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Sermons Archive
Pastor Don's Sermons
Christmas Eve Sanctify us through thy truth, dear Lord; Thy Word is truth. Amen. One of the things I enjoy doing is reading magazines. And one of the magazines I subscribe to is Gourmet. Well, you might that a little bit surprising. The fact is – I never do any cooking – I don’t enjoy cooking -- so it’s kind of a strange magazine for me to read. But I enjoy reading about food – and I have to admit, I love looking at the pictures. Well, in the last issue, the editor in chief, Ruth Reichl, wrote a fascinating editorial. She was talking about gift giving. What I appreciated about the article was that she came up with an insight that I had never thought about before – and the more I thought about it, the more profound I found it to be. Here’s part of what she wrote: “When someone gives you a gift, they are not only telling you that they care about you, they are also revealing who they think you are….As you grow older, the art of giving becomes more precious. Because each time you offer someone a gift, you are really saying to them, “This is who I think you could be.” She tells this story. “When I was in college, at Christmas a boy friend gave me a gift. When I finally opened the box I found it was filled with antique kitchen implements…. What I loved about those things was not that they were so old and beautiful, but that here in this small college town someone had seen the cook inside me.” She adds: “I have been hopeful – and a little frightened – about giving people presents ever since. Because I now know that with each gift you are offering people not only your love, but also your hopes for them.” I find that to be a fascinating line Let me read it again: “I now know that with each gift you are offering people not only your love, but also your hopes for them.” Let’s think about what we’re celebrating here this evening. Christmas is a celebration of gift giving. Yes, of course, we celebrate the gift we give to one another and to our family, but tonight, as we gather in worship, we also celebrate the gift that God has given to us. So often, as I think about Christmas, I tend to think of it in two ways. First, I think of what God has done for us. As we think about Christmas, we think of the love that God is showing to us by giving us such a wonderful gift. “Love came down at Christmas.” But, so often in my preaching, I then focus on the responsibility that this places on us. God, having given us his son, is now asking us to take care of his son. And so it is, in Christmas, we enter into this unique relationship with God: God has given us a gift; it is now our responsibility to take of that gift. But what I appreciate about Ruth in this editorial, is that she introduces another element. God gave us his son, not just because he loves us, but he gave us this gift as an expression of God’s hopes for us. Isn’t this a new way of thinking about Christmas? It’s was God’s intent that as we come to know his son, Jesus, as we develop a relationship with him, that we would learn something about ourselves. God’s hope is that we will grow as persons because of the gift God has given to us. That are some of those hopes that God has for us. By coming to know Jesus, it’s God’s hope that we will learn how to love one another and experience the joy of love. It’s God’s hope that we will experience family love and joy; that we will have good relationships with our parents with our extended family. In I Corinthians 13 we get a sense of the kind of love that God wants us to experience: God that is always more concerned with the other person than with ourselves. It’s God’s hope that we will learn the joy of forgiveness. I think of the parable of the prodigal son: the young man who left home, lost everything, and yet when he returned home was welcomed by his father. That’s the kind of forgiving love our God wants us to experience. God also hoped that we would develop a passion for life: that we would discover those skills and talents that we have that we have. That was what Ruth, the editor of Gourmet, discovered: the gift she received helped her to discover a love that she never knew she had. A friend saw potential in her and gave her a gift that brought it out. God’s hope for us is, that as we develop a relationship with his son, that we will discover those passions in our own lives. And I think that it’s God hope, that as we develop a relationship with his Son, that we will develop a passion for justice – and that we will concerned about those persons who live on the fringes of life. In our Lord’s ministry he was always concerned with the homeless, the needy, the foreigner – the one’s who were rejected by society. In a world of growing diversity, how important that we reach out to the stranger in our midst. And so in this season of gift giving, yes, we want to give thanks for the gift that God has given to us; yes, we want to assume responsibility for caring for his son; and as the editor of Gourmet reminds, this is also a gift in which God expresses his hopes for us. His hope is that as we develop a relationship with his son, that we will grow as persons – that we’ll learn how to love; that we’ll develop a passion for living; and that we’ll be concerned with the strangers in our midst. As she wrote in her editorial: I give you this gift, “because this is who I think you could be.” May you all have a beautiful and hopeful Christmas. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Sermon: John the Baptist Sunday Sanctify us through thy truth, dear Lord; Thy Word is truth. Amen. Paul and his companions were on a trip through Asia Minor and they visited a local synagogue. While they were there, the officials of the synagogue asked if “you have any word of exhortation for the people.” So Paul stood up and began to speak. Basically what he did was to give an account of God’s activity over the years. He told how God had acted through their ancestors – how the people escaped from Egypt – he mentioned Samuel and Saul and David and finally the coming of Jesus. But what’s striking is that as he told the story of the Israelites, he did it in two ways:
Just listen to a sample (this from the book of Acts): “The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors…God gave them their land…God gave them Saul…God made David their king….God brought to Israel a savior.” So he did two things: he described the history of Israel by telling the story of people; but in every case, the focus was not on the people – but on God working through those people to accomplish his will. I got thought thinking about that this past week as it relates to Prince of Peace. I think one way of understanding the history of Prince of Peace is to realize how God has accomplished his will here in this place by working through our members. And I thought it would be appropriate today to think of some examples of ways in which our congregation has developed – thanks to God working through members of our church. I remember back in 1996, shortly after I came here as pastor. We had a meeting of the Parish Planning Council and we had a treasurer, whose name I now forget. But I still remember what happened. She and her husband were moving. And she said, “I’m very disappointed in this congregation.” That got our attention. She said, “My husband and I are tithers and we give 10% of our money away. What bothers me about this church,” she said, “is that we keep everything for ourselves.” And the fact was, at that point we had no money budgeted for benevolence – all our money was being spent on ourselves. Well those words hit home. I don’t remember if it was at the meeting or the next that we made a decision. We decided we would begin by giving away 3% of our money – designating 3% for benevolence. We also agreed that we would increase that 1% a quarter, and when we reached 10%, that we would increase 1% a year. I’m not sure that that treasurer every realized what happened – but our benevolence grew until it reached 13%. At that point we realized that was more than we could sustain, but we have pretty maintained our giving in excess of 10%. Looking back I think it’s fair to say: God spoke to us that day through a member of our congregation. Our ministry changed because of what she said. Her comments were important, but to the eyes of faith, it was God speaking through her. I remember the process we went through to become a welcoming and affirming congregation. It happened because Mary Cage was willing to step forward and lift up a concern and to say that it was high time that we went on record as openly welcoming all persons to come and worship with us and to be part of our congregation. We were prodded into action by the bishop of the church – who asked that we take action. But it took the initiative of a member before something happened. Here again, a person was important – but to the eyes of faith, it was God speaking to us through a member. Tonight we have a very special baptism – Gary and Marilyn Howard’s grand-son. Many of you may not realize, and I don’t really the details, but Gary, if I’m not mistaken, you and Grayce Tyszko were the ones who started our Stephen Ministry program. This was about 20 years ago – and Gary, Grayce, Marge Johnson and Pastor Gerald were the first ones to attend the national program. And it was from there that program developed. Today the Stephen Ministry program continues – and we have approximately 15 to 20 Stephen Ministers, persons who are willing to meet with their care receiver once a week for about an hour, to provide ministry and support. How it happen. It happened because God worked through people like Gary, Grayce, Marge and Curt in making it happen. We recently made the decision to start funding Special Olympics. One of the members of the Board of Serving Ministry made the suggestion that this was something we should consider. At first I was thinking, why would we do that. Then we began to think of all the members of our church who have special needs and we realized that we have several who participate in this program. The more thought about it, the more we liked the idea – and funding will now be given, and I suspect will continue to be given. How did it happen? Because God worked through one of our members who spoke up and lifted up a concern. It was Martin Luther who, in his ministry, began talking about the Priesthood of All Believers. Every person is a priest. Now what he meant was: there are some people who are set aside for certain leadership roles within the church – so I’m called to preach and teach and lead worship; but what he meant was, we are called upon to minister – we are called upon to serve. Ministry is not limited to a few professionals, but ministry is the responsibility of all of us. One of my favorite lines in scripture comes for Corinthians – a passage by Paul. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” God speaks to us again and again. And how does God speak to us? He speaks to us through one another – he speaks to us through our members. There’s nothing special about us – we’re all ordinary people, and yet the amazing thing is that God speaks to us to accomplish his will. I suspect every one of you can think of persons in this congregation who have impacted your life. They’ve said some encouraging words at a point of need; they affirmed you at a time when you were feeling low; they helped you at a time when you needed assistance. And I hope that we always the sense and spirit that Paul did. He described the history of the church by telling the stories of people – ordinary people. And yet, he understood, that it was God working through those ordinary people that his will was accomplished. It was true for Paul and the early church; the same is true here at Prince of Peace. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Sermon: Father's Day Sanctify us through thy truth, dear Lord; Thy Word is truth. Amen. Several years ago, shortly after my oldest daughter had her first child, she and I had a long conversation about parenthood. One of the questions I raised with her was: how are you going to teach core values to your daughter? My concern was: first, you need to identify what those core values are; and second, you need to make some decisions as to how you’re going to teach those values to your child. This weekend, as we celebrate Father’s Day, I got thinking about those core values. What are some of those core values? Many years ago, early in my ministry, I was invited to speak to the graduating class of the local high school. In that presentation I talked about some of those core values that were important to me. One value that I lifted up was Responsible Freedom. Actually, these are really two values, but they belong together: responsible freedom. Let’s begin with freedom. One of the values that we need to instill in our youth is the fact that they freedom of choice – they have freedom to act. Now there’s always a danger with that: our youth may use their freedom in ways that we may not care for. But, as parents, we also know that we have to let go -- we need to allow our children an increasing amount of freedom so that that can learn to cope with life. The parable of the prodigal son is a classic in this regard. The young son came of age and he came to his father: “Father, I would like you to give me my inheritance now.” This was a rather strange and inappropriate request. I’m sure that the father had a long conversation with his son about doing that. But what’s striking is that the father finally gave in – he gave the young man what he asked. The young man wanted freedom, he wanted his inheritance so that he could experience life, and his father gave it to him. And we all know the rest of the story. But that’s why the second word is so important. It’s good to give our youth freedom, but at the same time we need to help our youth learn to use that freedom responsibly. Our Old Testament lesson today, which we didn’t read because it was so long, tells a fascinating story. This is the story about David and Bathsheba. David fell in love with Bathsheba, but the problem was, she was married to Uriah the Hittite. So what did David do? He arranged to have Uriah sent to the front line of the army; he gave instructions to the general to then fall back and leave Uriah in a vulnerable position. Uriah was killed. And then, David, in all his graciousness, agreed to look after Bathsheba and took her as his wife. God was much displeased with David. He had acted totally irresponsibly. And yet God had great plans for David. God realized that David needed to be taught a lesson. So God sent Nathan to meet with David. Nathan told David a story. There were two men, one rich and one poor, who were living in a city. A stranger came seeking food. The rich man, who had a large flock of animals, didn’t want to part with one of his sheep, so instead he took the sheep from the poor man – the only sheep that he owned. David exploded and said, “That man deserves to be punished. That man deserves to die.” Then Nathan turned to him and said, “David, you are the man!” Uriah had nothing except a beautiful wife. You have everything – possessions and riches. Yet you took the one possession that Uriah had. And David was punished – his young son became violently ill. David had the freedom to act, but he needed to learn a sense of responsibility. If David was going to be a great king, he needed to learn that lesson. And he did learn. On his death bed he was able to say: “For this I will extol you, O Lord, and sing praises to your name. God is a tower of salvation for his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed.” David learned his lesson. He had freedom; he needed to learn to be responsible. This, it seems to me, is one of the core values that we need to instill in our youth. Responsible freedom: Yes, we want to give our youth their freedom; but with freedom comes responsibility. Now there’s one other core value that we need to share with our youth and with our children. The fact is, we know that our youth, our children, are going to use their freedom irresponsibly – it’s part of life, it’s part of growing up. But our children also need to know that despite their failures, they always have a home to return to. The prodigal son acted irresponsibly. He squandered all that he had. And then finally, he came to his senses – his father’s slaves were better off than he was. And so he concluded: I will return to my father – not as a son, but just to work so that I might be fed. But when his father saw him he ran and greeted him, threw his arms around him, put a garment on his shoulders, and killed the fatted calf. “My son who was lost has been found. Let us celebrate.” This is a lesson that our children need to know. Yes, we expect them to use their freedom responsibly, but even when they fail, we need to give them the assurance that they are still loved and that they are always welcome home. This is a lesson we need to teach our children. This is also a lesson we need to learn ourselves. As we look back over our own lives, we all realize that there are times when we haven’t used our freedom responsibly. We have fallen short of God’s expectations of us. We have failed. But the wonderful message of scripture is that message of God’s grace. Not only is the father of the prodigal son a good example of responsible parenthood; the waiting father is also a wonderful of God’s love for each of us. Yes, we are all challenged to use our freedom.responsibly. But the good news is, even when we don’t, God’s love for us never ends. Our sermon hymn today is especially appropriate. Take time to look at the words carefully. “Our Father, we have wandered and hidden from your face; in foolishness have squandered your legacy of grace. But now, in exile dwelling, we rise with fear and shame, as, distant but compelling, we hear you call our name. O Lord, of all the living, both banished and restored, compassionate, forgiving, and ever caring Lord; grant now that our transgressing, our faithlessness may cease. Stretch out your hand in blessing, in pardon and in peace. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen Sermon: Pentecost June 10th Sanctify us through thy truth, dear Lord; Thy Word is truth. Amen. I was sitting in church last week and heard this passage read. “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 To my mind, that’s a fascinating passage – and I sat there last week, I decided I needed to preach on it this week. Paul is talking about suffering. And this is something he knows first-hand: he was imprisoned, beaten, he suffered from some kind of physical ailment (he alludes to it, but he never mentions what it is), and he's been shipwrecked, and he’s suffered the scorn of opponents. He knows what it’s like to suffer. Let’s face it, suffering is something that comes to all of us. It takes many forms: an illness…a death…a divorce…an injury or setback…the loss of a job…having to move when you don’t want to. The reality is, we’re all going to face various forms of suffering in our lives. That’s the constant. But the real question is: how do we respond to these events? You can be overwhelmed – and we probably all know people who have never recovered from some kind of setback in their lives. And so often they become embittered – and are stuck in their lives. And yet Paul discovered that it’s in suffering, it’s in the setbacks of life, that we have an opportunity to experience God’s grace. For Paul, he saw suffering as a test of character. The fact is, suffering is going to come. The question is: how do we respond to it? What Paul writes here, then, is very autobiographical – he’s describing his life experience. Let’s follow his logic. Suffering produces endurance. You discover you have cancer and you’re told that you’re going to have to have chemo-therapy and radiation treatment. And so, week after week you have to endure a process. Our good friend, Charlotte Cruicil, member of our congregation, had a kidney transplant about a decade ago. Now, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday she has to go for dialysis. It’s not something you enjoy. It’s not the highpoint of her life. But it’s what you have to endure – it’s the process you have to go through if you want to live. You have knee surgery – you’re got to go to rehab. I’m trying to get back in shape. I’ve got to get on the exercise bike. (I was real proud: I told my doctor recently – “I’m doing 20 minutes day.” He said, “That’s great. Now move it up to 40 minutes. And when you get to 40 minutes, I’ll tell you do it faster.”) That’s endurance. That’s what happens when you have set-backs in life – healing takes time. There’s a long road back that we have to endure. But Paul then says, Endurance produces character. Character, to my mind, is that ability to rise above the things that are happening to you. I’ve got to tell you, when I think of character, I think of Skip Nelson. Skip had cancer of the tongue – and the treatment is a horrible process – it affects your mouth, your breathing, your ability to eat, your taste buds. It’s the kind of event that is in many ways overwhelming. You’re in misery. I was with him when he was eating tapioca pudding, and you could tell that every bite was painful. But I remember his spirit. He’d go to hospital for treatment – every two weeks for about five days – just to get the drugs. They’d say to him, “You have to wear the hospital gown.” “I’m not going to,” he said. “I’m not sick – I’m just hear to have a needle in my arm so that I can receive some drugs. Soon as we’re done, I’m going home. No, I won’t wear the gown.” There were other patients on the floor – and I gather that the nurses would come and ask him to talk to some of these people. He would challenge them. I still remember his line: “Why are you lying in bed? You’re not sick, you just have cancer. Don’t just lie in bed – get up, sit up, walk around. You’ve got to fight it.” That’s character: character is that ability to fight the things are happening in your life. Rather than just enduring what was happening, he resisted it. That’s character – that ability to rise above the sufferings of life. Paul then writes: suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Hope is that realization that there is light at the end of the tunnel – and that the things you are enduring can finally be overcome. Now what Paul came to realize was that hope is not something we create. What Paul came to realize was that hope was God’s gift to him. Just listen to what he says: “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Skip showed character, and because of it, there began to emerge a new sense of hope: I’m going to be able to overcome the challenges and sufferings that I’m now going through. And then, as Paul points out, there is the realization that hope was not something we created, but that hope was God’s gift to us. Paul could finally reach a point in his life where he looked forward to the next suffering that would occur, because he knew that in the act of suffering he would once against experience God’s gift of grace – as God gave him the gift of hope in the midst of his sufferings. Suffering is going to come to all of us – and it takes many forms. But when it comes, don’t be overwhelmed. As Paul said so beautifully: Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope – and when that hope comes, we experience once again the wonders of God’s grace. We don’t look forward to suffering, but when it comes, realize that you have an opportunity to experience in a unique and personal way the grace of a loving God. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Sermon: Sunday, May 20th This is a rather busy weekend here at Prince of Peace.
It means that Baptism plays a very significant role in our life this weekend. This seems like an appropriate time to re-appreciate the meaning and significance of baptism in our lives. As we look at the baptism service, there are three major themes that are of primary importance in understanding and appreciating baptism. The first is, that in baptism we are united with Jesus Christ. The Lutheran Book of Worship puts it this way: “In Holy Baptism our gracious heavenly Father liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.” What we’re saying is that in the act of baptism, we are united with, joined with, our Lord Jesus Christ. The picture image that I use in the baptism class is a very simple one. Christ was born (a horizontal line)…he died (a descending line)…and he was raised into new life (an ascending line reaching upward.). And what happens in baptism? The child has been born (horizontal line)…the child is now drowned in the waters of baptism (a descending line)…and then the child is raised out of the waters as a new person (an ascending line reaching upward). In baptism we then put these images together: there is birth…there is death…and there is then a resurrection (the gift of new life). In this action we are literally and figuratively united with our Lord. But this leads to a second major theme. Not only are we joined with Jesus Christ, but “the power of sin is put to death in this holy flood, and we are raised with Jesus Christ to new life.” Note: “the power of sin is put to death.” This symbolism is caught in two images – both having to do with water. What do we with water? We use it to wash ourselves – we become clean. That’s part of the meaning of baptism. Our sins are washed away – we are cleansed. The other image that reinforces that message is the image of drowning: not only are our sins washed away, they are very literally drowned – they are destroyed – we are made clean. This means that in baptism we are literally made new persons. Evangelicals will often ask the question: when were you saved? We as Lutherans will answer the question in a very simple way: we were saved at the moment of our baptism. Because it was in baptism that our sins were destroyed: they were drowned, they were washed away. It was in that action that God accepted us. But notice, we don’t stop at this point. We are forgiven and washed clean for a reason. At the beginning of the baptism service we begin with these words: “We are united with all the baptized in the one body of Christ, anointed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and sent out in mission for the life of the world.” Having been forgiven and loved by a gracious God, we now are asked to live lives that reflect that. At the end of the service there is that beautifully symbolic moment where the family is given a baptismal candle. In our new service we say simply: “Walk in the faith of Christ crucified and risen. Shine with the light of Christ.” In the old service we used to say: “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” When my oldest daughter got married I wanted to do something special for a wedding gift. I finally decided to give her three large candlesticks: they stood 3, 3 ½ and 4 feet tall. When I gave it to her and Mark I included a card with that line: My prayer for you is that you will “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” I wanted her to realize that through her marriage, through her role as a mother, she had an opportunity to witness to her faith. I wanted her to remember that she had been baptized, and that God had made her a new person. I’m reminded of that very familiar song: “See this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. Hide it under a bushel, no. I’m going to let it shine.” This is our challenge: as baptized Christians, to let the light of Christ shine in all that we do. It was Luther who said, we may be baptized only once but we should reaffirm our baptism every day of our lives. In your personal prayers it would be very appropriate to remind yourself on a daily basis: I have been baptized, I have been saved, my sins have been forgiven. Now, O Lord, give me the strength to reflect that in all that I do. Amen. Sermon: Easter Sunday Preached by Donald B. Myrom, Prince of Peace Lutheran, Schaumburg, IL One of the challenges the church has always had is trying to understand the meaning and significance of Easter and the resurrection. We know the stories, but what does it mean? In order to understand Easter the church has used a series of picture images. No one image is perfect, but each picture image helps us to understand some facet of the Easter story. Let me describe a couple of these picture images. One of the simplest is the image of the scapegoat. In the Jewish tradition, on the Day of Atonement, a goat would be brought into the temple. Each worshipper would then touch the goat transferring their sins to the goat. The goat would then be driven out into the wilderness taking the sins of the people with it. When the goat died, their sins died as well. You’ll recall a year ago on Good Friday we invited members to come forward to the wooden cross. People wrote down on a piece of paper a sin they wanted forgiven. That piece of paper was nailed onto the cross. On Easter Day the pieces of paper were gone. What were we doing? Symbolically, we were giving our sins to Jesus, so that when he died, our sins died, and when he rose, that same gift of life came to each of us. That’s a picture image – and it’s built around the image of the scapegoat. Another picture image focuses on Jesus as the Lamb of God. This is an image that the writer of Hebrews uses to try to capture the meaning and significance of Easter and the resurrection. In the Jewish worship, a tent was created. In the first tent was a lampstand, a table, and bread. This was called the Holy Place and this could be entered on a regular basis. But behind the curtain there was a second tent, called the Holy of Holies. Once a year the high priest, and only the high priest, would enter the Holy of Holies. He would sacrifice an animal, usually a lamb, a perfect lamb, and he would take the lamb’s blood and bring it into the Holy of Holies. This symbolically represented God’s action of forgiving the people’s sins that had been unintentionally committed during the previous year. This was done on a yearly basis. Here’s then how the writer of Hebrews understands Easter. “But when Christ came as a high priest he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” So what the writer of Hebrews is doing here is using a picture image, growing out of the Jewish tradition, to help us understand the meaning and significance of our Lord's death and resurrection. Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish theologian, used a different kind of picture image. He told the story of a king who was serving as the judge. A person was brought to him who had committed a crime. The king knew this person and didn’t want the person to have to suffer. But the person was guilty; punishment was necessary. The king, as judge, declared the man guilty – and he was to be whipped. But then the king took off his own garment and said, “And I will be the one who receives the punishment.” So for Kierkegaard, we, the people are the guilty ones; we’re the ones who deserve punishment. But it is Christ our Lord who stands in our place and receives the punishment instead of us. Now each of these images is different, but the intent is the same – they are stories (images) told to help us understand and appreciate the significance of the death and resurrection of our Lord. But we have to be careful at this point. Yes, Easter is the story of what God has done for us. But if we stop at this point, we’re going to miss the central message of Easter. Several days ago I came across a fascinating article in the New York Times. Back in 1915 a man named Burdick refused to testify in court. He was found guilty and was going to be jailed.. President Woodrow Wilson gave Burdick a “a full and unconditional pardon for all offenses against the United States.” That would seem to have left Burdick off the hook, but he still didn’t want to testify and he refused to accept the pardon. The case went to the Supreme Court and they turned to an opinion that had been written many years before by Justice Marshall. Listen carefully. “A pardon is a private, though official, act of grace whose validity depended on its acceptance. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is given; and if it be rejected, we have discovered no power in a court to force it on him.” Just listen to that line: “a pardon is an act of grace whose validity depends on its acceptance.” On Easter Day, Jesus Christ died that we might live. He took our sin on himself – and we received a pardon. We are guilty, but our sins are taken away; we are forgiven. BUT – it’s validity depends of its acceptance by us. You see, God through Christ has given us a gift – the gift of the forgiveness of sins. It’s now up to us to decide whether or not we are going to accept that gift. You see, the first part of the story is God’s action on our behalf. He has died that we might live – we have been pardoned -- our sins are forgiven. But now the question is: will we accept the gift (the pardon) that God has given to us? Think of that famous line from scripture: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” You see, God has done his part. Now the question, do we believe? Do we accept the gift of grace that God has given to us? This is the dual message of Easter. God has acted. The ball is back in our court – and the decision is up to us. We have been pardoned; we have been forgiven. Are you willing to accept the gift that God has given to you? Amen. Sermon: Lent 3, 2007 Sanctify us through thy truth, dear Lord; Thy Word is truth. Amen. There was a tragic accident this past weekend. The baseball team from Bluffton University was making its annual spring trip to Florida. The bus driver got confused as they were driving through Atlanta, he lost control of the bus and went off the bridge. The driver, his wife, and four of the students were killed and a number more were injured. One of the young men was recalling what had happened. He said that he had been sitting on the aisle seat. The person sitting by the window was killed, a person sitting next to him was seriously injured, and he walked away without a scratch. He made the comment (and this is a paraphrase): “I don’t understand why this happened. Why did he die and I live? It just doesn’t seem fair.” We had this experience as a family somewhat recently. My family and I were very familiar with a couple living in Philadelphia and two delightful daughters. He was one of the finest persons I ever knew. He and his wife were driving to Penn State to pick up their daughter – they were in a rain storm – they hit a car that was parked and they both died instantly. Why them? They were wonderful people. It didn’t seem fair. Jesus was confronted with a very similar situation. This is one of the few times in scripture where Jesus makes a comment about something that is happening in the world around him – where he’s commenting on a current event. Apparently in Jerusalem a tower was being built, the tower of Siloam, and it collapsed. The result was that 18 persons were killed, and a number of other persons were apparently injured. You can be sure that this was the talk of the town, and everyone had some opinion about it. One of the rumors that began to circulate was this: those who died must have been unworthy – surely they were worse persons than those who were saved. This must have been God’s judgement on them. Clearly it was the talk of the town, and Jesus was likely asked, what do you think about this situation? Was this God’s judgment? Listen to what Jesus has to say. “...those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?” What did Jesus say? “No, I tell you.” That’s not the case. “But unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." It’s an intriguing reply. Let’s look at it carefully. First, Jesus is answering the question: were those who died more unworthy than all the others in Jerusalem? No, they were not. They were just unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It has nothing to do with their worthiness or their unworthiness. But notice then what Jesus does. He goes on to make an additional comment – and it’s a comment that is important enough that it is repeated twice. “But unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” Notice how Jesus changes the very character of the conversation. He personalizes it. To this point, the conversation has been focused on people out there. Something happened – some lived and some died; were some worthy and others unworthy? No, that’s not the issue. “But, let me tell you, unless you repent, you will perish just as they did.” So Jesus takes an everyday event and makes it a very personal challenge. If you want eternal life, if you want to live, then repent and turn to God in faith and in trust. His point is, this is something you can control. In life there are going to be accidents: you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. Accidents happen. But, he said, there are things you can control. You are in charge of your faith. How you act now will determine what happens to you in the future. And I warn you, he says, if you don’t repent, what happened to those 18 men will happen to you. He now goes one step further because he wants his listeners to realize that there is a sense of urgency about what he is saying. So he tells them a parable. “A man had a fig tree and it wasn’t bearing any fruit. The owner said, Cut it down. The gardener said, Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it – prepare the ground. If it bears fruit, well and good; it not, you can cut it down.” His message to us: we still have time – but repent, turn to God in faith and in trust, and do it now while you still have time. In many ways, this is why the lenten season is such an important season. Lent is really a time for reflection, self-examination. It’s a time for reassessing your life. Do you have your priorities straight? What are the values that are driving you and your family? Is your life properly focused? And finally, it means backing off and asking yourself, do you like what you see? If you don’t, then it means its time to change. If you life has been focused on values that are insignificant and unimportant, it’s time to change. Isn’t that the very character of repentance? It’s looking at your life, acknowledging who you are, and then being willing to make changes. I had a conversation with a woman who is Roman Catholic. She was telling me about confession. She had gone to confess, and she acknowledged some things she had done that she regretted. The priest asked her, “are you willing to change?” She said, “No, I’m not.” “Well, in that care I can’t forgive you.” Isn’t that the nature of repentance – to acknowledge past failures, to be honest about your shortcomings, and then, with God’s help, to move in a new direction. So I encourage you during this lenten season, take time to pray, take time to reflect, take time to read scripture – take time to re-assess your life, to re-assess your priorities, and then make the changes that need to be made. And, as Jesus reminded us, there’s a sense of urgency about this -- so act now while you still have time. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Sermon: Third Sunday After Epiphany Sanctify us through thy truth, dear Lord; Thy Word is truth. Amen. Today’s gospel is one of the most significant passages in the book of Luke. It’s a passage in which Jesus tells us who he is; he tells us what his ministry is going to be about; and it’s also a passage in which Luke warns us -- how difficult it’s going to be for us to hear what Jesus has to say. With that as background, let’s take at look at the passage. The first thing that strikes us in this passage is that Jesus makes it very clear who he is. You’ll remember, by way of background, this story comes very early in the ministry of Jesus. He has been out in the wilderness and been tempted by the devil. On his return, he went to Galilee and began to preach in the synagogues. And as Luke said, “He was praised by everyone.” Luke doesn’t describe what happened there, but now he tells the story of Jesus returning to Nazareth, his home town. He enters the synagogue and he was invited to read the scripture of the day. He unrolled the scroll and he read that passage from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news…” When he was finished reading he sat down and said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” What is he saying? I am the anointed one – I am the one on whom the Spirit of God has descended – if you had been there at my baptism, you would have seen the Spirit of the Lord descend upon me like a dove and you would have heard the words of God: “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” I am the Messiah. Today, those words have been fulfilled in your hearing. And the initial reaction of the people was one of joy: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” In one sense, they were proud of him – this is the local boy who has gone away and made a name from himself. But notice what he was claiming: I am the Messiah – I am the anointed one – I am the one on whom the Spirit of the Lord has been sent. So there we have it – Jesus’ own understanding of who he was. It’s in that same reading that Jesus then spells out what his mission was going to be. I have been anointed and set apart for a purpose. “To bring good news to the poor…to proclaim release to the captives…recovery of sight to the blind…and to let the oppressed go free.” If you want Jesus’ mission statement, there you have it. Make no mistake, this is what I am going to be doing. I think at this point it’s helpful to remind ourselves about the way in which Luke looks at things. Matthew will have a tendency to spiritualize things. Think of the beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Notice the language: “the poor in spirit.” That’s not Luke. Luke says it this way” :Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Matthew writes: “Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” That’s not Luke. Luke says: “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” So Luke is describing a Jesus who is very down to earth: I am here to minister to the poor – to those who don’t have money; I am here to minister to those who are in prison – those who are behind bars and who have committed real crimes. And I’m here to open the eyes of the blind – to those who can’t see physically. So his core message is: I have been anointed to bring hope to those who are marginalized in society – to those who are living on the fringes – to those who are blind, poor, imprisoned. But now Luke does something very interesting. He wants us to know right up front how difficult this is going to be. People are going to have great difficult in hearing who Jesus is and in accepting what it is that he intends to do. You’ll remember that the people praised him, but then they got thinking to themselves: but this is Jesus, Joseph’s son – this is the carpenter’s son – this is the little kid who used to run around the neighborhood causing trouble. Who does he think he is claiming to be the anointed one? And not only that, Jesus went on to attack their lack of faith. “You want me to do some healing like I did over in Capernaum (a neighboring town). I would but there’s no faith here.” And he told the story of Elijah – Elijah tried to bring healing here, but there was no faith. You praise me for my words – you praise me for my teaching – but you’re not listening; you’re not responding in faith and trust. And you’ll recall, the people got so angry that “they took Jesus to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, so that they might hurl him over the cliff.” What Luke is doing here is warning us. It’s going to be difficult for us to accept the fact that he is the Messiah; and it’s going to be difficult for us to accept the things that he has to say. The Parish Planning Council has been working on developing a new vision statement – and it’s an excellent statement, and we’ll be sharing more with you in the future. Here’s the first line: “Prince of Peace Lutheran Church will be a community alive in the Holy Spirit proclaiming boldly the Good News of Jesus Christ.” That’s a wonderful statement, but I think we need to be careful before approving that statement. Do we really want to hear what it is that our Lord is asking of us? If we take our faith seriously, our Lord is going to ask us to change our funding priorities – he’s going to ask us to change our giving patterns – he’s going to ask us to be more aggressive in sharing our faith with others – he’s going to make demands of our time – he’s going to ask us to take seriously issues of justice – he’s going to ask us how we can justify holding prisoners without a fair trial – he’s going to ask us how we can justify living in world that is filled with poverty while other people are getting paid $250 million dollars to kick a soccer ball. Luke is gently reminding us that we may not want to hear what our Lord has to say. His friends and neighbors in Nazareth couldn’t hear him – and turned against him. I’m pleased by the fact that we as a congregation want to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ proclaimed boldly. My only concern is, are we really ready to hear what our Lord has to say? That will require some thought and prayer on our part. Amen. The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Sermon: Christ the King Sunday This is the last weekend of the church year. If you've been listening carefully, you realize that the Bible passages that we heard last week and this are very futuristic. Last week Jesus was talking about the destruction of the temple -- "not one stone will be left upon another." Mark then went on to describe the terrible things that would be happening: there will be war and destruction; there will be earthquakes; and there will be a famine -- and this is but the beginning. This week those themes continue. In the passage from Daniel we have his vision of a dramatic moment in time when the king is enthroned. "I saw one like a human being, coming with the clouds of heaven. A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him." While Christ is not mentioned, we as Christians find it easy to listen to that passage and see this as the enthronement of Christ himself. And this is the image that the book of Revelation picks up. "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Look, he is coming with the clouds, every eye will see him." So the writer of Revelation takes the vision of Daniel and makes it clear that it is Jesus Christ who will come again. When you think about it, there's a basic pattern to our church year. We began, a year ago, with the season of Advent. We turned to the time of the Old Testament and began to hear about the future -- and what was it they were hoping for? They were hoping for the coming of the Messiah. So as we began the church year, we were looking to the future and anticipating the coming of the one sent by God. Now, as we come to the end of the church year, we do the same thing -- only now our attention is focused on the distant future. The Messiah has already come; so now, as we look ahead, we're anticipating something different: we're looking for the last judgment -- the second coming of Christ -- and the end of time. If you listen carefully to the language, you realize that our picture image of Christ begins to change. Early on we focused on Jesus as the Messiah; we listened to his parables and his teaching; we focused on his miracles; and then, during Holy Week, we focused very intentionally on Jesus' death on the cross and his rising into life on Easter Day. Now, as we come to the end of the year and look to the future, we find a new emphasis. The focus is now on Jesus as the King. It's no accident that the last Sunday of the church year is referred to as "Christ the King" Sunday. And notice, it's not Jesus the King -- but Christ the King -- it's Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, the Messiah, who is now looked upon as the king. We see this theme of kingship very clearly in our stories today. That first passage from Daniel: it's the enthronement of the king. "To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him." The writer of Revelation picks up the same theme. "Jesus Christ -- who is he? -- the ruler of the kings of the earth. (He) made us to be a kingdom…to him be glory and dominion forever and ever." This theme is also picked up in our gospel today. This is a very strange passage. It's the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. Pilate keeps asking Jesus questions, and Jesus never gives him a straight answer. "Are you the king of the Jews?" Pilate asks. And Jesus responds, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" (He didn't answer the question.) Pilate tries again: "What have you done?" Jesus answers, "My kingdom is not from this world." "Oh, so you are a king." To which Jesus responds, "You say that I am a king." While it's clearly an unusual conversation, what's clear is that Jesus indicates that he does have a kingdom -- but a kingdom not from this world. Yes, he is a king, but not a king that is seeking political power and authority. So what we observe, then, is that in all of these passages the image of Jesus Christ as the King begins to become the dominant image. Now at this point you're probably thinking to yourself, this is all well and good, but so what? What does this have to do with me? Why should I care? I think there are three basic observations that can be made. First, the scriptural witness is that the world is moving to an ultimate destination. History is not just a series of endless cycles that keep repeating themselves. As Christians we believe that history is moving in a very specific trajectory -- and that there will be an ultimate end. And we would add, that God, and his son, Jesus Christ, are the ultimate victors. We're moving toward that ultimate moment where God is victorious and Jesus Christ is proclaimed king over all. Second, it's clear from scripture that we are going to be held accountable for our actions. Jesus tells a number of stories where it's very clear that at the end there will be an accounting -- a judgment. Two stories: Matthew 25 -- the last judgment. "I was in prison and you visited me" -- you're going to be saved; "I was naked and you did not clothe me" -- you're going to be judged. Another story that is similar in spirit is the story of the ten maidens. All were invited to the wedding feast. And you'll recall that only five attended -- the others were unprepared. But the point is, just because we're all invited, doesn't mean we're all going to attend. So there is a point of accountability for each of us -- a time of judgment. And finally, it's clear from scripture that we don't know when the end is coming -- even Jesus said, "You don't know the day nor the hour." But, prepare yourselves now so that when that moment comes, you will be found ready. When we look scripture in this way, we begin to realize that while we're talking about the future -- the end of time, the last Judgment, the second coming of Christ -- the fact is, it's finally very personal. What happens then is going to have an impact on our lives. We're going to be held accountable. So as Christians, knowing what is coming, we prepare ourselves now. The future is not something to be feared but rather is a time when we will celebrate the ultimate enthronement of Jesus Christ, Christ the King, as Lord of all. Amen. I have to admit: Reformation Weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the church year. Part of the reason is, it gives me an opportunity to wear my red robe. (This is my doctoral gown that I received when I graduated from Boston University School of Theology back in 1976.) But I also like Reformation Weekend because it gives us an opportunity to talk about Martin Luther – and Luther is a very fascinating character. He was very verbal; he was strong willed and opinionated; and he was very quotable. I thought it would be fun today to take a look at Luther’s theology and to do it by reminding ourselves of some of the things that he had to say. To understand Luther, it’s important to realize that God always comes first. Just listen to this passage: “Your faith comes from Him, not from you. And everything that works faith within you comes from Him and not from you.” For Luther, the spotlight always falls on God. Anything that suggests that God is going to reward us in some way for our good behavior moves beyond the bounds of Luther’s thought. In many ways, the perfect example is infant baptism. Here is a young child who can do nothing to help him or herself, and yet what happens? In the waters of baptism God accepts the child and gives the child the gift of eternal life. Who is the central actor? It’s God. And we are simply recipients of God’s grace. Luther takes this even further. He says, even the faith that I have is not something that I did. Even my faith is a gift from God. I believe because God himself gives me that faith. So to properly under Luther and Lutheranism, just keep in mind: for Luther the spotlight always falls on God and God’s activity – and not on our own. Forgiveness is a gift, and not something we earn. Luther then says that this has some practical implications for us. Listen to one of his more controversial statements: “Sin boldly…” The full quote reads like this: “God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin boldly but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world.” Now what does he mean? Luther is not saying that we should go out and break the commandments and live wild and licentious life. Rather, Luther is saying – you have been forgiven; it’s God’s gift to you. Therefore, sin boldly – knowing that God will forgive you. This means to live boldly – to enjoy life to the fullest – to take chances – to live with a spirit of aggressiveness. If there are issues that are important to you, stand up for them. In other words, sin boldly. But, he adds, believe in the love and grace of God even more boldly. God forgives you, and knowing that we are free, it gives us the courage to live our lives with boldness and with confidence. Luther is also a realist. He knows that we are all sinners standing in need of God’s forgiveness. As sinners, we come together in the church. And so Luther can say: “Farewell to those who want an entirely pure and purified church. This is plainly wanting no church at all.” How often have you heard people say, “I don’t go to church because it’s filled with hypocrites.” Luther would say: “Of course it is. We’re sinners; that’s why the church is here. The church is not going to be perfect because it’s made up of people like you and me. But having said that, Luther reminds us that we are called to live responsibly and to make wise decisions. He once made the comment: “Better a wise Turk than a foolish Christian.” Remember, at this point the Ottoman Empire (basically a Muslim community) was threatening Southern Europe. And yet Luther could say, “Who would you rather have as a leader? Someone with wisdom, or someone who has a passion for Christ but has no common sense?” So he says, “Better a wise Turk than a foolish Christian.” This is also a reminder for those of us who serve on the Parish Planning Council. It’s not enough to say, “God will provide; we don’t have to worry about those things.” Luther reminds us we’re called upon to be wise and responsible leaders. Luther is also concerned about our personal piety. What’s he’s saying is that our faith should be reflected in our behavior. Take a simply example: our prayer life. Luther writes: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Prayer is integral to our life. And he adds: “If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.” If you faith life is not as strong and bold as you would like, Luther would say, it’s time for you to make time for prayer. Just as breathing gives us the oxygen we need to live, so it is that prayer is the lifeblood of our faith. Luther can also be very practical. And he has some simple advice for us. We have Commitment Sunday coming up in a couple of weeks. And so Luther poses a question for us. Why did God give us fingers? For Luther the answer was very simple: “God divided the hand into fingers so that the money would slip through.” In closing, one final thought from Martin Luther: “Just as there is no fire without heat and smoke, so there is no faith without love.” May the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Sermon: In the first and second chapters of Genesis we have two stories of creation. While the details differ, the basic thrust of the two stories is very similar. In chapter 1 we’re reminded that God created “every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth,” and then God added that man “was to have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.” In chapter 2 the writer describes how God created every animal and every bird, and then he adds that man was to give names to each of these animals. Now the act of giving a name is very significant because it implies that man is then responsible for the creatures that he has named. What emerges from these two stories, then, are two core insights: that God has created mankind and that God has asked us to be responsible stewards for his created world. FOR WHAT ARE WE RESPONSIBLE? When you think about this responsibility, it really points us in three directions: 1. We’re to be responsible for the environment – for the water, the land, the plants, and the air. In other words, we’re to be responsible for the world in which we live. 2. It also implies we’re to be responsible for the animals of creation – we’re to have “dominion” over them. Dominion implies being responsible for – caring for -- the animals of creation. 3. And, I think it’s appropriate to say, we’re also to be responsible for the children under our care – for those babies and toddlers who are unable to care for themselves. (How appropriate tonight that we have the blessing of the animals and we have a baptism as well. [Avery Cole Forbes] We’re called upon to be responsible stewards of both.) HOW ARE WE DOING? When you were back in school, at the end of each semester you’d get a report card – and the report card would indicate how well you did. If you did well, you’d get an A or B; if you weren’t doing so well, you’d get a C or a D – and in some cases, even an F. So the question for us tonight is: how are we doing? We are stewards of God’s creation. Have we been responsible stewards of that creation? Let’s think of the environment. The problem we’re facing is global warming. (It’s funny, when I was jotting down some ideas for the sermon I miswrote the phrase – and I wrote instead, global warning.) And isn’t that really the case: global warming is warning us that things are not right. What I find troubling is that so often we treat this concern as a political issue – one side cries “doom” and the other side says, “no, there’s no problem whatsoever.” What we’re talking about is not a political issue – it’s a human issue – and in many ways, it’s a survival issue. Weather patterns are changing – the very character of the ocean is changing – plant life is endangered – there is growing shortage of water – and deserts in Africa keep expanding. I’m not sure the Lord would give us a very good grade for the ways in which we’ve been handling his good creation. And think about the animals. I like to collect stamps and for years I’ve been collecting stamps from the United Nations. This is a stack of some of the first day covers I’ve collected over the years. [Approximately 100 in number] Every one of these envelopes represents an animal that is facing extinction. Farm land is being destroyed at an alarming rate; magnificent jungles in Brazil and Africa are being destroyed acre by acre – and the animals are being driven out. This is our legacy. One by one, we’re destroying the animals that God gave to us. I don’t think our grade will be very good. Then I think of our children. Now I think many are doing a wonderful job of raising children – and we have many in our congregation who love to teach and who work in our education system. Yet we all know that there’s a frightful amount of abuse going on – abuse, neglect, violence. Just in the last week, two attacks on children in schools, and another where a principal was shot and killed. Social workers and police can tell you horror stories of some of the things they’ve encountered over the years. Many of you are doing well in raising your children, but abuse continues at an alarming rate. I suspect God is not overly pleased with the way we’re caring for our children. WHAT CAN WE DO? In Genesis we’re reminded that we’re to be responsible stewards of God’s creation: to care for the environment, the animals, and our children.
And so this evening we celebrate the joys of God’s creation. “And God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” Our challenge continues: to be responsible stewards of the world and the animals in it which our Lord has given to us. Amen. In our lessons today, there are two very powerful themes that are being lifted up. On the one Hand: On the other Hand: Here, Jesus is offering profound insight into the future, and the disciples are preoccupied with their place of honor – which of us is the greatest? Isn’t that the challenge we face again and again. The challenge is to keep ourselves focused on the right issues, and not becoming preoccupied with secondary issues. Or, to put it another way, the challenge is to remain properly centered in our lives – in our personal lives, in our life together here in community, and (indeed) in this country in which we live. Rick Warren: Ministry of Hope Award: Several years ago we began wrestling with our mission statement, and over the past ten years we have continued to refine that statement. But our mission says very clearly: “Prince of Peace welcomes people to worship, nurtures spiritual growth and fellowship so that, in Christ’s name, we may serve those in need wherever they are.” That was our stated mission. Is it any surprise that we received the award? We have taken seriously the needs of others; we have put money and volunteer effort into serving people at their point of need; we have allowed our mission statement to frame our activities. What was the result? LSSI observed what we have been doing and honored us by giving us an award. Now we weren’t doing these things to get an award. We were doing these things because this was our sense of mission. But being properly centered, we focused on serving others and were, as a result, honored for what we did. The Implication: With these thoughts fresh in mind, I went back and revisited some of the things that we said were important to us as a congregation. Actually, you’ll find our vision statement in the Guide Book and Phone Directory that most of you have. (It’s found on page 5.) Revisiting our Vision Statement: “Prince of Peace will be organized for action to be responsive to needs.” That continues to be a challenge. What are some of the needs in this community which we might help address? The statement goes on. “We want to provide programs that make a real impact, are relevant to daily life, and fit our overall mission.” If you’ve been listening carefully, this is a theme that is rather dear to my heart. How do we make the connection between what we do here in church on Sunday and how we lives our lives on Monday? We see this as an important part of our mission – helping make the connection so that faith is something lived out every day of our lives. We also say, “we want to strive for excellence in ministry, worship and programming.” We live in the shadow of Willow Creek. I always tend to be a bit suspicious of mega-churches, but I can tell you one thing that I have always appreciated about Willow Creek: they have a passion for excellence. If they do a program, you know it will be done well; if they build a building, it’s going to be first-class all the way. We’ve learned from that, and it’s a good lesson to learn! We also say, in our vision statement, that we “want to worship in a way that connects to the unchurched, youth and others” – and we also indicate “a willingness to worship in ways that don’t necessarily relate to our more traditional Lutheran approach.” You may not be aware of it, but we’ve been making some great strides in that direction. I’d especially like to thank Sam Cortese, Jr., Director of our Crossroads Service, for the excellent job he has been doing in leading that service -- and in developing some quality music. We still have a ways to go, but we've made some great strides – and he’s building a wonderful worship team. Looking Ahead: IN SUMMARY: So what have we learned from our scripture today? Jesus was sharing with his followers a profound insight into the future: the Son of Man must died and be raised into new life. Yet, at the same time, the disciples were preoccupied with themselves – who of us is the most important? Who deserves the seat of honor? In scripture we’re reminded that our lives need to be properly centered – to be centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ – taking up our cross and following him. And Jesus reminds us that if we do that, that if we are faithful, that if we are properly centered, then the very things we seek are the things that God will grant to us. You want to be first in the kingdom? Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” You want to be number one? Then take up your cross and follow Jesus Christ into the world in which we live. If you do that, if your lives are properly centered, indeed, then all other things fall into proper perspective. Amen. Sermon: The challenge that Jesus places before us is a very simple one: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." It sounds so simple but the question is, how in the world do we do it? Back in August I preached a sermon in which I focused on a book by Bill Diehl (The Monday Connection). Here's what he wrote: "In today's world, Sunday Christians are irrelevant. The hymns, sermons, prayers and creeds of Sunday morning have no impact upon the outside world unless they shape the lives of Christians during the rest of the week." That's the challenge we face: how do we make the connection between what we're doing here in worship on Sunday morning, and how we live our lives come Monday morning. I promised to address that issue further-- and I'd like to continue that today. So often we think that what it means to be a Christian is to read the Bible, say prayers, sing hymns. The only problem is, when we try to do that in the workplace (or in school), it doesn't play very well. Bill Diehl tells the story of one of his employees by the name of Helen. She took her faith very seriously and whenever one of her employees had a problem, she would bring the person into her office, read that person a passage of scripture, and would then have prayer with that person. As Bill Diehl observed, the employees quickly learned not to share any personal concerns with Helen so they wouldn't be subjected to that kind of conversation. Now Helen was well intentioned, she wanted to take her seriously, but her attempts were not working. Bill finally had to tell her that she could not do this, and he informed her employees that they did not have to listen to her Bible readings and participate in her prayers, and, he added, that their refusal to do so would not affect their performance appraisals. Helen clearly meant well -- but the result was that she turned people off. She wanted to witness to her faith, but that kind of approach simply didn't work in the office place. So what do you do? Diehl suggests that the better approach is a ministry of "being there" -- a ministry of listening, a ministry of presence. Take two examples from the medical field. Many of our members have had those difficult conversations with a doctor: "We've found a problem; we'll have to operate; we'll have to start chemo-therapy; you'll have to be hospitalized." Doctors can be very good at telling you clinically what's wrong and what needs to happen. But as a doctor who is a Christian, isn't it possible to take the next step? For example, "I know that your mother died of this problem -- I'm sure that's a concern for you. How do you feel about what I've just shared with you? Why don't you talk it over with your family. I'll come back in a few minutes and we can talk further." Here was a doctor who took the time to listen; who took time to show compassion. Now the diagnosis isn't going to change -- but a caring person (in this case, the doctor) can help to ease the burden. Many of you have been in the hospital and you've had a variety of nurses and aides. Which ones do you remember? I'm sure you always remember the one's who are competent -- they get the needle in right the first time! But don't you find that you remember the nurses and aides who took time to listen to you -- to treat you as a person. They ask open-ended questions -- and then they stay around to hear your answer. When you think about it -- isn't this living the faith? First of all, the doctors and nurses were competent; but more than that, they took time to care. I've had several conversations with people recently who have talked about what has happened to a loved one when they got ill and were dying. The comment made was: "Suddenly their friends stayed away." People you've been close to suddenly aren't available any more. So often it's our own fears: I don't know what to say…or I'll say the wrong thing. I always do that. I saw Thom Ingebrettson recently -- a long time member who has moved to California. Thom is legally blind. And so what do I say to him when we were together recently? "Thom, it's good to see you." "Oh, no -- I did it again. Couldn't I have greeted him more tactfully?" The reality is, we may well say the wrong thing. But for Thom it was more important that we were together. As Diehl says, this is the ministry of "being there" -- the ministry of listening, the ministry of presence. Several years ago I met a pastor and his wife in Cincinnati. As I got to know them a bit, I learned their story. Their daughter had been murdered -- a random act of violence -- no explanation. For months they were absolutely devastated. Then they read in the paper of another act of random violence -- a child had been killed. This pastor and his wife decided to go and visit this family. They didn't know them at all -- but they discovered that their presence was tremendously important. None of their friends knew what to do or how to act or what to say. But this couple had been through it. They couldn't stop the pain, but suddenly this grieving family realized that they weren't alone. My two friends began to make this their ministry -- they started a support group for families that had been impacted by acts of random violence. It was a simple ministry -- a ministry of listening, a ministry of presence, a ministry of simply being there for a person or family in need. That ministry continues to this day. So often we think that in order to live out our faith on Monday morning that we have to do religious things: that we have to pray, read scripture, sing hymns. But so often the most powerful witness is simply being there for another person. Now I'm sure my friends in Cincinnati, if they're asked, will tell me that they're motivated by love -- that it's an expression of their faith -- and I'm sure there are times that prayer and scripture become important in their ministry. But more than anything, they are simply there. This is what the participants in our mission trip learned recently. It was good that they were able to fix up some houses -- and that was important. But in many ways what was even more important was that they were there in the first place. Because they cared, they were bringing a message of hope to people whose lives had been devastated. This is ministry in daily life. This is making the connection between what we do here in church on Sunday morning and what happens in the world on Monday. This is what it means "to take up your cross and follow Jesus Christ." Amen. In our gospel today the people were listening to Jesus preach. And then they posed a question: “Jesus, what must we do to perform the works of God?” “What is it you’re asking of us?” Paul, in that epistle from Ephesians, answers the question: “What is God asking of you?” He answers: “To lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Now the challenge is to figure out what Paul means. At this point, it’s helpful to recall our Lutheran heritage because what Luther tries to do in his writing is to spell out for us what it means to live as a Christian. So today let’s take a little time to re-appreciate what Luther has to say to us. Luther’s thought can be caught up in the expression, “the priesthood of all believers.” Or, to put it another way, every one of us is a priest. Historical Perspective
But as time went on, Luther became increasingly dissatisfied with these two approaches. He said, we should all be able to pray directly to God – we don’t need a mediator, we don’t need a “go-between.” Each one of us can have a personal relationship with our Lord. And not only that, but in God’s eyes we are all equal. The pope isn’t any closer to God than I am. In fact, we are all called to ministry; we are all called to serve. You’ll notice in our church bulletin that we list our staff. And it begins, The ministers – “Every member of the congregation.” We then list the pastors because our role, our function, is to oversee the day-to-day management of the parish. That is classic Luther – every one of us is a priest; every one of us is called to minister – it’s just that some of us have different functions. Luther now takes this one step further. When we talk about ministry, we tend to focus on what we do in the church. So we have council members, and worship assistants, choir members, altar guild – and we tend to put the focus on what we do in church. And so when Paul says, “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” he puts the focus on our life together in the church – some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers and the like. Now there’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s a problem. Where is it you spend most of your time? Not at church. You spend it at work, you spend it at home, you spend it at school, or in community-oriented activities; in other words, you spend it out in the world someplace. Live Out Your Faith A person who has been very articulate in spelling this out is a person named Bill Diehl. This is a book he wrote a decade ago (1991). He writes: “In today’s world, Sunday Christians are irrelevant. The hymns, sermons, prayers and creeds of Sunday morning have no impact upon the outside world unless they shape the lives of Christians during the rest of the week.” “When (Christians) are asked how the experiences of 11 a.m. on Monday connect with what they experience in church at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, most Christians are at a total loss. “The real problem is that our churches are failing to lead people into the experience of faith. What does it profit a person to worship God for one hour in a church on Sunday but be unable to experience God’s presence in the Monday world?” He then closes by saying, “I am considered a dedicated layperson, because of what I do in the church. No one has ever said that I am dedicated layperson because of what I do in my work on Monday morning.” That (he says) is a tragedy. I’m convinced that this is one of the real challenges that we face in the church today. How do we make the connections between what we do here in worship and in our Bible studies, how do we connect that with the actions and decisions we make during the rest of the week? This is why many people consider Christianity to be irrelevant. We don’t make the connection between what we’re doing here and what we’re going to be doing at work and at home tomorrow. There is this tremendous disconnect. The Right Direction Bill Diehl, in his writing, attempts to make some of those connections. That, however, will have to be the subject of another sermon. Today, however, we’ve set the stage. There is a disconnect between what we do here in church on Sunday and how we live our lives come Monday morning. The challenge is to begin to make those connections and to begin to understand what it means to live faithfully at work and at home come Monday morning. Amen.
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