January 27th, 2019 Weekend Luke 4:14-21

Pastor Waldschmidt

Luke 4:14-21   Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. 15He was teaching in their synagogues and being honored by everyone. 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 20He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

The Service At the Synagogue

I.  The Savior was there.  II.  The Gospel was there.

III. Poor Sinners were there.  IV.  Faith and Joy were there.

In the name of Jesus our Savior, dear children of God,

     A man called the church office a few weeks ago to let us know that he was part of a historical society putting together an article on the houses of worship in Greenfield for their newsletter.  He said that he was somewhat familiar with St. Jacobi’s history because he had grown up on the south side of Milwaukee even though he had been born and baptized at St. Lucas in Kewaskum.  He said that a person would be surprised to see how many churches are all around us.  One of the things I’ve noticed when I drive on the high rise bridge and look out over the city of Milwaukee is how many steeples there are throughout the city.  Even though you and I might say that in general it seems like people are attending church less often now days, that sight of all the steeples gives the impression that going to church is a part of normal everyday life. 

     Throughout this church year season of Epiphany, God’s Word has shown us Jesus, the Savior doing normal ordinary things people do but in extraordinary ways for us.  On Epiphany we saw Jesus as a baby in a house with his mother, but being visited and worshipped by the wisemen, some unique visitors.  Then we saw Jesus on the banks of the Jordan with other people as John the Baptist was baptizing.  The Bible tells us, “As the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.”  Last week we heard about Jesus going to a wedding, a normal thing people do. But at this wedding Jesus turned water into wine.  Now today we see Jesus going to church, a normal thing people do.  Let’s take a look at the Service At The Synagogue.  Let’s see I.  The Savior was there.  II.  The Gospel was there. III. Poor Sinners were there.

IV.  Faith and Joy were there.

     When I was a little boy, I remember playing the game “Memory.”  That’s the game with all of the cards turned upside down and spread out over the tabletop  or floor.  Then as each player turns over two of the cards you try to get a match.  If no match you turn them over again.  The trick is to try to remember where the cards were so that you can get the match.  Today in God’s Word we see Jesus playing memory in church.  Jesus turns over a “card” from the Old Testament and we get to see that it matches Jesus, the Messiah.  At that synagogue service, Jesus is there. 

      The Gospels record for us that after Jesus had been baptized and shown to all to be the promised Savior, he dove right into the work of being our Savior.  The went into the desert where he was tempted by the devil and he soundly defeated the devil there.  Then we hear more of Jesus work on our behalf, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. 15He was teaching in their synagogues and being honored by everyone. 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.”  

     There are several nerve wracking experiences that a seminary student goes through. One is preaching for the Seminary chapel services in front of all the other students and professors. Another one is preaching in your home congregation.  Today we see the Savior there in his home congregation.  The Bible tells us, “As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.”  Did you catch that?  “As was his custom.”  It was a normal thing for Jesus to be gathered with others hearing God’s word every week.  Even when the most respected rabbis were teaching God’s Word, with Jesus sitting there it must have been like Albert Einstein sitting in on a 1^st grade math lesson.  Jesus knew it all already.  The Word of God was His Word.  He whispered the words of Genesis into Moses’ ears.  The Good Shepherd told David the 23^rd Psalm.  He knew it all backwards and forwards but he went anyway.  God says that he wants us to gather together to hear his word and encourage each other and here is Jesus that perfectly for us.  The Savior was there.

       Have we ever let the thought slip into our minds that we know it all already?   Church is just the same old same old.  Or thought to ourselves, “Church is full of hypocrites.”  If anyone knew it all already or could say the church is full of hypocrites, would it have been Jesus.  But yet we see going to gather with others to hear God’s Word was his regular custom.   I’ve caught myself thinking that if I watch church on TV or listen to it on the radio, that counts right?  That was before I became a pastor and had to be here every Sunday- had to be every Sunday.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  Internet and TV and radio broadcasts of church are great things when we can’t get to church.  And I love being a pastor being able to share God’s Word with you.  But all too often my sinful heart is revealed in the things I think and say and do.  I too easily think that I’m doing God a favor by coming to church.  It is way too easy for me to look for a loophole to somehow think that I can do something for God and he will be satisfied.  I’m not doing God a favor by being here and neither are you.  We can’t do anything that will “satisfy” God.  But the Savior did.  That’s why we come.  The Gospel-that good news is here.

     “The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”  There was the match.  God had set Jesus aside as the one who would bring the news.   The good news was there.  The good news Jesus announced at Nazareth, Jesus did at Calvary and on all the roads that led up to Calvary.  He did all of that for you and me.  As we gather here in God’s house, God fills us the good news.  He fills us up to go out again into a world where there isn’t much good news. Maybe in God’s word we hear something that we have heard many times before and that gives us strength to go out again.  Maybe through God’s living and active word we see or hear something we haven’t really heard before.  So often we find that the one anointed to preach the good news gives us something that we just needed to hear that day or how often don’t we find that the words selected from the scrolls of God’s Word, (just like the scroll was handed to Jesus) talk about something that we are going through-maybe struggling with.  Jesus has good news, the Gospel-God has sent a Savior.

      We can possess a lot of money and be poor in others ways too.    Our wallets can be full and still be poor in all kinds of ways.  Most of the people in the world would look at the homes that we live in and the cars we drive and say that we are wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.  But we can be poor in so many ways.  We can be poor selfish friends, always thinking about what we are going to get out of a relationship.  We can be poor spouses, not treating our spouses as the treasure they are from God.  We can sure be poor parents being poor examples of Christians living to our children.  Much of what was written on the scroll of Isaiah the prophet matches us- poor sinners.  “We all like sheep have gone astray- each of us has gone his own way.”  But there is good news for poor sinners.  Jesus is here.  He says,  ”God has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed 19and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

     As we look at that service in the synagogue we see that faith and joy are there too as the people hear God’s word spoken through Jesus, the Word made flesh, God’s promises fulfilled.  “He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  I’m sure there were all kinds of people in the service that morning.  Young and old, rich and poor, healthy and those who were feeling the ache in the bones.  After these verses we hear about some of those who were there who did not believe Jesus.  They pushed him away, even tried to push him over a cliff.  But there were also those who were there whose eyes of were fastened on Jesus in faith.  There were those who heard what Jesus said and rejoiced.  God had kept his promise and sent a Savior.  That’s where we find ourselves today-eyes of faith fastened on Jesus.  Eyes of faith that try to stay focused on Jesus even if there is a snow storm and bitter cold coming this week and we are not so sure how the car is going to start.  Eyes of faith that stay focused on Jesus even when we are going through sickness and problems.  With eyes fastened on Jesus we rejoice. 

     There is an old joke about a pastor who said to a man who wasn’t in church very often, “You need to join the Army of the Lord!” The man replied, “I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.” Pastor questioned, “How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?” He whispered back, “I'm in the secret service.”  That joke maybe isn’t all that funny when we have people in our families or our friends who are neglecting God’s Word.  While we are happy that friends and loved ones hear God’s Word on Christmas and Easter we also recognized that is a dangerous spot to stay at.  Let’s us whose eyes are fastened on Jesus encourage those who might be in the “secret service.”  Services here are a lot like the service at the Synagogue.  By God’s grace, where two or three are gathered in his name, there he is in the midst of us.  His Gospel is here.  Poor sinners are here.  And faith and joy are here.

Amen.   

January 19-21, 2019 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 “THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS REVEALED!

EPIPHANY 2

January 19-21, 2019

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

“THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS REVEALED!

1.     In us.

2.     Through us.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NIV) “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ²You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. ⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

The word Epiphany means to make manifest or to reveal. And so you have heard how in Gospel lessons how Jesus was revealed to be the Savior of all at the little Christmas visit of the Wise Men from the East. And last week you heard how Jesus was revealed to be the real God sent and appointed Messiah at His Baptism. Today’s Gospel showed how Jesus revealed He is truly God in His first miracle. The account of Jesus’ first miracle concludes with the words,  “He revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him.” Do you remember the first time you heard about Jesus’ first miracle? Maybe as a little child sitting on your mother’s lap or on the hallway carpet just before you went to bed? It sounded so cool, so big. And then you got older and you no longer heard God’s word with the ears, heart and faith of a child and maybe you wondered, “Why this for the first miracle? Water into wine? The need is not great. The wow factor is missing. Most of the people there didn’t even know what was going on.” Where is the glory in that?

          That can be a Christian struggle, can’ it, the Lord reveals His glory as He wishes but we long for something more, bigger, the way we want it. I’m hoping I’m not the only one who sometimes just wants Jesus to come down here and teach people a lesson. All this questioning of what God says, all this defiant mockery of Jesus, all this misplaced values where people of our country throw big bucks at sports stars and entertainers and Gospel work goes begging. If only the Lord would do some of that fire from heaven, or turning into pillars of salt or even just striking someone with leprosy once in a while, that would teach them. Then they’d fear Him. Show your glory!  And yet the word clearly points out that the greatest glory of God is not revealed in God’s punishment of sin, but in His forgiveness. I invite you to come with me, brothers and sisters, back to your mother’s laps, or the chair around the kitchen table or the upstairs carpet, wherever you had your Bible stories as a kid and renew your sense of awe at the way the Lord reveals his glory because 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 reminds us that the glory of the Lord is being revealed in a surprising way: in us and through us!

          “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ²You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” As you know the church at Corinth was a sick church in a sick city. Corinth was that time’s sin city. If you think America is bad we have a long way to go to sink to the depths of sexual depravity of Corinth. And they were proud of their sexual filth. The church at Corinth was sick in a different way. It was marred by a lack of unity. There were factions and cliques in the congregation. They were immature spiritually. They needed a God’s eye view of spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are just what they sound like. Gifts that come from the Holy Spirit.

          Most important among those gifts is the ability to believe in Jesus as Savior. The Corinthian Christians had been idol worshipers. But now they were believers in Jesus. How did that happen? The Holy Spirit went to work in their hearts. That’s the glory of the Lord. More impressive than changing water into wine, greater than raising a dead person is changing an unbelieving heart into a believing one, a spiritually dead person to spiritually living one. That happened in you and me. When is the last time you just pondered the fact that the Holy Spirit’s work in you pulled you out of Hell or do you like me have to sadly confess that you probably felt more relief that the cop you passed going 10 mph over didn’t pull out after you? Sometimes we are going to look at ourselves or each other and wonder where the glory of the Lord is as we continue to struggle with the same sins, or struggle or work or financially when the unbelievers seem to prosper. But then remember that God’s glory is revealed chiefly in the forgiveness of sin. Not its punishment. The glory of the Lord is revealed in us as the Holy Spirit works faith. Don’t overlook it or take it for granted!

And then marvel that the glory of the Lord is revealed through us. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. ⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

Unfortunately I have a daughter studying to be a nurse. I say unfortunately because she just loves to share all the details of the way the human body works with her parents. I really don’t need to know all that. Some body stuff is just gross. But when you listen and reflect you find yourself thinking, “Who could come up with this? It is just magnificent how some 2000 body parts work for the common good and how just one hurting body part can affect so many others. That amazing way God has put the body together is a picture of how God has put us together to reveal His glory. In addition to the spiritual gift of faith the Holy Spirit has given to each of us spiritual gifts to reveal God’s glory to others. Some of you are good at speaking, some at inviting, some at singing, some at making music, some at working and fixing, some at helping others, some at teaching, some at giving, but all for the common good so we can carry out the mission of Jesus to reveal the glory of the Lord that He forgives sins through Jesus.

And these aren’t just at church gifts. You carry the glory of the Lord with you wherever you are. It is revealed as fathers use Jesus name at home, but not in vain, to teach their children to know and love Him. It is revealed when you tell your co worker how you deal with difficult issues, calmly trusting in God who has given you Jesus. It is revealed by your light of the world living where faithful working and good neighboring draws others to Jesus. The glory of the Lord is revealed through us, in different ways in different people with different gifts but always the same goal, the common good, forgiveness of sins in Jesus.

Is that going to cause a wow factor? Are we going to be able to charge $500 for front row seats here? Will paparazzi hound you and fans swarm you for your autograph as a Christian? Probably not.  But the day is coming when the glory of the Lord revealed so quietly by Jesus at Cana and in us and through us now and is recognized only by believers will be revealed for all when every knee will bow before Jesus and the unbelievers will sadly say, “You were right. God help us.” Amen.

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2018 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude The Sermon: WE WALK WITH JESUS

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2018

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

The Sermon:                        WE WALK WITH JESUS

Hey, let’s go for a walk! Will you accept the invitation? That depends on who’s asking and how you are feeling. If a mob boss asks you to go for a walk you probably won’t want to take it. If you are sick or depressed you probably don’t want to go for a walk. If it’s a nice day the invitation sounds good. If it comes from someone you want to spend time with it sounds good. About the only time an invitation to take a walk is always met with enthusiasm is when you ask your dog. How are you feeling at the end of 2018? Depends if you had a rough year or an easier one. How are you feeling about 2019? Depends on what you think it will bring. No matter how you are feeling though, God’s word gives us good news as it assures us that the one we walk with each and every day is our Lord Jesus Christ. To guide our meditation we’ll use some hymns that talk about walking with Jesus. Let’s join then in singing the first three verses of Hymn 431. Please notice how each verse really tells a story of the days of our lives.

Hymn:  ‟I Walk in Danger All the Way” ………………………..…. CW #431 vv. 1-3

1. At first glance a Hymn with the title “I walk in danger all the way” doesn’t promise to be comforting and encouraging. It has all the promise of a downer. Kind of like the news Chris and I saw this morning. Their year in review had only bad stories. As you look ahead to the New Year the thought of walking in danger all the way isn’t very appealing. But there is some truth there that we need to hear. The soldiers getting ready to storm the beaches of Normandy needed to hear the warning to keep moving and keep their heads down and find cover. Christian soldiers need similar warnings. So often when we think of dangers we are thinking of potential accidents or disasters, the one in the news. I read a headline that described 2018 as the year all the world was on fire all the time. Verse one reminds us though of a greater danger, the Devil, who wants to lead us to the fires of Hell. Peter warned us of him in his first epistle:

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV 1984) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

In 2018 our enemy the Devil looked to devour us. He set snares and traps which were temptations. Some of them we recognized and resisted. We used the word of God like Jesus did and Satan had to go away. Some of them you fell into. Some of them I fell into. We rushed back to the arms of Jesus. We heard Him say again in the Lord’s Supper. “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.” We’ll hear Him say it again tonight. What do you think 2019 will bring? More temptation of course. Satan does not give up just because we resist him or just because we are forgiven. Have you noticed yet how every season of life brings a particular temptation of body and spirit? In youth it’s lust and short sighted decision making. In middle ages it’s greed and materialism, in old age, pride and fear as the body fades. Watch and pray. Words for all of Jesus’ disciples. We walk into a spiritual battle zone every day. But we don’t walk alone. We walk with Jesus.

2. Our second verse reminded us of another uncomfortable truth. That our life has trials in it. Difficulties. I don’t know any of who like hard times. We don’t like dealing with car accidents or illnesses and diseases. We don’t like financial hardships or debt. But all of the difficulties have a master, Jesus. And Jesus does not let anything happen without a good purpose. That’s why he had the Apostles encourage the early Christian church with these words.

Acts 14:22 (NIV 1984) We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.

Hey, wait a minute! You mean hardships are not bad? That they are God’s way to bring us into His kingdom? Yes! That’s why the Apostle Paul urged us in Romans 5 to rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance and perseverance character and character hope, that expectant waiting for God to make it all right. Did you have hardships in 2018? Financial loss? Difficult diagnosis for self or loved one? Accidents? Do you think some will come in 2019? Of course and it’s OK. In fact it’s more than OK because Jesus controls them as He walks right there with us. He will use them for the good of keeping us close, of refining our faith, to keep us and bring us into the kingdom of God.

3. A select few of you dealt with the death of a close loved one in 2018. A select few will deal with the death of a close loved one in 2019 and some of you will face your own. All of us at some point dealt with memories of loved ones lost so we understand why the hymn writer wrote about “grim death” pursuing us. Death hurts and here’s why.

Romans 5:12 (NIV 1984) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

Death is a reminder of the horrible nature of sin. Every time you see a death it is a visual and painful reminder of the destructive nature of sin. Sin separates. People from people. Bodies and souls. People from God. Death is grim and unless the end of the world comes first each of us is going to die. But remember, we walk Jesus. And Jesus changes everything including death. By His death Jesus conquered death and turns it into the gateway of heaven. When you walk with Jesus death still hurts but it loses its sting. It actually serves a good purpose to help us remember how much we need Jesus as Savior. When you walk with Jesus to the funeral of your loved one who died believing in Him your sorrow for your loss conflicts with your joy for them and the looking forward to seeing them again. If you are one of the select few who will go to heaven in 2019 you will walk with Jesus all the way from the imperfect and mortal to the perfect and immortal.

Let’s continue singing vv 4-6.

Hymn:  ‟I Walk in Danger All the Way” ………………………..…. CW #431 vv. 4-6

4. If you noticed there is kind of a marked difference in the first three verses of #431 and the last three. After reminding us of the reality of life in a sin filled world that it will never be all peaches and cream, that the devil will be active and there will be trials and there will be death, the writer directs our eyes where they need to be. On Jesus. Remember all those dangers that we walked in during 2018 and will in 2019? We weren’t alone. Jesus walked with us and others too.

Psalm 91:10-11 (NIV 1984) “Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. ¹¹For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

You and I don’t know even half the dangers we walked through in 2018 because the angels were guarding us in all our ways. They do a perfect job of thwarting all the attempts of the Devil and demons to harm us. There is no reason for us to live 2019 with fear and dread. We walk with angels all the way and they are powerful beings keep harm and danger away from us and our loved ones so that the only ones that get through are the ones Jesus allows.

5. And those we did not face alone for Jesus kept this promise He made recorded by the Gospel writer Matthew.

Matthew 28:20b (NIV 1984) ‟And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When I was serving as a pastor in Texas, one of my members, who had been Southern Baptist told me a joke I didn’t get. See if you do. “A man died and was standing before St Peter and the gates of heaven. St. Peter says, Glad you are here. Before you can enter you must just answer one question. What is God’s first name? That’s easy, the man said. “It’s Andy.” Andy! Exclaimed Peter, “Where did you get that from? Everybody knows. It’s in the song. “Andy walks with me Andy talks with me!” Get it? I didn’t. You would have had to be in a place in the country or a church upbringing that included the southern favorite song, “He walks with me” which has the refrain, “And He walks with me and He talks with me.” And he, Andy. Now the joke is based on made up circumstances. Peter does not control the gates of heaven and there is no question asked. That song never became a favorite of mine but the truth it is based on stands. Jesus walks with us. He was with you every day of 2018. Sometimes you were aware and in awe as you were bowled over by his love or forgiveness or the peace he provided in some difficult time. Most of the time you probably lived unaware or maybe forgot.  But He was with you and will be for 2019.

6. And that’s why we will want to keep in mind the truth verse 6 proclaimed that our walk is heavenward all the way. Paul reminded us of that in his letter to the Philippians.

Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV 1984) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I don’t know if I’ll get to see heaven in 2019 or if you will. That is up to God. But it is true as the hymn writer said that when that day comes “farewell you can gladly say to all your sin and sorrow.” Why? Because Jesus walks with us. By His perfect life lived for us, His sacrificial death died for us and His new life now lived for us each day we take a step to heaven and we never have to walk it alone. We walk with Jesus. Let’s declare that now as we stand to sing the first and fourth verse of a hymn many times used at Confirmation and let’s think about that as a Confirmation renewal heading into the New Year.

Hymn:  ‟Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” ………………………..….CW #452 vv. 1, 4

December 25, 2018 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: The Christmas Story “CHRISTMAS QUESTIONS ANSWERED!”

CHRISTMAS DAY

December 25, 2018

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: The Christmas Story

“CHRISTMAS QUESTIONS ANSWERED!”

1.     What Child is this?

2.     Why lies He in such mean estate?

3.     What do I do now?

If I asked you what your favorite Christmas Carol is I’m guessing you will have a hard time coming up with just one. There are so many good ones. Some have great memories attached to them like Silent Night. Some are just so joyful. Some of the melodies just seem to perk you up and get you in the Christmas spirit. Many of them tell stories and at least one answers questions. It’s the one we just sang. “What Child is this?” We’ll let that carol guide our Christmas Day meditation because it provides answers to important questions of Christmas and it’s no magic eight ball. It draws its answers from Scripture.

The first verse asks an important Christmas question. What child is this? Careful when you look at him. Looks can be deceiving. Looks were meant to be deceiving at Christmas when I was growing up. With eight kids in the family we did not have the practice of every brother and sister getting a present for everyone else. No, we drew names. Then you had to figure out what the name you drew needed. Then came the really fun part. Trying to disguise your present. You see another tradition we had was trying to guess what the present was before you opened it. One year I thought I had it nailed. My brothers and I had gotten into playing hockey on the ice rink that was cleared above the first dam on the Rock River going into Watertown. Boots marked the boundaries. Boots marked the goal. Just a note to any would be hockey players, playing goalie without any pads is not a good idea. Those pucks hurt! We had good early ice one year so had been playing a lot and the blade on my stick broke. Money was tight. Duct tape was the only solution. And then came Christmas. And there it was. A present. To Tim From Joel. Wrapped up was a long tube with a card box taped on the end covering what could only be a hockey stick. I should’ve remembered who I was dealing with. As I proudly made my correct guess before I opened the smirk alerted me to a potentially fatal mistake. The tube empty. The box contained a cartoon book. Looks were deceiving.

Look again in the manger. What do you see? What child is this? He looks like any average Jewish baby boy. But remember, looks can be deceiving so look again. Our carol answered the question. What child is this? This, this is Christ the King. In Matthew’s account of the Christmas story he reminded us who the child is when he wrote, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel which means, God with us.” That baby is God himself in human flesh. What Child is This? This is Christ the King. It is really impossible to comprehend the one who is helpless as a human is the omnipotent God. The one who seems to have only now appeared on the scene has always been before the Creation of the world. The one who needs Mary and Joseph to care for him at the same time needs nothing and is absolutely independent as the great I AM. Can you imagine how difficult this was for Mary and Joseph? Joseph watched Jesus be born. Mary birthed Him. He looked just like any other human being and did all the things that babies normally do. But God had provided them what they needed in the visits from the angels to know what child this was. God has done the same thing for us. Through word and sacrament he has provided us with faith to see that the Christmas miracle is not a Grinch getting a new heart or people being kind for part of a day. It’s God becoming flesh and that we believe this. What child is this? This, this is Christ the King!

Why? Why does this happen? Or as our carol asks, “Why lies he in such mean estate?” Mean can mean a lot of things. As a verb it can mean to signify or stand for. As a noun it’s the middle of something. As an adjective we normally use mean to describe someone who is nasty and is doing or saying hurtful things. But its first meaning as an adjective is humble or lowly. Why is Christ the King, true God and true man, lying in such humble circumstances? Again Matthew tells us in his Gospel. The angel told Joseph, “She will give birth to a Son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” He lies in such a mean estate because He is our Savior. I like to remind the Confirmation students that there is a word that begins with S that applies to Jesus that helps us keep straight the why of Christmas and Good Friday and Easter. Do you know what it is? A word that begins with S to help us answer Why? Yes, Savior is a good one but there is a better one. Substitute. Jesus comes to be our substitute. He takes our place. He takes our place in perfect obedience. That’s why he becomes truly one of us and lives for 33 years. He must face temptation, fight temptation and defeat temptation in our place. That’s why He goes to the cross. He takes our place in being punished for sin. That’s why at the first Christmas He lies in such mean estate. As the carol goes “For sinners here the Silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce him through. The cross he bears for me, for you.” Jesus lies in humble circumstance so that He can be a legitimate substitute not for the few and the privileged but for me, for you and for all.

So now what? What do we do with this Christmas gift of Jesus? If what looked like a hockey stick had been a hockey stick I would’ve know what to do with it. Pass and score goals, play defense. Since it was instead a cartoon book  I knew what to do with it, read it and laugh. What do we do with the gift of Jesus? Our carol answers that Christmas question too. I could summarize it with three words: honor, own, enthrone. Let’s start with honor. “So bring him incense, gold and myrrh.” The Christmas purists know that the wise men from the east did not arrive the same time as the shepherds. A bummer for all the nativity sets, but true. Those wise men did come later and when they came they honored Jesus with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Costly gifts back then and today. But the real gift wasn’t their earthly value but what the gift signified. Honor. Honor for Jesus by those who through faith looked past what Jesus looked like, a baby, and saw Him for what He is. The King of kings. As God, Jesus had no need for gold, frankincense or myrrh. He could create as much as he wanted at any time. True enough we know that it helped Mary and Joseph, probably especially when they had to flee to Egypt. But what was most important was the honor that was shown. That’s also true for us. Our offerings to Jesus are very important. Yes, they are important for our congregation so that we continue to exist, pay our bills and expand our ministry. But what is most important is they give us a chance to show honor to Jesus who does not need anything from us but wants our hearts. That’s why we are not cheap with our offerings, giving him our leftovers or something we don’t even miss, There is no honor in being a member of the Scrooges for Jesus Club. But there is when our gifts come from the heart.

Because we own him. That’s the second way our carol answers the question so what do I do now. “Come peasant king to own him.” When you own up to your mistakes you admit they are yours. You did it. They belong to you. Owning Jesus means confessing Him as Savior. Your Savior. Getting a little harder to do that these days in the real world isn’t it? Less and less tolerance for Christians who want to hold to and teaching everything Jesus has commanded us. No worries. Peasant. King. Grandma. Newborn. Jesus has chosen us for Himself and promised that whoever confesses Him before others, He too confesses and owns before the Father in heaven.

So we honor, own and enthrone. “Let loving hearts enthrone Him.” Now the post Christmas ads will begin, the end of year ones. Watch how many try to tug at your heart to get that perfect gift she will love or he has dreamed about as a boy. Normally something big and expense. The new car or huge diamond. They are on to something. Love seeks to give what makes another happy. What makes Jesus happy? Hearts that enthrone Him. That means treat Him as king and ruler. Jesus put it this way. If you love me, obey my commandments and so we learn that willing obedience is the most meaningful gift for Jesus. We desire Him to rule in our hearts. And he does through love, grace and mercy.

Pretty soon now the Christmas carols will go away. The stations that changed their format way before Thanksgiving will go back. We will choose new playlists on Pandora or Spotify. But the meaning of Christmas will continue its effects on our lives. For the child lying in mean estate is Christ the King, for sinners slain who in response lovingly honor, own and enthrone Him. Amen.

Pastor Timothy J Spaude Text: Luke 3:7-18 “THE GIFT OF JOY”

ADVENT 3

December 15-17, 2018

Pastor Timothy J Spaude

Text: Luke 3:7-18

“THE GIFT OF JOY”

1.     There is no joy in fake repentance.

2.     The joy of Jesus is in true repentance.

Luke 3:7-18 “John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." ¹⁰ "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. ¹¹ John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." ¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" ¹³ "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.  ¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. ¹⁶ John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." ¹⁸ And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.”

          So what emotion do you normally connect with repentance? I’m going to guess that most, if not all of us will choose sorrow. In fact many times people think that’s all repentance is, being sorry for your sins. But repentance is a whole lot more than being sorry for sins. In fact John the Baptist is going to help us understand that ultimately repentance brings with it the gift of joy. As we continue to look at the gifts Jesus brings this Advent season today we focus on the gift of joy that comes with repentance.

          With true repentance, that is. As we find out in Luke’s Gospel there has always been this idea of fake repentance spooking around. Today’s text is a continuation of last week’s. If you recall in that part of Luke 3 we heard that John the Baptist was doing the work he was chosen for, preparing people’s hearts for Jesus. He did that be preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Today we listen in on one of his sermons. He begins, “You brood of vipers!” Now I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that this is never going to make a top ten list of sermon greetings. In fact I know that at our seminary the professors remind you it is a privilege to speak to the children of God so you address them that way. You’ve heard, “Dear fellow redeemed, brothers and sisters through faith in Christ Jesus, Sons and daughters of the King, dear Christian friends.” Have we ever started out “You brood of vipers” or “dear back stabbing and two faced liars and cheats, dear stingy greedy selfish spoiled brats?”

          Something was going on here. Let’s find out what. “John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Jesus also called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers. They were the ones who were teaching that outward keeping of God’s laws was good enough and that a blood connection to Abraham made things right with God. Or to put it another way they taught repentance as saying sorry, not being sorry, and it seems the crowds had listened to them and were thinking the same thing. They had no intention of trying to change their sinful ways. They were offspring of Abraham. They said what they were required to say. That should be good enough. That’s fake repentance. It does not give joy. It gets you called what you are: vipers, mini devils.

          This idea of fake repentance hasn’t gone away. In times of weakness and temptation Satan whispers in our ears, “It’s OK. Give in. You’ll be forgiven anyway.” And so we repent with the intent to keep on sinning. Or in talks with someone who has devalued word and sacrament and worship. “I’m good with God. I pray all the time.” Or “I’m good. I was confirmed.” Or “I’m still WELS.” Hear a warning about fake repentance. The ax is at the root of the tree. God can raise WELSers and people who pray once in a while from the stones if he wants. This fake repentance is like drinking saltwater. Sure it’s wet but it will leave you still thirsty and ultimately leads to eternal death. This fake repentance is like the sassy mouthed child, the lazy worker, the cheating spouse saying, “Yes, I’m very sorry. I’ll stop in a year or so.” John’s word point out a spiritual truth we can’t ignore. You can’t have it both ways. Just like you can’t eat only junk food and stay healthy and you can’t not practice and still be good at piano, you can’t pursue the temporary joy of sin and have the lasting joy of salvation.

          That only comes with true repentance. These people coming out to John had received the gift of Baptism. They had been pointed to Jesus. “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. ¹⁶ John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." ¹⁸ And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.” John pointed them to Jesus, the Savior. Yes he would destroy the chaff but the wheat he was going to gather. These people now realized they were the wheat. They were forgiven by Jesus. They now knew that real repentance isn’t just sorrow over sin, it’s joy in Jesus. Relief, happiness and gratitude in sins forgiven. And that inner change, that repentance joy on the inside, it just wants to show on the outside.

Notice the change. No longer did they want fake repentance as a part of their lives and so they ask, "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. ¹¹ John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." ¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" ¹³ "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.  ¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay." Kind of reminds me of Zacchaeus. Do your remember how when he realized Jesus loved him, had forgiven him and accepted him, he on his own, offered to pay back 4 times what he had stolen and to give half of his possessions to the poor. Here the regular people wanted to know how to show they joy of repentance. Soldiers and tax collectors too. None were given monumental tasks or a prayer to repeat over and over again. Do your job. Be faithful in your responsibilities. Help those in need. Realize that God desires fair tax collectors and soldiers who protect. Every aspect of their life would change as they lived each task with the joy of living for Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, you have that too. Jesus brings you the gift of joy. In that joy of Jesus you can get rid of sins instead of keeping them around. Just like you would not take a knife that was used to kill a loved one and use it to carve your Christmas ham but would instead get rid of it, never want to see it again, so also hat same attitude toward the sins in our lives that caused the death of Jesus, our loved on. We strive with all the strength Christ provides to fight our selfishness with money, our temptation toward lust or drug or alcohol abuse. Maybe we have some things in our house or bank accounts we need to get rid of. We look instead to see the face of Jesus on every one we meet each day so that for Jesus we are nice, kind and compassionate. We see our daily jobs in a different light. Each role a way we can serve Jesus with joy. He desires simply to see faithfulness in our daily callings, each one lived for Him. By calling us to repentance teaching us repentance and by His sacrifice motivating our repentance Jesus has given us the gift of joy to be enjoyed and displayed every day..

So you weren’t wrong if at the beginning of my message you associated sorrow with repentance. You just weren’t totally right. While sorrow over sin starts it off in true repentance joy over Jesus’ forgiveness, love and acceptance finishes it. Marvel again, brothers and sisters that God gave His Son Jesus because how much He values you. Instead of letting us live and die as the vipers we would be, instead of cutting down unfruitful trees like you and me and throwing us in the fire, God cut down Jesus, and let Him go the cross where He endured the fires of Hell so you will never have to. Relief, thankfulness, joy. A gift to you from Jesus. Amen.

November 24-26, 2018 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 18:3-37 (EHV) “IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING!”

CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY

November 24-26, 2018

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 18:3-37 (EHV)

“IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING!”

1.     Skeptical Questioning.

2.     Careful Listening.

John 18:33-37 (EHV)  “Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷ “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

          So how do you act in the presence of a king? That’s a tough question to answer because I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that none of us have ever had a personal audience with someone like a governor or president or royalty from another nation. I’ve seen on TV how some people reacted in the presence of the King of  rock and roll, Elvis Presley. Kids you should google it. You’ll see how  grandma may have acted, screaming, swooning, fainting in the presence of that “king.” I don’t get it. Many Americans continue to be a little infatuated with British royalty, another thing I don’t get. If that’s you how do you think you’d react with a personal audience with the Queen or a princess?

          In God’s word today we see how a man named Pontius Pilate reacted in the presence of a king, not just any king, but the King of kings, Jesus Christ himself. As we join Pilate he finds himself in a tough spot, actually tougher than he knew. Our Bible reading is a portion of the passion history of Jesus. Jesus was arrested by the Jewish leaders who were jealous of him. They wanted him dead but had a problem. They didn’t have the authority to legally give him the death penalty. The Jewish nation was a conquered nation under the authority of the Roman empire. Pilate is the governor, there to represent the best interests of the Roman emperor. The Jewish leaders have now brought Jesus to Pilate and asked for the death penalty. They accused Jesus of causing a revolt, something sure to get Pilate’s attention. And that leads us to what Pilate thought was his tough spot. On the one side he has an angry group of Jews accusing a man of treason. On the other side he has a demanding emperor who will only be happy with Pilate if he keeps the peace. Compounding the issue is the fact that Pilate is no political dummy. He knows the charges are fake. On top of that his wife told him she had had a dream warning about the innocent man, Jesus, something sure to grab the attention of a superstitious Roman. What to do? Appease the angry crowd and keep the peace by killing an innocent man or stand up for what he knew to be right? That’s the tough spot Pilate thought he was in. But it wasn’t the real one. The real one is that Pilate was in the presence of the King and he didn’t know it. Let’s see how he acts.

          “Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷ “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.” How did Pilate react in the presence of the King? With skeptical questioning. Are you the king of the Jews? Am I a Jew? What have you done? You are a king then? You see Pilate was focused on trying to find a way out of his little problem. He judged by what he saw with his eyes and did not find Jesus to be very kingly.

          There is a different response that should have happened. Careful listening to the King, Jesus. “Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Jesus says it plainly. He is a king. Not just any king but the King of kings, Christ the King. Not of a puny kingdom of this world that rises and falls, that must use soldiers to fight to maintain peace and keep control of the kingdom. Jesus kingdom is in this world but not of this world. Jesus’ kingdom exists wherever he lives and rules in the hearts of believers. It is here in Greenfield. It is in Vietnam and Thailand. It is in Malawi and Zambia. It’s a kingdom ruled by love where Christ the King’s sacrifice to pay for sin wins hearts that love Him in return and want to serve Him. It is an everlasting kingdom having its roots in Jesus’ establishment and lasting forever with its greatest fulfillment in what we normally call heaven. Citizens of Jesus’ kingdom listen carefully to what He says. Sadly Pilate did not.

          But we are not here to talk about Pilate today, are we? We are here to talk about Jesus and our relationship to Him. Listen please to some generalized characteristics of the various generations living in America these days. If you were born between 1927 and 1945 you are known as the Mature/Silents. Many but not all of the Mature Silents have solid core values that reflect Biblical morality and are certain there are absolute truths. They are willing to sacrifice self for others. If you were born between 1946 and 1964 you are classified as a Baby Boomer.  Many, but not all, baby boomers  are classified as extremely self centered and get their core values on right and wrong based on personal experience. If you were born between 1965 and 1980 like I was you are thrown in with Generation X.  Many, but not all Generation Xers are described also as very “me” centered. All core values of right and wrong are relative and all beliefs must be tolerated. If you were born between 1981 and 2000 you belong to Generation Y/Millennials. Many, but not all, have always been told how special they are so they expect everyone else to treat them that way. Many apparently believe everything on the internet is truth so that and social media give them their rights and wrongs. And finally if you were born after 2001 you are Generation Z/Boomlets. Many but not all of this group spend more time looking at a screen than any other generation. They don’t as a group yet have a defined set of core values. You are Lutherans so you are sitting there asking, “What does this mean?” I’m a Lutheran pastor so I will tell you. It means that almost all of the living generations of people in America as a whole would act like Pontius Pilate in the presence of the King.  They skeptically question what Jesus says in the Bible. They feel free to substitute their own truth. And that is no way to treat the King.

          But what about you? You noticed as I went through every generation I said, “Many, but not all.” You would be foolish to think you can’t be influenced by the society you live in. You would be foolish to underestimate the power of the King. The Holy Spirit lives in you. You don’t have to be lumped with your generation. Pilate was at a disadvantage. He did not know Jesus was the King. He let appearances deceive Him. You and I are different. We know Jesus is the King. We show we belong to Him by careful listening to His voice. By letting Him establish our truth. When the evolutionist attacks the truth of creation and tries to argue for a statistical impossibility of even one positive mutation happening in both a male and female of a species at the same time so they could reproduce you will not sway because Jesus has told us the Creation account is the truth. When the abortionist argues for the right to murder calling the baby just tissue or too life changing you will not be swayed because Jesus has put his protection on children and wants them all to come to Him and so every life is precious. When the Devil uses society’s pressures to try to get you to be open to the idea of different gods and many ways to salvation you will remember how you carefully listened to the voice of Jesus who plainly said no one can come to the Father except through Him.

          The Bible tells us that the day is coming when everyone will acknowledge Jesus as the King of kings. Every knee will bow. But we don’t have to wait for that day. Every day we live in the presence of the King. He is with you always just as He promised. Do you know how to act in the presence of the King? With careful listening to His voice and accepting it for what it is. The truth. Amen.

November 10-12, 2018 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Malachi 4:1-2 (EHV) “THE DAY IS COMING!”

LAST JUDGMENT

November 10-12, 2018

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Malachi 4:1-2 (EHV)

“THE DAY IS COMING!”

1.     A day of absolute Hell.

2.     A day of absolute Heaven.

Malachi 4:1-2 (EHV) “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the LORD of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them. ²But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”

          Do you have a favorite day of the church year? I’m thinking of other than the main festivals like Christmas or Easter. If I had to pick one I’d choose next Sunday, known as Saints Triumphant Sunday. I love that Sunday because it focuses our attention on the joy and happiness of brothers and sisters who have made it from this veil of tears to the triumph of heaven. With both my parents in heaven Saints Triumphant Sunday puts a smile on my face as I picture them there. Hymns for that day like “Behold a Host arrayed in white” with its picture language. I still remember when my dad called to let me know my mom just went to heaven and I walked through the church on the way to my office and Mickey Schultz was practicing for Saints Triumphant Sunday playing “For all the Saints”. That’s a great memory. That’s why I would pick next Sunday as my favorite. And if I’d have to pick a least favorite it would be this Sunday, Last or Final Judgment. The list of hymns written especially for this Sunday include the one we just sang, “The Day is Surely Drawing Near,” and one we will sing, “Day of wrath O Day of Mourning.” An old hymnal also had what must have been a favorite, “Day of wrath that dreadful day.” And then I started to wonder. Why is it that I don’t like something the Bible clearly teaches, the fact that our Holy God makes just judgments and the last day they will be announced and for some it will be a day of wrath and mourning? And that set me down another path. We hold a service once a month at Forest Ridge apartments in Hales Corners. All they have for us to use for hymnals are ones produced by the Methodist Church from the mid 1980s. You know I couldn’t find one hymn in there that even alluded to the fact that at the Day of judgment unbelievers go to Hell. It made me wonder. Has our enemy the Devil been at work in the church on earth? Is he at work on me? Poll after poll still show that the majority of Americans believe there is some kind of heaven but fewer believe there is a Hell. Our enemy has been at work! For if there is no Hell, then there is no need for rescue, for a Savior. That’s what he’s trying to do, to get rid of Jesus.          Not so among us. While Last Judgment may not be my favorite Sunday of the church year and while I might not like the contents or melodies of Last Judgment hymns and you may feel the same, this is a message we need to hear. The Day is coming.

          The Day is coming! That’s a message God wants all people to hear. So He put it in a prominent place. Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. Chapter 4 is the last chapter of that book. Malachi was the last prophet God would use to speak His words until Jesus would come some 400 years later. What was the last word that God wanted His people to remember so they would be ready to receive their Savior? The Day is coming. What day? Judgment Day. A day of absolute Hell. “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the LORD of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them.” Malachi directs our attention to the day that is coming. It is not a good day for the arrogant and evil doer. Who are they? When we think of arrogance or evil, we in these days, think of those who arrogantly commit the evil of taking other’s lives in these mass shootings. That is arrogant and that is evil. But what is most arrogant and evil is to reject Jesus as Savior. God could have justly destroyed the world when Adam and Eve plunged it into sin. Instead in love God put into place His plan of salvation. He did so even though it meant Jesus would have to be punished for every sin. Heaven is a free gift for all. To reject God’s way of saving through Jesus or to in any way suggest that our own good deeds can pay what Jesus paid for is a slap in God’s face, spitting in His eye and taking Jesus and throwing Him into an outhouse. That is arrogance and evil. And for those who do so the day is coming. Absolute Hell.

          Hell is consistently described in the Bible as a place of eternal burning, hopelessness and despair. When God says not a root or a branch will be left. He means no second chance. No hope. Just despair. This is not a pretty picture. It is absolute Hell. Some of you may remember a book that was made into a movie, “Heaven is for real!” Did you know there was another book written? Hell is for real. Not a best seller. No blockbuster movie. Not what people want to hear. And yet the Day is coming. A day of absolute Hell.

And at the same time a day of absolute Heaven!  The Word of God goes on. “But,” now I hesitate to say this because I know how your juvenile minds work. However you need to understand this is a really big but. It means everything that follows is the opposite of what you heard before. “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” You are described as those who revere the Lord’s name. Revere has that idea of loving respect, wanting someone’s approval. That’s a good description of believers. We know the Lord as the Savior God. We know we deserve punishment for our sins. We know that we can’t make up for even one sin. We sadly see what Jesus has gone through instead of us when He was forsaken on the cross. At the same time we are happy and thankful for it. For Judgment Day, the day that is coming, we will be among those who see a day of absolute heaven.

Malachi describes our judgment day as the sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings. Picture the sun rising and feeling its rays warm you on a cool fall day. That’s a picture of the Son, Jesus, who by rising from the dead has his forgiveness of sins touching every believer. Maybe a picture will help. It’s judgment day. You have watched the line of unbelievers stand before the judge. You hear the long litany of their sins revealed. You see their shame and despair. Now it’s your turn. You walk forward and sweat is beading on your brow. You see family members, neighbors, co-workers and you dread them hearing the sins you have worked so hard to keep hidden. Now they will know what you said about them behind their backs. They will hear what you really thought. The shameful embarrassing sins you thought to keep secret. Exposed! Reluctantly you step forward. The judge says. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. You made sure I knew I had a Savior. You served the needs of others. Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your Master’s happiness.” And so you leap for joy like a calf getting to run free for the first time. It’s absolute heaven. You are sin free. Pain free. Healed from every sickness of sin, body and heart. That day is coming. Absolute heaven.

Brothers and sisters, I began today expressing the truth that the reality of Hell is something we need to talk about as much as the reality of heaven. It’s what we need to hear so we see our need for Jesus as Savior and appreciate what He has done. This Day that is coming, the last day, Judgment Day is when God will make public what happens the day you die. Do you die trusting in Jesus or rejecting Him? You younger people especially need to understand that the Devil is going to work hard on you to give up your faith in Jesus, to not value it and take care of it and feed with regular word, worship and sacrament. Take heed. The Day is coming! Only with Jesus is it absolute heaven. But friends, others need to hear too. The unbelievers. We can snatch them from the fires. This Christmas churches of the WELS throughout the nation are banding together with the goal of inviting one million unchurched people to come and hear the Good News of a Savior. St. Jacobi is joining that effort and we’ll talk more about your part at the end of service. We need to. For the day is coming. Amen.