Sermon for September 28th, 2014

Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Sept. 28, 2014

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Philippians 2:1-4; 14-18

Sermon Theme:  “From Unity to Gladness and Joy”

 (Sources:  Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 24, Part 4, Series A; original ideas; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; Emphasis Online Illustrations; Introduction to Philippians, Concordia Self-Study Bible; Nelson’s Three-in-One)

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

           Ernest T. W. Hoffmann, the writer of the original stories in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, once visited the home of a person who had just come into considerable wealth.  The man loved to brag about how much money he had, and when he showed Hoffmann his palatial home he boasted about how many servants he needed to keep it going.

          The wealthy Berlin millionaire explained that he needed three servants for his personal attendance.  Hoffmann, convinced that sarcasm was the only way to respond to such a person, replied that he had four servants just to take care of his bath:  one to lay out the towels, one to test the temperature of the water, and the third to make sure the faucets were in good order. Continue reading

Sermon for September 21st, 2014

Sermon for Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost and Baptism of Aubrey

September 21, 2014, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 55:6-9

Sermon Theme:  “God’s Ways Affirmed through Baptism”

(Sources: Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 24, Part 4, Series A; Original Examples and Ideas; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A)

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

          When I was four and a half years old, in the late 1930’s, I found a family picture album I had not seen before.  One of the photos in it was a picture of my twin brother, our dog, and me, standing on the front steps.  Seated in front of us was a blonde-headed toddler, playing with his toes.  I didn’t recognize him, so I asked my brother who he was.

          My brother said he thought his name was Gary, but he didn’t remember much about him.  I remembered nothing about this little Gary, so I asked my mother about him.  With her eyes tearing up, she told us about “little Gary.”

          In the late Thirties, the tail end of the Great Depression, there were many, many people who lived like hoboes, uprooted from their homes, hitching rides on trains or with the few automobile drivers who could afford to travel by car.  With an unclear destination, they disembarked in small towns in their search for work or stability.  Some were single; some had family with them.  Little Gary’s parents were among them. Continue reading

Aubrey Renee Brzozowski Baptism

Aubrey is all smiles during her baptism. Left to right:
Beverly Young, Bubba Brzozowski, Nicole Brzozowski, Aubrey, Pastor Ray, Peggy Spitzenberger, and Steve Grissom (Elder). (Beverly, Bubba, and Peggy are the sponsors.)

Rally Day Party Pictures

Caroline Osborne, Susan Woolley, Robert Osborne, and Becky Jungklaus enjoying fellowship together.

Dylan, Paul, and Toby Brzozowski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Annual Rally Ray Party was help September 6th at the Woolley’s in Wharton. Here are a few pictures of the event…

Sermon for September 7th, 2014

Sermon for Rally Day, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 7, 2014, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Texts:  Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:1-10; Matthew 18:5-6, 10-14

Sermon Theme:  “Watchmen and Developing Minds and Souls”

 (Sources:  Concordia Journal, Summer 2014, Volume 40, Number 1; Anderson’s Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; original ideas; Emphasis Online Illustrations; Kids Say the Funniest Things by David Wallace; Church Kids Say the Darndest Things; Timeless Truths of Sunday School Teaching by Katzmann; How to Be an Awesome Sunday School Teacher by Bullock; Characteristics of the Best Sunday School Teachers by Lamon)

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

           Rally Day Sunday, the Sunday that begins the new Sunday School year, is almost never observed on the same Sunday by all LCMS churches; consequently , the Lectionary texts are never chosen especially for Rally Day.  So it amazes me that all three texts for today are so perfect for Rally Day!

          The Old Testament lection from Ezekiel speaks especially to the teachers.  The Epistle from Romans speaks to the students, and the Gospel from Matthew speaks to both.  Continue reading

Sermon for August 31st, 2014

Sermon for Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Aug. 31, 2014

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon Theme:  “The Cross: A Bearable Idea?!”

 (Sources:  Emphasis Online Commentaries; Emphasis Online Illustrations; original ideas; Anderson’s Cycle A Preaching Workbook; UltimateRiddles.com; Halley’s Bible Handbook)

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

           The greatest temptation that you and I have, as well as other Christians and the church itself, is to “stay away from Jerusalem.” 

          Not in the literal sense, of course, but figuratively.  Jerusalem is that place Jesus must go in order to accomplish the will of God.  Jerusalem is that place where conflict is likely to happen.  Jerusalem is that place where we can expect to find change and challenge and choices.  Jerusalem is a place where we likely will experience suffering. 

          But Jerusalem is a place where we must go.  Continue reading