Sinner and Saint

Wake Up

Lent 3, 2011

Ephesians 5:[3-7] 8-14

“Wake Up”

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

            Have you ever caught yourself saying or thinking “remember how things used to be?” As young as I am, for some of you at least, I have thought that too…and sometimes I have thought that about things that really happened before I was born. “Remember how things used to be?” Some things, in my opinion, used to be better! And…some things I’m glad have changed. I can’t even imagine how things were when farmers didn’t have tractors but used horses and mules to plow (as our sainted brother Wilbur Eisberg told me). I can’t imagine what it was like for my Dad during WWII as the Dietrich family fled by horse, wagon, and foot from the Russian front.

            Things change…some for better and much for worse. Take for example this report that I happened across not long ago. An interviewer asked several people, “What do you think of the Ten Commandments?” One person just stared at the questioner and gasped, “Are you kidding?” Another said, “Well, I don’t take them literally.” One person replied with a laugh, “Well, I think rules were made to be broken.” Another said, “It’s fortunate we don’t have to keep them anymore.” But one women replied, “What do I think of the Ten Commandments?” Then she paused a moment and mused quietly, “Well, I think God loved us an awful lot to give them to us—to protect us from ourselves.”

            I’m thankful that one person had a wonderful response by faith of the Ten Commandments. But there is a serious problem…many within Christianity reject God’s Law…and not only His Law but the rest of God’s Word. We try to convince ourselves that when we give into temptation that it really isn’t a sin. We trick ourselves into thinking that even if its something we know we shouldn’t do that we shouldn’t worry…God will understand. Don’t worry about looking out for yourself, don’t worry about gossiping, don’t worry about hurting others feelings, don’t worry about wanting what others have, don’t worry about stealing or being greedy, don’t worry about using foul language. Don’t worry about lying, coveting, committing adultery or fornication. Don’t worry about sin… God will understand.

            Listen to God’s Word that comes from the verses leading up to our Epistle lesson. “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.” (Ephesians 5:3-7)

            Our Epistle Lesson goes on to say: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:8-14)

            At the zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, is a building where the tropical birds are kept. The hallway where the people walk is dark; the birds are in lighted cases of glass. All along each side of the building is a long case that looks like a tropical rain forest. It has a miniature waterfall, a pool, trees, and all sorts of plants. Among the trees and rocked ledges the small, brighly colored birds fly. As people watch this, they eventually become aware that there is no glass between them and the birds. They could reach in and touch them. Why don’t the birds fly out? A sign above the cage explains that the birds are afraid of darkness, and when it gets dark, they go to sleep. They love the light and will not deliberately fly from the light into the darkness.

            Christians live in a world where there is no glass dividing us from the darkness of sin. Sin is all around us. But that does not mean that we should induldge in it. It does not mean that we should be accepting of it. We are called into the light of Christ…in fact we are called to be light to this dark world. Our text reminds us that we “were once in darkness, now [we] are light in the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8)

            You used to be in darkness; you know what that darkness is like and now you are in the Light of Christ…why go back to the darkness? Satan, the great deciever, has deceived this world. Satan tempts us to believe that sin is good, fun, and is deserved. But it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Satan’s deception is that sin which is morally rotten is perfectly sound. But God’s Word tells us: “No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.” (Ephesians 5:5-7)

            Instead we are called to live by faith; to be light in a world of darkness. But that isn’t always easy. The world tells us that we are closeminded, unloving, and not fun. Even other Christians look at those that proclaim sin as being sin as unloving and hateful. I know that it’s hard to stand up for the truth of Scripture because I have been called closeminded, unloving, and hateful by fellow Christians; by fellow Lutherans because I call those outside of faith in Christ damned; because I refuse to commune anyone that comes to the altar; because I stand up against homosexuality and abortion. But I, and many faithful Christians; Lutherans, stand up for the truth…not because we are better, not because we are hateful…not because we are closed minded…but because we too are sinners. We proclaim the truth because we too once were in the darkness of sin.

            This is exactly what we are called to do as Christians…all of us as Christians. We are called to live and proclaim “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

            Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Wake up! Rise from the dead! How? Live in Baptismal grace…for you were dead and raised again in the Waters of Baptism. Repent of your sins daily. Receive Jesus very body and blood. Share the wonderful news of Jesus death and resurection for the forgiveness of everyone’s sins. Sound hard? It’s all possible. For you have Christ. He has given you faith. As the Holy Spirit lives in you…so you shall live for Christ. What a wonderful gift it is to live in the light of Christ. Heaven is yours…and you get to share the Good News of Jesus to the world. Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all humand understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

Living Water

Lent 2, 2011

John 4:4-26

“Living Water”

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

            The situation is far worse than it is for Bears vs. Packers fans or Cubs vs. Cardinals fans during their respective seasons. Jews and Samaritans hated each other. This hatred can be seen across the world and it may also be found within our own country and community when neighbors show hatred for each other, for people of different race, ethnicity, or social class. It is even found when members of the same congregation refuse to speak to each other, worship with each other, or seek forgiveness. Hatred can be found almost everywhere you turn…and that is a sad reality.

             Jews despised Samaritans and Samaritans despised the Jews. They wouldn’t talk to each other, help each other, or even venture into each others cities if they had a choice. They wanted nothing to do with each other. Their hatred was over more than just their heritage but over their religious beliefs as well. Jerusalem was the center for Jewish faith as Mount Gerizim was for the Samaritan.

             “So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)” (John 4:5-9)

             You could imagine what was going through the Samaritan woman’s mind from our text. All of the sudden there appears this Jewish man in her city. What was he doing here? Does he know where he is? It must have been a shock when this Jewish man then speaks to her and asks for water. It was unheard of…a Jewish man speaking with a Samaritan…and a woman at that…and asking for help…willing to be helped by a Samaritan and even drink from the same vessel. To say the least Jesus had her attention.

             “Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” (John 4:10-12)

             Jesus didn’t even have anything to use to draw water from the well. How do you expect to get any water…especially this "Living Water"…without a bucket. The woman questions Jesus. Do you think your better, as a Jew no less, than the great patriarch Jacob. This woman, obviously not knowing who Jesus is, was expecting Jesus to say no. How could any old person be better than the patriarch Jacob. The water was good enough for Jacob and all that followed. What made this “Living Water” special or needful?

             ^“Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (John 4:13-15)

             The woman still didn’t understand Jesus. She was hoping to be given water that would take care of her earthly need to drink. She wanted to do less hard work and have more time for other things instead of having to go to the well and haul water back to her village. The Lord is offering her faith and eternal life; his very self. Jesus offers us these same gifts and yet we, like the Samaritan woman, look for earthly benefits instead.

             The woman now wanted what Jesus had…even though she didn’t really know what the Living Water was or what it would do. Jesus now goes to the heart of the issue at hand…to the necessity of faith.

             ^“He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." (John 4:16-18)

             All of the sudden Jesus cuts right to the heart of this woman. Jesus knew everything about her; he knew what she truly needed most…forgiveness of sins. But before Jesus forgives her he speaks of her sin. This woman was not married but living with a man. She had been married five times already. Scripture does not say how those marriages ended but she was still breaking God’s law.

             God knows what each one of us is in need of. God knows everything there is to know about us including all of our sins. God desperately wants us to come to Him for forgiveness. God wants to forgive you out of love and because of that sent Jesus to die in our place to win forgiveness for all who believe. Jesus knew she believed in the promise of the Messiah but was living outside of God’s law. This woman needed forgiveness and Jesus was going to lead her to it just as He leads us to forgiveness here in this church.

             “Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” (John 4:19-20)

             The Samaritan woman seeks forgiveness but doesn’t know where to find it. She questions Jesus on this: Who worships correctly Samaritans or Jews? She wants to know who the true God was so that she may repent of her sins. Her soul thirsts for comfort and forgiveness. God’s law condemns us, shows us what we have done, and tells us what we are to do. Each of us is also in need of God’s forgiveness. For we too have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

             ^“Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21-24)

             The Lord answers with one of the greatest and most far-reaching announcements of all times, earnestly inviting the woman, at the same time, to believe Him. Both places, Mount Gerizim and Jerusalem, would be forsaken. The Samaritans that came to faith, recorded in Acts 8, deserted Mt. Gerizim and worshiped the true God in Jesus Christ.

             Jesus is telling this woman that true worship is not dependant on a specific building or location but where the truth is found. True worship is found where God’s Word is preached in truth and the Sacraments administered rightly. If that is in a church building, a person’s home, a cave, or out in the park it is still proper worship.

             The Samaritan woman speaks joyfully in her faith that she knows “that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." (John 4:25-26)

             With these words Jesus tightly fastened the bond which He drew this soul to Himself and opens wide the floodgates of living water. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He died on the cross in our stead and rose again. Through Him we are saved. This is wonderful news for all time and all people. Let not hatred for any other person get in the way of your salvation or sharing this word of truth with another. Forgive as Christ forgives you; share as Christ shares Himself with you; have hope and joy for Jesus lives the victory is won for you. Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

Temptation

Lent 1, 2011

Genesis 3:1-7

Matthew 4:1-11

“Temptation”

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

            During the Middle Ages, when an apostate church was persecuting the people of God, the Spanish inquisitors used an instrument of torture called “The Virgin.” It had the form of a beautiful woman dressed in gorgeous robes with an inviting smile on her face and arms outstretched. Into those arms the poor victim was pushed in order to kiss “The Virgin.” By means of a secret mechanism, her arms enclosed him in a deadly embrace, and he was pierced through with a hundred hidden knives.

            Certainly sin is always like that “Virgin.” It puts on a beautiful exterior and smilingly invites us to take its arm and walk along the paths of worldly delight. Sin always offers its victims the fairest propositions and most alluring prospects, but once those proposals and pleasures are accepted, it leaves its victims deceived and condemned to eternal death.

            Adam and Eve, the very first people, were tempted with the allurement of sin that they would be like God. God had told them that they could eat from any tree of the garden except for one and that if they ate from that tree they would die. “You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)

            Satan began by casting doubt in Eve’s mind about what God said. Satan then promised that they would not die but in fact be like God himself. Though surrounded by good food by the plenty Eve and Adam succumbed to temptation. They immediately knew that they had sinned and decided to hide from God. Adam and Eve did not become like God! Instead they fell into sin, were removed from the garden, had to work, had pain and suffering, disease and heartache, and eventually died.

            In this sad history of the world’s beginning was also something profound and wonderful. God spoke those first words of promise, grace, and forgiveness: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

            Did you catch that wonderful message of hope? Let me rephrase this verse. Jesus will crush Satan’s head and Satan will strike Jesus’ heel. God is promising that through the crucifixion of Jesus Satan strikes Jesus’ heel and Jesus crushes Satan through His victory over sin and death. God promises our first parents salvation even though they rejected Him and wanted to be “god” out of His love for them and for each of us.

            Jesus had just been anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism and immediately Jesus was tested. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1) Satan himself would test Jesus by tempting Him with all the allurement this world had to offer. Satan would wait for Jesus to be at His weakest. Jesus was led to the desert and fasted for forty days and nights. Even if Jesus had wanted to eat there would be nothing available in this wasteland. Jesus would be alone with the great Tempter.

            “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:2-3, 5-6, 8-9).

            Three times Scripture records Satan tempting Jesus. It doesn’t seem so hard does it? Yet look at what takes place. Satan tempts Jesus to get food in the desert where there is none after fasting for 40 days and nights. Adam and Eve gave in to eating of the forbidden fruit when they had more than plenty of food to eat. We live in a world of plenty and yet we too want more and more. It’s not good enough to have a house we want the best house, it’s not good enough to have a good paying job we want the best paying job, we want the best cars, the best of all this world has to offer…we want more and more when we truly have plenty.

            Satan tempts Jesus to jump off a cliff and have the angels catch Him for God had promised the angels would protect Him. Satan tempted Adam and Eve with knowing right from wrong. Yet in the end they would only pick the wrong things to do. The world would be corrupt because of them. It wasn’t enough having life as long as they wanted as God had promised. They abused God’s promises and so do we. We have the promise of forgiveness so we keep on sinning. We have the promise of life everlasting and yet we want to live this life in this world to the fullest. We have the promise of a Savior and then we ignore our need for a Savior.

            Satan took Jesus to a high place and offered all that this world had to Him. Everything could be Jesus’ if He would bow down and worship Satan. Satan promised Adam and Eve that they would be like God. Satan promises all kinds of things that aren’t His to give. This world would not even exist if God hadn’t created it. Yet we take the things of this world forgranted. We wish to take these possessions with us to heaven… we treasure stuff that will rust or rot or decay. We take lives into our own hands. We play God in deciding when life begins and ends…we speak of the murder of babies as choice and the murder of the handicapped and aged as “quality of life.” As if we could truly decide what quality of life is. We replace God with self.

            Jesus did something that none of us has or will be able to do: Jesus overcame all temptation and lived a life free of sin. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

            Jesus knows what you are going through because He has gone through it. Jesus knows your pain for He has suffered. Jesus knows how hard it is to overcome sin because He overcame it. Jesus will surely help you in every time of need. Jesus will help you because He loves you. Jesus overcame sin in order to save you. It wasn’t nails that kept Jesus on the cross it was His love for you. Through Jesus you are free from sin, death, and Satan. Through Jesus you are forgiven. Through Jesus you are sinless and heirs of eternal life. Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

The Transfiguration

Transfiguration Sunday, 2011

Matthew 17:1-9

 

 

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

            At the beginning of the Epiphany season we heard God the Father’s voice from heaven as the Holy Spirit descended upon His only-begotten Son standing in the Jordan River. Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness and in doing so, sanctifies the waters of the world for Holy Baptism. God the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

            Today we hear the same voice from heaven – this time from a cloud on the mountain where Jesus is transfigured. On this transfiguration Sunday, three days before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the eternal Son of God manifests the glory that is his from eternity. God the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5).

            Our Father speaks and tells Jesus’ disciples and us to “Listen to Him.” When the word of God is heard in this world, it is important for all people especially all Christians to Listen to Him. Sound plays a very important part in many of our daily activities. The phone rings, cars have horns, Sirens send out an alarm and message of help being on the way. God’s word alerts us to be alarmed at this world’s message and to hear His message of hope.

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."  (Matthew 17:1-9)

             We can only imagine what was running through the minds of Peter, James, and John. The amazement that they must have had seeing Jesus transfigured; to see Jesus with all his glory. In all of this wonder and shock the Father says to these dumbfounded men to listen to His Son.

            Here we are given a command from the Father. God’s commandments are not optional or a mere suggestion. A voice came out from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"  The disciples of the Lord are to listen to Jesus because they will hear God. Instead of answering “why?” to God’s spoken word we should respond like the boy Samuel. “Speak, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10). This is what the Lord expects – He commands the hearing of the Word, not some idle prattle about doing deeds like building three booths as the disciples suggested. He doesn’t want mere lip service from his people. It is one thing to hear God and another to listen.

            To neglect listening to the Word of God is sin, for God the Father has spoken this command and He expects to be heard and obeyed. To shut your ears to what the Son says is to shut your ears to what the Father says, for the Son and the Father are One. To ignore what Scripture, the inspired inerrant word of God says, or to ignore it as something that took place in the past that has little meaning in our time and life is to reject the Word that was made Flesh. It is to reject Jesus Christ himself.

            The reason why we are to hear the Savior is the content of what He says. The Father bore witness, “This is My Son, My Chosen; listen to Him!” The content of His speaking is absolutely critical. And so you ask, what is the content of Jesus words that we are to hear? The answer is His Exodus. “And behold, two men talked with Him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His exodus, which He was to accomplish at Jerusalem.”

            The Exodus of Jesus would take place after the Passover when He would depart from the Holy City and be led outside the gates to the cursed place where crosses were planted in the ground. Here the Exodus of the Incarnate Son of God would take place as the Lamb of God atoned for the sins of the world and passed through the darkness of Day and the red sea of His shed blood. At His death, His spirit departed from His Body that was broken for you and me. But Christ’s Exodus did not end there, for He descended into hell, rose from the dead and departed from the tomb. Risen in flesh with body and spirit re-united, the glorious and victorious Jesus ascended into the promised land of heaven and resumed His place at the right hand of the Father.

            The Father speaks, “This is My Son, My Chosen; listen to Him!” and the context of these words are important. Peter, James, and John were witnesses to the glorious transfiguration of Jesus and this was a “mountain-top experience.” They would be called, however, to journey with Jesus for the first part of His exodus. In doing so they would be witnesses to the humiliation of Christ as “He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). The disciples would hear the Son of God speak and then watch the events unfold that God was permitting. What they saw disturbed them – the Son of God assuming the posture and calling of a slave with a towel and basin to wash their feet as He cleansed their souls – Jesus praying alone in the Garden of Gethsemane - the guards taking their Master into custody in the darkness of night - Jesus beaten, mocked, and crucified. At such times, a faith that is based upon what one sees is a lost cause. Therefore, Peter, James and John are told, “This is My Son, My Chosen; listen to Him!” and thus “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

            The disciples would hear the Lord Jesus teach and then get it all backwards in their lives. So do we. They will hear Jesus say to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priest and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day” (Matthew 20:18-19) and will fall asleep when Jesus needed them most, will draw the sword to save Jesus, will deny Him and will all fall away from Him as He continues His Exodus. At such times, a faith that is based upon self – be it our emotions, our reactions, our deeds or misdeeds – is without hope. Therefore, Peter, James and John hear the voice from the cloud, “This is My Son, My Chosen; listen to Him!” and therefore “in this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice of our sins” (1 John 4:10).

            As Peter, James and John were in the Presence of the Lord, Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration, so also you are in the Presence of the Lord on this day when angels and archangels and all the company of heaven laud and magnify the Crucified, Risen and Ascended Christ. And just as it was good for the three disciples to have been there, so it is good for you to be here today. But as they had to return to the valley below, you do as well. As Christ went with them, he goes with you. As the voice of the Father spoke to them, so also we hear “This is My Son, My Chosen; listen to Him!”

            The explanation is the same. You are returning to lives lived where “nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7) It will be important to hear Jesus say, “I AM with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). You are returning to stations and vocations where you will often fail and fall short of the glory of God. Every Sunday you will do well to come here and hear His forgiveness won for you and to know that you, because of Your Baptism into Christ - are a part of His exodus and have been crucified with Christ and share in His Resurrection.

            Dear Baptized, when visited with suffering, disease, pain, grief, injury or declining health, it is important to abide by that Voice which says, “This is My Son, My Chosen; listen to Him!” and hear the glorious Son of God say, “And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may also be.” (John 14:3). Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all human  understanding keep your hearts and minds in Chrsit Jesus. Amen.