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March 15, 2026 - John 9:1-41
Brothers and sisters in Christ, I am about to remind you of something, not because I want to relive it. In fact, I hope we never have to relive it. But at this point it is part of our history. Did any of you realize that it was six years ago, on this very Sunday, with this very reading, when everything shut down due to Covid. I had a member at my congregation, his name was Ron Mayhan, to give you an impression of him, the week prior, Ron had missed the time change, so he showed up an hour late to church, but when he walked in and realized the service was almost over, he came in and sat down as if everything was normal. He sang the last hymn, and went through the dismissal line as if he had been there the whole time. On that Sunday, following the service Ron, knowing all the COVID concerns and the possibility we might cancel services said, “I don’t believe God will not kill me at church.” I appreciate his faith. In fact, I think you should live your life with a faith like that. Currently studying the Psalms in Bible class, David certainly held to a bold and courageous faith like that. On Wednesday service, Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego held a faith like that too. “God will save us from the furnace, but if he doesn’t that doesn’t mean that he is not able.” That brings up a good question, would God kill me at church? I knew a pastor that died in the pulpit preaching on Easter Sunday. When people saw so many priests and nun dying during the Black death, it shook up their faith. It was the beginning of secularism. But honestly, why where the priests and nuns dying? It was because they were on the front lines helping sick people. I was talking to a military chaplain last Thursday. He told me even when troops are directed to flee chaplains are directed to stay. Why? Because it is their job to speak the last right to the injured. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow you to suffer? One thing I have learned in life is that everyone suffers. When I first got to Saint Paul’s I thought everyone was so nice and welcoming. Everyone was full of joy and life. I thought that nothing bad could ever happen to you people. But I quickly learned that was not the case. I quickly learned that each and everyone of you suffer. Each and every one of you has a problem. Something that troubles you… something that worries you. Your mother is in hospice care. Your son just got diagnosed with diabetes. Your dad is struggling with complications with his heart. Your granddaughter has Pneumonia. You can’t walk like you used to. You can’t find joy in the work you do. You find no joy in the life you live. And you suffer… we all suffer. Whether it deals with your health, your strength, your loved one, your job, your family, your spouse, you all suffer. You cry, you despair, you mourn. You suffer. And the big question is why? And it’s not a new question. The disciples and Jesus have come across a man born blind and the disciples asked him, who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind. The disciples assume the reason he was born blind was because something he or his parents have done. Somehow he must deserve it. Do you also think that way? Do you think that you suffer because of something that you have done? Or something you have not done. That’s called Karma. Karma is if something good happens it is because I did something good or in other words I deserve it. Look at all the blessings in my life. Surely, I’m a good person and God is happy with me. But then the opposite is also true. When something terrible happens, that means you probably deserve that too. That’s what Job’s friends told him. After loosing his family, his home, his cattle, everything, his friends told him to search his heart for the sin that has caused it. His friends assumed God was punishing him and so did the disciples in John 9. I do grant there are texts like the one from Amos Chapter 3 where God says, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” And in the Bible study this afternoon, we will see that God ultimately did punish Jezebel and Ahab for their sins. I grant God can and at times does bring judgment on sin, but Karma is wrong. How do I know? Because Jesus answers the question. Jesus said, it was not that this man sinned or the sin of his parents. But it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. This man suffered so that the works of God might be displayed in him. So why do you suffer? So that the works of God might be displayed in you. This man’s blindness gave Jesus an opportunity to work, to heal, to save. Without this man’s blindness, more than likely he would have never met Jesus. His suffering brought him to Jesus. And so it is with you. Your suffering gives Jesus an opportunity to work. Because without it, if everything had always gone perfect for you. If you have always had all the money you have ever wanted, all the friends, all the family, and all the toys, everything is sunshine and sprinkles, you would not need Jesus. Why would you pray? Why would you confess your sins? Why would you ever want or need the Gospel? So thanks be to God that nothing seems to go right. Thanks be to God for my suffering. As Paul wrote, “We rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Suffering brings us to our knees. It brings us to Jesus. It reminds us of the fallen state of this world, of our imperfect bodies. And it reminds us of our need for a savior. And through it all, it produces character, endurance, and hope. Hope that is found in the saving work of Jesus Christ our Savor. Ultimately, the greatest miracle ever preformed was found in Jesus’ suffering. When he hung on the cross, with a crown of thorns piercing his head, nails through his hands and feet, and blood dripping from his body. It was there, off to the side, a Roman Centurion, who had probably never meet Jesus, this Roman soldier who no doubt was involved in the crucifixion, testified “truly this man is the Son of God.” Through the suffering and death of Jesus, his centurion was saved. Through the suffering and death of Jesus, you are saved. More than that, through Jesus the whole world is saved. God works through suffering. In order to redeem the whole world, God suffered for you. That is what we learn in this account of the blind man, that God works through suffering to redeem even you. Verse 6 says, “Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud.” Have you ever wondered why Jesus did that? Why did he need to spit and what was the point of the mud? It would be one thing to put mud on the guy’s forehead but rub it on his eyes. That sounds counterintuitive. Besides, in other miracles, all Jesus does is say the word… sometimes he doesn’t even see the person. So why did He bend down to the dust of the earth on this occasion? Well, He did it to make a point and what was the point”? It was to proclaim that His mission was to literally restore humanity from the ground up. In the book of Genesis, God made Adam from the dust of the ground. We were made in His image, but we have fallen. For generations, we have been passing brokenness down from one person to the next. But not anymore, because now Jesus reaches down to the dust of the earth with the intentions to restore humanity to its former glory. Can you see it? Can you see that Jesus has been sent to restore your relationship to God? This is a powerful message because the direction of our lives is dependent upon your God given ability to see Jesus in the midst of your suffering. And do not miss that at the end of the reading after the man was given sight, he finds himself once again as an outcast and once again he is suffering. And Jesus comes to him a second time and says, “do you believe in the Son of Man.” The man says, “who is he sir that I may believe.” Jesus says, “You have seen him and it is he that is speaking to you.” The man responded, “Lord, I believe.” The real miracle is not that this man was given eyes to see the world but that this man was given eyes to see Jesus. He was saved… saved through suffering. So know this, suffering is not a direct cause of something you have done in this world. It does come about because of sin but not a particular sin. In other words, it comes with the territory. Ever since evil entered the world there has been sickness, suffering, and death, and that is just the way it is. But God does not leave you in your suffering. He works with it and through it He leads you to him. Even now, God is working in you, leading you to see you cannot trust in this world. You cannot trust in your bodies, or anything around you. And there is only One you can trust. He is leading you to Jesus. So, when you suffer and you face the hardships of this world, come to Jesus. He will forgive you. He will save you and he will remind you he has overcome this whole world for everyone in it. None the less, today you will suffer. Tomorrow you will suffer. And when it seems it is never going to end, it will. Because John 9 gives us a foretaste of the restoration that is to come. For the day is coming when the blind will receive sight, the lame will walk, and all things will be restored. How to I know? Because although Jesus suffered and died, three days later he rose again and the suffering was gone. So it will be for all of you. You suffer today and tomorrow but not forever. Why? Because God did his work for you. In the grace of God which surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
March 11, 2026 - Daniel 3:13-25
There is a song by Glenn Frey called “The Heat is on”. “The Heat is on” was the theme song for the movie Beverly Hills Cop staring Eddy Murphy. You may not recall the song, but if I played it for you, I guarantee you would recall the iconic Saxophone intro. Here are some of the lyrics: The heat is on (flames are burning higher) The heat is on (baby can't you feel it) Yeah, it's on the street The heat is on (I can feel the fire) The heat is on (flames are burning higher) As the song relates to the Beverly Hills Cop, the song is about turning up the pressure, having a difficult job in a difficult time. So too, this Lent, in the Book of Daniel we have been discussing “Standing strong no matter what hits you.” And more than that, how to thrive no matter what hits you? How do you thrive when the heat is on? How to you thrive when society pumbles you with its ways and rituals and with its temptation that it is ok to be selfish and prideful and narcissistic. It’s ok to live by your own reality rather than God’s. It’s ok to serve yourself, above all. Tonight the temperature is up, literally. There is a blazing furnace. And you have two choices, worship the golden image Nebuchadnezzar has set up, or go into the furnace. We have met these three individuals several times: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. I deliberately called them by their Hebrew names, but in Chapter three they are not being addressed by their Hebrew names. They are addressed by their Babylonians names given to them in Chapter 1 (Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego). In Daniel Chapter 3, they are called Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego 13 times. It is like a constant drum beat, a constant reminder you have been given a Babylonian name. Act like a Babylonian, act like a Babylonian, act like a Babylonian…. The repetition is deafening, especially, then the heat is on. Nebuchadnezzar had created a statue about 10 feet wide and 112 feet high. More than likely it is a statue of himself, although no one knows that for sure. Talk about peer pressure. Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego are just three individuals among three hundred thousand Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzer issues the edict that at the sound of music everyone is to bend down, bow down, and blend in… That or burn. What would you do if your odds were 3 against 300,000? Be honest, what do you do when you have a friend, maybe a girlfriend or a boyfriend that pressures you to do something you know is wrong or when you have a family member that pressures you to accept what they are doing and every bone in your body feels pressured to bend down, bow down, and blend in. Go along and get along. Isn’t that better then going alone. Once again Daniel helps us. Daniel says we need deep conviction. Not shallow faith, not once a week Sunday morning faith, a deep conviction. In Daniel 3:12 Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego did not serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods or worship the golden image that he had set up. Everyone else was in tune and in step. But that does not mean you have to be. Let me just say, we are not told where Daniel was when the King tried to kill Daniel’s friends. It is somewhat speculative, but at the end of Chapter 2, after he had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream he was placed as ruler over the entire province and in charge of the wise men. So perhaps, he was away on an assignment and was not present when this took place. We are not told… all we know is they are on their own, or so we think. Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego had deep conviction in the living God. And they would rather burn than turn from their faith. So they took a stand. And they said, “Nebuchadnezzar we don’t need to defend ourselves in this matter.” I love that quote. If you are in the school cafeteria and someone is mocking you for being different for Jesus, or if you are at a family dinner and your brother-in-law is taunting you for being a believer, don’t feel like you need to get defensive. Because a consistent message throughout the Bible is You don’t need to defend yourself… because you have a defender. Ex. 14:14 Moses said, “You need only be still. The Lord your God will fight for you.” 1 Sam 17:47 “The battle belongs to the Lord.” So what do you need when the heat is on? Have deep conviction in your defender. Look what they stay, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we worship is able to save us.” As it seems to me, they understand their role better than Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had set Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego in positions of authority. And their role was to be a leader, to stand firm, to not lead people astray. Despite the pressure, despite the heat, they did their job. And with deep conviction they believed God would do his job… Daniel 3:17 “The God we worship is able to save us.” He is able. He could deliver us from the fire… but sometimes, for reasons only known to him, he does not do so. Therefore, Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego say in verse 18, God is able to save, but if not (or in other words, if it is not his plan), we will not serve your god’s or worship the golden image. I hope you are willing to make the same concession. We want deliverance, and God is able but if not… I want to prosper, and God is able, but if not... I want to see a miracle, and God is able but if not… I want to live a long life, and God is able but if not… Following and standing up for Jesus will cost you something: time, and money, and respect, and relationships. It could even cost you your life. Let me be honest, Jesus may deliver you from whatever fiery furnace you find yourself, but if not, stand firm in the faith because ultimately he will deliver you from the fiery furnace of Hell. How do I know? The Apostles’ Creed confesses Jesus descended into Hell. What does that mean. People argue about it. And there are even variants in the Latin version of the creed: Ad inferna means descended into hell and ad inferos means descended to the dead ones. Either way, Jesus died. And in his death, He took our death. And in his life, we will have life again. Jesus says in the Book of Revelation Chapter 1, “I am the living one. I was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore. I have the keys of death and Hell.” Do not worry because when the heat is on, Jesus is with you. I find it pretty sick and twisted, that Nebuchadnezzar would watch his opponents burn and bake through a window. But on this occasion, what did he see? He saw four men in that furnace unbound, unharmed, and the fourth looked like a son of the gods. Being a Pagan Babylonian, I do not expect Nebuchadnezzar to get it perfect, but he got it pretty close. The fourth looked like a son of the gods. Why? Because He is actually the Son of God better known as God the Son. And the point is this: when the heat is on, where is Jesus? Jesus is in the Furnace. You are not alone. Jesus lives to make this promise to you… from Isaiah 43 which says, “when you walk through the fire you wont be burned for I am the Lord your God your savior.” Daniel 3 says Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego survived. They were not singed. Their hair was intact. They did not even smell like smoke. I don’t know about you, but I can’t go into a bowling alley for 3 seconds without smelling like smoke. But Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego did not even smell like smoke. The only things that burned in the furnace were their ropes. Here is the point of the day. God may not save you from the fire (he is able, but he may not). God might not save you from the fire, but God will be with you in the fire. I’m not saying that means the pressure’s off or the heat is gone. It’s not. But just consider sometimes the fire is not meant to destroy but to refine. Isaiah says in Chapter 48, “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.” Dostoyevsky once said, “It is not as a child that I believe and confess in Jesus. My Faith has been forged in a furnace.” Have you ever heard of a tree called a Jack pinecone. It is a unique tree because its pine cones have seeds in them but the resin is so tough the seeds cannot get out. The only way the seeds get out is with a fire. When the fire burns the resin melts and the seeds drop to the soil. And what comes forth? A new Jack Pinecone tree. I can honestly say, some of the most revealing and life altering, and dare I say positive growth events in my life, occurred when the heat was on. Not when everything was easy and leisurely. And to this day, Jesus has not taken me out of the fire. But he is burning off ropes as we speak. He is forgiving my sins and he is reminding me he is always with me. And he is doing that for you too. So when you feel the heat, meet it with the firm conviction of Shabrack, Meshack and Abednego. Meet it with Jesus Christ the Son of God. And you know what? You will thrive no matter what hits you.
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March 8, 2026 - John 4:5-26
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our father and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. I heard recently that apparently in the city of Nanjing China, there is a very unusual bar. When you come into this bar all that’s there is some sofas and tables and tissue paper. And that is because it is officially called a cry bar. The concept of a cry bars seems strange, but as I understand it, a cry bar is a business where people come to cry and or talk about their problems. As far as I know, this bar had become rather popular. I read that in Beijing a cry-karaoke bar had been opened. Amazingly, these bars are often packed with business executives and accountants and stock brokers. One owner Jou Joun said he opened the business when clients of his other business indicated that they often felt like crying but did not know where or when would be appropriate. What a picture that paints of humanity. I mean, I know it is in China but I would venture to suggest the sentiment is universal. In America we just pay a lot more for it and call it counseling. Humanly speaking we are the wealthiest we have ever been, yet we experience more family breakdowns than ever before. We are the most technologically advanced, able to send radio controlled space probes to Mars, yet on a whole we are no less lost and confused. Some wonder whether we are men or monkeys or men or woman. And in a world of mass confusion, we don’t know why we are here or where we are going. Understand, this is not just a Chinese problem. It is the human condition. As human beings, we have the potential to do great things, but our dreams so often bite the dust. In the final analysis, we end up siting on a sofa with a box of tissues. I wonder if any of you might be able to sympathize with this. Surely, I’m not suggesting that any of the manly men in the congregation would ever actually cry; but are any of you full of unfulfilled longings that are never satisfied. Do any of you feel like you should be in control but you’re not? Do you feel like you have made it as high as you are ever going to get, but you none the less feel empty? Do you feel trapped in your body or in your life? Perhaps you might be thinking “I expected more out of life”. Understand, these are the existential questions of life that no doctor can prescribe medication to solve and no psychologist can explain away. Ultimately, these are questions that only God can answer. You see, what we need to discover this morning, or at least re-discover, is that Jesus and only Jesus can meet our deepest longings. Last week I had said, the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus was one of the greatest and most important conversations recorded in all the Bible. I believe that, but right there next to it, literally, is the account of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. This is one of the most beautiful accounts in John, for through it we come to know Jesus, and through Jesus we also come to know the very heart of God the Father. The Samaritan woman in John Chapter 4 is living a tragic life. It is the story of a lost and confused woman who can hardly muster the strength to look the other towns folk in the eyes… I’m sure they would also say the same about her. But the striking thing is that Jesus came looking for her. Verse 4 says “He had to go through Samaria.” Geographically speaking, that is not true. He did not have to do through Samaria. In fact, the vast majority of Jews traveling from Jerusalem to Galilee would have avoided Samaria like the plague. Jews hated Samaritans that much. There had been centuries of baggage and they were no closer to dealing with it during the time of Jesus than they had any time prior. The Samaritans were “half breeds” in Jewish eyes because they were originally Jews but formed their own kingdom and leadership and they married foreign wives which compromised their Jewish heritage. All things considered the Jewish/Samaritan divide had become racially charged. Given all of that, it is not just surprising Jesus was willing to talk to this woman but it is also surprising he was willing to drink from the same well. Surely none of us are proud of this, but recall even in our not too distant memory, we had racial divides of our own and we had different water fountains because of it. This too was a racial divide and notice that on this particular day it was God’s plan to meet and talk to this woman that no one else wanted to talk to or even see. Understand it was noontime that this woman came to the well. So it is obvious that this woman was an outcast in her community and I’m sure you can understand why. She lived in a very conservative society and yet she had been divorced 5 times and now she lives with a man that is not her husband. If you have not noticed, John is making a contrast between this woman and Nicodemus from John Chapter 3. D. A. Carson, a New Testament Scholar, pointed out, “Nicodemus was learned, respected, orthodox, and theologically trained. The Samaritan was unschooled, without influence, despised. He was a man, a Jew and a ruler. She was a woman, a Samaritan, an outcast… yet both needed Jesus.” Allow me to add to that by saying this: both needed Jesus and Jesus had come for both of them. I hope you can see the beauty and the significance of this scene. Jesus had very little time to make an impact on the world and look how he chose to spend his time, with this woman who was a moral and social outcast. What Jesus did on that occasion would have been interpreted as scandalous but he did it to reach the lost. And even the woman recognized this. She said, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Luther once paraphrased this verse by saying, “I would be just as happy to reverse the order and give you a drink. In fact, this is the reason for My presence here. I am asking for a drink to quench My physical thirst, but more than that, I’m asking for a drink to have an occasion to give you a drink. If you only realized what gift is now standing before you, you would be asking Me for it, and I would give it to you. But neither the Gift nor the Giver is known.” I want that not to be true among us. Do we know the gift? Do we know the Giver of the gift? Last week we talked about John 3:16. “For god so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not parish but have eternal life.” That was Christianity in a nut-shell. I think the same can be true about this text in John Chapter 4. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the gift is eternal life, living water, and the giver is Jesus Christ. This morning he wants you to know that you have value and he loves you. That same love that compelled him to go into Samaria, the same love that made him break social taboos and stand in the noon-day sun to greet a lowly woman who had been divorced 5 times, that same love is reaching out to you this morning. No matter who you are, no matter what secrets you carry, or what burdens you have brought to church… You are precious in the eyes of God. In this way Jesus meets our greatest longings. Whether or not you are respectable like Nicodemus or if you are unrespectable like this woman, Jesus loves you. He loves you if you have been divorced or if have a drug problem or if you have lived a whole life outside of the church up until this morning. The simple truth is he is your creator and he loves his children. Carl Barth is probably one of the most prolific theologian the world has ever seen. I would rank him somewhere close to Luther in terms of influence. Onetime Barth was asked what is the most profound idea you have ever heard? You know what Barth said? He said, “Jesus loves me.” Ultimately, that is the clear message of this passage. The God of the universe, the God that can give you living water, that very God loves you. How profound is that? Now that is the good news, but of course it also presents a challenge to us as Christians. Everybody has been created by God, everybody is loved by God, we are all infinitely precious to Him. So here is the challenge, are all those people as precious to us and they are to Jesus? I think John Chapter 4 is a comforting text but it is also a challenging one. This text breaks down stereotypes, this text tears down racial divide… and in doing so it should bring all people loved by God closer together. This year we are celebrating the 509th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. I know you know the Gospel… we just have to live the Gospel in and among our community. This conversation began with simple water sitting around a simple well. But really quickly it escalated into the biggest question of life. Jesus said, anyone who drinks this water will become thirst again. But anyone who drinks the water I will give will receive living water welling up to eternal life. Can you imagine hearing those words on a hot dry 100 degree day? Just like that, the woman suddenly discovered who she was and what she was there for. Just after this text, the woman went back into the town and told the towns people. Verse 39 states, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” Henry Thoerow once said, “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” I have no doubt that is true, but I also have no doubt that Jesus changes that. This morning you are being given living water. Jesus went to the cross for that water. He gave his very life for that water. This morning Jesus is offering you the cure for your souls. It is the cure for our quiet desperation, or crying in a bar, and our endless longings. Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The only thing that can stop your thirst is for the Holy Spirit to pour living water on you and to fill your heart with the love of God. And luckily for us, he does just that. May the grace of God which surpasses all understanding trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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March 4, 2026 - Daniel 2:1-22
Have you ever watched the show Mission Impossible? It was a show from the 60’s. It aired for 7 seasons from 1966 to 1973. The show always began with a recorded message. The voice would say, “Your mission, should you decide to accept (of course he is going to accept… he always does). And then the voice would conclude after giving the details of the impossible mission by says “this tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds, good luck Jim.” The show aired on different channels off and on over the years, but in 1996 Tom Cruz stared in not 1 but 8 movies entitled “Mission Impossible”. Have you ever been asked to do something that seemed impossible? Maybe it was a spouse, or a teacher, or a boss, or a pastor. And you thought I don’t have the training or the experience or the resources or the energy or the patience. That task is Daniel Chapter 2:11 “impossible”. If you have ever been given an impossible task, welcome to Daniel’s world. You heard the reading. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. He did not understand it. I’m not surprised. I have dreams all the time I don’t understand. But there was one small, tansy weensy problem. He expected his wise men to be able to interpret this dream without telling them the dream and if they could not tell him the dream and interpret it, he was going to tear them limb from limb. That’s a problem if you ask me. And by the way, the word in the text for “Magician” is “Magi”. That is the same word used in Matthew Chapter 2 when the “Magi” followed the star to see Jesus. Calling them wise is not incorrect… Later in Verse 14 all the Magi, sorcerers, and astrologist are summed up by simple word “Sophia” meaning wise men. But whether wise or not so wise, it is no wonder when the Babylonian magicians, enchanters, and astrologists cried out “The thing that the king asked is impossible.” What do you do when you are faced with mission impossible? Luckily, Daniel can help us. First Daniel says, “Don’t panic.” Easier said than done. How would you have reacted to the mission interpret my dream without knowing the dream or else die? Nebuchadnezzar is done with the delay and so he sends his chief executioner to make heads roll. You would panic and so would I, but not Daniel. Verse 14 says, Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the King’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. I’m pretty sure Arioch is not the warm and fuzzy type and there he is knocking on teenage Daniel’s door. What would you do? What has you panicked? What keeps you up at night or once you fall asleep gives you vivid night terrors. Our country at war? Noro Virus? Influenza-B? Gas prices? That messy stock market? Your child moving so far from home? Your mountain of personal debts? That taboo situation in your family? That teenager? That child? That boss? That world leader? We cannot necessarily talk yourselves out of panic. Put you can employ prudence and discretion. Daniel’s prudence and discretion tells him Nebuchadnezzar and Arioch are not calling all the shots. Daniel does not Panic… because he has perspective. Nebuchadnezzar might be big and powerful, but he is nothing in comparison to the God that made the universe. He is THE king… of king. Panic runs. Panic screams. Panic throws your hands in the air. Put it in perspective… because panic never pays… like the slogan, “Stay calm don’t Panic.” Daniel says, to Arioch (who by the way probably stood 6’5, weighs 350 lbs and plays linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs) He has come to kill Daniel, but Daniel keeps calm and says, “why is the decree of the king so urgent?” When faced with an impossible situation, Daniel considers the facts. Daniel asks why. And then he requests the king to appoint him a time that he might interpretate to the King. Daniel asks for time. Because it is better to make a right decision than a quick decision. In Verse 17 and 18, he went to his house and made the matter known to his friends. And he asked Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also known as shabrack, Meshack and Abednego) to pray for him. Take time to share your mission impossible story with other believers and to ask them for prayer. Daniel and his friends unite in prayer. And in Daniel 2:19 “the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.” I’m not saying every mission impossible prayer will be answered with a vision in the night, but I do believe every prayer gets heard and God responds accordingly. Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” John says in 1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” Above all, bring it to the Lord in prayer. And here it is, the dream was about a statue of a king with a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, waist of bronze, legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. Then all of a sudden a humungous rock fell from the heavens and crushed the feet of the statue toppling it over into pieces, and then the wind blew the pieces away leaving not a trace. But the rock that had struck the statue become a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the most important piece of the dream is the stone. In the midst of your mission impossible story, who’s the stone? Well, if the gold is Babylon, and the silver is Persia, the bronze is Greece, the iron is Rome, who’s the stone which fell onto the scene during the Roman occupation? The Messiah. The stone, the mighty Rock, is Jesus. Peter picks this up and you probably know why (Peter means stone) Peter said, “Come to Jesus, the living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” He also said, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus is secure and stable. He is a foundation… and the most important point is He is alive. And even the rejection of Jesus by the Roman Soldiers and Pontius Pilot could not override God’s plan. When you are faced with a mission impossible, Jesus is the corner stone. And I understand now-a-days corner-stones are just for show but a corner stone, in antiquity, is the stone, the foundation stone, that held everything together. Point being Jesus is the cornerstone, the One who holds everything together… the One who holds you together. When you are faced with a mission impossible don’t give in, give up, give out. Don’t Panic. Instead, put it in perspective, take some time, bring it to the council of your believing friends or family, and bring it to the Lord in Prayer. And above all, see the stone, know Jesus is your cornerstone. Jesus holds us together… even now. It is Jesus who makes the impossible possible. It is Jesus who died and came back to life, so that I too can have life even if I die. Jesus makes the impossible possible. No wonder the hymn writer wrote, “My hope is build on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus' name On Christ the solid rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand.” In the grace of God, which surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
March 1, 2026 - John 3:1-17
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Welcome to the second week in Lent. Last week we began the journey with Jesus that will take us to the cross. On our way, in the middle of the night, we are given one of the most incredible conversations, one between Nicodemus, a pharisee, and Jesus. You had better wake up because what you are about to hear is important. Have you ever heard of the Barna Group? It is an organization that specializes in religious statistical research and they specifically study conservative Christianity. The Barna Group ran an interesting study a couple of years ago which showed the morality of Christians and non-Christians in America was exactly the same. They asked all kinds of questions ranging from divorce, cohabitation, and sex outside of marriage, and other questions like that. And the numbers came out exactly the same for both the Christians and non-Christians polled. I’m sure there are many things we could be said about these findings but I think the overarching point was that American Evangelical Christians as a whole apparently do not act all that unlike the world. We should not to be proud of this, but at the same time, we really should not be all that surprised by this either. I mean, we can say a bunch of pious talk about how Christianity transforms the Christian, and that is not untrue, but the findings do show exactly as I would expect to find for what Luther called a simil ustus et piccator- a saint and sinner at the same time. So although we should not be proud of it, the findings, none the less, are not all that shocking to me. What is shocking to me is something else the Barna Group said. They said that when asked about peoples favorite Bible passage, a majority had said, “God helps people that help themselves.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, know why this is so shocking to me; You will not be able to find that verse in the Bible because it is not a bible verse. As far as I can tell that comes from Benjamin Franklin’s “Almanac”. Luckily for us, given the previous findings that Christians are not any more virtuous than non-Christians, I’m glad that is not in the Bible, because all things considered anything that puts the responsibility of salvation on our backs becomes a very fearful proposition not a comforting one. I think the point of John Chapter 3 is to put a stop to any suggestion that we play a part in your salvation. In John Chapter 3 Nicodemus is portrayed as the ultimate legalist. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Many of you know about the Pharisees. Pharisees where obsessed about following their rules. They obsessed over keeping the Sabbath, paying their tithes, and they made sure they did everything by the book. That is Nicodemus to a tee, but there is more. Nicodemus was also a member of the Judean ruling counsel. In some bibles, the word is translated as the “Sanhedrin.” The Sanhedrin was a seventy-member Jewish senate that ran Judea in accordance to the Mishnah. The Mishnah was a rule book which contained 613 laws and know this, there is no room for error in the Mishnah. All this is to say Nicodemus was the ultimate legalist. He was both a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. In his world view the letter of the law was everything; you had better be watching yourself at all times, you had better live in fear that you are doing everything right, and you had better watch everything you say and everything you do. Because in legalism, it is all based on your performance and when you mess-up you’re out. What a sick and twisted system. Yet unfortunately, this system still exists in churches and it exists in every one of our hearts, yours and mine. At the core of our being, we are all legalists who set standards and expect ourselves and others to live up to them. John Chapter 3 is all about the darkness of legalism. In verse 2 it says that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Understand there is more going on than just giving us the time. You see, in John’s Gospel darkness has spiritual connotations; in John’s Gospel, “Jesus is the light and he has come into a dark world, but the darkness did not comprehend.” In John’s Gospel, the light has come, and there’s no doubt about that; but we being a part of the world complete with a sinful flesh, regardless of the whatever laws we might place in our paths, never the less darkness and sin is all around us and in us… That very thing is the nature of the problem. In a sinful flesh darkness envelops me. It consumes me very being and without grace I am in a barrel heading toward a waterfall which leads to death. It is a good thing that Jesus did not come to re-enforce a system of legalism. Instead he says in verse 3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus’ teaching is that even on your best day your works don’t work to achieve salvation. So what do we need? We need a re-birth. We need to be born again… “We need to literally be born from above.” Eight times in the beginning eight verses Jesus uses the word born. I think Jesus is trying to tell us something. So what is he telling us by using this birth language? Well, let me ask you this: how many of you can say you helped your mother give birth to you. I doubt any of us were talking with our moms or her doctor in order to coordinate pushing at the same time. Let’s be honest, none of us helped our mother give birth to us. We did absolutely nothing and by analogy Jesus is saying the same is true for our salvation. To be saved is to be born again… to be saved is to be born from above. And how are we saved?... John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave is only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.” It cannot get any clearer than that. Jesus was not sent to help those who help themselves. Jesus was sent to help those who cannot help themselves and that is all of us. Jesus was sent to help those who throw up their hands and say I surrender. Jesus was sent for those who know they are sinners, who despair of themselves, and say “God I need your help.” In this text Jesus says the solution to our problem is Baptism. He says “be born of water and the Spirit.” Of course, as we know, Baptism does not give life but it does give us a new life, a re-birth. In Baptism God declares you his child. In Baptism the dirt is washed from your hands so that you now do God’s work. And most importantly, in Baptism your heart is restored and it now pumps for the blood of Jesus. Unfortunately, Nicodemus was so ingrained in his legalism that that he did not get it. He says, “How can these things be?”. Jesus responded, how can you be teacher of the Jews and have missed the fact Abraham was an idolater worshiping the moon, Jacob was a liar, and David was adulterers, and Moses was a murderer. They, themselves, were on a path leading to ruin… yet in the midst of darkness God saved them from their destruction. The truth is that the letter of the law forgets about grace and it overly exalts the works of man at the expense of love. Thanks be to God that love, grace, and mercy is God’s business even when it is not ours. Ultimately, it is the cross of Christ that destroys any notion of legalism. It is pretty obvious Nicodemus was a legalist and I imagine he was all the way up until the point then it is Nicodemus who takes Jesus off the cross in John 19, and by the way he does that during the daylight hours. It is at that point, and at no point prior, that Nicodemus was finally brought into the light of John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that those who believe in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.” Can God really be that good? Can God really be that forgiving and that loving? The Answer is Yes, Yes and Yes. Notice, Jesus does not say to whoever succeeds. He does not say to whoever achieves or to whoever makes it to the board of trustees. He says to whoever believes. So to all of us, who are Christians yet still find ourselves to be struggling sinners rather than achieving saints, the good news is this, salvation has been accomplished for us by Jesus on the cross. Trust in Jesus and you will not perish but have eternal life in his name. May the grace of God which surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, amen.
February 25, 2026 - Daniel 1:8-21
There is a story about a bully on a bike. He was not just any bully. He was a big bully. We wore a leather jacket. He had a helmet with a spike on the top. And it was not just any bike, it was a loud mean Harley Davidson. He pulled up at a light revving his engine. Just then, an old man on a bluish green moped pulls up alongside of him. The old man on the moped looked pretty interested in the other man’s Harley. He said do you mind if I have a closer look? The guy on the bike gave the old man on the moped a once over and said, “whatever stirs your soup.” The guy on the moped leaned over really close to get a good look and he said, “I bet it’s a whole lot faster than my moped.” Seconds later the light turned green and the Harley took off. About 5 seconds later, that Harley was going 60 miles an hour. The man chuckled to himself. As he looked into his rear view mirror but he noticed something bluish green right behind him. He could not figure out what it was. So he began to slow down and pull off the road. And low and behold right behind him was the old man on the moped. The big bully said, “can I help you hold man.” And man said, “Yes you most certainly can. Can you help me get my suspenders unhooked from your Harley, especially if you are going to drive like that.” That brings us to the point of the sermon. We do not intentionally hook our suspenders to something dangerous. We are not foolish enough to do that, but all of us have taken a closer look at forbidden things and before we knew it we got hooked. The high school football quarterback was just taking a closer look and now his girlfriend is pregnant. The business man was just taking a closer look at how to cut some ethical corners to save money, and now he lost his job. There’s the man just taking a closer look at the alcohol isle and now he has lost his marriage. There is the women who was just taking a closer look into the local gossip and now she has no friends. When we take a closer look into forbidden things, what happens? We get hooked, taken for a ride, and the subsequent guilt and pain seems irreparable. But luckily Daniel has some words of wisdom. But first take a look at the bulletin cover, what do you do when a wave of secular conformity is rolling toward you? Will you be on the light house that will stand its ground no matter what? Will you thrive even when pressured by the present evil age? Daniel 1:8 says, “Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself.” Remember from last week, that Daniel had been exiled into Babylon. They are trying there hardest to indoctrinate Daniel in the ways of the Babylonians, and yet Daniel resolved (literally set his heart and mind) that he would not defile himself. To defile means to become corrupted, to go along with his new way of life and leave his former way of life. And Daniel says, I am going to stand firm and will not be contaminated by Babylon or Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had resolved to change Daniel and his friend’s identity. He has already changed their names. He has taught them a new language. He took them from their friends and families. And Nebuchadnezzar is even going to dictate what they can eat and drink. He resolved to brain wash the youth. He wants them to forget their Old Testament heroes such as Moses, and Abraham and Joseph… and teach them new heroes and new Gods. It would be pretty easy for Daniel to say, I’m just a kid. I’m going to passively follow the program. Is Daniel going to change? Surprisingly, Daniel meets Nebuchadnezzar’s resolve with a resolve of his own. Daniel had a plan and a purpose to not cave in or compromise. Daniel has courage. Like the man in the lighthouse, Daniel stands firm. Where do we get the resolve to stand firm? What do you do when you are pressured to conform to Babylon from your friends, boss, family, boyfriend, girlfriend, government, media… pick your poison. Isaiah puts it like this, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. (Isaiah 7:9)” Consider the resolve of Daniel. Daniel was brought before the king, the most powerful man in the world at the time. And he promised Daniel follow me and you will have perks and a life of luxury. Nebuchadnezzar assigned them (that is Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) the very food and wine that he ate. That is quite the temptation. What would you do? Daniel said, “Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.” You can have a tee-bone steak and I’ll have spinach and carrots. Can you imagine… speak for yourself Daniel… I’ll take the filet. What was Daniel doing? He was guarding their identity. Jews adhered to dietary laws. Why? God gave them the laws primarily to make the Jews different, to set Jews apart. So that they would treasure their identity and their relationship with God. Daniel is saying “I don’t care if everyone is doing it. I don’t care if everyone in Babylon is calling wrong right… It’s still wrong.” Because wrong is determined by God, not the world. Wrong and right are not up for a majority vote. Wrong is wrong and right is right and it is defined in Scripture. Daniel is saying, you can change my address. You can change my name. But you will never change my identity. I will stand firm and will never be turned into one of you. I don’t belong to Babylon. I belong to the God of Israel. When the pressure is on, what do you do? Our culture’s ideologies, philosophies, worldviews, and movements, all want us to conform to Babylon… they all want us to live for ourselves, our own personal pleasures, for our own self defined identities. This Lent, let’s resolve to be more like Daniel. I’m not a fake and phony church goer. I’m a believer. And I’ve been given an identity in by Baptism. I’m not a Babylonian. I’m a Christian and that means I’m different. That does not mean I always feel different. I am no more or less different than anyone else in terms of my fallen nature. But feelings are not facts. You are different. You have been Baptized into Christ Jesus. Daniel 1:12: “Test me on it.” Because the gifts God gave to Daniel are the same gifts God gave to you. Let me explain. Believe it or not, the Book of Daniel gives us the best portrait of Jesus than any other book in the Old Testament. Jesus shows up throughout the Book of Daniel as the Son of Man, as the sacrificial Messiah, as the all powerful ancient of days. Who protects Daniel’s friends in the furnace? Jesus (Daniel 3). Who protects Daniel in the Lions Den? Jesus (Daniel 6). Who is coming on the clouds? Jesus (Daniel 7). Ultimately, who is the Anointed One, the Messiah, who will be put to death but then rise from the dead? Answer. Jesus (Daniel 9). How did Daniel resolve to stand firm? Because Daniel had Jesus with Him. And more than that, he also had the Holy Spirit. In Chapter 5 “Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.” Of course that analysis was not perfect. But he got this part right: Daniel’s resolve, Daniel’s wisdom and insight was not from himself. It was from God’s own spirit, the Holy Spirit. In the words of John, “And He who is in you (The Holy Spirit) is greater than he who is in the world.” That is why we can stand because our lighthouse is Jesus, and his light, the Holy spirit, is in us. You are not alone in this. Just like Daniel, who had his friends for support him, you too are not alone. Did you know Daniel mentions his friends 14 times in the Book? Similarly, understand your purpose here is greater than you know. You being here tonight supports the body of Christ. You inspire those around you. You show us what it looks like to stand firm regardless of what life throws at you. You show us what it is like to resolve to follow Jesus. This Lent we will be tempted to fall away. We will be tempted to not follow Jesus to the cross… and to not take-up our own crosses along the way. The temptation is great, the danger is real, but the solution is also real. Take it from Daniel… Stand with Jesus. Heed the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Be inspired by those around you. Above all, do not get hooked by the Harley.
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