May 30 2010
The First Sunday after Pentecost-Holy Trinity
This is the service for the First Sunday after Pentecost-Holy Trinity.
The Baptism of Jesus
Archive for May, 2010
May 23 2010
The Coming of the Holy Spirit-The Day of Pentecost
This is the sermon for the The Coming of the Holy Spirit-The Day of Pentecost. The sermon text is Acts 2:1-21. The sermon theme is: What Does Pentecost Mean?. Here is the Written Sermon.
The Tower of Babel
What Does Pentecost Mean?
There are parts of God’s word that when we read them, we tell ourselves: ‘I just don’t get it.’ Of all the sections of scripture to read, this section above all is a difficult section to sort out. After all, there are howling winds. There are flames of fire. There are people speaking languages in precision with specific dialects. After we read these words, we end up in the same place that the people did on the day of Pentecost “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”” 1
What does this mean? Or to be more specific, what does Pentecost mean? Years ago, I had a friend who grew up as a Lutheran. But, when he grew up, he went with some friends and visited a local evangelical church. He heard the amazing music. He heard a fiery sermon from a charismatic preacher. He saw people standing and singing with their arms up in the air. He even saw people speaking in words and speech he did not understand. He went to this church with his friends. And afterward they went out for coffee. And he said to his friends: “my church isn’t like that at all. We don’t have songs like that. We don’t have swaying lifting up hands. We don’t have people speaking in tongues.” And the friend said to him: “You don’t? All of these things you saw are signs of the Holy Spirit. If your church doesn’t have what you saw, are you really sure you have the Holy Spirit?”
My brothers and sisters, it is important to listen to this conversation this Lutheran had as he visited with his non-Lutheran friends. Because, at some point you will have the same conversation. Someone will ask you: “If you don’t feel the Holy Spirit inside of you, can you really be sure that you have the Holy Spirit? If you haven’t made your decision for Christ, can you be sure you have the Holy Spirit inside of you? If you can’t speak in tongues, are you really sure that you have the Holy Spirit?”
So, my brothers and sisters, what does Pentecost mean to you? How can you be sure that you have the Holy Spirit? The bible has a very clear and profound way of answering that question. Let me ask you three questions. First, For the sins of how many people did Jesus die? He died for the sins of all people. Peter tells us: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 2
. Second, if Jesus died for the sins of everyone, then did Jesus die for your sins? Now, here at the third question is where it gets interesting. Here at the this third question is where Pentecost and the Holy Spirit matter. Third, do you understand that Jesus died for your sins? And here is the part where you shake your heads and say: “yes, Pastor, even all of children know this fact. This is nothing special, amazing or new.” Oh, but my brothers and sisters, it is! You would not be able to say those words and mean them unless the Holy Spirit had brought you to faith. How so? Listen to what God’s words says: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 3
The man without the Holy Spirit does not get what God’s word says. This amazing fact that Jesus died for your sins the unbeliever does not understand. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the one who converts hearts. The Holy Spirit is the one who brings you out of spiritual darkness into the wonderful light of God’s truth.
My brothers and sisters, these are words to rejoice in. Because it means that the message God spoke to you was not in vain. It means the baptisms that you received–even if you were a tiny, little baby, are not in vain. For through this precious gospel in word and sacrament the Holy Spirit introduces you to Jesus who died for your sins and gives to you true joy in this fact.
You see, there so many Christians out there who base their salvation on that word, “I”. They say “I decided for Christ. I have the joy of Christ in my heart. I can speak in tongues.” You base your salvation on the unyielding, unbending promises of God.
What does Pentecost mean? The meaning of Pentecost is not that we find proof for the Holy Spirit in us. And that then leads us to the real question for this morning: What does Pentecost mean then? Let me read just a couple of verses from our lesson this morning: ““ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.” 4
You remember, in the gospel from a couple of weeks ago, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. Now here is where we need to clear some details up. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. But, do not be mistaken, they already had the Holy Spirit. When you believe one member of the Triune God in your heart, you also have the others. Why? Because there are not three God’s. There is one God. They already had the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus mean then by the word, ‘send’? Here in these words from the Old Testament prophet of Joel we find the answer. We hear the words ‘pour out.’ The third member of the Trinity–the one who likes to do his amazing work in the background is now, for a time, going to come into the spotlight. The work of creating faith and sustaining it which is hidden will now be seen. And that’s what Peter preaches about. He let’s these God-fearing Jews who came from the various parts of the world know that they were seeing prophecy being fulfilled. Joel spoke of fire and smoke. And with their own eyes they saw the fire and smoke.
One of the lessons we learn from this is that the work the Holy Spirit does is both impossible and precious. None of the people gathered there could put tongues of fire on their own heads. None of them could speak in the languages and dialects5 of people from various parts of the globe on their own. Imagine for a moment a person from China who does not know a word of English coming to West Newton. And all of a sudden, the person doesn’t just say ‘are you going downtown?’ No, instead, he speaks with your dialect. He says “You’uns, gun dahhn-tahhn?”
Impossible, right? But nothing is impossible with God. The Holy Spirit did the impossible. He brought you to faith. And that’s nothing you could earn. That’s nothing you could choose. That’s nothing even you could feel. And if he did the impossible with you, do not be surprised if can do the impossible with others. Years ago, my professor told me a story about what life was like for him when he was a pastor. He said that one of his favorite parts of being a pastor was adult instruction class. He said that it always seemed to turn out this way: There would be a nice, young woman who grew up in the church as a Lutheran. She started dating a young man. And, then, before he knew what was happening, he was in an instruction class. And you could tell, that for those first few weeks or months, the guy wasn’t buying into this whole Jesus-thing. But then, at some point, everything changed. The light went on. Instead of sitting there slouching with the arms crossed, he sat up. Instead of staring at the paint on the walls he stared at the pastor who was sharing God’s word. It was at this point that my professor did something I could never get away with. He would turn to the young man and say: “you know, you’ve learned a lot in these weeks. Maybe we’ve learned enough.” And the poor guy–it looked as if you had just told him that his favorite dog had just died. And so, the young man says: “uhh, no, maybe I’ll go to a couple more classes—just to be sure.”
My brothers and sisters, that is what Pentecost means. It means that the Holy Spirit can do the impossible. You can go to an unbeliever and use such clear and eloquent logic. And it won’t work. You can go to an unbeliever and use such passionate, heartfelt word and it still won’t work. And then, when all of that doesn’t work, you can use actually share God’s word. And with that the Holy Spirit can do miracles. He can move an unbeliever out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Finally then, let me leave you with one encouragement. As you consider the person in your life who does not know Jesus, or the person who believes in Jesus, but also believes in many poisonous teachings. As you think of them, do not give up on the Holy Spirit. He can do the impossible. He can make unbelievers Christians. And even more than that, he can make Christians united in all of what God’s word says.
What does Pentecost mean? It does not mean that we can do the impossible for ourselves. It means that the Holy Spirit does the impossible to us. Amen.
5 “ἤκουον εἷς ἕκαστος τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτῶν” (Acts 2:6 GNT-T)
May 23 2010
The Christian Wedding of Tony Hamilton and Keri Kimes
This is the Christian Wedding of Tony Hamilton and Keri Kimes. The audio file contains the entire Wedding Service. The words that follow are the sermonette. The text for the message is: Psalm 127. The sermon theme is: Let the Lord Be Your Builder. Here is the Written Sermon.
Tony and Keri's Wedding Cake
Let the Lord Be Your Builder
Let me start out this afternoon with a question. Does the best man have the ring? Excellent, we’re off to a good start. You see, it’s important to be prepared. And so, months ago you picked out the flowers, the dresses, the place for the wedding, the place for the reception. And all of thes details are ever so important when it comes to planning the wedding. But, Tony and Keri, what happens after the wedding? How will you prepare for what happens a month, a year, a decade from now?
The section of God’s word we look at today addresses that issue. In psalm 127, we read: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (Psalms 127:1 NIV)
King Solomon asks us the question: who will your builder be? Who will be the one who builds your house, your home, your life together? And he tells us that if the Lord is not your builder, it’s all in vain.
That’s a very strange statement to make. And it moves to ask the question: “how so?” In what way is our life in vain unless the Lord is the one who build up our lives? Solomon answers our question by giving us an example. He writes: “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat” (Psalms 127:2 NIV)
He paints the picture of a man who did everything he could to be prepared for his life. The man got up early and went to work. He even stayed late. And he doesn’t just punch in the clock and then go out for a long lunch break. No, he works hard. He thought he was prepared for what it is to be an adult. He worked long. He worked hard. But he forgot the most important piece of the puzzle.
Now, that’s an interesting picture, isn’t it? But, Toni and Keri what does that picture look like today? What does that picture look like in your lives? It’s the picture of doing everything you can to be prepared for your life together. You see, you can go to school for years and receive erudite degrees to post on your walls. You can find jobs which fit you–jobs where you can willingly work for long hours and with toilsome effort. You can buy a house that’s just right. You can do all of these tasks and more. And yet, what does King Solomon say about your lives? Worthless. In vain.
Now, let me clear up some details. King Solomon isn’t against work. It isn’t as if he’s telling you to go out and watch the SyFy channel all day and night and stuff your face with Cheetos. No, the point he’s making is this: You can be ever-so-prepared, but still not be. Because, if the Lord isn’t your builder, it’s all in vain.
You can go to school for decades, and you can work for decades. But none of that deals with the biggest problem that you’ll face as a married couple. The biggest problem you face Tony is that you are a sinner. The biggest problem you face is that you are very shortly going to be married to a sinner. Likewise Keri, the colossal problem you face is that you are a sinner. And you’re going to be married to one. And, at some point it’s really going to sink in: “I’m a sinner. And I’m married to a sinner.” This is why so many people give up on marriage. This is why so many people might continue to be married, but they do so in vain.
What’s the solution? Let the Lord build your house. And here, I’m not talking about brick and mortar. I’m talking about your lives together after this day. And what does that look like? What does it mean to let the Lord be your builder? It means that you continually and constantly remind yourselves of the great love Jesus has for you. Now, if you’ll remember, back in pre-marriage class we talked about that word, love. In english that word, love is very squishy and fickle. But, it’s just the opposite in greek. It’s a precise word with a precise application. It is the love that seeks the best in its object. It’s not a fluttering feeling. It’s a loving action. It was that sort of love that moved God, the Father to send his Son–his only Son to live in your place, to die in your place to take away your sin.
And there, right there is the solution. For a true marriage is not one of compromise. A true marriage is one of forgiveness. And the only way you will be able to forgive freely and fully is when you know how Jesus freely and fully forgave all your sins.
And so, Tony and Keri, I’ll finish this afternoon with a question. Don’t worry, this isn’t a question for the best man. It’s a question for you both: who will be your builder? When you move down to North Carolina and settle into your apartment and into your classrooms, will you also settle into a church? Will you find a church that rests its heart and soul on the solid foundation of the truth. Will you find a church that speaks of sin? Will you find a church which speaks of the solution to sin? For that is what it means to be prepared for the future. Being prepared for the future is letting the Lord build up your faith, your hope, your life–all that you are and all that you will be. That is my question for you. That is my invitation to you: Let the Lord be your builder. Amen.
May 16 2010
The Seventh Sunday of Easter
This is the sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. The sermon text is: John 17:20-26. The sermon theme is: Our High Priest Prays. Here is the Written Sermon.
Jesus Prays
Our High Priest Prays
Years ago I heard a sermon about the words in scripture we are looking at this morning. And in the sermon the pastor said that what we call the Lord’s Prayer isn’t the Lord’s Prayer. No, the words that Jesus speaks here in the Garden of Gethsemane–these are the Lord’s Prayer. What was his point? The Lord’s Prayer is for us. The disciples came to Jesus and asked: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 1. But, the prayer that Jesus speaks this morning is his prayer.
As you hear Christ’s prayer this morning, it is vitally important for us to know how he prays. What does he look like? What is running through his mind as he prays? What is going on around him? In the gospel of Luke we find these words: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” 2
Here was a man who was desperate. Here is a savior who was diligent. Here we see Jesus being tempted by Satan like a walnut being crushed between a vice. And the more he was tempted, the more he focused. And so, the sweat rolled from his face like blood. Likewise, the writer to the Hebrews tells us: “he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” 3
This was no silent walk in the woods. This was a spiritual struggle between life and death, heaven and hell. If you can picture him praying so intently that his sweat was like blood, then picture this: Amid the salty sweat there were tears of care and cries of pain.
This sweat and these tears speak to us. They speak to us of a brother and a Savior who prayed like we could never pray. So often we are led astray to our own thoughts and feelings. We do not find this weakness in our Savior. Here we find a High Priest who is our substitute. He prays in a way we could never match because our our sin.
My brothers and sisters, in order to understand this prayer, we need to see this. We need to see him pray desperately and diligently. We also see a different type of prayer. We do not see the careful, composed petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Instead we see a piling up of pleas. As you read through these words, we keep hearing one word again and again—the word, ‘that.’ It shows us that he was in the midst of a conversation. He was rapidly asking his Father for one thing after another.
This example teaches us, doesn’t it? There are times for the careful, thought-out, composed prayers. And of those, there is no prayer that matches the Lord’s Prayer. But there will also be those times of desperation. There will be those times of doubt, those times of anxiousness, those times of worry, those times where we feel like we are being squeezed like a walnut in a vice. At those times, like our Savior, let the words flow. Let them fall from your lips like tears. Let them slide from your tongue like sweat sliding down your face. For, at these times your Father in Heaven wants you to pray. And it’s ok if all the words are not tidy and careful.
And so, in these words we see a Great High Priest praying. We see how he prays—that he prays desperately and diligently. Now, let’s look at what he prays: “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” 4
There are many petitions, many prayers in these verses. But, to get at the heart of the matter, let’s settle in on this verse. Just what exactly is Jesus praying for? He is praying that they would be one–not one person; not one confederation; but one thing, one group5. And in this verse he prays an impossible prayer. The NIV translates this phrase as: “May they be brought to complete unity” 6. And they did the best that they could. If we were to translate this as literally as we could, it would read: ‘I pray…that they have and will reach their goal of unity’7. You see, when we pray, we don’t usually pray for what is in the past. We don’t usually say: “Dear Lord, I pray that the birthday I just had was a good birthday.” No, we pray for something in the future.
You see, this impossible construction in english gets at a real condition we have. We are one. In Christ, we can really truly say that we are one with our Father in heaven and one with each other. But we continually pray that we will be one. We pray that we will be one with our Father in heaven and one with each other. This is what it means to be a sinner/saint. This is what it means to be a citizen of the United States, but to have our true citizenship in heaven.
And from this untenable condition flows a real petition. We might sing right along with the hymn, “Lord, you I love with all my heart”8, but where’s the proof? If I truly loved my Father like I sing that I do, then wouldn’t I pray like my brother and Savior does? I have this true Christian, ἀγάπη love for my fellow Christians. I love them. I just can’t stand to be around them for too long. I love them, but I don’t talk to them—because they are too young to know; too old to care. The real condition of being a sinner/saint moves us to speak a real petition: that we would be one, just as we are already one in Christ.
What an agonizing condition to be in! What help, what healing do we have for this? Jesus, our Great High Priest has a prayer for that too: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” 9
How will we ever reach the unity we already have in Christ? By knowing the great love that our Father has for us. Now, let’s look at a couple of details in this verse. Jesus uses the word ‘know.10 There are several words in Greek for knowing. And this word is not a shallow word. It means to deeply, thoroughly know.
And that leads us to the next question: know what? Jesus prays that we would know how much our Father loves us. We show our great lovelessness every time we forget to pray, every time we forget to thank him, every time we thank him for forgiveness only to go back to our same old sins. And yet he still loves us. He still forgives us. He still desires us to speak to him in our prayers—to tell him our hopes, our dreams, fears, yes, even our thoughts–as lowly and fragile as they are. Why? Because he loves us that much.
So then, my brothers and sisters, I ask you to continue to pray for the same exact thing that Jesus prays for. Pray that we would be in the past and in the future one. Pray that we would be one, not just in our minds, but in our actions. Pray that we would continually see the great love our Father has for us in his Son, Jesus. Amen.
5 ἓν
7 “ἐγὼ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ σὺ ἐν ἐμοί, ἵνα ὦσιν τετελειωμένοι εἰς ἕν,”
8 CW 434
10 γινώσκω
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