus said to Thomas, “because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.” It was a clear and undeniable truth that led Thomas to believe in Jesus’ triumph over death and sin on the cross. Jesus came to Thomas and the disciples in his flesh and blood, so that they, and we, may believe in Him. And even though we are instilled with the sins of a world both from our birth and from that which we have committed since, Jesus still comes to us as we see Him today and everyday. We see Jesus in our Baptism, in the joining of the water and of the Word, that gives us faith and washes away all our sins. We see Jesus as He comes to us in His Word proclaimed by the Holy Gospel. We see Jesus as He comes to us in the Lord’s Supper, as His body and blood is in with and under the bread and wine.

Let their be no doubt in your mind, Jesus has shown you His wounds, His promises were kept, His promises are kept. No matter how much this world would attack you by doubt and fear, by pain, by not knowing what the future holds, do not doubt for a moment that you will see Jesus, your Lord and God. But for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our lips would remain sealed with doubt...but the seal of the tomb did not hold Jesus there, and no longer will our lips be sealed together. Rather, Jesus says to you, “Peace be with you” and Christ’s work peals from you all doubt, and enables you to return thanks, speaking from this time forth and forevermore, “My Lord and my God.”

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

AMEN
+SDG+

Monday, April 5, 2010

The Latin names for the Sunday's after Easter

Question: Why are there Latin titles for the Sundays after Easter and what do they mean?

Answer: As with the seasons of Advent and Lent, most of the Latin titles originated in the first word or phrase of the Introit or entrance Psalm, the first proper of the Divine Service.

The Second Sunday of Easter
Quasi Modo Geniti – “As newborn babes: desire the sincere milk of the word.”

The Third Sunday of Easter
Misericordias Domini – “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”

The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Jubilate – “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands.”

The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Cantate – “Oh, sing unto the Lord a new song.”

The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Rogate – “Pray ye” (from the Gospel lesson, St. John 16:23-30)

The Seventh Sunday of Easter, (After The Ascension)
Exaudi – “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice.”

Whitsunday (Pentecost)
While it is tempting to identify the word “whit” as a somewhat antiquated reference to the white robes of baptism or confirmation, the more likely origin of this title is an old word for “wise.” Hence, Whitsunday is a day that we are made wise unto salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In addition to serving as an informal Latin primer, the Latin titles for the Fifty Great Days remind us of the value of being a liturgical church and of the gifts that we receive during the “week of weeks.” Christ comes to His newborn babes to with the proof of His resurrection and the Office of the Keys (Easter I). He lives and reigns as our Good Shepherd (Easter II) to bestow on us His lovingkindness or mercy (“goodness” is a weak translation in the English Bible). We make a joyful noise unto God (Easter III) and sing a new song of Christ (Easter IV) as Easter hymns permeate this season of the church year. And we learn to pray aright (Easter V), deeply rejoicing that the Lord hears our cry (Sunday after Ascension).

(credit for this information to Rev. Brian Hamer =>click here for link to Historic Lectionary)

The Resurrection of our Lord - Easter Sunday - April 4, 2010

The Church Season of Easter,
The Resurrection of our Lord - Easter Sunrise
The Baptism of Sienna Orvis
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (April 12, 2010)

“The Word of Salvation”

Readings:
Psalm 22
Isaiah 25:6-9
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
John 20:1-18

Sermon Form: Deductive

+INI+

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

John 20:1-18 (ESV)
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Alleluia! Alleuia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleuia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleuia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

What joyful news that proclamation gives on this Easter Morning! Christ is risen from the dead. Our Savior lives. Jesus has defeated sin, death, and the devil. The battle is over. The victory is won. The Word of salvation is that Christ is risen!

On this very day, the women came to the tomb and found that it was empty. They had come to prepare Jesus’ body. They had waited for the Sabbath to be over, and so very early they went out to prepare Jesus for eternal rest. But these women did not find Jesus. Instead what they found was an empty tomb. By all their love of their Lord, by all their compassion, by all that they had heard....they found nothing. The tomb was empty. Jesus was gone.

We can only wonder what they expected to find? They thought they were going to finish Jesus’ hasty burial. They had come with burial spices and oils. They expected to find a tomb with stone door, and a corpse. They were sensible and rational. They may not have been as “sophisticated” as you and I, but these women knew that corpses do not rise from the dead. Just as you and I know that corpses do not rise from the dead.

What they found was an open and empty tomb. That was unexpected. But, Jesus has told them all that was to be expected at least three times in advance, hinted a few times more what was to be. Jesus said, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” He told you. He prepared you. He predicted it for you. Then why oh why didn’t they believe Him? And for that matter why don’t we?

Let’s face it, if someone you knew told you that he was preparing to die and on the third day rise again, would you have believed him? Put yourself in the disciples’ sandals. They had left their lives and livelihood to follow Jesus. Peter, Andrew, James, and John left a family business high and dry to go off with this itinerant preacher from Nazareth who said to them little more than “Follow Me.” Matthew left a lucrative tax collection business to follow Jesus. Things are going along just fine—miracles, teaching, crowds, popularity—until Jesus starts talking what can only be called “crazy talk.” “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” Wouldn’t you have some questions? A few doubts? Misgivings maybe?

When the women returned and told the Eleven, no one believed them. It seemed like nonsense. When Peter saw the empty tomb and the burial cloths, he wondered to himself what had happened. He had forgotten Jesus’ words of salvation, so he didn’t believe that Jesus had risen.

Today we could ask some similar questions. Today we witnessed a baptism. Today when Sienna was baptized, she died to sins, and she now lives to Christ. The scriptures tell us that over and over again these words of salvation, “baptism now saves us.”(1 Peter 3:21) But what did we expect to see when the baptism occurred? Did we expect to see flashes of light, rumbling upon the earth or in the skies? What did we expect to see? Did we come to see our friend? Did we see amongst the members here the opportunity to make new friends here today? Well to all those questions, I will say that you may find nothing of what you thought. Rather today in this baptism, God in Jesus Christ offers His Words of salvation, and they did not come back empty. God’s Word of salvation found Sienna and you too.

For that baptismal font is the location where heaven touches earth. When God’s Word is combined with that plain water, a miracle occurs. God’s promise of salvation is there. It is there for you, it is there for me, it is there for Sienna. Now you may wonder how it can be said that your baptism is there. Baptism is not a past event for you and me, nor is it all over with for Sienna. You are baptized, and you will always be that way. You now answer the question, have you been baptized by answering....Yes, I am baptized. Yes, I have salvation, it is given to me by Jesus’ death and resurrection. And so what does that mean to you and I?

St. Paul writes, “If the only reason we have hope in Christ is in this life, that somehow Jesus will help us cope, make us feel good about ourselves, help us be healthy and wealthy, if that’s all there is to Jesus, then we are the most pitiful fools that have ever bought into a religious lie.”

To be quite honest, if Christ is not raised from the dead, if there is some box of bones out there with Jesus’ name on it, then you would do well to find another religion or perhaps abandon religion altogether. That is how important the resurrection of Jesus is. If Christ is not raised, then He can not be trusted, His Word can not be trusted, His endorsement of the Old Testament and His guarantee of the apostolic word of the New Testament is nothing more than empty talk and wishful thinking. His words will fall away and not endure. But Jesus’ Words did not fall away, and they do endure. Though the women and the disciples had forgotten what Jesus had said, He rose from the dead just the same.

This word may seem like nonsense to you, to all of us who are skeptical and scientific people. But I tell you, and even not I but God by His Word in Holy scripture tells you to suspend your skepticism and hang it to the cross. The saints who testified of Christ rising from the dead, testified with their lives. They could have saved themselves quite easily by simply denying that Jesus had risen. They could have saved their lives by taking the authorities to the body. The Romans and the religious authorities of Israel could have put down this Jesus movement in a heartbeat by parading a rotting corpse through the street. But they did not, because there was no corpse. Jesus word of salvation is true. Jesus was risen, Jesus is risen, just as He had said.

You and I live in a very privileged time. You live in the “last days” of the old creation, the time of the fulfillment. The work of saving this fallen cosmos is accomplished. The new creation has dawned. The dead are raised. “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Whatever you expected to find on this day, know that Christ has risen, Christ IS risen, indeed. You can be as confident of your resurrection as Jesus is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity. Our preaching is not in vain. Your faith is not in vain. Your sins are forgiven. There is hope in this life, hope in your death, hope for eternal life with God, hope for a new creation. And it all hangs on this little sentence: He is risen!

We have come a long way in our Lenten pilgrimage through Holy Week to this bright and glorious day. We have heard the words of Christ to us: Jesus’ Word of His forgiveness, Jesus’ Word promising paradise, Jesus Word to His Father, spoken in abandonment, Jesus Word spoken to His mother, Jesus’ suffering Word of His thirst, Jesus dying Word committing His spirit to the Father, Jesus remembering Word of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus fulfilled Word of His mission, all these are Jesus Words of salvation.

Rejoice, rejoice, dear baptized, children of God. Jesus Christ has risen from His three day grave. No matter what you expected to find, Jesus finds you this day and freely gives you His Word of salvation. Jesus has loved you to His death. Jesus IS risen and gives you life. And Jesus Words give you the promise of eternal salvation and no better words of salvation are there than these....

Alleluia! Alleuia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleuia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleuia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Alleluia! and Amen!

+SDG+

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Sunday of the Passion - Palm Sunday - Palmarum - March 28, 2010

Holy Week – Palm Sunday Procession - Palmarum
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 10, 2010)
One Year Series

“Hosanna in the Highest”

Readings:
John 12:12-19
Psalm 118:19-29
Zechariah 9:9-12
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:1 – 27:66

Sermon Form: Homiletical Plot
+INI+

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is from the Gospel lesson from St. John the 12th chapter.

John 12:12-19 (ESV)
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Palm Sunday how wonderful to wave those Palms again! How great to see the cross process into the church how wonderful to think of the crowd so happy to see Christ the Messiah come into Jerusalem. “Hosanna”, they shouted a word which means, “Save us please!.” This word Hosanna, is an exclamation aimed toward a ruler who has the power to save. Hosanna, save us, Hosanna, save us you ruler in the highest. “Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.” The crowd was already assembled for the Passover feast so they gathered branches of palm trees and ran to see the parade. Don’t you remember this man who had raised the dead man named Lazarus from the grave, the man Jesus how wonderful, Hosanna, Hosanna! Save us. And now today those same words shouted so long ago, those palm branches which we still wave, these words and sights now remind us of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and they also tell us that the celebration of the Easter victory is near.

But, wait a minute. Not so fast. This is not the end holy week. And Holy Week is not just a single holy day, but days of Holiness to remember what Christ did for us. Our Lenten services prepared us for these days. In our mid-week services we remembered the last words of Christ on the cross. Today is Palm Sunday we wave the Palm branches, our hearts and minds beckon and recall past Palm Sunday services, Hosanna in the Highest, save us.

Today, we hear the readings for the day. Together in the Psalm we proclaimed, “24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord!”(Ps. 118:24-26) Then from the mouth of the prophet Zechariah, “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”(Zech 9:9)

It can’t get much better than this can it? Yes it can! Hear what St. Paul tells us, “9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Wow! How exciting! Hosanna, save us please! Christ has arrived, we glorify His Name, and we glorify that He came in the Name of the Lord. Rejoice! Confess! Bow down on you knees! Wave those Palm Branches!

But hold on it gets better yet....... Then comes our Gospel reading from Matthew. Wow! ALL of Matthew chapters 26 AND 27. That long reading was so wonderful I will re-read it all for you right now...

The rooster just crowed.

It took a week for the Jerusalem crowd to turn against Christ, but truthfully, we just turned from God’s Word in a matter of seconds.

How quickly the “Hosannas, save us please”....turns into God save us from hearing that long reading again. No, no, no, please don’t do that. It was way too long. It was way too drawn out. It was too underwhelming. It was too gloomy. I can’t hold my Palm branch in the air for that long story again. I’m not ready for that beaten up, stricken, bruised, and bloody Christ just yet. Just stop and tell me again about that parade into Jerusalem again, Hosanna in the Highest?

Now, I not only welcome you to the crowd in Jerusalem, I tell you the truth we are the crowd in Jerusalem. We love to sing the praises of our Lord, we love to praise Him, but we in no way want to acknowledge why the parade had to happen. We gladly say Hosanna, save us, but we don’t want to think about or acknowledge.....WHY.... WHY do we need to be saved? From what do we need to be saved? Please tell me why we need to be saved?

Because, truly, it is you and I who have sinned against God. It is you and I who deserve His wrath. It is truly not Christ who should be heading toward that cross, but rather it should be us. Oh yes, of course we say we would make that trip to the cross instead of Him. But the truth of the matter is that we would get just passed the accolades of the beginning of that Holy Week, and then I think, we would want to cut that trip short. Maybe right before the end of the Lord’s Supper? Yeah, I’ll take the no betrayal, no trial, just the palm branches and a holy meal, please and could I make that to go so I don’t have all day to sit here in church and ponder all the long readings and that Holy Week stuff....

Yes, indeed we are that crowd in Jerusalem, just looking for a parade, a king who would be the Messiah to come and take away all that attacks us in this world. Hosanna, save us from Herod! Hosanna save us from our sickness. Hosanna save us from the Romans! Hosanna save us from all our temptations! Hosanna, save us and give us back Jerusalem! Hosanna save us, and give us the new Jerusalem! Oh yes indeed, Blessed is He. Now just wave those Palm branches and go home, move along, pay no attention to Holy Week, it’s all taken care of nothing to see here.

But there is no triumphal entry without the rest of Holy Week. Jesus fulfills the prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on, “a colt the foal of a donkey.” But it does not end there. Jesus then goes to the upper room and tells the disciples, “This is my body, this is my blood.” And shortly after that meal Jesus was betrayed into the hands of His enemies, tried and convicted of a crime He never did. They scourged Him, they put a crown of thorns on Him, they crucified Him, He died and was buried and on the third day He rose again, according to the scriptures. And who is this they, that did all these things to Jesus? It is us, it is you and me. “Hosanna, save us?” We say, “He couldn’t even save Himself,” and by the way someone in the crowd on the day of the crucifixion said that too.

But all these things were necessary to be completed by Christ, for He did hear our cries, Hosanna, save us from our sins. Because Christ did not commit any sin, yet He bore all our sins, right to His death, even to death on the cross. Yes, all that we have done, and that we have left undone is forgiven. Hosanna, Jesus has saved us. All our sins and misdeeds? Hosanna, Jesus has saved us. And what of all that depresses us, all that causes our faith to weaken, all the anger, all the worry, all the aches, all the very real pain which we endure? Hosanna, Jesus has saved you.

And how do I know? In your baptism, in the water and the Word, Hosanna, Jesus saved you. In the Holy Supper of our Lord, Hosanna, Jesus forgives you, and saves you, and reminds you that your sins are forgiven. Yes, we are the crowd, we are the crowd blessed by Jesus who came to save us. Hosanna, we have been saved and Jesus Christ gives you the promise that you too will make a triumphant entry into the new Jerusalem. And there, you will be, “standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and [with] palm branches in [your] hands”(Rev. 7:9) Indeed you have the promise of eternal joy, as you say Hosanna. Jesus saved us from our tears, Hosanna. Jesus saved us from our fears, Hosanna! Jesus saved us from our weeping, “Blessed is He, comes in the Name of the Lord.”

In Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for you, you will not only wave those Palm branches today, but you will wave them before Christ in heaven. Raise your Palm branches and thank God, for Jesus Christ. Hosanna, save us? Hosanna, indeed! God in Jesus Christ did save, even the likes of us. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

+SDG+