CALL ME

CALL ME

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3).

The other day I stopped over to visit with a friend and he showed me a project he was working on. I said to him, “Why didn’t you ask me to help you?” “Never thought of it,” was the response. Last Thursday (9/26) my friend called and said, “Pastor Nour, you are going to wish that you didn’t volunteer to help me.” I responded, “If I didn’t want to help I would have never offered my services. But I really do want to help and am glad you called. I will be over later to help you.”

I was able to help my friend get his project done. We had fun and thanked the Lord for the gift of friends who are willing to help when called upon, and mean what they say when it comes to assisting others. While I was helping him, the thought for this article came to mind.

In the book of Jeremiah, “God tells us to call upon Him and He will answer us.” He says, “Call Me! I am here for you! Call Me. I will help you! Call Me! I will come to your aid! Call Me and I will show you My mighty power!”

So often however, we are reluctant to call upon our Lord for help. Like my friend who said “You are going to wish you didn’t volunteer”, we treat God in the same way. We think we should go to Him only when things are completely out of our control.

But this is not what God says. “He states, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” I call this verse God’s phone number. The good news about this verse is that God is willing and able to hear our needs 24/7/365. You will never get a busy signal. You will never need the assistance of an operator. You will never need to push 1 for English. You will never need to go through someone to get to Him. He simply says, “Call Me and I will be here for you.”

In 1967 Marvin Gaye sang this song “There Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that made it to the top 20 on the Billboard pop charts and went on to be number 3 in the R&B charts. Here is a portion of that lyric:

Listen, baby
Ain’t no mountain high
Ain’t no valley low
Ain’t no river wide enough, baby

If you need me, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far
Just call my name
I'll be there in a hurry
You don’ have to worry.

Indeed, that is wishful thinking. Though the song is sweet and has great lines, in truth no one is always able to help another. Call me, but I am in Israel and won’t be back for another month. It is difficult to come to the aid of another human, though we want to.

But not our Awesome, Amazing and Almighty God! The Lord of the Universe who loves us wants us to come to Him and ask Him as little children ask their father for help. He is waiting and ready to assist in any situation, be it a blessing or a burden. He is the One who is always available in time and space to come to our aid. He even goes further, teaching us of His desire for our lives, saying: “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

In one of the most beloved hymns of our time, “What A Friend We have in Jesus” written by Joseph Scriven in 1855, is a message that far outshines Marvin Gaye’s message;

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Yes, it is true; we don’t call upon the Lord always. But we should since we are His beloved and redeemed children. And since we have a Savior, Jesus Christ who died and rose for us, we have the privilege and blessing of coming to the Lord through Him always. And when we do, God answers our every need for help. God either grants your request or He says, “I have something better planned for you!”

But He does answer, and in His loving and gracious way gives us what we need and not what we want.

Therefore, in the name of Christ, our ONLY Savior, I encourage you today and always to hear and heed the voice of the Eternal God, who says: “Call Me! I am here for you ALWAYS.”

In Christ’s love and in His service,

Rev. Nabil S. Nour, Pastor, Grandpa and Footwasher Phil. 1:6

“A Great Gift” (Luke 1:31-33)

This sermon was preached at the chapel of Concordia College in Seward, NE. Since the students don’t remain on campus during the Christmas Season, they were observing Christmas in the fall. Thus the text is dealing with the Christmas reading.

S-138419SAP/C 9/30/2013 Hymns: (O) #; (S) #356; (C) #

Texts: Luke 1:26-38

Theme: “A Great Gift” (Luke 1:31-33)

Question: “What is the nicest gift you have gotten?” Seward, NE

Faithful followers of the Savior, Merry Christmas to each of you! Christ The text is from the St. Luke’s Gospel: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a great honor and privilege to be among you on this Christmas in the summer celebration. I bring you greeting and God’s richest blessing from the President of our Beloved Synod, the Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison with whom I am delighted to serve this great church body and from the saints of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Armour, SD.

It is not often that we think of buying gifts unless there is a birthday, anniversary, baby shower or upcoming wedding. The time when we begin to think of gifts is around Christmas. During that time we get stressed out looking for the perfect gift for someone you love and care for deeply. The more you love the person, the more precious gifts you want to give.

In May of 1994 when I graduated from the St. Louis Seminary, my parents came to the States to visit from Israel and help me celebrate becoming a footwasher in the service of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The term “footwasher” is my favorite word of being a pastor. As such, I get to show the love of Jesus as I wash the saints’ feet and care for all of their needs. My parents were also present at my ordination into the Office of the Holy Ministry a month later (June 26). After the Ordination my mother and father came to me and said: “Son, we are so proud of you and pray God’s blessings on your life and ministry” and placed this (show bracelet) beautiful gold bracelet on my wrist.

I wore that gift with pride. It was a priceless gift from my parents, and I’m certain they paid dearly for it. I never took my bracelet off except when I went into the Dead Sea. Shortly after I arrived into Armour to begin serving Redeemer Lutheran Church as their footwasher, I lost my bracelet. I searched for it but couldn’t find it. I wept. I put ads all over town and church. A few days later one of my parishioners called saying, “Pastor, I found your bracelet in the church basement.” I was elated and overjoyed to have the bracelet again.

Recently my bracelet broke and now is sitting on top of my drawer waiting for my next trip to the old country to have it fixed. PAUSE.

You may have received a great gift that means a lot to you. You cherish it and hold it dear. You keep it near your heart and protect it lest it be destroyed, lost or stolen.

In this country, during the Christmas season we hear about buying that perfect gift for the person who has everything. But what about the perfect gift for someone who has nothing and needs everything? That’s what God gave you and me at Christmas. This is what Luke states in the text for today: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (1:31).

Learn this truth and appreciate this great gift: When God put His Son into the manger, He gave us everything. You and I needed forgiveness. He gave us His Son—the heaven-sent Savior to wash away our sins with His precious blood. We needed peace with God. He gave us the Prince of Peace, who brought back a blessed relationship with the Father. We needed power against sin. He gave us the mighty Lord, who defeated Satan in the wilderness and even more so on the cross. Satan can’t hold us captive any more, since Christ—our GREAT gift is the key that freed us. We needed comfort in life’s sorrows. He gave us the living Savior, who wipes away our tears. We needed assurance at the time of death. He gave us the risen Christ, who has already conquered death, not just for Himself but for all of us sinners. We had nothing, but with this GREAT gift—OUR Savior, God gave us everything we needed. Thanks be to God for such a GREAT gift! PAUSE.

Beloved in the Lord, my bracelet is a great gift from my parents. Now that they are no longer living on earth, but in heaven, it has even a greater meaning. I love it and cherish it though I can’t wear it any longer for a little while. This is what happens with earthly gifts. They break, they rust, they are stolen or become obsolete. But not the gift of the manger!

In love, the gift I received from my parents broke and it broke my heart. So too, Christ the Greatest gift given to man was broken on Calvary’s cross for us sinners. However, unlike my broken bracelet, Christ broke out of the tomb on the third day to give us life and salvation. By this mighty act of His resurrection, He guarantees that this gift will never be broken again, never rust, never stolen or become obsolete. This is the gift that keeps on giving for always. This is the Great gift that every sinner needs—A Savior.

Why does God lavish such a gift on us? How do we explain the love that moved God to send His Son into the manger? What language shall we borrow to praise Him for such a gift to us, His enemies? In His great love, God gave everything He had so that we might have every­thing we need. Thanks be to God for His great gift of love in a child, so that we might all become children of God forever.

Precious children of the heavenly Father, our lives are God’s gift. Eternal life is His great gift. May we therefore, by the grace of God go out into the world and share this gift with others so that they, too, may join us in praising God and saying: “We have received a GREAT GIFT IN JESUS, OUR LORD!

May you cherish such a great gift! May hold Him dear and near! May you spend time daily with this heavenly GIFT, until you are welcomed into the Eternal presence of this GIFT forever! Amen and Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“The Messengers Carry the Message” (Daniel 10:10-11) St. Michael and All Angels

S-1383-19SAP/C 9/29/2013 Hymns: (O) #254 vv1-5; (S) #506; L.S. #255; 257; (C) # 254 vv 6-7

Texts: Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3; Revelation 12:7-12; Matthew 18:1-11

Theme: “The Messengers Carry the Message” (Daniel 10:10-11) St. Michael and All Angels

Question: “What message do you have for the world?” Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text is from the O.T. lesson: “And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, ‘O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.’ And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling” (Daniel 10:10-11).

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to say that I have not spoken to you the truth in love. As a messenger of the Gospel I have hurt you by what I have said and done. For that I pray that you would forgive me all of my sins and continue to join me in getting the true message of God’s grace to the world.

On this St. Michael and all angels day, there is only ONE message worthy of being proclaimed. It is the message that we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! We have been saved from our enemies—satan, sin and death! We have been marked as belonging to God through the gift of Baptism! That our sins have been forgiven through the brutal event of the cross and the empty tomb! This message has been proclaimed throughout generations by angels, prophets, apostles and evangelists. The message is the same, but the messengers change from age to age. The messengers’ concern is only with the message. It is the message that is important. By the grace of God we too, have heard the message, and are called upon to continue proclaiming this blessed message.

Throughout all of Scripture we see God’s messengers carrying this message. Moses had a message to Pharaoh, “Let my people go” (Exodus 5:1). Joshua had a message to the people of Israel, “Choose you this day whom you shall serve” (Joshua 24:15). Nathan had a message to David, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). Isaiah had a message to the exiled, “Comfort my people says Your God” (Isaiah 40:1). The angel Michael had a message to Daniel “To stay firm” (Daniel 10:10-14). The angel Gabriel had a message to a young woman in Nazareth, “You shall conceive and bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save the people from their sins.” (Luke 1:31). Another angel appeared to Zacharias in the temple and told him, “Your wife Elizabeth will conceive and bring forth a son,” (Luke 1:13). The 7 angels spoke the message to the seven churches in Revelation (2-3). And the Apostles and Evangelists carried the massage to every corner of the earth. PAUSE.

Certainly, there are other messengers out there. We hear of wars and rumors of wars. We hear good news someone just had a baby, your brother or sister is getting married. Your aunt is celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss. You hear the message the crops are going to be good this year. All of these are good and wonderful messages, but they don’t compare with the ONLY true message of life and salvation. There is nothing like hearing the angels who shared the message with the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, “Fear not, for we bring you Good News of Great joy, today in the city of David a Savior has been born.” (Luke 10-11). Yes indeed the Savior of mankind has come. He lived among us. He suffered for us. He died for us. But the greatest news of all, also carried on the voices of angels at the empty tomb, “He is not here. He is risen, just as He said!” This is the greatest message that needs to be proclaimed in the loudest voice from the highest rooftops and moutaintops, from every pulpit to every person in the pews and on the streets!

This message will not be broadcast across the screen from Scott Pelly, Brian Williams, or Diane Sawyer. You will not hear it on CNN or Fox news, but you will read it in God’s holy book. God’s eternal message of love, forgiveness and salvation is stated clearly in it. You will hear it as you come to God’s Holy house to nurture your soul with the heavenly manna. You will benefit from it as you gather Bible study. And you will greatly rejoice as you pick up this precious message in the palm of your hands, read, learn and inwardly digest its comforting and life-changing message.

Isaiah said it well, when he spoke, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion. “Your God is Your King!” PAUSE.

Though we are called in baptism to live our lives as the messengers of Christ, yet at times we feel inadequate to share this good news with others. Satan even tells us we are NOT equipped to spread the message. Besides, you got a pastor that is his job let him do it. But brothers and sisters in Christ hear me well; the message can’t wait, it needs to be proclaimed, it needs to be shared, it needs to be uttered. How many people are dying daily without hearing the greatest message in the world? Think of the terrorists who are killing in the deceitful and evil name of Allah thinking they are doing his work. How many people are dying trying to get to heaven by their own righteous work, power and position in life? But none of these things will do, except the message of the Good News, that Jesus Christ is our ONLY savior. And He alone can open heaven’s doors for us.

Sadly, at times you and I get in the way of the message. We think, if only we can be less stringent, not teaching all of its truth, or calling sin for what it is—damming, then, we will reach others. We hear from many pulpits that sin doesn’t matter, as long as you have good intentions. Sin still kills damns and separates us from our holy God.

At other times we compromise what we stand for as Christians. We turn our faces away from the sins we are committing, or a brother is involved in. We say we don’t have to do what the Bible teaches. We don’t have to be faithful stewards of His good gifts. We don’t need to be in church or in Bible study. It is enough to give an hour in Church, but don’t you dare ask me to do anything else. I want to live my life without any restrictions.

On this Saint Michael and all angels day, you and I are indeed blessed, because God calls us to honor Him with our lives of service. Yes, the honor and privilege is for us as the redeemed of God to share the good news of our salvation.

To be sure God has called you in baptism to be a message carrier. You and I by the grace of God are the means and vehicle to share the great and most awesome news in the world with those around us. Just like a smile is contagious, so you and I ought to be carriers of this message of grace, love, hope and peace.

Unlike the dread of certain disease that can be contagious and deadly; you and I have a message to relate to others. We are simply messengers of the Message. And what is that message? That we have been saved by the mighty and precious arms of Christ from our sins. You and I have been bought back. You and I are guaranteed the eternal mansion in heaven that our Lord is preparing for us.

Yes, we are called to go out of our way and share the blessed news with all the world. Then begin by the Spirit’s power here in this place, in your home and your community and what the Lord will do through you. Don’t rely upon your own efforts to accomplish this blessed task, but look to the Savior who has equipped you in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. As children of God we can do no less, except joyfully share this message with the rest of the world.

Think, what would have happened if the apostles and evangelists didn’t do what the Lord asked them to proclaim. Where would we be? Lost, like many others who don’t know or believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior; on our way to hell. You and I have a great and blessed opportunity of sharing a message that will change the world. A message that will comfort any troubled soul. A message that will give hope to the hurting; help to the lost.

Conclusion:

Indeed, brothers and sisters in Christ. There is only ONE MESSAGE to be shared, spoken and proclaimed. It is the message that Jesus Christ is the Only Savior from sin, death and the power of the devil. The angels of God could not wait to proclaim that a Savior was born to save mankind. And neither can we! I have a message for you today from God who said, “I have given my Son for you because I love you so much!” Jesus has a message for you, “I love you with every ounce of blood in me!” He loved you so much that He was willing to go to hell for you, rather than go to heaven without you. He loved you so much that (open arms) He died on the cross telling you, that He will not spare anything to have you with Him in heaven. What a wonderful Good News we have today. A Message of hope and peace! Calvary’s message is this: “Son, be of Good sheer, your sins are forgiven you!” Wow! What a message God gives us. Go home empowered by the Spirit’s power to be “messengers who carry the message.” What a message. A message that opened heavens doors for us. A message that has blotted all our sins from the Holy God of Israel. A message that tells us Satan has no power over us. To Him alone be all glory for now and throughout all eternity. AMEN.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Theme: “Learn to Pray” (1Timothy 2:1, 8)

S-1382-18SAP/C 9/22/2013 Hymns: (O) #454 vv1-6; (S) #457; L.S. #458; 459; (C) # 454 vv 7-8

Texts: Amos 8:4-7; 1Timothy 2:1-15; Luke 16:1-15

Theme: “Learn to Pray” (1Timothy 2:1, 8)

Question: “How do you make your prayers count?” Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text is from the Gospel lesson: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people…I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1Timothy 2:1-8).

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

Beloved in Christ, the Psalmist David wrote these blessed words: “O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! Let my prayer be counted as incense before You, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Psalm 141:1-2). These words of the Psalmist may well have been ringing in the ears of St. Paul as he instructed his young seminarian Timothy in the art of prayer in the words that serve as our sermon text for today. By that same Holy Spirit, we too, today, will get a lesson on prayer.

Perhaps you have heard the joke “When all else fails try prayer!” While that may get a chuckle, it really is a sad and sinful commentary. Many, even among us followers of Jesus, either are ignorant of or just plain dismissive of the power of prayer. Our society teaches us to be self- reliant and self-supporting saying, “You can do it! If there is a will there is a way!” We buy into the devil-authored lie that we are captains of our own destiny! That’s fine when things are going well. But what happens when we can’t stop the cancer from growing? What do we do when you get the pink slip? What happens when your son is in deep legal trouble or your teenage daughter gets pregnant? Where do you go and to whom do you turn for help? The bottle, drugs, anger, or fishing? We make a mess out of our lives and then turn to prayer to let God clean it up!

Let’s be honest! This is exactly what happens when the situations in life get out of our control. When you can’t see where to go from where we are and nothing has worked, we think, “Well, after we have done all that other stuff, let’s try prayer.” But in doing this we fail to see the value of prayer and then like the divine fire alarm box, “in case of emergency, pray.” We act as if when we fall to our knees and rub our hands together God is going to come out of the bottle like a Jeannie and give us our desires. But oh, how mistaken we are! When we do this we cheapen this tremendous gift we have in the privilege of prayer. We underestimate its power and we don’t take the Lord to whom we pray seriously either!

But aside from all of the joking, prayer has power! It is a conversation with the King of the Universe! We bring our prayers and petitions to the Lord with the promise that He will hear and answer every one of them! James, the brother of Jesus said this: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). PAUSE.

Indeed, the prayer of the saints ascends to the throne of Grace and God’s ears are attentive to them. Yet, we don’t pray often. We don’t go to the Lord with our requests. Some people consider it a waste of time. But not Paul! This man of God knows the value, benefit and the power of prayer and for this reason in the text before states: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people…I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling”

The life of God’s child is a life of prayer. The one who follows Jesus will follow Him on their knees because that is what Jesus did. Our lives are called in Holy Baptism to reflect that mentality because our hearts have been opened in faith. In faith, we plead with God to hear us and answer our every prayer.

Having said all of that let me say one more thing: All of the prayers we send up to God should mean nothing. Every one of them wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans, if the Holy Son of God had not be willing to bear His cross on Skull Hill and lay down His life for the sins of the world. Because of that suffering and death you and I can come to God’s throne to pray. We have this privilege because Christ did what we couldn’t do. He was willing to be cut off from the Heavenly Father so as to open our line of communication with Him! Through His death and resurrection we can know for certain and come boldly and trustingly to God in Jesus’ name and God will give us what we need.

Study the life of Jesus, and you will see Him at every interval of His life and ministry on His bones. He prayed all night before He chose the disciples. He prayed before He broke the bread and fish and gave them to the people. He prayed before the Passover Meal. He prayed in Gethsemane before He went up to skull Hill. He prayed from the cross. In what is called the High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus teaches us by example when He prays for Himself, His disciples and even us! In this we can say, “The heartbeat of Christ was a life of prayer.”

Since we are the redeemed children of the Heavenly Father, we are called to emulate Jesus. This is a call to be faithful prayer warriors. We want to be men and women on our knees for our brothers and sisters in Christ, our often pagan and sinful leaders, those who don’t know Jesus, our neighbors and ourselves.

If, when you hear this and reflect on your spiritual life and find that you are not living the life of prayer, you are in the right place! It is here in this place that we return to the font, drown the non-praying or selfish praying old Adam and live the new and redeemed life of thanksgiving and prayer. This Spirit led new life we learn from Jesus and set aside times to get down on our knees and ask God to forgive us our sins, open our eyes to His precious Word and live under His grace.

This new life is what will shift your stuck in neutral spiritual life into high gear. The Spirit will lead you into that deeper connection with the Lord. When we hear words like this we can take them seriously knowing that God wants to hear and answer our prayers.

Today, the Savior leads you in a way that will make a difference in your life and others. Pray in the morning, at noon and at night. Pray when things are going well and when things are going bad. Pray at all times and for all people because Christ has made it possible to address the heavenly Father as OUR dear father! He is waiting for us to ask Him for all of our needs!

Why pray? Because prayer is good for us and others! Prayer changes lives. I share with you an event that happened that changed someone’s life—it’s a true story.

In his book “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes,” Ken Bailey tells a profound story about the blessings and value of prayer. Listen to Dr. Bailey speak: AFTER THE FALL OF THE SOVIENT UNION, I was privileged to lecture in Riga for the Latvian Lutheran Church. Most of the participants in the seminar were between the ages of 25-35. This meant that all of their education had been in the communist state system, which was determined to indoctrinate them in atheism. I asked one of the young women about how she came to faith.

“Was there a church in your village?” I asked.

“No, the communists closed all of them,” she replied.

“Did some saintly grandmother instruct you in the ways of God?”

“No. All the members of my family were atheists.”

“Did you have secret home Bible studies, or was there an underground church in your area?” “No, none of that” came the answer.

“So, what happened?” She told me the following story:

At funerals we were allowed to recite the Lord’s Prayer. As a young child I heard those strange words and had no idea who we were talking to, what the words meant, where they came from or why we were reciting them. When freedom came at last, I had the opportunity to search for their meaning. When you are in total darkness, the tiniest point of light is very bright. For me the Lord’s Prayer was that point of light. By the time I found its meaning I was a Christian. (p. 91).

Through a funeral in an atheist land the power of prayer—the Lord’s Prayer was on display. This young woman attended church and heard the simple words of Jesus in the prayer He taught us. And through that prayer she came to faith and followed the Eternal Light of salvation.

Today, you and I are those points of light. We pray not because we have to, because we want to converse with our Savior and Lord. We pray because we believe and know that Jesus hears and answers prayers. We pray because it doesn’t matter what you say, or how you say it, as long as it is directed to Jesus who answers every prayer.

It has been said that prayer is a school for amateurs because being led by the Holy Spirit is all that matters. That’s the only expertise you need. Pick a time and place for prayer. Make a list. If you don’t have a particular list, St. Paul gives one in the text. Then just pray! Do it over and over again, day after day. You don’t need new words. Just use the ones that the Holy Spirit gives you. Trust that familiarity does not breed contempt in your prayer life. Familiarity just makes it all the easier to reach out to the One who answers every prayer—Your Lord and Savior—Jesus Christ.

What a blessing to exercise daily on our knees and be in prayer. Prayer is special time spent with the God who blesses us for the sake of His Son, who prayed “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He has forgiven us. He has given us all things. Now, child of God, JUST PRAY! Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Theme: “The Blessing of Unity (Psalm 133:1)

S-1381-16SAP/C 9/13/2013 Hymns: (O) #; (S) #783; (C) #

Texts: Psalm 133

Theme: “The Blessing of Unity (Psalm 133:1)

This sermon will be preached at the International Center (IC) Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in St. Louis on Friday September 13, for the Council Of Presidents and Presidium. I will be dressed in my Arabic outfit.

1. Have two plates: one will have onions, radishes, horseradish, garlic and bitter herbs. And the second will have Cheese cake, Chocolate delicacy, Ted Drew’s, pecan pie.

2. I will read it in the Hebrew and emphasize the difference between Naeem = pleasant, vetov = good, cf. Marra = bitterness. In the sense that bitterness makes our noses run and eyes teary. But the sweetness puts a smile on our face and causes our eyes to glow.

Beloved in Christ, what joy and privilege to be among you today. I am honored to be among ROYALTY! You are sons and daughters of the King of the Universe and the Creator of the world; yes you are princess and princesses and heirs to the highest throne in the land. PAUSE.

Did you know that God has a good sense of humor? He really does! The more I study the Scriptures the more it causes me to laugh and know that God puts joy in our hearts. I will explain and demonstrate this humor. Who am I? What am I? I’m a Palestinian by nationality. I’m an Arab by race and Christian by grace. And yet, God chooses me, a Palestinian to serve in a Church with such deep German roots. To be sure God has a good sense of humor. In a Church with such deep German roots He chooses a Palestinian to be one of the Vice-Presidents. Go figure.

The Psalmist, David, proclaims in Psalm 133:1 “Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Unity in terms of concord is essential in day to day operations. With all Christians we have “unity” rooted in faith in Christ but not concord. Paul in Ephesians 4 exhorts the Christians at Ephesus to express their unity in Christ with a life of concord, making allowances for one another, but growing in Christ’s love. Where the fullness of Christ’s gospel dwells in us, the more we dwell in unity, concord, one accord....unity, that is, its expression in concord, unity takes humility and maturity....it means striving by the mercy of God to relate everything we do to the person and work of Jesus and His gospel and doing this in love. Paul in Ephesians four “begs, pleads, and urges” the Christians by the mercy of Christ to live out the implications of their baptism, daily drowning the Old Adam and daily allowing the passion of Christ to refresh others like the Mountain Dew (not soda pop) of Mt. Herman.

Brothers in Christ, you who are baptized in His name, know this truth, unity is important among us. Unity is what binds us together to accomplish the work of the Church, on the local, state, national and international level. By being united, we are able to accomplish much in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world that desperately needs to hear of His suffering, death and glorious resurrection and be His followers.

Indeed, it is the great pleasure of walking together—hand in hand and doing the ministry together that helps us spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and bring Him among us. This is living the Great Commission to the ends of the earth. This is why this Synod exists; this is why we have Districts, circuits and churches around the states and the world. The prophet Amos asks a most compelling question. “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). If we walk together, then much will be done. If on the other hand, we don’t walk together, we are walking opposite each other. And the work of the church will not be carried out. When that happens, death and demise is just around the corner. I share with you two stories that highlight unity and disunity.

Most of you have heard of Custer’s last stand. George Armstrong Custer, on June 25, 1876, divided 12 companies of the 7th U.S. Cavalry into three battalions. Captain Frederick Benteen would command one group, Major Marcus Reno would command another, and Custer would take the third. You know history well enough to know not one survived. They were all clobbered because they were not united but divided. PAUSE.

However, having served the beloved South Dakota District all of my ministry and all of these years in a very small community, I share another story that brings joy into my heart and demonstrates what happens when we are united, and the blessings it brings.

In the 750 persons community that I live in, an incident happened that shows what unity does to a person, family and community. A farmer had a motorcycle accident that caused both of his legs to be amputated at the knees. This farmer was in the hospital for a long time and couldn’t do any work for over a year +. When the church found out about it, they devised a plan to help. The word went out and all of the farmers brought their combines, tractors, and trucks and began to harvest. It was a beautiful sight to see the combines stretching across the fields one right next to each other. All of the trucks were lined up waiting to be to be loaded. They hauled the crops to the grain bins, dried them and stored them. And the ladies fed everybody. This event brought everyone closer and got the job done. And oh, the laughter, camaraderie and the joy was contagious…even the exhaustion at the end of the day knowing someone’s life had been changed. That is unity and its blessings. PAUSE.

Beloved in the Lord and fellow foot washers. When you came into this room there were two different plates before you. Of the two which would you choose? {wait for responses}

I would venture to guess that almost all of you would choose the one with the sweetness in it. Because you would rather eat something sweet rather than something bitter. If this illustration demonstrates the truth, then that great shepherd boy, David said it correctly and teaches us the blessings of being united: .יָחַד-גַּם אַחִים שֶׁבֶת--נָּעִים-וּמַה ,טּוֹב-מַה הִנֵּה  “How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity.” It is therefore time for us as leaders of this BELOVED Synod to extend the olive branch of service, love and caring for others, so that we don’t give the devil an opportunity to disrupt and disturb the work of the Gospel.

By the grace of God extend your hand of love to your brother. Don’t look at your brother as your enemy. He is not and she is not. She is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. He has been saved through the cross the empty tomb just like you and me. Realize the only enemy we have is satan who wants to distract us from doing the work God called us to do.

I don’t care if you don’t do things like me, or you don’t agree with me on every point. For the love of God you are different. Just because I don’t do what you do, or you don’t do what I do, that doesn’t mean it is wrong. It just means we are different. God has gifted His church with different people with different gifts. By the power of the Holy Spirit use the gifts the Lord has given YOU for your brother’s benefit and for the glory of God.

However, what I do care about is the spread of the Gospel for lost sinners. I care about walking together in unity and that you would stand by me, take my hand and walk with me on the journey of life. When I am walking with you hand in hand, my journey is joyful and my burden is light. I am not so consumed with defending myself, or have to be afraid of what I will say or do. Instead, I would be joyfully supporting, uplifting and praying for you that the Lord of the Church would use you where you are planted. United together in life, in mission and in ministry, we can accomplish much for the sake of the Lord and His Church. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we need to stand in the gap and support each other. We need to encourage each other on the journey of following Christ. By the Spirit’s power, you and I who have been baptized for the moment breathe strength into one another and bear each other up. That is unity. That is the blessing of being united as brothers and sisters in Christ. PAUSE.

Saints in Christ, please remember that our unity is not based on our account of being German or Palestinian, Norwegian or Irish, not because we are Scriptural vs. confessional, not because we are doctrinal vs. evangelical, not because we are in a church office or the mission field, not because we are pastors or lay leaders, not because we are presidents of Districts, Synod or vice-president, or because we serve the church as foot washers. No, our unity is because we have been baptized in the name of Christ, because we have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light, because of His precious and sweet Gospel, but above all, because of His crimson blood shed on Calvary’s cross. Our unity is based on the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus our Savior. Our unity is based on His love for us—sinners.

{Here, I will ask the vice-presidents to please stand up and receive from me a cross. Then they will go around the room and hand out the crosses to the SAINTS in the room}

Today, beloved brothers and foot washers, you are receiving a cross. That cross and the empty tomb is what unites us together in mission, in ministry and our life together. On the cross is a dove—for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only reason we are united. Through its grace and teaching we learn of what it means to be united and live out our lives in the prayer of Jesus in John 17 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their Word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that you have sent Me” (21-22).

That is the unity that unites us together—salvation in Jesus our Savior. May God grant it for His sake now and always. Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“God is not finished with me yet!” (Phil. 1:6)

S-1380a-17SAP/C 9/08/2013 Hymns: (S) #700;

Texts: Phil. 1:1-6

Theme: “God is not finished with me yet!” (Phil. 1:6)

Devotion for SD District BOD Sioux Falls, this is the last one. SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text is from St. Paul’s letter to the Church at Philippi: “And I am sure of this, that He who began ha good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

In the name of Jesus our only Savior and Lord, amen. All of you in this room have received either a letter or an e-mail from me. At the bottom of my note, I conclude by saying: “In Christ’s love and in His Service, Rev. Nabil S. Nour Pastor, Grandpa, and foot washer Phil. 1:6 For this reason, I have chosen this special verse as my final farewell and words of exhortation to you my dear brothers and faithful foot washers.

Paul, the author of the text, is writing this letter from his jail cell to his favorite congregation before the Lord takes him home. It is a prayer and thanksiving. Paul is thankful for every time they come to his mind. These people had over and over again proven themselves to be a blessing to Paul and to the spread of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. Paul reminds them of his thankfulness to them. And it is very important to let people know when they have been a blessing to us. I am sure you know this, but it worth repeating. Roses do no good when the person is dead.

I, like Paul, wish to thank you, for all of the blessings you have been to me. Some of you I have been privileged and honored to serve right alongside for many years and others just few years. And yet regardless of how many years we have served the Lord together, I am thankful for the opportunity to further the Gospel of my Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

In 1:6, Paul shares with them the good news that God is not done with them yet. In fact He is still working on them. What a blessing to know that the Savior is never done working on us, making and fashioning us to be His instruments of blessing and joy to many saints for many years.

There is an old children’s song that speaks to this truth: I share with you the chorus and a verse. First the chorus: “He’s still workin’ on me, To make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars, The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be, He’s still workin’ on me!” And verse 1: “There really ought to be a sign upon my heart, ‘Don’t judge me yet, there’s an unfinished part.’ But I’ll be perfect, just according to His plan, Fashioned by the Master’s loving hand.”

That is right; we are perfect in the Master’s hands. It is His hands that reached out to us when we were just a little baby and the pastor spoke the words over us, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” With those loving hands He fed us at His table, nurtured us by His grace as we heard the Word and continues to work on our lives even now. Those are the same hands that picked up a huge wooden beam, carried it up a steep hill, and there they stretched those hands of His apart, and nailed them to that beam. They drove nails into His feet as well and suspended Him between heaven and hell. On a cruel instrument of suffering and torture, He gave His life, so that He may make ours complete and perfect.

Indeed, none of us have arrived yet. God is still working on us—we are still work in progress. He continues by the power of the Holy Spirit to remove the dross out of our lives and keeps the pure gold. He is even now, at this place still working on us to make us complete for His final return. As we travel onward toward eternity, we are still mere clay in the hands of the Heavenly Potter who is involved in making our lives His master-piece. God is not done with us yet, but He is preparing us for a glorious future.

This is what Paul is saying, “He is confident” not in himself but in the One who called Him to be His missionary to the Gentile. This confidence that Paul speaks about is rooted in Jesus Christ and the hope He gives to every sinner. The word “Confidence” means “to persuade, to convince beyond all doubt.”  What Paul is saying in this verse is that he has been “persuaded beyond all doubt that he is eternally saved through the crucifixion, death and glorious resurrection of Jesus.”

And that “confidence” is not only for Paul, but to us here and to every child of God. That is the message that Paul is conveying here. It is Christ who has begun this good work of saving us from the punishment of hell, and it is this risen Christ who will complete it when He returns.

Please notice what Paul is saying: “He who has begun this work in “YOU.” This salvation act has begun, is carried out and will be completed in YOU by Him alone. That is very comforting and truly profound. The grace of God that saved us is the assurance of His work in our lives—yours and mine. According to the Word of God that testifies about His sacrificial giving of His life, we know this is true now and always.

Thanks be to God for what He has accomplished and is still accomplishing in us even today. Indeed, He continues to work on us. But what we have with this verse is the great knowledge that we have been saved. It is not are you saved? It is not will you be saved? It is not you have to do this or that to earn His favor. No, you are saved by grace alone on account of Christ alone.

And this brings us comfort and freedom to live our lives in the service of the Master. After all, He has done it all. From before the foundation of the world He has chosen us, saved us, redeemed us and blesses us always. God never leaves a task unfinished. Look at creation. Look at our Redemption. His history is our future! He, who has begun this work, will complete it. There is nothing for us to do, except rejoice and be glad in it.

No wonder Paul, states, “I am confident that Jesus the One who has begun this in you, will bring it to completion.” It is Christ and Christ alone who begins and finishes the work of our salvation.

We are privileged and honored to serve Him with the life and gifts He bestowed upon us. I will no longer sit in my chair and be here to listen, give advice or work along with you. But He will be and I am confident that He will carry on the banner of love and the spread of the Gospel in spite of the fact I am not here. It is all about Him and not me.

Children of the heavenly Father, join me in thanking the Master Potter, He is still working on us!  And, He will continue to work until every single one of His children is at home in the RESURRECTION. Someday, God will finish His work in us.  I have never been satisfied with the me I know down here, but I will be satisfied with the me that I will be when I arrive there. After all, you can’t improve upon perfection.

Thank God that the Savior will never stop working in our lives. Take heart and rejoice and be glad—for He is still at work in you and will complete it when He returns. To Him alone be all the glory, now and forever. Amen and Amen.

Now the peace of God…

SOLI DEO GLORIA.

“Be Careful in How You live!” (Proverbs 25:7b-10)

S-1379-15SAP/C 9/01/2013 Hymns: (O) #508; (S) #400; #; (C) #36

Texts: Proverbs 25:2-10; Hebrews 13:1-17; Luke 14:1-14

Theme: “Be Careful in How You live!” (Proverbs 25:7b-10)

Question: “Have you ever seen the Bible play out in the lives of other people and wish that you could be the same way too?” Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text is from the O. T. lesson: “What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another's secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end.” (Proverbs 25:7b-10)

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

Beloved in the Savior’s name, Jesus our ONLY Lord and God, one of the greatest blessings we have as Christians is a Bible that shows our Awesome, Amazing and Almighty God. This amazing God moved men by the Holy Spirit to write a Book that teaches us the truth that leads to eternal Life. In that Book of books, we read about what Jesus has done—coming to earth, living the perfect life in our place and eventually taking our sins and nailing them to the cross.

From the opening words of Genesis to the final words of Revelation, we see God’s love oozing out, telling us His plan of salvation. Every book, every prophet, and every message points us to the Lamb; whose perfect life was slain on the altar of the cross for our sins. And by this marvelous act of sacrifice, we receive blessings and grace in abundance from this gracious God.

Yet, many saints, even some of us here are ignorant of that Book and the golden gem of salvation that is for you and me. Oh yes, we know the name of Jesus, we know some things about Him, but we really don’t know Him as the heaven-sent Savior who would do anything to save you from the punishment of hell and the wrath of God.

It is for this reason, that the Holy Spirit gathers us here week in and week out, so that you may apprehend, taste, touch, smell, hear and see what the Lord has accomplished and continues to work in your life in the cross, empty tomb, font and chalice FOR YOU! Because He is the great God that He is, He calls us to live a different life than the world. He wants us to be careful in how we live for Him. PAUSE.

Solomon, the author of the text before us, exhorts us to hear and head the words and to live our lives in such a manner that we make a difference in the lives of others—all the while glorifying God.

Solomon put it this way: “What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another's secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end.” In another word, don’t be hasty in condemning or judging another person. Instead let our lives declare that we have been purchased by the shed blood of Jesus.

Saints in Christ, did you know that our lives are a book that is being read daily? We are not a book on a library shelf collecting dust, but daily being looked at. The lens that people see us through tells them what kind of people we are or they think we are.

How unfortunate though, when we, as Christ’s disciples, don’t pay careful heed to how we live. At times we live like the rest of the world and our lives are not a gospel light. At times we let the devil control what we do instead of what Christ desires for us to do. Whether we like it or not, people come up with all sorts of judgment on our lives by what we do. PAUSE.

Perhaps, you were like me, appalled at the lewd behavior of Miley Cyrus during a recent award. Rather than using her God-given gifts as a good role model, she has now become an embarrassment to herself and her family. How sad, that this young lady, exchanged the God-given gifts and skills and traded them for vulgarity or lewdness. What is even worse, many people don’t see anything wrong with that type of behavior.

You and I may not parade like Miley Cyrus in such lewd behavior, but we have enough sins that separate us from our Holy God. And yet, we play games thinking that we can hide our sins from God. In the presence of God, who knows ALL, we are kidding ourselves if we think our sins aren’t equally embarrassing to Him and ourselves.

But in this house of worship, there is no reason to pretend or play games. Christ invites you to come just as you are, but is not content to leave you that way as you confess your sins and receive His absolution. Here in this place Christ’s perfect life covers our imperfect life. He takes that which is unholy and makes it holy.

In this house of worship see how Jesus lives and calls us to follow His pattern. You see Jesus always lived His life in such a way that He didn’t have to pretend. What people saw in the Rabbi from Nazareth, is what they got, a Man who humbled Himself to exalt others. Christ suffered, died, and rose from the grave, to forgive our sins and grant us the perfect life.

This is what the Savior desires of you—to live your life in such a way that you are truly a message to others: A message of hope and joy, a book written with your life that points others to the Lamb without spot or sin—Jesus the Christ. PAUSE.

Holy people of God, a story is told of a preacher who came to a new town. On his first visit to the grocery store, he purchased few items and paid the cashier for the groceries. The man behind the counter introduced himself as the owner of the store and welcomed him to the town. After visiting for few moments, the owner gave him the change.

The minister headed towards his car. He looked at the change in his hands and realized that the owner had given him an extra quarter. As he contemplated what he should do about it, he began to reason: It is no big deal, it is only a quarter, and it will not make any difference. Should I take it back or not? He kept vacillating back and forth, should I or shouldn’t I? Finally, he went back into the store and said to the owner. “Sir, you gave me an extra quarter by mistake. Here is your money.” With that the owner said to the minister, “Pastor, I didn’t make a mistake, I gave you the extra quarter because I wanted to know what kind of man you are!”

The pastor headed back to the car. As he sat in the car, with shame and sorrow in his heart, he lifted his face heaven-ward and said, “Lord, Jesus Christ, please forgive me, I almost sold You for a quarter!”

Faithful followers of Jesus, in the name of Him who called you to faith in the waters of Holy Baptism, remember who and whose you are! You are His blood-bought children! Be careful how you live! What others see in you may well be the only Bible they ever read! Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA