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June 14, 2026 - Matthew 9:33-10:8
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Brothers and sisters in Christ, recall back to Pentecost, it is after all but a recent memory. Pentecost was a time of great joy as the power of the Holy Spirit was bestowed in abundance onto the Church. At that time the Gospel was proclaimed in multiple languages and people responded by being baptized. The following week was Trinity Sunday and we celebrated the gift of knowing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We talked about how our triune God loves us daily and wants us to have a relationship with Him. He also continues to point us toward eternal life. Today it would be helpful to consider the realities of this present world in light of Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Because what we are given in Matthew Chapter 9 and 10 is a life defining mission. Allow me to frame the text with this story (this is a paraphrase but it has unfortunately happened more than once). We had just moved to Wildwood. My family was very young. They had just packed up everything and we moved to a place they did not know. One morning Stephanie wanted to take the kids out to breakfast. When they arrived there was a long line. So the kids were sitting on the ground playing in the line being kids. Someone came up to Stephanie and said, “Would you consider taking the kids outside you are ruining my fine dining experience.” Without commenting on the phrase “fine dining experience” by telling you where it was, Stephanie with prayerful withstraint responded “would you please consider what it is like to be a mother.” If you are a parent, you know what it is like to have a life defining mission. You can’t eat, you can’t go to a restaurant, you can’t use a restroom, you can’t sleep, you can’t do anything without your life being defined by parenting. And you don’t have to be a parent to understand this. This past week in North Carolina, I took the family to tour Fort Macon. Fort Macan was a coastal fort of the United States which served during the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War I. Soldiers would certainly understand what a life defining mission is. Now, just consider that Jesus, the king of the Cosmos, gives us THE life defining mission. And it is not to replace everything else that you do. It was never meant to do that, but like parenting or being a soldier, it is meant to redesign everything else that you do. And when it doesn’t, or we don’t allow it to, it’s because we have not fully accepted Jesus’ command. First, what is this great life defining mission to which Jesus calls his disciples? And then how are we to go about doing it? Look at verses 5-8. “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of zthe Samaritans, 6 abut go rather to bthe lost sheep of cthe house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, d‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’3 8 eHeal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,4 cast out demons. fYou received without paying; give without pay.” Let me give you a brief preface. These words have both a timely and a timeless quality. There are elements of what Jesus says here that are timely. In other words, they are being applied to the 12 disciples and we cannot fully apply them to ourselves. That being said, there are principles that are timeless. Notice when he says “don’t go to any gentile or any Samaritan village.” This is not racism. It is also not exclusivity. This is priority. Jesus said to the Canaanite women, “I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” But then in Matthew 28 He will tell all his disciples to go to all the nations… here He is giving them priority not exclusivity. Another example of timeliness is the miracles they are commanded to do. Raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons. This was not exclusive to the disciples but it was immediately accessible in a way that it might not be to us. 2 Corinthians 12:12 says “I persevered in demonstrating among you the signs of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.” Another example of timeliness is when Jesus says “You received without paying; give without pay.” He also says elsewhere “take no gold or silver with you.” But in Luke 22 he will reverse that when he says, “When I sent you without purse or gold or sandals did you lack anything?” “No” they said. “Now, if you have a purse or gold or sandals take it and use some of your money to buy a sword.” I’m pointing this out so you can differentiate the timeliness from the timelessness. Here is the “timelessness” part. When you are a follower of Jesus your life is to be marked out by a “going”. In verse 5 Jesus “sent”. In verse 5 again Jesus said “do not go”. In verse 6 Jesus said “go rather”. In verse 7 “as you go.” Four times in a few verses. “Going” is really important. And listen, it is not less than go beyond the walls of the church. It is so much more. In Ezekiel 34, God talks to the shepherds of Israel (Paraphrase to the prophets, priests, and leaders). You have been feeding yourselves. Should not shepherds feed sheep? But you eat the fat and you clothe yourself with wool and you slaughter the fat ones. Translation: you should be feeding sheep but you’re eating them. And he goes on… the weak you have not strengthened. The sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up. The strayed you have not brought back. The lost you have not sought. But with force and harshness you have scattered them. Because there was no shepherd they became food. But then he describes himself as being the true shepherd, and in that text here are just a couple of words of him describing what He would do: I will search, seek, rescue, bring, gather, feed, make them lie down, bring them back, bind them up, straighten, will not destroy, make them a blessing… and even more. Why is this important? Jesus did these things, but more than that, all of those verbs describe what it means for us “to go”. To sum it up… This going I’m telling you to do, I’ve done it. I do it! I have disadvantaged myself for the advantage of those who are lost so that the kingdom of God and the Gospel of God will be theirs. Now let’s apply it. Can you name one person who is not a follower of Jesus for whom you have intentionally disadvantaged yourself… loose, give, seek. Now let’s be honest, to love those who are not followers of Jesus in this way is not easy, it’s not relationally safe… you could get hurt. It could even be seen by the church as not being relationally or ethically smart. I’m going to say this as strongly as possible. There was been a murder in the church. Safety and security are gone. Now I understand that it is that same death and resurrection that makes us safe and secure. But none the less Jesus’ murder gives us a frame-work for what we should expect. “Go” and “preach”. And when I say preach erase from your mind what you’re seeing me do right now. Here is what I mean. You are all sitting quietly and you are a relatively sympathetic audience. If you add the next verses he will tell them to find an individual and evaluate their response, to go into their home and stay with them. And it may not be quick. I knew someone who it took 24 years before he finally became a Christian. Jesus is here commanding his people to do something we his people do not think we can do and we don’t like that. Raise your hand if you think you can heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons. You know what he is saying? Your life defining mission is to live in this dissonance. Your whole life is defined by what you cannot do and I alone can do. But now let’s be honest. It is entirely necessary and entirely appropriate to boldly ask and say “God, heal this person.” True confession. It is scary to do that because what would I do if God says no. And what if they think my God is not real. But so too, God may not be saying I’m not going to heal the person. He may just be saying I’m not going to do it miraculously. “Go to work.” You serve them. In the bible there are many examples of the miraculous happening but there are more examples of God calling YOU to do something. And if you’re honest you might feel stuck. You have been trained to be nice, doing nice things in a nice building listening to nice music. But hear this, you have come here to be with God and you have come here to honor God. And God says he wishes to use you. Ask him to do the miraculous but if he doesn’t than consider that you have a job to do. Example… I asked God to heal Scott’s leg many times. And when he didn’t… men in the church build Scott a ramp. That’s what service looks like. Why? Because the grace of God, the Gospel of God, the truth of God, the kingdom of God, has come to each and every one of you without any merit on your part. So, we are to act like Jesus so that everyone around you also knows that it is unearned, undeserved, and undeniably free free free free free. Any behavior, the way you worship, the way you dress, the way you live should look like you have a Savior. Jesus, who is never telling us to tolerate every behavior, neither should you elevate your own behavior as causative for your salvation. Consider this example. Oliver loves racing. Let’s just say I look him to a race and the driver James Deane takes his jersey off and says “here, you wear it. You can’t race like me. But give as freely as I gave you.” And it’s so much more because Jesus gave his life for you. Ultimately, that is why you can trust that God will provide. Verse 9 and 10, “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Again, there is timeliness to that verse but also timelessness. And Jesus is saying the ministry of Jesus is to be done with simplicity and dependency. We are to be simply dependent and dependently simple. I’ll say it like this: let’s stop acting like well taken care of tourists who have to have everything a certain way. I have a friend on facebook that recently posted, “If you only ever experience things you like/prefer at your church, then you aren’t in a place where you are able to mature in your faith.” You are not a tourist. Jesus called you a “worker”, a slave worker. What should be conclude from all of this? In our day and age, you are the recipient of thousands upon thousands of messages about who you are and how you should live. Some come from the past, some from the present. Some of you struggle with the fact that your past or your present is telling you you’re worthless, you’re a failure, and you won’t measure up to anything. Of course, some of you might have the opposite problem. Either way, Jesus is here telling you how He defines you. You are part of these most dangerous special operations mission. You are called to go behind enemy lines in order to rescue people who don’t want to be rescued. You are to take the hits and wounds… and some of you will die. That is normal. And I apologize for when I have not acted in this or in His way because frankly I can’t. It’s not that different than if I were to see someone drowning in the ocean and I don’t jump in because I can’t. I can’t swim well enough to save a person drowning. Maybe so, but for our purposes here… let’s ask that we can. Be bold and ask. And God will provide. Let us end with prayer… as I hear the question ‘please consider what it is like to be a mother’, and I hear the question ‘please consider what it is like to be a worker in your kingdom’, help us towards this defining calling. Would you give freely? Would you help us to be dependently simply and simply dependent? Jesus, thank you for giving us commands we cannot keep without grace… so we come before you in prayer to simply say help us. In the 2026 year of our Lord, help us. Help us to be laborers because the fields are ripe but the workers are few. Help us to confess that we have not accepted your mission. Come Holy Spirit, Help us! In the grace of God which surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus amen.
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May 31, 2026 - Matthew 28:16-20
Dear Christian friends, today we read from the Great Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapter 28. The reason why I call the Gospel of Matthew the Great Gospel is because it is the longest of all the Gospels and historically it was the most popular Gospel of the early church. I’m sure you are aware that the first five books of the Old Testament are attributed to Moses and we call them the Pentateuch. Did you know Matthew broke his Gospel into five parts in order to reflect the five books of Moses? Well, it is true; and furthermore, by doing so Matthew is suggesting Jesus is the new Moses… He is the new teacher. And like Moses, Matthew has recorded his Gospel in order to teach us something. Today we are going to consider the last teaching in the Gospel of Matthew and it is in fact a teaching concerning the Trinity. June 21st is Father’s Day. May 10th was Mother’s Day. Today is Trinity Sunday and that means by definition today is God’s Day. This is not to say every day is not God’s day nor that Christians are only Trinitarian on this Sunday. But today, in particular, we concentrate and celebrate the gift of knowing who God is and what God is like. That is indeed a gift because you cannot come to know anything about God simply by studying yourself or the world. The only way to know God is for God to reveal Himself to you. That is why Jesus said in the last Chapter of the Great Gospel of Matthew, “Teach them to observe all that I have told you.” The truth is that there is much to learn about God and the Scripture can teach you what you need to know. Truth be told, when you learn of God, you will also learn what it means to be a human being. The great Lutheran theologian Francis Pieper wrote that the purpose of Religion is not so much to define God as much as it is defined by our relationship to God. Ultimately, that is what the Doctrine of the Trinity is all about… it is about God but it is also forever related to you and me because what it says and what it discloses about God also say and discloses much about us. Trinity Sunday reminds us about who God is, and more than that, that God is God and we are not. It reminds us that God, who was and is, has always been God, and furthermore, we need him. So now let’s be honest, there is a whole lot about God that is mysterious, but let’s not get hung up with that, because there is a lot about God that He has been made known to us. In the Old Testament God revealed Himself as Yahweh the all-powerful creator of all that exists. Yahweh said, he is a god like no other. He also said, He is literally the only God…. and that you will know nothing about Him unless He shows you. Well, luckily for us Yahweh is not just a name but it is also a verb, and that means, He is a God of action and oh how His actions clue us into his personhood. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself as a mighty Father who cared for his chosen people. Later in the New Testament God revealed himself in the person and the work of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is the manifestation of God in Human flesh. He called Himself God and he also called himself the Son of His Father Yahweh. At the end of the Gospels, Jesus promised to send the Spirit of truth and that Spirit descended on the disciples in the Book of Acts Chapter 2 at Pentecost. It is at that time, post Pentecost, when our understanding of this “One God” was turned on its head. Who is God, what is God like, and how does he relate to us? That is what the Doctrine of the Trinity is all about. I do admit there is more of God that we do not know than we know, but what we do know has been bequeathed to us in his mercy. Fredrick Beakner once wrote “the doctrine of the trinity says, even though appearance is to the contrary, there is only one God. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, a mystery that is beyond us, it is also a mystery within us, and among us. It is all the same mystery.” What Beakner was suggesting is that the Trinity is a way of saying something about God, but it is more than that, it is also a way of saying something about God’s relationship to us. The doctrine of the Trinity makes very clearly that God has a life apart from you and me. That might not sound all that comforting, but I think it is and here’s why. God did not create you because he need to. He did not create you to keep Himself from being lonely. Rather, He created you rather because He wanted to and because he lives in and for relationships. Our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, He is fundamentally a relational being and the Trinity is a beautiful example of what it means to live relationally. The Father gives himself by offering his own Son in love. The Son gives himself by being sacrificed in love by the Father. And the Holy Spirit gives himself by presenting us to the Father and the Son for reconciliation. The truth is that this sacrificial relationship is at the heart of God’s being and the only way for you to prefect your own relationships is for you to become “selfless” by having a relationship with Him. God has already done all the work to make you, He redeemed you, and revealed himself to you. If the idea of God as both three and one may still seem a bit far-fetched, just look at yourself in the mirror. Consider that what will be most readily obvious to you will be your physical body and your visible face looking back at you. Although that is true, there is also an interior self that is known only to you and also to those you choose to communicate that which is within you. There is yet one more part of you which is the power or breath that propels you from within. Others can’t see it per se, but they experience it as it relates to them coming to know you. Ultimately, you have different parts but what you are looking at in the mirror is clearly and indivisibly the one and only you. I am sometimes hesitant to give you examples to try to explain the Trinity. Most of our examples, even with the best of intentions, ultimately reduce into a heresy. So just understand my example was not a replacement for a Creed. If you want to understand what the church teaches on the Trinity, the best place to go is the Bible and the Athanasian Creed. Thanks be to God that God almighty, who is beyond our capacity to grasp, is a being who loves through relationships. He is a being that is defined by self-sacrifice, and above all, He is a being that desires to be in communion with you. What a mighty fine thing this Doctrine of the Trinity affirms... I hope you agree?
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May 24, 2026 - Acts 2:1-21
My family likes to vacation at Emerald Isle in North Carolina. It is an interesting beach which a little off the coast has a barrier Island called Shackelford. Shackelford lies between Emerald Isle and the Atlantic Ocean, and for that reason, Shackelford proves to be an amazing place to find shells. I plan to take the kids to Shackelford this year. Adeline has been there but she was way too young to remember it. Well, one afternoon we took a ferry to the Island, we waded out into the surf, and just like that we found this shell. I don’t know all that much about shells, but I suppose this is a conch shell and what used to live in it was a marine snail. To be fair, I’ve seen better, but it is a pretty good specimen and besides, it is a state of the art shell. It is a custom-made shell. There is not a single shell exactly like it… anywhere. And it is not only cool, but it’s also pretty tough too, tough and heavy like a piece of armor. I’m sure it kept the snail in and everything else out. I know none of us wear a shell like a snail, and I cannot speak for you, but I know I have a shell. I use it to keep me safe and shelter me from pain. Sometimes when I get off the highway and there is a scary man carrying a cardboard sign, I hid in my shell by rolling up the window. When I see someone I don’t know outside my house, my shell protects by not opening the front door. Sometimes, even when in my house things still try to get at me… I see commercials about children starving around the world, luckily for me, my shell still protects me by changing the channel. To be fair, the world just has so many problems and who am I to do anything about it. Fortunately for me, everything bounces off my shell and it is fantastic. Did you know America is the largest growing mission field? Actually, it is true. I’ve seen studies that suggest we are not only in the largest growing mission field, but it is also the third largest mission field in the world. That beings said, you know what I do when I come across someone in the street in need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I hide in my shell. Given all the world’s problems, and its obvious unbelief, thank God I have a shell… my hunch is that you have one too. We may not want to admit it, but you and I know the problems are so huge and so systemic and overwhelming and complex that sometimes it is just seems BETTER to not get involved and crawl back into your shells. What does your shell look like? How many of you justify your shells by endless “what if questions”? What if I get out there and I cannot fix anything. Worse than that, what if I try and fail? What if I’m misunderstood? What if I become vulnerable? What if I get hurt? The What ifs are endless… If you don’t mind, I’m just going to crawl back into my shell. Brothers and sisters in Christ, today is Pentecost and the last thing the Holy Spirit wants from you is for you to hide in your shells. As you can imagine the first Christians loved their shells. Did they ever… Remember where they went after the crucifixion? It is unsurprising that they hid in the upper room. One might mistake them for being sensitive but what about that time when James and John demanded that Jesus rain fire from heaven to judge unbelievers. One might mistake them for being timid but what about that time Thomas wanted to fight and even die for Jesus in Jerusalem. One might mistake them for being modest but what about that time Peter tried to rebuke Jesus and Jesus responded, “get behind me Satan”. They were not overly sensitive, or timid, or modest, but when Jesus was flogged and dragged out to be crucified, where did they run? Back to their shell. Given all of this, where would you expect to find the disciples on the days leading into Pentecost? If you said “still in their shells” then you would be right. Luke tells us in Acts Chapter 2 on the Day of Pentecost they were “All together in one place”… at that time (in all fairness) they were doing as they were directed by Jesus “to stay there until they received the Holy Spirt”. But ultimately, they were called to go to many places. The charge was to go to all nations. The only problem is that they will need to get out of their shells. Maybe so, but what does Luke tell us God does with people who are stuck in our shells? In Verse 2, Luke records, “Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” In other words, brace yourself. Buckle up and here we Go! Because when the Holy Spirit comes to town He is like a tornado and with flames of fire He busts-up shells. At that time notice Peter got out of his shell and preached. Notice what he said. He was quoting from Joel Chapter 2 and he said, “in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on ALL people.” That means, we are all recipients of the Spirit. Peter goes on… “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” How awesome is that? Peter says we shall all see visions and dreams of life outside the shell. Can you see it? Can you see yourself outside your shell? Outside your shell you are loving and humble and forgiving, and most of all, you are vibrant and alive and you’re not stuck in one room, but you are emboldened to go from place to place and tell people about Jesus. All things considered, I know what you are thinking. I’m just an ordinary person who wakes up in the morning and shops at Walmart. I just live a mediocre life with a mediocre job. And I’m just a bleacher person. God would not want me. He’d far sooner call the people who sit in the box seats at the Cardinal’s game. Well, that is not true at all. What I’d like for you to see today is that God called Peter, of all people, to preach. Now I’ll admit it really is not that miraculous or even wonderful that Peter preached. I know we are accustomed to Peter talking. Among all the disciples, Peter is the one that is never at a loss for words. At the Mt. of Transfiguration, for instance, Jesus is having a holy conversation with Moses and Elijah. And James and John they are there too but in a holy silence. But not Peter, Peter butts into the conversation, cuts off Jesus, and he says, “I know you are talking with Moses and Elijah but you know I just want to say something… you know it is good for us to be here and I just want to build some tents.” It is as if Luke the Gospel writer was shaking his head as he added at that time that Peter did not know what he was saying. Peter is never at a loss for words, even when stuck in a boat in the middle of a storm in the middle of the night and the disciples think they saw a ghost. When the ghost spoke the disciples were so struck by fear that they are silent but not Peter. Peter speaks up and says, “If it is really you, will you tell me to come out to you on the water.” Peter never without words even on the night when Jesus was betrayed when all the others were silent Peter said, “Not I Lord.” “It will not be me that betrays you. I will follow you to prison and to death.” It was that very night that Peter denied Jesus. My reason to point out all of these stories was simply to say that Peter was not a perfect man. Peter made grave mistakes, yet I am assured that if God could use Peter than God could use someone as imperfect as me and you. The truth is that the Holy Spirit can use you. He will use you, and more than that, He will make you into a bold servant. A recurring theme in the Book of Acts is the early church’s boldness. “Bold” is a word that appears twelve times in the book of Acts. In acts Chapter 2 verse 29 Peter spoke with boldness. Three times in Acts Chapter 4 James and John boldly stand up against violent authorities who want to hurt them. In Acts Chapter 9 Luke says two times that the recent convert Paul was bold. So understand, Pentecost is not about Peter, or about James and John, or about Paul. It is not about me or about you. It is about Jesus of Nazareth; a man who although he was crucified and killed, God raised him up. Therefore, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know with boldness that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” “When they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Ultimately, this is my prayer for us here at Saint Paul’s. My prayer for you is not that you all might speak in tongs. In Acts Chapter 2 notice that only a few prophesied when the Spirit descended. The rest of the people boldly confessed Christ and subsequently multiplied. So therefore, believe as Peter said in his Pentecost sermon, that it was our sin that put him on the cross. But most importantly, believe that God raised him from the dead and by doing so he conquered our shell of sin. My prayer is that God, through the Gospel, would break us out of our shells and by doing so he would multiply His church. I pray He makes it so much so that we multiply too large to stay in one place. Dear friends, as God has said, the journey is in its final stages but it is not over until the resurrected Lord returns. So until then, remain with boldness in these last days. I pray that you remain steadfast in the faith knowing that the Holy Spirit is our ever present and continuous strength. He is our helper. He is our guide. So let him guide you out of your shell and into the truth. In the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, which surpasses all understanding, Amen and Happy Birthday to the church.
May 17, 2026 - Acts 1:1-11
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our risen and ascended Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. I’m sure you noticed that after the Epistle Reading I extinguished the Christ Candle and that was a way to signify that Jesus has ascended, that we can no longer see him in his bodily form as they did in the post-resurrection accounts. Today is the seventh and last Sunday in the season of Easter. It is on this important day that we remember and celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. Ascension Day celebrates the day in which Jesus ascended to be with the Father. It took place 40 days after the resurrection. It is recorded at the end of Gospel of Luke and at the beginning of the Book of Acts. At that time, Jesus was “lifted up and taken to be with the Father”. I’ve heard is said, the Gospel of Luke is the story of Jesus and the Book of Acts is the story of the Church. But that is not quite right. The first is the story of Jesus and the second is the story of Jesus through the Church. That is why Luke begins the Book of Acts by saying “In the first book, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach. Now I’m going to talk about what Jesus continues to do and teach through the Church. Let me give you an illustration that I hope will help us step as near as you can into the Book of Acts Chapter 1. Even as we are here right now, there is an immense power at work. Physicists call it the fourth greatest power in the universe and it is impacting every one of us and for the most part it goes unrecognized. But if it were to stop right now, we would get sick, and we would eventually die, if not quickly. The force is called gravity. A couple of years ago, a study was done on astronaut Scott Kelly. After living in zero gravity for one year, we learned what will happen to us without gravity. 5 percent of muscle mass would disappear every week. 1 percent of your bone mass will disappear every month. Blood production goes down because marrow is working differently and the heart weakens. It actually changed his chromosomes. And after only 6 months in space, it takes 2 to 3 years to recover. Here is the point. We were designed for this power to always be pulling on us. And we would become less human and less of what we were designed to be if it stopped. Now to apply it, in the Book of Acts, Luke is saying the same thing. Humans were designed to have Christ’s continuing power always to be pulling and gripping on it. And if it did not, we would not just slowly become ill, if not quickly, and ultimately we would die eternally. So, let us not be confused by the Ascension. The Ascension is not saying Jesus has taken “lift-off” like Artemas II and He is now far from us and is no longer working with us. Going to the “right hand of the Father” is not so much a location as it is a designation of the authority that Jesus has now assumed. In other words, the Ascension of Jesus celebrates His coronation moment. During His earthly life, He was crowned with suffering. But on Ascension Day, Jesus was crowned with glory. “He received his rightful place as Lord of all heaven and earth.” One might be worried that Jesus has separated Himself from us. But the opposite is true. Because of the Ascension, because of Christ’s ultimate authority, Paul says, “Who can separate us from his love? In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I had a friend on facebook say “What kind of God would have knowledge of a vaccine or a cure for cancer but withhold it from us?” First of all, let me just say it is not obvious to me that God is withholding anything from us. Is it not just as possible that we are not listening or that we often go off on our own producing medicines for things that have worse side effects than the problem in the first place. C. S. Lewis said, “It is really hard to save a person drowning that wont stop kicking and screaming.” None the less, our cry is real, “Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom?” To this very question, Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” I replied a rather long response to my friend on facebook. But one thing I suggested is the possibility that God could have sufficient reason for allowing it. I don’t claim to know the reason, but it might just be only in a world suffused with suffering will the most amount of people would come to him. As far as my friend on facebook, he has the choice to trust Jesus or deny Him… as do you. As for me, I feel ashamed when I question His agenda. Because his revealed plan of salvation is much bigger and better and further reaching than my plan could have ever been. On Ascension Day Jesus may have traded his sandals for a scepter but do not be confused. His plan of salvation continues for me and for you and for those who have yet to believe and or aren’t even here yet. Strikingly so, Jesus wants you to see yourself in the Ascension. In the hymn just prior to the sermon, we sang “On Christ’s ascension I now build, the hope of my ascension”. In the Collect of the Day, we prayed “leave us not without consolation but send us the Spirit of truth”. The Ascension of Jesus attests to what lies ahead for all of us, that at the appointed time, Jesus will return and we too will be “caught up in the clouds to be with Him”. On the final Sunday of Easter, we are yet again reminded, Jesus was the first to be transformed, but He will not be the last. Let that image continue to sink it… let that image bring us great joy. Even in the midst of our continued trials, let us continue to bring our blessings to God. Above all, do not think for a minute we are separated from Him or His work. It is no coincidence that in the Book of Exodus, a cloud and pillar of fire guided the people in the wilderness and so too at the Ascension a cloud took him from their sight. Ex 13:21 describes “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. In other words, the cloud at the Ascension is another way of saying, Jesus is God and he will lead us and guide us through the wilderness. Jesus’ work is not finished. He is just warming up. If he had lived in Alabama, he might have said, “you ain’t seen nothing yet.” In the Book of Revelation John saw a vision of the throne room with all the company of heaven all worshiping the lamb who was not separated from them, but he was in their midst. May the Lord strengthen us in these present days; until that day, when He returns just like he was taken up. Here is what we learn throughout the Bible, but even more, right now on Ascension Day: we learn He will keep his word. And He has a plan… which includes you. There is no reason for any of us to be decimated by defeat. No reason to fear the foe. You aint seen nothin’ yet. “Men of Galilee, people of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Come Lord Jesus, Come quickly. In the grace of God, which surpasses all understanding. Trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen.
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May 10, 2026 - John 14:15-21
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ, today marks a very special day. As I’m sure you are most readily aware; today is Mother’s Day. What are your Mother’s Day traditions? Is it an occasion for getting together, for making contact, sending or receiving cards, having a special meal and going to church with the whole family on this day. Whatever it is that you do, it is a good thing to take time on this second Sunday in May to honor or remember one of God's greatest gifts to humankind, that is, our mothers… Mothers are indeed a gift from God, and besides every last one of us owes our existence to our mother. Although Mother’s Day might not be a liturgical holiday, I do believe a mother is a link to God… a child’s first impression of God love. To all of the mothers in our congregation, I pray a happy Mother’s Day to all of you! Last week Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” He also said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms and I go to prepare a place for you.” Our text for today is a continuation of that same discussion. In fact, Chapter 14 comes from a larger section in the Gospel of John that is known as the farewell discourses of Jesus. In these chapters, 14, 15, 16, and 17 Jesus is saying good bye… and he is also telling the disciples what to expect when he is gone. These words of Jesus are important because they help us to anticipate what is coming in our future. And what is in your future? I would imagine the answer might be different depending on who you ask? But either way, I hope all of you would admit your future is sure and that God is with you no matter what. That is not a license to be negligent or a promise nothing bad will happen to you. The promise Jesus made to them and to you is that He would sending the Holy Spirit. And notice what Jesus called the Holy Spirit in Verse 15. In Verse 15 and three other times in this farewell discourse Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Paraclete.” “Paraclete” it is an interesting Greek word, one that is rendered differently in almost every English translation (sometimes it is left untranslated all together). The King James Version of the Bible rendered Paraclete as “comforter.” The ESV says “helper.” The NIV says “advocate.” The NIB says, “counselor.” Paraclete is a loaded word which means all those thing… it is a word that refers to someone who is called alongside someone else in order to help him or her. It means to instruct, to help, to comfort, to guide. A paraclatos is there to help you make wise decisions and to help you remember. What might you need to remember? The Holy Spirit wants you to remember the words of Jesus. Just last week Jesus said, “cling to my Words and you can have joy even in times of sadness.” Ultimately, the Holy Spirit does just that… He comes to your side in order to keep you on task and to motivate you when the road seems dark and unending. I’m sure we have all found ourselves in dark places, and to this end, I love the fact that Jesus calls the Holy Spirit a helper, comforter, (perhaps best translated) “counselor” because this indicates something very important about the Spirit. The Spirit was sent to minister not just to your physical or you’re your spiritual wellbeing but also to the more sensitive side of your human person…. When you’re upset for an extended amount of time who do you call? Not a doctor but a counselor, one that is concerned about your emotional stability. Although that is true, I should probably make clear that the Christian faith is not just something believed in the head or even something you feel in the heart. The Christian faith is also something that you live out in the world. In other words, although it may begin inside of you, it does not end there. I think what I just said will help us understand the command of Jesus in Verse 21. Jesus in this passage commands all of us “to love”. In order to understand this command, we need to notice that love and obedience are jointed. Jesus said, in Verse 21, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” Understand what this means. With these words Jesus is saying that Love is more than a feeling. Feelings cannot be commanded, but love can. Why? It is because love is something that is always directed at someone else. Love is to be for the good of another… Love is way more than liking another person and as the Boston song suggests, it is always more than a feeling. Paul describes love as “patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. Love is forever.” And above all, it is a verb. To learn to love is a difficult thing. People hurt our feelings and we hurt theirs. We all make mistakes but the good thing is that being a Christian is not contingent upon whether or not you are mistake less. The important thing is that you remember Jesus Christ is love and that in him is forgiveness. The remarkable thing about John Chapter 14 is that Jesus calls the Holy Spirit a paraclete… a counselor. Understand, what is a counselor’s job? Counselors intercede between two parties in order to get them to communicate, and ultimately, achieve reconciliation. One thing we would do well to remember from John Chapter 14 is that God’s love includes you when you are successful and when you are not. The love of God is all about forgiveness not achievements. This morning I’d like to tell you that the Holy Spirit cares about you and wants to reconcile you to God. The Bible says Christianity is about love. That it true, but it is first a foremost about His love for us. God’s love includes you whether you are loving or not. Allow me to suggest that is good news for all of us because there are those times when we have all been caught being very unloving. His love includes all my ups and downs. Emotionally, spiritually, and physically…. Humans are complicated. Yet no matter how complicated your life might appear to you, know that you are understood by somebody…. That someone is the Holy Spirit and He can make sense of even your life. And that is why Jesus calls him your counselor. Jesus said “the Holy Spirit would be with us forever.” That means we are always in good hands and we have not been left “orphaned.” Dear Christian friends, what does all this mean for you? It means you don’t have to wait for heaven to enjoy your life… You can enjoy your life now because You are God’s child today. You have been saved today. Peter put it so beautifully in our reading from 1 Peter Chapter 3. He wrote, “Baptism now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Although we may continue to sin, Baptism, with the help of the Holy Sprit continues to save you now and always. Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit is with us forever. And a matter of fact, no matter how life may appear to you, know you are in good hands… trust in Him and let the Spirit be your counselor… let him reconcile you to God.
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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