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Showing posts from 2014

Repentance Is Hope

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“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”   Oh man, here it comes.   It is the repentance sermon.   John is telling everyone who rotten they are and we’re going to get it too.   Yes you are, because you need it.   I need it.   And God will not leave us without it.                 There was a man named Hosea, whom God commanded, commanded mind you, to marry a prostitute.   Her name was Gomer, not a nice name-especially for a woman-but it is what it is.   Hosea chose a wife, not from among the many young women from the families around him, women who were prized for their beauty and virginity, but a woman who had been used and abused, who had sold herself to the night and embraced many men.                 Hosea married Gomer, and they had three children together.   Perhaps life was even good, content, peaceful.   Yet one day Gomer grew restless, and she left.   And where was a women to go after leaving

Christians, Your Good Deeds Are Not Filthy Rags

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Christian, your good deeds are not filthy rags or polluted garments in the sight of God. Yes, I know, this is every Lutheran pastor's favorite verse to quote when proclaiming the Law: We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. (Isaiah 64:6a) And to an extent this is true.  It is true for the person is is without faith, for the one who is apart from Christ.  The context of Isaiah 64 suggests not a faithful people redeemed by their God, but a stiff-necked people wantonly wallowing in their sin: "Behold, you were angry and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?" (Isaiah 64:5b) Men and women who have been baptized into Christ, however, are not in this state.  Christians are redeemed by the blood of Jesus and all their sin has been covered.  Their good deeds, therefore, do please God, despite their sin. Saint Paul declares in Romans 14:23, "Whatever does not proceeds f

Children's Hymn for Holy Week

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From earth below up to the cross Christ bore our burdens and our loss, And there a full atonement made; gained glory that shall never fade. He enters Zion as her king. The people all his praises sing. "Give honor now to David's son, Hosanna to the holy one." Forth from the temple courts he drove The money changers, lamb, and dove. "My house shall be a house of prayer For all who come and worship there." With schemes and questions did they come To test the right of David's son. He answered all their queries told And showed himself now David's Lord. He prophesied the coming night When none shall work, so filled with fright. No man can know that day or hour. The king will judge in righteous power. In humble dress he washed their feet; Portrayed a love for all to meet. Then gave his body and his blood; A sacrifice of holy food. Betrayed by all he called by name He carried cross and sin and shame. The punishment of man came

You Are Too Easily Satisfied

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“I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey.   And I will judge between sheep and sheep.   And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.   And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them.   I am the Lord; I have spoken.” Our problem as American Christians is not that we do not expect God’s goodness.   We do.   We expect that God will do good things for us.   He will bless us, prosper us.   He will heal our diseases, find us a job, keep our blessed ducks in a row.                 Our problem, our sin, is that we expect far too little from God.   We are satisfied with far less than God would give us.   We are contented with the minor blessing of this world, rather than the major blessings of the world to come.                 You see this in our culture’s satisfaction with fornication, pornography, and adultery.   People are perfectly sati

The Armor of Light

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             They day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.   It will come on quickly as labor pains come upon a woman full with child.   To those who are living in darkness, the return of Jesus will come as a complete and utter shock, mostly because they don’t expect Him to return at all.                 That might seem like a little bit of a “duh” statement.   If you don’t believe that Jesus is God, or you don’t believe that He even existed, then you certainly will be flabbergasted when He returns in glory.   They are not looking for Him to appear so it is really going to freak them out when Jesus shows up out of heaven.                 And what happens when Jesus shows up unannounced?   It will be destruction for those who are not looking for Him.   As we heard from Amos last week, the day of the Lord will be darkness, calamity, death, for those who have no faith in Christ.                    Jesus will return as the judge of the world.   He will be th