http://al.lunneberg.com Sermons and Rumenations Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:51:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 2005-2008 alunneberg@comcast.net (Allen Lunneberg) alunneberg@comcast.net (Allen Lunneberg) posts 1440 Sermons and more from my site. Allen Lunneberg Allen Lunneberg alunneberg@comcast.net No no http://al.lunneberg.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://al.lunneberg.com 144 144 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/21/the-wicked-tenants/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/21/the-wicked-tenants/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:37:13 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=518 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/21/the-wicked-tenants/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 20:9-19 Date: Lent V + 3/21/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The scribes and the chief priests perceived that Jesus had told ... Text: Luke 20:9-19 Date: Lent V + 3/21/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The scribes and the chief priests perceived that Jesus had told this parable against them. They were right. But remember that St. Luke told us, ldquo;he began to tell the people this parable.rdquo; So if the ldquo;church officialsrdquo; could figure out the meaning of the parable, what did this have to do with the people to whom he ostensibly spoke? Put in contemporary terms this parable is a warning for pastors and all church officials. But the people, the laity, the church members are part of the picture, too. Todayrsquo;s Gospel tells of some of the teaching Jesus did in the temple on Tuesday of Holy Week. What makes the Lordrsquo;s Passion cruel is that quite a large number of people welcomed Him joyfully on Palm Sunday and crowded around him and listened with hope if not faith as He preached and taught in the temple all the way until that Tuesday evening. These hearers were among the crowds that, in a few days, would be joining the mob yelling, ldquo;crucify him.rdquo; It was to people who came to hear what He had to say that He told this parable. Of course the scribes and chief priests were standing by and, as it was obvious to all that the parable had them in mind as the ldquo;called and ordainedrdquo; leaders of the people, they were put in a sort of uncomfortable position. This parable is more allegorical than others and the people understood its meaning, namely, that upon Jesusrsquo; coming sacrificial death and resurrection, He is the fulfillment of all of Godrsquo;s promises; from now on He is the key to understanding all the Old Testament scriptures; there is salvation in no one else but by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The scriptures frequently refer to Godrsquo;s people as a vineyard of his planting. In the parable this vineyard was ldquo;let outrdquo; or ldquo;leasedrdquo; to tenant farmers representing the religious leaders and priests of the people. Those called to serve Godrsquo;s people in His name with His Word are not the owners but are given a charge to care for the people in the way the Owner has commissioned them, namely, by the preaching of His Word and giving out of His gifts. Today we speak in terms of Word and Sacrament. As the planting-growing-harvest cycle of the field and vineyard are predictable, and ldquo;the time camerdquo; that the owner of the vineyard should receive some of the fruit of the vineyard, so now Jesus has in mind the now tight time schedule when, in a matter of only two more days, He would accomplish what He came formdash;His sacrificial death. God has acted in specific ways in our world and our history according to His own time schedule. The Old Testament reading for today calls to mind the deliverance of Godrsquo;s people from Egyptian bondage as Moses led them through the Red Sea on dry ground but drowned hard-hearted Pharaoh and his army. We recall the words of St. Paul when he wrote, ldquo;But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sonsrdquo; (Gal. 4:4-5). Or, even better, from the beginning of Lukersquo;s Gospel with his precise description of the days of Caesar Augustus ldquo;when Quirinius was governor of Syria.rdquo; ldquo;When the time camerdquo; for His parents to present Jesus in the temple, Simeon understood it was time for God to act, saying, ldquo;Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvationrdquo; (Luke 2:29-31a). Jesus is here saying that the critical time is now, in this final week in Jerusalem, where Jesus is destined to die. So also the crucial time comes to each of us whenever the claims of the word of the Gospel are preached. As St. Paul said of preaching, ldquo;now is the time of salvation.rdquo; The servant... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/14/celebrate/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/14/celebrate/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:56:08 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=515 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/14/celebrate/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Date: Lent IV + 3/14/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The Fourth Sunday in Lent has been known traditionally as ... Text: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Date: Lent IV + 3/14/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The Fourth Sunday in Lent has been known traditionally as Laetare or ldquo;Rejoicerdquo; Sunday from the historic Introit that begins with Isaiah 66:10, ldquo;Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her.rdquo; It may seem strange that tradition has handed down one Sunday in the otherwise austere, penitent season of Lent as one of joy and celebration. But this is reflected even in our three-year lectionary. The prophet Isaiah turns hymn-writer as he composes the joyful hymn of Isaiah 12. ldquo;Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.rdquo; When he gives the instruction, ldquo;Sing praises to the Lord,rdquo; however, he is not talking to church-growth praise bands to make a lot of happy-clappy noise but to the people of God to praise the Lord by telling and re-telling what the Lord has done, what there is for us to be so happy about, the mighty acts of God. Yes, joy is a main theme of todayrsquo;s scripture readings; the joy of the deliverance, salvation and incomprehensible love of God for His whole creation. Thatrsquo;s what is behind the parable of the Prodigal Son. Donrsquo;t forget the setting. Those slimy, dirty tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. At this the Pharisees and the scribes, those pillars of society and paragons of virtue grumbled among themselves. To them all they could see in Jesus was a wild-canon rabbi who was defiling himself not only by his association with such sinners but even having intimate meal fellowship with them. ldquo;This man,rdquo; they grumbled, ldquo;receives sinners and eats with them.rdquo; Yes, as we sing in one of our hymns, Jesus sinners doth receive; Oh, may all this saying ponder Who in sinrsquo;s delusions live And from God and heaven wander! (LSB 609:1) You see, that would include both the tax collectors and sinners and the Pharisees and scribes! And thatrsquo;s the point. In response to their grumbling Jesus told three parables, the parable of the Lost Sheep, the parable of the Lost Coin and the parable of the Prodigal Son. The first two parables are a defense of His mission to seek and to save the lost. ldquo;There will be more joy in heaven,rdquo; He said, ldquo;over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentancerdquo; (15:7). ldquo;There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repentsrdquo; (15:10). But then what about the ninety-nine so-called righteous persons and the nine silver coins that were never lost in the first place? The third parable, the Prodigal Son, shows two amazing things. First, as the Apostle Paul would put it succinctly, ldquo;For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Godrdquo; (Rom. 3:22-23). The Pharisees and scribes and the self-righteous of every age and nation need to learn the first lesson: all are sinners, you included, and therefore all are in need of repentance and salvation, you included. So, you see, the second amazing thing is that Jesus not only receives tax collectors and sinners and eats with them, but Hersquo;s even willing to receive you, the so-called righteous who wrongly suppose you need no repentance. In other words, ldquo;God so loved the world,rdquo; His whole world, and everyone in it. Jesus is not only defending His ministry, but is also reaching out to love and to save even His enemies. In the same way we, as His disciples, are commanded to ldquo;love your enemiesrdquo; (Lk. 6:27). The younger son in the parable therefore represents the tax collectors and sinners, all those whose lost condition is the more evident. They are separated from God and ruin themselves in reckless living. The Word of the Law of God comes to them and convicts them in hopes that they will ldq... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/07/our-praises-grow-from-living-roots/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/07/our-praises-grow-from-living-roots/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:49:17 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=509 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/07/our-praises-grow-from-living-roots/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 13:1-9 Date: Lent III + 3/7/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI In many ways the theme of the scripture readings for this ... Text: Luke 13:1-9 Date: Lent III + 3/7/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI In many ways the theme of the scripture readings for this Sunday takes us all the way back to the beginningmdash;the beginning of the Gospel and of the church year with the call of John the Baptist, ldquo;repent and be baptized;rdquo; and our beginnings of the life of faith in our Holy Baptism. Like the roots of a tree that grow deep into the soil for nourishment to grow and live, Godrsquo;s gift of faith must stay connected to its source of nourishment in order to grow and stay alive. That Source is nothing and no one else than Jesus Christ where he has promised to be, namely, where his Word preached and his holy sacraments are administered. The life of faith is characterized by daily repentance, bearing the fruits of repentance. In other words, it is the daily struggle against sin relying on the grace of God to continually receive forgiveness of sin, life and salvation. Todayrsquo;s Gospel speaks of how we are to read the signs of the times and remember that the primary concern of the Christian Life is fighting the good fight of the faith, bearing the fruit of repentance in our struggle to remain faithful. Just before our text, Jesus spoke about the necessity and importance of properly interpreting the present critical time. ldquo;He said to the crowds, lsquo;When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ldquo;A shower is coming.rdquo; And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ldquo;There will be scorching heat,rdquo; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?rsquo;rdquo; (Luke 12:54-56). Some of his hearers, therefore, brought up the latest news item of Pontius Pilatersquo;s sending his troops into the very temple precincts where they murdered some Galileans while they were making their offerings, thus mingling their own blood with the blood of their sacrifices. Now certainly this only added to the Jewsrsquo; rage and hatred of the Romans. As with any tragedy, in their anger and grief, people, trying to make some sense out of it all, ask the question, ldquo;Why?rdquo; Why did this happen? But in seeking some purpose in evil or suffering, people fall into the trap of blaming God. The Pharisees of Jesusrsquo; day commonly held that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between sin and suffering. It is almost natural to the fallen, blind sinful nature to think that, when evil happens (especially to ldquo;goodrdquo; people) it must be because they have done something to deserve suffering. Jesus, however, does not speak of the sin of Pilate or the Roman government. Disasters are not signs of Godrsquo;s judgment on individuals, but they are signs of his wrath against all sinful humankind. ldquo;Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.rdquo; The correct interpretation of the signs of the times is that all suffering, sin and disaster points to the truth that you and we all are on the way to appear before the judge. But present on that journey is Jesus and his messianic ministry of proclaiming the kingdom of God. And it is only through personal repentance and faith that you can be included in the deliverance of that kingdom. Jesus adds another incident well known to his hearers, the accident at the tower of Siloam. Here there was no apparent human cause, like the bloody attack of Pilatersquo;s henchmen. So, what about so-called ldquo;naturalrdquo; disasters? Do you think that the people of Haiti or Chile were worse sinners than everyone else that so many have suffered or died in the recent earthquakes? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Insurance companies call earthquakes, tornados and floo... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/28/jerusalem-jerusalem/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/28/jerusalem-jerusalem/#comments Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:34:03 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=506 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/28/jerusalem-jerusalem/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 13:31-35 Date: Lent II + 2/28/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI When St. Luke begins todayrsquo;s Gospel reading with the words, ldquo;In ... Text: Luke 13:31-35 Date: Lent II + 2/28/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI When St. Luke begins todayrsquo;s Gospel reading with the words, ldquo;In that very hour,rdquo; he is signaling that what follows is an important step directly toward the goal of ldquo;THE hour,rdquo; namely, our Lordrsquo;s betrayal, arrest, trials, beatings, mockings, sufferings and ultimately His death by hanging on the cruel cross of Calvary. What follows, then, is, in a word, a lie. It is a lie when the Pharisees threaten Jesus by telling Him to ldquo;get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.rdquo; Herod didnrsquo;t want to kill Jesus! When our Lord finally appeared before Herod it was obvious the ruler was interested only to be entertained by the so-called miracle-working rabbi. Herod wasnrsquo;t threatened by Jesus. It was Pilate who felt the threat for his hopes of political advancement if he couldnrsquo;t handle the religious unrest in his vicinity. So then why did the Pharisees lie? They wanted Jesus to go somewhere else. They were trying to scare Him away. Before we go on, let us not pass over or ignore but admit that the common reaction to Jesus in every sinner is to stay as far away as possible from Him, to tell Him to leave us alone. Thatrsquo;s because the fallen sinnerrsquo;s first and obvious reaction to God, to the Church and to Christians is the fear of judgment of sin. People stay away from Church because they know they are sinners and they expect judgment and condemnation for their sin by God and by the Church. After all Church is for good people, right? What they donrsquo;t know is that being a sinner is the first requirement to be a member of the Church, not because, as they say, ldquo;the Church is full of hypocrites,rdquo; but because the Church is all about the forgiveness of sins. If you have no sin (or refuse to face up to it and confess it) you have no need (or, more precisely, do not know your need) of Jesus or His forgiveness. ldquo;The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinnersrdquo; (1 Tim. 1:15). Jesus said, ldquo;For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through himrdquo; (John 3:17). This is the very, very Good News that escapes every person who does not hear the Gospel but lets their wrong presumptions get in the way. Instead of Jesus going away, however, He, rather, told the Pharisees to go away, saying, ldquo;Go. Go to Herod yourselves.rdquo; He calls Herod ldquo;that foxrdquo; highlighting the common trait of the governing authorityrsquo;s slick, cunning and crafty ways of political intrigue; the same intrigue that ended John the Baptistrsquo;s life and that, through Pilate, would be part of the picture of Jesusrsquo; destiny. In His answer to the Pharisees Jesus speaks prophetically, summarizing His ministry and His rapidly approaching destiny and goal. His words, ldquo;Behold, I cast out demons and perform curesrdquo; recall and summarize what we heard Him announce in His hometown of Nazareth, that He came to release people from sin, Satan and sickness. When He says he does this ldquo;today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my courserdquo; He announced that His goal, destiny or ldquo;finishrdquo; is quickly approaching. The divine imperative of His mission is emphasized as He says, ldquo;Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.rdquo; Yes, He called Himself a prophet. And yes, He will perish in Jerusalem. Now His voice lowers at the utterance of the name ldquo;Jerusalem.rdquo; It started in Jerusalem and it ends in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was Godrsquo;s choice of a place where His people could connect with Him, hear His Word, receive His guidance, direction, mercy and grace. Jerusalem was the name also that identified Go... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/21/tempted-for-you/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/21/tempted-for-you/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:00:33 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=498 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/21/tempted-for-you/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 4:1-13 Date: Lent I + 2/21/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI That our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in ... Text: Luke 4:1-13 Date: Lent I + 2/21/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI That our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness as His first action after His baptism, was the first skirmish or battle in His mission to free mankind and all creation from the devilrsquo;s rule, the curse of sin and the reign of death. That He was tempted, as the Bible says, ldquo;in every respecthellip;as we are, yet without sinrdquo; (Heb. 4:15) means that He understands intimately whatever it is you are enduring and can ldquo;sympathize with our weaknesses.rdquo; That He endured temptation, not as a super-man, nor ldquo;counting His equality with Godrdquo; as anything (Philippians 2:6), but as one of us armed only with holy scripture, the Word of God, suggests that by faith in Him, baptized into His family, we have the same necessary equipment ourselves to fight the good fight of the faith, to resist temptation, ldquo;to live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessednessrdquo; (Small Catechism, Creed II). That our Lord, as of first importance, was tempted by the devil in the wilderness set the course that led to the ultimate conflict on the cross where, resisting the devilrsquo;s last temptation to ldquo;come down from the crossrdquo; (Mt. 27:40), He, nevertheless, received and endured the whole load of Godrsquo;s righteous wrath against all sin, including yours, and let it kill Him so that His death would be the one and only perfect sacrifice that erases all sin, death and devil for all people as His resurrection proclaims the triumph of life and reconciliation with God. We are maybe more familiar with St. Matthewrsquo;s report of Jesusrsquo; temptation. But this year we hear it from St. Luke who emphasizes, maybe more than Matthew, the cosmic conflict and warfare of the mighty Son of God. The devil repeats the challenge, ldquo;If you are the Son of God,rdquo; tempting the Lord somehow to prove His identity that is for now hidden humbly behind His fully human nature. Maybe the greater temptation was for the devil to think that Jesus would be easier to tempt as a man who could be affected with hunger, pride, or false doctrine or teaching. Martin Luther preferred Lukersquo;s ordering of the three temptations for preaching because they build to the chief temptation of despising and misusing Godrsquo;s Word. The temptation to ignore God and make bread and money and material possessions your sole goal (or your ldquo;god,rdquo; that to which you look for the highest good in your life) should be obvious enough. How many (especially public) high school graduations have you attended where student speakers talk primarily about their number one goal in life of becoming rich, as if thatrsquo;s the highest aspiration a person can have? The ldquo;living by bread alonerdquo; credo is the most common and universal temptation. Furthermore, it is interesting that Luke does not report Jesus quoting the entire verse of Deuteronomy 8:3, ldquo;man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.rdquo; In Jesusrsquo; temptation both the original sin of Adam and the historic failure of Israel are undone. Adam was tempted to eat and fell into sin. Israel was fed with manna in the wilderness but their lack of faith and fear of not having enough food caused them to murmur and rebel against God. Jesus lived by the Word of God. He is the new man, the new Israel who is the Word of God and is Himself the bread of life from heaven who feeds His people. In Lukersquo;s ordering, the temptation of gaining the fame and power and riches of the world by selling your soul to the devil is the second temptation. One should pause at the devilrsquo;s claim and assertion that all the authority and glory of the world has been given (by God!) to him and ask, ldquo;is that true? Or is he lying?rdquo; Donrsquo;t fall for it. As Adam ... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/04/01/father-forgive-them/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/04/01/father-forgive-them/#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:37:53 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=263 http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/04/01/father-forgive-them/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: John 11, Office of the Keys/Confession Date: Midweek Lent V + 4/1/09 Our forty-day Lenten journey is almost over. During this time we have ... Text: John 11, Office of the Keys/Confession Date: Midweek Lent V + 4/1/09 Our forty-day Lenten journey is almost over. During this time we have noted the ancient model of preparing candidates for baptism and incorporation into the Body of Jesus Christ, his Holy Church. In the basic teaching of the scriptures and the catechism we are given much to ponder, much to believe. We are born again, born anew, born from above to eternal life through the gift of faith. We believe that God works through his Word, revealing his will and creating faith in the hearts of those who hear. We believe that God works through the sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lordrsquo;s Supper giving us the forgiveness of sins, new life now and eternal salvation for the sake of Christ. Tonight we note also the ldquo;thirdrdquo; sacrament in the Lutheran Church, confession and Holy Absolution. Confession and Absolution has Godrsquo;s command and promises the grace of the forgiveness of sins. We can summarize and harmonize the account of the raising of Lazarus from the grave with Holy Absolution by noting our Lordrsquo;s word from the cross, ldquo;Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.rdquo; For when he spoke those words he knew his prayer would be heard and answered, for he was dying for them. It was the most powerful and effective prayer that ever was prayed. For, though he was the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, though he made the lame to run and gave the blind their sight, though he exercised his power as the Lord of Life in raising Lazarus from the dead, here he was giving his own life as the one and only sacrifice that makes forgiveness at all possible in the first place. Forgiveness has to do with sin. The wages of sin is death. Physical death, of course, is the separation of the soul from the body. But there is more to it than that. For God created every human being to live forever. Unless our separation from God is remedied we are destined to eternal death, that is, every human being that ever lived will be raised with their bodies on the Last Day, even as Christ raised Lazarus from the tomb. But those who rejected Christ during this time of grace will be rejected and sent away, their separation from God will be confirmed forever. And on that day there will only be two places: with God in heaven or separated from God in hell, that place of eternal punishment created for the devil and his angels. In our world, we often hear it said of a soldier giving his life in the service of his country that ldquo;he paid the ultimate price.rdquo; But when it comes to our eternal destiny, our own death, as ultimate as it may seem, is not the ultimate price. For the price and wages of sin is more than we can pay, even by our own death. The wages of sin demand a death strong enough to pay off the debt and then have life left to live. And as this is beyond the ability of any human being, it took God himself to take on our created flesh, our human nature, to live the perfect, sinless life, and then, nevertheless, to offer up that life as the only perfect, sinless sacrificemdash;taking the wages of sin of the whole world into himself, thus breaking the power of death. By Christrsquo;s death, and solely for his sake, our sin is disarmed and rendered powerless. There is no more price to be paid. In Christ, sin is taken away as well as the power of death to separate us from God any more and forever more. Tonight we proclaim that Christ died for the sins of the world. And only His death has the power to destroy death and to restore life to all. Because of Christrsquo;s death and resurrection the words ldquo;I forgive you all your sinsrdquo; when spoken in connection with the name of Christ are powerful. Because of Christrsquo;s death and resurrection, as Jesus simply called forth Lazarus from the grave by the power of His life, so will He call forth all who have died on the Last Day, and th... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/29/a-ransom-for-many/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/29/a-ransom-for-many/#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:39:52 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=259 http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/29/a-ransom-for-many/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Mark 10:32-45 Date: Lent V + 3/29/09 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI I love the picture and note of solemnity with ... Text: Mark 10:32-45 Date: Lent V + 3/29/09 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI I love the picture and note of solemnity with which St. Mark paints the opening scene of todayrsquo;s Gospel. For we are, as the first disciples, on a journey. ldquo;They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem.rdquo; We are on a road, the road of discipleship, that is, of learning, always learning, learning that to follow Jesus is filled with amazing twists and turns, some at Godrsquo;s direction and intervention, some not; following in the Way of faith verses fearmdash;there is a lot for faith to believe and plenty of things that make us afraid. ldquo;They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.rdquo; We join the ranks of trembling, fearful saints marching behind Jesus. And thatrsquo;s the one, most important detail we missed in the middle: ldquo;Jesus was walking,rdquo; not behind them, or beside them, but ldquo;ahead of them.rdquo; Jesus leads the way because He knows where He is going and He knows where we are going, and He knows what lies ahead for Him and for us. ldquo;Christ leads us through no darker rooms than He has gone before.rdquo; But what lies ahead? Imagine, if you can, not knowing the rest of the story as we do and join the disciples on that road. This is now the third and final prophecy of Jesus concerning His coming death. But only now do we find out more of the details, not the least of which is the answer to the question, ldquo;Why,rdquo; why He is going to be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, why they will condemn Him to death, why they will deliver Him over to the Gentiles, why they will mock Him, why they will spit on Him, why they will flog Him, and why they will kill Him. Before we find out why, however, there is a little ldquo;interlude of ignorance,rdquo; a ldquo;segment of stupidity,rdquo; the ldquo;punctuation of sinful priderdquo; on behalf of the disciples. And it seems always to be so. Each passion prophecy is punctuated by the exposition of the presumption of the disciples. Ever since Peterrsquo;s mighty confession, Jesus has been inculcating in His disciples the spirit of self-renunciation demanded by the cross. This incident proves, however, that both the sons of Zebedee, James and John, as well as the rest of the disciples in their indignation at the two still just donrsquo;t get it. ldquo;Grant us to sit,rdquo; they ask, ldquo;one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.rdquo; Glory? Whorsquo;s talking about glory? ldquo;You donrsquo;t know what yoursquo;re asking for,rdquo; Jesus says plainly. Then He describes the way to glorymdash;His way to glorymdash;using the images of a cup and a baptism not of glory but of suffering. The cup Christ must drink, the baptism He must endure is His innocent, bitter suffering and death. ldquo;Are you able to drinkrdquo; that cup and endure that baptism? Jesus is expecting a negative answer, for no one is able to do what Jesus is preparing to do in Jerusalem. Yet, they reply, ldquo;We are able.rdquo; ldquo;Okay then. You will drink that cup and endure that baptism.rdquo; These disciples will share the fate of their Master in suffering for the faith as well as even martyrdom (except for one). All disciples share, if not to the point of shedding blood at least in sharing in the humiliation and rejection of the world. ldquo;But as to the positions of glory, it is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.rdquo; Only now comes the answer to the question, Why? Why must Jesus suffer and die? Why do we still endure suffering whether that be because of illness, disease, accident or violence? Why? Because ldquo;the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.rdquo; The suffering and death of Jesus would not be and was not for Himself alone. He came to offer Himself as the only sufficient sacrifice or ransom paym... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/22/lift-up-your-hearts/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/22/lift-up-your-hearts/#comments Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:32:47 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=253 http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/22/lift-up-your-hearts/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: John 3:14 / Numbers 21:4-9 Date: Lent IV + 3/22/08 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI ldquo;Take the snakes away,rdquo; the people ... Text: John 3:14 / Numbers 21:4-9 Date: Lent IV + 3/22/08 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI ldquo;Take the snakes away,rdquo; the people said. ldquo;Lord, take the snakes away,rdquo; prayed Moses on behalf of the people. But the Lord didnrsquo;t take the snakes away. Instead He gave them the antidote for the deathly venom, if they would only look and receive and believe and be saved. The Lord said to Moses, ldquo;Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.rdquo; So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. But why go to all that trouble? Why not just take the snakes away? lsquo;Been bitten, lately? It was as a result of the complaining and spurning of Godrsquo;s grace that God sent the venomous snakes among His people out there in the wilderness. The judgment and threatened condemnation of Godrsquo;s Law means to send us scurrying back to Godrsquo;s mercy and grace. The people came back to Moses and said, ldquo;We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.rdquo; So Moses prayed for the people. But He didnrsquo;t take the snakes away! Instead of taking the danger away, God provided a means of deliverance from the results of the danger. The people were still being bitten. But now, if they looked at the bronze snake on a stick, they were delivered from the poisonous power of the venomous snakes. Our Lord Jesus Christ says all that happened to show Godrsquo;s plan of salvation from the bite of Satan and the venom of sin and death, namely, that as Moses fashioned the image of the very thing that was killing the people, a snake, so did God fashion Himself in the form of a man and, on the cross, the sinful man deserving of death. Furthermore, this strange incident in Numbers 21 happened to show that Godrsquo;s salvation is always and alone by means of faith. It wasnrsquo;t just the look at the bronze serpent that saved them, it was the looking in faith on the ground of Godrsquo;s command and promise that saved them. So it is not just the look at the crucified Christ that saves. As the hymn gently taunts us: Do we pass that cross unheading, Breathing no repentant vow, Though we see You wounded, bleeding, See Your thorn-encircled brow? It is, rather, the look in faith on the ground of Godrsquo;s command and promise that saves: Yet Your sinless death has brought us Life eternal, peace, and rest; Only what Your grace has taught us Calms the sinnerrsquo;s deep distress. [LSB 423:2] ldquo;As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal liferdquo; (John 3:14-15). lsquo;Been bitten, lately? The snakes are still out there, or, as the old King James Bible saith: sin still doth so easily beset us (Heb. 12:1). Surely the bite of a heart attack, whether major or mild, or the diagnosis of cancer is an unmistakable ldquo;wake up callrdquo; that sends us scurrying back to nothing but the grace and mercy of God. But then why not also all the other bites of sin and death we experience every daymdash;the sin and death that is the unkind word, the unfair critical comment, the proud judgment, the complaining and frustration that causes division and anger in marriage and family and between friends. God didnrsquo;t take the snakes away. We would prefer that God would have sent His Son to take away the snakesmdash;the suffering of life in this world; a triumphant Savior who, if you believe in him, will take away all pain and loss and make life joyful and pleasant. But instead, God sent His Son and hung Him on a Cross. Like the Israelites, wersquo;re still being bitten by the snakes, and our only deliverance is to look at His crucified Son. And in the looking of faith we are delivered from the dead... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/01/the-temptation-of-jesus/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/01/the-temptation-of-jesus/#comments Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:00:05 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=246 http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/03/01/the-temptation-of-jesus/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Date: Lent I + 3/1/09 Text: Mark/Matthew Temptation account Guest Preacher: Rev. Thomas W. Dunseth, Deaf Missions Ephphatha Deaf Missions; Detroit, Macau (China) Date: Lent I + 3/1/09 Text: Mark/Matthew Temptation account Guest Preacher: Rev. Thomas W. Dunseth, Deaf Missions Ephphatha Deaf Missions; Detroit, Macau (China) Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/02/25/remember/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/02/25/remember/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:05:04 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=242 http://al.lunneberg.com/2009/02/25/remember/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Genesis 3:19 Date: Ash Wednesday + 2/25/09 ldquo;Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.rdquo; These words summon us to the ... Text: Genesis 3:19 Date: Ash Wednesday + 2/25/09 ldquo;Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.rdquo; These words summon us to the holy season of Lent. These forty days are to be marked by ldquo;remembering.rdquo; Specifically, we are to remember two things. First, our mortality and sinmdash;both our solidarity with the whole human race all the way back to Adam, and our personal participation in the death march called sin as it continues to work itself out in our lives. Dust recalls Godrsquo;s ownership of our very lives, and it also recalls the price of our sin and separation from Godmdash;the dust of death. But if that were all we are to remember, what point would there be in it? This season is for Christians, and for those preparing to enter the Holy Christian Church through Holy Baptism. Therefore, having remembered our needmdash;our need for the forgiveness of sin, life and salvationmdash;we are to remember all the more the history of what God has done for us and for the whole world in the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember. Remember that this past Sunday was the Transfiguration of Our Lord, the Last Sunday after the Epiphany. But the day not only marked the end of a season, but actually propels us into that to which the Transfiguration pointsmdash;the deliverance that is in Christrsquo;s death and resurrection. Remember, there, the sight of Jesus in holy conversation with Moses and Elijah. And they were talking about Jesusrsquo; ldquo;departure.rdquo; As when God sent Moses to lead his people on the way out of slavery in Egypt, so Jesus is the new deliverer, sent to lead all people on the way out of the slavery of sin and death. Remember that just before the Transfiguration, Jesus began to tell his disciples how he ldquo;must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.rdquo; Remember Peterrsquo;s initial rejection of that whole scenario. So the inner circle of the apostles was given a glimpse of Jesusrsquo; heavenly glory. For all that was about to transpire, the victory is assured! Remember how Peter wanted to stay surrounded by that glory. But as soon as he asked to stay, it was gone. Visions are not for now. They are for propelling us on the way. Remember that way. It is a road that leads, initially, to a seeming ldquo;triumphantrdquo; entry on Palm Sunday. But the triumph, as we would want it, is short lived. The triumph, for now, is hidden. For this road, this way out, leads from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary. There, Peter will not want to stay, but will run away in sorrow, grief and fear with all the others. For there, Jesus is no longer flanked by the glorious figures of Moses and Elijah, but by two criminals, all three on bloody crosses. Theremdash;at the end of this ldquo;way outrdquo;mdash;the former glory of Jesusrsquo; transfigured face is transferred to be the glory of a cross. There the Voice from heaven will be drowned out by the mocking voices of a hostile crowd. There the dazzling, bright cloud will be forgotten behind a deep and dreadful darkness. Remember that the first Exodus began with the slaying of the first-born of the Egyptians. This Exodus, this ldquo;way out,rdquo; will begin with the slaying of the only begotten ldquo;bar abbas,rdquo; the Son of the Father. Today we are invited and compelled to follow and walk this road, this exodus, this way out. Ash Wednesday is all about confession and forgiveness. Ashes applied to the forehead in the sign of a cross is not required for salvation, but faith in the One who died on that cross is! The ashes, symbolizing mortality, are applied in the same place the sign was made with a wet thumb at our baptism. We are baptized ldquo;in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.rdquo; Today we are marked with the words ldquo;Remember.rdquo; ldquo... Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2007/04/01/hosanna-2/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2007/04/01/hosanna-2/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:47:32 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=51 http://al.lunneberg.com/2007/04/01/hosanna-2/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: John 12:12-19 Date: Palmarum Sunday + 4/1/07 #160;#160;#160;#160;#160; He arrived just as he was supposed to arrive, just as it had been written by the prophet ... Text: John 12:12-19 Date: Palmarum Sunday + 4/1/07 #160;#160;#160;#160;#160; He arrived just as he was supposed to arrive, just as it had been written by the prophet Zechariah. #8220;Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey#8217;s colt!#8221; (Zech. 9:9). So here he is. And at first it appeared that they remembered this prophesy because they went out and greeted him with the kingly shout, the words of the Psalm, #8220;Hosanna!#8221; that is, #8220;save now,#8221; #8220;blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord#8221; (Psalm 118:25-26). They even called him #8220;the King of Israel!#8221; But John tells us it wasn#8217;t a cry of faith at all. He tells us #8220;His disciples didn#8217;t understand these things at first.#8221; John should know for he was there. Furthermore he says the real reason why the crowds went to meet him was only because they had heard of his most incredible and final miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. So it had to be either faith in the Word of God being fulfilled or some other enthusiasm at work because Jesus looked like anything but a king. Earthly kings come riding into town on a powerful galloping steed with impressively dressed saddles, girths and browbands, accompanied by a military entourage, with uplifted fist receiving the accolades of the crowds. Well, the accolades were there, but Jesus rode slowly, bareback on a young donkey of all things, not even acknowledging the crowds. #8220;Lowly,#8221; #8220;humble,#8221; that#8217;s the way of the kingdom of God. #160;#160;#160;#160; So will you greet King Jesus when he comes with cheers of faith? Or will you come out only because there appears to be a party going on? Or will you just miss his coming altogether by staying home? What #8220;coming,#8221; which #8220;advent#8221; are we talking about? Many gather to celebrate and commemorate his first coming at Christmas. After all the Christmas Gospel is so comforting with its images of starry night skies, angels and shepherds, young Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in a manger. You can almost feel #8220;peace on earth#8221; as the lights are dimmed and we sing #8220;Silent Night#8221; to the glow of candles. A humble scene, yes. But any mention that this might be a newborn king only results in the murderous reaction of the king named Herod. #160;#160;#160;#160; Neither are we talking about his final advent when he comes as judge and victorious Lord of all on the last day. The kingly cheer, #8220;hosanna,#8221; will be heard from the faithful. But then every eye will see him and every knee shall bow and every tongue be forced to confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It is not his final advent that we#8217;re talking about today. #160;#160;#160;#160; He arrived in Jerusalem just in time for the Passover. But this would be no ordinary Passover. This would be the last Passover ever to be celebrated. For all the lambs slain through the centuries were but the #8220;types#8221; and prediction pointing forward to The Lamb of God who, in his own flesh, would finally take away the sin of the world, by whose sacrifice there would be no more angel of death, and no more sacrifice for sin required. In Jesus the Passover finds its goal, the symbol finds its substance. On that night when he would be betrayed he became the Passover, he fulfilled it and he changed it. Now the blood of the lamb is no longer painted on the doorpost, its broiled flesh and the flat bread eaten in remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, but now he gives us his own blood to drink in, with and under the wine, his own body to eat in, with and under the bread, bringing our liberation from the bondage of sin. In this sacrament He comes to us, brings and distributes His gifts, the benefits and power of his cross, his sacrifice to each believer in every age and every place. Yes. That#8217;s why we sing those kingly words at every communion, #8220;Ho Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2007/03/25/before-abraham-was-i-am/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2007/03/25/before-abraham-was-i-am/#comments Sun, 25 Mar 2007 10:31:12 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=50 http://al.lunneberg.com/2007/03/25/before-abraham-was-i-am/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: John 8:42-59 Date: Lent V + 3/25/07 #160;#160;#160;#160; There are three main things in this Gospel appointed for Judica, the Fifth Sunday in Lent sometimes called ... Text: John 8:42-59 Date: Lent V + 3/25/07 #160;#160;#160;#160; There are three main things in this Gospel appointed for Judica, the Fifth Sunday in Lent sometimes called Passion Sunday. And they are these: #8220;Whoever is of God hears the words of God;#8221; #8220;Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death;#8221; and #8220;Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.#8221; It starts with the importance of hearing God#8217;s Word. For apart from God#8217;s Word the inherent disorder, chaos and confusion of life as we know it only increases and we remain only in the realm and under the control of the devil. The devil, being #8220;a murderer from the beginning, having nothing to do with the truth, the liar and father of lies,#8221; convinces us of the lie that we are hopeless against the inequities and unfairness of life, and worse, that we go down to our last gasp of death cursing God for his righteous decree that the wages of sin is death. Our only hope, then, is not the devil nor in any power in ourselves, but only in God if, indeed, God is at all for us, in our corner; only if it is true as he said through the prophet Ezekiel, #8220;I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live#8221; [Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV)], and, #8220;God so loved the world that he gave his only Son#8221; (John 3:16). It is only in Jesus Christ that the sinner can discover that God is love, that He is for us and not against us, that He has not written His world off in wrath but, rather, has written His Word in grace and in the flesh and blood of the Incarnate Word, Jesus our Savior for the life of the world. #160;#160;#160;#160; First, then, #8220;Whoever is of God hears the words of God.#8221; If that is so, then the opposite is true, as Jesus said to his critics and detractors in our text, #8220;The reason why you do not hear [the words of God] is that you are not of God.#8221; What does this mean to be #8220;of God#8221; or #8220;not of God#8221;? It#8217;s all about this thing we call #8220;faith.#8221; All are born into this world #8220;not of God,#8221; that is, with the inherited disease called original sin. Though we may be born physically healthy and whole, bouncing baby boys and girls, we are all spiritually stillborn, spiritually blind, dead and separated from the life of God the way He originally intended it. In our day more so than, say, even only fifty years ago, more and more people grow through childhood and their teen years to adulthood as spiritual corpses, dead spiritually, that is having absolutely no impulse, care or concern for God. They (and we) are, by our fallen nature, #8220;not of God.#8221; Such a person is rightly called a heathen or a pagan. As the prison guard leads a condemned prisoner onto Death Row with the call #8220;Dead man walking,#8221; so, spiritually, that is precisely what you see when you walk through the mall or the supermarket or the hallways and classrooms of school, dead men and women, boys and girls walking around. Physically they seem very much #8220;alive.#8221; Spiritually, however, we are all lifeless and very dead. #160;#160;#160;#160; Only those who are #8220;of God#8221; hear#8212;I mean really hear, understand, perceive and #8220;get#8221;#8212;the Word of God. But what is most mysterious is that one becomes a person #8220;of God#8221; only when he hears the Word which he cannot hear if he is #8220;not of God!#8221; This mystery is solved only by the ministry of God the Holy Spirit who works repentance in the heart and the gift of faith, when and where it pleases God, in those who hear the Word of the Gospel. Conversion from death to life, from spiritual blindness to sight, from the deathward drift of futile birth to the new, eternal life of being born again, from above, happens when the Word of God breaks through the spiritual darkness as a light. Jesus Lent,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No