Sermon Dec. 25, 2024 - Christmas Day

Title: The light of life is Jesus!
Text: John 1:4-5

 
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In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Today through the eyes of faith, and at His incarnation we see in the manger, a baby, the Christ child and say: “Here is my God!”

The light of life is Jesus!

John 1:1-18 has been one of my favorite sections of scripture. It expresses the deity of Jesus Christ, His glory that he has with the father and the abundance of His name which is full of grace and truth.

In the beginning, God, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit parallels in John 1:1 what is said by him in Genesis 1:1.

As God, in the beginning created the heavens and the earth, so too we learn from John’s gospel that “in the beginning was the Word,” that the “Word was with God.” And that “the Word was God.”

What is evident in Genesis 1 is that God is a plurality as creator and that His Spirit hovered over the face of the waters and that God spoke and said, “Let there be light.” Genesis 1:3

This is in John’s gospel elaborated, expanded and explained … as the Word, that from the beginning … was with God and that He was God and that through Him, through the “Word,” all things were made.

In Genesis the light that God set forth by His “Word” is the light of men and though the darkness cannot overcome it, this light of the “Word” continues to shines forth.

God’s light that shines forth in his Word and whom God is made known by, is revealed by the One who has seen God and is God and to whom his children believe and know his name. This name of the “Word” is the eternal name which John came to testify to, so that the world might recognize him … the eternal God.

YHWH, is the name by which the Word, from eternity, has been made known to the world and by revelation and by faith we know Him to be Jesus.

The light of life is Jesus!

Not all see the “Glory” that is only revealed by faith in the Christ. Not all see salvation in him; because it is made know by that same faith and working of the Holy Spirit. But though not recognized, salvation is there – in the child - none the less.

The Hebrews text from our epistle for today says that this Christ child:

3 … is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

He came in the flesh so that those who are unable to see … that was you and me and in fact the entire world born in sin could be made righteous, could be made new, could be born again … from above … born of God … and given new life in Him.

The world doesn’t want to hear this, and the world doesn’t want to see this, and that is what makes this child and this birth ever more amazing!

Because he came anyway, despite the hatred … despite the sin, he came for you!

Since last Christmas many dear members took their rest in Jesus.

Some I got to pray with, and most I officiated at their funerals. From Marilyn Rappuhn, just after Easter to Deb Trosin, George Voss, Sue Vogt and finally Kathy Thompson in early December it has been a time of loss and sadness.

The Lord has graciously received them all.

Psalm 103 is a psalm of joy, hope and blessing. I’d like to share a few verses.

Psalm 103
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

And that’s how it is with God! From its very opening pages, all the way to the end of the book, the Bible is a story about how God has pursued us with joyful love … an unchanging and unquenchable and UNDESERVED love, because he wants us to come home … to his house!

And we do that in this life through the gift of grace by faith! It’s an amazing privilege.

The light of life is Jesus!

The joy we feel today is reflected in Christ, the child in the manger that we celebrate today. Though given as a gift there was a real price to be paid.

This very son of God came to redeem the world by His life, death on the cross for you and his glorious resurrection assures that you will rise too!

Today you too need to see Jesus for who He is; the author and finisher of your faith. He is the one who has taken away the sins of the world and in Him you have life eternal – because his gift is perfect!

The good news is that through the working of the Holy Spirit you have been brought to faith and through the means of grace, of word and sacrament, you are continually built up in Christ being made holy in Him, this beautiful child of Bethlehem that was prophesized long ago.

The truth that we are given in this Christ is not fiction!

It is the true and blessed working of our Lord to redeem the lost, you and me. You have been forgiven and are found in him. Rejoice in this blessed gift of God!

Jesus became flesh for you and is your salvation!

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Do not fear what this world gives but see what God gave, in his child … in his manger.

Friends, the light of life is Jesus!

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

Amen

Sermon Dec. 24, 2024 - Christmas Eve

Title: The blessed one is Jesus!
Text: Isaiah 9:2-7

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2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Tonight we celebrate the eve of our Lord’s nativity. The coming of Jesus the Christ of God, born of Mary and born to set us free from the inherited nature we are all born into, born in sin, and born to die.

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.

The light of Christ has been brought to a world dead in darkness.

Because death came to all humanity and in Adam’s fall all die. The fall into sin condemns us as God’s enemies. No friend of God, we are all condemned to a life apart from God’s love and destined to live in time, daily, without faith, peace, or hope in the world.

You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

For those in faith and those apart from faith the Lord’s abundance flows. Sun and moon, day and night, rains, fields, flocks and harvest all provided from the hand of the Lord, give life and sustenance to all those created in the image of God. We all live by God’s mercy with each and every breath we take. In fact, life is a gift from God. We know that whether a Christian or not all die and so death is given to all born in the natural way form the child in the womb to the aged needing around the clock care. With Life, death is the promised fulfillment in the world. Long life or short, rich or poor we all will be brought to the doors of death and death will win.

The joy tonight is not in our station in this life or what we have achieved. Our joy is in the savior who came in humility and reigns in glory. As Jesus himself said as his disciples cried out at his triumphal entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

38 … “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

The rocks themselves would cry out repeating the sounding joy of our Rock Jesus

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.

The yoke of those burdened by sin has been broken and the rod of the oppressor has been overcome. Just as in the days of the Judges when Gideon and 300 men overcame the much larger Midianite Army by the power and word of the Lord. So too the word made flesh in the incarnate son of God will vanquish sin, death, and the devil for you and me.

For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.

The wages of sin is overcome in the blood of the lamb. Where we daily battle sin and death, God has placed the work of Jesus, apprehended in faith and made sure by the Spirit, we who believe have overcome the fires of hell and an eternity separated from God receiving the promise of eternal life in Jesus.

The consequence of sin has been changed for you and me. To believe in Jesus, this Christ child gives us life. Life not to walk in sin – though we remain in the sinful tent of our flesh, but to walk in the Spirit, the promise of faith and belief in the one whom God has sent to redeem those born in sin and born to die.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace is Jesus!

His peace comes in this manger and in this child but it is made known to you and me in Baptism.

In Baptism we are marked as his.
In Baptism we are given faith.
In Baptism we receive Jesus by the work of his Spirit.
In Baptism death is swallowed up in victory and …
In Baptism we are raised to newness of life!

In Him, in Jesus, God restores the broken.

Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

By the Word of God and through his Holy Spirit our Lord calls and gathers his children. He sits on the throne of David forever and rules with justice and righteousness. His reign will never end and his love for the lost continues until his coming in power and glory to raise the dead in Christ and gather those who are longing for his reappearing

It is God’s desire and wonders of his love to rule your hearts and minds by his son the incarnate word of God. God who was made flesh in the person and work of Jesus for you and in him God gives hope and peace and true Joy to the world!

Luke’s gospel gives that same hope, promise, and joy with these words in Chapter 2: 11-14

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Sermon Dec. 21-22, 2024 - Fourth Sunday in Advent

Title: In Christ, the blessings of the Lord are yours!
Text: Luke 1:39-45

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41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Savior of the nations, come,
Virgin's Son, make here Your home!
Marvel now, O heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.

The coming of Jesus is God’s fulfillment for a world, lost in sin, as Jesus makes clear in John Chapter 6:

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. …

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The Lord’s fulfilment comes in God’s plan through a “little town” as the prophet Micah records in our Old Testament reading for today:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Micah 5:2)

This Bethlehem, this “house of bread” as it were would become the place where the true bread from heaven, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior would come down to save His people from the power of sin, death and the Devil’s working in their lives.

From this tiny town the salvation of the world would emerge.

Mary, who just a little bit earlier in Luke’s gospel reading, would have a visitation from the Angel Gabriel, announcing that she would have a very special role to play in God’s plan for restoring the gulf that was fixed by sin between God and man and we also have heard these past two weeks how John the Baptist would be used by God to prepare the way.

Today our Gospel reading moves back a bit in the story, some 30 plus years, to Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, another women used by God for a very important role. She would bear the prophet, John, who would be the greatest of all prophets as Jesus said in our Gospel reading from last week,

28 I tell you … among those born of women none is greater than John.

But this visit of Mary to Elizabeth was a bit different.

Mary with joyful energy and as the text says, “Arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,” and came to the house of Zachariah, where she greeted Elizabeth, just as you or I might great a relative or dear friend.

But then God performed a miracle. By the working of the Holy Spirit this unborn son of Elisabeth, at hearing Mary’s voice, was filled with the Holy Spirit.

And so too Elizabeth, by this same Spirit acting in a miraculous way, also filled her as she spoke:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord (by special gifting of the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth was given the knowledge and trusting faith to know who this child Mary was carrying truly was) should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” Luke 1:42b-44

In Christ, the blessings of the Lord are yours!

So, what does the knowledge given you by the Holy Spirit about Jesus bring you?

Is it an unstoppable kind of joy that might even cause you to leap?

If you’re like me, I joy in Christ … that he has given me freedom from sin …
but the Christmas season can be a drag at times too.

Having worked in retail sales for most of my adult life I have found it hard to get joyful working extra hard and being consumed with all that needs to be done – during the holidays.

Many find the Christmas Season extra hard to deal with. Suicides are a major concern this time of year.

Sadness at the holiday time can cause despair and for some the joy of the season doesn’t cut through the grief.

Now, add to all of this the fact that this child, this babe from Bethlehem, this Jesus, would become an offence to many.

He is an offense in our world for sure so much so that Merry Christmas has become just another happy holiday – handed down as corporate policy from the board rooms of many companies so that the true blessed meaning of Christmas has been neutered into just another sale, Hallmark, or Lifetime movie – or lost altogether. Sound familiar?

The message of who Jesus is, who this child is that we wait for this Advent season … the one who caused the child in the womb of Elizabeth to jump for joy - this child Jesus Christ - came to conquer the power of evil and brokenness in this world, for you and for me.

Don’t let the season be defined by the ways of the world.

Because, in Christ, the blessings of the Lord are and remain yours!

For John in the womb and Elizabeth, the joy that is the Christ child, came in a miraculous and unexpected way through Mary’s visit.

We too receive the joy that is Jesus Christ our Lord when He calls us to gather together in His name;

… where we receive his word and his sacraments giving us both faith and joy in this Christ child who came to free sinners, like you and me, from the enemy of our sin, from the death that it has brought to all who are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity, (Psalm 51.5) and finally to join us to Him who is God in the flesh for all eternity!

Our Joy is in the Christ child and that is for whom we await. He came for you and by the power of the Holy Spirit, he gives you faith to leap for joy from the womb of death that you are born into, and by that same Spirit, He lifts you into his loving arms never to let sin, death or the Devil pull you from the eternal life he gives.

Not by human flesh and blood,
By the Spirit of our God,
Was the Word of God made flesh --
Woman's offspring pure and fresh.
By the work of the Holy Spirit, we rest in Christ, and the blessings of the Lord are ours!

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Sermon Dec. 14-15, 2024 - Third Sunday in Advent

Title: Rejoice in Jesus!
Text: Phil 4:4-7

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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.

Last year the word came in a group text message to me and a few friends early on a 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? How will I be affected?

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

Once again, innocent life lost and a war between people continues.

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 23 years ago 4 planes slipped through that protection to inflict great damage and loss of life upon our Nation.

Whether, New York, Israel, Gaza or Ukraine, our sense of safety, and distance from those wishing us harm, came crashing down.

Paul begins our lesson for today:

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

When tragedy comes we often ask:

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

“Why death?”

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 – and the opposite of the sin we face, 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.

But no matter the 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 way we often respond in this life in the flesh.

So here Paul, points to the work of God in you and in 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 simply supply our needs, or thanking him for all he has already blessed us with.

And by this work of the Spirit 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 our understanding. It calms anxiety, brings comfort in trial, and gives us the ability to rest in him and have as it were, 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 he speaks in his letter to the Colossians about the result of being in Christ, and living this New Life that we have been given by faith in Jesus.

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 both receive and give.

Rejoice in the Lord always!

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

The phone beeped and the text came in, “Mom’s in the hospital. She took a fall last night.”

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.

I’ve seen also, in those times, the calming peace of the Lord at work.

It doesn’t mean that the anxious times won’t come, but the calming comfort of God in prayer, brings peace, allowing us to rest in him and cast our cares upon him, where his peace becomes ours, 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 – we pray to put on Godly ears - with the intention of obeying.

That is our 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 by his Spirit.

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

Advent gives us a time to wait, ponder, and rest.

Not in a temporal rest that we need, because the time before Christmas can be hectic and chaotic. But, in the rest of Peace knowing Christ, and the forgiveness of sins he has won, that gives us a peace that passes understanding.

Finally, Paul talks about our provisions in Christ and how he rejoiced in the Lord no matter the circumstance that he faced.

And in verse 13 which is often taken out of context and used inappropriately. He writes:

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.

So, this Advent allow contentment and peace to rest with you. Cast your cares on Jesus and let his peace bring comfort when and where it is needed.

So, Rejoice in Jesus! No matter the need, trial, or struggles that we face, through the Lord’s work and provision, and by his Holy Spirit:

We can rest in Jesus and rest in his peace!

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Sermon Dec. 7-8, 2024 - Second Sunday in Advent

Title: God works in and through you!
Text: Phi; 1:2-11

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3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

In life we give thanks for a lot of people.

Many are dear family and loved ones but at times, people we’ve crossed paths with come to mind and for their presence in our lives we thank God.

For me, Mary Foxall comes to mind. Little Mary, as she was called, would come up to the shoulder of the smallest adult you might think of. Sweet, and with a gravelly voice. She would come for music lessons at the store and bake sugar cookies for the staff to enjoy. Well into her 80’s, she was a breath of fresh air and a joyful remembrance in my life.

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

Paul too has a reason and cause for joy.

Praying for those at Philippi, that have partnered with him in the work of the Gospel, he remembers them in his prayers and does so with joy!

You, I’m sure have heard the old phrase:

“Find something that you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

That is the joy for the gospel that Paul and the Philippian believers felt compelled to do. Not, a work of merit and not under compulsion, these believers joyfully love telling the good news about Jesus to those who would hear, both near and far.

To this Paul gives them assurance:

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

God works in us and through us for the completion of his work.

One day at the music store, the word came to me that little Mary had taken a fall and was convalescing at Canterbury on the Lake. I was concerned. Mary was 95 at the time and I was heartbroken and concerned. I remembered the joy she brought to me and as I walked towards her door to make a visit, I didn’t know quite what to expect.
Would I find her awake and alert or would she be in a broken state and sedated?

As I pushed the door to her room open, I saw Mary sitting in her wheelchair by a table writing a letter.

“Oh, hi!” She exclaimed, giving me a big smile; “I’m glad to see you!”

Mary told me she was doing pretty good for an old gal and just writing some cards and letters – in perfect penmanship - thanking all the people for their prayers and concern.

“It was really no big deal.” She told me.

But I said a prayer of thanks for her and the Lord’s protection and deliverance for Mary.

As Paul writes - not in a wheelchair or at a desk - but from a prison cell most likely in Rome he writes:

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

We too partake of God’s blessings together – in our imprisonment of sin - by his grace, and through faith baring each other’s burdens in the trials of life, both within and without, and we all joy in the blessings that God provides too us both young and old alike.
Whether, it is at the beginning of our lives, during our productive work years, or at a time when our bodies are failing and falling apart, and it seems that the simplest of tasks are so difficult to complete.

Or, as Monica told me just a few weeks ago:

“Russ, I don’t want you on the roof anymore.”

We can feel like Paul, imprisoned in the prison cell of our own flesh, waiting for release.

But it is not for the defense of the gospel that we are imprisoned.

No, but it is for the sin we were born into, and for the sin that we continue to live in, in this life. Sin will have its way with us and ultimately the result of sin brings forth its fruit … death.

At the right time though, God speaks forth and God speaks to.

… 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Luke 3:2-3

John, was God’s prophet and mouthpiece.

4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

God’s salvation is guaranteed and comes to us through his means.

He speaks this truth to us and by his Spirit opens our dark, and deaf closed ears to hear so that we trust the promise of our savior and believe.

You and I, and my friend, little Mary, had God open our ears and our heart to his saving truth. That hope remains now and through the length of our days, etched in the lines on our face, as we bear fruit keeping with repentance.

Little Mary got back home after her time at Canterbury and resumed her life though a bit slower and without the use of her car.

She was no longer allowed to drive and her lifeline to the world away from home was lost.

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

We were having a concert and class party at the store and when I asked about Mary, I heard that she wasn’t coming because she couldn’t get there.

I called Mary and asked if she would like me to pick her up and bring her to the store?

Mary lived was only a few miles away, and when I arrived at her home and knocked on the door she came out with a big smile on her face.

As we walked to the car she called out to her neighbor, “I’m going to a party!” As I got in the car and closed the door she said:

“I didn’t want my neighbor to think that I was just going with some guy!”

The light of Christ shined through Mary in her smile and with her kindness and yes even in her salty, gravelly 95-year-old voice and the wonderful sugar cookies she baked.

Her love abounded for friends and family in Christ Jesus, just as Paul’s loved abounded for Christ and for the Philippian sheep under his care.

We too should care and abound in love, one for each other, as well as for the lost sheep of the Lord given under our care whomever and wherever they may be.

Little Mary Foxall passed into the arms of her savior Jesus on February 10, 2015 at the age of 101. She was old in age but young in spirit. The Lord had call her and claimed her by the gospel and she shared her love for Jesus with those around her, her whole life.

But like my current work as Pastor and my previous work is the piano business, I’m reminded of the loss of so many loved ones both near and far.
And just like the Apostle Paul and those Philippian believers:

9 … it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

Filled with the Love of Christ,
Filled with joyful memories,
Filled with anticipation for this Advent season,
Filled with the peace of God and the Gospel of truth, and:

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

God’s comfort and peace be yours now and always!

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

 

 

Sermon Kensington Circuit December 4, 2024 Midweek Advent service

Theme: Apostles Creed / The Fall and the way of Life
Title: The Father / Article 1 Creation
Text: Gen. 2:15-17

Live:  The Father / Article 1 Creation

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Our midweek Advent theme this year is:

Apostles Creed / The Fall and the way of Life

As we look to the incarnation and coming of the Christ child, our Lord Jesus Christ, we do so in light of the God Head, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Creed, and the work of the God / Man himself, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Small Catechisms order is important. In it we learn of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession – aka the office of the keys, and the Lord’s Supper.

The distinction between Law and Gospel is important too.

In Luther’s day the Creed was divided into 12 articles and for the Roman Catholic Church it still is.

Luther writes:

In former times you heard preaching on twelve articles of the Creed. If anybody wants to divide it up, he could find even more. You, however, should divide the Creed into the main parts indicated by the fact that there are three persons: God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;

LW Vol.51 Pg. 162

God is one

For Luther, it was important in his teaching on the Creed to show the oneness of God, and the uniqueness and distinction of persons. So, there is a trinity and a unity that he taught in the Creed revealing the Father, Son + and Holy Spirit and their work.

We will look to God during these midweek Advent services and the relationship of the persons in the Godhead, as it pertains to the hope of Christ and his work, the uniqueness and unity of the persons for the salvation of the world, and especially as we anticipate the coming of the Christ child this Advent.

In the Creed we learn of the triune nature of God, his involvement with Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification and his activity expressed in the Creed, revealing what he has done, and more importantly, what he has done for me.

Today we focus on the First Article, Of Creation
The revelation of who God is begins in the first Article.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

–Answer: I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

Source: https://bookofconcord.org/small-catechism/

In our text:

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Adam, created by God on the 6th day and blessed with all of God’s work is given dominion to care for God’s good creation.

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God’s own word proclaims that his work is good. So, this first Adam is good, and all he has to care for is good creation of God. He is even given a suitable helper created out of man saying:

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

The perfection of beauty in God’s creation is made evident not only in the diversity of things created, but in fullness of his creation seen in the image of God - reflected in this Adam.

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

As Christians we confess in the Creed, I believe.

Webster says:

To believe is to consider something honest and true, genuine and real, and to accept the evidence.

Our belief is all gift, revealed in the one true God who has created all things - this Father Almighty - Maker of Heaven and Earth!

This faith and statement are only something we can confess - because of the full work of the triune God who has reconciled us, and brought us to faith in him, so that we can see who he is, what he has done, worship him in spirit and truth … and call him Father.

It is certainly true that all of these good created gifts come from God and that all people find benefit in God’s good creation; but it is not possible to know God as Father, to thank him, or to call on him, apart from his work in revealing himself to you and me.

It is the fullness of God’s love and grace that he has created us in his image and that he desires to have fellowship with us as creator and creation, and, that in spite of sin and the fall, God desires to save us from an eternity separated from him.

And God said.

The speaking of creation into existence, unites the Father with the Word.
And while as Luther makes clear in his Large Catechism:

… that the Ten Commandments have taught that we are to have no more than one God [Deuteronomy 6:4] So it might be asked, “What kind of a person is God? What does he do?”

So that the Creed is nothing else than the answer and confession of Christians arranged with respect to the First Commandment. As if you were to ask a little child:

11 My dear, what sort of a God have you? What do you know of Him? he could say:

This is my God: first, the Father, who has created heaven and earth; besides this only One I regard nothing else as God; for there is no one else who could create heaven and earth.

In Creation the eternal Word is active!

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

The Father’s intent brought forth a perfect creation, culminating in the creation of Adam.

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

But we don’t see perfection in our world. The fall into sin is fully evident.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

We all are bound in this reality.

Fallen into sin and death, we know that we shall surely die. But, God the father, through the sending of his only Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh – in Love, desires to restore what was broken in the fall making peace between God and man.

Bound in love God the Father sends his son to redeem we, who are bound in sin and death, so that we might be redeemed and restored to himself.

Friends, our fall into sin is terminal, but our Heavenly Father – through the sending of his son – restores hope in a hopeless world. He breaks the bonds of sin and death, and he gives we, who are terminal, eternal life - by faith in his son our Lord Jesus. The Christ child of our Advent hope.

The banishing of Adam and Eve from the garden, shows God’s love and purpose in redemption. Which is to save those who might eat from the tree of life and live forever in their fallen state.

God’s purpose as we wait for the coming Christ of God this Advent, is to bring those broken in sin, through the atoning sacrifice of his son, to the banquet feast of the Lamb and to an eternity prepared for them in Christ!

To this blessed good news, we confess:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

To this we make our confession in Gods creative power, and recreative power - to restore what had been broken in the fall, and through the coming Christ of God, to give us peace and hope in the babe of Bethlehem.

In the name of the Father and of the Son+ and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Sermon Nov. 30 Dec. 1, 2024 First Sunday in Advent

Title: Our Righteous judge is Christ!
Text: Jer. 33:14-16

Facebook live: Our Righteous judge is Christ!

14 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise, I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

1 Jesus came, the heav'ns adoring,
Came with peace from realms on high;
Jesus came to win redemption,
Lowly came on earth to die;
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Came in deep humility.

Jeremiah’s text for today brings with it the Lord’s promise of restoration; both the restoration of the divided kingdom as well as the fullness of restoration. Previously the Lord had said:

10 “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. Jer. 29:10
And now says:

15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Justice and righteousness.

God will both condemn sin and forgive and set free.

Jeremiah had a tough job. As the court prophet for King Zedekiah, he brought God’s word to the King. At times God’s word through Jeremiah could proclaim blessing and joy and at other times it could proclaim judgment and sorrow.

Judah was in bad shape. They had been falling away from God and His word and trusting in their own righteousness. Even Zedekiah’s name in Hebrew means “Just” and “Righteous,” though he was anything but.

David was anointed to be King, called by God as one after God’s own heart. But King Zedekiah was hearing judgment from God through Jeremiah’s proclamation and it was only a matter of time before God’s judgment would come, in the form of King Nebuchadnezzar and the entire Babylonian Army, carrying the entire nation away into exile.

So what do you do if you’re the King and you don’t like what God’s word says?

You continue to trust in yourself and in your own righteousness, reason and understanding and lock God’s prophet up in the palace prison so you don’t have to hear it.

It’s what Zedekiah did and at times it’s what we do.

But the joy that our lesson today proclaims … and the blessing we wait in anticipation for this Advent season is that:

Justice and Righteousness is found only in Christ!

Don’t you and I at times shut up God’s word in our own prison of indifference or rejection?

When God’s word condemns sin, it is often easier to reject the truth God’s word points out than to turn in repentance, asking for forgiveness and receiving the forgiveness God so desires to give you and me to hear.

For Zedekiah, the judgment of God would come through the Babylonian Army.

Where might your judgment come from?

For you and for me and through the ages, the Army that many times caries us away is found in our own wisdom, understanding and reason.

What God’s word says and that which we can’t understand or wrap our arms around we often reject as foolish or only intended for a certain place and at a certain time.

We set ourselves up as God’s judge and determine what is and what is not relevant to me. Our society, or Kingdom if you will, is being judged by God’s word.

The truth is we are falling short as a nation.

We are all going our own way, as Israel did in the Book of Judges, having everyman doing what was right in his own eyes so that only a generation or two later … they neither knew the Lord or what He had done for them. How or when we get carried away into our own exile as a nation remains to be seen. But, understanding and reason is a constant battleground.

Martin Luther once said:

“Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but—more frequently than not—struggles against [God’s] divine Word, treating with contempt all that [comes] from God.”

—Martin Luther, Table Talks in 1569.

But even though we fall short there is still reason to rejoice because:

Our righteous judge is Jesus!

In those days, as today, God’s word brought judgment and blessing and for those who needed to hear, just as we need to hear, listen:

14 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

The promise of a savior, Christ the Lord, would spring forth from the righteous branch of King David. He, Jesus, would execute justice, fulfilling at the cross, God’s work of redeeming mankind from sin and the works of the Law which cause many to stumble and fall short, trusting in their own works and own righteousness.

But you … are FREE!

By the power of the Holy Spirit you have in Christ been brought to faith and trust in a foreign righteousness, one outside yourself, and by that same Spirit you cling to Christ and the eternal hope for which He came.

Justice and Righteousness is found only in Jesus Christ!

16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

The Lord is our righteousness indeed!

He has come for you and as we wait in joyful anticipation this Advent season for the coming of the babe in the manger … which is Christ the Lord, we know that he came for you and me.

But how, you might say, can I know and be sure that he came for me?

By faith through baptism and the preaching of the gospel, God has called you to believe and be His child.

As the Apostle Paul put it in 2 Cor.5:17-21:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (in Christ) we might become the righteousness of God.

In Christ the promise of righteousness is fulfilled for you!

3 Jesus comes to hearts rejoicing,
Bringing news of sins forgiv'n;
Jesus comes with words of gladness,
Leading souls redeemed to heav'n.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Hope to all the world is giv'n.

The Lord is our righteousness … that we might become the righteousness of God!

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen