July 11-13, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 “IT’S GREAT TO BE ON GOD’S TEAM!”

 

PENTECOST 7

July 11-13, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

 

          “IT’S GREAT TO BE ON GOD’S TEAM!”

1.     You get a meaningful part to play.

2.     The pressure is off.

 

John Donne, an English clergyman is credited with the saying, “No man is an island.” Actually, his whole quote went like this. "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." He was poetically expressing the truth about people as God made them. No one is truly independent. Everyone, whether they realize it or not, is dependent on God. And people also need other people. Some need more some less, but no one is an island. That is one of the reasons that the concept of teams is woven into the fabric of society. A family functions as a team, you have work teams and then the myriad of sports teams. And if you are not playing anymore you still find yourself rooting for your team at schools and at the professional level.

God’s Words in 1 Corinthians 3 gives us some great news. It lets us know that we are all on a team, God’s team. The goal of the game is salvation, heaven, for us and for others. And it is important that we keep this in perspective. I have played all kinds of sports and still play all kinds of games but if you ask me what is the most important game I have ever won I will tell it’s the next one. Because all the other wins are one and done and you move on. Doesn’t matter. Results don’t last. Eternity does. It’s heaven or hell. All of the things we do in service to God and other people matter. It pleases God and benefits other people when we fix their broken bodies and help with broken cars and all the other things we do in service to others. But the body fixed will still die at some point. That repaired car scrapped. But the results of this salvation game we are playing on God’s team  last forever. So today let’s rejoice together in how great it is to be on God’s Team!

“Same Team!” “Same Team!” I remember one soccer dad telling me about watching his son play beginning soccer. The kids were just learning the game and one aggressive boy kept stealing the ball from players on his own team. “Same team,” the coach kept yelling. Immature players need to hear that. “Same team” is what the Apostle Paul wrote to the members of the church in Corinth. They were acting immaturely in many ways. The way he was addressing here was factions and cliques that had developed in the church. They were rallying around their favorite pastor instead of their only Savior. Listen again to what he wrote.

 “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are ministers through whom you believed, and each served as the Lord gave him his role. ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. ⁷So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but it is God who causes the growth. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters are united, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹For God is the one whom we serve as coworkers, and you are God's field, God's building.”

Same team. God’s team. Paul was helping the Corinthians to grow up in their faith. In doing that he helps us value ours. Paul pictured the salvation game like farming. There is work that farmers can do like planting and watering. He could have added plowing and fertilizing and weeding and scaring crows. So it was true for the team at Corinth. Paul played his part. Apollos played his part. The members played theirs. Each had a meaningful role. Same team. God’s team.

Brothers and sisters, you are on God’s team. The “game” we play is the salvation of souls. Each of you has a meaningful part to play. You’ve seen or heard the phrase, “You may be the only Bible some people read.” What that means is as Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth and lights for this world. How you conduct yourself at work, with family and extended family, with neighbors matters. Someone has to plow the ground. You might be that plow who listens when someone’s life is in turmoil and tells them how it is faith in the Lord that gets you through tough times or asks, “How’s that working for you?” when it’s obvious their lifestyle is leading to all kinds of grief. Or your deliberate refusal to live like the rest of society that makes your friends uncomfortable because they think you are judging their decisions. You prepare. Some of you God uses to plant the seed. When the plow has made soil ready, some of you God has made good at turning those conversations to Jesus. Others water. You maintain a faithful to God presence in the lives of those who are not faithful to God. Or think of how God has us working together on this team we call St. Jacobi. Everyone has a meaningful part to play as God has determined and gifted you. You invite without being pushy. You bring people with you to make that handshake with God’s word. Some of you are prayers. Some of you are payers. Some of you plan and organize. Some of you fix and maintain, clean, serve, make music, sing, be present in worship.

You are on God’s team, with an important part to play. So why do you look at what others are doing and think it is more important than what you do? Why do judge your worth by the world’s standards, the money you make, how many likes or friends you have? Why do you waste time wishing you could do what God has someone else doing instead of what He made you to do? If the Lord is allowing you to draw breath you still have a part to play and it matters. You are on God’s team!

And here is some more good news. The pressure is off. Would you like to be the kicker in the Super Bowl lining up for the 50 yard  field goal to win the game, or not, as time expires? Up to bat with the bases loaded, 2 outs, bottom of the 9^th 7^th World Series Game? Penalty kicker in sudden death in FIFA, last second shot NBA? Some people, a select few, want that pressure, or at least say they do. But remember, they are playing games that do not matter and whose results don’t last. Quick, who won the Super Bowl six years ago? World Series 4 years ago? Our game matters. Life or death. Salvation of souls.

Oh how great it is to be on God’s team. The pressure is off. When it comes to our own salvation Jesus did it all. Jesus lived perfectly so we are freed from the pressure of a performance based relationship with God. Jesus paid it all so when death comes knocking at our door our entrance to heaven is assured. But what about for other people—our family members, our friends, our co workers. The ones we have kept praying for and given the opportunity, witnessed to? What did God have Paul tell us? ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. ⁷So then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but it is God who causes the growth.” Farmers have things they can do but what they can’t do is make something grow. God has reserved that for Himself. So it is with us. We each have a meaningful part to play but God causes the growth. I know that many of you carry burdens on your heart. They are family members and relatives or close friends. Perhaps you yourself planted and watered them, bringing them to church, teaching them about Jesus, modeling with your own example how important faith in Christ is. But now they have strayed. You wonder what you did wrong. You wonder what else you can do. Every church that, like ours, has a school attached, may at times wonder if all the work is worth it when all the kids who graduate and are confirmed do not show up regularly in worship. What more can we do?

Stay in your lane! You are on God’s team! The pressure is off. You played your very important part. God has on His team others who will play their parts. But it is God who causes the growth. Last week in the Gospel lesson you heard your Lord Jesus say, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Rest your anxious heart in Jesus. He has plans for the salvation of your loved ones that you know nothing about. He has other team members He will use to cultivate or fertilize. He will cause growth. Judge not by what your eyes see but instead in what your God promises. For better of for worse I have been here long enough to see the straying come back or hear through phone call or email at which other church they have landed. The pressure is off. Your God brings results. You are on God’s team.

More good news. It’s a winning team. Some people sadly, by where they grew up, are stuck cheering for consistently losing teams. So sad. In the only “game” that really matters, the one where the outcome is eternal life or eternal death, you are on the winning team, God’s team. So play your part. Relax. God’s got this. God’s got you. God’s got your loved ones. Amen.

 

June 20-22, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 “SOME FATHERLY ADVICE!

 PENTECOST 4

June 20-22, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 2 Timothy 4:1-8

“SOME FATHERLY ADVICE!”

1. Keep the Faith.

2. The Faith will keep you!

It’s Father’s Day weekend. Sadly, the image of father in our country has taken quite a hit. Some of it is deserved. Deadbeat dads and baby daddys don’t help. Workaholic absent fathers and boys who never became men don’t either. Neither has the entertainment world. Gone are the awesome sitcom father role models like Ward Cleaver. Somehow still in is Homer Simpson. Would a show like “Father Knows Best” get a second look today? People poke fun at dad bods. What’s wrong with it? And dad jokes. Some of the funniest I’ve ever heard! I was blest with a great role model dad. I remember and repeat some of his oft repeated advice. “Work first, then play,” to motivate boys who wanted to play backyard football to get take care of responsibility first. Great life lesson. “You wanna play, you gotta pay” to boys who stayed up too late playing cards when it was time to get up for church. This one you may have heard too, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all” to a dinner table with 8 siblings around it who were not always nice to each other.

The Apostle Paul served as a father figure for a young pastor named Timothy. He called him his son. His two letters to Timothy were included in the Bible because the Holy Spirit wanted all of God’s people to benefit as these were God’s words, not Paul’s. So on this Father’s Day weekend we all benefit from some fatherly advice from the Apostle Paul. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 

“SOME FATHERLY ADVICE!”

1. Keep the Faith!

A good summary of this is Keep the Faith. Keep here means to hold on to and to guard, to protect and proclaim. The faith here means what is believed. It is to be whatever God’s word says. In season and out of season. All the time. Why? Paul said a time would come when people would not put up with the sound doctrine of Bible teaching and would instead want what their itching ears want to hear. What do itching ears want to hear? Gossip for one. That my sin is OK for another. Boy do we know what he was talking about, right? 

Here is Miriam Webster’s current definition of a myth.  A “A popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone especially one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society. B An unfounded or false notion.” Our society has in many ways turned away from the truth and toward myths. Evolution is a big one. Science legitimately applied is great. You gather data over long periods of time. You make conclusions. Then you have to prove those conclusions through carefully controlled and repeated experiments which must prove your conclusion over many years. Evolution is by definition a myth (unfounded and false) and unscientific. Yet so many have turned away from the truth of creation to the myth of evolution and the Devil laughs as he accomplishes his real goal of stealing glory from God and hiding God’s obvious existence. All this gender gibberish is another myth. A belief that has grown up embodying the ideals of a segment of society. Follow the science. XX and XY. Of course there are some one offs that happen because all creation got ruined by sin. But when you follow the science, there is only male and female. My wife would love for June to known only as her birthday month but for many in our society it is pride month. Pride in what? Pride in sinning! People have pride marches to openly defy God. “We are our gods. We set the rules. If there is a god he/she/it does not know what he’s talking about.” If anything, June should be known as shame month. In fact every month could be known as shame month. And not just by people out there. By us. Lord, we are ashamed that we too have taken your gift of sexuality and used it outside the loving relationship of a man and woman joined in holy marriage. Shame that we have let other’s abuse of the welfare system harden our hearts and close our wallets to help those who really are in need. Shame that we have let our God’s blessing us with an affluent life in an affluent country skew our values and priority of setting our minds on things above. Shame that our righteous anger over blatant sinning of our fellow citizens can lead us to forget that they are souls Jesus died for too. Some of those who take pride in sin have sold their souls to the Devil. They are dead men walking. They prey on vulnerable people. But many who have become embroiled in this moral mess we call America are prey. Taken advantage of when they felt alone, led astray. These are likely the people you know, the ones in your family that make your heart ache. We need to continue to pray for those who have been preyed on. Love them. And try to be there for them when their predators dump them to show that Jesus still loves them and there is forgiveness for every sin through faith in Him!

That why God wants us and all people to listen to this fatherly advice. Keep the faith. Because the faith will keep you! Paul gives us his testimony. “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” Timothy’s spiritual father Paul is brimming with confidence. The Lord has let him know his earthly life is nearly over. And he’s keyed. He’s pumped. He’s excited. He’s doing victory laps! Why? He knows what’s coming. The crown of righteousness. The glory of heaven. The beginning of his real life. Where is all that confidence coming from? Jesus. The faith that Paul kept, held on to, guarded, now keeps him. Paul had plenty of sins to be ashamed of. His dirty laundry is aired in the Bible. No worries! Jesus paid it all. Paul’s sins, his persecution of believers, his slate wiped clean. Jesus did it all. His perfect life became Paul’s garments of righteousness. All that remained was for Paul to stand in joy beside his Lord.

“SOME FATHERLY ADVICE!”

2. The Faith will keep you!

This faith that you hold on to, that you are keeping, will keep you too. I have seen, you have seen, others beside Paul, who long for the appearing of Christ, who look forward to the end of earthly life. They kept the faith and the faith kept them. Whether you want to picture your life as a race or a fight, while you live it and when it ends faith in Christ will keep you. My dirty laundry and yours is not revealed for others to see on the pages of Scripture. But no matter what it is, Jesus has washed it clean with His blood shed on the cross. Jesus covers you with His righteousness. With faith you can absorb and overcome whatever the Devil and this world throw at you. And then this is what is waiting for you. (PICTURE OF JESUS WELCOMING INTO HEAVEN) That’s why the faith that is revealed in Scripture and your ability to believe it is the most important blessing and gift from God that we receive. Keep it and guard it. For it will keep you. Here, Father does know best! Amen.

May 23-24, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Corinthians 12:3-11 “THE PRESENCE OF PENTECOST = THE PRESENTS OF PENTECOST

 

PENTECOST

May 23-24, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:3-11

 

“THE PRESENCE OF PENTECOST = THE PRESENTS OF PENTECOST

1.     The Gift of Faith

2.     The Gifts to Serve

 

So, did any of you give or receive Pentecost presents this year? I mean, think about it. For other special Christian celebrations we do that. At Christmas we give Christmas gifts. And while many in our country don’t understand the origin of that practice, for us, the gift giving reminds us of God’s Christmas gift to us: a Savior has been born to you. At Easter there are Easter baskets and while for many in our country that is just a fun thing for us Christians it can be a fun thing that reminds us of the joy the disciples of Jesus discovered on Easter that Jesus is alive. Now it is Pentecost and it is a big deal. Some might say God made a bigger deal over Pentecost than He did with Christmas and Easter. Christmas was quiet. Mary and Joseph in the stable. Just a few shepherds saw the angel host. The rest of Bethlehem slept through it. On Easter the angels appeared and spoke to very few. Few people heard that good news right away. But Pentecost! God made a splash! You heard all about it in the historical account from Acts. Jerusalem is filled with people from all over the world. A huge wind noise grabs the people’s attention and draws them to the house where the disciples are. The tongues of fire caused a commotion and gave an opportunity. Then the disciples were able to speak to the people who had gathered from all over the world in their own first language so they could understand what was said. And then Peter became a master of the Bible making it clear that Pentecost had been promised in the Old Testament, just as Jesus promised it in the Gospel lesson and if you Paul Harvey it and read the rest of the story you will find that about 3000 people were added to the early church in one single day. That’s huge! Pentecost is huge! So where are the Pentecost presents? No worries. God’s Christmas gift was one and done. Jesus does not need to become one of us again. The Easter surprise is also one and done. Jesus has risen so He does not need to rise again. But Pentecost is ongoing. The presence of Pentecost means we keep getting the presents of Pentecost.

          And the first one, the gift of faith, is the most important one. “Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God's Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” We celebrate the Holy Spirit because He is the giver of faith. Cursing Jesus certainly seems like an odd thing to do. Except that many Americans do use Jesus’ name as a curse word to express outrage or anger. If your work situation has you hearing that a lot from coworkers you will want to check to make sure it still hurts your ears to hear that. You don’t have to make them stop but, if it has leaked over into your vocabulary you will want to stop that. The Corinthian people did hear people deliberately cursing Jesus. The Roman emperor had branded Christianity illegal. So all the idol and fake god worshipping people cursed Jesus. But believers did not. Believers called Jesus their Lord. How could they do that? No can say that unless the Holy Spirit enables them. The Holy Spirit gave them the gift of faith.

          The only reason you and I believe is because of the Holy Spirit. Paul testified elsewhere that it is by grace we are saved through faith and that does not happen by yourself. It is a gift from God. Happy Pentecost! The Holy Spirit’s presence means you got a present, a gift. Faith. And let me tell you why that is the most important gift. On they day you die and at the gathering of all people on Judgment Day you know what won’t matter? How many points you scored. How much money you made. Whether you were popular or not. What your home looks like and if you have a vacation home. What your high school or college GPA was. The only thing that will matter is faith in Jesus. God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish. Those who believe will not be condemned but those who do not are condemned already.  Without faith Hell is your eternal home. Separated from God and His goodness. Forever. But for those who believe, for those who say “Jesus is Lord” and mean it, heaven is our home. No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit, so thank you Holy Spirit for your presence which has given us the gift of faith.

          And His gift giving goes on! “There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are various kinds of ministries, and yet the same Lord. ⁶There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone.  ⁷Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸To one person a message of wisdom is given by the Spirit; to another, a message of knowledge, as the same Spirit provides it; ⁹by the same Spirit, faith is given to someone else; and to another, the same Spirit gives healing gifts. ¹⁰Another is given powers to do miracles; another, the gift of prophecy; another, the evaluating of spirits; someone else, different kinds of tongues; and another, the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹One and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them to each one individually as he desires.” The Christians in Corinth had a problem Christians today have to. They played the comparison game. They thought that some gifts from the Holy Spirit were better than others. Mostly that meant that each person thought their gift was better than another person’s meaning they were each thinking they were better than one another. Just that selfish sinful nature peaking through again.

          They were missing the main points. The Holy Spirit gives gifts as He desires. To every believer. For the Common good. This is good news for us when we are tempted to play the comparison game. I wish I could sing like she does. I wish I could talk like he does. I wish I was better at caring and encouraging. I wish I could…Give it up! The Holy Spirit has given you gifts as He desires. He knows what is best for you to have. You don’t. To each one He gives gifts. No one here has been short changed. Every one has been gifted by the Spirit. Paul’s list is by no means exhaustive. Wisdom: spiritual wisdom, the ability to apply God’s Word in a Godly way. Knowledge: having a storehouse ready of what God has said. Faith: the ability to remain calmly trusting in trying times. Healing and miracles: think of the Apostles ability to cure disease and do miracles as a way of authenticating their preaching before the Bible was complete. Prophecy: the boldness to proclaim clearly what God has clearly said. Speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues: how nice to be able to tell people in their own language the great things God has done for them like the Apostles did on Pentecost Day. There are others mentioned in Scripture. Encouraging, generosity, leadership, administration, witnessing and many, many more.

All kinds of gifts. One purpose. The common good. Serving. Remember how our Lord Jesus pulled us along to want to serve by telling us even He did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many! It is our privilege to serve, our honor to serve and our way of happiness. We serve each other here in church. Your very presence in this worship service encourages everybody else who has gathered. We are not alone. We are not crazy for believing the Bible and trusting only in Jesus. We serve by praying for each other, singing praise to God. We serve each other by smiling and being kind. We serve each other in all the ways behind the scenes that help us have this wonderful place to stay close to Jesus. We serve each other and others we don’t know with our generosity that supports Gospel ministry. We others by being good neighbors, hardworking parents, good employees whose lives attract others to Jesus. We serve because each one of us has been gifted to serve by the Holy Spirit. Truly He is the gift that keeps on giving! Amen.

 

 

 

 

CONFIRMATION 

May 16-18, 2026 

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude 

Text: 1 Peter 5:6-11 (NIV 1984) 

 

“IT IS CONFIRMED!”

“GOD GIVES YOU STRENGTH FOR YOUR STRUGGLES!”

 

1 Peter 5:6-11 (NIV) “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 

 

Have you ever seen salmon heading upstream to spawn? It’s a fascinating sight, especially when they run into a natural dam or man made fish ladder. How do they fling themselves like that? Why do they fling themselves like that? You find yourself thinking, “Fish, you can lay your eggs anywhere. Why do you struggle so to get the place you were born?” There is an answer to that. God said so. The almighty Creator decreed that salmon should spawn where they themselves were born. So the salmon don’t whine or complain. They embrace their struggle and do what the Creator has planned for them. If only we were like that! Often we chafe when we go through struggles in life. We pray for them to be gone. We get mad at God. What we fail to appreciate is that God allows struggles for our good. This weekend is Confirmation weekend at St. Jacobi. To confirm means to strengthen or affirm. The word of God confirms a truth we need to know: the same God who allows struggles for our good gives us strength to endure, embrace and grow. 

The Apostle Peter uses a neat little way of encouraging us. He uses a series of what and why statements. Here is the first. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” God can easily humble us. Not long ago I was visiting one of our shut in members. She was having one of those confused days and thought I was her son. As we were visiting she had the St. Jacobi online service playing on her TV. Out of the blue she says, “I’m not sure I would recognize Pastor Spaude if I saw him anymore. He’s balding. Getting heavier.” I had to sit there and take it. Not only is it not cool to retaliate against grandmas, I mean, she’s not wrong. God can easily humble us. The struggle we face is to humble ourselves. That means daily giving up the arrogant thoughts that we are better than other people, deserving of this undeserved love called grace. It means acknowledging with meaning I deserve nothing good from God. It means praying “Your will be done” from the heart and letting go of our idea of how God should do things. That takes work, a struggle. Why embrace that struggle? God will lift you up in due time. That is a promise God makes and keeps. He forgives the repentant. He guides those who listen. He gives peace to those who stay in their lane, not His. 

Here is another what and why struggle. ”Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Cast your anxiety on Him. Anxiety literally means those things that keep going round in your mind. No matter where you are or what you are doing or how you try to distract yourself, there you are thinking about them again. Most of the time we are anxious about things out of our control. Will I get the job or not? What will the test reveal? What we are to do with those worries and anxieties is cast them on the Lord. That means to give up trying to fix what we cannot and giving it over to the one who can. You wouldn’t think that would be a struggle bit it is.  We want to be in control. We want to fix it ourselves and our way. So God strengthens us with a promise. He cares for you. Literally again the words used here tells that God has us on His mind. Think about it! Of all that is going on in this created world God chooses to keep us on His mind, to think of our needs. We know how far that caring goes. In His love for us He punished Jesus for our sins instead of us! He cares for us that much. What anxieties do you struggle with? What worries keep you up at night? God strengthens you. He lets you cast them on his ‘big enough for everyone’ shoulders. He cares for you. 

What and why #3. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Someone recently shared with me a book they were reading entitled “The Anxious Generation.” The author posited that children today have more anxiety than ever largely because their parents and media are fear mongering. Snow on the roads. Fires at school. Tornados. Shootings. Car accidents. Certainly these are things to be aware of and people can be harmed by them. But statistically harm from these is actually quite rare. Here is one parents and media should point out. The Devil. Statistically danger from him is 100 % . He and his demons especially target those who promise to stay faithful to Jesus. He hates Jesus. So he hates people who love Jesus. The struggle is to stay alert. The media does not talk about Satan. Satan you cannot see. He’s tricky. I cheat this one time because I forgot an assignment becomes more times and a cheater at school becomes a cheater at work and a cheater in a marriage. One week away from God’s word becomes two weeks and pretty soon a way of life.   A devil that is a roaring lion is waiting to devour you. Struggle to stay alert. 

And... ”Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Our 4^th what is to resist him. Resist the devil and stand firm in your faith. To resist means to push against. To say No. To watch and pray. To use the word of God that Jesus used to fight temptation. Why? You’re not alone. There’s an old adage for winning wars that says, “Divide and conquer.” Divide your enemy and you can conquer him. The Devil tries that with us. He tries to get us to throw pity parties for ourselves as though we are the only ones going through the struggles. We hear for instance what the word says about our home life and family and what they are supposed to look like. Then we find that in our own we have to struggle. We have to make love work. We have to work to forgive. Raising children is hard. It’s hard to go against the stream of society. Then we look at someone sitting next to us in church and we think, “They don’t have to struggle. What’s wrong with me?” What’s wrong with you is that you are wrong. Every Christian has to struggle. There isn’t a person or family in this congregation that doesn’t have to struggle to do things God’s way. Every home and family is touched by sin and has challenges, some which will only get fixed in heaven. You’re not alone in this. 

And you are not alone in the most important way. ”And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast”. Did you hear the Good News? God is with you. He’s right there while you are struggling. You might not feel it, know it or believe it but He is. He is because He said so and God cannot lie. And at the right time God will restore you, make you strong, firm and steadfast. This too shall pass! And these struggles, they are allowed by a gracious God. He takes no joy in our hurt. Like with salmon and the rest of creation God only allows struggle with purpose. To make you strong, firm and steadfast. It’s confirmed, God gives you strength for your struggles. He has confirmed the promises He has made to you. Daily affirm, confirm and keep the promises you make to Him! “To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 

April 11-13, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: John 20:19-31 (EHV) “JESUS LIVES!”

 

EASTER 2

April 11-13, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: John 20:19-31 (EHV)

 

“JESUS LIVES!”

1.     He gives you peace.

2.     He gives you proof.

 

          Apparently I’m not much fun to watch crime dramas with. I found that out recently. Just like when I’m watching football and a running commentary/critique on the play and the announcers just kind of spews out of my mouth, the same thing happens with TV shows when it’s just not realistic. “So, nobody ever turns on the light when they go into a darkened basement, really? Oh, she’s going to go into the abandoned warehouse by herself without calling for backup. Just like they are taught. I wonder what’s going to happen.” That’s when I heard it. “You know you kind of ruin the fun of watching these shows!” says Chris. Well, at least I’m consistent. I find myself doing it when reading the Bible. Easter gets me. “Guys, how many times in the past few months did Jesus tell you that He was going up to Jerusalem where He would be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests, put to death but after three days rise again?” It’s not like He used parables where you had to figure it out. He didn’t use apocalyptic language like Revelation. So as things kept happening just like Jesus said, why were they so slow to believe? Why are we so slow to believe? Friends, Jesus lives! Our full service living Lord did not just perfectly obey in our place so we are covered with His righteousness, perfect in the sight of God. He did not just pay in full the punishment price for all of our sins. He also rose from the dead and as our living Lord gives us what we need. Peace and proof. Just like with His disciples.

          It’s the evening of Easter Sunday. The disciples have heard from the women that Jesus rose from the dead. Peter and John have seen the empty tomb and folded grave clothes. The Emmaus disciples have rushed in and told them how Jesus walked with them and taught them. So of course they are rejoicing and celebrating and…No. They are behind locked doors afraid of the Jewish leaders who had opposed and killed Jesus. Fear will do that to you. It will make you act irrationally. It will paralyze your ability to stay calm. Then Jesus appeared. “Peace be with you!” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” Jesus gave them peace. That’s calmness even in difficult circumstances. A sense of well being that even though things might be tough, the loving and all powerful God has a plan and will work it out. This was a blessing the disciples needed as they continued to serve their risen Lord. The chief priests and other enemies of Jesus did not go way. Conflict among the Jewish believers as they navigated the journey from being Old Testament believers to New Testament believers was coming. So was persecution. But Jesus lives! So they had peace!

          We do too! Fear comes into our lives. Fear that seeks to rob you, the people of God, of the peace that is yours because of Jesus. Shall I do my running commentary. How many times has God personally fulfilled to you His promise that in all things He works for the good? How many big and little financial crises have you lived through and here you are still living in affluent America with more food than you need and more clothes than you need? How many times has a problem come up and someone just happens to there at the right time and right place to give you information or help? For all of you who have had to deal with the death of a loved one, the kind that shocked you and took your feet right out from under you so that you did not know how you could carry on, yet you are, one day at a time. It’s not like God made those promises in a parable or using apocalyptic revelation we have to work to figure out. Our personal history proves the proverb “If God brings you to it He will bring you through it.” We know these things. But then the next cancer diagnosis or health scare comes. Then the job loss comes. Then the next international crisis. Then the next national turmoil. Then the next election. Then the___________________. We feel anxious. Fearful. Sad. Stressed. Peace! Jesus lives! Lift your eyes from your own lap, your own hands to the cross of your Lord. Remember how perfectly God plans things for you. Even things that look terrible. Jesus lives and He is with you always just as He said. And He will provide what you need. Peace be with you.

          And proof. Poor Thomas. Doubting Thomas. I don’t think we are going to call him that to his face in heaven! Yet in the church stuck in this world he is probably always going to carry that label. He didn’t always doubt. He was the one who urged the disciples to go die with Jesus when He went to Jerusalem knowing full well the opposition he would receive. He was the one who had the courage in the Upper Room to ask the question all the others probably had too but didn’t want to look stupid. Jesus had said, “You know the way to place where I am going.” “To which Thomas replied, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way?” That’s when Jesus gave the simple answer we all need to know. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When you get to heaven thank Thomas for his next speaking up for all of us act!

As you heard in the Gospel lesson Thomas was not there on Easter evening when Jesus appeared. So of course they tell him the Good News. Jesus lives! The response? “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Now I know we wanted to rush in there and try to stop him but it’s good for us that Thomas went ahead with his bold skepticism. It’s good because while sometimes we are like Thomas and are bold in our trust in Jesus at other times we are like Thomas and we doubt even though all of the voices in the Bible are telling us the truth, even though we can look back at the fingerprints of God in our lives but when a time of testing or trial pops up we doubt. Look what Jesus gives to the doubting. “Peace be with you,” he said. ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus gave proof. Not just any proof. The exact proof Thomas had boldly demanded, proving that not only does Jesus live but He really is with us always and hears our every word. Do you think it made an impact on the rest of Thomas’ life to realize Jesus had been with him the whole time he was setting his conditions? Jesus lives so Thomas got proof.

          Good news for us. Because no matter how many times Jesus gets us through another rough patch, no matter how many times he provides in a way were not anticipating, the next time there is a tight spot we find it so easy to doubt Jesus’ wisdom and power in our lives. We spend our energy on anxiety over things out of our control. We fret. We worry. What we need is proof that God will take care of us. Jesus lives and gives us that proof.

          Did you notice what Jesus did for all of the disciples? At His first appearance on Easter Sunday evening Jesus pointed those disciples to his hands and his side. Then again with Thomas. Touch my hand and my side. Here is my body. Here is my blood. Do you want proof that Jesus lives for you, that He is really present? Communion. The Lord’s Supper is one of those ongoing proofs that Jesus gives. Your Baptism is another. Do you want to know you are a child of God and the Father will treat you like His Son. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus lives and gives you proof.

          It’s blessed faith, not blind faith, that God gives us. Jesus pointed that out when He said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  And then He had John write these words, “Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Jesus lives! Take hold of the gifts that come with that fact. Inner calmness through all of life’s troubles. Confidence that God will prevail. Peace and Proof. Yours because He lives. Amen.

April 3, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Zechariah 3:8-9 (NIV84) “GONE IN A SINGLE DAY!”

 

GOOD FRIDAY

April 3, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Zechariah 3:8-9 (NIV84)

 

“GONE IN A SINGLE DAY!”

 

          If you were at our Midweek Lenten services you know that we have been looking at prophecies from the Old Testament prophet Zechariah. He’s called the Holy Week prophet. Some 500 years before Jesus was born God had Zechariah point us to what Jesus would do as our Savior with many of the pointed prophecies finding fulfillment during Holy Week. Today’s is fittingly a Good Friday prophecy. Here is how it happened. God showed Zechariah a vision of the High Priest Joshua being accused by Satan. Joshua was covered in filthy clothes which symbolized his sin and the sins of the people. Then the Lord exchanged Joshua’s filthy clothes with clean pure richly ornament clothes which symbolized the righteousness of Christ. Then came this prophecy.

 

Zechariah 3:8-9 "Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. ⁹See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”

 

“GONE IN A SINGLE DAY!”

 

          This is prophecy. Filled with symbolism. But it is not new symbolism. It has been used elsewhere. Joshua and his associates, the priests. They were symbols of Jesus the great High priest. Joshua and the priests had made animal sacrifices for the sins of the people over and over and over again. Why? Those sacrifices did not take away any sins. They were symbolic of what was to come. Jesus. Then there is the servant called the Branch. Nothing new here either. The Root of Jesse. The Branch from David’s Stem. Same thing. The Messiah who was a descendant of David, the son of Jesse. From Him God’s church would branch out and grow. He is also called the stone with seven eyes. Jesus is the cornerstone, the stone that causes people to stumble if they reject Him and He sees all. And then the inscription that is engraved so it can not be changed. I will remove the sin of this land/world in a single day. Gone in a single day.

 

          The historians record for us some pretty impressive single day losses. You are familiar with Black Friday, a day when merchants gain a lot of money and consumers lose it. Some of you may have heard of Black Monday or Black Tuesday or Black Thursday. Those are days when the stock market had its biggest single day loss. On the worst, gone in a single day was 22% of wealth. Some people who invested in single stocks found their entire life savings gone in a single day. Or think of some of the wildfires that have plagued our west coast. In a single day thousands of acres of forest and thousands of homes and millions of dollars of property gone. Gone in a single day. To end World War 2 in the Pacific, President Truman ordered the use of atomic bombs. The first fell on Hiroshima. Gone in a single day, 70,000 people. Many more deaths occurred later.

 

          Gone in a single day. Did you notice something in common with all those single day losses? Lives were ruined and lost. That’s what sinful man can easily accomplish. Destruction. Greed ultimately drives stock market crashes. Many of the wildfires were caused by man’s foolish use of fire although, a squirrel chewing on a wire can do the same. War. Zechariah’s prophecy pointed to something different. This gone in a single day would not ruin lives. It would save them. What was gone in a single day? The sins of the world. When? The day we are celebrating. How? Jesus, the Righteous Branch. All those Old Testament priests with all their always repeated sin sacrifices were symbolic, pictures or what Jesus would do. Jesus is the Lamb of God. He offered Himself. He stayed on the cross in agony. For three hours darkness covered the land as God was forsaken by God. For one purpose. To take away the sins of the world. Every pastor’s sins. Every member’s sins. Every parent’s sins. Every child’s sins. Every everyone’s sins. Yours and mine. Every sin committed. Every one that would be. Gone in a single day. Just as was told in prophecy. It is finished. No more payment for sin is required. No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Our sins have been removed, gone in a single day. And the result is not destruction but salvation. Life. New life now. We don’t exist to serve self and sin, we get to serve Jesus. New and perfect life to come. Come back on Sunday to hear about that! Gone in a single day. Not our doing. Jesus did it. What’s left to say but thank you Jesus. Let’s do that now by singing a fitting Good Friday hymn, Thank You Jesus!

March 28-30, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Philippians 2:5-11 (EHV) “LOOK UP!”

 

PALM SUNDAY

March 28-30, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Philippians 2:5-11 (EHV)

 

“LOOK UP!”

1.     To see how much Jesus cares for you.

2.     To see why you can care more for others.

 

So what do you think it looked like? Jesus’ Palm Sunday procession. You can watch what various directors think it looked like in movies like “The Passion of the Christ” or series like “The Chosen.” They may be right and they may be wrong. All we have for sure is the Gospel writers’ accounts, each with their own details. What is common to all is that the focus is squarely on Jesus. Everyone was looking at Jesus as He passed by. What did they see? A kind of celebrity like the beauty pageant queens at parades? A potential Messiah from the Romans? Hosanna. Save us! Matthew, who was there, told us they saw only a prophet. What do you see? That’s what is most important. Today in his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul, urges us to look up to Jesus for comfort and encouragement.

Look up to see how much Jesus cares for you. So how do you feel when you see government leaders doing photo ops? You know, when they get there in the trenches with the people they serve. Take for instance when the prince or princess of England goes to visit a refugee camp sponsored by the royal charities. You watch them visit and sympathize with the state of those in need. Or maybe when we have had natural disasters and state and federal officials show up with the gaggle of reporters and photographers to survey the damage. Or how about when a mayor dons the yellow vest and helps fill in potholes for a few minutes while the camera rolls. I know how I feel because I have been in a similar situation when the boss came to work alongside the workers for a few hours at a difficult job site to demonstrate he understood. No you don’t. Spending a few minutes or hours or even a day with those who are suffering might be a way to try to show you care. But if you really care, take my place.

See how much Jesus cares for you! “Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. ⁶Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, ⁷but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, ⁸he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” Thirty three years! Thirty three years. Jesus did not pull a photo op. He did not spend a hour or a day to convince us He cares. No Jesus emptied Himself, humbled Himself, and even though He is true God became true man. The Creator became the created. The Master became the servant. He became obedient. Thirty three years of obedience. Thirty three years or resisting temptation. How trying that must have been! Some world philosophers in their pondering of just how insistent temptation is, came up with a way to get rid of temptation. Give in. Give in frequently until you don’t want that temptation anymore. But giving in racks up sin debt. Those of you who deal with anything that has an addictive quality to it, like a substance or spending money or binging shows or playing video games or social media, know exactly how hard it is to resist. Jesus resisted for thirty three years using only what we get to use, God’s word. For us. A true substitute. See how much He cares.

And that care went on. We will sing it at the end of this service. Jesus on Palm Sunday entered Jerusalem with purpose. “Ride on, ride on in majesty. In lowly pomp ride on to die!” Why does He die. For us. For you. For me. For every time we gave into temptation instead of resisting the Devil. For every time you told God what to do instead of asking Him. For every time you pulled another Adam and Eve, choosing to declare independence from God by making your own version of good which is evil. Every single sin racks up a punishment debt and that debt must be paid. So Jesus became obedient to death, even death on a cross, such a shame filled way to die that God declared cursed is anyone who dies that way. See how He cares for you.

Economists correctly point out that any item’s value is determined by the price people are willing to pay for it. Do you see what Jesus is saying about you? Look at the price He is willing to pay! For thirty three years He gives up His rightful glory and honor for you. For you He allows the most humiliating form of death, crucifixion, the death on a cross. For you He is covered with the filth of the sins of the world. For you! That’s how valuable you are. Tell that to the Devil when he tries to make you feel worthless because you’re old and can’t do much for anyone anymore. Shove that in the Devil’s face when he tries to make you feel worthless because you have what the world considers a menial job or when your kids don’t appreciate you at home or you find yourself left out  and feel worthless. You’re not. God says so and Jesus proves it by how much He cares for you.

And that is why you and I, in gratefulness, can also care more for other people. What is it that often holds us back from showing care to others, especially care that costs us time or money? Isn’t it always a kind of fear? Fear that there won’t be enough time or money for ourselves. Fear that in all our caring for others  no one will care for us. God has an answer for our fears. “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Actually God is the answer to our fears. “Therefore.” It’s a word our American eyes skip over. Those in the past trained to think logically did not. Therefore joins whatever is coming to what was just said. It’s important. Because Jesus  humbly cared for us God exalted Him. God gave Him glory and honor. Jesus missed out on nothing.

Neither will you as you look to Jesus to see why can care more for others. Remember Paul started this section with the words, “Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” We love because He first loved us. We care because He first cared about us. Christian humility has often been misunderstood. That’s because it is often put opposite of sinful pride. Sinful pride leads us to glory in ourselves, so often people think Christian humility means you put yourself down. Not so. The best definition of Christian humility that I have heard is “not thinking less or yourself, but thinking more of the needs of others.” That’s good because while we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought, we have no right to think less of ourselves than God has made us to be. Each one of us has been fearfully and wonderfully made, physically exactly as God wants us. Each one of us gifted exactly as God knows best. Each one of us so valuable to God Jesus was obedient to death, even death on a cross to win us back for God. Each one of us a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are to care about ourselves.

Look up to Jesus to see why you can care more about others. God’s got you. So boldly be a friend to the girl in your class who is on the outs even if it costs you some status with the mean girls. It will gain you honor with God. Go ahead and keep helping that neighbor who never reciprocates. God will. Humble yourself in Jesus’ way, thinking of the needs of others and God will lift you up in the right way at the right time, just as He exalted Jesus.

Speaking of which, what do you think it will look like? When we see our exalted Palm Sunday King Jesus the first time with our own eyes? Many people have tried to describe our heavenly home. God has chosen to reveal little. This much I can say. Whatever you’re thinking it, will be better. So keep looking up! Amen.