“Jesus the Refugee” (Matthew 2:13-23)

Matthew 2:13-23

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 29, 2019

“The Return from Egypt” by James Tissot (1836-1902)

Joseph has four dreams. In each of them, God speaks to him. The dreams make a good four-part outline. In the first dream, God tells Joseph not to fear taking Mary as his wife and child as his own. He marries Mary and adopts Jesus. In the second dream, God tells Joseph to take his family to Egypt to escape Herod’s violence in Israel and find refuge in Egypt. In the third dream, God tells Joseph to go back to Israel since Herod is dead and no longer a threat. In the fourth dream, God tells Joseph to go to Nazareth because it is a safe city in Israel. Joseph’s dreams remind us that God knows the thoughts and intention of every human heart—even those bent on cruelty and evil. God warns Joseph to stay one step ahead of the threats. As Joseph walks with the Lord, God uses him to preserve the lives of Mary and the Child, Jesus.

Biblical scholars suggest that the gifts from the Magi—the gold, frankincense, and myrrh—helped Joseph take his family to Egypt. They may have had to pay for safe passage into Egypt or bribes when they arrived. Regardless, they had what they needed to sustain them until Herod’s murderous madness was over. It is unbearable to even think about how horrific and wicked Herod was to kill all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years-old or under. Yet, there it is right there in the Bible. And it is real. You can still see the bones of the slaughter of the innocents in a cave in Israel today.

According to World Vision, there are over 70 million refugees in the world today—being forcibly displaced from their homelands. Half of them are children. The top five countries are Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Somalia. Many Christians are targeted for violence throughout the world. And even at our borders in the United States there are many seeking asylum and safety from their homelands which are too dangerous to return to. Some are leaving their country of origin because of war, gang violence, religious persecution, or human trafficking. It is an alarming fact that Jesus and his family’s flight into Egypt to escape the threat of death is not as uncommon of a human experience as we would like to think. It is easy for us, perhaps, to live, work, and go home in the security of our borders and not realize the plight of humanity all around us and all around the world.

God cares about the most vulnerable among us. Even before God’s love for the world was fully revealed in Jesus Christ—thousands of years before Jesus and his family fleeing their homeland threat—God said to his people, the Israelites, “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry” (Exod 22:21-23). “You shall also love the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Deut 10:19).

I’m grateful that the president of our denomination as well as the president of the Northern Illinois district have both put out strong statements regarding our Christian duty to show hospitality and love to those who who come to our borders and communities. We of all people should know that God calls us to treat others—and especially their children—as we would want ourselves and our own children to be treated. We are to love one another as Christ has loved us. Scripture says in the book of Hebrews, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2). And that is quite something to ponder: Egyptians showed hospitality to the Word made flesh and entertained the Messiah in their borders unawares. This is simply a fulfillment of the Golden Rule and the Royal Law: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Joseph the stepfather of Jesus does not get a lot of attention. He not only is a fabulous and godly father—he embodies our Heavenly Father. Joseph adopts Jesus as his own Son. He preserves his life through his obedience, care, and love even though Jesus is not his flesh and blood. He leads Jesus away from the threat of death into the sanctuary town of Nazareth. Jesus found refuge in his Heavenly Father through his earthly stepfather Joseph.

Like Joseph, God our Heavenly Father adopts us as his own daughters and sons. He preserves us body and soul through the obedience of his Son. Jesus suffers as a refugee and, as an adult, suffers death for us even though we are not his own flesh and blood. Jesus is our divine Coyote—our soul smuggler—who takes us safely to the other side. He purchases a place for us in heaven—not with gold and silver or with frankincense or myrrh but with his precious blood on the Cross of Calvary. He leads us from the threat of sin, death, and evil by the power of his resurrection. And he welcomes us into the sanctuary city of the New Jerusalem. We are no longer refugees, foreigners, and aliens. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. He welcomes us, takes us as his own, and brings us safely to our heavenly home. Jesus the refugee is now Jesus our refuge.

“Eternally Begotten” (Heb 1:1-9; Jn 1:1-14; Ps 2:7)

Hebrews 1:1-9
John 1:1-14
Psalm 2:7

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“Eternally Begotten,”
Pastor Tom Johnson, December 25, 2019

Our readings this morning help us see that Jesus was born a child but also that was not his beginning. He was born into time and into humanity. But that is not the beginning of his story. It is the continuation of his story. The writer of Hebrews says that he is begotten of the Father in timeless eternity. He quotes Psalm 2 to explain this profound truth. The Father says, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” There was never a time he was not the Son. His relationship with God the Father is, was, and will always be one-of-a-kind in heaven and earth. The Son is God. He is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is not created. He has no beginning. He has no end. The “today” in “today I have begotten you” is the eternal now—the timelessness of the Kingdom of Heaven in which God dwells. The Father “created the worlds through the Son.” “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all this by his powerful word.” His years will never come to an end. And one day—on our timeline of history—he will come back in glory to make all things new.

In our reading from the Gospel of John, he is the Word, “and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being...And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” Christmas is the celebration of God’s eternal gift intersecting with our time and our space in human history. But it is also a celebration of God’s eternal gift that still intersects with our today—in this moment and in this place. This is the mystery of the incarnation—the Word made flesh—eternal God taking on our humanity by becoming a baby in a manger. But he still comes to us by his Spirit through Word and Sacrament. It should humble us that we cannot fully understand these profound truths with our finite minds. “He was in the world,” John says in his Gospel, “and the world came into being though him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.”

Sometimes we do not trust what we do not understand. Or we reject the faith because we do not recognize what was under our noses all the time. The Word became flesh. But if the miracle escapes us, we will remain in unbelief. But he is “the true light, which enlightens everyone” and has come into the world. He takes the initiative to enter our world and give us spiritual rebirth. He is the eternally begotten who is now born into time and space—our time and space. He is with us in our today just has he is in God’s eternal now. Jesus is the reason for the season. He is the reason for every season not just these few weeks each winter. He is born into hearts when God adopts us through the Water, Word, and Spirit of Holy Baptism. He is born into our nows through the word of Scripture. He is born into our relationships through our Christian fellowship. He is born into our weeks through the Bread and Wine—the Body and Blood of Holy Communion. He is born into our todays through our daily prayers. He is the eternally begotten One. And the day draws near when we will be born anew in the world to come—when we fall asleep in Jesus and leave this world or when he comes back in glory to make all things new.

This is He whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful Word
Now He shines the long-expected
Let creation praise its Lord
Evermore and evermore.
          (“Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” LSB 384 v. 3)

“A Great Light” (Isaiah 9:2)

Isaiah 9:2-7

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 24, 2019

This evening we have heard the development of the promise of light in the Old Testament Scripture. Beginning with Genesis, we see how the darkness of the serpent deceived Adam and Eve. But immediately we have the promise of the light that will deal a death blow to the darkness through their offspring. This is the Child of promise who will crush the head of the serpent of old. Satan’s days are numbered. Soon Messiah comes. He will cast away all darkness and evil. He will be our eternal light.

The prophet Isaiah talks about all those who walk in darkness—those who live in a land of deep darkness. That is the valley of the shadow of death that we all experience in this life. This is a universal human experience—deep darkness. We know that behind the news of human brutality, there is something sinister that lurks deep in the human heart that would be capable of such evil. This deep darkness is our hearts as individuals. This deep darkness is in our communities, our institutions, and threatens to cause nation to rise up against nation and neighbor against neighbor. It is difficult to hear the daily news and not be reminded of just how palpable evil and how its shadow haunts us.

On that Christmas Eve long ago, the shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night. Why were they working the night shift? They knew that behind any shadow there could be the threat of robbers, wolves, and lions. But they were also under the shadow of Roman occupation. Even their own leader, Herod, was a maniacal king willing to kill a whole generation of boys to maintain his position of power. The darkness was deeper than just the absence of light. It was the heavy burden of deep darkness that weighed them down. There are times when we also feel like the world around us is shrouded in evil. That we are fighting a losing battle against the profound evil around us and the demons within.

I have wondered why a choir of angels would appear to these common shepherds in the dead of night to share their good news. Maybe it is because they of all people longed for more light in this world. “An angel of the Lord stood before [these shepherds], and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” This light was not just for them. It was for every nation, for all tribes and peoples and languages. It was light for those of the ancient past back to our first parents. It was light for those thousands upon thousands of generations to follow.

The light of the Christ Child illumines all of creation—the creation that is, was, and is to be. Jesus birth is “good news of great joy for all the people.” He is the great light of creation. He is the great light of re-creation. Darkness cannot overcome light. The darkness must scatter before the light of Christ. The darkness of sin and temptation tried to put out the light of Christ. But his light prevailed. The darkness of death tried to snuff out the light and life of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. But just a few days later, the blinding light of Christ burst through the empty tomb. The newborn babe is the flicker of hope and light for all people and for all times. His light will only grow. His life and goodness will illumine all creation—so much so that there will be no need for sun or moon. He will be our eternal light.

At the end of our celebration of the gift of light through the Christ Child, we will get to celebrate this truth of growing light. We will dim the lights. We will sit and stand in deep darkness. The single flame of the Christ Candle will then be passed from person to person. His light will grow among us. His light will illumine all our grateful and joyful faces. As the shepherds went with haste to find the Christ Child in a manger—and all were amazed to hear their story of promise, hope, and joy—so we will go out into the world with haste, promise, hope, and joy to be the light of Christ to the world. Our faces will shine with the radiance of the Christ Child’s countenance upon us. We will tell our story of peace, forgiveness, and eternal life. We have seen a Great Light. And that Light will disperse the darkness of our sin, despair, and death forever.

“Immanuel, God with Us” (Isaiah 7:10-16)

Isaiah 7:10-16

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 22, 2019

2 Kings (16) and 2 Chronicles (28) give us the context for the promise of Immanuel. Ahaz, a twenty year-old, becomes king of Israel and reigns for 16 years. He does not walk in the way of the Lord but does what is evil in the sight of God. Scripture gives several examples of just how wicked he was. He made idols out of metal. He worshiped foreign gods of the mountains and trees. He offered his own sons as sacrifices by fire to false gods. He betrayed those closest to him—his own children—for political gain. As a result of his hunger and thirst for power, many of his own people died, lost their homes, and their livelihood because.

But at one point the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before a storm. They were overcome with fear because they realized two foreign powers made a pact against them to destroy them. It seems that Ahaz had no one else to turn to except God for help. It is God’s idea to send Isaiah to Ahaz to meet him in his fear. Isaiah brings a message of hope to Ahaz even though he clearly is not a person or leader who deserves the goodness and kindness of God. Isaiah gives Ahaz God’s message: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” In other words, “King Ahaz, there is no limit to the sign God will give you if you ask humbly and prayerfully. Your request can be as grounded as the deep places of the earth or as transcendent as the reality beyond the stars. Just ask.”

King Ahaz’s response is, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” In other words, “Thanks, but no thanks, God.” His religious piety is a farce. God is offering him an undeserved gift and he wants to refuse it as if God has ulterior motives—as if God is going to betray him like Ahaz betrays everyone else. Isaiah is greatly annoyed. He scolds Ahaz: “Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?” In other words, “Is it not enough, Ahaz, for you to exasperate other people that you would also try to exasperate God?”

There is a lesson for us today in this ancient story of Ahaz’s 16-year quest for power. He turns toward false gods in pride and abuse of power. He refuses to accept God’s gracious gift—even though he clearly does not deserve God’s gift. The promise of Immanuel comes at a time of global conflict and corrupt leadership. The promise of Immanuel comes again hundreds of years later to Joseph at a time of global conflict and corrupt leadership. Like Ahaz, Joseph is overcome by fear at the news of his fiancé’s pregnancy.  Unlike Ahaz, however, Joseph is a man of integrity and truly loves Mary, his fiancé. God wants to give Joseph, Mary, and the whole world a gift—an undeserved gift—Immanuel—the God who is with us.

And so the promise of Immanuel extends to us. No matter where you or I are on the political spectrum, I think we can agree that we also live at a time of global conflict and many corrupt world leaders. There is nothing new under the sun. Whether we look to one news network or another—whether we we vote for one party or another—whether we are citizens of one nation or another, God’s gift comes to us underserved.  We have not earned or merited his goodness as fallen humanity. Clearly none of us deserve or could have earned such a priceless and divine gift. The gift of Immanuel always comes to those who could not have imagined or even asked for such a gift.

God’s gift is a death-blow to our arrogance, narcissism, and idolatry. Immanuel reveals our self-centeredness and preoccupation with worldly power and prestige. He takes the mask off of our false gods to reveal our destructive demons.  God calls us to look away from earthly saviors. He wants us to learn the wisdom of Psalm 146: “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.” Our hope and future does not rest in the next election or the next royalty in line. As the hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem” says of the promise of Immanuel, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.”

Here is the beautiful irony of today’s Scripture. Like Ahaz, we mortals fear other mortals. We humans often look to humanity for hope, power, and a better future. God wants us to look to him for salvation and blessing. And so he sends his Son to take on humanity. The Word becomes flesh. Now we can look to someone born of woman. But this one is not born as we are. His mother is a virgin. He is not merely human. He is divine. He is Immanuel: God with us.

God is with us in human flesh. We can now look to the King of kings and Lord of lords. God is with us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God is with us in our suffering because he himself suffered. God is with us in our death because on our behalf he died. God is with us through death because he rose from the dead. God is with us in the life of the world to come because he will make all things new. God is with us in spite of ourselves. His name carries the full joy of who he is for us, Immanuel, the God who is with us.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

And so we pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

“Greater than expected” (Matthew 11:2-11)

Matthew 11:2-11

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 15, 2019

“John the Baptist in Prison” by Josef Anton Hafner (1750)

There is some debate on why John the Baptist asks if his cousin Jesus is the one to come or if they should expect another. Some say John had his doubts. That does not bother me since he was human like the rest of us. Others say he did not ask for himself—that John did not doubt who Jesus was but wanted his disciples to hear for themselves how Jesus would assure people that he was the true Messiah.

These are difficult times. John is in prison. He knows that he could be executed by Herod at any time. He is being toyed with and only kept alive for his entertainment value. Everyone knows John’s days may soon be over. Jesus is also under constant threat of arrest himself. The religious authority are constantly challenging Jesus, trying to find fault in him, and bringing charges against him to get him into trouble.

Neither John nor Jesus make a spectacle of their greatness. They both humble themselves. John, a human, took on camel flesh for clothing. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, took on human flesh to clothe himself in humanity. John pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John said, “Jesus must increase but I, John, must decrease.” It was John’s mission to prepare the world to better understand and receive Messiah. That’s why Jesus says John is the greatest of prophets and even more than a prophet. He had the great responsibility of helping people recognize Jesus as the Savior of the World. And he was faithful—even to his imprisonment and death.

Jesus says, “Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” Blessed are those who do not despise Jesus because of his perfect humanity and great humility. We are truly blessed when we believe that God did the great work of sending his eternal Son be born, live, teach, heal, suffer, die, and rise again for us. Both John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah came as servants to people, servants to God, and servants to help bring God’s reign from heaven to earth. They built the Kingdom of God on earth from the bottom up.

It makes me think about driving into the city in the early morning hours. Sometimes the great skyscrapers of our skyline are clothed in fog and clouds. Sometimes you can only see the base of those tall structures. It’s that way sometimes when you hike great mountains. You begin under the cover of darkness, fog, and cloud. You trust the forecast that the fog will lift and the clouds will melt away in the sun to reveal their majesty. We know that the greatness of buildings and mountains are sometimes obscured and hidden. We trust that even though we have not yet set foot at the top yet or can see their height, they are greater than what we can now observe.

This is the humility and patience of Advent, the coming of Jesus. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor the heart imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Jesus is not offended by our questions. Are you the real deal? Are you who you say you are? Are you really the Word made flesh? He is patient toward us. He came to encourage us. He came to build us up in him. He came to extend his reign into our lives, minds, and hearts.

So we should not take offense at Jesus or God. His ways are not our ways. God says through the prophet Isaiah, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:8,9). God’s thoughts and ways are so high that they are sometimes hidden by the fogginess of our minds and our clouded thinking. It only makes sense that God’s greatness is not yet fully known or realized by us mere mortals. Barbara Brown Taylor says, “Blessed are those who do not let the Messiah they are expecting blind them to the Messiah who is standing right in front of them.” The greatness of Christ came wrapped in the flesh of a human baby, he comes to us wrapped in the Word of Scripture and the Gospel, he comes to us wrapped in bread and wine of Holy Communion. One day he will come wrapped in his full glory.

The truly mind-blowing thing that Jesus reveals to us is when he says, “…the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than [John the Baptist].” That is you and me! We are those who have been Baptized into an even greater name—the Triune God. 1 John 3:2 says it this way, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him because we shall see him as he is.”

One day—and the day will come quickly—Jesus will come in his full glory. The heavens will tear apart and the King of Glory will come to make all things new—including you and me. We will be transformed into his likeness. He will not clothe us in camel skin or in greater humanity; we will be clothed in blinding light and the righteousness of Christ. We will realize how great he has re-created us to be in the Kingdom. We will celebrate an eternal wedding feast in the great company of Jesus the Groom and we will be the beautiful Bride. And so we pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

“Stay Awake” (Matthew 24:36-44; Rom 13:11,12a)

Matthew 24:36-44
Rom 13:11,12

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 1, 2019

In our Gospel, Jesus tells us: “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. …stay awake. …Therefore stay awake…lest [the master] come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Four times Jesus tells us to wakefulness—to rouse ourselves—to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open—to be fully conscious—to be ready with our minds and hearts to welcome the day when our Master Jesus comes back.

In our reading from Romans, we have a similar message “..to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near” (Rom 13:11,12a). God calls us to see the present time as the lingering night just before the break of day—a new and eternal day when Jesus comes back to usher in his Kingdom, right ever wrong, and make all things new. Jesus has been gone 2,000 years. Many generations have been born and died. Kingdoms have risen and kingdoms have fallen. There have been 2,000 years since Jesus spoke these words. It has been a long night. It often does not appear that the dawn of a new age is around the corner. The darkness of humanity seems to have grown. My parents grew up under the dark cloud of World War II. My generation grew up in the terrifying shadows of nuclear war. Today we live in under the dark cloud of international and domestic terrorism.

I like how Jesus compares this world to humanity live in his house. The Master appears to have abandoned his house. He has gone on a long 2,000 year journey. Some of our hearts have grown just as empty. The darkness of the night has convinced some of us that the dawn of His return will never come. For many occupants of this house the darkness is all we have known. We have grown so accustomed to the darkness, we believe that the darkness is all that is real. Or the darkness has chased the hope for light away. The deep darkness threatens to choke and smother our faith. We begin to fall asleep spiritually. Our eyelids grow heavy and our limbs are weighed down. Our eyes itch with the desire to close and shut out. Our hearts sink in the dark void of the house without a master. Under these conditions, why should it surprise us that we grow weary and tired in this two thousand year night? The lack of hope and light threatens to drain the life out of us.

Jesus asks us not to succumb to the night. The Master cries out, “Stay awake!” “Wake up!” Jesus the Light of the World cries out to us through the darkness: “The night has lingered on so long that My coming back sounds like a far-fetched dream. But the Day is coming—and it is coming quickly—when Day will Dawn. “The light of that New Day will be so bright that the Sun and Moon will pale in comparison. The light of the Son of God will radiate into your being like a bright, cloudless day does after weeks of gloomy skies. The darkness of my absence and the memory of a broken world will become a distant memory. The light will shine in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome the light.”

Think of what it is like to fly in an in airplane. We may lift off the ground under dark clouds. But soon we leave the clouds behind. What a wonderful surprise to break through to the blue sky and see the sun shining so bright. We know that the earth is spinning on its axis. At night we know it will spin out of its own shadow soon. Dawn is coming. The promise of a new day will come quickly. The Master is about to come back the same way.

So Jesus tells us. Wake up! Stay awake! He is giving us an opportunity to live in light of eternal truth and eternal reality. We do not need to live the lie that the darkness is permanent. God wants each of us to live each day with our eyes fixed on the Eastern Horizon knowing that the Son of God will appear in His blinding glory! Stay awake! He will not let us down! The Son of God will arise and shine! He stretches his almighty hand, takes us by the shoulder, and shakes us with his Word—“Stay awake!” Scripture has the power to stir up strength and alertness within our hearts, minds, and souls. He splashes us with the water of Baptism—waking us up to the reality of our adoption and forgiveness of sins—in the Name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit. He comes in his Body and Blood—a heavenly feast in the Lord’s Supper—a holy meal to give us the energy and faith to get through the night—strengthening and preserving us in body and soul until life-everlasting. Holy Communion is like an early morning breakfast just before the dawn of our new and eternal day.

We long for the Son of God to rise and fully shine on us and the world he made. And so we pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

“Let gratitude your banner be” (Psalm 20:5)

“Sing a new song to the Lord, who has done marvelous things, whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory.” —Psalm 98:1

“And Moses built an altar and called it, ‘The LORD is my banner.’” —Exodus 17:15

“May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.”   —Psalm 20:5

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 17, 2019

Months ago, it was suggested we use David Rogner’s thanksgiving hymn for our emphasis on stewardship. Two phrases emerged: “God is ever giving” and “Let gratitude your banner be.” God is the great giver...always and forevermore. In response to his generosity, we raise our voices of thanksgiving and praise. You will notice that we took these words quite literally. We have raised a banner on the Altar with large letters that spell out the word gratitude. Churches around the world have inscribed in stone and wood the words “Give thanks” on their Altars because of Jesus’ words of thanksgiving as he invites us to the Lord’s Supper. He gave thanks and gave the bread as his Body. After he had given thanks, he gave the cup, the New Testament in his Blood for the forgiveness of sins. That is why many call Communion the Eucharist. It is the meal of thanksgiving.

Scripture tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess 5:18) ... “to give thanks always and for everything” (Eph 5:20) ... to “rejoice in the Lord always...in everything with thanksgiving” (Phil 4:4-6). “Let gratitude your banner be.” This is a poetic call—for us to draw attention to what is important. We raise our flags to identify ourselves as one people with shared values and a shared experience. We pledge allegiance to stand together as a nation, team, and family.

When God’s people were gathered to receive their inheritance in the Promised Land, they were told to gather by their families, clans, and tribes and to raise a banner with their names sewn into the fabric of the flags (Num 2). Among the thousands of people gathered, they could be identified by these banners. When God delivered the people of Israel from destruction, he tells Moses to raise up his staff above his head. The people of God help him raise the standard. And whenever Moses raises God’s staff high, God’s people prevail in their battle. It was a standard with no flag—just a pole raised up by God’s command. At the end of the war, as they celebrate their victory, Moses raises up an Altar and calls it, “The Lord Is My Banner.” What could not be seen with human eyes was the source of their strength, identity, and victory—the Lord of Hosts (Exod 17). As God’s people, we should be identified by our love for one another. As Jesus said, “They will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another” (Jn 13:35). We should also be known as grateful people—people who are thankful for all of God’s gifts—the Lord who is our strength and “ever giving.”

My brother recommended a book to me last year called “The Happiness Curve.” It is about the science of happiness. It’s based on research from many different countries with all our economic, cultural, and generational diversity. One thing they found is that money cannot buy happiness. Sure, there is an increase of happiness when a person escapes extreme poverty. But more stuff does not result in more happiness. What was surprising to me is the conclusion of all this research—that happy people are a grateful people and a generous people. As people get older, we generally become happier. Because “with maturity gratitude becomes easier, and ‘giving it away’ becomes a source of joy rather than a life sentence of ‘letting go.’” We are more aware of the struggles of others down the street and across the world. We and our friends and family experience hardship, battle disease, and suffer loss. We realize the good things we enjoy are all a gift.

Many of you know of the loss of my children’s grandmother and my mother a few weeks ago. The truth of today’s Scripture has strengthened me. We have so much to be grateful for to have had her in our lives. Her life and her life in Christ are a gift. My gratitude for this faith community has grown. My awareness of God’s call for me to be a gift and a blessing to others has also grown. This is what stewardship is really all about: we get to grow in our gratitude and our generosity. Our hymn celebrates many of these things—health, home, peaceful days, work, rest, food, family gatherings, creativity, family, friends, good neighbors, even through difficulty. Most especially we celebrate the gift of God’s Son—forgiveness and eternal life that we have through him who died and rose for our salvation.

Later in the service—just before we receive communion—the prayer says, “that we should at all times and in all places give things to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God.” We raise the banner of gratitude in worship and our daily lives. We are called to give thanks always and in every circumstance because there is no end to all the things we should be grateful for. God is ever-giving. We recognize more and more how many ways he has so generously blessed us and all creation. We realize that life races by and we should cherish and live in each moment.

We grow in our awareness than we do not possess anything. We are stewards not owners. It is all on loan to us from God. We take care of these precious gifts for a time. It is why grateful people are generous people. We know the day is soon coming when what we have will be someone else’s—what has blessed us today may bless another tomorrow. And that brings us joy—to participate in bringing God’s goodness to others just as it has been brought to us. It brings God joy to give us good gifts and the greatest gift of his Son. Our gratitude and generosity are ways we get to share in that joy—to “let gratitude our banner be” “for God is ever giving.”

“Children of the Resurrection” (Luke 20:27-40)

Luke 20:27-40

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 10, 2019

Today’s Scripture is a theological debate between the Sadducees and Jesus. They team up together to pick a fight, ridicule Jesus’ teaching, and put him to public shame and disgrace. This is a great follow up to last week’s sermon about laughter. To them bodily resurrection is a joke. They tell a hypothetical story of a woman who loses seven husbands in this life and then asking whose wife will she be in the life to come. They straw-man Jesus’ teaching about life after death. They are pushing resurrection to what they see as logical absurdity. I have to admit, it makes for a hilarious plot for a heavenly bachelorette show: seven prospective husbands, all brothers, all married to her in the previous life, which one will she choose?

Jesus does not take the bait. He does not engage in their intellectual game of “gotcha.” Instead, he masterfully turns the tables around. Marriage is relevant to us in this life, Jesus says. But our relationship to one another and to God will be completely transformed in the life of the world to come. You cannot compare apples to oranges. Life on earth is not the same as life in heaven. Our identity in time and space is not the same as our identity in eternity. Our thinking is limited because our minds are bound by time and space. We get ourselves into trouble when we try to understand the holy through the profane—the eternal through temporal. We think God’s truth is foolishness because it defies human reason. We don’t believe because we cannot easily explain. We have yet to discover how the resurrection has any relevance now.

One reason I believe that Jesus is more than carpenter, rabbi, or prophet is how he uses Scripture. He takes something very simple—how God identifies himself in the burning bush: “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” And then he adds his divine insight: “Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” I asked Anna, our church secretary, to include the two verses after because the words make me laugh: “They no longer dared to ask Jesus another question.” They threw a curve ball; Jesus hits it out of the park. They try to stump the teacher; the teacher stumps them. They now silently reflect on the simple but profound truth of the resurrection so beautifully revealed in how God identifies himself.

We need God’s perspective on our lives. God’s perspective on our earthly lives is very different than ours. He is not bound by time and space. God sees life where we see death. Ancient history for us is but as yesterday to God. Those we speak of as “passed away” and “no longer with us” are now with Jesus in glory. God sees gain where we see loss. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are children of the resurrection thousands of years before Jesus’ resurrection. How much more are we children of the resurrection now? God is in the eternal now. We can only understand God and ourselves through the lens of the Gospel—the temporal through the eternal. God calls us to trust him in death and life even though now we cannot see the other side.

Here is Jesus assurance: Those who are the fathers of our faith for us in the past are God’s children of the resurrection in the eternal now. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not our great-grandfathers. They are our brothers in Christ. God does not have any grandchildren. He is Heavenly Father to the whole human race from the dawn of creation to Jesus’ return...just as Jesus taught us all to pray, “Our Father who art in heaven.” Here is a mind-blowing truth: When Jesus died he put death to death for all the generations that preceded him and all of those who follow. Scripture says Jesus is the Lamb of God who was slain since before the creation of the world (Rev. 13:8)

Similarly, when Jesus rose again from the grave he brought life and light to those who preceded him in death and all those who follow. Scripture calls Jesus “The firstborn of creation—the firstborn of the dead” (Colossians 1:15; Rev 1:5). We are adopted through the water, Word, and Holy Spirit of baptism. Sin and death are drowned and buried by the death of Christ. We are also raised there through faith by the same powerful work that raised Jesus from the dead (Col 2:12). Jesus’ words are so reassuring—so powerful: “Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”

Moments from now, we will witness Samantha’s baptism. She is daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and sister to us. She is a child of the resurrection now through the same water, Word, and Holy Spirit. This is the miracle of Baptism: not how we see it but how God sees it. Many years and many generations may still come and go. Samantha, you, and I may become mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents and part of an ancient history and past to those who follow us...if Jesus delays his return. We may become part of a passing generation and even forgotten. But we are not lost to God. We are now and forever daughters and sons of the resurrection.

For thus the Father willed it,
Who fashioned us from clay;
And His own Son fulfilled it
And brought eternal day.
The Spirit now has come,
To us true faith has given;
He leads us home to heaven.
O praise the Three in One!          (“From God Can Nothing Move Me,” LSB 713 v. 7)

“You will laugh” (Luke 6:21b)

Luke 6:20-31

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“You will laugh,” Luke 6:21b
Pastor Tom Johnson, November 3, 2019

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Jesus promises laughter to be part of God’s reign in our lives. Godly laughter is a guaranteed consequence to the good news of Christ’s Kingdom crashing into our world. Laughter is an involuntary response of the body. Giggling and roaring laughter are wordless but audible celebration. We cannot really decide that we are going to laugh. Something must tickle our funny bone. It can be the relief of stress right after a close call with lethal danger. Laughter can come when we clearly see how foolish we humans can be—when we release the stress of confronting truth that makes us feel uncomfortable. It can result from the discovery of irony—two things that you would not expect to come together—a juxtaposition of incongruities.

But in this same sermon Jesus says there is a laughter that should be turned into mourning and weeping—laughter that needs to stop. This is laughter that comes as the expense of others—mocks others—celebrates another’s demise or destruction. Jesus wants us to cultivate a godly sense of humor.

You’ll remember Abraham and Sarah laughing at God’s promise that they will have a child in their old age. This is the laughter of unbelief—laughter that mocks God. God’s good news sometimes seems like foolishness to us. When their son is born, their home is filled with laughter and joy over their son whom God names Isaac which means “laughter.” This is to remind them that God gets the last laugh as it is his joy to fulfill his promises.

You will remember when Jesus tells those who are mourning the death of a girl that she is only asleep. They laugh in unbelief and Jesus’ apparent cluelessness to the reality of death. Jesus silences their laughter by raising her from the dead and brings godly laughter in celebration of life restored.

It is an evil laughter when we make fun of others—when we ridicule—when we enjoy seeing others fail or harmed. This kind laughter is a poison inside of us spilling out for others to see and hear our callousness and cruelty. This is the laughter in our lives that Jesus wants to transform into a godly sorrow—sadness for our hearts that are inclined toward evil—compassion for others who suffer the consequences of bad choices and living in a sinful world.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes says there is a time to weep and there is a time to laugh (3:4). There is a time to mourn our losses; there is a time to be grateful for what we have been blessed with. There is a time to feel godly sorrow for our sins; there is a time to celebrate a change of heart and repentance. There is a time to stop evil laughter; there is a time to appreciate God’s sense of humor.

There is one explanation of why Orthodox Jews wear the yarmulke or skull cap that I like. It is to remember God’s abiding presence like a palm resting on our head as he looks down on us, chuckles, and says, “You silly human being.”

In Psalm 2, God laughs at us when we boast of our strength. “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (v. 4a). God thinks it’s funny when we make plans and don’t add the words “God willing” or consider the brevity and frailty of our earthly lives.

The most striking example of evil laughter being transformed into godly laughter is when Jesus is crucified. Those who crucified Jesus mocked him and even put a sign over his head to make a joke of him which says, “King of the Jews.”  But three days later, God adds his own punchline when Jesus rises victoriously from the dead. He is not just King of the Jews. He is Lord of lords and King of kings—reigning over heaven and earth.

The average person laughs 17 times a day. When we laugh 100 times a day it is the equivalent of 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. Laughter is good for the body, heart, and soul. Research suggests that laughter strengthens our immune systems, boosts our mood, diminishes pain and the damaging effects of stress. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Here we have the promise of laughter from the lips of Jesus. “You will laugh.” In Christ we have joy that transcends sorrow, we receive love that is deeper than heartbreak, and we celebrate lives transformed by the powerful reign of God.

Today is All Saints Sunday. We cherish the memory of loved ones who are no longer with us. They were not perfect. We even laugh at their quirks and imperfections. Our laughter is in gratitude for having known them and the funny stories we still share. Our loss on earth is God’s gain in heaven. God meets us in our sorrows and reminds us that there is still more to laugh about. We act foolishly, selfishly, and sinfully but in Christ we have forgiveness. We do not know what we are doing. We learn to laugh at ourselves but also celebrate God’s mercy in the One who laid down his life for us on the Cross. But the tomb where they lay Jesus is now empty. In the resurrection, we now laugh, dance, and give shouts of praise. We can even laugh in the face of death and say, “O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” In Christ all our tears will be wiped away and we will have only begun our eternal laughter.

Psalm 46

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“Be still and know I’m God,” Psalm 46:10
Pastor Tom Johnson, October 27, 2019

“Be still and know that I am God.” That’s God’s call to us: to be still. The Hebrew word “still” means “relax.” In some passages it means to relax one’s hands so that they withdraw or drop away from work. In other passages it describes dry grass as it surrenders to the flames or as the sun surrenders to the darkness at sunset. God calls us to calm—to relax ourselves—to be relaxed—to withdraw ourselves from the anxious and wearisome toil of life—to find Sabbath rest—to surrender our grip and delusion that we have life by the horns—things under our control—that we can ride out this life like a wild stallion by our human skill and strength.

“Be still,” the Lord says, “and know that I am God.” Know he is God. Familiarize yourself with who he is. For us that means filling our minds and hearts with the Word of God. Through Scripture alone do we enter a relationship with God and learn who he is—and are assured that God is with us and for us. Know he is God. This call to know God better is a call to relationship with our Creator. It is an invitation to learn more and more about who he truly is—to no longer have a fixed view of who God is but a growing understanding of God.

We have all learned about God growing up—from both the enlightened and darkened imagination of our hearts. We have heard faithful teaching from the Scripture and not so faithful. God calls us to truly know him and it will set us free—free to live lives of peace and quietness. This is what happened more than 500 years ago with a medieval German monk by the name of Martin Luther. There was a lot of bad theology—false ideas and heretical teachings about God. There was a preacher by the name of Johann Tetzel traveling around and exploiting the fear and ignorance people had about God. He portrayed God as an angry God who would like to throw us all into the flames of the lake of fire or purgatory. He taught that for a price, you could buy forgiveness or time served out of God’s eternal punishment—not just for ourselves but for those who have long been dead. I hope all of us recognize how much of an abuse of power this was to generate income for the church. It was why Luther’s call to understand and know the true and living God resonated with so many people. They were starving for grace and mercy even though the church seemed to have lost a clear and plain proclamation of the Gospel.

But even in the recesses of our own minds and hearts there lingers—in all of us—heresies that would make these church walls come tumbling down. We still hold on to fables, superstitions, lies, and inaccuracies about who God is. That’s why we need the Word of God. We are disciples and learners of God through the Word. This is not to add shame and guilt to the idols and falsehoods we create and perpetuate. It is a call to be still—to relax our grip on them—to surrender them into the vast ocean of God’s grace and mercy. Bad theology robs us of peace and joy. None of us has perfect doctrine or understanding of who God is—the One whose ways are not our ways—whose thoughts are not our thoughts. We get to go on a journey of discovery of just how rich—how deep and wide—how overwhelming the love of God is for us—how much of a loving God he is—to be still and know God. Scripture says God is love. He loves the world in this way—that he sent his only begotten son so that all who trust in him will have eternal life. God did not send him into the world to condemn the world but that that world would be saved through him. God is love. He sends Love Incarnate to us.

That is the great insight of this Scripture—“Be still and know that I am God”: To intimately know God is to experience true peace and quietness. To be in a relationship with God is to live a life of resilient confidence in his strength. God invites us to contemplate—to ponder—to find our rest and stillness in the glory and strength of God, our Heavenly Father. We are not saved or sustained by our own strength. We are God’s royal daughters and sons by his free gift of grace alone. We receive this—not by works—but through faith and trust in him alone.

Christ alone was perfectly still and knew God. Just hours before his arrest, he handed his agony over to God—the cup of death he was about to drink in the stillness of obedient prayer with bloody drops of sweat. He surrendered his breath and life on the Cross. Three days later—early Sunday morning—as darkness surrendered to light, death surrendered to life. In Christ we find serene stillness. In him we know the love of God. In him our darkness surrenders to his light. Our anxiety melts away as we  commend ourselves to the person and work of Jesus. We draw near to God in a relationship that overflows with resilient peace and quiet confidence.

With might of ours can naught be done,
Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the Valiant One,
Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this?
Jesus Christ it is.
Of Sabaoth Lord,
And there’s none other God;
He holds the field forever.
                                     (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” LSB 656 v. 2)

“Praying through Despair” (Luke 18:1-8)

Luke 18:1-8

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“Praying through Despair,” Luke 18:1-8
Pastor Tom Johnson, October 20, 2019

“Avenge Me of Mine Adversary” —Anonymous
Pacific Press Publishing Company, 1900

This is one of the few parables whose purpose and meaning is clearly stated. Jesus tells this parable to that we would pray more and be discouraged less—to pray always and not to lose heart. Jesus tells the story of a widow who goes to a judge—a spiritually and morally compromised judge. Basically the judge is the worst kind that one could imagine—he has no reverence for God and no respect for the people he serves. When you enter his courtroom, there is no “In God we trust” sign. When he asks you to say, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth he will not ask you to say “So help me God.” He does not care about being accountable to God. His lack of respect for others follows. He does not care about the plight of the poor, the cries of the oppressed, or the victims of crimes and assault. That is why it is helpful to know who a first century widow is.

Widows were typically young women with small children who had been abandoned. They were the most vulnerable to abuse—forced into prostitution, property taken away, and little recourse or rights as women in a patriarchal society. This judge does not care that the Bible says true “religion...is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27a). He does not care about religion. He does not care about people who afflicted. But because the widow will not stop coming to him day after day to plead her cause—because she is so persistent to tell him again and again her struggle—because he is so sick of hearing from her and just wants her to go away—he grants her his request. He is so annoyed by her he gives her what she wants. It does not matter to him that justice for her is pleasing to God. That she will have a better life and be able to move forward in her life does not make him feel good. Having her out of his life and courtroom—not seeing and hearing her makes him happy. To put it bluntly, this judge is a real jerk.

Why would Jesus tell this story of such a despicable person? Jesus emphatically says “listen to what the unjust judge says”—take a hard look at this corrupt, uncaring, godless, dishonorable court justice. He is not your Heavenly Father. Do not mistake God for him. He is nothing like the One to whom we pray to day after day. Pray always. Do not lose heart in praying. You are no bother. You are not an annoyance. God loves to hear from you. He is God and is never too busy. He respects and loves all humanity—so much so, that he sent his only begotten son to take on our humanity—to give the years of his life—to pray always day after day for us—and to give his life on the cross and take it up again in the resurrection.

Jesus points out something he wants all of us to understand: we do not pray enough for one reason alone. We grow weary in prayer for one reason alone. Why do we fail to pray always? Why do we lose heart to pray? There is only one explanation. It is because we have a wrong view of God. We do not believe in a gracious, merciful, and loving Heavenly Father. We do not cast our every care upon him because we do not trust that he truly cares. This bad news—that we do not pray enough and fall into despair—has a remedy. And that remedy is to know God’s heart for us better. This is good news! Thanks be to God that our view of him falls short of just how caring and loving he is!

That means that we do not just need more time for prayer. It means that we do not just need to be more faithful, try harder, or be more obedient to pray. It means that we get to expand our understanding of “the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:18,19). Martin Luther, the German reformer, said his view of God was so twisted that he hated God. When he finally understood how much God loves him and sinners, he was overcome with peace and joy. He said, “God tenderly invites us to believe that he is our true Father and that we are his true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask him as dear children as their dear father.”

Think about the person in your life that you have little to no doubt loves and cherishes you...maybe your mom or dad...a grandparent...your spouse...a best friend. Think about how much they love you, care about you, and love to hear your voice. God’s love is higher still, his care even greater, he loves to hear from you even more.

Let each day begin with prayer;
Praise, and adoration
On the Lord cast ev’ry care;
He is your salvation.
Morning, evening, and at night,
Jesus will be near you,
Save you from the tempter’s might,
With his presence cheer you.
             (“With the Lord Begin Your Task,” LSB 869 v. 2)

“The Unchained Word” (2 Tim 2:8-15)

2 Timothy 2:8-15

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Rev. Dr. Jeff Leininger, October 13, 2019

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Leininger was our guest minister. Pastor Jeff serves Concordia University Chicago as campus pastor, director of the pre-seminary program, dean of the chapel, and assists with some church relations work. Pastor Jeff is a husband to Rachel and father to Grace and Andrew. He can often been heard in the choir loft singing in the choir and playing his guitar. We are blessed to have him as part of the church family.

“Audacious Forgiveness” (Luke 17:1-10)

Luke 17:1-10

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 6, 2019

The first time Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed that is relatively small but grows large and becomes a nesting place for birds. This is the second time Jesus mentions having faith as a mustard seed in the Gospel of Luke. This time the context is forgiveness—forgiving an offender even who wrongs us seven times a day and comes to repent each time. As citizens of the Kingdom of God we must forgive, Jesus says. “Increase our faith!” the apostles cry. Help us understand why! Help us know how! Their response to this charge to forgive over and over again is refreshingly honest. They have a hard time believing God expects us to be so forgiving. But he does.

Jesus leaves us no other way out but the gift of forgiveness. There is no other option but to forgive when we are wronged and the offender repents. And Jesus acknowledges that is not easy. In fact, without the help of God it is impossible. We just need to believe and trust a little. We need that small but mighty gift we call faith. For we walk by faith not by sight. We inch toward forgiveness by the power of the Holy Spirit who promises to take us the whole mile. We are what the word forgiveness means—loosed—set free from the bondage of sin. We have the joy of forgiveness to celebrate—not just in our own lives—but in the lives of those around us.

Last week the family members made impact statements in the fatal shooting of their son and brother, Botham Jean, who was shot to death by an off duty police officer in his own apartment. Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Botham’s brother Brandt looked at the woman who killed his brother and told her he forgives her, loves her, and wishes the best for her. He challenged her to give her heart to Jesus to find that same forgiveness that will transform her life. He almost quotes Jesus’ words from this morning’s Scripture when he says, “If you truly are sorry, I know I can speak for myself, I forgive you.” Just as Jesus says, “Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive.” He asked the judge repeatedly if he could stand up and hug his brother’s killer. Amber quickly entered his embrace. She sobbed loudly and seem to bury her shame into his forgiving, outstretched arms.

Later Botham’s mother spoke publicly. It seemed like a very different message. But it was not. She was not just calling Amber Guyger to repentance. She was calling the Dallas Police Department and city of Dallas to repentance. But there was still the same desire—life transformation—community—city—nation transformation. “Forgiveness for us as Christians,” she said, “is healing for us...but there are consequences.” She lost a son. Amber Guyger lost her career as a police officer and freedom for 10 years.

Both the mother and her son have faith that can uproot sin and drown it in the sea of God’s grace and mercy. The mustard seed of faith for the mother is that the tragic death of her son will not be in vain but will uproot corruption and the abuse of power. The mustard seed of faith for the brother is that whatever it was that would cause an individual to do such an evil thing can also be uprooted by the power of God in that person’s life. Both want forgiveness. Both want justice. Both want evil that has been rooted so deeply in the lives of people and institutions to be miraculously removed and drowned in the baptism of the Holy Spirit’s cleansing and renewing.

That is what Jesus is challenging us to do—to believe the Gospel for others. Just as God has forgiven us by the blood and death of his eternal Son Jesus Christ on the Cross—just as we are declared righteous by the resurrection of Christ, so we believe that others can experience that same forgiveness and redemption. Later, we will confess the Apostles’ Creed together. We will say, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” Well, do we? Do we believe that even after repeated offenses seven times every day day after day that God can break the power of cancelled sin? Later, we’ll pray as Jesus taught us, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Well, do we? Do we understand the connection between the forgiveness we receive and the forgiveness we extend toward others?

Jesus says that is our duty as believers. We have only done what we have been commanded to do. We have only done what we ought to do—forgive. Do we have the audacity to believe just a little bit that God can transform the hearts of individuals for whom sin is rooted so deeply in their lives? Do we have the audacity to believe just a little bit that God can release us from sin, guilt, and shame that has been so deeply rooted in our lives? Jesus reminds us that we are just doing our duty as Christians when we forgive. Dothan’s mother and brother remind us of the power of forgiveness—true release from the power of sin. That is who we are. That is who we are forgiven to be. It is a miracle—like commanding trees to be uprooted and planted in the sea. We believe God can do the miracle of forgiveness through us. The devil will release his captives. Evil will let go of its strangle hold on perpetrators and abusers of power. We have the privilege of God doing the miracle of forgiveness in us and through us.

“Messengers,” Psalm 103:20

Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3
Psalm 103:1-5,20-22

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“Messengers,” Psalm 103:20
Pastor Tom Johnson, September 29, 2019

The word angel in both Hebrew and Greek is the word messenger. Angels are God’s messengers. As we see in our Psalm, they do God’s bidding. And we see that throughout Scripture. God sends out his angels to enlarge our understanding. Sometimes that message comes through the eye as angels reveal the glory and power of God in their mighty acts. Sometimes that message comes to our ears as they speak heavenly words. Sometimes it comes through the nose as they lift up bowls of incense which are the prayers of believers. Sometimes it comes through touch as angels take hold of us, prevent disaster and deliver us from evil. Sometimes it comes through taste as they bring the burning coals to our lips from God’s Altar to let us know we are forgiven.

There is a common message through all of God’s messengers: “You are loved beyond your human senses. You are loved beyond your earthly existence.” Angels bring us the perspective of unfallen, uncorrupted, unearthly creatures. They are sinless, perfect, heavenly beings created by God for his and our service. Just think about that for a moment. These higher creatures serve us lower creatures. That in itself should astound us—that God would employ angelic spirits to serve us who are flesh and blood. In the Bible, they sometimes appear as glorious and bright stars and other times as mere humans or animals. That is why Scripture reminds us that we sometimes entertain angels “unawares” (Heb 13:2).

We are often unaware of the activity going on around us all the time. As Scripture says, “our struggle is not merely against fresh and blood but against the cosmic powers of this world and spiritual forces of the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). We often miss God’s message because we are not listening to his Word. We are not looking with the eyes of faith. We are not receptive to God’s ways which are not our ways and his thoughts which are not our thoughts.

Last week I hiked over 50 miles through the Grand Canyon. No picture can capture the depths, the heights, and the breadth of that wonder of God’s creation. Even now, it is hard for me to convey just how insignificant and small I felt as walked through the cold shadows and under the blistering sun. Even those who are far taller and larger than me shared our blessed discovery of insignificance and puniness in the face of the Creator’s handiwork. On one stretch of my hike, I talked to Jeff, one of those on our team from the Midwest. Jeff told me a story of how he and his friend got lost coming down a mountain a few years ago. They came down the wrong path. They got lost in a desolate place. The likelihood of finding another human being was little to none. As they shared their hopelessness with one another, a rainstorm began. Their despair grew. Moments later, a pickup truck started coming their way driven by an odd and friendly fellow. There is no plausible explanation for why that stranger was there, why he seemed to already understand their lostness, and why he was so willing to drive for hours out of his way to take them back to their parked car on the other side of the mountain in a rainstorm. All Jeff and his friend could say to one another was, “Was he real?” After he dropped them off and drove off they asked again, “Was he real?” Those words express the wonder and joy of being found and set on the right path.

“Guardian Angel”
by Bernhard Plockhorst (1825-1907)

It is the message of God through the angels. “You are lost to yourselves but you are not lost to me or my messengers. You have sinned but God still sends the gift of his forgiveness. You may die, but God will send his angels to carry you up to heavenly paradise just as he did poor Lazarus.” God sends his message that we are never out of his sight. His care for us never wears out. His love for us is eternal. No earthly tongue can express the majesty, beauty, and wonder of God and his creation. No mind can grasp the perplexing grandeur of God’s love. That is God’s message for you and for me. “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). The angels are there to help us get closer, see clearer, hear louder, feel firmer, taste and smell sweeter the love of God. That is why we join angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven when we come to the Lord’s Table. They witness. They share the message to us of Christ’s birth, his death, and his resurrection. They tell the indescribable and heavenly gift of God’s Son Jesus who gives his own Body and Blood. We sing the songs of angels. We join their heavenly chorus. Together we celebrate the glory of the eternal Son of God who gives his own self as heavenly food.

These are Your ministers, these are Your own,
Lord God of Sabaoth, nearest Your throne;
These are Your messengers, these whom You send,
Helping Your helpless ones, Helper and Friend.           (“Stars of the Morning, So Gloriously Bright,” LSB 520 v. 2)

"Living as the People of the Light" (Luke 16:1-13)

Luke 16:1-13

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Pastor Don Gourlay, September 22, 2019

“Sinners” (Luke 15:1-10)

Luke 15:1-10
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Psalm 51

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“Sinners,” Luke 15:1-10
Pastor Tom Johnson, September 15, 2019

Tax collectors and sinners were drawn to Jesus and his teaching. When they came to meet him and listen to him, Jesus welcomed them. He invited them to his table. He ate and drank with them. But the Pharisees and scribes are not amused. What is meant as a criticism—“This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them”—is also an insult. But Jesus wears it like a badge of honor. His message draws in sinners. And that brings Jesus joy.

Jesus tells three parables of lost things. The first two are in our reading: the lost sheep and lost coin. The third is the Prodigal Son. Jesus tells these stories so that the Pharisees and scribes will understand their sin of judging others. He wants them to celebrate when people find forgiveness and the fresh start God brings. That is why each parable invites us to celebrate what was lost—the sheep, the coin, and the son. “Rejoice with me!” Jesus calls us to join the angels of heaven, himself, and God the Father to celebrate lost souls being found.

Jesus wants us to stop judging others—pointing the finger at someone else and calling them a sinner. When we do that, we are telling them and the world that they do not deserve God’s attention. They are not worthy of God’s love. It is a sad irony that so much harm has been done in the name of Jesus and in the name of Christianity—when we stand in judgment of another human being and label them a sinner—or call our world or our culture the enemies of God. We have forgotten—or not yet realized—that we are all sinners. King David in our Psalm today says, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you only [O Lord] have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”

The Apostle Paul says that “Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.” How can Paul call himself the chief of sinners? Because Paul knows just how extensive the poison was which lurked in his own heart. Other people cannot see our hidden sin, shame, and guilt. But Paul is also able to empathize with himself. He says that he lived a destructive life because of his ignorance. He did not realize the full extent of his own broken spirit and the damage he was doing to others and to himself.

Jesus himself said on the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” They did not realize they were crucifying the Lord of glory. They did not know they were executing the true Messiah and hope of the nations. There is great freedom in coming to terms with our sinful condition. There is hope when we discover just how shattered our lives can be. There is joy in knowing how profound wickedness has poisoned our lives and our hearts.

One pastor said, “Cheer up! You’re a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you’re more loved than you ever dared hope” (Jack Miller). Corrie Ten Boom who hid Jewish families from Nazis in the Netherlands said, “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.” King David, the Apostle Paul, and the tax collectors and sinners all had the same condition and the same confession. They said, “I am a sinner.” St. Patrick, missionary to Ireland said in his confession—his first two words—“Patrick, sinner.” As the prophet Isaiah said, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  It is why we confess our sins together at the beginning of the service. We are all sinners. God loves sinners. He empathizes with our ignorance. He extends mercy, not judgment. He offers forgiveness, not condemnation.

There is a dark relief in finding out what the disease that has been plaguing you all these years is. Finally, we know what is making us feel sick, tired, and hopeless. With a good physician, we will now have hope of getting better. In Christ, we do not just have the hope of getting better. We have the promise. Our sins are washed away by the water, the Word of God, and Holy Spirit. We come to the Font lost in our sins, we leave drenched with forgiveness. We come as sinners, we leave named royal daughters and sons of the God most high.

We stop calling others sinners, wicked, or enemies of God. Because that is who we all are. God pursues sinners. He welcomes and befriends sinners. He loves sinners. Sinners are his speciality! It is his joy. Christ died for sinners. And he rose again from the dead to give us victory over sin and death. We start believing that God can redeem the messiest of lives—including our own. We empathize with the ignorant because we too were once ignorant of the power of God. We are now ready to join the angels, archangels, and the whole company of heaven to celebrate this Jesus who welcomes sinners and eats with them. The table is spread before you. The bread and wine have been prepared. Jesus welcomes us. He invites us to eat and drink with him. He gives us his own Body and Blood for spiritual food. He welcomes the lost to find ourselves safe and secure in the love of God.

Oh how blessed it is to know:
Were as scarlet my transgression,
It shall be as white as snow
By thy blood and bitter passion;
For these words I now believe:
Jesus sinners doth receive.                            (“Jesus Sinners Doth Receive,” LSB 609 v. 5)

“Emancipating Gospel” (Philemon 1-21)

Philemon 1-21

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“Emancipating Gospel,” Philemon 1-21
Pastor Tom Johnson, September 8, 2019

The purpose of Paul’s letter is to set the slave Onesimus free. Onesimus ran away from his master Philemon. This runaway slave runs into the Apostle Paul. Paul baptizes Onesimus. Onesimus tells Paul his story. Under Roman law, slaves are property that must be returned to their owners. Paul does not want to send Onesimus back to a life of forced labor. He sees great potential in Onesimus in the work of the Gospel. He sees him as an equal—a brother in Christ. Paul uses Onesimus’ name which means “useful” to do a word play. Before Onesimus was useless to you, Philemon. Now is useful to you and to me. And more importantly useful to the work of holy ministry. There is likely a word play on the name Philemon which means beloved. Paul knows that Philemon loves Jesus and all of God’s people. Philemon has an opportunity to love his runaway slave in the fullness of the Gospel by freeing him.

Roman collared slaves — Marble relief from Smyrna 200 AD

Let’s just say that slavery in the Bible is complicated. God reminds his people over and over again that they were once slaves in a foreign land. He reminds them so that they would treat others as they would want to be treated. Both the Old Testament and New Testament were written in a time when slavery was a sad and messy reality. Even today, Chicago tops the list of human trafficking cases in the United States. And so today we read this letter from Paul to a Christian man and prominent church leader who owned slaves.

I believe that we are at a huge disadvantage today. We are so polarized that it seems one side only wants to talk about social justice and the other side does not want to talk about it at all—in fact see it as a threat to the message of salvation. It seems that one side preaches a message that is so heavenly minded that it is no earthly good. It seems that the other preaches a message so grounded in current events that there is no spiritual relevance.

The great commandment is to love God with our whole being and the second is like it—to love our neighbor as ourselves—or as Christ loved us. How can we love our neighbor when we do not care about their physical and social well-being? The Gospel calls us to look beyond our differences as human beings. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free. We are all one in Jesus Christ.

Just in this one letter, Paul commends those of Jewish ancestry and gentiles. He commends Apphia—a female. He is calling both a slave owner and a runaway slave brothers in Christ. So the Gospel challenges you and me to view people around us. Everyone bears the image of God. The differences you and I see are not obstacles to the love of God that has been so richly poured out through Jesus. “For God so loved the world—he gave his only begotten son”—the world—not just those like you and me. The Gospel breaks down the walls of hostility between people. In Christ our differences should not divide us—skin color, gender, or social status. God calls us to love those near and far—those similar and those different. As the Good Samaritan would not pass by another human being who was suffering even though they were from different tribes and nations, so God calls us to look around our neighborhood, city, state, nation, and world and care.

When Jesus welcomes those who love him into his Kingdom, he says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Matt 25:35,36). Not that we will solve the world’s suffering but that we would discover how God uses us as individuals and as Christ’s Church to show the love of God—the love he has so beautifully revealed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of the most loved hymns of the Christian faith is Amazing Grace which we will sing later in the service. The writer, John Newton, was captain of a slave ship. When he came to faith in Jesus, he saw the evil he had done. He became a pastor—a preacher of the Gospel but also a prominent voice for the abolition of slavery. So the Apostle Paul is both a preacher of the Gospel and an agent for social change. Paul appeals to the greater reality of the Gospel. He talks about our identity as children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. I love that Paul tells Philemon, “You owe me big time.” Indeed, we are indebted to love all people. There is a higher law than the laws of the state and rules of human institutions—even our constitutions and bylaws—including those of the church. Our ultimate authority is the Law of Christ—the Love of God for all nations, tribes, tongues, and peoples.

Jesus died and rose again to bring forgiveness and eternal life. The power of the Gospel is so awesome it not only changes individual lives spiritually, it can transform nations socially. We should not be ashamed of a Gospel that has both spiritual and practical relevance to our lives and the lives around us. In fact, thanks be to God that it is so relevant! It should be celebrated!

And now for the rest of the story! Philemon will grant Onesimus his freedom. Onesimus will be mentored by Paul. Onesimus will not only become a pastor—he will become bishop of Ephesus. And so in Christ we all discover the love of God, our worth, and our usefulness.

“Voluntary Demotion” (Luke 14:1,7-14)

Luke 14:1,7-14

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 1, 2019

The religious leaders invite Jesus over for dinner so that they can get a closer look and find fault in him. When Jesus comes to the table, it is Jesus who confronts them for their poor table manners. He sees a race to find that best seats in the house. This isn’t musical chairs. There are enough seats for everyone. One battles another for the place of highest honor. Today in our culture, we might call it the head of the table or the seat closest to the bride and groom or near the host of the banquet. Pharisees are self-proclaimed experts in the Scriptures. And now Jesus  schools them in dinner etiquette. He removes their mask of delusion of grandeur to reveal the face of pride and self-obsession. By running to the table to find the prized chair, the religious authority reveal their excessive love for themselves. They are so preoccupied with their perceived high status they cannot help but to reveal their greedy childishness. The German Reformer Martin Luther confronted the religious leaders of his day. He said, “Ambitious preachers are a pestilence to the church.” But Jesus’ words about table manners should convict us all.

Jesus talks about how we should all humble ourselves and let God do the work of raising us up. And how we should also get our eyes off our prized seats at the table and grow in our awareness of the need of—and service to—others. Jesus’ brilliant confrontation here should lead us to further reflection: How are we victims of our own success? How are so obsessed with our own advancement that we actually are setting ourselves up for greater failure. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to choose a seat of lower status,” Jesus asks, “and be raised up? It would be far worse to chose a higher seat only to be knocked down to a lower one.” As the old proverb goes, “The bigger you are the harder the fall.”

There is truly a thing called “voluntary demotion.” It is both a humble and courageous thing. It is a career choice that can lead people to greater happiness and contentment and usefulness.  It is when a person realizes that the good they can do would be better facilitated by surrendering a path toward wealth, fame and honor. Not that money and influence do not matter. But sometimes the world and our culture define success for us only in terms of status and numbers. Voluntary demotion says, “God has fearfully and wonderfully made me. He has given me unique gifts to serve others, his kingdom, and bring him the honor and the glory. I will step down from this position—not because I haven’t worked hard for it—but because I would actually make the world a better place doing something else—even it means no longer having a more impressive title and place of honor or the corner office on the 88th floor.” Proverbs 22:2 says, “The rich and poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor.”

Jesus’ words reveal our sin of pride. They also reveal his power to deliver us from the deception and power of pride. Are you or I a victim of our own success? How can we advance the kingdom by surrendering the pursuit of riches and power? Jesus reveals the counter-intuitive truth that we seek our own good by getting our eyes off ourselves. We find our usefulness in the Kingdom by lowering our expectations for recognition and applause. As Jesus says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35b). Find out what gifts you have been given from God and pass them on to others. You may not think your gifts are sensational or praiseworthy but in God’s eyes they are. You might be surprised by how God lifts you up and lifts others up through you.

I know someone who voluntarily demoted himself. He was given the highest place of honor in the universe. He was seated high upon his heavenly throne in the place of greatest majesty and power. He was given great gifts—so rich in ability and power that he is equal in majesty and honor with God the Father. He did not hoard his power or hunker down. He voluntarily demoted himself. He took on our humanity and became a servant. As Scripture says, “Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). He did not enter our rat race. He willingly entered the deathtrap of sin and evil. And he rose from his death to an even higher place of honor. And not only that. In him, we are raised above the competitiveness and deceitfulness of sin. He delivers us from self-sabotage. He lifts us out of our shame, guilt, and delusions of grandeur. He exalts us to eternal life.

Come, O Christ, and reign among us,
King of love and Prince of Peace;
Hush the storm of strife and passion,
Bid its cruel discords cease.
By Your patient years of toiling,
By Your silent hours of pain,
Quench our fevered thirst of pleasure,
Stem our selfish greed of gain.                                   (“Son of God, Eternal Savior” LSB 842, v. 3)