Recent sermons
April 26, 2026 - John 10: 1-10
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Gospel reading for today comes from the Good Shepherd Chapter of John’s Gospel. Every year on the Fourth Sunday after Easter the Church celebrates “Good Shepherd Sunday.” So, on this Fourth Sunday after Easter, welcome to “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Interestingly enough, although it is Good Shepherd Sunday, although John Chapter 10 is from the “Good Shepherd Chapter”, and although Jesus does use the word “shepherd” in this text; just notice that in Chapter 10:1-10 the primary metaphor is not Jesus as “shepherd” but rather Jesus as “Gate”. I once heard someone say “some truths are so great they can only be conveyed in metaphor”. Not only do I think that is true, I also think that is what Jesus is doing in this text… He is conveying a truth so great it can only be expressed through metaphor. Given that even a good metaphor has little meaning outside of its context, I’d like to point out that in Chapter 9 Jesus has just restored the sight of a man born blind in which the Pharisees had claimed the man was blind because of his sin. After all of the back and forth debates between the Pharisees and the man and the Pharisees and Jesus, after all the discussion over spiritual blindness and sin… It is into the midst of this question over sin, who’s in, who’s not, who’s receiving judgement, who’s not; it is concerning this very question that Jesus responds with the Good Shepherd Chapter. On that occasion we hear Jesus saying some of the most comforting words. He said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (vs. 14–15) “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Jesus develops that Good Shepherd metaphor beginning in Verse 11 of John Chapter 10. Jesus as “Good Shepherd” proves to be a beautiful image of God. It is the perfect image of Jesus as Savior, it is also a descriptive and informative image of us, although not all that smart, we are never the less beloved sheep. I’m sure you could guess why it is our tendency to go right to the “Good Shepherd” metaphor and skip over the other metaphor in this text. While the Pharisees had taken it upon themselves to judge who was in and who was out, Jesus in contrast said, “I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” When you imagine a gates, what image do you have in your mind? A wooden gate… maybe it is an iron gate… either way it has hinges and it is attached to a fence to keep the right people and right animals in and to keep the wrong people and wrong animals out. Well, that is not exactly what Jesus has in mind. You see, it is true that gated communities and barbed wire fences carry with them a clear statement of exclusivity… a fence speaks for itself and it does not need a sign to suggest you outsiders are not wanted… “no trespassing”. Understand, that is not the statement Jesus is making. If anything, that was the statement the Pharisees were making in John Chapter 9. In contrast, the statement of Jesus is not exclusive but inclusive. Jesus is gatekeeper and He wants to bring in as many sheep as possible. One of the questions I wonder is whether or not this metaphor opens our minds or closed them. Despite what I just said earlier about the inclusive nature of Jesus, it is true that Jesus is not just the gate but the only gate. In Mark 10 Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Imagine the smallest camel you have ever seen… now imagine the largest needle you have ever used. That is pretty exclusive, if you ask me. Given words like that, I’m not surprised when the church and the people of God fancy themselves as gate keepers. Maybe they do, but we do so wrongly. Here is the point… In the book of John Jesus calls himself the way, the truth, and the life… He says, “no one can come to the Father except though the Son.” Deciding who is in and who is not, deciding what is holy and what is not, sorry to say but that is not our call to make. If we are not careful the image of Jesus as gate keeper will serve as an convenient justification to keep us away from people we deem to be different. But let’s recall the purpose of the metaphor? Is Jesus saying his purpose is solely to keep thieves out? I don’t know about you but the one thing that troubles me is that the thieves and robbers seem to get in with or without the gate. But either way, they are not the point. Remember from Chapter 9, the person Jesus is talking about is the blind man that the Pharisees have written off. The point is that “God so loves the world” that the gate swings open for lost sheep in particular. The irony in this text is that gates normally divide people, but Jesus is the gate in order to make us all one. Jesus prayed in John 17 “I ask that all of these may be made one. As you Father are in me and I am in you may they also be in us.” John’s Gospel is all about answering the question “Who is Jesus?” In this passage Jesus is literally the one standing in the gap assuring us to come closer. Understand, I’m not saying that when there is a clear instance of unrepentant sin that the church shouldn’t call it what it is and go from there… But that is not what this text is about. I know so many people who no longer come to church because in their mind, fair or unfair, they see “the church” as self-appointed gate keepers who are happy to keep the gate closed. Some of us might agree. Some of us might have even experienced this at various churches. In our passage this morning Jesus is reminding us that the Church is neither the gate keeper nor the gate. Jesus is. That being said, remember you are a sheep and your job is simple… follow the Shepherd. I really do love this passage of John. It is a passage that gives us a metaphor of Jesus that our hearts yean for. I mean, if you are honest, none of us should be allowed to enter. Yet in John Chapter 10 it is this very Jesus, cloaked in a metaphor, that comes seeking us. He tells us he knows our names. He tells us despite our wonderings, murmurings, motives, and morals, despite the fact that we are lost and confused, dumb as a sheep, he loves us enough to lay his life down for us. Oh what an image… it is not one of an armed guard standing at Buckingham Palace to keep those on the outside from getting in. Rather it is a Savior who is standing as the gate with arms spread inviting you and everybody else to come in and find pasture. And the image is not just here. The prodigal son is an example of this. But the converse is also true. Poor Lazarous received blessings in the afterlife. The rich man did not… all the same Jesus. So how do you know if I will be received as Lazarous or the rich man? The constant refrain in John 10 is that the sheep know my voice. I call them by name and they follow me. Do you hear Jesus’ voice? Do you respond and follow him? I don’t say that to be sarcastic or cynical. I just think sometimes it is helpful to have honest reflection. I’ve been asking myself those same questions all week long. How do you know it is Jesus’ voice? To be honest, I imagine you have been hearing the Good Shepherd’s voice since before you ever recognized it. Some of you heard the Scriptures being read to you from within your mother’s womb. You heard your good shepherd at your baptism, and on that day, your good shepherd said, “you are my beloved.” And he said, “Come. Follow me.” Ever since then, you have heard him say over and over again, “you are forgiven.” And “Behold I have redeemed you with my own blood.” The point beings, is Jesus speaks, again and again and again, and every time he has given what you needed most. Sometimes healing, sometimes nourishment, sometimes forgiveness, sometimes reassurance, but each and every time, he gives you life in his Name. You have received the invitation… so come on it.
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April 19, 2026 - Luke 24:13-35
Today we meet up with a couple followers of Jesus. Currently they are walking on a road leaving Jerusalem and going to Emmaus. Last week they were in Jerusalem to observe the Passover. While they were there, they were also filled with hopeful Messianic expectation. Of course it ended as quickly as it began, and here they are leaving Jerusalem with shattered hopes and clear disappointment. Has Jesus ever disappointed you? Just a reminder you are in Church so don’t tell a fib. I will tell you He has disappointed me. There are times when I feel like God has let me down. I wanted something, and believed it to be good and right, and God shut the door right in my face. Maybe there are things which displease you in your life or in the world that you think God should do something about? Truth be told, we all have ideas of what God should be like and what he should want for our lives. In Luke 24 Jesus encounters two of His followers who hoped and believed in Him… but given the cross and the torture and the abuse of leaders… given all that had happened in the past three days, even though Jesus is standing in their midst they do not even realize it. To be fair, the text does say Jesus did not allow them to see him, but let’s be honest, isn’t it true that all it takes is for God to do the ONE THING you thought he wouldn’t do or shouldn’t do and all of a sudden you can no longer see Jesus. Often times that is all that is standing between us and hopeless and disappointment in God. Consider for a moment what hopelessness does to us. Let us not deny “hopelessness” has power. Jesus walked up these followers and all he asked them “what are you discussing together?” The text says this simple question stopped them in their tracks. “They stood still and their faces were downcast.” You know what you learn here? Hopelessness is powerful. It can stop you dead in your tracks just like PTSD. That being said, know this; Jesus seeks to restore hope and notice how. Look at Verse 26. In that verse “He said to them, ‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Don’t miss this. The first thing Jesus said to them was not a platitude or an anecdote or even a statement of sympathy. He goes straight into giving them and interpreting for them the Word of God. All things considered, in the midst of their hopelessness He goes to the one place that can actually restore their hope… the Word of God. I think the troubling thing about this text is that they were not hoping to get a job, or hoping they would sell their house, hoping to get a loan, or even hoping their mother would get out of the hospital. Their previous hope was in Jesus. Notice their words “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.21 We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” Yes it is true; they hoped in Jesus… but here’s the problem… their hope did not include the cross. The cross proved to be a hope dasher rather than a hope builder. They had hope, but it was simply too shallow. In other words, the problem was that they did not hope enough… They hoped Jesus would send Rome packing, they hoped Jesus would fix Israel’s hypocritical leaders and change their circumstances. And although none of that would have been a bad thing, although I’m sure many people in this very church pray for similar divine interventions all the time, just understand, if you have come to Christ merely as a sufferer needing help rather than a sinner in need of salvation than your hope is too shallow. You see, they hoped Jesus had come to redeem God’s people, but what they had missed was that Jesus did exactly that... then and now he redeems this people through the cross and through His Word. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are getting into vacation season and have you ever come back from the beach and someone said to you “it looks like you got some sun.” How cool would it be if we spent enough time in God’s Word that people began to notice and say “Wow, I can tell you got some Son in you.” Last week I said the Thomas story was my favorite text. That is true, but this one ranks pretty close. I just love the fact that Jesus sat at their table, and all of a sudden, he became the host not the guest. Do you realize how striking this is? Just imagine you invited someone to your home and they stand up give a speech, announce the menu, and then proceed to hand out the bread? This was that striking, and in fact it was at that very moment when “their eyes were opened and they realized who was standing in their midst.” This is such a cool text because the phrase “and their eyes were opened” refers back to Genesis chapter 3. If you recall Adam and Eve said “we want to choose the menu” and “we want to choose what we want to take in.” At that moment “their eyes were opened” and all we have been able to see ever since is sin. Luckily for us, the resurrection changes that. Recall last week’s text. Jesus appeared to them in the upper room and “breathed on them”. That word which was is only one time in the New Testament, it referred back to Genesis Chapter 2 where God Breathed life into dust. What is the point? My point is that the resurrection is not just about Jesus’ dead body being brought back to life. The resurrection is a radical reversal that not only counteracts the Fall in Genesis but it also positions Jesus as the ultimate source of nourishment. A diet on Him will restore hope and life. Can you see it? Can you see that Jesus has come to reverse the curse, to stop your fall, and most importantly, to be your host? On that occasion Jesus gave them Word of God and also the Lord Supper “Take Eat. Take Drink”. Unsurprisingly, it opened their eyes. If you want your eyes opened and your sins forgiven… you receive that in the Lord’s Supper. Above all, I hope you are beginning to see this Easter season the difference Christ’s resurrection makes. For without the resurrection story, there is no story. I think more can and should be said. Through the resurrection we learn how to understand the Bible. If you read the Bible as merely a collection of ethics that you have to do, it will frustrate the living daylights out of you. Luckily for us that is not what the Bible is about. Jesus taught them from the Scripture in order to point out that the Bible is all about Him. Jesus was not like the prophets of old that merely warned of judgement. Jesus literally took our judgement and paid for our sin. Ultimately, the message of this text is Jesus telling you “if you want to know me, if you want to see me, if you want to have hope: dig into my Word and receive my Supper.” Hopelessness is dashed when the author of the Bible shows you He is also the subject of the Bible and that He has written you into His story. Thanks be to God. May the grace of God, which surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.
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April 12, 2026 - John 20:19-30
Happy Easter. He is risen, He is risen indeed Alleluia. Yes I know, I know Easter was last week. And I am aware the living cross is taken down. But I’m here to remind you Easter is not just a one day of the year thing. We are still in the Easter season for six more weeks, and more than that, we live in and through the resurrection every day of our lives. Think on these things. There is a cost for not doing so. The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy wrote a little booklet call Confessions telling about how around the age of 50 he had an existential crisis. He didn’t have much of a faith in anything. He was part of the Russian intelligentsia. He was already a pretty well-known writer, and he asked his friends what happened when you die. And most of his friends said, when you die you just don’t exist anymore. And he was part of a group that said, there is no God and when you die you stop existing. Eventually, the sun will burn out and everything will go away. And Tolstoy started thinking wait a minute if that’s the case, why go on? Why keep writing books? Everything is meaningless because in the end no one will be around to know and it doesn’t matter whether I’m cruel or good, productive or something else. In the end, nothing I do makes any difference. Why go on? You know what his friends said? “Hey, go to the beach. Go shopping. You are a Russian artist. You are morbid. You’re thinking too much. Just enjoy life.” This is why he started going back to Christianity. Because he said, what kind of view of the world is only livable if you don’t think about what you believe. What kind of view of the world is only livable if you don’t think about the implications of what you believe about the world? In other words, the world’s peace and joy comes from not thinking too much about what we actually believe about the world. Can you see how Christianity is so different? That Christianity says the opposite is true. Joy doesn’t come from not thinking about our world view. Joy comes from seeing Jesus, being near to Jesus, praying to him, thinking about what He has done for me. If you are a Christian, and you don’t have a lot of joy, do you know why? You’re not thinking. You’re not thinking out the implications of what you believe. Christians believe that God made the world in joy. It says so in Proverbs Chapter 8. It says when God created the world, he was delighting in us. He made it to be a world of joy. But we turned away from him. And yet he didn’t leave us to rot and turn to nothing. He, at infinite cost to himself, he came into this world. And Jesus Christ died for us. Think of the value that you have to him that he would do that for you. And in the end, he is going to make the world perfect. I mean think about what the Bible actually says. Think about what you believe. And the more you think about it the more you are going to say, wow why am I so upset? Why am I so morbid? Why am I sweating the small stuff? God is in control! He is risen! He is risen indeed Alleluia. So I understand this is an oversimplification, but the world’s peace and joy comes from not thinking about and avoiding what you actually believe to be true. You cannot truly live that worldview. In contrast Christian joy comes from thinking about it. And that means Christianity is thoughtful. It is intelligent. It comes from actually thinking about it what you are, who you were made to be, and what God is doing for you and through you, and what God will do. Seriously, this is why it’s so important to come to church. Because we deliberately focus our attention on thinking about the things of God. And what God will do is very much based on what God did do. And so we read the Bible and discuss these things that are historical facts. “Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God.” Luckily it is the goal of John’s writings that these things have been written so that you might think on these things, so that you might believe, have confidence, so that you might have joy, so that you might have life in his name. Thomas doubted these things but just notice Jesus’ response to Thomas’ request was not to chastise him for a lack of faith but to mercifully give him exactly what he requested point for point. Let us not make it our requirement that Jesus give you exactly your requests point for point before you believe. Even though he did it for Thomas, he did it for Thomas, and John has recorded it, so that you might believe, so that you might see-feel- and experience Jesus for yourself, through them. John testifies to the fact that belief and trust in Jesus can bring you joy even in a closed room, or worse, while in exile, or even near death. John writes in 1 John Chapter 1, 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our[a] joy may be complete. John wrote those words towards the end of his life. John had been exiled in Patmos. Legion has it Emperor Domitian sentenced him to death in boiling oil but he lived. After all John had been through, what gives him strength to continue? It was the resurrection but not just that… it was the fact that Jesus IS alive and active, and he appeared to them. It might seem unbelievable that this man from Galilee, who lived 2000 years ago would become the greatest influence the world has ever seen. The reason for this was Jesus was raised from the dead and he appeared to them. I hear people talk like Thomas all the time saying “I simply cannot believe. That is too contrary to all common sense”… Bingo. It most definitely is and was. But frankly the resurrection is the only thing that explains how this small town country boy from Nazareth became the most influential figure in the world even today. The resurrection testified that all of what Jesus preached and did was actually of God. Jesus preached truth, mercy, peace, forgiveness, justice, remembering the poor, feeding the hungry, liberating the captives… It is nice but that is not all that different than Gondi. The difference between Gondi and Jesus was Jesus was resurrected from the dead. The resurrection was God’s great verdict on the life and works of Jesus. And He will stand forever. Of course some will continue to say, I will never believe unless you can prove it to me. If you need proof… consider the text, Thomas was invited to touch Jesus. Jesus proved it to Thomas, and if historical proof is not enough for you, perhaps that’s not your real problem. What concerns occupies your minds? Like I said earlier, what is getting in the way of your faith? Perhaps lots of things. Into the midst of it, no doubt the resurrection will challenge you to think theologically… to see things more like God, to interpret the world and your purpose in it differently. I heard a story about Martin Luther. You know he struggled with depression. At one point, his wife Katie put on all black like she was going to a funeral. Martin said, “why are who dressed like that?” She said, “God is dead.” He said, “What are you talking about? God’s not dead.” “Well, you are acting like God is dead. If God is not dead and He is alive, start acting like God is alive and that He has given you eternal life.” Easter reminds us we all stand in a crisis of life and death each and every day and that God has definitively broken into our world to give us eternal life. We live in a precarious time, but Easter marks not the end but the beginning into a world that will not end. You and I, in faith, may not be liberated from this world’s crisis but we are also brought into the world of Jesus which has no end. I invite you in morning to exult in the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead and there is no difficulty in this world that Jesus cannot help us to face. In these difficult times, keep your faith, pray, and offer your helping hand in the ways that you can. I pray in the midst of your own existential crisis may you learn to think about what it means for Jesus to be resurrected from the dead, for God to be alive. May we, like Thomas, be moved to confess “Jesus is my Lord and my God”. Let us confess on this day we will live in Him and for Him; that I, with the help of God, will never forsake Him. And He is my Lord and my God, no matter what happens to me. This is one of my favorite texts because it is honest about the difficult nature of being a Christian in this world. But most importantly, it is my favorite because it expresses the heart of God. To the afraid and the afflicted, to the quarantined, to the shut-ins, Jesus breaths on them and says “Receive the Holy Spirit. Peace be to you.” And most importantly, to broken sinners, Jesus says, “You are forgiven.” Let him be your savior. Trust him to do what he says he will do… to bring you peace, and most importantly, to bring you the forgiveness of sins, and ultimately, a life everlasting. He is risen. He is risen indeed alleluia. May our Joy this Easter be complete. Live it. In the grace of God which surpasses all understanding trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen.
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April 5, 2026 - Matthew 28:1-10
Grace mercy and peace be to you this Easter morning… brothers and sisters in Christ, He is risen. He is risen indeed Alleluia. I stand before you this morning with a lively spirit. I’m here to testify with vigor and excitement that the church big C is healthy, it is strong, it is vibrant… the tomb is empty. He is risen! He is risen indeed Alleluia! Last week, I asked you to compartmentalize your emotions. I didn’t use those words, but I asked you to put aside whatever it was that burdened you, worried you, and challenged you… put it aside to celebrate Jesus, to declare victory, to raise your palm branches, to sing Hosanna in the highest blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. It was a great day. We had a great time. The brunch was delicious. But in terms of my worries, fears, concerns, nothing’s changed… until this morning. How are you doing? Are you worried? Are you anxious? Are you scared? Are you hurting? If so the angel has a message for you. “Do not be afraid. He is not dead… He is risen.” I am calling for you to think theologically this morning. In other words, I’m calling for you to have God’s logic and for God to inform your understanding of what you think you know. Do you realize Christianity was born in a grave yard? On Easter the strangest news that had ever been heard began in a cemetery and spread like a wildfire. Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead. And no one expected it. Today, 2000 years after the fact, I, like them, have been sent, to tell you, just before dawn Jesus of Nazareth, was raised by God and he will never die again. Understand, we are not here to celebrate a recessitation. This is nothing like placing an AED on someone who has just suffered a heart attack. The Apostles’ Creed confesses that Jesus descended into Hell. In other words, “Jesus was stone cold Dead.” He was deemed to be a charlatan and an enemy of the state… He was publicly executed and stabbed through the heart by a Roman soldier. Jesus had told his followers at least six times to expect a resurrection, but he was so dead that was on no body’s mind. The disciples locked themselves in the upper room and the women arrived very early that Sunday morning to bring spices intended to deodorize the dead body. At minimum, I think we should realize this: Easter Sunday began with traumatized women and scared disciples… NOW notice how easily the resurrection can overrule whatever it is that you are feeling and thinking. The text says they were alarmed, that means they were emotionally traumatized. The text says they were bewildered that means they were intellectually confused. The text ways that they were physically trembling. That means they were scared. But into the midst of this trauma the angel asserted, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Matthew records, “After they departed Jesus appeared to them with greetings and they were filled with joy and they worshiped him.” It is Easter and although the creed affirms the resurrection triumphed over sin and death, although I know the Angel’s announcement, and I know all the recorded appearances of Jesus; I’m still tempted to see and think like the world and not as God. Maybe I’m not tempted to deny it, but sometimes I wonder what difference does it make anyhow. Just look around! Even if… even if Jesus rose from the grave, how does that help me and my family? Because truth be told deep inside me I can feel my sin as alive as ever before. I’m told Jesus rose from the dead, but that does not change all the people currently sick or the fact that I did a funeral on Maundy Thursday or the uncertainty around the world caused by wars. What difference does Easter make? Perhaps in this difficult time we are being given time to reconsider our lives and our purpose in this world. This is a good occasion to ask yourself where you stand in relationship to Jesus Christ, and what difference does it make… The plain and simple fact is all of us spend a lifetime trying to avoid death as long as we can. A great novelist Walter Piercy commented on the paradox of the twentieth century. He said, “America is bent for life affirming pronouncements, self-actualization, self-expression, and the penchant of self-improvement and life enrichment… how odd that our world which is so fearful of death, as we are all so willing to do almost anything to keep death at bay, it is this very world that produces so much death. And furthermore, no other century in its history has seen more death dealing in its actions than the twentieth century and I’m not even talking about the holocaust or the World Wars. What difference does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ make? It makes all the difference in the world! Death has been the ultimate victor for ages. But then on Easter all that changed. On Easter our loving God intervened. The truth is that human beings are powerless when it comes to death… that much is indisputable, but the crucial point Easter makes, is that God can and does intervene. Peter made that abundantly clear in his sermon he preached on Pentecost. He said, “You nailed Jesus to a cross and put Him to death. But God intervened and He raised Him up again and God put an end to the agony of death.” How do we know He will intervene for us? How can we be sure of anything, other the stone that will be rolled over my grave? Brothers and sisters in Christ, first take note of the empty tomb. “Do not be alarmed,” the angel said. “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” I love Mark’s account of the resurrection because the angels tell the woman to go tell not just the disciples but “Peter” specifically! How gracious is our God. That we was not just raised for the loyal but for sinners… sinners, like Peter,… like me. The truth of the day is we all have the same opportunity to be redeemed and that is exactly the reason why I’m here this morning. In the book of Revelation, John tells us, that the resurrected Jesus holds the keys to eternal life. In Chapter 1 of the book of Revelation, Jesus appeared in all of his risen glory and here is what he said. He said, “behold, I am the Living One; I was dead, and now I am alive forevermore! I hold the keys of death and Hades.” In Revelation 21, “He who was seated on the throne says, I am making everything new. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” That’s the most wonderful news in the world and let me tell you why. Paul said, “Jesus had a death like ours so we too will have a resurrection like his.” “For on the final day, the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable.” In the Nicene Creed we faithfully confess: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come.” I have been sent to preach to you the good news of Easter and the unadulterated message of Easter can be communicated in three words: He has risen! He has risen indeed, Alleluia. We have a Savior! What a message… it is a message that challenges us, but it is also a message that changes us! One theologian said this, “Facing death brings a unique challenge. Whether the death of the loved one or facing your own death, the closer you get to the grave, the more you realize everything depends on God. Credit card balances, health insurance, retirement plans, and even human companionship stops at the door of the tomb. If there is no God there is nothing. The brutality of the prospect even for believers brings trembling.” Paul says death is the last enemy. We will all face it, but we will not face it alone we will face it with Jesus the risen Lord. Even now, people are afraid. People are uncertain, and at times even trembling. There may not have been many reasons to say Alleluia… until now! Thanks be to God that “God’s mercies are new every morning.” Christ the Lord is ris’n today Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia! Christ has entered our world conquered death and that informs our understanding of what is to come for all who believe. Once again, He is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia. In the grace of God which surpasses all understanding, trust you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen.
April 3, 2026 - Good Friday Daniel 5:1-28
Have you ever wondered where Cliches come from? Where did we get the phrase, “I’m like a kid in a candy shop” or “opposites attract” “every cloud has a silver lining” “Don’t cry over spilled milk” “Time heals all wounds”. Where do they come from? A cliché I have used a time or three is “the more that things change, the more things stay the same”. Where did that come from? Who came up with it? Most of the time, we have no idea where the the cliché came from. But that is not true of every cliché. Here is a cliché I know you know exactly where it came from. “The hand writing is on the wall.” Where did it come from? Daniel 5:5 “the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.” What does that remind you of? It reminds me of the Thing from the television show the Adam’s Family or the Netflix show Wednesday. The Adam’s family had a permanent guest in their home… It was just a hand… a disembodied hand… called the Thing. That might sound pretty ridiculous. But now let’s go from the ridiculous to the sublime, from Adam’s Family to Rembrandt. Take a look at your sermon notes. That painting is by Rembrandt. He called it Belshazzar’s Feast. Notice the cliché in the corner. “The hand writing is on the wall” and the disembodied hand. It is all there. But what does it mean? Well, the cliché in its present form means: isn’t it obvious? Wake up and smell the coffee! It’s right in front of you! Face the music. It is time to change course. It is Lent after all, tonight is Good Friday, now is your chance to repent. Repent, Metanouia, it means to make a change. A change of mind but more than that a change of direction. This is Friday of Holy Week. We are 37 days into Lent. And the hand writing is on the wall. What do you need to realize or accept? What changes do you need to make? What action or actions need to be taken right now? How do your finances look these days? Maybe it is time to scale back. What about some secret habits? Maybe it is drinking too much, smoking too much, face-booking too much, eating too much, or maybe it is something even more serious. BUT you know what it is? Why? Because the handwriting is on the wall! Tonight it is time to wake up. Face the music. Smell the coffee. Repent. Tonight we are really really close to the cross. And can you imagine, Jesus saying to you I went to the cross for you that you wouldn’t even give up facebook or caffeine for 40 days… that is straight up pathetic. What do you do when the handwriting is on the wall? Let’s take some wisdom from the Book of Daniel? First, stop living in denial. King Belshazzar, the last great King of Babylon, the second successor of Nebuchadnezzar, made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles. Why is that an example of living in denial? Well, because commentators have pinpointed the date of this great feast to October 539 BC. What was go on in 539 BC? King Cyrus of Persia was digging canals to divert the flow of the Euphrates River. Why? Because he was removing the water supply from Babylon. Cyrus’ sights were set on Belshazzar. And in October of 539 BC Cyrus finished his water diversion project. The following day Cyrus intended to bring his army against Babylon. And what was the King of Babylon doing? Living in denial. Feasting before the fall. Let’s throw a party. Bring your wives… I’ll bring the wine. Tonight we will deny reality. A cliche for denying reality would be “they stuck their heads in the sand.” We are pros at this. If we don’t like it, we’ll call it fake news. We are pros at “minimizing”. I admit I have a problem. But it is not that bad. I don’t do it that much. And it could quit at any time. To further minimize it, we like to play the blame game. The reason why I don’t spend more time with you is because you are always knit picking me. The reason I zone out in front of the TV is because of all the pressure at work. We minimize, we blame, we divert, we bargain. Can you see it? It all boils down to denial. And what did Belshazzar do? “Belshazzar commanded that the vessels of Gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his grand father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.” This is like taking our communion vessels to a Superbowl party. And the crowd loved it. They were laughing, and joking, and having a good time. Someone in Daniel 5 broke out in a song directed towards the paise of the Babylonian Gods of gold and silver and iron and wood and stone. Everyone was having a great time. It was just what Belshazzar wanted. Wisdom from the Book of Daniel tells us, when the hand writing is on the wall, do not desecrate holy things. How do we do that? I think we do it all the time. It is easy to treat God’s Word lightly, to ignore his promptings repeatedly, to dismiss the power of prayer nonchalantly. But his Word is calling you. And he is telling you that you are a temple, you are holy and there are some decisions that you need to make right now tonight. Don’t discount the writing on the wall. In Daniel 5:22. Daniel says to Belshazzar, “you have not humbled your heart, though you knew all of this.” What did he know? Surely he had heard what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, back in Chapter 2 of a giant statue falling over and being crushed by a stone and blown away by the wind. Nebuchadnezzar had another dream of a giant tree being cut down. Have you ever been told “all of this”? The doctor said, get your estate in order. The bank says, your loans are due, pay up. The teacher said, you have a failing grade. All the writing was on the wall… but to use a cliché sometimes it is easier to pull the wool over our eyes. We see it clearly when it happens to others. We might even be quick to say to them “You knew all of this”. You knew what you were doing could result in a child. You knew making your job your idol would ruin your family. You knew not going to church would put distance between you and God. You knew it, but you insisted on dismissing the warning as a cliché. But now you need to deal with it. Take ownership of it, because who shows up? None other than the disembodied hand. And talk about crashing a party. No one invited the Thing. Freaky Friday was not the theme. It was not Halloween. When the handwriting is on the wall, do not miss God’s message. “mene, mene, tekel parsin”. Belshazzar, it says, is shaking in his boots. His knees buckle. He begins to faint. But Daniel gets right to the point and he interprets it. Mene means numbered… your days are numbered. Tekel means weighed, you’ve been weighed in the scales of justice and have been found wanting. Parsin means divided. Your kingdom will be divided. Belshazzar the party is over and so are you. On October 11th 539, that very night, King Belshazzar was murdered. Or in other words, Belshazzar you blew it. And the repo man has come to take what’s his. Thank God that is not His final message… oh it could be, but it does not have to be. It does not have to be, why? Take note of the writing on the wall. What did it say? Pilot prepared and fastened to the cross an inscription that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek so everyone could read it. The message was not Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. But it was still four words. “He died for you”. It is to our great shame that we take that as a cliché when someone says it to us. Yeah yeah, I’ve heard it before. But this is God’s message straight to us this evening. Even on Good Friday… especially on Good Friday. It is what makes Good Friday good. Jesus died to be our Savior. We are forgiven. And it counts for everything. It is because of this that we can face the hand writing on the wall. You can face what you are going through with courage because you have been redeemed by Jesus on the cross. And that is not a cliché. It is the grace of God for you. Embrace it. Live it. In the grace of God which surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen.
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April 2, 2026 - Maundy Thursday Daniel 6:1-28
Tonight is the night Jesus will be betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, and abandoned by the rest of the disciples. Tonight is the night he will be arrested by the Jews, later sentenced to death by the Gentiles. Soon he will be interrogated by Pontius Pilot. He will be flogged by soldiers and mocked by everyone. Tonight the world will turn against the creator. They will reject him and hate him. Spit on him and ridicule him. Everything they should do toward their Lord, they will not do. Instead they will despise Him and kill him. Do you recall, when I said, the Book of Daniel has more to say about Jesus than any other Old Testament Book? Tonight Jesus will be thrown into the den of lions. This evening let’s consider what wisdom we can glean from the Book of Daniel Chapter 6, but let’s also consider what did Jesus do… and what does all that means for us when we are going through our own worst-case scenarios. Did you know there is actually a book called “the Worst-Case Scenarios Survival Handbook: Expert Advice for Extreme Situations”. On the cover of the Book there is a picture of a man swimming with alligators. There is a chapter on just that. There is also a chapter on how to survive if your parachute fails to open. How are your survival skills? And just as a remember, the goal for Lent has been not just survive, but thrive. How well are you equipped? What do you do when you find yourself in a swamp with alligators or an ocean teaming with sharks? What do you do when your parachute fails to open or you go outside to find yourself standing face to face with a lion. Did you know I had lions in my backyard? I’m serious. When I lived in Florence, about two blocks from my house lived Leo and Una the lions. They were UNAs living mascots. I would hear them roar in the morning when they woke up and in the late afternoon at feeding time. Can you imagine if they got out of their enclosure and went a feeding rampage? Forget about coyotes. Leo and Una were real lion! And they are licking his chops looking at you for lunch. I recently saw a video of a lion tackling a zoo keeper. The lion jumped into the air, put his rear feet forward and knocked the guy right onto the ground like he was a toothpick. And that was play. A lion weighing in at nearly 600 pounds could hit you like a freight train. I have something to confess, I do not like cats, but I have a healthy respect for lions and you should too. So how are your survival skills when you meet a lion face to face? Let me give you a couple options: A) Run B) Punch him in the nose C) play dead D) Open your coat so you appear larger than you are E) Sing the Lenten hymn “Stricken Smitten and Afflicted”. Singing Stricken Smitten and Afflicted would be my choice but actually, “the Worst-Case Scenarios Survival Handbook” has a chapter on this and he says D. Open your coat so you appear larger than you are. So the moral of the story is never forget your coat because you never know when you might come face to face with a roaring lion. And notice I did not say “if”. I said “when”. Why? Because as Christians we are in the wilderness with the most fierce of predators… called sin and the devil. I’m not surprised when Peter said, “The devil is prowling like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.” Jesus himself said, “I’m sending you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves. And beware of men because they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you.” Understand, he says this not just to warn us but he wants us to actively engage in it. You heard the reading from Daniel Chapter 6. It is arguably one of the most well-known stories in all the Bible. It is well known, but I’d say equally as miss understood. You see, if you think the message of Daniel and the lion’s den is if you are faithful God will save you from the lions, you are wrong. The message is… the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world are always colliding. And in fact, sometimes God plants deep distress so that we can meet it with great devotion… because what I plan to do through you… with you, you would not believe even if I told you. First, I want to give you a dose of realism. Learn to pray when things are calm, so you can pray when things are costly. Learn to be close to me in peril because you have already been alone with me in peace. Youth… You may face students knowing you believe the Bible and they gossip about you behind your back. Adults, you may face people on the job knowing you believe in Jesus and some of those people try to throw you under the bus just because they can. Maybe it is even closer to home, your family, you face ridicule and shame at a family gathering because you want to offer a prayer before you eat. What do you do when you are thrown to the lions? When you picture Daniel being thrown to the lions, do not picture a young man. Because Daniel is likely in his late 80s. Recall how the book began “In 604 BC, the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, when Nebuchadnezzar came knocking on Judah’s door. Daniel was about 14 years old when he was carted off to Babylon. Today we are talking not about Nebuchadnezzar, but about Darius King of Persia. He had immediately become king following the murder of Belshazzar who was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. We are talking about a date of around 539 making Daniel around 85. Notice the crafty opposition. In Verse 4 and 5 and following “the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing. Daniel knows about this decree, but what did he do? “He went to his house where he had windows open toward Jerusalem and got down on his knees three time a day and prayed and gave thanks to God, just as he had done previously.” This is what Solomon teaches in 1 Kings Chapter 8. Solomon taught if you were not in Jerusalem you should face Jerusalem when you pray. That is what Daniel did. PRAY- as the acronym goes- praise, repent, ask, and yield. Daniel’s got that down. When Daniel hears that he will be thrown to the lions if he prays to anyone other than Darius, what does he do? He does what he has always done. He prays and more than that he begins by giving thanks to God. I did the math, if Daniel prayed three times a day for 80 years, that equals 87, 600 prayers. Did you know, if we stop praying the world will stop bothering us, the lions will find someone else? Our family will finally accept us and our boss will bring us into the good ol’ boys club, and you will have weekends free, why? Because when you don’t pray you don’t worship either. You see, sooner or later you have to take a stand. Sooner or later you have to stand firm. That might mean your child, who is in highschool, can’t play on the traveling summer baseball team because you will miss too much worship, so that child cannot play on that traveling team. Young ladies and young men, (and of course I’m not ignorant enough to think this is just for the young person’s problem) but it may be you break up with your boy friend or girlfriend because they are asking you to do things you know compromise your character. It may be that you don’t close that deal at work because it lacks integrity. But what if my son doesn’t get that scholarship to college because he does not play on the team. What if I never have a boyfriend again? What if I don’t get a raise because I didn’t sign the new client. I wish I could tell you it will all work out. But I can tell you this. In the words of Harry Truman, who was a devout Christian, he said this, “Fame is a vapor. Popularity an accident. Money takes wings. Those who cheer you today may curse you tomorrow. Only one thing endures, your character.” So, when they throw you to the lions and you take a stand, choose character over compromise. They will go after you with all their might. And even tell lies about you. “Daniel, pays no attention to you O King, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” We are now in Chapter 6 of Daniel and think back with me for a moment. In Chapter 1 Daniel holds up against Nebuchadnezzar’s best attempts to indoctrinate him. In Chapter 2 Daniel again stands up against Nebuchadnezzar. In Chapter 3, Shadrack, Meshack, and Adebdago stand up against Nebuchadnezzar. In chapter 4 Daniel once again stands up against Nebuchadnezzer. In Chapter 5 Daniel stand up against Bellshazzar. And now Daniel stands up against Darius. Where does he get the strength to stand up? Ironically, he gets it from getting down on his knees in prayer. You never hear Daniel saying, this is not fair. Daniel does not say, “why me” or “how come”? Daniel chooses character over compromise and faith over fear… and it is all tied to prayer. What did Jesus do the night he was betrayed and abandoned and arrested. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed, and what were the disciples doing? Sleeping. They neither took it from Daniel or from Jesus. But it is no wonder that they fled the scene and hid in the upper room. Because they compromised, feared the lions, and panicked. Panic does not pay. But prayer does. Therefore, keep doing what you can do. Stand firm and pray, and then, allow God do what only God can do. Because ultimately, only God can take care of the lions. Can you imagine Daniel thinking what if God doesn’t come through for me. Life is not a Walt Disney movie that always has a good ending. What if the lions want me for lunch? It is a good question, and to be honest, there are other people in the Bible with the same faith and with the same poise and for some reason unknown to me, God did not rescue them during their temporal life. Jeramiah the prophet, he wrote a really long book, he was stoned to death. Isaiah the prophet, he also wrote a really long book, he was sawed in half. You see, I wish I could tell you choosing character over compromise, standing up over sitting down, standing strong for Jesus would mean everything will go well. I wish I could tell you that but I can’t. I wish I could say you will always be with the group, on the team, and in the family, but I can’t. But this is what I can tell you. When we pray, and when we do what is right, we can better trust God with the results just ask Daniel... or better yet just ask Jesus. Jesus was not thrown to literal lions but he was thrown around. He was thrown between the Judean ruling council and Pontius pilot and the mob and back to Pontius Pilot. Pilot threw him to the soldiers. And the soldiers threw him on the cross. And the cross threw Jesus into unutterable agony and abandonment. Because God the Father threw, placed, hurled, all of your baggage, sin, muck, mire, onto the sinless Son of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Because of what He has done, we can trust God with the results. Back to Daniel for a moment, and I have no doubt you can see the symbolism between Daniel and Jesus, “A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.19 At the first light of dawn, (hold onto that thought) the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.” He called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. At the break of Day… there was Daniel fully alive, fully confident, fully thankful. This is the consistent message of the Bible, even in the darkness of night, there is always a morning coming. Ex. 14:27 when did God deliver Israel from Egypt? In the morning. Psalm 46:5 when does God deliver his people? In the morning. “Weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning.” Lamentations 3:25 “his mercies are new every morning.” Jesus last given name in the Bible, revelation 22:18 he is the bright morning star. It might seem dark tonight. It might be a long night with a bunch of lions but the break of day is coming soon. Before we get to that, we would be wise to recognize that on this night when we were being our worst, Jesus set the best table for the worst of friends. He gave to them the Lord’s Supper for the forgiveness of their sins. On the night he was to be beaten and bruised, when we deserved punishment… instead of the Lord saying to us “it would have been better that you had never been born”, our Lord comes to us and feeds us his passion, his love, and his glory, and his forgiveness all bound up in the Lord’s Supper, and I would call it the greatest meal of all times, but it is but a foretaste of the feast to come. Days from now, in the morning, Jesus will conquer darkness and He will conquer the last enemy called sin and death. Because of that, when we are thrown to lions we can stand tall, stand out, and stand up for Jesus. In just a moment we will do just that as we stand to confess our faith using the words of the Apostle’s creed. But before we get there, as the Matthew reading ominously left us with the statement, “they went out to the Mount of Olives.” So too, the bell choir will play, “Go to Dark Gethsemane”. The congregation will sing stanzas 1 and 4.
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