http://al.lunneberg.com Sermons and Rumenations Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:14:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 2005-2008 alunneberg@comcast.net (Allen Lunneberg) alunneberg@comcast.net (Allen Lunneberg) 1440 http://al.lunneberg.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://al.lunneberg.com 144 144 Sermons and more from my site. Allen Lunneberg Allen Lunneberg alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2012/02/05/psalm-1471-11-setting-by-allen-d-lunneberg/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2012/02/05/psalm-1471-11-setting-by-allen-d-lunneberg/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:11:16 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=934 http://al.lunneberg.com/2012/02/05/psalm-1471-11-setting-by-allen-d-lunneberg/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Psalm 147:1-11 Setting by Allen D. Lunneberg Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2012/01/22/psalm-62/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2012/01/22/psalm-62/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:51:45 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=925 http://al.lunneberg.com/2012/01/22/psalm-62/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Setting by Allen D. Lunneberg   Setting by Allen D. Lunneberg   Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/08/01/receive-the-holy-spirit/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/08/01/receive-the-holy-spirit/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:25:38 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=826 http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/08/01/receive-the-holy-spirit/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Text: John 20:19-23 Date: 7/31/11 Occasion: Ordination/Installation of David Herald Trinity Lutheran Church, Appleton City, MO “Receive the Holy Spirit.” So said our risen Lord and Savior when He first appeared to His disciples on the evening of tha[...] Text: John 20:19-23 Date: 7/31/11 Occasion: Ordination/Installation of David Herald Trinity Lutheran Church, Appleton City, MO “Receive the Holy Spirit.” So said our risen Lord and Savior when He first appeared to His disciples on the evening of that first Easter Day. He stood among them and showed them the wounds in His hands and His side, the signs of His work completed, death and the devil defeated, and now He equips His disciples, His apostles to go and distribute the benefits of His most glorious and victorious death and resurrection for the life of the world: the forgiveness of sins for all, and eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. The strife is over, the battle done. All that remains is for people to receive these eternal gifts. For this task He called, taught, prepared, “certified” and was about to send His earliest candidates for the Holy Ministry. For, as the Apostle Paul said, “How will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Rom 10:14-15). “As the Father has sent me,” Jesus said, “even so I am sending you.” They had been prepared…the hard way! For they had seen and heard it all, everything from His early preaching and healing in Galilee, His growing popularity with the people, His impressive authority when He spoke, His amazing power over everything from wind and wave to a few loaves and fish to who knows how many sufferers from various illnesses and diseases, even demon possession, to even raising some from death back to life. But then they had also seen the other side, the growing opposition, first from the official religious establishment, then even from His own family and kin, including even one of His own chosen disciples and finally when the whole world came crashing down around them, their hopes dashed, there laid their Master silent in a cold, dark tomb. But now! Now their Lord is risen from the dead. “Peace be with you” was His greeting. Then, before anything else, ready or not, He sends them forth even as the Father had sent Him. Breathing on them he says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” He had equipped them for just this task, equipped them to proclaim and distribute the Gospel of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. They were to preach, to call people to repent of sin and turn to Christ. “As you go,” He said, “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them.” Holy Baptism was to be and is the sacramental foundation of the Gospel of forgiveness. Then also, for them as for all who would join them, they remembered that night when Jesus instituted the sacrament of His body and blood and said, “Do this often.” Holy Communion was to be and is the sacramental center of their life and worship. Preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments is what the ministry is all about, for “Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given. He works faith, when and where it pleases God, in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake. This happens not through our own merits, but for Christ’s sake” (AC V). All this began with the initial gift, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And receiving the Holy Spirit is all about the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. And as faith itself cannot be conceived or produced except it be created in the heart by God the Holy Spirit through the Word, so the bringing of that Word is done by otherwise weak and sinful men, their only power that God-given Word and Spirit. They all, except for St. John, would suffer martyrdom for the sake of the Lord they were to represent and the gifts they were sent to dispense. And so it is for all in the apostolic ministry who follow in their train[...] Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/03/27/acceptance-of-divine-call-to-incarnate-word/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/03/27/acceptance-of-divine-call-to-incarnate-word/#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:59:42 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=744 http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/03/27/acceptance-of-divine-call-to-incarnate-word/feed/ 0 0:00:01 God’s Hand: October 2006 – Resignation from St. Mark’s, West Bloomfield Missed only one Sunday November 2006 – Begin as Vacancy Pastor at Zion, Detroit. August 2007 – Last Sunday at Zion, Detroit. The very next Sunday: [...] God’s Hand: October 2006 – Resignation from St. Mark’s, West Bloomfield Missed only one Sunday November 2006 – Begin as Vacancy Pastor at Zion, Detroit. August 2007 – Last Sunday at Zion, Detroit. The very next Sunday: September 2007 – Began as Vacancy Pastor at Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills. 2008 – 2009 – 2010 March 2011 – Called as Pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills. Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/02/20/blessing-of-an-organ/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/02/20/blessing-of-an-organ/#comments Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:19:56 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=718 http://al.lunneberg.com/2011/02/20/blessing-of-an-organ/feed/ 0 0:00:01 The Worship of the Holy Church Throughout the World On the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany February 20, 2011, 9:30 a.m. Divine Service, Setting Four, pages 203-212 Blessing of an Organ Allen Digital Organ (1982) Hymn of Invocation 796 – When in Ou[...] The Worship of the Holy Church Throughout the World On the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany February 20, 2011, 9:30 a.m. Divine Service, Setting Four, pages 203-212 Blessing of an Organ Allen Digital Organ (1982) Hymn of Invocation 796 – When in Our Music God Is Glorified Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/08/11/go-for-it/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/08/11/go-for-it/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:48:13 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=612 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/08/11/go-for-it/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Text: Psalm 37:4 Date: 8/13/10 Concordia University – St. Paul, MN 55th Anniversary as a Commissioned Teacher and 16th Anniversary of Ordained Ministry of Rev. Dr. David William Krause, Ph.D. In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Hol[...] Text: Psalm 37:4 Date: 8/13/10 Concordia University – St. Paul, MN 55th Anniversary as a Commissioned Teacher and 16th Anniversary of Ordained Ministry of Rev. Dr. David William Krause, Ph.D. In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow alumni of “CSP,” fellow servants in the various forms of the ministry of the church, respected professors and doctors, fellow musicians, brother Pastor Martin, children (Vivian, Stephen, Rachel), grandchildren and the “great” ones, too, and especially you, David and Kathleen “Katy:” Peace be to you, and grace, from Him who freed us from our sins. I consider it a great honor to be asked to preach God’s Word on this wonderful occasion celebrating the 55th anniversary as a Commissioned Teacher and 16th anniversary of Ordained ministry of our honored teacher, colleague, friend, Dad, grand and great father, Doctor David William Krause. And that Word that caught my eye is the verse from Psalm 37, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” It caught my eye because that verse has served as the most encouraging and even liberating passage especially when asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” and for those in the ministry confronted at various times with making a decision between two or more Calls to serve congregations or the church at large. It is the key to the unfolding of God’s plan which we view most clearly, most of the time, only as we look back through the years, but once in a while God’s hand is at work right in front of your eyes. For many get hung up with the idea that, while God has a plan for your life, at every fork in the road you had better make the right choice or you’re going to, somehow, mess up that plan! Nothing could be further from the truth if you know God and believe His good and gracious will toward you. If you know God and believe His good and gracious will toward you, you are freed and emboldened at any juncture or opportunity or challenge to simply “Go for It!” Today we bless God and give thanks that, in Christ, and with our beloved brother in Christ, because of Christ we can encourage one another, saying, “Go for It!” “Delight yourself in the Lord,” says the psalmist. It sounds so good and pleasant and right, “Delight yourself in the Lord,” until you realize and remember that sinners, separated and hostile toward God, according to the spiritual darkness and deadness of the fallen nature, do not want to delight in the Lord, indeed, they cannot. The unregenerate sinner delights only, ultimately in him or her self, and those things that at least appear to be useful in establishing your own little kingdom. The primal sin was motivated by the “delight to the eyes” of the forbidden tree and its fruit (Gen. 3:6). And so, even still within ourselves as sinners, there is plenty in us that does not want to get distracted or to delight in the Lord. Indeed, one cannot delight in the Lord at all until, that is, you hear of the Lord’s delight in you. For this is the God who is hidden to the fearful sinner’s eyes, namely, that God is love, that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still weak,” “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8). This is the Lord that draws the sinner’s delight; the Lord who is God-incarnate, God come-in-the-flesh, our flesh, the Lord who came, ultimately, to take everything in us that kills us into Himself, nailing it with and in Himself to the cross (Col. 2:14). By that sacrifice, and by His triumphant resurrection from the dead, now all who are in Him are freed from sin and death and will live forever, the way God originally intended things to be. Not only so, but all who are in Him will also reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12) and so our eternal lot will be even better than our begin[...] Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/06/05/alices-roses-2/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/06/05/alices-roses-2/#comments Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:17:17 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=564 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/06/05/alices-roses-2/feed/ 0 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/04/25/i-love-this/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/04/25/i-love-this/#comments Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:36:03 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=539 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/04/25/i-love-this/feed/ 0 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/08/no-gospel/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/08/no-gospel/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:21:08 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=511 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/03/08/no-gospel/feed/ 0 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/09/karl-davidson-1-month-8-days/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/09/karl-davidson-1-month-8-days/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:59:22 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=491 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/09/karl-davidson-1-month-8-days/feed/ 0 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/17/epiphany/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/17/epiphany/#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:12:03 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=479 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/17/epiphany/feed/ 0 0:00:01 Text: John 2:1-11 Date: Epiphany II + 1/17/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The word “Epiphany” means “manifestation” or the revealing of something that is hidden. The liturgical season of Epiphany does just that, especi[...] Text: John 2:1-11 Date: Epiphany II + 1/17/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The word “Epiphany” means “manifestation” or the revealing of something that is hidden. The liturgical season of Epiphany does just that, especially with its three traditional Gospel events, the Magi following the star to find the infant Jesus, then Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River accompanied by the Holy Spirit in bodily form as a dove and the Voice from heaven, “You are my beloved Son,” and finally Jesus’ first mighty sign of changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. In all of these events what will remain hidden until you, like Jesus’ disciples at the end of today’s reading, “believe in him,” is His identity as the Son of God, come in the flesh, in order to fulfill God’s Law perfectly for us and yet to go into death for us, taking all our sins with Him. All of that is in these three events. The gifts of the Magi make these things obvious to the eyes of faith—gold for a heavenly king, frankincense for the worship of God, and myrrh for his coming death. So at His baptism, the Holy Spirit is given because, in His state of humiliation, Jesus will not use any power beyond what you and I have been given to live perfectly according to God’s Law, and yet the Voice from heaven identifies Him as the unique Son of God. And now here at a wedding these themes of revealing who Jesus is and what He came to do are the important points. The rest of the Sundays after the Epiphany, then, are a thumbnail sketch of His life on the road to His holy death as the Savior of the world. The first thing you notice in John’s relating this event are the beginning words, “On the third day.” Though these words seem to echo the familiar words of the creed referring to our Lord’s resurrection, that is not the point here. The “third day” here is the third day following what has gone just before in John’s telling. And if you count the “days” as John begins his Gospel, this is actually the seventh day. The “epiphany” or that which John means to reveal in this way is that, with the coming of Jesus, He is bringing about the new creation. As the old creation took six days and on the seventh day God rested, so the Messiah brings the new creation through the forgiveness of sins and resurrection to new life culminating in what the Book of Revelation calls the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom that has no end. John then relates some of the basic details of this event. “The mother of Jesus” was invited to this wedding. (What do you think John is saying or not saying by never calling Jesus’ mother by her name in his Gospel?) Jesus was invited, too, along with his disciples. Now there are actually two invitations here. Jesus accepted the first one, namely, to attend the wedding. But the second invitation is made by Jesus’ mother. When the wine ran out she “invited” Him to do something about it. This invitation Jesus refused with the strange sounding words, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” We are to know that Jesus was not being rude to His mother here. But, with our theme of Epiphany, He was revealing and reminding even His mother of His true identity as her Savior and Lord. And here is the first reference to Jesus’ “hour” in John’s Gospel. His “hour” is a hidden way to refer to His goal and purpose, namely, His glorifying the Father in His holy and precious, atoning death on the cross. In the garden of Gethsemane John will relate how Jesus said, “Father, the hour has come” (John 17:1). In this connection, notice also how John speaks of this miracle as “manifesting his glory.” Again, “his glory” is not the loud, hand-clapping, praise-song shouting, lights flashing happiness that is so rampant in churches these days. His glory is primarily His sacred death on the cross. Don’t we sing, “In the cross of Christ I glory”? And then there’s that wonderful Good Friday hymn, The death of Jesus Christ, our Lord[...] Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/10/baptism-of-karl-davidson-lunneborg/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/10/baptism-of-karl-davidson-lunneborg/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:40:43 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=476 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/10/baptism-of-karl-davidson-lunneborg/feed/ 0 0:00:01 The Worship of the Holy Church Throughout the World on The Baptism of Our Lord The First Sunday after the Epiphany January 10, 2010, 9:30 a.m. Divine Service Setting One + The Service of Holy Baptism + Candidate: Karl Davidson Lunneborg born January[...] The Worship of the Holy Church Throughout the World on The Baptism of Our Lord The First Sunday after the Epiphany January 10, 2010, 9:30 a.m. Divine Service Setting One + The Service of Holy Baptism + Candidate: Karl Davidson Lunneborg born January 1, 2010 to David and Kelly Lunneberg Baptismal Hymn 590 – Baptized into Your Name Most Holy Please STAND. The Baptismal Liturgy                                      pages 268-271 + The Service of the Word + Salutation and Collect of the Day                             p. 156 Please BE SEATED. Old Testament  Isaiah 43:1-7 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 29 [NIV] setting by Henry V. Gerike Cantor: Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Congregation: REFRAIN Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Congregation: REFRAIN The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. Congregation: REFRAIN He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in His temple all cry, “Glory.” Congregation: REFRAIN The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace. Congregation: REFRAIN Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen Congregation: REFRAIN Copyright © 2002 Concordia Publishing House 3558 S. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118-3968 All Rights Reserved                       Used by permission Epistle  Romans 6:1-11 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Please STAND. Alleluia and Verse Alleluia. Alleluia. You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. Alleluia.            Mark 1:11b Holy Gospel  Saint Luke 3:15-22                                  p. 157 Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no no