Sermon for October 20, 2013

Sermon for Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, October 20, 2013

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon Theme:  “Surrounded by the Enemy”

 (Sources:  Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 23, Part 4, Series C; Harper’s Bible Dictionary; Concordia Journal, Summer 2013; original ideas; Believer’s Commentary)

 Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Former Lutheran Hour speaker, Kenneth Klaus, shares a war story from World War II that speaks to us this morning.

With over 250,000 German soldiers and 1,000 army tanks, the Nazi’s stormed the city of Bastogne, hoping to reclaim Europe.  American troops, under the command of General A. C. McAuliffe were surrounded.

Their general would not surrender, so American soldiers were plenty worried.  A sergeant in Bastogne talked to some of his men, including a young soldier, a private, from the South.  Being relatively new, he might, you’d think, be shaking in his boots.  He wasn’t.  He seemed so incredibly calm that his sergeant asked him a question. 

Expletives deleted, the conversation went something like this:  The sergeant asked, “You do understand the Krauts have us surrounded, don’t you?” 

“Yup, I got that, Sarge.”

“And how do you feel about that?”  asked the Sergeant. Continue reading

Sermon for October 13, 2013

Sermon for LWML Sunday, October 13, 2013

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Luke 24:44-53

Sermon Theme:  “You Are My Witnesses”

(Sources:  Emphasis online Illustrations; original ideas and personal examples; Examples, Rev. Dien Taylor, “You Are My Witnesses”; Online SermonSuite articles on Luke 24:44-53)

 Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 In all the years that my wife and youngest daughter went to LWML conventions, District and National, I never attended one.  I guess I was just too intimidated by the thought of being so outnumbered by such a huge group of ladies!  Each convention, the ladies had to have a pastor lead the Bible study and deliver the sermon, so there was always at least one man present, — maybe even the only one, or at least that’s the way I pictured it.

Pastor Gobrecht tells about a women’s convention he attended – he doesn’t say that it was LWML, but it sounded like it might be.  This women’s group had a male speaker who looked terrified when he approached the microphone – one man looking out at a sea of women.  His hands trembled. 

“Ladies, I come to you from . . .” but his throat went dry.

“He started again, “Now, ladies, I come . . . “ but again his nerves defeated him.

Undaunted, he backed up a little and said, “Now, ladies, I come” . . . and he tripped over the microphone wire, landing in the lap of a woman sitting in the first row.  “I’m terribly sorry,” he exclaimed, clambering to get to his feet.

Continue reading

Sermon for October 6, 2013

Sermon for Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Oct. 6, 2013

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

Sermon Theme:  “Trust God’s Promises Even in the Worst of Times”

(Sources:  Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 23, Part 4, Series C; Emphasis Online Sermon Illustrations; Brokhof, Series C, Preaching Workbook; Believer’s Commentary; original ideas; Online Quotation page)

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 In some ways, this sermon text from Habakkuk reminds me of a tempera and oil painting by John Biggers, painted in 1966, — that’s two years after the American Civil Rights Act was passed and public schools were integrated all over America. 

Continue reading

Teen LWML at St. Paul

Friends Into Serving Him

    Friends Into Serving Him is a way to involve young girls in the vision and and ministry of service in Christ’s name.  The girls are sponsored by the adult LWML society.  They decide on their own service projects, meeting dates, and fellowship activities.  A mind for mission and sight for service qualifies a teen for membership in Teen LWML.   The girls serve the Lord with sincere hearts and a fresh, young vision.

    Our teens at St. Paul work alongside  their adult mentors.  They participate in society activities, Zone rallies, and District conventions.  At a very young age they get an insight of the important mission work of LWML.  Pictured are Secretary Cassie Brzozowski; Vice-President Nicole Brzozowski; and President Lexie Brzozowski.  They continue to grow in their service to the Lord.

Cassie, Nicole, and Lexie Brzozowski

Cassie, Nicole, and Lexie Brzozowski

Teen LWML Work Session

Friends Into Serving Him Work Session

Sermon for September 29th 2013

Sermon for St. Michael and All Angels, September 29, 2013

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Revelation 12:7-12

Sermon Theme:  “The Truth about Angels and Saints”   

 (Sources:  Emphasis online Illustrations; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 23, Part 4, Series C; Online angels.about.com; Online Aardvark Alley Saint Michael and All Angels; Online Ask us anything St. Michael Saint; Steve Bauer, “How Do Angels Serve God?”; original ideas; Lutheran Cyclopedia; Concordia Journal, Summer 2013; Nelson’s Three-in-One)

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

There seems to be more confusion about “angels,” than about perhaps any other subject in the Bible, — mainly because the most popular concepts today regarding angels are un-biblical.  Many of those we get from Hollywood movies.  To be sure, angels are real; it’s just that their reality is misunderstood. 

I want to begin by telling a funny story about angels, — partly because it’s funny, but mainly because it presents the most common misconception about angels that you will find.

Here’s the story: 

Continue reading