Sunday, May 28, 2023
Sermon Text for May 28, 2023 - "Set on Fire"
“Set on Fire”
May 28, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today, in addition to being Pentecost, is also the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. Tomorrow, we give thanks to God for all the men and women of our nation’s Armed Forces who were willing not only to serve, but to give their lives in the line of duty – both to protect our country, and also to sacrifice their own lives to protect others. There’s one particular story about those who were willing to sacrifice their own lives, so others could live.
During the Second World War, there were four Chaplains serving with the US Army: Rev. George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander Goode, Father John P. Washington, and Rev. Clark V. Poling, who was himself originally from Columbus. On February 3, 1943, the troop transport ship on which they were sailing, the SS Dorchester, was struck by a German U-Boat torpedo off the coast of Newfoundland, and started to sink almost immediately. Many of the men on board had been sleeping below deck, were trapped, and started to panic. The Chaplains then started comforting them and calming them down, and then organized an orderly evacuation, handing out life jackets to each one of the men. There ended up being more people in need of life jackets than there were life jackets available, so the Chaplains removed their own life jackets and gave them to soldiers who needed them. They helped as many men as they could into the lifeboats. Then, as the ship continued to sink, they linked their arms together and began saying prayers and singing hymns. Survivors recalled watching the four Chaplains still standing on the deck, praying and singing, as the bow of the vessel finally went under the waves. Only 203 of the 904 men who had been on board were rescued; the four Chaplains were among those who went with the ship. These men are just one of many examples of people who, even when given the opportunity to save their own lives, chose instead to sacrifice their own to allow others to live. They did so not only because duty called for them to do it, but because they were following the example of God, and, being encouraged and motivated by Him, were willing to pay the price to save the lives of others.
Today we also remember, and give thanks, for how Jesus was willing to do the same for us, and each and every person. He sacrificed His own life by dying on a cross, paying the price of His own life. Then, He rose again, and, as in today’s Gospel reading, shows that He has physically come back to life, not as a spirit, but as a living, breathing being again. He then promises us peace – peace for our hearts and minds, which comes from believing that He is victorious over death, and over everything else we may have to face. Just as the Chaplains on board the Dorchester were able to calm and bring comfort to the soldiers who were struggling to get off the sinking ship, Jesus brings us calm and comfort in the midst of all of our struggles, worries, and fears. He then, again, just the Chaplains did, rescues us from everything causing us trouble, doing whatever it takes to bring us to a safer, more secure place. He has promised He will always be with us, and He has kept that promise. There is always hope, because Jesus is always with us. And, after He ascended, He did yet another thing He promised: He sent the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in the form of fire, and gave the disciples the power to tell about Jesus in every language. This also fulfilled what God, speaking through the Prophet Joel in today’s First Reading, had promised: that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all of God’s people, including us. The Holy Spirit is still with us today, and is the driving force for who we are and what we do. The Holy Spirit also motivates us to show God’s love and compassion to people, especially people in need, as the Chaplains did. And, since the Spirit came in the form of fire, today He continues to work His power in us as fire does, in three important ways.
First of all, fire warms. If we think about it, that’s what we use fire for the most. One of the things I’m really looking forward to this summer is spending more time around the fire, warming up at night, getting to hang out with family and friends, and maybe even toasting some hot dogs and marshmallows. Those are two of the things we use fire for a lot: to warm ourselves, and to cook food. So we actually really depend on fire a lot more than we realize – it’s literally something that keeps us alive. We need the fire of the Holy Spirit to make us alive again. Just as fire warms our bodies, we need the fire of the Spirit to warm our hearts again – to love God, and love all people. We especially need our hearts warmed to be able to welcome people again, even strangers who come to be with us, and to be warmed to what they can bring us. The expression to “be on fire” also means to be enthusiastic, gung-ho, and really into something. We need our enthusiasm and optimism back: these were robbed from us during the pandemic. And this can happen when we ask, “What can God do?” – and look forward, with hope, to what He can and will do. This is why we have the promise that we can see visions and dream dreams – and it’s time for us to have vision, to see what God is doing for us, and dream about what God can make possible again. It’s time for us to clear away everything which has been blocking our vision, and keeping us from seeing what God can cause to happen.
Which then leads to the next thing fire does: it clears away. Even though fire remains a constant danger where I come from, and there have been some pretty devastating fires out there in recent years, one somewhat positive effect of the fires each time has been to clear away dead brush and trees, so new plants and trees can have room to grow. Without fire, new life couldn’t be able to spring up and flourish. We’ve also, over the past couple of years, had some things that have kept things from growing among us: fear caused by the pandemic, frustration caused by the results of the pandemic, especially financial struggles, and other tensions. But now it’s time to let the fire of the Holy Spirit clear away everything that has been keeping us from growing and moving forward. We need to be praying for the Holy Spirit to resolve everything which has been making us frustrated or causing tension, and for the Spirit to send fire to clear those things away from us. In the power of the Holy Spirit, it’s time for us to move forward. Which then leads to the third thing about fire:
Fire powers. Most of us are familiar with how engines work: engines are powered by some sort of fuel, which only needs a spark to be able to start a fire, which then gets the engine system up and moving. We need fire power, in every sense of the word. We need the fire of God to drive away everything which has been keeping us standing in one place, and we need His fire to ignite our passion and creativity. It’s like we’ve all been in one vehicle, and we’ve been struggling as we haven’t been sure where the vehicle’s been going the last couple of years. We’ve been trying to drive the vehicle ourselves, especially since we’ve been trying to figure out the right direction to go after everything that’s happened. But now it’s time for us to let God drive again. We are His people, our lives are in His hands, and this is His church. Let’s put ourselves in His hands again. Just as the Chaplains helped to rescue others from being stuck in a place of danger, the Holy Spirit is also offering to rescue us from being stuck in a place where we are in danger of dying. But we have to be willing to take risks, do the unknown and untried. And that can be unsettling: but, just as the Holy Spirit led the apostles to places they never thought they’d go before, and helped them to do things they never thought they’d be able to do, like speak in other languages and prophesy, the Spirit will help us to do the same – to go to places and do things we’ve never dreamed of, but which will be beyond anything we’ve ever dreamed possible. We also need to be mindful of what is powering us, or motivating us: if what we think and do is motivated by anger, or reacting against something, then we will crash and burn, and everything we do will end in disaster. But if we are motivated by love for God and others, and a passion to help others experience the love of Jesus, then what we do will be blessed by the Spirit, and will succeed. Those of you who have been listening closely will notice I’ve been using the phrase “we need” a lot. And that’s because there are a lot of things we need right now, which only the Holy Spirit can provide. As we head into the summer, we are to be praying for ourselves, our families, friends, communities, and church, that the Holy Spirit would give us what we need to be able to grow, develop, move in the direction God wants us to go, and help us have the vision to see it clearly.
And so today, brothers and sisters, receive the Holy Spirit! Receive the power of the Holy Spirit anew in your live and in your heart. Open your heart to accept the Spirit, and let Him warm your heart and set you on fire with passion and enthusiasm for following Jesus again. Pray for God to let you see what He’s doing, what He wants for you, and the motivation to be able to follow His lead. Don’t be afraid to try what is new and unfamiliar, because God can surprise you in ways you never dreamed of. And, in the power of the Spirit, keep going – burn with love for God and for people again, and let yourself be on fire for Jesus!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
LCMC Great Lakes District Prayer Concerns for June 2023
LCMC Great Lakes District
Prayer Concerns for June
2023
For the Church:
- Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ
- LCMC's Staff:
Mike Bradley, Service
Coordinator
Charles Hunsaker,
Military Endorser
Christian Huntley,
Coordinator for Leadership and Pastoral Development
Sharon Macfayden,
Director of Operations
Cathy Nichol,
Administrative Coordinator
Julie Smith,
Coordinator for Districts and Fellowships
Kristy Thomas,
Communication and Public Relations
- LCMC's Board of
Trustees and Ministry Board.
- Our congregations in
the Great Lakes District. This month, we pray for First Faith Community Church
in Sandusky, Ohio, and Pastor John Apple; and Good Hope Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Zoarville, Ohio, and Pastor Brian Lee Rossow.
- Our Mission Partners:
this month, we pray for Camp Penuel in Costa Rica; and St. Peter’s Lutheran
School in Niagara Falls, New York.
- Our International
Partners: this month, we pray for the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Mekane Yesus and LCMC Haiti.
- Our local congregations
with whom we fellowship and work alongside for mission and ministry in our
communities.
For
our Government:
- Joe Biden, our
President.
- Kamala Harris, our
Vice President.
- Mike DeWine, the
Governor of Ohio.
- Gretchen Whitmer,
the Governor of Michigan.
- Our elected
representatives in Congress and State Legislatures.
- Our local county and
municipal officials.
- Our nation's Armed
Forces, especially those serving who are members of our church families; and
for those who are suffering from mental or physical injury, and Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
- Our First Responders, particularly those of law enforcement, fire safety, paramedics, and all medical professionals.
For all those in
special kind of need:
- The people of Ukraine and Russia in the ongoing war there; and for Spiritual Orphans Network and others who are ministering to the victims of the war in that region.
- All in our church families who are suffering from physical, mental, or spiritual illness; addiction; injury; abuse; domestic violence; trauma; stress; or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- All in our own families who are in need of any kind of healing from God, in mind, body, or spirit.
- Those who are continuing to suffer from the effects of COVID-19.
- Those in our church families and communities who are suffering from poverty; homelessness; food insecurity; lack of adequate shelter and/or utilities; unemployment or underemployment.
- Those in our communities who are working to alleviate poverty and homelessness, especially our local shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, and clothes closets.
-
All those who have
suffered from any kind of violence or murder in the past month.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Sermon Text for May 21, 2023 - "All for One, One for All"
“All for One, One for All”
May 21, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
It’s all about Jesus! The reason we gather together every week, the purpose of our worship services, of our donations, our service projects, even our celebrations, everything else we do together as a church, is for one reason it’s all about Jesus. What we’ve been celebrating the last few weeks is Jesus’ ultimate victory over death, by His own death and resurrection – which is why we worship Him, and everything we do ought to be centered around Him. He is what makes our religion unique and different from all others: He is truly God and truly human, who alone is the Son of God, and who alone is how we have access to God the Father. He is the only one who saves us, as we are reminded each time we recall our Baptism, and remember that He makes us clean and forgives our sins by His death; then promising us a new life here in this life, and eternal life after death by His resurrection. Every time we celebrate Communion, we are also reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice of His body and blood, and filled with His power to life a new life committed to Him, and to each other, as He feeds us with His true body and blood. He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us live a new life, committed to Him, every day. Even everything we read in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament, points directly to who Jesus is and what He does. He is the beginning and the end – the beginning for everything we carry out, because we do it with His blessing, and the end, because helping people experience His power and love directly is to be the end result and goal for everything we do. And if we make that our focus again, we can look forward to an even greater and promising future together. Notice I emphasized together, because we really do need each other more than ever, all for the one – Jesus, and being one united for the One – Jesus.
Every so often, it’s good for us to be reminded about why we’re here. Of course, we probably gather together for an hour every Sunday, and on special days, because it’s something we’ve always done, and we don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t. The problem is, covid put us into survival mode, and many other things took priority over focusing on Jesus. But now God has been blessing us with a more hopeful situation, especially with the pandemic being officially lifted worldwide. He has been giving us more reasons to look forward to the future with optimism, so now it’s time for us to get back to what we’re really all about: Jesus. We have a gift to offer everyone, which we are to give freely to everyone: the power of Jesus. Whether people realize it or not, everyone needs Jesus. Only Jesus can satisfy the needs, large or small, anyone has. Jesus, and Jesus alone, has the power to heal, restore, renew, rescue, relieve, and refresh. Jesus alone can also offer true love, care, acceptance, forgiveness, and another chance to live life. Every time we come to Jesus, just as we are now, we receive everything we need, more than anything else in this world can try to satisfy us.
And all the rest of this week, we have the promise, as we do in today’s Second Reading from First Peter, that Jesus cares for us. As it says in verses 6 and 7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may life you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” We can give all our anxieties, stresses, worries, and problems to Him, for Him to take out of our hands and resolve. By humbling ourselves before Him, which means giving up all control, especially any control which is causing us anxiety, and letting Him take charge of us and our lives, we can experience even greater peace, calm, and comfort than we know. Everything that comes against us will ultimately be defeated, because Jesus has already defeated it.
That doesn’t mean life is always going to be perfect, though: we still have an enemy in this life, the devil. He is prowling around like a lion, trying to get us to turn away from Jesus, discourage us, kill our morale and our hope again. His greatest weapon nowadays is actually distraction: taking our focus off of Jesus and trying to put it on to problems which cause worry and anxiety. This is especially what happens when we’re forced into survival mode for any reason: the devil attacks us at our most vulnerable and weakest. He stirs up division and competition between people, and breaks up friendship and relationships, even among other Christians, by tempting people to focus on things which cause arguments and conflicts, causing jealousy and envy. He encourages disunity because he knows that if Christians are united together, they will be able to bring Jesus to everyone – which is exactly what he doesn’t want. Unfortunately, over the past few years, because of the conflict produced by covid and other causes of division, the devil has been allowed to run rampant, and he has nearly succeeded in bringing us, and many other Christians, down forever. But now, dear friends, it’s time to resist him, to cast him out! It’s time to call him and his works out, especially everything he’s done to cause us fear and hopelessness. It’s time for us to be united under the power of Jesus once again, and be united against the devil. The devil must not, and he will not, ever be allowed again to weaken or distract us. If any of you here today feel under attack by the devil, if you have been weakened by the problems of life, and have fallen into any kind of harmful temptation; if conflicts with other people have caused you to doubt yourself and your worth; and if you have been tempted to give up, then I encourage you to humble yourself before Jesus in prayer, and ask Him to fight for you. Then believe that He has already won, and no power which comes against you will ever succeed – Jesus has already beaten it for you. You are also not alone: many others are going through the same kinds of things you are. And you have a power on your side which cannot be defeated, because this power will make you strong, firm, and steadfast, and this power belongs to Jesus forever and ever.
As I talked about recently, we unfortunately have been fed many reasons to separate ourselves from each other, or divide people into different groups, even hate and despise each other because of differences. That is itself a work of the devil, which needs to be called out for what it is. So today, I encourage all of you to resist that special temptation of the devil. Your family members, friends, neighbors, other people you meet every day, classmates, co-workers, fellow church members, even your fellow Christians in other churches, are not the enemy. For far too long we have allowed differences over politics, lifestyle, even theology, to divide us, and now it’s time to refocus on the one thing that unites us – Jesus. We share one common faith and belief in one Lord, God, and Savior, and so that’s what we’re to emphasize – not our differences, but our point of unity. It’s time for us to be one, united, and stronger together again. Why? Because it’s really all about Jesus. It’s all about who we really are: people who have been saved by Jesus, loved by Jesus, and given an even greater purpose by Jesus. We will grow as Christians, individually and as a church, if we put aside everything which has divided, and instead seek unity and cooperation on what really unites us – our faith in Jesus. Jesus’ prayer is that we would be one – so it’s time for us to become one. To Him indeed be the power forever and ever, Amen.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Sermon Text for May 14, 2023 - "Why Love?"
“Why Love?”
May 14, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today, on this Mother’s Day, we give thanks to God for all our moms, and those whom we have regarded as mother figures, as being special gifts from God. And, of course, today I am thankful for my own mom, whose influence on me as a Christian, when I was growing up, and even shortly before I moved here, continues to be really strong. Many of you have asked if my parents would be able to come visit us in Farmersville, and I’m sad to say, the answer is no: given my dad’s current vulnerable health condition, and particularly with him needing to avoid any and all situations where he could contract a viral illness, as well as other obligations my mom has at home, they are unable to do any long-distance travelling at this time. Nevertheless, I’m still thankful for the many ways I’m able to keep in regular touch with my parents, and especially the discussions about faith and what being a Christian means in certain situations to them, that, even in middle age, I greatly appreciate being able to have. Which is a lesson to every one of us: no matter how old we may be, and no matter how much life experience we may have had, we always can continue to benefit from the wisdom and experience our parents, and grandparents, have to offer. Which also means that we ought to enjoy and take advantage of the time and moments we still have with our parents and grandparents, hear their memories and experiences, and learn from what they have to tell us.
And, again, there were, and continue to be, many things I learned and still learn from my parents. One thing in particular that my mom would always encourage me to think about, especially when I was younger, was how a Christian would act in certain situations. What I mean is, there would be more than a few times when I would become angry or frustrated with someone, and would want to lash out, take revenge, or express anger in some other way. My mom would then gently ask if that would be the right Christian response – and, of course, the answer would be no. She would then encourage me to calm down, think about what the best thing to do would be, pray, forgive the people involved, and keep moving forward. She was basically encouraging me to think about what living out my relationship with God would look like, to be able to have as good a relationship with other people as possible. In other words, what the best Christian witness would be at those times. Her advice to think about what the right Christian response to a frustrating person or situation would be, has, throughout my life, helped me to deal with some particularly challenging times, of which I have particularly had a lot in recent years. Which, once again, shows how much she, and my dad, continue to have a strong influence on me, and one which, I hope, they will continue to have even after they both go to be with the Lord. Also, the implication of what my mom counseled me back then is really to try to practice love in all situations. Love for God, certainly, but also love for other people.
And that is indeed what is needed today. We need more love in this world – both love for God and love for other people. We can say we love God, yet Jesus presents us with an even greater challenge, which, again, is needed more than ever: “If you love me, keep my commands.” Despite the way it may seem, Jesus is actually not issuing an ultimatum, or some sort of threat: what He’s saying is that since we love Him, we will do what He says. Just as, when we are in a healthy relationship with someone, we respect their wishes because we both want to be happy in the relationship, the same is with Jesus: because we have a relationship with Him, and He with us, we do what He wants because He knows what would give us the most satisfying, fulfilling life – because He loves us and cares about what would be best for us. A relationship with Jesus, despite the way it has sadly been presented, is not one of “follow and obey me or else bad things will happen to you, you will be punished, and you will be forever condemned.” That would be a one-sided, or dysfunctional relationship. Jesus never forces anyone to be His friend, nor does He force His friendship on anyone – He always gives everyone free will. He offers Himself freely to everyone who wants Him. So, the best way to think of Jesus is as someone who is our friend – the best, wisest, most knowledgeable, most reliable, most encouraging, and most dependable friend we could ever hope for. But this also does not even mean simply following blindly: instead, by following His example which comes out of being formed to become more like Him each day. This happens both by the power of the Holy Spirit, as well as simply being in a relationship with Jesus, the same way that being in a relationship with someone influences who we become.
Which also means, whatever sort of close relationship we have with someone, whether as parents or friends, we are to be mindful of what sort of people we are, because that influences what the person we are in a relationship with is becoming. So, for example, if we want the other person to be happy and healthy, then we are to become happy and healthy ourselves. And, since Jesus is someone who is open, caring, and concerned about everyone’s well-being, that is who we become by being in a relationship with Him. He demonstrated this by dying on the cross, and then rising again, winning victory over sin and death for us, and promising us forgiveness. Also, by being baptized, we are joined to Him in a firm relationship, and also to each other, as family and friends, since we all share baptism in common.
But why is all this really important? Because, once again, it is needed. The covid pandemic and its aftermath unfortunately divided us in a lot of ways, and even broke up friendships between individuals and groups. Jesus is our friend, He wants to be friends with us, to be friends with everyone, and so He wants us to be friends with each other again. The only way to bring the world back to peace and unity is through the love of Jesus. If we think about it, we try to find ways to get out of trying to love other people: by dividing up society, and even people we know personally and encounter on a daily basis. We divide people by political, moral, social, or even theological classes and stances. We make everything about “us” and “them,” while forgetting to realize that we have more in common with “them” in many cases – and we are to look for those things we have in common, to become friends with people first, in order to open up people to us witnessing to the message of Jesus through our own words and actions.
One example is in today’s First Reading, where Paul goes to a place called the Areopagus in Athens, Greece. This was a place where various philosophies were debated, and various teachers attempted to assert their understandings as being the truth. Also, many altars to many different gods were built. Paul notices one dedicated to the “Unknown God.” He uses this as an opportunity to show his audience something they have in common – they have both been worshipping this “Unknown God,” and now, because Paul has opened them up to hearing him because they have this thing in common, he is going to tell them who this “Unknown God” really is – the true God, revealed in Jesus. Notice he does not go for a full frontal attack on their beliefs, which would cause them to become defensive and reject him from the beginning; instead, he tries to find something they can agree on, which helps them listen to him. And we too can learn from this example: if, in our own relationships and interactions, we focus on those things we have in common, and we both enjoy, we are able to be heard more effectively. Also, not every relationship we are in has to be for the purpose of bringing someone to Jesus. But, Jesus still may use us as an opportunity to bring some other change or positive influence to someone’s life. This does not mean that we in any way compromise our belief in Jesus as being the only true God and Savior. Paul certainly did not compromise his message, because what he was not saying in any way was that the one true God was the same as the pagan gods the Gentiles had been worshipping at the other altars. On the contrary, as Peter encourages us in today’s Second Reading, we are to hold on to our belief as true, and be able to articulate and assert it whenever we are challenged – but we are to do so not in a defensive, offensive, or belligerent fashion, but instead with gentleness, being sensitive to those to whom we speak, and with reverence, knowing that the impression we give by our conduct and response will influence how others think about the God we believe in. Everything we do, we are to do out of concern and compassion, not looking at a relationship or interaction as a “win/lose” situation, where we have to win and be right, but instead asking:
How can I help? What does someone need, that I can provide? How can I be a friend? How does Jesus want me to be a friend to that person? What encouraging and uplifting word, thoughtful action, or caring deed can I do for the person who happens to be with me at that moment? What is God wanting me to tell or show someone? To go back to what I talked about with my mom earlier, in times of conflict, frustration, or anger, especially towards another person, what would be the right Christian response? This is how we can bring love and friendship back into this world – through the example of Jesus, and His love and friendship. So on this Mother’s Day, let us honor the example our own mothers, and families, have set for us, by living according to the commands – the example – of Jesus, so that everyone will know who Jesus really is.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Graduation Sunday, May 21, 2023
On Sunday, May 21st, we will be celebrating the graduates in our church family during the worship service. If there is someone you would like to have honored, especially anyone completing college or graduate school, please feel free to submit their name to standrewlcmc@gmail.com. Thank you!
Monday, May 8, 2023
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Community Vacation Bible School Praise in the Park June 10, 2023
