We Are Students in God's Classroom (Deuteronomy 11:1-7)

September 25, 2011                                                                    

Christian Education Sunday

Guest Preacher:  Rev. David Naumann

¹Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. ²Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; ³the signs he performed and things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country; ⁴what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them. ⁵It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place, ⁶and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. ⁷But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done.

65 years ago a man by the name of Oscar Naumann had opportunity to teach the truths of God’s Word to a gathering of believers here in Le Sueur while he served as a professor at Dr. Martin Luther College. He faithfully taught this congregation the truths of God’s Word, but he also faithfully taught those same truths to his son. He in turn taught them to his son. And because of that faithful teaching of God’s Word and works to his family, I stand before you today, a fellow brother in Christ. This is the importance of Christian Education, my dear fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This is why Moses spoke these words in his time, and why we continue to teach them to our children today. Yes,

We Are Students in God’s Classroom

1. God teaches us…
2. …so that we can teach our children.

1. As Moses stood on the precipice of the Land of Canaan, he knew that it was the land that the LORD had promised. It was the land that the LORD was about to give to his people, the Children of Israel. Moses speaks to the children who were under age 20 before coming to Canaan the first time. They are now all under 60, some weren’t even alive to see what God had done for them in Egypt. A family of 70 went down, a nation of more than a million came out, and now they stand on the precipice of Canaan again, and the LORD reminds them to love him and follow his commands. That can only happen with the proper motivation, to see God’s love for them first. So Moses, for thirty-four chapters of his last will and testament known as Deuteronomy, implored the Israelites again and again to be fervent in Christian Education.

Who was it that taught the Israelites that the LORD is majestic and mighty? Who is it that taught Israel that their God loved them very much, so much that he would take on the gods of the greatest nation on earth at the time, and Pharaoh himself? Who taught Israel of God’s great love as plague after plague swept across Egypt? And who taught Israel of God’s protecting hand as it swept away the entire nation of Egypt, horse and chariot and all, into the Red Sea? What was it that taught Israel about the holiness of the LORD’s chosen priesthood in the family line of Aaron when Dathan and Abiram wanted to claim that glory for themselves? It was the LORD himself that taught all of these things. The children of Israel were students in God’s classroom, as he showed them by event after great event what a powerful, loving, and just God he is.

God himself taught Israel about the mighty deeds, his strong arm, and his great love for his people as he demonstrated this might and this love by leading them out of slavery from Egypt. He led them to experience the discipline of the LORD. “To see and experience the discipline of the LORD your God”—what does that mean? When we think of discipline we often think of it in a negative connotation. That means we’re in trouble. That means we’ve done something wrong, and now we are getting the punishment we deserve for our actions. We’re in trouble.

Such a negative connotation was not the intent in the original word. Look at the root. What familiar Bible word do you see present there? “Disciple.” The disciples were not always in trouble with Jesus. No, they were his followers, who listened to his words and were taught by him. That is the meaning that is at the heart of this word, discipline. When the Israelites “saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD their God,” they were being taught by him. They were learning from him. It involved correction, but always it resulted in education. The discipline of the LORD is the mighty activity in covenant history by which he revealed himself.

In Deuteronomy 4 Moses speaks of this “teaching” again: “You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. Because he loved your forefathers and chose there descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance as it is today” (Deut. 4:35-38). Such discipline from the LORD was not punishment, but teaching. So it is today.

When we receive this discipline of the LORD, it is not because we are in trouble, though that is what we deserve. We have sinned. We deserve to be punished by God. But he does not give us what we deserve. Rather, he teaches us about his loving activity whereby he ultimately accomplished our salvation for us. Yes, he did not give us punishment, but he punished his own Son instead. To learn about this loving activity, to be educated in these works of God, this is “discipline.” And we are disciples in the school of our God.

2. God taught all of these things to that nation of Israel, but their children did not see it. This was Moses’ message to those Israelites as they stood on the border of the Promised Land right before he died. They knew firsthand of God’s great love and his mighty acts. But their children did not.

The entire book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ last will and testament, his final word to the people that he had led for all those years through the desert. And his last words essentially were, “Don’t forget who brought you here. The LORD has taught you all these things thus far. Don’t forget what he has done for you. And teach them to your children, because they will not know unless you tell them.”

God taught the Israelites, and now he wanted them to teach their children. “Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.” He reminded them how their children had not witnessed these events; they had not left a lasting impression on their children the way that firsthand experience had left on them. Imagine being in that classroom. Seeing the waters of the Red Sea stand on end. Fleeing for life and limb as a young child, below the age of 20, running for your life with your family and the entire nation. The entire Egyptian army with its mighty horses and terrifying chariots fast on your heels. And as you walk by with your parents through what was once the vast sea, now dry land, with water on the left and water on the right, you no more than reach the other side and the waters go crashing down upon the might of Egypt, drowning every last warrior and horse. That is a lesson one would not soon forget.

It was a lesson their children would not receive. It was the classroom their children would never be in. And Moses was finishing his race; he would not be around to tell the tales again. “Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God.” This responsibility would fall squarely on the shoulders of those Israelites that day—the parents who would one day have opportunity to share with their children the great things the LORD their God had done. Moses would not be around to teach these things. The job was not his.

Dear friends, so it is with us. Christian Education begins in the home. It is imperative for you to understand that the responsibility for educating your children about the truths of what God has done for you is not the responsibility of your pastor. It is not the responsibility of your Sunday School teachers or your Vacation Bible School teachers. It isn’t the responsibility of your catechism teachers or of anyone else. The responsibility of your child’s Christian education lies with you, the parents. If your son does not know what his Savior has done for him, you are to blame. If your daughter does not know that God accomplished her salvation long before she was born, it is your failings. If your toddler does not know Christ’s tender embrace, you have failed your job.

But for all our misappropriated priorities for our children—the great interest and expense paid for the best athletic training, the best music teachers, the best schools for worldly trades—we are greatly comforted in the wonderful Christian education that we ourselves have received from God. In his classroom we have seen our own failures. They are just as our fathers’ past. And yet the greatest act of God that has been passed to us, and God-willing we have passed on to the next generation, is the gracious and all-forgiving love of our God. Such a love drove him to perform the greatest act of all—self-sacrifice. He bore all our sins in the cross so that we only look to him and be saved. Just as Moses turned the gaze of the snake-venom-infested Israelites to the bronze serpent lifted up, so God the Holy Spirit has turned the gaze of our sin-infested hearts to Jesus Christ who was lifted up in our place. His blood was shed for our misspent moments. His life was given for our misguided lives. That is what has been taught us at God’s school.

And that is the lesson we will continue to teach to the next generation. And it doesn’t matter how old you are or how old your children are. Even if they have families of their own, they are never beyond hearing the wonderful works of God for them from their parents. Christian education begins in the home, on a father’s knee and in a mother’s warm embrace, but Christian education does not end there.

Someone once taught you the truths of God’s wonderful works, his mighty acts on your behalf. You have been a student in God’s classroom. And in an effort to band together with like-minded Christians who share this same classroom of our God, you have called this pastor to work with you in teaching the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD. Thank God for that partnership. Thank God for that opportunity. You have called Christian men and women to serve as Sunday School teachers and childcare providers to assist you in helping your own children to grow in grace. Pray for their work to be a blessing. Assist them in their work, recognizing that they are only here because you have asked them to assist in your work. Christian Education is your responsibility; but you don’t have to do it alone. Bring them to God’s classroom. Share with them the mighty works of our God. So that they can teach their children as well. Amen.

Rejoice in the Facts of Jesus' Ascension! (Acts 1:1-11)

June 5, 2011


Dear friends in Christ.

If you grew up watching Dragnet, then I’m sure you will remember Sergeant Joe Friday and his no nonsense demeanor. I’m sure you will remember his methodical attention to details. But most of all, I’m sure you will remember the phrase for which he will always be famous; that phrase which he would speak whenever an eye witness was either embellishing too much or becoming too emotionally involved in what he or she was recounting. For whenever that would happen, Sergeant Friday would utter those three simple words, “just the facts.” “Just the facts!”—that was all Sergeant Friday wanted so that he could clearly peace together the solution for the case he was trying to solve. Well, this morning, we will also be looking at the facts of the case that Luke has laid out before us. Today we will be reminded of the events that led up to it. Today we will be assured of the promise it contains. Today, we will rejoice in the fact of Jesus’ ascension!

As we do this, as we rejoice in the fact of Jesus’ ascension, I invite you to turn with me to our first lesson from Acts 1 and take a closer look at the facts that Luke is providing for our rejoicing. Now, when Luke wrote began writing the book of Acts, he began with the Ascension, essentially continuing where he left off with in his Gospel. In his Gospel letter to Theophilus his main purpose had been to tell about the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus and how through all of this Jesus had brought about the forgiveness of sins for all people. Thus as we heard in the gospel the account of the ascension was so brief. But now, by beginning with the Ascension in Acts, Luke’s purpose is to tell the Theophilus that this Jesus who died and rose again is truly the Son of God who has returned to his Father’s side. He is the Son of God who has freed all form their sins and brought life and salvation to light through the Gospel. He is the Savior in whose ascension we rejoice and whose work we now proclaim to the world. Take a look at what Luke writes in Acts 1, beginning with verse 1:

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with a water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:1-11)

What greater reason could there be for us to rejoice Today than the reason Luke gives with these facts of Jesus’ Ascension! For as Luke writes in the first verse of our text, he so expertly reminds us of the amazing and miraculous events of Jesus’ life. In such a simple way, Luke causes our minds to recall the events of Gabriel appearing to Mary, Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem so that the Savior could be born there in fulfillment of all the prophecies, and Jesus’ first trip to Jerusalem where he stayed behind, teaching the teachers, in fulfillment of another prophecy. In such a simple way Luke causes us to remember how Jesus went throughout the land of Israel preaching and teaching the good news of the kingdom of heaven, how he healed the sick and raised the dead, and how the Pharisees and teachers of the law constantly looked for ways to be rid of him. In such a simple way Luke causes us to remember how Jesus willingly gave his life for us on the cross, how he did in fact die, was in fact buried in the earth, and how he did in fact rise from the dead to assure us that our sins have truly been forgiven. In such a simple way Luke lays out for us the facts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection so that we might rejoice all the more over the fact of Jesus’ ascension, which Luke records for us beginning in verse 9: “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

I don’t know about you, but if I had been there on that day, I probably would have stood there staring up into the sky with the disciples. If I had seen Jesus suddenly floating up off the ground in the way the people simply don’t, I would have been so shocked and amazed that long after the cloud hid him from view I would have simply stood there, gazing up into the sky, hoping for another glimpse of my Savior. If I had been there that day, I’m sure that I would not have moved until the angels appeared, giving me Jesus’ amazing promise that one day I would see him returning to the earth in the same way that I had just seen him go. If I had been there that day, I can tell you that I would have joined in with the disciples’ rejoicing in Jesus’ ascension as they worshiped their Savior on their way back to Jerusalem.

What greater reason could there be for us to rejoice this morning! What greater fact could there be for us to celebrate than the fact of our Savior’s ascension! For Today, we have been assured of the forgiveness of our sins! Today, we have been assured that just as we have seen Jesus return to his heavenly home, we will one day see him returning in glory and great majesty. Not only that, but Today we have built the hope of our own ascension upon the fact of Jesus’ ascension. Today, we have been assured Jesus has been exalted to the highest place that heaven affords. Today we have been assured that Jesus is indeed sitting at the right hand of our heavenly Father and interceding for us. Today we have been assured that Jesus is still watching over us and protecting us, guarding us and keeping us in his tender care. Today as we have seen the facts of Jesus life, death, and resurrection laid out for us, we have great assurance in the fact of his resurrection, which assures us of the fact of eternal life, and the fact of his imminent return on the last day!

So let us rejoice in the fact of our Savior’s Ascension! For Today, we have traveled with Sergeant Joe Friday, so to speak, as we have gathered the facts of the case before us. Though we may not have done so with a no nonsense demeanor or with methodical attention to details, we have found great joy in the facts before us! We have found great joy in the fact that our Savior has indeed ascended to his throne in heaven, from which he will one day return to take us to be with him forever.

Amen.


Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN

Come and sit at your Savior's feet (Luke 10:38-42)

Dear friends in Christ.

“If you are a dreamer, come in, If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer…If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!” (Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends,(9) New York: Harper and Row. 1974.)

When Shel Silverstein published his first collection of poems in the book entitled, Where the Sidewalk Ends, he began with the poem I just read to you. He began with an invitation designed to connect to his audience and invite people into his world. He began with an invitation to simply sit by his fire and join him in spinning some flax -golden tails; and his invitation worked! For since 1974, more than 4.5 million copies of Where the Sidewalk Ends have been sold, making it the bestselling children’s poetry book ever. Since 1974 millions, maybe even billions of people have accepted his invitation to come in, to sit by his fire, and to join him in spinning some flax-golden tales. Well, in the same way that Shel Silverstein came to his readers with an invitation, so also our Savior is coming to us with an invitation today. Though Jesus may not be inviting us to sit by his fire and spin some flax-golden tales, he is inviting each and every one of us to come and sit at his feet so that we might be built up in our faith through the better thing, the one thing needful, the word of God.

But even though Jesus is essentially standing before us this morning and inviting us to come and sit at his feet so that we might learn the precious truths of salvation, how often do we actually accept that invitation? Though we have gathered this morning to sit at our Savior’s feet, will we take time to sit at his feet tomorrow and read through his Word for ourselves? Will we take time to sit down at his feet at regular intervals this week and listen to Jesus speak the precious truths of salvation through the Bibles we keep so securely stored on our bookshelves and coffee tables? Will we take time out of our schedules again next Sunday to gather in this place to sit at our Savior’s feet, or will the busyness of Giant Days distract us from time together with our Savior?

Why is it, do you think, that so many Christians are so distracted by so many things that they simply cannot find the time to sit at their Savior’s feet in worship, or in their personal Bible reading at home? Why is it that we can find all the time in the world to watch TV, or get lost in a good book, read the newspaper without distractions, catch up on our blogging, search Youtube, connect on Facebook, and yet we can’t find 5 minutes during the week to pick up the Bible and read it? Why is it that when Sunday morning rolls around 9 AM is too early to gather for worship in the Summer and 10 AM is too late to gather for worship in the Fall? Why is it that we find it so important to send our children to Sunday School, but we can’t be bothered to take time for Bible Study ourselves, or to stay for worship after we’ve picked our kids up from Family Education Hour? Why is it that when we actually make a plan to sit down at our Savior’s feet with Bible in hand, we find ourselves distracted by so many of life’s worries? Why is it that we start off with a good Bible reading plan and yet find it difficult to follow through? Why is it that when we actually begin to make headway in reading the Word for ourselves we get bogged down in books like Deuteronomy, or Chronicles, or Kings, and before we know it we simply stop sitting at our Savior’s feet because we got frustrated with what we were reading in his word?

Why is it? Because the very last thing that satan, our enemy, wants us to be doing, is sitting at the feet of our Savior and learning the precious truths of salvation. He doesn’t want us in church because then we might be strengthened in our faith not only through the word but by all the other believers who have gathered and who are struggling with similar problems. He doesn’t want us reading the Scriptures for ourselves, because we might read something that makes us all the more committed to sitting at our Savior’s feet every chance we get. So he distracts us and does everything he can to keep us from our Savior, just as he did with Martha in our Gospel lesson this morning. Now, if you haven’t already done so, I invite you to open your Bibles to our Gospel Lesson, Luke 10:38 on page 1028. There, in Luke 10 we’ll take a look at how satan worked to distract Mary and Martha from sitting at our Savior’s feet and listening to the precious truths of salvation. As always, a little bit of back ground as you are opening to Luke 10:38. We’re not exactly sure when this event took place other than it was sometime after Jesus sent out the 72 and they returned. It has been thought that this event took place when Jesus came down to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, which took place in late November or early December. But all we really know for certain is what Luke tells us in chapter 10 beginning with verse 38: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38–42, NIV)

Though these words are so very familiar to us, they still pack a huge punch today, because they so clearly show how satan seeks to drive us to distraction even as Jesus invites us to sit at his feet and listen. Just think about how satan was at work in the background through this whole account. Luke tells us in verse 38 “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.” (Luke 10:38, NIV)

Now, there really isn’t anything unusual about this. Jesus came to Mary and Martha’s home in Bethany and Martha opened her house to him. Yet, there are some commentators who suggest that this visit by Jesus and his disciples may not have been a scheduled visit. There are some commentators who suggest that the reason for Martha’s distraction was because Jesus had not called ahead to tell them that he and 12 others, at least, were planning to stay at her house this night. They suggest that Martha was so distracted because she had so many things to get ready now that Jesus had dropped in on them. While this may be the case, all we know for certain is that satan used this as an opportunity to keep Martha from sitting at Jesus’ feet as Mary was, and he used it as an opportunity to try to distract Mary who was so quietly sitting at Jesus’ feet. Just imagine the scene, Jesus and his disciples were welcomed into the home. Martha and Mary were probably quite busy making the preparations. Then Jesus sat down in a way that indicated he was going to do some teaching. Mary stopped what she was doing and sat down at Jesus’ feet to listen to what he had to say. However, as verse 40 tells us, “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40, NIV)

Martha was becoming worried about setting a meal on the table that would be good enough for her beloved Master. Undoubtedly, out of love for her Lord, she wanted to put on the best feast for him and serve him the very best that she could possibly offer, yet doing this meant that she would be giving up the privilege of sitting at the Lord’s feet as her sister was. Can’t you just hear satan whispering in her ear, telling her how she was doing the right thing by forgoing her opportunity to sit at the Savior’s feet? Can’t you just hear satan planting seeds of jealousy and frustration against her sister who was just sitting there? Can’t you just see her going to Jesus, expecting that Jesus will agree with her and tell Mary to stop sitting there and get up and help her? Yet, as verse 41 and 42 tell us, something completely different happened. Jesus answered, “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41–42, NIV)

In such a simply and loving way, Jesus thanks Martha for all the work of preparation that she had been doing, out of love for him. He chides her, even rebukes her for her sinful thoughts and attempt at trying to pull Mary away from sitting at his feet. He assures her that she is his dearly loved child who has been forgiven of all her sins, even this one of keeping Mary form sitting at his feet, and he even invites her to come and join them; to come sit at his feet and listen to the precious truths of salvation.

This is what the Lord Jesus is doing to each and every one of us today. He is chiding us, even rebuking us for being so distracted by all the things in life that we just simply cannot find time to sit at his feet in worship or in personal Bible readings. He rebukes us for our own attempts at keeping others from sitting down at the Savior’s feet by encouraging them not to come to church or read their Bibles as well as for those times when we have simply allowed friends, family members, even children to remain behind as we went to sit at the Lord’s feet. Yet, at the same time he is assuring us that we are his dearly loved children, who have been forgiven of all our sins, even our failure of sitting at his feet. And once again our Lord invites us to come and join him; to sit at his feet here in worship and at home in Bible reading as we listen to the precious truths of salvation that he has to teach us today.

But how do we do that? How do we answer his invitation to come and sit at his feet? The answer to that question is simple. First and foremost, we make the most of every opportunity to gather for worship on a Sunday morning, be it here at Grace, or at one of the congregations in our fellowship while we are on vacation. We make the most of every opportunity to encourage our children to seek out and find a congregation in our fellowship when they are away at school, or work, or have simply left the house. We make the most of every opportunity to sit at our Savior’s feet each day through worship and personal Bible reading each week. Maybe that means we take a paper copy of the sermon home with us, or we re-read it off our sermon site online. Maybe that means we schedule personal time each week when we can sit down and read the Bible for ourselves, or simply listen to it as we are commuting to and from work. Maybe it means that we set up a personal check list for the day including Bible Reading, and make sure that we are spending 15 minutes in the Bible each day, or simply reading through it a chapter at a time.

Now, understand that when you make a commitment to sit at your Savior’s feet, satan will do everything he can to distract you. There will be some days that you face quite a few struggles designed to keep you from sitting down and reading or listening to the word. There may be days when you wake up in the morning and realize that you missed the past day or the past few days, and satan has succeeded in keeping you from sitting at your Savior’s feet. When that happens, forgive yourselves immediately and pick up where you left off and continue on from that day forward. Continue on from that day forward because the more you are in the Word, the more your faith will grow. The more time you spend sitting at your Savior’s feet, the better you will understand the gift of salvation that your Savior has given. The more time you spend reading or listening to the Word, the more enjoyable worship will be each week, because you will begin to see connections you never saw before, like the connections that branch out from this lesson. In just a few months Lazarus will die, and both Mary and Martha’s faith will be intently tested. Yet through all that testing, they will confess their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior because they spent time on this day sitting at their Savior’s feet.

So, do just that. Make the most of every opportunity you have to sit at your Savior’s feet. If you haven’t been in the habit of reading the word for yourselves, use the 90 New Testament reading plan printed in your bulletins as a starting point for your own personal feet time with Jesus. For this is his invitation to us today. Though it may not be to sit by his fire and spin flax-golden tales, it is an invitation to sit at his feet as Mary did and learn from him. I pray that you would take hold of this invitation and make use of every opportunity you have to sit at the Lord’s feet and learn from him.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Le Sueur, MN

Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:14-21)

Dear friends in Christ.

I believe it was Bill Gates who said, “In the future there will be two types of businesses, those online and those out of business.” Though I don’t know exactly when this particular phrase was spoken, these very words are being fulfilled in our hearing today! Whether you like it or not, it is pretty clear that everything in our world today is clamoring to get online. Business, who less than ten years ago, had no idea what they would do with a website, are now seeking to drive as much web traffic to their online stores as possible. Just a few months ago I heard an ad for a new Wal-Mart that had recently opened in the cities. The ad told of the special area where people who had ordered items online could come in and pick up the purchases they had made. Each and every day more and more people are going online to find their news and information. Though Amazon and Barns and Noble are still selling books, there is a greater push by these two companies to sell electronic books to people like you and me. Even our own bulletin has 9 different websites to which you can go to learn more about what was printed for you this morning. There can be no doubt! Whether you like it or not, whether you are ready for it or not, whether you understand it or not, the future is here! The prediction / prophesy that Mr. Gates made a number of years ago is clearly coming to fulfillment right here right now in our very hearing.

Well, in the same way that I can stand in front of you today and tell you that something Mr. Gates said is being fulfilled in your hearing, Jesus, our Savior is standing before us and telling us that today the Scriptures are being fulfilled in our hearing. In fact, this was the very message that Jesus spoke as he sat before the crowds in that synagogue in Nazareth so many years ago. Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing! That was the message that Jesus brought with him as he entered his home town for the first time in over a year. That was the message that Jesus brought with him as he returned to the town where he had lived since he was a very young child. That was the message he brought with him as he entered the town of Nazareth, the place where he was well known as the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James Joseph, Judas and Simon. It was in Nazareth where Jesus had lived and worked for so many years; where he had supported his family, as was his responsibility as the first born. It was there where Jesus had been until about a year earlier.

Though it hadn’t been much more than a year since Jesus had seen Nazareth, so much had happened in that short time. He had been baptized by John the Baptist, God the Father had spoken and the Holy Spirit had descended upon him in the form of a dove, and the news about him had spread. He had turned water into wine at the wedding of Cana, and the news about him had spread. He had traveled from Cana to Capernaum to spend a few days with his family and the news about him had spread. He had traveled with them down to the Passover in Jerusalem, where he drove the money changers out of the Temple, taught the people, healed the sick and drove out demons, and the news about him had spread. He spent the rest of that year working his way from Jerusalem, up through Samaria, and finally in to Galilee, preaching, teaching, gathering disciples, and performing many signs and wonders, and the news about him spread. Though a year earlier the people of Nazareth had seen him leave as nothing more than an ordinary man, now he sat before them as a respected rabbi with the fame of his deeds echoing throughout the land, and he simply says to them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

As Luke tells us, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” (Luke 4:14-21)

As Jesus spoke these words, he clearly revealed to his fellow town’s people that he was the Messiah who had come into the world. He was the one who had come to fulfill the prophecy that Isaiah had written so many years ago. He was the one who had spent the last year of his life preaching the good news of salvation to the spiritually poor of Israel. He was the one who was proclaiming the freedom of forgiveness to those who had long languished in satan’s dark prisons of self righteousness and unbelief. He was the one who was opening the eyes of those who were physically blind as well as the eyes of those whose spiritual blindness had kept them from the peace and the salvation that Jesus was so freely offering. He was the one who had been chosen by the Lord to be his own, who had been anointed by the Holy Spirit who descended upon him in the form of a dove. He was the one proclaiming the Jubilee of the Lord’s favor—the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus the Messiah. He was the one telling them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing!”

What greater comfort could there be for us today than those beautiful words that Jesus spoke some 2,000 years ago, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Though we may not have Jesus sitting before us and telling us how he fulfilled Isaiah’s beautiful prophesy, as we hear about it, we are reminded that he is the one who healed the sick and raised the dead. He is the one who spoke the comforting words of the gospel to those burdened by a weight of sin. He is the one who comforted his people in all their troubles, and he is the one who is doing the same thing for us today!

Even though we are living in a world where everything is changing and technology is allowing business to work faster and cheaper with fewer and fewer people, the Lord Jesus is still caring for us. Even though we find ourselves mere miles from a nation that has all but been destroyed by an incredible earthquake, the Lord Jesus is still working in fulfillment of those words from Isaiah. Through the efforts of organizations like the WELS Committee on Relief, the Gospel is being proclaimed and Jesus is once again proclaim the freedom of the forgiveness of sins to those who had long languished in satan’s dark prison of unbelief. Through the preaching of the gospel in Haiti, Jesus is opening the eyes of those who had been spiritually blind for much if not all of their lives. Through the preaching of the gospel more and more people are learning about their Savior and the salvation that they have and those words of Isaiah are continuing to be fulfilled in our hearing.

Even today, through this message of the Gospel, Jesus is continuing to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor to you and me. He is continuing to bind up those whose hearts have been broken by the ravages of their own sins and the sinful state of this world. He is the one who is using even this recession to open our own eyes to our own personal apathy, blindness, even resistance to his word, and he is calling us out of the prisons of our own making. He is the one calling to us with his word, preaching and teaching us that he is the Messiah who through his death and resurrection has freed us from all our sins, so that no matter what we might have done in the past, it is forgiven. We have been released from our bondage to sin and death and are now free to live our live in service to the Lord Jesus, our Savior.

Because Jesus has fulfilled this Scripture in our hearing, we know that we can turn to him in any and every situation in our lives. He is the one who forgives our sins so completely that they are forgotten by the Lord our God. He is the one who loves us so intently that he gave up his life in our place. He is the one cherishes us so entirely that he provides us with his Word, with opportunities for worship, with encouragement from the body of believers here, with opportunities to speak to him in prayer, and with the absolute assurance that through faith in him we have eternal life waiting for us.

That is our comfort as we hear today how our Savior has fulfilled this Scripture in our hearing. It isn’t like the fulfillment that is taking place in our world today as companies and the economy itself moves toward the Internet. Rather it is the sure and certain gift of the Lord our Savior who has freed us from our sins, opened the eyes of our hearts, made us his own, and given us the gift of eternal life.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Le Sueur, MN

Dare to Be Disciples of Christ (Mark 8:27-35)

Dear friends in Christ.



Just a little over 25 years ago, Warner Brothers Studios released a movie about a little boy named Ralphie Parker—a little boy who wanted nothing more than a Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. As the movie progresses, we follow Ralphie’s life as he struggles to give just the right BB gun hints to his parents, as his brother struggles to put his arms down, as he and his friends run from the neighborhood bully, and how he finally gets the gift he’s been dreaming of for the whole movie. Yet, out of all the fun this movie has to offer, there is one scene that always stands out in my mind when I think about this movie, and that is the school scene with the flag pole and the exchange between Flick and Schwartz. You may remember how it happened, all the boys standing around a flag pole during recess and Schwartz begins to dare Flick to stick his tongue to the pole. He dares Flick, he double dares him, he double dog dares him, and finally after Flick receives the triple dog dare, he gives in to the dare and stick his tongue to the pole. Though he knew he should have just walked away, rather than backing down, Flick dared to stick his tongue to a flag pole, got stuck, and as the movie goes, had to be rescued by the police and the fire department! Well, as Christians, our Savior is in some ways playing the role of Schwartz as he dares us to be his disciples. But rather than daring us to do something foolish, he is daring us to screw our courage to its sticking place as we dare to be his disciples who boldly confess his name, who boldly believe in his mission and who boldly follow him carrying our own crosses. In fact, listen to the beginning of Jesus daring us to be his disciples, Mark records, “Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:27-29)


In his characteristically bold manor, Peter jumped forward and answered Jesus’ question for all the disciples who were there. He demonstrated that he understood who Jesus was and confessed him as the Christ. Though he didn’t fully understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Christ, Peter placed his faith in Jesus none-the-less. Though he had recently seen crowds of people turn away from Jesus and stop following him, Peter was the one who stated, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Though they had seen some of the more sever persecution that Jesus had lately faced, Peter still dared to be a disciple of Christ!


Well, this is what the Lord Jesus would have each and every one of us do. He would have us dare to be his disciples who boldly and proudly confess his name. He would have us confess our faith in him before our friends and family; before our neighbors and co-workers. In fact, our Savior would have us boldly confess his name in any and every situation in our lives. But how often aren’t we simply afraid to do that very thing? Though here in church we boldly sing our Alleluias and confess the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, how often doesn’t it happen that as soon as we walk out those doors, our daring goes away? How often hasn’t it happened that we were afraid to share our faith with our friends because we are worried that they might ridicule us for what we believe? How often haven’t we walked away from a religious conversation because we were too afraid we might say the wrong thing? How often hasn’t our courage failed us so that rather than daring to stand out as Jesus’ disciples we seek to simply blend in with the rest of humanity and hope that no one will notice who whom we belong? Sadly, these are the things that happen far too often, and I know this from experience, because I too have let my courage waver and have not dared to be a disciple of Christ or to boldly confess his name when the situation warranted.


But even though we have all faced times when our courage has failed us and we have joined Peter in denying our Savior, our Savior still offers his forgiveness. Just as the Lord forgave Peter and publicly reinstated him as a disciple after his resurrection, so also when we turn to the Lord in repentance, he is the one who forgives us. He is the one who reinstates us as his disciples. He is the one who bolsters our courage through the Holy Spirit whom he has sent to live in our hearts, and he is the one whose love emboldens our daring so that we eagerly show ourselves as his disciples who are not only bold to confess his name, but who also boldly believe in his mission.


Now, in the movie, when Flick finally stuck his tongue to the pole, he was surprised that it stuck. In fact, when you watch the movie, you will hear a couple of boys say something like, “Wow! It actually worked.” Though Flick started his mission of tongue sticking with disbelieve, he quickly began to believe from experience that a warm wet tongue will quickly freeze to a flag pole. Well, in our text today, as Jesus dares us to be his disciples, he doesn’t ask us to blindly follow him in his mission. Rather, he begins to clearly and fully lay out his mission as the Christ to his daring disciples. Though he had spoken to them many times about how his mission was to suffer many things, to die on the cross, and then be raised to life on the third day, he had always spoken about these things in a veiled manner. However, as Mark tells us “Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Mark 8:31-33)


Though moments earlier, Peter had confessed Jesus as the Christ, and all the disciples had agreed with him, they still didn’t fully understand what Jesus mission was. Though they had been with Jesus for a little over two years, they still had the false idea that the Christ was to come and be an earthly Messiah. The Christ was to come and overthrow the Roman Government, establishing an earthly kingdom which he would reign over from Jerusalem. In the disciples minds, suffering and death simply didn’t fit, and that is why Peter took Jesus aside. He took Jesus aside to try to reason with him, show him, and convince him that there was no need for him to do these. But suffering at the hands of the religious leaders and dying for the sins of the world was the very reason that Jesus had come. This was the mission he was on and this is why he answered Peter as he did.


Sadly, this is how the unbelieving world views our Savior. Very few know who he truly was or understand or believe in his mission as we, his daring disciples do. In fact, if you were to ask the people of the world you would find out that many of them think that Jesus was nothing more than a prophet who conveyed a radically new message about loving each other. Others think of him as nothing more than a good man who lived a good live and gave us a good example to follow. But when it comes right down to it, if you asked people why Jesus willingly went to the cross to die, at best most people will think that Jesus was nothing more than a martyr who so believed his message of love that he was willing to show the greatest example of love by dying for his teaching.

It is because of this that Jesus is speaking so clearly about his mission as the Christ here on earth so that we, his daring disciples, might boldly believe that his mission on earth was to suffer for the sins of the world, endure the flames of hell in our place as he was rejected by God himself, pour out his blood to atone for the sins of the world, give up his life to pay the penalty that Almighty God had demanded for our sins, and then, when all hope seemed to be lost, rise again on the third day to assure us that he had completed his mission and that our sins have been paid for! This is why Jesus speaks so clearly about his mission so that we might boldly believe in it and what he accomplished for us. For when we are reminded of Christ’s willing sacrifice for us, we who are his daring disciples, are emboldened in our faith, strengthened in our courage, and ready to go forward, boldly following him while carrying our cross.

When flick stuck his tongue to the flag pole, he quickly discovered that his daring had given him a great number of hardships, as the movie showed, he remained stuck to that flag pole while all the other children ran inside. Well the same thing is true for you and me who willingly dare to be Christ’s disciples! As soon as we put on that robe of righteousness that marks us as one of his followers, we find ourselves facing any number of hardships as we boldly follow after Christ, carrying the cross that he has given us. This, in fact, is exactly what Jesus is talking about as he says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34, 35)


For the disciples this was the first time that Jesus clearly spoken about what was ahead for them. Though they had seen opposition as the religious leaders did everything they could to oppose him, more was to come. Though they had seen rejection as crowds of people stopped following Jesus, this was only a taste of what was to come in the future. For when they were out on their own, the disciples would face stoning, prison time, beatings, and hardships all for the name of Jesus whom they proclaimed.

As Christ’s daring disciples, we boldly follow him as we carry our own cross. We dare to follow him as disciples even though we know we may have to carry a cross of rejection. We dare to follow him even though we may face a cross of ridicule. We dare to follow him even though we may have to carry a cross of lost friends. We dare to follow him even though we might have to carry a cross of financial hardship because of what we believe. We dare to follow him even though we might have to carry a cross of being hated by our friends or even family because we have spoken up and said what was right when no one else would. We dare to follow him even though we may one day have to carry a cross of prison time because God’s Word has become hate speech. WE dare to follow him even though we may one day have to carry the cross of going underground because the world simply will not put up with the truth of God’s Word. We dare to follow Christ as his disciples no matter what type of cross we might one day have to carry, because we understand what Jesus meant when he said, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

No matter what cross the Lord would have us carry it is designed to draw us closer to him. It is designed to make us place daring disciples who place our trust in him not relying on the things of this world, but looking to the Lord our God, trusting that one day he will deliver us from this life to our heavenly home.

Though Flick may have taken a foolish dare in the movie I’ve been describing, as Christians, we have not foolishly taken our Savior’s dare. Rather, we have boldly dared to be his disciples who willingly confess his name, believe his mission, and even carry the crosses which he, himself, has assigned to us.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN