Progress!

Folks coming to church at Life in Christ this Sunday are going to be surprised at some of the changes.

The great wall on the south side of the sanctuary is down and now we see what was going on behind that wall.  We have expanded the seating on that side of the sanctuary and the new area looks great. A new sacristy has been created for our altar guild plus two additional storage facilities have been constructed.  New carpeting was laid in the sanctuary and narthex and that looks very nice too.  Also, a elevated sound board area was constructed and, while not yet finished, will be a great place for our sound and IT people to work from.  Progress was made this week and we're grateful to God for it.

Services this weekend will take place today at 5 pm and tomorrow at 8 and 10:45 am.  I'll be preaching on the theme, "Hide and Seek."  Our place is cool so come and join us this weekend for worship at LICL!

Joyce Haynes Committal Service Sermon

The Lord is MY Shepherd

            It is often during times of serious illness that a pastor discovers what words from Holy Scripture can really comfort and offer hope to a person.

            There was absolutely no doubt what Word from God gave comfort and hope to Joyce Haynes – the beloved 23^rd Psalm.

            As we talked during that last week of Hospice care, Joyce kept coming back to Psalm 23.  She would say “Jesus has taken care of me.  Jesus has been good to me.  He has blessed me.  The Lord is MY shepherd.”  That’s how Joyce saw it – Jesus really was her shepherd.

            That’s the way David saw it too.  He could have written, “The Lord is like a shepherd” or “The Lord is the shepherd.”  But no! The name of the Lord takes the first place in this Psalm.  Surely David does this for emphasis – The Lord is my shepherd!

            Because Jesus was Joyce’s shepherd, she could sincerely say, “Jesus has taken care of me.”  Joyce wanted for nothing.  She had everything she could ever want.  God had blessed her with a loving and devoted husband, kids and grandkids and great grandkids whom she adored, friends and church family who gave her joy.  Today’s advertising is designed to create in each of us the need to want more.  But Joyce had all she needed.  As we confess in the First Article of the Creed, God had provided all the basics – clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, everything needed to support her body and life. 

Jesus led Joyce to His Holy Word where she found nourishment and rest for her soul.  We lamented that moment at Hospice when it was decided that there would be no more food or water to nourish and help Joyce.  But she was never without the Holy Food of God.  Every time you read the Bible to her, every time you prayed God’s Word with her, the Holy Spirit was feeding Joyce, strengthening and nourishing her faith in her shepherd.

Joyce could also say, “Jesus has been good to me.”  The 23^rd Psalms drives that point home with the words, “He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”  These paths are those which lead to eternal life.  But these paths are not of our own making.  We had nothing to do with their construction.  This path is opened to us by Jesus.

            When the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep, the path of righteousness was opened wide for you and me and all who believe.  We are waved on to travel down this path because Jesus’ righteousness has been credited to us.  This happened at the cross where Jesus died.  He died with all our sin and disobedience piled on top of Him.  In return, His perfect righteousness was given to us.  This righteousness inspires us to want to live Christian lives every day.  It also makes us holy and acceptable to a holy God.  Jesus the Good Shepherd made it possible for Joyce to travel down “Righteous Road” and through the gates of heaven.

            The 23^rd Psalm reminds us of something very important.  The Shepherd not only provides for His people; He protects His people too.  We read in verse four about “the valley of the shadow of death.”  The words could also be translated, “the darkest valley.”  So it’s fair to say that the Shepherd is with His sheep, like Joyce, during all those times in life when darkness threatens to overtake us.  We become discouraged or depressed; we get hurt and feel pain; all that was good in our lives suddenly seems to have vanished. 

            David reminds us that we do not deal with these difficult times alone.  And we do not travel down dead ends, destined to live with doom and gloom all our lives.  Remember how David put it: “For you (O Lord) are with me!” When you can confidently say, as Joyce did, “The Lord is MY shepherd,” then you know that your shepherd will lead you through the darkest valley ever, even death.

            Are you aware that sheep have a big problem? They cannot protect themselves.  Sheep have no dangerous bite.  Their hooves cannot do the damage that sharp claws can cause.  They’re not fast.  When it comes right down to it, a sheep’s only security is its shepherd.

            Joyce knew and believed this important fact.  She could not deal with her sin.  Unless taken care of, it would have crushed her to death.  That death would have been for eternity.  And Joyce could not have protected herself from Satan.  The devil, left unchecked, would have devoured Joyce, gleefully causing her destruction.

            But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was with Joyce.  Jesus redeemed Joyce with his own blood, paying the penalty for her sins.  His resurrection on the third day makes possible for Joyce to live again, on the Last Day.  And through His death and resurrection, Jesus took his rod and staff and gave Satan a beating from which that the old evil foe will never, ever recover.  

            And yes, Joyce could say, “The Lord has blessed me.”  Interestingly, in the last two verses the 23^rd Psalm seems to change focus from a Shepherd to a King.  But I’ve read that in the Near East Kings were often referred to as shepherds of their people.  A king invited his most honored associates to live with him.  In the palace they were treated to the most sumptuous banquets.  Every need or whim was accommodated.

            But in the 23^rd Psalm the place being referred to is heaven and all the feasting and celebrating represents the joys of eternal life with God.  In heaven we will have nothing to fear – our enemy, the devil will be vanquished forever.  There will be no more sadness or pain.  We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  And in the greatest irony of all, the Good Shepherd who made all this possible for Joyce and all who believe will be the Lamb who died for us.

            Get the picture.  This is why Joyce kept coming back to David’s beloved Psalm.  Trusting in the Shepherd, Joyce faced death and, through faith, has won the victory.  Today, she rests in Jesus.  Someday, she will rise in glory.  And I can tell you, that was her prayer for each of you here today.  Repent of your sins.  Turn to Jesus.  Receive His forgiveness, peace and salvation.  Grow in your knowledge and love of the Lord.  Then you’ll start talking like Joyce and we’ll be glad to hear you say, “The Lord is MY Shepherd!”  Amen.

Failing to get the message

Here is today's Friday Funny!

A young business executive visited his pastor for some marital counseling.  At the conclusion of their discussion, the pastor advised the executive to apologize to his wife and give her a token of his remorse.

"You know," the pastor said, "say it with flowers."

"OK," the executive said, "I'll pick up a rose on the way home."

The pastor asked, "Just one?"

"Well, I'm a man of few words."

From "A Laugh a Day - A Daily Dose of Heavenly Humor"

Reliving my renewal

Yesterday I referenced some cleaning that Sherri and I are doing around the house.  As we were sorting through the "keep" stuff and the "send to Savers" stuff I happened upon a CD recording of our Welcome Home event at church following renewal.

Sherri and I had put together a slide show of activities and events we had participated in while being gone May, June and July 2011.  The centerpiece of the renewal for us was the three weeks we spent in Europe.

We experienced the Vienna, Austria Arts and Music Fair.  We spent a few days in Salzburg, Austria, touring churches and getting the "Sound of Music" experience.  We traveled to Leipzig, Germany for BachFest (the picture above is the St. Thomas Church where Bach served and wrote music for the church that has stood the test of time).  We visited Wittenburg, Germany where we immersed ourselves in all things Martin Luther.  We also enjoyed the time we spent in London, England.  A day trip to Liverpool to immerse ourselves in all things Beatles was a highlight.  And we won't soon forget our week in Cambridge, England and our visit to the Pastor's Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in England.

Listening to that recording filled my heart with a strong sense of gratitude.  I really needed that summer of renewal.  In a congregational vote the members supported my request by 94% to 6%. When we weren't traveling we were visiting churches in the area, looking closely at worship and music styles.  One thing became clear to Sherri and me - God had blessed us richly when He called us to come and serve at Life in Christ.

We attended churches that did not offer their members the chance to hear the two great messages of the Bible - Law and Gospel.  Important elements of worship like confession and absolution, the creed and the Lord's Supper were MIA.  Some pastors preached moralistic sermons that made mere or no mention of Jesus.  It's no wonder that some Christians have no idea of just how magnificent the grace of God really is.  They never hear about it and they rarely receive it when they gather for church.

By the time we finished the three months away Sherri and I had come to embrace the words of Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" - "There is no place like home!"  Our renewal helped us to really appreciate and give thanks for the home we have with our church family at Life in Christ Lutheran Church!

Reading with Dick and Jane

My dear, sweet wife has almost reached the end of her summer vacation.  Usually when this happens, she makes a very concentrated list to complete her "things to do" list that she wrote at the beginning of the summer.  One of those things to do is to clean up our book shelves.

This is always a challenge for me.  Books are like best friends.  How do you part with them? Over the years, as we've moved a number of times, I've had to pare back my library.  To this day I still lament books that got sold at yard sales or given to Goodwill.  So getting rid of books is always a painful experience.

While cleaning yesterday I found a couple of books I picked up at Goodwill (Oh, the irony!).  They were a couple of Dick and Jane books, the very books used in my school to help first graders learn to read.  One book was entitled, "Something Funny," and the other was "Fun With Our Family."

To this day I still remember the thrill of learning how to read.  The authors of the Dick and Jane books really knew how to capture the attention of their young readers: Look, Dick. Look, look. Oh, oh. Look, Dick. Oh, oh. See, Dick. Oh, see Dick.

Left you on the edge of your seat, didn't it?

What resources do schools use today to teach children how to read? I tend to think that Dick and Jane books are considered old hat, so to speak, not to be used to teach modern day children how to read.

But, frankly, when Dick and Jane find Spot playing in the mud, well, could there be anything more amazing and wonderful?

All I know is this - we are not giving to Goodwill our Dick and Jane books!

How the church is like the ark

Frank Starr is a Lutheran pastor who wrote a series of Bible study-devotional books for Concordia Publishing House. Although I suspect the books are long out of print, I've gone back to them several times in an effort to give order and enhance my daily study and prayer time.  I really appreciated this quote from book one which had to do with the Noah account in Genesis:

How like Noah and his family are we, kept safe by God within the confines of the ark, kept safe from the destruction without. Our ark is His Church, where we are sheltered from the wrath of God by the covering of the righteousness of Christ.

From "Light for the Way," book one, page 9.

Singing with the Saints

Elsie Kane’s Memorial Sermon         

“Singing with the Saints”

            I want to tell you about one of the most enjoyable times I had in ministry and I have Elsie Kane to thank for it.

            Everyone who knew Elsie knew how much she loved music.  She sang hymns on Sunday morning with gusto.  Singing with church choirs was a delight.  Playing piano and singing the great hymns of the church, along with good old gospel favorites, filled her heart with joy.  Some people are described as having “a song in their heart.”  That was Elsie.

            For years she and Pastor Vern Trahms and some other people led a monthly hymn sing at Baptist Village (now Lifestream).  One day Elsie came to Connie Kanzler and I and asked if we would take over that ministry opportunity.  Pastor and Esther felt like it was time to step aside and maybe let someone a little younger have the chance to participate. 

            Elsie did not want to see the hymn sing simply fade away.  She loved the people who came each month.  She saw how encouraged the residents were by having the opportunity to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.  She also knew how much the residents looked forward to having people to sing and visit with.  Elsie was determined to see the singing at Baptist Village continue.

            So Elsie asked Connie and I to take over.  And, frankly, how do you say “no” to Elsie.  If there is a way to do so I never discovered the secret.  Connie and I began making our monthly visits and Elsie was right there with us – greeting the residents, passing out a liberal amount of hugs, singing with all the power her tiny lungs could generate, and just generally letting the light of her faith in and love for Jesus shine brightly for us all to see.

            For nearly 10 years Connie and I made the monthly trek over to Baptist Village.  We enjoyed singing the great hymns of the church with the residents.  We also learned some new songs, ones not in our Lutheran Hymnals.  We made a great friend in Chaplain Craig Avrill, who helped Connie navigate her way some unfamiliar tunes. 

            And during those ten years something kind of bittersweet happened.  Connie and I also made some good friends during that time.  But then we would miss a friendly face.  We’d ask Chaplain Craig about these friends of ours.  And he would say something like, “They’re not here anymore.  They’ve gone home to be with the Lord.”

            All of those friends of ours, no longer with us, resting in the arms of Jesus.  And on July 5, our dear and wonderful friend, Elsie Kane joined them.

            The blessed good news that both comforts and thrills us this day is that Elsie is still singing praises to the Lord.  Now, in this service we’ve been lifting up our voices in praise to God.  But Elsie has it so much better – she is singing praises in the presence of God.  How amazing is that!

            We know that there is singing in heaven because the apostle John, in the book of Revelation, give us glimpses of such singing.  He describes one such scene in chapter five. 

            John paints a picture of a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of a throne.  We know that this is our Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  And the singing starts – first from what are described as the four living creatures and 24 elders.  Then they are joined by countless numbers of angels, who sing with full throated power.  And then John writes: Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.

            Elsie couldn’t possibly be happier than she is right now.  Singing in a heavenly choir.  Singing praises in the presence of God. 

            In the 10 years that I knew Elsie she had one lasting hope – to go to heaven and be with Jesus.  She sang with real feeling the great hymn of the church, “I’m but a stranger here – heaven is my home.” 

            It wasn’t that she was dissatisfied with what she had here in this life.  She loved her family very much.  She prayed over you all every single day.  She loved all of her many friends.  She loved her church family.  For most of her 96 years Elsie lived a full life.

            But her hope was heaven.  And Jesus, the Lamb of God, made heaven possible for Elsie.

            What are we saying when we call Jesus, the Lamb of God?

            When Israel sat down to eat the Passover meal, they sacrificed a lamb and smeared the blood from that lamb over their doorposts.  The shedding of that blood saved Israel from death.  Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who blood saves all who believe from death – eternal death.  Jesus is the lamb of the daily offering, mentioned in Exodus, chapter 29.  He is the perfect sin offering through which you and I receive forgiveness for all our sins. 

            In heaven the saints sing of the Lamb of God, and with Your blood you purchased men for God. 

            A few weeks ago Connie Kanzler gave me an unexpected but wonderful gift.

            I wonder if you all remember S & H Green Stamps? My Mom was an avid collector of Green Stamps.  I remember how she carefully watched the cashier put the Green Stamps in her grocery bags.  And when we got home, nothing got put away until her Green Stamps went into her books.  Connie was going through some stuff of her mother’s and found a whole collection of S & H Green Stamp books.  What a find! I hadn’t seen these stamps and books for decades!

            Those of you who collected Green Stamps – do you remember where you went to use the stamps? The Redemption Center! You redeemed or purchased goods or products by virtue of having the stamps.  My sister’s first bicycle was redeemed, you might say, by Green Stamps.

            We could do nothing to save ourselves.  No amount of our own blood, sweat or sacrifice could ever make us right and holy before God our Father.         

            But Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God, shed His blood on the cross.  He truly is the Lamb without blemish or defect, as the apostle Peter wrote.  Only Jesus could make an offering acceptable to God the Father.  Our Lamb redeemed us by His blood.  He lifted our sins and the sins of the whole world upon His shoulders and carried them away in death.  And through His death, we have life – power to live our new life in Christ now and eternal life in heaven.

            Once upon a time, Elsie used to sit right here with us and sing songs like:

My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling

Lamb of God pure and holy, Upon the cross didst suffer

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us

But now she sings a new song, one sung by every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them – in other words, all creation sings:

To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

Be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever!

            So God be praised! He has kept His promise and has given Elsie her heart’s desire.  God’s promise is that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life.  And we who are still living life daily with our Savior by faith, look to that day – the Last Day, Resurrection Day – when we will be reunited with family members and friends and all those who died trusting Jesus for life eternal.

            We’ll be raised to new life and Elsie will be there.  Her mind will be sharp and clear.  Nothing will bother her.  Nothing will infirm her.  We’ll see her and certainly get a hug or two from her.

            Family and friends, follow Elsie’s example.  Receive Jesus’ gracious invitation to trust in Him for forgiveness of sins, peace for your heart and a new eternal address in heaven.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.  That’s God promise to you.  Trust in Jesus and have the certainty that no matter what challenge or problem or disappointment you face in this life, there is absolutely nothing that can separate you from the love of Jesus

            Do this and then look forward to that day when you are singing with the saints.  Elsie will be there waiting for us to join our voices with her to give praise and honor and glory to Jesus, that Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Oh, what a day that will be!  Amen.