The Rite of Holy Matrimony - Patrick and Dana Boks

The Church Season of Pentecost
The Rite of Holy Matrimony
Patrick Boks – Dana Ouderkirk
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 17, 2009)

“A Profound Mystery”

Readings: John 15:9-17

Sermon Form Deductive

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

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and His Church to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy marriage.

Patrick, and Dana, dear family and friends,

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

This is a wonderful day in which Our Lord Jesus Christ offers His blessings to you both. Up until this day you two were a couple. Now, here in the sight of God, the two of you become one. And the very Word of God, as given to us by St. Paul tells us, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”(v. 31) Then St. Paul goes on to say, “This is a profound mystery.”(v.32) And that probably would be an understatement for those gathered here today. Because for at least two of the parents here the planning and location of this wedding was a great mystery for most of this past summer. But there is no more mystery, today you stand together in love, together with your families, and now together with God.

Rejoice, Patrick and Dana, for it is no mystery that today, and even since the day you were born, God has had a plan for you both. God’s love has brought the two of you together and today that is abundantly apparent. It is no mystery that your all your friends and family reflect a loving care for you, because they are all here today to witness your special day. And really this special day will last you more than just today, it will last a lifetime and fact forever in Christ.

You met each other and time has passed and you have grown together. It is no mystery that the two of you this day will become one, and that promise will be sealed by your vows and in the sight of God. And that seal of God’s promise you received in the waters of your Baptisms. Whether that baptism was many years ago, or just a few days ago, you were made as one in Jesus Christ. In Baptism you were both claimed by God and made part of His Holy family. There, in the waters of your Baptism God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, gave you both the promise to be together with Him for all eternity.

Yet God is before and beyond all eternity and that indeed is a mystery to us. It can also be a mystery that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to undo all the sin of this world. For Jesus came into this world as an infant, just as both of you did, and it was here that He grew and became a man. And just like you both, Jesus Christ was baptized. And because of Jesus Christ’s life included His journey to the cross...sin, death, and the devil have been conquered. And we know that it is true for scripture tells us so. So it may be a mystery to us why Jesus would come here for us. But God gives us the answer to that question too, by saying, “8 God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Rom. 5:8)

God loves you both so much that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for you. He gives you that gift freely to you both, just as He would give that to all who live and breath in this world. One man, Jesus Christ died for many, so that they may never die, but rather see eternal life. In the coming days, months, and years, there may be challenges to your marriage, there will be good days and bad, there will be sickness and health. But also know that from time eternal God has brought you to this place, His Holy house. God in Jesus Christ is always with you and to serve you in all times. It is no mystery that God brought you both together and the two of you have become one. So in reality there is no mystery only the profound. And the profound is that God brought Jesus Christ into this world for you, so that together in Christ you may have eternal life. Amen.

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Eighteenth Sunday After Trinity - October 11, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 11, 2009)

“Answered Questions”

Readings:
Psalm 34:8-22
Deuteronomy 10:12-21
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon Form Deductive

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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 22nd chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verse(s):

Matthew 22:34-46 (ESV)

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

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

The Sadducees had failed with their attempts at tricking Jesus, now the Pharisees step up to the plate to try to snare Jesus. But as we heard in the reading of the Gospel lesson they two fail. We like that. We like that the Sadducees trip, we like that the Pharisees ultimately stumble. We like to see the bad guy get his due, to see them knocked down on their can where they belong. In fact, I think if the truth be told we really kind of love to hate the Pharisees and the Sadducees. We like to treat their utterances like bowling pins, we grab onto them and set them up just to get the pleasure of knocking them down. And they make it so easy, saying things which are contrary and not very well thought out, like when their questions are answered with questions that even they, the self proclaimed high and mighty can’t answer. Everybody likes it when they are silenced because everybody likes it when the bullies of the world are left speechless. And the best part of all is that they never seem to learn, so week after week we can hear them talk, we can build them up, and then we get the pleasure of knocking them down again.

The Pharisees were indeed experts on God’s Law. They’ve probably forgotten more Scripture than you and I will ever remember. Yet they could not rightly divide God’s Law from God’s Gospel. Worse yet, they refused to acknowledge the fulfillment of God’s prophecies standing before their eyes. The heavenly Father sends His only-begotten Son into their midst to teach them repentance toward the forgiveness of sins and instead of receiving Him with great joy, their hearts were hardened and their eyes refused to see the Word made flesh. The Pharisees thought they knew how to love their God and their neighbor. Unfortunately for them their god and neighbor happened to the same person they saw when they looked in the mirror.

But we all excel in loving ourselves. We bristle when we hear the Lord God speaking through Moses: “what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandment of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good.” (Dt. 10:12-13) Sure, we might nod our heads and think we do just as God commands. But Saint James reminds us, “ 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”(James 1:22-25)

When we look long and hard into the mirror of the Law we see that it is good and wise, and that we are not. Our love has grown cold our love of God is lip service. There are weeks when we walk into church, make an effort to sing the hymns and the liturgy, listen to the sermon, receive Holy Communion, and walk out of church with no idea of what was said and done in that hour. To love of neighbor is almost impossible when we make it a priority to first love ourselves. We are raised to be self-sufficient. Yet we often turn self-sufficiency into a dictatorship of one. We think what pleases me must please God. When we hear Moses tell the Israelites “love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,” (Dt. 10:19) we wonder who is that person who is qualified to be a stranger to us. Sounds just like that certain lawyer wondered aloud to Jesus who was his neighbor before Jesus set him straight with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Perhaps the greater sin of the Pharisees is more than not loving God and their neighbors. Perhaps it is the refusal to recognize Jesus as both King David’s son and King David’s Lord. When we, by our thoughts, words, and actions, refuse to love God and our neighbor, we refuse to recognize Jesus as both David’s son and David’s Lord. We cannot answer Jesus’ question put to the Pharisees. If Jesus isn’t God and man, divine and human, then He is either merely a man whose example should be followed in order to earn eternal life, or He is the God Who sets the bar of life so high through His doctrine and life that we could never jump over it to join Him in heaven and all that effort is just too much work.

We are the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and we are that one lawyer who try to trick our way into heaven. We outwardly treat our neighbors kindly, but speak about them with daggers on our tongues when they turn their back to us. We appear kind and godly hoping that this slight of neighbor is as effective as the slight of hand. Yet even with our best attempts at going astray, God is faithful to us. He wants to bring us back into his fold. We are treated just like those people who were gathered around Jesus. They did not put their best thoughts forward, yet Jesus did not call them out. Instead Jesus took the time to teach, so that they could see scripture and God’s Word as He meant it to be.

And God meant that Law to be in place to reflect our sin, and to guide us. Yet at the same time we are to realize that we will fall short and when we do God’s all sufficient grace is their to pick us up, and convey His grace to us. You were given that promise in the water combined with God’s Word in your Baptism. There in the baptismal font the Lord said to your Lord, God said to His Son, that this is where He will clothe you with His salvation. And today as you come to Holy Communion and partake of Christ’s true body and His true blood, that promise is made, so that you may know that your faith is renewed and refreshed, because God through Jesus Christ has granted you forgiveness of sins. And even though you may live here in time in a world which asks questions, and demands answers which we do not understand....even though your mind and body may be attacked from the outside and from the inside...Christ is still their for you. Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, and He will assure that when your final hour comes that their will be no more questions you will want or need to ask. In fact, from the very minute in the day that you leave this world all your questions will be answered, for you will be with your Lord forevermore. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity - October 4, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 4, 2009)

“Humilty”

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

Sermon Form Deductive

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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 physically ill, “suffering from dropsy.”(v. 2) a condition we would probably call today 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?” 4 But they[the Pharisees] remained silent. So taking hold of the [sick] man, [Jesus]he healed him and sent him away.”(v. 3-4) And 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 back side 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. And it is certainly not wrong to help others on any day of the week.

Today we celebrate a group who helps other’s every single day of the week. Today is Lutheran Womans’s Missionary League Sunday or better known as LWML Sunday. We celebrate these servants of Christ who do so much from what would seem such small sources. For these women collect pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, in tiny little mite boxes, yet their contributions to help others and to advance the Gospel are amazing. Officially the LWML tells us that they have, "For over 65 years, focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions.” The LWML has adopted in the current convention a $1.825 Billion dollar budget for the 2009-2001 biennium, monies which will be used to help ship quilts to Lutheran World Relief, and an amazing amount of those beautiful quilts came from this very congregation. The LWML is helping with the food bank at the St. Louis Seminary, refurbishing of homes in Florida, disaster aid in Oklahoma, and Louisiana, providing scholarships to Seminarians at both the St. Louis and the Fort Wayne Seminaries, Prison ministries, Braille Bibles, help in Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Dominican Republic, Peru, China, and North Korea, just to name a few. We thank God for all their efforts in the past, we thank God for all that they are doing now, we thank God for all that this organization will do in the future. This group is truly supporting the work of God here in this church, and here in this city, and here in this state, in this country, and in the world. They have not sacrificed giving in one place over another, rather they have found ways to support Gods work throughout the world. This is an organization which serves in humility.

In our Gospel lesson the Pharisees were so focused on rules and laws and pointing to their own accomplishments so much so that the 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. We are called to serve our fellow man in this place and to the ends of the earth, and the LWML is a good example of that desire to serve others, because this flows from the gift of grace which God gives us through his Son. For Jesus Christ frees us from the depths of our sin. He lifts us from this world of despair and He brings us to our knees, and He blesses us with His forgiveness, and with His infinite humility He humbly blesses us, and brings us to the highest seat of honor in His father’s house. And their we will humbly exalt Him for all eternity. Amen.

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

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Funeral Sermon for Helen Marie Latoski - October 2, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
Trinity 16
Funeral Service for Helen Marie Latoski
Smith-Miner Funeral Home, Midland, MI October 2, 2009

“Comfort, Comfort My People”

Readings:
Psalm 23
Isaiah 40:31
John 14:1-4


Isaiah 40:1, 28-31

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your 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.

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Family and friends of Helen, especially Bernie, Brian, Joe, and Bonnie, Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Let us remember with thanksgiving what God has done through His servant Helen Marie Latoski who was given life by his creator and was born on November 18th, 1933, the child of Benjamin and Helen Voorhees. She received the gift of Holy Baptism and became a child of God, and later publicly confessed her faith and was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church of Midland. She often received the precious gift of the Lord’s life giving body and blood. On September 22, 1956, she received the gift of a companion Bernie, her beloved husband, and they were married for over 53 years. Helen and Bernie were blessed with the gift of a child, Brian. On September 29th, God blessed Helen 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 for evermore.

The verses I just read from Isaiah, and her sister Bonnie reminded me of these words while we sat and prayed with Helen this past week. I’ll have to say that these words of scripture not only spoke directly to Helen but also to those who gathered around her and those who had thoughts and prayers for her too. “Comfort, comfort my people, says God.”(v. 1) Certainly all who knew her in these last few years knew that she was not in a great deal of comfort. At the same time Helen was given a great deal of comfort by the people who were around her. Her husband Bernie is one of the most caring loving people I have ever met. He literally cared for her day and night, I never once heard him complain, and he always seemed to wear that great big smile on his face. Helen loved her son Brian very much too, I know that because she told me so, she was very proud of you. I’m told that you would spend hours and hours chatting on the phone, what a wonderful, close and comforting relationship you were blessed to have with each other.

Yet there is greater comfort than even those which come from the things of this world for which Helen is now eternally thankful. For 54 years ago Helen was comforted by the presence of Jesus Christ in waters of her baptism. And those baptismal waters were indeed a blessed comfort. For it was God who sent His son Jesus Christ into this world. It was Christ who was baptized by John the Baptist, and it was Christ who lived and walked among us. And because Christ came into this world, was crucified, died and buried and on the third day rose again, because of Christ death and resurrection, Helen is in heaven where she will be eternally comforted by her Lord and there she will dwell with all the saints and all who have gone before her in the faith.

It was always interesting to talk with Helen, she had a mind like a steel trap. She knew names, dates, anniversaries, and birthdays. She knew about sports and I am told that she was a very good ball player too. She worked as a stenographer at Dow and was one of the most highly respected workers in that field. And Bernie told me that she loved to dance and not a day went by when Helen didn’t have her piece of chocolate. Yet at the same time over the years we can not but know that Helen was weary of her condition.

The prophet Isaiah said in that scripture we read earlier, “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”(v. 28-29). The Lord certainly gave strength to Helen though her body may have become, over the passing of years, weary.

I already miss Helen and I know you do too. The reality of death stings. In times like this, it does seem that death is like a vulture circling above our heads waiting for us to stumble and fall. The cold reality of our impending death hovers in the lofty places of our minds. Mostly forgotten, except for days like this. When we are reminded of our mortality. St. Paul reminds us, “Death is swallowed up in victory, ‘O Death where is your sting? O Death where is your victory?’ the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ”( 1 Cor 15:55ff)

Jesus gave Helen the victory of eternal life, and He takes away all the stings of this world. He gives you His victory over sin, and death, and the devil. He welcomes you to share in His victory in His words from the Holy Scripture. He welcomes you to share in His victory in the water and Word of baptism. And when you receive his true body and true blood in Holy Communion. In his death and resurrection, Jesus conquers all things, so that your sins may be forgiven.

The final words from the verses from Isaiah are, “They will soar on wings like eagles; They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Helen could not run these last few years, and as many of you know she could just barely walk. But each and every time we visited, she didn’t talk about such things. We would chit chat, laugh a bit, but really she desired to receive Holy Communion. Because Helen knew in the body and blood of Christ her faith was renewed, refreshed, and strengthened. We are sad for the loss of Helen, but on this day, she is having a joyful reunion with her Lord Jesus Christ and with all the saints of heaven.

One day your walk on this earth, this veil of tears, will come to an end. But you can rejoice, just like Helen and all those baptized into Christ. For all of Christ’s words, His death and resurrection are true comfort for our souls. And because He came to give us that comfort, there will be no more sorrow, nor crying, and there will be no more pain. Blessed are they who die in the Lord Jesus Christ from this time forth and evermore. 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
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Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity - September 27, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (September 27, 2009)

“Restored”

Readings: Psalm
1 Kings 17:17-24
Ephesians 3:13-21
Luke 7:11-17

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 as recorded in the Old Testament Lesson from the 7th chapter of Luke:

Luke 7:11-17 (NASB95)

“11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. 12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “ Do not weep.”14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “ Young man , I say to you, arise !” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” 17 This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.”

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

All too often, we are confronted with the reality of loss. Whether it be the loss of a relationship. Whether it be the loss of a loved on to debilitating disease or death. Whether it be the loss of our own health, or even the loss of things we have worked hard to achieve but have not attained as we desire. In today’s text (as well as the Old Testament lesson), we see God’s response to a great loss. Scripture tells us that it happened that Jesus journeyed to a city called "Nain", and His disciples accompanied Him, as well a large crowd.

Now Nain was a small, out of the way town— really like the crossroads of Estey, just North of town, in fact even today the population is only about 1600. Even though Jesus had plenty of important things to do, He decided that it was important for Him to go help a widow in Nain. Because with Jesus, nobody is below His concern, even widows in small towns. But as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only begotten son of his mother, herself being a widow, and a great crowd was with her.

In that time, it was horrible to be a widow , because they had no inheritance. They were completely dependent on their sons to care for them, and now, this widow lost not only her husband, but her “only begotten son”

Quite frankly, It’s not great to be a widow or a widower today, either. Nobody likes to lose people they care about. It’s hard to get used to loss—you may never get used to it in this life and when we lose someone or something we value, we cry; we get angry; we feel lost.

When the Lord saw her, He was moved with compassion for her and said to her, "Don't cry." But sometimes when we express grief over loss, it sometimes comes out the wrong way. You see someone you love who’s hurting and say, “Don’t cry.”Because you care so much, you don’t want that person to be sad. But keeping back the tears doesn’t make the sadness go away.

And yet, in today’s text, Jesus said to this woman who’d lost everything, “Don’t cry!” And that could be taken as a very insensitive comment. But no, Jesus had a reason to tell her not to cry. Because He didn’t want her to be lost in her sorrow. But He alone, the Lord of life, could and would do something about it.

The only begotten son of the widow was dead. But the only begotten Son of God was there to take care of things. And so Jesus Christ, gave her a reason not to cry. The Lord sees you, too...He knows your sorrow—He has lost many of those He loves to the gates of hell. And He is determined not to lose you. He has chosen you—hand-picked you. You belong to Him, and He says the same to you, whatever your loss—don’t cry. And so as Jesus approached and touched the coffin, and the bearers stopped. And He said, "Young man, to you I say, 'Arise!'"

Now, to understand fully what was going on here, we need a little Old Testament background, touching a dead body would make the one touching it unclean, it was to be avoided if possible. But Jesus wasn’t afraid of that, because the Prince of life can’t be corrupted by death. Instead of being corrupted by the death of the widow’s son, He raised the man to life, just like Elijah, just like Elisha. But Jesus did not do this by calling on the power of God. Jesus did this because His spoken Word is power the power of God.

This same Word of God, brought you to life out of the death of sin. He gave you faith through Holy Baptism. And through faith, He has given this gift of eternal life to you. And the Word of God does more than just raise us out of sin. The day will soon come when Jesus will again say to you and to me, “Arise!”

And all we have lost will be regained. Our loved ones who have died in the faith, our health, and all we hold dear will be restored to us. On the cross, the only-begotten Son of God entered into death so He could bring us into eternal life. And so this dead man to whom Jesus spoke, sat up, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

And so we can ask...What have you lost? Who do you think you have lost? When you find yourself feeling empty and alone, what are you lacking? What keeps you from being complete? And God’s answer is, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus will restore it to you when He restores all things.

But wait, in this crowd that was following Jesus, fear took hold of all, and then they began glorifying God, saying that, "A great prophet has arisen among us," and that, "God has visited His people." And this word went out all over Judea about Him and all the surrounding region. Why were they so excited? They knew that Jesus restoring this man to life was not a one-time event. And in fact, they were right it was not a one time event, but rather a miracle performed by Jesus that occurs over and over again. Jesus would heal and raise the daughter of Jairus and He would raise Lazarus too. And then, Christ raised Himself from the dead after He died for our sin. And He now gives this gift of resurrection freely to you and to me and to all who would believe in Him.

The crowd around Jesus was right, Because indeed God has visited and redeemed His people. Today you are the crowd, and He visits you today with words of comfort and healing, hope and forgiveness. Today you are the crowd, and He comes to you in His true body and blood in Holy Communion. Everyday Christ reminds you that you are indeed not alone and gently says to you, “Don’t cry.” And one day very soon, He will come to you, touch you and comfort you and Jesus Christ will wipe away every tear from your eye in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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The Rite of Holy Matrimony - The Wedding of Ryan & Hope Wright

The Church Season of Pentecost
The Rite of Holy Matrimony
Ryan Eric Wright – Hope Elizabeth Cox
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (September 26, 2009)

“AN ENDURING LOVE”

Reading: John 15:9-17

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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 is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 15th chapter of St. John, especially the following verse:

John 15:9-17

9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

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

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and His Church to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy marriage.

Hope, and Ryan, dear family and friends,

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

This is a wonderful day in which Our Lord Jesus Christ offers His blessings to you Hope and Ryan, in this rite of Holy Matrimony. Up until now you were a couple, from today on you will be husband and wife. The lesson from the Bible for today is from the book of John and it is perfect for this day because it talks in great detail about love. And Christ’s final word for us all and especially to you Hope and Ryan on this day is His command, for you to, “Love each other.”(v. 17) But that is not where Jesus began this little piece of scripture, He began by talking about God’s love for Him, and then followed Christ’s love for His disciples, and then He talked about loving each other. It is a perfect description of love in three parts. And all that is not by mere chance, or fate, or simply by dumb luck. And quite frankly your love for each other is none of those things either. God’s love for His Son Jesus Christ is real. Christ’s love for us, His people, is real. Hope and Ryan, your love for each other today is abundantly real. And all that love is,

“AN ENDURING LOVE”

Now when people think of enduring love, the first thing that does not pop into their minds is the love which they see in newlyweds. Instead they would probably think of some of their relatives or family friends who they know that have been married for years and years. It would only seem logical, wouldn’t it, that two people who have been married for such a very a long time must have a different kind of love to remain a family and endure together for such long a time?

But no matter what anybody says, it is indeed an enduring love which has brought you both here together this day. For it is not by simple chance, nor is it by coincidence that you stand here together today. God had a plan for you, and it stemmed from His enduring love for you. For soon after you were born Hope, you were baptized and made a child of God. Through the Water combined with God’s Word you received God’s salvation which endures forever. And what about you Ryan? Well you too were baptized. Maybe not as an infant, in fact it was just yesterday, but all the same God had a plan for you too. And God’s plan was to bring you Ryan, and you Hope together.

The Holy Spirit has indeed worked faith in both of you and he did so when you heard of His saving grace, Whether you heard God’s Holy Word from the lips of a pastor or from a reassuring and dear dear family member, God did create and nurture faith in both of you. And He accomplished that in the water’s of Holy Baptism, for there you made a part of the same family, God’s forever family. And if I may brag just a tad, it was Pastor Wright who baptized two out of three Wright’s in your new family. Yet I must admit, though the water flowed from the baptismal font through my hands to baptize Ryan and Chloe, it was not my work, nor was it my grace, nor was it my blessing which you received. I do stand here in God’s stead and by His command, but it was indeed God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which brought you all together. So you are all in His forever family and at the same time you are now a family together.

Soon you will speak your wedding vows and in all these words, you will note that you Ryan will speak them directly to Hope, and Hope you will speak them directly to Ryan. In these vows you will speak of your enduring love for each another. And for all the reasons you will promise each other, you will be united to one another, and “you will become one flesh.”(Genesis 2:24) Your responsibility now will be to God and to each other and to “love each other.”(v. 17 ) and to love Chloe too. And half of the promises you will make in your vows will be easy to keep, “for better, for richer, and in health.” Yet enduring love means that you will also endure together the other half of those promises, meaning the “for worse, for poorer, and in sickness.” And even more than that there will be other challenges from this world and the people in it. There will be challenges when you fail each other or even fail yourselves. But remember we are all human and we fall to sin, and so in those times remember what enduring love is, it endures all things. For no matter what happens, God will always be there to forgive you, to support you, and to love you, for His mercy is endless, in fact His mercy endures forever.

Today Hope and Ryan you stand in the presence of God as His baptized children. God called you by name, and brought you both together, to be here together, in His church on this very day. And God will be with you each and every day, whether it be a day of enduring love or day which is to be endured, either way, God is with you. For He first loved you both and He loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ, for you. And Jesus Christ loved you so much and everyone in this world, that in love He endured all things, even death on the cross. That is true love, that Jesus Christ would lay down His life for you, so that in His death and resurrection, together you would have the promise of eternal life together and indeed Hope and Ryan that is an enduring love. Amen.

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Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity - September 20, 2009

The Church Season of Trinity
The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (September 20, 2009)

“An Empty Jar?”

Readings:
Psalm 146
1 Kings 17:8-16
Galatians 5:25 – 6:10
Matthew 6:24 - 34

Sermon Form Deductive

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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 Old Testament Lesson from the 17th chapter of 1st Kings, especially the following verses:

1 Kings 17:8-16

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” 13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.’ ”15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

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

Elijah said to the widow, “Do not be afraid.”(v. 13) It is not ironic that these are the very same words used by saints and angels throughout Holy Scripture when the Word of God is spoken to His people. And then follows God’s assurance, that is, what God provides is an unending source of His love and grace for all those who would believe. It was true for the widow there in Zarephath of Sidon it is true for us here today, it is true because our Lord God has told us so, that, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only Son of God.”(John 3:18) Sadly the things of this world trip, challenge, and entice us into questioning our belief that God will always provide for us. And this widow of Zarephath was no different than us, she had lost her husband, she obviously had no family nor friends to help support her, her food had run out, but for a jar of flour and oil. This woman was preparing herself and her son for their last meal, for she knew that soon all would be gone and she would be left with,

“AN EMPTY JAR”

Our Father, who is in heaven, spoke to Elijah and told him that He had, “commanded a widow in that place to supply [Elijah] with food.”(v. 8) This meant that God had prepared and made ready this widow to trust the Lord’s promise spoken by Elijah, that the vessel of flour and the jar of oil, her last remaining physical possessions on earth, would never become empty so long as the drought should last. And as He had promised, and by the power of His Word, God fulfilled that promise, day after day. But even though she was worthy and well prepared, the widow succumbs to that which is around her. The widow falls victim to what she sees, a world without her spouse, a jar that may be more than half full today, yet at the end of the day it will be most certainly be completely empty. This is the way she see her life, for she knows at the end of the day she has no further resources to feed herself or her son. For her it is eat, drink, and be dreary, for today you will die.

We can’t blame this woman for her words, “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”(v. 12) We can’t blame this widow for if we were in the same situation, most likely we too would fall to the same circumstances inflicted by the devil, the world, and the sinful nature of all human beings. For we too, each and every one of us, have fallen into the sin of doubt and despair as a result of anguish, which blurs our vision, and causes us to loose sight of the miracle of our Lord’s grace.

It would be very easy to see this world as an empty jar, to wonder where all God’s grace has gone, to wonder how we will make it through the day, nevertheless think about all the days to come. It seems that life is full of circumstances which cause our bodies, our jars of clay, to be shattered into pieces. The things that we once thought were stable in our lives seem to be all but gone. Half of Marriages end in divorce, and that fact is true whether you are a Christian on non-Christian. Our world would have marriage itself would be re-defined to meet the needs of society rather than stem from God’s clear teaching. The world is at war with itself, nations strive against nation, people against people, and the weaponry which we has been developed causes our minds to consider the enormous magnitude of the mass annihilation which could occur should these weapons be unleashed. People are angry for what the government doesn’t do, while at the same time people are angry for what the government does do. Family schedules are filled to the brim with activities, events, sports, school, and so many other distractions so vast that the idea of a family sitting down together for a meal together is all but a lost memory to us. To our minds the world and all that is seems to have become a ruthless and relentless train of events yet sadly we hop aboard, show our ticket and gladly get punched, or rather should I say we punch ourselves. And when it seems we are down the most, something comes up to empty us further.

We can relate to that widow that Elijah spoke to. Although we may not be preparing to eat our last meal, sin, devil, and this world still makes demands upon us, it empties our minds, our resources, until we can no longer bear the burden. Sadly we are not only tripped by sin, we gladly skip to it as well. But if I were to say to you now, that you should strive to be like that widow, and pick yourself up in the face of death, I too would be piling on with words of the Law. Meaning, if I said you must do better, you must have more faith, you should, and you could, I too would be adding a burden upon you so that you would fear whence your next meal may come from.

Therefore we must repent. For it does not bring us any closer to God, if we try to be like the widow to whom Elijah spoke. Quite frankly, before God our jars are as empty as hers, and just like her we do face a certain death by starvation. Yes satan would starve our faith, and cause us to look at all that we face and cause us to fall to the ground writhing in our own self pity. Because whether we trust in that widow, or in ourselves we ultimately place all our trust in what we do. We set ourselves up for failure, for the acts of humans do not gain us the Kingdom of heaven.

Repent. God will and has given you more than your daily bread, more than what you would ask for, he has caused your jars of clay, your bodies and souls to be filled to over flowing. Do not worry about today, for today He has forgiven your sins. Do not worry about what will happen for your tomorrow, for God has always had a plan for your tomorrow. And do not worry about what is beyond tomorrow, this week, this month, or this year, for God has always had a plan for your tomorrows and beyond. The widow returned to Elijah and her jar was never found empty. God gives you much more than that, for He has emptied His Son upon the cross, and He fills you with His grace which will never end. The Lord spoke to the widow through the prophet Elijah, but now in these last days God has spoken to you through His Son Jesus Christ. And so God brings for you His heavenly food, which will never ever run dry and never run out, and you will enjoy His food and drink at His heavenly banquet feast forever and ever. Amen.

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

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