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“The Day Is Drawing Near, So Let Us Draw Near” (Hebrews 10:11-25)“The day is surely drawing near,” as we just sang in the hymn of the same name. And the hymn is merely echoing the thoughts of our readings for today, especially the Epistle reading from Hebrews, which closes with the words, “as you see the Day drawing near.” “The Day”? What day? Sounds important. Not just “a” day, but “the” Day. So let’s find out what “day” this is talking about. And let’s also consider what the implications are for us--we who know and see that that day is...

“The Widow’s Might” (Mark 12:38-44) Our text today is the story usually known as “The Widow’s Mite.” It’s the story of a poor widow who goes to the temple and puts into the offering box two “small copper coins,” as our translation has it. But the King James Version had as the equivalent for “small copper coins” the old English word “mites”--she put in two mites. Thus the familiar phrase, “The Widow’s Mite,” m-i-t-e. But today I want to talk to you also about “The Widow’s Might,” m-i-g-h-t. For this story tells us as much about the widow’s might, her...

“Who Are These, Clothed in White Robes?” (Revelation 7:9-17)Today is All Saints’ Day, November 1, and, as happens every few years, this year it falls on a Sunday. We always observe All Saints’ on the first Sunday in November, and this year that Sunday happens to be the day itself. On All Saints’ Day, we rejoice that we are part of that great communion of saints that is the church of Christ, both the church on earth and the church in heaven. All the saints, all those made holy by the blood of Christ. Saints, holy ones, set apart to...

“Following in the Train of the Confessors” (Psalm 119:46)Confessors, princes, duty bound, To Augsburg bold they came. Before the king they stood their ground And were not put to shame. Their good confession made that day Proved not to be in vain. Gird Augsburg’s sons, Lord, that we may Still follow in their train!On June 25, 1530, in Augsburg, Germany, a small group of Lutheran princes appeared before the most powerful man in the world, Emperor Charles V, head of the Holy Roman Empire, and, at great risk to themselves and their territories, these men boldly confessed their faith. The...

“The Wealth You Leave and the Wealth You Receive” (Mark 10:23-31)Today I want to talk to you about wealth. Two kinds: “The Wealth You Leave and the Wealth You Receive.” Our text is the Holy Gospel for today, and in it Jesus speaks of the wealth you need to leave in order to enter the kingdom of God, and he speaks of the wealth you then receive once you have entered. Wealth is a subject that all of us seem to be interested in. Wealth is something the rich have but want more of. The poor don’t have it but...

“A Twofold Idolatry and the One Thing Lacking” (Mark 10:17-22)In today’s Gospel we meet a man who ran up to Jesus with great eagerness. At the end, though, he went away with great sadness. What happened? My friends, our text today is the story of “A Twofold Idolatry and the One Thing Lacking.” The man in this story had a twofold idolatry. It was a false god he worshiped, and it shows up in this story in two forms. And the one thing he lacked likewise was twofold, two sides of the same coin. Now let’s find out what this...

“To Such Belongs the Kingdom of God” (Mark 10:13-16)“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” This is our text. And little Kyleigh today is our...

“Oh, That We Had Meat to Eat!” (Numbers 11:4-6, 10-15)“Oh, That We Had Meat to Eat!” Well, we certainly did have meat to eat yesterday, didn’t we? We had pork steak and bratwurst and hot dogs--all kinds of delicious meat to eat at our Men’s Club barbecue. But as you might guess, that is not what I am referring to when I say, “Oh that we had meat to eat!” No, rather, this line comes from our Old Testament text for today, from Numbers 11. And instead of being a positive recollection of a nice thing like our barbecue, this...

“From Selfish Ambition to Humble Service” (Mark 9:30-37; James 3:13 – 4:10)In this long green season of the church year, the so-called non-festival half of the year, the Epistle reading is not chosen to fit the theme of the Holy Gospel, as it is in the festival half of the year. Instead, it’s just a straight reading-through of a particular epistle, and any correlation between the Epistle and Gospel is merely a coincidence. Well, we have such a coincidence today. The Epistle reading from James and the Gospel reading from Mark do have a common theme. It’s the theme of...

“He Has Done All Things Well” (Mark 7:31-37)How do you speak to a deaf man? With sign language, of course. You make the appropriate gestures and actions to communicate the message you want to convey. And so that is what Jesus does to communicate with a deaf man who is brought to him. He uses sign language, if you will, to get his message across to the man before he heals him. But in so doing, and then in actually healing the man, Jesus is also sending a message to us. The question is, Can we read the sign? Our...

“Prepare for Battle!” (Ephesians 6:10-20)Today I get to speak to the troops in the midst of a battle. And guess what? You are the troops, and the battle is on! The battle is raging, and there are no deferments, there is no going AWOL, if you are a Christian. No, you are in the battle, automatically, and it is a fight to the finish, a life-or-death conflict. So the wise thing now is to heed the cry, “Prepare for Battle!” Today as we wrap up our eight-part series on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, our text is the famous...

“God’s Good Order of--and in--Marriage” (Ephesians 5:22-33)You know, it’s really kind of stupid when we think we know better than our Creator. I mean, think about it: Doesn’t it make sense that the God who created us would know what is best for us? Yet somehow we think we’re smarter than he is. Pretty stupid, really. That’s the case with a lot of things in life, but especially do we direct our attention today to the matter of marriage. In the face of a world that has lost its mind and thrown marriage to the winds, and has even spread...

“God Will Bless the Road Ahead” (Isaiah 43:19)Dear friends and family of David and Shawna, dear friends in Christ. Today, David and Shawna, you asked to have played a song that is very special to you, “Bless the Broken Road.” The refrain of that song says, “God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.” Today I want to talk about not only how God did indeed bless that broken road, I also want you to see, as you two embark on a new journey together, how “God Will Bless the Road Ahead.” “God blessed the broken road.”...

“Walk as Children of Light” (Ephesians 5:6-21)Now that we are Christians, how shall we live? That, in summary, is the question St. Paul addresses in the second half of his Letter to the Ephesians. What difference does being a Christian make in the way we live our lives? In our text last week, Paul put it in terms of putting off your old self--what not to wear--and putting on the new self, the new you, created in Christ Jesus. In today’s text, Paul continues this general theme, but he changes the imagery. Instead of using the image of taking off...

“What Not to Wear” (Ephesians 4:17 - 5:2)One of my daughter’s favorite TV shows is a program called “What Not to Wear.” On this show the hosts take a woman whose clothes do not flatter her looks (let’s put it that way), and they get her to radically reevaluate her wardrobe. They tell her, “What you’ve been wearing--this is what not to wear!” Sometimes it takes a little convincing to get her to see that. When they finally do, though, the woman usually goes along with them in throwing out pretty much all of her wardrobe. Then the hosts guide...

“Unity and Growth, through Unified Doctrine and Practice” (Ephesians 4:1-16)Today in our series on Ephesians we move into the second half of the epistle. In the first half of this letter, St. Paul has laid down the foundation of our life in Christ, that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing, according to the riches of his grace. Now in the second half of the letter, Paul moves into the practical implications of this for our life together as church and our life as individual Christians. Our text today emphasizes the churchly dimension of our life together,...

“Paul’s Prayer: The Reason, the Request, and the Results” (Ephesians 3:14-21)Today we continue with the third in a series of eight straight sermons on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. We began in chapter 1 with “The Big Picture,” God’s grand plan and purpose for the ages, and that within that plan we are “Chosen by God, Redeemed in Christ, and Sealed with the Spirit.” Then last week, in chapter 2, we saw St. Paul paint a vivid contrast before our eyes, the contrast between “The Way We Were,” our sad state before Christ, and “The Way We Are,” our...

“The Way We Were and the Way We Are” (Ephesians 2:11-22)Last week we began a series of eight straight Sundays in which the Epistle reading comes from Ephesians. Last week it was Ephesians 1; today it is Ephesians 2. But notice, our reading today is the second half of that chapter, verses 11-22. What happened to verses 1-10? After all, Ephesians 2:1-10 is probably the most familiar section of the whole epistle. It’s the part that repeats the famous phrase, “by grace you have been saved,” and so on. That whole section sets up a tremendous contrast between the way...

“The Big Picture: Chosen by God, Redeemed in Christ, Sealed with the Spirit” (Ephesians 1:3-14)Our Epistle reading today is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. In fact, this is the first of eight straight Sundays when the Epistle comes from Ephesians, and these readings will be the basis for a sermon series. Also, we’ll be studying Ephesians for our Bible class during this time. I look forward to this opportunity to “dive in” to this epistle and really explore it in depth, and I hope you do too. I encourage you to read through Ephesians, perhaps even in one...

“Daughters Delivered from Death and Disease” (Mark 5:21-43)Last month was Mothers’ Day. Last week was Fathers’ Day. Today, then, must be Daughters’ Day, because today we will see not one but two “Daughters Delivered from Death and Disease.” One of the two is known as Jairus’s daughter, and she is the one delivered from death. The other one is not called a daughter--oh, wait, she is, actually (more on that later)--and she is the one delivered from disease. Two daughters: one, a woman suffering from disease for twelve years; the other, the girl raised from death, is twelve years of...

“How Does Your Garden Grow?” (Mark 4:26-34)It’s June, and everything is green. We’re into the growing season, and so everywhere you look, you see the signs of green, green growth. Oh, you thought I was talking about outside! No, I’m talking about in here, in the church! It’s growing season now, and things are turning green. Notice, we’ve changed to green paraments, on the altar, and on the lectern and pulpit. Green is the color of growth, and that is why it’s the liturgical color for this season after Pentecost and Holy Trinity, the non-festival half of the church year....

“We All Believe in One True and Saving God” (Isaiah 6:1-8; Acts 2:14a, 22-36; John 3:1-17)“We all believe in one true God.” Well, good for us! Is that what this is all about? Is that what Holy Trinity Sunday is about? Being able to pat ourselves on the back because “we got it right”? On Trinity Sunday we haul out the Athanasian Creed and feel good about, or at least put up with, saying things like, “neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance”--even if we are confusing the persons who say it! You know, we can kind of wrap...

“Tongues for Telling the Mighty Works of God” (Acts 2:1-21)It’s the Day of Pentecost. It’s nine o’clock in the morning. And the disciples are all together in one place. It was true back then, and it’s true today. Back on the Day of Pentecost that we read about in the Book of Acts, it was nine o’clock in the morning--or “the third hour of the day,” as our text says--and the group of disciples was together there in Jerusalem. And on this Day of Pentecost, also at nine in the morning, this group of disciples is gathered here in Bonne...

“God’s Testimony: Eternal Life in His Son” (1 John 5:9-13)Today we conclude our six-part series on First John. This has been a good series for the Easter season, because in this epistle St. John, who was an eyewitness of the risen Lord Jesus Christ--John bears witness concerning the life God has given us through the death and resurrection of his Son. John opened his letter by saying, “the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life.” Now as we come to the end of this epistle, John makes...

“The Ascension Bridges the Past, the Present, and the Future” (Ephesians 1:15-23)The Ascension of Our Lord, which we are celebrating today--“The Ascension Bridges the Past, the Present, and the Future.” It connects the past, present, and future work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And because it does, our Lord’s Ascension has tremendous implications for us, for our past, present, and future. Our text is the Epistle, St. Paul’s prayer for us Christians, in which he brings together the past, present, and future aspects of Christ’s work and how that affects our past, our present, and our future. Let me read...

“The Spirit and the Water and the Blood” (1 John 5:1-8)Today we come to the fifth in our six-part series on First John. And our text includes a brief passage that at first may seem a little puzzling, but when we take a closer look at it, we’ll see how it really does make sense, and indeed makes absolutely clear the beating heart of our faith and salvation. The passage in question is 1 John 5:6-8, as follows: “This is he who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood....

“Pure Doctrine and Love for People” (1 John 4:1-11) Sometimes we who insist on pure doctrine are accused of not caring for people: “You black-shirt round-collar types, all you care about is getting things right! You don’t care about people.” Pure doctrine--pure doctrine is seen as an outmoded concern. Doctrine is assumed and taken for granted. We’re even told that insistence on pure doctrine is an impediment to being “missional”: “We’ve got to stop this incessant internal purification and get ablaze with mission! Mission is Job One!” All of this talk puts forward a false dichotomy between doctrine and mission,...

“The Love That Lays Down Its Life” (1 John 3:16-24)“The King of Love My Shepherd Is.” What an appropriate hymn for us to sing on this Sunday in the church year, “Good Shepherd Sunday”! How we need our good and loving shepherd to lead and guide and protect us--that’s why we follow him and listen to his voice! We sing our good shepherd’s praises on this day, and every day, because of his great love for us. But are there other implications for us in our daily lives that come with being on the receiving end of Christ’s love? What...

INDIANAPOLIS, April 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Chris Rosebrough, captain of internet based Pirate Christian Radio and host of the Fighting for the Faith Radio program announced on Monday that Joel Osteen is the winner of the "Worst Easter Sermon Award" for 2009. "Every Christmas Christians whine and complain about secular and atheistic efforts designed to take Christ out of Christmas yet more and more Christian pastors have committed an even worse offense and have removed Jesus Christ and His victorious resurrection from the grave from their Easter sermons," said Chris Rosebrough. "Far too many pastors have played the role of...

“What We Are and What We Will Be” (1 John 3:1-7)Last week we began a series of six straight weeks during this Easter season of Epistle readings from 1 John. Our theme last week was “Fellowship through the Word of Life”: We have fellowship with God and fellowship with one another through the Word of Life, enfleshed and proclaimed. Now today we want to find out more of what this fellowship with God means for us, both now and for the future. And in today’s lesson the Apostle John tells us: “What We Are and What We Will Be.” “What...

“Fellowship through the Word of Life” (1 John 1:1 – 2:2)Today on this Second Sunday of Easter--the second of seven Sundays in the Easter Season--we begin six straight weeks of Epistle readings from First John. This is quite appropriate for Easter, since First John is all about a crucified-and-risen, real flesh-and-blood Savior for real flesh-and-blood sinners. John in his epistle is telling us that this is the only way we have fellowship with God and thus with one another: It is through Christ the eternal Son of God coming in the flesh, shedding his blood for us, and rising from...

“First Things First” (1 Corinthians 15:1-20)Alleluia! Christ is risen! (“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”) That’s the first thing we said this morning at the start of this service, and it is the first thing to say now. Christ’s resurrection is of such paramount and overarching importance that we put it first and foremost here on Easter Day, right up front. “First Things First.” And we’re not the first ones to think this way. Back in the first century, St. Paul said as much in his first letter to the Corinthians: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what...

“The Light Shines in the Darkness” (John 1:5)Tonight we are doing the traditional Good Friday evening service called “Tenebrae.” The Latin word, “tenebrae,” means “shadows” or “darkness.” This is the Service of the Shadows, the Service of Darkness--increasing darkness, as the service goes along. This reminds us of the darkness that came over the land when Christ was hanging on the cross, the great darkness that occurred when the author of life was put to death. And then his lifeless body was placed in the tomb, and night fell, and all was darkness and shadows. The loud noise at the...

“Righteous Sufferer, Passover Lamb” (John 19:31-37)“Jesus, I will ponder now on your holy passion.” And there is so much to ponder! The gospels go to such length to describe the suffering and death of Christ--so many details, such deep and profound insights to be gained--that we could spend many a Good Friday pondering the Passion of Our Lord. Today we will focus on just one of these details, and as we ponder its significance, we pray that God will give us new insight into our Savior and strengthen our faith in him. In his account of the crucifixion and death...

“Love for Disciples” (John 13:1-17, 31b-35)“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Yes, he did. Maundy Thursday is all about Jesus’ love for his disciples. “Love for Disciples” to receive, “Love for Disciples” to learn. Love for disciples to receive--in the footwashing. Let’s set the scene. It’s the evening of the Passover. Time for the Passover meal. This is the meal all Jews ate every year on that date, to commemorate the night the Lord brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt. It was a special occasion, solemn and sacred. Jesus had...

“The Word of the Day: ‘Hosanna!’” (John 12:11-19; Psalm 118:19-29)Today is Palm Sunday, and if there is a “word of the day” for this day, I think it’s the word, “Hosanna!” How often do we see that word show up in our service today! We started the service by saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Then we heard the Gospel reading where the crowd cries out, “Hosanna!” As we processed in, we sang about how “the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.” And we concluded the procession by saying, “Hosanna in the highest.” So before we even sat...

“These Words” (The Sacrament of the Altar)Tonight we conclude our series on “The Six Chief Parts of Lenten Catechesis.” So far we’ve been following the Catechism in looking at the basics of the Christian faith and life: The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and Confession. That brings us tonight to the Sacrament of the Altar. Everything we want to say about the Sacrament tonight we can find in the words with which Christ institutes this holy meal. Which words? These words: “Take eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This...

“Set Free to Serve” (Mark 10:35-45)I’d like to start the sermon today with a little quiz, in the form of a multiple-choice question. Which of these statements is true, a) “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none,” or b) “A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all”? Which one is true? As you may have guessed, this is a trick question. The correct answer is c) “both of the above.” A Christian is both a perfectly free lord and a perfectly dutiful servant. It was Martin Luther who set forth these...

“Frequently Asked Questions about an Infrequently Used Practice” (Confession)Often when you go to a website or read a pamphlet about an organization, a company, a product, or a service, you will find a page called, “FAQs.” “FAQs” are “Frequently Asked Questions,” questions people usually have when they start to consider whatever it is that’s being talked about. The FAQ format is a helpful way to introduce a new or unfamiliar organization, product, etc. Tonight I’m going to use the FAQ format for this message, because tonight I’m going to introduce you to a church practice that may be new or...

“It’s a Gift!” (Ephesians 2:1-10)You are a Christian. You are saved. You believe in Christ. In your Christian life, you do good works. You are heading for heaven. Now, the question comes up, how did all this come about? To what extent does all of this, or any of this, depend on you? The salvation, the faith, the good works--which parts are a gift, by grace, God’s doing, and which parts are up to us, our doing, our contribution to the equation? That’s what we’re going to explore this morning. Now these are important questions, and a lot can be...

“It Works” (The Sacrament of Holy Baptism)The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer. Tonight, in our series on the Catechism, the basics of the Christian faith, we come to the sacraments. We begin, fittingly enough, with the sacrament with which we begin the Christian life, namely, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. I think all that I want to say about Holy Baptism tonight I can include under a heading of just two words: “It Works.” It works! It is effective. It actually does something--quite a lot, really. Holy Baptism works, and it works in your life. Tonight, then, we...

“Weak Power and Foolish Wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)A few days ago, the American Religious Identification Survey released the results of a huge, nationwide survey they conducted last year, the first one since a similar survey in 2001. They asked people to identify themselves by their religion, and they included every religion you could think of--Catholic, mainline Protestant, Evangelical, you name it. Perhaps the most interesting result to come out of this survey is the one group they found, the only group that increased in every state in the union. Guess which religious identification that was. Give up? “None.” That’s right,...

“A Prayer That Sums It All Up” (The Lord’s Prayer)Suppose you were commanded by God and invited by God to pray for all the needs you have and all the gifts he has to give you. Think of that! All of your needs, all of his gifts. And you have to put it all into a prayer. How long would it take you to pray for all those things? How many hours, how many thousands of words? Well, the answer is, about 30 seconds and 70 words. 30 seconds? 70 words? How can you possibly cover all of God’s gifts...

Egyptian cleric: The Jews "are enemies not because they occupied Palestine. They would have been enemies even if they did not occupy a thing." [March 6, 2009 ] They keep telling us that it isn't about "stolen land," and that land concessions and even the creation of a Palestinian state will not end the conflict. And we keep refusing to believe it."Egyptian Cleric Muhammad Hussein Ya’qoub: The Jews Are the Enemies of Muslims Regardless of the Occupation of Palestine," from MEMRI TV, January 17 (just posted), with thanks to Sr. Soph:Following are excerpts from a speech delivered by Egyptian...

“Passion Prediction, Passion Production” (Mark 8:27-38; Romans 5:1-11)One of the themes of Lent, as we head toward Holy Week, is the approaching Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Does that word jump out at you a little bit, “Passion”? It should. Usually when we use the word “passion” in our culture, we’re talking about strong emotion. For example, “The artist went about his work with great passion, painting through the night,” or “The young woman was overcome with passion and fell head over heels in love.” “Passion,” as we most often use the term, is associated with either zeal or...

“To Know and Believe in God” (The Creed)The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, in a big national survey last year--the Pew Survey found that 92% of Americans say they “believe in God or a universal spirit.” 92%! Well, whoop-te-do. Big deal. That doesn’t really say much. Who is this God you believe in? Allah, the false god of the Muslims? Sorry, I bear witness that there is no god called Allah, and Mohammed is his false prophet. Is this “god” you believe in some depersonalized “universal spirit” or “higher power”? That won’t do you any good, either. Is...

“From the Water to the Wilderness” (Mark 1:9-15)Today is the First Sunday in Lent, and that means our Gospel reading today is an account of the Temptation of Our Lord. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this early episode that took place right after Jesus’ baptism. But whereas Luke takes thirteen verses to tell us about the temptation, and Matthew takes eleven, our evangelist for this year, St. Mark, as is his style, covers the temptation of Christ in just two verses, as follows: “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty...

“Aware of an Idol” (The Ten Commandments)As we noted, today we begin the season of Lent. In church history, and particularly in our Lutheran tradition, there are several major themes associated with Lent, which often form the basis for services within this season. For example, penitence, repentance, is certainly a Lenten theme, and especially is that so on this first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Another Lenten focus is the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, drawn from all four gospels or from just one gospel. Tracking the Passion narrative often is done over a series of midweek Lenten services--we...

“How the Transfiguration Gives Us the Hope of Glory” (Mark 9:2-9)Today is the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, the Sunday right before Lent begins, which means it is the Sunday in the church year when the Gospel reading always is an account of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. For just as in the Gospel narrative, where the Transfiguration event serves as a pivot point in Christ’s ministry--from here on out Jesus is heading to the cross--so also the church year mirrors this movement, this pivot point, by placing the Transfiguration at this juncture of Epiphany and Lent: Epiphany, the manifestation...

Commemoration of Silas, Fellow Worker of St. Peter and St. Paul Sunday, February 15, 2009 (transferred from February 10) The Rev. Charles Henrickson First Reading: Acts 16:19b-40 Second Reading: 1 Peter 5:5b-12 Holy Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12 “Silas: Fellow Worker, Faithful Brother” (Acts 16:19b-40)Forty years ago this summer, the first moon landing took place, Apollo 11, and the first man set foot on the moon. Many of you probably remember his name, Neil Armstrong. “One small step,” and all that. There was another man on that trip who was the second man to step on the moon, and some of you...