http://al.lunneberg.com Sermons and Rumenations Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:23:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 © alunneberg@comcast.net () alunneberg@comcast.net() 1440 Sermons and more from my site. 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/2010/03/08/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/2010/03/07/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/2010/02/14/a-clouded-message/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/14/a-clouded-message/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:23:49 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=495 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/14/a-clouded-message/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 9:28-36 Date: Transfiguration + Epiphany Last + 2/14/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI ldquo;And as [Peter] was saying these things, a cloud ... Text: Luke 9:28-36 Date: Transfiguration + Epiphany Last + 2/14/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI ldquo;And as [Peter] was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them.rdquo; Clouds can be beautiful, or they can be threatening. When there are no clouds we can look forward either to a wonderfully warm day in the summer or a chilly cold night in the winter. There are fair weather clouds and storm clouds. When clouds hang low, hugging the ground they are called fog and make for dangerous travel. In Michigan we are more familiar with clouds than in many other areas of the United States: a ldquo;beautiful peninsulardquo; surrounded by Lake Superior on the upper north, Lake Michigan on the lower west and Lakes Huron, St. Claire, and Erie on the east, statistically it is said five out of every seven days on average is cloudy in the Wolverine state. Of course clouds can also symbolically express states of mind. When onersquo;s memory becomes clouded it means confused or forgetful. A hopelessly idealistic person is said to have his head in the clouds. Clouds hide or obscure things. Or they can signify destructive power as a mushroom cloud indicates a nuclear explosion. The Transfiguration of Our Lord closes off the light and revelation of the Epiphany season with a cloud. This cloud signified the presence of God and the recollection of ancient Israelrsquo;s desert wanderings after the Exodus being led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and of Godrsquo;s appearances with Moses in the tent of meeting. As with ancient Israel, Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets, spoke with Jesus concerning His ldquo;exodus.rdquo; Luke is the only evangelist to use this word here, as he is especially interested that his Gentile audience ldquo;catchrdquo; the significance of things ldquo;Jewish.rdquo; And we are interested, too, that the world around us today hear the truth about what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is really all about. So often, it seems, however, our message gets clouded over either by our confusing things with unimportant details or even with things not even related to what we really should be proclaiming, or clouded by the cares and concerns of this world in the minds of people. I recently got into a discussion with someone about how Christians do not grieve the death of a loved one in the same way that an unbeliever might. The lady I was talking with was pretty correct with most of what she said. There was just a little confusion here and there, but nothing that negated the main issue. Nevertheless, you wonder to what extent you ought to clarify any cloudiness in her thinking if for nothing else than the greater comfort of the truth. But then, as I was driving my car, I saw an electronic sign outside of a church flashing the announcement of their exercise/weight loss class, and I immediately wondered, ldquo;Is that a church?rdquo; ldquo;Is that what the churchrsquo;s main message or service should be about?rdquo; But then I thought of the history of at least the Lutheran Church especially in our country; how it tends often to lose its edge and forget what its main message and work is to be about, and how, when the church forgets that it is to be about proclaiming the Gospel of Christ for the salvation of souls, it tends to turn into only a social work institution of good works or community service providing things like child care, baby sitting, exercise classes, food and clothing banks and so on. Here is Jesus, with His inner circle of disciples, revealing the glory of His divine nature in the bright, gleaming light shining through His flesh and even His clothing. The eyes of the disciples were closed in sleep at first. But even when they were opened they did not fully realize what they were looking at. That they knew who they were looking atmdash;Moses and Elijah with Jesusmdash;remains a mystery unless you know that i... Epiphany,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No 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/2010/02/07/the-mighty-lord/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/07/the-mighty-lord/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:24:49 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=489 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/02/07/the-mighty-lord/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 5:1-11 Date: Epiphany V + 2/7/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI So far in our introduction to Jesus according to the outline ... Text: Luke 5:1-11 Date: Epiphany V + 2/7/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI So far in our introduction to Jesus according to the outline of the liturgical year from Christmas through the initial days of His earthly ministry, two main issues have been at the center, namely, Jesusrsquo; identity and His mission; who He is and what He came to do. Though it sounds simple enough this is precisely where things go wrong, where the Gospel gets muddled or even changed, when we confuse either who Jesus is or what He came to do. Is He, after all, the majestic Son of God? He sure doesnrsquo;t look like it to His neighbors and friends. Or is He only a man? But then how does He say all these magnificent things and do all these miraculous deeds? Did He come to give us a new or revised list of dos and donrsquo;ts, to teach us what we need to do to get into heaven? Or is there another purpose that evades even our deepest religious thoughts? So far in the Epiphany season and Lukersquo;s Gospel we have heard of ldquo;the gracious wordsrdquo; coming from Jesusrsquo; mouth and the astonishment at His teaching, ldquo;for his word possessed authorityrdquo; (Lk. 4:22, 32). His ability to cast out demons, heal the sick, and, today, to cause a great catch of fish, and all that just by speaking a word we have called The Mighty Word. Today we are to conclude that the reason He can speak The Mighty Word is because He is The Mighty Lord. Two men visit us today and tell the beginnings of their story: the prophet Isaiah and the apostle Peter. They tell us of their life-changing Call to serve God in a special way. Each of them saw God with their own eyes. Both had the same reaction of fearful repentance. Each of them experienced the grace and mercy of God and they both were then recruited to serve God as preachers of His Word. Their stories are preserved for us not because they were so unusual or special in their callings (though they were), but for us to consider our own standing before God. First, every time I read the Call of Isaiah, I think of our own worship experience and wonder to what extent we are aware of beholding God and being in His presence? And then, what should our reaction or response be? This is why I had us sing the first hymn today: God Himself is present; Let us now adore Him And with awe appear before Him. God is in His temple; All within keep silence; Humbly kneel in deepest revrsquo;rencehellip;. (LSB 907:1) I take literally St. Paulrsquo;s words in Philippians 2:10, ldquo;at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,rdquo; and at least bow my head at the sound of His blessed name. I know it is the more difficult for our little congregation to be aware of Godrsquo;s holy presence though we try our best to transform a high school music rehearsal room into a temporary sanctuary for Godrsquo;s dwelling. Because of that we cannot kneel before the Lord. It is, however, a matter not of floors and walls, bricks and sacred furniture, but a matter of Godrsquo;s Word and promise being read and proclaimed, heard and believed that makes any place holy, set apart for Godrsquo;s Word and purpose. Isaiah was in the Jerusalem temple; the building set apart solely for the sacred use of worship of and communion with the God of the universe who promised to locate Himself there for the benefit of His people. ldquo;I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.rdquo; There is none higher above all creation than God the Creator. Then He heard the eternal song of heaven being sung by the angelic spirits: ldquo;Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabbaoth, the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!rdquo; To be holy is to be set apart, to be utterly unique and other than the rest of the created universe. That God is thrice holy must also reflect the triune nature of the one, true God. Apart from Him there is no other god. Now, the rule is no one can see God directly and live (Ex. 33:20). ... Epiphany,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/31/the-mighty-word/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/31/the-mighty-word/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:53:17 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=485 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/31/the-mighty-word/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 4:31-44 Date: Epiphany IV + 1/31/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI In Jesus Christ God came down from heaven to earth, to ... Text: Luke 4:31-44 Date: Epiphany IV + 1/31/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI In Jesus Christ God came down from heaven to earth, to His world broken by sin, death and the devil, in order to fix it, to heal it, to restore it, to redeem it, to save and renew it. He came not only to ldquo;take us to heaven to live with Him there,rdquo; but to restore the creation itself to reflect His glory. To do this took nothing short of God Himself taking on our human flesh, the Creator becoming one with His creation, human flesh and blood with feet planted firmly on the ground. We confess this so clearly in the Nicene Creed, first by confessing the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God who was ldquo;begotten, not made.rdquo; As God Himself, ldquo;of one substance with the Father,rdquo; He is the eternal Creator, by whom ldquo;all things were made.rdquo; It is only as you get to the second part of that second article of the Creed that we confess and talk about the second Person of the Trinity as the incarnate God named Jesus. ldquo;Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heavenhellip;and was made man.rdquo; The Son of God ldquo;was made man.rdquo; As a man He never gave up his divine nature or ceased to be the Son of God. He only ldquo;humbled Himselfrdquo; to live under Godrsquo;s Law as a man, empowered for His work only by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God; the same Spirit and Word that has been given to us. In Nazareth, in His inaugural sermon in the synagogue, we heard His call document read and His acceptance of the task, ldquo;to proclaim good news to the poorhellip;to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquo;s favorrdquo; (Lk. 4:18-19). All of those words describe His chief work of ldquo;release,rdquo; to release the creation of the grip of sin and death, to forgive, to recreate. At first His hometown people were pleased at His gracious words. But as soon as He began to point out their refusal to recognize Him for Who He really is, they turned on Him and drove Him out of town. Todayrsquo;s Gospel reading describes what happened next, in rapid succession, the effect of His preaching in Galileemdash;the exorcism of an unclean demon from a man, the rebuking and removal of a fever from the apostle Peterrsquo;s mother-in-law, and the healing and delivering of many with sickness and demons in the surrounding region. In each and all of these vignettes at least two important points are made. First, the power and authority of Jesusrsquo; word, and secondly, His identity as the incarnate Son of God. How broken is the world when even among Godrsquo;s people gathered for worship in the synagogue there would be ldquo;a man who had the spirit of an unclean demonrdquo; among them? What was he doing there, anyway? Where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity it repels Satan and drives him away. Maybe, like so many otherwise Christian churches through various periods of history and even today, the preaching of Godrsquo;s Word had become overlaid or even replaced with the opinions of men or with things that seem more relevant or popular like current events or movements in society rather than Godrsquo;s Law and Gospel, preaching sin and grace, faith and salvation. So when the pure Word of God Himself suddenly was heard in that synagogue, it shook loose this spirit of an unclean demon in this man and made him cry out with a loud voice. In Greek itrsquo;s a crazy little word, ldquo;ea,rdquo; which is simply translated, ldquo;Ha!rdquo; Then, confronted by the Word of Truth, the demon is compelled to speak the truth, ldquo;What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you aremdash;the Holy One of God.rdquo; First, how many demons are speaking here? The voice talks about ldquo;us,rdquo; and then in one breath speaks in th... Epiphany,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/24/not-the-preacher-we-wanted/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/24/not-the-preacher-we-wanted/#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:04:51 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=482 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/24/not-the-preacher-we-wanted/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 4:16-30 Date: Epiphany III + St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor + 1/24/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI It is great that this ... Text: Luke 4:16-30 Date: Epiphany III + St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor + 1/24/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI It is great that this day, today, is not only the Third Sunday after the Epiphany wherein we hear of the beginning of Jesusrsquo; earthly ministry of preaching, teaching and healing, but also that this is the day, today, on which the holy Church throughout the world remembers and commemorates St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor. It is great because the prophetic pattern of Jesusrsquo; earthly ministry beginning to be laid out by St. Luke in our text applies also to the preachers Jesus will send out, beginning with His apostles, then others taught by the apostles like Timothy, then others, then more, up to this day, today. Unfortunately, these days, we hear, more and more, not respect for, thanksgiving to God for, prayer for and spiritual obedience to our pastors, but complaints, frustration, even angry disagreement and conflict between pastors and people, more often than ever now even to the point of dismissing pastors from their divine Call. There are three traditional reasons to get rid of a pastor, namely, if he is tenaciously clinging to false doctrine, immoral life or inability to perform the duties of his office. I used to, then, make the humorous comment that, if you canrsquo;t ldquo;get himrdquo; on any of those grounds then there is always the ldquo;Missouri Synod wayrdquo; of just making life so miserable for the pastor that he wants to leave. I say, I ldquo;used tordquo; say that jokingly until that ldquo;wayrdquo; also bit me. There are two issues about Jesus in todayrsquo;s Gospel and two different reactions by His hometown people in Nazareth. The two issues about Jesus are His teaching and performance of miracles on the one hand, and His suffering rejection on the other, not only here in Nazareth but, ultimately, by the whole world in His suffering on the cross. It is interesting that the initial reaction to His sermon that day was positive. ldquo;All spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.rdquo; Well, why not? They are the words of the prophet Isaiah, good words, the Word of God. But how different, then, their last reaction. Not just ignoring Him or even mere anger, but ldquo;all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliffrdquo;! Whoa! And you think yoursquo;ve seen violent votersrsquo; meetings! What was it that turned these folks so quickly from their first impression of Jesus? It is the truth that all the Old Testament prophets were rejected, persecuted and martyred by the very people to whom they were sent. This will necessarily be Jesusrsquo; destiny also. And we should not be surprised to this day when those called to preach Godrsquo;s Word are shunned, ignored, rejected and even dismissed from their Calls. Why is this the case? The passage from the prophet Isaiah that Jesus read in the synagogue that day was carefully chosen. It is His Divine Call document. The whole rest of Lukersquo;s telling of Jesusrsquo; earthly ministry is based on this. When the prophet said of the Messiah, ldquo;The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,rdquo; Jesus brought to mind His baptism by John in the Jordan, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him visibly in the form of a dove and the Voice from heaven said, ldquo;You are my beloved Son.rdquo; When the prophet said, ldquo;he has anointed me,rdquo; thatrsquo;s Messianic language. ldquo;Messiahrdquo; means ldquo;the anointed one.rdquo; He says He has been ldquo;sentrdquo; by God on a divine mission. His Call was to proclaim, to preach. And what is it that the Savior is to preach? ldquo;Good news to the poor,rdquo; ldquo;to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are op... Epiphany,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No 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 00:01:01 Text: John 2:1-11 Date: Epiphany II + 1/17/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The word ldquo;Epiphanyrdquo; means ldquo;manifestationrdquo; or the revealing of something that ... Text: John 2:1-11 Date: Epiphany II + 1/17/10 Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI The word ldquo;Epiphanyrdquo; means ldquo;manifestationrdquo; 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 Jesusrsquo; baptism by John in the Jordan River accompanied by the Holy Spirit in bodily form as a dove and the Voice from heaven, ldquo;You are my beloved Son,rdquo; and finally Jesusrsquo; 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 Jesusrsquo; disciples at the end of todayrsquo;s reading, ldquo;believe in him,rdquo; is His identity as the Son of God, come in the flesh, in order to fulfill Godrsquo;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 faithmdash;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 Godrsquo;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 Johnrsquo;s relating this event are the beginning words, ldquo;On the third day.rdquo; Though these words seem to echo the familiar words of the creed referring to our Lordrsquo;s resurrection, that is not the point here. The ldquo;third dayrdquo; here is the third day following what has gone just before in Johnrsquo;s telling. And if you count the ldquo;daysrdquo; as John begins his Gospel, this is actually the seventh day. The ldquo;epiphanyrdquo; 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. ldquo;The mother of Jesusrdquo; was invited to this wedding. (What do you think John is saying or not saying by never calling Jesusrsquo; 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 Jesusrsquo; mother. When the wine ran out she ldquo;invitedrdquo; Him to do something about it. This invitation Jesus refused with the strange sounding words, ldquo;Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.rdquo; 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 Jesusrsquo; ldquo;hourrdquo; in Johnrsquo;s Gospel. His ldquo;hourrdquo; 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, ldquo;Father, the hour has comerdquo; (John 17:1). In this connection, notice also how John speaks of this miracle as ldquo;manifesting his glory.rdquo; Again, ldquo;his gloryrdquo; is not the loud, hand-clapping, praise-song shouting, lights flashing... 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 00:01:01 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 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 ndash; Baptized into Your Name Most Holy Please STAND. The Baptismal Liturgynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; pages 268-271 + The Service of the Word + Salutation and Collect of the Daynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; p. 156 Please BE SEATED. Old Testament nbsp;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, ldquo;Glory.rdquo; 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 copy; 2002 Concordia Publishing House 3558 S. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118-3968 All Rights Reservednbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Used by permission Epistle nbsp;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.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Mark 1:11b Holy Gospel nbsp;Saint Luke 3:15-22 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; p. 157 Misc alunneberg@comcast.net no No http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/10/prepared-for-glory/ http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/10/prepared-for-glory/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:14:47 +0000 alunneberg http://al.lunneberg.com/?p=474 http://al.lunneberg.com/2010/01/10/prepared-for-glory/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Text: Luke 3:15-22 Date: Baptism of Our Lord + Epiphany I + 1/10/10 Baptism of Karl Davidson Lunneborg Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI What a ... Text: Luke 3:15-22 Date: Baptism of Our Lord + Epiphany I + 1/10/10 Baptism of Karl Davidson Lunneborg Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI What a wonderful day to gather together in the presence of God according to His Word and Sacraments! What a wonderful way to celebrate this First Sunday after the Epiphany, the Baptism of Our Lord, by celebrating also the Sacrament of Holy Baptism for little Karl Davidson Lunneborg, now child of God, child of David and Kelly. What a grand son! What a grandson! (You may call me ldquo;grrrrand-fah-thahrdquo;! ldquo;Bestefarrdquo; in Norwegian.) What glorious promises he has and we have in Godrsquo;s blessed gift of Holy Baptism! Baptized into the death of Christ we are no longer to fear death! Clothed now with the white robe of the righteousness of Christ we are members of the eternal kingdom of God with the promise of eternal life in Christ our eternal King! By the simple use of this Sacrament we are prepared for glory. There are three baptisms in our concern today: John the Baptistrsquo;s baptism, Jesusrsquo; baptism and Christian baptism. They differ only in their purpose. Johnrsquo;s baptism called forth repentance of sin as preparation for the coming Messiah. Jesusrsquo; baptism was all His work of obedience and suffering the wrath of God in our place. Christian baptism, then, ldquo;works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvationrdquo; all for the sake of Christ. This is where our ldquo;Calvinist, Arminianrdquo; brethren miss the boat, and those who do not know at all what the Bible says about baptism, and think of the sacrament as only ldquo;an outward ceremony testifying to an inner faithrdquo; rather than what it is, the outward, God-ordained means whereby God Himself acts, creating faith in the heart, adopting a person into His family, declaring a person justified for the sake of Christ crucified. Our text speaks of the ending of John the Baptistrsquo;s ministry. Throughout the Christmas story, the coming and appearance of John and Jesus paralleled each other with John leading the way, coming as the last Old Testament prophet to prepare the way for the Lord. Jesus is the Lord, the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies, the promised Messiah and Savior. John continued to prepare the way, pointing people to Jesus, calling Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He said that he, John, must become less and less, and Jesus must become greater. He spoke of his work as merely preparation as when he said, ldquo;I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.rdquo; Now St. Luke speaks briefly of Johnrsquo;s ending, being put in prison by king Herod. John, as an Old Testament prophet, saw the coming judgment at the hands of the Messiah. ldquo;He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.rdquo; As with all the prophets, however, John did not see the time of grace, the age of the Church between the Messiahrsquo;s first coming and the final day of judgment. Yet his words speak not only of the Spirit and the wrath of God as a threatened judgment for us. They, rather, describe the Messiahrsquo;s own ministry. It is interesting that, whereas Matthew and Mark include describing Jesusrsquo; baptism by John in the Jordan River, and John even refers to it in his Gospel, St. Luke doesnrsquo;t. He only says, ldquo;when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptizedhellip;.rdquo; It then describes the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus in bodily form, like a dove, and the voice from heaven saying, ldquo;You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.rdquo; So there is the Spirit John spoke of, but wherersquo;s the fire? Wherersquo;s the wrath, the winnowing fork, the clearing of the threshing floor and the burning of the chaff with unquenchable fire? Here is the significance of Jesusrsquo; ba... Epiphany,Sermons alunneberg@comcast.net no No