New Year's Eve Sermon - 2012: The End of the World?

EPISTLE

Romans 8:31b–39

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

                  “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

      we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father and Savior Jesus Christ AMEN

Our Text for today is the New Years Eve Epistle Reading from Romans 8.

Are you ready, are you prepared?  Tomorrow is the beginning of the end of the world, or that’s at least what a number of News Media outlets wanted us to think.  Based off of one mayan calander recording, there are claims that the world is going to end because of world flooding, cosmic alignment, and continental disturbances.  There have been “experts”  attempting to prove the end, and other experts proving the opposite.  Movies like 2012 and I am Legend attempt to grasp the end of the world hype and tend to ask the question when are we going to die, and how will we face it?  Even the church asks the same question.  Bible studies on revelation or the end of the world attempt to seek the answers of what we are about to face.  And ultimately the answer has to be, no matter what happens, We don’t need to fear.

With the bible study we are asking with the secular community, “are we seeing the end of the world?”  Our question isn’t unique, its been asked for generations.  Even the disciples asked Jesus the same questions.  (Matthew 24:3-8 ESV) gives us an account of their questions and his answer. As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”  The predictions of Jesus can be summarized as “Men coming forward claiming Godly knowledge, and there will be war, famines and natural disasters.”  Sounds an aweful lot like the description of 2011 doesn’t it.

2011 was a busy year.  A man came forward claiming to know the exact date for the end of the world, May 21^st.  But then it became the beginning of Judgment so that October 21^st was really supposed to be the end of the world.  Then there were the wars. In Iraq the war came to an official end, again.  There was the revolution in Libya, and rumors of wars in other parts of the world.  There continues to be famines in Africa and around the world.  There were deadly earthquakes around the world.  Most notably were the ones in Japan, which over 15,000 people died of and others continue to suffer because of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.  It sounds like the world is falling apart.  It sounds like it is coming to an end.  It sounds like a good reason to be afraid.

We are afraid of the end, of death, and what it means for us.  We don’t want to suffer, we don’t want pain, and we don’t want to lose control.  But death and the “end of the world” is the very embodiment of those things.  Maybe its not your own death that worries you.  Watching a child or a loved one suffer can be worse that actually suffering yourself.   And I will admit, my own death doesn’t worry me nearly as much as the end of those around me, those I rely on, those I care about.  Ask yourselves the questions, How will I react when the end comes for me, and how will act when it comes for others. Then realize this, what was at the center of those questions?  It was I.  We don’t like what we don’t know. We want to know what we have the good life, but end of the world possibilities show how selfish we can be, and how we don’t always want to rely on God first.

In the middle of all these disastrous events there is something important to remember, no one except the father knows when the end will be.  Men coming forward claiming Godly knowledge, and wars, famines and natural disasters aren’t exactly unique to 2011.  These have all happened in the past, and they will likely all happen again in the future.  Bible studies on the end times are very important, because they give us a glimpse of the end, and it is not a pretty picture.  The end does not come after a glorious age of peace. But we must remember, the end will come when it will, not when we think it should.  And ultimately this concern with the end should not be motivated by fear.  When asking these questions, listen to Paul. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Paul and the early church were facing terrible persecution and heartache here on earth, but he could have confidence about the future. Our focus for the future should always contain an idea of the end, because the end is not the destruction of the world, but it is the second coming of the son of God.  This is the same son of God who came, not to rule on earth as a triumphant Lord, but instead came as a humble baby in a town called Bethlehem.  Jesus faced the same temptations, the same misery as a human being clothed in the flesh, but because he was also fully God, he was able to reject the temptations of sin, and conquer over sin, death and the devil.

The Father did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Paul was sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, because of the actions that the God/MAN had done for us.  Our time here on earth is unknown to each of us, but our place in heaven is guaranteed by the word made flesh which we celebrated this last week.   He came to face all the horrors of the world so that we could have life eternal in his word.  He gave us his Word and Sacraments, so that we can be confident of the Love that he shows us.  The confidence comes not from our own selves, rather it comes in the form the Spirit coming down and comforting us even in the face of persecution, war, and natural disasters.  We are not promised a peaceful life here on earth, instead we are promised the eternal life of perfection in heaven. 

Do we know when the end will come, of course not. Is it easy to not worry about the future?  Not if we expect to wrestle with everything that comes along on our own.  We trust in God, because he first loved us, and he tells us that we are loved and have a place with him forever.  We don’t need to fear the end of the world, because for us it is only the beginning.   AMEN

Resolutions

We are coming up to the end of a new year and the beginning of another.  With the holidays and the celebration of New Year’s Eve we tend to make resolutions to be better in the New Year.  You can end this sentence, “This year I promise I will…” with a variety of endings.  Most likely it would be a good thing to be resolved, but promise without action means nothing.  Promising to diet is great until you realize you still have five batches of cookies to eat.  The promise of exercise is great until you realize that you have gone so long without exercising that the first session you exercise again make you stiff for a week.  Resolutions are often better remembered as great ideas that you haven’t been able to keep in the past, but this year will be different.  And what makes it worse, is most resolutions are things that we should already be doing. Call it willpower, lack of time, or whatever you will, but we are sinful humans and we tend to be good at finding excuses for not doing the things that we ought to be doing already.  Exercise, eating healthy foods, and other resolutions are things that we should be attempting to do anyways, without “New Year’s Resolutions.” 

We make the resolutions to become better human beings though because we know that we are not perfect.  We know that we should be better, but we seem to be unable to overcome our shortcomings.  Even Paul had this same problem.  In Romans 7:19-20 he declared “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”  Because of our fallen nature we are unable to fix ourselves.

Thanks be to God that we don’t have to fix ourselves.  We have the Savior that came as a baby to take away all our brokenness and to declare to the entire world that we are a blessed child of God.  He had no need for resolutions because he came in perfection to wipe away all imperfections.  We can rejoice that God has done what we could not.

Go ahead, make New Year’s resolutions.  Remember, even if we fall short another year, we are still children of God.

God's Blessings,

Vicar Shupe

Beaumaris...Sort of (Floor Plan)

Another day another post!

I've included a cutout to show some of the other differences.  I've included an extra set of walls.  Inside of the walls is a castle village which I've set as the center of trade on the road that I've created.  Also I have a wall pointing out to sea, which allows for water trade as well.  Finally, I've included a keep, mostly because of the potential of additional story line.

Like the church this continues to grow and change, but the essence has remained the same.  One difference from the church though, as I build my castle, a story has been developing.  Perhaps one day I will write it down for National Novel Writing Month.

Until later.

Merry Christmas!

Beaumaris ... Sort of (Bird's Eye)

As I've mentioned, I'm not limited to churches, I also really like castles.  As a kid I loved getting to read books about knights and dragons, so it isnt surprising then that I've been working on a castle design.  

When studying castles, one of my favorite castles was a Welsh castle called Beaumaris.  Beaumaris is considered by some scholars to be the perfect example of a concentric ring castle, but it was never completed.  While it had started strong, the war moved before its completed and it stopped being important enough to finish. 

So when I found Google Sketchup, I started making Beaumaris.  and then it started growing.  From bird's eye view you can see that the interior is similar, but there are a few differences in the land.  Namely instead of a moat, I put in a river with a waterfall.

A sane castle builder would never put a castle in a waterfall, since you would have your foundation wear away, but here I took advantage of the strategic advantage, and the fact I don't have to worry about realistic worries like erosion.

Well that's all for today.  More to come in the future.

Church Design

Exterior View

This is the church that I've been working on for a while.  One thing that should be pointed out is that I've gone back to the drawing board a couple of times reworking the same ideas in a new way.  The shape was initially inspired by my home congregation, Evangelists' Lutheran Church, in Kingsbury, TX.  The main part of the church is over 100 yrs old.  It was expanded in early 2000's to add the arms and now looks like a cross from above.

View without the Roof

I've been trying to expand the idea so that it would be an entire church property in one building, while containing the cross floor plan.  This includes the Sanctuary, Parish Hall, some class rooms, and space for the Pastor's office behind the Altar area.

There have been a couple of iterations so far to try and make a usable space.  Initially I wanted to have the circle a part of the sanctuary and make the entire thing one giant room.  But this started to create some interesting issues with how to make an altar area that didn't look like a giant stage.  Then I thought I would try and have all directions of the cross involved, but I realized I'd have sight issues if I pushed the altar too far back.  Things continue to change as I try to work in more aspects of a proper church.

Design

I like designing things. A lot. 

And the two subjects that seem to keep my attention the most are Christianity and medieval architecture.   As a result, these are the places that my affinity for design come out.  Crosses, churches, and castles are my favorite subjects.  I don't really have practical application for any of my designs, but then, I do most of the work for stress relief, and not for my work.

One of the benefits to designing without real world application, is that I can create without fear of the obvious, is this possible with modern engineering.  I have one castle and one church that I have been working on in Google Sketch-up off and on for a few years that will likely never go beyond the computer screen, but I enjoy it so it doesn't matter.  The castle is inspired by a Welsh castle called Beaumaris, but it has grown considerably since I first started.  The church is inspired by a few different things, and has also grown past the point of practical (I think).

I'll probably post things here and there about the various projects, namely how they are going and what has changed most recently.  

St. Stephen, Matyr

Today we remember the feast of St. Stephen, sometimes known as the first Christian Martyr.  Stephen was a deacon in the church designated to take care of the widows and orphans of the early church when a mob encouraged by Saul of Tarsus(later known as Paul) stoned him to death for being a Christian.  From the account of his death in Acts we see how the martyrs died, without anger witnessing to Christ as the risen savior. 

"Good King Wenceslas" commemorates this day through the acts of  Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. Wenceslaus I was known for his generosity for the poor and needy, giving to them in a similar manner to Stephen.  In this Christmas season we should remember the bounty that we have been given, and give to those who do not have as much.

Happy Boxing Day!

1. Good King Wenceslas look'd out,
On the Feast of Stephen;
When the snow lay round about,

Deep, and crisp, and even:

Brightly shone the moon that night,

Though the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight,

Gath'ring winter fuel.

2. "Hither page and stand by me,
If thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he?

Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence.
Underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence,
By Saint Agnes' fountain."


3. "Bring me flesh, and bring me wine,
Bring me pine-logs hither:
Thou and I will see him dine,
When we bear them thither."
Page and monarch forth they went,
Forth they went together;
Through the rude winds wild lament,
And the bitter weather.

4. "Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know now how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, good my page;
Tread thou in them boldly;
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."


5. In his master's steps he trod,

Where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
Which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
Shall yourselves find blessing.

Christmas Morning - Just Words

Merry Christmas!

This is my Christmas Sermon, which I'm probably giving about the same time as this is scheduled to post.

John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 Just Words 

Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father, and Savior Jesus Christ.  AMEN

Our Words

How we phrase things is very important, because it can mean the difference between offending someone or making them very happy.  I learned this all too well in college when I worked in a call center for an energy company, taking payments and the like.  All I had were just my words, and that didn’t really work for some people.  People who did not have electricity wanted to hear the words that their power would be restored.  People who had no money to pay the bills wanted to hear the words that they would be able to keep their lights on a little longer.  If I couldn’t do what they wanted they didn’t want to hear empty promises, because they would be just words, and no actions.

One of the greatest frustrations working there though was how controlled with my words I had to be.  And it’s probably not in the way you think.  I wasn’t supposed to say the words, Merry Christmas.  But wait a minute, it’s just words why can’t I say merry Christmas?  I’m sure many of you have already figured it out.  It’s because I might have offended someone by suggesting that this particular energy company might be Christian. Wow… Instead I was supposed to use phrases like Happy Holiday or Season's Greetings.  I was only allowed to say Merry Christmas if the customer said it first.  But as a Baptist minister said to me when they had a power outage the week of Christmas, “those are just words, they don’t mean anything at all.”

How often do we as Christians let our greetings be just words?  Words have power.  There is a real danger to the Christian church when we underestimate God’s Word to be “just words”.  Churches that focus on the pretty stories and leave out the non-politically correct, do so in the name of education and academic learning. The popular phrase, “the bible is just a book”  attempts to reduce the Scriptures down to just words, words that can be picked and chosen, and if they disagree with you, discarded for something else.  We as Christians especially need to remember that the Word, is more than just words.

Season’s greetings

How often do you say merry Christmas, but don’t think about what you are wishing?  For many people, that greeting has become just words that they say at this time of year.  If you want proof look at people’s favorite Christmas movies.  When looking at top ten lists of Christmas movies: Scrooged, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Story are consistently on them.  None of them have anything to do with the actual meaning of Christmas.  On one list I even found Die hard as one of the best Christmas movies ever.  Really … Die Hard?  Terrorists happen to take over the building in the middle of a Christmas Party, and that makes it a Christmas movie.  Sad thing is I know someone who will admit that Die Hard is their favorite Christmas movie.  If this is your idea of Christmas, Merry Christmas is mostly just words.  You could easily substitute Holidays, and nothing would be lost.

Ultimately if Merry Christmas is to be more than just words, we have to ask what makes Christmas, Christmas?  For many families its getting together as a family, around a beautiful Christmas tree, with Christmas music playing, and opening gifts from Santa.  For others it’s a fresh snow making everything glitter and sparkle, making a dirty world looks clean, even if it’s only for a moment.  For still others it’s helping out at a food pantry or giving to those who don’t have enough.  These are beautiful scenes, but there is something missing.  In all the hustle and bustle, sometimes I just want to hear Charlie Brown cry out “Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”  Linus answered it simply, reciting Luke 2, the birth of Christ our savior.  Ultimately Charlie brown had a crisis because he could no longer see the Christ in Christmas.

How we phrase things is very important because it tells other people what really matters to us.  And when we have accidentally offended someone we often claim, sorry, its just words.  We us the defense of “just words” because many of our own words, whether intentional or not are words that hurt, words that give a misrepresentation, and others are literally just words, words without actions. 

God’s Word

God’s word is different though.  John 1 is very clear what that word is like.  1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  They are words of creation, words of Life, and words of light. 

Words of Creation

The First spoken words of the bible, come from the mouth of God.  In the Beginning was …

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  3 And God said, “Let there be” and there was.  Whenever God says, let there be, there is the result of his words.  Not only did he simply create, he sustains, comforts and protects.  He sent his spirit to be the counselor.  We have his WORD.  And just his Word brought forth a new creation, the heavens and the earth and all that dwells in it.

Words of Life

            And his words to his creation Adam and Eve were words of life and promise. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This was not a hollow promise, instead we are the children of our first father and mother.  When the actions of humanity brought forth death, God declared the truth, that death had entered the world.  But he did not leave humanity alone.  He sent his prophets into the world promising a messiah that would lift them out of their despair, and he would be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Where our words reveal our inaction, his words reveal his actions. All of his Words bring life.  These words were fulfilled in the proclaimation to mary, “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 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 1:30-33 ESV)

Words of Light

The light of God reveals the truth of his words. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  The light that shines into the darkness reveals our sinfulness, our inability to bring forth goodness or light.  The light that shines reveals that not everything is as good as we want to believe it is.   He promised death if Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, and death did come.  But the light that reveals our brokenness also reveals himself to us.  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  His powerful word calls us his own.

Jesus is God’s Word

It was in this power of speaking the Word of creation, life, and light that god spoke to his people.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

That true and faithful Word, is Jesus Christ our Lord, the one who came as a baby in a town called Bethlehem, raised by the virgin mother and carpenter who adopted him as his own.  This was the Word of God clothed in the flesh of man to fulfill his promises to all people that a new heaven and a new earth shall rein.  Where there are no words of destruction, words without action, and words of misrepresentation.  And this cannot truly make sense to us, because what have we done to be worthy of the grace of God in Jesus Christ?  Can we claim that we found him through our own ability? No.  Can we claim an inherent goodness?  No.  Can we claim anything? Never.  But it is through the Word that calls us by the Gospel into new life that we have fellowship with him.  He has washed us clean in the blood of the lamb, invited us to his supper, and through the mysteries of the Word and Sacraments, we have been made into a new Adam, we have life, and we have the light that shines for all to see.

Our words really are just words.  They have no truth or power.  But the Word of God goes beyond anything that we can understand.  Our understanding may be broken, but his Word never will.  When he speaks it is more than just words.  Amen

Luke 2:1-14

Charlie Brown: Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about? 
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. 
[moves toward the center of the stage] 
Linus Van Pelt: Lights, please. 
[a spotlight shines on Linus] 

      “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 

      And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

       When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:1–20, ESV)  

[Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown] 
Linus Van Pelt: That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. 


Merry Christmas Everyone!

A Lutheran view on Church Worship

Painting posted by Paul McCain over at Cyberbrethren.

If you have never visited Paul McCain's blog over at cyberbrethren.com and are a Lutheran, its worth a look.  He is a Lutheran pastor, serving in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and he is the Publisher at Concordia Publishing House.  He often posts early information about things CPH is working on publishing, and has some interesting posts about current events.


Today he's posted this painting, with a request for comments that talk about the symbolism in it.  Go on over and join in the conversation.  I would love to know who painted this, and if its possible, where to find a good size print of it anywhere.  

Advent 3 - O Come O Peace

O come, O come, Emmanuel: stz. 1, 6, 7

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, from on high

And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

 Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

 Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–24

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

 O Come O Peace 

Grace mercy and Peace from God our father and Savior Jesus Christ His son our Lord.  AMEN

Our Text today comes from the Epistle of St Paul to the Thessalonians

Life is stressful. Its busy, its messy, and there isn’t a good escape from the stress until the final day.  Of course when Life hands you lemons, make lemonade.  That’s great as long as you have stock in minute maid or own a lemon grove, but the bitterness of life is often a little more difficult to smooth over than just adding a little sugar.  Mary Poppins intoned, Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine goes down in the most delightful way.  That may be true, but you are still sick, and no amount of dentist unfriendly medicine is going to just make the day stress free and delightful.  There is no peace to be found here on earth through simple addition of pleasant things.  We spend a lot of time attempting to fix things on our own, but in the end we are only sugarcoating the truth if we are truly on our own.  When Life throws you lemons make lemonade, when life throws real problems at you, pray.  Today’s text tells us to 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; and that is a tall order.  How can we always rejoice, when there are real problems in our lives?  How can we give thanks when all we want to do is grumble about how things aren’t going our way.  Don’t even begin with praying without ceasing, it’s not even possible to pray without ceasing at least not in the sense that we understand prayer.  Christmas is a time to repeat the old adage let there be peace on earth, because there is so little to be found.  These things can only come to pass when we view them together, How do we live as Christians in every part of our lives.  It begins with the prayer, Heavenly Father bring us peace.

 Today’s reading comes from the end of 1 Thessalonians which is in some ways one of the most positive books in the bible.  Where many of Paul’s letters are written for the stern correction of the errors of the church in many places, 1 Thessalonians is not. Instead it is more of a check up and encouragement for the congregation in Thessalonica.   He is writing, rejoicing in the faithfulness of the people and encouraging them to continue to endure the persecution of the unbeliever.  Paul was not able to return to them, but instead sent Timothy as an emissary to them.  He exhorts the people to continue in what they have been doing, living differently from the lustful desires of the unbelievers instead living pure quiet lives.  His words of instructions begin with “For this is the will of God, your sanctification:”  and he describes how this is carried out for them.  These are not about what things they are doing wrong, instead it is reminding them of the instruction that they have already received and to not worry about the end of times.  They have not missed it.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Don’t worry, be happy; God has already given you everything you need.  It is in this context that the instructions to the Thessalonians came to “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.”  On the surface this seems like the impossible task, for how many people will suddenly be happy, when commanded to be happy.  But all of this is brought together in the words for this is the will of God for you.  In these things they are to see the sanctification in their lives.  They have every earthly reason to be anxious; war, famine, and plague are all too common in their times, plus add in the persecution of Christians.  But they have been given everything they need already, as a result Paul exhorts them to be happy and trust in God doing what is good in His sight.

These words are for us too.  Yes, we do have valid earthly reasons to worry.  With the recession, money has become slightly less than a sure thing for many Americans.  Only recently a young man with a connection to this congregation was killed in the war.  There are people abroad and locally that are starving.  And society is becoming more and more resistant to Christianity, in some cases, opposed to it outright.  Gone are the days that we can sit back confidently and proclaim that we know our children will grow up in a better world, a more peaceful world, as Christians.   Yes, we do have valid earthly reasons to worry, these are not peaceful times.  But then the earthly is temporary, and what seems stressful is often a matter of perspective.  Even in the midst of great tragedy, there room for joy.  Yes there are terrible things in the world, but God has created you and all creatures and sustains you each and every day. Yes our corner of the world is becoming more resistant to Christianity, but we can still meet peaceably and not worry about our safety.  Many Christians cannot say the same thing.  And whats more, even when churches are shrinking in one place, the word of God continues to spread in other places.  God does not forget his people.  As a result we can be joyous in the blessings he has given to us this day.

And no matter what is happening we do need to pray continually.  How can anyone pray without stopping?  Paul is not telling his people to remain in one place mumbling words to God, never eating, never sleeping, never doing anything.  Instead praying without ceasing is praying with your whole life, assuming the attitude of prayer. Luther talks about this need in his large catechism at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer.  We have now heard what we are to do and believe. The best and most blessed life consists of these things. Now follows the third part, how we are to pray. We are in such a situation that no one can keep the Ten Commandments perfectly, even though he or she has begun to believe. Besides, the devil, along with the world and our flesh, resists them with all his power. Consequently, nothing is so necessary as to call upon God incessantly and to drum into his ears our prayer that he may give, preserve, and increase in us faith and the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments and remove all that stands in our way and hinders us in this regard. That we may know what and how to pray, however, our LORD Christ himself has taught us both the way and the words, as we shall see.  Prayer is very simple for Luther, A person who wants to make a request must present a petition, naming and describing something that he or she desires; otherwise it cannot be called a prayer. Prayer is simply naming your requests to God.  A person once said, if you assume the attitude of prayer, eventually you will be praying.  Praying without ceasing is similar, if you continually call upon God, you will eventually rely on him first.  That’s why praying without ceasing is so important,  because it proves that it is not me and my abilities first, but it is God first.  He is the one who we praise, He is the one that we look to for help.

If we are doing the first two parts, Rejoicing and praying, the third part giving thanks should come naturally, because the first part already acknowledges that things are pretty good, and the second part acknowledges that when they aren’t good, God takes care of us.  We give thanks for the good, and for the good that happens in spite of the bad.  The bad things don’t happen because God will it, but because we live in a broken and sinful world. BUT God did not leave us in broken and sinful world without any hope. Paul did not leave his letter to the Thessalonians with those words of command, instead he blesses them and promises them.  23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.    Paul’s commands were not coming out of a desire to prove the strength of character of the Christians in Thessalonians, instead they were gentle reminders of who truly was in charge.  We can rejoice, knowing that we have a high priest who has interceded for our sake, Jesus Christ, who was the perfect sacrifice upon the cross so that there could be peace on earth good will toward men.

As I’m sure you probably noticed, O come O Come Emanuel has been our Theme hymn of Advent as we have walked toward the Christmas season together diving into the Epistle lessons each week.  With it we viewed the desire of wisdom and knowledge that came from the Prophet. We sought after the King of Heaven and Earth who came to die.  And Today we remember the perfect priest that takes our prayers to God the Father.  We pray for the return of the prophet, priest and king for peace in the words of the final stanza.

O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace.

We can Rejoice! Rejoice! For the God with us has come to us, continues to look over us, and will come again on that final day, o faithful Christians. AMEN

Advent 2 - O Come O King of Heaven

O Come, O Come, Emanuel: stz. 1, 4, 5


O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
    Rejoice! Rejoice!
    Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 


O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s tree,
Free them from Satan’s tyranny;
That trust Thy mighty pow’r to save,
And give them victory over the grave.
    Rejoice! Rejoice!
    Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 


O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
    Rejoice! Rejoice!
    Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

2 Peter 3:8–14

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

 O Come O King of Heaven 

Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father and Savior Jesus Christ his son our Lord.  AMEN

Our Text today comes from the Second Epistle of Saint Peter for the Second Week of Advent.

The Advent season leading into Christmas is a time of tradition.  Parents are out shopping for the goodies to place under the tree, Christmas music is being pulled out and played, and desserts are starting to come out of the woodwork.  The holiday season is meant to be a happy time, with joy and celebrations, parties and concerts, and memories.   But not all memories are good.  The traditions that are built in happy times can also be marred by the evils that encounter our days here on earth.  For some, it may be a break in, others a natural disaster, and for others death of a family member or close friend.  Dealing with the dread enemy of death is never a happy matter, but dealing with it at the holidays seems to take on a new life.  Life drags on when we struggle with the weight of sin and death.  But if we truly look at this Christmas season, death is the true reason of the season. Because out of death comes something new.

Everyone has their own holiday traditions.  Growing up those Christmas traditions started early before Christmas in small ways and grew over the Christmas season. Christmas began to peek into our lives at thanksgiving where my family would gather at my Opa and Oma’s to feast upon a thanksgiving meal.  And after a sumptuous meal and cleanup, we would pull out the decorations for the coming Christmas season and start setting them up.  It was simple, but very enjoyable.  Then would come the Christmas pageants and the concerts.  And on Christmas eve we would go first to the 7:00 service with a sermon that almost always had a reference to Charlie brown Christmas and then come home have cookies and hot chocolate and open our presents from everybody.  But the night never ended there, instead, we would always pile back into the truck and head to church again for the 11:00 candle light service and let our Christmas celebrations end not with the exchanging of gifts but with the sharing of the light of Christ.  It was a beautiful time.  But those times are no longer the same for my family.  We as grandchildren got older and went off to college.  And family members passed away and the traditions that seemed so permanent fade into memory.

Humanity’s constant struggle here on earth seems to be attempting to control our lives, and our surroundings.  We set ourselves up as lords over the land and all that dwells within it.  But, the only thing that is constant here on earth is change.  But the change that we bring about on our own is never for the better.  When we seek to rule through our own power, we turn away from the power of God the Father in heaven.  To his people the Israelites God had a simple response.  'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I will not be inquired of by you. What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’" Ezekiel 20:31-32  They had taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. And God declared to them their judgment.  Rarely is the modern church so crass as to openly turn away from God, but when the people of God care more about their earthly being trying to control their own “lives”  they are forgetting God and placing false gods in their hearts.  Those gods could be the computers, cars or money. 

And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 20:43-44 ESV)

Nations rise and fall, and yet the world keeps spinning because God keeps it moving.  Things that used to be staples in our lives no longer exist.  Who here still drives a Studebaker?  Yet in the 40s it was considered the King of the Roads in many counties.  Rulers rise up, but they fall just as quickly.  Nor can we even truly control our own destinies.  We are not the “rulers of our own fate” instead we are subject to the whims of disease, violence, or senseless accidents.    When we attempt to rely on our own abilities we will always fail.  For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.  Instead of worrying about the temporary, we must live in his promises for us.

In some ways death is at the heart of the true meaning of the season.  We await the babe of Bethlehem, which was cute and cuddly and because of our sin the man was offered for our sakes to die upon the tree.  Nativity tableaus with shepherds and animals and kings and angels bowing down to the infant king have no hope for us if the child does not grow up to die.  The messiah became the priest for all mankind and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice so that he could be given authority over all of heaven and earth and reign as king eternally.  Rejoice the perfect sacrifice has been born.

Not a very cheerful thought is it? Today’s reading is all about the end of all things, the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  Does this mean that god will take a heavenly blowtorch to creation crying out, “Burn Baby Burn!”?  Well… in a sense yes.  Ok he probably wont be saying , “Burn Baby Burn!” but the second coming of Christ will not be as a child but as a judge, destroying the old heaven and the old earth.   We can find comfort though in this because through this it is a fulfilling of the prayer we sang in our hymn of the day.

O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice!  Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Out of death and into life

There is comfort to be had. Yes god promised the destruction of all creation, but it is to make room for the new heaven and new earth.  8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  God will work the ultimate Extreme home makeover by removing every trace of sin death and the devil.  That work has already begun in each person that has been baptized.  They have already drowned with Christ in the waters of baptism that we may have a new life according to his abundant goodness and mercy all the days of our lives.  All this is possible because out of his death Christ brought forth the life of all creation.  The babe of Bethlehem would go to Calvary but his story does not end there.  Instead he rose again from the dead and he did not even stop there, he assended and has promised the return to judge both the living and the dead.  That day will come when we are not expecting it, but it will be a joyful and happy day for all believers because no more will things pass away, there shall be no grief or sorrow any more. According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

All things human pass away but the promise of Christ will never leave us.  We face a world that is full of sorrow and grief, but we in the church look forward to the end of all tribulation in the coming of Christ our lord.  Until that day we can celebrate the traditions of the church, celebrating the birth of the babe who came to die, in order that all might live forever and ever. Amen. 

Advent 1 - O Come Gift of Wisdom

O come, O come, Emmanuel: stz 1-3

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
    Rejoice! Rejoice!    Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.     Rejoice! Rejoice!      Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.     Rejoice! Rejoice!     Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

1 Corinthians 1:3–9

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 1:35–42a

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

 O Come Gift of Wisdom 

Grace mercy and Peace from God our Father and Savior Jesus Christ his son our Lord. Amen

Our Texts for today are the Epistle Lesson for the First Week in Advent and the Gospel Reading for the Feast St Andrew

I’ve always liked the hymn O Come O come Emanuel. I’m sure part of the reason for this is that it is written in a minor key.  Where major keys are associated with happy and cheerful songs, minor keys are often associated with gloomy or sad songs.  But in the church we see these minor keys especially during Advent and Lent because when the church uses them, it is to convey a strong message.  Never have I felt the strength of that message of this hymn quite as strong as the night in college we sang this the night before one of my hardest exams during finals week before Christmas break and the second verse came proclaiming:

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who orderest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go.

 Rejoice! Rejoice!   Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come O Wisdom… Finals week is just one example where our ability to deal with our environment comes into question.  Whoever thinks that there is no prayer in school has never seen the student who is not prepared start a test call out for a little Divine intervention.  Selfish, perhaps, and probably misconceived, but in a moment of desperation even children know to look outside of themselves for the knowledge that they are missing.  Right now the world is questioning its ability to deal with its problems, and everyone has their own solutions to the problems, but there is a crisis of hope and confidence in our earthly abilities.  We as the church however are like the little children looking for wisdom from the source of all wisdom.  For where else is Wisdom, but from on High.

Humanity has long attempted to wrestle with the idea of thought and wisdom, giving rise to great thinkers and philosophers such as Plato and his Republic, Aristotle and his Metaphysics, and Descartes and his I think therefore I am.  In the truest sense of the word a philosopher is a lover of wisdom.  Out of their desire to contribute to humanity and wisdom, men have sought the wisdom of the ages, in an attempt to wrest out the diamond from the rock around it.  Each generation found the wisdom of their former generation lacking though, and felt the need to improve upon the wisdom of their fathers.  And while each age has had its share of great thinkers, none have been able to lay claim to having the one and only perfect thinker. 

But there is a fault at the center of striving for the perfect philosophy.  The perfect philosophy is supposed to lead to perfect enlightenment and a utopia to live in.  The structure of Modern thought which lead to high rises and highways failed to bring in the new age of enlightenment, instead it brought in the current age of Post-Modernism, and the philosophy that truth is objective, and structure must be fluid.  And yet with these things, there is less contentment, not greater.  Much of philosophy is directly related to government, yet modern politics can be likened to a barroom brawl.  The statesmenship of the great thinkings would be ashamed.

Philosophy is not all bad, it is because of the theoretical working of philosophers that scientists were willing to push the bounds of what was considered possible. Our Science and technology is greater than any generation before, but it is not immune to the weaknesses of any other human wisdom.  We have defeated many a disease great and small, and yet there is no cure for the common cold.  People can get degrees in economics, climatology, or engineering of all sorts, but no one knows how to fix the economy, who knows what tomorrows weather will truly be like, and even some of the greatest engineering feats have fallen prey to time.  We have great amounts of knowledge at our fingertips, but who knows how to sort out what is bad and what is good.  May there be guidance for all of humanity in spite of ourselves.  When shall humanity have that wisdom revealed to them?

We already know the answer to that question is Jesus Christ.  Today’s readings attest to that. Paul was rejoicing in his letter to the church at Corinth that, “in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge -- so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The Early church wasn’t all that different from us, they too were seeking to learn wisdom and knowledge, and so they would follow the great teachers of the day to learn from them.  But here Paul is rejoicing that they already have all the knowledge and wisdom that they need.  But where did that wisdom come from?  Was there an exceptionally wise man among them?  No, instead it came from God himself.   9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  It was revealed to them, it called them into the blessings of God.   

Nor was the church of Corinth unique, because the very foundation of the church membership, the original disciples, started in the same way.  Andrew was a disciple of John and was seeking the revelation that John the Baptist brought, and that was the Lord, Jesus Christ.  It was made evident to him through the presence the one that his teacher prophesied about.  The knowledge of the Lord was given to him, he did not reveal for himself through his own merit.  That is what is so unique about the wisdom of God; it comes not from man but instead it calls to each and every human being.  The great “rock” of the disciples became the rock of the apostles because his brother Andrew came and told of what had been revealed to him, the Messiah.

That wisdom and knowledge is all about the work of the babe of Bethlehem, who came meek and mild but would die in a violent way for all mankind and their sinfulness.  The cross, which is a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, was used in the wisdom of God, so that we may be washed clean and shine pure and blameless forever. 

Advent is the season of waiting, and we await the final return of the son of God, who in his wisdom did what human logic says should not be done, love each and everyone one of us, regardless of our own wisdom or strength.  To him be the glory forever and ever.  AMEN