Sermon for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany

January 26, 2014, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 9:1-4

Sermon Theme:  “The Light That Penetrates Even the Blackest Hole”

(Sources:  Concordia Journal, Fall 2013, Vol. 39, No. 4; Emphasis Online Commentary; Emphasis Online Illustrations; Anderson’s Cycle A Preaching Handbook; original ideas)

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

 I enjoy fables, — these legends, myths, and fictitious stories, sometimes about animals, sometimes about mythical beings, are told to make a point.  Today I want to begin by telling a 19^th Century fable by George MacDonald.

Here’s the fable:  A witch steals a newborn girl and raises her in the total darkness of a cave.  The witch experiences both light and darkness, but not the girl.  She is completely immersed in the black world.  Even as she grows, the witch will only allow her to step outside during the nighttime hours.  Her name is Nycteris. Continue reading →

Sermon for Second Sunday after the Epiphany

January 19, 2014, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon Theme:  “Grapes and Peas”

(Emphasis online Commentary; Emphasis online Illustrations; original ideas; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A)

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

 Most Lutheran pastors lead into their sermon by quoting one of the Apostle Paul’s greetings, —  either, “Grace, mercy, and peace to you,” as I just did, or “Grace and peace to you from God our creator and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Grace and peace” was the greeting used by one pastor every time he preached the sermon.  A little girl in his congregation sat by her grandmother every Sunday, her grandmother always wondering how much her little grand girl got out of each service.

One Sunday, the little girl was very bored and restless during the early part of the worship.  Finally, in childlike annoyance, she leaned over to Grandma and whispered, “When do we get to the grapes and peas” part?

“Grapes and peas” are not bad images to pair with images of grace and peace as the congregations prepares to hear the word and then are sent out to witness Jesus to the world.  Even when we are not in church, we are still part of the bunch connected to the vine.  As we move from worship back to the daily routine we are still peas protected in the “pod” of God’s presence.  Even when we are apart, we are connected.  Grapes provide a sweet, nutritional contrast to a salad, snack, or meal.  We are sent into the world to sweeten it with love.  Peas are less glamorous, more of a vegetable staple than a treat.  Still they are solid foundation for good nutrition, just as the Christian community provides a solid foundation for Christian growth.  Yes, grapes and peas indeed!

Out of the mouths of babes . . . Continue reading →

Sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord, January 12, 2004

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 42:1-9

Sermon Theme:  “I Will Take You by the Hand and Keep You”

(Sources:  Emphasis online Illustrations; Anderson’s Cycle A Preaching Handbook; Concordia Journal, Fall 2013, Vol. 39, No. 4; original ideas; Believer’s Commentary)

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

 This long passage of prophesy from Isaiah, which is our sermon text, can be a little confusing when you first read it.  So let me explain a couple things.

It’s obvious that the main use of the word “Servant” in Chapter 42 refers to the Messiah who is to come; in other words, our Savior, Jesus.  But some of the verses do not seem to refer to the Messiah.  In one verse in Chapter 42, “servant” refers to the entire nation of Israel; in another verse it refers to the “faithful, godly remnant” of the people.  Thus we have the “Servant,” – that’s the Messiah, and we have the “servant-people,” – that’s us, you and me, as we true believers are the New Israel, the faithful remnant.

From their Exodus out of Egypt on, many people had not been faithful, — they whined, they complained, they built a false idol, they broke the covenant with God, etc.  As you follow their story in the Old Testament, you see that they acted like children, like spoiled brats.  And yet God extended His grace to them again and again.

Internationally famous Christian preacher from Frisco, Texas, Chuck Swindoll, tells about himself when he turned 13 and became a TEENAGER!  He really thought he was hot stuff, “something on a stick,” as he phrased it.  Continue reading →

Sermon for Second Sunday after Christmas

January 5, 2014, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon Theme:  “Chosen, Adopted, and Gloriously Blessed”

(Sources:  Emphasis online Commentary; Emphasis online Illustrations; original ideas; Anderson’s Series A Workbook)

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

 There are a number of things that bother me about the wrong way to celebrate Christmas, and one of the worst ones has to do with gift-giving. 

Many children think that getting the expensive gifts they want for Christmas is their God-given right, and they throw a temper tantrum if they don’t get them.  Some adults aren’t much better.  During family gift exchanging, the other person’s body language can tell you what he thinks of the gift.  Negative reactions from recipients used to make me dread buying gifts at Christmas.  Continue reading →

Sermon for First Sunday after Christmas/New Year’s Eve Observed

December 29, 2013, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Psalm 27

Sermon Theme:  “Whom Shall I Fear?”

(Sources:  Two online Illustrations from SermonCentral.com; original ideas and personal illustrations; Psalm 27, SermonCentral.com; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 21, Part 1, Series A; Nelson’s 3 in 1 Concordance/Reference)

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

 The Bible’s picture language of light coming into the darkness begins in Advent and crescendos to a climax at Christmas, with a denouement of bursting light at Epiphany.  Today, at this mid-point between Christmas and Epiphany, we consider the words of Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” 

There are so many memorable examples in Scripture of light coming into the darkness to end it, — at least a dozen of the Psalms, including our sermon text and Psalm 89:15, “Blessed are those . . . who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord,” proclaim this.  Isaiah 9:2:  “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”  John 3:19:  “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil.”  John 9:5:  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”  Acts 26:18:  Jesus tells His disciples, “I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness into light.” 

There are at least 50 or more of such quotations in the New Testament alone, so let those examples suffice to make my point, that in Christ, we come out of the darkness into a great light.  The reassurance that David gives in our sermon text is the rhetorical question, ‘whom shall I fear’ if I have the light. Continue reading →

Sermon for Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 22, 2013

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 7:10-17

Sermon Theme: “Here’s a Sign for You”

(Emphasis online Commentary; Emphasis online Illustrations; Wally Becker, Concordia Journal, Fall 2013, Vol. 39, No. 4; original ideas; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; Merriam-Webster Collegiate Encyclopedia; online Daily News)

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

The world is full of signs, isn’t it?  We ring a big bronze bell as a sign that our worship service is beginning.  Some folks believe that a full moon is a sign that the fishing is good.  The interpretation of signs differs according to the kind of person you are, — if you’re an optimist, you look at the clouds in the sky and think that it’s partly sunny.  Pessimists look at those same clouds, and say it’s partly cloudy.  Realists never look up because they know that there are birds flying overhead.

In recent years, modern churches have gone to putting up huge, colorful signs with flashing lights in front of their church to grab people’s attention.  Not too long ago, one of those flashing-light signs said, “If you’re looking for a sign from God, this is it!”  At best, that makes us chuckle!  Continue reading →

Sermon for Third Sunday in Advent

December 15, 2013, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon Theme:  “The Desert Shall Rejoice”

(Sources:  Anderson, Cycle A, preaching workbook; Concordia Journal, Fall 2013, Vol. 39, No 4; Emphasis Online Commentary; Emphasis Online Illustrations; Believer’s Commentary; original ideas and examples)

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

 If anyone had taken a walking tour of the United State during World War II, one of the things they would have noticed was the absence of young men between the ages of 18 and 30.  The young men of America had either been drafted or had enlisted, with even 16 year olds lying about their age and volunteering to serve.  It was a period during which our land was barren of young men.

In the huge window of one of the stores in Dime Box where I grew up in the forties, there were pictures of the sons of the community who had died in the War or were missing in action; they were sorely missed.  Continue reading →

Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent

December 8, 2013, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon Theme:  “So Why Do We Need to Repent?”

(Sources:  Emphasis online Commentary; Emphasis online Illustrations; Anderson’s Cycle A Preaching Workbook; original ideas)

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

 You know, some people consider this countdown to Christmas as “Party Time!”  It’s the time of year for giving and going to Christmas parties.  When I was still teaching at the college, I had some colleagues who actually competed to see who could get themselves invited to the most cocktail parties during December.  “Free booze!”  They would say.

When my colleagues were throwing their Christmas parties, I know for certain they would not have invited John the Baptist.  Come to think of it, I probably would not have invited John either.  Continue reading →

Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent

December 1, 2013, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon Theme:  “Swords into Plow Shares”

(Sources:  Emphasis online Commentary by Ronald Love; Emphasis online Illustrations; Concordia Journal, Fall 2013, Vol. 39, No. 4; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; original ideas; Houston Chronicle, 11/26/13)

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

“’Tis the season to be jolly!”  Most of us think we ought to be feeling that inside of us right now!  We should be filled with joy and happiness as we anticipate family gatherings, gift sharing, brightly decorated Christmas trees, and neighborhood streets adorned with tinsel and lights!  A happy time of the year it should be, and it is for many people.

But for some it is a time of great stress.  According to the Life Stress Test, there are 43 life events which cause people much stress.  Going to jail is one of those; moving to another city is another one.  Going on a vacation trip is yet another.  Christmas is on top of the list.  Instead of being relaxed and feeling jolly, many folks stress out at Christmastime.  Perhaps it’s because anticipating Christmas intensifies the other stresses already inside us. Continue reading →

Sermon for Christ the King, Last Sunday of the Church Year

November 24, 2013, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Luke 23:27-43 and Colossians 1:13-20

Sermon Theme:  Is Christ Your King?

                                                          (Sources:  Brokhof, Preaching Workbook, Series C; David Smith, Sermon Central.com; original ideas; Emphasis online Illustrations; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Vol. 23, Part 4, Series C; “William Willimon,” Wikipedia online)

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

 A Sunday School teacher was doing a lesson on the crucifixion, which is essentially what our sermon text for today is describing.  The teacher tried her best to tell the story as realistically as she could, describing the thorns piercing our Lord’s head and the awful pain of nails being driven through his hands and feet. 

In fact, the horrifying details came across so graphically to the children that one little boy blurted out, “Where in the heck were the Marines?” Continue reading →