BEpiphany62012                               Text:  2 Kings 5:1-14 & Mark 1:40-45

12 February 2012                              Topic:  It’s almost too simple.

LCGS – Coatesville

 

It’s almost too simple.  God makes it almost too simple for us.  We, on the other hand, always make it more difficult than it really needs to be. 

What is this “it” I’m talking about?   Believing.  Trusting.  Giving.  Sharing.   All of these, and more.  The “it” of which I speak is the Christian faith.  It’s almost too simple, and we always make it more difficult than it really is.

Today, we celebrated the baptism of Cal and Maverick Stewart.  Today, God’s love and grace was poured down upon them in a wonderful and marvelous way.  Cal and Maverick didn’t know what was going on.  They didn’t get themselves dressed.  They didn’t drive to get here.  They didn’t even ask for this.

And yet, today, they received the Christian faith, freely and fully.  And later on, if their parents and sponsors do what they have promised, Cal and Maverick will learn what was so special about this day and they will affirm what took place today.  In their own time, and in their own words, these boys will study and learn the Christian faith, they will dig deep into this faith that we enjoy, and they will share the Word that was given to them today. 

Today, they received a gift, the gift of faith.  It was that simple.

On this, my last Sunday with you, I want to keep it simple.  I want us to believe and trust, like these two boys, like any infant child does with its mother and father.   I want us to trust God simply and completely.

In our Old Testament lesson for today, Naaman is a really important guy who is given a simple command but he doesn’t want to follow it. 

He had leprosy.  He wanted to be cured and is told by Elisha the prophet to bathe in the Jordan River.  He is told that if he did, he’d be cured.  But this was too simple for Naaman.

In preparation for his visit to Elisha, Naaman brought along a huge sum of money, about $150,000, ten outfits from Neiman Marcus and a letter of reference from the king, all of which was to be given to Elisha.  He figured it would cost him a small treasury and a reference from his king in order for him to be cured, so he came prepared. 

But it was simpler than that.  Elisha, the prophet, told him to simply bathe in the Jordan River and he’d be cured.  No money needed.  No special clothes.  No letter of reference required.  Just a simple belief, just a simple trust, in the word of the prophet.

Naaman protested, but finally, he did what he was told to do.  He trusted, he believed, and happily, he was cured.  It was that simple.

That same simple faith was expressed in the gospel for today.  A leper came to Jesus and said, “Jesus, if you choose, you can make me clean.”  (Mark 1:40b)  And Jesus said, “I do choose.  Be made clean.”  (Mark 1:41b)  And the leper was healed. 

Sometimes we make life, and work in the church, more difficult than it really needs to be.  Sometimes we simply need to look at what needs doing, place it in God’s hands, trust that God will provide, and then relax in the blessings God will surely provide.

PUT  HAND  IN  WATER  CONTAINED  IN  BAPTISMAL  FONT.     LIFT  SOME  WATER,  LET  IT  FLOW  THROUGH  FINGERS.

God chose water, the most common element on earth, to deliver to you and to me the most important message we will ever hear:  In baptism, you and I are loved.  In baptism, you and I are forgiven.  In baptism, you and I are saved.  In baptism, we are given God’s complete acceptance of who we are, and we are given a direction for living.  We can trust this.  We can believe it.  It’s that simple.

And with that, I don’t have anything more to say.

But I will leave you with this final, very simple, song.  You know it.  Sing it with me.  It’s “Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World.”

 

Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world.

Red and yellow, black and white,

All are precious in His sight,

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

 

Let’s keep it simple.  Let us continue to know God’s Word, let us continue to live God’s Word, and let us continue to share God’s Word.  AMEN

BEpiphany52012                               Text:  Mark 1:29-39

5 February 2012                                Topic:  God is Faithful

LCGS - Coatesville

 

We have a wonderful bishop.  I hope you will take time to read her pastoral letter that’s been included in today’s bulletin.  What she says is absolutely true.  The world all around us is changing. 

We know this to be true because just look around:

·         Look at the Arab Spring that took place almost a year ago – the entire Mideast has politically changed. 

·         Look at how people in these United States are more and more radicalized in their political and religious views.  And there seems to be no middle ground on anything anymore.

·         Look at the economics in these United States.  The rich are, in fact, getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.  And you and I, the middle class, pay a higher percentage in taxes than those at the top of the heap.  (You didn’t think I’d be able to give a final sermon without saying something about politics, did you?)

·         And, of course, congregations change, especially when they go through the transition from one pastor to another.

Our good bishop offered some sage advice for all of us when change seems overwhelming and the journey is long and uncertain.   She said, “For this journey I invite you… to look around at what God is doing in your life and in your community, to see how you can join in. Scanning the horizon for God's missional activity can be informative, inspiring, and even fun!”

It is now that I want you to open the envelope that was given to you as you entered worship today.   Go ahead.  Open it.  Show it to your to your other family members.  It’s yours to take home.

Yes, it is a picture of Good Shepherd’s building taken a few years ago after a spring rain and there’s a rainbow hovering over the cross of our building as if to say, “I, the Lord God Almighty, am watching over you.  And just as I promised Noah and his sons that I’d never again destroy all flesh on the earth, so I am covenanting with you, members of Good Shepherd, that even in the midst of great change, I will be with you forever and never, ever, forsake you.  I am in the world with you.  I will be your guide, and you will remain my people.”   At least that is what I think this picture is saying.

This picture was not taken by me, but by one of the Boy Scout leaders of Troop 117 that uses our building.  Brian Lesyk is not a member of ours, but he thought it was pretty cool to see the rainbow over our building one random Wednesday night before Scouts met, and so he took the picture. 

He could have looked at this wonderful sign and ignored it.  He could have rushed to his meeting and simply told a few people about what he saw, but no, he stopped, got out his camera and took several pictures and gave copies to me.  And now, I am sharing it with you.

When our bishop says we need to “…look around at what God is doing in our lives and in our community,” it may mean that we have to do what we tell children to do, stop, look and listen.  We may need to stop our frenetic lifestyle – even for a few moments – to see the rainbows in our lives.  We may need to quiet our minds and our hearts long enough for us to listen to the still, small voice of God inviting us to consider that change is not all bad, and that sometimes change brings with it yet another rainbow.

Twenty-five years ago, when I began seeking another call to another congregation, three other nearby congregations were looking for a pastor, Calvary in West Chester, St. John’s in Phoenixville, and Messiah in Downingtown.  We drove through each of those communities at that time and none of the three seemed to fit us. 

And then came the opportunity to visit Coatesville and Good Shepherd.  We drove through this community and we liked it.  We didn’t see any rainbows that day, but somehow we knew this was going to be our home. 

Then, we entered this building, saw the crucifix above the altar, observed the stark but plain beauty of this room, and we said, “We could worship here.”  Twenty-four years later, we are still here. 

This crucifix is a wonderful sign for all of us.  It symbolizes the very reason we are here.  It’s not about being Lutheran;  it’s not about this beautiful building;  it’s not about the wonderful music we get to hear in this place;  it’s not about the great food we get to eat in our fellowship hall;  it’s not about me, and it’s not about you.  It’s about Christ, the Son of God, crucified and risen, living and thriving in each and every heart that beats.

God sent Jesus into the world to save us.  And that message, that Word, is what brings us here.  God’s Word has changed us.  And it can change others.   God’s Word is central and nothing else.  The meal which we will share is all about Jesus, the Word.   So, I pray you will continue knowing God’s Word, living God’s Word, and sharing God’s Word with any and all whom you meet.

In today’s gospel reading we hear the story of Jesus leaving the synagogue in Capernaum and going to the house of his newly recruited disciples Simon and Andrew.  Simon’s mother-in-law was there.  She was very sick and Jesus healed her.   And when the townspeople heard about it, they brought all who were sick to Jesus so he could heal them too.

In the morning of the following day, Jesus went out by himself to pray.  In the meantime, word continued to spread about Jesus and folks began to show up at Simon’s house looking for Jesus.  The disciples had to go out looking for him and when they found him they said, “Hey, everybody’s looking for you.  You’ve got a whole lot more people who want to be healed by you.”

And what did Jesus say?  “Let’s go on to the neighboring towns.”  Yes, Jesus and his disciples left the people in Capernaum and went on to another town.  God’s message continued to live on in Capernaum, but Jesus and his disciples went to another place in which to preach and teach and to heal.

I leave you today, with huge tears in my eyes, and a giant lump in my throat.  I’m going to miss you greatly.  You have been wonderful – no more than that – you have been life-giving, and life-sustaining for me.  And I can’t just walk away from this place without saying thank you from the very bottom of my heart.  It has been my pleasure to serve you.  My family and I thank you.

But now, it is time to “go on to other places.”  I pray I get see a rainbow over there.  And I pray you will remember the rainbow that perched above this place not so very long ago.   But let us both remember, in the midst of change, God is faithful and God will keep God’s promise to be with us, now and forever.  Believe it.  AMEN

BEpiphany42012               Text:  Mark 1:21-28

29 January 2012                 Topic:  Jesus has your back!

LCGS – Coatesville

 

Today’s gospel reading is from the first chapter of Mark’s gospel.  It details early events in the life and ministry of Jesus.  And one of the places he went early on in his ministry was to the religious folks of his time.  On the Sabbath, he went to church.  He went to the synagogue.  And there he taught,
“as one having authority.”  (Mark 1:22)

The folks in that synagogue that day were amazed.  You and I, having the knowledge and belief that Jesus was and is the Son of God, are not nearly so impressed.  But think about it.  If you and I were sitting in this church today and God’s Son came among us and began teaching, I surely think we would be impressed AND amazed.

But not only did Jesus teach with authority and dazzle his audience, he healed a man with an unclean spirit, he cast out a demon.  This demonic man knew who Jesus was, he called him the “Holy One of God,” (Mark 1:24) but wanted nothing to do with Jesus.

So Jesus rebuked the demon within this man, cast out the unclean spirit, and now, the entire congregation who had gathered that day began to sit up and take notice.  They began to say to one another, “This guy is for real.  Even the unclean spirits obey him!”

This Jesus, the one who rebuked the demonic unclean spirit in our gospel, is the same Jesus in whom we believe today.  The problem is, we don’t really trust that Jesus has our back.

What do I mean?  When we go through life, worrying about every little thing, and especially where we’re going to get enough money to live on, then we’re not trusting Jesus to have our back.

Yes,  I’m back on that money thing again.  Yes, I’m going to talk about money one more time.  When the stewardship committee and I talked about what kind of stewardship appeal we should have this year, my final appeal  with you, we decided on a program that included four consecutive sermons about the variety of ways money affects our lives.  And for this final sermon I am going to talk about how giving, and giving generously, can change our outlook on life.  Giving generously can actually help us realize more grace and more peace than we ever dreamed possible.

But first, we have to overcome a few demons.

Even though God created us with the willingness to give, we are tempted to hoard.  Every one of us has the fear of “What’s going to happen if….”  And so we hoard, we store up treasures, and we stockpile, “just in case.”  The demon of fear keeps us from truly giving and doing so generously.

Another demon is the one that says, “Hey, if I give a lot to others, then there won’t be enough left over for me.”  Our culture defines us by our possessions.  And this demon loves it!  We sometimes believe that our giving will somehow keep us from having all that we need.

You and I have heard the gospel for today.  You and I have heard about how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, takes care of his own.  We know that Jesus speaks with and acts with authority.

When we give our lives to Christ, when we affirm our baptismal vows and invite him to be Lord in our lives, when we allow the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out, we find that our fears begin to dissipate and our aim in life shifts from seeking personal pleasure to pleasing God and caring for others.

Although we may still wrestle with the demonic voices that keep us from trusting Jesus to have our back, when we grow in Christ, we are able to silence those voices  readily and effectively.  And the more we grow in Christ, realizing that our lives belong to him, the more generous we become.  Generosity is a fruit of spiritual growth.

This week you are going to receive in the mail a pledge card for giving to Good Shepherd for this coming year.  You will also receive some other information about giving that can help you decide how much to pledge this coming year.  Hopefully, you believe in the gospel message for today that “Jesus has your back,”  that Jesus can take care of the demons in your life, that Jesus can once and for all quell the voices that keep you from fully trusting and believing and giving generously.

After we receive the church’s mail, the first question you and I will wrestle with this week is:  Why should I give?

Well, let me give you some Biblical reasons for giving to God and giving to others….

1.       We find joy in doing things for other people and doing for God than we ever do for ourselves.  In the Book of Acts, it says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  (Acts 20:35)

2.       In the very act of losing our lives, we find life.  Remember the words of Jesus, “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”  (Matthew 16:25)

3.       Life is a gift and everything belongs to God.  The Psalmist said it best, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it;  the world, and those who live within it [are the Lord’s].”  (Psalm 24:1)

 

The second question you and I will wrestle with is:  How much should I give?

Here are some Biblical perspectives:

1.       Genesis 14:20 says that when Abram realized God’s blessings in his life, he returned to God one tenth of everything he owned.

2.       In Genesis 28 when Jacob was transformed by God’s presence in his life, he also gave to God one tenth of everything he owned.

3.       And in Leviticus chapter 27 where all kinds of laws are described, it explains that a tithe, ten per cent, can be from cash given, or actual crops or possessions given.

 

Now, as Christians, as people living in the context of the New Testament, we do not live by the LAW of ten per cent giving.  Rather, we give as God has blessed us. 

And contrary to some Christian preachers and teachers, we do not say in this church, “If you give, God will bless you with even more!”  No, we simply say, “As God has blessed you, be a blessing to others, and to God, by giving generously to the church and to agencies in this world that are doing God’s holy work among us.

Sometimes when there is a transition in pastoral leadership in a congregation, the financial giving suffers.  I pray that won’t happen at Good Shepherd.  You have a wonderful congregation with a wonderful vision for mission and ministry in this community.  But it’s going to need your ongoing and continued financial support. 

End of sermon.  No more talk about money.  You are blessed, be a blessing.  Jesus has your back.  AMEN

 

Baptized Disciples and Money

January 15, 2012

 

Another baptism today.  We had ten baptisms last week and will have another one next week.  Who knows, we might have a few more before I leave.

In baptism, you and I are called to live a new and re-newed way of living.  You and I have been called to follow the one in whose name we have been baptized.  In baptism we are called to follow God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

But do we do it?  Do we really follow Christ? 

What gets in the way of being a faithful disciple?  Sometimes it’s money.  Sometimes our mis-use of money gets in the way of being a faithful disciple.

After last week’s sermon regarding the spiritually financial diseases, affluenza and credit-it is, Phil Hetzel suggested a financial solution.  He said the procedural cure is called a “spendectomy!” 

Sadly, I’m not sure where we can get such a procedure, and furthermore, I’m afraid there’s yet another financial woe that afflicts us.  It’s called “the waste of money.”  And wasting money gets in the way of being a faithful disciple.

No doubt, there are many ways all of us waste money, but there are two primary money-wasters that many of us struggle with.  It is not necessary to eliminate these two things all together, but we should think more carefully about how we spend our money in these two ways:

 

Impulse buying

                A wise man gave this advice for those who are prone to impulse buying:

•             Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.

•             Shop for what you need only.

•             Make a list and stick to it; buy what you need and get out of the store!

•             Wait twenty-four hours before purchasing an impulse buy.

 

Eating out

It’s not that eating out is never to be done.  The issue is frequency.  Did you know that the average American eats out an average of four to five times a week.³   By eating out less frequently, we will have more money to save, more money to spend on something important, and more money to give away.  

 

As Christians, we do not exist simply to consume as much as we can and get as much pleasure as we can while we are here on this earth.  We have a higher purpose.  In baptism, we have been called to be disciples of Christ. 

We need to know and understand our life purpose—our vision or mission or calling—and then spend our money in ways that are consistent with this purpose or calling.

Our society tells us that our life purpose is to consume—to make as much money as possible and to blow as much money as possible.  But the Bible tells us that we were created to care for God’s creation.  We were created to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We were created to care for our families and those in need.  We were created to glorify God, to seek justice, and to do mercy.  Our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling.

We are to use our resources to help care for our families and others—to serve Christ and the world through the church, through missions, and through everyday opportunities.   As baptized children of God, we have a life purpose that is greater than our own self-interests, and how we spend our God-given resources reflects our understanding and commitment to this life purpose or mission.

In your bulletin for today is a worksheet to help you clarify your goals in life, both personal and financial.  Take it home and discuss it with your family.  Once we have set personal and financial goals, we can then plan to meet those goals.  

With regard to our financial goals, a spending plan, or a budget can really help.  Some people use an envelope system to help them manage their saving and spending and thereby stay on budget.  Others find it helpful to seek the advice of a financial advisor.  For those who find themselves in the midst of a financial crisis, a financial counselor can help to work out terms with creditors and develop a workable financial plan.  Whatever approach you choose, the important thing is to have a plan.

All of us here this morning want to follow Christ, or we wouldn’t be here.  But sometimes our financial situation gets in the way of being a faithful follower.  So, here’s a list of financial planning principles that can help us to manage our money with wisdom and faith and help us be the faithful followers, the faithful disciples Christ calls us to be:

 

·         Pay your tithe and offering first.

Put God first in your living and your giving. Give your tithe and offering from the “top” of your paycheck, and then live on whatever remains. 

·         Create a budget and track your expenses.

Creating a budget is simply developing a plan by which you tell your money what you want it to do. Tracking your expenses with a budget is like getting on the scales: It allows you to see how you are doing and motivates you to be more careful with your expenditures.

·         Simplify your lifestyle (i.e. live below your means).

Because this discipline is critical to the success of any financial plan, next Sunday’s sermon will be devoted to this topic.

·         Establish an emergency fund.

An emergency fund is an account separate from checking or long-term savings that is set aside specifically for emergencies.  Dave Ramsey, the radio financial advisor, recommends beginning with $1,000 and building that to three months’ worth of income.⁴   When we have this amount, according to Ramsey, we won’t need to use our credit cards anymore.

·         Pay off your credit cards, Ramsey says, use cash/debit cards for purchases, and use credit wisely.  As we build our emergency fund, we can begin to pay off our credit card debt and start using cash or debit cards for purchases.  If we must use a credit card, such as when traveling or making purchases online, we need to pay off those debts monthly.

·         Practice long-term savings and investing habits.

Saving money is the number-one wise money management principle everyone should practice.  We do not save merely for the sake of saving.  There is a word for that – it’s called hoarding.  Hoarding is frowned upon in the Bible as the practice of fools and those who fail to understand the purpose of life.  Saving, on the other hand, is meant to be purposeful.  There are three types of savings we should have: 1) emergency savings, 2) savings for wants and goals, and 3) saving for retirement.

            Money, or the mis-use of money, sometimes gets in the way of being a faithful disciple. 

Along with Samuel in our first lesson, may we find a way to say yes to God.  Along with Philip and Nathaniel in our gospel reading for today, may we faithfully follow Jesus.  You and I have been baptized and are seeking to be faithful disciples.  Don’t let the mis-use or waste of money get in the way of that spiritual pursuit.   AMEN  

³ http://greenanswers.com/q/73628/food-agriculture/restaurants-markets/how-often-do-americans-go-out-eathttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1318/is_10_54/ai_65368848?tag=content;col1.

                 ⁴ The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, 2007); pp. 102–08.

Baptism of our Lord, and the Stewardship of Life’s Resources

January 8, 2012

 

Today, we have witnessed the baptism of nine people.  These folks are going to enter American life, or have already seen the American life of their parents, and are beginning to form some opinions.    For the next several weeks, we are going to examine that American life and the American Dream and its cumulative effect on our socio-economic status and its effect on our spiritual well-being.  For, as a very wise Lutheran theologian by the name of Bill Lazareth once said, “When we are baptized, we are sent into the world to be ‘in the world, but not of the world.’”

The American Dream has become an American Nightmare due to two distinct yet related illnesses that impact us both socially and spiritually.

Affluenza:  Affluenza is the constant need for more and bigger and better stuff – as well as the effect that this need has on us.  It is the desire to acquire, and most of us have been infected by this virus to some degree.  Listen to these facts:

·         The average American home went from 1400 square feet in 1970 to 2700 square feet in 2009.¹

·         Today, in America, there is an estimated 1.9 billion square feet of self-storage space in 40,000 facilities nationwide.²

Credit-it is:  Credit-itis is an illness that is brought on by the opportunity to buy now and pay later, and it feeds on our desire for instant gratification.  Our economy today is built on the concept of credit-it is.  Unfortunately, it has exploited our lack of self-discipline and has allowed us to feed our affluenza, wreaking havoc in our personal and national finances.  Listen to these facts:

·         Average credit card debt in America in 1990 was around $3000.  Today it is over $15,000 per household.³

·         It’s easier to make purchases with a credit card than with real cash.

·         The life of the average car loan and home mortgage continues to increase, while the average American’s savings rate continues to decline.

 

There is a deeper spiritual issue beneath the surface of affluenza and credit-itis.  Our souls were created in the image of God, but they have become distorted.  We were meant to desire God, but we have turned that desire toward possessions.  We were meant to find our security in God, but we find it in amassing wealth.  We were meant to love people, but instead we compete with them.  We were meant to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, but we busy ourselves with pursuing money and things.  We were meant to be generous and to share with those in need, but we selfishly hoard our resources for ourselves.  In short, there is a sinful nature within us.

 

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  (John 10:10 NRSV)  The devil doesn’t need  to tempt us to do drugs or to steal or to have an extramarital affair in order to destroy us.  All he needs to do is convince us to keep pursuing the American Dream – and indulge ourselves.  By doing that, he will rob us of joy, make us slaves, and keep us from doing God’s will.

 

In baptism, we are given a new lease on life.  In baptism we are eternally connected to God’s Spirit.  In baptism the old person in us that is constantly pulling us down into the unsavory works of the devil needs to be drowned through daily repentance so that a new person comes forth and rises up to live in God’s righteousness and purity forever.  (Martin Luther’s Small Catechism explanation of Holy Baptism)

 

Each morning, as baptized children of God, we should begin with the prayer:  “Lord, help me be the person you want me to be today.  Take away the desires that shouldn’t be there, and help me be single-minded in my focus and my pursuit of you.”  As we do this, God comes and cleanses us from the inside out, purifying our hearts.

 

As baptized children of God living “in the world but not of the world,” we seek the will of God in all things, we sense a higher calling – a calling to simplicity and faithfulness and generosity.  We begin to look at ways we can make a difference with our time and talents and resources.  By pursuing good financial practices, we free ourselves from debt so that we are able to be in mission to the world.  A key part in finding financial and spiritual freedom is found in simplicity and in exercising restraint.  With the help of God, we can

·         Simplify our lives and silence the voices which are constantly telling us we need more

·         Live counter-culturally by living below, not above, our means

·         Build into our budgets the money to buy with cash instead of credit

·         Build into our budgets what we need to be able to live generously and faithfully.

 

I’d like to invite you to pray with me, quietly, under your breath.  Put your hands on your lap, extending your hands palms upright.  Here’s the prayer:  “As your baptized child, change my heart, O God.  Cleanse me from the inside out.  Make me new.  Heal my desires.  Help me to hold my possessions loosely.  Help me to love you.  Teach me simplicity.  Teach me generosity and help me have joy.  I offer my life to you.  In Jesus’ name I pray.”  AMEN

 

 

¹ Home size in America today:  http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/us-home-size.html

 

² Self-storage in America today:  http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2005/07/selfstorage_nation.html

 

³ Credit card debt today:  http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-industry-facts-personal-debt-statistics-1276.php

 

(This sermon – with some Lutheran and local adaptations – is from a stewardship program guide entitled, “Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity” ©2009 by Abington Press, Nashville, TN)

Name of Jesus

New Year’s Day, 2012

LCGS – Coatesville

 

In the Church, today is known as the day on which we celebrate the naming of Jesus by his parents as they took him to the Temple to have him circumcised.   It was the eighth day of celebrating his birth and according Jewish teachings he needed to be taken to the Temple to be given a name and circumcised.  Mary and Joseph were Jews, thus making Jesus a Jew, and so, his parents did what they were taught to do.

They named him Jesus because an angel had told both Mary and Joseph, in two separate announcements, that his name should be Jesus.  (Matthew 1:21 & Luke 1:31) And so, that’s what they did. 

The name Jesus comes from the Old Testament Hebrew name of Joshua, or Yehoshuah, which means “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh will save.”  And, of course, this is what we believe, Jesus came to save us.  He fulfilled the meaning of his name.

January 1 is also a special day in the life of this congregation.  January 1^st is the anniversary of this congregation.  On January 1, 1970, the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Coatesville, Pennsylvania was incorporated.  You could say, that just like January 1 is the day Jesus was named, this day was our “naming day” as well.  Forty-two years ago today, we were named the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.

You know how it goes with naming babies, there is debate and long discussions, but ultimately a decision has to be made.  Will it be Anthony or Philip?  Will it be Sarah (with an H) or Catherine (with a C)?  Anyone who has ever named a baby knows what I’m talking about.

Well, it was that way with the naming of Good Shepherd as well.  I had a conversation with Jessie Hostutler, one of our older members who served on the committee which had the assignment of giving this new congregation a new name 42 years ago, and she told me that they had narrowed the list of possible names down to two.  It was going to be either Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, or, Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit.

You may, or may not, know that this congregation is the re-unification of two previously separated congregations.  In 1890, a group of Lutherans who had come to live in the Coatesville area and worked at the Lukens Steel plant in the west end of town, decided to form a congregation and call themselves Trinity Lutheran Church.  A building was constructed on the corner of Lincoln Highway and Church Street in the west end of town, and they began to grow and flourish.

Some eighteen years late, some of the members who were living in the east end of town and didn’t particularly care to walk all the way to the west end of town to go to worship, decided to build their own church in the east end.  And so they did.  In 1908, they began to build the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour on the corner of 5^th Avenue and Chestnut Street.

These two congregations served the Lutherans in this community for over 70 years until the late 1960’s when they each felt the need to build a new building.  But they each had a problem.  Trinity Church had money in the bank to build, but no land on which to build.  Our Saviour Church had land on which to build, but not enough money.

And so, these two congregations decided to come back together, to re-unite, and form one congregation again.  The land which was owned by Our Saviour is the land on which this building stands today.  And the initial money needed to begin building came from Trinity. 

Back to the naming of this congregation:  Jessie told me that each congregation had four members serving on the committee charged with the responsibility to provide a name for this new congregation.  Each congregation provided four members which gave them a total of eight on the committee. 

On the night of the meeting at which the name needed to be decided, only seven committee people attended.  A voice vote was taken and after the first six votes were spoken, it was a tie between Good Shepherd and Holy Spirit.  Jessie was the last to vote.  She voted for Good Shepherd.

And here’s her thinking on why she voted for Good Shepherd.   She said, “I just thought that Good Shepherd fit the location of where we were going to build our new building.  Because, in my mind, when I think of sheep, I think of them living on a hillside with a shepherd watching over them, and that’s why I voted for Good Shepherd.  In fact,” she went to say, “Every time I come up 17^th Avenue, I imagine that at one time or another, cattle or sheep were grazing on this hillside.”

That’s how we got our name.  We are the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, a congregation of people who gather on this hillside serving the community that surrounds us, and, God willing, will continue serving for at least another 42 years.

We could have served just as well under the name of Holy Spirit, because, indeed, it is the Holy Spirit that guides and directs all of our work and ministry as Christians, but we are Good Shepherd. 

We honor the one who saves us and protects us.  We gather as a flock under one Shepherd, the One called Jesus.  We celebrate Jesus’ name.  And we celebrate our name as well.

Happy New Year.  Blessed be the name of Jesus, the One who saves us.  And blessed be Good Shepherd.  May we truly seek to live up to our name, being good shepherds with the vision and perspective of the One and Only GOOD SHEPHERD.  

AMEN

Christmas Eve 2011

LCGS - Coatesville

(Editor's note:  Pr. Carlson showed slides depicting relevant portions of his sermon, hence the references to "seeing" various images.)

This is what we believe.  God created us.  Jesus saved us.  And the Holy Spirit lives within us.  This is what we believe.  This is why we are here tonight.  This is what we are singing about.  This is what we celebrate at Christmas.  This is what we believe throughout the year.

John’s gospel said it best when he said, “In the beginning, the Word, “λόγος,” was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him, not one thing came into being.”  (John 1:1-3b)

God, the Word, created us.

It’s a great big Universe out there, with a huge numbers of stars.  But how many stars are there, exactly? How many stars are there in the Universe?  Of course it’s a difficult question to answer, because the Universe is a vast place and our telescopes can’t reach every corner to count the number of stars.  But we can make some rough estimates.

Almost all the stars in the Universe are collected together into galaxies. They can be small dwarf galaxies, with just 10 million or so stars, or they can be monstrous irregular galaxies with 10 trillion stars or more. Our own Milky Way galaxy seems to contain about 200 billion stars; and so our galaxy is about average in terms of the number of stars.

You might ask, “How many galaxies are there?”  Well, astronomers estimate that there are approximately 100 billion to 1 trillion galaxies in the Universe.  So if you multiply those two numbers together, you get between 10²² and 10²⁴ stars in the Universe.  How many stars is that, you ask? There are between 10 sextillion and 1 septillion stars in the Universe. That’s a large number of stars.  (the above three paragraphs are from http://www.universetoday.com/24328/how-many-stars/ “How Many Stars?” by FRASER CAIN)

We believe God, λόγος, created the heavens and the earth.

We also believe that the same Word, λόγος, became flesh and dwelt among us.  Out of all the places in the universe, one place, one tiny place that we know of, was singled out, and God took on flesh and blood and came to live among us.  This is what we believe.

In the book of Genesis, God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness….So God created humankind in his imaged, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  (Genesis 1:26a, 27)

And this is what we look like, and by inference, here’s what God looks like.  God created us in God’s image and lived among us.

At present, there are almost 7 billion of us living on this planet today.  In another 25 years, there will be 9 billion – all made in God’s image, every one of us God’s children. 

You remember the song, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world – red and yellow, black and white – all are precious in his sight.  Jesus loves the little children of the world.”  Well, this is the US whom God created.

This is what we believe.  Jesus, born of Mary and the Holy Spirit, came to live among US, the US that is wonderfully diverse and even more wonderfully blessed by the One who came to live among US.

As I pondered what I might say to you on this, my last Christmas with you, I wanted to affirm with you what we believe. I wanted to affirm, with you, our belief in a God that is universal. I wanted to affirm, with you, our belief that God is so much bigger than we ever let it be demonstrated in our lives.  I wanted to affirm, with you, that the God of the universe, came to dwell among US, and still does!

Yes, the final part of what we believe is that the God of the universe, the God who created the heavens and the earth, and the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, continues to dwell with us, in and through the Holy Spirit. 

Joanne and I have had the privilege of being the parents of three wonderful girls who grew up in the parsonage of this church.  Now, they are young women with husbands and children of their own.  In fact, all seven of our grandchildren have been baptized in this very font.  It has been our great joy to see not only our own children grow up in this congregation but now, to see our children’s children grow up in the faith as well. 

Their lives, and the lives of many others whom I have been privileged to be part of while serving as the pastor of this congregation, demonstrate to me that God’s Spirit is truly alive, right now, giving guidance, showing support, constantly comforting, and perpetually prodding us to new visions and heights in our lives. This is what we believe. 

Prayer is our connection with God’s Spirit.  Prayer is the way we connect to the One who created us.  Prayer is the way we stay focused on Jesus.  Prayer is one way to help us feel the presence of the Almighty and inspires us to deeper faith.

In a few minutes, after communion, we will be lighting hand candles and singing “Silent Night.”  It will feel like prayer.  It will be spiritually uplifting.  It will be a demonstration of what I have been saying just now, that the Holy Spirit is alive and well, living and moving among us, right here tonight.

The God of the universe, the Word made flesh, the λόγος who came down and dwells among us, even now, tonight, and forever, gives us beliefs by which we can live and die. 

Take comfort in these beliefs.  Stand upon these beliefs.  Let them change your life.  And above all, let them give you joy.

This is what we believe.  God created us.  Jesus saved us.  And the Holy Spirit lives within us. 

Merry Christmas!  AMEN

BAdvent42011                   Text:  Luke 1:26-38

18 Dec 2011                        Topic:  Changed Plans, Changed Lives    

LCGS – C’ville

 

Last week, on NBC’s Nightly News, it was reported that fewer and fewer people in America are getting married.  In fact, just last year, the number of marriages were 5% fewer than the year before.  I used to have anywhere between 8 and 12 weddings a year.  Recently, I have had only 3 or 4 each year.

The Pew Research Center reports that just 51% of all adults 18 and older in the United States are currently married.  This compares to 72% in 1960 when almost three quarters of all adults in America.  Yes, the-times-they-are- a-changing.   (NBC Nightly News and Pew Research Center, December 14, 2011)

According to our gospel reading for today, Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married.  And since they were engaged they probably talked about setting a date for their wedding.  They also probably talked about what they’d be doing after they got married, where to live, what kind of job Joseph would be looking for, how many kids they’d like to have.  And like most everyone who gets married, they figured they’d live normal lives like anybody else.

Scripture tells us Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth.  Joseph was a carpenter and probably thought he’d make a living by making furniture, selling it to his neighbors and to people on the street.  Mary would probably have children, stay at home taking care of them while Joseph was at the shop.  It all seemed like a sensible plan.

And then, an angel came. 

The angel, described in today’s gospel reading, came to Mary and told her she was pregnant.  Upon hearing this news, the text says “she was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant.”  (Luke 1:29 CEV)  That was probably an understatement.   Another translation says she was “perplexed” by this news.  And yet another translation says she was “deeply troubled.”  We get the picture.  She was really bothered.  For this would have a huge affect on the plans she and Joseph had been making.

And so the angel tried to comfort her by saying, “Don’t be afraid because God is pleased with you.  You will have a son and his name will be Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High.  The Lord God will make him king.”  (Luke 1:30-31 CEV)

You might think this would have comforted Mary, but it didn’t.  She protested even more.  She said, “How can this be when I’m not even married yet?”  (Luke 1:34 CEV)  She knew how this thing worked.  She and Joseph were only engaged.  They no doubt had plans of having children, but not now.

That’s when the angel tried even harder to convince Mary of this wonderful opportunity to become part of God’s plan.  The angel spoke to her about how the Holy Spirit would come upon her and how the child to be born would be no ordinary child.  This child would become known as the Son of God.

Furthermore, God’s plan included having her cousin, Elizabeth, also become pregnant, at an old age, when everybody thought she could never have any children, and that child would become the messenger called John the Baptist.

Mary listened.  She really, really listened. 

And then the angel said, “Nothing is impossible for God.” 

Hearing the angel say, “Nothing is impossible for God,” got Mary thinking – and believing.  This pronouncement by the angel got Mary to finally say, “Okay.  My plans have obviously changed.  I will be the Lord’s servant.  I will accept what you have said.  Let it happen as you have said.”  (Luke 1:39 CEV)

Every one of us in this room has had plans go awry.  Every one of us in this room has spent time, and money, putting together plans that, for one reason or another, never materialized.  And, like Mary, when we have begun to see our plans go out the window, we have become confused, perplexed and deeply troubled.  

It’s not easy having personal plans get changed.  Mary and Joseph’s plans for setting up housekeeping in Nazareth took a 90 degree turn.   I am certain you could tell a story from your life in which your plans took a 90 degree turn as well.   Disease, divorce, age, accidents, unruly and unpredictable children, the loss of a job, an economic depression – these are just some of the things that have caused your life and mine to take a 90 degree turn.

Well, here’s the good news for today.  And it’s for any and all who are able to hear it.  It’s what convinced Mary.  The good news for today is, “Nothing is impossible for God.”  (Luke 1:37 CEV)  Another translation (NRSV) says it this way, “With God, nothing will be impossible.”

Because Mary was able to believe what the angel had told her, she had peace.  She accepted the change in her life’s plans with grace.  She gave up worrying about her life and put her life’s plans into the hands of God.   She believed what the angel said to her that “Nothing is impossible for God.” 

And with that, she could trust and believe that whatever happened to her, or to her son, all would be okay – that whatever happened in her life would be something she could deal with.  Mary believed that with God, nothing is impossible.

Now, let’s be clear.  To believe and trust in the words, “Nothing is impossible for God,” does not mean that everything we want, or even need in this life, is going to be given to us. 

What it means is that WITH GOD as our guide, WITH GOD as our hope, WITH GOD as our strength, WITH GOD as our rock, we can face any and every change in plans that come our way. 

With everything that comes at us in life, with everything that can, and does, go wrong in life, with everything that causes our lives to take a 90 degree turn, it’s very easy to get stuck on a worrisome path and forget there is a God who truly loves us and watches over us, from day to day, from year to year, from cradle to grave. 

The GOOD NEWS,  the REALLY and TRULY GOOD NEWS is that nothing is impossible for God.  The message that convinced Mary was that, “With God, nothing is impossible.”  Her and Joseph’s plans were changed but now, she could not only accept this, she could embrace it. 

There’s a lot of stress in getting ready for Christmas.  There’s a lot of stress in life generally.  Plans are always being changed and re-arranged for us.  Contrary to our wishes, we are not in control.

And so, listen to some really good news today: With God, nothing is impossible.  Mary believed it and it changed her life.  It can change our life as well.  AMEN

BAdvent32011         Text:  1 Thessalonians 5:16–24

11 Dec 2011             Topic:  Rejoice Always, Pray Always

LCGS – Coatesville

 

St. Paul wrote in our second lesson for today: 

“¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise the words of prophets, ²¹but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²²abstain from every form of evil.  ²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)

 

At a time when the economy is still in great flux, at a time when our congress men and women cannot find any common ground on which to govern this great nation, at a time when folks in this area are still struggling to find meaningful employment, at a time when some of our members have gotten ill and there is not much hope for them of getting better, it is hard to hear, much less believe in, the words, “Rejoice always.”

Joanne and I visited our brother-in-law in New Jersey yesterday, you know, the one who, at the age of 45, suffered a brain accident almost two years ago, the one who previously had been very active in life, quite capable at his job, the one who was a loving husband and a wonderful father, the one who has now been reduced to lying in a bed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, unable to move, unable to communicate, and permanently attached to a feeding tube.  It’s impossible to “rejoice” at the condition Steve is in.  In fact, I must admit, for a time yesterday, it was hard to see anything that was positive.

After sitting with Steve for some time, talking to him, holding his hand, and generally watching him lie in his bed, I got thirsty and a little hungry, so I went downstairs in the nursing home to a snack machine and got a soda and some chips.

When I returned to his room, I discovered that Steve had a mystery visitor.  I’d never met her before.   I had no idea who she was.  But in an instant, I came to believe the woman who was visiting him was an angel sent from God.

The mystery woman was obviously a fellow resident in the nursing home where Steve now lives.  She was in a wheel chair and had maneuvered her chair close to Steve’s bed.  As I entered the room I could hear her singing and clapping her hands. 

In broken English, as she saw me coming into the room, she said to me, “I come and sing to Stevie.  I know he likes it.  See, he’s looking at me.  And so I come and I sing.”  And then, as an angel would, she disappeared.  She gently backed her wheelchair out of the room, singing as she left.

I found out from the nurse that “Niki,” a Greek woman resident, goes in to Steve’s room almost every day and sings to him.  The nurse went on to say, “Niki comes, but then, a lot of other residents come in also, just to visit Steve.  They come because they believe they are helping him.  They come to give him encouragement.  They really care about Steve.”  And it was obvious that the nurse really cares about him as well.

Out of a terrible situation, God showed to me there is something positive emerging.  People, who otherwise are in need of their own nursing care, are reaching out to Steve to offer what they can, a song, a prayer, a simple visit.

I had the occasion yesterday to re-read the last chapter of Rabbi Kushner’s book, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”  In that last chapter he reminds us that tragedy, in and of itself, (like that which happened to Steve) is not the work of God.  But rather, in tragedy God suffers with us and helps us find meaning, if not a new direction in life as a result of that tragedy.

Rabbi Kushner reminds us that God never leaves us.  God is always with us.  God opens doors we never thought possible.

To help us along this way of thinking, I believe we need to remember the words that St. Paul inserted between “rejoice always,” and “give thanks in all circumstances.”  We need to hear and heed the words, “Pray without ceasing.”

            Why?  Because prayer changes us. 

            In life, there are few things we can really and truly change.  But one thing we CAN change is what we DO in life.  And one of those things we can DO is pray without ceasing, literally.

            In the morning, when we rise, we can pray.

            As the day progresses, and we enter the day’s agenda, when we go to school, when we go to work, when we go to the store, when we go to make a visit to someone, we can pray.  We can pray for each and every situation we find ourselves in.

            At each and every meal, we can pray.  We can recognize the source of our food and the One who nourishes us by praying.

            In the quiet, or not so quiet moments in our daily lives, we can pray.

            When we lie down at night, we can acknowledge the One who watched over us and kept us safe that day.  At night, we can pray again.

            In praying, we give up the control we think we have in our life and give it over to God.  In praying, we stop trying to figure-it-out all by ourselves.  In prayer, we surrender ourselves into God’s embrace who promises to be with us today, tomorrow, and forever.  In prayer we find strength to live each day and are given strength to face each day’s trials.   

Too often we think we should be praying in order to change God’s mind about something.  I believe we need to pray so that we might change.

We should pray so that “…the God of peace himself [will] sanctify [us] entirely.”  We should pray so that our “…spirit and soul and body [may] be kept sound and blameless [until] the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (I Thessalonians 5:23)

We should pray that we might change.

            Holiday seasons are rough on people who have lost loved ones.  Let’s look out for those among us who are having a rough time this Christmas.  Let’s wheel our chairs up close to those who need a song and give them an angelic greeting.

            And let’s look for signs of God’s angelic presence among those whom we least expect it.  And let me tell you, it won’t be in the tinsel, or in the trimmings, but in the kindness we see being shown around us. 

            Thank you God for St. Niki.  Amen.

BAdvent22011                         Text:  Mark 1:1-8

4 Dec 2011                              Topic:  Rejoice and Be Glad   

LCGS  Coatesville       

 

John the Baptist, in our gospel for today, said this about his cousin, Jesus, “Someone more powerful [than I] is going to come [after me.]  And I am not good enough even to stoop down and untie his sandals.  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  (Mark 1:7-8  CEV)

John the Baptist was so humble about his role with regard to the advent of Jesus into this world that he said, “I’m just a simple guy who isn’t even worthy to untie this man’s shoes.  I’m not afraid of him, and I certainly want to be around him, but, I know my place.  He’s not my ‘buddy,’ and he’s not my ‘best friend.’  He’s God’s Son and I can’t even imagine myself on the same plain as him.  Not that he’s above me, it’s just that I know I’m not in his league.”    

In seminary I read a book by a German theologian, Wolfhart Pannenberg, entitled, Jesus, God and Man.  The basic theme of the book was to highlight the duality of the person of Jesus.  Jesus was both God and man.  Jesus was both divine and human.  Jesus was not of this world, and yet he was born into it.  Jesus transcended time and space, and yet he was born at a specific time, in a specific place. 

No wonder John the Baptist was so gripped by the advent of Jesus that he couldn’t even conceive of being in the same baptismal pool as Jesus.  He was simply overwhelmed that the God of creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Moses and the prophets had come to earth in the form of a human being and would be coming to him for baptism.  The thoughts were simply more than he could fathom.

A few weeks ago, I officiated at the funeral for Steve Lozinski’s mother.  I was asked by Steve’s sister to include a verse from the Psalms in my remarks at the funeral, but she said, “I’m not sure it’s a good text to use.”

I asked her for the verse.  It was from Psalms 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  She then said, “I don’t want people thinking I’m glad my mother died, but I know this was my mother’s favorite Bible verse.”  I said, “I believe I can do something with that text.”

Basically, here’s what I said:  In the Bible, a day is sometimes just a day – 24 hours – or it can be as much as “a thousand years.” (Psalm 90:4 & 2 Peter 3:8) 

I believe we can also read this same verse by replacing the word ‘day’ with the word ‘life’.  And then it would read, “This is the life the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  For that funeral, and for each of our lives, we can say, “Thank you God for this life.  Thank you God for MY life.  Let me rejoice in it.”

Whether we are reciting this verse at a funeral or living this verse in our lives, the important message of the Psalmist to us is “We should rejoice in the lives of those near and dear to us.  And, we should rejoice and be glad for each and every day we are given to live.” 

Rejoicing in the life that had come into the world is what John the Baptist was doing in our gospel for today.  When Jesus came to John for baptism, John declared for all of us to hear, “This is the life the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” 

We subscribe to two newspapers, the Daily Local and the Philadelphia Inquirer.  But with our upcoming move, we are trying to make our lives a little simpler, so we will be cancelling one of those subscriptions, probably the Inquirer.  Going forward, we will want to keep with the local news.  National news I can get on the computer and the TV.

When I go out early each morning to fetch the newspapers from our driveway, I go out the west end of the house to 17^th Avenue, pick up the papers, then turn and walk east toward the house.  East is the direction of where the sun comes up.  Some days I see sunlight, sometimes clouds, sometimes rain, and someday soon it may even be snow.   But always, every day, I look up into the sky and pray, “This is the day the Lord has made, may I rejoice and be glad in it.” 

John the Baptist announced in our gospel for today that while he had been baptizing with water, Jesus would be baptizing with the Holy Spirit.  And thank God for that!  Because imagine what our lives would be without the gift of the Holy Spirit! 

It is the Holy Spirit that guides and protects us each day.  It is the Holy Spirit that calls us to ministry in and through the gospel.  It is the Holy Spirit that enlightens us with a mission that transcends ourselves.  It is the Holy Spirit that makes us holy for service in God’s Kingdom.  And it is the Holy Spirit that keeps us in the one true faith.  

In John’s gospel, Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit, shortly before his own death, “The Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place.  The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.  I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give.  It isn’t like the peace that this world can give.  So, don’t be worried or afraid.”  (John 14:26-27 CEV)

And so I believe we can amend that verse from the Psalms yet one more time.  We can declare to God and to the whole world, “This is the day and the life the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it, for God’s Spirit is with us each and every day of our lives.”

We are twenty days away from Christmas.  We are twenty days away from once again celebrating the birth of the Savior of the world. 

John the Baptist is helping us focus on why we are doing all the shopping and planning that we are doing for the holidays.   He announced the arrival of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  By way of our baptism, he announced the presence of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives so that we can rejoice in each and every day that God gives us. 

Advent is the time when we get ready and wait for Christmas.  But today, and every day, we can rejoice and be glad for the Holy Spirit among us.   AMEN