June 21, 2015 Sermon

"Kingdom Work Requires Patience"

This past week I happened to be watching the NBA Finals. During the course of game 6, there was a moment when the announcers began talking about the graphic laid out across the screen - “Time since their last Championship.” What it amounted to is that it has been a really long time since the Cavaliers, or Indians or Browns have won a championship. It would certainly be fair to say, Cleveland sports fans have learned a great deal of patience over the years – as they wait for their team to return to the World Series.

But let’s say you are a New York Yankees fan, you also think about the last time your team went to the World Series and won. But you know that your team, with 27 championships, has won more than any other team in MLB. When you look back in history, you only have to go back a few years to 2009 to the last time your team won it all. You wonder not about if your team is going to the Series, but how sweet it will be to win championship #28. And if you don’t reach the World Series and win it all, or if there is a drought of any kind, maybe you’re thinking that something must be wrong and want to proceed in firing the entire team, manager and all.

Regardless of what team you’re a fan of, or if you simply look on in amazement at the fans of any team, all of us have been given various amounts of patience through the circumstances of life.

If patience is a virtue – on a scale of 1 to 10 – how much patience do you have? A little; a lot; or not nearly enough? Our patience is often easily tested when things don’t go according to plan – when the economy bottoms out and you lose your job, when you’re waiting in the doctor’s office for the test results, or your patience of a father or mother is tested raising children. The thing that we’ll always want to remember is that the Lord is in control of everything in life, including the Cleveland sports teams and the Yankees.

Before we look at our gospel lesson, let’s think of a few biblical examples of patience or lack thereof. Jonah was so adamant that he did not want to accept the Lord’s call to preach to the wicked people of Nineveh that he ran away to the opposite end of the earth. But God had patience with Jonah and with the people of Nineveh. In the end all the people of that great city put on sackcloth and fasted and repented of their sins.

When talking about patience as we wait for the end of the world, the apostle Peter was inspired to write – 2 Peter 3:8-9 – ⁸ …with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

The apostle Paul understood God’s patience. The man formerly known as Saul – the great persecutor of the early Christian Church. He was a zealous Jew who persecuted Christianity b/c he thought he was doing God a favor. God struck him down and worked in his heart through the Word. And after his conversion, he became one of the greatest missionaries Christianity has ever seen. How much patience did the Lord have with Paul? How much patience does he have with your and me?

In our gospel lesson this morning, Jesus used two parables to teach about patience as God goes about his work. God tells us in His Word that the Holy Spirit is actively working by creating and strengthening faith in human hearts through the power of His Word. He asks us to have patience in trusting that God’s Word works in a miraculous way – and that we have patience while we wait for growth.

June 14, 2015 Sermon

"Are You Hiding From God?"

My guess is you’ve been there before. You’ve been in that situation when there comes a moment of truth. It was a beautiful day outside. The kids were outside playing and having a blast. In fact, they were having so much fun mom was inside and could hear all the giggling and laughing that was taking place. But then that giggling and laughing stopped. You see, the kids were outside playing and enjoying each other’s company and doing exactly as mom asked them to do – staying out of mom’s hair so she could get some things done around the house. But as they were outside, they noticed there were a few things enticing to them. A few things mom and dad told them – “Don’t play with it b/c you will get hurt.”

You’ve been there before. You’ve done the thing mom and dad told you not to do – the thing you’re not supposed to do. How did it end up for those children who were playing outside? Not very well. B/c what happened is they were having all sorts of fun, but it all came down with a loud crash. Maybe it was a broken window as they were throwing a baseball up against the house or the roof – and they probably shouldn’t have done that. Or they were outside playing with the bb gun and they thought it would be cool to shoot the windows on the barn 35 ft up in the air. Not a good idea. And then, the fun came to an end.

Mom handled the situation. But she gave the kids a reminder – “Wait until your dad comes home.” And those were the words any kid did not want to hear. B/c when dad came home you knew you really were in trouble.

How do you think Adam and Eve faired in our lesson this morning when they heard the words from the Lord, “Where are you?” They knew they were in a great deal of trouble. In the verses that precede our text this morning, Adam and Eve and the fall into sin. They were created into a perfect world without sin. God gave Adam and Eve a simple command, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Gen 2:16-17) God gave them a simple command and asked them to follow it.

Then along came the devil. The devil tempted Adam and Eve – “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:4-5)

“Where are you?” My guess is that Adam had all of these things on his mind as he was hiding from God. That’s not a good situation to be in, is it?

June 7, 2015 Sermon

"Do I Have To?"

There are things that we do because we want to. There are things we do because we have to. Some of us go to work because we want to. We almost feel guilty being paid for what we do because we enjoy it so much. Others of us go to work because we have to. We don’t enjoy what we’re doing, but we need the cash to pay for the groceries, the mortgage and the car. No matter what we do, there are basically only two attitudes that we carry. Because I want to, or because I have to.

If you have a family, you know this attitude also translates to church. This morning, perhaps your son or daughter asked you the same question. "DO I HAVE TO?" Do I have to go to church? Do I have to sing those songs? Do I have to sit and be still while that guy in a black dress stands up and talks and talks and talks? Maybe you have the same feeling. Do I have to? Well, let’s take a look at "church", at worship this morning and see what worship is and how it benefits us. I pray that by the end of today’s short talk your attitude will not be "do I have to" but "I want to."

May 31, 2015 Sermon

"Go!"

I'd like to share with you just for a moment, one of the events that I witnessed over this past weekend. In addition to celebrating my dad's birthday, we also had the opportunity to attend graduation and call day at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. This time it was my brother's turn as he was assigned to be a tutor at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, one of our two preparatory high schools in our church body in Saginaw, MI. And if you're wondering, as a tutor, my brother will have the opportunity to be a dorm supervisor, teach religion classes and coach. But as we were sitting in the auditorium waiting for the reading of Assignments by our synod president, I had all these flashbacks of thoughts and emotions from when I was sitting there 9 years ago with my fiancé, waiting to hear my name called for assignment to Beautiful Savior, El Paso, TX.

What do you think goes through a pastor's mind as he's about to receive his first call into the full-time pastoral ministry? It isn't his first call, as he's already received his vicar call. But this is different. This is a permanent assignment. You don't know where you're going, what the church or people are like. There are so many thoughts running through your mind. But one thing is for sure. The candidate is certainly excited to carry out the Great Commission of our Lord which is verse 19 of our lesson where and "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you..."

These are the words of Jesus to his disciples, but imagine you're sitting there in that auditorium. Instead of it being the president of the WELS, it is the Lord Jesus himself. He calls out your name and he simply says to you, "Go!" There may be a little fear and trepidation. You don't know where you are going to go, to Texas, or half-way around the world. You don't know who you're going to share that word of God with.

That can be pretty scary? To think that spreading God's word and extending his kingdom, shepherding a flock and caring for souls is going to be done by someone like me? Yet, that's your assignment - "Go!" God knows your fears and worries when it comes to sharing the good news. That's why Jesus didn't leave the command to "Go and make disciples by Baptizing and Teaching" all by itself. It's the verses before and after that command that we want to focus on this morning. "Go!" Knowing that Jesus' power gives you strength, and Jesus' presence gives you peace.