This is my god-daughter. Isn't she a cutie! This picture was taken at her first birthday party. I think she knows that she is the center of attention.

Red Bud

This next school year, while John is completing his last year of study at the sem, I will be teaching at Trinity Lutheran School in Red Bud, Illinois. I'll have 9 students in 5th & 6th grade. (I'm looking forward to that:) We also have a house that we'll be renting.

Our house
















My classroom

















Trinity Lutheran Church

We visited the botanical gardens.

Niagara Falls Vacation

We saw Lake Ontario on our vaction.

New Furniture

At last it has arrived - and we have downloaded the pics onto the computer so we can put them on the blog;).

After months of aching backs from a stylish in a retro sort of way couch, we have purchased 2 recliners. They are sooooooooooo much more comfortable. At times I almost find myself falling asleep in them!

Here is a picture -

In the background you can almost see our other new piece of furniture - a dining table and chair set. Here is a picture of that now -

It all started when our table at the time kept wobbling as we were trying to write on it. Sometime in March I went on a reconicence mission to the local furniture store and there found this lovely table. That weekend I brought John to the store and we both fell for the table and chairs, but this was not before John - who had more comfortable relaxing furniture on his mind fell in love with the recliners. So as not to cause fights over who gets the comfy chair when and because the people at the store gave us a really sweet deal on the table and also one for the recliners, we couldn't refuse. John says our living room looks like a hotel now. ... I'm still looking forward to the day we can have a couch again... But for now our chairs, I mean recliners, are very comfortable:) Relatives and friends - you're all welcome to come visit us. We do have an air mattress also.

Spring Update

With Lent and Easter now past, John and I were hoping for a little R&R time, but alas, that is not to be. For John, confirmation means candidate interviews followed by meetings until almost midnight - tis the life a church worker. For me the natives in my kindergarten class are getting restless. Spring is in the air and we are itching to get outside and enjoy it! May 5th is the Kindergarten Stage Production which means Becky, the other Kindergarten teacher, and I need to start practicing with our students. We did the script today. I think it'll be cool. The kids are going to be robots.

Sermon I preached on 1st Sunday of Lent--February, 2006

The Faith of Abraham
(Genesis 22:1-18)

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message comes from the Old Testament reading taken from Genesis 22:1-18. It’s entitled “The Faith of Abraham.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Many of the people who attended Winston Churchill’s funeral service were in for a shock. The former Prime Minister of England, the one who led them through one of the worst wars in this world’s history, even had a sense of humor for his own funeral. Churchill ended up planning his own funeral and filled it with the promise of Easter. After the benediction, he directed that a bugle high up in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral would play “Taps,” the bugle call that announces the end the day in the military. Churchill then directed that immediately after the playing of “Taps,” a second bugler up in the dome, would play “Reveille” a call to get up in the morning. Because after all when we as Christians die, we’ll only be asleep for a moment and then we’ll be in heaven forever with our Savior.

2. Churchill approached death with laughter, because He knew of the greater joy that awaited him in heaven to be with His Savior Jesus Christ. As we’re now in the season of Lent many of us may see this as a time of melancholy, sadness and somber reflection. It’s the time of the church year where people may give up something. My wife says that I need to give up fast food for Lent in which she’s probably right. Maybe you’ve given up eating meat on Fridays and instead eat fish. Perhaps you’ve given up on sweets altogether during these forty days. But, in today’s Old Testament lesson we hear of an even greater sacrifice that was made. Abraham had great faith in following God’s commands. He wasn’t just giving up fast food, sweets, movies, video games—He was giving up His only son—Isaac. Ironically, Isaac’s name means laughter, but this was no laughing matter. Not in the same way that Winston Churchill viewed his own funeral. God was asking Abraham in Genesis 22:1-18 to give up his one and only son. A son he’d waited for his whole life. How could this be?

3. Abraham asked no questions of God in Genesis 22. God said to him in Genesis 22:2, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” What great faith Abraham must have had. Sending Ishmael away from his camp, the son he had with Sarah’s maidservant Hagar, was hard enough. Abraham didn’t know that God was testing him. He just knew that God was commanding him to kill his only Son Isaac. This test was not for God’s benefit, but for Abraham’s spiritual benefit. For the strengthening of his faith in God’s own promises. Abraham’s fatherly love for Isaac might in time have crowded out his love for God. With this test God brought Abraham’s training in faith to a climax.

4. It’s interesting to know that Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice Isaac wasn’t so concerned with the emotional side of Abraham losing a son. Instead its focus is that this sacrifice would jeopardize the future of the covenant that God made with him. Isaac was the “laughter” of Abraham and Sarah’s old age, but he was also to be the laughter of all nations because through Him sprang the promise of redemption. If Isaac, whose name means “laughter” died, then what would become of God’s promise of Redemption through Abraham’s offspring? These questions of God’s promise with Abraham and salvation are the central part of the story in his test of faith. How ironic is it that the binding and near-death of Abraham’s son Isaac and the foreshadowing phrase in Genesis 22:8, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son” give early Biblical clues that eliminating evil is going to require enormous effort and sacrifice.

5. Abraham must have had a sleepless night after God had given him this command and yet he got up early the next morning. Maybe he did this so that he wouldn’t have to discuss with Sarah the gruesome assignment that lay ahead of him or for fear that she might not let him make the journey if she knew what God had commanded him to do. It’s amazing that Abraham did everything as the Lord had said. His faith led him to complete obedience, even if that meant that he must sacrifice the one thing that he’d waited for his whole life. A son of his own. Abraham had a lot of time to think about God’s command. He had a 50 mile trip ahead of him. God didn’t want his obedience to flow from a spur-of-the moment enthusiasm. No. He wanted this to be a trying time for him. Three days of traveling gave Satan plenty of time to supply a dozen logical reasons why Abraham shouldn’t take the life of his own son.

6. When Abraham reached the place he said to his servants in Genesis 22:5, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” His instructions to the servants are significant for two reasons. First, it showed that his heart belonged to God and nothing else by the fact that he was going to worship God in the midst of such emotional suffering. Second, it showed Abraham’s faith in God. The phrase “and then we will come back to you” in Hebrew expresses the determination that must have been in his voice. It hints at the answer Abraham must have reached to this awful question that was torturing him, “How can a merciful God cut off the Messianic line?” Abraham’s faith answered, “If God commands me to kill Isaac and I obey him, then God is simply going to have to bring Isaac’s ashes back to life and the two of us are going to come back down this mountain.” He knew that God would keep His promise.

7. It’s this part of the story that’s the hardest for anyone to take, especially if you’re a parent. Abraham and Isaac have finally reached the top of Mt. Moriah and Isaac notices that they don’t have a lamb to be sacrificed. Abraham answers Isaac, probably with tears in his eyes, trembling in his voice and a bowed head that God would provide the sacrifice. What faith this man had. After building an altar Abraham places his son Isaac upon it. But, just when he was about to slay Isaac with a knife an angel of the Lord stopped him. God did provide the lamb for sacrifice. What relief and joy Abraham must have felt. Probably the same relief and joy you and I feel when we know we don’t have to give up something forever during the Lenten season. I won’t always have to give up fast food. You can eat sweets after these forty days and go on watching movies or playing video games. It’s apparent that in order to obey God’s command Abraham had to disregard everything his heart and reason told him and concentrate totally on God’s promise. Hebrews 11:17-19 says, By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.”

8. It’s probably apparent to all of you what this wonderful Old Testament story of faith foreshadows. An event that would happen thousands of years later when God sacrificed His one and only Son to save us from our sins. We as Christians can continue to laugh today because of what God did through His Son Jesus Christ. He became the perfect lamb so that we can have the hope and joy of eternal life in heaven someday. God has saved you and me because of His great love for us in Jesus Christ. Many people who aren’t Christians are turned off by this story about Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice Isaac. How can a loving God command a parent to kill their own child? Most people want God to be predictable. They tend to resist the notion of evil so deeply entrenched that it requires even God to go to dangerous and shocking lengths of sacrifice to root it out. This hope for a predictability in God reminds me of the classic moment in C.S. Lewis’ book, “The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe,” where one of the children asks Mr. Beaver about Aslan the Lion. “Is he quite safe? “Safe?” Mr. Beaver responds, “Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

9. None of us wants laughter to die—as a matter of fact we want the laughter without tears. We want everything to be safe and without pain. We want things to be predictable This is probably what Abraham wanted with Isaac his son. After all Isaac’s name did mean laughter. This story of Abraham and his son reminds us that God calls us to conform our thinking to His point of view of sin and salvation. The only way to heaven is through God’s own Son Jesus Christ. This is what Abraham understood, even thousands of years before Jesus was born. He understood that salvation comes through God alone. As Winston Churchill understood and Abraham as well—there’s a happy ending in death. Even Abraham knew that if Isaac was sacrificed, God would resurrect him and bring him back to life. However, they both knew that the fulfillment of the covenant doesn’t come painlessly. As we begin the painful journey of Lent may we all be reminded of the faith of Abraham that in the end there is hope. Even though we’ll go through the painful journey of our Lord Jesus Christ’s suffering, betrayal and death we know that in the end there’s laughter. Laughter in the promise of the resurrection that all of us will be with our Lord Jesus Christ eternally in heaven. It’s there we’ll have all the laughter Jesus ever promised. Amen.

Peace—Now may the peace that passes all human understanding keep your hearts deeply rooted in your faith in God so that anything that happens to you in this life will not shake you. May God give to you the power of His Holy Spirit to serve Him in all that you do.

“Hope for the Hopeless”
2 Kings 5:1-14
Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message comes from the Old Testament Lesson for today 2 Kings 5:1-14. It’s entitled “Hope for the Hopeless,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

1. Have you ever found yourself in a real itchy situation? Maybe you walked through a patch of poison ivy, stinging nettle, poison sumac or got stung by an insect. Needless to say, you felt really uncomfortable after this happened. Maybe you’ve had the chicken pox. This sickness starts out like a cold -- you feel lousy, have a runny nose, and run a fever. Then, all of a sudden, itchy red bumps start to break out all over your body. The itching drives you crazy, but you can't scratch, because that just makes it worse. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling, but it isn't hopeless. But then you opened a bottle of medicine called calamine lotion that helps stop itching. In a few days, the sores go away, the itching stops, and life is back to normal again. Thank God for calamine lotion and other creams that help to relieve us of the pain of that itchy feeling!

2. In the Bible we often read about a terrible skin disease called leprosy. Two of our Bible readings for today talk about this terrible disease. Jesus dealt with a leper in the Gospel reading and the Prophet Elisha dealt with Naaman, who also was a leper, in our Old Testament reading. When someone had leprosy, they were covered with sores all over their bodies. Unlike chicken pox, these sores didn't go away. When someone had leprosy, it was hopeless, because there was no cure. No calamine lotion back then! To make matters worse, other people considered them to be unclean.


3. The Aramean warrior Naaman found himself in a hopeless situation. Even though he was a wealthy man and a great commander of the Aramean army, there was nothing he could do to cure himself of his leprosy. 2 Kings 5:1-5 says, “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. Naaman thought that he could buy healing and cleansing for himself, but he was mistaken. He also thought that a powerful man, such as a king could heal him, but he was also wrong. Despite his misunderstanding of how our LORD works, God still chose to heal him. Isn’t that how God works in our lives? We sometimes expect him to do great things and yet sometimes He works the most insignificant ways to do great and miraculous things!

4. When Jehoram, the king of Israel received the letter from the King of Aram he was completely devastated. He too saw Naaman’s healing from leprosy as hopeless. It’s easy to see why he thought this way. Jehoram didn’t worship the LORD our Heavenly Father, but golden calves. He didn’t share the same simple faith as the servant girl. He was wise enough to realize that the golden calves he worshiped couldn’t heal anyone from leprosy. All the King could do was to tear his garments in frustration. Here’s a king with so much power and authority. But, he couldn’t heal someone with a skin disease such as Naaman. Thank the Lord that God was still determined to bless Naaman, an outsider and enemy of Israel!

5. God did send someone to rescue him from his deadly disease. Elisha, a prophet of God. But, he wasn’t someone of great power or authority such as Jehoram the King of Israel. This troubled Naaman at first. Here’s what happened in 2 Kings 5:9-12, So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman wanted Elisha to at least come outside, look upon his sores of leprosy, wave his hand or do some sort of hocus pocus and heal him of his disease. Instead Naaman gets a promise. We also get promises each day. If we hear them from someone we trust we’ll believe them. As Christians God’s promises never fail! When Elijah told Naaman to wash in the River Jordan and be cleansed, he was as good as cured. But he still had some doubts. Isn’t this what happens sometimes in our lives? We expect God to help us out of our hopeless situations. Maybe things are going wrong at your job, with your family at home or you’re having problems keeping those New Year’s resolutions. Whatever problem you’re dealing with God is still with you. He can help you through any hopeless situation!

6. Later on in the story of Naaman we learn that God kept His promise. Here’s what happened in 2 Kings 2:13-14, Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. How great our God is! Again we see that he worked through the meek and lowly to bring about Naaman’s healing. As he was walking away in anger his servants stopped him. They got him to reconsider Elisha’s help. Maybe this God could do great and mighty things after all? The servant’s got him to think that the problem may not be so much with God, but with Naaman himself. By his unbelief Naaman was rejecting God’s promise and blessing. When he followed God’s words and dipped himself into the water He received God’s blessing of faith and was healed. Some of God’s other promises seem unreasonable. Who would ever think that the man on the cross is the Son of God and that his blood cleanses us from sin? Many reject this teaching as pure foolishness, but to us who have heard God’s Word of promise and have been washed through the waters of Baptism this “foolish word” has saved us. How great God our heavenly Father truly is.

7. We hear of Jesus healing a leprous man in the Gospel lesson for today taken from Mark 1. There’s some interesting facts to this story. Lepers were social outcasts from the towns that they once lived. They were regarded as unclean and untouchable. The Levitical law demanded that whenever lepers came near people, they had to cry out, “Unclean, Unclean!” When they were healed they were to show themselves to the priests to determine whether they were actually healed or not. The man who approached Jesus in Mark 1 didn’t call out unclean. Here’s strike one against him. In the man’s great distress he didn’t want Jesus to walk away from him. He said, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Because of his faith, the man knew that Jesus could do this. Compassion filled Jesus’ heart. That’s what He does for you and me. He’s had compassion on us and healed us of our sin in the same way He healed this leper. Jesus actually touched this unclean man! Jesus shows us that when it comes to the requirements of the ceremonial laws, love and compassion take precedence over ritual and regulation. With one simple phrase He cured the leper.

8. Despite the man’s disregard for Jesus’ orders, he still remained healed from his disease. God does this with us as well. He heals us despite our sins and failures against Him. He continues to do so, even though we sin against Him everyday. Nothing that we do on our own can save us. Once we were not a people of God. We were outcasts like Commander Naaman and the leper in Mark 1. We didn’t deserve to be forgiven or given the gift of eternal life. But God sent Jesus to save us from our sins and give us the gift of eternal life. How awesome our God truly is. His great compassion has healed us from sin, the deadliest of diseases. More deadly than Aids, Cancer or any other physical ailment. Sin kills 100% of its victims. But, in Jesus all of us have been healed and given the gift of eternal life. Our situation is no longer hopeless, but full of hope. Remember this the next time you find yourself in an itchy situation. Know that no matter how uncomfortable the feeling, God can get you through it. He loves you very much and has healed you of the disease of sin. He’s prepared for you a much better place to live with Him eternally. A place called heaven. Thanks be to God! AMEN.
BLESSING— Jesus came to bring hope to the hopeless. When you find yourself in a hopeless situation, may our Lord put His hope and trust in you. May He live and dwell within You through the power of His Holy Spirit and keep the knowledge of salvation through Jesus within You. Amen.

“Finding Common Ground”
5th Sunday after the Epiphany 2/5-6/06
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22b-23

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ today’s message comes from 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23. It’s entitled “Finding Common Ground.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I recently noticed an article about a church in Jefferson City, MO trying to be “all things to all people.” They were trying to provide as many gimmicks as possible in order to get people to come to church. Here’s what they were doing: Grace Episcopal Church hosted its second annual “No Excuse Sunday” stating that blankets and sweaters would be provided for those who don’t come because the church is too cold, fans for those who are stay away because it’s too warm, hard hats for those whoa re afraid the roof will fall in, stop-watches and whistles for those who think the sermons are too long, ear plugs for those who think the organ is too loud, cushions for those who think the pews are too hard and name tags for those who are afraid they won’t be recognized. The church also announced it would provide free transportation. Talk about being all things to all people. Hopefully after that Sunday was over none of the people in the church had excuses for not being there.

2. This is part of what the Apostle Paul was talking about in his letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23 where he writes, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” Sounds like the Apostle Paul was pretty determined not too let anything in his character stand in the way from someone hearing the saving message of the Gospel. Earlier on in his letter he said that he wouldn’t even accept a salary from the Corinthian church for preaching the Gospel to them. Paul tells us that his purpose in taking away his rights to be paid goes far beyond in gaining satisfaction in his ministry. His higher purpose is to save souls. Isn’t that the purpose of the church too? Paul is willing to sacrifice his rights in his service to others to win them for Christ. As comical as the article about Grace Episcopal Church was, it can also have a serious side to it. That church was going out of its way to get people to come to church and hear the saving message of God’s Word. Who knows, maybe the Apostle Paul would use these same measures to bring people to faith.

3. The Apostle Paul says that when he became a Christian, he became a free man in Christ. He was freed from the laws and regulations that bound God’s people in the Old Testament. Even though Paul was free from these ceremonial laws, Paul says that he lived like a Jew “under the law,” in order to win them over for Christ. This meant that Paul kept the Sabbath and festival days, such as Passover and the Day of Atonement. He followed the Old Testament regulations regarding the eating of pork and shellfish, he observed the rite of circumcision. In all of this Paul didn’t compromise his faith. Talk about being all things to all people.


4. Paul accommodated himself and became “all things” to the Gentiles as well. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:21, “To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.” When Paul characterizes the Gentiles as not having the law he’s referring to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament that were kept by the Jews. The Gentiles were under the natural law, or universal moral law that no human being is exempt from. This is what he meant when he said, “I am not free from God’s law.” That’s why in his contacts with the Greeks and Romans he didn’t observe the ceremonial law of the Jews. This is why even the Corinthian church that was mostly made up of Greek people didn’t have to feel that they should become Jewish in order to become Christians.

5. The Apostle Paul tried to find common ground with whatever group of people he was proclaiming the message of Christ to. This is a model for how we as Christians should live our lives. This common ground and being “all things to all people,” can be a hard task to do, but when it’s done correctly it can have awesome results. It’s amazing that Paul was able to reach as many people with different backgrounds and cultures. He even did this without compromising the name of Jesus.

6. So how would Christians finding common ground with those that are non Christians look like today? Some Church leaders have suggested that the church find things in secular culture to draw people into the church. For example, some people think that the church should be more accommodating to sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday. They may feel that the services should even have a Super Bowl theme to it so that we as Christians can be “all things to all people.” If that were the case then Pastor and I should have flipped a coin before the service began this morning to see who would be preaching. Our entrance hymn should have been “Pass it on.” Any acolyte found in an illegal motion should have been given a five-yard penalty. This sermon, if it’s over 18 minutes long may be regarded as a “delay of the game” and I will lose possession of the altar. The lessons for the day should have been on the Israelites making a quarterback sneak across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22) and Jesus sending out the eleven (Matthew 28:16-20. Finally, the choir anthem for the day should be, “Drop-kick me Jesus through the Goal Posts of Life.”

7. So what would Christians finding common ground with non-Christians look like today? Some Church leaders have suggested that Christians find things in secular culture to draw people into the church. For example, some people think that the church should be more accommodating to sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday. They may feel that the services should even have a Super Bowl theme. If that were the case then Pastor and I should have flipped a coin before the service began to see who would be preaching. Our entrance hymn should have been “Pass it on.” Any acolyte found in an illegal motion should have been given a five-yard penalty. This sermon, if it’s over 18 minutes long may be regarded as a “delay of game” and I will lose possession of the altar. The lessons for the day should have been on the Israelites making a quarterback sneak across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22) and Jesus sending out the eleven (Matthew 28:16-20). Finally, the Handbell anthem for the day should be, “Punt me Jesus through the goal posts of Life.”

8. But, we aren’t going to have our service focus solely on the Super Bowl and just accommodate football fans. We know in our church that Christ is the central focus of our faith and beliefs. He’s the theme of every Sunday. The Apostle Paul knew this as well. He found common ground with people in ways that didn’t compromise the Gospel. Sure, we as Christians will try to do everything possible to make the Gospel heard in different contexts, environments and cultures, but we never want the message of Christ to be hindered or watered down by trying too hard to meet people’s needs. That’s the struggle of trying to spread the message of the Gospel to those who haven’t heard it before. We may not offer hard hats and sweaters in church for people to use or have a Super Bowl themed Sunday, but we can give people rides to church if they need it or offer to take them to Bible Study. God calls us to be bold in our witness to them in the same way the Apostle Paul was. May God enable you to find common ground with those around you so that they too may be able to share in the saving message of God’s love and salvation. May He do this in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Sermon I preached at a nursing home in Bay City, MI

“Knowledge Puffs Up, But Love Builds Up”
1 Corinthians 8:1-3—1/29/06 (4th Sunday after the Epiphany)
1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The message for this afternoon comes from 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 and is entitled, “Knowledge Puffs up, but Love Builds up.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Pastor Jim Moss recently wrote about a time when the children’s choir at his church presented a dramatization of the Gospel parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (tax collector). He says that they fleshed out some humor with contemporary references. In the rehearsals, one of the children read the Pharisee’s prayer as follows: “O, God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people—a liar, cheat, nasty, dishonest or worse—like that Republican over there.” We know that not all Republicans are like this and not all Democrats either. God is neither Republican or Democrat, but there are times in our lives when we as Christians may look down on others that are around us. Maybe you’ve been looked down upon by others.
2. Sometimes as Christians the devil often tempts us to think that we’re better than other people because we’re more devout in our Christian living than those around us. Maybe we think that we’re better than someone else because we’re not as lazy as they are or because we know more than they do. There are many times in our lives that we may feel we’re superior to those around us. But, the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians tells us that as Christians we’re not to think of ourselves more highly than those around us. We don’t want to offend anyone so that they may not be able to hear the message of the Gospel. He writes in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.”
3. The Apostle Paul was speaking to the congregation in Corinth and many of them had just converted to Christianity from their pagan beliefs. They didn’t feel right in eating meat that had once been used for sacrificing to the idols they had once worshiped. In their time the meat of an animal was brought to a Greek temple for sacrifice and it was divided into several parts. Part of that meat was used for the sacrifice on the altar, the other was given to the priest in the temple, some was given to the person who was sacrificing the animal to an idol and another part was given to a merchant in the marketplace. These Corinthians were worried about purchasing some of this sacrificial meat in the marketplace and offending the one true God by eating it. It’s understandable that some Corinthian Christians who were recently rescued from idolatry would feel uncomfortable about contact with any aspect or reminder of idol worship. The strong Christians in Corinth knew that God didn’t forbid the eating of the meat that was bought in the marketplace, because it didn’t belong to an idol, but to the Lord.
4. It’s here that Paul is speaking to the stronger Christians. He says that knowing something doesn’t always make us feel right about doing it. Sometimes knowledge can stand in the way of our relationships. As in the parable of the Pharisee and Publican, when the Pharisee thought he was better than “sinners” like the Publican. Those who “know” look down on those who don’t know. Those who are proud of their superior knowledge lack love for those who have less knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The strong Christians in Corinth were forgetting that love is more important than knowledge. This is how the Lord would have us live our lives. He wouldn’t want us to offend anyone in our Christian walk, causing anyone to sin or fall away from the faith. That’s why He wants us to live our lives carefully following Him in all that we do and making sure that we don’t harm anyone’s conscience, especially those who are new Christians. In the end of this section of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he questions whether the strong Christians who were so sure of their knowledge really had as much knowledge as they claimed. He does this because he saw that their knowledge was lacking in love and understanding.
5. Martin Luther writes about enabling our Christian brothers and sisters to have a clear conscience in the way they live their lives so that none of them may fall into sin. He says, “In heaven and on earth there is nothing more tender than the conscience, and nothing less able to tolerate abuse. It is said that the eye is tender, but the conscience is much more tender and soft.” How true this is. We as Christians need to be careful in how we interact with others and to not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. This is why Christian humility is so important. When we think of others first and get to know their needs it can be easier for us to serve and encourage them in their Christian walk with God. We can also know the things that we shouldn’t do around them so that we do not harm their walk with our Heavenly Father.
6. Author Ken Langley talks about how we as Christians are called out by God only by grace and not because of something special we’ve done. After worrying for half an hour that we wouldn't get on an overbooked flight, my wife and I were summoned to the check-in desk. A smiling agent whispered that this was our lucky day. To get us on the plane he was bumping us up to first class. This was the first and only time we've been so pampered on an airplane--good food, hot coffee, plenty of elbowroom. We played a little game, trying to guess who else didn't belong in first class. One man stuck out. He walked around the cabin in his socks, restlessly sampling magazines, playing with but never actually using the in-flight phones. Twice he sneezed so loudly we thought the oxygen masks would drop down. And when the attendant brought linen tablecloths for our breakfast trays, he tucked his into his collar as a bib. We see misfits at church, too--people who obviously don't belong, people who embarrass us and cause us to feel superior. The truth is we don't belong there any more than they do.
7. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Ken Langley found this out very quickly after he played the game of who didn’t belong in first class. We as Christians realize that we don’t deserve God’s grace, because of our sins. But, God sent Jesus into this world to suffer and die in our place so we all can have the hope and joy of eternal life. Knowing this as Christians we’re able to show love to others, because we know it’s through God’s grace that we’re able to do this. When we’re empowered by the Holy Spirit we’ll be able to encourage one another in the faith. Remember that when your conscience may feel weakened by someone else or you may feel inferior to them don’t lose heart. God still loves and cares for you no matter who you are. He died for each one of you. We’re all united in Christ into one body and each one of us is special to God. May He enable us to encourage one another in the faith, especially when we may be feeling sad, lonely or depressed. May He give you the strength to live through each day for Him, serving Him in all that you think, say and do. May you know that the acts of service that you do for one another are very special to God. Amen.

“Priorities: Different from the World”
Matthew 5:1-12
Jan. 15-16, 2006

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message, in this second weekend of our sermon series on priorities, comes from Matthew 5:1-12 and is entitled, “Priorities: Different from this World,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Country singer Barbara Mandrell said that when her son Nathan was born, she always sang three songs to him: “Jesus Loves Me,” “This is the Day the Lord Has Made,” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” She said, “I wondered which of these would be the first song that Nathan would sing on his own. It was none of those three. The first song he sang was, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”

2. Barbara Mandrell’s son Nathan has reminded all of us of what it’s like to be a Christian in our world today. God calls us to put Him first in all that we do, to always make decisions that He would see as being righteous and part of His will. He wants us to order our priorities around Him. We’re to be in the world, but not of it. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions. Our priorities can be in the wrong place. Because of those decisions that we make, those we love can be harmed and even ourselves. In a world that wants us to only think of “self” before others it can be hard to be a Christian. Barbara’s son Nathan may have been speaking about some of the songs that he heard his mother or other country singers sing. It may have felt more realistic to him that there’s divorce and separation from those that we love in this world, because this is what he heard more about than the songs of Jesus. But Jesus reminds us that we’re not of this world, because it will pass away due to sin.

3. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-12 He began His sermon by preaching on what the attitude of every Christian should be. These attitudes are what separate us as Christians from the world. This is why the Beatitudes are often the most misunderstood sermon Jesus preached on. They aren’t a summary of the whole Christian faith. It’s even safe to say that a person who claims to find their whole religion in this sermon isn’t a Christian. No one who reads this sermon by itself, apart from the rest of the Scriptures will come to an understanding of the Christian faith. The purpose of the Beatitudes was for Jesus to give the believers a better understanding of the Christian life. The world may take a look at this sermon of Jesus and say that this is His prescription for making oneself righteous and earning salvation. But, when the world takes a closer look they may think that it isn’t worth the effort. After all, who would want to be poor, have grief, be humble, have spiritual hunger, be merciful, a peacemaker and be persecuted for doing good. The world says just the opposite. It says that people have the right to become famous, wealthy, a little injustice is ok, personal peace is better than being persecuted and the best thing in life you can have is to be happy.

4. Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to enable all believers to have a deeper appreciation for the blessings they already have as Christians and to grow in their sanctified lives, this includes us too! In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the opposite of what the world tells us. The world says that we need to become wealthy at all costs. Jesus is saying to us that the poor in spirit recognize their spiritual poverty, their sinfulness and unworthiness in God’s sight. It’s important to know that the Bible doesn’t regard poverty in material things as a special virtue. To be poor or even to make a vow of poverty doesn’t qualify a person for getting into the Kingdom of heaven. Being rich doesn’t disqualify a person from getting into heaven either. Jesus does point out that it’s generally more difficult for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of God.

5. The world would have us think that doing good deeds will get us into heaven and that all of us as human beings are born as good people, but it’s society and one’s surroundings that make people do bad things. In Matthew 5:4-5 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Here Jesus tells us that mourning shows one’s sorrow for sins. It also expresses grief over all the consequences of sin in this world. This is a lot different from what the world says. As Christians it may be hard for us to be sorry for our sins or to admit that we’ve done wrong. Here Jesus is saying that we should make a priority to confess our sins and admit that we don’t deserve to be in God’s sight. This is where humility comes in. When we humble ourselves before God and one another we’re not being demanding and self-centered. We don’t insist on our own rights without a consideration of others as the world may do. Like Jesus those who humble themselves are willing to leave the matter of revenge in God’s hands.

6. In Matthew 5:11-12 we heard that we’re blessed when people persecute us for being Christians. It’s here that Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This is a hard saying of Jesus for us to swallow. None of us want to suffer in doing good, especially in a world that says we should be happy in this life and try and make the best of what we already have. The world says that we deserve to pamper ourselves, because if you work hard in this life and make an honest dollar, then you deserve it. But, this isn’t true. Jesus is saying that we shouldn’t be surprised if people make us suffer for being Christians. We shouldn’t think that we’re entitled to all of the pleasures that this life has to offer.

7. This is what Nien Cheng knew about herself as a Christian living in a Communist society back in the 1960s, but nothing could have prepared her for the ordeal that she would suffer for being a follower of Jesus Christ. On the evening of August 30, 1966, Nien Cheng sat alone in her Shanghai home, reading. Toward midnight, she heard a truck stop in front of her house. Moments later a gang of Red Guards burst through her front door. They proceeded to ransack her home. Cheng—a wealthy woman with ties to England—was thrown in prison; her daughter was also taken from her. She was accused by the Communist government of spying for the British. The charge was false—but powerful people were trying to make her a sacrificial lamb. Someone who would discredit Chairman Mao's opponents. Cheng was taken back to prison. It was the beginning of seven years of torture, illness, and endless efforts to make her confess. But Cheng chose never to make a false confession. During her years behind bars, she later wrote, "I was not afraid. I believed in a just and merciful God, and I thought he would lead me out of the abyss." Cheng's captors were astounded at her ability to resist. Here she was, the poster child of the wealthy capitalists. They thought that someone who enjoyed her wealth would crumble once it was all taken away from her. But the measure of Cheng's life was not found in what she owned. During her suffering, one thing kept her sane: her belief in the truth and her faith in Jesus Christ. Through her faith in Jesus, she never lost her humanity. She remained unaffected by the awful changes in her circumstances. In 1973, Cheng was finally released and later immigrated to America.

8. Cheng's life perfectly illustrates the fact that the good life doesn’t come through wealth or possessions. It can’t be denied even in the midst of hardship. We often find true meaning and purpose in suffering for what’s right even when all the distractions of modern life are stripped away. This is why Jesus says that those who follow Him are blessed even when they’re persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus made this statement He was also referring to all the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered persecution. Persecution for following the will of God won’t change. In fact, don’t be surprised if people ridicule you for following what Christ calls us to do as Christians. This can even happen in our Christian congregations. If people don’t like what God’s Word and their pastor tells them about divorce or about how to manage money they may look for another pastor or congregation that’s willing to overlook what God clearly says is wrong. They may even accuse the pastor and congregation as being too old-fashioned, narrow-minded, intolerant and uncharitable. But, God isn’t calling us to be tolerant of sin and people’s wrong priorities in life. He calls us to be in the world, but not of the world and to follow His will above all others, even if that may mean being persecuted for it.

9. In the end of our Gospel lesson for today Jesus says that all who remain faithful to God’s truth will be richly rewarded in heaven. These rewards will be of the grace of God, not of what we’ve earned. They will be in addition to the salvation that all people receive as a gift, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for all people. They will be pleasant surprises to all people who may receive them in heaven. So when you’re persecuted or suffer for being a Christian, don’t lose heart. God will continue to strengthen you to keep Him first in all of your decision making. He will enable you to be humble, to remain poor in spirit for His sake, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to show mercy, to keep peace among your families and friends and to remain sorry for your sins. Remember it’s through the power of the Holy Spirit that we’re reminded that we’re in this world, but not of it. Heaven’s our home and our decisions in this life are made to the glory of our God and King and to the benefit of His Kingdom. May God enable You to be His good and faithful servant to the very end. May He allow you to make the right decisions in this life in the same way that Nien Cheng did throughout her years of persecution. AMEN.

A New Year

Hi all! Sorry we haven't been keeping up on our posts. This entry, I don't have any pictures to post ... ... ... ... perhaps if we have another snow day, then we'll have some time to add some pictures for you all to enjoy.

John has been learning the life of a pastor. Over the past three weeks, he's preached each Sunday. Next Sunday we will be going snowboarding (John) and skiing (me) with the youth groups at Faith. Then the following Sunday we'll be going to the youth group's Loon Lake Retreat, an overnighter at Loon Lake. I'll be on my school's (Immanuel) mid-winter break:), so a lack of sleep shouldn't bother me too much.

Right now I'm watching the Olympics. It's bringing back memories..... I want to go to the Olympics again. The 2010 Games are going to be in North America again! - Vancouver - depending on where John and I get placed it might not be that far away.

Since our last posting, John and I have been to Cloudland Canyon outside of Chattanooga, atop of Lookout Mountain, entertained my brother Matt when he came on a visit, and just tried to stay healthy. John came down with a cold shortly after Christmas Break and as he was getting better, my kindergarteners decided they'd start practing one of the lessons I've been trying to teach them - sharing. Unfortunately it was the 3 week cold that they decided to share. Thanks to the advise and suggestions of my mom, wer're feeling better again - just in time for the craziness of Lent...

So let's hope that over the next few weeks we can add some pictures so you can see what we've been up to.

Roxanne

Sermon for New Year's Eve, 2005

Message: “Jesus: Beginning, Middle, End” Matthew 1:18-21

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Tonight’s message is entitled, “Jesus, Beginning, Middle and End” and is taken from the Gospel of Matthew 1:18-21. Dear brother’s and sisters in Christ. T.S. Eliot, the English poet and playwright, thought of life as ongoing exploration. And what is the end of our exploring? As he states it will be “to arrive where we started.” As human beings we can’t avoid beginnings and endings, because we’re created by God and have a beginning at our birth. We’re born into this world and we know that we’re going to die because of our spiritual state of sin and disobedience to God our Heavenly Father and Creator. Our earthly life had a beginning and it will have an end. Our undertakings start and then stop. So it is with our measurements of time. The year begins and it ends, as it will later this evening.

2. All of us being caught in the land of time need a timeless anchor and we have one in Jesus Christ. He’s risen from the dead and now ruling at the right hand of God in heaven. He’s eternal, unchanging, as is the Father with whom He is one. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Here in our Gospel lesson for this evening we can see that Jesus came into our realm of time to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. He became like one of us, taking on all our sicknesses and illnesses in order to bring us out of this fallen world that is full of despair. Jesus’ birth is one that is unique for all of human history as Matthew 18:18 states, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” This tells us a fact without even attempting to explain how it took place. It tells us that the eternal Son of God, the one who “Was with God in the beginning” as John 1:2 states and assumed human flesh and blood in the womb of the Virgin Mary, actually was born into our world.

3. Jesus the Son of God becoming a human being has great meaning for us today, even as we anxiously await the beginning of a New Year. Jesus’ birth shows that God intervened for all humanity to save us from the punishment that we deserve. Jesus God’s Son was destined to die even before He was born as the son of Mary and Joseph. This little baby held all of the power of the whole world in the palm of His tiny little hands and yet he probably couldn’t have lifted much of anything after He was born. He cried and played as you and I did when we were children and yet He was and is God’s Son. This is hard for us to imagine. Even though Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins, death itself couldn’t hold onto him. Some of you may have had loved ones that died this past year and you may be feeling the pain of knowing that you won’t see them again in this life. The holiday season can sometimes make us feel lonely and depressed because our loved ones are no longer with us. But, it’s through Jesus that we know that we’ll see our loved ones again for all eternity! We have hope and joy in Him and His glorious resurrection from the dead. Not even time and death can take hold of our Savior and Lord! Jesus Christ is the beginning, middle and end.

4. In Revelation 22:13 Jesus says—“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” By calling Himself the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and ending of the Greek alphabet, Jesus is also saying that He’s everything in between. He’s complete in that He’s the center of the Gospel of our redemption. How unending is His grace, His love for all sinners! Jesus Christ is the Beginning, Middle, and End—the total content of our faith.

5. As this new year begins a lot of people want to know what’s in store for them. Because of this some people may put a lot of stock in the vague projections of their horoscope. They may become fascinated by palm readers and they may marvel at the doubtful predictions of Nostradamus. But to those looking for a book that predicts future events accurately, the Bible has no equal. In Jesus we know our destinies and fate. We don’t have to worry about our deaths anymore. Jesus Christ has given to us our faith and has promised us the gift of eternal life through it. The Bible shows to us that this faith is true because it has made hundreds of predictions that have been fulfilled. One of the greatest reasons for accepting the divine origin of the Bible is the fact that all of God’s promises and prophecies came true. In fact, the best examples of biblical prophecy are the predictions concerning the coming of Christ.

6. The Bible tells us the time when Christ would come, the place of His birth, the family into which He would be born, the condition of that family at the time, as well as the reaction that He would get from his people. The Bible tells us how He would die and be buried, as well as His resurrection and ascension. In fact there were more than 20 Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled during the 24 hour period of Jesus' crucifixion. These were not "postdictions" (claims written after the events), but prophecies written down more than 400 years or more before they took place. Jesus really is the beginning, middle and the end—He shows this to us through His life story in the Bible itself and all of the prophecies that He fulfilled.

7. As Galatians 4:4-5 says, "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us… so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” In the birth of Christ, God's timing was perfect, and so it continues to be. The plan of salvation that was promised for so long was given the flesh of a child. In one sudden and hoped for night, God was with us. As Hebrews 1:1-2 says, "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.” What amazing words! As it was foretold, so it has been fulfilled. Now in this New Year that approaches us God is still with us and He continues to speak to us through His Son Jesus Christ. We need not have any fear. Wars will not hurt us, the devil can’t harm us, even though this earth may be destroyed nothing can separate us from Jesus Christ our Savior. The unchanging one. He is the beginning, the middle and the end and our faith rests in Him.

8. Paraphrasing T.S. Eliot and applying his words to time, “The end of the year was inherent in its very beginning, for clocks and calendars don’t stop.” However, the end opens the door to a new beginning, to a new year. Before we begin the New Year, we thank God for His goodness to us in the past—for food and drink, and especially for His saving Word. The Word that reminds us that Jesus Christ became one of us to save us from our sins. His message is timeless and has spoken to so many generations within time. The message of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross reminds us that we all have the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven. In Him there will be no more need to fear time and its hold on us. In Jesus everything will be new forever and ever and there will be no end. May this be so to you and to me. May His Word continue to remind you of this fact. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

Sermon I preached on Christmas Eve, 2005

Christmas Through Mary's Eyes
Text: Luke 1:46–55

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This evening’s message comes from the Gospel of Luke 1:46-55 and is entitled “Christmas Through Mary’s Eyes.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Have you every wondered where we get all the different customs that we observe each Christmas season? Well I have. Many of these customs come from different cultures that have celebrated the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21st for thousands of years. For instance, for hundreds of years before Christ, people had worshiped the sun. Many who lived in the northern hemisphere noticed a time of the year when the sun god seemed to forsake them. Each day was a little shorter than the other. They thought that the sun’s light would leave them completely. But in the end, the god always relented and the days gradually became longer. At this time of the season people of northern Europe kindled lights and fires to help the sun god relight his lamp. They feasted and rejoiced at the thought of another spring. This was also the season when the ancient Romans would honor Saturn, the god of agriculture, with their Saturnalia festival. It was a time for visiting friends, exchanging gifts and for feasting and dancing. The Persians lit fires at the winter solstice in praise of Mithra, god of light. The ancient Egyptians held a festival that honored Isis, mother of the sun god Horus. All of these midwinter festivals hailed the victory of light and life.

2. We would probably recognize the celebrations of many ancient cultures around the end of December, even if Jesus hadn't been born yet. Did you know that Christmas was officially celebrated on December 25th in the year 350 AD when Pope Julius I set the probable date for Jesus’ birth? Christians had celebrated Christ’s birth into this world before then, but they had celebrated it at different times. Christians in most places accepted December 25th as the date of Jesus’ birth , but some disliked it because it was so closely linked with other pagan holidays. All of these celebrations have something in common; they all deal with celebrating life and light. Isn’t that what we do each Christmas season? We celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world and His coming to save us from the darkness of all our sins and from the power of death. Christmas may mean different things to many people, but ironically many cultures throughout the centuries have celebrated the fact that during this time of the year light was coming back into the world. The reason Jesus’ birth is so special is that it reminds all of us that we’ve been given the gift of eternal life through Him. In heaven we’ll have an eternal light, because of the light that radiates from Him. That’s why I love all of the bright Christmas lights that we see around us during the Christmas and Advent seasons because they remind us of Jesus Christ’s birth into this world and His eternal light that He brings.

3. Mary says in Luke 1:46-48: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.” In many ways Mary is central to the Christmas story. This isn’t to say that she wants all of the attention put on her during this Christmas season. But what an honor and a joy it must have been for her to know that she was to conceive the Savior of the entire world! Can you imagine how she felt? She probably was scared at first, especially since she hadn’t formally married Joseph yet. The two of them were still engaged. In the eyes of the Jewish culture she was already married to Joseph, even though she wasn’t living in his home yet. She wasn’t supposed to have a child at this time and if the people found out about it she could have been stoned to death. Mary must have also known that many people would see that she was blessed at the fact that God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. When she says that she’s blessed she doesn’t mean that all nations are going to consider her to be the holiest of all creatures or that she’ll be the mediator between God and man. What she means is that all generations are going to praise God because of the marvelous way in which He has honored her. We can see from the beginning verse of Mary’s song that she had a strong faith and was well-grounded in the Scriptures.

4. In Luke 1: 49 Mary says, “For the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.” Mary knew that Jesus would be mighty. She may have been reflecting on Psalm 71:19 which says, “Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?" She’s thinking about the fact that God has lifted her from her humble state and bestowed on her the highest honor conceivable to be the mother of the Messiah. But, Mary realizes that the blessing of Jesus wasn’t just being given to her. It was also being given to all people. To you and to me. What she has experienced all people will also experience. The light of all the world was coming into the world. Mary knew that Jesus was God in the flesh. What wonder and amazement that must have been for her.

5. Mary also realizes that Jesus would be holy. Saying that Jesus' name was holy was very significant in the Jewish culture. To say that God is holy means that He’s separate and set apart. It means that God is lifted up infinitely high above all creatures. He’s above us including above all of our sins. This is described for us very well in Isaiah 6:1-5 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." There’s no doubt that Mary was conscious of her own sins and the fact that she was unworthy as Isaiah felt unworthy of bearing the Savior of the entire world, God Himself. Yet Mary knew that God was merciful and that He would make the world holy through His Son Jesus. Even today our world is craving for contact with something that’s powerful and just, someone that’s holy and that will cleanse us from all of our sinful deeds. You, I and Mary know that this powerful someone is none other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

6. In Luke 1:50 Mary says, “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” Here we can see that Mary knew that Jesus would be merciful. That He wouldn’t give us what we deserve, eternal punishment in hell, but the gift of eternal life through His death on the cross and sacrifice for all of our sins. Sure, Mary didn’t know how God was going to save the people from their sins, but she did know that this child that was going to be born was to be the way in which God would save His people. Keep in mind that if it wasn't for God's mercy, we would still view Christmas in the same way that the ancient cultures did. Only as a temporary solution to the problems of darkness and death.

7. The world needs to remember that Jesus is the center and focus of the Christmas season. Without him there would be no reason for celebrating the season of Christmas. He’s the reason for the season. Mary knew this from the start when she sang her song of praise to God here in the first chapter of Luke. If Mary were to see the way that many people celebrate Christmas today, she'd probably lament that they've missed both her Son and the point of it all. This Christmas season we’ve heard the stories of companies such as Walmart & Home Depot not allowing their employees to say “Merry Christmas.” There are also schools that have violated the constitutional rights of kids. Here’s a story of what happened to some kids at a school in Plano, Texas. When the children attended Winter Break Parties—formerly known as Christmas Parties—they were warned not to put anything of a religious nature in goody bags to be shared with friends. Teachers didn't hesitate to confiscate items like candy canes attached to cards explaining the Christian "Legend of the Candy Cane." Parents who helped out at these Winter parties, were told not to bring red or green napkins. After all, these were the colors of Christmas! Nor could students pass out tickets to a popular Christmas pageant held every year at a local church. They were even forbidden to say "Merry Christmas" to their classmates.

8. What a sad a story this is and I’m sure that Mary herself would be saddened at the thought of having the very name of Christ taken out of Christmas. As great as many of those ancient festivals that occurred before the birth of Christ were, we don’t want to take Christ out of our celebration of Christmas. Those ancient festivals that the Persians, Egyptians, Europeans and Romans celebrated were only concerned about life in the here and now. In C.S. Lewis’ book, "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” there’s a part in the story where Lucy is talking to Mr. Tumnus the fawn. Mr. Tumnus says that it’s been winter for almost 100 years ever since the White Witch had taken over. Lucy says that it must be great since they could celebrate each day like it were Christmas. But, Mr. Tumnus reminds her that there hasn’t been a Christmas for over 100 years. Lucy couldn’t believe this. How sad our world would be if this were so. If we had winter all year round without the season of light amidst all of the darkness. What Mary is reminded of in her song of praise to God is that Christ came into this world as a little baby to give us the gift of eternal life and His eternal light. How great a joy it is to know for all of us that He’s given us this great hope. What a joy it is to know that we are able to celebrate Christmas in the same way Mary did through her song of praise. It’s through the Christmas story that we know that one day we’ll go to heaven, a place where there is no darkness, where it’s a season of light all year round, because God Himself is there giving off that light. May we all remember that Christ is the center of the Christmas season and may we spread that message to all that we come into contact with, both this Christmas Eve and for many days to come! AMEN.

A Sermon I preached on December 7th, 2005

“Focus on Jesus: The Preparation”

Scripture: Luke 1:57-67

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message is entitled “Focus on Jesus: The Preparation” and is taken from the Gospel of Luke 1:57-67. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. My mother, Elaine Taggatz is a very good housekeeper. You could come to her house at any time and never find a thing out of place. There’s never a bed unmade or a dirty dish in the sink. You’d never find clothes on the floor or a dirty sock hiding under the bed! For my mother there’s a place for everything -- and everything in its place. When I lived at my parent’s house things often looked fine to me, as my mother is a great housekeeper. But I can still remember what it was like when she knew that company was coming. She brought out the broom, the mop and pail, sponges, window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, dust rags, and furniture polish (show these items). Then she called my two brothers and I together and assigned each of us the jobs that we were to do. When we were finished, my mom always checked to make sure that no speck of dirt or dust remained.
2. Can you imagine what it would have been like around our house if we’d been expecting a visit from a king? Well, that’s what I want to talk to you about this evening. A king is coming -- not just any king -- the King of Kings! Jesus Christ. That’s why the message today is entitled, “Focus on Jesus: The Preparation.” The Jews during the time of Jesus had waited a long time for the Messiah to come. In fact, it had been about 400 years between the last prophet Malachi and the coming of John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus who was coming into the world. But, really the Jews had been waiting longer than 400 years. They had been preparing for the coming of Jesus, since the Creation of the world when God promised Adam and Eve that their offspring would conquer Satan and the power of sin. God said in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
3. Now we’re entering into the story of John the Baptist and the events the occurred before his birth. God had prepared many of the people for the birth of this great Prophet of God. At John’s birth many people came to see what had happened. They found out that the prophecy had been true. Elizabeth had a son as the angel Gabriel had told her. When the neighbors saw how kind God had been to her they rejoiced. They were rejoicing because of the fulfillment of Gabriel’s prediction and they were joining with Elizabeth with the joy that her barrenness was no more. How long had Elizabeth waited for a son? Until she was of old age in the same way that Abraham and his wife Sarah had waited. The Bible doesn’t say how old Elizabeth was, but she could have been at least 50-70 years old. She had many years to prepare for her son John to come into the world. Now God had finally given her one.
4. But there was a problem. When John was born, the people wanted Elizabeth to name the child after the father, Zechariah. But, Elizabeth knew that this was not what God wanted. Luke tells us how this problem was solved in Luke 1:59-66 which says, “On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John." They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name." Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.”
5. As you can see there was a lot of meaning behind these events. This passage from Luke is one of the earliest accounts for the Jewish practice of connecting the naming of a child with circumcision. But, there’s a problem here. There are no Biblical sources that show that there was a Jewish custom of naming a boy after his father. However, the mysterious events that had occurred with Zechariah’s vision in the temple and his losing the ability to speak may have brought them to wish that this young boy be named after his famous father. From Luke’s account we can see that God was doing many things in order to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus Christ. Here with the naming of John the Baptist we can see meaning behind his name. Elizabeth knew from the angel Gabriel that the boy was to be named John. She knew this because Zechariah had written it down for her after his experience with the vision in the temple. She asked him to respond for her using a tablet of paper. After all, he’d been told what the boy’s name was to be. It’s sort of humorous in the story to see that the people began asking Zechariah what the boy should be named using all sorts of signs. Zechariah had lost his speech, not his hearing. The people must have thought that since Zechariah couldn’t speak, he must also not be able to hear. But, this isn’t true. When Zechariah was in the temple the angel Gabriel told him that he would lose his ability to speak, but not his hearing. It must have been hard for him to hear all of this happening without the ability to tell the people what the baby’s name was to be called.
6. The events that occurred after Zechariah wrote down on a tablet the name “John” are miraculous and full of joy. I’m actually quite fond of the name John, since it happens to be my first name. Regardless of what I think, the meaning behind John’s name is important. Because it prepared the people for the coming of Jesus our Lord and Savior. The Christ child who was to be born to show all humanity the way to heaven through His suffering and death and through His glorious resurrection three days later. The name John means “God has been gracious.” This is ironic because John the Baptist preached a message of doom and gloom. “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near, turn from your wicked ways and come back to God.”” In the Bible the warning of judgment and doom is a necessary means to turn people away from the darkness of sin to the light of the Gospel. We as human beings need both Law & Gospel. This is why John’s name is so significant. He was sent to prepare the people through the use of God’s Law to show them that they were sinners in need of Savior. Today, he continues to prepare our hearts through the words that He spoke in the Bible so that we may see that God is gracious in giving us Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.
7. Here’s the best part of the story. After Zechariah named his son John his speech returned to him, the miracle of his healing was a sign from God. This child was destined by God to prepare the coming of the Christ Child. What did Zechariah do after he regained his speech? The answer’s simple. What anyone would do after they’ve been healed by God. He praises the Lord and uses his voice to prophecy about what his son would do. The people became afraid after they saw what was happening. This was a fear of reverence. A fear of the Lord as they saw that God’s presence was upon them. The people could see that God was preparing their hearts for something big. Much in the same way that my mother would try and prepare our house for the coming of a guest. God was preparing their hearts just as he prepares our hearts today. He did this in many ways before the birth of John the Baptist. God did it through Zechariah’s vision in the temple, his inability to speak after this experience, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and the baby John jumping for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the name of Jesus. The fact that a baby boy had been born as the angel Gabriel had foretold. The naming of the boy John and the immediate healing of speech given to Zechariah after he announced John’s name. Even Zechariah’s prophecy pointed to the importance of how God was preparing the people for something huge to happen.
8. Zechariah’s prophecy is one of my most favorite parts of Scripture. In his prophecy Zechariah says that Christ will shine His light upon all people who are in darkness and they will have joy. They will be enabled to live their lives for the Lord and serve Him all the rest of their days. This is what God asks and wants for us. Since He sent His Son Jesus to come down to this earth to save us from our sins, we’re now enabled to live our lives in service to Him. We’ve been called out of darkness and God has prepared a place for us in Heaven. He wants us to prepare for His Son’s return by reading the Bible daily, going to church as we are now, receiving the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper where we eat and drink Christ’s body and blood and receive the wonderful forgiveness of all of our sins. We’re no longer in despair and hopeless because of sin. We have a Savior who will lead us into the path of peace. We have the assurance of the forgiveness of sins. God continues to shelter us from the storms of life and give us a message of hope. May He continue to prepare our hearts this Advent Season for the time when we remember Jesus’ birth into this world. May He continually prepare us through His Word so that we may remember that He will once again in glory take all of us to live eternally in heaven with Him someday. This Advent season may we continue to Focus on Jesus and to prepare our hearts for Him—the coming of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings! AMEN.

John & Roxanne Get Busy in the Kitchen

Mom, Mom, and Grandma, this is for you! We made apple pie with help from Roxanne's mom by phone. ( Thank you. The butter crust was flaky, but tasty:)

Next on the list of culinary delights was apple sauce and Grandma's Goulasch. Here are some pictures as they are prepared.

These are some pictures of the finished product. Look out! John got the camera again! I love you, Honey:)

Sermon on The End Times

Here's a sermon I preached on Sunday November 27th and Monday November 28th. It's one the End Times and it's based off of Mark 13:32-37.

"KEEP WATCH!"
Text: Mark 13:32-37

1. Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today’s message is entitled, “Keep Watch,” and is taken from the Gospel of Mark 13:32-37. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: U.S. President Lyndon Johnson on many occasions told one of his favorite stories about a pastor who was having difficulties with one of the members of his congregation. This pastor was becoming distracted at his church by a man who came every Sunday and slept through the entire sermon. One Sunday the preacher decided to do something about it. As he began to preach, the man fell fast asleep. Seeing this, the preacher said quietly, “Everyone who wants to go to heaven, stand up.” The entire congregation immediately stood up, except the sleeping man. When they sat down, the preacher shouted at the top of his voice, “Everyone who wants to go to hell, stand up!” This startled the dozing man. Still half asleep, he jumped up, looked around to see what was going on, then said to the preacher, “I don’t know what we’re voting on but it looks like you and I are the only ones in favor of it.”

2. This story about the sleeping man reminds all of us about the importance of keeping watch and awaiting Christ’s return. Jesus calls us to keep watch and be ready for God to come. Though humorous as the story of the sleeping man in church is, it can paint a picture of all of us at one point in time in our lives where we may have fallen asleep and forgotten about our Lord’s return. The early Christians in Jesus’ day took this literally and many gave up a lot of their possessions and became monks and nuns in order to be ready for Christ’s return. Now Jesus isn’t telling us to do this, because the possessions that He’s given to us are also a gift from God. These blessings can be used to bring others to know who He is and what He’s done for them. Jesus is telling us to be aware and awake for His return.

3. In Mark 13:32-37 Jesus lays out for His disciples what it means to be watchful and to await His second coming. He says, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-- whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!”

4. It’s during the season of Advent that we remember that Christ will again return to judge both the living and the dead. In the same way that Jesus left this earth at His ascension, so also He’s going to return with glory at a time when we least expect Him. It’s a useless effort to try and predict the hour of Christ’s return when even Jesus Himself doesn’t know when the Day of the Last Judgment will be. Many of you may remember the doom’s day cults who had stated when the end of the world would come. They followed their leaders to death believing that the end of the world was upon them and the only way out was to commit suicide. The Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Worldwide Church of God started their religious followings with the belief that they had predicted when the Second Coming of Christ would be. The Jehovah’s Witnesses for instance once set many dates for the end of the world in the 20th century in the years 1914, 1918 and 1925, but the end never came. Here in Mark 13 Jesus says that not even He Himself, will know the time when the Last Day will be. This is difficult for us to understand. How can God the Father know when the Last Day will be, but not Jesus Himself? We as human beings cannot answer this question, because it’s part of the mystery of who God is.

5. This shows us how futile it is to try and predict when Armageddon or the Last Day will be. But, today more than ever we see people running scared because they don’t know when The Day of Judgment will be. Many of you probably remember the Y2K scare when everyone thought all of the computers of the world would shut down because they were only set for 20th century dates and not for the 21st century. Many went out and bought enough supplies of food, clothing and other things to feed a whole nation. And yet, nothing happened. We’re still here five years after the Y2K scare hit us. If even the Son of God doesn’t know the day or hour when the Last Day will be we too should keep watch in faith. God the Father will return and Jesus calls us to remain diligent in the faith awaiting His return. As the Apostle Paul says in our Epistle Lesson for today from 1 Corinthians 1:7-9, “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God will continue to keep us faithful through the power of His Word as we await His return. He’ll give us the spiritual gifts we need through the power of the Holy Spirit in order to serve Him and build up His Kingdom.

6. Jesus says in Mark 13 that it’s not the duty of the owner of the house to tell his servants exactly when he’ll return, but it’s the duty of a faithful doorkeeper to be watching. That’s who we are. We’re God’s servants who’ve been called to work diligently at keeping watch for Christ to return. Does keeping watch mean that all we do is sit around and wait for His return? No. God doesn’t want us to be idle or lazy in our waiting, because that can lead to godlessness and all sorts of wickedness. When I read this verse from Mark 13 I thought about the times when I was younger and my parents left the house for me to take care of when they were going out on a date. I had to take care of my brothers Eric and Nate and keep the house clean. My parents wouldn’t always tell me when they would return, but I had to be ready for them to come so that they wouldn’t find the house in shambles or my brothers and I fighting. Kids this may have happened to you when your parents left the house. This state of watchfulness still applies to me today as I need to keep watch in my apartment so that when my wife leaves to run an errand and asks me to clean the house, I get it done. Guys you know what I’m talking about. The image Jesus paints for us is a picture of a watchman or doorkeeper who awaits the owner’s return. The owner may return in the evening, at midnight, in the middle of the night or at dawn. These are the four watches of the night as the Romans during Jesus’ time kept. Here we see in Jesus’ explanation of His return that awaiting The Last Judgment is not a call for indifference or fanaticism as many cults have done, but for alertness and readiness for His coming.

7. The word “Watch” that Jesus uses in Mark 13 has different meanings in the original Greek language that was used in His day. The first word for watch that He uses talks about a man arousing himself from a deep sleep. This is like the story I told earlier of the man who fell asleep in church and woke up to find that he didn’t know what was happening. The other word for watch conveys the idea of wakefulness and alertness. Jesus conveys this by providing an example of how people kept watch during His time. In the temple during the night, the captain made his rounds and the guards had to rise at his approach and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard who was found asleep on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire. Jesus doesn’t want this happen to us. He wants us to keep watch and be alert and ready for His return. Revelation 16:15 says, "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." Jesus, the Son of God will come like a thief. At an hour when we least expect Him and He doesn’t want to find us naked or asleep when He returns. Jesus is saying, “Be on guard! Be alert!" Don’t immerse yourselves in the things of this world and lose your own soul. Always keep your eyes fixed on Him. So that when the Last Day comes we’ll be anxiously awaiting His return along with others we‘ve brought to the faith so that they too can share in the wonderful gift of eternal life. Watching is then more than keeping the faith and praying. It’s also continuing in that relationship with God and bringing others into that relationship with Him.

8. The call from Jesus for Christians to be watchful has become less apparent in some Christian circles today. One of these examples can be taken from the Left Behind series written by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins. For instance, The Left Behind understanding of the rapture, which is the belief that when Christ returns all of the believers will be taken up to heaven immediately and all the non-believers will be left on earth. You’ve seen this in bumper stickers on cars where it says, “In case of rapture this car will be unmanned.” This understanding of the rapture can lead to a dangerous “wait and see” attitude. Non-Christian readers of the series might conclude that if millions of Christians suddenly disappear, then—and only then—will they repent and believe in Jesus. Before this they may “take their chances,” and believe that they will get a second opportunity during the Seven Year Tribulation. However, Jesus states in Matthew 25:10: “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.” This “shut door” indicates that there will be no salvation offered after the one-time Second Coming of our Lord. The Left Behind series causes more confusion when it promotes the idea that there’s not just one return of Christ (the rapture), nor two (Christ’s appearing to usher in his 1000-year rule), but three comings of Christ. The last advent, it teaches, will be at the end of the millennial reign or the Great White Throne Judgment of Rev 20:11–15. In the Bible the words “rapture,” “the blessed hope,” “the glorious appearing” and “the final judgment” are terms that designate one event: Christ’s Second Coming. We as Lutherans believe that there’s only one future hope for the church, the bodily return of Jesus Christ. It’s then that Jesus will judge the righteous from the unrighteous and He’ll create a new heavens and a new earth. What this will look like we don’t know, but He calls us to be ready, watchful and anxiously awaiting His return, because all people on this earth only get one chance.

9. May God enable each of us through the power of His Holy Spirit to live and act according to His purpose so that we may be able to share in that blessed hope of eternal life. We ask that God would enable us to be on guard and alert for when His Second Coming comes. May we be empowered to lead others to see the urgency of the Gospel message—that there’s little time before Christ will return, so that they too may share in the glorious hope of eternal life. We ask that God would give us the strength to keep watch each day for the hour when He returns so that Christ may not find us sleeping like the man who slept through the whole church service. With God’s power we’ll be able to complete this as we await the end of all trials and tribulations that this life brings. The day when there will be no more tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, mudslides and other disasters. When people will no longer fight with one another and families will no longer be found in ruin, but when we’ll all see our Savior face to face and live in eternal peace and joy. May that day come fast and quickly! In Jesus’ name we ask this. AMEN.

Sermon on Stewardship

Here's a sermon I preached recently on Stewardship. Hope you like it.

SERMON: “A Shrewd Peace”
Text: Luke 16:8-- "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”

1. The Scripture reading that we’re going to focus on for the second weekend in our three week sermon series, Living Each Day as a Steward, is from Luke 16:8: Jesus said, "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”

2. Many of the parables of Jesus focus on finding something that has been lost. They’re aimed at lost souls. In the parable of our Gospel lesson for today the focus shifts to dealing with the life and living of those who’ve been found, the faithful. Our faith in Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior is reflected by the way we live. As the faithful people of God our purpose is to give glory, honor and service to Him. The way we go about doing things in our day to day business can’t be separated from our relationship with God. No human being can serve two masters. God is our master and we’re called to serve Him, not money. That’s what Jesus is sharing with us in this Parable of the Shrewd Manager. It’s a great parable that touches the lives of every one of us as we struggle to keep God and His will for us before all other things that this world has to offer. We’re often tempted into thinking that money and wealth offer the quiet and peaceable life, but this is not true.

3. The parable of the Gospel lesson is a true picture of worldliness. Jesus aims it at Pharisees, Scribes, politicians and open sinners. He aims it the people we see as needing to hear a lesson on worldliness, because from our viewpoint they have this problem of being absorbed into thinking that more is better. But you know who Jesus is directing this parable to? He’s also speaking this to His disciples and to us as well. If you’re sitting there in your pew thinking that you’re not guilty of worldliness and being greedy with the things of this world. Think again! I myself can attest to the fact that I’ve put other things before God. No matter what our age, we all can become involved in the things of this world and put them in place of God.

4. The commercialism of our age and culture is a good example to us of how worldliness is all around us. The constant use of celebrities to model lines of clothing, sporting goods, and cosmetics tell us that if we own these items, we too can be like our heroes. The use of credit cards and the availability of many goods guarantee our ability choose what we want, when we want it. Easy credit and finance can be a temptation to us all in this fast paced world we live in. In earlier times people had to consider whether they could afford such things, and they might have had to delay while they saved. It’s also become the job of the advertising industry to keep us in a state of discontentment. The answer is always bigger, better, faster, or more like someone else. We’re informed of our lack of something and then told it’s ruining the quality of our lives. But, God has given us a purpose in this life to be the faithful stewards of His creation. We as Christians believe that we are the products of a personal, loving Creator, and that our life, opportunities, and resources are a gift to us. Psalm 24:1-2 says, "The earth is the Lord's and all it contains; the world and those who dwell in it." Because we’ve been made by God, our ultimate fulfillment is found in Him. In a world of many desires and pleasures another voice can be heard from the book of Matthew 11:28 where Jesus says, "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The answer is not in a product but in a living person. Jesus Christ. He’s the one who enables us to live our life with a purpose, to live each day as a steward of God’s creation.

5. In the parable, we have a rich man whose business is large, so large that he employed a general manager, a steward, who had the power to handle all of his business affairs. We’re not talking about a small business here. We’re talking about a CEO of a big company like McDonalds or Microsoft. This manager was in charge of 800 to 900 gallons of olive oil and 1000 bushels of wheat. That’s a lot of product in Jesus’ day. No doubt the steward lived a life that was equal with the wealth he dealt within his day to day life. As it turns out the steward, who managed the affairs of the rich man was a crook. This is something that we in our contemporary world today are aware of. We’ve heard of the mismanagement of money in companies such as Enron, WorldCom, Martha Stewart’s company and the events that surrounded Watergate in Richard Nixon’s presidency. It’s because of this that many of us have learned to distrust the leaders and politicians here in America today. In the parable, we look on the steward at a time in his career when somebody had caught him in his crooked activity and threatened to fire him as an employer. The evidence presented against him is overwhelming and convinced the employer to fire the steward on the spot. It’s interesting that the steward makes no effort to defend himself and admits to his guilt.

6. The steward thought about his dilemma. He made a decision and then acted very quickly. That shows us some good leading skills. The steward caught a vision and saw a purpose for himself once again in his job. He knew that he wasn’t strong enough to do hard labor and he wasn’t going to rely on begging for money and food for the rest of his life. His plan was to gain some momentum so that his employer’s debtors would take him into their own homes so that he can live at ease until something better comes along. He decides to squander his employer’s possessions one last time. He pulls the debtor’s note out of the safe, hands it to him and tells him to write a receipt for much less than what it really called for. In that day, as in ours tampered documents would make a transaction invalid. So new obligations must be drawn up and substituted for the originals. The deed’s done. What a clever and shrewd man!

7. How many of you are concerned about your retirement years or your ability to financially exist in the later years of your life? I know my wife and I are concerned about this and my own father has downsized his business in order to make plans for his retirement. We live our lives in the arena of worldliness, trying to gather as much as possible toward some mental picture of what is enough. We call it a “nest egg.” Because we’re sinners, greediness and worldliness can get a hold of us. It brings us to a point where we loose sight of God and our need for a Savior. God’s purpose for our lives is set aside as we scheme to take care of ourselves. Then we’re lost. The shrewd way that mischievous steward gathered his “nest egg” was praised by his employer who was shrewd enough himself to appreciate it.

8. So the question comes up. What does Jesus have in mind in telling this parable? In the verse following the Parable, Jesus helps us apply the story to our lives as His stewards. In Luke 16: 9, Jesus says, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” In this verse Jesus referred back to the Shrewd Manager who used worldly wealth in order to make friends for himself who would take him in when he was fired. Jesus tells us as stewards to use the same shrewdness using our resources. The difference between the Shrewd Manager and us is the motivation and goal. God calls us to use all His gifts with the purpose of helping others to come to know His Son. By doing this we will be welcomed into Heaven by those we have witnessed to and with whom we have shared our blessings.

9. Rick Warren once said in His book, the Purpose Driven Life, “Nothing matters more than knowing God’s purpose for your life…not success, wealth, fame or pleasure. Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction and events without reason.” Our purpose is to serve God through the stewardship of the possessions that He has given to us. God’s not asking for much, just 10%. After all, He gave 100% of His life for us through His death on the cross. Everything we do is a response in thanksgiving to Him for that awesome gift of forgiveness He’s given us. Let’s thank Jesus for living His life with a purpose as a steward giving Himself up for us. Let us live with a purpose as faithful stewards of His creation so that the Kingdom of Heaven may be built up.

Blessing of the Lord: In light of this parable, may we, with God’s strength, become wise stewards of the material things that God entrusts to us and may we respond out of thanksgiving for Who God is and what He has done for us, living each day as stewards who give Him glory and honor in all that we do. AMEN.