PARODY: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

One of my favorite hymns is "Of the Father's Love Begotten," an eleventh century hymn celebrating the Incarnation and Nativity of Our Lord. It also happens to be the conference hymn for this year's "From Above" Higher Things Conferences. Pastor Buetow, one of the HT bigwigs, is also a neighbor of mine, in a manner of speaking, and we get together most weeks to study the pericope for the coming Sunday in the Greek. Before our study this week, he planted an idea in my head: a parody of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," with its famous line, "Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'" Earlier this week on Facebook I posted a single verse parody:

"Once upon a midnight dreary-"
Thus wrote Edgar Allan Poe.
'Tis the story of the Raven
Who once did a-tapping go.
Perched he did within my chamber,
And he muttered, muttered slow,

"Nevermore--" just "Nevermore."

However, as OCD as I tend to be, I couldn't leave it done halfway. So today I finished a parody of the whole poem. Here it is.

PARODY: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

Once upon a midnight dreary

Sought I quaint, forgotten lore,

And while pond’ring, weak and weary,

I heard tapping at my door.

And I thought perhaps it could be

Just a random visitor—

            Only that and nothing more.

How distinctly I remember,

Like a ghost upon the floor

Shone the glowing of each ember,

And I thought of lost Lenore.

But my books could not distract me

From that radiant maid of yore—

            Nameless now forevermore.

Lo, the rustling, purple curtains

Brought me fear like ne’er before,

Yet I stood repeating, certain,

“Tis some late night visitor.”
Yet those words stilled not the beating

Of my heart, yet still I swore,

“Tis a guest and nothing more.”

Thinking thus, my soul grew stronger.

“Your forgiveness I implore,”

Said I to the stranger rapping,

Rapping gently on my door.

“Scarcely could I hear your tapping.”

Here I opened wide the door.

            Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering,

Dreaming doubts like ne’er before,

Long I stood there wond’ring, fearing,

Ere I fin’lly gasped, “Lenore?”

Whispered once and then repeating,

Merely this and nothing more—

            Just one single word: “Lenore!”

Back into the chamber turning—

This time it was not the door!

All my soul within me burning

As, much louder than before,

Heard I tapping from the window.

Here’s a myst’ry to explore.

            “Tis the wind and nothing more.”

Open here I threw the shutter,

And a Raven inward tore,

Causing curtains, hearts to flutter

As he perched above the door.

Not a bow or bob he gave me,

This most stately bird of yore.

            Perched he sat and nothing more.

Then the great black bird beguiling

By the stern, grave face he wore,

My sad fancy into smiling.

“Raven from the nightly shore,

To what name should I be calling

As you perch above my door?”

            Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

Strange to hear this discourse plainly,

Though the speech no reason bore,

From this Raven most ungainly

Who did perch above my door.

What an odd and ugly naming

This poor, guesting Raven bore—

            Such a name as “Nevermore.”

But the Raven sitting only

Did that single word outpour

From that perch most placid, lonely,

There above the chamber door,

Til I scarcely more than muttered,

“You will fly as all before.”

            Then the bird said, “Nevermore.”

This reply, so aptly spoken,

Seemed its only stock and store.

Startled by the stillness broken,

I considered, sad and sore.

Such a song, a hopeless burden,

Was the sad, sad dirge he bore—

            Only “Never—Nevermore.”

Still, that Raven most beguiling,

As I turned to face the door,

Brought me once again to smiling

As I thought these matters o’er.

What could be this Raven’s meaning—

This most ghastly bird of yore—

            Mean in croaking, “Nevermore”?

Though no word I was expressing

As I sat, consid’ring more,

I sat thus engaged in guessing,

His eyes burning to my core.

On the cushion’s velvet lining

Sat I, where my fair Lenore

Shall not sit forevermore.

Then, methought, the air grew denser,

As if Seraphs on the floor

Swung an unseen, perfumed censer,

Wafting mem’ries of Lenore.

“Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe

And forget the lost Lenore!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet,” said I, “thing of evil,

Tempter sent or tossed ashore—

Desolate, yet all undaunted,

Tell me truly, I implore:

Is there any balm or comfort?

Is there comfort heretofore?”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet,” said I, “thing of evil,

By the heav’ns that bendeth o’er—

Prophet, still, if bird or devil,

Tell this soul with burden sore,

If, within the distant Aidenn

Rests the angel, blest Lenore.”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Be that word our sign of parting.

Say it not forevermore.”

Thus I said unto the Raven.

“Seek ye out some distant shore.

Haunt my heart and soul no longer.

Quit the bust above my door!”

Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

And the Raven, never flitting

From his perch, which I deplore,

Still resides—he still is sitting

On the bust above my door.

And the shadow on my spirit

From his shadow on the floor

Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Sermon for 6/30/13--Trinity 5

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The Word Works

Luke 5:1-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

The Word of God is a marvelous and mysterious thing. God the Father makes all things through His Word. Jesus was conceived by God's Word spoken by the angel Gabriel. The Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word. Water washes away sins because God adds His Word. Pastors and Christians forgive sins because Jesus' Word says they do. So…how is it that a boat full of fisherman can fish all night and catch absolutely nothing, but when they go out into the deep, they can hardly haul in all the fish? It works that way because that's where our Lord’s Word pointed them. The Word of God has unfathomable power. Where Jesus puts His Word, there we have forgiveness, life and salvation.

Where Christ and His Word are, there the devil and the world and our sinful nature have no power. Everything begins with God's Word. It's always His Word that directs us to what saves us and blesses us. God the Son came into this world, born of the Virgin Mary, and He came to speak the Father's Word to save sinners. In fact, Jesus is the Word made flesh, born to suffer for our sins and to die for them on the cross. Who would have guessed that God Himself would come in the flesh and die on the cross and rise again to take away our sins? Think what other amazing things Christ has done. See how He directs the fishermen to let down their nets for a huge catch; in the same way He has let you into the waters of the font in which you catch the great bounty of forgiveness and life. See how Jesus absolves Peter; in the same way you have been forgiven. See how Jesus leads the disciples to follow Him; in the same way He leads you today to His altar to be where He is for you in His body and blood.

When Peter sees the great catch of fish, however, he throws himself at Jesus' feet: "Away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Peter knows that Jesus is God and He is not. Peter knows that He doesn't deserve anything from Jesus. That's you too. When you see and hear all that God does for you, learn Peter's response: "Away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" When you kneel for confession and absolution and when you come today to kneel at Christ's altar, understand that it is not that you are worthy or deserve to be here. If you think you are worthy, if you think you do deserve what Christ is about to give you, then stop and repent. Come as a sinner. Confess your sinfulness as Peter does. Only at the font, only at the altar, only in His church does Christ come to you and forgive your sins. Jesus says, "Do not be afraid." You are washed, you are absolved, and now you will eat and drink my flesh and blood. There is nothing to be afraid of. I have defeated all your enemies. You are mine.

Dear Christians, you belong where Jesus is: present in His Word, present where His holy gifts are. In Baptism, Absolution, through the Gospel, in the Lord’s Supper—in His church, you receive His love for you. Here you are forgiven. Here you are a child of God. Here you are no sinner but a saint of Christ's church. Outside of Jesus, none of that is true. Approach your Lord Jesus Christ boldly to receive His pledge and promise that nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Come now to receive more Jesus. Come and receive what Jesus has for you. Come to receive Him as He comes to you in His holy body and blood. Like Peter, you are unworthy on your own. But also like Peter, your Savior speaks His Word of forgiveness to you. He chooses you. He makes you worthy. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

   

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.  

HYMN: The Holy Feast Is Ready

I've been working on something for about a month now, though the deep digging on it has happened in the last week. I had an idea for a hymn based on Luke 14:15-24, the Gospel appointed for the Second Sunday After Trinity in the LSB 1-year lectionary. Finally it came together about a week ago--at least, the bones of the idea. I wrote three verses, but it felt like it was missing something. I changed some things around and added a fourth verse, and this is what has come out. Any feedback would be appreciated.

The Holy Feast Is Ready

1. The holy feast is ready.

The Master bids you, “Come!”

His Gospel calls to many—

To ev’ry land and home.

The Lord in grace has spoken:
“Come forth, you lame and blind.

Come forth, you poor and broken.

You here a welcome find.”

2. With blood and body given,

Our hunger He would feed.

This living Bread from heaven

Would meet our ev’ry need.

But woe and condemnation

To those who love their hoard

And spurn the invitation,

For they have their reward.

3.We hear, compelled, unwilling.

Begrudging, we come near.

All shame forever stilling,

He calms the sinner’s fear.

The Master, holy Jesus—

Himself the Host and Feast—

In mercy He receives us,
The greatest and the least.

4. We are the guests invited

To eat this Gospel feast,

And by our Lord delighted

We are from sin released.

Forgiven saints, we gather

Your glory to confess,

O Spirit, Son and Father—

Our God, forever blest.

© 2013, Alan Kornacki, Jr.
76 76 D
Tune: EWING (LSB 672)--at least temporarily

 

Sermon for 6/23/13--Trinity 4

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As We Forgive…

Luke 6:36-42

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

“Judge not and you will not be judged.” As I’ve told you before, these are probably the most misused words in all of Scripture, and they are the words non-believers most enjoy using against Christians. So let's start with what these words don’t mean. They don't mean you can’t tell someone that what they're doing is wrong. In truth, the Lord gives us the authority in our various callings to do exactly that. Parents are to teach their kids right from wrong. Teachers have to discipline students who misbehave. Police officers have to enforce the law. Pastors have to remind people of the Lord's Word and call them to repentance. As Christians, the Lord gives us the task sometimes of speaking the truth to the world which doesn't want to hear it. That's when the world throws these words of Jesus back in our face.

But that's not what these words mean! When Jesus says, "Do not judge," He is urging His hearers to forgive. One who judges is condemning someone for their sins, treating them as their actions deserve. Forgiving means not treating someone as their sins deserve. Look at Joseph. If there was anyone who could punish his brothers for what they did, it was Joseph. He could have made them suffer just as he had suffered. He could have put them to death. Who doesn't like a good story where the hero suffers at the hands of villains, and then in the end finally brings justice?

These words might sound familiar: “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We don’t like those pesky words in the Lord’s Prayer. It's much more satisfying when the bad guys get what they deserve. That's because we'd rather pay back than forgive. When someone wrongs you, do you act like it never happened? That's forgiveness! Or do you condemn them or give them the silent treatment? That is the judging which our Lord forbids. We like to forget how our Lord deals with us. God Himself becomes man and makes Himself our brother. We sell Him into the slavery of our sin, give Him over to the hands of evil men and kill Him. In our sinfulness we put Him to death and pretend to the Father that it's not our fault. And just as Joseph rose from the dungeons to be Pharaoh's right hand man, even so Jesus rose from the dead to sit at the Father's right hand with all majesty and power. When we stand before Him now, will He condemn us? No. He treats us like brothers, like we had not done all those things to Him, like we are holy and righteous. He takes us to Himself so we may share in His eternal glory! Jesus does not judge; Jesus forgives.

The Lord promises that there is no judgment or condemnation for you. Your baptism says so. Holy Absolution says so. The body and blood of Jesus say so. Christ's Word and gifts are His promise that He who could condemn you without a word instead loves you, forgives you, and has prepared a place for you with Him. When someone sins against you, forgive as you have been forgiven. Don't judge. Be merciful and forgive them, treating them as if they haven't done anything wrong. That’s the way the Lord sees you. But what about when you don't want to? What about when it's hard to do? Then go back to your Baptism and the Supper and the Word so that you may hear again your own forgiveness—for it is through those gifts that the Spirit enables you to forgive others.

Dear brothers and sisters, the plank has been removed from your eye. God's judgment is turned aside. For you it's all mercy and forgiveness from the Lord. For you it's a good measure, pressed down and overflowing. In Christ, you too are merciful, forgiving and not judging, able to gently remove the speck from your brother's eye—not by pointing it out in judgment, but by taking it out with forgiveness. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 6/16/13--Trinity 3

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A God Like You

Luke 15:1-10

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

God doesn't make sense. He is supposedly a just God, yet He pardons iniquity and passes over transgressions. God is supposed to bless those who live good lives and punish sinners. What's with all this forgiveness? The Pharisees and scribes thought that way. Jesus was preaching and teaching to tax collectors and sinners and even ate with them! If He was really God, He would know what kind of people those are. And He does. But Jesus is not the kind of God who slaps the back of good people. Jesus comes for sinners. By sending His Son, God the Father is seeking lost sheep and lost coins—sheep that have wandered off in their sins and are perilously close to getting eaten by a wolf; coins that have rolled into the farthest corner under the cabinet where the cobwebs and dirt are. Jesus came for sinners: people who don't love God or their neighbors as they should; people who don't pray and learn the Scriptures as they should; people who are messed up parents and spouses and children who seem to break a commandment whenever they take a step!

That's who Jesus comes to rescue. He comes for them by taking their sins Himself and carrying them to the cross, where He bleeds and dies to pay their price. He searches them out and finds them through the preaching of His Gospel in the world, through the water and word of Holy Baptism. He finds them and brings them into His church. We talk about repentance, and it’s a big word. Repentance is not some showy display that you got your life straightened out. Repentance works like this: You sin, and Jesus finds you and saves you and brings you into His Kingdom. He does it with water and the Word and the preaching of the Gospel. He keeps you in the faith by His Word and Absolution and His body and blood. That's why the tax collectors and sinners came to hear Jesus: He did not preach as the god of the Pharisees to demand that they clean up their act. They came to Jesus because the Law was of no help to them. Try as they might, they could not love God and their neighbor as they should. So they came to hear Jesus because He spoke forgiveness to them.

But watch out! Your enemy the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. And how will the Devil eat you up? He will do it by turning you back into a Pharisee! The great danger to faith is refusing to believe you are a sinner.  Christians are always faced with the temptation to think we're basically good people. But that's the inner Pharisee speaking! It doesn't matter who you are or what you do—you will always think there are worse people than you. You can drive better. You can raise your kids better. You have a better marriage. You have a neater yard. You are better pastor. You're a better Christian. The Pharisees thought God was like them and showed favor to them because they were so holy. Today, hearing about lost sheep and coins, we must confess that, when it comes down to it, we don't really think we're sinners!

If you're not a poor, miserable sinner, then Jesus can't help you. If you come to this place because you think this is the place where the righteous people hang out, then your pastor has nothing for you. You’ve wasted your time today. But if you come to church because you are beat down by the devil, the world and your sinful nature, then Jesus has given your pastor plenty of Good News to speak to you. All we have going on in this place is the forgiveness of sins for sinners. The Lord spares no expense to find us and rescue us in our sins! The shepherd searches high and low until he finds that lost sheep. The woman doesn't stop sweeping and scrubbing until she finds that coin. In the same way, our Lord stops at nothing to rescue us from our sins. He goes through arrest and beatings and spitting and mocking and flogging and the agony of crucifixion and the rest in the tomb to bring you back to God. There is no sin too big, no iniquity hidden so well that Jesus cannot wipe it away with His blood. If you are troubled by your sins, rejoice in the God who comes to take them away! If you are worried that you haven't lived the life you should, rejoice in the Savior who lived in perfect obedience for you. If you are certain that you are no lover of God and no lover of your neighbor, rejoice that the Lord has come and found you by His cross. Rejoice that those sins have been blotted out. Rejoice that through Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, our Lord has made you holy and righteous in His sight, and then share that forgiveness with other sinners.

“Who is a God like you?” asks Micah. Indeed, who is a God like Jesus? He is not the God we expect. He doesn't come to congratulate the righteous. No, He comes to be a Savior for the sinners. Thanks and praise be to Jesus who come to be a man, and yet was without sin so that He could take away our sins. Jesus is for sinners. Jesus is for you. Here is your repentance all you sheep and lost coins: You have been found in Christ. And the angels rejoice in heaven over what the Lord has done for you. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen. 

2013 Reading List: May

May saw me slow down a little bit again on the reading. Life has a way of imposing itself. Mom and Dad Kornacki visited us in May, as did a friend of ours who just finished his studies and has become an intern in a hospital setting. I've been doing some research for a possible writing project--my fourth novel, this time in a different genre, anyone? And of course being a husband, father, pastor, friend, and all-around good guy (*wink*) tends to take some time. All that being said, I still did some good reading in May. I should hop the 100 book mark in June, even should I continue to do novel prep.

Without further ado...

May

1. Apuzzo, Nick. Nine Hundred Nights. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2011.
2. Pekkanen, Sarah. All Is Bright. Washington Square Press, 2010.
3. Brown, Christopher Boyd. Singing the Gospel. The President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2005.
4. Ragan, Theresa. Taming Mad Max. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2011.
5. Vargas, Kimberly. Gumbeaux. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2011.
6. McClure, Mark D. Her. Self-Published Kindle edition, 2013.
7. Eads, Michael L. Leap Year at the Coffee Shop. Red San Publishing, 2011.
8. Rosenberg, Joel. The Fire Duke. Keepers of the Hidden Ways, Book 1. Eos, 1996.
9. James, Brooklyn. The Boots My Mother Gave Me. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2010.
10. Brown, Carolyn. The Ladies’ Room. Montlake Romance, 2011.
11. Cates, Georgia. Beauty from Pain. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2013.
12. Gaiman, Neil. How to Talk to Girls at Parties. William Morrow, 2006.
13. Burkhart, Stephanie. A Polish Heart. Publishing by Rebecca J. Vickery, 2012.
14. Bishop, Paul. Penalty Shot. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2011.
15. Duck, Julie Rieman. A Place in This Life. Self-Published Kindle Edition, 2011.
16. Kurtz, Katherine. Camber of Culdi. Legends of Camber of Culdi, Book 1. Ballantine Books, 1976.

Sermon for 6/9/13--Trinity 2

No audio this week. Yesterday was a concatenation of silly little blunders: waking up at 8:45am for the 9am service, my interesting pubescent voice change during the Salutation, and a complete mind-blank on my sermon when a page of my manuscript went missing (which wouldn't have been a problem if [1] I'd had time to review my sermon text a few times before the service as I usually do or [2] I'd been more awake--for which, again, I have no one to blame but myself). So...for the members of St. Peter who didn't get to hear the portion of this that got lost between printing and preaching, the bold print is what you missed. My apologies. I'd like to say that it won't happen again, but instead let me say that I'll do everything I can to prevent this from happening again.

Ringing the Dinner Bell

Luke 14:15-24

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A certain man gave a great supper and invited many." This certain man is God the Father. The supper is the banquet of forgiveness and life which Christ His Son purchased by His death for sin and by His victory over the grave. In fact, Jesus is Himself the meal, the bread of life given in His body and blood. God has sent out His Holy Spirit to invite many through the preaching of the Gospel to come to the feast. All things have been prepared by God; there is no cost to you. Those invited may freely dine on the finest of fare which God has to offer.

"But they all with one accord began to make excuses." They all had other things they thought were more important to do.  Being with the Giver of the feast and sharing in the joy of His meal was low on the priority list. They all demonstrate unbelief in the Gospel invitation. The first said, "I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused." This man is caught up in his property and does not believe that in Christ the meek shall inherit the earth. He seeks to gain the world and in the process forfeits his soul. He sees the value of land but does not desire the priceless land of the new creation. He elects to go and see his piece of ground, showing his destiny to return to the ground in temporal and eternal death.

The second said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused." This man prefers his work to the work of Christ. This man seeks to produce His own righteousness before God, walking under the yoke of the five books of Moses' Law, rather than trusting in the righteousness of Christ, walking in the freedom of the Gospel. He will find no rest. His labor is in vain.

The third said, "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come." This man prized his earthly marriage over the heavenly wedding of Christ and His Churchly Bride. He desired a fleeting wedding celebration more than the everlasting marriage feast. He loved union with his wife more than communion with his Creator. When death parts him from his wife, there will be nothing to restore him to life.

On the surface all of these excuses seem pretty reasonable. Taking care of land and business concerns and being with your new wife sound at first like pretty legitimate justifications for saying "no" to the invitation. And it's that same sort of seemingly reasonable excuse-making that we are tempted to engage in when the Gospel invitation comes to us. We too can come up with our own rationalizations for saying "maybe later" to God and His invitation to the feast. And this is true in every stage of life. In youth, sowing our wild oats seems like the most important thing. Reaching adulthood, it’s the responsibilities of family and employment. In middle age, we must work hard for retirement. And then it’s time to retire, when we can finally afford to travel and do all the things we missed while we were getting ready for this day. Please, Lord, have me excused.
 

And lest we who are here today become self-righteous, what about when we come to the banquet of the Lord but don't eat? What about when we hear the Word of the Lord that is read and preached in this place but refuse to pay attention to it and receive it? What about when we starve ourselves, lest we believe the Supper loses what makes it special? We're at the table, so to speak, but our attention is elsewhere than on God's free gifts of mercy and life in Christ. The food is in front of us, but we're not hungry. We've lost sight of our need for Jesus and what He has to give.
 

God will have a full house on the Last Day for His feast. And if those who should come don't, then many whom you might not expect will: not only the poor and the lame and the blind, but also even many from among the heathen nations will be brought to believe and be saved. This meal is given not on the credentials of the invitees but on the graciousness of the Host.

Our Lord Jesus offered up His body on the cross to be "roasted" in the fire of judgment. He suffered hell in our place at Calvary. Having rescued us from sin and Satan by His holy death, and being now raised from the dead, Jesus offers Himself to the whole world as heavenly food that we might receive His saving gifts and be nourished by them. Jesus said, "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." And if Christ dwells in you, then the sin and death which troubles you ultimately cannot harm you, for in Christ you have pure righteousness and life which conquers all, even the grave. He will indeed bring you who believe to the resurrection of the body at the close of the age.

And so the Spirit's call goes out to you again this day: "Come, for all things are now ready." The banquet table is laid before you, not only in the Word of God you are hearing, but also in the Sacrament of the Altar. Partake of this holy, life-giving food.  Believe in Christ and be saved. Receive the foretaste of the Feast to come, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which will have no end. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

    

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.  

Sermon for 6/2/13--Trinity I

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Idolatry

Luke 16:19-31

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

We live in a funny world. All around us, people are mad at those politicians and corporate bigwigs who make huge salaries and get huge bonuses. They live in luxury and despise all the people that are beneath them. But why do the 99 percent protest those one percent? They protest precisely because they are greedy too! They begrudge the rich because they themselves are not rich. Greed is everyone's problem. Consider yourself. We love to complain about those congressmen and how they make all that money while they tax us into oblivion. If we have it good, our employers better let us keep it; if we don't have it so good, there's always those people to complain about who have it better than we do. Yet we find it hard even to take the bit God gives us and use it for the benefit of our neighbor.

But there are greater riches with which we are stingy. Hoarding our cash or racking up our credit cards has got nothing on how we clamp shut the vaults of forgiveness. Your pastor could probably beat you over the head enough to guarantee our food pantry bin back there is full, but what could he preach to make you open up the vault of forgiveness? Everyone has at least one person in his life who suffers because we won't let go of their sins and forgive them. Your neighbor festers in the sores of what he has done, and you pass him by every day without so much as a nod. When you are at fault, you demand that everyone accept your excuse and let you off the hook. But when it's your turn to forgive, you pass by and enjoy the forgiveness you receive, and never mind the person who needs you to forgive him. And whether you are stingy with money or with forgiveness, the end result is the same: flames that can't be quenched even with a fingertip's worth of water!

Jesus tells this story to bring us to repentance, to keep us out of the rich man's new dwelling. Repent of hoarding your riches whether it's your cash or your forgiveness. What saves you? Moses and the Prophets, the Apostles and Evangelists. The Word saves you! The Word says that Jesus who was rich became poor for us. It says that He who is highest in heaven became the lowest on earth. It says that He who to whom all praise and glory belongs became despised and hated more than anyone. While the world sat at its feast wearing its fashionable clothing, Jesus was tossed outside the city, naked and nailed to a cross. The Scriptures tell us our problem: sin displayed in our horrible selfishness. But Scripture also tells us our forgiveness: God wipes out that sin and selfishness by dying for us on the tree and rising again. Where that Word is, there Christ is to drag us away from our sins and make us new people in Him, teaching us to walk in the way that glorifies Him and loves and serves others.

The Word that does this; nothing else. Some of those who crucified Jesus came to faith in Him. But it wasn't because He showed Himself to them after He rose from the dead. No; they heard it from the preaching of the Apostles. The only thing that rescues us from our sins is the Word: the Word preached, the Word heard, the Word and water splashed on the sinner, the Word and the bread and wine fed to sinners. The Lord doesn't send people back from the dead to preach. Instead He sends Apostles and pastors to His church. Jesus directs us to His Word: the Scriptures and the Sacraments. There the Holy Spirit is doing His work of forgiving our sins and giving us faith. There sinners learn to abandon their stinginess of money and of forgiveness. By the Word, the Spirit puts to death that old sinful Adam and raises the New Man to life to love and serve our neighbor. Where Christ's Word is, we are richer than we can imagine. Where Christ's Word is, there is Jesus with forgiveness and life and salvation and everlasting joy. Those are true riches—riches for us and riches for our neighbor. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen. 

Get it straight. No, really.

For my 400th post, I thought I'd share something about the Gospel. (After 399 other posts, it's about time, eh?) I posted this earlier on Facebook, but it seems a little too deep for my usual Facebook fare. Anyway, here it is: 400 with a bullet.


There is a proper order to evangelism and outreach. First we must get the message straight. We do the unbeliever no favor if we lead him to a Christ who exists only in the imagination of our hearts. First we must be rooted in the Word of God. As the Church lives not on bread alone but "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD", we must know what the Lord reveals to us about Himself through the Word. Only then can we reach out with the Word to the unbeliever with the Christ that actually exists, the Christ who makes Himself known through that very Word. Reaching out without first getting it straight may reach a goodly number of people, but you will not be bringing them to where they need to be.

The Reverend Alvin L. Barry, sainted President of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, put it this way: "Keep the message straight, Missouri! Get the message out, Missouri!" Don't talk to me about equipping the saints for outreach or about the evils of "incessant internal purification" until you can be sure that the message is straight--that the "love" you show won't lead your hearers to their death.

Sermon for 5/26/13--The Feast of the Holy Trinity

Audio:





Text:

Gifts

John 3:1-17

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

God is all about giving you things. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each Person of the Holy Trinity is about giving you gifts. Just like our earthly fathers, our heavenly Father gives us life through our earthly fathers. And just as an earthly father is supposed to provide for and care for us, this too is the means by which our heavenly Father gives us what we need to live. And if your earthly father is no good at it, or doesn't do it, your heavenly Father won't forsake you but still take care of you some other way. But more than just clothing and shoes and food and drink and house and home, your heavenly Father given you the gift of His Son, Whom He sent into the world to save you from your sins. Your Father is the giver of gifts. 

The Son's gift to you is obedience to the Father. How is Jesus' obeying His Father a gift to you? Well, earthly fathers would take it as a gift if our kids actually did everything we told them to. But that would be a gift for us dads! When Jesus obeys His Father, it's not for the Father's sake but for yours. When the Father tells the Son to come to this world and save sinners, Jesus obeys. And that is what saves us. Jesus' gift to you is that He does the Father's will. His gift to you is that He takes on human flesh for you, takes on your sins, and suffers and dies for them on the cross to forgive them. The Son's gift to you is His being lifted up on the cross. His gift to you is His resurrection by which your death is defeated. All that Jesus does for your salvation is a gift from Him to you. He does it freely out of His own will of mercy and grace and in obedience to His Father.

And the Holy Spirit gives gifts. First of all, the Holy Spirit is Himself a gift who "proceeds" from the Father and the Son. The sending of the Spirit is another gift of Father and Son to us. The Spirit's gift is to make us children of God by giving us a new birth from above. This He does by sprinkling us with the blood of Jesus through the water and the Word of Holy Baptism. In fact, every gift the Spirit has for us is about delivering Jesus' forgiveness to you. He gives you the gift of new life at the font. He gives the gift of forgiveness in preaching and Holy Absolution. He gives the gift of Jesus' body and blood in the Supper. The Spirit's gift is to make you holy. And He does that by delivering to you the gift of the forgiveness of sins by water, word, body and blood.

So then we see what our sin is and what our repentance is on this Holy Trinity Sunday. At its root, all sin is idolatry. Sin is not just the breaking of rules; it’s when we refuse to fear, love and trust in God above all things. It's rejecting the gifts of the God who gives them to us. We have the Father who created us and takes care of us and sent His Son. Yet we love the things of this creation more than we love God. We love our possessions and toys and our money and most especially ourselves. These are the things we put first in our life. Christ gives the gift of Himself for our salvation, to forgive us our sins. Yet we love our sins more than such forgiveness. We would rather hold a grudge against someone or continue in our nasty habits than repent and have those sins wiped out. The Holy Spirit gives us the Word and Sacraments and we toss those aside for more exciting things, so that living daily in our baptism or hearing Christ's Word or coming to His Supper are no big deal. We can take them or leave them as if they're no more important than anything else we have or do in our lives. Every gift from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is so easily rejected. That is what sin is. We must repent of the idolatry that causes us to reject God's gifts.

Where, then, is our hope in this True God forgiving us? Well we already said He gives us His gifts. Jesus tells us that the flesh is idolatrous and self-loving. But you have something else. You have a new birth from above by water and the Spirit because the Father has sent the Son and the Son was lifted up for you. The same Father, Son and Spirit who give you every good gift—He gives those gifts to save us from our idolatry, to put to death our sinful flesh and give new birth to us by water and the Spirit and the Word. In Christ, by Baptism, you are a new creation. Baptized in Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, you are now a child of God. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, your pastor speaks the Word of Christ to forgive you all your sins. Your Father loves you. The Son loves you. The Holy Spirit loves you. They provide for you, forgive you and make you holy. No other god can even pretend to come close to what the True God is and has and does for you. Every false god demands something from you. But the True God is all about giving His gifts to you—now and forever. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

   

   

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 5/19/13--The Feast of Pentecost

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Text:

Keep My Word

John 14:23-31

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

There is both a sense of triumph and a sense of wonder that accompanies the celebration of Pentecost. He who died for our sins and was raised to life on the third day has returned to the right hand of the Father in heaven. And from there He has sent the Holy Spirit to His Church, as He had promised. The coming of the Spirit means that our Savior has been crowned in heaven with eternal glory, and that He rules over all things for the sake of His Church. The Introit for the day voiced some of this: “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered…” In Jesus, sin, death and hell have more than met their match. Whatever failures we experience along the way are only momentary, because the ultimate victory has been won, and heaven has been secured for the saints of God.

It still amazes us to consider what has taken place, to realize that at one moment we were looking into the gaping jaws of eternal death, and the next we see that the kingdom of heaven has been opened wide to all believers. On that Day of Pentecost, wonder was accompanied by amazing signs: a heavenly wind; tongues of fire on the heads of the disciples; and then the unlearned ability to speak the languages of the multitudes gathered in Jerusalem “from every nation under heaven.” Suddenly, amazingly, the Gospel was making its way out into every corner of the earth through those who were gathered that day.

But Pentecost is also a solemn day. Pentecost was the first step in a long, hard road. The Apostles could not let themselves be deceived. Jesus told them what things would be like after He was gone. Just as His had been a hard-won victory over sin, death, and hell, the Church’s eventual triumph of faith would also be hard-won. Even with the triumph and wonder of the Day of Pentecost, the operative words for Jesus followers were—and still are—“If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up His cross, and follow Me.” And now, before leaving them, He said to them: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not Your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Peace is the promise. But make no mistake: after He was gone, there would still be battles to be fought and won.

In the light of Christ’s glorious resurrection and ascension, and with the Spirit’s work at Pentecost, the disciples soon found ways to carry on and even thrive in what their Master had left for them to do. The very same is true for us. We know that we are absolutely dependent on our Lord Jesus Christ. The thought of being without Him is one that would lead us to utter despair. And yet we know that He strengthens us, and that by His Spirit, who does His work with and in us by the Word and the Sacraments, we are able to carry on in peace in the course our of vocations.

Peace is one of the gifts that comes with Pentecost. What did “peace” mean to those disciples on that eventful day? What does it mean to us now? The giving of peace was the common form of greeting in those days. Perhaps it had lost much of its significance in common usage, as is true with so many things. But coming from the lips of Jesus, the word “peace” was once more given all the fullness of meaning God had intended for it. The peace of God never simply means the absence of trouble. Indeed, God’s peace can be at its fullest when we are surrounded by trouble. The peace that Christ gives is the peace that is all for our good, every blessing of body and soul from God. By contrast, the peace the world would offer us is the peace of escape, the peace that comes from the avoidance of trouble and refusing to face what life hands us. We wonder at times how those disciples were suddenly so bold and courageous in their witness. This is the reason. At Pentecost, with the coming of the Spirit, what Jesus had promised them finally began to sink in and take root in their hearts.

Do you know what it’s like in the eye of a hurricane? It is a strange sensation. Not many miles away, the storm is raging with destructive force. But in the eye there is a sense of peace and calm that is almost unearthly. If it is daylight one can look up and see clear, blue sky; if it is night one can see the stars. Of course, that peace is momentary because the storm is always on the move. The peace that Jesus leaves with us, the peace that is one of the unique gifts of the Spirit at Pentecost, is like being in the eye of the hurricane. Around us, the world may be breaking apart, but in the eye there is the peace that surpasses understanding, the peace won for us at the cross, the peace which the Spirit brings now to the faithful of Christ. But unlike the hurricane, this peace stays with us. All around us the storm wails away, and yet our peace is never broken. When Jesus ascends, peace is what remains. And that peace of Christ is what sustains us until we see Him face to face. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Three years later

The date was March 14, 2010. I had preached at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Metairie, Louisiana, and then I stayed to enjoy fellowship at the Mt. Olive stand at Metairie's Saint Patrick's Day Road Parade, so I was leaving the city later than normal. I was just about to get on I-10 heading west out of New Orleans, and I called my wife. (Yes, I know that talking on the phone while driving isn't the safest thing to do. Let it go for now.) We were on the phone for about ten minutes, and while we were talking, someone kept trying to ring through. Finally Faith and I got off the phone, and the phone rang again. It was the Reverend Mark Buetow, Pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, Illinois. Pastor Buetow had been serving as the vacancy pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Campbell Hill, Illinois, a congregation about a half-hour from his own. At a meeting to select a pastor to replace the one who had left right before Christmas, the congregation voted to select me! Pastor Buetow was calling to notify me of their decision. Poor guy. I think my shout of joy damaged his eardrum.

It was not a hard decision to make. Faith and I took a road trip up to Illinois to visit the congregation, and while we were there I announced my acceptance of the position. We determined my Installation as the Pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church would take place as soon as possible.

A little history here: I left my congregations in North Dakota three years to the week after I was Installed, which I know now was much sooner than I should have left. (Hindsight is always 20/20, of course.) And as for my congregation in Ohio...well, I had very little do to with the timing of my departure, but I was only there for a little over two years and two months. You know, I never wanted to be one of those pastors who moved around a lot, and I always had a little bit of contempt for those who jumped from place to place. After all, a pastor who leaves a place too soon really doesn't get to know his congregation as he ought. Nevertheless, I was that guy.

Pastor Buetow was reluctant to let go.

For four years, seven months, and four days I had been a pastor without a congregation. That sad streak ended with my Installation, and today marks the three-year anniversary of that wonderful event. (And Pastor Buetow's Installation sermon is still as fresh today as it was three years ago.) I've now been here as long as a pastor as I've been anywhere, and, Lord willing, it shows no signs of changing any time soon. We've found a home here with the saints of this congregation. We've found love in Christ, a warm welcome, an acceptance of our family's odd circumstances, and a place where we feel like we're putting down roots. (The cows are so relaxing!) There's no urgency to go anywhere else; this is home. The time has passed very quickly, as time is wont to do when things are going well (even with the challenges we face) and one is having fun. I am so thankful to God and to the people of St. Peter for bringing us here to serve them and serve with them.

Here's to three years. God grant us many more.

The Pastor's Heart in War with Death

I've been a pastor nearly thirteen years now. In all that time, the hardest thing I've ever had to do is bury a child. This was in my first parish, and I'd only been a pastor for about a year and a half. I received a phone call late in the evening from the father of the family. His wife had been delivered of a child, but she died that same day. The baby had been baptized by a pastor who was in the hospital that day--thanks be to God, for the sake of the child and the family both, that they have been able to take comfort in Baptism. But it fell to me, as their pastor, to bring the Word of God to bear, to try to bring comfort in the midst of a time of terrible affliction. I stayed with the family in the funeral home the evening before the funeral, bringing the Word to them and praying for and with them. And then the funeral was the next day. I don't remember very much of that day (except for a fortuitous meeting outside the church after the committal as I was leaving for the dinner), but I do remember parts of the sermon (which is sad, because I quoted "Away in a Manger" and I still can't sing it without tearing up) and I remember the tiny little coffin as it rested in the front of the sanctuary. I've tried to lay my own grief to rest concerning this child, but it never fully goes away.

A lot of that came to mind today as I carried my congregation's funeral pall into the sanctuary of a neighboring congregation. Four children from a nearby community died in a fire set by an arsonist this past weekend, and as it so happened, the children were baptized members of a Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod congregation. As I walked in, I could see the four caskets lined up at the communion rail. The funeral director and his colleagues were there, working on the logistics and arrangements. I took the pall to the pastor's study, and we came out to the sanctuary to figure out with the funeral director how to make a full-sized pall fit on a casket less than half the size of the usual casket. That was when the funeral director broke down--probably not for the first time, and certainly not for the last. When the pastor and I took the pall back into the office area, I asked how he was doing, and he mentioned that this funeral was on the heels of two other funerals, one of which was done on short rest after ministering to this family after the fire. He said that the funeral he did that day--a funeral for a mature Christian who lived a full life and was a lifelong member of the congregation--would usually have been easy, but that he was emotional during that funeral because of this situation. I certainly understand that. My only involvement in this funeral is delivering a pall, and I found myself getting emotional.

Being a pastor can be pretty easy at times. Preach a sermon; lead the liturgy; teach Bible study; hold Catechism instruction; visit the hospital; see the shut-ins. Even things like funerals are usually not so bad, because usually it's an elderly member of the congregation who has lived a full life, or it's a member who has been sick and suffering for a long time, and the suffering has now ended. But burying a young person is hard--and I can only imagine burying four at the same time is exponentially harder. There stands the Law. This is the wages of sin laid out before you in as horrible a manner as you will ever see it. You can close your eyes or try to look away, but it's not going anywhere. You stand convicted. This is your fate. This is what you've earned. As the pastor in this situation, you are in that odd place where you are both a mourner and the one expected to bring comfort. You are expected to display a certain professionalism, and yet you can't help but remember holding them over the baptismal font, praying with them them in Sunday School, teaching them the catechism, and all the other times you've shared time with them over the course of their short lives. Reminders of the joy of baptism help ("I am baptized into Christ! I'm a child of paradise!"), but at that moment death and the grave seem very powerful.

A pastor has a heart. (In my case, I've had the x-rays to prove it; otherwise there are those who might not have believed it. *wink*) It doesn't turn off when he performs pastoral care, and it often works overtime for funerals. Even Jesus wept as He performed His duties. Displaying the love of Christ to the congregation he is called to serve means a pastor can't help but be overcome. That does not make him weak. That does not make him a poor pastor. He is doing what he has been chosen by God and selected by the congregation to do, and his own sorrow will not keep him from doing what he has been Called to do. He loves you with the love of Christ...and maybe even with a bit of his own love. Pray for him; share the Word of God with him; remind him of his own baptism; love him with Christ's love. More than anything, that is the greatest blessing you can give him, especially when he is called upon in times of tragedy. I can assure you, he prays for you, especially when death draws near.

In your prayers over the next little while, please remember the family and friends of the four Owen children who died in Percy this past week. Please also remember Pastor Janneke and the members of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Steeleville as they bring the comfort of the Word to bear in this terrible situation, and also remember Mr. Bill Wilson and his colleagues at the wonderful Wilson's Funeral Home as they serve the family. It is not easy to bury children--not for the family, not for the pastor or congregation, not for the funeral director.

Sermon for 5/12/13--Seventh Sunday of Easter

No audio this week. Recording error. Sorry!

Faithful Witnesses

John 15:26-16:4

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The disciples knew they were standing in the presence of the Son of God. Though they did not understand everything, they believed that He had the words of eternal life. They had been with Him almost from the beginning. They had walked with Him and had seen and heard much. The sick had been healed, the blind made to see, the deaf to hear, and even the dead to rise. Sinners had come to Him to hear His words of forgiveness and to have their feet set on the way of righteousness. Now they were to be bearers of His glad tidings of salvation to the world. He was placing tremendous confidence in them! As the scene in this text takes place they had not yet seen His cross and resurrection, but those, too, were coming in short order.

Jesus did not leave His disciples in darkness. He prepared them for what was to follow. He told them, “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” Witness to faith in Jesus Christ invites persecution and affliction. The disciples faced this. If you have not yet, your time is coming. Just consider the words of the Book of Revelation, words spoken about the Church on earth: “These are the ones who come out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Jesus knew the confusion that continued to trouble the hearts of His disciples. The promise He now gave them must have gladdened their hearts. “When the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father…He will testify of Me.” Whatever was to meet them on their way, their hearts would always be able to rejoice that Jesus was their Savior. We cannot measure how much this means to the Church’s witness today.

Ours is an age of spiritual skepticism and do-it-yourself religion. God’s means of grace need to be brought front and center. The significance of Baptism needs to be lifted up. Through Holy Baptism we are born into a new life, brought into the life of Christ Himself, and made partakers of eternal life. How often our stumbling witness must fall back upon the grace of our Baptism, upon those promises of God that never fail. He who believes and is baptized shall see the Lord’s salvation. The comfort and strength of our Baptism will give us courage to move forward even in the face of death.

The significance of the Lord’s Supper needs to be lifted up as well. In the body and blood of the Savior we are partakers of His death which cleanses us from all sin. The Holy Spirit does His blessed work therein, strengthening our faith, giving weight to the witness we bear to the world. But St. Paul also tells us that in our eating and drinking of the body and blood of our Savior we are proclaiming Christ’s death until He returns. Though it may seem ordinary, let us never underestimate the significance of what is taking place when the faithful of the Lord gather around His Table, not only for their own sake, but for the sake of the world, as well.

For our witness to be clear and faithful, powerful and unafraid, faith must be anchored in the Word of God. The Word of God is the fountain of life from which our souls must continually be nourished. It is the source of our strength. It permeates and gives power to every faithful effort we make. It is the Word of God that reveals to us the way to eternal life. It reveals the love of our heavenly Father in Jesus Christ. The Word of God condemns sin, but it also leads us to the foot of the cross where the one sacrifice for sin was made. The power of the Word of God projects itself beyond the confession of our lips into a life that is lived to the glory of God and for the blessing of our neighbor. The Word of God reveals to us the blessing of prayer. In our helplessness we may go to Jesus and ask for the Spirit of Truth, who bears witness to Him and gives power and grace to the words of witness we speak.

By our side stands the Son of God. Though He is ascended to glory, He remains with us always, even to the ends of the earth, as He told His disciples. And even as in years gone by He has stood by the host of Christians who have borne faithful witness to Him, our Lord now stands with you, even amidst persecution and affliction and death—and it will be so even to the end of the world. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

Sermon for 5/5/13--Sixth Sunday of Easter

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Text:

The Victory

John 16:23-30 (31-33)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

Most of the time, when Jesus is talking, the disciples say, “We don't know what He is saying.” Now He tells them that He's speaking in proverbs, but the hour is coming when He will speak plainly to them. He's going away to the Father and they can ask anything in His name. That’s when they say, “Now we know you're speaking plainly!” They behave as if they have it all figured it out. Well, it does sound clear, doesn't it? Jesus said we can ask anything in His name. All right! "Dear Lord, please give me a winning lottery ticket!" But then Jesus goes on. “You're all going to fall away and leave me alone.” This is the heart of the matter: We think we understand God, but then the bottom falls out and we wonder why God doesn't do what we want Him to.  What Jesus says won't make sense until He suffers, dies, and rises again—not to them, nor to us. We're not going to understand anything about Jesus until we realize that the true work of God is our salvation.

Jesus says, "You will have trouble in this world. But take heart: I have overcome the world." There are the simple words that demolish every false notion we have about this world and how it's going. There are no "good ol' days." This world has been under the curse of sin since Adam's fall. But there is Jesus. There is a God who overcomes the world. Now think about this carefully: the same Jesus who told us to ask for anything in His name also asks His Father to remove the cup of suffering. So what does it mean that the Father doesn't take it away? What does that say about the things for which we ask? Jesus doesn't overcome because He gets what He wants; He overcomes because He does what the Father wants. He overcomes the world by being the Lamb of God who comes into this world and suffers at the hands of sinners and redeems this world with His blood. Jesus doesn't overcome the world the way we think it should be overcome: the bad stuff doesn't stop happening. Rather, Jesus overcomes the world by taking the bad stuff and doing something good with it. What could be worse than God dying? But by His death, Jesus gets rid of our sin and turns His suffering and death into the way of our salvation. And then He rises as proof that He really has overcome this world.

When our Lord lays it out, there is a real promise. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." There is our Christian faith and life. In this world we have trouble. But our Lord has overcome the world. There is no trouble in this world which can take you down. Jesus has overcome the world. We know we’re going to have trouble—all kinds of it: personal, physical, spiritual, mental. Look at your life and you will find plenty of trouble. So the question is this: How can we be sure our troubles don’t ultimately matter? How can we be sure that we will overcome them with Jesus? The answer is that you don’t look at the troubles! If you’re sick, for example, with something that will kill you, you don’t say you’ve overcome it when you get better or that you haven’t overcome it if you don’t. Rather, you say that Jesus has overcome it by dying and rising for sinners, to give you eternal life. The proof of that is your baptism. No matter what trouble you’ve got going on in this world, your Baptism says Jesus has overcome the world for you. That’s what Holy Absolution means and what the preaching of Christ’s cross is about and what the Lord’s Supper promises. Jesus has overcome the world—for you. Those gifts prove that it’s true.

And so what about that praying stuff? Go ahead and ask away—but not for lottery tickets. Is your world so small? Instead, ask for the victory of Jesus to be yours. Ask that it may so fully rescue you from the troubles of this life that you never lose your joy. Ask in Jesus’ name, and the Father will give you all good things. Sure, you’re going to have trouble in this world. But take heart; Jesus has overcome the world. That’s not just a nice way of saying, “Butch up, sissypants!” Instead, it’s a promise that when you have those troubles, you’ve already won because Jesus has already won. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.