Sunday, April 30, 2023
Sermon Text for April 30, 2023 - "One Way In"
“One Way In”
April 30, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Even though I’ve been back in Ohio for a little over six years now, there are still some things I’m working on getting used to. One is definitely the allergies; many of you have probably noticed I’ve been affected by allergies and sinus issues the last couple of months, and I know a lot of you have as well, especially since this is a worse allergy and sinus infection season than there’s usually been around here, so I definitely can sympathize with you. But there’s still one thing I’m still learning to cope with as far as living in this part of Ohio goes: driving in the big cities. Allow me to explain: even though I grew up in a city, I’ve served in small towns for much of the ministry. And in places like ours, there are roads that go in, and the same roads that go out. Two directions, in and out, easy to follow. But in the big cities around here, especially downtown Dayton, what do we have? One way streets. I’ll admit I got thoroughly confused the first couple times I had to drive around downtown Dayton and had to figure out where I was going. And, what was even more confusing was the fact that often the way I would leave would be a completely different direction than how I arrived. Even now, using my GPS, that sometimes happens to me: my phone will tell me to get to one place a certain way, but then will take me home on another route entirely. Sometimes through a way I’m completely unfamiliar with, which can be a little be scary, at least until I get back on a road I actually know. But having to go in different directions to get to one place can still be a bit confusing, if not frustrating.
It can also be just as confusing to navigate through life, when we are confronted with choices, and are unable to figure out which is the right one. Sometimes our internal GPS – our minds and feelings – can confuse us even more, by trying to tell us to go this way or that way, when both or even neither seem to be the right choice. We can get confused and frustrated about which voice to follow. We also can become spiritually confused, as various voices of teachers and others who claim authority boast that they can offer the secret for living a real Christian life, possessing true Christian teaching, even belonging to the true church. Fortunately, at those times, there is one voice to rely on for guidance, who we know always speaks the truth, and who will always tell us the one true way to get us to where we need to go:
The voice of Jesus. Jesus Himself says in today’s Gospel reading, that He is the voice for us to follow, because He alone speaks with the voice of God. It is only through Jesus that we can have any hope of living the life God wants us to live; and ultimately be saved and live in heaven for eternity. As Saint Peter says in today’s Second Reading, verse 24, “He Himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.” Only the sacrifice of Jesus, and trusting in His sacrifice, can save us and guarantee us eternal life. It is only through the Jesus is not one of many directions to follow in order to be saved: He is the only way. Jesus alone is the path of salvation: no other good works, laws, rules, doctrines, and certainly no other gods, can promise us salvation, which also means that we are not responsible for maintaining our salvation – Jesus alone is. He is, as Peter further says, the shepherd and guardian of our souls. Which means that He is guiding us through life, protecting us from temptation, delivering us from the power of the devil, forgiving us when we sin, and constantly reminding us of who we are – His sheep and His followers. He also has a personal interest in us and our well-being, because He genuinely loves and cares for each one of us individually.
The trouble is, there are many things which are going on, which dominate the headlines and discussions in the news, and which would certainly be an easy topic to discuss from the pulpit at any given time. Unfortunately, the approach has far too often been taken that those who agree or disagree with certain positions are “wolves” or “thieves.” Furthermore, this has also neglected to focus on what the true meaning of being a Christian is – Jesus. Opinions on issues have also been used to attempt to “gatekeep” Christianity – making a judgment as to whether or not someone is really a Christian based on opinions or lifestyle, and condemning those who are or aren’t a certain way as not being Christian, or even Christian enough. But these are not to be what serves as the “gate” for determining being saved: only Jesus Himself is the gate. And, as mentioned before, my being a pastor does not qualify me to be able to speak with authority on every single issue of the day, because I do not possess the proper education and training to be able to speak on certain issues. It is also not my job to determine who is or who is not a Christian – because believing and trusting in Jesus, rather than agreement with certain thoughts, is the only mark of a Christian. In other words, I am not to be a gatekeeper: Jesus alone is both the gate and gatekeeper, and He invites, welcomes, and embraces everyone who believes in Him, regardless of any other circumstances. His gate is also always open to everyone at every time, and He does not slam the gate shut to anyone. My calling, or role, is not to encourage people to listen to or follow me, but instead to encourage all of you, and everyone, to listen to Jesus and follow Jesus alone. Which, as Christians, as what we all are qualified for: this calling is not limited to one person, but belongs to all of us. Each of us, in our own way, have been given gifts and abilities to be able to tell and/or show who Jesus is and what living like Him is like. There is nothing mysterious or secretive about being a Christian: everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus as God and Savior can be called a Christian; and everyone who lives by being transformed to become more like Jesus every day is living a Christian life. There is also no one church that can claim to be the only true church, or alone has the true Christian teaching, because ultimately our belief is not based solely on a system of facts, but on who Jesus is and what He’s done for us.
As long as we continue to preach Jesus, live like Jesus, and love like Jesus, we will always remain relevant. Also, the only voice we are to identify as being the voice of Jesus is that of the Bible: Jesus continues to speak to us through the Bible, and speaks to us clearly, if we are able to listen. No human authority, teacher, or even preacher can replace the voice of Jesus as our one true guide and leader. In fact, unlike any human authority, be it a politician or preacher, Jesus is not concerned about promoting Himself or maintaining His image or power. He is only interested in loving and serving people. He does not need to maintain His power because all power ultimately belongs to Him – and He uses His power humbly, to rescue and save. Being the one true God, He alone can heal, lift up, and give eternal life. So in order to cut the confusion, let’s silence all the other authorities which clamor for our attention, and listen only to Jesus. He is our only way, and He is the only way we need. He is also to be our only example, because just as He is only interested in loving and serving people, we ought to be as well. So let’s no longer be frustrated by all the other voices – let’s find peace, calm, and security by listening to Jesus, and following Jesus alone.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Sermon Text for April 23, 2023 - "What Makes Your Heart Burn?"
“What Makes Your Heart Burn?”
April 23, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
I’ve found, as I’ve gotten older, that there are certain foods, especially certain combinations of foods, that I have to be careful about eating, and especially eating at certain times of the day. For example, even though I’m frequently guilty of doing so, I’ll tend to eat spicier foods right before going to bed. Which means I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with heartburn. And I’ll know exactly what’s caused it, too. Oh, well – one of these days I’ll learn about what makes my heart burn. Fortunately, that’s not what we’re talking about this morning. Instead, we’re talking about a different kind of burning in the heart: one that we hear about in today’s Gospel reading, that comes from encountering the risen Jesus.
In the story, two of Jesus’ followers, named Cleopas and Simon, are walking along the road to Emmaus, possibly the city of Emmaus Nicopolis, which used to be located in between modern-day Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, on the main roadway. Since these are followers of Jesus who probably had to be somewhere else separate from the main group when Jesus appeared to His followers, as we talked about last week, they’ve heard the stories about how Jesus has appeared to various people, but, like Thomas, because they haven’t seen Him for themselves, they’re having trouble believing it. Again, just like we talked about last week, human nature is to demand proof, being able to see something to believe it. But as Jesus encourages us, we are blessed if we still believe, but don’t see it. Which means we hang on to God’s Word in the Bible, and believe what He says is true.
The way God speaks to us, keeps us inspired, and keeps us going, is through the Bible. That’s why it’s important for us to listen closely and carefully to the Bible passages being read each week. Even if certain passages or verses don’t make it into the Sermon, that doesn’t mean God isn’t speaking through them. So, for example, if there’s been a particular verse that’s caught your attention, but you haven’t heard it mentioned in the Sermon so far this morning, think about it all the rest of this week. What is God trying to say to you, what’s He trying to get you to hear from it? How does He want to inspire you, and in what direction is He trying to lead you? Most of all, what is He trying to tell you that He wants you to repeat to others, to inspire, encourage, and uplift them? That’s what witnessing is: telling people both what God has done, and what He’s telling people, especially from the Bible. Which is what Jesus did to Cleopas and his companion: showing them in the Bible how what had happened to Jesus had been predicted long before, but then everything happened as promised, because Jesus came back to life. Which, at that moment, caused the disciples’ hearts to burn. It wasn’t just the fact that Jesus was alive that caused their hearts to burn: it was the power of Jesus burning in them – the power which helped them realize Jesus was alive, and the power which gave them new enthusiasm. Because Jesus was alive, they now had meaning and purpose: they hadn’t wasted their time following someone who was just going to be put to death, but they now were committed to following someone who was truly alive, and who was with them. The Holy Spirit, the very power of Jesus, is that same power that helps us to do the same: we’re here not because we’re part of a group or a club, but because we follow the living Jesus. As Peter says in today’s Second Reading, we’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus, and only by Jesus. Not by any good works we do, or any rules or laws we follow, but only by the sacrifice of Jesus. Through Him we believe in God, who raised Jesus from the dead, and so our faith and hope are in God. So we no longer live an empty, unfulfilled life: our lives now have meaning, and Jesus is that meaning. As long as we believe in Jesus and follow Jesus, we will have a fulfilled and purposeful life.
Then, after Jesus had ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit continued to make Jesus’ followers passionate, enthusiastic, and on fire about witnessing to His truth and living for Him. Peter was not afraid to say, with absolute confidence and boldness, that the only way to be saved was by believing in Jesus, and encouraging people to be baptized according to the command of Jesus as a demonstration of their own passion and enthusiasm for believing in Him. Then, as a way of living out their commitment even more, the disciples became passionate about making sure each other was cared for – that everyone had what they needed. A lot of the reason for this as well, was because, as He Himself had said before, following Jesus meant sacrificing livelihood, stability, even family ties – people could get disowned from their families for following Jesus. So, in order to make sure Jesus’ followers could still have what they needed in order to live, the church stepped in and provided them with basic needs until they could get back on their feet. Also, the widows and orphans, who had no other support system, depended on the church to be able to live. This is also important for us to take note of: that we, whether we realize it or not, depend on each other. Maybe not materially, but we do depend on each other for support, affirmation, guidance, and encouragement. This means it’s important for us to have the same attitude about each other that the early Christians did: making sure that we feel supported and built up. So, we always, once again, have to make sure that we are listening to God, we have the right attitude towards each other, and and we are supporting and encouraging each other with the words God gives us to say. The more we are welcoming and supportive of each other, and others, the more we will be able to grow in every way.
The stresses of the pandemic, of life, even of the wider world, have had a tendency to cool our hearts, our passion, and our enthusiasm. But here’s the good news: we’ve actually been moving forward, because God has not left us to try to figure things out for ourselves. For the past couple of years, God has actually been warming us up again. But not just reheating. What I mean is, when food gets reheated on the stove, or in the oven or microwave, it doesn’t taste the same, it doesn’t have the same flavor or maybe even the same appeal like it did before. But God’s not just reheating us to make us something less than what we were before: instead, He’s preparing us to be something new and improved, to be able to speak His Word and life out our life together in Him in new, innovative, and creative ways. Even though we’ve had to deal with issues with our roof and building the past few months, what they’ve shown is that God has been actively clearing obstacles to making us new. The roof is actually the best example: rather than just a temporary fix, we now have new and more sturdy materials to be able to withstand the weather, especially as it becomes more extreme each season. In the same way, God isn’t just patching us up temporarily: He’s making us into something better than we were before, even years before. But we have to keep trusting Him, going where He leads, and being passionate about doing so.
What’s your passion? What are you enthusiastic about? What do you hope for, and what do you live for? What are you especially devoted to for living out your faith in Jesus? All of us have something we’re committed to, that feeds us and gives us fulfillment, and we believe is our purpose. Myself, my passion is bringing people together – especially individuals, families, organizations, to serve the local community with God’s love in special ways that address the needs of the community. Some others of you might be passionate about praying. Some others of you might be passionate about studying and teaching the Bible. Some of you might be passionate about music and the arts. Some of you might be passionate about children and youth. Some of you might be passionate about making sure people’s physical needs are met. Some of you might be passionate about making sure the building is maintained and safe. Still some others of you might be passionate about leadership.
Whatever your passion is, share it! The world needs you to be you and share what keeps you going. Don’t be afraid to live your passion, and don’t be shy about showing your passion. Don’t let things, circumstances, events, or even people keep you from being who you are, and living what you’re passionate about. Don’t let things try to make you conform to what you think would be easiest or safest, but live, and live out, whatever is burning in your heart. Keep on being inspired, and don’t let anything try to silence your inspiration or creativity. Don’t let anything, or anyone, erode your confidence, because it’s your confidence that allows you to live out the gifts God has given you to witness and live for Him. Also, God has given you a voice to be able to express yourself, your passion, who you are, and, again, what He wants you to tell people. Don’t let anything, or anyone, try to silence your voice, or keep you from speaking as yourself. If you’re burning, good! Even though our area may be under a burn ban until the end of next month right now, for us Christians, every day, all year, is burning season – we are to burn with passion for following Jesus, and be committed to setting the world on fire for Him. So don’t be afraid – let your heart burn for Jesus!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Sermon Text for April 9, 2023 - "Be Alive Again!"
“Be Alive Again!”
April 9, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! And it’s so wonderful that we’re all here this morning. Whether you’ve been coming regularly throughout the year, or whether this is the first time you’ve been here this year, we’re really glad and excited you’re here! We also encourage all of you to stick around and visit afterwards. We’re just all really happy to have you all here, because having you here makes today even more special. So, we want everyone to stay afterwards to help make this day even greater than it already is.
Today we are all gathered together, as we do every year, to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. But we also have to remember that we are not simply here to remember some sort of historical event, that happened long ago: Jesus rising again from the dead means something for us right here, right now! He is with us, just as much as we are with each other. We’re here to spend time with Jesus, which is why we’re also encouraged to spend time with each other – to make the time real and special. On the one hand, Jesus’ resurrection is like something that happened in the past, say, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, that still impacts us today; but the difference is, it impacts us in a different way, because the signers of the Declaration of Independence no longer exist, and so what they did only exists in memory. But with Jesus it’s different: Jesus is alive right now, and so who He is and what He did is not just some historical memory – it’s something that impacts us right now! Why? Because Jesus lives forever! He died a real physical death, where He stopped breathing, His body shut down completely, and it seemed like there was no coming back. And even though He had told His disciples repeatedly that He was going to be handed over to be crucified, and that He would rise again after three days, they still didn’t understand. So when He died, they were lost, sad, and confused, and, it was hard for them to believe that Jesus was alive. Yet, as we hear in today’s Gospel reading, He came out of the tomb in a dramatic way, with an angel rolling the stone away, and then appearing to the women who had come to prepare His body for burial – not needed, since He was physically alive again. In other words – don’t be dead in your fear and sadness, because you think Jesus is dead. Be alive again, live in joy and hope, because you know, and you believe, Jesus is alive!
Since Jesus is alive, it’s time for us to be alive again! Now is the moment for us to wake up and shake off everything that’s held us back and held us down for so long. Jesus couldn’t be held down by death, and He was victorious over it – so we can’t be held down by anything trying to keep us down, because Jesus has already defeated it! It’s time for us to be who we are, and who we’ve always been meant to be, again: people who no longer live in fear and negativity because of what could happen, but who live in hope and optimism because of what is happening: Jesus is alive, and He is making everything better!
It’s also time for the Church, the whole body of Christ, to be alive again, especially after the effects of the pandemic, and everything else that’s happened in the world. Church families all over the country, and all over the world, have had to struggle with pandemic conditions, lower attendance, lower giving because of economic and attendance realities, increased expenses, political and social divisions. But here’s the reality: now the world needs us, the Church, more than ever. The world needs to hear some good news with all the bad news that’s been going on: that things are going to be better because Jesus is alive and reigns supreme over all the world. And if everyone is able to focus on Jesus and follow Jesus, then there will be an end to fear, ignorance, hatred, violence, division, and injustice – with the Church setting the example for the rest of the world and being able to change the rest of the world as we are changed and go out into the world. But the Church needs to get back on track and focus on Jesus again, in order to help the rest of the world focus on Jesus. So we, the Church, are to be committed to our true purpose and calling: following Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and bringing people to saving faith in Jesus.
Today you’re invited to commit your life to Jesus. You’ve spent most of your life coming to church, coming to worship services like these. But have you ever taken a moment to think about why you’re here? And do you really believe it? Everything Jesus did, dying and rising again, He did for you personally. That means accepting that Jesus sacrificed Himself for your sins, shed His blood to make you clean, died to save you from death, and rose again to give you eternal life. So, does it mean anything for you personally? Jesus being alive does mean something for you: it means whatever is happening in your life, there is always someone in control, looking out for you, ready to help you at any moment. It also means that all your sins are forgiven, everything you’ve ever done has been wiped clean and forgotten, and you can have a fresh start and a new beginning for your life. And especially if you are looking to start your life over again, now’s the perfect opportunity, because if you commit your life to Jesus today, He will give you that new start you’re looking for.
But what’s keeping you from committing your life to Jesus? Perhaps there’s been some hangup or prejudice that’s been keeping you from listening to Jesus, and hearing what He wants to tell you. Well, you’re encouraged today: turn off the noise! Because that’s all it is – noise, distracting you from listening to Jesus. Maybe you have a lot else going on in your life right now, and your personal relationship with Jesus hasn’t been at the forefront of your mind. Think about this: everything else you’re involved in right now will either change or disappear. But your relationship with Jesus will always remain the same, and He will still be committed to you. Maybe you think you’re not good enough, for any reason, to call yourself a Christian or a believer in Jesus. Well, here’s some good news: being a Christian doesn’t depend on how good you are, but only on the fact that Jesus died and rose again for you and has accepted you just as you are. Whatever you feel guilty about, Jesus has forgiven you. If any of you want to talk more about what committing your life to Jesus means for you, or if you need prayer for any reason, feel free to talk with me after the service. In the meantime, you’re invited to take a moment to close your eyes. Now, bring to mind anything that’s been weighing you down, causing you worry, or holding you back. Imagine you’re holding it in your hands. Now, turn your palms upward, and pray, in your own way, for Jesus to take it from you. Let go of it and give it up to Him. And, as you come forward in a few minutes to receive Communion at the altar, after you go back to your seat, you are invited to pray, again, in your own way, to commit your mind and heart to Jesus. You are encouraged to invite Jesus into your life, to get to know Him in a way you probably never have before and give yourself to Him. Jesus died and rose again for you – now the best way to thank Him for what He’s done for you personally, is by committing your life to Him, personally, today.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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