http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/lcms/ en-us Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:20:56 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2071656/posts “Our Church Is a Loving Family” (Romans 12:9-21)Our church is a loving family. Yes, it is. I am confident it is, and I am confident in appealing to you to think and act as such, because God says that’s what we are--a loving family. That’s what he made us to be, that’s who we are, so let’s think of ourselves in that way and let’s let our lives demonstrate that love in action. That’s kind of a summary of today’s Epistle lesson, from Romans 12. Listen to some of the things St. Paul says to the church in Rome: “Let... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2071656/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:20:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2070809/posts “Remembering Edna” (Isaiah 43:1-3a, 25; Psalm 25:6-7; Hebrews 10:12-23; Luke 23:33-34a, 39-46; 24:1-8)It’s funny, sometimes, what we remember--and what we don’t remember. Oftentimes that’s the case with how we remember someone who has just died. Because the events leading up to that person’s death are so recent and so vivid, that may be what we tend to focus on. Or we think about that person only as they were in their last few months or their last couple of years. But really, there’s a whole lifetime of memories of that person we can be thinking about. Take our dear friend... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2070809/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:54:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2067269/posts “On This Rock I Will Build My Church” (Matthew 16:13-20)Everyone is interested in building the church, growing the church. Uh, let me rephrase that. Everyone who is already in the church and active and involved in the church is interested in building and growing the church. People on the outside, as well as those with only a loose connection to the church--they don’t give a rip. But those of us at least who are here regularly in church, we care about the church being built up and growing. Nobody wants to see the church fail or decline or decrease in... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2067269/posts#comment Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:01:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2063120/posts “Jesus and the Canine-ite Woman” (Matthew 15:21-28)How is it with your faith? Do you have a strong faith, strong enough to persevere, in spite of obstacles? Or is it a faith that easily gives up? How is it with your faith? Or to put it another way: How do you view God? Do you see him as holding out on you? As being stingy with his gifts? Unwilling to help? Or do you see him, rather, as rich in mercy, abounding in grace, ready and willing to help? What kind of faith, in what kind of God--that is the question... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2063120/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:42:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2048243/posts “The What and the Why of the Weeds and the Wheat” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)Last week we heard Jesus tell us the Parable of the Sower, from Matthew 13. Today’s Gospel reading likewise comes from Matthew 13; it’s the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat. In fact, Matthew 13 is a whole chapter full of parables, seven of them altogether. Some of these parables are shorter, some are longer. Some are explained by Jesus, some of them are left unexplained. Today’s parable is one of the longer ones in the chapter, and Jesus does explain it. Therefore, what it means... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2048243/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:54:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2044599/posts “The Parable of the Sower” (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)Many of you have gardens. And all of us--whether we’re gardeners with a green thumb, or just simply couch potatoes whose thumb never gets off the remote control--all of us probably know something about planting seeds. We know that not all the seeds which are planted into the ground end up as full-grown plants. Some of the seeds which are planted don’t make it along the way, for a variety of reasons. But even so, we know that the seeds we plant will, in many cases, produce plants and yield a crop of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2044599/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:01:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2041342/posts “Rest for the Weary” (Matthew 11:25-30; Romans 7:14-25a)“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus here issues a wonderful invitation and makes a wonderful promise. “Come to me” is the invitation, and “I will give you rest” is the promise. And to whom does he address this invitation and this promise? To “all who labor and... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2041342/posts#comment Sun, 6 Jul 2008 05:10:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2038036/posts “Two Battles: The Battle from Without” (Matthew 10:34-42)Over today and next Sunday I want to talk to you about “Two Battles.” These are two battles every Christian is called upon to fight, from the time we are baptized till the day we die. There is no opting out. You are engaged in these battles whether you realize it or not. So the thing to do is to fight them well, and that means we need help. For on our own we would not be strong enough to prevail. What are these two battles? Simply put, they are, first, “The Battle... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2038036/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:06:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2034868/posts “Don’t Be Afraid to Confess Christ” (Matthew 10:5a, 21-33)What are you afraid of? I mean, what are you afraid of, as far as being a Christian? Are there things to be afraid of, that might happen to you because you are a Christian? Let’s think about that today. That’s what Jesus talks to his disciples about in the Gospel reading for today. He tells them, yes, there are things that might scare you, there are some bad things that might happen to you, precisely because you are my disciples. But the bigger thing Jesus tells them is what he will... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2034868/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:01:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2031545/posts “The Compassionate Authority of Jesus Extended” (Matthew 9:35 – 10:8)“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.” So we read in our text for today from the Gospel of Matthew. That particular verse is Matthew 9:35, but its sounds a lot like a verse we read about five chapters earlier, in Matthew 4:23: “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” The... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2031545/posts#comment Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:20:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2027745/posts “Follow Me, the Doctor of Mercy” (Matthew 9:9-13)As many of you know, this is the “Year of St. Matthew” in our lectionary series. Matthew’s Gospel is the one that we’re following this year. But in our text this morning, we see Matthew himself doing the following. St. Matthew hears the call to follow, and we, the people of St. Matthew Lutheran Church--we hear it also, the call of Jesus, “Follow me.” St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, had something in common with quite a few pastors today (including this one): He was a “second-career man” in the ministry. The only thing... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2027745/posts#comment Sun, 8 Jun 2008 01:31:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2024245/posts “Location, Location, Location” (Matthew 7:24-27)Real estate agents will tell you there are three things that determine the value of a house: 1) location; 2) location; and 3) location. That old line may be somewhat exaggerated, but the point is clear enough: Location is extremely important in determining value. Where a house is located can make a huge difference in its value. Now if that saying about “location, location, location” is true of the physical houses we build, how much more important is it when we talk about the spiritual “house” that everyone builds for him or herself. Where you build... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2024245/posts#comment Sun, 1 Jun 2008 03:13:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2023599/posts “From Baptism to Burial--and Beyond” (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5)Today we began the service with the Invocation and a Remembrance of Baptism. Why did we do that? What does that have to do with a funeral service? What comfort does that give to us, Millie’s family and friends, to hear those words about baptism? Lots, actually. May these words give you great comfort now, as we go “From Baptism to Burial--and Beyond.” We began with the Invocation, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” That’s appropriate, for those are the words--that is the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2023599/posts#comment Fri, 30 May 2008 17:17:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2021141/posts “Don’t Worry, Be Trusting” (Matthew 6:24-34)Welcome to the Non-Worriers Hall of Fame. In our exhibits you will meet some of the most famous non-worriers in history. These are the champions of carefree living, down through the centuries. Stress was a stranger to these advocates of the anxiety-free life. Here in our first display we meet Alfred E. Newman, the goofy-looking cover boy of Mad Magazine. Alfred’s motto is as famous as his gap-toothed grin. It’s the simple question, “What, me worry?” Next in our Hall of Non-Worriers we come to the well-known singer Bobby McFerrin. Bobby captured the airwaves in... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2021141/posts#comment Sun, 25 May 2008 20:01:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2017484/posts “Great Is the Lord, and Greatly to Be Praised” (Psalm 145:3)“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” So goes the Gradual for today, from Psalm 145. Yes, the Lord is “greatly to be praised.” But what does that mean? How do we do it? How do we “greatly praise” the Lord? Let’s explore that a little bit. It’s certainly fitting that we consider this theme today, on this day when we dedicate new hymnals for the praise and worship of God. How do we greatly praise the Lord? Maybe part of it is that we use great materials.... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2017484/posts#comment Sat, 17 May 2008 23:01:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2014292/posts “From Feast to Feast to Feast” (John 7:37-39; Acts 2:1-21)Today is the Feast of Pentecost, a major festival in the Christian church year. Today we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit, whom our ascended Lord Jesus Christ poured out on his church, as we read about in the second chapter of Acts. That was the beginning of the worldwide spread of the gospel, and you and I are here today as Christians because of what began on that first Pentecost. Actually, though, that was not the first Pentecost. For the Christian Feast of Pentecost has its roots in the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2014292/posts#comment Sun, 11 May 2008 03:42:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2011406/posts “He Cares for You” (John 17:1-5; 1 Peter 5:6-7)“He Cares for You.” Yes, he does, God cares for you very much. St. Peter tells you this when he encourages you to be “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” So that’s what we want to do today. We will cast all our anxieties on God, and we will hear how, and how much, our God cares for us. What are your anxieties, and what is God’s care that deals with those anxieties? Those are the questions we’ll be asking. The first and greatest anxiety that people... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2011406/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 13:20:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2010054/posts “Ascension Day, the Forgotten Festival” (Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11)Welcome to the Forgotten Festival! Today is Ascension Day--or to put it more fully, the Festival of the Ascension of Our Lord. But there is reason to call it, as I say, the “Forgotten” Festival. Even though Ascension Day is classed in the church year as a major festival, and thus a day for to church to gather for the Divine Service of Word and Sacrament, the sad fact is that in recent decades many congregations and many Christians have forgotten all about celebrating this important festival. It used to be that... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2010054/posts#comment Fri, 2 May 2008 02:59:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2007537/posts “The Hope That Is In You . . . Comes Out You” (1 Peter 3:13-22)During this Easter season, we are hearing a lot about hope. A few weeks ago the Epistle reading from 1 Peter 1 told us that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Last week’s sermon said that we in the church are “Living in Camp Hope,” that we have hope for an eternal future because our Lord Christ has gone to prepare a place for us. Hope--the hope that we have in... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2007537/posts#comment Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:45:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2004438/posts “Living in Camp Hope” (John 14:1-14)Yesterday our Men’s Club held a big fundraiser for Camp Hope. Camp Hope is a place where disabled veterans can come and find a little “R & R,” rest and relaxation, or you could say, rest and recuperation, rehabilitation, and recreation. Camp Hope is a place where these men can find healing, help, and hope. Hope. These disabled veterans need hope. These men go off to war healthy and whole and vigorous, and they come back wounded--physically, to be sure, but often mentally and emotionally wounded also. Now they have the rest of their lives... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2004438/posts#comment Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:24:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003882/posts When about 75 people gathered outside the international headquarters of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod this week, it was a rare display of public dissension among the members of a relatively quiet Christian denomination. . . . When the church pulled the plug on its KFUO-AM program, "Issues, Etc.," and fired its host and producer, the show's fans turned up the volume. . . . The show had a conservative, traditionalist theological bent. . . . Many of the protesters said the current administration is too focused on recent evangelical megachurch growth models instead of on traditional Lutheran doctrine. . .... St. Louis Post-Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003882/posts#comment Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:07:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2001910/posts Kirkwood — About 75 protesters gathered Monday outside the world headquarters of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, many holding signs that asked simply, "Why?" The question was directed at church leaders who, during Holy Week last month, pulled the plug on a popular radio program on the denomination's KFUO-AM station called "Issues, Etc." The host, the Rev. Todd Wilken, and producer, Jeff Schwarz, were fired without warning, and all reference to the show was taken off KFUO's website. Fans were left confused and angry. ... In the vacated time slot, the church has launched a new program called "The Afternoon Show,"... St Louis Post Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2001910/posts#comment Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:23:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2000788/posts “Suffering Sheep and Their Good Shepherd” (1 Peter 2:19-25)This day is known in the church as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The readings from Psalm 23 and John 10, the Collect of the Day, the hymns--all these carry the theme of the Lord as our Good Shepherd. The images that come to our mind on Good Shepherd Sunday usually are very peaceful and pleasant ones. We think of sheep safely grazing in green pastures, being led beside still waters. We picture Jesus carrying a lamb in his arms or a sheep across his shoulders. This is all well and good. The shepherd... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2000788/posts#comment Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:53:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1998728/posts “Redeemed: From What? With What? So What?” (1 Peter 1:17-25)First of all I want to say that, from what I’ve seen of it over the last couple of years, the English Standard Version overall is a very good translation. But as with any translation, you come across a place here and there where you wish they would have translated it a little different. Today is such a case, in our Epistle from 1 Peter 1. In verse 18 the ESV has, “knowing that you were ransomed.” All the other major English translations--the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version,... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1998728/posts#comment Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:22:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1997959/posts read the original story here: Zion Lutheran begins 40 days campaign Sunday (LCMS) purpose drivel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1997959/posts#comment Mon, 7 Apr 2008 16:08:58 GMT