VBS Closing Program 2015 - Camp Discovery

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.This year we had 83 kids in our church Vacation Bible School.  We are happy to share our closing program with you.  Please see the other video's and pictures from the different days of Vacation Bible School.  

Easter 3 - F - 2015 - Refreshment

LSB 490, 483, 464, 461, 633, 458, 725

Immanuel Archives - Hankinson News - Thursday June 21, 1934

In researching for our Historical Study on the Seminex Controversy from the 1970's, I found a box labeled "Immanuel Archives" hidden in the attic.  Rather than leave them in obscurity in the box, I thought I'd take one out and copy it for our church blog occasionally.  If you enjoy these, let me know.  This way our archives are not hidden in a shoe box in the attic, and we all can remember a bit of our past.  

 This particular one is amazing!  In 1934, our congregation hosted the North Dakota and Montana District Convention, chaired by Rev. J.P. Klausler.  Attending (and staying at our old parsonage) was Synod President Rev. Dr. Fredrich Pfotenhauer.  He gave the sermon for the opening service from our pulpit, and participated in the convention.  (I will contact the Concordia Historical Institute and see if we can get a copy of the sermon he gave.)  Pastor Klausler had a note contained in the newspaper that "expected" members to attend worship, promising to be dismissed before the Governor spoke at Lake Elsie.  The congregation dutifully listened to their shepherd, and even had the sanctuary redecorated and reshingled.  

In Addition note their was a baseball game scheduled between the Hankinson team and the Pastors - the paper claims several of the pastors played college baseball with future major league stars.   The Hankinson Monarchs were 5-1 at that time.  The front page article "Preacher To Play Monarchs Saturday" warned that you shouldn't "Come expecting to see the monarchs gallop away with an easy victory."  

Also note the words of Pastor  J. Krueger  who stated that the Lutheran Church was doomed not only in Richland County - but even in North Dakota and Montana.  How often do we too despair of such things as our circuit churches struggle.  And yet, Christ has carried us through to this day, nearly 100 years after Pastor Krueger despaired.   

P.S. Don't forget your English Hymnals this Sunday either! 

-Pastor Moline 

  

  

Lutherans in Convention in Hankinson This Week

Delegates from Montana and North Dakota Are in Attendance ---Dr. F. Pfotenhauer, General Lutheran President of Chicago, Here

HISTORY OF EARLY LUTHERANS READ AT SESSIONS BY REV. KLAUSLER

President Pfotenhauer

     Opening services for the convention of the North Dakota and Montana District of the Lutheran church were held yesterday morning (Wednesday.)  The president of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states, Dr. F. Pfotenhauer of Chicago, delivered the sermon to the assembled pastors, delegates and visitors that crowded the church to overflowing. 

     Business sessions began in the afternoon.  President J.P. Klausler, the focal pastor, occupied the chair and gave the presidential address and the statistical report of the District.  The Rev. Emil Ziegler, of Helena, Montana is the secretary of the convention, with Pastor O.G. Tiemann of Edgeley, N.D., as his assistant.

     The convention will hold sessions every day until Tuesday, June 26, when adjournment takes place until 1936.  On Sunday at 10 a.m. divine services commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the District will be held, Dr. Pfotenhauer delivering the sermon in German language.  The afternoon service, beginning at 2 p.m., will be conducted in the English language.  Loudspeaker service will be provided to take care of the overflow crowd.  The ladies will serve lunch at noon at 10 cents per plate.  In the evening at 8 o'clock an illustrated lecture will be given on the history of this church body in North Dakota and Montana.  

     Approximately 135 pastors and accredited delegates are registered.  Several students and theological candidates also are present.  These pastors and delegates are representing 24,000 Lutherans of the two states and about 200 congregations.  Indications are that pastors from Minnesota and South Dakota will also visit some of the sessions.  

     Besides devoting its sessions to the mission work of the church, the convention will also listen to the reading of an historical paper on the beginnings of the Lutheran church in these Northwestern states, a timely topic since as mentioned above, this church body is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary as a separate organization.  

Brief Sketch of the Early History

     A little more than 50 years ago, the territories of Dakota and Montana were still prairies and waste places, where vast herds of buffalo roamed, where deer and antelope abounded, making these plains the happy hunting grounds of numerous Indian tribes.  Here and there along the Missouri, in the Turtle Mountains of the North and in the mountains and valleys of Montana, hunters, trappers and fur traders had their camps and posts.  It was not until the '70's and 80's that settlers moved into this territory in large numbers.  Among the earliest were some German Lutherans around Hillsboro, several of whom helped survey the first time on the Great Northern in North Dakota.  Another settlement of Lutheran sprang up along the banks of the Wild Rice in Richland county already in 1872.  These were looked after by Pastor R. Winkler of Elizabeth, Minn., in the fall of 1874.  Two years later the first resident Lutheran pastor in North Dakota, Rev. J. Krueger, was stationed in New Berlin, now Brandenburg (Great Bend.)  Interesting is a report he gives of those early days.  He writes:  "I arrived in November, 1876.  it was winter.  Outside of my little flock there were no Lutherans within 50 miles.  Here and there, scattered over the lonely, treeless prairie, were the little shacks of the settlers.  Now and then Indians, interested in trading, visited us.  Never, thought I, will this country amount to anything.  The Northwest will never be more thickly settled and there are no hopes for the future growth of the Lutheran church.  My members entertained the same thoughts and only waited for an opportunity when they could again move away."  

     But the good pastor and his members were wrong in their predictions.  During the next few years, and especially during the 80's a steady stream of immigration poured out on the virgin prairies gradually creeping farther and farther westward.  When North Dakota was admitted to statehood in 1889 there were already 8 pastors stationed in the state serving nearly 50 years.  

     Montana was first explored in '84 by Lutheran pastors from Minnesota.  Dr. Pfotenhauer, who is attending the sessions these days, as president of the general body, made extensive mission trips to Montana in 1885 and 1886, visiting Miles City, Helena, Butte, Deer Lodge and many other places.  The first resident pastor, Rev. John Meyer, was stationed in Helena in 1886.  

     In less than 40 years the work in these two states so increased that in 1910 the congregation in North Dakota and Montana were able to form an organization of their own.  This took place in Great Bend and Pastor T. Hinck was elected as the first president, serving faithfully and ably for fourteen years.  In 1924 Rev. J. P. Klausler, the local Lutheran pastor, was chosen as his successor.  At the present time the district is composed of some ninety pastors with about 200 congregations and preaching stations.  

CONVENTION ITEMS

Rev. J.P. Klausler states that visitors are welcome to attend all the sessions of the convention.  He also states that there will be special services in the English language held Friday evening at 8.  On Sunday evening a slide lecture will be given on History of Lutherans in North Dakota and Montana.  

Many of the delegates, especially those from the western part of Montana, have come almost a thousand miles.  Traveling either by train or car the journey lasted for them about two days.  Honors for coming the longest distance are divided between Pastors H. Jordan, Kalispell, and John Dundschuch, Pablo, Mont.

Although the depression is still strong in the two states represented, pastors and delegates report that the work of the church has not fallen off and that appreciable gains in membership are being made.  

In anticipation of the Silver Anniversary convention, the Hankinson congregation redecorated and reshingled the church.  The new color scheme in the church is decidedly pleasing.  

Some of the pastors present were at one time prominent athletes in their days at college.  Several had offers from National and American League baseball teams.  They turned them down to enter the ministry.  Max Carey, last year's manager of the Brooklyn Robins, was a classmate of some of the pastors.  Negotiations are underway to have the pastors play the Hankinson baseball team some evening.  

Pastors staying at the Lutheran parsonage include the venerable president of the Lutheran Church, Dr. Fredrich Pfotenhauer; the Rev. Arnold H. Grumm, chairman of the Mission board of Fargo; the Rev. H Schumacher Tyler, Superintendent of Missions for North Dakota, Rev. A Jordan, Kalispell, Mont., first vice president; Rev. E. Ziegler, Helena, Mont., secretary and Rev. H. Trinklein, Beach, Mont.

Visitors will note that the local pastor, J.P. Klausler is occupying the chair.  He was elected to the presidency of the district in 1924.  Since he has been in office he has travelled the states of North Dakota and Montana from one corner to the other, besides his many official journeys to Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis and other cities.  Altogether there are thirty districts, thus making thirty members of the College of Presidents.  

Total membership of the Lutheran church in the United States is 4,315,311.  The membership of the Missouri synod branch to which this convention belongs is 1,378,582.  

Speakers are not restricted to any one language, although there are still many who prefer the German language.  A number of the younger pastors find German rather difficult.  

Visitors have also remarked about the singing at the convention.  The Lutheran church calls itself the "Singing church."  Many of the pastors have sung with college glee clubs and quartets at concerts and over the radio.  

Alfred Klausler is registered as a vicar.  He has charge of Our Savior's Lutheran Lutheran church in Glendive and another in Lindsay, Montana.  He came here by car.  

The organist at the convention is Rev. K. Klopp, of Kongsberg, N.D.  

Mayor Wipperman extended the address of welcome to the delegates in behalf of the city of Hankinson.  

LUTHERAN CHURCH NOTES

Do not forget the special service on Friday evening at 8 o'clock.  Pastor A. H. Tayler of Willow City, N. Dak., and Pastor O. Misch, of Bozeman Montana will preach.  Please bring your English hymnals with you.  

Everyone should make it a point to attend the jubilee services Sunday, when the twenty-fifth anniversary of the District will be celebrated.  The morning services, in the German language, begin at 10 o'clock.  The ladies will serve a plate lunch at noon for the small sum of 10¢ per plate.  The afternoon services, English only, begin at 2 o'clock.  The hours were set this early to permit those who care to also hear the address of Governor Langer at Lake Elsie.  

In the evening an illustrated lecture on the history of our church in the two states will be given.  

A special feature of all services will be the singing by an octette[sic] of pastors.  The Great Bend choirs will also render several selections.  

J.P. Klausler, Pastor.

Proper 23 - G - 2014 - The Wedding Feast Invite

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

October 12, 2014- Pastor Adam Moline
Isaiah 25:6-9      Philippians 4:4-13    Matthew 22:1-14

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 just read, especially these words, “Many are called, but few are elect.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  How many wedding invitations have you received this summer?  Each one promising a night of fun and partying, the best of foods that catering can offer, beer poured into you mug until the tap is dry, and dancing and partying until early in the morning.  In our Gospel lesson that’s what Jesus says the Kingdom of heaven is like.  God has invited you, called you, to attend the wedding feast of his Son Jesus and his bride the church.  The biggest shindig of all.  There, is promised the finest of all meats, the best of wines.  The fatted calf has been slaughtered, the dinner is set!  “Come to the wedding feast!”  Everything is ready!  Everything is done!  And your name is on the invitation list.  Jesus has invited you to the meal.  Come to the party!  Come, eat, drink and be merry. 

No?  No you say?  You refuse to come to the party.  You have work to do, farms to tend, businesses to take care of.  People to see and places to go.  Excuses, excuses, excuses.  Saying no to God?  Is that what you do?  I don’t want to be with you, I don’t care about you, I don’t want to go to the party.  I have no time for God. 

You’re just like the people in our parable today.  At times too many things that are more important than spending time in God’s presence – no matter what joy that presence might bring.  There’s football games to watch, fish to catch, malls to visit, friends to talk to, places and times to sleep in.  And most importantly, we have jobs and activities outside of the feast that are more important. 

So we throw away the invitation.  We reject it.  We count it as foolhardy and worthless.  Because of our sin it is easy to disregard the Lord’s invitation.  Truly it is very easy to disregard the invitation.  Don’t believe me?  Look at your own life.  How easy is it to find some other activity to do than bible study?  How easy is it to get bored in church, and to decide to sleep in instead.  How easy is it to find another place to spend your money or to give your time.  After all there are business and farms, football games and naps to take care of. 

Dear friends repent!  God will bring people into his wedding feast, he will bring people in both good and bad whether its you or not.  You have the call.  You have the invitation.  And you even have the right wedding outfit.  Its there in our text.  All the people at the wedding are wearing their very best wedding clothes.  And you have been given those clothes dear friends.

Where?  In the waters of holy baptism.  There your sin was washed away.  There you were clothed with a righteousness that is not from you, but instead is from Christ.  You’ve been washed white in the blood of the lamb, even though your sins were as scarlet.  You are dressed and ready for the wedding, because it is Christ that you wear. 

For you see, in the end, the wedding feast, the invitation, the whole kitten caboodle is really not about you, your acceptance, your works at all.  Its about Jesus.  It is his party.  It is his wedding.  It is the party to celebrate the victory over sin, death and the power of the grave that Jesus won on the cross for you, and for me. 

God sent his servants out into all the corners of the globe to bring you in to the feast.  He brought you in with the power of his Holy Precious Word, proclaimed and heard by your ears.  That word is that great invitation proclaimed by pastors all over the world, and recorded for us in Holy scripture.  It calls you, and the call itself makes you a part of the feast. 

And at the feast there is the best of meat – the very body of Jesus, and the finest of wines, the very blood of Jesus.  Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all yours sins of doubt, of avoidance and boredom in the church.  It is that feast that will sustain you throughout all of eternity, without end.  Amen. 

Dear friends, the call has come – Come to the feast – it is ready and waiting for Jesus has died and risen again.  We have victory in his name.  In this feast the vale that covered all people will be taken away, and we will rejoice with our God, even forever more.  You have been brought in by God’s working, both in the Word proclaimed, and the Sacraments administered.  You are God’s child, clothed and ready, only through Jesus. 

In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Proper 14 - G - 2014 - The Miracle on the Sea of Galilee

The Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

August 10, 2014- Pastor Adam Moline

Job 38:4-18           Romans 10:5-17            Matthew 14:22-33

Hymns LSB 722, 715, 805 Communion LSB 637

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 just read. 

Dear friends in Christ.  A miracle happens in our text today, and no its not Jesus walking on the surface of the water.  I mean, that would be miraculous if it were us that were doing the walking on the water, but for Jesus, the great creator of all that we know, see, feel and experience, it isn’t that big of a deal.  God can walk in His creation wherever he desires to, whether we determine it to be miraculous or not. 

No, the miracle is, as I have alluded to, that Peter walks a few steps on the water.  I know, Peter doesn’t walk very far, and he does get wet, but he still walks upon the water at the command and word of God.  Jesus says, “Come,” and in obedience to the very Son of God’s word, Peter walks out upon the water. 

A miracle!  An amazing event.  Peter, as far as I know, is the only non-divine being to have physically walked on unfrozen water without any sort of trickery.  How amazing and power is God’s word that Peter is able to do such a thing at God’s command. 

And yet, how powerful is Peter’s sin as well.  Oh yes, for the word of Jesus is still ringing in the air as Peter suddenly gets nervous.  He sees the waves and the water.  He knows there is little hope for him to survive if he were to fall in the water.  Would Jesus abandon him to the waves?  Will he fall in?  Is this all some hallucination that is occurring right before his lungs fill with water? 

And so he forgets the call of Jesus, and in his sin, begins to sink.  He stops up his ear to the command of God, and suddenly he is thrashing about in the water, sure and certain that he will drown and die. 

Dear friends, it isn’t Jesus’ fault that Peter gets wet in our text today.  It isn’t God’s fault that Peter had more doubt than faith.  Its the fault of sin.  Peter, yes even the great Saint Peter, was a poor miserable sinner, just like you.  Even in the presence of the Son of God in human flesh, Peter displayed his sin time and time again. 

You do it too.  Yes, you are guilty and wrong in God’s eyes also. Just as Peter does in our text you stop up your ears to God’s word, and you substitute you own fears and worries in their place.  You are a sinner, and it shows in the many sins you commit in your life.  You judge yourself not to God’s standards but to you own, whether they be higher or lower than what God says.  You determine your own right and wrong, substituting your own opinions for God’s ten commandments.  And most of the time you live your life as if there really is no God at all. 

Its true.  When you commit sin, most of the time you don’t even realize it – because you are indifferent to what God’s Word said.  Just as Peter ignored God’s command, “Come, walk onto the water” you ignore God’s command, “Love your God with all your heart and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  You ignore God’s command, “You shall have no other Gods,” and instead you create countless God’s for yourself, such as your pride, your ability to accomplish things, your bank account, your work ethic and your own false piety.  Yes, you trust in yourself more than you trust in God. 

And so, when you are confronted by the difficult things of this world, you begin to sink.  You become overwhelmed, your footing starts to falter, and it seems like your entire world is falling apart.  And when this happens, you are quick to blame God, “How could you let this happen God?”  But the truth is this, it is your own sin that is the problem, it is your own guilt that makes you sink, it is your fault that you are drowning in this world. 

As Peter doubts Jesus’ word in our Gospel lesson, he begins to sink right away.  As he watches the waves instead of Christ, he does a cannonball of unfaith, right into the water.  And yet, he doesn’t drown, and he doesn’t die.  For the second great miracle of our text happens.  Jesus reaches out his hand, and rescues poor sinful Peter.  He doesn’t not abandon Peter to the abyss, he doesn’t let him drown, but despite Peter’s lack of faith, Jesus grabs ahold of his hand and pulls him out of the water and back into the boat.  Jesus rescues Peter, despite Peter. 

And dear friends, the same is true for you as well.  Jesus will not let you drown in the sorrow and sinful troubles of this world.  Despite your sin and indifference toward him, Jesus rescues you. 

He saves you by reaching out a hand to pull you out of the water – out of the water of baptism that is. In baptism your sinful nature was drowned in water and word, and you were pulled out by the hand of Christ.  He grabs ahold of you, without any work on your part, and he drags you safely into the ark of the church. 

And the hand that he reaches out to rescue you is a hand that has been pierced with a nail, and hammered onto a cross, to bleed, and to die for your sin.  It’s the same hand that laid dead in a tomb for three days, in place of your own body dead with sin.  And it’s the same hand that rose from the grave to promise you life, forgiveness and salvation.  It’s the hand of Christ, the righteous right hand of God, that will save you from all your sin, and has rescued you from all that is wrong in this world. 

And so you see, dear friends, that the miracle of today’s text isn’t that Jesus walks on the water, as amazing as that is.  But rather, its that a sinner like Peter can be rescued from unbelief and doubt to walk with Jesus.  It’s the miracle that the same is true for you, that you are rescued to walk with Jesus, and to be with him, even forever more.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Parsonage Progress

As you know, this past winter, the congregation held a special voters meeting and voted to build a new parsonage rather than make repairs on the current one.  Ground was broken and work began at the end of June.  Here's the progress over time, as seen in panoramas from the current parsonage bedroom window, (plus a few extra from other view points).  

 

 

 

The project is hoped to be done in October.  Things are going very well so far.  Soon, the outside work will be completed, and we'll have to find a new camera angle.  

Proper 10 - E - 2014 - Fleshly Sin and Spiritual Life

The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

July 6, 2014- Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 55:10-13           Romans 8:12-17          Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Hymns LSB 686, 594, 790 Communion LSB  662

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Our text today comes from the Epistle reading, especially these words written by St. Paul.  “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you yourselves will live.”  Thus far our text today. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Our text today really has to be fit into the context of what has come right before it.  Paul cuts right to the chase, several times, with these words, “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,” not on God.  .  And “to set the mind on the flesh is death.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  And finally, the first part of our text today, “If you live according to the flesh, you will die.” 

We hear these words, and we let them just pass through our brains, as if they don’t really matter, as if they don’t apply to us.  As if we are spiritual and holy people, and its everyone else who is fleshly and sinful.  We condemn all those around us and feign innocence. 

But innocent we are not. 

We, each one of us, so often live according to our flesh, and not according to God.  We, yes you, want what is best for you in this world.  You want what serves you most at this time, at this place.  You at times, are not concerned with eternity, but only with the here and the now.  We are fleshly, according to Paul’s thinking, because we care about ourselves so very much. 

Paul, in chapter one of Romans, describes what sorts of fleshly debauchery we fall into.  He writes, that we are “filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice.  We are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.  We are gossips, slanderers, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”

Those things, dear friends do describe us, faithful, church attending Christians, just as well as they describe those who haven’t darkened the door of our building in many years.  We Christians are not better than those whom we so often judge.  We are just as guilty, just as sinful, and live in fleshly thinking just as much as any other person on this earth.  We live according to our flesh, our own wants, and our own desires.  So hear again the Words of St. Paul, in our text “If you live according to the flesh, you will die,” and know that those words apply to you, dear friends, just as much as to any other.    

But, Paul also writes in the very first part of Romans chapter 8, “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” “For you have been set free from sin and death.”  How?  Not by your doing, not by your holiness of life, for as St. Paul wrote, you are incapable of keeping God’s law.  No, you are set free from sin, you are released from condemnation by the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf.  He lived the life apart from sin.  He lived perfectly, and wonderfully.  He went to the cross to suffer the death fleshly sin deserves.  He died, and was buried, all in your place and for your sin. 

Jesus paid your sentence.  Though you had earned death, Jesus suffered it, in your place.  He took your punishment upon himself, your guilt into his own body.  For your “Fleshly” living, your sinful living that is, he died. 

And in his death, God the father adopted you as his child!  It says so in the text.  You have received the spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, so that when you speak and pray to God you may call him, “Abba!” “Father,” Dad, if you will.  We use those very words in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven.”  Trusting that He is our true father, and that we are his true children, so that boldly we can ask him to love and care for us in this world and forever more.  And as we ask him, we know that he will. 

We are adopted children of God in the blood and death of Jesus.  We receive that adoption in water and the word, in baptism in to the name of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  In that one act, our fleshly nature begins its death throws, and our spiritual life begins – the spiritual life that will never end.  You are an heir of the spiritual blessings of God.  His own child, we gladly say it now, and even forevermore.  We are forgiven, and we live, all because of Jesus, who has adopted us as heirs.

In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Proper 9 - E - 2014 - Sinner Saints

The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

July 6, 2014- Pastor Adam Moline

Zechariah 9:9-12         Romans 7:14-25a        Matthew 11:25-30

Hymns LSB 707, 684, 752 Communion LSB 662, 965, 717, 718

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, “I do not understand my own actions.”  Thus far our text today. 

Dear friends in Christ.  St. Paul, the great apostle and follower of Jesus, who even was beheaded for his faith by the Emperor Nero in the late 60’s AD, makes a bold confession in our text today.  “Wretched man that I am,” he says, “Who can save me from this body of sin?”  It is a good question isn’t it?  And it needs to be a question that we ask all the time, because, dear friends, we too are wretched with sin. 

Yes, you.  You are wretchedly full of terrible, horrible sin.  It infects you, and every person in Hankinson to their very core.  Its within you, in your selfish wants and desires.  It shows its ugly head when you hurt your neighbor because you are more concerned about yourself.  You’ve not loved your neighbor who is on the street suffering and hurting.  You’ve failed to give compassion to everyone in every place that needed it. 

You’re wretched in sin so that you’ve driven past cars stalled on the side of the road because you’ve been late.  You’ve honked at cars that you’ve felt weren’t driving the right way as it if was your job to police them – and then a few moments later you’ve sped off as if speed limits don’t apply to you. 

You’ve become wretched in sin.  So wretched that you would rather watch filthy reality T.V. shows that read your bible for five minutes.  You’d rather go out fishing that come in to church on a nice Sunday morning – and what’s worse, when you do so, you justify yourself by saying ridiculous things like “Well God’s in nature so its ok for me to spend time here instead of where His word is proclaimed for my salvation.” 

You’re wretched in sin, so much so that you do things even when you know they are wrong, even when you know that they are wrong.  You continue in sin as if it doesn’t really matter.  You keep on in wretched things, because you enjoy them.  You act as if you don’t know they’re wrong.  You get angry when someone else tells you that the things you’ve done are sinful, to the point where you begin to judge the other person, comparing your sin with theirs, and deciding that theirs is worse than yours – which is in fact a lie. 

Yes, because all are wretched.  Even the person who seems the most holy outwardly is a terrible rotten sinner inside.  All of sinned, all have fallen short of the glory of God.  All have failed in their thoughts words and deeds.  It’s the truth – each one of you is wretched. 

So what should you do?  Resolve today to change your sinful life?  To no longer sin?  To only be holy and gracious?  To do what is right in all times and all places?  Go ahead and try – you will fail.  Your sin is not a decision – it is a reality that is beyond your comprehension.  And since it is not your decision to be infected with sin, it is not your decision to be rescued from it, but it is only God’s grace that can take it away.  You do not do the good you want to do, but instead you do the very things you hate.  Wretched people that you are, who will save you from this body of sin?

The answer comes from the very Word of God.  While you were still a sinner, God saved you, not by righteous things that you have done, but instead by the washing of Water and the Word, so that being justified by his grace, we might heirs of the hope of eternal life.  Yes, in baptism your sinful self was drowned and died.  In baptism, all the wretchedness that infected you was killed.  It was destroyed along with death and the devil in baptism.  You poor miserable sinner became a holy blessed child of God.

Its true.  When you were baptized you died with Jesus, and your sin died with you.  You became a participant in Jesus death.  You died when water was poured on your head in the name of the only true God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  You were dead in a tomb with Jesus, and as Jesus rose from the dead victoriously sin free, so too did you.  And because Jesus rose, so too do you rise.  Wretched man that you are, Jesus died and rose to rescue you!

We watched it happen this morning.  A tiny baby, already sinful by nature, came to the font, and with the power of the Word in and with the water was made righteous in God’s sight.  All the sin that the baby had already committed was taken away.  All the sin that the baby would commit was already forgiven.  The baby was already promised eternal life.  The baby was made well in the blood of Jesus. 

And the same happened to you, a forgiven wretched sinner.  Yes, your sin was made well, by the water of baptism that connects you to Jesus.  Your sin, all of it, has been paid for, forevermore.  You are free from the bounds of sin.  You are God’s own Holy Child. 

That doesn’t mean sin won’t be apart of your life.  You will still sin.  You are still wretched for as long as you are in this world.  Its reality.  But at the same time you deal with your sin in this world, you are a forgiven wretch.  You are sinner and saint.  You are guilty and not guilty.  And you will be that way until finally your sinful nature dies for good at the end of your earthly life, when all that will be left is your new, forgiven, perfect and holy for Jesus sake self.  Then the reality of your baptism will be made complete – you will be forgiven and with God, even forever more. 

In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Palm Sunday - G - 2012 - Ride On In Majesty To Die

Palm Sunday
April 1, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Zechariah 9:9-12         Philippians 2:5-11       Processional: John 12:12-19         Gospel: John 12:20-43

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the Gospel processional lesson read earlier, along with the Old Testament Lesson, especially these words, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he”.  Thus far our text.

Rejoice, your king is coming.  Rejoice, your salvation is riding boldly into Jerusalem today.  He goes to be lifted up.  Ride on, ride on in majesty, in lowly pomp ride on to die!  He who prepared the world for you and me, he who has given us all we have and know, even the very breath of our lives heads into Jerusalem to what we have prepared for him.  Death on a cross. 

And yet, those people cheered him on as he entered.  A large crowd, who had entered for the Passover feast, shouts to Jesus, “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”   With those words, the Son of God rides towards his suffering and death.  He boldly rides on the back of a donkey.  The crowd watches, smiling and rejoicing. 

How can it be?  The people who today shout “Hosanna” will shortly shout “Crucify him, crucify him.”  The people will force the hand of their Roman governor to kill their Jewish King.  It doesn’t make sense, how could they turn so quickly?  We judge them, we criticize them for their change of tone. 

And yet, our faces are in that crowd.  We too, today shout hosannas as Jesus rides into Jerusalem.  We too stand as Jesus rides by.  Jesus, who knows all your sin, who knows all the things you’ve done wrong.  After all he is God.  As he rides by, we know that he knows, and we wonder if he will tell.  Will he share my deepest darkest secrets with those I don’t want to know them?  He’s got to die!  It’s either him or me, and I would rather it be him, wouldn’t I?  We turn on a dime, just as those people so long ago did. 

Hosanna Jesus!  Get on to that cross, before you reveal that I struggle with alcohol!  For you know, that I always have a slight buzz, that I can’t quit drinking.  You know that it has affected my entire life, my job, my family, my friends.  Go to the cross Jesus!  Go to the cross and die!

Hosanna Jesus!  You know that my family life is falling apart.  You know that there are difficulties between my wife and I, you know that my brother won’t talk to me.  You know that I have mistreated my children, you know that I despise my mother and father every day for what they told me what right and wrong.  Go die Jesus, for I have no place for you here in my life.

Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is he, even as I am not, as I have despised God’s word.  I don’t really care for Bible Study.  I don’t really spend time in God’s Word.  I have more important things to do.  I don’t really believe in all this Christianity stuff anyways, but I have to be seen in church.  I preach sermons to myself, sermons that say I am not good enough, that I am not forgiven, that I cannot be forgiven.  Sermons that do not actually match what God’s word said.  I create my own religion on my own terms, so die Jesus for being all “holier than me”. 

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel!  Or so shout our lips, the same lips that just moments ago were putting down John Doe because of the situation in his life.  So shout the same lips that curse, swear, that lie and deceive.  Blessed be God is our shout one moment, and the foulest language imaginable is on our lips the next.  Sinful dogs that we are – so die Jesus!

We murder!  We steal!  We lie!  We covet!  And Jesus does none of it!  So go on Jesus and die!  Go to the cross, for you think you are better than we are!  You think you can control our lives here and now.  You aren’t the God I want, you aren’t the God I create for myself.  So go and die!  Suffer!  Bleed!  Thirst!  Go and do it, for I do not want to, and it is really what I deserve.  For it is I lord that am guilty, not you.  It is I who deserve punishment by my fault, my own fault, my own most grievous fault.  And you Lord Jesus go where I dare not, to die for my sin.  Ride on, ride on to die.

And Jesus does.  Today, dear friends, he rides past us, knowing our sin and guilt.  Today he rides on, knowing our pain and suffering, and still he rides boldly on.  He carries the sin of those who rides past.  He carries the sin of those who in a few days will not shout, “Hosanna!” but “Crucify him!”  He carries the sin of you, of me, even as he knows you will turn on him.  He knows it, and he will not turn aside from it.  He won’t forget it, but he will die for it.  And he does all of this in your place, for you, for your forgiveness.  The death you deserve, today Jesus rides into Jerusalem to deal with. 

This most holy week, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ 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, being born in the likeness of men.   And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  And all of this is for you. 

Dear friends, now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.  No longer will you be slave to sin.  No longer can you give into the horrible way of the world.  Satan does not rule you today, nor will he ever again.  He is weak, he is destroyed, he is defeated forever.  For Christ has shed his blood on the cross.  And so we rightly shout, “Hosanna Jesus!  Hosanna to the king, he rides on to die for the sins of the world.  To be lifted up. To take away my sin!  Hosanna!  Blessed are you Jesus” 

Christ goes to die, and he does it for you.  He goes to forgive your sin, to take it away as far as the east is from the west.  On Friday, it is finished.  On the cross, you are forgiven.  Jesus rides in to shout, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Ride on, Ride on in majesty, in lowly pomp ride on to die.  O Christ, they triumphs now begin, o’er captive death and conquered sin.  Amen.

April Newsletter - Love does not rejoice in wrongdoings.

In light of some conversations with friends from my younger years, I have been pondering lately what the word “love” really means.  It seems that in our world today, the common understanding of love is extreme “tolerance”.  To show love is to tolerate the things another person is doing, no matter what the thing is, or whether it is “good” or not.

We see this in a variety of issues today.  We have talked about abortion, with many people tolerating it in the name of “loving” women.  I have even had a conversation with a friend in the last month who said it was more loving to abort a baby than to let it live in poverty. 

However, even besides the logical fallacy this argument presents, this is not really love.  Real love doesn’t just “live and let die”, but has genuine concern for what happens in a person’s life. 

Think of parents who love their children.  When a child wants to go to a party, the parent asks for details out of love.  “Who will be there?  What time will you return?  Will there be a chaperone?”  These questions are asked out of love, because the parent doesn’t want the child to end up in a bad situation.  Or think of a parent whose child uses drugs or who has a toddler that runs into the street.  A loving parent does everything in their power to stop these events from happening to their child, to keep them safe. 

This is the same way Christian love works.  We as the church ask questions about what is happening in a person’s life and show true concern for a person, even when it is not popular.  We can’t, and won’t, just let people assume their actions are ok when it is not in their best interest in the long term, or when it goes against God’s Word. We love them too much to let others continue in their sin and destructive habits.   As St. Paul writes in his famous passage, “love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6)

So when a person falls into a sinful action, we in the church are to show love – true love.  This means we don’t just stand by while sinful actions go on.  It means we can’t say “It’s ok, they were born that way and they can’t help it”.   That answer cannot excuse true love.

When we stand up and say something, we show real love.  “Abortion is killing a baby, no matter how you justify it.”  “God’s Word proclaims the truth: it is not ok to live together outside marriage.”  “Scripture is clear: homosexuality is a sin.”  “God wants more for your life than for you to drown in a bottle of liquor.”   As we say these often unpopular things, we actually show love behind them. 

The way we say these things is important too.  If we were to say these things harshly and derogatorily, they are not said with love.  We must speak these truths in such a loving way as to not lose our platform to speak to the person.  We have all had a discussion in which the other person got so angry at us that we no longer spoke to them at all.  We should strive to avoid this, all while understanding that we cannot control how the other person responds to our words of love.

Love is not always easy.  Sometimes it is not popular.  Sometimes it hurts us immensely to do the loving thing, to tell our loved ones what is best for them.  Yet, that is the very message of Christianity. 

For this is love, “not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10).  Christ came and died for all our sins.  He takes away guilt for each of those sins above, and for countless more that you deal with.  He did this all by His own death on the cross, which we celebrate in only a few short days. 

So, dear friends, what do we say to these things?  St. Paul tells us in Romans, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

“For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.  We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin.  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” 

We are forgiven, and so cannot continue in our sin any longer.  We no longer can “live and let live”.  Instead, let us leave our sin behind, and dwell in the love that Christ gives to us.  It’s a cross-defined love that shows real concern about us and what goes on in our lives. 

So in conclusion, I would encourage you to show true love to those around you.  It’s a love that forgives wrongs, even while we admit that they are wrong.  It’s a love that does not begin with us at all, but begins with the grace and mercy earned on the cross of Christ.  That is true love. 

In Christ,

Pastor

Lent 3 - G - 2012 - The Temple of Bloody Sacrifice

The Third Sunday of Lent
March 11, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Exodus 20:1-17           1 Corinthians 1:18-31             John 2:13-25

This weeks sermon written was extremely different than sermon preached - just was in the preaching mood I guess, but here is the written sermon:

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, ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  The Jewish temple was the place forgiveness of sins happened, because that is the place where God dwelt.  There, animals were slaughtered.  There, blood was spilled – gallons of it.  There the priests daily offered countless sacrifices, burning them on a giant altar.  It was a huge 34 acre complex, covered with gold and jewels and a vast market place.  In that market place, animals that were to be sacrificed were bought and sold. 

It is there, that you bought and paid for your forgiveness of sins.  You bought the sacrifice necessary for your guilt before God.  You paid for the coins to give the priest for the temple tax.  It is there, you used your own hard earned money, to get forgiveness from God – all of it through the blood of countless animals killed every day. 

The forgiveness of sins was not cheap in the Jerusalem temple.  And what made it even worse was the way you got it.  For through the hundreds of years that Jewish people went to the temple to get forgiveness of sins, inflation ruled supreme.  The temple had its own currency, its own coins you had to buy.  It was almost like Chucky Cheese, you went to the temple, and used the real money to buy the temple coins, or tokens which you used to buy the other sacrifices.  And as if buying forgiveness wasn’t bad enough the cost rose and rose and rose, for the priests in the temple were taking advantage of the people. 

The dwelling place of God had become a den of robbers.  The holiest place in Israel was no longer a place of forgiveness, but a house of trade to barter for forgiveness.  How very like us.  For we too try to bargain with God to get the things we want in the way we want.  “God if you will heal my uncle, I swear I will come to church more often.  Lord, I am going to sin just this one time, you’ll forgive me anyways, right?  I mean, I do believe in you, so just let me sneak by this time – it will only happen once I swear!”

We ourselves become the thieves and robbers.  We ourselves steal from God in this way, and in so doing lose sight of the blood that must be slain for our forgiveness – the true cost, the true price. 

In our text, Jesus walks right into the midst of this situation, and gets righteously angry.  “How dare you make my house a place of trade?  How dare you spend so much time and effort worrying about the price that you must pay for forgiveness?  How dare you defame the place where God chooses to dwell?”  So Jesus makes a whip, and runs through the temple whipping and driving out sin from the Jewish temple. 

For Jesus knows the truth, as we have mentioned, that blood must be shed.  For in blood is the life of a creature.  And since we sinners deserve death, lifeblood must be poured out on our behalf.  And it must be done before God to count for our guilt, for our bargaining, for our downright shamefulness. 

For that is why Jesus came.  In our text today, there are two temples.  The Jewish temple, the majestic building built by mere man for God to live, and the Jesus of Nazereth, where God chose to dwell.  Jesus would be the temple where the ultimate sacrifice would occur.  He would be the temple where all sin would be forgiven now and forever – all yours, all mine, the entire worlds.  It is there that not you at all, but God would purchase your forgiveness. 

Jesus tells the Jews in the temple as much in our text.  “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”  No, not the buildings built by man, not the place in Jerusalem.  But the created human flesh where the uncreated God dwells.  For as Jesus drove sin out of the temple building in Jerusalem with whips in our text, so too would Jesus drive the sin out of the world as whips struck his own flesh.  In the temple of his own flesh, Jesus would spill the blood necessary for your forgiveness.  The very temple of God, the place where the second person of the Trinity dwelt among his own people, would be destroyed.

It’s on the cross that this all happens.  This season of Lent that is where we look, to a cross, where all our guilt, all our shame, all our lust and hate and angriness is covered with blood from a sacrifice.  The life of Christ pours out from his hands and side for you so that no longer do you need to bicker and steal, but instead that you might receive freely from God and share with those who are around you. 

You are washed in the blood of Christ. You are covered with his righteousness.  You belong to him, as you freely receive the gifts from Christ – baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and his holy word. 

The cross also means a promise for you.  For as the temple of Jesus’s body was destroyed, so too did it raise again.  On the third day following the crucifixion, the tomb of Christ was empty.  And this is the promise.  Covered in Christ’s blood through baptism we have already died to our sin, and we are raised into eternity with him, raised into the place where there no longer will need to be atonement – where there will be no sin, not hurt, not pain.  Raised to be with God – with Jesus forever and ever. 

Amen.

Lent 2 - G - 2012 - Who do you say Jesus is?

The Second Sunday of Lent
March 4, 2012 - Pastor Adam Moline

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16             Romans 5:1-11            Mark 8:27-38

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 just read, especially these words, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”  Thus far our text today. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Jesus asks two questions in our text today.  First – Who do people say that I am? Second – Who do you say that I am?  Who am I?  What is my identity?  And if you get this question right, that you are blessed beyond all belief, but if you get it wrong, you belong to Satan, you are setting your mind on the things of man, and Jesus will be ashamed of you on the day he comes with angels in the glory of the Father. 

So… who do people say that Jesus is?  We have heard all the answers.  Jesus is a good teacher, he shows us how to live a life worthy of God.  He shows us how to have our very best life now, and how to get along with our neighbors.  Jesus is my rich uncle who wants me to be rich as well, so long as I follow him correctly.  Jesus is a role model who shows us how to organize our community to accomplish things that benefit the greater good.  Jesus is a great prophet who gave us the 40 steps to live a purposeful life.  Jesus is an idea, a person we use to defend our own beliefs to people and places he is the person we can make say whatever we want.  Jesus has been defined as all sorts of things to all sorts of people. 

Dear friends, it is the same in our text.  When Jesus asks the disciples “Who do people think that I am?” they respond, “Some say John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”  Everyone had a different opinion.  And none of them are completely right.  Yes, there is some truth to it, but only half truths.  Jesus is a prophet, in that he proclaims the very word of God, but he is also more than a prophet.  Jesus is like Elijah in that he performs miracles, but he is more than that as well.  Jesus is a teacher, he is a role-model, he does want to share his riches with us – but it is impossible to peg Jesus by using one of these terms alone.  There is something more about Jesus, and we have to know and understand that first. 

So Jesus asks the disciples “Who do you, you twelve, you followers, who do you say that I am?”  And Peter answers right away, “You are the Christ”.  He hit the nail on the head.  Jesus must of smiled!  You’re right Peter, you got it!  You understand!  I’m the Christ!  You win the prize!  And when we hear it, we join the chorus right along with Peter!  “Duh Pastor!  Of course Jesus is the Christ, everyone knows that.”  But I ask you, what does that mean?  Who is the Christ?  What exactly does that mean? 

Peter didn’t know either, so Jesus starts to explain it.  “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.  And he said this plainly.”  Wait a minute, that’s not the Jesus I want.  That’s not my friend, that’s not my role-model, that’s not my idea of who Jesus is.  What’s the deal with the death and dying business?  That’s not who I want for my Christ!  Cool down your talk Jesus, lay off your rhetoric! 

Or so Peter says.  And dear friends, so too do we.  “Cool down this death of Jesus business.  Don’t talk about bloody deaths and all that baloney.  Just leave be quiet and tell me how to make my family get along better, and tell me how to live my life in a worthy way.  Tell me what I must do to be saved, because that’s the Christ I want.  Tell me, so that I can do it all by myself.  That’s the Savior I want.”

Dear friends, Jesus only has one answer for this kind of talk, only one response to us who would reshape the Christ into who we want him to be – “Get thee behind me Satan!”  Get out of the way because the Christ must die.  He must suffer many things at the hands of unbelievers.  He can’t leave your sin behind for you to do what you wish with, he must take it upon himself, set his eyes on Calvary and bleed, ooze, thirst and die for your sins.  That’s what the Christ does.  That’s his job.  That’s why he comes, and the first and primary reason.  To save you from sin. 

People hear this, and they laugh at us.  People hear this, and they criticize us Christians, they call us hypocrites and religious fanatics.  They say we are lunatics for believing in all this Jesus and resurrection stuff, but friends that’s who your Christ is – not just a teacher or role model, but a savior who saves by dying in your place.

Any “Jesus” that avoids the cross is not the true Jesus.  Any Jesus who doesn’t suffer is just a shadow of the true Jesus.  Any Jesus who is just a regular guy, or only a friends fails to fulfill the roll of Christ. Your Jesus, the Jesus of scripture – not of popular opinion – wants to teach you about his death.  He wants to make you rich, not with the things of the world, but with the things of heaven where moth and mold cannot destroy.  He wants to be your role model so that you follow him to the cross in your baptism, and rise with Him into eternity apart from sin.

So, dear friends in Christ, “Who do you say that Jesus is?”    Is he just a teacher?  Is he just a role model?  Is he just a man?  No, He is the Christ – the sacrifice for your sin.  He is the one to take you from this world to the next.  He is the one… who dies to save you from sin.  Amen.  

March News&Views from the Pews

Dear Friends in Christ,

The March News&Views is available here

Please enjoy!

Advent 4 - O - 2011 - Your King Forever

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16     Romans 16:25-27         Luke 1:26-38

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 just read, especially these words, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.  Your throne shall be established forever.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Forever is a long time.  We have all made light of this fact by saying “that car ride took forever,” “it took forever for the sequel of my favorite movie to come out,” or even, as we may admit, “that sermon took forever in church!”  We doubt forever could happen, and we use it as an excuse when things seem to fall apart in our lives.  Forever is a long time, so long in fact that we often say, “nothing lasts forever.” 

And yet, in our text today, God promises David forever.  “Your throne, David, will be established forever.”  In other words, there will always be a Davidic king ruling.  One of David’s children or grandchildren will always be a king.  It will be that way forever.  God has said so, David, he has made you a promise. 

What is David to do?  Should he doubt God’s word, should he tell God, “Well Lord, nothing lasts forever, so your promise must not be true.”  Nothing lasts forever, so don’t you have a different promise for me?  Nothing lasts forever, so will my throne really be established. 

If you look at the history recorded in scripture, it would seem that should this have been David’s view, if he had been a cynic, he would be right.  During the reign of David’s grandson, the kingdom of Israel divided into two different kingdoms, that began warring with one another.  These kings, some of whom were descended from David, turned from God and turned from faith before finally the kingdom of David was destroyed and taken into captivity by the Babylonians.  After all nothing lasts forever, right? 

So often we too have that same view.  For we too have a promise of “forever” in our lives.  God has promised that he will be with us “forever”, never leaving nor forsaking us.  God has promised that we shall live with him “forever,” and yet we see loved ones passing away.  God will love us forever, and yet, sometimes we don’t feel like it do we?  He will forgive us forever, and yet sometimes we still feel guilty for things we have done wrong (sometimes rightly by the way.   Is God really keeping his promises to us, or is forever just too good to be true? Is it true that nothing really lasts forever?

Dear friends in Christ, when God says something is forever, he means it, even if we cannot understand how or why, or even see the way it will all work out.  God told David, “I will establish your house forever,” and He meant it.  Hear again our Gospel text for today, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.  And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’”

Even for David, when it seems that forever is gone, that there is no hope of it being fulfilled, God keeps his promise of forever.  900 years after David dies, a descendant of his is born.  900 years later, in the city of David, good tidings of great joy occur.  For God keeps his promise, and a new king is born.  Jesus, whose first throne is but a manger in a stable.  He is the king  descended from David.  He is the one who will reign in David’s place forever.  A king is born, lowly in a manger.

And dear friends, he reigns for you as well, keeping God’s promises of forever for you.  For the same King Jesus, descendant of David, enthroned in a manger will also be enthroned in a much more painful place.  He will wear a crown of thorns and a robe stained in his own blood, until stripped naked he is enthroned upon a wooden cross for all the world to see.  It is that King, who is enthroned forever.  It is that King who is both our God and our Lord.  It is that King who will keep all of God’s promises to you. 

You are forgiven, FOREVER, for the sins of the whole world were placed on your king, as he died in your place.  You need not continue to feel guilty for them.  They are no longer yours, but his.  You are free and forgiven for ever.  God has promised that you will live forever, and you know this to be true, for death cannot destroy your King Jesus.  Even when he lied dead in a tomb for three days, he returned to life, and so will you.  Your King is the very Resurrection and the Life, FOREVER, and he gives that life to you in the very waters of life in baptism. 

You are loved FOREVER, for your God promises you heaven, a place where you may stand before him, not in shame, not in sorrow, but in peace.  God has promised that his own hand, with the hole from a nail still in it, will wipe away all the hurt and pain of this world. 

God keeps his promises to us, especially the promise of forever.  And if we doubt it at times, all we need do is look at the baby in the manger, the one whose birth we celebrate next week, the babe, the son of Mary.  David’s throne is established forever, and God lives and reigns today – over you, over me, and his reign shall have no end.  He is your God, your redeemer, your savior, and he will be FOREVER.  Amen.