“For us a Child is born” (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah 9:2-7

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 24, 2017

“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.” In a way we are at an advantage in the northern hemisphere at this time of year. Our nights have grown darker. Winter solstice was just a few days ago—the longest night of the year. We look forward to brighter days ahead. Of course, Isaiah is talking about the spiritual darkness—the darkness of sin, evil, and death. And that too does not take too much imagination. Every day there is news of violence, the tragic loss of life, revelations of the abuse of power, injustice, and the ravages of poverty all around the world.

Tonight we see a great light! The light of Christ has been born in Bethlehem! The light shines through deep darkness. The darkness has not overcome it. Darkness cannot be heaped upon light. Light always disperses the darkness. The light of Christ always overcomes deep darkness. The Light is for us. The Light comes into the world through this Christ Child. He will say of himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

He is named Wonderful Counselor. Jesus will be Rabbi—teacher. He will explain the true meaning of Scripture. He will tell parables and stories to set us on the right path. His teaching will perplex the scholars. His counsel will instruct us in the true meaning of the Law. He will show us how to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength and love our neighbor as he has loved us. He is wonderful because he fills us with the wonder of the Gospel—the good news that eternal God who takes on humanity. He steps down from his throne in heaven to become a baby wrapped in swaddling cloth in a manger. He is Wonderful Counselor.

He is Mighty God. He does great things for us. He heals diseases, gives sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute. He makes people walk again and walk for the first time. He goes to the Cross in the strength of his character and joy set before him. He overcomes our sin, death, and evil. He lays down his life for us, his friends. He rises again from the dead in the assurance of our forgiveness and eternal life. He is Wonderful Counselor. He is Mighty God.

He is Everlasting Father. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). They are one in substance, one in nature, one in purpose, one in mission. Jesus comes into the world to make all things new. He comes for us. He comes to bring us into the family of God. In his Baptism we are adopted as royal daughters and sons. We bear the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are children of God. We are heirs with him of eternal life. He is Wonderful Counselor. He is Mighty God. He is Everlasting Father.

He is Prince of Peace. He comes to extend his reign of peace. He comes to expand his Kingdom in our hearts and this beautiful and broken world. He comes to rule by the strength of forgiveness. He reconciles us to the Father. In him we have peace with God. The King of Peace tears down walls and builds bridges. He overcomes hostility and obstacles to our living in peace with one another. He heals old emotional wounds, restores broken relationships, and fills us up with love for one another. In his Kingdom there is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female. We are all one in him (Gal 3:28). We are united together under the banner of peace—true peace and reconciliation and harmony.

He is Wonderful Counselor. He is Mighty God. He is Everlasting Father. He is Prince of Peace—for us. He is all these things for our good, our hope, and our eternal well being. He is, to put it very simply, for us. “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us.” This is the great gift that keeps on giving throughout the year to the end of human history—this Child who comes wrapped up in swaddling bands of cloth. Isaiah gives us a vision of who this Jesus is. He unwraps God’s gift for us in these beautiful titles of the newborn King. And so we can live a lifetime continuing to unwrap the beauty and majesty of God’s gift. Praise God for the gift of his Son, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

To you this night is born a child.
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
This little child of lowly birth.
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Prepare a bed, soft, undefined,
A quiet chamber set apart.
For You to dwell within my heart.

     ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come" vv. 1 & 13)

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 17, 2017

Our Scripture calls us to pray without ceasing. God wants us to have an unbroken connection with him. He wants his people to constantly pray—to pray always rejoicing and to pray giving thanks in all circumstances. We are to wake up with thanksgiving for a new day, to make our day straight for the way of the Lord during the day covering it with prayer, to let our prayers ascend before the Lord as incense and the evening sacrifice, and then prayerfully commend our bodies and spirits and all things to God as we lie down to sleep. Never stopping. No intermissions. No breaks. Unceasing prayer every day, every hour, and every moment awake or asleep.

It may seem that God wants us to drop out of school, quit our jobs, end our retirement and join a monastic order. You will remember, that’s what Martin Luther did. The call to prayer started at 3 a.m. and ended at midnight every day. This full day of prayer with sisters and brothers in Christ is powerful. I hope you have had the experience on a retreat or pilgrimage to devote your day to prayer. It is powerful. It is restful. And it releases a flood of peace.This is a call to unceasing prayer—prayer that continually flows from the mouths and hearts of God’s people. You may say, “I don’t have time for that kind of prayer.” Martin Luther is famous for saying, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours of my day in prayer.” He was too busy not to pray.

This is not simply a call to make more time to pray, however. It is a call to see the Christian life itself as a life of prayer—in all its forms. The Bible itself defines prayer very broadly using words like: Entreat, call, cry out, seek, inquire, ask, beseech, implore, wait on, hope, search, worship, praise, give thanks, rejoice, petition, confess, devote, commune, adore, intercede, lie prostrate, kneel, raise hands and many more. Our posture, the inclination of our hearts, our words, and our actions are all called to prayerful devotion. Our whole being is to turn toward God. Our lives are to flow from our relationship with him, from him, and back to him. “For from him and through him and for him are all things” (Rom 11:36). It is not about making more time for God but making more room for him in our hearts. It’s about being connected to God—to be in relationship with God. That is not a scheduling issue. That is an issue of the heart. It is exactly what John the Baptist was called to do—to be a voice crying out to people to come into the Light of Christ, to make way for the Lord as he comes into the world and into our lives, to turn from self-centeredness and worldliness to Kingdom-centered and godly lives.

The alternative is to feel disconnected to God. We may sometimes feel that he is absent. Or we become Sunday morning Christians and then agnostics or atheists for the rest of the week. The real tragedy is when we wander off God’s prayerful path. We forget our baptismal identity as children of God. We stray from the light of Christ into the shadows and what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls “the agony of prayerlessness.” We cease praying. We start worrying. We stop trusting. We fill up with anxiety. We yield to the demands of this world. We become paralyzed by fear. We fall into the snare of sin. We are held captive by its power and ruled by the agony of prayerlessness.

Last week, I heard Amy Harkness’ niece Victoria tell a story about Amy’s father, Victoria’s grandfather. She asked him as he was nearing death and confined to his bed if he still prayed. “Of course,” he said, “I have to,” “But it’s not so much about talking as it is knowing the presence of God with me.” Prayer had become for him less about making requests and saying prayers as it did living in the light of Christ’s presence. It had become more about being in relationship with his Heavenly Father. Prayer may not change God. But it transforms us. And when we broaden our understanding of prayer—when we deepen our vision of a prayer-filled life, we will not want to cease praying. God is not calling for us to live under the burden of prayer but to lift our burdens through the gift of prayer.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” It is an invitation to open ourselves up to the rich and abiding presence of God. God wants us to live in relationship to him always. He calls us to be forever connected to him. In a healthy relationship, we can express the full spectrum of our emotions. We are free to share the ups and the downs of life—in every stage of life. And we will never overwhelm or burden God. He calls us to cast all our cares and anxieties upon him because he cares for us (1 Pet 5:7). When we wake up we can open our eyes to the Kingdom’s presence and our lips to declare God’s praise. When we walk we can talk with God. We can think about our family and friends during the day but also lift them up in prayer. We can pray for our coworkers as we pass them in the hallway or go to that next appointment. We can pray for our communities, our city, our nation, and this world as we read or hear the daily news. Even if it is simply the refrain, “Lord, have mercy.” We can remind ourselves moment by moment that our lives are lived in the face of God who smiles over us and whose countenance radiates our lives with the light of Christ. There is nothing we do or say that cannot be immersed or sprinkled with the unceasing current of the Holy Spirit that flows from our Baptism.

When Jesus endured the agony of the Cross he did not endure the agony of prayerlessness. He prayed some of his best prayers while giving his life for the sin of the world: “Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing.” “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Praying, entreating, and interceding from the Cross of Calvary and then rising from the dead in triumph. And so he comes again to make all things new—to usher his presence into our lives—to an even deepening relationship—to even greater connectiveness. And so we pray, “Amen. Even so. Come, Lord Jesus!”

“The Potter” (Isaiah 64:8)

Isaiah 64:1-9

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 3, 2017

Our Advent prayers are bold and urgent: “Stir up your power, O Lord, and come!” And we pray simply, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Today’s reading from Isaiah has a similar ring: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” Isaiah remembers how God came down before. The pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night came down from heaven. This is how the Lord came before: as a luminous body on Mt. Sinai. He shook the mountains. Fear seized the hearts of God’s people. He gave the Ten Commandments. Now Isaiah prays for God to do the same thing for all nations—that God would gather his army, raise the heat, turn up the noise, and shake the world—that every human being would be obedient to God and worship him in spirit and truth. When we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.” We pray for the Lord of hosts to come in his glory, to roll back the heavens as a scroll, to judge the living and the dead, to right every wrong, and to make all things new.

But Isaiah remembers the fullness of who God is. He remembers that all of us are sinful even those of us who consider ourselves the people of God—especially if we call ourselves the people of God: “We have all become like one who is unclean,” the prophet says, “and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.” “Stir up your power your power and come”—“Tear open the heavens and come down” to me the sinner—to all of us who live in this beautiful and broken world. Jesus himself says he came not for the righteous but for the sinner. Isaiah remembers this gracious God: “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter, we are all the work of your hand.” Those hands we want to tear open the heavens are potter’s hands. And we are the clay. The Potter laid out the universe and shaped the stars, planets, and moons. He took the clay and dust of the earth and fashioned Adam—and all humanity—from the bottom up and breathed into his nostrils the spirit and breath of life. God continues his creative work. Each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made by the Potter. We are all his clay. He molds and shapes us into vessels of his glory. As his earthen vessels, we have purpose and usefulness in the Kingdom. A few months ago, Professor Tietz gave a group of us a tour of the Oriental Institute. We saw for ourselves the pottery of the day. Some is used for perfume, some for oil, wine, grain, water, and any number of uses. So God gives us many diverse, unique and useful gifts.

But it is also unsettling. It can even be painful. It one thing to ask for his hands to go to work in the world. It is quite another to invite his fingers to work in our individual lives. He confronts our sin and imperfections. The Potter puts us lumps of humanity on the kick wheel and spins us. He carves away what we don’t need and what’s not good for us—every weight and sin which clings so closely. He squeezes, presses, and pulls us into shape. Do we still want to pray, “Stir up your power and come”? Are you and I malleable? Or have we become hardened—hard-hearted like old Pharaoh who would not be shaped or changed by God. God is the master Potter. He just adds water, the Spirit, and the Word of Baptism to transform our dry, stony hearts into soft, moldable clay. “We are they clay, and you are our Potter.” “Soften me, mold me, shape me, transform me into a vessel of honor and usefulness for your Kingdom. Stir up your power and come.”



I love what Isaiah says about God in his prayer: “You did awesome deeds that we did not expect.” God does the unexpected. The Potter is not predictable. He is full of glorious surprises. He came down on the mountain to give the Ten Commandments. It was glorious, fearsome, and transformative. But it was also unexpected. As Christians, we should remember how unexpected it is for God to send his only Son into the world and take on human flesh. Stir up your power and come, indeed! He came from heaven to earth. The Eternal stepped into time and space to be born of the virgin Mary. The Potter took on clay. He is both an earthen and heavenly vessel. He came to stir things up. He challenged the people of God. He confronted the abuse of power—of religious and civil leaders. He confronted our sin and brokenness. He is the Potter who has come. His hands healed. His hands reshaped the world. Those potter’s hands were pierced on the Cross but they were also extended out to the world in acceptance and forgiveness. He stirred up his power and transformed the rock-hewn tomb from a symbol of death and decay to promise of eternal life and victory. He ascended into heaven at the right hand of the Father where he continues to stir up his power and come. By his Word and Spirit he makes all things new. We are not just inviting the Lord of glory into the world when we pray. We invite the Potter to reshape our lives here and now. We invite an artist and life-transformer—the Potter. We are the clay. He is the Potter. He makes all things new. Amen, come Lord Jesus.

Christ the King Sunday Sermon, Rev. Dr. Jeff Leininger

Christ the King Sunday, November 26, 2017

Is Christ still King? Is he still in control over the things happening in our world today? Does the church still belong to him? Do our homes and hearts still have him present and ruling over everything?

Ephesians 1:15-23

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The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Leininger has served as Concordia University Chicago’s University Pastor since 2002. www.cuchicago.edu

“Thanksgiving to God” (Luke 17:11-19)

Luke 17:11-19

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 23, 2017

Old Testament law prevents lepers from even entering the city gate. To have leprosy is to be an outcast—unclean—and only welcome back into the community if your skin is somehow healed. Even worse, you cannot enter the Temple in Jerusalem until a priest does a thorough body scan. You think TSA and airport security is bad? In those days, a priest had to officially verify that a person is “clean” in order to worship at the temple. And no one would go to the Temple to be healed—they went to the Temple to verify their healing. So when the ten lepers run across Jesus on the road, they cry out from a distance. Lepers had to keep their distance. And from a distance, Jesus tells them to turn in faith toward the temple in Jerusalem and show themselves to the priests. He challenges them to believe that when they get there, their healing will be realized and verified. And as they go, they are cleansed. But one of them turns back—a Samaritan. Nine Israelites go on to verify their healing to the priests and enter the Temple in thanksgiving.

James Tissot - The Healing of Ten Lepers 

But the Samaritan turns back. When he reaches Jesus, he falls on his face. He gives thanks and praise to God. Here is the funny thing: his turning back is actually contrary to Jesus’ instruction. The reality is that he has no choice. The Samaritan cannot show himself to the priest. He is no longer a leper but he is still a Samaritan. He can show that his leprosy is gone. But he cannot change his ethnicity. He cannot get rid of his Samaritan heritage, appearance, and accent. The priest will still not let him into the Temple. The Samaritan has no choice but to turn back to Jesus. His actions speak louder than Peter’s words when he says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

To whom does the atheist give thanks? They are living out the sheer improbability of their own existence. To whom does the agnostic give thanks? Well, they are not certain. And to whom the superstitious? I suppose their lucky stars…knock on wood. The Samaritan cannot go to the Temple and give thanks and praise to God. His only option is to go to the source of his healing. And so he falls at the feet of this Jesus. And he give thanks to God. Jesus asks where the others healed of leprosy are. Ironically, it is these ethnically clean children of the promise of Abraham who are missing out of the full blessing. They have gone away from the eternal Son of God to a building made of stone and wood served by mortal priests.

The Samaritan has come to a greater Temple. He has come to the Temple of the Body of Jesus—the place where YHWH dwells in the flesh. This Temple is not just a place where healing is verified—this is the place where healing is delivered. And this is not just a place where Israelites are welcome—but all humanity from every tribe, nation, tongue, and people. The Samaritan falls on his face at the feet of Jesus. He is bowing before the Lord of lords and King of kings.

He is giving thanks to God at the feet of Jesus—and that is the greatest place to give thanks. These are the feet of whom and through whom heaven and earth were made—the eternal Word who became flesh. These are the same feet that will be nailed to the cross—where the violence and sin of the world strike him on the heel. These are the same feet that will stand triumphantly over the grave—where death, the devil, and our sin are trampled over in victory. These are the same feet that will come back and take us to a new and eternal Kingdom—when at the feet and at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. There will need no need for temple, sun, or moon there—Jesus will be our Temple and eternal Light forever. And so we direct our thanksgiving to the God who created us, redeems us, and sanctifies us—who gives us everything we need for our bodies and life.

We give thanks for all the material things that we enjoy—our health, our lives, our families, friends, our houses and homes, employment, church, and school—and for the privilege and joy of a personal relationship with the true and living God. We come alongside this Samaritan healed of his leprosy to the feet of Jesus—discoveringA just how deep and wide His blessings are—praising him for all we have. We come knowing that he has cleansed us—not of mere spot and blemish on our skin but the stain and burden of sin on our souls. As Scripture says, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). “Though our sins are like scarlet we are now as clean as the fleshly fallen snow” (Isaiah 1:18). We are not just accepted at those feet. We are also healed of our shame and our sin. And we have the assurance of eternal life with him. Thanks be to God.

“Numbering our days” (Psalm 90)

Psalm 90

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 19, 2017

What if you knew this was the last day of your life? What would you do in the 14 hours remaining? Would it have a great impact on how you would spend your time and with whom? And so our Psalm challenges us: “Teach us to know the shortness of our days, may wisdom dwell within our hearts.” “Teach us to number our days.” This is the one Psalm written by Moses. And his signature is all over. He summarizes in one song the whole of the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Bible also known as the book of Moses or Torah. He brings us back to creation: “Before the mountains…before the earth was created, you are God.” It has only been in the last 100 years that scientists have caught up with Moses. The universe is not eternal. It has a beginning. It will have an end. God transcends his creation. The great I AM precedes the universe. We have been taught to number our days as creatures bound by space and time. We are now open to the wisdom of living as creatures fearfully and wonderfully made.

Moses with the Ten Commandments by Philippe de Champaigne

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their lives were cut short because they believed the lie that they would become like God. They wanted to live independently, expand their consciousness, and do what felt good. And so, our psalm reminds us that we all must now learn to live with the reality of the shortness of our days. Death looms over all of us. It is a universal human condition. Like our first parents, we make a choice every day to live our lives independently, to greedily accumulate knowledge and stuff, and do what is right in our own eyes. We eat and drink today for tomorrow we die. This is the foolishness of unbelief—to live for one’s own self-pleasure or self-ambition.

The problem with the one slave in the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30) is that he had a wrong view of the master as harsh and lording it over his subjects. So, he goes off, digs a hole, and squanders the master’s money. He did not number his days and so lacked a heart of wisdom. We have not learned the shortness of our days. We act as if our days are not numbered. And so our lives, our gifts, our talents, and our impact on this world is minimal. We have cheated ourselves by not cultivating hearts of wisdom. The Scriptures say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:7). This is a reverential fear. It is the realization that God is God and we are not. We are his creatures. When we live in awe and wonder of him, we open ourselves up to the wisdom of the ages and of God. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord stands forever” (Isa 40:8). In this case, God’s Word is Moses’ prayer: “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” So we should pray: “As we live a temporal existence, give us eternal perspective. Help us see the brevity of life so that we make the most of our days. Make our lives count for the Kingdom. ‘For thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever.’”

Our Psalm brings us into deep time and the profound truth of God: “A thousand years are like yesterday come and gone, no more than a watch in the night.” Or as Peter in his second epistle, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet 3:8). God truly is our refuge from generation to generation. Moses witnessed God’s faithfulness to his people who were enslaved for over 400 years. God delivered them from Pharaoh whose heart was not given to wisdom but hardened and calloused to God. Moses himself pointed to a prophet even greater than himself. It may have taken a thousand of our years, but it was like a watch in the night for God. In spite of God’s transcendence he sends his eternal Son from heaven to earth—from timeless eternity to become flesh—to take on humanity and our struggle with sin and the shortness of our days.

Jesus learned the shortness of his days. He lived maybe into his early to mid 30s. That is a young life. He spent about three years teaching, healing, and preparing his disciples to carry on his ministry. That is not a long career. But its impact is immense. Jesus knew his days were numbered from the beginning. Even when he knew he was just days away from his arrest and death, he still set his face like flint toward Jerusalem—the place he was determined and destined to give his life for the world. In his last hours and minutes, he forgave the sins of those who did not know what they were doing. These are the people who had not yet numbered their days and were living their lives in the foolishness of unbelief.  Jesus told the other one crucified next to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus brought him from a temporal to an eternal reality. Their suffering would soon be over. Their joy in heaven will never come to an end. In just three short days, Jesus changed the course of human history. He takes away the sting of death. He pays the penalty for all our foolishness and sin. He gives us the wisdom of the Cross. He blesses us with the joy of the empty tomb.

And so our days are numbered. But God makes our lives count for the Kingdom now and forever.

“Reforming Stewardship” (Matthew 25:1-13; Amos 5:18-24(

Amos 5:18-24

Matthew 25:1-13

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 12, 2017

A few weeks ago we passed out sheets of paper for us to write down things we are thankful for. You see on this quilt things written on it that we are thankful for in years past and present. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we remembered that the German Monk and Reformer Martin Luther began an international movement when he nailed the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg. He addressed the abuse of the church especially regarding money. He challenged the use of indulgences—the collection of money to purchase God’s mercy and forgiveness. It was a ruse to raise money to build St. Peter’s cathedral in Rome. Our true treasure, Luther said, is the Good News of Jesus Christ who died and rose again for our forgiveness and eternal life. God’s free gift of salvation should inspire our generosity. For he is generous toward us first.

Our readings for today are very timely and bring us right to the core of Christian stewardship. Our Old Testament reading from Amos reminds us that God wants our obedience and righteousness to bless those around us. Our worship, offerings, and resources are not as important as our godliness. We are to be an ever-flowing stream of goodness and love to our neighbor.

The parable of the delayed bridegroom and ten bridesmaids is another great text to bring us to the heart of our stewardship. This parable is not about the end of the world. It is about how we are to live as we anticipate our Lord’s return. We are to wait for our groom—the Lord Jesus—as those who know his coming may be long delayed. The previous parables in Matthew talk about waiting for him as he can come at any moment and that we must give an account. This parable illustrates the truth that he may be long-delayed. Five of the bridesmaids go out into the world prepared to let their light shine. They do not know when the groom is coming. But they put their gifts of the Holy Spirit—the oil for their lamps—to good use. They let their light shine as long as it is night. Their lamps and their hearts burn for the Lord’s return.

This is about stewardship. The good news is that Jesus died and rose again for our forgiveness and eternal life. He will come again to make all things new. He comes to make justice and righteousness flow like an ever-flowing stream. In the meantime, the bridegroom may be long delayed. But as Scripture says, “He is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). God widens his mercy. His justice and righteousness increase their flow like an ever-flowing stream. He sends us out as his anointed—filled with the Holy Spirit. He calls us out to shine our lights brightly in a dark world. His coming should stir us awake. It rouses us to action. We remember the good gifts God has blessed us with. And we put it to good use in anticipation of the coming of the Lord.

St. Peter Lutheran Church, Riga, Latvia

One of the odd things you will see in Europe is how many churches of the Reformation replaced their cross on top of their churches with a rooster. It is there to wake up the church. It represents the rooster that crowed to bring Peter back to his senses—to wake him up to the sin of denying his Master—to rouse him to action as a true disciple of Jesus Christ. This is the call of Jesus in the book of Revelation (3:2) to “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die.” There is a sense of urgency to strengthen our ministry of the Gospel—to invest the oil of God’s blessing and anointing of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God’s rooster wakes us up to repent of lies and deception. God’s rooster calls us to consciously adjust our understanding to Scripture—to hold every thought captive to the Word of God. God’s rooster stirs us out of a sinful slumber and wakes us up to the day the Lord has made, rejoice, and be glad in it. We reform our understanding of the Gospel, the Church, and our participation in what God is doing. We reform our stewardship. We invest our time, talents, and treasure into the ministry of the Gospel.

Wake up! Invest in his Kingdom work now! It is a privilege to discover how deep, wide, and high God’s love is for us in his Son Jesus Christ! It is our joy to fill up with the Holy Spirit by his Word and radiate the light of Christ. God’s justice and goodness will flow through you to the world like an ever-flowing stream. Rouse yourselves. Jesus comes to lead us into a great feast. Can you smell it? Soon we will come to his table where there is forgiveness and a foretaste of the great wedding feast—the marriage supper of the Lamb in his Kingdom which will have no end.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3)

Matthew 5:1-12

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 5, 2017

“Blessed are the poor…in spirit.” These are the first words of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus most likely preached sermon many times and in many places. The sermon begins in Matthew chapter five and ends at the end of chapter seven. The importance of this complete sermon by Jesus cannot be overstated. While we don’t have time to talk about the whole sermon. We do very well to ponder and meditate on these few words—this profound truth: “Blessed are poor in spirit.” To be blessed is have the favor and goodness of God in our lives. We are blessed when we realize that God has first loved us. We say “I am blessed” when we want to tell others that God has impacted our lives. To say it another way: “The Lord has been good to me.” The recipients of this blessing are those who are poor in spirit. This is a spiritual poverty. These are people who lack godly resources. They are spiritually bankrupt. I love Jesus. I so admire his preaching. He is disruptive—deliciously so. He is unsettling—wonderfully so. He says what he needs to say in order to get our attention and draw us into his life-transformation. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” We are truly blessed when we are poor in spirit. Or to put it another way, we are blessed when we realize our spiritual poverty—when we accept our spiritual bankruptcy. It is a journey of self-discovery this poverty.

One of the greatest examples of this is King Solomon. Jesus brings him up in all his glory later in this same sermon. He is one of the greatest kings of history—one of the richest and most powerful kings ever. And yet, he did not create his wealth. It was given to him. He inherited it. He had many earthly blessings—wealth, power, and prestige. But here is the really beautiful part of his story: God offers Solomon anything he wants (1 Kings 3:5). If God said you could ask for anything what would it be? Solomon says, “You have made me king…although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. …Give [me] an understanding mind…that I may discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:7-9). He realizes he is poor in spirit. He realizes he is a simple child of God. He needs God’s direction and wisdom. He hungers and thirsts for the Spirit of God to strengthen him mind, body, and soul. He does not become poor in spirit. In his humility, he realizes that is who we all are.

Jesus points out that we too are all poor in the spirit. We are stingy with our love. We are in spiritual debt to one another by all the ways we have failed to love God and our neighbor. Later in the same sermon, Jesus will point out that we are all guilty of murder by the ways we cut each other down by our words and the bitterness in our hearts (5:21-260. He says we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect (5:48). We do not have the spiritual resources in and of ourselves to be the kind of people God calls us to be. Later in the same sermon, Jesus teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” We daily fail to love God and one another. We cannot pay off the debts of all our sins. We are poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit is to be humble. We realize that we are sinners. We discover that we cannot change ourselves. We are unable to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Our only plea is for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

We realize our resources are not in ourselves. They are outside of us—external to us—in Christ—by his Spirit and his Word. That is what the Kingdom is: the King and all his wealth, power, and resources. We blessed to know that we are spiritually impoverished. We are blessed to know that the kingdom of heaven is ours. We are God’s treasured possession. And he is ours. This is not just some future hope. It is a present reality. The hymn writer understood this when he wrote, “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy Cross I cling.” We cannot use our hands to lay hold of the Cross if we think they are filled with our own earthly riches. We come empty handed.

The greatest illustration of this truth is just moments away. We will baptize little Franklin—even though he is not yet drawing a paycheck. He has not yet done any great humanitarian work. He still needs help changing his clothes and eating. He is poor and helpless. And he realizes it. He knows to whom to cry when he is hungry or needs changed. He looks to mom and dad trusting their love and goodness to him. All his wealth is tied up in them and the Lord who gave them to him. To baptize poor and helpless infants epitomizes the Gospel. Because that is who we all are before the King of kings and Lord of lords—poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit means to be rich in the Kingdom of Heaven. As Jesus says later in this same sermon: “But seek first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (6:33). He fills our empty hands and our hungry mouths with his Body and Blood to spiritually enrich us for the journey ahead. He lavishes us with forgiveness, life, and salvation. And in him, we are all heirs together of his eternal Kingdom.

“By Grace through Faith Alone” (John 8:31-36; Romans 3:19-28)

Romans 3:19-28

John 8:31-36

Pastor Tom Johnson, October 29, 2017

Some things change the course of history. The events on September 11, 2001. The rise of fascism and World War II. The invention of the automobile and airplane. The steam engine and locomotive. The industrial revolution. The colonization of what was for Europeans a new world. Today we celebrate one of those events that continues to change the course of history: the Reformation. On October 31, 1517 a German Augustinian Monk by the name Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. A few weeks ago, I handed out a copy of all 95 theses in adult Bible class. We highlighted a number of them to try to get to the heart of the problem Luther was addressing and why historians point to that day as changing history. I think it is very simple. Pastor John Nunes, president of Concordia University in New York and I talked at length about it when he was here a month ago. Luther began a conversation—a very public and inclusive conversation. This conversation was not just for the elite in Latin but also for the not-so-educated in their German dialects. This conversation quickly crossed ethnic and linguistic barriers and spread across Europe. Today, it is still spreading throughout the world. Luther began the conversation with ideas and questions—95 of them. And they were all centered on one thing: the assurance of God’s grace. How do you know your sins are forgiven? How do you know you have eternal life? Luther was reacting to the abuse of the church in their selling of indulgences—pieces of paper that people purchased to reduce the time of punishment in the afterlife. But Luther took it further. He said it was our job to forgive sins for free.

Our Old Testament reading is a conversation between God and his people. He is giving the assurance of grace. He promises to write his Word on their hearts. People will know and love the Lord from the highest to lowest in society. He promises his forgiveness. Our Epistle is a conversation between the Apostle Paul and the church in Rome. He is giving the assurance of grace. Yes, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But we are declared righteous by grace—it is a gift—through the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross—through faith. Our Gospel is a conversation between Jesus and the crowds who began to follow him. Jesus is giving the assurance of grace. It is not based on one’s ethnic heritage or social status. It is based on God’s gift in freeing us from our captivity to sin. Jesus makes us free. We receive that assurance as a gift through faith.

This sermon is a conversation—a continued conversation about the assurance of grace. How do you know your sins are forgiven? How do you know you have eternal life? Do you and I truly know the Lord? Is his Word written in our hearts? If so, then have we truly felt the conviction of our sin? That we easily ignore and resist God’s call on our lives to be a holy people? That we by our thoughts, words, and deeds—by what we have done and left undone daily sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our pride keeps us from realizing how pervasive sin is—how universal it is and how profoundly it harms our lives and souls. Jesus said it is slavery. It is universal slavery of humanity. What’s the point of talking about forgiveness if we don’t feel the weight and burden of sin on our lives and the world? What difference does eternal life make if we do not fear offending God and separation from God? Thankfully, the conversation continues. Do you and I believe that Jesus died and rose again for us? Has his forgiveness melted away our guilt and shame? Does his promise of eternal life give you joy today and hope for tomorrow?

The Reformation is about this truth of God’s Word. It is about putting the Word of God back into the hands of the people—that it would be written in our hearts and minds. As we take God’s Word to heart, we are assured by his Word and Spirit that we are his treasured possession. And so this conversation becomes a mission. We as God’s people lead and initiate this conversation between ourselves and the world around us. And we do so in faith and confidence that God’s Word and Spirit will powerfully impact lives. As Luther explains in his Large Catechism, the church “is the mother that begets and bears every Christian through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit reveals and preaches that Word, and by it He illumines and kindles hearts so that they grasp and accept it, cling to it, and persevere in it.”

Salvation is a gift! It’s free! It’s by his grace! We receive it through faith. We simply trust in God. Our confidence is in Jesus Christ who lived a perfect and holy life, died to pay the penalty of sin, and rose from the dead to give us eternal life. In a few moments we will continue this conversation by music and song. We are singing to the Lord a new song written by our own David Rogner. We are continuing an ancient conversation. I’m so grateful for the vision Sara Dornacker had years ago. We had many conversations about her passion for the Gospel, God’s people, and everyone in the world—especially veterans and victims of human trafficking. She wanted everyone to join the conversation and celebration of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. And so God reforms and transforms us heart, mind, and spirit.

“Bearing the image of God” (Matthew 22:15-22)

Matthew 22:15-22

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 22, 2017

This morning, our Gospel brings up the subject of politics and religion. The Pharisees are the religious authority. The Herodians are the Jewish political authority. Well, kind of. Since Rome had conquered, occupied, and subdued Israel, Israel’s religious and political authority was more or less tolerated and kept on a short leash. The Emperor not only had ultimate authority, he declared himself god in the flesh. Roman money had the image of the emperor and something on the coin to declare his status as a deity. One of the main way his subjects throughout the world paid tribute to him was to pay a tax. How do you feel about paying taxes?

The people of Israel not only resented this tribute but saw it as idolatry. “You shall have no other gods. You shall not make for yourself a carved image.” And here you have a coin with a false god and a depiction of him minted on a coin. That is the trap of mixing religion and politics. The religious and political authority ask him if it is right to pay this tribute and tax to Rome. If Jesus says yes, he is saying it is okay to practice idolatry. If he says no, he is committing treason against Rome. And Rome would easily put someone to death who taught that publicly. Jesus does not take the bait. He does not walk into their trap. They walk into Jesus’ trap. “Show me the coin used for the tax,” he says. Understand that none of them should have that coin. It is a false idol. And yet, they bring it to him probably with faces as red as Caesar’s face was polished silver.

Coin minted by Augustus (c. 19–18 BC)

“Whose head is this?” he asks. “The emperor’s,” they respond. Most likely the image was of a previous emperor—a dead emperor. This makes it all the more hilarious. This is the real “gotcha” moment. Jesus says, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Does the emperor want his coin back? Let him have it. Go ahead and pour the coins into his coffin or into his coffers. His reward is paid in full. Give him the coin like you would take something to lost and found. Don’t feed the lie that he is a god but do what is necessary to live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness. “Give to God the things that are God’s.” And just what do we have that is God’s? Everything. I love how the psalmist says it in Psalm 50 (v.10): “Every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” Everything in the world—whether wild or tame—is the Lord’s! Psalm 24 (v.1) says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” The gold and silver extracted from the earth is the Lord’s. You and I are the Lord’s.

And here is the amazing thing. We bear the image of God. We are minted out of the dust of the earth. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created [us], male and female he created [us]” (Genesis 1:27). God has invested in the world with our lives. He has put his likeness on us so that we will be stewards and servants to God and one another—so that we would love him with our whole being and one another as he has loved us. Over and over again, God says to his people that he does not want our gold, silver, temple sacrifices, or any material thing. What he wants our steadfast love. He wants our faithfulness. He wants us to be a godly presence to one another and bear his image faithfully to the world (Isaiah 1:11; Hosea 6:6). “He has told you,” Scripture says, “what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). We are to be God’s ambassadors. We are God’s tribute to the world. But we have failed to live up to this high calling to bear the image of God to the world. Like the Pharisees and Herodians, we have false gods hiding in our pockets. We have not fully invested our lives as a tribute to God. We have not loved one another as God has loved us in tribute and thanksgiving to the true and living God.

And so, God sent the world another coin with his image—not minted out of gold or silver—not out of the dust of the earth—but out of his own eternal and divine nature. He has no beginning and no end. He came from heaven to earth and was born of the virgin Mary—minted with perfect humanity in time and space. He is God’s perfect tribute to the world—a life of perfect obedience. Scripture in Hebrews chapter 1 says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”
God raised him up on the Cross—him who bears his image perfectly—to pay the penalty for all of our sin—“not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18,19). Then God raised him up from the empty tomb as a tribute to his victory over death, the devil, our sin, and the grave. And so God purchased a place for us in his heavenly Kingdom. And so we raise him up with our voices and our lives. Whose likeness and whose title is this? He is eternal God made flesh. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is our Redeemer who paid the penalty for our sin and a place in heaven.

Holy God, we praise Thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee.
All on earth Thy scepter claim,
All in heav’n adore thee.
Infinite Thy vast domain.
Everlasting is Thy reign.
          ("Holy God, We Praise Thy Name," LSB 940, v. 1)

“The Peace of God” (Philippians 4:4-9)

Philippians 4:4-9

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 15, 2017

The Christian faith promises peace. It is like no other peace. You will not find this kind of peace in all the universe. Even with all of its assets and natural resources, this world cannot give to you the peace that Jesus gives. The source of this peace is the Prince of Peace. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). We as a church family “exchange the peace” together. We welcome one another with the words, “The peace of the Lord.” We greet one another with God’s peace. The height of our service is when we receive the Body and Blood. We hear the pronouncement, “The peace of the Lord be with you always!” Our worship ends with “peace” in the benediction. “The Lord bless you and keep you…and give you peace.”We go out into the world as God’s peace-benefactors and his peace-makers. Our Scripture today from Paul’s letter to the Philippians says, “Do not worry about anything.” When we worry, we needlessly live our lives without peace. We deny ourselves true peace. Paul tells us, “Don’t do that.” “Don’t worry” challenges us to have the courage to pursue for peace in our lives. It challenges us to hold God to his word and boldly ask him for this peace. It challenges us to surrender our worry and illusion that we are in control.

But Paul does not just tell us what not to do. He tells us what to do: “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” In other words, hand your anxiety and worry over to the One who can take it away. Surrender to the Prince of Peace. He lived and died to take away every threat to body and soul. He rose to give us the assurance we need and a hope that will not be disappointed. He takes away our anxieties and puts his peace in its place. When we turn to Jesus, we begin to count our blessings with the greatest blessing of all: Jesus. He is the sure antidote to strife, anxiety, and fear. And we should continue to count your blessings. Consider all the blessings you do have even if you feel like they are overshadowed by the bad. Our Scripture encourages us to approach “everything…with prayer and thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving is prayer, an act of worship, and a work of God in us. He promises to lift our spirits into the reality of his Kingdom. He leads us through our dark valleys on a path of peace.

“As soon the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs.”

In each of your bulletins, you should have small paper insert. It has a picture of an indulgence on it—one that dates back more than 500 years. It has a catchy slogan: “As soon the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs.” This is what made the German Reformer Martin Luther so mad. It’s why he wrote the 95 Theses and nailed them to the church door in Wittenberg almost 500 years ago…we are just weeks away. It is a lie and a false hope to think that money can buy God’s forgiveness. Instead, Luther challenges us to find our true treasure. And that greatest treasure is the Gospel—the Person and work of Jesus Christ. What a great place to start—to be thankful for the rich forgiveness and eternal life we have in Jesus—for free!

We ask you to prayerfully write down what you are thankful for…just as Paul says, “…with prayer and thanksgiving.” What do you thank God for? How has he already blessed you? Please let us know. We will collect them during the offering. God uses our prayer with thanksgiving. Giving thanks to God for the things that come to mind will help us along this path toward peace. And as his peace comes, it does not depend on our understanding. That is what our Scripture promises: “With prayer and thanksgiving…the peace of God which surpasses understanding—peace that transcends comprehension—will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Our brains’ circuitry cannot fully process how wonderful God’s peace is. We will never fully comprehend the height, depth, and width of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. God’s power does not need our understanding to work in our lives.

In a few minutes from now we will receive Holy Communion—what we sometimes call the Eucharist. It is based on the New Testament word eucharisteo. The eu means good and charis means grace. In this Meal, we experience the good grace of God. Like Spanish and other Romance languages, thanksgiving is based on the word grace. We give thanks. Some of us still refer to praying at the dinner table as saying “Grace.” It is living life mindful of the grace of God with hearts filled with gratitude. It is prayerful recognition of God’s loving work in our lives. We gather around a Table this morning around the grace-filled Bread and Wine and Body and Blood of our Lord. We are mindful of God’s blessings particularly the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. We surrender all our worries and anxieties to God at this Altar. We lift up our prayers with thanksgiving. And God gives us his peace—his mysterious, fathomless, inconceivable peace.

Sermon from the Rev. Dr. John Nunes from Philippians 2:1-13

Philippians 2:1-13

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“Who is like God?” (Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3)

Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 24, 2017

Today we remember angels. We celebrate these creatures who have no physical bodies like us. Even though we often do not see them, they are busy servants and soldiers of God. They are our protectors. They are God’s messengers to us. That is what angel means—“messenger.” And one of the great messengers of God is the angel Michael. And I love the meaning of his name. It’s actually a question in Hebrew: “Who is like God?” You’ll remember when God made us, he said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:26,27). Who is like God? We were created to be like him.

But our first parents Adam and Eve disobeyed God. They did not live up to their calling to be God’s stewards and protectors of his creation. They sinned. And to sin is to fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). We fail to honor God perfectly and to be like God to one another and the world he created. This is what happens to the prophet Daniel in our Old Testament reading. He is praying by the river when he has a vision of God who is the likeness and appearance of a man (Dan 10:16,18). I wish I had another 30 minutes to convince you that Daniel sees the eternal Son of God here. This is almost the same vision John has in his Revelation of the risen Christ (Rev 1:9-20). Can you trust me? This is Jesus who died and rose again and ascended to the Father. He steps out of eternity into any point of history he wants. He reveals himself to Daniel. And he has the same effect the glory of Christ always has: John tells us he falls down on his face like a dead man (Rev 1:17). Daniel says his own appearance is fearfully changed, he loses his strength, he falls on his face, and he loses consciousness (10:8,9).

Who is like God? Not Daniel. Not us. Certainly not compared to the surpassing glory of Jesus Christ whose face is as bright as lightning, whose strength destroys death and Satan. He never sleeps. He sustains the whole universe by his Word. Compared to him, our radiance is darkness. Our beautifully clean clothing is filthy rags. We have no strength of our own. Our weakness is so profound that we cannot even stay conscious and wake up to the reality of who is truly like God. Michael’s message is that we live in the end of days. Eternity is about to break out into this world of time and space. God’s Kingdom will be revealed. The heavens will roll back like a scroll. And the Ancient of Days—the eternal Son of God comes to judge the living and the dead. Their message to us is to be prepared.

Who is like God? Michael and the angels seem to be—especially compared to us. They are God’s perfect servants. They are soldiers who fight our battles and God’s battles. And they do so—not in their own strength. The angels conquer—the angels get their power from the power of the blood of the Lamb. On page 23 you will find a picture of a statue of the archangel Michael at the University of Bonn. His breastplate is the Cross of Christ. He conquers by Jesus’ strength—not his own. He wields the flaming sword of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

That is always an important thing to remember about angels. They are also creatures. They do not draw attention to themselves. Their job is to humbly and perfectly serve God. They are messengers. They are soldiers. They always point us to Christ and give him the glory and praise. They raise the question, “Who is like God?” No one. “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one!” We are called to be like him. Our job is to love him with our whole being and to love one another as Christ has loved us (Deut 6). Just as the Son of God loved us. The Eternal Word became flesh. God became human—in our likeness he was born of the virgin Mary. The great surprise and mystery is that the Second Person of the Trinity became one of us! He became like us so that we will become like him. Who is like God indeed?

The hand of Christ touches Daniel and rouses him to his hands and knees. In John’s Revelation, he puts his hand on him and says, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” (1:17,18). And so we rise in the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Christ’s nail-scarred hands touch us through his eternal Word. He reminds us that he died for us to break the power sin, evil, and death has on our lives. “If we have been united in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Rom 6:5). He rose again so that we will rise to shine more brightly than the midday sun. Like Michael, we lead others to the perfect righteousness of Christ. And together we are the bright constellation of his grace! Who is like God? You are. By God’s mercy and grace we all are.

Lord God, to Thee we give all praise,
With grateful hearts our voices raise,
That angel hosts Thou didst create.
Around Thy glorious throne to wait.

They never rest nor sleep as we;
Their whole delight is but to be
With Thee, Lord Jesus, and to keep
Thy little flock, Thy lambs and sheep.

For this, now and in our days to be.
Our praise shall rise, O Lord, to Thee,
Whom all the angel hosts adore.
With grateful songs forevermore.
          (“Lord God, to Thee We Give All Praise” LSB 522 v. 1, 3, & 8)

“What You Meant for Evil” (Genesis 50:15-21)

Genesis 50:15-21

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 17, 2017

Staci slammed the door—shutting out her brother Brad’s angry and hurtful words—leaving him in thick silence. All he sees now was her name on her bedroom door—Staci with an “i” dotted by a circle. The silence is quickly ambushed by the screaming and nagging thought Brad has—that he should knock on that door—immediately—and say, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.” An hour passes. Brad and Staci are still not talking. The scraping and banging of forks at the dinner table is deafening. A week passes. Brad goes off to college—the silence only occasionally being interrupted by superficial conversation at Thanksgiving and family picnics on the Fourth of July. Years pass. Brad moves across the country. The silence between Brad and Staci is now only interrupted by the annual Christmas card—with the solitary name “Staci” written in ink ending in an “i” dotted by a circle. Decades pass. Decades of silence between them. The silence is a lie because there is no peace. All is quiet—that is, until five o’clock one snowy Friday morning when the phone rings…

That’s when the news wakes up our wounded child. For Joseph and his brothers, the news of their father’s death wakes up their wounded child. Loss has a way of doing that—stirring up old memories and opening up old wounds. It’s times like these that pain and resentment surface—stuff that we thought was buried and forgotten. Old thoughts resurface like “Joseph was always daddy’s favorite!” “Joseph was always a well-dressed spoiled brat—when we were kids in our father Jacob’s house in his multicolored tunic and now in Pharaoh’s house in royal garb. And what about Joseph? You’ll remember that Joseph’s brothers threw him into the ditch and sold him into slavery. You’ll remember that it was because of his slavery in Egypt that he was falsely accused of trying to violate Potipher’s wife and was thrown into prison. Joseph had his own painful memory and resentment to deal with. “Because of you, brothers, I was sold into slavery, spent years in prison, and almost lost my life and my faith.” The silence is finally broken. We know the years of silence was a lie because all this stuff resurfaces at Jacob’s death.

Like Joseph and his brothers, we can buy into the lie that time heals all wounds—the lie that silence is the same as forgiving and forgetting. We buy into the lie that the slammed doors of our teenage years will not impact the rest of our lives. We buy into the lie that an unforgiving spirit has no impact on our daily lives. We buy into the lie that guilt and shame will fade away on its own. When his brothers ask for forgiveness, Joseph weeps. He weeps. Is it the news of his father’s death? Is it because his own painful memories? Are they tears of compassion for his brothers because they carried the burden of guilt, shame, and fear of retaliation all these years? We’re not told. I think Joseph wept because of all of those things—all of the above.

Through salty tears, Joseph runs to that place he learned to run when he was experiencing his darkest hours. Joseph runs to the loving, merciful, and gracious arms of God, his heavenly Father. He speaks some of the most powerful words of good news in the Bible: “As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good.” Joseph is made whole and mended by the gospel. Joseph speaks out of his faith in a forgiving, loving, and merciful God. Joseph reminds us God has a plan for our lives. He reminds us that God even uses evil meant for our destruction. He reminds us that God forgives our sin so we can forgive one another—even decades old dysfunctional and destructive family behavior. He reminds us of the God who has a plan for our good. God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. God even uses the unjust, gruesome, and evil death of His Son for the forgiveness, life, and salvation of the world.

Joseph’s words remind us that God breaks the deafening silence. God melts away the bitterness, the pain, the guilt, the anger—with a word of reconciliation: “As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good.” Only the love of God through his Son Jesus Christ can heal the wounded child within all of us. And since God has forgiven us a lifetime of sin—a debt that we could never repay—so we ought to forgive the nickels and dimes of our sins against each other. And we should forgive from our heart—a heart filled with gratitude and faith in God’s forgiveness and a heart filled with compassion for those weighed down with guilt and shame. God has written the script for the drama of our lives. The story ends with forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with him and one another—or rather, that is how our story begins. This may lead us to finally pick up the phone and speak words of comfort—or write that note of reconciliation—or lead us to have that conversation that breaks years of silence with a good word. Just as Joseph finally broke the silence:  “As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good.” We have wronged each other. But in the midst of the pain, guilt, and chaos, God has a plan—a plan of forgiveness, life, reconciliation, and eternal salvation. “As for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good.”

“Becoming a Child of Faith” (Matthew 18:1-14)

Matthew 18:1-14

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 15, 2017

Jesus sounds like a Chicago mobster. “It would be better to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea than to cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble or sin.” The eternal consequences of misleading God’s children is severe. 

When I was in seminary in Fort Wayne, I washed windows to pay the bills. Once we were at an empty office building keeping it clean for prospective tenants. Geese had taken over the property laying their eggs in the shelter of the building right next to the windows we were trying to clean. We quickly found out the origin of the expression “getting goosed.” While our eyes were on the windows and our back ends were made vulnerable, one of us used our poles as a defensive martial arts stick while the others cleaned. Jesus is mother goose doing anything to protect her babes. He is tiger mom and papa bear who brings out claw and tooth before any harm comes his little ones.

And what is Jesus so passionate about? That our relationship with God would not be tripped up by sin or sabotaged by pride. He wants us to cultivate humility. The great ones in the Kingdom are those who humble themselves like little children. A false Gospel will trip us up. Little children know their understanding is limited. Their faith may be simple but it is profound. It’s humbling. Without God we are vulnerable, helpless, and in mortal danger of our sin, evil, and this broken world. And so we surrender to the power of God in Jesus Christ. We humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. At the proper time he lifts us up. Martin Luther said, “Though I am a great doctor, I have not yet progressed beyond the instruction of children in the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer. I still learn and pray these every day with my Hans and my little Lena.”

God the Father does not want knowledge to puff us up. He wants us to be teachable not to be smarter sinners but more humble servants. There is always room to grow in our love and trust of him and as students of his Word. Christ is vigilant and zealous for our humble trust in him. So much so that he took up the millstone of the world’s sin and was cast into the ocean of death, sin, and evil. He humbled himself to the point of death—even death upon the Cross. He rose victoriously because death could not hold him. He won the fight for our forgiveness and assurance of eternal life and our humble walk with him. His mercy and grace is humbling because he saved us—not we ourselves. And that is how we keep our footing and not stumble as we journey forward—by that same love and grace in humility—just like little goslings under the shelter of his wings.

“Church Conflict” (Matthew 18:15-20)

Matthew 18:15-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 10, 2017

After worship, people will sometimes tell me, “Pastor, your sermon seemed directed right at me!” Usually that is a favorable response. But I doubt anyone would want to feel that a sermon entitled “Church Conflict” is directed at them. I seriously considered putting a full length mirror in front so that I can look into my own eyes and preach to myself. This is Paul’s advice to Timothy when he says, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim 4:16). Please don’t feel like I’m directing this sermon at you. Know that I am, as I am to myself, and to everyone who is open to the words of Jesus. Our text from Matthew 18 is the path forward to loving, trusting, harmonious, and joyful relationships.

Ken Sande, author of the classic book The Peacemaker says one thing is for sure: conflict happens. It happens in every church. But, he says, “Conflict is always an opportunity to glorify God.” Because on this side of eternity, we are still sinners—every one of us, that is to be sure. The Body of Christ is also very diverse. We often have very different ideas and opinions. Have you ever noticed that? And so Jesus anticipates conflict in his beautiful bride, the Church. He gives practical advice on how to move forward in peace toward reconciliation: “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.”

Step one: go directly to that person in private. Do not triangulate and complicate things by gossip. Give that person an opportunity to explain themselves and ask for their repentance in a way that makes them feel safe and not cornered. And before you go running into the storm of conflict, consider whether or not the offense is truly sin. Is it a misunderstanding? Is it two personalities colliding? Could it be that the grimace on his face was not out of contempt for you but because he just took a big gulp of icee freeze? Proverbs 19:11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is a glory to overlook an offense.” Not every hill is worth battling over. The only hill worth dying on is Calvary. And Christ already went there and gave his life for the world. If we choose to point out a person’s fault, Jesus tells us to do so when the two are alone. Such wisdom! It’s a teaching moment. How would you want to be shown your faults? Publicly in humiliation? I doubt that. We are to love as we would want to be loved. The Golden Rule leads us to protect our and their reputation. And Jesus says our goal is to regain or to win that sister or brother. We do not enter conflict to win an argument; we do so in order to win a friend in Christ. Conflict should be a safe place where we do not fear attack but can humbly face our own failures, brokenness, and sin in the comfort of genuine Christian love. Proverbs 15:1: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Conflict glorifies God when it builds trust, love, and our Christian family.

Jesus says step two is to bring along one or two others. Both parties benefit from accountability. We can all learn about how to proceed more in love and be reconciled. Think about the type of person to bring along. The person to bring along is not someone who will take sides. It should be someone who has the maturity to listen non-judgmentally, prayerfully, and whose joy it would be to see two made whole. If that does not work, take it to the church. This may be going to the pastor, the elders, or the church council. The stakes get higher. And hopefully that will soften a person’s heart enough to begin to search the archives of their own soul.

The last step is the best: if they still refuse to listen, “treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Does this mean we treat them with xenophobia? Contempt? Excommunicate them? No. This is the punchline of one of Jesus’ best jokes! Who is a tax collector in the Gospel of Matthew? Matthew! How did Jesus treat him? With patience and love. And how did Jesus treat the non-Jews? He challenged prejudice and racism. He came to give his life for the world. So, what does it mean? Treat the unrepentant person as a mission field. Sometimes we need to go back to basics. We need to make sure we understand the Gospel. It is what Scripture calls the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5).

And let me say something about the power of humor—good humor. It builds others up, it does not tear people down. It gives us permission to laugh at ourselves and not take things or ourselves so seriously when we do not need to. The joy comes in knowing just how ridiculous and outrageous God’s love is for us sinners.

And that is it. It is all about understanding the Gospel: Christ came for sinners. I am a sinner. You are a sinner. We all need forgiveness. We need acceptance and love. God forgives us. And so we should forgive as we have been forgiven. Church is not a weekly convention of the perfect. We join Jesus as first responders in the storm of sin. Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” He promises his presence in the midst of conflict. He is there to ensure that the Gospel works. We will be reconciled. He will get the glory.

“Genuine Love” (Romans 12:9-21)

Romans 12:9-21

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 3, 2017

Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. He probably is best known by his scenes from Genesis painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and his marble sculpture of King David. He said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material. I see the image in the marble and carve until I set it free.”

That is what Paul is doing with words in our Scripture today. Within each of us there is the image of Christ. God’s Word and the Holy Spirit chisel away the superfluous material. And by the grace of God, genuine love is set free. Just before our passage Paul spends 11 chapters talking about the grace of God in Jesus Christ. At the end of chapter 11 he transitions into how it ought to look in our daily lives. He says of Jesus Christ, “From him and through him and to him are all things” (11:36). He tells us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice and that is our true service of worship (12:1). And he calls us to understand that God is the giver of faith and spiritual gifts. And that chief gift and command is to love God with all our hearts, minds, and spirit and to love our neighbor as Christ loved us—freely, joyfully, and sacrificially.

“Let love be genuine.” Or, even more pointedly: “make sure your love is genuine.” “Don’t let your love be phony.” “Set genuine love free!” And so our Scripture begins to chisel away to take away what does not belong and set free God’s purpose for our lives. This Scripture is a good one to read through slowly and prayerfully:

Praise you, O God, for your genuine love—especially in sending your Son! He opposed evil and promoted good. He was patient through suffering and persevered in prayer. He wept with those who weep.“…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself…he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8) Glory and honor to you, O Jesus, for you did not avenge yourself on the cross but cried out, “Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing.” You gave your own Body and Blood as food and drink. You are the Bread of Heaven—and the living water. Thank you God for loving us with such genuine love!


And so we confess our flirtation with evil—how sin seduces us into its deadly grip. We have not shown mutual affection. Instead we have all too often shown contempt and dishonor to our family members, friends, coworkers, strangers, and church family. We have been spiritual couch potatoes—too lazy to make the effort be useful tools in the hands of the Holy Spirit. We have been stingy. We have lacked empathy for those who struggle. We do not choose our battles wisely. We fight by our own strength. We think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. We take too long before we truly listen; we are too quick to speak. We harbor bitterness. We think more about getting back at those who hurt us than we do surrendering everything to God in prayer. We have not taken up our crosses and genuinely followed Jesus. We have more fear of the power of evil than we have faith in the goodness of God which overcomes evil—he is the light in the darkness. And no amount of darkness can put out the light.

Help us, Lord, to leave behind everything that is counterfeit and false love. Disingenuous love is a sham. Insincere love is a lie. Forgive us, O God! Renew our faith. Amend our lives. Chisel away at all the phoniness! Set free the image of Christ within all of us that we may love you and one another with genuine love. We know that we can only love because you first loved us. By your grace and mercy, make our lives, our thoughts, our words, and our actions tried and true. As the Master Sculptor, transform us from useless lumps of clay and blocks of rock into divine works of art—a masterpiece of authentic love!

“I am The light, I light the way,
A godly life displaying;
I bid you walk as in the day;
I keep your feet from straying.
I am the way, and well I show
How you must sojourn here below.

“I teach you how to shun and flee
What harms your soul’s salvation,
Your heart from ev’ry guile to free,
From sin and its temptation.
I am the refuge of the soul
And lead you to your heav’nly goal.”
          (“‘Come, Follow Me,’ the Savior Spake” LSB 688 v. 2 & 4)

“Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-20)

Matthew 16:13-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 27, 2017

Jesus begins a theological conversation with a question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” It was a poll of the opinions of Jesus’ identity. And then Jesus challenges his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” That question takes us on a spiritual journey. Who is this Jesus? What do I believe? How has my understanding of the Son of God grown? What difference does his identity make in my day to day life? Who do I say that Jesus is? There is a playful way that Jesus asks the question and challenges the disciples. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Jesus begins the question by already partially answering his own question. He is the Son of Man. He is human. He is the eternal Son of God who came from heaven to earth to be born of a virgin. He is God incarnate. Son of Man is also the title of the prophets in the Old Testament. Son of Man highlights his humanity. That he is a human being with the call of God on his life.

When Peter answers the question, he flips the emphasis of his humanity toward his divinity: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter says, “You are Son of Man, yes. You are also Son of David—the royal line of Messiah. You are also Son of God. Son of Man; Son of God. Human; Divine. Jesus’ playfulness and humor emerge once again when he answers Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Jesus calls him by his birth name Simon Son of Jonah. Jesus highlights his humanity. Jesus reminds him that he bears the name of the prophet Jonah. And why is that hilarious? Because Jonah means “silly dove” in Hebrew. Jonah is the silly prophet that runs away when God calls him. Jonah is prophet despite himself. Jonah is the servant of God that disobeys God. Jonah is the preacher who reluctantly preaches mercy. In other words, it is a miracle that Peter knows who Jesus is. “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Faith is a gift. Peter did not use his powers of deduction. God revealed this to him.  Peter not only discovers who Jesus is, he discovers more about himself. And that is what happens when we deepen our understanding of Jesus. We deepen our understanding of ourselves. We are flawed, sinful, and silly human beings. And flesh and blood cannot put us on the right path. God the Father does that.

Who is this Jesus? Who am I? Jesus continues his playfulness by nicknaming Simon with the name Peter which means “stone.” Who is Peter? He is the stone Jesus will use to reveal the Rock. And that Rock is Jesus. Jesus is the Cornerstone and Foundation of a new work. Jesus will build his Church upon the truth of who he is. He will gather the nations to himself. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords who will advance his people like an army. Who is Jesus? He is the one who leads us to victory. The devil, evil, and hell itself will build walls and try to fortify themselves against the advance of Truth, Love, Mercy, and Grace. He gave his flesh and blood on the Cross. His flesh and blood rose gloriously over the grave. What Peter’s flesh and blood could not reveal, Jesus’ Flesh and Blood does reveal. Even now he reveals his forgiveness, acceptance, and eternal life in the Bread and Wine of Holy Communion. His Body and Blood reveal his grace, mercy, and love. Who is Jesus? He is the God who wins. He is the Captain of our souls. The gates of hell will not prevail. He is the One who leads us into victory. Who am I? Who are you? Who does Jesus say that we are? “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

We are God’s house of living stones,
Built for His own habitation.
He through baptismal grace us owns
Heirs of His wondrous salvation.
Were we but two His name to tell,
Yet He would deign with us to dwell
With all His grace and His favor.
          (“Built on the Rock,” LSB 645 v. 3)

Sermon from Pastor Brummer

Matthew 14:22-33

How do you react to difficulty and turbulent times in your life?

Guest Pastor David Brummer brings us the Word of God.

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