Proclaiming the Gospel on the Journey

A continuation of the Sermon Series based on Martin Luther's Sermons on 1 Peter LW Vol. 30

March 14, 2010 Luke 15 and Proclaim the Gospel Wherever You Go

There’s a story about a young Hebrew student who comes to the Rabbi and says, “Rabbi, I have gone through the whole Torah.” The Rabbi responds to his student by saying, “Ah yes, dear one, but has the Torah gone through you?” In other words, I know this book, I know these stories. . . yes, but have these stories gone through to my heart and soul? Are they simply book knowledge or have Have they formed me, changed me, inspired me, and called me?
Our gospel lesson for today is one of those stories that we have all heard probably hundreds of times. That means it has the potential to become old and stale to us. But as we consider this morning what it means to “Proclaim the good news on the Journey” this parable that Jesus tells his biggest critics is very helpful. Recall all that we’ve talked about so far in Lent, how we are holy because Christ is holy, how we love because Christ loves us, and that we are the holy priesthood of believers. Remember that Martin Luther in his commentary on 1 Peter said that as part of our call to be the Holy Priesthood which comes through our baptism that we are called into service, that no one is higher in status or lower in call than another- including those called to “religious” vocations. And that God has planted us each in a certain garden and it is there that we are meant to sprout and grow. (Bloom where you are planted, as they say!) He went on to teach that each of us who are members of this holy priesthood has three jobs to do as part of the office of priest: first, is to proclaim the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ; second, is to pray for the community of believers; and third, is to live a sacrificial life. This morning we focus on the first job we are called to do- to share the gospel. It is our good fortune that we have been granted the perfect story to help us think about it.
The parable of the Prodigal Son:
*Two sons- one requests his inheritance and leaves for a distant country.
*He squanders all that he has been given; a famine strikes and leaves him destitute and alone.
*He ends up slopping the pigs—which is a total curse to a Jewish person.
*He decides to go back home, but only as a hired hand.
*His father waits for him and when he sees him he runs to him and calls for the servants to prepare a party!
* My son who was lost is now found!
This story is the heart and soul of the gospel message: that our heavenly Father loves us, waits for us, forgives us and welcomes us with open arms no matter what we’ve done to betray, hurt, or disobey him. This is a message that I know I need to hear on a daily basis, how about you? I think there are lots of folks out there that we come in contact with who could really benefit from hearing this amazing story of God’s love.
Proclaiming the gospel wherever we go is our call to discipleship! It is nothing less than telling the story of the good news- that God loves and forgives us and calls us home when we stray! Think of how this is good news, the best news you could ever receive. . . who is it in your life that you come in contact with who needs to hear this extraordinary news? Can you think of anyone specifically? How might you tell this story that you are so familiar with? You’ve heard it many times. Have you ever told it? Has this story become a part of you? Has this story gone through you?
One of my professors talked recently about conversion. We know that conversion is about changing direction, turning around, even a “coming to” Christ. He offered to the class a different interpretation on the reason the Mormons send young men, two by two, into strange neighborhoods, far from home. He said that perhaps the point of it is not to proselytize the people whose doors they knock on for a entire year. That kind of evangelism doesn’t actually work very well. Not many people are converted to the faith on their doorstep. But, he suggested, perhaps the idea of this door to door visiting is more about getting the young men to tell the story. That telling the story of the faith over and over again is what lodges it solidly in our hearts. Telling it repeatedly is what makes the story become part of us, just like memorizing a poem or a song. Something happens deep within us when we try to articulate that faith to others rather than just hoping they will “see” something special about us. It pushes us out of our comfort zone, it exposes us, it leaves us vulnerable and yet it draws us deeper into the story of God’s grace when we have to speak about it for ourselves.
We live in a world that needs to hear this good news. I know of people right now who need to hear that they are forgiven; that they are loved; that they are welcomed back into God’s waiting arms and that God is throwing a big party for them upon their return! It is up to each of us to allow this story of Christ’s incredible love to sweep us away, to go through us, so that we can share it with everyone we meet. We are called to proclaim this life giving word in the streets, at PTO meetings, in the break room, over the fence, at the gym, and everywhere else we find ourselves!
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the change in yourself as you begin to spread the gospel wherever you go! Amen.

Journeying in Freedom

1 Peter 2: 13-17
St. Peter said to the faithful Christians that he wrote to: As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.
Living as we do in a free country, with the right to speak as we wish, worship where we want to, vote in every election when we reach the age of 18, attend school where we want to, hold property and land in our own names, and make decisions for our own lives. . . it’s a bit difficult for us to understand what it would be like not to be free. At times, I think, we take our freedom for granted. We are so used to being free that sometimes we fail to notice that we are actually free! People in other countries long for the freedoms that we enjoy, risking arrest in order to worship Christ, risking imprisonment in order to have more than one child, risking death if they are caught spreading the gospel message. We can only imagine how awful it would be not to have the liberties that we hold dear.
There are those times, however, when even though we are free, we live in a state of captivity. I’m not talking about iron bars, or chains, or segregated cells. I’m talking about how we allow our fears to get the best of us. Of course some fear is healthy! Fear of black widow spiders keeps you from playing with them like they are pets; a fear of buffalo on the road into Yellowstone park can keep you alive and prevent you from being gored to death by their horns; a fear of driving on icy roads might keep you at home on a dark night where you are safe and sound. Those kinds of fears are healthy, they keep us out of harms way but if our fears aren’t based in reality --if they go on too long then we can become slaves to our fears and our freedom, though it is still there, becomes useless to us because we are stuck in the midst of our own paralyzing emotions. Fear can keep us captive, barring us from true freedom: fear of what others think about us, fear of not measuring up, fear of failure, fear of exposing ourselves and being vulnerable to others, fear of losing everything that we hold dear.
But Jesus has a better way for us who believe. He said to his disciples, “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” We believe, as Christians, as disciples who believe in the saving power of Christ, that the Son has made us free! That’s what our annual Lenten journey is all about- it’s a journey toward freedom! Jesus has freed us from having to earn our way to heaven, as if we ever could have in the first place, but –you know---lots of people are still trying! He has freed us from having to get it right all the time, or even most of the time. Yet some of us get stuck living in the illusion that perfection is possible. He has freed us from some impossible measuring stick, some hypothetical standard, that constantly reminds us that we aren’t good enough. And yet, God says to us, “You are my child, I love you, you are good enough for me!” Because of Christ we know that we are holy, because he is holy; we are lovable and loving because he is; we are made right with God because of Jesus’ sacrifice and redemptive action on the cross; we are free from having to do it all ourselves! This is true freedom, friends! Freedom to live, really live, relying on nothing less than God’s grace and mercy in our lives! And this freedom “from” gives us freedom “to.” Freedom to serve, and to love, and to get out of our comfort zone and take a chance. This freedom is what makes us who we are, but it also comes with responsibility.
Martin Luther wrote a tract for the Christians of his day that mirrors what St. Peter says to the Christians that he is instructing. He said, “A Christian is the perfectly free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.” So then, you are free! You are subject to no one! As a Christian, you are set free from all of the laws that seek to bind you, to keep you captive, to make you feel guilty, and bad about yourself! Yet, at the same time, you are a slave or servant of Christ; subject to everyone! To your neighbor, to your parents, to those in authority, to every one you meet on the street- you are duty bound to serve them. How can it be both? Free and slave at the same time?
But in Christ, this liberty that we are given, this liberty that frees us from the law, from sin, death and the devil’s power, is not given to us so that we can do any old thing that we want to do, just because we want to do it! This liberty is not to be misused simply because we are made free in Christ! The reason is that to do so might cause someone else to stumble in their faith. It’s kind of like drinking alcohol in the presence of an alcoholic- it makes things hard on that person who is struggling; or eating a huge buffet in front of the poor and hungry—it causes them distress. If Christians who are at the beginning of their faith journey see us who are further along on the journey misuse our freedom, what will it do to them? We certainly don’t want to be responsible for them falling away from the faith. So in that way we are servant and slave to all, subject to everyone- even while we are perfectly free and subject to no one. That’s what Peter meant by “do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.” As ones who are free, we are to be constantly looking out for the best interests of our neighbor and putting aside our own desires—because it is our choice to do so-- it is a matter of our obedience to Christ who frees us. We are free to do just that. So, friends as we continue our Lenten journey, let us remember that we have the great pleasure of basking in the freedom of Christ, AND when necessary, we willingly give up that freedom for the sake of the other. Amen.

February 28: Journeying as The Holy Priesthood

1 Peter 2: 2-10
As we continue our Lenten Journey this morning, I want to think about stones. There are so many different kinds of stones and rocks on this planet. I don’t know about you but I tend to take most of those for granted. The diamonds and sapphires catch my eye but the limestone, granite, and sandstone don’t really hold my interest. All of them are important for something, however, and in Ancient Egypt there were certain stones that were used for architecture; there were other stones that were used in crafts, jewelry and for decoration; and there were particular stones that were used for the creation of tools. Each stone had unique qualities that made it appropriate for its intended function. The utilitarian stone, flint, was made into hammers, drills, and knife blades. Gemstones such as lapis, garnet, and topaz were used to adorn the headdresses of kings and queens as well as to decorate their royal belongings. Sandstone and limestone were used to build brick to create the massive pyramids that the Ancient Egyptians are known for. Temples and statues were also made of this kind of stone and we can see that this material has stood the test of time. These structures were erected over 5,000 years ago and still stand in the Nile Crescent to be visited by geologists, scientists, and tourists alike.
The Ancient Egyptians weren’t the only ones who knew about stone however. In our epistle lesson this morning, St. Peter talks to the early Christians about being “living stones,” stones that are built into a spiritual house or temple. He is talking about that rock that is used for architectural purposes, as opposed to ornamental gems or stone that is formed into tools. This stone has to be sturdy and able to stand up to the weather. Peter’s focus is purely on building, and not just the construction of any old building- but a spiritual building- a holy building, dedicated to the Lord. Just as Christ is the cornerstone of the building—and recall that without the cornerstone the building lacks strength, form, integrity—that we are built into that same building with Christ. Notice that Peter doesn’t say “build yourselves into a spiritual house. . .” No, this is a passive verb--- allow yourselves to be built into. . . a spiritual house. You can’t make this happen, but simply have to let God do the work. God is the master architect. God is the project manager. Just like stones cannot make themselves, or set themselves into place—so we as living stones cannot build ourselves into this holy temple.
So, how does this happen for us? Pardon the change of metaphors here, but Peter begins this chapter instructing the Christians to be like newborn babies, who long for spiritual milk. Newborn babies can’t eat a filet mignon or a baked potato. Newborn babies must have pure milk or infant formula, if you will. So too, as Christians we have to have the pure milk of the gospel before we can even consider having what Luther called “the wine.” The pure milk of the gospel is that most basic message for us who believe. . . that Jesus Christ came and lived among us and died for our sake and rose again from the dead. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves but we simply cling to the love of Christ and his mercy and grace in our lives. Until we can truly drink of this milk, we cannot move on in our spiritual journey. We must be strengthened and nurtured and fed by this rich, nutritious, life sustaining milk of the holy Gospel- which reminds us that God did this, we do not and cannot do this for ourselves. If the message that we cling to and stake our lives of faith on are anything other than this pure gospel, then that milk is sour milk and not pure spiritual milk.
As we get stronger in our faith we then become ready for the wine and Luther reminds us that the wine is the cross- the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. As we grow into this holy spiritual house, as we are formed into living stones, we become stronger in our faith and God then calls us to the cross. But that doesn’t happen until we have ingested enough milk to make us strong! As we are strengthened in Christ, we are formed into these living, breathing, serving, loving, stones. A builder wouldn’t use stone that doesn’t have the properties of good, solid construction material. That would be a foolish builder who is just asking for the building to collapse. But a wise builder uses materials that stand the test of time- like the Ancient Egyptians using limestone and sandstone for the construction of those massive pyramids. As those living stones we are formed into the structure of the holy house and we are supported by the chief cornerstone which is Christ in whom we put our faith and trust. As that holy house we work together to keep the building strong and sturdy; we pray for one another, we accommodate one another, we become one with each other as those bricks become one house.
Now we get to the why of this holy house. . . Peter tells the Christians it is so that they can be formed into a holy priesthood. A priest needs a temple to work in, right? Now we have the temple- that’s the collection of the living stones formed into a holy house- and so next comes the priest. What is the function of the priest in ancient Jewish religion? To offer the sacrifices to God. With Christ’s death and resurrection, however, the need for those blood sacrifices is over. Christ is the Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No longer do you and I have to slaughter lambs or goats or bulls on the altar of the Lord. Now something new happens—now everything is spiritual. This priesthood, that we are all a part of, is about serving God and our neighbor in love. These are our spiritual sacrifices as those who are a part of the holy priesthood. The house is built of living stones and those same stones become holy priests—inside a building? No! In the world that God loves.
Perhaps you are sitting there with furrowed brow thinking to yourself, “I’m not a priest, I’m not a pastor, I’m just me- a computer programmer, a stay at home mom, a retired person.” But remember how Martin Luther interpreted these words from 1 Peter, that with Christ there is no hierarchy of faith. All those who are baptized become part of this holy priesthood of all believers. The mark of that priesthood is the sign of the cross made at our baptism—it consists of all those who call themselves Christians, who put away “malice, guile, hypocrisy, hatred, etc. who are like newborn babes and drink the unadulterated milk.” (The pure milk!) No Christian is more important than any other; no job or vocation has a higher status in the kingdom of God than another; the call to ordained ministry is not a “higher” calling than the call to be a father or mother, the call to be a teacher or nurse, the call to be a farmer or laborer. Christ has given each of us everything that belongs to him, even his own body and blood! Because we are the holy priesthood we are sent into the world to proclaim Christ and him crucified and risen; we are called to pray for one another fervently, constantly, and faithfully; and we are to live out our baptism in a sacrificial life. In the weeks to come I will talk further about these three parts of the office of the holy priesthood.
For today then, let us embrace this calling to be the holy priesthood of believers. Let us embrace the reality that we are formed by Christ into living stones, made into a holy temple, for the sake of Jesus. As you go out into the ebb and flow of your daily lives, remember that you are called. Called to be helpful, called to care, called to serve others and love others, called to work faithfully at whatever it is you do each day, and all of that we do for God. Notice Christ along the way. Pay attention to Christ who is with you on your journey. He has given you everything you need and accompanies you every step of the way. Amen.

More about Sunday School Teachers

On the front page of our March Newsletter I wrote about how much Sunday School Teachers impact the lives of our young people (and older people too!) Here is another response I got from Carolyn that I didn't have enough room for in print. . .
She writes, "WOW, IT WAS SO LONG AGO!! I do remember Vernita Snieder (Sp?), she was the little kid's teacher, and I'm not sure if she had me but I do remember she always called you "kid" in a very special way and was always so happy to see you! Her class was in the basement and it was always the little ones. We even used the outside door to leave or pick up our sisters or brothers. Frank taught me one year and I do remember he gave me a Bible marker that I still have and he was so smart and I was very impressed with his knowledge. Pastor Wineman was the person that taught me the most. I loved going to Catechism classes and expressing my feelings and kind of knowing what I read in the Bible and I even learned more about the Bible from Bethel when Pastor Linda taught us!"

If you have a story to tell about a Sunday School teacher, please email it to me or post it on this blog! Our Teachers are so important and soooo special!

Journey toward a life of holy love

February 21, 2010 1 Peter 1: 13-25
With these words, “I now pronounce you husband and wife!” something changes forever. These words, once they are spoken, call something new into being. The words do what they say they will do- a new relationship is defined, a new reality occurs. In that new reality the parties involved are aware that there are certain expectations that will need to be met, for the sake of the other. Those expectations are hopefully negotiated before the vows are made so there is no misunderstanding later. It could be as simple as who will be in charge of the checkbook, and who will be the grocery shopper, who will mow the lawn and who will do the vacuuming. It could be more complicated though, such as who will stay at home working to care for the children once they arrive, and who will work to bring in the paycheck. Whatever the needs of the relationship are- they are negotiated by those in the relationship and expectations are either met or they are neglected. It all begins once the words “I do” are said. A pronouncement is made that there is a new reality for the two marriage partners.
On Ash Wednesday I spoke about how each one of us, by virtue of faith of Christ and his power in our lives, are made holy. It is not because of our own doing that we are holy, but simply because of Jesus who was pure, innocent and holy himself that we are made holy. And so we share in his holiness because of his love for us. What happens in a wedding ceremony in regard to the creation of a new reality is the same as what happens to us at our baptism, words are spoken, water is poured, community makes promises, and God creates a new reality. “You are now a child of God; a new creation; reborn into someone new through water and the word.” But it doesn’t end there. The words that are spoken at our baptism have power; they create something new for each one of us and as we become more mature in our faith, we embrace what that is and we go deeper into the life of God. These joy filled words mark the beginning of a new life in Christ, a new place in the family of God. And even though we are showered with God’s mercy and grace, there are expectations attached to this new life. These expectations are not put in place for the sake of salvation (that’s already happened), but for the sake of the community, for the sharing of faith with the world, for caring and tending to the neighbor in need, and for the spiritual growth of baptized child of God.
Today we continue to look at 1 Peter in the first chapter. As we seek to go deeper into the life of God we hear these words from the one that Jesus called, The Rock. . . “You call out to God for help and he helps- he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. . . Now that you’ve clean up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life.” (The Message)
As we go deeper with God on this journey toward the cross of Calvary this Lenten season, we begin to see that we can’t get by anymore with complacency, apathy, hard heartedness, jealousy, immaturity, or laziness! God is calling us into a new future, a future where we live lives that are marked by holy love. Just like being holy is doesn’t get accomplished by our good works so our love is not our own. Our love is nothing less than the lay-down-your-life-for-your-brother-and-sister-kind-of-love that Jesus showed us in his life, death and resurrection!
In the REVEAL study that we took as a congregation in the fall, there were a couple of questions that pertain to this holy love. You will recall if you took that inventory that as you read a statement, you were asked to answer by signifying whether you agreed strongly, agreed, were unsure, disagreed, or disagreed strongly. One statement said, “I desire Jesus to be first in my life.” 47% of you said “Yes.” I do want Jesus to be first in my life. I believe that answering yes to that question is the beginning of living a life of holy love. If Jesus isn’t first in our lives, how can we ever possibly love like Jesus loves? What else would we want to come first? Our job? Our lawn? Our children? I don’t think that Jesus would ever ask us to abandon our children in order to put him first! In fact loving our children or our spouse or our church family is done out of love for Christ.
Another question from the REVEAL study was “I exist to know, love, and serve God.” Only 27% answered yes to this question. Let me break it down a bit which might change your mind about how you answer this one next time. You were created in God’s image- we are told that in Genesis. And God created human beings so that God would have companions, to help and to tend the garden, to care for the animals and plants. God gave us this whole creation, not to own or exploit or use up, but to care for in the brief span of our human life--- for ourselves? No, but for God and when we serve others, we are serving God. Martin Luther said it this way, “We have no other reason for living on earth than to be of help to others.” Our existence is wrapped up in this holy love that extends itself to others and to God.
The last question that pertains to living a life of holy love is stated like this, “I am willing to risk to everything that is important in my life for Jesus Christ.” That one got an even lower response; only 18% of us said that we would risk it all for Christ. Perhaps you thought of all the things you wouldn’t want to lose when you read that question: your home, your family, your fill in the blank. The thing is. . . that’s not what God is asking you to do on this faith journey. And you don’t know what better things are in store for you if you are willing to put your complete trust in God. Living a life of holy love is about giving our lives away, just as Jesus gave his life away for our sake. I’m not talking about signing up for martyrdom here. Simply going deeper with Christ, exploring his will for your life, letting his love invade you so that you can share it with the world.
Jesus’ love is our love. When we really experience Jesus’ love then our love becomes Jesus’ love. That holy love fills us and makes us do things that we wouldn’t have considered before, like going on a mission trip, like sending money to “adopt” a child who is hungry and who needs an education, like really adopting a child, like going out of our way to lend a hand to a neighbor in need, or even deciding that even though there is plenty to do in our daily lives, we sign up to coach a team in order to teach kids softball or baseball or volleyball. Use what you have, use your life to live a life of holy love. Ask Christ to invade your life with his love so that you may be of service to the other. People will start to look at you differently, they will wonder what it is that they see and they will become to drawn to you because of that love- but we know that it is not us, it is Christ who lives in us, who is truly present in us just as he is truly present in/with/under the bread and wine, and waters of baptism. All that is Christ, becomes a part of us- he shares it with us, his holiness and love! And we share it with others as part of our new reality. Friends we are called to love one another deeply, constantly, completely and from the heart. Amen.

Journeying Toward Embracing Our Holiness in Christ

1 Peter 1: 1-12

There was a story recently in the Christian Century about two monks who lived and worked together in a monastery. The monks made a meager income by creating and selling baskets. One monk, on his deathbed, made a confession to his fellow monk saying, “I have to confess that over the years I have stolen some of your designs as well as some of your baskets and passed them off as my own.” The other monk who sat by his friend’s side replied with compassion, “I know. But because of you, over the years I was able to become more holy.”
Imagine overhearing a conversation where the subject of the matter is you. The two parties who are discussing, from the next room, your life and the way you live it mention the word “holy.” You don’t quite catch how the word is used, but you distinctly hear that word, “holy.” Unfortunately, you don’t know these two people very well so you aren’t sure which way to take it- are they saying that you think you are so holy- as in “So and so is holier than thou!” Or do they genuinely think that you live your life in a holy way. What is your gut level response right now as you imagine eavesdropping on a dialogue that is about you and your perceived holiness?

As we begin our Lenten journey and embark on the disciplines of Lent such as prayer, worship, study, and sacrifice, let us consider what it really means to be holy. You might not introduce yourself to a stranger saying, “Hello, I’m Tom (or Julie or Frank) and I am a holy person.” That would be rather awkward; in fact that would probably never enter your mind to say such a thing and especially as we hear the gospel lesson for today that reminds us not to be hypocrites, not to make a spectacle of ourselves as we fast or pray or give. As Lutherans we have totally internalized this message from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We would rather be tarred and feathered than for anyone to know about our spiritual disciplines—because that would be like bragging, wouldn’t it? And bragging for Lutherans is just downright a sin!
But tonight friends, on this night when we come here and are reminded of our mortality, of the briefness and frailty of human life, on this night when we confess our sins in a way that we only do once a year, a night where the faint of heart just stay home. . . I would like you to consider that what you are is holy! You are Holy. Sacred. Set apart for the work of God. Loved by Christ. Made right with God by virtue of being claimed by Jesus the Lord. Holy.
Now I’m not saying that you are perfect. None of us are perfect and we never will be this side of heaven. Some of us are prone to being perfectionistic- but that is much different than being perfect! Our human reality is that sin still exists and seeks to control our lives. We strive to be good, we strive to be perfect even, but that more often than not gets in the way of a true relationship with God—and it causes others in our lives to suffer because they know- that we are not perfect!
But that brokenness is only part of the story. The other part of the story, the good news of all of this is that you are holy. Not because you were able to do something, like forgive a thief who stole your ideas and artwork; not because you were tolerant of someone who was always causing you heartache; not because you gave selflessly all your life to those in need. But because of Christ--- because of Christ you are holy. As St. Peter writes to the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia and Bithynia, “You are chosen!” “You are destined!” “You are sanctified!” (A fancy word for being made holy!) You may not feel holy, but you are holy! Through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, through faith in him, we are made holy. That’s all there is to it! It’s not something that we can do for ourselves, but it is Christ who lives in us that makes us this way. We have no bragging rights in this matter; without Christ we would not even be having this conversation! But because of Christ who loves us, who claims us in the waters of baptism, and who grants us a new birth, as Peter says, into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead—we are changed forever. That change that transforms us sends us out into the world as holy representatives of Christ. We don’t simply go in the name of Christ--- we go with Christ! Christ’s holiness is our holiness--- despite our frailties and failings—despite the old Adam and old Eve that live within us--- we are holy people in the world because of Jesus Christ!
So you see, this holiness has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God. We can’t even choose to be holy, because left to our devices we would surely choose otherwise. In our broken humanity we are simply unable to “fear, love, and trust God above all things.” It is by our faith in Christ that we are holy but that faith is pure gift of the Holy Spirit, so we can’t even brag about having faith! Martin Luther reminds us that we are called to embrace this holiness. . . saying, “Hence you must believe and confess that you are holy, but by this blood and not by reason of your own piety.” The result of this holiness is not a halo above our heads tipping off our neighbors and friends that there is something special about us. The result is a deeper life in Christ, living in obedience to his will rather than our own will. The result is our being subject to what Christ has in mind for our lives: that we serve others in love and peace; that we put other’s needs before our own; that we step out in faith and risk something that we may not be all that confident about at first- but we do it because we hear God’s call on our lives.
Our holiness is a journey; the journey begins with a recognition that we are indeed holy people. In Christ’s loving embrace, we can embrace our holiness for the sake of one another and the world. Amen.

Lenten Sermon Series

Coming Soon: Lent!
I am working on a sermon series for Lent based on 1 Peter. In just five chapters, Peter says to "exiles" 'Discipline Yourselves.' What a concept! Our lives of faith are something that we have to discipline ourselves, dedicate ourselves to! It's just like preparing for a marathon or a triathlon or whatever, you have to be disciplined for the long haul. . . with that in mind here's what's coming to TLC in Lent:
Ash Wednesday: 1 Peter 1: 1-12 “Called to embrace our holiness in Christ!”

Lent 1: February 21st 1 Peter 1: 13-25 “Called to a life of holy love!”

Lent 2: February 28th 1 Peter 2: 1-10 “Called to be a holy priesthood!”

Lent 3: March 7 1 Peter 2:11- 25 “Called to be free!”

Lent 4: March 14th 1 Peter 3: 8-22 “Called to proclaim Christ!”

Lent 5: March 21st 1 Peter 4: 1-19 “Called to pray for the community of believers!”

Palm Sunday: March 28th 1 Peter 5: 1-14 “Called to live sacrificially!”