The Eternal House or the False House

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Biblical Text: 1 Peter 2:1-12

There is a contrarian stance at the core of Christianity. The world is not meaningless, but it is not something to be chased. If fact the majority of what happens in this world is to be rejected. Instead Christians are to be built as living stones into a Spiritual house. Satan and the world of course offer a false house. One you can find yourself incorporated into, but that house does not stand long. This sermon is about that contrarian stance and what it means to live as God’s chosen material rejected of the world.

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Thieves, Gatekeepers and The Shepherd

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Biblical Text: John 10:1-10

There is always a mystical element in Christianity, “My sheep hear my voice.” Not that there isn’t a lost history of proof behind that voice, a history capture in the Scriptures. Abraham in that sense ends up being THE man of faith because he heard the voice without any real history. But we are all a bit like Father Abraham. The shepherd calls, and we hear the voice and follow to a good land.

Jesus parable here in John is help for Christians. There are always three types of voices. And Jesus tells us how to tell the difference. That is what this sermon is about. How do we sore out the thieves, the gatekeepers and the shepherd? It is surprisingly simple, and the highest art in the faith, listening for law and gospel.

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He Walks with Us

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Biblical Text: Luke 24:13-35

It is probably fading from memory, but in the generation passing there was a favorite hymn by lay people that was most despised by clergy – In the Garden. It is the proto-Jesus as my boyfriend song. But it is one that I’ve often thought there was a challenging and orthodox reworking available in its bones. What it expresses is the presence of Jesus with his people. It is expressing the power of the resurrection. Its verse “he walks with me and talks with me…” is the core of what could be. Because that is the core of this text. All resurrection texts speak to the historical reality of the event. They all also proclaim the power of the resurrection to bring us eternal things. What the Road to Emmaus does is show us how this kingdom comes in weakness. While we can’t see him, Jesus walks with us. For a long time, until our faith is strong enough, he walks with us. The reign of the living Christ is one that comes in weakness. Through preaching and teaching. In Word and Sacrament. Things that accompany us. As we are prepared for the full weight of the resurrection to come to us.

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The Power of the Resurrection

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Biblical Text: John 20:19-31

What is the power of the resurrection? That is the question I was asking myself. And there are a bunch of answers, but this text gives us two clear ones. The peace of God which Jesus comes and brings to every disciple. And the power of the Word to bring joy to hearts. The world gives peace as cessation of conflict. The world thinks of joy as happiness or earthly delight. These are temporal things easily lost. But the resurrection brings eternal peace. And eternal peace wells up in joy. The power of the resurrection brings eternal things in the midst of temporal strife.

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Come and See; Go and Tell

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Biblical Text: Matthew 28:1-10

The recording is the full (2nd) service. The resurrection account in Matthew has an interesting pattern. There is a “come and see” portion. The angel bids the Mary’s to come and see the empty tomb. Jesus greets them and they grab his feet. There is proof of the resurrection. “Come and See”.

The second part of the pattern is “Go and Tell”. The angel tells the Mary’s to go and tell the disciples. Jesus as bids them go and tell. When you have seen the power of the resurrection, go and tell.

The final part is the promise. “You will see him”. Today we see by faith, although it is not a faith without proof. The tomb was empty. Jesus had feet. Tomorrow we see.

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Take Heart, I Have Overcome the World

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This is our Good Friday service. It is the first time I’ve used the Gospel of John for this, and John has his own very different emphasis. Same events, but focus on the Divine Jesus, as opposed to the Synoptics human passion.

It felt right. I was much more Christ the victor than the normal Good Friday. This is the Jesus who know and does so willingly, because it is his will. The world doesn’t get it, and so loses. Just when it thinks it has won, it is finished.

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Temporal and Eternal Glory

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Biblical Text: John 12:12-43

I’m uploading the 2nd service today. Call it 5 years in and I’m starting to get a handle on this Palm & Passion Sunday. The gospel according to John is also starting to grow on me. Or maybe I should say that the last six weeks reading John in the midst of events has opened it up in ways I did not completely see before.

The question of John 12, of Palm Sunday and Jesus’ talk immediately after, is what is glory? There is the temporal glory of the parade, and the eternal glory of the Father. This sermon asks us to consider our lives in light of “things temporal and things eternal”. As a great prayer says “may we so pass through things temporal that we do not lose the things eternal.”

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Do You Believe This?

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Biblical Text John 11:1-45

When I first saw these texts for this plague week I felt “wow, lets change them.” But I’ve only changed the assigned texts of a Sunday less than 5 times. And I am glad I didn’t. In the midst of death, or at least the fear of death, these lessons tell us our hope. That is what the sermon does. Hopefully gives the saints God’s word to live in these times.

Service note: We are splitting our services to say under 10 people locally (everyone has their own pew), 9 AM and 11 AM with roughly the same number online. So, we don’t have music. We are using responsive prayer 2 in LSB. It is also wired up to produce the best sound for those online. I’ve put the entire service out. The back half after the sermon is collective prayer.

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The Work of God Displayed

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Biblical Text: John 9:1-41

The work of God is always being displayed in our midst. It is up to us how we respond to it. God’s desired response is faith in his son. The life of Jesus is the demonstration, the work of God displayed, of the Goodness of the Father. Even in bad things, God is good. This sermon, through examining the story of Jesus’ healing of the man born blind, is a mediation on both the purposes of God and faith’s response.

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Face to Face with The Truth

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Biblical Text: John 4:1-25

The meeting of the Samaritan Woman at the well is one of those stories that I think our “High View” of the bible often gets in the way of deeply understanding. I think it is pretty clear that verses 1-15 have a lot of playful irony in them. And that irony is the set up for an encounter with The Truth. The role of a prophet is to tell the truth. And this woman at the well didn’t just meet any old prophet. She met The Truth. In the midst of plague, one that is asking we step out of tick-tock time, we are having ourselves an ironic meeting with the truth. This sermon holds up the woman’s answers and asks what ours our. It also holds out not just the The Truth, but The Way.

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