Advent 4 - Rorate Coeli - December 18, 2011

The Church Season of Advent
Advent 4 - Rorate Coeli
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (December 18, 2011)

Readings:   
        Psalm 111   
        Dt. 18:15-19       
        Philippians 4:4-7            
        John 1:19-28

+INI+

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

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel reading of St. John the 1st chapter, especially the following verses.

John 1:19-28

19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said, [to John the Baptist]"Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' " 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  26"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."  28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

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

Jesus arrived on Christmas once, about two thousand years ago.  Yet His presence is with us now continuously, even to the end of the age what a blessed comfort that is.  For wherever two or three are gathered, there is the Lord, incarnate in the flesh that He got from the blessed Virgin Mary.  So He is not really arriving on Christmas.  He is already here. 

Yet we in the Church still exercise a centuries' old tradition of preparing for Christ’s arrival.  We know that we need to be reminded that His presence among us is no small thing, and we should be examining and preparing constantly.  After all, He will also return again. 

So then what can we do to prepare?  Well, let's look at what John did.  When he was questioned by the Jews, he gave His testimony.  And John said was is, "I am not the Christ."  And he said, "I am the voice of one crying, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'" And John also said, "There stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."

How do we simplify all these quotes by John?  We could summarize it this way: "The Lord God is among us in human flesh, and I am not Him.  I am not worthy of Him, for He is eternal and infinitely greater than me." And that is a confession that we all can make.  We are all sinners who are not worthy of Christ.  We all fall short of the glory of God.  He is here already, but we are not well prepared in thought, word, and deed.  Our preparation stinks.

 

“Make straight the way of the Lord”, John said.  And if our preparation is us cleaning up our lives and doing better, then we have mucked it up pretty badly.  Or worse, if we think that we have done a pretty good job cleaning up our lives then we are really not well prepared.

 

Thank heavens our preparation does not consist in our own efforts.  But God Himself prepares us by sending messengers before Him who get us ready. The road of life is not straight, though we always seem to hear that we should get our lives on the straight and narrow.  The road of life is not straight, it is more like a summer time on a Michigan Highway.  There are twists and turns, detours and accidents, making the wrong choice in where we should be, being in the place we shouldn’t be, disappointed when some runs into us, disappointed in ourselves when we run into someone else, our cars breakdown unexpectedly.  Sound familiar?  For every one of those highway challenges put yourself and your life, and your challenges in those same sentences.  And we end up with, I have sinned in thought word and deed, by the things we’ve done and the things we’ve left undone.  And so how are those twisty complicated challenges of life to be dealt with?  How is this road of life made smooth by the end of the season?

 

Well think of it this way, How do you get ready to meet a really important person?  The first thing you do is take a shower and get clean.  God thinks the same way.  He cleans us up by giving us His washing of regeneration and renewal.  He purifies us in the best bath there can be. John was the first human messenger through whom God gave out this washing.  The Jews recognized that this Baptism of John was something new, not like their traditional ritual washings.  John was preaching a Baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

 

The Jews recognized that John was claiming great power and authority for this Baptism.  So they asked him why he Baptized, if he was not the Christ and not Elijah and not the Great Prophet prophesied by Moses.  John said that he was preparing the way for the Lord, and the Lord was the important One, not John.  The Baptism John gave was the preparation for the coming of God in human flesh.

 

So it is today.  The forgiveness of God that He gives in Baptism has prepared you for Christ's coming.  As He comes among us in Word and Sacrament, and as He soon will return on clouds of glory, you must be found ready - and thank God, you already are!  For you are washed, you are cleansed, you are sanctified in Christ Jesus your Lord.  In Baptism, you are made a straight and level road.  Your life is set in order, so that all the rough spots of your life and potholes of your iniquities are made smooth by repentance and forgiveness; not that your life is perfect, but that God sees it as perfect.

 

This power of Baptism is the same for John as it is for us.  The power is in Christ and Him crucified.  It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead.  The events by which God redeemed mankind were a future thing for John, since the Blood of God's Son had not yet been shed for the world.  For us, that event is already accomplished and sealed by His death and Resurrection.

You are Baptized into Jesus Christ’s His death.  You are buried with Christ so that you will also be raised with Him. Therefore, He has prepared you by covering you with the robes of His righteousness.  Jesus Christ gives you the ultimate, immaculate perfection as a gift.  His goodness is bestowed upon you in these holy waters, like the most beautiful clothing anyone could ever wear. 

So we are prepared for Christ by washing up and getting dressed in our best clothes.  Both things happen in Baptism.  Therefore, you are ready indeed, though there may be unsettling twists and turns ahead of you, have faith.  In the end of the season, Christ will come again.  The road has been made straight, your salvation is secure.  The true preparation was made in Jesus Christ’s redemption.  The path to eternal life is made straight.  Rejoice in the coming days as you hear of the road to Bethlehem, rejoice each day that Jesus Christ cares for each of you.  His incarnation was not for a just day, rather it is for you each day as He comes into your lives.  John cried out in the wilderness the Good news of Jesus Christ what blessed knowledge we have that Jesus Christ who cried out for you on the cross so that all those who believe and are baptized, there is nothing ahead of you that will take you away from the road He prepared for your eternal life. Amen

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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Advent 3 - Guadete - December 11, 2011

Advent 3 - Gaudete Sunday
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (December 11, 2011)

Readings:  
    Is. 40:1–11  
    Psalm 85  
    1 Cor. 4:1-5  
    Matthew 11:2-11
      

+INI+

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

The text for today is as recorded in Philemon the 4th chapter and Psalm 85 which we just read, and it is why this Day is called Gaudete:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob."

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

For those of you not familiar with the church calendar, today is traditionally known as "Gaudete Sunday."  Gaudete is Latin for "rejoice."  Today we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath, reminding us that today is a little bit different from the rest of Advent.  Advent is a season of repentance, not many know that but think of it this way, why would we need the babe in Bethlehem if we were already free from sin?  Yes we say Jesus is the reason for the season, but too often we forget the reason why Jesus came to us—not to simply be a cute little baby in a manger, but to die for our sin.  Yet, this is also why we take a little timeout in the midst of this penitential season to remember the joy of our salvation; the joy of God's grace, which is ours because of Christ alone. Now you can also see why it is ever so more special that the newest member in God’s forever family Easton Sonntag was baptized today and we rejoice.

But what exactly do we celebrate and rejoice over today?  Do we rejoice over something that happened almost two-thousand years ago?  Do we rejoice over something that happened just a few minutes ago with Easton? Well it is a bit difficult to be excited about something that happened long before we were around.  It's hard to get excited about stuff that happened one year ago, let alone two thousand years ago. Much easier to get excited about a baptism today.  Yet, do we rejoice over the fact that Christmas is less than two weeks away?  Maybe that is true for some, but it also means that there's less than two weeks of Advent left.  And nobody really enjoys the whole repentance thing.  That's human nature.  Being reminded of your sin and the fact that you're not as good or squeaky-clean as you think you are is kind of a drag.  A whole month of it can really bring you down, especially when the rest of our culture is pushing consumer happiness, joy, and Christmas cheer. But John the Baptist preached repentance in the wilderness, and Jesus Christ’s first sermon spoke of repentance too.

So, Gaudete – Rejoice Sunday: What exactly are we to rejoice over today?  New members, successful fund raisers, baptisms?  The answer is found in Scripture, and it's amazingly simple and clear.  We rejoice today because the reality of salvation through faith alone in God's grace alone because of Jesus Christ alone is an eternal, ever-present reality.  It's our reality. 

And what is reality?  Have you seen the signs of Christmas?  You know like; "Jesus is the reason for the season," "Keep Christ in Christmas," or “You are the reason Christ came into this season.”  Or how about; "Christmas: The Birth of Jesus—When God came to earth."  All of them okay, but really, none tell the whole story.

When did Jesus come to earth?  It may seem like a trick question, but it's not, and that's the problem.  You see, Jesus didn't just advent with mankind two thousand years ago in a little stable in some backwoods little village on the outskirts of the Roman Empire.  He did come to be born, to die as an all-redeeming sacrifice.  But again that’s not the whole story, Jesus will come again in all His glory.  Christmas is also supposed to remind us of ALL this blessed news. 

But wait…there's still more to the story.  How is mankind saved during the time between Christ's first advent in a manger and His glorious return on Judgment Day?  Has God left us to fend for ourselves?  Absolutely not!  Salvation has never, is never, and will never be about what man can do for himself.  Salvation has always and will always be about what Christ does for us.  Notice the order and tense of the wording, does for us, not did for us?  Like He did for Easton baptism and salvation is what Christ does for us, we are baptized how comforting is the Word of God.

So, listen again to the words of our Old Testament lesson for this morning.  "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” Is 40:1  Comfort.  There are two ways of looking at comfort, one of them is all feelings and emotions, with nothing behind it but a good heart or good intentions.  The other way to look at comfort is to actually do something about what is causing the discomfort, grief, fear, or pain, and make it better.  Right now, we need the second sort of comfort.  We need to know, and we need to see, and we need to feel comfort from the pressures and dangers around us.

But Jesus says to you, "Your sins are forgiven," and that is pure Gospel and Gospel means the Good News of Jesus Christ.  That’s comfort worth rejoicing for.  And this comfort doesn't rest upon us or our opinions it come from Christ Himself, a gift for you.  And this gift isn't a fad or a fashion or some other time bound tradition.  This is the Word of God.  For Easton, for Bridgett and Ryan, for you and for me, this is the truth of God.  This is the gift of God for you.  This is the Gospel, and it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe!

Look around.  The Word of God made flesh whose birth we anticipate is actively at work among you today in His Word and His Sacraments.  Nothing has changed, we rejoice that Jesus Christ’s the Word is still actively working life and forgiveness and salvation to us. 

That is comfort and joy.  That is why we Gaudete (rejoice) this day and every day.  Christ the Lord, the Word of God made flesh, continues to be faithful and true to His Word, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  The reality of Immanuel—God with us—isn't just a past-tense or future-tense thing it is and will always continue to be.  Christ the Lord continues to advent with us, presently and actively saving us from our sin, calling us to repentance and comforting us with His Gospel promise that "It is finished."  Rejoice in Lord today Easton Sonntag, Rejoice today all who are here this day.  Rejoice in the Lord always and be comforted, for the anticipated Christ did come into to this world for His people.  For Jesus Christ brings us to His kingdom where we will all “rejoice in the Lord always,” and even forevermore.  Amen

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

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Advent 2 - Populus Sion - December 4, 2011

In my absence the Rev. Jonathon Bakker, from Zion Lutheran Mt. Pleasant, MI delivered the Word of God.  We thank Zion Lutheran Church for their graciousness in allowing Jon and his wife Anne to be here this day.  We thank Jon and Anne for all that they do in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Populus Sion Luke 21:25-36
Second Sunday in Advent, 2011 (Historic)
Our Savior Lutheran Church
Midland, Michigan
Pastor Jonathon Bakker

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen. The Holy Scripture for our consideration this day is the Gospel from St. Luke.

'And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.' Then He spoke to them a parable: 'Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.'

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Christmas is coming. Are you ready? Many shoppers on 'Black Friday' were out and about to ensure that they will be prepared with gifts for their loved ones. More and more homes are decorated on the outside already, and the Christmas tree lots are officially open for business. Few of us might be ready, for instance, if we were to look at the calendar and see that Christmas was tomorrow, but we really know that it is still three weeks away. We have time and maybe even a plan to have everything ready and in place so that when Christmas does arrive, we can joyfully spend it with our loved ones sharing gifts, traveling to see family, and eating a feast or two. We don't have to be ready today for Christmas to be here tomorrow - December 25th is plenty of time. We'll be ready. 

There is also another kind of preparation that is worthy of consideration; the Preparation God's church makes to commemorate of the Nativity of Christ in the manger at Bethlehem. In our Lord's humble entry into this world; He came under the Law to be the sacrifice for our sins, and we are prepared for this through the penitential season of Advent. Singing Advent hymns, praying collects that stir up our hearts to repentance and faith, and hearing the Word of the Lord rom the Gospels all make us ready to celebrate our Lord's birth on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Advent may strike us by surprise most years, coming on the heels of the Thanksgiving holiday, but there is no reason to panic during Advent, because this is the time for preparation. It is as Luther himself wrote in the 13 verse of his Christmas hymn, 'From Heaven Above to Earth I Come':

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child
Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,
A quiet chamber set apart
For you to dwell within my heart

God alone makes our hearts ready to receive the Lord throughout this season of Advent so that come Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we will celebrate the Incarnation of Christ with joy. We'll be ready.

 

If only it were so easy to prepare for the second coming of the Lord. It is described in today's Gospel and the reading says it all. The Lord is coming. Like it or not, ready or not, He is coming. This is the only passage of Luke in which he speaks of the signs that will accompany the end of the world, and they are not the things humanity is hoping to see. The signs of His coming are startling. Signs in the sun and moon and stars, anguish in the nations of the earth, the sea and its waves roaring, and the hearts of men failing for fear of what is coming on the earth. Then, all of humanity, whether they have saving faith in Jesus Christ or not, will see him descending in a cloud with power and glory.

 

We know from the Creed that when He returns in glory, our Lord does so to judge the living and the dead. Like a book that is opened up for all to see, there will be no more secrets for any of us. The things we have hidden rom our parents, our spouses, and even from our friends and enemies will not be concealed anymore. When our Lord returns, He will be the judge of all.

 

Yet, He also tells us that when we see these things begin to take place, we ought to look up and raise our heads, because our redemption is drawing near. Take heart, dear Christians. It almost sounds fanciful to our ears, but our Lord is reminding us that His judgment is not ultimately about the things we have done or not done, but about what we have believed. Luther tells us that the irony with this passage is that those who ought to be afraid of the Lord's coming, unbelievers, are not afraid, and those who ought to be rejoicing, believers, are instead terrified.

 

What Jesus promises in this passage is a whole new world which will accompany His return; a new Creation that will not be subject to the corruptibility or passability of this sinful age; a new Creation populated by the whole Christian church of all times and all places. The heavens and the earth will pass away, but Jesus' words will never, ever, pass away. Just as you know the summer is coming when the leaves begin to appear, so also know that the Lord is coming when these things take place.

 

Jesus also tells us to beware, because the day will come suddenly. Unlike preparing for Christmas Day in both church and society, when we know that there is time yet before December 25th to make ourselves and our churches ready for the celebration, there are no more warnings yet to come from the Lord before His return. The rich man could not send Lazarus back rom the dead to warn his brothers and family of what was to come. They had Abraham, and we should expect nothing different. We had Jesus. The Lord died on the cross and was raised rom the grave. The time to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is not on our deathbed; it's not twenty years from now; it's not even tomorrow. Our days are numbered, friends. We may not have a deathbed. We may not make it twenty more years on this earth. We might not even make it to tomorrow.

    Preparing for the coming of the Lord is not something we can mark on the calendar and set up a long to-do list so that we are ready by that date, and it is not something we can put off until later - it will come unexpectedly. We are called to be prepared to meet the Lord every single day! We prepare for the coming of the Lord by hearing His enduring words and receiving the gifts He gives through them. The white robes of his righteousness are the only clothes in which we can stand before the Lord and His Holy Communion is the only food that will sustain us into eternity. So as we once again prepare for Christmas through Advent, let King David's prayer in Psalm 39 also be ours.

"Lord, make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.
Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You."

We may not know how many days we have on this earth, we may not know how frail we are, and we may not even know who will gather the riches we have heaped up. But in faith, we confidently wait for the Lord in whom we have the hope of eternal life.

To Christ alone be all the glory, forever and ever, amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.

Advent 1 - Ad Te Lavavi - November 27, 2011

The Church Season of Advent
Advent 1 – Ad Te Levavi
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI  November 27, 2011

Readings:   
    Jeremiah 23:5-8       
    Psalm 24   
    Romans 13:8-14   
    Matthew 21:1-9       

+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 is as recorded in the Gospel lesson from the 21st chapter of Matthew, especially the following verses,

Matthew 21:1-9 (ESV)

Now when [Jesus and the Disciples] drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2     saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8     Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

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

The is how the very Son of Son of God came into Jerusalem for the final time way back then. Humble, riding on a donkey.  It is the same way Jesus comes to you now, humble to save you. And it is a good thing for you that He does. For when He comes the final time, in His glory and victory, the saving is over. But that is for a day yet to come, this is now.

To a sinful world, Jesus’ coming is anything but good looking, it was not understandable then, not on a war horse or chariot, but on a donkey, or in a stable.  That is how Jesus comes to you now, in ways that are not understandable, especially to the sinful world around us, for He comes to us now in water, He comes to us in Word, He comes to us in bread and wine. For, you see, Christ is the Son of God and He exists to make the Father known to us. Everything He does is about the love of His father for each and everyone of you, He comes for us sinners one and all. 

Jesus did not come to see what He could get from the world or from you. He did not come to show His superiority to everybody else. He did not come to prove Himself to you. Jesus did not come because you let Him into your heart.  Jesus did not come because you thought you found Him.  Jesus came to give His life to the world. Jesus came to serve you out of His superiority to provide for what people lack. Jesus came to sacrifice Himself for you.

That is Advent. Jesus, the Son of God, coming for you in His humbleness, to do His Father's will and be here for you. So if it is not you who discovers Him, or who allows Him into your hearts, then the next logical question is, where are I in that grand parade? Am I paving the streets with palm branches, am I singing hosanna, am I donating the donkey for the parade?  Just what part do I play?  Well, the fact of the matter is that if there were a part for us to play we would be tempted to say the donkey which Christ's disciples have loosed from sin for Jesus to ride as He reveals Himself to the rest of this sinful world. As the old saying goes when two people struggled to team up in the horse costume, to paraphrase, Jesus is the head, and all we have to do is be ourselves.  Lest you take offense at that, remember I said we.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, we are the sinners in need of Christ.

Remember when the Pharisees saw Jesus, and they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus answered and he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mt 9:11-13)

And so Jesus demonstrates who He is and what He has come to do for all as He rides a lowly donkey. But who has believed this report? Certainly we live in a sinful world and not many believe what Jesus has said, what He has done, or why He has come for us.  Jesus comes yet He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we and our world continue to hide our faces from Him, like the crowd in His last days; “he was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Is. 53:1-5)

In these busy days are you ready for a humble Savior, or are you looking for one who will overcome everyone who utters a false word about such a Savior? We are sinners and we are not humble, in fact we are anything but humble. We are self centered and self occupied. Life is all about us. We live in a world where people step over a dead fellow man in a shopping center in order to get a 20% discount on some personal “thing.” We want what we can get, we beat whom we must beat. We strive to prove anything about ourselves that we can to impress others or even to God. Can you imagine if Christ’s triumphant entry was into one of our Malls on Black Friday?  He would be knocked down, stripped of His robe, pushed to the side, and arrested for not being handicapped and having a non-service animal in a public place. 

And so it is, that our Lord must come to each sinner in the world in which he lives to call them to repentance. Into this kind of world, amongst less than humble sinners rides our Lord Jesus Christ He comes to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" You must be humbled by the Word of God to recognize, receive, and believe this Jesus is here for you.

St. Paul asks, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Jesus sits upon a lowly donkey, the image of lowliness, that then is our role.  Jesus’ called and sent servants to cover the filthy rags of our self-righteousness with Christ's robe righteousness in Holy Baptism. Jesus sits upon our lowliness and rides with our sins into the true Jerusalem, His city of peace, the Church.  But Jesus did not need us as a beast of burden to carry Him to Jerusalem, our effort is nothing, rather by His body and blood He carries our sins to the cross and ultimately us to the new Jerusalem.

For if Christ were riding upon us, it would be impossible for us not to love our neighbor and do good works that serve and benefit him. And thus, as Jesus rides along with you during your daily lives speak so the multitudes may know of that, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." What?  Can’t talk about Jesus?  Don’t know how?  Just start talking, remember God has made plenty of  other…”donkeys” talk, why not you and me?

This how God's kingdom comes to those who are not yet in it, just as it came to you and me, by the hearing of the Gospel.  Jesus comes for one, He comes for all.  Even right this very moment He is coming to the world as He rides with you in His city of peace on earth, His holy Christian Church, where good will towards all your fellow man is expected. Because only in His church does He come to you and loose you from the bonds of sin as He does this very day. Behold, your king is comes to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.  Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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Latin names for Advent Services

A repeat every year but always good to review:

In case you were wondering about those Latin words for the Sundays in Advent....

Advent I
Ad Te Levavi
from Psalm 24
in Latin = Ad te levavi animam meam
in English =Unto thee have I lifted up my soul

Advent II
Populus Sion
from Psalm 30
in Latin = Populus Sion, ecce Dominus veneit et ad salvandas gentes
in English =People of Zion behold, the Lord is coming to save all nations

Advent III
Gaudete
from Philemon 4
in Latin = Gaudete in Domino semper
in English = Rejoice in the Lord always

Advent IV
Rorate
from Isaiah 45
in Latin = Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustrum
in English = Drop down ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness

Thanksgiving Eve - November 23, 2011

The Church Season of Trinity
Thanksgiving Eve, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (November 23, 2011)

Readings:   
    Psalm 67
    Deuteronomy  8:1-10
    1 Timothy 2:1-4
    Luke 17:11-19

+INI+

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

The text for today is as recorded in the Epistle Lesson from the 2nd chapter of 1st Timothy especially the following verses:

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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

It's very easy to give thanks for the things going our way.  But, when the "going gets tough," the tough seem to turn against God, where is He now?  The concept of actually thanking God tends to get more and more distant from our minds as the "going" gets tougher and tougher.  It's very easy to forget about all that we have, and instead get hung up on what we've lost or don't have.  It's far easier to blame God in these difficult circumstances than it is to offer Him thanks and praise. 

Think about that for a moment.  We understand what it means to give thanks to God for all that we have.  It should be a real "no-brainer" for tomorrow.  We should understand what it means to give thanks to God for all that we don't have, like the “bad" things such as terrible sickness, homelessness, bankruptcy, violence, etc.  At least we remember to give thanks to God when He spares us from these terrible tragedies.  We give thanks for those absences in our lives, and we need to be careful in doing so.  Such "thanksgiving" can be a real slippery slope into sin.  Remember: A certain Pharisee gave thanks for the absences in his life too, giving thanks that he wasn't like the tax collector.  But what about those other absences?  What about those things we really do want and ask for and don't receive?  Have you ever given thanks to God for Him saying "no" to you?  I have never heard anyone give thanks for not winning the lottery. 

This leads to another question: Why?  Why should we give thanks to the Lord, especially when the chips are down in life?  Think about the lesson again, we’re not told to give thanks unto the Lord because He has really given all we want.  There's nothing in here at all about putting our thanksgiving on some sort of sliding scale that works makes us pray more if we have more. 

It would be easy to ask how many of us here this night are thankful for "everything" God has given you.  Be truthful, and if you are you know that you’d be more thankful if you didn't have those bills coming in, or those aches and pains, or the fear and uncertainty of not knowing whether or not you're going to get a paycheck next week? 

So why do we give thanks unto the Lord?  Because, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”(v, 3-4)  It is what God desires, not what you desire that is the reason for the season, as the old saying goes. 

Jesus has seen fit to bless you with all that you have in this life.  Don’t forget to share that bountiful grace with someone else tomorrow.  Share the wonderful Gospel message of life and salvation with those who don't yet know it or believe it so that they, too, can share in our redemptive, Christ-centered joy.  God desires the death of no man.  He desires that all may believe and have life in Him, which is why He sent His one and only Son to die for the sins of the entire world.  Take a little time out of each day and simply say "thank you" to your Lord and Savior for all that you have and all that you are, from all you have received through free and unmerited gifts from Him. 

Sometime between the time you fight over the turkey leg or eat that second piece of pie, or turn on the Lions game and pull the handle back on the bark-o-lounger, remember not only to give thanks for the abundance of daily bread you have this one day per year called Thanksgiving.  Remember to also return thanks to God for Jesus Christ, because of His giving we are able to endure this life, to laugh to cry, to stuff our faces with the most awesome foods from years of family tradition.  And as the family grows the seeds and stories of tradition seem to grow too. And you know the best family traditions are the ones that are easily shared. Share your blessings from God, for you have been given much. 

Tomorrow most of us will stop at nothing to put on a feast that will satisfy us for a day.  Everyday God in Christ Jesus provides you with the feast of victory that will satisfy you for eternal life.  For you, it may appear like a simple recipe, a baptism wherein water is combined with God’s Word, a Holy Communion where bread and wine are combined with the very Words of God.  In fact, it would be simpleton’s to think these are recipes.  For these gifts did not come easily, they came from Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again.  Jesus Christ gave His life so that we may have the assurance of eternal life in His Name, more than just tradition, or any great recipe, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” Thanks be to God. Amen.

+SDG+

The Last Sunday of the Church Year - November 20, 2011

The Church Season of Trinity
The Last Sunday in the Church Year, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (November 20, 2011)

Readings:  
    Psalm 149
    Isaiah 65:17:25
    1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
    Matthew  25:1-13

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

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 5th chapter of St. Paul’s 1st letter to the church in Thessalonica, especially the following verses:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4     But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5     For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6     So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7     For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8     But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9     For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10     who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11     Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

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

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”  While some of you may be more familiar with Luther’s morning and evening prayers as written out in the catechism, you’ve almost certainly heard this very simple prayer at some point in your life.  And of course your ending to this prayer probably varied, ours generally continued with, “God bless mommy and daddy, Elizabeth, Alicia, Alexander, and all who are around me.  Amen, Stay in bed.”  I guess we said it that way so many times it just became part of the ending.  In Luther’s evening prayer the closing is, “let you holy angel watch over me, that the evil foe will have no power over me.”(SC)  Both prayers bring the close of our day to a bright focus, that is that God will watch over us at the close of our day, which for any one of us could also be the close of our lives. 

Darkness is and always has been associated with darkness, death, and evil.  We do not like to be out in the dark walking down streets alone, it’s just not safe.  So we avoid walking alone at night in strange places if at all possible. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" It is the element of surprise that makes us fear, we can’t see as well in the dark as we can in the light. 

And so St. Paul takes this idea of darkness and light, safe and surprise and he tells the church in Thessalonica, “let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”(v. 6)   Not as easy as it sounds.  Jesus told His disciples to do this very thing in the Garden of Gethsemane, “[Jesus] said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And shortly thereafter as He bowed to God’s will in prayer He returned and, “He came to the disciples and found them sleeping.”(Mt. 26:38&40)

“Let us not sleep.”(v. 6) Obviously an impossible task.  For the disciples in the presence of the Son of God Jesus Christ, could not stay awake for a few moments, neither could Paul’s hearer’s and we too can’t stay awake for an endless string of hours upon hours we must sleep.  So St. Paul is talking here about our lives in the world, his admonition doesn’t mean our every day need for sleep, nor is he talking about the endless sleep of death.  But, here St. Paul speaks about “a life in sin, which is a life in darkness. Those in Christ, the light of the world, are awake and sober.”  You beloved saints of God, because of the grace and faith sealed upon you in your baptism, walk in the light of the sun, so all of you who walk in the light of the Word of God, Jesus Christ, are "children of the day.”(v. 5)

Boy wouldn’t that be a great place to end, except one or two of you are thinking, “Wait a minute, didn’t I hear you say that only sinners come to church?  Something is not adding up here.”  And you would be right and St. Paul would be right too.  For all who walk in the light of the Word of God, are indeed children of the day.  But just like the seasons and the time of the year especially now, the darkness seems to come very early, in fact earlier each day.  We slip and we fall our faith wanes like daylight as we approach December days.  We sin daily, and that is taking the Light of Christ out of our lives.  In fact, we often think of sin, in kind of a mitigating way.  We want to think that we are Christian, and holy and we have all these holy lights on lives.  Wherever we go there is always light, look at me.  But we sin by not speaking kindly of our brothers and sisters.  Oh, that’s just one light that went out, I’ve got plenty more.  We sin when we curse and swear, “Oh everybody does that, if that’s all you’ve got to talk about, I’ve plenty more lights than that.”  We sin, by holding false Gods, by being so busy we can’t spend time to read God’s Word, to attend church, to share the Word of God with others.  We think our lights slowly go out as we feel the effects of sin in our bodies which are attacked and ravaged by very real aches, pains, disease.  But, how many lights do you have?  Do you have enough lights to avoid the darkness that will envelope you when the last candle goes out?  Truthfully the answer is no, we do not and we can not by our own reason or strength fight the battle of the diminishing light.  In fact, the truth is worse than you thought, for each sin, puts all your lights out, all at once, completely, dark dark, no shadows, no sounds, no touch, no taste, no smell, utter and complete separation from the world which we want to create.  Where we have all the money, no enemies, no debt, every toy, perfect health, no crying, no pain, no anguish, no fear, no darkness.”

Repent for  St. Paul said, “While people are saying, “'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”(v. 3) These are dark words which warn of sudden, utter, and hopeless ruin and despair for those who put their hope in this world, rather than in Christ. It has been said, “Do not, while present prosperity smiles upon you, forget its certain end, lest adversity without end succeed it” (St. Bernard of Clairvaux SLSB, p 56). By human reason and strength, no one can escape God’s righteous judgment and scrutiny (Ps 139:7–10). Only those sheltered in Christ will escape God’s wrath, which will come upon all those who have broken His righteous Law.  Our candles are like a heap of wax, your ability to make light is like a box of wet matches, by our actions and inactions, we are left in despair and utter darkness with no way to make light.

But you are not left in the darkness of your own despair.  Christ Jesus, is the light of the world and He has made you belong to the day.  You have put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation in the waters of your baptism.  In the light of Christ you are as a people who walk in the light of the sun, for you walk in the light of the Word of God, Jesus Christ, and you have been made the children of the day.

Let us walk in holiness and righteousness so that we may not be ashamed when our Lord appears to judge our work. The Lord who has chosen you for salvation and died for you on the cross will be on our side on the final Day of Judgment.  Recognize that there is a Day of Judgment for us a day casting to the darkness or the eternal illumination in the presence of the Son of God. The day of the Lord may come like a thief in the night but you are children of the day.  We pray the way we are taught, God’s will be done.  We share the Good News of Jesus Christ who is the light of the world.  Are prayers are answered by Jesus Christ who brings the close of our everyday even our final day into a bright focus. That is that God will watch over us at the close of our day, which for any one of us could also be the close of our lives.  And no matter when Jesus comes, He will come for you in comfort and joy, to lay you down to sleep and He your soul will ever keep, when you die you shall then awake, for Jesus died for your eternal sake.  Amen.

+SDG+

The Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity - November 13, 2011

The Church Season of Trinity
The Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (November 12, 2011)

Readings:  
    Psalm 8
    Genesis 1:1 – 2:3
    Ephesians 6:10-17
    John 4:46-54

+INI+

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

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 4th chapter of St. John, especially the following verse:

John 4:46-54

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. [Jesus said]48 “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed. 54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

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

What does it mean to believe?  Do we need to see clouds in the sky in the form of Christ?  To see a curtain move in a still room?  Do we have to have a wonderful dream or a scary nightmare in order to believe? Today we hear that Jesus talks to a man of great standing.  Royalty in fact very well to do.  This man knew of Jesus went to him because he had heard of Him.  

This royal man’s son was sick.  We don't know what illness he may have had, but it sounds that is could have been potentially fatal.  The official appeared to be completely out of options and he went to see the local miracle worker.  And so when this man came into Jesus’ presence Jesus looked inside the man and saw that there was no real, saving faith yet, just primarily desperation.

But apparently the crowd was also indifferent because Jesus speaks to them first before He speaks to this royal man, saying, "Unless you see signs and wonders, You will not believe."  But the man was desperate, and begged, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 

And then Jesus’s blessing is simple, "Go your way, your son lives."  No earth shattering decrees, no thunder, no lightning.  No bone chilling voices in the dark, no palm reading, no good luck, just the Word of God proclaiming blessings and healing upon a man’s dying son, which ultimately comforts his father too.

And so, on his way home, a walking of 20 or 30 miles, his servants met him with the happy news that his son was better.  So of course he asked at what time the boy began to mend, and they said it was about the seventh hour and that it was just about at that time that Jesus had said to him that his son was going to live.  And the next sentence seems kind of odd, ". . . and he himself believed, and his whole household."

How many times have you asked God, “to just show me something, anything so I know you’re hearing me.  Please just let me know that you’re hearing my prayers.”  But our faith is weak.  We want concrete signs, actions, immediate action by God.  Why doesn’t God solve my problems right after I pray?  Truth be told, most of our conversations with God, probably go something like this.

[God] “I love damn sinners.”  [Us] “Hey God this is me, I’m a damn sinner.”  [God] “I love damn sinners.”  [Us] “Yes, God I am a damn sinner.”  [God] “My child, I forgive you all your sins.”  [Us] “You would forgive me?  Even with all I’ve done?”  [God] “My child, I forgive you all your sins.”  [Us] “That’s great! I’m forgiven, I’m forgiven.”  [God] “Your salvation is secure, share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone you meet. Forgive as I have forgiven you.  Go and sin no more.”  [Us] “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that last part, ah am I still forgiven?”

The man in the reading suddenly believed, only after having heard that his son was recovering.  Our experience of faith in Jesus Christ is often similar.  The Holy Spirit creates faith in us by the Word of God.  That is instantaneous and completely by God's power, but our experience of it, our consciousness of it often feels more like this man's path.  We start with a need and a wish and not much else - and then when all else fails, we try God.  We believe the Word of God, sort-of, when it tells us of the love of God, and we put God to the test.  We don't really expect God to keep His promises, but we try Him out in situations where we don't have too many other options anyhow.  It seems only when God proves Himself to us, so we believe. But in a biblical context belief and trust are almost synonymous words.  So we believe God when He does what we want, but do we trust Him to do what is best for us, even if it is not what we want?

So what does it mean to trust in God?  It means more than simply saying that the Word of God is accurate or factually true.  It means living in confidence about God and in God.  It means answering your fears with God's promises and with the knowledge that God loves you.  It means doing what you know to be right even if it doesn't seem safe or practical or popular. 

So then, do you believe, and do you trust?  Then you put first things - God's things - first.  Do you trust God enough to risk looking unusually religious? Do you trust God enough to find contentment in His will and His love for you, no matter how painful or troubling you may find your life to be?

We could ask if that royal man really expected that Jesus could heal his son, or if it was a test to see if Jesus could or would.  So maybe when he prayed to Jesus, he was doing a "just in case" prayer.  You know, just in case God is listening, and just in case He is interested, and just in case He wants to help, then I will pray. Do you pray like that, or do you pray with confidence that God will answer?

Looking for God to create signs and wonders just to convince us that He hears us is really just faithlessness.  Nowhere has God promised what such a faith expects and looks for, but there are a lot of teachers and preachers selling that sort of doctrine.

Rather faith built on trust responds to life knowing that God is in charge, and He will do everything He promised, not just the 'go to heaven' stuff that you cannot see or use in your day to day living.  Look at Communion it is prepared for you morning. What is it?  Does your hunger for it reflect a casual human sense that this is a fine thing we do in church on the second, fourth, and fifth Sunday, or does it reflect that God, in Christ Jesus is here for you is forgiveness, and that Christ is coming to you personally to transform you and give you eternal life?  Is this Sacrament the medicine of immortality for you, or just something religious that we do?  Do you count it as precious and hunger to receive it as often as you may, finding strength and refreshment for your soul here.  Are you hearing Christ’s words, “Do this often” or are you doing this Communion thing only as often as you please? 

Do you hear what I saying?  In some way, we are all hurt, sick, frustrated by people, the world and even our own actions or inactions.  The miracle is before you, take eat, take drink, you have been made well  Lean on God and trust, believe, have faith, in Him and not trust our own wisdom, or strength or understanding.  When we live in faith by doing everything in the light of that faith, ruling our actions and our words and our attitudes by our trust in God and our hope in forgiveness and the confident expectation that we will rise from the grave to live forever.

The man in the Gospel saw Jesus in action, and understood that Jesus is God — and that He cared for him and his family.  He trusted from that moment on that Jesus could and would take care of him, his family, and his needs. You, too, can let every pain, every crisis, every need rest in the hands of Jesus. You can trust Him to love you, keep you, and save you, and raise you from the dead to everlasting life.  This faith is more than just believing that that it is true, it is believing that it is for you, and that God counts you precious to Himself and He watches over you, and will bring you through all things safely. And when you trust God, you won't need signs and wonders, and the conversation between us and God becomes much shorter…more like this…[Us]“God, your will be done.”  [God] “I have given you my only begotten Son, your salvation is secure, and the timing of your healing is when you hear my Holy Word, when you receive the Sacraments when you know my love for you in giving my Son for your sins, you are forgiven.”  Amen.

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

All Saints Sunday - November 6, 2011

The Church Season of Trinity
All Saints Sunday
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (November 6, 2011)

Readings:   
    Psalm 149
    Revelation 7:2-17
    1 John 3:1-
    Matthew 5:1-12

+INI+

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

The text for All Saint’s Day is as recorded in the 5th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses:

Matthew 5:1-12

 [Jesus] 1Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when e sat down, his disciples came to him. 2And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  5"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.  8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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

Saint Matthew records the Gospel, that is Good News, of Jesus Christ and His salvation for us.  Saint Matthew by inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives us the words of Jesus Christ which is the Word of Life for us.  From Jesus’ incarnation to His death and resurrection, it is all in this book.  Today we hear in the Gospel reading the beginning of Jesus’ first of five discourses or sermons.  And these words are probably some of the most heard, most remembered, and most beloved of all Christ’s sermons.  How could the man Saint Matthew but be humbled to write down Christ’s words, how could a man but be humbled to preach about Christ’s sermon to His beloved people? 

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are the pure in heart, Blessed are the peacemakers, Blessed are those who are persecuted”  More often than not, these words of Jesus Christ which we know as the Beatitudes are preached as Law, meaning these are only things which we must do. Some preachers have even gone so far as to call these the “Be” “Attitudes” meaning you must “Be” all these things.  Again your ears should hear the Law in that sentence, because the word “must” will always come back to bite you, to leave you uncertain.  Because “must” is always quickly followed by, “how much”?

A few years ago, a tour group was led on a path in the small town of Eisleben, Germany, headed to a tiny church, the one where Martin Luther was baptized.  That tour group was energized, and somewhere in the midst all their conversations on the way to that church, the question arose, “I wonder if we’ll see the baptismal font where Martin Luther was baptized?”  The group was led into that small church and in the front and center was indeed a baptismal font.  Quickly everyone went to take pictures but all too soon they were disappointed to find out that that particular font was almost brand new.  But, the tour guide added, there is a font in the chapel at the rear of the church.  Again the crowd moved, 43 people squeezed into a small chapel to look and see Luther’s font.  Hope rose when it was announced that this font was indeed the right age over 530 years old.  But it too was not the font the group sought, in fact the location of the font they desired to see was unknown.  Disappointment, they would not be able to see, or to touch, or to be in the presence of Luther’s baptismal font.

Oh how misguided and misdirected the thoughts of these people.  They looked for God’s grace in a carving of stone, or of eight sided hunk of wood, or some kind of image orchestrated and etched by their imagination, looking for fonts in all the wrong places.  Each of you has had that desire to seek out some kind of font which will fulfill your dreams.  Whether it be a font of money to pay your bills, or taxes.  Or maybe a font with the power to avoid paying taxes.  Or maybe a font which will provide all the medicine you need to put away your suffering from all aches or pains.  A font which will cripple your enemy or at least cause them to stumble.  A font which will cause the pastor to preach a sermon the sermon you wish, instead of the one you need.  A font to make that pastor see himself in his own words.  A font of imagination which would be a glorious spectacle before the world and make them all people come into and join this very church.  “Hope springs eternal” the poet Alexander Pope would say, but for us, it is a hope that God would give us a font, to put all that troubles us and all who trouble us away.  But that is not a font, it is a wishing well a place in which to throw the coins of our despair, but a place which would not reveal our reflection.  But that is a false hope looking for the magic of a font made wishing well.

The words taught in the Beatitudes to the disciples are the ones they and we need to hear.  The first word of the beatitudes are, “Jesus opened His mouth and He taught them saying”(v. 2)  And the Words from His mouth did not mislead, there is no false hope here.  Jesus Christ’s words are a wellspring of salvation which point to Himself, which give you faith and bring to you to the baptismal font of eternal life.  Beatitude literally means happy, fortunate, or blissful. 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” but you would not be happy if you were poor.  Like the rich man who came to Jesus, and Jesus asked him to give away all his possessions and follow Jesus.   But the rich man bowed his head in shame and walked away.  If we must be poor, just admit it, you cannot be poor, you cannot give all you have away for Jesus. What would you do, how would you survive?  But Jesus had nowhere to lay His head (Mt 8:20) except ultimately on a cross and He did so for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.

And we could go down the list, reflecting how none of these Beatitude blessings are the way we would like to be blessed.  And in a rush to find one thing we can accomplish by our own reason or might, we might overlook the fact that the first eight of these Blessed’s are directed to they, whoever “they” might be.  But the ninth talks about you and me, and the you is us and the me is Jesus Christ.  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”(v. 11)

Jesus no longer speaks about the impossible tasks that “they” must accomplish, no Jesus says you and me.  Jesus’ suffering effects your suffering, He suffers for you, He becomes poor, for you, He becomes all things, for you.  And because Jesus Christ has given His all, including His Body and Blood, for you, you in turn will suffer for Him and not only that you will, “ Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”(v. 12)

On this All Saints day do not be misdirected as to how you will achieve Sainthood, what you must do, what you must complete.  You need not wish for a font to fulfill your dreams, rather in your baptismal font you have received life and salvation beyond your greatest whim or wish.  For the size or shape, or historical magnitude of the font does not matter.  Rather it is the Word of God, combined in and with the water which makes it a baptism.  And that baptism makes you holy, and holy is the definition of a saint. 

 God in Jesus Christ through the revelation of Holy Spirit the scriptures reveals that we are never closer to heaven on earth and our sainted loved ones than we are in the waters of holy baptism and in the Sacrament of Holy Communion and with Christ.  For in those sacraments you have a foretaste of the bliss which the saints enjoy in heaven.  Share that joy with all whom you meet, it is not only your duty, but your obligation.  For why would you who experience a foretaste of heaven not want to share that joy?  In Baptism in Holy Communion and we are in communion with all who truly believe Christ’s Words “this is” and we sup with all the blessed saints who have gone before us.  Searching for the font to solve your every dream is futile, rather Christ has found you, and brought you to faith, and gives you life eternal, and so we receive the first sermon of Jesus Christ, which speaks of the Law and ends with the His Gospel “your reward is great in heaven.”

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

Reformation Sunday - October 30, 2011

The Church Season of Trinity
Reformation Sunday (Observed)
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 30, 2011)

Readings:  
    Psalm 46
    Revelation 14:1-6
    Romans 3:19-28
    Matthew 11:12-19

+INI+

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

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 11th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses:

Matthew 11:12-19 (ESV)

[Jesus said]12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17 “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

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

Today we note the 494th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Our banner here in the chancel reflects Luther’s Rose.  Here is what it means as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther explained it, “Grace and peace from the Lord. As you desire to know whether my painted seal, which you sent to me, has hit the mark, I shall answer most amiably and tell you my original thoughts and reason about why my seal is a symbol of my theology. The first should be a black cross in a heart, which retains its natural color, so that I myself would be reminded that faith in the Crucified saves us. "For one who believes from the heart will be justified" (Rom. 10:10). Although it is indeed a black cross, which mortifies and which should also cause pain, it leaves the heart in its natural color. It does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. "The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17) but by faith in the crucified. Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). That is why the rose should be white and not red, for white is the color of the spirits and the angels (cf. Matt. 28:3; John 20:12). Such a rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in Heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal.  May Christ, our beloved Lord, be with your spirit until the life hereafter.”

 

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 500 years since Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, an ordained priest of the Roman Catholic church, challenged the powers of the known world by tacking those 95 thesis to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.  There he questioned the authority of the Holy Roman Catholic church and King Charles Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.  And to this machine of churchly and governmental authority Luther’s challenge was met with words similar to that which Christ spoke in our Gospel lesson, “He is a demon.”(v. 18)

 

When Luther was confronted by excommunication which by nature included threat of death, Luther stated, "Unless I shall be convinced by the testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear reason ... I neither can nor will make any retraction, since it is neither safe nor honorable to act against conscience."  He also famously is said to have added, "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."  Against all odds, Luther stood on the Word of God and not the word of men.  On this day of remembering the Reformation it is all too easy to think of Luther, and to quote Him or to insult and belittle those who opposed him.  But if he were here today, that would not be Luther’s point.  Rather Luther would point to Christ just as he did in that seal. 

 

Jesus said to the crowd gathered around Him, “12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. ”(v.12)  John the Baptist preached, prayed, and pointed to Christ.  And for this proclamation John his head became a birthday bidding gift of Herod’s niece.  Herod like the crowd either did not believe the prophecy of John or he chose to ignore it.

 

And Jesus paints the people around Him in the same light, like children who want to call the tunes and feel snubbed when their partners do not want to dance with them. But we humans are quite fickle, aren’t we?  We do not want to hear about Moses and the Ten commandments.  We don’t want to hear about the destruction of all of God’s people who failed to listen to the prophets.  We do not want to hear John the Baptist say to us, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”(Mt. 3:2)  That’s Law and it’s all to stern, isn’t it?  Can’t we just have the Word of God and the Gospel the way we want to hear it, without so much pain, suffering, and violence?

Well, truthfully, if that is what we proclaimed, all Gospel and no Law, then we would be changing God’s Word in scripture to meet our needs, and we see that happen throughout scripture.  From Adam and Eve, to the church in Luther’ time, man has been quite consistent in turning from the whole of God’s Word and wanting only to hear the portions we want to hear.  And quite frankly the first desires in Garden did bring about suffering and the violence of death.  In this world we know of violence we suffer from it for we live in a fallen world and we feel the results which are pain, suffering, and ultimately we too shall one day die. 

But lest we be depressed, by all that we face, hear again what Christ said, “The kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”(v. 12)  Jesus Christ suffered the ultimate violence for us as He died on the cross.  His suffering and death overcomes our all our pain, all our suffering, all hate and angst that we face in this world. 

 Today we celebrate the Reformation not out of party spirit nor because we hate Catholicism or because we enjoy bashing the pope.  We celebrate the Reformation in a spirit of grateful humility that God still allows His good news of forgiveness to be preached to us, and we ask that He would preserve His Church on earth for the sake of Christ, so that many more might hear the pure doctrine that God forgives sinners all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and all that is a free gift, no strings attached.

So today, in remembering the Reformation we are reminded that we do not find salvation in the promises or works of men, traditions, or feelings.  We do not find the promise of salvation in the scribbled words written on a piece of paper tacked to a church door by a man named Martin Luther. We honor Luther for standing up against incredible forces and we stand here today to confess that our salvation is revealed in Jesus Christ nailed to a cross.  Salvation is promised by Christ, and confirmed in your Baptism, there you died to sin and now live to Christ.  Today in the Holy Sacrament of our Lord, Jesus Christ pours Himself out for you in His body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God to whom all Holy Scripture points.  Today, we fondly recall the beauty and details of Luther’s seal placed on a banner and the memory of that door to the Castle Church in Wittenberg.  But even greater still, for all eternity we will recall the Gospel Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.  For Jesus Christ is for you the seal of your salvation and He alone is for you the one and only door to eternal life.  Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity - October 23, 2011

Church Season of Trinity
The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 23, 2011)

Readings:   
    Psalm 34:8-22
    Deuteronomy 10:12-21
    1 Corinthians 1:1-9
    Luke 7:11-17

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

The text for today’s message as recorded in the Epistle Lesson from the 1st chapter of 1st Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

The thought is inescapable, if you read the Scriptures. You have to want to miss it to miss it.  Strangely, though, many people who claim to be Christians and claim to believe the Bible miss it, or ignore it.  It is one of the most comforting thoughts that the Bible teaches, and yet it is, to be quite frank, somewhat unsettling for many people. 

What is it?  By “it”, I mean to say that our faith and our lives in Christ are the work of God and not our work.  We receive them as gifts of the grace of God.  We often feel as though we are doing something, that we make choices and we make it happen, but it is the consistent witness of Scripture that our participation in Christ - in faith, in being a member of the Church, of continuing in faith - is the gift of God.

We do make choices all by ourselves.  That is the unfortunate part.  We make choices like missing worship because we think we have something more urgent to attend to.  We choose to doubt God's good will - that it is good, or that it is right.  We choose to listen to the voices of society - or family - around us and place emotion before doctrine, our sense of things before what God's Word tells us, and how things look to us before what the truth is from God.  We choose to try to justify ourselves for our sins rather than repent of them, and confess them, and allow Christ to justify us.  Yes, we do make choices, but when we do so under our own wisdom and power, we are invariably making sinful choices.  The good stuff is God at work in us, and faith is his gift.

That is why St. Paul begins this short piece of 1 Corinthians with thanksgiving.  I thank my God always concerning you.  He knows that its God's work all the way.  They are who they are because of God.  They believe because of God.  They not only are what they realize they are, but Paul wants them to know more, that there is so much more to it than it seems at first blush.  But His teaching begins with the thanksgiving.

He thanks God for the grace of God which has been poured out on them.  Since it is grace, it obviously cannot be anything but a gift.  That is so because grace is that undeserved favor of God.  It is seen first and foremost in the forgiveness of sins.  That is not the specific grace that Paul is focused on, here, but whenever we approach the idea of the grace of God it is good to remember that Grace starts with forgiveness.

Paul is thankful for the grace of God given to us in connection with Jesus Christ.  That is, of course where all grace is connected.  In our text, Paul is talking about how, by the grace of God, we have been enriched in Christ.  The specific riches of which he is writing about are in speech and knowledge.  What the grace of God has enriched us in is everything concerning Christ and salvation - not necessarily absolutely everything.  God has taught us about Christ, and taught us how to speak about Christ.  Worship and the confession of our faith is a good example.  The best worship is when we say back to God what He has said to us first.  That is why so much of our worship is drawn directly from the Bible.  We con-fess, we speak with God, and say what He has said first.

Paul talks about how the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in the Corinthians.  That confirmation is their faith.  That they believe is confirmation of the Gospel Paul preaches.  The Corinthians also seemed to have had a number of the more remarkable gifts of the Spirit as a validation of the Gospel message they had heard.  Paul directly addresses the issue of the gifts of the Spirit in later chapters of this letter, and he appears to bringing the topic up right here at the beginning of the letter.  But he is not speaking about the Corinthians having special gifts that no one else has, or that some churches lack.  Their faith, and the church among them, is the confirmation of the testimony of the Gospel concerning Christ among them - as it is for us. 

The testimony of God’s Holy Word concerning Christ is that He had died on your behalf, suffered for your sins, and has risen from the dead bringing forgiveness and life and salvation to you.  The only confirmation of that good news is the Holy Spirit at work in you, creating and sustaining your faith.  The congregation gathered around you is the confirmation of the testimony of Christ.  Nothing else would actually work.  Think about it.  The children of Israel saw the great plagues that struck Egypt, they had the pillar of cloud and fire, they heard the voice of God at Mt. Sinai, and received the gift Manna six out of every seven days for forty years, and yet they wandered.  They committed idolatry.  They refused to believe the Word of God about the promised land.  Signs and wonders can only do so much.  Even being a witness to the resurrection of Christ, as the Jews of Jerusalem were, did not make the difference for them.  For confirmation of the Word of God concerning Christ, only faith, and the church He has assembled for over two thousand years, can serve.

Paul then asserts that the Corinthians were not lacking in any gift.  That didn't mean that they had everything they could imagine.  They didn't.  They had everything they needed.  Every gift that the church needed to be the people of God and to do the things God had planned for them to do was already given to them.  They were not lacking in any gift needed to await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Likewise, we do not lack any gift needed for us to accomplish what the Lord would have us to do while we also await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  That revelation, of which Paul writes, is what we call 'the return of Christ to sum up the ages', and to judge the quick and the dead, and to bring us all home to eternal glory with Him.  We await that revelation eagerly, as Paul says.  We want no more sin, or sorrow, or sickness and death.  We look forward to that final step in our salvation which brings us to the fullness of the promises of God.  The troubles of this life are wearying, they wear us down, they cause our minds to be distracted and we become dismayed.  We get to the point where we eagerly await that day when they are ended.

Paul also promises here, by the Word of God, that our Lord will confirm us to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  While we await His return, we have the promise of the Lord to continue to keep us in forgiveness, so that when He comes, we are found to be fit for heaven, righteous with His righteousness, and blameless in day of judgment. 

Every step of our lives our pilgrimage through life as the children of God is the work of God.  He has seen our need for rescue from sin, and worked out or salvation.  The story is older than any of us here, but the wonder of it is still the same, God conceived the plan to be both the just Judge, and the one who justified the sinner through Jesus Christ.  The soul that sins is justly condemned by divine justice, and yet, it is redeemed and forgiven and given eternal life of the righteous by the same divine justice - and the plan and the work of putting that plan into action is God's work all the way.  Now He brings that good news to us, and proclaims it to those who are powerless to respond, and so God creates the response, and gives us faith by His own power and work, forgiving us and cleansing us, and strengthening us through both Word and Sacrament, and holds us in faith, as well.  He works in us and works every good thing we do through us by His power, and rewards us as though it were our work, when, in fact, we would be utterly undone if He were not sustaining us minute by minute.  It is no wonder Paul began this passage with thanksgiving, and ends it with the confession that God is faithful.

God is faithful because He has called us into fellowship with His Son, and He sustains us in it.  It is that very faithfulness of God that we depend upon for both our physical life and blessings, and our spiritual life and well-being.  Paul writes about all of this both to give the Corinthian church a reason for thanksgiving, and to comfort them in the midst of whatever they will have to endure, for God is faithful.  They do not need to worry about the future or the challenges that it may bring.  They can and will succeed and hold fast to the faith - and we too  can and will hold fast to the faith and succeed in all that God has planned for us to accomplish - because it is God's work all the way.  Amen

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The Seventeeth Sunday after Trinity - October 16, 2011

The Church Season of Trinity
The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 16, 2011)

Readings:   
    Psalm 2
    Proverbs 25:6-14
    Ephesians 4:1-6
    Luke 14:1-11

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

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 14th chapter of St. Luke, especially the following verse:

Luke 14:1-11 (NIV)

1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they had nothing to say. 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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

Jesus joins a gathering as a guest and it is He who is being carefully watched by the host who is a Pharisee, and other guests the experts in the Law all waiting to see if they could catch Jesus being ill-mannered regarding the Law of the Sabbath.  In front of Jesus was man who was very ill, “suffering from dropsy.”(v. 2) today called congestive heart failure.  The sick man had a sick heart.  The Pharisees and Lawyers had sick hearts too, today we would probably call their condition, religious hypocrites.  Meaning the Pharisees appeared outwardly very religious, but in truth they were just as sick in their hearts as the man with dropsy.

 

And seeing the sick man Jesus asked, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not”  Jesus anticipated the response, knowing it was unlawful to do much of anything on the Sabbath, unless of course they had checked in with the proper authorities to make sure that they were using the most precise technicality to skirt the rules and law.  So in anticipation of their tricks and questions regarding His healing on the Sabbath, Jesus asked, “If one of you has a son or a donkey or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?”(v.5)  

 

But the Pharisees and Lawyers could care less whether their son, or anybody else made it out of the well, rather they were too busy trying to take care of their own self image.  In those times you didn’t get to be called a prominent Pharisee without a little bit of hard work and a lot of chest pounding.  But, whether at that point they realized it or not, in two swift sentences Jesus had humbled them.  Because He had directly challenged these high and mighty technocrats of the world.  Because by the healing on the Sabbath He had brought them low, cut them down to size. Jesus lifted up the skirt of the Pharisees robes of prominence and exposed their arrogance.  They didn’t want work to occur on the Sabbath because it broke their laws, even if it meant helping others. 

 

So many times we look at these lessons and we want to see how our world fits into them.  What about me, how does this little bit of Bible reading help me to be better to do better?  And when we spend our time thinking about us and we we miss the whole point of the Gospel.  This is the Good News about JESUS FOR us.  So again, “If one of you has a son or a donkey or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?”(v.5)   The truth is not a single one of them, not a single one of us would hesitate to do whatever we had to do, what we had to get done no matter what day it was.  Pulling a relative out of a hole is probably the last excuse we would use for missing worship or missing an opportunity to be holy than though on the day we should be gathered with God’s people to return worship for our Lord.  Just ask anyone and out will come a long list of excuses of why they couldn’t make it to worship, even though there are so many opportunities to come to return thanks for God’s gifts.

Now if you think THAT is the point of this Gospel lesson you have been again misled.  That pointing out of our avoidance of reading God’s Word, studying God’s Word, missing the proclamation of God’s Word, is NOT the POINT!  That is only pointing out the law.  Now let me point out the Gospel, for there are two words we use in this sentence which could translate differently, and that is the word pit for well and raise up for fall into.  The Gospel is not about you, it is about Jesus For YOU.  Only God would send His Son Jesus to descend into the pit of hell for the remission of our sins, and only God would raise His Son up so that we would be forgiven.  This scripture is not about what we should do, but rather what God in Christ Jesus has done for us. The Pharisees would have saved their donkey, but in truth it was God who not only saved their …donkey… He did more than that He saved the entire world from eternal death.

 

The Pharisees were so focused on rules and laws and pointing to their own accomplishments that they could exhibit no true humility.  They were so busy watching others break the rules, finding fault with others actions, condemning others lives, pointing, cajoling, and grumbling, that they could not see that in their actions they had already broken the laws they sought to keep.  Their outward words and action really only reflected a cynical hypocrisy punctuated by the exclamation mark of sarcasm.  Yet sadly if those Pharisees of old were able, they would point right back at us because we join them each and every day, by all that we have done and all that we have left undone, we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves, and so we are called to repent.

For there is only one who exhibits true humility, and it is He who came from heaven and “being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!”(Php 2:8)  And through the cross of Christ, ‘God who knows our sin and pride’(Prvbs 3:34) yet He, still freely gives us His grace. You who “humble yourself before the Lord, He lifts you up.”  In fact He has already lifted you up, for in the waters of your baptism all your pain, your worry, and your sins were set aside, you have been “raised from the dead so that you may live a new life.”(Rom. 6:4)  And today you have received from Jesus Christ the forgiveness of sins, which renews, refreshes, and strengthens your faith.

In pride the Pharisees would have indeed pulled their oxen or donkey from a well even if it meant breaking their rules of the Sabbath.  But God sends to you the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Christ and through His humbleness we who are weak of heart stand in His presence.  For Jesus Christ frees us from the depths of our sin.  Jesus lifts us from a world of despair and in so doing we land on our knees, and He blesses us with His forgiveness, and with His infinite humility.  Amen.

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