“Armed With POWER!” Ephesians 6:10-11

S-1512 14SAP/3B 8/30/2015 Hymns: (O) #594; (S) #662; (C) #660

Texts: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Ephesians 6:10-20; Mark 7:14-23

Theme: “Armed With POWER!” Ephesians 6:10-11

Question: “Do you enjoy having power?” (3^rd sermon at Trinity)

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for the 14^th Sunday after Pentecost is the Epistle reading. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” Mark (7:1-5).

Precious children of the heavenly Father walk into any convenience store and you will find an assortment of energy bars and drinks. These bars and drinks are supposed to make you strong and powerful. I stopped to check them out in preparation of my sermon. Here are few that I found available: Power aid, power drink, Red Bull and 5 hours energy drink. There are Power Bar+, Supreme Protein, and Lean Muscle to name a few.

The companies that sells them claims that these drinks and bars will give you POWER—power to run faster and farther. You will have more strength and stamina. They will give you power like Samson, and Superman.   Young men take them to impress the girls. Young ladies take them to impress the guys. But so do the older generation. For those of us whose “get up and go has got up and went”, we like to have power to accomplish the task at hand. All of us in this room desire to have more power to get the job done. Power gives us stature and sometimes fame. But do they really? Do these chemicals that we take into our bodies really make us like Samson and Superman?   

Today, the Holy Spirit through the pen of Pastor Paul tells us, “…be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Notice please what Paul is emphasizing here, “Be strong in the Lord!” The strength that we need to daily to fight the enemy is from the Lord and not from us. Our strength doesn’t come from our own power that we make by exercising in the gym or in the chemicals we take into our bodies, but rather is given us by the Lord Himself. If we stand, we stand because God made it possible for us to stand. How tragic though that we often rely on our own power rather than God’s. We look to ourselves rather than our Savior. We depend on what we have rather than on what God provides. PAUSE.

Almost all of us have one of these (show cell phone), these are wonderful invention. They give us power to communicate with others all over the world. We rely on them often and desire to have them with us at all times. Just last week my wife and I were leaving our home in Armour to come to Sioux Falls. Two miles out of town she said: “Oh, no!” I responded, “What is wrong honey?” She answered, “I forgot my phone at home.” You know what I did…right? I turned around to get the phone. That phone is power. It helps us reach out to others. But that phone is useless unless it is charged. Daily we plug it in so that it will have enough power to serve us. And if we are in a place where there is no good signal, we lift it up high (demonstrate) and try to reach a place that will give us power to make contact with someone.

We have become dependent on the cell phones that it is almost impossible for us to leave home without them. Wouldn’t be wonderful if we did the same with the Word of God take it with us wherever we go? It surely would. It would give us power to fight our enemy—the devil because we are armed with the strength of the Lord. PAUSE.

Saints in Christ, Pastor Paul tells us to put on the whole ARMOR God so that we might be able to stand against the evil one—the devil. We don’t stand on our own power but the power of God. Certainly we have many things to help us stand against our enemies. They are all defensive mechanism. Daily we use things to defend us and keep us secure. Some have security system in house or office. Some have passwords on our computer or cell phone. Some wear helmet on bikes or while playing football. We have air bags in cars and many other things. These are gifts to keep us from harm’s way. This is what the Apostle Paul is encouraging us to do—to stand firm on the promises of God who gives us the Armor to wear. His Armor is what gives us power to destroy the enemy.   As we stand under the grace of God we see Him at work in us and fighting for us.

By the way precious children of the heavenly Father, did you see the battle today? Did you observe what just took place? At the Font a battle ensued over Jacob’s life. At the Font the devil who had Jacob in his clutches didn’t want this child to come here. But Jesus, His loving Savior through water attached to the powerful Word washed his sins away and made Him His child forever and ever. Thank the Lord Jesus, that He has won the war on behalf of Jacob and all of us. Here, today, you saw a mighty battle fought by Jesus on your behalf and destroyed every arrow of the devil. That little garment that Christ put on during baptism, appears to be soft and gentle, but don’t be fooled. That is your armor against the fiery arrows of the devil. That garment is your protection because you are wrapped up in the strength of the Lord.

That is why the devil hates baptism. That is why we Christians love baptism. Today, this sinner became a saint and was given the garments of salvation to be presented holy and pure in the sight of God. There is power in Jesus. There is power in His Word. There is power in His blood. There is wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb of God—power to take away the sins of the world—and YOURS.

Beautiful people of God, daily we are attacked by our enemies. This world is filled with evil, sin, and temptation. But we don’t need to fear. We have an armor that has been given us to protect us and help us fight our enemy. The spiritual warfare that we face day in and day out can ware down your defenses. Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering. And we have it in Christ our Savior. He is the One who arms us. He is the One who fights for us. He is the One who has defeated our arch enemy on Calvary’s cross, when He cried out: “IT IS FINISHED!”

Christ has won the victory. Now, we, His followers by the working of the Holy Spirit follow Him and know for certain no matter what the devil throws at us, we are able to stand armed with His Gospel. In another book, Paul wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). Did you know that the word Paul uses for “power” in the original is dunamis from which we get the word dynamite?

Yes, the Word has power. Power that drives Satan and his cohorts away from us. Power that strengthens us in our walk of faith. Power that arms us for our daily battles. Today, the Holy Spirit puts on us the armor of God. So how do we do that? by praying for others because Satan’s attacks are relentless.

I pray that the Lord would arm and armor us for battle, just like He did for His servant David. Remember the story of David and Goliath. You can read about it In 1^st Samuel 17. For forty days the giant Goliath taunted the army of Israel to have someone fight him. David heard of the challenge and accepted it. Saul and his commanders wanted him to wear his armor. David refused. He chose and armor that works—God’s mighty power.

Listen to this discourse between Goliath and David: “And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hand.” (1 Samuel 17:41-47).

David did destroy the giant Goliath. But the greater Son of David, Jesus fought our battle on Calvary’s cross and defeated the devil, sin and death once and for all. And He Won. The victory is the Lord’s. In Him and through Him we are armed with power.

The power you need and seek will not be found in a bottle that you drink, or a candy bar that you eat. But real power is given to us through His blood which we drink, and His body which we eat. Week in and week out we gather in this place to be fed, nurtured and nourished through His mighty and powerful Word. Daily we stand firm on His promises that delivers. Through His grace we are armed with power—power for today and forever. Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“Clean Hands or Clean Hearts” Mark 7:1-5

S-1511 13SAP/3B 8/23/2015 Hymns: (O) #865; (S) #527; L.S #633; #618; (C) #587

Texts: Isaiah 29:11-19; Ephesians 5:22-33; Mark 7:1-13

Theme: “Clean Hands or Clean Hearts” Mark 7:1-5

Question: “What is more important: Clean Hands or Clean Hearts”? (2^nd sermon at Trinity)

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for the 13^th Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel reading. “Now when the Pharisees gathered to [Jesus], with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of His disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’” Mark (7:1-5)

Most precious people of God, there are sermons that are easy to write and to listen to both for pastor and people. But on the other hand there are those sermons that are difficult to write and preach. These sermons don’t permit you to say, “So and so need to hear it! Or I wished she was here to hear this message that is just want she needs!” This sermon is for pastor and people alike because it hits us right between the eyes and there is no escaping it.

The text before us from St. Mark is one that brings to our attention the life of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who often complained about the disciples that they didn’t have their hands washed before they ate. These Pharisees and Scribes were more concerned on the outside but not the inside. Therefore the question that I asked you earlier was this: “Which is more important to have clean hands or clean hearts?” That is the question that is before us today, and we, God’s blood-bought people need to know what God teaches us.

To help us with this, I share with you a true story that played out in the lives of a very wealthy man and a poor couple. So here it goes.

This man was rich beyond measure. He had livestock of every shape and kind, land, property and servants attending to his every need. In the public square he was well respected and esteemed. However, behind closed doors he lived another life. On the surface his hands were very clean (at least he thoughts so) but his heart wasn’t at all.

He was a peeping tom, slept with a woman who wasn’t his wife, and when he discovered she got pregnant he attempted to make her husband sleep with her so that it doesn’t appear that someone else fathered the child. But when the husband wouldn’t do it, he put the order out to kill him.

All the people saw was this good man whose hands were clean (at least he thought so), but his heart was far from it. You know the man very well. As a matter of fact you know the story well. It is in the Scripture in 2 Samuel 11. It is the story of King David, taking Bathsheba Uriah’s wife, fathering a child with her and then giving the command to murder her husband. He did everything right for the people to see, but his heart was filthy. PAUSE.

That is the story of the text before us today. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day as well as ours put so much emphasis on what is visible on the outside—clean hands and good behavior, but very little on matters of the heart. The Lord Himself sent Samuel to Jesse’s home in Bethlehem to choose the next king of Israel, and told him as Jesse was parading his sons before him: “Don’t look at his appearance or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. God does not see as humans see. Humans look at outward appearances, but the Lord looks into the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Jesus Himself condemned the acts of the Pharisees and Scribes by telling them: “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites in Scripture: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is pointless, because their teachings are rules made by humans’” (Mark 7:6-7).

How often are we as guilty as these Jewish leaders? We, too, judge people by appearance. We determine who is guilty and who is not. We see the fault of others and don’t see our own. We sit as judge and jury and make ourselves better than others. It is as the picture in the catechism book that shows a man looking at his neighbor’s sin and sees a small bag, but on his back there is a huge bag. We really play “god” because we focus so much on the outside, but not on the inside.

Certainly we can wash our hands as Pilate did when he condemned Jesus to death saying: “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves” (Mt. 27:24b). But the fact of the matter is no matter how hard we try to clean our filthy hands from sin, they will never be truly cleansed! No matter what we use, even Gojo, bleach or stain remover, it can’t remove the sins. It may remove dirt and grime from the hands but it can never remove the grime of sin from the heart.

In order for the sin to be removed from the heart, we listen to the peeping tom—David, who when confronted with sin by the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12), didn’t attempt to come up with excuses, or blame someone else, or the condition of the environment. No, he confessed right away that he was guilty. He is the one who sinned against God, Bathsheba, Uriah and his military personnel. He was so moved to sorrow that he wrote Psalm 51 in which he cries out to God to help him remove the sin he committed. Listen to this repentant man: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…[and this beautiful verse] Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (1-4, 10). PAUSE.

Thank God the cleansing is done by the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary’s cross. It is Jesus who purifies us from all of our sins. As the Apostle John reminds us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

Jesus is the One who cleanses us, purifies us and makes us whole. In the waters of Baptism He takes our filth—all of it and removes it from us. He does this by taking the filth of our sin on Himself and gives us His holiness and righteousness in exchange! He continues to offer us this cleansing week in and week out here through His mighty, powerful and strong Word and Sacrament. In the presence of this unbounded grace, He gives us the confidence to confess our sins and acknowledge our dependence on Him alone.

No matter how much we try, we can’t remove sin from us. That is why Jesus needed to come to earth and be our Savior. That is why He chose to suffer the punishment we deserved and was willing to endure the torment resulting from our sin and disobedience. That is why He was willing to give His flesh to the floggers, His hands to the soldiers to be pierced for us to redeem, cleanse and present us pure and holy to His heavenly Father,.

Beloved in the Lord, today by the grace of God the Holy Spirit has brought you here. Today, in the Divine Service you spoke the words: “In the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.” Some of you even made the sign of the cross on your forehead to remind you of your baptism. And that is so very important. Why, you may ask? Because the word that is used in the original text to wash the hands is “Baptizen”, from which we get the word to baptize. Small Pause.

(Lean at the pulpit and point at the saints), Beloved in the Lord, I want you to ponder this thought. If the Lord God almighty, can look at the peeping tom, the adulterer, the murderer, the liar and deceiver—David and declare him, “A man after my own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), how much more will He look at us sinners for the sake of Christ, our Savior and declare us holy and righteous in His sight forevermore.

Today, beloved, may we, in true humility confess our sins before God and know that for the sake of the shed blood of Christ on Calvary’s cross and His mighty resurrection that we too, are counted as a man/woman after God’s own heart and also precious, cleansed, forgiven and made saints. Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“ALWAYS Thankful!” Ephesians 5:15-20

S-1510 12SAP/3B 8/16/2015 Hymns: (O) #895; (S) #892; C) #785

Texts: Proverbs 9:1-10; Ephesians 5:6-21; John 6:51-69

Theme: “ALWAYS Thankful!” Ephesians 5:15-20

Question: “What are you thankful for?” (1^st sermon at Trinity, Hartford, SD)

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for the 12^th Sunday after Pentecost is from the Epistle Lesson. The great preacher to the Gentiles, Paul, put it this way: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:15-20).

Blessed and beautiful people of God, you who are Baptized, Redeemed, Forgiven, Blood-bought and Heaven-bound, life is not fair nor easy. We are not always thankful for what we have or get. More often than not, we grumble and complain. Rather than being thankful we lift our hands and eyes heaven-ward and ask God where are You in all of this?

Ever since the fall of man, we have had to cope with all sorts of heartaches and headaches, tragedies and trials, sorrow and sadness, death and destruction and doom and gloom. We tend to look at the cup as being half empty instead of half full. That is the nature of the beast in us.

However, Pastor Paul exhorts us to give thanks always. You and I ask the question: “Paul are you mad? Do you really want me to give thanks in every situation? What’s wrong with you man of God to give such an advice? Don’t you know that it is hard to be thankful when I don’t feel the best and things at home or work are not going well?”

That’s it precisely. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit penned these words of exhortation first to the saints at Ephesus and to us now living in the 21^st century to help us see things from God’s perspective and not ours. Pastor Paul, in another book stated this: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Yet, we know it is not easy while going through hard times to be thankful. We are so focused on ourselves that we don’t see the whole picture, nor the plan of God for our lives. Add to that, the devil is constantly planting the seed of doubt in our ears and hearts by asking this questions: “Where is Your God now? If He really cared about you wouldn’t be going through these difficulties!” Sadly the old Adam in us believes these lies from the father of lies. We begin to grumble and complain. PAUSE.

I like to share with you two events that when they happened I cried and wondered where is God in all of this and why has He abandoned me?

In the summer of 1991 while I was at Concordia Seminary preparing to be a pastor, I received my vicarage assignment. I was so excited I couldn’t wait to start serving my Lord and these beloved saints. However, soon after I arrived trouble started. The devil was at work and there was a big jealousy between the pastor and me that he made my vicarage a living hell. I was accused of many things. I wept and cried myself to sleep often. I kept asking God why? Why am I suffering like this? Of course the devil was loving it. He sat on the sidelines eating popcorn and drinking Pepsi as he saw the church at war. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue studying for the pastoral Office. Needless to say the seminary stepped in and terminated my vicarage. This of course added to my bitterness and heartaches.

The second event happened last October as we started out on our Holy Land Nour Tour. Since I am the host of the tour, I attempt to get a good night’s rest for the long 10 hours flight. I do it by taking Melatonin. This helps me sleep and get the needed rest to begin working when we arrive. After I took the Melatonin, I also drank a glass of wine. After an hour, I wasn’t sleepy. So I decided to take another pill. The stewardess came by again and offered another glass of wine and I drank it also. (Now don’t get ahead of me) small Pause. Needless to say things began to heat up. I felt very warm that I changed my t-shirt to something lighter. Still I didn’t feel any better. On the contrary I felt worse. I decided to visit the rest room. While waiting in line I passed out completely. When I woke up I could hear someone speaking in Hebrew saying: “Give him time to come to!” PAUSE.

I assure you beloved that these two events didn’t make me thankful. On the contrary they made me mad and frustrated. I am also certain, that if you review your lives you know exactly what I am talking about. You know firsthand the pain and anguish you have endured. You have had your own share of heartaches and headaches both as the beloved congregation of Trinity, Hartford and in your personal lives.

Yet, Pastor Paul tells us in the text these precious life-giving words: “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We, His precious children ought to always give thanks to Him. But how could we, when tears stain our pillows at night? How could we, when our hearts are in turmoil and trouble? How could we, when the money runs out before the end of the month, when there is no food on the table, when things look bleak, and when life is miserable?

We are able to do it only because the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives as it was in the life of Paul. Keep in mind when Paul wrote this letter, he wrote it from a Roman jail waiting to be executed by beheading. In spite of that He found a way to give thanks to the Lord, Jesus Christ in every situation.

In preparation for this sermon I read the whole letter of Ephesians and here are few golden nuggets--reasons that Paul shares with us why we should always be thankful.

We are to be thankful because we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3), we have been chosen by God (1:4), we are holy and blameless (1:4), we are predestined (1:6), Adopted (1:6) redeemed (1:7), forgiven (1:7), given the richness of His grace (1:7), lavished (1:8), heirs to the throne of Grace (1:10), hopeful (1:11), saved and sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13), guarantee of eternal life (1:14), enlightened (1:18), received God’s mercy (2:4) made alive (2:4), created for good works (2:10), brought in to the family (2:14), broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. (2:15), called saints (2:19), built up (2:22), called by the Gospel (4:1), made righteous (4:26) and Christ offered Himself for us (5:2). All of this is on account of Christ our Savior who suffered, died and rose again even for the times when we doubted His goodness in the midst of our sufferings and turmoil in our lives. His blood cleanses us for each time we feel that God has abandoned us when it was Jesus who was abandoned on the cross so that God’s promise of “I am with you always” would stand firm in every situation of life.

You see precious and beautiful people of God it is not the condition or circumstance that we are in, that drives our thankfulness. Rather it is on account of what Christ has done for us and continues to do for us. We ought to be thankful in every situation because Christ is at work in these situations to draw closer to Him and show us how much He loves us.

Through His life-giving Word and Sacraments we are encouraged to see things as Paul did when he wrote these blessed words for us and showing us to ALWAYS be thankful in everything.

Remember my two stories I shared with you earlier? First, my vicarage drama, the Lord used that incident in my life to shape me and make me the man of God I am today. Without that event in my life, I wouldn’t have been a Pastor in Armour. But God worked it for my good and for His glory.

The second event, I passed out on the plane after I took (a terrible combination) Benadryl and wine. As a result of this incident the doctor determined that I couldn’t lie in the aisle but needed to lie flat. The only place possible was in first class. So my wife and I were able to fly all the way to Israel in first class without paying for it.

Then there is, of course a third event that we are sharing together in a very new and special way today, as flock and shepherd: the fact that God has brought us together as Pastor and people that I might serve you as your pastor and that we might worship and work together serving our glorious God. This, too, is a reason to give thanks to the Lord who ALWAYS takes care of us.

As I look back, I am moved to repentance for doubting God and in humility raise my voice in thanksgiving to the Lord for His mercy. I do say thank you God for your kindness, mercy, grace and compassion for me a sinner. I urge you dear brothers and sisters to do the same. As you put on the Gospel lens, the Holy Spirit moves us to always be thankful on account of Christ our Savior and Lord who loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen.

Now the peace of God…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“I Am Confident!” (Phil. 1:1-6) FAREWELL SERMON to the saints in Armour, SD

S-1509 9SAP/3B 7/26/2015 Hymns: (O) #20; (S) #464; L.S. #292; 201; #339; #43 SOD (C) #47

Texts: Isaiah 52:7-10; Philippians 1:1-6; John 10:1-10

Theme: “I Am Confident!” (Phil. 1:1-6)

Question: “What is it that gives you confidence?”

IN NOMINE IESU

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for the 9^th Sunday after Pentecost and my farewell message is from my favorite book in the Bible, the book of JOY—Philippians. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am CONFIDENT of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3-6).

INTRODUCTION

Beautiful and Beloved people of God, you who are His SEGOULA = that is, His treasured possession, loved and precious in my sight but more importantly in His; rest in the confidence of Christ’s cross and empty tomb. This sermon is one of the hardest I have ever written and even harder to preach—because it is heart-wrenching to say farewell after 21 years of being your under-shepherd and caring for your needs.

Since I have been with you as your called pastor, I have been privileged and blessed to spend 7672 days, 1096 Sundays, and by the grace of God I have preached 1383 sermons. Through it all you have listened, received the admonitions and exhortations with joy (maybe not the admonitions). You have grown in your walk of faith and been nurtured through the eternal Gospel that I was so privileged to share with you. You did all of this not because of me, but because it is ALL, and always only about Jesus. He is the author and the finisher of your faith.

In this holy house everything that has been done, has been done to show you the face of Jesus, the heart of Jesus, the love of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus, the death and resurrection of Jesus. For it is ALL about Jesus. Through it all you listened, you pondered and you took the words to heart and shared them with others. I could not be more humbled, nor more proud of how you have received the Gift that is Jesus!

In this sacred place, I remember well holding some of your children in my arms and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I remember fondly the private communion we shared. I rejoice in giving you the forgiveness from the lips of Jesus. I remember well the e-mails saying, “Pastor, thank you for this message, I NEEDED TO HEAR THAT!” And I also remember a particular e-mail message of one saint whom I had spent a year catechizing. The message read: “Pastor, I finally understand what grace IS!” This is all the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of His people in this place.

It hasn’t always been a smooth journey. We haven’t always seen eye to eye on things. We have gotten into disagreements. But we never let these disagreements get in the way of the Good Shepherd. We came together as brothers and sisters in Christ and asked for mutual forgiveness. You were gracious to forgive and we continued to work together to spread the Gospel. That is ministry par excellence. PAUSE.

21 years ago (this past Friday, 7/24/1994) I was installed as your pastor to bring you the message of hope and help and point you to what awaits you—eternity with the Lamb who was slain, dead but is alive forevermore. You took a young man—green behind the ears and taught him with confidence what it means to be a pastor. You in word and deed demonstrated the fellowship we have together as the blood-bought of God. You are the ones who have molded me and shaped me to be the man of God I am today. I owe you a debt of gratitude and appreciation for your patience while I fumbled through learning what it means to be a pastor, forgiving me my many shortcomings and loved me just the same. How I thank my God upon my every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.

Throughout the past 21 years together as Pastor and People we have laughed together, cried together, celebrated together and rejoiced together because of what Christ has done for us on Calvary’s cross and the way He used us to spread His glorious news of power over sin, death and the grave in spite of us. This is the confidence that the Apostle Paul shared with the saints at Philippi saying, “And I am CONFIDENT of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” This is the same CONFIDENCE that has been at work among us and will continue to be carried out long after I am gone from among you, because it is ALL about Jesus. That word, “Confidence” is from the Latin, Con = with, and Fide = Faith. It is with calm assurance the Faithful Shepherd is ever leading and keeping you that I can and do now commend you into His care, as He brings you a new under-shepherd, under Grace to serve and love and tend you.

As I reflect back on the grace of God, I am speechless and awe-struck that God in His mercy would permit me to be YOUR pastor. Oh, the joy that fills my heart because of you and your service to the Lord. Tears run down my cheeks as I think of your partnership in the Gospel, your love for us (my whole family) and the ministry we were able to carry out together. PAUSE.

Beautiful and Beloved people of God, you who are His SEGOULA = that is, His treasured possession, loved and precious in my sight but more importantly in His; I remember well the night I got the call to be your pastor. As I stood with my colleagues at the chapel of St. Timothy and Titus @ Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, my name was called out (I am weeping as I am writing this) Nabil Subhi Nour, SD District, Armour, SD. I was shocked to hear that I was going back to my home state.

The irony is I had never heard of Armour or known anything about it. As I was walking out from the Divine Service, my oldest son, Tony, grabbed my call document envelope and I didn’t see it till about 10. When I finally looked at it, I read that I needed to call the chairman and let him know that they have a pastor. A little after 10 I called, and Mr. Gordon Wunder answered. I said, “This is pastor-elect Nabil Nour, I am answering your call to be your pastor!” He responded, “I am not interested I don’t want to buy anything from you!” He was about to hang up. I raised my voice saying, “Please don’t hang up! I am not trying to sell you anything; I am simply informing you that I am the new pastor that received the call from the saints at Redeemer!” I now laugh at that conversation and the joy that filled my heart ever since.

But I have also wept with you folks. As I stood with you by the bedside of your loved ones and the doctor said: “I am sorry; there is nothing we can do! It is cancer!” We would hug, weep and share a word of prayer together. I have been with you as we lowered the casket into the earth of one you love so dearly who has been claimed through the curse of sin, and comforted you with the glorious resurrection that Christ has earned for us.

This is the confidence we have—a confidence that is rooted and grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, it is ALL about Jesus and Jesus ONLY. This is the confidence that no matter how the future holds, we know we will see each other again because Jesus has promised there is eternal resurrection to those who believe in Him as Lord and Savior.

Though my ministry among you will come to an end today, know that the ministry we have together will never end until the Lord Jesus Christ returns in glory to take us to be with Him. While we separate, we continue in confident hope to point others to Jesus and His great accomplishments through His suffering, humiliation, death on Calvary’s cross and resurrection from the grave on the third day—which guarantees our own resurrection. PAUSE.

Beautiful people of God, you who are His saints, as I think of our time together there is only joy in my heart and praise on my lips for His kindness and graciousness to use us in a way that the fellowship of the Gospel might go forth to the ends of the earth and others come to know Him as their Lord and Savior. This is our confidence today and always.

This is the joy and blessing the Lord of the Church gives to us. Together through the mercy of God and the working of the Holy Spirit we have made disciples by teaching the young and the old. We have over the past 21 years sent some of our beloved saints to heaven knowing that we will see them again. Add to this, so far this year, with your help and work, we have had 9 Adult confirmands as we continue to make disciples who will follow the Lamb till the end of days. To that we say, THANK YOU JESUS FOR WORKING AMONG US. All of this is the confidence that the Lord is at work in us and through us in spite of us. We have this confidence because the Good Shepherd leads us and guides us.

This doesn’t mean that our ministry is done as we go our separate ways. On the contrary the ministry will continue here and everywhere until the end of time. Therefore, I encourage you to remain steadfast, unmovable and laboring in the work of the Lord—for it is the highest privilege to be partners in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and share His victory with the world who so desperately needs Him today and in the unknown future. Furthermore, even as Joshua was to take the reigns for Moses in leading God’s people, this was the Word of the Lord to the Children of Israel (Duet. 31:8). “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Do, have confidence, you who are His beloved, the sheep who know His voice!”

CONCLUSION:

So then beautiful and beloved people of God—you the saints of Redeemer Lutheran Church of Armour, SD; with all the more confidence, let’s look to the road ahead with hope and joy. Indeed, let’s not be deceived by doubts and the wily schemes of the devil—our arch enemy. Though we go our separate ways there will be challenges that you and I will face. What will the future bring? Will we have a pastor who will love and lead us? Who will teach our young and who will help us continue to spread the Gospel? Through it all, look to the Lord of the Church Jesus Christ. He will not abandon you or forsake you. He will at the right time in His Divine wisdom bring to you a shepherd who will love and lead you. This is the confidence we have in Him, because He will never neglect His church nor His sheep.

Therefore don’t lose heart, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, cling to the promise of Christ Your Savior, Your true and faithful Good Shepherded. The Apostle Paul shares these words of encouragement with us. “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thess. 3:3-5). Wonderful words to remember during this transitional time in our lives as Pastor and People.

Remember please, the mercy of the Lord has no end! It is new every morning; and His faithfulness is great. Therefore with great confidence we look to the future with hope and go on our way rejoicing, as the Eunuch did after he was baptized (Acts 8:39) by Philip. Yes, immediately after the teaching and the Baptism, Philip was removed from the sight of the Ethiopian Eunuch, and this eunuch having received the gift of God through the waters of Baptism was filled with joy and went on His way rejoicing and so do we. I will no longer be your pastor, but will forever hold you in my heart. As brothers and sisters in Christ, with hope and confidence we wait His glorious return to take us to be with Him forever. This is our mutual confidence, for He alone is our Confidence now and always! Amen and Amen.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Now the peace…

“Be Careful in How You Live?”

S-1508 8SAP/3B 7/19/2015 Hymns: (O) #16; (S) #333; (C) #47

Texts: Jeremiahs 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-44

Theme: “Be Careful in How You Live?” (Jeremiahs 23:5-6)

Question: “Do you care what others think of you?”

IN NOMINE IESU

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for the 8^th Sunday after Pentecost is from the O.T. reading: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” (Jeremiahs 23:5-6).

INTRODUCTION 

Beautiful and Beloved people of God, a long time ago someone gave me this sign (Show) that has been hanging in my office. The sign reads: “Be careful how you live—you may be the only Bible some people read.” This is so true for all time! But now more than ever, we, Christians need to pay close attention in how we live and act in the public square. It is so vital for us to be in the ways of the Lord and give witness to His life-giving Word. While our good deeds do not save us, while we in no way earn our salvation, knowing that indeed, the Lord, He is our Righteousness, our being made right, pure, whole, complete – our Restoration to that which was lost in Eden. With that gift, we are indeed equipped to live in the light of His merciful victory! So often we downplay the full victory of Christ on the Cross! That is why I greeted you with the Easter Greeting: “Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!”

With that as our backdrop, we can look at our witness in and to the world, our witness to Christ’s victory on the Cross! Yes, we have seen a major shift in the world in general, and our country in particular. So many people no longer hold to the truth of Scripture. No longer do they believe that God is God and Jesus is His heaven-sent Savior. No longer do they adhere to the truth taught in the Bible. But raise themselves above God and His mighty Word.

Things continue to deteriorate in our world. We see evidence of this all over. On Thursday we heard again of the evil that was unleashed on the four US Marines and one US Sailor who were brutally murdered in the name of that liar and false god of Islam in Chattanooga, TN. We just heard of the Jury’s decision of James Holmes who 3 years ago walked into a Colorado theater and killed 12 people and injured 76 others. We have seen Bruce Jenner change his physique from a man to a woman saying he likes himself better this way. In essence, he said, “God made a mistake when He made me!” And if this not bad enough, the media on Wednesday (7/15) honored Bruce Jenner or whatever you want to call him/her “Caitlyn” with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs.

Indeed, the world we live in has lost its moral compass. Now anything goes because God is no longer the Supreme God, but instead He has been pushed out of the lives of people who have elevated themselves above Him. How sad is this! Still, the Lord, He is our Righteousness, and that righteousness shines now through His Christians, through you and me, shining brightly in this darkened world!

So then, if ever there is a time for us as Christians to live and give witness that we are followers of Jesus, it is now. Now more than ever, we the minority must speak in love and truth who this God is and what His Son has accomplished for us on Calvary’s cross. And yet, with the minority of One dead corpse on a Roman Cross about 2,000 years ago, He won the victory. “Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!” PAUSE.

Let this truth sink into your heads and hearts. There is BIG difference between living for yourself or living in the reality of your Savior and His victory. There is a mega difference if you only think of yourself and not others. So many people are serving the gods of this world. Just this week I heard a lady who had cosmetic surgery saying: “Nobody is going to hold me back in getting what I want out of my life. THIS IS MY LIFE AND I WANT TO LIVE IT THE WAY I WANT TO!”

This is the problem the Lord God addresses in the text before us through the prophet Jeremiah. God warns the unfaithful shepherds of the imminent disaster that is coming because they have NOT held to the truth, taught the truth and lived by the truth. God warns of the demise of all these people, the unfaithful, the ungrateful and the untrue under-shepherds. He then offers Christ, the Righteous Branch, the Lord, our Righteousness!

The problem of unfaithful shepherds, and deep confusion and darkness in the hearts and lives of folks is not limited to these leaders but to us also. Many parents neglect their responsibilities and let their children do what they want to do. Too often, even in the Church of God, His Bride is unfaithful - We are no longer holding the Word of God before them as the compass for all of life. We have given up our role of leadership in the home, in church and in the community and have permitted the world to take over and affect how we live and what is right only in their eyes. Why don’t we stand up and live as the confessors and followers of Jesus? Why don’t we teach ourselves and our families what Scripture has to say about sin and its consequences? Why do we close our eyes about the evil around us without saying a word? PAUSE.

Beautiful and Beloved people of God, the time is now for us to live the right way that is from and in His Righteousness, as a “twig” growing from the Righteous Branch who is Christ and thereby reflecting the truth that we are the Baptized, the Redeemed, the Forgiven, the Blood-bought and the Heaven-bound children of God. Now is the time for us to live carefully and be the Bible that people read! Because sadly many don’t know what is in the Bible. They have been duped by the devil’s wily schemes and lies, like our first parents were. We should, by the power of the Holy Spirit be vigilant calling out to the Savior who died and rose for us to be His true and faithful followers.

Listen carefully please to the words of St. Paul as he encourages the saints in Ephesus with this admonition, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17), and again to the Church at Galatia: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:16). Truer words could not be spoken for the times we live in.

Beautiful and Beloved people of God, today through the prophet Jeremiah God gives us this eternal promise: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” He has done that already and fulfilled this promise in the gift of His Son—Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Faithful Shepherd who would lay down His life for the lost sheep—you and me. He is the Faithful Shepherd who died for the sake of those who ignored His Word and lived according to the world. He is the True and Faithful Shepherd who even today calls you to hear His voice and come to Him and receive the blessings He offers you.

God kept His promise by sending His Son Jesus. He is the One who has dealt wisely with us and bids us come to Him, fear and trust Him above all things. He is the Lord our righteousness who makes us righteous by taking our sins from us and giving us His holiness so that we may not spend eternity in hell but with Him in the incarnate joy of the resurrection. He is the God who in our Baptismal Grace calls us back in His Righteousness. This Baptismal reality, that sinners like you and me can be brought back. This is a clear witness to the power of the Cross and Empty Tomb. This is the witness of Easter that Christ is Risen, He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Yes, you are perhaps the first or only Gospel that someone will read. You have been redeemed by the Lord who is Your Righteousness. Branches grow and reach out and offer shade and food. He who is our Righteous Branch is working through you in this horridly dark and dead world. Go forth then, beloved of the Lord and be careful, that is full of care, His care, about how you live!

Yes, in this Holy house we—you and I have attempted to do everything we can to live carefully and faithfully for the sake of Christ and His blood-bought people. And pray we remain steadfast in the confession of faith given us through the Great Shepherd of the sheep—Jesus Christ.

Therefore, may our prayers be that we would continue to live our lives carefully to be the Bible that people read and give glory to God alone. Amen.

Please join me in a word of prayer: “Great God, never can we thank You enough for the privilege of calling You our Father. Your love in making us unlovely ones Your children in Christ staggers our minds. Give us, we ask You, the richness of Your Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of prayer, and let Him forever move us to look up to You in childlike trust, to tell everyone what You have accomplished for us on Calvary’s cross and the empty tomb. In the name of the Righteous branch—Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.”

Now the peace…

SOLI DOE GLORIA

“Speaking Without Fear” (Amos 7:12-15)

S-1507 7SAP/3B 7/12/2015 Hymns: (O) #4; (S) #451; L.S. #296; #307; #312 (C) #47

Texts: Amos 7:7-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29

Theme: “Speaking Without Fear” (Amos 7:12-15)

Question: “Do you feel comfortable to speak your mind at a voter’s assembly?”

IN NOMINE IESU

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for the 7^th Sunday after Pentecost is from the O.T. reading: “And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’ Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, ‘I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel’” (Amos 7:12-15).

INTRODUCTION 

Precious children of the heavenly Father, because we live in a broken and sinful world, all of us experience fear. When we are afraid of something, our skin becomes pale, our hands begin to sweat, and our hearts begin to beat faster. Each of us are afraid of something. Some are afraid of the dark, drowning, big dogs, being alone, abandoned, snakes, going into an elevator and the like. These fears are real. One of the greatest fear people have is speaking in public.

Because we are fearful, we freeze up, we perspire, and we become dehydrated, and begin to look for a way out of the situation. The devil loves it when we are in these conditions because we are held captives.

But today, listen to the voice of Your gracious and merciful God who comforts you with His promises: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9), “Fear not, for I Am with you; be not dismayed, for I Am Your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10), “But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine’” (Isaiah 43:1), “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32), “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” (John 12:15), and “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:6).

These promises are the anchor for the troubled and fearful soul of the Christian man and woman. With these promises we know that God is with us and will guide us to walk in His ways without fear or trepidation. PAUSE.

That is precisely the message before us today from the prophet Amos. God had called Him to speak on His behalf. He was sent to the house of Israel to prophecy to them. This is very similar to the words of the prophet Ezekiel from last week’s O.T. Lesson: “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’” (Ezekiel 2:3-4).

The Lord in mercy sent out His prophets telling them not to be afraid to speak the truth in love in spite of what the world thinks. He who created the tongue and mouth equips us to speak on His behalf without fear. As the Lord God Almighty used the prophets and disciples of old, so He uses us to speak without fear.

I know it is a challenge for us to speak of our faith or to wear our faith on our sleeves. At times we are afraid of what other people think of our Christian belief. We don’t want to rock the boat so to speak. But speak we must. We must call sin for what it is. And by grace we also speak of the sweet Gospel that Jesus provides for us.

This past week there was a FB post from one of our saints that stated: “Today I am just feeling thankful. This weekend our family of three made memories as we were able to spend our time together alongside our extended families. We all have our own battles but did you know that our Lord can make oceans from the rain? His love is everlasting! Jim, Brody, and I are extremely blessed! Sometimes it’s just the little things. Have a blessed week everyone.”

I responded saying: “Saint Stacy, thank you for your witness to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. You are a blessing.” And it was followed by another post from this saint: “You had a sermon one Sunday about witnessing our faith. I heard it. {Emphases mine} I am getting more confident about doing it face to face. I know not everyone may LIKE my images or my songs or just my thoughts, but maybe it helps someone, somewhere. You inspired me to be more than I was. So grateful!” PAUSE.

I am thankful to the Lord for a saint who is willing to speak up without fear of what Christ has done for them. I pray that all of us here would be that letter or post to those around us. Yes, it is fearful to stand up in public and speak about the love of Jesus Christ and the gift of Salvation He has earned for you on the cross of Calvary. Yes, it is terrifying to be told you are old fashioned we don’t want to listen to you. But by the grace of God, hear His Word and the promise “Fear NOT I Am with you wherever you go and whatever you do.”

As the Lord God almighty appointed Amos whose name means “Born of God” so too, have we been born of God. In Baptism we were born again to a new life. It is a life of speaking of the grace of God given us through His Son on the cross of Calvary. In this life we speak and we share and we tell the world what Christ endured to pay for all of their sins—yours and mine. Through the working of the Holy Spirit we are given the words to speak just at the right time.

The heaven-sent Savior taught us this blessed truth: “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God… And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:8-12).

What a blessing it is to know that we are not on our own. Our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ will accompany us on this journey of life. He who went to the cross and the empty tomb is here today with us. He is here at Bethel (Hebrew) “the house of God” in His Word and Sacrament. He is here to strengthen us for the journey of confessing and speaking of His love to a loveless and empty world. But He does more. He is the One who speaks to His Father on our behalf. He is the One who says to His Father, “I have purchased this child with My own blood! I have paid the price! I have done all that is necessary to earn them a place in heaven with You loving Father! They are born into Your family and will live under Your grace forever and ever.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, as the Lord Almighty sent out Amos, Paul, and others giving them power from on high, so He sends us out to this world filled with sin and hate and gives us the privilege of sharing the greatest story ever told—the story of our redemption, the story of our salvation and the story of our life in the palm of His hands—the palms that were pierced for our sins.

Therefore, in the name of Christ who bore you on His outstretched arms, I encourage you to do what the Lutheran Hour Speaker, the Rev. Gregory Seltz who in His sermon to the LWML in Des Moines, Iowa said: “Let Christ live in you, so they can see God in all you do. There will be people in heaven, because they got to know you.”

Saints in Christ, the prophet Amos listened to the voice of God and spoke without fear to all. May He who dwells in us and with us, use us today and always to speak of Him without fear. Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

OBEYING MEN AND SPEAKING FOR JESUS

OBEYING MEN AND SPEAKING FOR JESUS

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us (1 John 4:7-12).

As I write this message, the debate regarding the Supreme Court decision in defining marriage handed down on Friday (July 26), is raging in the coffee shops, work places, homes, restaurants, and in all form of the media. Similar to the story of Bruce Jenner who no longer wanted to remain what God created him to be. Some of these debates are calm and others turbulent. I understand all of us have passion in how we feel about this topic.

Love wins. We have seen these words in social media and in print all over the place since Friday. Words by nature are amoral. They don’t have any intrinsic moral usage apart from their context. This means words are neither moral nor immoral in and of themselves. However, context changes the morality of these words for better or for worse. If we were to use the words love wins in the context of the cross and empty tomb of Christ, no truer form of sweet Gospel could be heard. However, the words love wins as they have been used since Friday could not be farther from the truth of the Word of God.

Love wins only if it is in accordance to the inspired Word of the Lord through His Apostle Paul: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Love is always looking out to the other person’s benefit.

Yet, on Friday, the Supreme Court rendered a decision that, while not surprising, has forever changed the landscape of the way in which the Church will operate for the sake of the Gospel. Since that ruling there has been much ink spilled, many hours on the radio and TV have been pondered as to what this changed decision means. There are those who say that this will change nothing except giving liberty to those who didn’t have it before. On the other end of the spectrum there are those who feel that the sky is falling and that “our opponents” will be coming with their lawyer, pitchforks and torches later today to visit us.

As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. What is worse, at this point in time there isn’t anyone who can accurately predict what will happen as a result. Anyone who tries is a false prophet or a liar. Both are to be rejected. There are some eventualities that we, as followers of Jesus in general and congregations in particular will have to consider how we move forward. At Redeemer, we saw this coming and have made some changes to our wedding policies, bylaws and other entities in the months leading up to this decision. As the dust begins to settle out legally, we may need to make other changes as well. This is yet to be seen.

However, know this: while we may have to change HOW we do the work of ministry, it will NEVER change the work itself. Before last Friday, there were billions of people on this planet, and more specifically hundreds in our own community who need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That was long before the Supreme Court ruled. Those same people STILL need Jesus today more than ever! Our mission does not change. I, as a pastor and foot washer, will continue to proclaim the truth of the Word of God and its power as it pertains to Law and Gospel, sin and forgiveness, repentance and new life and grace and salvation. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will do this without fear in gentleness and humility. A day may come where there will be civil and criminal penalties for us to speak like this. That day has not yet come. But if it does, you have my word of promise to God and to you that I will speak the truth in love. I will go to jail if need be. I WILL NOT PERFORM ANY WEDDINGS, EXCEPT THOSE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN! God’s Word and our conscience demand this.

Here is what I ask of you. First, hear the WORD. Know what God says. Don’t settle for thinking you know what God says. Second, pray! The Lord will give you the words you need to say, gently and lovingly. Third, be quick to listen and slow to speak. You may win a greater opportunity to speak the clear truth of the Gospel by being more like Jesus in this way. Finally, don’t be afraid. When people confront you trust in God more than fearing them. This is why St. Paul told young Timothy, For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1: 6-7)

Our world is different. Our ministry is NOT. We will preach Christ crucified. Because in Christ, and only in Christ, Love Wins! His love is real. It is this love that took our Savior to the cross to free us from the bondage of slavery to sin and the deceptive means of the evil one.

Lord, Jesus Christ, help us to be faithful to you now and always.

In Christ’s love and in His service,

Pastor Nabil Nour a Foot Washer