Who is Calling, Please?

January 15, 2012

1 Samuel 3:1-10 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (New International Version)

Back when I had teenage daughters, so did my roommate from college. So naturally when I would call his home, one of those girls would always answer the phone. This was before everyone had their own cell phone – some of you remember those days – and teenage girls would constantly tie up the home phone. Anyway, what I remember is how they would answer the phone. It was always the same. “Hello, Koenig residence. May I ask who is calling please!” I suppose I should mention that back then, in the dark ages, not everyone had caller id. If you wanted to know who was calling you actually had to answer the phone. “Who is calling, please!” We still wonder that today when the phone rings. The difference today is that you can find out who it is without even speaking to the person.

In the Old Testament lesson, Samuel wanted to know who was calling. He did not have caller ID. Nor did he recognize the voice. He had never heard it before. So when he heard his name, he assumed it was Eli calling him. After three trips into the old man’s room, it dawned on the priest who was calling Samuel. God is calling! And Samuel realizes who it is, he gives the proper response: Speak, for your servant is listening.

There is a message here for all of us. While you may not be called in the manner Samuel was called by God, and you may not be called into full-time service for God, He is nonetheless calling you. And we would all do well to imitate the attitude of Samuel by listening obediently to God as He calls us. So let’s think about what this passage says to us today by asking some questions.

Who is Calling?

Just as in the account of Samuel, God the Father, the Triune God, the only true God is the one who is calling you. The maker of heaven and earth, the Redeemer who suffered and died to pay for your sin, the Spirit who works to make and keep you holy – this is the one doing the calling.

Who are the ones being called?

God’s voice is directed at you. He has chosen you to be His own from eternity. God wants you to gather around His table in a feast of celebration. The Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of that heavenly banquet to come, where people from every tribe and language and nation will gather together around the Lamb. At His table we enjoy fellowship with our God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ gathered.

Where does God call?

People are searching for God. Our readings today remind us that God is the one who finds us and calls us to be His own. And He chooses the places where He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth. He went to a place known as Ur to call Abraham. At Mt. Horeb He issued His call to Moses. And by the ark of the Lord in the tabernacle in the city of Shiloh, He called Samuel. What about today? Where does God call you and me today?

At the baptismal font. Last Sunday I reminded you that God puts His name on you at Baptism. He claims you as His child. Through this washing of water and the Word, God calls you to be His own. And you have a reminder of that each week here in worship when we begin our service with the name that was placed on you: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

God calls you from this altar. I don’t mean an altar call like our fundamentalist brothers and sisters in Christ talk about. Remember, God is the one doing the calling. Altars were used for sacrifice, and this altar is to remind us that Jesus sacrificed Himself. God calls you from this altar each time you kneel at this railing to receive the body and blood of our Lord that paid for your sins. That’s an altar call you need to hear week after week.

And God calls you from what is happening right now: the proclamation of His Word. In that regard, I don’t mean me. I mean the message from His Word that is proclaimed”: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The Font, the Altar, the Word – these are some of the places where you can hear God calling you today. In our Worship Services, your Risen Savior speaks to you. We have reminders of that in our window – the Shell for baptism, the chalice and wafers for communion, the Open Bible. Here, in this place, through Word and Sacraments, God is calling you. Of course God calls people in other places, but you have the assurance that He is calling here in this place.

How does God Call?

I’ve already given you this answer. God calls through His Word. That Word may be spoken. It may be sacramental, as in Baptism or Communion. It may be through songs that proclaim His message. Wherever and however the Word is shared, the Holy Spirit will be there calling.

There is an ongoing tension among churches, even between those in our own denomination, about what is proper in worship. It has to do with comfort levels. Some think that only traditional liturgies and hymns should be used. Others think you should have a new order of worship every Sunday. Some make music the main medium, while others insist on chancel dramas every week. To me, the style of the service isn’t all that important. Oh, sure, I have my preferences like everyone else, but the style of the service doesn’t matter as much as the content. The content has to be God’s Word, not man’s. Worship is to be God speaking to His people and our response to His goodness. God’s call comes through His Word, so that should be the content of our services.

Why does God Call?

The purpose of God’s call will be different for different people. Some are called to be prophets, as Samuel was. Some are called to be pastors or church workers, as I was, and perhaps some of you sitting out there have also been called in this way. But all of you have been called to enjoy fellowship with God, now and forever. God has reconciled you to Himself through Christ. His death has paid for every one of your sins. Faith in Him assures you of forgiveness and eternal life. And you enjoy fellowship with all the other faithful, the communion of saints.

Another part of your calling is to serve, starting with other believers. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10) If Christians won’t take their calling seriously within the church, there is not much of a chance that they will take it seriously out in the world.

How is this shown in your life? How are you living out your faith within the church, in this congregation? Is sitting in the pew all God wants you to do here? What is God calling you to do for Him in this place? [PAUSE, then repeat] When God calls, He does not want you to be a spectator, an observer. He wants you to serve.
And what about outside this congregation? How are your living out your faith in Jesus in your daily life?
The NT exhorts us to live according to our calling every day:

1 Peter 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

God has called you to be His own. He calls you to faith in Christ. He calls you to live a new life. He calls you to holy living in your relationships and your occupation. You have been called to live holy lives at church, at home, and at work; as fathers, mothers, children, citizens, students, employers, employees. God has called you, through His Word and Sacraments, to be His own and live for Him. When you remember what He has done for you through the death and resurrection of Jesus, you will want to answer His call by living as obedient children. God help us all to live this way.

God’s Name on You

January 8, 2012

You have heard these words hundreds if not thousands of times, most often in the context of the end of the worship service. Many of you look forward to hearing those words so you can go eat lunch or get home in time for the kickoff. And we’ll get there eventually. But I’d like to spend some time with you this morning going over the significance of this blessing, hopefully strengthening the impact these words have on you each time you hear them.

A phrase that catches my attention when I study this passage is So they will put my name on the Israelites. That is something we normally associate with baptism. God’s name is put on you when you are baptized, and each week we begin our service with a reminder of those words, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But according to this passage, the blessing that Aaron and his sons are to speak is another way of putting God’s name on you. So each week we begin and end our worship putting God’s name on those assembled. It is a reminder of who you are.

Let’s think about that name. When you think about God, you usually think of Him as God, or you may think in terms of Father, Son and Spirit. In the Old Testament, He told Moses He had a name, I AM, a name that is usually translated in English as LORD, using all capital letters, as it appears in today’s text. That name that was to be kept holy. The Jews revered that name so highly that they were afraid to say it aloud, lest they speak it carelessly and break the commandment that forbids speaking His name in vain. That attitude is vastly different from people today who rattle off “Oh my God!” time after time without ever thinkning about what they just said.  However, the Jewis people took God’s name very seriously.  

In fact, there is an interesting story about how a word came into existence because the Jews so highly regarded God’s name. Bear with me now as I take you through a little Hebrew lesson. In Hebrew, only the consonants were written. People had to figure out what vowel sounds belonged. That would be like writing “CT” in English. Does that stand for cat, cut, cot, coat, cute? It would be hard to figure out. Hebrew speaking people evidently understood it, but it was difficult for anyone else. Eventually, starting around the year 600, some guys called Masoretes decided to help everyone out by adding vowels to the Hebrew text. In order to not change what the words looked like, they added the vowels by putting dots and dashes above and below the words. The name for God was YAHWEH. [use diagrams to show what it would look like pointed correctly- long and short a]. So as not to say God’s name without thinking about it, whenever the Masoretes came to God’s name, they used the vowels from a different word, the word ADONAY, which means “lord” or “master.” [use diagram to show what it looks like] When you take the consonants from God’s Hebrew name and substitute these vowel sounds, you come up with YEHOWAH  or Jehovah, the English rendering of God’s Hebrew name.

In this text, God’s name, LORD, YAHWEH, or JEHOVAH, whichever you prefer, is mentioned three times. A three-fold reference in Hebrew was a common way of emphasizing your point. But I am convinced it was no accident that God referred to Himself three times. I believe He was giving man a glimpse of how He would reveal Himself to be Triune, three persons, one God, Father, Son and Spirit. In each instance God’s name is used here, there is a pair of blessings attached to it, which grow more intense as the list goes on. Let’s look at those words God Himself told us to use to confer His blessings.

The LORD bless you: God’s Name is who He is. Since God is the only source of blessing, His Name placed upon you is an indication of blessing. The concept of bless has to do with giving you something good. A good and full life comes from the loving and faithful nature of our God, and there is no blessing apart from being in a relationship with the one true God. God is the one who gives life.

and keep you: The word used for keep means “watch over” or “exercise great care.” The LORD, who is the source of all life, will also preserve and take care of that life. His watchful and vigilant eye is on you. He is looking out for you and your best interests.

the LORD make his face shine upon you: A literal translation of make his face shine upon you could be “The Lord’s face light you up!” A shining face was a way of speaking about favor and good will. Divine protection is ours because God does not frown upon us, but let’s His light shine. God was recognized as being the source of all light throughout the Old Testament, as in this passage from Isaiah: The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light. (Isaiah 60:19)

and be gracious to you: God’s grace is His choosing to be kind to people who don’t deserve it. God’s grace led Him to allow Adam and Eve to live outside the Garden even though they were deserving of death. God’s grace spared Cain after he had killed his brother. God’s grace picked sinful Noah as the instrument to preserve His creation. His grace chose sinful Abraham to be the father of the chosen people. His grace chose sinful Paul, changing him from a persecutor of Christians to a preacher of the Good News. His grace to YOU and led you to faith and gives you what Jesus earned for you so that you will not have to be punished eternally for you sins. His grace includes all other good things He gives, but it is primarily that He chooses undeserving sinners to be His people.

the LORD turn his face toward you: This part of the verse has been translated a number of different ways. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you or The LORD look upon you with favor. It is very similar to the previous verse. “Countenance” and “face” are synonyms, and the Hebrew word is the same in both verses. The most literal translation here would be “The LORD lift up His face to you.” This would be the opposite of turning His face away from you and rejecting you. Instead, the LORD accepts you, He looks upon you with favor. Another way to think of this is that God is smiling on you.

and give you peace: God puts His peace on you. The word for peace is SHALOM, which does not mean peace as in the absence of war, but inner peace. It is speaking of the tranquillity that comes from being in a proper relationship with God, the one who places His name upon you.

So far, we have looked at this benediction for the most part in its original context, to people of the Old Testament. I’d like to go through it again, this time thinking about the significance of these pairs of blessings knowing what we do about Jesus Christ.

The LORD bless you and keep you; bless reminds us that God is the source of a good life. The people of the Old Testament understood this. But we have even more reason to appreciate this, since we have seen and heard how God gives new life through Jesus Christ. And he keeps or watches over us as a loving Father cares for His children. Our faith assures us we are in His care and keeping.

the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; God’s face has shined on us in the person of Christ. That message fills the New Testament. “God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all.”(1 John 1:5) He has sent His light to shine out of the darkness. (John 1:5) The light of Christ has dawned upon us, and we live in that light. And God has been gracious to you. God graciously chose you to be His children even though you don’t deserve it. His grace reached out and chose you to believe in Jesus and be saved. His kindness is evident all around you in such things as Spouse and family, food and drink, home and possessions, work and recreation. But His kindness and favor has been shown to you most clearly in Jesus Christ. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6)

the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. We know that we are accepted by God because of our faith in the one He sent to save us, Jesus Christ. And because of what Jesus did for all men with His death to pay for sin and His rising again to defeat death, we have exactly what the angels proclaimed at His birth: PEACE ON EARTH, peace between God and men.

All of these good things come as a result of God’s name being placed on you, because you are in a relationship with Him. As I said earlier, that started with His placing His name on you in your Baptism; we begin and end our worship with reminders of His name being on you. May you take to heart the tremendous blessing you have each time you hear these words, each time His name is put on you.

Let Your Light Shine

January 1, 2012

Tom Brady, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Patriots flag in the window. “This house is yours for eternity Tom,” said God. “This is very special; not everyone gets a house up here.” Tom felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a huge mansion with Orange and Blue sidewalks and drive ways, a 50 foot tall flagpole with an enormous Broncos logo flag waving, a swimming pool in shape of a horse, a Broncos logo in every window, and a Tim Tebow jersey on the front door. Tom said to God “I’m not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was an all-pro QB, I won 3 Super Bowls, and I even went to the Hall of Fame.”  God said “So what’s your point Tom?” “Well, why does Tim Tebow get a better house than me?” God chuckled, and said “Tom, that’s not Tim’s house, it’s mine.”

That joke has been making the rounds for several weeks now. Most of your have heard about the phenomenon that is Tim Tebow. That joke reflects the mindset of the world that the only reason Tebow is winning any games is because God is smiling on him. But let me back up for a moment. For those of you who don’t know the name, let me explain. In college Tim Tebow played for the Florida Gators. He won the prestigious Heisman Trophy for having led his team to two national college championships. Currently, Tebow is in his second year playing football with the Denver Broncos. He became their starting quarter back after the first five games of this season, and has led them to 7 wins in 10 starts. If they win this afternoon against the Kansas City Chiefs, they will be in the playoffs.

But there is more you should know about Tim Tebow. He spends his time off visiting sick kids in hospitals; he visits his father’s mission in the Philippines, he says that sex should be reserved for marriage. There was a time in this country when that kind of person would be lifted up as a hero, a role model, an example for our nation’s youth. But that is not the case in 21st-century America. You see, Tim Tebow is a Christian, and he is being ridiculed, mocked, vilified and singled out for hatred because he is a follower of Jesus Christ.

When I say “hatred” I mean just that. There is a Facebook page called “I Hate Tim Tebow.” There is a website called Tebow-Haters.com. One comedian jokes that “If I had a gun with one bullet and Osama bin Laden and Tim Tebow were in the same room, I’d shoot bin Laden. But if I had two bullets, I’d shoot Tim Tebow first.” Another comedian, who would like me to mention his name, made headlines with a tweet he posted on Christmas Eve. The Broncos were getting pounded by the Buffalo Bills. The tweet contained a vulgarity about Jesus abandoning Tebow on Christmas Eve. The implication was that Tebow attributed touchdowns and wins to God, which he does not. His faith and his relationship to His Lord is not based upon whether or not he wins football games. But people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus as their Savior don’t understand that.

Tim Tebow has become a Lightning rod. If you ask the folks who dislike Tebow so much, they would tell you it’s because he doesn’t keep his faith hidden. And while he is not pushy with his faith, he’s not apologetic for it either. It is Tebow’s public witness, his refusal to be a beer-guzzling, skirt-chasing, drug-popping, marriage vow-breaking party animal, which makes him stand out in the public arena. For some reason, a man who takes his religious convictions seriously is the object of scorn.

I’m not a Broncos’ fan, and I had not been closely following Tebow. However, I believe all of us have an interest in seeing this young man continuing with his witness. You see, if the scoffers can silence a public Christian like Tim Tebow, they will have no hesitation tackling other, lesser individuals. If they can stop his witness, no high-school athlete would object when coach called for a practice during church time; no college student or store clerk would risk making a confession of faith lest they jeopardize their chance for advancement. And just as bad, the generations who come after us will have second-string, second-rate heroes and few Christian success stories after which they can pattern their lives. Like I said, I’m not a Bronco fan, but I’m willing to cheer for any Christian who lets the world know he isn’t ashamed to follow the Savior who lived, died and rose to save us from sin.
It is not necessary for Tebow and the Broncos to win today in order for him to be a successful witness. That is what his detractors seem to believe. But Mr. Tebow appears to have the understanding that He belongs to Jesus win or lose. He knows football is not the most important thing in his life. And he lives that way. He is letting the light of Jesus shine through in his life.

That is why the world is being so vicious in their attacks. They want him to fail so they can say, “See, his faith didn’t do him any good.”  Those who do not have a faith relationship with Jesus want to justify their own lifestyle, and in their minds that means ridiculing anyone stupid enough to believe in God. It means tearing down people who put their trust in Jesus Christ. People are waiting for Tim Tebow, a very public Christian figure, to stumble, waiting for him to fall. They are looking for a chink in the armor, for his human frailty to be exposed. And I don’t mean just on the football field. They are looking for some dirt, a moral failing, so that they can say, “see, he’s no better than anyone else.” And I think he would agree. He knows his failings and shortcomings, just as all of us know our faults and shortcomings. But he also knows God’s forgiveness and mercy and grace, as I pray each of you do. Tim Tebow is trying to live a life in a response to knowing what God has done for him in sending Jesus Christ to be the Savior. Each of us should do the same.

What I would like to point out today is that Christians and atheists are similar. Very similar. Both are sinful. Both are subject to temptations and moral challenges. And both will give in to those challenges. Neither Christians nor atheists are perfect. All sin and fall short of God’s desire. The thing that makes a difference is that believers in Christ know that He has paid the penalty for their sins. They know that He forgives and restores them when they sin. Their faith assures them of God’s favor. That does not mean success in all their ventures here on earth. But it does mean the certainty of God’s presence with them in good times and bad, as well as the guarantee of eternal life. As a result, we should all want to live our lives in such a way that we let others know about our Savior.

The light of Jesus has shined into our lives. We celebrated His birth because we know who He is and what He has done for us. We need to let His light shine for others to see.

Tis the Season to be Jolly

Christmas Day 2011

Most of you Know that I really love music. And this time of year has so much special music associated with it. We’ve heard and sung a lot of the Christmas Carols here at Church in the last few weeks. But there is a lot of other music that the world has attached to this season. “The Christmas Song” that speaks of “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”; “I’ll be home for Christmas”; one of Cheryl’s favorite movies brought us “White Christmas”; Jingle Bells, Rudolph, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, and the list goes on and on. With the possible exception of the last song I mentioned, these songs speak of happiness and good times being the norm at Christmas. One song tells us “Have a holly, jolly Christmas” and another tells us “Tis the season to be jolly.”  All of that is well and good, but what do those songs give us as the basis or reason for being JOLLY? Pretty decorations, good food, snow, family gatherings, and the like. But those things aren’t much of a basis in themselves. You know as well as I do that family gatherings do not always give rise to feeling JOLLY.

What I want to do this morning is take that word JOLLY and use it to help us see the significance of the Christmas story in our lives. I’d like to do that by using each letter in JOLLY as the start of another word. So if we start with the letter “J” the word is …. Jesus! You’ve heard “Tis the season to be jolly” but that is truly accomplished only if you know Jesus is the reason for the season. We are celebrating the birth of the Savior of the World. Even His name tells us that: In Hebrew, Jesus means “The one who saves.” The angel said that Mary and Joseph should name Him Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.

I guess the thing we need to know, then, is how we get to be “His People.” I’d like to use the letter “O” for the word OUR. He, Jesus, is ours. He is a gift to you and me. He is our Christmas present. You claim Jesus as your Savior when the Spirit leads you to faith, putting your trust and confidence in Him. He came for all of us, He is ours. That is why each of us can join in the refrain from Chief of Sinners: As the Branch is to the Vine, I am His and He is mine. Jesus is OURS.

The next letter is “L”. Even though there are two L’s, I had some trouble deciding which word to use here. I already knew what I wanted the second L to be. But for this one, it was a choice between LOVING and LIVING. Love came down at Christmas. It was the love of God that led Him to send Jesus into this world. It was love that led Jesus to lay aside His power as God, Love that persuaded Him to live a perfect life in our place, Love that compelled Him to go to the cross so that you and I would not have to die eternally. That love of God comes to us gift wrapped as a little boy in a Bethlehem stable. But LIVING is just as important. The fact that He came to live as one of us, living that perfect life, and through the Resurrection He is living still, His conquest over sin, death and the devil accomplished, giving us life eternal. Since I couldn’t decide, I’ll just have to cheat on this letter. In fact, we’ll just change the way we spell JOLLLY for the rest of this message and say the first two “L”s stand for LIVING and LOVING. 

As I said, I knew all along that I wanted the next “L” to stand for LORD. The joy and being jolly in this season is something that can be extended if you recognize Jesus as the Lord of your life, the master, the one in control. JESUS OUR LOVING/LIVING LORD rules and reigns. We need to let Him have control of our lives, yielding to His will, since His will is that we be joyful or JOLLY. Jesus Our Loving Living Lord wants the best for us.

All we have left is the letter “Y.” JESUS OUR LOVING/LIVING LORD…. If you know and believe in Him, the message to be JOLLY this season can be summarized by saying: JESUS OUR LOVING/LIVING LORD…YES! Say it and do it with me:  JESUS OUR LOVING/LIVING LORD…YES!  Tis the season to be jolly.

Communication

Christmas Eve 2011

The email subject line read: “Polar Bear Attacks Man.” The message itself said, “Warning: The following pictures document an actual polar bear attacking a man. The pictures were taken while people watched and  could do nothing to stop the attack! Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim will make a full recovery.” And then you scroll down to look at the pictures.

The information was accurate but misleading. When you first heard “Polar Bear Attacks Man” I doubt these are the images that popped into your head. And that is the problem with communication. You may say something that is true and correct, but that does not mean others will understand what you are trying to convey to them. Communication is a difficult thing. People do not always understand what you tell them.

A while back I came across an article about people ordering cakes for special occasions. You would think that ordering a cake would be a simple thing, and it usually is. The problems come from what people want put on the top of the cake. Someone ordered a cake for her daughter’s graduation. She told them she wanted a graduation cap, some flowers, and the year. They asked her if she wanted anything else on the cake and she said, “I want sprinkles.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One lady ordered a cake to celebrate the birth of a baby girl. They asked “What do you want on the cake?” She said, “Why don’t you write ‘Welcome Baby’ in pink.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can hear the person saying “Best Wishes Suzanne” Underneath that “We will miss you.” And that’s what they got.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This last person knew this bakery’s reputation, so when asked what he wanted on his cake, he answered “Nothing.” Be careful what you ask for!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Communication can be very difficult. I have found that to be true in my profession. Sometimes people hear me say things that I don’t say. It is hard to accurately convey a message in a way that it will be understood by others. You may think you have made yourself clear, that you got your point across, only to be completely misunderstood. The video that played at the beginning of the worship service had all those children sharing their misconceptions and misunderstandings about the birth of Jesus. I can picture the teachers and parents sharing the story only to be surprised to hear the children share what they heard and understood. This illustrates just how difficult communication can be. This is true on every level of our existence, whether it be the guy working on your car, the person on the other end of the telephone, a subordinate at work, your neighbor across the street or the person to whom you are married. Communication takes work and effort and care if you are going to do it properly.

The same is true for God communicating with His creation. He tells us what we need to know, but we don’t always hear Him, we don’t always understand Him. He told the first people “Don’t eat the fruit of that tree or you will die.” Well maybe He didn’t really mean that. They ate, and so we all die. Ever since, God has been clear and consistent with His message. “You’ve sinned. You deserve death. I’m going to send you a Savior.” That message didn’t change, but people have not always understood it, or they have refused to listen. What we had was a failure to communicate. And that is why the Word Became Flesh.  God came down to make Himself known to mankind in terms that we could understand. He came as one of us, someone we could relate to. He lived among us. He lived the life of perfection God’s righteousness demands. And then offered that life as payment for our sins. That is God’s message. Everyone who hears and takes this message to heart receives forgiveness and life and salvation for Jesus’ sake. That is why the Word became Flesh – to communicate this message to the world.

As I already illustrated, the lack of communication can at times be amusing. It can also be disastrous. If people do not hear God’s message, if they do not understand it, if they do not come to faith, if they do not know and believe in the reconciliation accomplished through Jesus, they will not get what He earned for them. That means death and condemnation. We should not want that for anyone, to go to hell. God doesn’t. He wants His promise of life and forgiveness and salvation to be known. He wants everyone to come to faith in Jesus and be saved.

Paul Harvey had a wonderful ability to share stories. What follows is one that he shared for many years on his radio broadcast at Christmastime.

Now the man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man. “I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized, that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me. That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. “If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

What will it take for the Good News of God become man, the Word made flesh, to get through to people? Has it gotten through to you? Is it in your heart? How will it be communicated to others? Will you be one who shares it?

Immanuel. God with us. Born as one of us to be our Savior, our Redeemer, the one who would pay the price for all sin. God wants to communicate this message. He wants you to know that. He wants everyone to know that.

O Come, O Come Immanuel

About 20 years ago, Cheryl’s brother came to visit us. He was recently divorced and brought his 3 and 4 year old daughters with him. They went swimming with our girls in our pool and everything was going well. But when it was time for bed, the older one didn’t want to stay in our house. She thought she was going to get to sleep in her own bed, which was a three hour drive away. And then she started wailing over and over again, “I want to go home! I want to go home! I want to go home!” It was heartbreaking.

I think all of us know how she felt. We prefer to be in our own home. If you’ve been on the road for a long time, you want to go home. If you’ve been hospitalized, you want to go home. If you’ve had a long and tiring day, you want to go home. Home. The word evokes feelings of love and laughter, security and serenity, warmth and welcome. It means mom and dad, fun and games, good food, sleep. As Dorothy reminds us in the Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home!”

When Isaiah wrote in the eighth century BC, he was writing to the Israelites who would be  living in Babylon in the sixth century BC. These exiles were far from home. A monstrous reality called Babylon was a fire-breathing horror that had destroyed everything. In 587 BC the empire decided once and for all to destroy Jerusalem, that “rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces” (Ezr 4:15a). This is “why this city was laid to waste” (Ezr 4:15b).

God’s people found themselves in a faraway land. The exiles wondered: Is our God for real? If so, does he care about us? Just how can we believe in a God who lost the latest war? Why not worship Babylonian gods, after all, their armies are more powerful than ours? LORD, “Will you be angry with us forever?” (Ps 85:5)

The exiles are stuck in a strange land with canals and ziggurats and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the Ishtar Gate and the temple of Marduk. Judah and Jerusalem and the Jordan have been replaced by the building projects of Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar. Israel has no king, no temple, no royal city, no land, no liturgy, no sacrifice, no hope, no future and no song. How can they sing God’s songs while prisoners in a foreign land? (cf. Ps 137:4).

So by the rivers of Babylon they sit and weep (Ps 137:1), reminiscing about the good ol’ days when they worshipped in the splendor of Solomon’s temple, worked and shopped in the city of David, and saw the Mount of Olives from a distance. Oh God, “there’s no place like home!”

Israelites in exile are not only far away from home. They are far away from the Father. As the LORD’s firstborn son (cf. Ex 4:22) Israel had demanded his fair share of the inheritance, set off for a distant county, and squandered it all on wild living; enticing Baal worship, seductive Assyrian astral deities, the perverting of justice and righteousness, heartless worship, gutless faith. And then in 587 BC the collapse of Jerusalem.

Some of us are far away from home; all of us are far away from the Father. It’s the way we operate. We are, again, right here, just now, exiled in a Babylon of our own making. We have demanded our fair share of the inheritance and set off for distant lights, seductive lights, deadly lights. We’ve sold our baptismal inheritance and ended up with deceptive lives, empty relationships, and inflated egos. Into our exile God speaks. 

When we chase after all that this world has to offer, thinking that will bring happiness and contentment, we discover the truth that all men are like grass that withers, like flowers that fall. We yearn for something more, something better, something lasting, something secure. And our God has just the thing. Contrast We don’t last, but the Word does. The word of our God stands forever. He keeps His promises.

When Israel’s history seemed closed and hopeless in their Babylonian captivity, to the shock and surprise of everyone the LORD raised up a messiah, a Savior, a king named Cyrus. Cyrus and his Persian empire conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem where they would rebuild the city and the temple. Once again, just as He had done in the Exodus and countless other times, God rescued His people.

Later, another Savior would come, with an even greater rescue mission. This one would be for all people, a Servant who would be wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (53:5). And guaranteeing this deliverance is the power and faithfulness of God’s word (55:10-11). The word of our God stands forever. These promises will not return empty. God said it. That settles it. Faith believes it! In Bethlehem this faithful Word took on flesh and blood and he had a heart. He lived exiled from the Father’s home for 33 years. Jesus was exiled, not only from the Father’s home, but finally from the Father. He cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (e.g., Mk 15:34; cf. Ps 22:1). He knew what it was to be far from home.  And then He died. For You. And for me. Yet raised on the third day, He reminds us of all that He had promised!

• “In my Father’s home are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you!” (Jn 14:2).
• “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20).
• “We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 5:1).

 

This is no shabby dorm room or army barracks or student housing; no Super 8 or Motel 6 or even a Holiday Inn Express. This will be accommodations beyond your wildest imagination. The robe and sandals are ready, and so is the ring. The Father welcomes the Prodigal home. The price is paid, the party prepared, the sacrifice complete, and the Father has rehearsed his lines, “This son of mine was dead and is alive again” (Lk 15:32). You will be welcomed home, because Immanuel came to us and accomplished everything necessary.

God wants His people to be comforted by the message He speaks through Isaiah. Sure, He tells us that we are like grass that withers and flowers that fall, but that is not the final Word. When He says The word of our God stands forever He is reminding us of His faithfulness. The Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. And Jesus’ dying love means that we are going home! How do we know for sure? “Grass withers, a flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

 

 

December 11, 2011

Prepare the Royal Highway

One pastor tells the story of attending a church is south St. Louis. He had been assigned there for “field work” while studying at Concordia Seminary. He noticed that every week, during the closing hymn, two little ladies walked up the aisle, stepped up to the altar and took the flowers. He thought, “This must be a St. Louis Lutheran custom I’m not aware of yet.” This was repeated week after week, and finally his curiosity could stand it no longer. He asked one of the ladies, “What do you do with those flowers?” She replied, “Young man, we take them to the people who are sick after the sermon.” People get sick from sermons!

Another pastor decided that on one Sunday he was going to preach on every book in the Bible. He would cover all 66 books of the Bible in one message, which is no small task. The sermon, predictably, went on and on and on. Finally he finished with the book of Revelation, only to realize that he bypassed the book of James. He told the congregation of his mistake and then asked, “What am I going to do with James?” One man shouted out, “Pastor, you can give James my place. I’m going home!”

People get sick from sermons for lots of reasons. There are always the jokes and wisecracks about the length of sermons, but people get sick of them for other reasons. Some folks don’t like to listen to sermons on stewardship, thinking the church should stay out of the way they spend their time and money. Sermons make people uncomfortable when they strike a nerve, when they step on your toes. If a particular sermon points out one of your sins, you are likely to get defensive. One Sunday the preacher was going through the Ten Commandments and one of the members was voicing his approval with comments like, “that’s right, preacher” and “you tell ‘em.” But then the preacher started condemning a sin that this man was known for and the man changed his tune. He said, “Hold on now just a minute, preacher. Now you’re meddling.” None of us likes to be told we are doing something wrong. So a call to repent, to stop sinning, to turn from your sin, will often upset people and make them bow up their backs.   

That is the message John the Baptizer was preaching outside of Jerusalem. Repent. Prepare. The Lord is coming. He was confronting people with their sin, striking a nerve, hitting a sensitive spot, so people called him a lunatic and tried to dismiss him. Isaiah said there would be a voice crying out “Prepare the way for the Lord.” Get ready, for He is coming. That means you need to change. Straighten out the path. Do things right. Get your act together. Making the rough ground level and the rugged places smooth is like telling you to straighten up and fly right. Stop sinning. Prepare. And when you are preaching this kind of message, you cannot pull your punches. You have to tell it like it is.

The owner of a greenhouse hired a young man whom he had judged to be a hard worker. Although the owner’s judgment proved to be correct, the greenhouse plants began to die. Then the owner called a more experienced gardener to remedy the situation. Soon the plants began to grow larger and healthier. The owner was puzzled, “What made the difference?” The experienced gardener explained, “When the young man moved the plants, he did it with great caution and care. But I was rough with them. I disturbed their roots. Plants flourish when you shake them up at their roots.”

I think we all need our roots shaken from time to time. We all have a tendency to get comfortable, maybe even smug and arrogant, in our sin. Think about it. We shake our heads and wonder how other people can do such terrible things. Yet when you are confronted with your own sin, whatever it may be, you tell yourself that is not as bad as what others do and you even justify your wrongdoing in your own mind. But that is not the message God has for you in His Word. Sin is sin. It all deserves to be punished. That is why you need to REPENT, to turn from your sin, prepare the way of the Lord.

A Lutheran church in Milwaukee was having their annual outdoor nativity pageant with live animals. One evening, the donkey wandered off and entered a nearby bar. Upon seeing the donkey, one customer pushed his glass aside and decided he had had enough. The bartender tried to calm him down by saying, “Oh, don’t let that donkey bother you. He belongs to the Lutheran Church down the street.”

There are a lot of donkeys that belong to the Lutheran church. I can say that because I’m one of them. I can be as stubborn and as stiff-necked as anyone. I need to repent of my sin as much as anyone else. And I do so with all of you, asking God to help me do better in the future.

The words of Isaiah’s prophecy were directed to those who were going to be carried off in the Babylonian exile. Because of the repeated disobedience of God’s chosen people, He was going to let them be conquered by an invading army. God’s glory was going to leave His people.

Earlier in Israel’s history, before they were ruled by kings, this had happened. 1 Samuel 4 speaks of a battle with the Philistines in which the Israelites were defeated and the ark of the covenant was captured. The ark was what had led them through the Exodus, it had the Ten Commandments in it, it represented God’s presence with His people. And it was now in the hands of their enemies. One woman, whose husband died in that battle, gave birth right after that and named her son Ichabod which is Hebrew for “no glory,” saying The glory has departed from Israel.

When Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians conquered the kingdom of Judah, God’s glory left his people again for a time. Ezekiel was a prophet to the exiles. Chapters 8–11 are a vision in which the prophet sees the idolatry of God’s people, worshipping the sun and false gods. The Lord, although it broke His heart, withdrew from the people. They left Him to worship other things, so His presence and His glory was taken away from the people. It was not what God wanted, but His people refused to follow Him.

That sounds depressing, and it is. But Isaiah reminds us of the faithfulness of our God, in spite of the faithlessness of His people. The voice crying in the wilderness tells the people to prepare the way of the Lord because the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

That glory of God was displayed in the coming of Jesus Christ into the flesh. He is the ultimate and permanent expression of God’s glory (1 Cor 2:8).

The shepherds saw the glory of the Lord when Jesus was born, and it shook them up.

In the infant Jesus they saw God’s glory in human flesh

At His transfiguration his glory was displayed when his clothes became dazzling white

But on Good Friday his disciples deserted him. His garments were gambled away. Then his Father turned his back. As Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46; see Ps 22:1) the Lord’s presence leaves the Temple alone to die upon the cross. We once again have Ichabod, no glory. But is was short lived. His glory returns on Easter and this means that the day is coming when, at the Second Coming of Christ, all flesh will see God’s glory. You and I have the glory of God made known to us.

Advent, like Isaiah’s text, calls us to prepare. So How shall we prepare? In a word—repent. For then we will see God’s glory in a Babe in a manger; in his body and blood at the Table; and in the eastern sky on the last day. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken it!

Comfort, Comfort My People

One of the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV shows was entitled “The Final Escape.” It was actually made twice, once in Black and White and once in color. In the latest version, a woman in prison became good friends with the prison caretaker. When a prisoner died the caretaker would ring the bell, get the body, put it in a casket and nail it shut. Then, placing the casket on a wagon, he would take it to the graveyard outside the prison walls and bury it. Knowing this routine, the woman devised an escape plan and shared it with this caretaker. She said, “The next time the bell rings, I’ll leave my cell and sneak into the coffin with the dead body. Nail the lid shut and take the coffin outside the prison with me in it. Bury the coffin,” she continued, “and because there will be enough air for me to breathe for some time, you can come back to the graveyard that night, dig up the coffin, and set me free.” The caretaker agreed to the plan. One day this woman heard the ringing of the death bell. She got up, walked down the hallway in the dark, found the coffin containing the dead body and climbed in. Soon she heard the pounding of hammer and nails. The coffin was lifted onto the wagon and taken outside to the graveyard. After the dirt was poured on the coffin she began to giggle out loud, “I’m free, free!” Feeling curious she lit a match to identify the prisoner beside her and in the glimmer of light she discovered that she was lying next to the dead caretaker! In classic Alfred Hitchcock fashion this final scene fades as we hear the woman screaming, screaming, screaming, then silence.

Have you ever been buried like that before? Sure you have, and so have I.

• ·        We’ve been buried in questions: “If God is so good, why do I hurt so bad?” “If Jesus is the light, why am I in the dark?” “Where was God when tragedy struck?”
• ·        We’ve been buried in disappointment: “Why can’t you be more like your older brother/sister!” “You’re just not like our last boss!” “My mom always did it better.”
• ·        We’ve been buried in responsibilities: “Here’s a 30 page case study—be ready to discuss it tomorrow.” “Honey, Conner has a soccer game and Colleen has volleyball and I have to be at church tomorrow, all at the same time.”
• ·        We’ve been buried in the past—the minute we lost our temper, the hour we lost our purity, the day we lost control, the years we lost our priorities.
• ·        And on top of it all—literally—we’re buried in our “Self”: self-assertion, self-righteousness, self-satisfaction, self-sufficiency and self-will.

Buried, boxed in, six feet under, again, right here, just now—it’s dark, cramped, claustrophobic and the enemy has nailed the lid shut. And if there isn’t screaming, there are heavy sighs and lifeless looks and empty hearts and a feeling of hopelessness.

Buried, boxed in, six feet under—that had to be how God’s people, the Israelites, felt when conquered and oppressed by the Babylonian Empire. Judah was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people were exiled to Babylon. Part of their thought process was that if they had been defeated, the gods of their enemies were more powerful than their own. It was as though everything they ever believed was now called into question. Were the gods of the Babylonians stronger that the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob? Did Yahweh even exist?  If He did, was He helpless or did He just not care? The future of God’s people looked awful bleak at this point. They felt helpless, hopeless, and were full of despair. They could easily have said, “What’s the use?”

What do you think of when you hear the word “bedlam?” Many of you think of the football rivalry between OSU and Oklahoma – a game that will be played this Saturday. Maybe you think of chaos and confusion, which is how the word is normally used. But did you know that the word “bedlam” comes from the word “Bethlehem”? The hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem was established in 1247 in London, but the locals had their own way of speaking, which was not always the King’s English. Bethlehem for them came out “bedlam.” When Henry VIII dissolved all the monasteries in his realm, the hospital was given to the city of London, which incorporated it in 1547 as an insane asylum. The name “bedlam” became irretrievably linked with the noise and confusion within its walls. So man took Bethlehem and created bedlam; in the same way, we take Christmas and make it so full of noise and confusion and chaos that most people have no idea what it is anymore. We know more about bedlam than we do of Bethlehem.

We need to remember what our God accomplished by sending Jesus to be born in Bethlehem. God sent His Son into the bedlam of this world to take care of everything that causes us to be separated from our heavenly Father. He was saying, “I know you are in a bad situation, one that is desperate and appears to be hopeless. But be comforted.”

Through Isaiah God tells us that the sins of God’s people have been paid for. He is talking about us. This baby that was born in Bethlehem would be the one who would accomplish this for everyone. He would face all our enemies for us. It started with Judas, Pilate and Herod…then thorns, nails, spear, darkness and sweat, … and then the screaming, screaming, screaming like that woman in the casket, until there was total silence. It all ended “crucified, dead and buried.” Nothing is as bottomless as a pit, as lifeless as a grave, as hopeless as a tomb. Smell the mildew, the odor of blood, the stench of death. See the confines of a tomb, the darkness, the sealed stone. It appeared to be the hopeless end.

Cramped by the chaos, suffocating in the stillness, trapped in transgressions and sins, screaming in the silence, you and I need to light a match and see who we’re buried with. Well get this—

Through water and the Word you and I have been buried and raised with Jesus.

No hopeless screaming here, but a divine explosion to life! We are indeed free because of who we were buried with – we were buried with Jesus and we are also raised with him. This is the greatest comeback in history!

We all love a good come-back. A young lady singing the national anthem draws a blank on a phrase, but then she jumps right back in on the next phrase and finishes with a flourish. Good for her. Last week I watched Sherman come back from a 14 point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat a very good team from Waxahachie. I also watched an exciting comeback victory by Baylor over OU. Cardinal fans are still talking about their stunning victory in the last two games of the World Series. And, of course, Longhorn fans are still rejoicing in their comeback victory over what should have been a much better A&M team this year. Yesterday Cheryl and I watched as Sherman once again came from behind. At the end of the 3^rd quarter they were down 19-0. They were down 25-20 when they got the ball back with just over a minute to play. They won the game 28-20. If I lose my voice today it is because I was screaming too much at that game.

 As exciting as all of those were, they pale in comparison to our certain defeat being turned into a come-from-behind victory. Our doom and deserved death was certain. But Jesus changed all that for us. What should have been our buried, boxed-in scream is forever changed into a baptized, blood-bought, forgiven, Spirit-filled “Hallelujah!”  God does not abandon us in our circumstances, no matter what. No matter how bad it seems, no matter what I am going through, no matter what I encounter, I know He is with me. Right here, right now.

This is why God wrote through Isaiah, and why He is still saying to you right now, “Comfort, comfort my people.” Be comforted. Know that God is in control. He does not abandon His people. Your sin has been paid for. Comfort is here. Comfort is yours. Comfort is now!

 

First Things First

November 20, 2011

You have two choices: [A] You can get One Thousand dollars a day for a year, or [B] you can get one penny which would be doubled every week for one year?” Choose either option A or option B. This illustrates how people today are unsure, confused and unclear about the choices they make until they have by a process of addition or multiplication calculated the potential return on their investment. Option “A” sounds appealing. One Thousand dollars a day for a year would get you $365,000. That’s a lot of money. That is what a lot of players in the NBA are missing each month because of their labor dispute. It is more that most of us will make in a year or even five years!  But what about the second choice, a penny a week doubled for one year. [Explain chart] At the end of 52 weeks you would have 22,517,998,136,852.50!!! There is a huge difference between addition and multiplication. Faithful investment of treasures to support the work of the kingdom of God multiplies ministry and reaps a fruitful harvest.

During a visit to Korea, two American businessmen were amused to see a young farmer hitched to a plow that was guided by his father. The younger man was pulling the plow. Later they learned that both father and son were Christians who had sold their only ox to provide money for a new church building. “What a stupendous sacrifice!” exclaimed one businessman. “Not really,” replied a missionary accompanying the Americans. “They were only sorry they had but one ox to give to the Lord’s work.” That’s the attitude of putting first things first. That what it means to seek first the kingdom of God! That’s what it means to live as fruitful stewards of treasures.

I wonder how many Christians living in this country today would be willing to make that kind of sacrifice and commitment to the kingdom of God. Research has shown that in many congregations, 20% of the members contribute 80% of the financial support.

Why are the 20 percent willing to contribute so much and the other 80 percent content to give so little? Understand this – God never asks you to give anything to His kingdom that He has not already given to you. Everything you have comes from God. Some are content to have a little bit of God in their lives, to give a little bit to God in their offerings. What I would really like for those people to understand is that you are depriving yourself of so many blessings. You will never out give God. And it also makes me wonder how many of those who don’t give are like that withering, sickly, shriveling, fig tree which bears no fruit.  The law says: “Cut it down.  Why should it take up the ground?” The Gospel says: “Give it another year. Let’s fertilize, cultivate, water, and pray for fruit. If it bears no fruit next year, then cut it down” (Luke 13:6-9).

Perhaps many Christians are confused and unclear about addition versus multiplication when it comes to investing in the kingdom of God. In their confusion, they choose to give little or nothing in proportion to what they have received. What percentage of your income, your blessings, is an investment in the kingdom of God? How much do you put in the offering plate? Are you growing in your giving? Are you more fruitful this year than last? Are you committed to being more fruitful next year? Do you put First things first. Is Jesus represented as being first in how you use the treasures He has entrusted to your care? Your financial commitment today and for 2012 is a reflection of your faith. If you are growing in your faith, you will also grow in your giving.

Some evening when you have a few moments, retrieve your old checkbook registers or bank statement and read through the entries. Or maybe it’s your old credit card statements that best shows your spending habits and preferences. Whichever you use, you may find it interesting, and perhaps somewhat startling, to discover just how the money you’ve earned has been spent. The entries will read like a family journal. They record major events, vacations, visits to the mall, travel, how expensively you dress, what you spend on groceries or how extravagantly you furnish your home. The total spent in each category will pinpoint the things that make the greatest demands on your income – either because of need or by choice. The entries reflect what you have prioritized and value the most.

Such a checkup will also reveal your spiritual temperature. Are you hot, cold, lukewarm? How does your support of the work of God’s kingdom fit into your financial picture? The contributions given to the work of the Lord compared with the expenditures for the things of life offer some clues. If nothing has gone to support the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, or to people in need, but large sums were spent for personal gratification, YOU need to examine your values related to your treasures. You show what you love by what you do with what you have.

What does it mean to put first things first? 

Give as if you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind … give as if you love your neighbor as yourself.

That was Paul’s attitude. He wanted to be like Jesus. That’s what I want, too. I want to be like Christ! He is the most important thing in my life. He was willing to offer Himself as the payment for my sins so that I could get what I don’t deserve: forgiveness for all my sins and the guarantee of eternal life. That should be reflected in the way I live and in the way I give.

First things First

• Our church is a “first things first” church where God’s Word is truth and where the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are faithfully administered. 
• Our church is a “first things first” church with a vision for missions and ministry.
• Our church is a “first things first” ministry where we serve and work together in Christ with time and talents.
• Our church is a “first things first” congregation where all people are cared for, where families are nourished, where marriage is uplifted, where young and old are encouraged to live fruitful lives.

It begins in your heart, touches your home, and extends to your fruitful use of time, talents and treasures. Bearing fruit as stewards of time, talents, and treasures is the fruit of faith that seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then, everything else will fall into place. It means I am connected to Christ as the true vine; I am one of the branches, so connected as to take my life from Him, and to bear fruit.

Stay connected to Jesus, the cross and the empty tomb. In Christ, you will be fruitful stewards of time, talents, and treasures.

Using What You’ve Got

Bearing Fruit for Jesus.  Last week we talked about the use of our time.  Today we will talk about the use of our talents. We all know someone who is more talented or who has more skills and abilities than we do. Why do some people seem to excel at everything? Thomas Jefferson was a lawyer, scientific farmer, politician, and statesman. Martin Luther was a theologian, linguist, and hymn writer. When you’re in school it always seems there are some kids who excel at everything they attempt. It seems as if some people have dozens of talents, and you have only a few. And you get discouraged.

Every single person has been given talents, abilities, and gifts. In His grace and wisdom, God has given each of you certain talents and gifts. He gives you the ones you can use the best and that can best accomplish His purpose through you. The talents that you receive are unique because of your personality and character. True, some get more than others, but everyone is different. Whatever you are and whatever you have are all gifts from God.

In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus commended those who used their talents for Him. He says of them, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23). To the person who failed to use his talents, the Lord said, “You wicked, lazy servant.” The talents God gives are varied: leadership, creativity, mechanical ability, housekeeping, encouragement, caring, musical ability and a host of others. Maybe you can’t sing solos, but you can sing to the glory of God in worship. Maybe you can’t teach, but you can write encouraging letters or notes or send a card or make a telephone call to someone who needs to be lifted up. Maybe you can’t lead a Bible study, but you can visit a shut-in or someone in the hospital.

You each have different gifts. What are your talents, abilities and skills? Are you using them? Do you have unused abilities? Whatever you have, God wants you to “use what you’ve got.” Your gifts are God-given. And He did not give them to you just for serving ourselves. They were not given to you just so that you can make more money or get ahead or be more successful. They were not given to you so that you could be more desirable or popular. Your gifts were given to be used for God.

You have a choice. Do you want to be self-centered or God-centered? Do you use all you are to serve your own selfish interests or to serve God and His purposes?  1 Corinthians 4:2, “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”  Jesus said in Luke 12:48, “From everyone who has been given much, much more will be demanded; and from one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

How do you use your God-given gifts? Are you like Moses? He had lots of excuses for not using the gifts that had been given to him. “Who am I?  I am a nobody. You want me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt? I can’t lead. I could never do that. I can’t talk in front of a group. I don’t have any experience. The people won’t believe me. I’m too young. Ask somebody else who’s more capable and more qualified.” Sound familiar? In spite of all of his excuses, God had plans for Moses. He turned Moses “NO” into a “YES”. God used Moses mightily to accomplish His purpose.

God blesses us and gives us talents for a reason: to equip us to serve Him and His people. God gave you eyes and ears, hands and feet so that your bodies function effectively. In the same way God has given you talents and skills and abilities as members of the body of Christ, for the good of your church and your community.

That parable of the talents says that each person received at least one talent from God. It belonged to God, and it was to be managed and taken care of for Him. Each person was responsible for what was given to him and was expected to give an account of what he did with his gift. Each was required to produce results with the gift given to him. The one who refused to use the talents he had had them taken away and was thrown into the darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Another way to think of it is that God has invested Himself in you and He expects a return on His investment. He gave you talents, skills, gifts, and abilities, and He expects you to use those to serve Him and others. When you make an investment, you want a return, don’t you? When you invest money in stocks or mutual funds or bonds, you do so with the intent of getting a good return on your investment. But it doesn’t always work that way. Earlier this year I received a statement on my retirement account. Over a three month period, I had payroll deductions of about $2000 deposited to that account. But the value of the fund was $3000 less at the end of the three month period than it was at the beginning. That is not the kind of return you want on your investment.  When that happens to you, it doesn’t make you feel very good.

God wants a good return on the investment He made in you, but sometimes He gets a very poor return. How sad for God and for us and for others when we say,

• “He’s got the brains if he would just use them.”
• “She is really gifted if she would just apply herself.”
• “He could really be good at his job if he would just put his mind to it.”
• “She could get straight A’s if she wanted to.” 

How disappointing it must be to God when people do not use the gifts He has given them.

God uses imperfect people to do great things for Him and to extend His kingdom: Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah – they used their talents and abilities to proclaim the true God and His promises in spite of their failings and shortcomings. Thomas, Paul, Peter – they used their talents and abilities to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world even though they were far from perfect. When you think that you are unimportant and insignificant, you need to remember the investment God made in you. You need to hear the Good News of just how much God thinks of you and how much He cares for you. He considered you so important that He laid down His life for you. He redeemed you from the power of sin with His own precious blood. He will love you forever. One day He will come back to take you home with Him forever.

When you allow yourselves to be used by God He will take your talents and bless them and use them to build His kingdom and to reach lost people. In the process, you will be an example for others. 2 Corinthians 9:13 “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel of Christ.” 

All your talents and abilities are to be used so that God is praised and His purpose is accomplished. With the Lord there is no such thing as unemployment or retirement. There is no time to be bored and lazy. There’s no time to sit back and let somebody else do it. Each of you has received at least one gift to be part of God’s purpose in touching lives with His Gospel. If you have the gift of mercy, then use it to help the hurting and comfort the grieving. If you have the gift of leadership, use it to carry out plans and accomplish great things for God and the Church. If you have the gift of giving, then use it to support the Church and other special needs and causes.

What interests and skills and abilities has God given you to use in your role as member of the body of Christ in this congregation? Do you have the gift of hospitality? Are you good at visiting new people or shut-ins? Perhaps you are good at plumbing, electrical work, painting, ushering, praying, and helping. Maybe you are good at listening, organizing, teaching, singing, and writing. Use what you’ve got to serve Him.

Jesus gave us a perfect example of serving. He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life for a ransom payment for all of our sins. He wasn’t interested in getting credit or in getting ahead. He wasn’t even thinking of what it would cost Him. He gave His life for His enemies and for His friends. He gave Himself for the sins of every man, woman, and child of the past, present, and future. He wants you to serve Him.

As you hear the Word of God in worship, Bible class, and in your devotions, you should be encouraged and strengthened. As you receive the body and blood of Christ Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, you are strengthened and empowered for serving. When you remember your baptism, you are reminded of your forgiveness. In His promises, God gives you strength and power to be a fruitful stewards. You are to be like trees planted next to streams of water (Psalm 1:3). You produce fruit. Whatever we do prospers because we do it to the glory of God, and He uses and blesses your efforts.

Use all of the talents that you’ve got, whether two or half a dozen or more.  You will be a blessing to God, to the Church, to the community, and to your family.  God loves you with all that He has.  Serve Him and one another with what you’ve got.

 

 

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