Sermon October 28-29, 2023

Title: Our sin brings death but God gift is life!

Text: Romans 3:19-28

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23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Fredrick Douglas once said, “Those who profess to favor freedom and yet [deplore] agitation are men who want rain without thunder and lightning.”

Frederick Douglas

Martin Luther certainly felt the thunder and lightning that he did not expect when he nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg castle church door on October 31, 1517. What he intended for theological debate and discussion caused turmoil, divided the Christian church, and marked the beginning of what we know today as the Lutheran Reformation. The freedom that we who name the name of Christ received is in the Son and because of His wonderful work you are free in Christ!

Today we remember and celebrate the Reformation of the Church, began by the former Roman Catholic Priest and Augustinian Monk, Martin Luther. We also celebrate the joy that we who today benefit from this blessed freedom found in the Gospel message, will continue together with the whole church to reach the lost with this same gospel message.

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law … 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

This was the crux of Luther’s struggle. How could a sinful man stand before a holy God? He would ask himself, “Must God condemn sin? Yes. Am I a sinner? Yes. Must God condemn me? Yes!”

This struggle and torment tore at Luther as he tried to understand the depth of the fall into sin and the rescue that was enacted on our behalf in the person and work of Jesus Christ. As one myself who came to Lutheranism as an adult, and also as one who struggled to find peace with God, I came to identify a great deal with Luther. One book that was important in my transition to Lutheranism was Heiko Oberman’s, Luther: Man between God and the Devil. It was not only a history of Luther and the reformation but it also was a perfect picture of where Luther stood … between God and the Devil. On the one hand judged and condemned as a sinner by God and on the other hand tempted and taunted by the Devil. Luther thought, “Where can peace be found in this life let alone the life to come?”

[Interestingly LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matt Harrison once posted on his Facebook page that 1/3 of all LCMS members are adult converts.]

For there is no distinction:

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Rom. 3:22b-24

While verse 24 says pretty much the same thing it was Chapter 5 and verse 1 that gave Luther what he was looking for … peace.

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 5:1

Grace was God’s gift but the means, that Luther now understood, was through the instrument of faith. This gift of Grace and Faith gave Luther hope and peace in a God, not of wrath, but of love.

25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

[The word propitiation carries the basic idea of appeasement or satisfaction, specifically toward God. Propitiation is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended person and being reconciled to him.]

http://www.gotquestions.org/propitiation.html

So not only is God no longer angry with you, because Jesus has accepted all of God’s wrathful anger in a once and for all sacrifice at the cross, but in Christ by faith you receive what Christ received … God’s favor … on account of that same sacrifice.

Luther was free and the Roman Catholic Church wouldn’t be the same.

Not that Luther was trying to topple or rebel against the Roman Church but just to reform its errors. It’s a little like a student finding an error that the teacher wrote on the blackboard. The student points out the error not to show up the teacher but to show that he was paying so close attention that this error jumped out at him. The proper response from the teacher is to thank the student and move on. That’s what Luther thought would happen, that his propositions in his 95 theses posted on the door of the Castle Church would bring theological debate and he felt confident that he could prove that his thinking was right by the word of God.

I was born on April 18, 1955 and baptized in May of that year. My first remembrance of Church was at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, in McKeesport Pennsylvania. The services were in Latin … and I didn’t understand a word. Not much different for the Church members in Luther’s day. Remember the only thing they knew about God was what the Church told them. The Bible was in Latin and they, if they didn’t read Latin, were in the dark.

One movie that I enjoyed is a film called Martin Luther Heretic.

The title says a lot about how the church viewed Luther … as one who taught falsehood. One scene that is especially poignant has Luther teaching his students the difference between the scripture in Latin and what he found in the ancient Greek. He points out that in the Latin it reads, do penance but in the Greek is reads, change heart. Luther saw that the Latin was a mistranslation of change heart.

The changing of our heart from being God’s enemies to being at peace with God - is all God’s work.

This set Luther free to preach the freedom of the Christian who at birth is bound to sin, just like you and me, but who is freed from sin, death and the power of the Devil by God’s gift of Grace through faith and this is not of your doing, not a result of works (doing penance) so that no one can boast. Eph 2:8-9

This led Luther to the Diet of Worms, in Germany to hear the charges of heresy, in front of the Emperor Charles the V, which were brought against him and to give a defense for what he believed, taught and confessed. This happened on April 18, 1521, 434 years to the day of my own birth, so I felt a certain kinship with Luther as I wrestled with my own religious upbringing.

We can thank [papal legate] Aleander, that we have this eyewitness account of Luther’s arrival in Worms:

I had already concluded my letter when I gathered from various reports as well as the hasty running of the people that the great master of heretics was making his entrance. I sent one of my people out, and he told me that about a hundred mounted soldiers, probably the Sickingens, had escorted him to the gate of the city; sitting in a coach with three comrades, he entered the city [at ten in the morning], surrounded by some eight horsemen and found lodgings near his Saxon prince. When he left the coach, a priest embraced him and touched his habit three times, and shouted with joy, as if he had a relic of the greatest saint in his hands. I suspect that he will soon be said to work miracles. This Luther, as he climbed from the coach, looked around in the circle of his demonic eyes and said: “God will be with me.” Then he stepped into an inn, where he was visited by many men, ten or twelve of which he ate with, and after the meal, all the world ran there to see him.

Oberman, Heiko A. Luther Man between God and the Devil, Yale University 1989 Pg. 198-99

To those inside and outside the church the Lutheran liturgy and Roman Catholic liturgy look similar.

We have many of the same elements, invocation, confession of sins, the creeds, and even the readings for the day are the same coming from the historic lectionary. We baptize infants, instruct our youth, have confirmation and receive the Lord’s body and blood in the sacrament of the Altar.

So why was there this battle in 1521 and why does it still rage today? In a word … it’s the gospel.

Lutherans believe that we are saved by grace alone, through Faith alone, in Christ alone, and that we know this by the means of Scripture alone. No works, no penance, no merit Luther knew as those bound in sin from birth that, “the only thing we contribute to our salvation … is sin.”

Martin Luther brought the thunder and lightning but not to be a agitator - but to restore the Gospel. To give the peace of God to we who are bound in sin. To bring true freedom to those bound by the Devils lies … that we can do anything to merit forgiveness.

Let it be proclaimed!

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You are free dear friends, in Christ!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen

Sermon October 21-22, 2023

Title: The Lord knows your name and calls you his in Christ!
Text: Isaiah 45:1-7

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45 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,

Anointed

1. consecrated or made sacred; dedicated to God, often in a ceremony that includes dabbing or sprinkling with holy oil: In the Bible, the anointed High Priest was chosen from among the descendants of Aaron.

2. chosen by or as if by divine authority; chosen for a sacred, high, or special vocation or purpose:

David was anointed by Samuel to be King.
Mary was anointed by God to bear his Son.
Jesus anointed his disciples by calling them to “Follow me!” and they left their nets and followed him.
Saul was anointed by God to be his instrument to the Gentiles.
You were anointed by God to be his child by the working of the Holy Spirit and Baptism.

All of these were a special anointing and calling by God, to those chosen for his purpose.

And Cyrus too, - a Persian King - was called by God for this purpose:

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,

We as Lutherans understand that God works in the church and in the world. We call it the two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Grace and the Kingdom of the world. He works through word and sacrament in church and through those who rule, lead, or govern in the world. We as Christians live in both.

In the Old Testament reading for today in Isaiah 45:1-7 God calls the Persian King Cyrus – his anointed saying,

whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:

The Lord says –

2 “I will go before you
and level the exalted places,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

God calls Cyrus for his purpose and we read in Ezra 1:

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.”

God used Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem and to free the captives in Babylon.

Just as God Cyrus he also called Pharaoh to serve his needs in the Exodus from Egypt telling Moses in Exodus 7:

2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” Exodus 7:2-5

God works in the church through his means of grace, and in the world through those he wills, both good and bad, for his ultimate purpose. We might remember Jesus’ response to Pontus Pilate in John 19:10-11

10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.”

The authority God has he gives in both the left and right Kingdoms for his good purpose.

He anoints Judges and those who govern though at times it seems in opposition to good order, and then we see only through hindsight how God’s purpose has been revealed. As in the story of Joseph:

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Gen. 50:12

We see in the hand of God’s ministers how the work of God continues through the church as he retains and forgives sins, proclaims his word, and unites bread and wine to be his body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

We see God work as he anoints you to be salt and light in the world shining the light of the gospel in a dark world, and by his anointing work through the Holy Spirit, faith is bestowed and eternal life received.

When I visit at homes, care facilities and hospitals, I anoint those whom God has call to be his - with an anointing balm. This balm is simply a visible reminder of what has and continues to do in the lives of his children.

Those who are suffering - I anoint in the sign of the Holy Cross upon their forehead - as a reminder that God has marked them in Baptism as his beloved child and this is a reminder to them and to us of God’s presence with us, never leave us nor forsake us.

4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,

It is for God’s purpose.

I name you, though you do not know me.

All, even those who do not know or believe in the one true God can be used by him for his purpose.

5 I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,

So, if God can use those who do not know him, how much more those who do!

God has anointed you in the waters of Holy Baptism to be his, and he has equipped you with the Holy Spirit so that the gospel of peace that you proclaim goes forth from your mouth and will not come back void. It will do God’s purpose to change the hearts and minds of those opposed to the gospel, pointing to his Jesus the Christ – the anointed one of God who takes away the sins of the world!

6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Whether, Cyrus or Caesar, church or state, male or female, slave of free God works by his Spirit to make the way of salvation known! Jesus Christ the way the truth and the life is the one who came to bind up the broken hearted and to redeem those bound in sin with the peace of God that passes all understanding.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen

Sermon October 14-15, 2023

Title: Give praise to the Lord in all things!
Text: Phil 4:4-13

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4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The word came in a group text message to me and a few friends early Saturday afternoon. It simply read:

Terrorists again. Scary world!

Well, I had heard nothing at that time, but you start thinking.

Attack? Where? Who? How bad? Am I to be affected?

I checked online and saw more details about what had happened in Israel but the full picture was only starting to emerge. I was saddened by the thought of this being the answer to conflict between peoples.

Once again, innocent life lost.

I was relieved that it wasn’t in the States. But should I be? We all know that our safety is only as good as those who protect us, and 22 years ago 4 planes slipped through that protection to inflict great damage and loss of life upon our Nation.

Our sense of safety and distance from those wishing us harm us came crashing down.

Paul begins our lesson for today:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice.

As I began to work on the sermon this week in the midst of the sadness and suffering that so many are feeling - all I felt was sorrow and grief.

“Why Lord… Why the hate… Why the anger … Why the suffering?”

“Why death?”

As we touched on the last few weeks, Paul, is writing from a prison in Rome. He knows suffering and could easily focus on that, as one bound in chains and sin. But he directs his thoughts and the thoughts of his hearers to that which is antithetical - or opposed to sin. The Lord Jesus.

5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

Reasonableness?

As sinners in the flesh, we want to see evil and those responsible for that evil punished. And whatever conflict or wrong we face in this life; Paul says:

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Well … I must confess. I don’t always do this first.

My sinful flesh wants to do that which the flesh does, and sin is the leading proponent of life in the flesh.

So here Paul points to the work of God in you and me by the Holy Spirit, allowing us to rest in him rather than being anxious, calling us to prayer in all circumstances, whether asking God to supply our needs, or thanking him for all he has blessed us with.

And by this we guard our hearts in God’s word and gifts rather than falling victim to the temptations of the devil.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God’s Peace is beyond all understanding. It calms anxiety, brings comfort in trial, and give us the ability to rest in him and have a reasonable response.

Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians calls us to put on the armor of God.

Put on the belt of truth,

Put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Put on shoes for your feet, which is readiness given by the gospel of peace.

And the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

Put on the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

And to this he also speaks in the letter to the Colossians about the result of being in Christ, and living this New Life that we have been given by faith in Christ.

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Col 3:12-13

Forgiveness.

It’s ours to receive and to give.

Rejoice in the Lord always!

As a pastor, I at times find trials and suffering at my door rather than joy.

Calls to the hospital or care facilities late at night when sickness and death await, are times where those in need crave peace and comfort and I’ve seen the calming peace of God at work.

It doesn’t mean that the anxious times won’t come, but the calming comfort of God in prayer brings peace and a good outcome allowing us to rest in him and cast our cares upon him where his peace surpasses all understanding.

8 [So], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

And we have learned, received, and heard these things in Paul’s writings in all his epistles for our benefit. So, hearing – put on Godly ears - with the intention of obeying. That is the next step.

Not that we won’t stumble and fall but that we can get up, repent, and make a way where we might think there is no way because our loving God in Christ Jesus is there to lead, and guide us into his peace.

And Peace is ultimately why we rejoice. Because God has reconciled himself to us through the blood of Jesus.

Finally, friends, Paul talks about our provisions in Christ and how he rejoiced in the Lord no matter the circumstance that he faced. Now the final line of our epistle today in verse 13 is often taken out of context and used in an inappropriate way.

13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

This can be seen as a call to that which we desire, as I have seen it used in wrong ways by well-intended Christians.

But read in context, Paul is simply grateful and thankful.

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Give praise to the Lord in all things!

13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen

Sermon October 7-8, 2023

Title: To be found in Christ is great joy!
Text: Phil. 3:4b-14

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8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

The Law of God is good.
The Law tell us what God expects.

Have no other Gods
Do not miss use his name
keep Holy the sabbath day – The Lord’s Day
Honor you father and mother
Do not kill – do murder - or be angry with your brother
Do not commit adultery
Do not steal
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor
Do not covet things of this life
Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or other people

This is all good for us.

We teach about the Law as a curb, mirror, and guide for daily living in confirmation. It gives us boundaries, shows us who we are as sinners and gives us a path forward in what God desires.

Because if we actually believe that we can keep and follow the Law, we fall victim to sin and the Law becomes our destruction, casting us into the deep abyss of Hell and away from our loving God.

Paul begins with this warning in Vs 2

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

In another place Paul calls them Judaizers.

The Judaizers were a faction of the Jewish Christians, both of Jewish and non-Jewish origins, who regarded the Levitical laws of the Old Testament as still binding on all Christians. They tried to enforce Jewish circumcision upon the Gentile converts to early Christianity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaizers

The Jews in Paul’s day, even if they followed Christ, demanded adherence to the Law - and that began with circumcision, saying: as Israel was marked in the flesh – you too need to be marked!

Jesus - plus something. Do this, and you will be saved they say.

Paul counters in Vs 3:

Jesus plus something equals nothing!

3 For we are the circumcision, Paul says, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh

Saying in essence that circumcision doesn’t save me, and the works of the Law doesn’t save me - but faith in Christ Jesus and his work, does!

Paul then brings his credentials to bear for the Philippians who may be being led astray by those who are placing themselves above Paul in authority and credentials.

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

Saying:

5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

If you want to have confidence in the flesh – match this!

Circumcised
Israel
Benjamin
Hebrew
Law
Pharisee
Zeal
Persecutor of the church
Righteous under the Law
Blameless

Paul could also add – Dead to God.

And he does, saying:

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

We too. When we look to that which we do and trust that instead of seeing that which we do - as a fruit produced in Christ - break the First commandment and our trusting a god made in our image.

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Here is where Paul says to you and me keeping us mindful to that which we have as a gift.

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Remining us that we are a new creation in Christ and as such we have nothing to prove or to win but only to live in faith – to who God has made us in Christ!

11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

This is simple trust in the promise.

Paul’s one hope, is not the good life but the Good News!

10 that I may know Jesus and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Or, to go from death in sin to life in Christ!

Through the word of God proclaimed or the word united to the waters of Holy Baptism which now saves you! The work of God - as St. Peter declares in chapter 3 of his first epistle saying:

… not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

The work of God continues to draw you to him in his word to repent and to receive forgiveness and the remember that we have been bought with a price and are his children having died and risen with him in Baptism and continue to remain in him as we live a life of faith in the work which God in Christ has done on our behalf.

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

It has been made our own by God’s work on our behalf and it is by the work of the Spirit that we remain focused on Christ and remain in him.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen

Sermon September 30 October 1, 2023

Title: Be glad and rejoice in Jesus!
Text: Phil 2:1-4, 14-18

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3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

O Lord, it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way!

You might remember the old Mack Davis song from a number of years ago.

For sinners, humility is a hard road.

Paul, in writing to the Philippians, continues to bring them joy and hope, in Christ – in the midst of his trial – but also for their benefit and comfort.

That is in fact what preaching hopes to do, and what I hope you as well are encouraged through - the preaching of God’s word - being comforted in the midst of your trials.

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

The devil likes to divide and conquer. His hope is to isolate you from the word of God and the body of believers, so that you have no hope, no encouragement, no comfort, and no joy. But Paul says that in Christ, the word of truth –brings all of that and more!

Paul’s joy is in the truth of the Gospel and the word of God which is the incarnate one, himself, Jesus Christ our Lord.

So often, the divisions that the Christian church faces, is due to the truth of the word being compromised and the hope in Christ being laid aside.

Many times, discussions can’t happen because of pride and conceit. People leave the church because the word doesn’t say what they want to hear, and they won’t even listen to the word of God - for correction – and are content to believe a lie and walk away from the truth in vain arrogance.

Paul calls the Philippians and us to look in the mirror and see humility instead of ambition or conceit.

How we interact in the church and the world is of importance, putting our ambitions ahead of others, can leave our neighbors in suffering and want, both in and out of the church.

It also comes when we disregard the truth of God’s word for a lie. It can perpetuate falsehoods and divide churches, leaving humility on the threshing floor of life - being blown away with the chaff.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

We might call this faith in action!

Looking to the interest of others also means listening to others as well.

I’ve talked to former members in years past who had left the church simply because they didn’t think their thoughts and ideas were of any interest to others here – not that they didn’t have something of value to say or add - but that no one cared enough or wanted to hear their thoughts at all. What a sad reality!

Remember, when we vote others’ ideas down, we at times vote them out also.

in humility count others more significant than yourselves. – That phrase comes to mind again and again.

In our epistle today you see 9 verses omitted from our reading Vs 5-13. But I’ll try to shine some light for you on these verses as well. Paul here brings the congregation in Philippi to mind when he says:

12 Therefore, my beloved, [people] as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

In a sense Paul says to us as well.

Dearly beloved Peace members: You have always obeyed word so, work out your salvation with fear and trembling – get your eyes off yourselves – and look to Christ! And, the way you do that … is in humility – think of others more significant than yourselves! Because it is not you but God , who is in you working for his good pleasure.

Don’t grumble.
Don’t dispute.
Don’t argue.
Be blameless.
Be humble.
Let your lights shine! In church and in the world!

As Paul says:

16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud [of you] that I did not run in vain or [work] in vain.

Hold to the word!
Hold to Jesus!

So, Paul’s work for the life of the Church – that’s you and me friends – is not in vain!

Even, if I die and am poured out for your faith - I rejoice, so rejoice with me because it has been all worth it for you dear friends!

Finally, Verses 5-11 are of a different focus and address those first readers and us of this epistle or church letter saying with the joy where are true humble focus should be:

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In Humility, look to Jesus the blessed hope for whom we wait. Now and always! Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!

Amen