Advent Midweek 2 - 2012 - Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;^[a]
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;^[b]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.^[c]
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

⁵ Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
    foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
⁶ but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
    they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
    and in their glory you shall boast.
⁷ Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
    instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
    they shall have everlasting joy.

⁸ For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;^[d]
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹ Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
    and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
    that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to sprout up before all the nations.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is from the reading just read, especially these words, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;  my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Christ is coming.  He will be here soon.  Come Lord Jesus.  He comes to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to those who are captive, and the opening of prisons.  He comes to proclaim the year of the Lord’s Favor and the day of vengeance.  Come Lord Jesus.  Come quickly. 

You see, this means he comes for us.  He comes to save us.  To rescue us.  We are the poor one, poor miserable sinners.  Guilty at every turn, guilty for our sin, which we have committed by our fault, our own fault, our own most grievous fault.  And so he comes to bring us good news of great joy – that born unto us in the city of David is a savior. 

He comes for us.  To bind our broken hearts – hearts broken by the pains of this world.  Broken by hurt.  Broken by the cares and worries of this life.  Broken by cancer, by loved ones lost in the last year.  Broken by stress.  Our hearts ache every day and every hour, so Christ comes. 

He comes to save us, to proclaim our liberty.  For we have been slaves to sin.  We do the things we know we ought not, and the things we should do we fail to do.  We cannot help but sin, it infects us to our very black rotten core.  We are, as St. Paul writes, slaves to sin, and Christ comes to set us free, to save us from that sin, by his own death to our sin on the cross. 

He comes to open the prisons.  No, not earthly prisons, but the eternal prison of Hell.  We who for so long deserved hell because of our guilt now know that we are free, pardoned by Christ.  He purchased and won us, not with silver and gold, but with his innocent suffering and death.  That we might be his own, and live under him in his kingdom. 

Dear friend, that’s what this season of Advent is about.  Christ is coming.  TO make us his own.  To take us from this world of sin.  To make us poor, sinners - ugly with sin, deserving of punishment – a beautiful bride for Christ.  He comes, decked out in his finest, to bring his bride the church into its eternal home.  As our text says, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;  my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

He has clothed us in salvation and in his righteousness.  He has done this as we are washed of our sin.  We belong to Christ, for we were marked as his in baptism.  We belong to him, for he has made us well.

He’s coming.  The sick to heal, the weak to be made strong, the brokenhearted to be healed.  He’s coming.  And you belong to him.  Amen. 

Advent 2 - G - 2012 - Relax or Repent?

Second Sunday in Advent - Series C

December 9, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Malachi 3:1-7b                        Philippians 1:2-11                   Luke 3:1-20

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is from the Gospel lesson, especially these words, “but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, Christ is coming.  John says so in our text today.  He’s coming and is so mighty that even the great John the Baptist, the prophet and cousin of Jesus is not worthy to untie his sandals.  Jesus is coming, and the axe is laid to the foot of the tree, and those who do not repent will be thrown in the fire.  Christ’s winnowing fork is in his hand, and he is coming and ready to judge and rule.  Repent!  For the kingdom is near. 

But we aren’t really worried are we?  Relax a bit pastor – It’s Christmas, we need to lighten up a bit, and just get in the spirit of things.    We’ll be fine, we’ve been members here our whole life.  We’re safe.  Our parents and grandparents were members here, and our kids will be.  We belong here, and so we know we don’t need to worry about all this “Repent and Axes at the root” business of John the Baptist.  Right?

Wrong.  St. John addresses that directly.  “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’  For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”  You see, it doesn’t matter if your name is written in the church record book.  It doesn’t matter if you get buried in the cemetery, or if you donate a ton of funds to this church or anywhere.  What matters is that you bear fruits in keeping with repentance.  And the axe is ready to cut down any tree that isn’t bearing fruit of repentance, to destroy any person who doesn’t do what John says, and to throw them into the eternal fire. 

Christ is coming!  So repent!    If you have extra this Christmas season – or all year for that matter – share it with the one who has none.  Don’t steal.  Don’t hurt.  Don’t cheat on your taxes.  Don’t commit adultery, don’t sin in any way, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. 

This is what a repentant person looks like.  That’s how a repentant person acts.  They don’t just rely upon their church membership.  They don’t just trust the title of Lutheran to save them.  They realize they are guilty, they realize they are sinners, they realize that they need a savior, and they care for their neighbors. 

And as you do these things, know that in no way does it earn you anything from God.  No way does it forgive you, or make you more holy than anyone else.  Only “the Coming One” can do that.  Only He can set you free.  Only He can save you.  And get ready he’s coming.  He’s coming to be born of a virgin and laid in swaddling clothes.  He’s coming to grow up, showing you what a true Christian looks like.  He’s coming to serve his neighbor.  To heal the sick.  Give sight to the blind.  To make the lame to walk.  He’s coming to give all of himself on your behalf, to give up even his life on a hill far away – nailed to an old rugged cross. 

That’s Jesus.  He comes to bear the ultimate fruits of repentance.  It’s Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, giving all he had, being born in the likeness of men.  He cares for you.  He suffers for you.  He dies for you.  And he gives you hope and promise for your entire life. 

As John says, we aren’t worthy for Jesus, but he comes anyways.  We are not worthy to untie his sandals, so we care for his other children, our neighbors around us instead.  We care, so that all flesh may see God – come to set his people free.  Amen.  

December Newsletter Article - That's What Christmas is all About!

 Dear Friends,

Most Christmas television specials are lying to you.  I hate to say it, but it’s true.  I mean, I love watching talking snowmen, and Dasher and Dancer and “Ho Ho Ho!” and all, but behind all these fun things, there is a fundamental lie. 

The lie is this: there is some magical “Christmas Spirit” and if you want your Christmas to go well, you have to possess it.  Furthermore, to possess it, you have to sing the right Christmas carols, you have to buy lots lights for your house, you have to stop saying “Bah Humbug!” and you need to have snow falling outside (just not on the sidewalks please!).  Finally, and most importantly, you have to be more concerned with giving than receiving. 

One of the Christmas movies we see this idea of “Christmas Spirit” idea most clearly is one of my favorites, the movie “Elf.”  In the movie, Santa’s sleigh stops flying, the Christmas “Spiritometer” is at empty.  If Santa doesn’t take off soon, the police will arrest him.  So the main female character begins singing, “You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry.”  Soon, the whole city of New York is singing, Santa’s sleigh flies again, and everyone’s Christmas is saved. 

But there is a fundamental Lutheran problem with “Christmas Spirit.”  It is always dependent upon us, upon how we feel, upon what we do.  The Grinch needed to grow his heart three sizes to have the “Christmas Spirit.”  Shrek needed to realize his family included all his annoying friends to have the “Christmas Spirit.”  Rudolph needed to know he is a unique person, and his friends needed to accept him for his uniqueness. 

Law, law, law!  Do you see our Lutheran conundrum?  All these people had to do something to get the “Christmas Spirit.”  If that’s really what Christmas is all about, then Christmas is Law, and as Lutherans, we have learned in Catechism class, that “the Law always accuses – it shows us our sin.” 

Christmas isn’t about “fixing your attitude.”  Christmas isn’t about Christmas spirit.  It’s not even about the biggest half-truth that we tell at this time of the year, “Tis better to give than to receive.” 

No, Christmas is not about any of these things.  It’s about Christ, it’s about Jesus, born of the virgin, made man.  It’s about a gift, yes, but not a gift we give, but a gift we first receive from God. 

My very favorite Christmas television special is probably the one that most clearly illustrates this point.  Charlie Brown feels down.  He doesn’t have the “Christmas spirit.”  He isn’t happy, he doesn’t have lights on his house.  He doesn’t get Christmas cards.  He doesn’t even enjoy leading the school Christmas program. 

Finally, pushed to the limit, and just sick and tired of all the phony baloney, Charlie Brown shouts out, “Isn’t there anybody who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Linus to the rescue, “And there were angels in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night, And suddenly a great multitude of angels appeared, and the glory of the Lord shown all around.  And they said, “Unto you this day is born in the city of David, a Savior, which is Jesus Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.” 

Jesus.  Savior.  Immanuel.  That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. 

That baby is a gift to us.  That baby is really God in human flesh, sent to take away the sin of the world.  That same babe, who lies in a wooden manger, will one day lie on a wooden cross, as nails are pounded through His hands.  He who is wrapped in swaddling clothes will one day be stripped of all His clothes while He dies.  That babe is the gift that keeps on giving, the One that sets us free from sin. 

That message – the free gift of Jesus for your forgiveness, life and salvation – can easily get lost in our world today.  After all, Christmas shopping season begins the day after Halloween.  The kids all want very specific toys, which are impossible to find in the stores.  The television is full of annoying Target ads, and radios with 85 million pop Christmas songs that you don’t want to listen to.  (I prefer the oldies myself.) 

But Christmas is really about Jesus.  It really is a gift.  One that is better to receive than any you might give.  It’s one that we share together in the faith; it’s one that brings good tidings of great joy that shall be for all people.  It’s the best Christmas gift you could ever receive, and it’s one that keeps on giving for eternity. 

So when you are stuck in a mile long checkout line, with kids screaming, and visions of burning Christmas cookies dancing in your head, and when your “Christmas spirit” is dreadfully lacking, you are forgiven by the gift of Christmas.  You are a child of God, and will always be.  You are forgiven, in the blood of the lamb.

It won’t make snow fall outside your window, it won’t shrink the lines, it won’t make your annoying family member suddenly nice.  It certainly won’t make snowmen come alive.  But it does mean that you will be alive, forever.  It does mean you have forgiveness.  It does mean that Jesus loves you.  And not one of these things is dependent upon you, or your “Christmas spirit.”  It’s all dependent on Christ, born, crucified, and risen.  And that, dear friends, is what Christmas is all about.   

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good Newsletter!

Advent Midweek 1 - 2012 - Isaiah 9

9 ^[a] But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.^[b]

^2 [c] The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shone.
³ You have multiplied the nation;
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as with joy at the harvest,
    as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
⁴ For the yoke of his burden,
    and the staff for his shoulder,
    the rod of his oppressor,
    you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵ For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon^[d] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called^[e]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text tonight is the reading from earlier, especially these words, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  We walk in darkness in this world.  Sin surrounds us at every turn.  Oh, I know, we don’t like to think its our fault, we don’t like to think its our problem.  Its everyone else’s problem, isn’t it.  Preach on pastor, tell them how evil they are, tell so and so what they have done wrong.  Because its Christmas season, and I’ve baked the cookies, I’ve taken care of my loved ones, I’ve put up the tree.  I can’t be the one walking in darkness.  But its all those other people.

Oh but if it were only true.  But the truth is, we are guilty.  You are guilty.  You have sinned, and you walk in the darkness of that sin all the days of your life.  You may not realize it, but that’s only because it’s what you’re used to.   Sin.  Death.  Pain and Sickness.  This is the way of our sinful world.  It is the way of us. 

But the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  A light shining brightly in the darkness, that the darkness cannot and will not overcome.  It’s a light that shows us both our sin, and our rescue.  When we see that light, we realize how ugly our own sin is, how grossly it has deformed us from the good and very good creatures that God originally designed.  In the light we see ourselves for what we really are – sinners.

But we also see our savior.  We also see a rescue, a savior, one who will come to set the captives to sin free forever.  For unto us a child is born, unto us a savior is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.  And he shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

For soon to be born, in the city of David, is a tiny, precious baby, in whose flesh the fullness of the eternal non created God lives.  He is true God, and true man, born of the virgin.  And he comes to place the government of God’s people upon his shoulders.  To bear upon his back the sins of the world, and to kill them on the cross.  He will establish an eternal kingdom, apart from the sins of this world, apart from the struggles of this day, apart from suffering and pain.  To be the light of the world, so that all may see Him and be saved.

And in the light of this child’s reign, sin shall be destroyed.  Our joy shall increase forever.  We shall finally and eternally be at peace.  In him, we will be saved.  And this child, born in the stable, laid in the manger, He is coming again.  He will come with trumpet and cloud, and he take us home forever. 

Dear friends, we walk in darkness in this world.  We struggle.  And yet, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light, we have seen the Christ.  We have seen our Savior.  We have seen our Lord.  A child is born.  A son is given.  Our savior.  Amen.  

Advent Greetings from President Harrison

Blessed Advent!

Advent services at 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays in December.

Advent 1 - G - 2012 - Come Quickly

First Sunday in Advent - Series C

December 2, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

]Jeremiah 33:14-16                   1 Thessalonians 3:9-13                        Luke 21:25-36

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today comes from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”  Thus far our text today.

Dear friends in Christ.  We are at the first Sunday in Advent.  We anxiously await the coming of Jesus, who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was made man, born of the virgin Mary.  He’s coming.  He’ll be here soon.  Come Lord Jesus, come quickly is our prayer.

And as we await the coming of Jesus, our text hearkens back to the last few weeks.  Our text focuses on Christ’s coming, not as a baby born of the Virgin, but on clouds, with judgment.  Our text looks to Christ’s second coming, when he will justly and rightly bring this sinful world to its end, when he will call the dead from their graves, and lead all Christians to heaven, and leave the rest to eternity in Hell. 

Come Lord Jesus is still our prayer.  As Christians we look forward to the end of the world, because we know for us in the faith it means our rescue.  It means taking us out of this world.  When Jesus comes, everything will be made right for us.

For you see, when Jesus comes, sin will be brought to its end.  Those who lie, gossip, bicker, and fight will be destroyed.  Those who murder, or kill, or hurt other lives, their lives will be called into account.  Those who steal, cheat, rob, or borrow without permission will have their lives taken.  Those who sin in any way, despise preaching and the word, those who curse, and swear, they themselves will face the judgment of sin.  And most importantly, and most dreadfully, those who did not fear, love or trust in God will face his eternal wrath.  When he comes, every knee will bow, and those in sin will realize the deadly and eternal consequences for that sin.    

But wait just a minute pastor, that’s not really good news for us is it?  Because I’ve sinned.  I’ve fallen short.  I’ve done what I know I shouldn’t have.  I’ve stolen and swore.  What is going to happen to me when Christ returns.  What’s going to be my fate, because if sinners are destroyed, I am destroyed. 

Dear baptized, fear not.  For in the Christ who has come, and will come again with Judgment, you have been washed.  You have been cleansed in his blood.  Yes you sin, but you are also perfectly holy in Christ’s righteousness. 

You belong to him.  You were claimed in baptism.  You were branded and marked as belonging to the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  He has saved you, in a washing of rebirth and renewal, that connects you directly to Christ on the cross for sin.  You see, dear friends, you have already died.  You have already faced punishment for your sins, as you hung with Jesus on the cross through baptism.  And in that gift, you are promised to one day, “Be with him forever in paradise.”

But Pastor, my baptism was so long ago, I don’t even remember it, I was a baby who didn’t know up from down.

Dear friends, your baptism was not based upon your memory of it, or your ability to reason.  It was based on God’s promise.  And to strengthen that faith created in you, you are fed on a regular basis with the very living body and blood that died and rose again.  Jesus comes to you in the flesh already today, hidden in bread and wine for the forgiveness of your sins.  So when Christ returns again in glory, it will not be a "gotcha" moment, but a joyful reunion with the one who won you with his one death for your sin.  When Christ returns, you will bow before him, not in fear, but in honor and love.  And he will then take you by the hand, lift you up, and greet you. 

So we can do as today’s text says, “pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”  And as we pray it we know that we will be safe.  We will escape, only in the blood of Christ.  We will stand, as a dear brother and sister of Christ.  We pray, Come Lord Jesus, take me home.  Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  Amen.  

Edith B. (Bellin) Pankow Funeral - 2012

Isaiah 49:7-16             Revelation 2:10           Matthew 18:1-5

⁸ Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
    in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
    as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
    to apportion the desolate heritages,
⁹ saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
    to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
They shall feed along the ways;
    on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
¹⁰ they shall not hunger or thirst,
    neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
    and by springs of water will guide them.
¹¹ And I will make all my mountains a road,
    and my highways shall be raised up.
¹² Behold, these shall come from afar,
    and behold, these from the north and from the west,
    and these from the land of Syene.”

¹³ Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
    break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on his afflicted.

¹⁴ But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
    my Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵ “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
    yet I will not forget you.
¹⁶ Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are continually before me.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.  Our text today is the Old Testament lesson, especially these words, “Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.  Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, especially Kenneth, Paula, Ardith and Sherry, family and friends of Edith.  Again, we gather to mourn.  Again we hurt, again we ask those questions, “Why is Edith taken from us?  Why do we have to hurt?  Why did she have to struggle the way she did?  Why do these things happen to us?”

For Edith did struggle these last few years.  Alzheimer’s had taken a drastic toll on Edith.  Alzheimer’s hurt Edith’s memory.  She struggled recognizing people at times, she couldn’t remember dates or places as well.  Many days she didn’t remember where she was, thinking she was back in school or in childhood.  She spent much of her time sleeping.  The fun, feisty lady was not quite herself for many years. 

That is the way that Alzheimer’s works.  It destroys one’s memories.  It makes you forget.  It makes you confused.  It is one of the most painful ways that sin works in our world.  As you well know, families are left mourning as they watch their loved one’s memory slowly fade.  And you have mourned, as your Ma’s memory faded, you hurt.  As Edith struggled, you too wept with her. 

And now she’s gone.  Now her struggle is over.  Now her pain is ended.  But the mourning continues – now its our turn to weep and hurt and remember.  But even our own memories will fade over the years.  Even our own recollections will disappear.  For we ourselves will age, and weaken.  Our minds will themselves become foggy.  Our lives will go on until we too one day will die.  Our memories of our loved ones who have passed away like Edith may live with us for a time, but one day they will disappear with us.  As Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes, “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.”

That’s sin in us.  That’s its affect.  That we should forget, that we should die.  And yet, there is one who does not forget.  There is one, who shall not forget you, dear friends, just as he did not forget Edith.  For you dear friends, each one of you, and dear Edith as well, are engraved upon the palms of his hands. 

This one who remembers is Christ.  Even though we pass away in this world, he remembers us.  Even though we feel forgotten, even though our memories fade, he does not forget.  We are precious to him.  We are loved by him.  So loved that he willingly forsook his own life on our behalf, and on behalf of Edith.  His hands were engraved with our names, engraved with nails that pierced them through, and held his hands firmly to a cross as he gave up his life on your behalf, and on behalf of our dear sister Edy.  And after lying dead three days in the tomb, Christ arose, and showed the disciples his hands and his feet – as if to say, “You are not forgotten.  You are remembered, and always shall be!”

Dear friends, I remember one day visiting Edith, and in her Alzheimers, the only thing she could say was, “I just want to go home, I just want to go home.”  Christ heard her prayer.  Christ remembered her prayer.  Christ remembered her confirmation, when he told her, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”  And today, Christ has kept his promise to her, and has taken her home for the last time.  There she is at peace, there she is with Rudy, Craig, and all other family and friends who have died in the faith.  She rests secure in the arms of Jesus.  She has the crown of life, and will forever more. 

Dear friends, we are left here.  You mourn, we remember, you always will for Edy, your mom, your grandma.  You’ll remember the funny moments from her life, like how she ran over a St. Bernard – a dog who lived to see another day by the way – or how she had trouble hearing so everything needed to be written down for her.  You’ll remember your visits with her, and you’ll remember care.  You’ll remember her becoming more sick, and you’ll remember the last time you held her hand. 

But most importantly, remember that it’s not only you who remember, but Christ who remembers her.  It’s Jesus who has taken her home.  It’s Jesus who promises you will see her again there in eternity.  It’s Christ who remembers her, for she is engraved upon his hands.  And He remembers you as well dear friends.  He remembers you as you mourn, He remembers you while you hurt.  He’ll remember you while you think of Edy, and will remember you all the days of your life here on this earth. 

For you too are engraved upon the palms of his hands.  Amen.  

Last Sunday of the Church Year - G - 2012 - Unknown Day and Hour, Stay Awake

Isaiah 51:4-6               Jude 20-25                  Mark 13:24-37

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.  Our text today is from the Gospel lesson, especially the following words, “Be on guard, keep awake.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, Do you remember when you were a teenager, and Mom and Dad decided to go out of town for the weekend, and leave you at home.  Always right before they left, they would say, “Now, no crazy parties while we’re gone, and don’t get into any trouble.”  The average teenager would smile and say, “Don’t worry mom and dad,” and stand on the front porch waving until the car went around the bend. 

Almost immediately, the party planning would begin.  The phone calls would be made, the music cranked up, and in a matter of a few short hours, the house was teeming with young people.  Cars were parked in the yard, and the fun would go on long into the night…

EXCEPT, Mom and Dad had car troubles, and had to turn around and come home.  Do you remember that moment of dread when they walked in the door, can you remember the screaming, the shouting?  Can you remember how quickly all your friends disappeared?  Do you remember when that happened?  Well it never happened to me, but if it did, I can imagine the dread felt as that fateful day and hour arrived. 

Dear friends, this is the same thing our text is saying to us.  Be awake.  Pay attention, don’t be caught unawares.  Because dear friends – Christ is coming again.  He will return, with trumpet call, with angels and clouds.  And when Christ returns, on that fateful day and hour and day, he will come with power, and with judgment, and those who are awake will enter heaven, and those who are asleep, acting like nothing is happening will go to the eternal fires of hell.

So dear friends, are you awake?  Or are you asleep?  Will mom and dad find you behaving when they suddenly return home, or will they find a party full of lewd acts and booze?  What sort of behavior have you been committing?  Are you awake, or are you asleep?  As Christ ascended into heaven, he said, “Therefore make disciples of all nations by means of baptizing them and teaching them everything that I have commanded you.”  And then Christ ascended upon a cloud until no one could see him.  And what has Christ commanded?  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  Or to put it simply, as Christ does in Matthew chapter 5, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

But we haven’t been perfect have we?  We haven’t loved God or our neighbors.  We have failed miserably.  As soon as Christ gets out of view, as soon as we are out of church, the party begins, the sin increases and our guilt along with it.  We commit adultery, we steal, we murder, we kill, we cheat on taxes, we hate, we are jealous, we are full of selfish ambition, we fight, we bicker, we gossip, we are envious and more!  And the worst part is we don’t even act concerned with it.

Dear friends, Christ is returning.  He knows what is going on in our lives.  Stay awake!  Repent!  Turn aside from your sins!  Know that Christ is coming again, and that he comes to judge those who are left in sin.

But also know that your sin is forgiven.  Christ has also died for you.  So your sin has already been judged – not in you, but in Jesus.  Your sin became his.  Your guilt became his.  Your punishment became his.  You are no longer guilty, for Christ has taken away the sins of the world.  Christ has set you free and now you are free.  By his bloody and death and resurrection, on an old rugged cross, your sin is removed. 

So now, when Christ returns, you need not fear punishment or hell.  You need not worry about what will happen to you when you die.  Christ comes for you Christians who are awake, not to judge, but rather to bring home.  Christ comes on the last day to call to life all the faithful who have gone before us.  To bring them and you and me into heaven.  To take us from this vale of tears, to a world of peace and comfort.  To take us to live forever with him, so that we may see him face to face. 

He comes to be our king.  To rule us in righteousness – a righteousness he shares with us in baptism.  He comes to take us to his kingdom.  To be ruled by the same God who created us.  To come into a world more perfect than we can possibly imagine. 

Dear friends, be awake in the faith.  Do not sleep, Because Christ is coming.  And when he arrives it will be to take us to a wonderful eternity with him.  And until that day, we pray the same prayer Christians have been praying for generations.  Come Lord Jesus Come Quickly.  Amen.  

Rev. Dr. Howard John Jording Funeral - 11/21/2012

Job 14:1-17                 1 Peter 5:1-4                Matthew 10:32

“Man who is born of a woman
    is few of days and full of trouble.
² He comes out like a flower and withers;
    he flees like a shadow and continues not.
³ And do you open your eyes on such a one
    and bring me into judgment with you?
⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.
⁵ Since his days are determined,
    and the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
⁶ look away from him and leave him alone,^[a]
    that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.

⁷ “For there is hope for a tree,
    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.
⁸ Though its root grow old in the earth,
    and its stump die in the soil,
⁹ yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put out branches like a young plant.
¹⁰ But a man dies and is laid low;
    man breathes his last, and where is he?
¹¹ As waters fail from a lake
    and a river wastes away and dries up,
¹² so a man lies down and rises not again;
    till the heavens are no more he will not awake
    or be roused out of his sleep.
¹³ Oh that you would hide me in Sheol,
    that you would conceal me until your wrath be past,
    that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
¹⁴ If a man dies, shall he live again?
    All the days of my service I would wait,
    till my renewal should come.
¹⁵ You would call, and I would answer you;
    you would long for the work of your hands.
¹⁶ For then you would number my steps;
    you would not keep watch over my sin;
¹⁷ my transgression would be sealed up in a bag,
    and you would cover over my iniquity.

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is Pastor Jording’s confirmation verse just read, “everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, especially Lucia, Dacia, and Timothy, friends and family of Pastor Jording.  Pastor Jording spent his life giving.  He gave love to his wife and kids.  He gave honorary doctorates to many of the pastors here from the fictitious “University of Southern North Dakota.”  For 40 plus years, he gave the Word of God to about a dozen congregations.  He baptized, confirmed, and married many of you who are here.  He preached over 2,400 sermons.  He visited the sick.  He cared for the poor.  His life was a life of confessing who Christ is, of giving the gifts of Jesus to people, and of serving him in all his stations of life.

This man spent his life faithfully confessing and proclaiming and giving the gifts of God, and yet, this man, as his life was coming to its end, as he body was getting weaker, and his pain getting greater, confessed to me – “You can’t out give God.”     You see, Pastor Jording understood, that even as great a giver as he was, he didn’t give enough.  As much as he cared for you, he still fell short.  As good of a pastor as he was, he still had his weaknesses and shortcomings.  Despite all the wonderful things that Pastor Howard Jording did in his life, he knew it was nothing compared to the gift that Jesus gave – forgiveness, life and salvation.  A gift freely given to you, to me, and yes even to Pastor Jording in his life. 

And it is a gift that we desperately need.  Left to our own devices, this world is more than we can bear.  As our Old Testament lesson says, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.”  We struggle through days of hurt, pain and mourning.  Our sin is ever before us.  Yes, even a faithful pastor like Pastor Jording was guilty of sin.  He sinned in his thoughts, words, and deeds, just as you dear friends in Christ have.  He fell short of the glory of God, just as you do every day.  He was a poor miserable sinner, just like you and me, although he also confessed to me that he never liked that saying, because he said, and I quote, “I am not a poor sinner, I’m actually very good at being a sinner.” 

Pastor Jording knew this from his own life, just as you too know your own sin.  He knew where he fell short.  He knew where he failed.  He had seen the pain and sorrows of this world, he had lost his loved ones to death.  Sin permeated his life, and he was the first to admit it. 

And it’s that sin that brings us together here today.  The wages of that sin is death.  That sin infects each one of us.  It destroys our relationships.  It causes weakness and pain in our lives.  It kills our loved ones, even as it awaits its turn to take us to death as well.  It’s sin, a calamity too big for us to deal with on our own, to steep a price to pay, too ugly to conceal that we deal with.  And we know it sting today especially, as we gather to mourn and hurt.  We’ve watched as Pastor’s own health deteriorated.  We’ve watched as he became weaker.  We’ve watched as he’s finally left this world of suffering.  We’ve lost a friend, a colleague, a father and husband.  And it hurts to stay and mourn. 

But that’s why God’s gift is so wonderful.  That’s what makes his work so amazing.  His gift is rescue from this world of sin and death.  His gift is the promise of everlasting life.  His gift, the gift we can never out give, is the gift of Christ.  Christ was sent to our world to suffer in our place, to die for us, and to become sin for us, so that we might inherit all of God’s good gifts.  Jesus became obedient to death, even death on a cross.  He did this for you.  He did this for me.  He did this for Pastor Jording.

This gift of forgiveness came to Pastor Jording the same way it did to you, through baptismal waters.  His sinful nature drowned, and a man clothed in Christ’s righteousness was born.  He was saved, not by righteous things he had done, but by a washing of rebirth and renewal.  Having been justified by Grace, Howard Jording became an heir of everlasting life. 

You see dear friends, I can tell you today, exactly where Pastor Jording is, not because of how many of you he baptized, not because of how many sermons he preached, but rather because of the gift God gave him in the bloody, gruesome death of Jesus.  Because Christ died, Howard Jording lives.  Because the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world, Howard Jording inherited heaven.  It was a gift that could never be out-given, or out done.

And so because he was saved, Pastor Jording fulfilled his confirmation verse.  Trusting in Christ’s mercy, he acknowledged Christ before men.  For 20 years here in this pulpit, he proclaimed the promise he had received – Jesus crucified to take away the sins of the world.  He shepherded the flock that Christ had given to his care, not under compulsion, but willingly, not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in his charge, but being examples to the flock. Why?  Because of what the gift he had already been given.  And now for Pastor Howard John Jording, the chief shepherd has appeared, and he has received the crown of glory. 

Dear friends, Pastor Jording was right.  You can’t out give God.  For God gives you all.  He gives you life.  He justifies you by the blood of his Son.  He sanctifies you and keeps you in the true faith with his gifts.  He gives you Jesus, the best gift of all.  For 40 plus years, and even up until this last week, Pastor Jording joyfully acknowledged this before you.  And I tell you the truth, today, he is acknowledged before God in heaven.  Today, Pastor Jording is at peace, in the nail scarred arms of Jesus – forever.  Amen. 

Proper 28 - G - 2012 - A Persecuted People

The Twenty-fifth Sunday After Pentecost - Proper 28

November 18, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Daniel 12:1-3              Hebrews 10:11-25                   Mark 13:1-13

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the Gospel lesson, especially these words, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  All men will hate you because of me.  These words of Jesus are rather shocking aren’t they?  That people will hate you for being a Christian.  That people will despise you for the hope which is inside of you.  It will turn families upside down, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.”  This is the harsh reality of Christianity.  Being hated, being persecuted, being betrayed into death. 

But this should be no surprise to us.  This is the way that Christianity has existed since the beginning.  Abel was killed by Cain because of his faith.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers because they despised his trust in God.  Jeremiah was thrown in a well, and other prophets were killed even in the temple ground.  Persecution is a part of Christianity. 

And Jesus says as much in our text.  He and the disciples begin in the temple complex, with the disciples marveling at the on going construction there.  The buildings were getting larger.  The stones were stacking up higher.  They were being polished, and coated with gold.  The temple complex was a beautiful facility, of a type seen nowhere else on Earth at that time.  As the disciples were marveling at the beautiful buildings, Jesus crushes their excitement.  “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 

This is a shock.  How can this be Jesus?  How can this happen?  And Jesus goes on, “This won’t even be the worst of it, Brother will turn against brother, there will be great persecutions.  You yourselves will be handed over to kings and councils.  You will be jailed.  You yourselves will be persecuted.  You will suffer because you are Christians.  You will be killed because you are Christians.  This will happen, there is no doubt. 

Jesus words were fulfilled.  St. James Alpheus was stoned in Jerusalem.  St. Peter was crucified in Rome.  The other St. James the brother of John was stabbed with a sword by King Herod.  Many other Christians were killed, including St. Stephen and others.  And then to top it all off, as the blood of Christians had just began flowing, the temple was destroyed.  In 70A.D., 30 some years after Jesus’ death, an army of Rome, led by the future emperor Titus, breached the walls of rebelling Jerusalem, burned the temple to the grown, and threw the stones down into ruin at its base.  Those stones still sit there to this day.  You can go and see them, and walk among them. 

The blood of Christians continued to flow, even past that fateful day.  Christians were martyred by the thousands and ten thousands in the first years of the church.  Christians were handed over to be eaten alive by lions, burned alive and more, sometimes at the hands of their own family.  Persecution continued, even as Christianity became the official religion of Rome.  Muslim armies conquered the Christians lands of the middle east.  The Christian lands of Syria, Egypt, Libya and Turkey were conquered by Turks, and Christians killed or persecuted.  The persecution continues even to this day, in China, in Russia, and yes, dear friends, even here in the United States.

We are not immune from persecution.  We too have strife.  We are blessed that today, in our nation, we have very little worry about shedding our blood for our faith.  But we still can be mistreated.  We still can be walked on.  We still have family and friends who laugh at our faith, or call us names.  We are called homophobic.  We are called uncaring.  We are called hateful.  We are called stupid and made fun of on national T.V.  And worst of all and most painful, are those family members, who have fallen from the faith, and have no desire to have anything to do with us.  Those broken relationships that occur because of our faith. 

Dear friends, the life of a Christian is a life of suffering, a life of persecution, a life of struggle.  Why?  Because this world is a world of sin, and it will be until at last Christ returns to destroy this world, and recreate it perfect again, sin free again, and wonderful again.  But until that day, Jesus’ words ring true, “All men will hate you because of me.”  This is reality, because the truth is, they hated Jesus who has come before us. 

If you worry about persecution, about what the price for your faith may be, you need not.  Why not?  Because Christ has already faced that persecution.  Christ has suffered already.  He was arrested, he was whipped and beaten, he had thorns beaten into his head, he was stripped naked, mocked and nailed to a cross.  He was persecuted, and martyred, he gave up his life because of our faith.  And yet, Christ overcame.  Christ was raised from the dead.  He lives and reigns today.  And what’s more, Christ promises that if he is raised from the dead, that you too will be raised from the dead.  If he overcomes persecution, you too will overcome persecution. 

Christ’s persecution was complete – even to the point of death, but this world could not destroy Jesus as it destroyed the temple.  Sin could not conquer Christianity even as it conquered the world.  Christ has won the victory, he has overcome the world, your sins, and even your death.  You are victorious as Christ is victorious. 

And Christ promises to keep you in the victory he has won.  He will continue to pour out his blessings and gifts upon you, even as you are persecuted.  He gives you his word here, so that you may faithfully leave and face this world with the hope of victory.  He gives you the promise of your baptism, where you are marked as one belonging to the Lord.  He gives you here, his very body and blood, the same that suffered and died for sin, and the same that lives and reigns today in heaven.  And in that eating, and in that drinking, you already partake in the heavenly feast. 

The world is falling apart around us.  But as Christians, we fear not this world, or anything in it.  As Christians, we know where our hope lies, and what awaits us in eternity.  Yes, all men hate us because of Jesus, but we know that we who stand firm in Christ to the end will be saved.  Amen.  

Reformation Sunday - E - 2012 - Justified by Faith, Not by Law

The Festival of the Reformation 2012

October 28, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Revelation 14:6-7        Romans 3:19-28          Matthew 11:12-19

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.  Our text today is the Epistle lesson just read, especially these words, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Our world is a world of law.  Everywhere we turn, there are laws that govern our lives.  If we want to receive a paycheck, we had better go to work.  If we want to avoid speeding tickets, we better go the speed limit.  We spend millions of dollars every year in elections to determine who will write our laws, and who will not.  Laws make us pay taxes, help us build roads, help us stop crime and more.  Laws are everywhere. 

But these laws, are merely human laws.  They can change at almost any time.  And these laws are ones that most of us don’t worry about too terribly much.  We know we shouldn’t speed, but we do anyways.  We know it is illegal to not pay our taxes, but we only worry about that every April.  Most of the time, we just live our lives without any fear of worldly laws.

But there is another set of laws, a set of laws that we must obey, a set of laws that are always around us, a set of laws that always displays its terrible consequences.  These laws are God’s laws, laws that we are expected to keep perfectly, laws that tell us how we ought to live our lives – in love towards God and neighbor.  These laws of God are demanding and difficult, for if we disobey them, we receive the just punishment of death. 

But we don’t obey God’s law do we?  We don’t even come close, for obedience involves perfection, something none of us, not a one, can fulfill.  For, hear again the words of our Epistle lesson today, “no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law”  No one will obey God’s law, for they can’t.  No one will perfectly love God, for they are sinners.  No one will care about all their neighbors, for they are too selfish.  Yes friends, even me, EVEN YOU, “sin and fall short of the glory of God.”

Look at your life, look at your hate, your anger, your shortcomings, your selfish deeds, your pride and false piety.  You too have sinned.  You too have fallen short of God’s glory.  You have become a slave to a law that you just cannot fulfill.  And to be honest, we don’t always want to fulfill God’s law, we don’t want to always obey what God teaches, because frankly sometimes the sinners are just more fun. 

The problem is that all these laws of God we break, all these sins we commit, all this sin does lead to suffering for us.  We have friends and family who are sick and dying.  We have people who we will no longer speak to because we are angry.  People call us names behind our back and we return the favor.  We sin daily.  We are sinful to our very core, there is no good left inside of us.

And God is a just judge.  Just as if we broke the speed limit enough times or stole a car from someone we would go to trial and be found guilty, so too does God judge us.  He looks at our care for others and say, you have fallen short.  He looks at the acts we do alone in the privacy of our homes, and says you are guilty.  He tells us that we have not lived up to his perfect expectations, and so we deserve the just punishment for those sins.  We deserve death.  We deserve an end.  We deserve what we fear in our lives.  Sickness and punishment, for we have turned against the God who gave us all that we have.

And yet, we hear in our text today, that not only have all fallen short of God’s glory, but that we have also been justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ.  In other words, though you are guilty, God declares you innocent because of Jesus.  Instead of us standing before our God and Judge as guilty sinners, we stand before him in the Righteousness of Christ.  It is that righteousness that has won us away from our sin, won us away from death, and now gives us eternal life.  It is that righteousness that was given to us as Jesus hung on a cross, suffering and dying for the very sin that we committed.  And so when God looks at you he doesn’t see you sin, he sees Christ’s forgiveness, Christ’s blood, Christ’s holiness. 

For God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.  In that we are made God’s children. 

Today we celebrate that hope and good news.  Today we remember that it is our faith that looks to Jesus that saves us, that we are justified or declared innocent by his grace.  Reformation Day is all about that message, of remembering that Jesus face God’s wrath so that we might not have to.  Reformation day is about boldly declaring that I cannot by my own reason or sense come to Jesus my Lord, but that he has called me by the Gospel, the good news that he took away my sin on the cross, so that I may be his own and live under him in his kingdom.  Reformation day celebrates the fact that because of Jesus, your are free.  Because of Jesus, you may enter heaven.  Because of Jesus you are saved. 

By Grace alone, through faith alone, have you been saved.  And these through Jesus alone.  In Him, you have your salvation.  Amen.

Proper 24 - G - 2012 - The Un-greedy Jesus

The Twenty-first Sunday After Pentecost - Proper 24

October 21, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the Gospel lesson, especially these words, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”  Thus far our text.

Dear friends in Christ, We live in the United States of America, the wealthiest nation on earth by far.  The United States wealth is $4 Trillion dollars greater than the next wealthiest nation.  That should make you tremble in your shoes just a little bit, when Jesus says the words of our text today.  “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus says.  “Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, then for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 

Jesus can’t be talking about me, can he?  Jesus can’t mean us here in the United States.  I can’t be in the “wealthy” category, I can barely pay my bills, I can barely make ends meet.  I am worth millions less than even the poorest presidential candidate, or big business executive.  Why should it be so hard for me to get into heaven?  Why should it be difficult, when I have just enough to take care of myself?  Jesus must be talking about the super wealthy, and not me!

Wrong.  Jesus is talking about you, and every other person who thinks, “That’s mine, I earned it, it belongs to me, and the only way you’ll take it from me is by prying it from my cold, dead, fingers!”  It doesn’t matter if you’re the wealthiest person in town, or the poorest.  If you love your things, if you love your stuff more than you love God, it’s going to be difficult for you to enter the Kingdom of God. 

That’s the first commandment, isn’t it?  You shall have no other God’s.  What does this mean?  We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.  That’s the law of God, with those who break it punishable by eternal death and hell.  The problem is, not a one of us, no not any single person here, has kept that rule.  We’ve broken it, time and time again.  In fact, we’ve even turned the whole thing on its head.  We’ve feared, loved, and trusted in all things above God.

Come on Pastor, why should I share that food that I’ve worked so hard to earn through my labor, with someone who is hungry?  Why should I take up my time to help my neighbor, when they can just do themselves?  Why should I give my clothes to someone in need, when there are shelters, and clothing banks for things like that? 

It gets even more personal than that, doesn’t it?  I am just as guilty as you when it comes to possessions.  That’s a family heirloom, so no, you can’t borrow it or look at it.  Why should I put money in the offering plate before I get my own bills paid for?  Why should I care if the church down the road stays open, or if our own church has Sunday School teachers?  Live, and let live, take care of yourself, and that’s enough. 

How hard it is for those who have wealth, how hard it is for sinners like you and me, for people who trust in their things to enter the Kingdom of God.  Imagine if Jesus acted the same way that you and I do in regards to his possessions – possessions of life, righteousness and holiness.  Imagine if Jesus treated the forgiveness he earned for you the same way we treated our weekly offering.  “No, let me take care of myself first, then worry about you sinners.”

But he doesn’t.  Jesus doesn’t skimp in his gifts to you.  He earned every bit of your forgiveness by his death, by his blood, by his suffering.  He gave up his life to purchase your freedom from sin and death.  He purchased and won you, not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood, innocent suffering and death, that you might be his own possession and live with him in his kingdom. 

And having won your forgiveness, Jesus now gives you his possessions freely, and generously.  Today, Jesus gives you generously and graciously his own body and blood to you today, so that you may be forgiven of your sins of greed and covetousness.  He gives you his Word, so that your faith in him may ever grow in trust in Christ alone.  And through that word, you are connected to the cross and resurrection where you are given eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and salvation. 

Where we are selfish with our possessions, Christ gives freely of his.  Where we covet the things our neighbors have, Christ only cares about us.  Where we because of our sin cannot enter heaven based on our own merits or works, Christ has given all the work necessary for us to get the eternal gifts of heaven.  There is not one gift that God gave to Jesus that he has not shared with you. 

And so now, you baptized Children of God, now your sin is dead.  You no longer look sinful, instead you look like Christ – for you are robed in his righteousness through baptism.  Instead of being sinful greedy people, we now look like Christ sharing all our possessions, sharing all our wealth, giving to our neighbor in need and who hungers.  It’s not to earn heaven, heaven’s already been given in Jesus.  It’s because in the forgiveness Christ gives you, you now look like a Christian, you share like a Christian, you love like a Christian.  And that means that even if you give all you have a way to care for your neighbor, you still have the best wealth of all – heaven.  Eternity.  Peace. 

Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, ³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.   In Christ, you have more blessings than you can even imagine.  Amen.  

Proper 21 - G - 2012 - Cut Off Your Hand, Foot, Eye, Leg, Arm, and Everything Else?

Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost - Proper 21

September 30, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29            James 5:1-20               Mark 9:38-50

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is from our Gospel lesson, especially these words, “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ, if you take Jesus’ words at face value today, it leaves us in a pretty sticky situation to say the least.  “If your hand causes you to sin,” Jesus says, “cut it off.”  Suddenly, every person here is undeserving of their sinful hands – hands that have hit, punched, stolen, flipped the bird, touched people inappropriately and more.  We have hands that type and text vicious lies and gossip about our neighbors.  Hands that have sinned in many and various ways.  “Cut them off,” Jesus says, “better to be in heaven without hands, than in hell.”

And Jesus doesn’t stop there.  If your feet cause you to sin as well, cut them off too.  And the bad news is, our feet have been sinful as well.  They have taken us to places we ought not be, our feet have taken us to bars where we have gotten too drunk to even stand on our feet.  They have pressed the gas pedal as we went “Just a few miles an hour” over the speed limit.  They have taken us to the houses and apartments of casual acquaintances at times when our feet should have been safely tucked in the sheets of our own bed.  “Cut them off,” Jesus says, “better to be in heaven without feet, than in hell.”

And he continues with our eyes.  Those eyes that have looked at people of the opposite sex on TV or in magazines, or for most of us, even in person, and ogled them and their bodies.  Our eyes which have read the lies and slander and slutty jokes sent to us in emails.  Eyes that have given looks that could kill to those people we don’t like.  Eyes that sin every day of our lives.  “Cut them off,” Jesus says, “better to be in heaven without eyes, than in hell.”

By the end of the text, we imagine ourselves sitting in heaven, without hands or feet, and blind to the beautiful scenery of paradise.  But the problem is, dear friends, that we can’t stop there.  The logic of Jesus goes on, even with the things he doesn’t speak himself.  What about your legs, that run your sinful feet all over town?  What about your arms?  What about your body and all of its parts with the sin they have committed?  Cut those off as well!  Soon all that’s left is our head, with our minds that have thought all sorts of depraved thoughts and dreams, and have schemed all the sin that ruined our poor bodies. 

If we’re honest, dear friends, we have had to cut off our whole bodies, from head to toe.  For our sin is so great, so large, so massive, that there is no easy way to solve it.  It must be cut off.  That sin must be removed from you as far as the east is from the west.  That is the only way, the only way that you can be saved from the fires of hell, “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”  But if we start cutting, where do we stop?  The whole body is sinful, because the whole soul within that body is sinful. 

Now, please don’t go home and cut off your arms and legs and heads.  Don’t get out a knife or saw at all.  But instead listen to what this text is really saying.  Don’t you see?  There is not one ounce of you that is holy.  There is not one good thing in God’s eyes, if you trust in your own devices.  If you turn inwards on yourself, you are already cut off, you are already separated from God.  God can’t stand sin, it must be cut off from before his presence.  And if you are in sin, that includes you. 

That’s why bad things happen in this world.  Because sin cuts us off from God.  That’s why there’s cancer, Alzheimer’s.  That’s why there’s alcoholism, and pornography.  That’s why there’s war, and pain, and suffering.  Because in our sin we have cut ourselves off from the good and gracious holy God of all things.  And there is nothing you can do about it.  Nothing you can do to take away your sin.  Don’t cut off your arm, because that won’t solve it at all.  No matter how much you remove, that sin will still be there. 

There must be another solution if you desire to be saved.  There must be another way for you to get into heaven, for you to make it out of the fires that don’t go out, and the worms that don’t stop eating your bodies.  There must be a way to be rescued. 

And there is.  That way is Jesus Christ.  That rescue is the Son of God.  The Holy One of Israel.  He’s the only one who deserves heaven, who deserves peace, and comfort.  He’s the only one who doesn’t deserve the consequence of sin – death – eternal death and damnation.  He’s the only one who doesn’t need to be cut off, and the only one who can help with our own dire situation. 

And that’s what he does.  The sinless, perfect, wonderful, only begotten Son of God offers himself in your place.  He says to God, “Take me, and punish me for their sin.  Take me and cut me off from the land of the living, that they might never die.  Take me, take my hands, my feet, my legs, my eyes, take every part of me, and cut it off from your sight, that you might have for yourself a holy people.” 

So in place of your hands being cut off and thrown in to the fires of hell, Jesus’ hands were nailed to a cross.  In place of your feet, Jesus’ feet pierced in your place.  In place of your eyes being dug out the eyes of the Sinless Son of God looked out upon his creation as they beat him, spit on him, mocked him, and killed him.  He watched as our sin, and its punishment came down all upon him. 

And not only does Jesus suffer physically on the cross, but he is also cut off from His father.  He suffers the fullness of hell in your place.  He feels the heat of the fire, he feels the worm that does not die.  He is cut off from his Father, and suffers hell in your place, for you, its on your behalf he suffers.   

And because of it, you are set free.  Because of Jesus, you can be assured that you belong, not in hell, but in heaven.  At peace forever.  Jesus takes your place.  He’s your substitute in death, and when death finds it cannot hold him, he raises again, and takes you with himself to be in heaven forever. 

So dear friends, you no longer are guilty.  You no longer have sinful hands, or sinful feet or sinful anything.  Instead you have redemption, a redeemed body, a redeemed soul, a redeemed life.  In Christ you are made well.  To put it plainly, in Christ, and in the gifts that he gives here in this building to you, you are no longer cut off.  But now you belong to Christ.  Amen.