January 29-31, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10 “OH YES WE CAN!”

 

EPIPHANY 4

January 29-31, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10

 

“OH YES WE CAN!”

1.     God has chosen us.

2.     God is with us.

3.     We have God’s words.

 

Jeremiah 1:4-10 (EHV) “The word of the Lord came to me. ⁵ Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations. ⁶ But I said, “Ah, Lord God! I really do not know how to speak! I am only a child!” ⁷ The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, because I am with you, and I will rescue you, declares the Lord.” ⁹ Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. The Lord said to me: There! I have now placed my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ Look, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to tear down,
to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

         

          The words of God we are looking at come from the book of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. His call was to serve as God’s spokesman in the 40 years leading up to what’s known as the Babylonian Captivity. This was the time when for 70 years or so the nation of Judah and the believers in them were conquered and carried away to Babylon. God gave him a tough job to do. From the time God called him he would continually share the “good news” that the nation was doomed, that the nation needed to repent. God even told Jeremiah what the result would be. The people won’t listen. Jeremiah is no dummy. He knows the lay of the land. His message would be unpopular. That meant he would be unpopular. So unpopular that Jeremiah would have his life threatened. He would be put in prison. He would be branded a traitor. Can you blame him for wanting a way out? “But I said, “Ah, Lord God! I really do not know how to speak! I am only a child!” I can’t do it Lord. The job is too tough.

          “Oh, yes you can!” was God’s response. But it was not an empty response. It wasn’t just “Wah, wah, get over it baby.” It was an empowering response because of what God revealed. First that God had chosen him. “The word of the Lord came to me. ⁵ Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” Even before Jeremiah was Jeremiah the Lord had chosen him. He formed him in his mother’s womb to be a prophet, a spokesman for God. Just as an aside, last week in the prayers Vicar reminded us of the awful anniversary of Roe V Wade. God’s word is clear. People are people in the womb. Jeremiah was Jeremiah, not tissue. Any nation that willingly kills its children, kills its future, and is doomed. So let’s just pause now and everyone pray. Pray for our nation. Pray for our leaders. Pray for those who are in a position to protect lives. Pray for repentance.

 

Thank you. Now back to the word. Jeremiah felt like he could not carry out the work God gave him. But he could and he would because God had chosen him.

          And because God was with him. “The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, because I am with you, and I will rescue you, declares the Lord.” Make no mistake about it. Jeremiah’s job would not be easy. People would hate him because of what he said. People would try to kill him. There would be times when Jeremiah would feel alone. He would feel like he was the only one who stayed true to the Lord. He would feel that way, but he would not be that way. The Lord was with him. The Lord rescued him. Even his time in prison was controlled by God who provided strength and help. To Jeremiah’s protest of “I can’t do this,” again God responded, “Oh, yes you can because I am with you.”

          And because Jeremiah had God’s words to use. “Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. The Lord said to me: There! I have now placed my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ Look, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” The Lord reminded Jeremiah that he was a spokesman. He would not be speaking his own words nor acting on his own agenda. This was God’s time and God’s dime. The message Jeremiah brought would build some up and tear others down. He would say what God says, no more no less. And that Jeremiah could do whether he felt like it or no.

          And so can we. Jeremiah’s protest helps us to come to grips with what lives in us too, the sin of reluctance. A reluctance to be ambassadors for Jesus. A reluctance to stand up, stand up for Jesus. A reluctance to tell people what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear. It all boils down to another heart sin. We want to be popular, to fit in and to have people praise us. But God didn’t put us on this planet to be popular. We are here as his servants, his witnesses, his ambassadors. But the writing on the wall says it is going to get tougher for those who say what God says. This should not surprise us. Believers on earth are called the Church militant, the fighting folks. If you have taken advantage of the Revelation Bible Class taught by Prof. Bivens you understand why. Satan. The Devil. And his allies. The unbelieving world and our own sinful natures. They try to thwart every effort believers make to advance the kingdom of God, to do exactly what Jesus said and make more disciples. All this struggling. All this being on guard from the Devil. It’s enough to make a person feel “I can’t do this anymore!”

God has an answer for us that makes us say “Oh, yes we can!” He chose us too. It’s a hard Bible teaching for our minds to wrap around but God tells us that before the creation of the world he chose us to be His own. You know it’s true for you because He made that choosing visible at your Baptism, audible as you’ve heard the good news of your Savior Jesus and evidenced by what you are doing right now, worshiping and devoting to the word. Like Jeremiah we have been chosen for a purpose. We all have different jobs and lives and roles and vocations and yet we all have the same purpose, to declare the great things God has done. To be ambassadors for Christ and witnesses of His truth. So, when you’re feeling unimportant or worthless and you can’t do anything important for the Lord, Oh yes we can! He chose us for this.

And He’s with us. If you keep up on the religious news in America you already know that our country is de Christianizing at a rapid rate. The fastest growing religious category is the nones, not the kind that live in convents, the people who check NONE next to their religious affiliation. You may have noticed the same things at work where not many talk about going to church. You may have seen departures from active worship life in your own families. Again, the feeling sets in. We can’t do this. Oh yes, we can! God is with us. He’s promised it and proved it. We still aren’t that far away from Christmas. The birth of Jesus. Immanuel. God with us! And that Immanuel promised us “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. We are never alone.

And we go with God’s words. At our last Voters meeting our devotion from Psalm 144 reminded us that blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. Right now our nation’s god is science for some, sports and entertainment for others, self for many more. That we are willing to kill our children is just a symptom of something far worse, rejection of God. Like in Jeremiah’s time. As happy as we would be to have the sin of abortion stopped, that’s not the solution. A heart change is. Only God’s words accomplishes that. We have them. We might feel like people won’t listen but God hasn’t told us that. We might worry what people think about us but we don’t have to. These are God’s words, His agenda, not ours. He may use our witness to build up. He may use our witness to tear down, but he will use our witness.

Remember that the next time you feel like your presence in your family, community and country isn’t doing any good. Remember that when your invitation to join you in worship is not accepted. Remember that if court rulings go against us or laws no longer protect our religious freedom. Remember that when you feel like you can’t. Oh yes we can, people of Jacobi. Before he formed you in your mothers’ wombs, God knew you. He set you apart for Him. He is with you and will rescue you and you are his spokesman to a nation who desperately needs Him. Can we do it? Can we keep doing it? With God, “Oh yes, we can!” Amen.

 

January 8-10, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Titus 3:4-7 (EHV) “WHAT BAPTISM IS”

 

BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

January 8-10, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Titus 3:4-7 (EHV)

 

“WHAT BAPTISM IS”

1.     A demonstration of God’s mercy and grace.

2.     A powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

3.     An eternal game changer.

 

Titus 3:4-7 (EHV) “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, ⁵ he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.”

 

          We are in the Epiphany season of the church year. Epiphany means a revealing or making known. It emphasizes that when God is involved not only are things not what they seem, they are much more than they appear to be. Take the visit of the Wise Men that Pastor Waldschmidt talked about last week. When they came to find the one born to be King, they found him with humble and poor parents in Bethlehem not in the palace in Jerusalem. He seemed to be a common Hebrew baby boy. But that baby they found was much more than he appeared to be. He was and is God’s Son our Savior. So instead of making their judgment on what they saw they believed what God said instead and acted accordingly. Worship. Gifts. Gold, frankincense and myrrh.

          That’s a good principle to keep in mind with Baptism. Don’t judge by what you see but instead by what God says. Today we celebrate Jesus’ Baptism so it’s a good opportunity to think about our own. On New Year’s Eve Vicar showed us the connection between the Old Testament sign of the Covenant, circumcision, and Baptism which is a sign of the New Testament Covenant and a whole lot more. But that’s not necessarily what it looks like and what people see. When I served as pastor down south there was a very popular preacher in San Antonio whose services were on TV. One time I watched out of curiosity. He happened to be talking about Baptism. “You know what happens in Baptism?” he shouted in his southern drawl. “You go into the water a dry sinner and you come out of the water a wet sinner! That’s all Baptism is, getting wet!” And the crowd laughed and laughed. But God didn’t. He gave Baptism to His cherished people to be a cherished blessing that is so much more than it appears to be because God is involved. So today with grateful and humble hearts let’s look at what God says Baptism is.

          First it is a demonstration of God’s mercy and grace. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, ⁵ he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy.” The portion of God’s word we are looking at comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to a man named Titus. He was telling Titus what he needed to teach to the churches under his care. The people were to be serious about living the way God wanted them to. They needed motivation and encouragement so of course Paul would point them to their Baptism.

          Baptism is a great demonstration of God showing mercy. Think about it. Whether you were baptized as a baby, a child or an adult, baptism was done to you. It was not something you did. It was something you received. That’s God’s way of doing things. Salvation is not a matter of what people do but what people receive. Not because of righteous things people do but because of His mercy. Mercy is not given to those who deserve it. It’s given to those who don’t. God tells us in the Bible that we are all conceived and born with sin present in us. We are enemies of God. We, by nature, deserve punishment. But God gives mercy. He will not treat you as your sins deserve and He wants you to know that. So Jesus instituted Baptism. At your Baptism you received mercy from God.

          And more. “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” So we know why God saves people. Because of His mercy. Paul now turns to the how. It says through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. That is Baptism. In Baptism the Holy Spirit works powerfully to connect us to what Jesus did. Here and elsewhere God is telling us that our Baptism directly connects us to the cross and empty tomb. On the cross Jesus paid for the sins of all people in full. Baptism connects you to that forgiveness, a washing away of sin. The tomb is empty because Jesus came alive again. Baptism gives you rebirth, a new life. We start out spiritually dead because of our sins. But when you are re birthed or born again in Baptism, you are renewed or made new again by the Holy Spirit so you can resist sin, do good and serve God. “But that’s not what it looks like,” some might say. When we baptize babies, sometimes they cry, sometimes they sleep, sometimes they giggle, sometimes they fuss. What’s the change? And baptized people, they still sin. What about that?

          Remember the lesson of Epiphany. When God is involved not only are things not what they seem, they are much more than they appear to be. You know what we would be calling the Wise Men if they had come from the East to worship the newborn king and then turned away disappointed because he looked like an average Hebrew baby boy? We’d be calling them the Dumb Men from the East! The same is true for all who despise, downplay or disregard Baptism. Baptism is a whole lot more than getting wet. The Holy Spirit is at work. He provides a new life. He renews your spirit to want to obey God. So if you were baptized as a baby you started out as a dry child of your parents and you ended as a wet child of God. You started out as a dry sinner but you ended as a wet forgiven sinner. You started as a sinner dead in your sins. You ended as a sinner made alive in Christ now able to and willing to serve Jesus instead of self. If you were baptized later in life when you already believed, pre-baptism you were a forgiven sinner through faith in Jesus but then you became a more confident forgiven sinner as the Spirit marked you as a child of God. You started as a forgiven sinner who wanted to please God and you ended with even more motivation to live your life as a child of God. That’s what Baptism does and is, a powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

          But hold on. We’re not done yet! “So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.” When you are connected to Christ in Baptism your eternity changes. You become and heir of eternal life. Without Christ we were facing the eternal death sentence of Hell. But connected to Christ through faith and Baptism we inherit the glory of and joy of heaven. There is a Packers play by play announcer who likes to pick a defining moment in a game that signals the game is over. He calls it the dagger. Baptism is that for you and me. It’s a game changer for eternity. God wants you to have the comfort and confidence of knowing heaven is your home. So whether your earthly life is relatively easy, tolerable or something you barely get by day after day, just wait.

When I first came to St Jacobi there was a man  we visited who could not come to church any more. Donald Kramer. You knew when you visited you were in for an hour of stories. I soon learned it was an hour of the same stories every time. I didn’t mind. All of his stories in one way or another had to do with his faith in Jesus. One of his favorite stories was about a fork. It went like this. A man was pre-planning his funeral when he came up with what the funeral director thought was a very odd request. He put in his plans that he wanted to be placed in his coffin with a fork in his hand. “Why in the world do you want to be buried with a fork in your hand?” the director asked. “Well, let me explain,” the man said. “When I was growing up and my mother was clearing the dishes after the main part of supper she would always tell us children to save our forks, because the best was yet to come. And I want everyone at my funeral to know that for me the best is yet to come!” For you too. Your Baptism says so.

Brothers and sisters, it’s sad for me that some people look down on Baptism. I think I know why they do it. They see Baptized children of God acting mean, bullying, impatient and yelling. They hear the same potty language from saved as they do from the unsaved. That doesn’t mean Baptism didn’t work. It means that God’s people aren’t working at showing their love for God. Baptism is a whole lot more than getting wet. When you leave this safe place you have a wonderful opportunity with your words and actions to show others just how true that is! Amen.

 

 

CHRISTMAS 1

December 26-27, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Hebrews 12:1-3

 JESUS ON DISPLAY!

1. For you.

2. Through you.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (EHV) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us. ² Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne. ³ Carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.”

 

          One of the things I really enjoy about Christmas time is that Jesus is on display--everywhere. More than any other time of the year it is true. It’s not like the other stolen Christian Festival of Easter where you have to look hard to see Jesus on display. This time of year you don’t. Drive through any given neighborhood and while you will see all kinds of outdoor displays that have absolutely nothing to do with the whose birth it is there is usually one or more nativity scenes with Jesus on display. Everyone who drives past on Forest Home can see Jesus on display in our nativity scene. I saw one place where, on their long white fence facing the road, they had painted a huge EMMANUEL with a nativity scene in front. One of our family traditions, maybe yours too, has been to drive through Candy Cane lane each year. Each year we count how many of the displays have a nativity scene or something that points to Jesus. This year there were a record number of displays that pointed to Jesus. 36! Jesus is on display. I even get some joy that the green things on display are still almost universally called Christmas trees. Christ’s tree. And if you think about it, Christ on a tree is what we need to see at Christmas time and always.

          Then Jesus was on display as well. He just didn’t look so cute. And yet that is what God wants us to see. Jesus on display for you. Listen again to what God had written to the Christians known as the Hebrews. They were getting discouraged because people in their time didn’t like Christ so they didn’t like Christians very much. He wrote, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us.” This part of the letter to the Hebrews follows Hebrews 11, the halls of faith chapter of the Bible that lists so many famous believers of the past who lived their lives by faith, trusting what God said even when everything they saw going on around them didn’t add up. They are the great cloud of witnesses. We have more. Take the nativity scenes. The first hearers of Hebrews did not live at a time or in a world that had any of those. Christians were persecuted. This time of year we tend to think of fond Christmas memories of the past. Think of the witnesses of your past, mom and dad who lived their lives by faith. Then we are urged to get rid of the burdens and sins that ensnare us. At this time of year some of those snares are all the extras of Christmas that grab our attention away from Jesus. Well, the commercial Christmas is over so maybe it’s easier now. Forget about the parties and presents. You’ll be putting decorations away soon enough. But you won’t put away Jesus. “ Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal.” Jesus is on display.  God wants us to keep looking at Him but not as the cute and helpless looking baby. But on the cross. “In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne. Carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.”

What brings you joy? Being with family? Being with friends? Things? A favorite Christmas carol proclaims, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” The writer to the Hebrews points us to what brought joy to our Lord Jesus. When Jesus came to earth he was filled with anticipation of joy that would be his. The source of that joy? You. Having you with Him in heaven. That’s why He endured the cross and disregarded its shame. Jesus was on display at His birth and at his death. At his birth it was humble and lowly. At his death it was horrible and hellish. You can research if you want the pain of crucifixion at the hands of Rome. It is not for the weak of heart. You can understand the shame of crucifixion as those crucified were stripped of their clothing and helpless to defend themselves from whatever horrible things people would throw at them. What you and I can’t understand and you cannot research is the real pain of the cross for Jesus, how awful it is to be separated from God. You can’t research that because no one has come back from Hell to tell. Yet that is what Jesus endured as he was on the cross to pay the penalty of sin for all people. For you. For me. Why would He do that? In view of the joy set before Him. In view of what He would redeem for God, you and me and all who believe in Him. Jesus was on display for you.

But soon all the Christmas decorations and nativity scenes will go away? When do you take yours down? Chris and I wait until Gentile’s Christmas, Epiphany, January 6. Radio stations change their playlists today. Merchants will shift to post Christmas sales. Soon if not already whatever nativity scenes allover our community, including the one out there, will be taken down. So where will Jesus be on display? Through you. Shortly before our Lord Jesus ascended He said, “You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” It is clear that He was not just speaking to the Apostles gathered before Him who went plenty of places but never made it to the ends of the earth. No, Jesus was talking to every believer in Him from that time on until He returns. He was talking to you and to me. We are His witnesses.  Jesus is on display through us.

Earlier this year we had a Bible Class series called One by One. Many of you were there. It was a great reminder of how things work with people. When it’s something important we rely on people we know and trust for advice and direction. So if you want to know a good car dealership where you will be treated fairly you will ask or listen to family members and friends you know and trust as they make recommendations to you. New in town and looking for a doctor or dentist for yourselves or the kids? What did you do? You asked people you knew and trusted. Every single person in your life needs Jesus as their Savior. They may not know it now. They may not care now. But they need Him. Who will they listen to and who will they ask when God gets them to the point they realize they need Him? Hopefully you. Why you? You know the truth that Jesus is the Savior for all. You know the truth that trying harder or living better doesn’t cut it with God. You know the way and the truth and the life and that His name is Jesus and no one gets to come to the Father except through Jesus the Son. You know forgiveness is free and what grace is. You know the real Jesus. I can’t say that the other people in their life are like you. Jesus is on display through you.

But before people will listen to you they will need to get to know you and trust you. That’s where Jesus on display through you in your every day life comes into play. Jesus sets this joy before you. Be Him to others. The ear that listens when a heart is hurting. That hand that helps when the neighbor’s garbage can when it blows over. Even or especially the grumpy neighbor. Have you spent the time yet to find out why he’s grumpy? Be the voice that encourages or puts out the fire between family members. The one that gives a ride. Or takes over cookies. Let’s have a record number of times that Jesus is on display through us until they ask that all important question, “Why? Why are you so nice all the time?” I’m glad you asked. Because Jesus is so nice to me.”

That’s how God works to keep Jesus on display all year long, for you and through you. Amen.

 

December 12th, 2021

December 11-13, 2021 

Philippians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

REJOICE! The Lord Is Near!

1.       Gentle Joy.

2.       Prayerful Joy

3.       Peaceful Joy

In the name of Jesus in whom we can rejoice,

This is my youngest granddaughter!  This week at church someone mistook her for a little boy.  This was the face she made.  It is also the look we sometimes have on our faces when we things don’t go quite like we expect or want.  It is the kind of look we get on our faces when watching one awful event after another from crime to weather to warfare on our news broadcasts.  It is the kind of look we can easily get on our faces when we look to the future and wonder about what things will be like in the lives of our children and grandchildren.  But Jesus changes everything.   We see that in God’s Word today as we continue to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ return and as we get ready to celebrate his coming in Bethlehem.   God’s Word assures us that we can rejoice in every circumstance.  Not with a pasted on smile kind of rejoicing but rather a heart filled rejoicing no matter what is happening around us.  God’s Word tells us, “Rejoice!  The Lord is near!  1. Gentle Joy.  2. Prayerful Joy.  3. Peaceful Joy.

      Philippi was the first city Paul visited after Jesus gave him the vision of a man from Macedonia asking him to “come over to Macedonia and help us.”  So the Gospel moved from Asia into Europe.  It’s easy to see why the man in Paul’s vision was pleading “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”   For much of its history, there was not much rejoicing in the Savior God in Philippi.  Apparently, Philippi  had only a small number of Jewish inhabitants and no synagogue. The worship on the Sabbath  was held outside the city by the river.   It was at the river that Paul met a group of women, including Lydia, to whom he preached the gospel.  The people rejoiced to here of God’s forgiveness in Christ.  There were some challenges they faced.  This was an area where earthquakes could and did happen.  That might be one reasons why the city declined.  Their city ended up in the headlines of the news for some bad things that happened there.   Brutus of “You too Brutus fame?” were defeated there after the assassination of Caesar.  After Shakespeare’s play, “I’ll see you in Philippi” became a way of saying, “ You will get yours.”   The devil was working hard to wreck things. The Book of Acts tells is that there was an evil spirit there who had taken control of a little girl.  Through Paul, God made the evil spirit leave her and that got Paul and Silas thrown in prison there in Philippi and years later, Paul himself was sitting in prison when he wrote this letter talking about our response to the fact that our Lord is coming soon.  “Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.”   Rejoice with a gentle joy.

     Thae word translated “gentleness” has the idea of someone who has the ability to rip, snort and tear but doesn’t- someone who holds back, who doesn’t take other’s actions in the worst sense.  It literally means, “super fair.”  It could be spoken of those who control themselves even when provoked.  Though it is true that Jesus is always near seeing everything that is not so much the reason for us to let our gentleness be evident to all.  The time when Jesus, the one who loved us enough to die for us, is returning to take us home is coming soon.  So now is not a time to be flying off the handle.  Now is not the time to be holding grudges.  Just before these verses we hear Paul say, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.”  So Paul urges these two women to put aside the things there were apparently arguing about.  Then he urges others to help these ladies get along.  Not because they we all so nice, but, “in the Lord”, because Jesus is so nice.  Be filled with gentle joy because Jesus was filled with gentle joy.  A famous preacher, “Charles Spurgeon” once said, ”People who are happy in the Lord, are not apt either to give offense or to take offense. Their minds are so sweetly occupied with higher things, that they are not easily distracted by the little troubles which naturally arise among such imperfect creatures as we are. Joy in the Lord is the cure for all discord.”

      Is our gentleness evident to all?   Is our gentle joy evident to someone who meets us on the street? Or someone who waits on us in the restaurant? Is our gentleness evident to all in homes?  Is the joy that Jesus brings evident to all whom we disagree with as we talk with them.  Truth is- we haven’t always been gentle to all.  The truth is that we have ripped, snorted and tore over the hearts and feelings of others along the way in places where Jesus would have been gentle.  But the Savior traded places with us.  He took our record of sins and gave us his pure holy gentle record.  The Savior who is coming on Judgement Day not to condemn us but to take us to our home in heaven.  How then shall we live while we wait?  With gentle joy.

     “Do not worry about anything.”  Do you remember the “Stretch Armstrong” toy?  When I was growing up it was a toy many wanted for Christmas?  It was a rubber wrestler that you could pull and stretch the legs and arms in all directions.  The word for worry here has the “Stretch Armstrong” idea of being pulled and stretched in all kinds of different directions.  Paul points out that there is no reason to let things pull us in all different directions.   We have someone to talk to.  We have someone to lean on we have someone to rely on.  “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” 

     Peter, someone we might guess might have at one time had a problem with worrying, quoted God’s care in the Psalms and urges us, “Cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you.”  Pastor Martin Luther once said that it is the skill and and ability of Christians before all others on earth.  They know where to put their trust and lay their care….Let Christians learn more and more to cast their hearts and cares on God’s back, for God has a strong neck and strong shoulders.  He can easily carry the load.”  Friends God is good at carrying our loads.  He carried the load of our sins to the cross.  He now stretches out his arms to us and says, “Come to me all ye that labor and are heavy ladened and I will give you rest.”  Jesus brings us prayerful joy. 

     Advent is a great time to more and more grow that prayerful joy in our lives.  Now is a good time to honestly look at our prayer lives.  Are we in the habit of making our requests known to God in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving?  In other words are we thanking God in everything along with bringing anything we are concerned about to him?  Is there a pretty good balance there?  Does the joy of Jesus being near come through when we talk with God in our prayers?  Or would our prayers to our loving God sound to someone listening a little more like a conversation across the counter of a complaint department?  If we are treating prayer more like a complaint department, wouldn’t now be a good time to remember again the words of the hymn, “nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”  God doesn’t owe us anything but punishment.  Yet in Christ Jesus he gave us everything.  On top of all of it, we get to not only talk to him about our cares but trust him with everything on our hearts.  Rejoice!  The Lord is near!  Rejoice with prayerful joy.  That prayerful joy brings peaceful joy.

      “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  You might recognize those words from Paul.  Pastors often use those words after the sermon as an assurance that the peace we hear about in God’s word will guard our hearts and minds. God doesn’t get rattled.  He is God.  He is perfectly calm.  He is perfectly in control.  Read through the Bible!  Evil people and their plans do not rattle God!  The Psalmist says that when the nations rage, “the one enthroned in heaven laughs.”  He has a plan for you and me to be with Him in heaven and He is carrying it out.               

       As we wait for the Lord we have the joyful peace of knowing that God guards out hearts like protecting it in the inner chambers of a castle or guarding our hearts like a circle of secret service agents.  That joyful peace comes from the finished work of our Lord Jesus who fixed the relationship between us and God by becoming “the one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”  God doesn’t look at our sins and see us as his enemy.  Instead for us who trust in Jesus, God sees us as His own dear children.  No matter what is happening in your life you can rejoice.  Even when things make you unhappy, your inside joy rests in your God.  Nothing can sperate you from His love.  That brings peace- peaceful joy.

     Getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth  can be a fun time but the Christmas tree and parties and presents are not where our joy comes from.  When those blessings are there, our prayer is that they just reflect the joy that Jesus brings, gentle joy, prayerful joy, peaceful joy.  Amen

December 4-6, 2021 ADVENT 2 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 3:1-6 (EHV) “REPENTANCE!’

 

December 4-6, 2021

ADVENT 2

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 3:1-6 (EHV)

 

“REPENTANCE!’

1.     Willed by God.

2.     Worked by God.

3.     Welcomed by us.

 

Luke 3:1-6 (EHV) “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ Just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight. ⁵ Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. ⁶ And everyone will see the salvation of God.”

 

          So if this is the most wonderful time of the year, as the song says, why is it that this time of the year statistically has more depression and mental health issues, more incidents of alcohol abuse and more reported incidences of family strife and violence than any other time of the year? I wonder if it has to do with expectations, that is, living up to what we think others expect of us. So we feel this pressure to make sure we get just the right gift, the perfect Christmas dress, the house just so when people are coming over. I feel it too. Some of you may know that each year we line the parsonage roof with white lights. I do the upper roof first before it gets too cold. I’d been telling Chris we probably need to get new lights. Fifteen years has been a good run. But one more year. Get new ones on clearance. Got the uppers on. Then started the lowers. Strings out. Couldn’t fix em. Grudgingly order new ones from Costco. Figured I could just put the new ones on the lower roof. Yeah after 16 years dimmed yellow does not look good next to new bright white. What are people going to think when they drive by? It won’t be right. Back up to the upper roof. Do it all over. Now you can all get a chuckle out of my desire to have it just right but you have your own ways as well. Giving in to the pressure to get it just right in what is honestly, just an effort to impress other people.

          The sad part about all this work and pressure, brothers and sisters, is we know better. Christmas is about Jesus. Advent reminds us Jesus is near. Prepare for him. Impress Him. Great! One more thing to do! Good news, brothers and sisters. What the Lord looks for in you, He gives to you, I’m talking about repentance. 78 times that word or a form of it appears in your Bible. Repentance is a vital part of the lives of believers in Jesus Christ. Many people mistakenly think that repentance is something you do to become a believer. Actually the Bible shows that repentance is something you do because you are a believer. It’s something that God wills and God works.

Repentance is what God wills to happen in His people as Jesus draws near. “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. ³ He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke is careful to give us the exact date following their calendar system based on who was ruling as Caesar. God picks the timing. Jesus was about to start His public ministry where people would know the Messiah was among them. They needed to be ready. So John the Baptist was sent to preach repentance. It’s what God wills to happen when Jesus draws near. And it’s the same today. In our daily walk with Jesus repentance prepares our hearts to rejoice in Him. In our preparations for celebrating His birth it does the same. It’s what God wills to happen.

          It’s also what God works. “Just as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight. ⁵ Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.”   Sounds like quite an ambitious road building project. Making a straight path, filling in the low places. Taking down the hills. Smoothing the surface. We live in Wisconsin. We know it takes years to get road projects done. But this is a picture of what repentance looks like. It’s often misunderstood. What do you think? What does it mean to repent? Probably now you are thinking, “to be sorry for your sins.” Maybe you are thinking it means to stop doing sins you are aware of. Biblical repentance is so much more than that. Go back to the picture. If I gave you an assignment to fill in every valley and level off every hill and mountain just in our country you’d say “That’s impossible! Only God can do that.” And you’d be right. Only God can work true repentance in our hearts.

          The repentance that God wills and works involves a spiritual transplant that only God can do. Some people think babies are born innocent and morally good, at the worst, neutral. Not so. This is how we start life towards God (angry fist shaking baby) and this is how we end life towards God (angry granny shaking fist), unless God steps in and changes our hearts. “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from its youth,” says the Lord. “The sinful mind is hostile to God,” says the Lord. Until the Lord works repentance. Repentance is a complete change of mind, a 180 on sin and a trust in a Savior. Instead of denying sin there is admission. Instead of delighting in sin there is shame, remorse and sorrow. Instead or trying to fix it ourselves, there is “Jesus, help me!” Instead of wanting to return to our sins like a dog going back to lick up its vomit there is, “Help me to change my ways O Lord.” Repentance is a tall order. Only God can work it.

          The Good News is He has worked it in you. When you were given the gift of faith at your Baptism or through the word God created a new man or a new woman in you that hates sin and loves pleasing Jesus. It responds to the Holy Spirit in the word so that when you hear Jesus say “whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart,” you feel shame over your lust. And when the Lord tells you the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil and you feel shame and remorse as realize how easy it is to praise and thank God at those times in life when money is plentiful and how quickly we fall into worry when it is tight at though God is only good in one case and not the other. It’s God worked repentance that when we take time for silent personal confession and the pastor starts speaking and you want to say, “Hey! I wasn’t done yet!” It’s why in our normal order of service when the pastor in God’s name announces forgiveness you want to respond with a hearty Amen! This is the truth. It’s why the Lord’s Supper is something you look forward to. It’s why you aren’t living your life like so many of your fellow Americans with blatant and foul outward sinning and why you at least try to control your mouth. God has worked repentance in you. He’s changed your heart and if there is anyone listening that is saying right now, “He’s not describing me,” please we need to talk. Get a hold of me. Repentance is that important.

          God wills it. God works it. We welcome it. Luke concluded his quote from Isaiah this way. “And everyone will see the salvation of God.” Repentance prepares people to see and value Jesus. It’s just three weeks until Christmas. What will you see? What will it mean for you? More pressure? Living up to expectations? Disappointed expectations? Joy in Jesus? Good News that a Savior has been born to you? Relief that you don’t have to be perfect for Jesus and that instead He has been perfect for you? As we heard last week, when Jesus drew near He humbled Himself, coming in lowly ways. When Jesus draws near to His people He humbles them through repentance. Keep listening to what God says. Let his righteous law expose your sin and need for a Savior. Let His Gospel point you to the glory of God that is Jesus. Then it really will be the most wonderful time of the year! Amen.

November 20, 2021 Christ The King Sunday

https://youtu.be/tWr3zCAma6k

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

 

The Truth Is...

 1. Our King was handed over in place of us.

2. Our King’s rule is out of this world.  

In the name of Jesus, the King of Love, dear fellow redeemed, 

     Recently I ran across a page of jokes on the internet.   One of jokes went like this….”You may be 58 years of age, but your knees are 81 years old and  your back is 68 years old.  But the good news is your sense of humor is still frequently 10 years old.”  Isn’t that the truth!    Another one said, “You work five days a week.  You shop seven days a week.  No wonder your finances often don't work out well by the end of the year.”  I guess that’s true too.  Truth- it is something we look for but don’t see very often in our world.  One of the places we look for truth in is the courtroom.   Sometimes even with expert witnesses and sophisticated technology, it is still pretty hard to sort out the truth even in the courtroom.

     Today in God’s Word we get a look into the courtroom where the Only True and Holy One is on trial.   Many people didn’t see the truth in Pilate’s courtroom that day years ago.  But you have seen Him.  Over the last year, on the pages of Scripture, you have seen the truth.   As we have gone through the church year, we’ve seen the King.  In His Word He was born just as God promised in Bethlehem.  We saw him nailed to a cross and buried in a tomb.  We thrilled to hear the news of Easter that he did not stay dead but rose again.  We heard about his ascension into heaven and his promise to return.  We’ve had a chance to review his promises.  On this Christ the King Weekend, we wrap up the church year reminding ourselves of the truths of our King Jesus!  The Truth Is... 1. Our King was handed over in place of us.  2. Our King’s rule is out of this world.

     Imagine going to a baseball game and seeing the umpire on the pitcher’s mound, the fans in the outfield and the batter on 1^st base.  Nobody is where they are supposed to be.  If you had been come upon the scene in front of Pilate’s palace that morning, it might have seemed like no one was where they were supposed to be.  It would have been difficult to see the king and the truth He brings.   Even Pilate, the one who was supposed to be judging the situation, was confused.  "Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” "  Jesus wasn’t sitting on a throne. He was bound and standing where criminals stand when they are on trial.  The Lord of heaven and earth was all bloody and beaten up.  The truth is Jesus was standing exactly where he wanted to be- handed over in our place.  All of that was Jesus handed over in our place because  “he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant and became obedient to death even death on a cross.”

      Jesus made clear that the Son of Man came not to be served like so many earthly kings throughout history wanted to be served.  Jesus came to  serve and give his life as a ransom for many.  Even as Jesus was giving his life, here he is handing out invitations for people to know about Him and put their faith in Him. Jesus’ returned Pilate’s question with another question.  Jesus’ question was an invitation to learn more about the true King.   “Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”  

      In his response Pilate marvels that Jesus was turned over by his own people and he scoffs at the idea that Jesus could mean anything to him.  "Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”   What have you done, Jesus that your own people have handed you over?  Since the Romans normally looked for someone who had military experience to be a governor, he had probably seen the horror on the faces of the people when one of their own people were stretched out on a cross to die.   It all begs the question of what Jesus had done to make his countrymen so angry that they handed him over with the demand that he be tortured to death on a cross.  

     It was true in more than one way that Jesus’ own people turned him over to be crucified.  Judas betrayed him.  The chief priests and teachers of the law turned him over to Pilate.  Many people in the crowd shouted for Jesus to be killed.  They all turned him over but the truth is…we did too.

      This king died to pay for the sins of his own people.  God punished him for the things we did wrong.  The Bible says, “He was crushed for our iniquities and by his wounds we are healed.”   All too often Satan has tricked us into betraying Jesus-maybe we’ve sung Stand up Stand Up for Jesus and then promptly sat down when the pressure was on.   In our sinful foolishness we listened to the devil time and time again.  We turned him over.  But Jesus the King turned the tables on the devil.  He redeemed sinners.  He saved His people.  He saved you and me.  Jesus is the king handed over by His own people.  And the truth is that’s how he saved His people!

    Did it ever happen that when you asked your mom or dad to do something and you began it with a compliment that Mom or dad was a little suspicious?  Pilate is a little cautious like that on Good Friday morning. Standing before him were the Jewish religious leaders pretending to be a great friend to Caesar when they really could not stand the Roman government. Even though Jesus had made clear on many occasions that he had no interest in setting up a kingdom here on earth, they accused him of being a rebel, a threat to Caesar’s throne. Pilate seemed to know something wasn’t quite right as he pokes around a little.  Jesus makes it clear.  The truth is….2.  Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. 

     Jesus makes clear that what He is about is bigger than Pilate or even the Roman Empire.  This was the plan of God!  The fact that some of the leaders of his own people handed him over to Pilate instead of making him an earthly kingdom did not signal the end of God’s plan.  Jesus had told his disciples before what God’s plan was.  “We are going up to Jerusalem and the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law.  They will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.  On the third day he will be raised to life!”  Jesus knew that God had woven the sinful actions of these so called religious leaders into his plan.  

     “Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37“You are a king then?” Pilate asked. Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”   Pilate was right Jesus was a king! But fighting people to establish a kingdom here on earth was not what he had in mind.  Remember he said, “I lay down my life of my own accord.  No one takes it from me.”  Jesus was not interested in setting up or keeping an earthly kingdom.  That’s pretty clear.  Remember just one angel killed 185,000 soldiers in Sennacherib’s army in one night.  So keeping Jesus from being arrested would have been simple. 

      There were no soldiers lining up to defend the honor of their king, rather here was the King fighting for His people. What kind of tools does a king use?  Jesus, the King of all, uses truth as His weapon. “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”   The truth says that without Jesus we are all doomed to suffer eternal punishment in hell without Jesus. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That by the way is a truth that people in our world do not want to hear-our sinful natures don’t like to hear it either.   But the truth also says that Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world on the cross. "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."  The truth says that it is by God given faith that Jesus’ payment benefits you and me and makes us children of God and servants in God’s Kingdom. "It is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves it is a gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast." The truth says that because of Jesus we are going to live in the mansions of our King in heaven when we die that are "out of this world."  Jesus isn’t talking about some tinfoil hat out of this world place.  He is talking about heaven, where things aren’t all messed up by sin.  No more hurt.  No more hate.

       Getting pretty tired of all the lies in our world?  Jesus is a good king. He doesn’t lie.  The truth He tells brings life. The truth is we have a King who laid down his life for us.  The truth is he is with us and will one day take us home.   Looking back on a church year we thank him for his truth.  With confidence in our King we move forward into the future.  Amen.

 

November 6-8, 2021 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Malachi 4:1-3 “HAPPY JUDGMENT DAY!”

 

LAST JUDGMENT

November 6-8, 2021

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Malachi 4:1-3

 

“HAPPY JUDGMENT DAY!”

1.     A day when Jesus will be honored.

2.     A day when Jesus will honor you!

 

Malachi 4:1-3 EHV “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them. ² But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. You will go out and jump around like calves from the stall. ³ You will trample the wicked. They will surely be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I take action, says the Lord of Armies.”

 

          We have this way of greeting people when they come to a special day. Happy Birthday! Happy Retirement! Happy Anniversary! You’ve said or heard them before. How about Happy Judgment Day! Now I realize it’s not here yet but normally Judgment Day is not pictured as a day of happiness. If the entertainment industry tries to lure you to watch a movie sequel or buy a video game and attaches Judgment Day to it, they are promising a lot of destruction. Several times this past year you have heard a Gospel lesson where Jesus told parables picturing the last day. He often ended them with something like “and throw those rascals into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And what did we pastors say right after reading that? “This is the Gospel of the Lord.”  Gospel? Doesn’t that mean Good News? Doesn’t sound like good news. But it is. Brothers and sisters join me today as we look at what God says so we are prepared one day to say, “Happy Judgment Day!”

          The word of God we are looking at comes from the last book of the Old Testament to be written. The last chapter. For the next 400 years God would tell no prophets to write anything down until after Jesus came. These were the last things God wanted His Old Testament people thinking about as they waited and waited. While they waited, they would see worshippers of false gods seemingly having it better than they. They would be ruled by foreign governments and pressured to follow foreign gods. 

          God gave them something to look forward to. Judgment Day. “Look! The day is coming, burning like a blast furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord of Armies, a day that will not leave behind a root or branch for them.”  Judgment Day is going to be a happy day when the followers of the one true God will see Him honored. But for some it will not be a happy day. For whom? The arrogant and the evildoer. Now at first glance we might find ourselves getting a little scared. Have I ever been arrogant? Have I ever done evil? Yes, many times over. But the particular arrogance and evil that God is talking about here is rejecting Jesus as Savior and replacing Him with anything else. Think on this, brothers and sisters. When our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell into sin God would have been well within His rights to wipe them out and all of us along with them and starting over. He would have been well within his rights to say, “OK, I’ll give you another chance but it will cost you, every one of you, your firstborn. They must die.” Now think of who fills that spot in your family. Fathers, think of having to do that deed. But that is not what God said. He said I will give my firstborn, my only begotten Son, instead, and I will lift my hand against Him and He will pay for you have done. No greater love.

          And then some dare to say Jesus is a prophet but Muhammed is greater. We will follow him. And others say Jesus? He’s the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier and some Jewish whore. And still others say “Jesus is great. But if you really want to be with God you have to do your part.” In other words. Jesus you weren’t quite good enough. Your sacrifice on the cross was not enough. Blasphemy! And others. There is no God. I am the captain of my soul. I will steal if I want to. I will kill if I want to. I will do it my way. Others crave earthly power and wealth so much that the murder thousands of their own people using torture and imprisonment and fear to stay in power. Why? Because they have rejected what God says about earthly and eternal life. All of that is the type of evil and arrogance that God is talking about.

          On Judgment Day they will be readied for the furnace of Hell. That there will be no root or branch left means there is no hope. No second chance. If you have seen and paintings of Hell or videos that have tried to portray it you may still find yourself thinking that Judgment Day can’t be happy. It doesn’t seem something to celebrate. But then maybe you think of some of the worst people the earth has produced and you waver. Take Hitler for instance. Several times as people have grappled with grace, they have asked, “Could Hitler be forgiven?” And the true answer is Yes. God’s grace is such that any believer no matter what they have done is fully forgiven. But did Hitler believe? There is nothing in what he said or did that can lead you to that conclusion. His existence is a constant crematorium.  Is it not right that people rejoice when justice is done? Of course it is. But Judgment Day is more than that!

          Jesus will be honored. All those who rejected Him, replaced Him with their own way to heaven and have said much worse about Him will acknowledge Him for who He is. All those who chose to use His name as a curse word rather than in prayer will say it with awe. All of those who used His words and His people as moneymaking schemes will honor Him instead of themselves. Yes, the Devil and all the evil angels will publicly, in front of everyone, bend the knee and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Now that’s something to be happy about. Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, our substitute, finally treated with the honor He deserves by every one! That’s a day to look forward to. Happy Judgment Day!

          But there’s more. The Bible reveals that on Judgment Day Jesus will honor you. Sounds a little out of place doesn’t it? Let’s go back to birthdays. On a birthday it’s the one who birthday it is that gets celebrated. Take Delores Gunkel who last Sunday celebrated her 93^rd. Rightly she was honored in special ways that day. Hopefully all year long by her kids too. Maybe some of you have run into this too. When my girls were young and the birthday parties were a big thing often they would get invited to a classmate’s birthday party and come back with all sorts of candy and toys they were given for attending. I found myself asking, “Now just whose birthday was it anyway?”

          A similar thing on Judgment Day. “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, and there will be healing in its wings. You will go out and jump around like calves from the stall.”  For you who fear my name. This isn’t fear as in I’m scared of you. This is the revere fear. I respect. I don’t want to disappoint. I want your approval. It’s the perfect father child relationship that is a response to a perfect Father’s love. You can just put in there, “For you who believe in My Son Jesus, it’s Happy Judgment Day.” It’s like watching the sun begin to rise after a long cold night. It’s the healing of souls who are told you have no sins to pay for. Jesus has paid for them in full. It’s you. Any of you who have seen calves let out of the barn for the first time in spring know the joy they have as they do their own version of Jump Around. That’s you and me on Judgment Day. Jesus will publicly claim us as His own. He will tell everyone we are innocent and we will be with Him forever and we were right.

          And we will join Him in pronouncing judgment. “You will trample the wicked. They will surely be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I take action, says the Lord of Armies.” You know what this is? Vindication. You have your feelings right now. You chafe when evildoers seem to get away with things. You feel the sense of hurt and betrayal when it seems like God does not reward your efforts or lets evil grow in our country despite your prayers and your efforts. A part of you thinks of the time you have spent, the money you have given, the sacrifices made and a doubt creeps in. Is it worth it? Happy Judgment Day! Then those who have mocked or made fun of will not be laughing. But you will. Not at the suffering they will get but that Jesus honors you in letting you be part of that Judgment.

          Now before we let God’s goodness to us with public vindication turn to unholy glee or schadenfreude, a word of warning and encouragement. Judgment Day is also called Last Judgment. It’s called Last Judgment because it’s not the first. The first, as you heard in the lesson from the Hebrews, is when you die. That means today is the day to be found standing among those who believe. And today you do. Keep it up. Take care of your faith and you will have a Happy Judgment Day. Amen.