November 9-11. 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Kings 17:8-16 “IT’S TIME TO START THE INSANITY!”

 

PENTECOST 25

November 9-11. 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Kings 17:8-16

 

“IT’S TIME TO START THE INSANITY!”

1.     Insane Trust.

2.     Insane Generosity.

 

Brothers and sisters, it’s time to start the insanity. I know what those of you who were here a few weeks ago are thinking. “Just wait a minute, pastor. Three weeks ago you told us it was time to stop the insanity and now you are telling us to start it. You can’t do that!” Yes, I can and let me tell you why. The definition of insanity that I’m using is the popular one, extreme foolishness or being extremely irrational. Three weeks ago, I correctly stated that it was extremely foolish for Christians who have Jesus as king to get all bent out of shape over an election in a country which is a drop in the bucket of the world’s population and insignificant in New Testament history. It is extremely foolish to think the King of kings and Lord of lords has to take His cues from an American President. It’s always time for that kind of insanity, extreme foolishness, to stop. Today I’m focusing on the extremely irrational type of insanity, going against logic and reason. And I’m saying that is exactly what we want to do. Why? Because that’s what exercising our faith is. Believing without seeing. Acting on God’s promises that go against our own understanding. That’s insane! Extremely irrational! Exactly what followers of the Christ like you and me want to do.

The Lord teaches us that truth in all of the Scripture readings you heard today but for now let’s focus on the Old Testament reading from 1 Kings. Here is the background. It’s around 850 BC. These are dark spiritual days for the nation of Israel. Wicked King Ahab and wickeder Queen Jezebel rule. They have persecuted and killed true prophets of God and promoted Baal worship. To call the nation to repentance the Lord caused a years long drought that caused a years long famine. People were starving. The prophet Elijah served as God’s true prophet. God wanted him to stay alive. He sent Elijah to a widow woman to get some food. Listen again to what happened. “So he got up and went to Zarephath. He came to the city gate, and there he saw a widow gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please give me a little water in a jar, so that I can have something to drink.” ¹¹When she went to get it, he called to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.” ¹²She said, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no food except a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a pitcher. See, I am gathering a couple of sticks so that I can go and prepare it for myself and my son, so that we can eat it and then die.”

You probably already know what I’m going to say. This is insane. Zarephath is not a part of the nation of Israel. It’s in modern day Lebanon. It was located in the area in which the Baal worship plaguing Israel originated. And God told Elijah to go there and he went? That’s insane! It must have gone against every ounce of Elijah’s being as an Israelite faithful to the one true God. There would be absolutely no reason for a widow in Baal country to share with him. And when he got there things got even worse. The widow had a son and they were preparing to die. Only one meal left. I mean, once you hear that wouldn’t you say something like, “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’ll be OK. I’ll see if I can find you some more food.” But Elijah plows forward. “Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do just as you said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from the flour and bring it out to me. Then go and make another for you and your son. ¹⁴For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. The jar of flour will not run out and the pitcher of oil will not become empty until the day the Lord sends rain to water the surface of the ground.”

          That’s insane! But Elijah was not the only one with insane trust. Look at this woman. I don’t know how prophets dressed back then or what Elijah looked like but somehow this woman knew he was a prophet. She said, “As surely as the Lord your God lives.” So he was a prophet, but not her prophet. So, let’s get this straight. Some guy shows up on your doorstep in the middle of a famine causing drought as you are preparing the last food you have for you and your only child and asks you to give him the food first, what do you do? A. Run away! B. Yell for help. C. Tell him what you are really thinking or D. Do exactly what he says.  OK, if you picked D, you’re insane! She was. “So she went and did exactly as Elijah said. He and she, as well as her household, were able to eat for many days. ¹⁶The jar of flour did not run out, and the pitcher of oil did not become empty, just as the Lord had said through Elijah.”

          That’s insane. Extremely irrational. Elijah trusted the words and promise of God that told him to go to a place that didn’t make sense, to a woman that didn’t make sense with a demand that didn’t make sense and he did it. Insane trust. The woman acted on the words and promise of God and gave all she had left for herself and her son to Elijah. Insane generosity. And God blessed it, greatly. Not only did she and her son have food for the rest of the famine but if you read the rest of the story she is brought to see that the Lord is her God too.

          Can you think back to all three Bible readings now? Did you notice something that the widow of Zarepheth, the Madedonians and the widow at the Temple all had in common? They were all poor. Their giving that caught God’s eye was not from their plenty but from their little. And that’s good news for us. You know why? If you ask an average American who the rich people are do you know what most will say? Anyone who has more than I do. So that makes us all poor and so capable of insane generosity. But it has to start with insane faith.

          Give a 5 year old $20 and what are they likely to do with it? Give it to missions. Give it away at school for some food or clothing drive. Offer to buy something for mom or dad. Give a 15 year old $20 dollars and what are they likely to do with it? Buy some snack for themselves. Spend it to buy in game bonuses for whatever online game they are playing. Get something for themselves. Give a 75 year old $20 dollars and what are they likely to do with it? Save it for a rainy day. You see that in the area of generosity as we grow up physically we grow down spiritually. The 5 year old has complete trust that mom and dad will provide so why not give it away? As we grow older that childlike faith can fade. But it does not have to. We can live like 5 year olds with complete trust that God will provide for us even if we give what we have away. We also have the words and promise of God enabling us to go against the rational way of thinking of ourselves first and instead help others spiritual and physical needs. Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. In fact, the measure with which you measure will be measured back to you.” And the Holy Spirit had Paul write this promise in 2 Corinthians 9, ^“The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. The one who sows generously will also reap generously.” Those are God’s truths. Acting on them with insane generosity will take insane trust and it is clear to me that He wants us to do this.

          This is what happened last weekend. It was Saturday. Many Jacobi members generously gave of their time to do the preliminary clean up. We were just about done, just a few members remaining. All of the sudden this guy strolls through the carport doors. I hear him say to the members standing in the atrium, “Is the reverend around?” They say, “No, but Pastor Spaude is here.” I ask him if I can help him. He says, “Well, I’m not a member here but I am behind in my tithing and I want to make that right. It’s what God deserves. Here is 10% of what I just got paid.” And he hands me a wad of bills. So some guy comes in off the street the week before the Bible readings for church are about giving and even though he is not a member tithes to God here. You know what that is? That’s insane. Caught my eye. Caught God’s eyes. You and I can too. It’s time to start the insanity! Amen.

 

 

October 19-21, 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Peter 2:9-12 (EHV) “IT’S TIME TO STOP THE INSANITY!”

 ELECTION UNREST

October 19-21, 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Peter 2:9-12 (EHV)

 “IT’S TIME TO STOP THE INSANITY!”

1.     Center yourself on Christ.

2.     Live for the glory of God.

          It’s time to stop the insanity. If your ears are sensitive to words that have been previously used to describe people with mental health issues let me put you at ease. Mental health is a real thing. Emotional disorders are real. Mental illness is real. When I say it’s time to stop the insanity I am using that word in its popular usage: extreme foolishness, like when people do those hot pepper challenges or blackout challenges and you see them and you say correctly, “That’s insane!”—extremely foolish.

          When a pastor pops out a sermon theme of “It’s time to stop the insanity” and a national election is right around the corner one’s mind naturally goes, “Finally! Let’s talk about what is going on in Washington, and Madison and the news. Let’s talk about the insanity of the news reporter in hushed and sympathetic tones reporting on the tragedy of the death of a mother and her unborn child in a needless car accident followed in the very next segment by vilifying politicians trying to take away a mother’s ability to kill an unborn child. That’s insane! Or politicians pointing to all the problems caused by illegal immigration but doing nothing to change laws to make for safe and seamless legal immigration to a country whose citizen birthrate is not enough to replace current population. That’s insane. Or politicians promoting fiscal responsibility but on both sides of the aisle continuing to spend more than we take in. That’s insane. So, yes, go get ‘em pastor. It’s time to stop the insanity.”

          So I will, go get ‘em that is. Only the ‘em is us. It’s time for us to stop the insanity, the extreme foolishness of being Christians who talk and act or think like the fate of Christ’s Church depends on the upcoming election. It does not. Jesus lives. And He lives and rules all things, including our country, for the good of His Church. Believers. You. So, let’s stop the insanity. I have heard people talk like America is God’s chosen nation and it is the job of the church to make it look Christian. That’s insane. Only one physical nation was chosen by God. Old Testament Israel. It existed as a nation only by God’s grace and until its job was done. And so shortly after Jesus finished His work on earth, that nation ceased to exist and modern-day Israel is not the same as Old Testament Israel. Our country is not even close! I have heard us talk as though the outcome of the upcoming election will either bring about the Biblical apocalypse or hold it off. That’s insane. The United States is tiny drop in the ocean of world population and even tinier in New Testament history. Christ does not take His cues from Washington DC. I have heard it insinuated that God wants one candidate or another to win. That’s insane. Who of you here knows the mind of God and the plans He is working on? For me personally in our presidential election I feel like my mom has announced it’s time for dessert and I’m getting excited then she says I get to choose from 3 day old leftover cooked broccoli that someone forgot to put in the fridge or cold leftover cooked spinach. I want to choose neither and yet I have to choose, so I will make my choice based on what I think will be best for the country. But I won’t be able to choose whom God wants because He hasn’t told me. Nor has He told you. It is insane, extremely foolish, to talk that way.

          There is a better way, a way that will allow you to have peace, keep a smile on your face and be nice up to and after the election. Center yourself on Christ. Listen to what God says about you! “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ At one time you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. At one time you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy.” We are not the only Christians who have experienced less than savory government. When God had Peter write this letter, he addressed Christians as “strangers in this world.” You don’t belong. Most likely their ruler was Roman Emperor Nero, not a nice guy and mostly likely insane in the old use of the word. And yet look at the source of their comfort and confidence. It centered on who they were in Christ. A holy nation. God’s own possession. The people of God. Recipients of mercy.

          Do you want to stop your own insanity? Do you want to be able to be happy and confident these last few weeks leading up to the election and no matter how any of the elections turns out? Center yourself on Christ first, foremost and only. In Christ you are neither liberal nor conservative, Republican nor Democrat, nor even American. You are Christian. A holy citizen of a holy nation ruled by Christ the King who is perfect in every way, who will never disappoint you, who is the reason God will continue to shower you with mercy and who rules all things for the good of His Church which means you. Each day you wake up, it is not poll data or elections results that define you. Jesus does, so center yourself daily on Him. Yes, it is OK to care and be concerned about this temporary country we are living in. It is not OK to worry about election results or to think, act and speak like a puny human being ultimately controls you. That insults your Lord Jesus. The only election that really matters has already taken place. Jesus chose you! He chose me!

          And that is why we can deliberately seek to live for the glory of God. Hear again the voice of your God.  “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul. ¹² Live an honorable life among the Gentiles so that even though they slander you as evildoers, when they observe your noble deeds, they may glorify God on the day he visits us.” Do you think that maybe one of the reasons the anti-Christian sentiment in our country is growing is because the only Christians most Americans know, work with, hear on the news and whose posts they read are shallow Christians? Christians who care more about how other people live morally than that their souls be saved eternally? If so, it’s time to stop the insanity and let them see what authentic Christianity looks like. People who put truth and love together. People who realize everything here is temporary so in the end only faith in Jesus matters. It’s time to let them see you, in action. Let’s abstain from the desires of our sinful natures that want to fight mean with mean, nasty posts with nasty posts. All that does is start a sinful nature/Christian nature war in your soul. Let’s stop that extreme foolishness and instead seek to live such honorable lives among our fellow Americans that even though they say mean thing about us now, they will have to give glory to God on the day He comes. And He will come. On the day He decides, not decided by one election, in this teeny tiny part of today’s world.

          Peace, brothers and sisters! It’s time to stop our insanity. Our lives are bound up in Christ and we live for the glory of God. And look at how that changes our hearts and minds before, during and after a national election. Instead of getting so caught up in whom I want to win, or you want to win we can be at peace and pray for whoever wins. Pastor Martin Luther told an interesting story in his time that applies to our time.  A widow living in a country ruled by a tyrannical king prayed long and hard for the tyrant who oppressed her. The tyrant heard about it and was amazed because he knew that he had done her much harm. When he called her in and asked her about it the woman replied, "When your grandfather was king I had ten cows. He took two of them. I prayed that God would get rid of him. He did and your father became king. He took 3 more of my cows. I prayed against him and he died. Now you are king and have taken four more of my cows and now I only have one. So I am praying for you because whoever follows might take all that I have left."  Some things, no, most things, no, all things are better left in the hands of God. You, you are in the hands of God, so peace! Amen.

September 21-23, 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Mark 9: 30-37 “WHO IS GOD’S G.O.A.T?”

 

PENTECOST 18

September 21-23, 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 9: 30-37

 

“WHO IS GOD’S G.O.A.T?”

1.     The Lamb!

2.     Followed by the sheep.

 

Who is the greatest? The question is not new. In centuries past pharaohs and emperors and kings wanted to be known as the greatest ruler that ever lived. In our times that debate has been held almost exclusively in the sports arena. Muhammed Ali proclaimed himself the greatest. In sports everyone wants to be the GOAT, the Greatest Of All Time. Who is the GOAT, the greatest of all time for NFL quarterbacks? Is it Tom Brady or will he be surpassed by Patrick Mahomes? The word of God from the Gospel of Mark deals with the issue of greatness. In it we see one who really is the greatest of all time and some who want to be. Some questions need to be answered. Just what is it that makes someone great? Who gets to determine what makes someone great? Do you want to be great?

Last week Pastor Langebartels told us of a time when Jesus cast a demon out of a young boy. It was shortly after Jesus had taken three of His disciples, Peter, James and John to witness His transfiguration. The time is nearing for Jesus to complete His earthly mission with His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead. He doesn’t want to attract crowds at this time. He wants to teach His disciples privately and so Mark tells us, “They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know this, ³¹because he was teaching his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him. But three days after he is killed, he will rise.” ³²But they did not understand the statement and were afraid to ask him about it.”

          Here we get an answer to one of our questions. What is it that makes someone great? Humble service to others. This is not the first time that Jesus spoke plainly to His disciples about the real nature of His mission. This is not the first time that the disciples remained clueless even though Jesus told them plainly. Jesus’ determination to carry out His mission as Savior shows He is the GOAT! He is the greatest of all time. Even though He is King of kings and LORD of lords, the maker and sustainer of all things, the Holy, Holy, Holy, I AM he humbles Himself to become man. He allows Himself to be betrayed and crucified. Why? It’s what people needed. A solution to the problem of sin. The only way God can remain just and punish sin without punishing the sinners is for Jesus to come and be the perfect substitute, the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world. He did. Jesus is God’s G.O.A.T. because the real measure of greatness is not how many points you score or who much money you have or how much land you control. It’s the number of people you serve humbly, without expecting anything in return. Jesus served all. The Lamb of God is God’s GOAT.

Who gets to determine what makes someone great? The word goes on. “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” ³⁴But they remained silent, because on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.  ³⁵Jesus sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he will be the last of all and the servant of all.” ³⁶Then he took a little child and placed him in their midst. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me.” Jesus’ disciples wanted to be considered great. I guess we can take a little bit of comfort, some schadenfreude, that those who got to follow Jesus in the flesh still were thick in the head, had misplaced priorities and got right things so wrong just like we do. It is shameful, though, when grown children of God act like spoiled little kids. The disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest among them all. From their shamed silence it’s not hard to guess what standards they were using and how they were acting. Peter says, “I am the greatest! Jesus let me see Him transfigured.” “You’re not so special,” says James and John, “he took us too!” “I’m the one He trusts with our money,” says Judas. “I’m better than you.” Like little boys on the playground they went back and forth arguing, embellishing, trying to make their pitiful little accomplishments bigger than they were because the standard of greatness they were using was wrong. They used the world’s way, power, prestige, money.

But the world does not get to establish what makes a person great. Oh, it tries. It will list the Forbes most wealthy, and Time’s person of the year. The sports world has developed their own awards for their own people picked by themselves, just like the entertainment world has done the same, Emmys, Oscars, Golden Globes, Tonies. Seriously. How many do they need to boost their fragile egos? I’ve offered before, but no one has taken me up on it. I’ll host The Platinum Preacher award, an award developed by pastors for pastors awarded to the pastor whose golden tongued delivery can keep the most people awake. Foolishness. For the followers of Christ there is only one whose standard matters. Jesus. He gets to tell us what makes a person great. And He has. Humble service. Serving the needs of others without expecting something in return like little children who are by very nature takers, not givers, and in no position to repay us. This is what makes a person great in the eyes of our Lord. Humble service. Humility. Not thinking less of yourself or poorly of yourself. You dare not. God made each of you fearfully, wonderfully and well. Rather thinking more of the needs of others. Service, trying to meet those needs.

So do you still want to be great, great in the eyes of God’s GOAT? Jesus’ disciples had to wrestle with that question after He sat them down. And from their history recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, every one but Judas said, “Yes. I desire your approval Lord, more than anyone else’s.” What’s your answer? How will you pattern your life? Jesus, the Lamb of God, the GOAT, is our leader. He’s perfect at it. How is our following? When I was a child I wanted to be great at what I did. I was really good at ping pong. I won every grade school tournament I entered. Got some really cool plastic trophies. I even held on to them when Chris and I got married. I’m sure she didn’t roll her eyes. They are all gone, broken trashed. Didn’t mean anything anymore once I matured. I understand now that when I meet my Lord Jesus He is not going to ask me how many ping pong tournaments I won, but rather if I took care of His sheep and His lambs. And after I give report I just want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
          Will you join me brothers and sisters, and seek to serve rather than be served? Will you do so for the joy of serving the Lamb who has served you so well? This weekend we as a congregation will thank some of those who have served us in this past year. But winning our thanks not why they served. They saw a need and filled it. You can too, through faithful praying, words and acts of kindness to neighbors or those who live in your senior living center, giving rides to church. A special appeal to you parents to serve your kids. What they need is their heart tied to Jesus. I want you to think about how zealous you are in getting your kids to every sports practice and game and musical practice and concert and every other extra they are in. That’s great if you can make it work without stressing the family. The honest truth is none of them are going to make it to the pros. But they will make it to Hell if their faith in Jesus is not fed. They need you reading Bible stories and devotions at home. They need you to get them to church. Do you want to be great? Serve the needs of a child. “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me.” So says the Lamb, God’s GOAT. You are His sheep. Will you follow? Amen.

August 10-12, 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Exodus 16:15-31 “GOD’S WORK, GOD’S WAY!

 

PENTECOST 12

August 10-12, 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Exodus 16:15-31

 

“GOD’S WORK, GOD’S WAY!

 

This weekend we are installing teachers for this coming school year. It’s important that teachers know how students learn. One way that people learn is to go from the lesser to the greater. You show how something is true for something small and easy to grasp to teach how something is true for something that is bigger and harder to grasp. God knows how people learn and Het taught that way. In the book of Hebrews, the Holy Spirit had these words written, “For every house is built by someone, and God is the one who built everything.” He teaches from the lesser to the greater. Everyone admits to the truth that if a house exists, someone built it. So the greater is true. The universe has to have a builder, and that builder is God. That’s why God calls those who say there is no God, fools. They are ignoring obvious truth. Another way to teach is to use something simple and visible to teach about something you can’t see. God does that too. Think of Baptism. He has us use water. It’s everywhere and necessary. What do we mostly use water for? To clean and sustain life. So if we think about it, every time we wash dirty dishes or dirty hands or enjoy that cold glass of water on a hot, humid summer day it can teach us that our Baptism that connects us to Jesus washes and cleans dirty sinners and gives spiritual life.

          A similar thing was done by God for the Old Testament people and us with the sending of manna. You heard about it in our first reading. In Hebrew “What is it?” sounds like “manuh, manuh?” Manna, bread from heaven. A quick catch up on the background. God had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt with the miraculous plagues. Now they were wandering the wilderness. They grumbled and complained that God had rescued them because they had no more food. These former slaves had a lot of learning to do, most of it spiritual, to trust in the Lord with all their heart and lean not on their own understanding. Instead of punishing the Israelites for their lack of trust God graciously provided manna, bread from heaven that had a honey taste to it. There were specific instructions that came with this food from the Lord. “This is what the Lord has commanded: All of them are to gather as much of it as they need to eat”…and “No one is to leave any of it until morning.” 

          God was teaching. God’s work must be done God’s way! Trust God. He will provide for you. Daily bread. Now if they would follow their own understanding they would gather as much food as they could. “What if it didn’t come the next day? Better to store up plenty for yourself. God’s way doesn’t make sense.” Let’s see how that worked for them. “However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them left part of it until morning, and it became full of worms and stank.” Ooh, gross! Maggots. Smell! It does not turn out well when God’s people trust in themselves with all their heart and lean not on the Lord who loves them.

          Then God switched things up. “They gathered it each morning. All of them gathered as much as they needed to eat. When the sun grew hot, it melted away. ²²On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers for each person, and all the leaders of the community came and reported to Moses. ²³He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: Tomorrow is a complete rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, but set aside for yourselves all the rest of it to be kept until morning.” ²⁴So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. ²⁵Moses said, “Today eat whatever is left over, for today is a sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find any around the camp. ²⁶Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” Again, God was teaching them. He knew their needs. They needed rest for their bodies and rest for their souls. The seventh day would be a day to find rest from their regular physical work and to worship and find rest in God’s word. The manna they saved on the 6^th day would not rot. It’s just like Jesus told us, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.” And what about those who didn’t listen? “On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they did not find any.” Students! They had to learn.

          So do we and God knows how we learn. From the lesser to the greater and from the visible to the blessings we can’t see. His lessons for Old Testament Israel are there to teach us just as Paul alluded to in his letter to the Corinthians. Let’s start with the lesser and the visible. We need food for our bodies. God provides. It’s His work. It must be done His way. If you can’t get a job or are unable to work, He will provide. Trust in Him and don’t lean on your own understanding. Trust Him when you are past your working years. He will provide. If we are able to work and can get a job in our working years, we should. And God will provide for us. If we don’t work, we shouldn’t expect to eat. It’s God’s work to provide for our physical needs and His people need to do that God’s way. The lesser and the visible are our physical needs.

          The greater and the blessings we can’t see are the spiritual ones. Once again, this is God’s work. Only He knows what we need spiritually. Only He can provide what we need spiritually. His work. And His way? Through the word! Specifically, through the Gospel messages that points us to all the blessings we have in Jesus. What we need is the forgiveness of our sins. What we need is the righteousness we lack. What we need is the ability to trust what God says. Only Jesus gives us this. The manna in the desert was a set up to point people to Jesus, the Bread of Life you heard about in the Gospel lesson. The way He chooses to be found is in His words and the Gospel of the Sacraments. How foolish the Israelites were who did not gather the manna God provided. How foolish they were to put physical needs above spiritual. And how much more foolish we are if we don’t use God’s word. How much more foolish we are not to gather for public worship one day a week. Because we know better than they did. We have their example to learn from. It’s God’s work. It must be done God’s way.

          And for you new teachers to St. Jacobi and teachers taking on new duties, remember that truth as a warning, and as a comfort.  St. Jacobi operates a school to proclaim the Gospel. That is the work God has given to us as a congregation. You have been called to do God’s work. It must be done God’s way. God’s way relies on the power of the Gospel in God’s Word. So, if you excel in teaching reading, writing and rithmatic but do not excel in feeding Jesus’ lambs, doing what you can to feed their faith and tie their hearts to Jesus, you are going to stink up God’s classroom, school and church. It will smell worse to God than rotting manna did to the Israelites. On the other hand, when you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness in your classrooms, all the other things will be added to you as well. You will be able to sleep good every night you can say, “I gave them Jesus!” It’s God’s work, God’s way!

          For most students and teachers a new school year will begin soon. Every teacher’s goal, hope, prayer is that their students learn what is taught, grow and become productive members of their families, their communities. God’s goal for us is the same. Learn, grow and be productive with His work until He takes us to the glory of heaven. To that end may He bless His teaching and our learning. Amen.

 

 

Sept. 7-9. 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Isaiah 35:3-7a “BE STRONG!”

 

PENTECOST 16

Sept. 7-9. 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Isaiah 35:3-7a

 

“BE STRONG!”

1.     The Lord has come to save you.

2.     The Lord will come to save you.

 

Isaiah 35:3-7 EHV “Strengthen the weak hands and make the shaky knees steady.
⁴ Tell those who have a fearful heart: Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look! Your God will come with vengeance. With God’s own retribution, he will come and save you.

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unplugged. ⁶ The crippled will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy. Waters will flow in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland. ⁷ The burning sand will become a pool, and in the thirsty ground there will be springs of water.”

 

          Bad news. It comes into everyone’s lives. Our world is not just tainted by sin. It is ruined. And that means people, all people, even God’s people, will get bad news. The unexpected death of a loved one. A bad result on a medical test. Job loss or rejection. The car accident. Being cut from the team or left off the invitation list. Bad news. It’s all bad news. When God sent the prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah he delivered some bad news. Really bad news that would affect a whole nation of people. The people of Judah as a whole had forsaken God. They were worshipping idols of the nations that surrounded them. As a consequence God had Isaiah tell them that they would be conquered by the Babylonians, who lived in the area of modern day Iraq. Their land and homes would be given to foreigners. They would be forced to march into exile, a journey of over 700 miles, on foot. Small children. Pregnant women. Seniors. This was some really bad news. Now for the people who did not believe in God they likely did not care. But there were still people faithful to God in Judah. This bad news fell on their ears just like ours does on our ears. A punch to the stomach. Legs shake. The heart races. Sleep is hard to come by. They needed some Good News. That’s what they got!

          God had Isaiah tell them. “Strengthen the weak hands and make the shaky knees steady. ⁴ Tell those who have a fearful heart: Be strong. Do not be afraid. Look! Your God will come with vengeance. With God’s own retribution, he will come and save you.” “Buck up, little trooper. Don’t cry, it will get better. Hang in there. This too shall pass.” We have all kinds of nice little phrases that we use to encourage our children, our friends, ourselves. God’s phrase of encouragement is “Be strong!” Ours and God’s are meaningless though, if there is no reason, no power behind those encouragements. The encouragement Isaiah brought was backed with a reason and with power. God will come and save you.

          How could they be sure? I want you to notice something important about the way God works. Everything is tied to His Son Jesus. To put it another way, your salvation for life’s many problems is directly tied to your SALVATION from life’s biggest problem, sin. Did you catch that? For the Old Testament believers of Isaiah’s time when he talked about God coming to save them, he immediately followed with, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unplugged. ⁶ The crippled will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy. Waters will flow in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland. ⁷ The burning sand will become a pool, and in the thirsty ground there will be springs of water.” God had the people look ahead to a time when blind people would miraculously see. Deaf people would miraculously hear. People who were lame and unable to walk would immediately be able to walk and jump. People previously unable to speak would sing. It would be like a desert land suddenly having plenty of water blooming and growing and thriving. Do you know of a time when that happened? When someone opened the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf and the mouths of the mute, when paralyzed people were able to walk? Of course you do! Jesus did all of that. You heard one example in the Gospel lesson. There are many more. But Jesus did not make all the mute speak or all the blind see or all the lame walk. The purpose of those miracles was to demonstrate that He really was the promised Messiah and to gain opportunities to talk about why He really came, to be the Savior from sin for all people.

          When God came to save the people of Isaiah’s time from Babylon, that was a little salvation. It was God’s proof that their bigger SALVATION was coming, the Messiah, the Savior from sin. Jesus. We are on the other side of the Savior so it works for us in the other way. The fact that God sent Jesus who lived and died in our place, whose work accomplished our SALVATION is His proof for the little salvations we need for the bad news that will inevitably come our way living in a sin ruined world. We can “Buck up, little trooper. Don’t cry, it will get better. Hang in there. This too shall pass. And Be strong” because there is power behind it, God’s power.  He has come to save His people means He will come to save His people. SALVATION is proof of salvation.

          That’s the good news God wants you to take away today. All of us have or are dealing with some bad news. Because we and our world are ruined by sin we can expect more. All of us k now people who have received or will receive bad news. What we all need is good news. We have it. God will come and save you. I don’t know how and I don’t know when. I do know He will. Jesus is His proof.

Maybe one thing we could all learn to do a little bit better though is to value our salvations in the right order. In the Gospel lesson the people were amazed and said Jesus did everything well even making the deaf hear and the mute speak. In the reading from Acts the people were filled with wonder and amazement when the apostles used Jesus’ power to make a lame man walk. Were they just as amazed that Jesus went to the cross for sinners like them? Were they amazed that Jesus rose from the dead so that the next time they heard the bad news that a loved one had died they could hold on to the Good news that those who die in Christ actually live just like He does? I don’t know. I don’t know if they even knew of their SALVATION. But we do. We are followers of Christ and followers of Christ know the true purpose of Christ’s power. It is not the temporary healing of a body that will at some point die anyway. It is the eternal healing of soul destined for Hell. So be strong. With whatever you are dealing with, be strong. God has saved you so in the most important way, He’ll take care of these other ones too. Amen.

 

 

July 20-22, 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Mark 6:30-34 “THE COMPASSIONATE CHRIST BLESSES US!”

 

PENTECOST 9

July 20-22, 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Mark 6:30-34

 

“THE COMPASSIONATE CHRIST BLESSES US!”

1.     With work.

2.     With rest.

 

          Last month I had a chance to talk with Darlene Brosseau who served as our church secretary for many years. She is laid up and can’t put any wait on her foot. If you know Darlene, that is a challenge for her. She made it pretty clear she was tired of doing nothing. Now this was right before Chris and I went on vacation and I said that doing nothing sounded pretty good to me right now. We both kind of laughed. She wanted what I had, to be able to be busy with work. I wanted what she had, the opportunity to do nothing, to rest. Thankfully our Lord Jesus, who is actively involved in all of our lives, is watching over us and out for us and He knows what we need. He blesses us with work and rest.

          We see that encouraging truth presented to us in our Gospel lesson. If you have a really good memory and can remember last week’s Gospel lesson Jesus sent His disciples out to work. This is the last part of last week’s reading. “They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³They also drove out many demons. They anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Jesus blessed them with work to do. And they did it. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught.”  Can you imagine their excitement? Thomas, “Lord I don’t have any proof so don’t doubt me, I healed sick people!” Peter, “Lord no one can deny what I did. I told demons to leave and they did. Three times!” James and John likely came in with the report that some people were not receptive and what was Jesus going to do about that? Judas, “People gave me money to support you. How about I hold on to it until we figure out what to do?” and all the rest, eagerly telling all that had happened and how they had told people the Messiah had come. Jesus had blessed them with work, meaningful work to do for Him.

          Just like He blesses you with meaningful work to do for Him. “Now wait a minute,” you might say, “I’m not an apostle, a pastor or a teacher. Jesus hasn’t given me any meaningful work to do.” You are wrong. Our Lord Jesus cares about the spiritual needs of people. Our Lord Jesus cares about the physical needs of people. Our Lord Jesus cares about the emotional needs of people. As you have heard me say before, people are God’s true treasures. He uses other people to provide for the needs of His treasures and give them joys in this earthly life and so there is not a job or vocation a role you can fill that I can think of except, the sinful ones, that is not in one way or another, working for Jesus. Police and fire. Yup. Doctors and nurses. Yup.  Lawyers and judges. Yup. Babysitters and lawnmowers. Yup. Pastors and teachers and janitors. Yup. Retiree—which means you do all kinds of work without pay. Yup. Builders, contractors, plumbers, electricians, bankers, yup, yup, yup and yup and it does not end. “But,” you may counter, “mine really isn’t that important, that meaningful. I’m just a mom. I’m just a kid.” Really? Was a hammer, just a hammer when Jesus wielded it as a carpenter? Was a chisel just a chisel, a saw just a saw? Not in the hands of the Lord Jesus it’s not and you are in the hands of the Lord Jesus. So don’t fall into the me and Darlene trap of wishing to have what the Lord has given to another. Let’s each thank the Lord for the work He gives us. And then follow the encouragement given so that whether we eat, drink or whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God. It’s why we are told in Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, keep working at it with all your heart, as for the Lord and not for people, ²⁴ because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Keep serving the Lord Christ!” The compassionate Christ blesses us with work.

          And with rest. Look again at our Lord in action with His disciples. “He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” For there were so many people coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. ³²They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³But many people saw them leave and knew where they were going. They ran there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. His heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things.” Jesus had compassion on his disciples. They had worked hard at the work He had blessed them with. They were tired. So Jesus blessed them with rest. But as is so often the case, rest can be elusive. Many people made sure they were waiting for the weary disciples and their master, Jesus. So Jesus told His disciples to take care of the situation and tell the people to go away. No, He didn’t. He had compassion on the people and the disciples. Jesus did the work. His disciples had a chance to rest.

          Same thing happens in your life and my live. You likely all remember what Jesus promised in Matthew 11:28. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” That particular rest is the rest from trying to be perfect, the rest from being in a performance-based relationship with God. The rest from guilt over sinning. “You are forgiven,” says Jesus. “You are perfect in the sight of God because of me,” says Jesus. This is the same Jesus who was there at creation when God blessed His creation with physical rest too. Jesus blesses you with rest as well. The question is, will you take it? Will you take the physical rest He has given you or will you fill every waking hour with some scheduled activity so there is no time to enjoy God’s creation or the blessings of people He has placed in your lives or the things that He has placed into your care? Will you take the spiritual rest He has blessed you with, waking up each morning knowing that you are a forgiven sinner with no past and live just today as a present to live to God’s glory or will you listen to the Devil’s voice continually telling you that you are not good enough and all the bad things happening in your life are really God’s just punishment? Will you take the emotional and spiritual rest Jesus blesses you with and stay in your lane, only concerning yourself with those things Jesus has given you to rule over, casting all other cares on Him or will you see yourself as the fixer of all things, the world’s, the country’s, the family’s next Savior? Jesus blesses you with rest! Take it!

          And remember what Jesus is like. Every once in a while, when you are going through one of those tough times that the sin messed world throws at you a well-meaning friend or family member will console you with the words, “I know just how you feel” or “I know how hard this is for you.” Please take those with the intent expressed. Love and concern. The reality is that no other person actually does know how you feel or what you are going through because they are not you. Jesus does.! Jesus knows you better than you know yourself. He has compassion on you. His heart goes out to you. He knows when you need to work. He knows when you need to rest. Whatever He gives and whenever He gives it, work or rest, take it. It’s a blessing to you from the compassionate Christ. Amen.

July 6-8, 2024 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Ezekiel 2:1-7 “THEN THEY WILL KNOW THAT A PROPHET HAS BEEN AMONG THEM!”

 

PENTECOST 7

July 6-8, 2024

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Ezekiel 2:1-7

 

“THEN THEY WILL KNOW THAT A PROPHET HAS BEEN AMONG THEM!”

(Or how you continue to be a blessing to the USA!)

 

          So, every so often I get asked this question: “When did you know you wanted to be a pastor?” My very quick and honest response is, “After my first year as a pastor.” That surprises people, maybe you too. See I always thought I wanted to be a pastor. My parents held up being a pastor as a noble way to live. Not realizing what a sheltered life I had I thought, “What could be easier than being a pastor? You tell God’s people what God says and they do it because that’s what God’s people do, right?” And then I became a pastor. And on the very day I was ordained I became embroiled in the most messy marriage counseling disaster I have ever experienced. I met with him. I met with her. I met with them. I told them what God said. But they didn’t do it! I was shocked. I was flabbergasted. So I kept meeting with him, with her and them. Nothing I tried worked. On top of that her dad was breathing down my neck constantly. He was a strong, aggressive gun toting native Texan. What was I going to do about that bum of a husband? When would there be relief for his sweet little darlin? It got to the point I dreaded seeing him on Sunday and did not look forward to checking my messages or answering my phone. I wasn’t sleeping well. I perseverated on this problem constantly. I remember thinking, “I didn’t sign up for this. All that time in school and now I don’t want to be a pastor if this is what it’s like.” And then God did His God thing. He dropped some information that had been hidden into my lap. I found out that not only do God’s people not always do what God says, they will lie to you too. The marriage was broken. And I learned something that day. I learned to stay in my lane. God had made it clear that He had never asked me to fix marriages other people had broken. He had called me to proclaim His word to those who like it or like it not. And from then on I knew I wanted to be a pastor. And for any of your boys here that God might use as pastors some day, I get paid good money to do this. I feel like I’m double dipping, getting paid earthly treasures while I store up heavenly ones. It’s a fun way to live--as long as you stay in your lane.

          That was something the prophet Ezekiel needed to remember and will be a great source of comfort and peace for you as you continue to be a blessing to your country. Let’s revisit God’s marching orders for Ezekiel. “He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israe^] to disloyal nations, who have been disloyal to me. They and their fathers have rebelled against me to this very day. ⁴ These children of mine are brazen-faced and hard-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you are to tell them that this is what the Lord God says. ⁵ Then, whether they listen or do not listen—for they are a rebellious house—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” And to think I was throwing myself a pity party! Up front Ezekiel was told that the people he would serve were disloyal, rebellious, brazen and hard hearted. His job was simple. Tell them what the Lord said. And did you notice the goal? It didn’t matter whether the people listened or did not listen. God had one goal. Then they will know that a prophet has been among them. The people would know what God had to say. It was not Ezekiel’s job to make the people listen. He would not be the one to work repentance. That was God’s work. He needed to stay in his lane, do the work God gave him to do, no more and certainly no less. Tell them that this is what the Lord God says. Pretty simple. If he caught on, I’m sure the work of being a prophet was fun. If he didn’t, like the early version of me, he was frustrated.

          Brothers and sisters, a similar thing is true for each of you and what we do together as a congregation. I’m sure the heart of every person here is the same. We love our country. We are saddened as we see the direction it is going. We want better for her. Also like our good and gracious God, we want souls saved! All of them. We especially want our loved ones, our family members, our friends, those people we actually know, to be saved. But we can’t do that. Only God can save. Only the Holy Spirit changes hearts. That’s not our lane. But we so want it to be, so we get frustrated. We train our children in the way of the Lord, we have the home devotions, we bring them to church and then they stray. They don’t care. They start talking like Americans instead of Christians and the loyalty to Jesus does not seem to be there. We wonder “What was the use?” Our youth get pulled into to thinking they should be a different gender, or explore same sex relationships. That’s not what they were taught! We get frustrated. Pastors try to fix broken marriages. It doesn’t work. Teachers try to clean up the messy homes and poor parenting of their students. It doesn’t work. We get mad. We get frustrated with others, with God. Why? We are out of our lane. We have stepped on God’s toes and told Him, “Move over, let me take care of this, my way.” What is our lane as individual Christians, as a Christian congregation? Same as Ezekiel’s! “You are to tell them that this is what the Lord God says… You are to speak my words to them whether they listen or they do not.” It glorifies God when, you His people, faithfully proclaim His word, His truth, to your family, to your friends, and when a congregation like St. Jacobi continues to proclaim His truth in this community. It gives glory to our God and shows His grace that He has his message of sin pointed out to people and salvation freely given through Jesus to those who listen and to those who don’t.

          And here, friends, is how you are a blessing to our country and will continue to be if you don’t frustrate yourself. Stay in your lane! It is not your job to change the behaviors of your wayward children or grandchildren. It is not your job to make your fellow American citizens love Jesus like you do. You can’t make people believe. You can’t save them. Only Jesus does. Stay in your lane! Maintain a faithful presence to God and His word where you are at. Every family gathering does not need to include a discussion of the blatant sins going on in the family. Somewhere along the line a loving conversation expressing concern and pointing to Jesus needs to happen. After that your very presence will be reminder of what God says and they will know that a prophet has been among them. God is glorified by you. You are a blessing in those people’s lives whether they listen or do not listen.

          And the same thing is true for this congregation. You, the people of this congregation, need to insist adamantly, that we hold to God’s truth in all its parts and proclaim it whether people listen or not. The dwindling desire to be in a right relationship with God that we see in our country is not a reason for us to hunker down and fortress up but all the more reason for us to be bold about being the happy people the Lord has chosen, to be examples of people who rejoice in each day that the Lord has made, in showing people by our words and actions and weekly worship habits that we follow Jesus because we want to, because He loves us, because we are forgiven. That’s what this nation needs. You, your presence as the faithful people of God. Then they will know that God has sent prophets among them. And that is how you will continue to be a blessing to the country you love.

          And who knows what the Lord will do with our faithful presence? That marriage that I told you about failed. I don’t know where those people are anymore. But that strong Texan man, Dad, who kept pressuring me, breathing down my neck with veiled threats and constant questioning? He became one of our greatest friends and biggest supporters and is now enjoying the lasting peace of heaven. We’ll have a great reunion and laugh about our first relationship some day. God can do the same for you, your family that you are worried about and for our country. Don’t judge by what you see happening right now. Be faithful, not frustrated, and you will continue to be a blessing to our nation. Amen.