06/22/2025 Fan the Fire of Truth Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: 2 Timothy 1:3-10

SN: 0083 06/22/2025

There’s something magical about a good campfire. The flickering flames and smell of woodsmoke make for a wonderful evening of sharing stories, eating s'mores, and enjoying fellowship. But what happens if you stop putting wood on the fire, or it starts to rain? The fire that was once a roaring blaze can be reduced to a bed of smoldering coals and even go out completely. But it's also amazing how you can sometimes take a fire that seems to be completely burned out and get it to restart. As you slowly add fuel and air to the fire, the fire that had guttered out and almost died roars back into flame.

This is the picture that Paul wants us to have in mind with the words of encouragement he shared with his dear friend Timothy. Paul had known Timothy for a long time. He had met Timothy as a young man on his Second Missionary journey when he went to Lystra and Derbe. Timothy had an excellent reputation, and Paul decided to take him along on his journey. Over the next few years, Paul trained Timothy as a pastor and at times sent him to various churches on Paul’s behalf. Timothy was a good and faithful student, and Paul viewed him as a son.

Word had now reached Timothy that Paul had once again been imprisoned in Rome and was facing the threat of execution. Paul knew that this turn of events had discouraged Timothy in his faith and ministry. Paul did not want the fear and shame caused by the news of his imprisonment to cause Timothy to stumble in his faith. Instead, Paul wanted Timothy to remember the power of the Gospel, which had created that faith within him. He wanted Timothy to fan into flame the fire of his faith by remembering the faith taught to him by his mother and grandmother. Paul encouraged Timothy to remember that God had not given him a timid spirit, but a spirit of power. Paul wanted to fan the fire of Timothy’s faith and remind him of the power and certainty of God’s word. For this reason, I am reminding you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, join with me in suffering for the gospel while relying on the power of God.

There may be times in our lives when we find ourselves feeling like Timothy. We may become discouraged and filled with fear. Our faith is like a campfire that has burned down to embers and may even be close to going out. This can happen for a number of reasons. Perhaps we have allowed a certain favorite sin to take hold in our lives. We let anger or rage, or lust dominate our lives. We let a loose tongue spread gossip and lies about others. We may always be filled with discontent and constantly complain that nothing ever seems to go our way. We know that these sins are wrong, but we love the feeling of false joy when we commit those sins. But sin is harmful to our faith. If we continue finding joy in those sins, the fire of our faith may eventually be snuffed out.

Perhaps the fuel for our fire is being consumed by worry, doubt, and fear. The relentless attacks of the world against our faith can be a constant struggle. We feel drained and exhausted knowing that each day we have to face a world that is hostile to our faith. The constant barrage of mockery can leave us feeling drained and depressed. This is what Satan wants. He wants the fire of our faith to grow low, to begin to flicker and fade. He wants us to neglect adding fuel to our fire by reading and studying God’s Word and refreshing ourselves with the sacraments. He wants us to put other priorities before going with others in worship, so he can isolate us and attack us. Satan wants nothing more than to snuff out the fire of our faith.

That is why Paul reminded Timothy and us to fan into flame the gift of God. Think of the times you have gotten a fire going. What have you done? You blow on the embers to get them to glow hot again. The Holy Spirit blows on the embers of our faith through the Word of God. When we are tempted by sin, we can turn to the Word of God to be strengthened in our faith. When we are filled with guilt and shame for the sins that we have committed, we can read and hear the sweet words of the Gospel. We remember the glorious truth that God loved us so much that he sent his one and only perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for our sins. By his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus has paid the debt our sins deserved and removed our guilt and shame.

When we are troubled by the assaults of the world or are plagued with doubts, the Holy Spirit works through the power of the Word to fan our faith into flame. We are reminded that our faith is not based on made-up stories, but on the very Word of God. We are assured that even though it seems at times that we are facing overwhelming odds; our enemies have already been defeated. On the cross, Jesus destroyed the power of the devil, and by his glorious resurrection from the dead, he removed the sting of death. Our victory is assured, and we know that when we die, we simply fall asleep and wake in the glorious joy of our Savior’s presence. This is the certainty of the faith that has been handed down to us, which Paul reminds Timothy of: He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, and it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

The power of the Gospel is the flame that burns within us. Just like fire gives light and life in the cold and dark. The fire of the Gospel gives light and life to a world that is lost in the darkness of sin. Christ has given each of us a mission to share that fire with others. When we hear the word “mission,” we can be tempted to think of something that is far away. Mission work is something that is done by the church in a faraway land. And that is certainly true, and it is certainly good and right for us to support those efforts by our offerings, but we also need to remember that we have a mission field right in front of us.

Paul praises Timothy’s mother and grandmother because they shared their faith with Timothy. They taught and instructed him in the Word of God and shared the fire of their faith with him. God has called each of us to different roles in our lives. In each of those roles, we have opportunities to share the fire of our faith with others. If we have been called to be parents, then we can teach our children the Word of God. We can model for them what a Christian life looks like. We can do this as grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Many of us have members of our family who do not know the peace and joy of forgiveness that is found in Christ alone, so we ask God to give us a spirit of boldness to proclaim the message of the Gospel.

Our Synod is emphasizing every member outreach as a reminder that we have all been called to serve in the mission field. Think of the demon-possessed man from our Gospel lesson, whom Jesus told to go to his hometown and tell his friends and neighbors what God had done for him. We know the impact that Christ has had in our lives. We know the joy of forgiveness and the relief of being freed from our burdens of guilt and shame. Outreach doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be as easy as inviting your neighbor over for a beer or talking to your friend about what you learned at church.

I think one of the biggest obstacles we face in sharing our faith with others is a spirit of timidity. It is hard to share our faith with someone else. I encourage you to find opportunities to have a conversation with your friends, family, or neighbors. Share with them your story, and more importantly, listen to their stories. Help them know the peace and joy that you have found in your savior. Maybe at some point this summer, you’ll have a chance to be sitting around a fire talking about life, and maybe you’ll be able to use your faith to fan into flame the fire of someone else’s faith. Amen.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

06/01/2025 Unity in Christ - Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Psalm 133

SN: 0082 06/01/2025

True unity and harmony are rare and precious commodities in our world. Turn on the television or read a news article, and you quickly see a world marred and broken by hatred and division. People willingly and eagerly divide themselves based on race, nationality, social status, religion, and political party. The pledge undying loyalty to their chosen group and view all others as hostile and dangerous enemies that either need to be avoided or destroyed at all costs. Hate and bitterness cause deep and lasting wounds that make unity difficult, if not impossible to find in this fallen world.

Unity is a precious and beautiful blessing that God has gifted to his church. We have unity with God through Christ, and we enjoy fellowship and unity with one another as we a one body under Christ. God wants us to treasure the unity we have in Christ and live contrary to the patterns of this world. God wants us to be able to set aside our petty differences and differing opinions and unite around the blessing of our joint faith. Jesus so deeply desired that the people of his church be unified that he prayed for unity on the night he was betrayed, “I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.”

Unfortunately, we are aware of how easily the unity of the church can be destroyed. Disagreements and arguments can shatter the unity of a congregation and rob us of the joy that comes from unity. King David understood the pain of God’s people fighting among themselves very well. He had fought for years in a bitter civil war as King Saul tried to murder him. He knew what it was like to see God's chosen people fighting tribe against tribe. Later, he knew the bitter pain of having his son Absolam rise against him and divide the nation once again. David knew how precious the blessing of unity among God’s people could be and how easily it could be lost. Psalm 133 is his hymn of praise to God for the peace and joy that come from being united in God’s household. A Song of Ascents, of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.

David describes the joy of our unity of faith like precious anointing oil that was poured on the head of Aaron the high priest. We, too, have been anointed with the Holy Spirit through the waters of baptism. Through the power of the Spirit working through the Word of God, we have been called out of our sinful way of life and have been reborn as children of God. Like Aaron, Jesus is our Great High Priest who offered himself as a sacrifice once for all, which paid for all our sins. Through the waters of baptism, we have been united with our Savior, as Paul says in Romans 6, “Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.”

Because of our baptisms, we are all members of one body with Christ as our head. We have unity with our Savior and unity with each other. But this does not mean that we are all the same. Each of us has been given different gifts and abilities that we use to serve the body of Christ. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths. We seek to use all our different gifts and abilities to the glory of God and to help our neighbor in their life of faith. But because we have different talents, we may at times have different priorities in our lives. We are not always going to agree on the direction our church should go. It is ok for us to have these disagreements, but we must always be careful that this does not lead to strife and division.

Our enemy, the devil, wants to do everything in his power to shatter the unity we have in Christ. Satan loves to sow the seeds of discord. He wants to divide us so that he can hinder the mission of the church. We know how easily this can happen. Our fellow Christians make a decision we disagree with, so we grumble and complain about how unfair it is, or we grow bitter and separate ourselves from the fellowship of believers. We are not happy that someone else got their way, so we gossip about them and try to destroy their reputations to make ourselves feel better. Our sinful natures love to cling to bitter grudges. We don’t want to forgive and forget the wrongs and slights that have been done to us. We love to try to get even and ultimately get our own selfish way. All these sinful attitudes destroy the unity we have as a body of Christ and advance the schemes of the devil.

We need to be on constant guard against the devil’s relentless assaults against our unity in Christ. We know what a precious and wonderful thing it is to be united in the work of our Savior, and we know how quickly that unity can be destroyed. When we face times of controversy in the church, we certainly can make our voices heard. But we must do so with gentleness and respect. We must be careful to speak the truth in love and not in bitterness or anger. Many of the early Christian congregations were filled with factions and disunity. Paul shared these words of encouragement with the congregation in Ephesus: “As a prisoner in the Lord, therefore, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Live with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in the one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.”

There are going to be things we disagree about in the church: mergers, service times, music, decaf or regular, or which is better, donuts or kringle. These things fade in importance when we remember that we have been united in one faith for one mission. Each of us has been called to be a witness of our Savior, lights shining in this dark and fallen world. We cannot accomplish this mission on our own. The forces of evil that are arrayed against us are vast and overwhelming. The unity we have in Christ and the fellowship we have as Christians united in our faith give us a respite from the attacks and assaults of the world.

How good and pleasant it truly is for us to dwell together in unity. Our faith unites us as we face the storms and trials of life. David describes our unity of faith like the dew of Hermon coming on the mountains of Zion. Imagine a hot and sweltering day. Think of how refreshing it is to feel a cool breeze and a tall glass of water glistening with condensation. The unity and fellowship we enjoy with one another are just as refreshing. We live in a world that is filled with disunity and anger. The church of God is a safe harbor from the storms of life. Here we can find respite and comfort as we share our struggles with others. We can learn from their wisdom and find strength as we deal with the trials of life. Here we can find refreshment and forgiveness as we eat and drink the body and blood of our Lord and Savior.

I often begin my sermons with the greeting: my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I think at times we take that greeting for granted. Because of our faith, we truly are brothers and sisters united under God our Father. We all share the same struggles against the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. We know the battle we face each day for our lives as we strive and contend for the faith. We know what it is like to find comfort in the grace of God and the peace we have knowing that our sins have been forgiven by the death of our Savior. And we all look forward to the glorious day when our earthly struggle will end and we will join together in joyous and never-ending fellowship that exists in the eternal glory of heaven. May God quickly speed the coming of that glorious day. Amen.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears this say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wants the water of life take it as a gift. The one who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

5/18/2025 Paradigm Shift - Klusmeyer

Text: Acts 11:1-18 Easter 5C

SN: 0078 05/18/2025

Paradigm Shift

A paradigm shift is a radical change in how a person or society views something. A few examples of this: Nicolas Copernicus proposing the radical idea that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe, the idea that germs, not “bad air,” spreads disease, Einstein’s theory of relativity, the Civil Rights Movement, and the advent of the digital age. All these events forced people to evaluate their long-held beliefs and change their thinking. This kind of change is never easy, and people can often be reluctant to set aside long-held beliefs.

The early Christian church faced such a paradigm shift soon after the events of Pentecost. At his Ascension, Jesus had commanded his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, but the implications of that command had not really sunk in. The early church leaders thought this meant converting their fellow Jews to Christianity and then teaching the Gentiles about the Gospel and having them conform to a Jewish way of life, following all of the requirements of the Mosaic law code. But this was not God’s plan. God did not want to limit the Gospel to one specific group of people; he wanted his Apostles to go out into all the world and proclaim the good news that because Jesus had offered his life as a sacrifice on the cross, all people had been freed from their sins and the requirements of the law. The Apostles were not quite ready for this. They were still set in their old way of thinking. God used the example of Cornelius and his household to shatter the Apostles' preconceived notions and prepare them to accept the rapid growth of Gentile believers as Paul proclaimed the message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

One day, while Peter was staying in Joppa, he went up on the roof of the house he was staying at to pray. While he was praying, he received a vision from God. A great sheet was lowered down from heaven, containing all sorts of different kinds of animals. A voice from heaven commanded Peter to “Get up! Kill and eat.” Peter was shocked to his very core because the sheet contained many animals that he was not allowed to eat according to the Law of Moses. Peter simply could not believe that God would be commanding him to do something that he knew was against God’s law. Peter replied, “Certainly not, Lord, for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.”

But the voice from heaven responded, “What God has made clean, you must not continue to call unclean.” This happened three times, emphasizing that this was an important vision from God. Peter was dumbfounded. He had no idea what this vision could possibly mean. Suddenly the Spirit said to him, “See, three men are looking for you! Now get up, go downstairs, and don’t hesitate to go with them, because I have sent them.” At that very moment, three men came to the house and asked to speak with Peter. They said that they had been sent by a Roman Centurion named Cornelius, who had been visited by an angel who told him to seek out Peter. Peter suddenly realized that this was the meaning of his vision. God was telling him to set aside his preconceived notions of God’s will and welcome Gentiles into the family of God without hesitation.

Peter journeyed with the men to the house of Cornelius. When Cornelius saw Peter, he fell on his feet. Peter immediately helped him up and explained that he was just another servant of God. Peter then had a paradigm shift in his way of thinking. All his Jewish upbringing told him it was wrong to enter into the house of a Gentile, eat his food, and have fellowship with him. But this is exactly what Peter did. He eagerly went into Cornelius’s house and shared the message of the Gospel with him and his entire family. As Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit suddenly came upon Cornelius and his household, and they began to speak in tongues just like the disciples had on Pentecost. Peter now understood that God wanted Gentiles to be part of his chosen people, and he immediately baptized the entire household of Cornelius.

Word of this quickly spread, and many Jewish Christians began questioning why Peter had done something that so clearly went against the law of Moses. They could not understand how Peter would eat with someone who had not been circumcised. Peter told the people questioning him exactly what happened, and they understood that this was God’s plan for his church. God had set up the laws of the Old Testament to keep his people separate so that the Savior could be born. Now that Jesus had come, God no longer wanted his people to be separate, but to go out into all the world and share the message of the Gospel. So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to try to stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things, they had no further objections, and they praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted repentance that results in life also to the Gentiles!”

The story of Cornelius teaches us an important lesson. Like the people in Jerusalem who questioned why Peter had done something so radical, we sometimes are not very accepting of those who are different. We like to separate ourselves into armed camps. We insist that our way is the only right way, and those who are different must conform to our way of thinking. We don’t like to be loving towards those who are different from us. We judge people based on their race, culture, political party, appearance, mannerisms, or even worse, which sports team they support. We justify our general unfriendliness or even hatred by making the excuse that, because they are different from us, we don’t need to love them. This is the thinking of the world. We place our needs and our opinions before the needs of others. We insist that our way is the correct way and hate those who are different. But Jesus has given us a paradigm shift. He has called us to no longer conform to the patterns of the world but to do something radically different. Instead of hating and despising those who are different from us, we are called to love them. “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is the paradigm shift that Christ himself gave to us. Because of our many loveless and selfish sins, we deserve only God’s wrath and punishment. We do not deserve forgiveness, but Christ in his great love died to save us. While he was on earth, he showed perfect love to those who were not accepted by his society. He loved Samaritans, tax collectors, and other sinners. He showed that God’s grace was for all people, not just a chosen few. He showed perfect and selfless love to all people by his death on the cross. He offered his perfect life as a sacrifice that paid for our sins. By his death, all the times that we are not loving to those who are different from us, or when we selfishly demand that others conform to be like us, have been completely forgiven.

This is the message that we have been called to proclaim to the entire world. The message of the Gospel is not just for those who agree with us or are part of our tribe, it is for everyone in the world. As Christians, we are called to show love and compassion to all people. This is not an easy task. We know how hard it can be to love people who share our values and opinions. It is far more difficult to love those we don’t agree with. But this is exactly what Christ has called us to do. We are to be his witnesses in the world who reflect the amazing love that he showed to us. Think of how Paul describes this love: Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not brag. It is not arrogant. It does not behave indecently. It is not selfish. It is not irritable. It does not keep a record of wrongs. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

The early church went through a paradigm shift as it struggled with the idea that Gentiles could become part of God’s household without first adopting the Jewish way of life. We, too, struggle with accepting those who are different than us. We get caught up in our own prejudices and insist on our way of doing things. We fail at times to show selfless love to others. But we remember why we love. We know that we are exactly the same as every other person in this world who stands condemned by the holy law of God. We know that we have been saved not because of anything we have done but only by the grace of our Savior. And so filled with the amazing love of our Savior, we seek to serve as his disciples and share the love of Christ with all. We set aside our prejudices and opinions and seek to lavish others with the love of Christ. Amen.

Hear these words of encouragement from the Apostle Paul: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility consider one another better than yourselves. Let each of you look carefully not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Take Your Stand by Pastor Klusmeyer

Take Your Stand

They stood their ground facing a vast and overwhelming force. 300 men against an army of 300,000. They knew that there was no way they could win, and yet they were confident that they could hold off the Persian horde long enough to allow the other Greeks to withdraw from the battle. When the Persian emissary approached King Leonidas and his 300 brave Spartans, he pointed out the reality of the situation and told them to lay down their weapons and surrender. Leonidas confidently replied, “Μολον λαβε- come take them.”

King Leonidas was confident in his warriors' abilities because Spartan warriors were renowned for their exceptional fighting abilities due to a combination of rigorous military training from a young age, a culture that emphasized discipline and teamwork, and a society structured around warfare. Their commitment to a lifelong military lifestyle made them a formidable force on the battlefield. Leonidas was ready to take a stand to protect his land, his people, and his very way of life.

In Ephesians chapter 6, the Apostle Paul encourages us to take our stand against a powerful and overwhelming foe. Unlike King Leonidas and his 300 brave Spartans, we do not face an enemy of flesh and blood, but a spiritual enemy who wants to lead us away from God and rob us of our salvation. The Apostle Peter reminds us of this when he writes, “Have sound judgment. Be alert. Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him by being firm in the faith.”

The book of Ephesians is an encouragement for Christians of all generations on how to stand firm in the faith. In the first half of his letter, Paul reminds us of the amazing power and love of God. He says that because of God’s grace, we are all united with Christ. Because we have been united with Christ, we are to live as children of God. This means living in harmonious unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ and living a pure and holy life according to our stations in life.

Paul concludes his letter by reminding us that part of living a Christian life is contending for the faith and fighting against evil. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the Devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Confirmation is a special day when we make a solemn vow before God that we will take a stand against the schemes of the devil. Satan hates this. He wants to do everything in his power to lead us away from God and break the promises that we have made.

As Christians, every day of our lives is a constant battle. Like the 300 Spartans, we face an overwhelming force; a trifecta of evil in the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. The devil is a vicious and evil enemy who constantly schemes against us. He lies and tries to convince us that God does not really love us. He tempts us the same way he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He wants us to believe that God is holding out on us, and if we just listen to Satan, he will give us the things that will make us happy. He uses his allies in the world to mock and ridicule the truths of God’s word. He wants us to be tempted by the allure and glamour of the fleeting pleasures of this world that may satisfy the cravings of our sinful hearts for a time but ultimately lead to our destruction.

There will be times when we fall for these lies of Satan and listen to the sinful desires of our hearts. There may be times when we break our promise to be faithful to God’s Word and wander away from the church. We make the things of this world a higher priority than God. At other times, we may be outwardly faithful to our confirmation promises, but inwardly we cling to our favorite sins and break God’s commandments. We know what we are doing is wrong and against the truths that we were taught, and yet we continue to do them anyway.

When we fall into temptation and do things contrary to God’s will, our enemy loves to assault us with other terrible lies. He shoots his flaming arrows of doubt at us. He wants us to doubt God’s love and forgiveness. He wants to lead us into despair and foolishly believe that our sins are too great for God to forgive. Or he wants us to believe that we need to do something to make up for the evil that we have done. Both lies further lead us away from God and down the path to hell.

We have a terrible enemy who assaults us every day. On our own, we are powerless to stop the attacks of the devil. But God has not left us defenseless. Paul reminds us that God has provided us with a full set of

mighty armor that we put on to resist the attacks of Satan. The armor is not based on our own strength or ability but on the mighty power of God himself.

As we take our stand against Satan, we remember that he has already been defeated. On the cross, Jesus destroyed the power of the Devil. He crushed the head of the ancient serpent who led the world astray. While we may at times be unfaithful, Christ was always faithful. While we listen to the lies of Satan and fall into temptation, Christ perfectly resisted the attacks of Satan and lived a perfect life in our place. Christ then willingly allowed himself to be arrested, humiliated, and crucified in our place. On the cross, Jesus offered his perfect, holy life as a payment for all our sins. We have been washed and purified by the blood of our Savior, and all of our sins have been forgiven. Because of his sacrifice, we have been declared not guilty by our heavenly Father.

The certainty of our salvation is the mighty armor that allows us to take our stand against the attacks of the devil. We stand firm in our faith, knowing that our sins are forgiven. God has also given us a powerful weapon to attack the lies of Satan. The Word of God is our mighty sword that tells us the truth of our salvation. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is sharper than the sharpest sword of his day. The Word of God is sharper and more powerful even than a lightsaber. Think of what God’s Word has done. By his mighty Word, he spoke the universe into creation; by his Word, he parted the Red Sea; by his Word, he raised Jesus Christ from the dead; by his Word, he brought you to life through the waters of baptism and by his Word he forgives your sins through body and blood bread and wine.

This is the Word of God that you have been instructed in. This is a powerful weapon that allows you to resist the attacks of the devil. But any soldier will tell you that a weapon is useless if it is not used and maintained. A soldier needs to be constantly ready and trained to face the enemy. On your confirmation day, you promise to remain faithful to God’s Word. You do this by using the weapons God has given to you. Read your Bible, study your catechism, and pray on all occasions. Regularly come to worship so you can train with your brothers and sisters in arms and be strengthened with the body and blood of our Savior. Do this so and take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand.

Leonidas and his 300 brave Spartans were able to face their enemy because they were filled with confidence in their abilities as warriors. At the Battle of Thermopylae, in an attempt to intimidate the Spartans, a Persian emissary told them that their arrows would blot out the sun. The Spartans responded, “Then we will fight in the shade.” We have far greater confidence. Our shield and armor are better than anything made in this world. Our armor is the salvation that was won for us by our Savior on the cross. We have been equipped with the very Armor of God, and so equipped, we take our stand against the devil and lies. Amen.

You are given a mission by Pastor Zarling

You are given a mission

Acts 5:12,17-32 Many signs and wonders were done among the people through the hands of the apostles. With one mind, they all continued meeting in Solomon's Colonnade. 17The high priest rose up, along with his associates (that is, the party of the Sadducees), because they were filled with envy. 18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, brought them out, and said, 20“Go, stand in the temple and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life.” 21After they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began to teach.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin (that is, the whole council of elders of the people of Israel). Then they sent orders to the jail to have the apostles brought in. 22But when the officers arrived, they did not find them in the prison. They returned and reported, 23“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” 24When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were puzzled about them, wondering what could have happened.

25Then someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people.” 26Then the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles in without force, because they were afraid that the people might stone them. 27After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin. The high priest asked them, 28“Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man's blood down on us!”

29But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you arrested and killed by hanging him on a cross. 31God exalted him to his right hand as Ruler and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Grace to you and peace from him who is, who was, and who is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:4-5). Amen.

James Bond, Ethan Hunt, and Jason Bourne. Gru and Lucy, Carmen Sandiego, and Inspector Gadget. Spies. Secret agents. This is the way my favorite spy showed up for the first time: Major Monogram says, “Good morning, Agent P. The evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz is up to his old tricks. … Find out what he’s up to and put a stop to it. As always Agent P, it is imperative that your cover identity as a mindless domestic pet remains intact. Now, get out there. We’re all counting on you.” Agent P with his fedora is also known as Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb.

Secret agents are given a mission. Beat the bad guy. Foil evil plans. Save the world. Be silent. Be sneaky. Work behind the scenes. Lead a double life. Be a master of disguise. Use wits and gadgets.

You are given a mission. As we’ll see from the example of Peter and the apostles, it is not the mission of a spy or a secret agent. Your mission is out in the open, public, visible and audible. We pray that you are as courageous and resilient as Peter and the apostles. Also, notice that not everyone is excited about your meaningful mission.

The apostles were rapidly making enemies, especially since these events were happening only a few months after these same religious authorities had condemned Jesus. Jesus’ followers were branded a cult. They were labeled as freakish disciples promoting the teachings of a dead rabbi

whom they claimed had risen from the dead. As the apostles’ message began to spread, so did opposition to their message.

Peter and the apostles were facing the Sanhedrin – the same religious council who presided over Jesus’ phony trial. The Sanhedrin were made up of Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees were “not fair you see” because they opposed Jesus on Old Testament rules and Messianic prophecy. The Sadducees were “sad you see” because they did not believe in the resurrection. The Sadducees opposed Jesus’ apostles because they kept preaching about Jesus’ resurrection.

Earlier in the temple courtyard, Peter and John met a man lame from birth. Peter said to him, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk” (Acts 3:6)! The Sanhedrin called Peter and John before them because of all the commotion in the temple courtyard. They commanded the apostles not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). Peter and John answered them, “Decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). The Sanhedrin threatened them some more but let them go.

The Holy Spirit blessed the mission of the apostles. Luke writes, “Many signs and wonders were done among the people through the hands of the apostles. … More and more believers in the Lord were added to their group, large numbers of both men and women” (Acts 5:12, 14). People were being healed of their illness, lameness, and demon possession by the apostles’ touch and words. People were even healed if Peter’s shadow fell on them (Acts 5:15)!

Luke adds some strange commentary, “No one else dared to join [the apostles], but the people held them in high regard” (Acts 5:13). The people were afraid. The Sanhedrin had the authority to kick people out of the temple. To be barred from the temple was like being ostracized from society. If this happened, other Jews would not be allowed to communicate or do business with them. It was a powerful card to hold, but the Sanhedrin was not shy in playing it.

The members of the Sanhedrin discovered that crucifying Jesus did not stop the movement he started. They were surprised. And they were jealous (Acts 5:17)! This conflict was about religion. But it was also about power and politics. So, they arrest the apostles and throw them in prison (Acts 5:18).

But God’s mission will not be stopped! His messengers will not be muted! His witnesses will not be silenced! The Lord sends an angel who opens the prison doors. The angel reminds the apostles that God had given them a mission. “Go, stand in the temple and keep on telling the people the whole message about this life” (Acts 5:20). So, the apostles go back to the temple courtyards at daybreak and begin to preach about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

The Sanhedrin is puzzled about what happened to the apostles. Until someone reported to them, “Hey! These guys you put in prison for preaching about Jesus are back in the temple courts preaching about Jesus” (Acts 5:25)! The temple guards go out and arrest the apostles again. This time very timidly and politely because they are afraid of being stoned by the people. The Sanhedrin challenge the apostles, “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you are determined to bring this man's blood down on us” (Acts 5:28)!

Peter and the apostles reply, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). It is this obedience that fuels their witness even in the face of ostracization, beatings, imprisonment, and eventually a martyr’s death. They tell the Sanhedrin they have been given a mission from God, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you arrested and killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his right hand as Ruler and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and the

forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:30-32).

God has given you a mission. You don’t have to save the world. You are to tell the old, old story that Jesus has already saved the world through his crucifixion and resurrection. You get to tell people that Jesus not only saved the world, but he also saved them. You are going up against the biggest bad guy of all – the Devil. But Jesus has already beaten this bad guy. You get to tell people that the Devil no longer has to have influence over them. Jesus now rules for our good by being exalted to God’s right hand as Ruler and Savior.

On this mission, you don’t have to lead a double life as a normal person and a secret agent. You can tell people about your normal life – your known sins and your secret sins, but how you repent of them and receive forgiveness from Jesus. Then you lead people to Jesus’ cross and open tomb so they can repent and receive forgiveness, too. You may not know what to say, but Jesus has sent you the Holy Spirit in your Baptism. Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will give you the right words to say at the right time (Luke 12:12).

God has given you a mission. This mission is not going to be easy or pleasant. People are naturally resistant to Jesus’ message because they are hostile to God by nature. We are not to expect popularity, but persecution. We will not receive unflagging adulation, but ardent flogging. We will not receive applause and gratitude, but arrest and the grave.

Jesus’ words will come true, “All men will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:17). We as twenty-first century Christians and modern-day witnesses do not go looking for trouble – enough trouble will find us. It has been said that where Christ builds a church, the devil builds a chapel. Wherever the gospel is proclaimed, Satan must attack. Wherever we soldiers of Christ lift high the cross, Satan’s minions dig a grave. Wherever Christ reigns as King, this world’s prince still scowls.

Remember this as you suffer at the hands of governments, unbelievers, social media bullies, and so on. Their opposition will be about religion. It will also be about power and politics. We don’t take revenge. We leave room for God’s vengeance. Until then, we turn the other cheek, forgive seventy multiplied by seven times, pray for our persecutors, and live as lights in the darkness. God will bring trouble on those who trouble us. St. John prophecies, “Look, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will mourn because of him” (Revelation 1:7).

Sadly, we often cower from our God-given mission. We keep our heads down and our mouths shut. We don’t want to be judged in the court of public opinion. We don’t want to be vilified on social media. We don’t want to offend anyone, so we accept the sin that is all around us, even within our own homes, rather than confronting it. We are afraid to go on the offensive.

Or we try to avoid the sinful culture altogether. We hide in our churches, schools, and homes, and shut the door on the evil that influences our culture. We are hunkered down on the defensive. But Jesus challenged his followers to go on offense — to proclaim the truth without shame.

Our churches and schools should become staging areas rather than fortresses – places that equip God’s people to confront a sinful world instead of hiding from it. Church memberships may shrink, and churches may close their doors, but the Christian Church will never die out. It can never be defeated. “Steeples may fall and spires may crumble, but bells still are chiming and calling the young and old to rest, but above all the soul distressed, longing for rest everlasting” (CW 856:1). Jesus promises, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last— the Living One. I

was dead and, see, I am alive forever and ever! I also hold the keys of death and hell” (Revelation 1:17-18).

On Wednesday, I gave my last chapel at WLS. I dressed like this (picture on screen) – black suit, black hat, sunglasses, and earpiece. I was trying to look like a spy. The point I’m making is that God is giving you a meaningful mission. Unlike a spy, you are not to keep it secret. You are not to be silent. You don’t need to work behind the scenes. You don’t have to be a master of disguise or lead a double life or use nifty gadgets. You don’t have to dress all in black and look cool. Although, the hat is always a nice touch.

Dress however you want. Be yourself. Speak normally. But know that God has given you a mission. You don’t have to save the world. Jesus has already saved the world. He will use you to save souls, though. Jesus has defeated the biggest bad guy and given the victory to you. You may be ostracized from society, mocked in the college classroom, and bullied on social media. The government may oppose, fine, and jail you. That’s to be expected. You obey God rather than people. You are going right back to the temple courts, to the public square of social media, and to the homes of your friends and family. Be bold. Be courageous. Be resilient. Like the apostles, you aren’t afraid. You won’t keep your head down or your mouth shut.

You are on a mission from God. God’s mission will not be stopped! His messengers will not be muted! His witnesses will not be silenced! Amen.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father—to him be the glory and the power forever (Revelation 1:6). Amen.

It Was God’s Will to Crush Him by Pastor Klusmeyer

It Was God’s Will to Crush Him

There once was a man who had a young son he loved very much. The father worked as the bridge keeper for a railroad bridge that needed to be raised and lowered to allow ships to pass. The son loved to go with his father, watch the trains, and see the important work that his father did.

One day, a ship approached the bridge and was allowed to be let through. The bridge keeper did what he was supposed to. He changed the warning lights to let approaching trains know that the bridge was being raised to let a boat through. But there was a problem. The train conductor was distracted and didn’t see the warning light, and failed to slow the train. The bridge keeper didn’t know anything was wrong and went about his normal work. However, his son saw the train approaching and realized there was a problem. He called for his father, but his father didn’t hear him.

The son knew he needed to do something and remembered that his father had once shown him a special way to lower the bridge in an emergency. But the son didn’t know what he was doing, he slipped and fell among the mechanisms of the bridge. His father suddenly heard the train whistle and realized what was happening. He knew he had to act quickly, but suddenly realized his son was missing. Faintly, he hears his son’s cries for help and realizes what has happened. The father is horrified as he realizes he needs to make a terrible choice: does he save his beloved son and allow all the people on the train to die, or does he sacrifice his beloved son to save a train full of strangers who will never know the cost of their salvation?

The father makes his choice: he sacrifices his son for the good of the many. This is a difficult story to hear. We don’t want to imagine being in such a horrible situation. Our hearts go out to the father who sacrificed his son that day. But imagine if we later found out that the father had planned the whole thing. How would we feel then? We would likely think the father is a monster for doing such a terrible thing. But isn’t this exactly what Good Friday is all about?

Isaiah tells us that, “it was the LORD’s will to crush him and to allow him to suffer.” God created this world to be a paradise free from pain, suffering, disease, and death. But when Adam and Eve sinned, God knew there was no way they could save themselves. God did not want to leave humanity lost in the darkness of sin and death forever. But our God is holy and just. He must punish sin and cannot leave the guilty unpunished. There was a debt that needed to be paid, and it was a debt that fallen humanity could never pay. As Adam and Eve realized the depth and consequences of their actions, God provided a solution. God himself would pay the debt our sins deserve. God promised Adam and Eve that he would send a Savior to rescue them and their descendants from the sting of death and sin. God promised, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel.”

God fulfilled this promise by sending his one and only Son to suffer in our place. For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. This is the story of Good Friday. This is what the two pictures at the front of our church show. The sin of rebellion that put all humanity under the curse of sin and the terrible price that was paid to free us from the sin. Hundreds of years before the events of Good Friday, the Prophet Isaiah, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, foretold the pain and suffering that our Savior would endure. This was God’s holy and righteous plan. A plan that makes no sense to our sinful, human way of thinking. God should have crushed us and allowed us to perish because of our rebellion. But our God is merciful and loving. He did not want any of his beloved children to perish, so he did the unthinkable. He saved his fallen children by crushing his perfect only-begotten Son.

Good Friday reminds us of the depths our Savior went to save us. The picture that Isaiah paints is not pretty or glorious. It is a picture of pain, suffering, and humiliation. Isaiah tells us, “He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root from dry ground. He had no attractiveness and no majesty. When we saw him, nothing about his appearance made us desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man who knew grief, who was well acquainted with suffering. Like someone whom people cannot bear to look at, he was despised, and we thought nothing of him.” Jesus gave up the joy and splendor of heaven to be born as a helpless child. While he lived in this world, he lived a life of poverty. He knew what it was like to feel pain and loss. Jesus did not look like a King or a Savior. He was not what the people of his days expected; he is not what people today expect, and so he was despised and rejected.

Isaiah foretold the hatred the people would have toward Jesus. He gives us vivid details of the suffering our Savior endured for our sins. How he was flogged and beaten, so that just as many were appalled at him, his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man, and his form was disfigured more than any other person. Isaiah reminds us of the injustice that our Savior endured—He was taken away without a fair trial and without justice. Even Pilate himself decreed that he had found Jesus guilty of no crime, and our Savior was still sentenced to death. The death our Savior endured was humility and horrible. Crucifixion was a punishment that was reserved for the most despised of crimes. Even God himself had declared that everyone who hangs on a tree is a curse. But this was the plan that God had ordained from eternity. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. As it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this is the message of Good Friday. Good Friday is a day of injustice because God crushed Christ instead of us. We sin every day of our lives, and we break God’s commands in countless ways. As Isaiah says, “We all have gone astray like sheep. Each of us has turned to his own way.” God could rightly crush us for the guilt of our sins, instead, he crushed Christ. The message of Good Friday, the message of the Gospel, is that Jesus Christ willingly offered his perfect life as payment for our sins. We could never pay the debt of our sins, but Jesus, because he was both God and man, could. He could offer his perfect life as payment for the sins of the whole world. As true man, he could die, and as a true God, his death paid for all of our sins. This is the beating heart of the message that Isaiah wants to reveal to us. Surely he was taking up our weaknesses, and he was carrying our sufferings. We thought it was because of God that he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, but it was because of our rebellion that he was pierced. He was crushed for the guilt our sins deserved. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all have gone astray like sheep. Each of us has turned to his own way, but the LORD has charged all our guilt to him.

Good Friday is a day of sorrow and sadness because we know that it was because of our sins that God crushed his only Son. But we also know the story doesn’t end on Calvary or even in his tomb among the rich. No, we know that God’s righteous plan included our Savior rising victorious from the grave and conquering death and hell once and for all. This is the hope that Isaiah began with as he described the suffering of God’s Servant, and it is the hope we leave with as we look forward to the joy of Easter. Look, my servant will succeed. He will rise. He will be lifted up. He will be highly exalted. Amen

He was crushed for the guilt our sins deserved. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus’ Last Will and Testament by Pastor Zarling

Jesus’ Last Will and Testament

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Yes, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers, when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, although I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. 33But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34No longer will each one teach his neighbor, or each one teach his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord, for I will forgive their guilt, and I will remember their sins no more.

Let us hold on firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. (Hebrew 10:23). Amen.

I helped my parents write their will several years ago. We decided that 10% of their assets would be gifted to the Lord’s kingdom for mission work in the WELS. My dad commented that the remaining 90% could be divided equally in thirds for me and my two younger sisters.

I told my dad that in the Old Testament, the eldest son received a double portion of his parents’ inheritance. That meant I would receive 60% and my sisters would each receive 15%.

My dad thought about that for a while and then said, “I don’t think your sisters will like that.” I replied, “I know they won’t. But I was only teasing.”

In Jeremiah, God the Father is promising a new covenant – a new will – for his children. “Yes, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers, when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, although I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds, and I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will each one teach his neighbor, or each one teach his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord, for I will forgive their guilt, and I will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

God had treated the Israelites like children with the old covenant. Like when you tell your children that if they get good grades, they can go out for sports. Or when their room is clean, they can have friends sleep over. God told his children that if they fulfilled their end of the covenant, then God would bless them nationally, physically, and spiritually.

But the rules and regulations of the old covenant were so detailed and different than the nations around them that the Israelites had difficulty separating themselves from their pagan neighbors. In fact, they often joined their pagan neighbors.

Every one of you had parents who challenged you after you did something stupid with your friends. “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too?!” The children of Israel did jump. They jumped right into the sin of idolatry of their pagan friends.

The rules and regulations of the old covenant were difficult to keep, but the Israelites’ old sinful nature made it impossible to keep the covenant. Israel’s kings were weak and corrupt. They corrupted their people’s faith in the true God by setting up altars on high places to pagan gods. Israel’s priests were cheats and drunkards. They allowed the people to do what they wanted. The

people worshiped fertility gods like Baal and Asherah. They sacrificed their children to demonic gods like Molech and Chemosh.

As God’s modern-day children, we aren’t any better than those Old Testament children. We follow our unbelieving friends, our unchristian family, and our pagan culture by jumping off the bridge into their same sins. We worship false gods like the pillow god, the liquor god, or the money god. We fall into the sexual sins of Baal and Asherah. We do not strongly speak out when we see women going to and our government funding the sacrifice of unborn infants to the gods of Molech and Chemosh. Any time we are not putting the true Triune God first we are placing him behind gods of our own making.

We often behave like the naughty children we see screaming and running and pitching a fit in the grocery stores. We think to ourselves, “Those kids are out of control. I would never let my kids act like that. If they tried it one time with me … it would be the last time.”

Yet, we are those kids. Except as teenagers, as grown-ups. We cry when we don’t get our way with a promotion at work or a team we try out for. We roll our eyes and argue with our parents – whether our parents are in their 30s and 40s or in their 70s and 80s. We complain when God allows hardship or health issues to visit our homes. We whine about bullies, not realizing how much we bully other people to get our way. We whimper when others are mean to us, not recognizing how mean we are to others – to their face, behind their back, and on social media.

We are out of control! Why would God ever let his kids act like that?!

We behave like children of Satan – because that’s what we are by nature! God should treat us like children of Satan. He should punish us for our wickedness. He should let us die for our trespasses into dangerous areas. He should damn us to hell for our insubordination. He should at least write us out of his will. He should remove our inheritance.

God gave his people a new covenant – a new promise. But it was actually an old promise. This was God’s promise to send the Crusher to stomp on the head of the Ancient Serpent, the Devil (Genesis 3:15). This was God’s promise to send a perfect Passover Lamb, One without blemish or defect, who would be sacrificed for the sins of the world. The Seed of the Woman crushed Satan’s head. He received the venom of the Serpent into his perfect body to spare you this deadly venom. He shed his holy precious Lamb’s blood on the altar of the cross so Death would pass over you.

God does deal with our hurtful words and our harmful behaviors. He does deal with our idolatrous worship of pagan gods. He does deal with us for breaking his covenant with us. He deals with all of it on Christ’s cross. The new covenant relationship with God won’t be based on what people do. It will be based on the One in whom they believe.

In the Upper Room on Holy Thursday, Jesus and his disciples were gathered to celebrate the Passover meal. There was roasted lamb, unleavened bread, and grape wine. Jesus replaces the Passover meal with the Lord’s Supper. He replaces the old covenant with a new covenant.

Luke records this momentous event. “He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup after the supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is being poured out for you’” (Luke 22:19-20). You’ll notice that the EHV has the word “testament” instead of “covenant”. It’s beneficial to hear what the EHV commentary says about this. “The Greek word diatheke may be translated testament or covenant. These two English terms overlap. A covenant or solemn promise is made by someone who expects to

continue living while the agreement takes effect. A testament is made by someone who expects to die before the agreement takes effect. In Holy Communion, we have the last will and testament of our Savior, the God-Man who died so that we would inherit forgiveness and eternal life. But we also have the covenant of the God-Man who rises from the dead to live forever, in order to give us a place at his heavenly table.”

In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is giving us his last will and testament. That’s why we know that when Jesus says, “this is my body” and “this is my blood,” he’s not playing word games. He doesn’t really mean “this represents my body” or “this symbolizes my blood” as many non-Lutheran Christians believe. If you have made out your will, your lawyer makes sure your language is very clear. It is very precise. This is Jesus’ last will and testament. He is very clear and precise with his language. “Is” means “is.”

When you are giving your heirs their inheritance, you are very specific with who gets what. Your eldest son gets the double portion while the other siblings get smaller percentages. I’m teasing. You list who gets Grandma’s fine China, who gets Grandpa’s woodcarving tools, and so on.

Jesus is very specific about the inheritance God’s children – Jesus’ brothers and sisters – will receive in this Holy Meal. St. Paul explains, “Brothers, I am speaking in human terms. When someone has established a last will and testament, no one nullifies it or adds to it” (Galatians 3:15). Jesus’ true body is really present with the bread and his true blood is really present with the wine in Holy Communion.

The Lord promises, “I will forgive their guilt, and I will remember their sins no more.” The all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God forgets. He has amnesia when it comes to your sins. He forgets to punish you for your wickedness. He forgets to penalize you for your trespasses. God forgets your rolling eyes, talking back, complaining, bullying, and downright meanness. He forgets to give you the death penalty for your murder of his Son. He forgets how you fail to live up to the standards of his old covenant by replacing it with his new covenant.

Wickedness forgiven. Sin forgotten. Trespasses pardoned. Jesus promises you this inheritance in his last will and testament. No strings attached. No fine print at the bottom of the page. No surprises when the will is read. This is a one-sided, unilateral covenant sealed and secured with Christ’s signature written in divinely human blood at the bottom.

Imagine the surprise of God’s unfaithful children when they hear their heavenly Father proclaim, “I will be their God and they will be my people.” That’s a promise. God is determined to be faithful to it. God promises to come to his people with grace and forgiveness. This is the surprising message Jeremiah proclaimed to the unfaithful children of Israel. They were not cut out of the will.

God also promises to come to you. He comes to you in the unleavened bread that is also Jesus’ broken body. He comes to you in the wine that is also Jesus’ shed blood. You taste forgiveness. You have grace on your lips. You have mercy on your tongue. Since Jesus is really present in this Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, this is one-on-one time with the very Son of God.

This is the surprising message Jesus proclaims to you this Holy Thursday. You are not cut out of the will. The Sacrament upon the altar is Jesus’ last will and testament to you.

When your parents die, Lord willing, everything will be equal for you and your siblings in the inheritance left for you. Before Jesus died, he proclaimed his last will and testament. He wills us his body and blood. He wills us his forgiveness of sins. This is the new covenant, the new testament, in his blood. Jesus so fervently desired his siblings to have these blessings that he

willed us his estate the night before he died. Then on Thursday evening through Friday afternoon, he proceeded to his death to accomplish those blessings upon which his last will and testament depend.

You will taste God’s forgiveness in a few minutes after reviewing the terms of the new will and testament in the words of institution, “This is my body given for you. This is my blood shed for you.” Amen.

So let us approach with a sincere heart, in the full confidence of faith, because our hearts have been sprinkled to take away a bad conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water (Hebrew 10:22). Amen.

What Kind of King is This? by Pastor Klusmeyer

What Kind of King is This?

In the Apostle Paul’s day, when a victorious king or general returned from war, he would publicly display the spoils of battle for his own personal gain and glory. The Romans, especially the Caesars, were renowned for their extravagant displays of personal glory. When a victorious general returned to Rome, they would treat him as a living god and shower him with glory. The general would ride through the streets on a chariot with the might of his legions on display, all to show his power and majesty. Many kings throughout history have wanted to see themselves as living gods. Pharaohs, emperors, Caesars, and kings deluded themselves with their own pride and glory and tried to seize God’s glory.

But Jesus is a different kind of king. As true God, Jesus could have ruled this world with an iron fist. All dominion, power, and might were his by divine right. He could have ruled as a literal god on earth. But that is not what our Savior did. He was a different kind of king. Instead of using his power for his own advancement, he humbled himself. Paul writes, “Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”

On the screen this morning are two pictures. The first shows how the world expects a king to act—with pride, glory, power, and splendor. The second shows how the world sees the message of the cross—as foolishness to those who are perishing. The second picture is a piece of graffiti that was scrawled on a wall in Rome around the year 200 AD. The caption reads, “Alexamenos worships his god.” On the cross, we see a man with the head of a donkey being crucified. This is how the world sees Jesus. The world simply cannot grasp how the Son of God would willingly set aside his divine power and allow himself to be humiliated, tortured, and nailed to a cross. This is not how a king acts, and this is certainly not how a god acts.

Palm Sunday allows us to see exactly what kind of king our Savior is. He is a king who is both glorious and humble. He is a king who sacrificed everything for those he loves and a king who continues to rule over everything for the good of his people. He is a king who rode into Jerusalem in humility on a donkey, knowing that he was riding to his death, and he is a king who will return on the Last Day with all the might of heaven at his side to welcome us into his kingdom.

In Philippians 2, Paul gives us a beautiful hymn of praise that teaches us exactly what Christ has done for us. Our Savior is a profound mystery. He is true God from eternity, united with God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the mystery and majesty of the Trinity. When the time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman so that he could be born under God’s law for us. Christ gave up the joy and wonder of heaven to be born as a helpless human baby. Instead of being born in a marvelous palace as would be fitting for the King of kings, he was born in a stable. Instead of living in luxury, he lived a life of poverty. Instead of coming to be served, Christ came to be the servant of all.

Our Lord Jesus Christ endured all the humiliation of the human condition. Jesus knew what it was like to feel sorrow and pain. He knew what it was like to know hunger and thirst. He willingly endured every hurt and sorrow of the human condition so that he could be tempted in every way that we are and yet be without sin. He suffered in every way that we do, so he could sympathize with our human condition and intercede on our behalf before the throne of God.

As true God, Jesus lived a perfect life free from every sin of thought, word, and action. He was perfectly obedient to the will of his Father. While he lived in this world, Jesus had all the power of God at his command, and yet he chose not to use that power so he could be our substitute. Unlike an earthly king who would use his power for his own glory, Jesus used his immense power to serve others. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and fed the hungry. Paul tells us that Jesus willingly chose to empty himself and not use his power.

He did this so he could offer himself as our Passover lamb. If Jesus had always appeared as he did at Transfiguration or used his power as he did in Gethsemane when he made the soldiers fall back, he never would have been crucified. This is what is so incredible about the passion of our Savior. This week, we will hear all the suffering that he endured on our behalf. Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. He knew the suffering, torment, and agony that awaited him in Jerusalem, and yet he willingly went to suffer and die in our

place. Our Savior could have used his power to thwart the plans of the chief priests and teachers of the law. He could have stopped the soldiers of Pilate with a word of command.

Our Savior shamed himself by suffering the most shameful and hideous death imaginable when he was nailed to the cross like a wretched criminal. He could have listened to the words of those who taunted him at the foot of the cross and saved himself. But because of his great love for us, our Savior endured the agony and shame of the cross for us. On the cross, our mighty and perfect King offered his life as a payment for our sins. On the cross, Jesus endured God’s almighty wrath and suffered all the torments of hell that our sins deserve. He did all this willingly so that he could pay for our sins with his holy, precious blood. Our God died and was buried so that we might live.

The humiliating work of our Savior was complete. On the third day, our Savior once again made full use of his mighty power. On Easter morning, Jesus rose victorious from the grave. He shattered the power of sin and death. He descended into hell and paraded his glory and power before the devil to show that his power had forever been broken. By his resurrection, Christ removed the sting of death and gave the promise of the resurrection and eternal life to all who believe and trust in his name.

Our king is now glorious and exalted. In his hymn of praise, Paul tells us what kind of king we know has been ruling over us. Therefore, God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Our Savior is ruling over all things for the good of his church. Our mighty king is with us every day of our lives. He had kept all his promises. He has defeated the power of death and hell for us. He has assured us that he will come again on that Last Great Day to take us to his eternal kingdom where there will be no more weeping, or crying, or pain. This glorious kingdom is ours because of the amazing love of our king, who willingly suffered and died to save us. As we consider the events of our Savior’s passion this week, we marvel at his amazing grace.

Was there ever love like this? Was ever grace so amazing? Many people devote their entire lives to avoiding any kind of pain, be it mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical. But Jesus entered into the state of humiliation at the moment of his conception. In the human nature, which possessed all divine power and might by the gift of the divine nature, Jesus did not make full or complete use of his divine attributes. In the process, he left us the most powerful example of humility that seeks only to serve. In the process, he demonstrated the greatness of his grace and love for us, the he willingly suffered as no man has ever suffered or could ever suffer. For his was the suffering of the punishment that all the rest of us deserve on account of sin. His suffering was so great that it paid for all sins. Amen.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

St. Paul’s Rubbish Sale by Pastor Zarling

St. Paul’s Rubbish Sale

Philippians 3:4b-14 If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. 7But, whatever things were a profit for me, these things I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. 8But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, so that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith. 10I do this so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11in the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it yet, but there is one thing I do: Forgetting the things that are behind and straining toward the things that are ahead, 14I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26). Amen.

St. Paul is in prison in Rome. There isn’t a lot of room in his prison cell. He decides to downsize. He needs to get rid of a few things. There are a few items that Paul once valued highly that are no longer valuable to him. He asks his guard to hang a sign outside his cell door. The sign reads, “St. Paul’s Rubbish Sale.” Not “Rummage” Sale. “Rubbish” Sale.

Paul lists what is for sale. “If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:4-6).

Before Shelley and I move to Casper, we will have a rummage sale. We want to decrease our stuff by at least half. When you decide to move from your house into a condo, you need to downsize. We must select a price for the once-prized, new items that are now the well-used and once-loved items. Then we allow people to rummage through our old stuff.

St. Paul’s sale is different. His items are well-used. They were once well-loved. But he doesn’t want them anymore. These are items tell his life story. They aren’t rummage items. They are rubbish items. They are items that were the result of his “confidence in the flesh.”

First on the sale list is Paul’s circumcision on the eighth day. Every Jewish male infant would have received the mark of God’s covenant one week and a day after he was born. That made the child one of the “people of Israel.”

Next on the list is that Paul is from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul’s birth name was Saul. He was named after the most famous person to come from the tribe of Benjamin – King Saul, the first king of Israel.

Paul used to be stuck-up about the next few items on the list. They were like trophies proudly displayed for everyone to see. He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews” – he had an impeccable ancestry. “In regard to the law, a Pharisee.” Among the Jews, Paul was a religious leader whom everyone looked up to. “In regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.” When Paul graduated rabbi school, he was at the top of the class.

That’s the good stuff. The stuff Paul used to be proud of. The stuff that is all clean and neatly polished. This next item is dirty and grungy. It’s shameful stuff. It’s embarrassing to have it sitting on the table for everyone to see.

“In regard to zeal, persecuting the church.” Paul is rightly ashamed about this last item. He had once gone out of his way to persecute, imprison, and kill Christians. He was so good that he describes it as being “zealous” in his persecution. He was passionate about it. And his passion made Christians know and fear the name of Saul of Tarsus.

What does Paul say about all these things on his list? “Whatever things were a profit for me, these things I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish” (Philippians 3:7-8).

Rubbish! That’s a pretty strong word in the English. It’s even stronger in the original Greek. It means dung, excrement, cow pies, meadow muffins. There’s no polite term for what Paul has laying the table at his rubbish sale.

Everything set out on these tables had been used to create his identity as a Hebrew of Hebrews. His identity was wrapped up in what he had accomplished. These items had been originally prized by Paul. Now that he had a greater prize, these items were rubbish. Now that Christ became number one, all these items became number two.

Only one kind of event could cause this kind of reversal in Paul. That one event is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was the event of meeting the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus that knocked Saul on his butt (Acts 9:1-9). Seeing the risen Christ blinded Saul’s eyes but opened his heart.

What about you? What have you relied on to create your identity? Do you find your identity in your job, your degree, your income, your athletic ability, or your children’s athletic ability? On our podcast this week, I teased Pastor Klusmeyer that my college and seminary diplomas are bigger than his. He rightly reminded me that the grades on his diplomas are higher than mine.

We had an older pastor at a recent pastor circuit meeting mention that when he was having health issues, he thought he might no longer be able to be a pastor. He really struggled with that. He properly warned the rest of us pastors not to find our identity in the title or vocation of pastor. As good and godly as it is to be a pastor, we need to find our identity elsewhere.

What about you? Where do you find your identity? Where do you find your value? What do you value?

Which do you value more – being in God’s house to worship or your house to sleep and relax in?

Are you clinging to the things of this world – money, titles, degrees, vehicles, or vocation? Or are you using the things of this world – money, titles, degrees, vehicles, and vocation – to support God’s kingdom work and demonstrate Christian love to your neighbor?

As we remember today’s Gospel, how have you treated God’s Son? How have you treated God’s servants of prophets and apostles, his servants of pastors and teachers? Do you love them, listen to them, and honor them to their face and behind their back? Or do you ignore them? Do you beat them up with your words and actions to their face and behind their back? Do you abuse the Father’s grace by abusing the Son he sent to save you?

In your mind, do you make a list that’s much like Paul’s? Do you put on your list your baptism as an infant, your confirmation as a youth, your great worship record, or the amount of your

offerings? If you do, then you are putting your confidence in your flesh. That’s counting up points thinking they are making you right before God. Those are exactly the kind of things Paul used to do. But now Paul realizes those things are rubbish when it comes to salvation.

Join Paul in getting rid of those things in a rubbish sale of your own. You need to downsize from the trash to make room for the treasure. “But even more than that, I consider everything to be a loss because of what is worth far more: knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have lost all things and consider them rubbish, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God by faith. I do this so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, in the hope that in some way I may arrive at the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8-11).

From trash to treasure! From rubbish to wealth! From manure to inheritance! That’s what happens when we get rid of the garbage of our own righteousness and rely solely on the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Christ.

Jesus didn’t look like much. This is the way Isaiah describes Jesus. “He had no attractiveness and no majesty. When we saw him, nothing about his appearance made us desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man who knew grief, who was well acquainted with suffering. Like someone whom people cannot bear to look at, he was despised, and we thought nothing of him” (Isaiah 53:2-3). Humanity treated the Son of God like trash.

Jesus didn’t look like much. He was born among the cattle. He was the foster son of a poor carpenter from Nazareth. And can anything good come from Nazareth? As a traveling rabbi, he had no home, bed, or pillow. His friends were smelly fishermen, a reviled tax collector, and a greedy traitor. He ministered to other reviled tax collectors, damaged prostitutes, and despised lepers.

Much of the world still considers Jesus to be either a nice guy with some pithy sayings or a raving lunatic. Many consider Jesus as nothing more special than yesterday’s trash.

Yet Jesus is our righteousness! Christ is the only-begotten Son of God. He came down from heaven to take on human flesh. He was perfectly righteous according to God’s law. Everything that we think we do well, Jesus did better. Everything that Paul thought he had done more than other Jews, Jesus did perfectly. We find our identity in Jesus who took on our human identity – except without sin.

Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day. That’s when he first shed blood for mankind’s salvation. He was of the people of Israel. A true Hebrew of Hebrews. He was from the tribe of Judah. He was the heir of King David, yet he was also King David’s greater King. Jesus never sinned … not even once. He was truly blameless. He did everything he was supposed to and he didn’t leave anything out.

Our righteousness always fails. It is dung. But Christ’s righteousness works. It is a treasure beyond compare.

As Christians, we do not find our identity in who we are or what we do. Our identity is not in our titles or diplomas. Our identity is in what Christ made us to be. It is Christ putting his name, his righteousness, and perfect works on us. If you want to find your identity in any certificate, let it be your baptismal certificate. That’s a valuable document. Its value is not in what you did, but what Jesus did for you in baptismal waters. That’s when you received what Christ gained for you

in his resurrection. And that was Paul’s whole desire: “I do this so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).

When someone in your neighborhood puts up a rummage sale sign, suddenly others in the neighborhood start going through their homes and garages to try to sell their junk. Well, St. Paul is having a rubbish sale. It is a good time for us to get rid of our rubbish, as well.

When we get rid of our rubbish of righteousness, then we can exchange it for a true treasure. This treasure is the righteousness that makes us right with God – not by our flawed and filthy works, but by the perfect redeeming works of Jesus Christ. This righteousness is ours through faith in Christ. It is completely free, and it will keep its value for eternity.

Pretty good pick-up at a rubbish sale! Amen.

As for me, God’s nearness is good for me. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so that I can tell about all your works (Psalm 73:28).

Reckless by Pastor Klusmeyer

Reckless

What do you think of when you hear the word reckless? Here in Southeast Wisconsin your mind probably goes to the problem of reckless driving. Recklessness often means that you are doing something without thinking about or caring about the consequences. Our parable this morning is about recklessness. We see the reckless actions of the younger son who despises the love of his father, leaves home, and lives a life of wanton and reckless abandon. We see the reckless arrogance of his older brother who despises the love and mercy of his father. He is filled with bitterness that his father would dare to forgive his younger brother. But most of all in this parable we see the reckless love of a father who shows love to both of his sons regardless of the consequences.

The Parable of the Lost Son is all about the reckless love of our heavenly Father. In Luke chapter 15 Jesus is confronted by a group of Pharisees who are appalled that he a righteous and learned rabbi would sully himself by eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus shares a series of three parables about the joy God has when lost sinners repent and return to him. This is what God wants. God does not want to punish us as our sins deserve. God does not want people to perish in the fires of hell. God wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. God is like the father in this parable. He waits and watches hoping that his lost children will return and when they do he is filled with joy.

Our God is a God of reckless love. He loves all the people of this world even though he knows that most will reject his love. God is reckless as he sows the seeds of his Gospel. He know that much of that seed will be wasted, but still he hopes that it will take root. God wants all his children to come to life through the message of the Gospel. God freely offers his forgiveness to all. But there are dangers. Satan is always trying to snatch the joy of the Gospel from our hearts. He wants us to be like the two sons in this parable; either taking advantage of God’s reckless love and using it as a license to sin or becoming proud, arrogant, and complacent in our faith.

Satan wants us to abuse and take advantage of God’s love. He wants us to live like the younger son who boldly went and demanded from his father his share of the inheritance. The younger son chafed under the rules and authority of his father despite his father’s love. He wanted more freedom and thought that doing whatever he wanted would bring him happiness. When he went off to a distant country, he found misery instead of happiness. After he wasted all his wealth on reckless living, he was left destitute. The young man hit rock bottom and found work as a swineherd. Soon, the young man began to envy the pigs and realized that life in his father’s house, even as a lowly servant, was better than the mess he had gotten himself into.

Like the young man, there are times when we find life in the household of our heavenly Father to be burdensome and chafe under God’s Commandments. Satan tempts us with promises that if we just throw off our shackles and follow his way, we will find happiness. And so, for a time, we wander as the young man did. We chase the passions and desires of our sinful natures. We live selfishly and hurt those around us. We live recklessly and embrace every lustful passion of our sinful hearts, and perhaps for a time find the illusion of happiness. But eventually, the reality of sin comes crashing down. Our conscience burdens us with guilt and shame. We see the wreckage our sins have caused in our lives and how we have hurt those we love.

Like the young man, we find ourselves in dreadful conditions of our own making. Our consciences burden us with guilt and shame. Satan whispers in our ears the terrible truth that we are sinners who have broken God’s righteous commands and the terrible lie that there is no way that God could ever forgive us. But the central point of Jesus’s parable is the powerful reminder that our God is filled with reckless love. When we wander into the ditch of reckless sinning, our God is waiting to welcome us home. In the parable of the Lost Son, Jesus wants us to picture the father as a man who waits and looks every day to see if his wayward son has returned.

Then we hear of that great and joyous day when the father sees his lost son returning home. The father rushes down the road to greet him. He throws his arms around his neck and kisses him. The son, filled with shame and remorse, repents. But the father is so filled with joy that he barely hears his son’s words; instead, he commands his servants, “Quick, bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us eat and celebrate, because this son of mine

was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.” This is the beating heart of our heavenly Father. He loved us so much that he sacrificed his only Son to suffer and die to save us.

God does not want to punish us as our sins deserve. God wants to shower us with blessings. God wants to call us his beloved children and welcome us into the eternal banquet he has prepared for us. This is why God sent Christ to this world. Jesus descended from the heights of heaven to place himself under God’s righteous law. Christ was a perfectly obedient Son who never wandered from the path of his heavenly Father. Jesus lived a perfect life in our place so he could die on the cross to save us. God accepted the sacrifice of his Son as payment for our sins. For this reason, when we wander from God’s righteous path and wander into the ditch of reckless living, God is waiting with open arms to forgive us. Our sins have been completely washed away, and through faith in Christ, we who were dead have been made alive.

As Christians, we also need to be mindful that we do not abuse God’s reckless love in another way. The older brother did not find joy in his father’s great love, but was filled with anger and resentment towards his father. The older brother simply could not believe that his younger brother, who had betrayed their father, squandered his wealth, and had wallowed in every depraved kind of behavior, was now welcomed home. How was this fair? Shouldn’t the good and righteous son be rewarded for his years of faithful and dutiful service?

This was the attitude of the Pharisees, who condemned Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. This, unfortunately, can be our attitude as well. It can be very easy to think that we, as lifelong members of God’s household, are better than others. After all, we come to church every Sunday wearing the right clothes. We help with projects around the church and regularly give our offerings. We do all the right things; therefore, we should be rewarded for our efforts. Surely it isn’t fair that God would love us the same as that person who comes to church late, wearing not-so-nice clothes. Surely, I am more deserving than the person who only comes to church every few weeks and certainly doesn’t do as much as I do for God’s church?

This attitude of pride forgets that in God’s eyes, we are all sinners who have wandered away. None of us are righteous and none of us can do anything to make ourselves righteous. We were all born dead in our trespasses and sins. It is only by God’s reckless grace and love that we have been called to faith through the Gospel. It is only by his reckless love that our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ. The older brother was filled with bitterness that his father forgave his brother. But what did the father do, he went out to his older son. He showered him with love and asked him to come and join in his happiness. God gives us the same invitation to repent of our pride and rejoice when sinners come home.

Dear brothers in sister in Christ I urge you also to love recklessly. Our heavenly Father has shown such great love to us that we cannot help but show that love to others. This is who we are. As Christians we want to love as Christ showed us. We love all people with reckless abandon without any expectation of repayment. We want to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as we have been forgiven. We want to withhold our judgment about others, realizing that we are all sinners who deserve God’s judgment and all saints who have been freed from our sins by the death of Christ. We want to shout this message of amazing grace from the rooftops because we know what it is like to experience the reckless love of God. Amen.

See the kind of love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are! The world does not know us, because it did not know him.