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Posted on December 26, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Behold, The Lamb at the Temple

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Christmas 1, 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 26, 2021
Exodus 13:1–3a, 11–15, Colossians 3:12–17, Luke 2:22–40

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The anticipation of the celebration of Christmas begins to build after Thanksgiving and continues to inflate up until Christmas Day morning. Christmas Day afternoon you are left with torn wrapping paper, a sink full of dirty dishes, and a sense of being kind of let down that it is over. It is as if the anticipation were a big, beautiful balloon but then on the day after Christmas so much of the air has been let out you’re left sad and deflated.

I remember as a teenager feeling very disappointed by Christmas. I don’t think I knew what exactly was disappointing, but I remember thinking that the reality of Christmas did not live up to the anticipation. Some of that I now blame on the retailers who push us to buy, buy, buy and tell us that we can find happiness inside the boxes under the tree. Some of this I blame on myself of having unrealistic ideas of what we are celebrating at Christmas. Some of it may even be that the Church over-promises what we are celebrating at Christmas.

I think it is easy to get so into the celebration of Jesus’ birth that we can get distracted as to what is actually happening. With the trip to Bethlehem, the baby in the manger, the angels, the shepherds, the magi, the gifts, it is all very wonderful and supernatural and amazing. The Son of God has become flesh and lives among us. It is all so bright and warm and wonderful and perfect.

For the baby Jesus, however, life is not always so bright and warm and wonderful and perfect. Eight days after He is born, Mary and Joseph bring Him to be circumcised and named Jesus, Joshua, YHWH saves, the LORD saves. Baby Jesus, God in flesh, sheds God’s blood to fulfill the law.

Thirty two days later, forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple. The Temple was the place of the Lord’s presence with His people in the Holy of Holies. Now the Lord is returning to the Temple in the person of that 40-day-old little Jewish baby boy. This trip to the Temple is for Mary’s purification 40-days after giving birth to a male child and it is to redeem Jesus as the first born. Normally, a lamb is sacrificed to redeem the firstborn to remember God sparing the children of Israel in Egypt whose homes were marked with the blood of a lamb. Mary and Joseph offer two common birds instead. This shows that they are humble people of little means and also shows that there is another Lamb present. Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

This is amazing, this baby is God’s salvation, a light for the Gentiles, the nations, the non-Jews. What does that mean? This baby has come for all people. Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

At the Temple there are two people waiting for Jesus; Simeon and Anna are waiting for the consolation of Israel; the redemption of Jerusalem.

Simeon takes the baby Jesus in his arms and blesses God and declares, “Master, now you are setting your servant free according to your word in peace; because my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.”

This is amazing, this baby is God’s salvation, a light for the Gentiles, the nations, the non-Jews. What does that mean? This baby has come for all people. Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

But then Simeon’s words take a dark turn. Luke 2:34–35 (ESV) 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Jesus will bring the fall and rising of many in Israel. Jesus, the Son of God, humbly takes on human flesh in the womb of Mary and is born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. He looks like any other baby boy, but He is not. He is God in flesh. And because of that people will reject Him, hate Him, plot his murder, and kill Him. Jesus brings peace between God and man but brings conflict between the world, and Jesus and His followers. He will later teach, Matthew 10:34 (ESV) 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

People hate Jesus because they do not want to admit they need a savior. To admit you need a savior is to admit that you are a sinner. To admit you are a sinner is to admit that there is sin. To admit that there is sin is to admit that there is right and wrong and it is determined by God, not by you. To admit you need a savior means that you cannot save yourself and there is such a temptation to think you can do enough to save yourself. To admit you need a savior is to admit you are a helpless sinner who is lost. To admit you need a Savior is humiliating and people hate to be humiliated, so people hate Jesus. And people hate those who follow Jesus.

A sword will pierce through your own soul. The thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God and the Word of God in His law cuts through your soul. It reveals your inner sinful self. It reveals that you are, by nature, sinful and unclean. The sword of God’s Word cuts deep and reveals that you are indeed a sinner; guilty and ashamed of your sin.

This guilt and shame brings us back to Simeon’s earlier words. His eyes have seen the Lord’s salvation. Jesus is salvation. Jesus comes to save sinners. God’s Word cuts with the law and reveals the sinful thoughts of your heart, and God’s Word heals by bringing the Good News of forgiveness of your sins through the blood of Jesus first shed when He was 8-days old, and shed again 33 years later on the cross of Calvary.

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. At your baptism you are marked with the blood of the Lamb, you are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to believe that Jesus is indeed Immanuel, God with us; your Savior from sin. You know that the baby Simeon is holding is God for you. You know the bread and wine in Holy Communion are God for you. You know you hold the Body of Christ in your hand even though you do not understand how that happens. You know it is God for you. You know your sins are forgiven, and so, in Christ, you are ready to die. You can sing with Simeon

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word,

for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Posted on December 25, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Christmas Day

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Christmas Day
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 25, 2021
Isaiah 9:2–7, Hebrews 1:1–4, Matthew 1:1–17

Planning for the school’s annual children’s Christmas program is quite an ordeal. There will be those who are conscripted to wear plain colored robes made of bedsheets and pretend that they know something about being shepherds. A dozen or so girls will volunteer to be angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven. Crepe paper and glitter will be combined to create colorful crowns for the magi who will undoubtedly sing off-key, We Three Kings of Orient Are. Others will be drafted to join the ranks of choirs who through the ages have memorized the lyrics to O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and Joy to the World. Then, the great controversy of choosing a boy and a girl to play Joseph and Mary. Add to this cast a newborn baby, an innkeeper, a few straggly sheep and presto—the program will be just about ready to launch! But one important component is still missing. Who will we get to direct the pageant? Weeks of rehearsals and costume making will lead up to the night of nights. Anticipation will fill the air! The unstated goal is that after everyone sings the final song they will return home saying, “This year’s program was the best yet!”

Should we expect anything less from Matthew’s Christmas pageant? Why, if anyone can pull this off without a hitch it will be an organized and efficient tax accountant like Matthew!

Looking at his genealogy, we are amazed! Matthew begins by impressively organizing his presentation of Jesus by employing three groups of fourteen (Mt 1:17). In all likelihood, Matthew’s three by fourteen pattern is a play on the name of David, whose Hebrew consonants daleth waw daleth add up to fourteen (daleth = four, waw = six). This indicates that Jesus is the Davidic son, three times over! Quite impressive theology!

Studying his gospel more broadly, we see that Matthew plans to perfectly structure his narrative to highlight our Lord’s five teaching blocks (Mt 5:1–7:29; 8:1–11:1; 11:2–13:58; 14:1–19:1; and 19:2–26:1). “The old timers will love it,” we exclaim with great joy. “They will be reminded of Moses’s five-part book that we affectionately call the Pentateuch.” With great anticipation the meeting concludes on this high note. “If anyone is going to direct a great Christmas presentation it is going to be Matthew!”

But at the next meeting we look at Matthew’s genealogy with greater scrutiny. Within moments the committee is shocked. Matthew has placed four huge eyesores into the program! Their names are Tamar (Mt 1:3), Rahab and Ruth (Mt 1:5), and a certain “wife of Uriah” (Mt 1:6). How dare Matthew go against the conventional wisdom of the day by letting women into his genealogy! One committee member sighs in frustration, “Well! If he has to include women, why not invoke the names of our three lovely matriarchs—Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel?” Another person adds this critique, “Doesn’t Matthew remember that lineage is traced through men, not women? And that the function of a genealogy is to give solemn honor to the final descendant, Jesus? Matthew breaks both of these time-honored rules!”

The chairman then asks the inevitable question, “Who picked Matthew to direct this program in the first place?”

Someone grabs a Bible and reads from Matthew 9:9, “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” The room becomes quiet enough to hear a pin drop! The reading continues with these words of Jesus, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mt 9:13). Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba demonstrate how God chooses “what is foolish in the world to shame the wise” and how he chooses “what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor 1:27). Their presence in Christ’s lineage foreshadows Jesus’s love for other outcasts like a Roman centurion’s servant (Mt 8:5-13) and a Canaanite woman’s daughter (Mt 15:21-28).

At the heart of Matthew’s genealogy is this grand gospel. Jesus loves people who are victims as well as perpetrators of family dysfunction and deceit (Tamar); who feel used and worthless (Rahab); who bury loved ones and endure the pain of leaving their homeland (Ruth); and who are used by others for pleasure only to witness the death of so many dreams (Bathsheba). In the end, these four women’s lives are amazing testimonies to what Joseph told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gn 50:20).

So Matthew knew what he was doing all along! Could this be the reason he includes this saying of Jesus, twice? “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mt 19:30; 20:16). Matthew adds a fifth woman to his genealogy—Mary.

Mary also knew about this good news that turns everything upside down. In Luke 1:52 she sings of her God, “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” Just like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, Mary’s life began with extreme disgrace and angst. “She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (Mt 1:18–19). But Mary’s life was vindicated. She became the very Mother of Immanuel, God with us (Mt 1:23; cf. Is 7:14).

Matthew’s Christmas genealogy prepares us to follow his gospel and revel in the multitude of his messages of grace. Jesus chooses fishermen instead of Pharisees, sinners instead of Sadducees, and whores instead of Herodians. Climactically, Jesus chooses thorns for his crown instead of silver and gold, and spit and blood instead of sweetness and light. His choices lead to torment and torture and darkness and death.

This led to the greatest shock of all. “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said” (Mt 28:5–6). Jesus is Life overriding death and making all things new. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Mt 21:42; cf. Ps 118:22–23).

Let’s face it. Try as we might, our Christmas pageants are never exactly perfect. Isaiah 9:2 may be misquoted, the babe’s swaddling clothes may slip off at the most inopportune moment, the Christmas tree may remind us of Charlie Brown’s sorry-looking stick, and the inn keeper may forget his lines, again! That’s okay. Let it remind you of how Matthew introduces Jesus. It is not with glitter and Hollywood glitz. There are no fireworks or fine pedigrees. Matthew doesn’t incorporate the kind of people who are finalists on American Idol. Instead, Matthew selects four broken and outcast women, who in so many ways, are just like us. No wonder he records this stunning promise just after his genealogy; “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). Thank God for the Christmas story inspired by the Holy Spirit and penned by a man named Matthew. Merry Christmas! Amen.

Posted on December 24, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Joseph’s Journey

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Christmas Eve 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 24, 2021
Matthew 1:18-2:23

Have you ever returned home after being away a long time and you find that it feels like maybe the whole trip was just a dream. You were gone for a long time, but back home everything is the same. As I sit by the fire in my little house it sort of feels like nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed – everything.

My name is Joseph, I live in a little village called Nazareth about 25 miles west of the Sea of Galilee up in the hills. I work construction by trade.

A couple of years ago I was sitting right here—–My life is all planned out. I am engaged to be married to a girl named Mary. We have been engaged since we were kids and now we have grown up and the time has come to get married. I built this little house here and look forward to bringing Mary home as my wife and raising a family.

But then I find out that Mary is pregnant. It is devastating news. I do not know who the father is — I just know that it isn’t me. There is a guy in the village I know who once told me that if his fiancée got pregnant from another guy he would drag her out into the middle of the village square, humiliate her and then stone her to death. I could never do anything like that to Mary; one sin should not need to lead to another. I figure I will just break things off quietly and slink back here to the house with my tail between my legs to lick my wounds. That is my plan when I lay down to sleep. That night a messenger from God appears to me in a dream and tells me, Matthew 1:20–21 (ESV) 20 … “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Isaiah the prophet wrote, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel means, “God with us.” I don’t know what to think. This baby inside Mary is God with us? This baby is from the Holy Spirit? His name will be Jesus? Jesus is Greek for the Hebrew name Jashawa which means YHWH saves. The LORD saves. I am not completely sure what was going on, but I know I should do what God says to do.

So I bring Mary home as my wife, but we wait to consummate the marriage until after the baby is born. I think things will be okay but it is a rough time for us both. Soon the whole village learns that Mary is pregnant and they all assume they know what happened and I can feel the dirty looks as we go to the market. But at least we have each other to lean on for love and support. And we have this miracle baby growing inside Mary to look forward to. But then Mary tells me that she has to go away for a while. Her relative, Elizabeth, an old woman who has never had children, is pregnant. That’s crazy – but, then my virgin wife is pregnant…God works in mysterious ways.

Mary leaves me alone for three months to endure the all the dirty looks alone. And they become more intense as the rumors swirl that she has left me for good.

But Mary does come home and we settle in waiting for the birth of Jesus. When I put my hand on her belly I can feel him squirming around inside and I can’t wait to meet Him.

But then the whole world is thrown into turmoil. Word reaches all the way to Nazareth from Rome. The emperor, Caesar Augustus, is ordering everyone to their home towns to be counted so Rome can better tax us. Now, I live in Nazareth, but I am a descendant from King David — not that that helps me much these days. But being from the line of David, Mary and I need to go to Bethlehem, the city of David. It’s not fair. Mary is really pregnant and is having trouble getting around. She has trouble sleeping at night because the baby has decided that is the time to be active. Now we have to walk 90 miles to Bethlehem. Mary is getting ready to give birth, I don’t have any money to travel…this couldn’t have come at a worse time.

But the emperor says to go, so we go. It is a long walk and takes many days. The roads are crowed with all the people travelling due to the census. Bethlehem is crowded. I have family here so we find a place to stay, but we are packed in pretty tight. While we are there, Mary goes into labor and the women take over helping her; they know all about the delivering babies stuff. Jesus is born, but we are unprepared. Someone finds some rags to wrap him in, but there is no bed. The cradle I made is back home in Nazareth. Someone comes up with an idea, shoos the animals away from the feed trough, cleans it out and puts in some fresh straw and a blanket and we lay this miracle baby from the Holy Spirit on a humble bed of straw in a manger.

I’m a proud papa even if I am not the real daddy. I am so happy I could just burst. I still don’t fully understand what all is going on with this baby and what the future holds, but tonight things are good. Soon there comes a knock at the door. Outside is a group of rough and tumble shepherds who are super excited and ask if we know anything about a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Someone told them that there was a woman here who was ready to give birth. We all look at each other, “How did they know?” We invite them in and bring them over to baby Jesus and they tell us this incredible story about how an angel appeared to them in the fields outside Bethlehem. The angel told them, “Luke 2:10–12 (ESV) 10 …“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And then they said a whole army of angels sang about glory to God and peace on earth.

Christ, the Lord? Christos is Greek for the Hebrew Messiah. Could it be? Is my stepson the long awaited anointed one who has come to save the Children of Israel? The others there just shake their heads at the shepherd’s crazy tale, but Mary and I know more of what is going on and I think Mary knows better than me. She just smiles knowingly while she feeds the baby. The shepherds leave, but they go all around Bethlehem telling people about baby Jesus and the angels.

We have Jesus circumcised on His eighth day of life. After 40 days we take Him to the temple for Mary’s purification and to redeem Jesus as the firstborn, remembering God passing over the Israelite houses in Egypt marked with the blood of the lamb, but killing the firstborn of the Egyptians.

While we are at the Temple we meet these two people who are there waiting for Jesus to come. It is so strange, but just another confirmation that our baby is no ordinary baby. The one guy holds the baby and says that now he has been set free, but then has a warning, Luke 2:34–35 (ESV) 34 … “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” The shepherds told us that the angels sang about peace on earth, but this peace may not be what people are expecting. This older lady is there also, and she, like the shepherds, starts telling everyone about who Jesus is.

Days pass, weeks pass, we visit with family as we wait for the census to be finished. Sometime later we get another strange visit. These peculiar magi, wizards or astrologers or something, from somewhere in the East appear at the door saying they have been following a star which is leading them to the one who has been born King of the Jews. The star stopped over our house in Bethlehem. They come into the house and they worship the baby as if He is a king or God or something. They present the baby with gifts fit for a king; gold and frankincense and myrrh. They tell us that they have been to Jerusalem to inquire about the baby and even talked to King Herod who wants them to go back to Jerusalem and tell him where the baby is so he can also come and worship. This is all way too much. We are just humble folks from Nazareth and now the King of Israel wants to come visit? That’s crazy.

That night I wake up to some noise and look outside and I see the magi sneaking out in the middle of the night. The strange thing is that Jerusalem is north but they are heading east. I lay back down to sleep. Again, an angel of the Lord appears to me in a dream and tells me, “Matthew 2:13 (ESV) 13 …“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

Whoa!! Maybe that is why the magi snuck off to the east. You hear people complain now and again how God just isn’t talking to His people anymore; that it has been hundreds of years. I’ll tell you what. God sending you messages does not make life easy. I quickly get up and get dressed. I wake Mary who gets the baby ready. I whisper to her that we need to flee to Egypt and we need to do it now, because God said to do it and if God says to do something you should do it. I wonder for a moment what we are going to do for money, but then I remember the magi’s gifts. God works in mysterious ways. We quietly slip out of town and begin our 400 mile walk to Egypt.

There is not much to say about Egypt. It is hard being a stranger in a strange land. I try to stay close to Mary and Jesus as we lay low and try not to be noticed. I am not a soldier or a spy, I am a carpenter from Nazareth and King Herod is hunting for my child. I don’t know who I can trust, so I trust no one. We live off the magi’s gifts and we get by but it is very lonely being so far from family. At least we have each other and it is great getting to watch Jesus grow and get His teeth and start to stand and walk. After a while, another angel appears to me in a dream to tell me that King Herod is dead and we can return home. So we gather our few belongings and begin the 400 mile walk back to Israel. We stop in Bethlehem and think about staying for a while, but Herod’s son Archelaus is now king there and he is crazier and more ruthless than his father, so we keep going the 90 miles more back to Nazareth. While we are in Bethlehem though, we learn horrifying news. Right after we left Bethlehem the first time, Herod sent his soldiers into town and they went house to house mercilessly slaughtering every baby boy from infants to toddlers. The families are still in shock. They looked at me with a look which I think means, “You knew what was going to happen so you left, but you didn’t warn us.” I did not know that was what Herod would do. I have no words of comfort.

Now we are finally back home in our little house in Nazareth. For how long, only God knows. Mary just put Jesus to bed and I have a moment to sit by the fire and ponder all that has happened. I thought I had my life planned out, but God had different ideas. Unexplainably, He chose me to protect God with us. Since that first visit from an angel life has not been easy, but it has been blessed. There are powerful people who hate my little son and yet the Lord provides what we need. He chose me to help take care of the Messiah who has come to save His people. The thought of that is overwhelming, I am so, so not worthy. Even more overwhelming is that this little guy, who seems so helpless asleep on His bed, is my Savior. He has come to save me from my sin. Save me and save you and save all His people. I don’t know how all that will work out, but I am confident it won’t happen the way people think it should.

Our little boy is God. with us. to save us from our sins, but so far he has not brought glory the way the world thinks of glory. I do not know what comes next, but I will do my best to do what God tells me to do and rejoice that the Messiah, the Savior has come in the person of my stepson Jesus.

Sitting here in the house it almost seems like the past couple of years are just a dream, that everything is the same. But, praise God, everything has changed. God sent His son, my son, to save me from my sins. To save you from your sins. That is the greatest gift of all. Amen.

Posted on December 19, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Mary’s Song is not about Mary

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Advent 4 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 18, 2021
Micah 5:2-5a, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-56

Imagine for a moment that you are living 300 years ago in Europe. Your father is a peasant farmer who works the land for the local prince. Your mother is a servant for a wealthy family. As soon as you are old enough you will start working in the fields if you are a boy and as a servant if you are girl. You will work six days a week and have Sundays off to attend worship services and have a day of rest. You will get married young and have lots of children who will also be peasant farmers or servants. This is your life. You are a baptized child of God and your lot in life is to be a peasant farmer or a servant. You will work hard, go to church, trust in God, and look forward to the Last Day.

The thought of being stuck as a peasant farmer or servant for generation after generation sounds terrible to our ambitious, freedom-loving American ears. And that is why I believe it can difficult to be a Christian in this nation. It can be difficult to trust in God because of the focus on individual achievement. In this nation there is a great emphasis on pursuing the American dream of making lots of money and buying a big house, and nice cars, and fancy clothes, and retiring to look in pride at all you have accumulated and accomplished. In America we love rags-to-riches stories of people who grew up poor, but through hard work and perseverance have become wealthy. We aspire to the American dream. We love the idea that if we just work hard enough and are clever enough we can become rich. And this is very possible; there is abundant opportunity in America.

And there is nothing particularly wrong with working hard and saving money and achieving things, but it has very little to do with Christianity. Christianity is not about the American dream and it is often easy to get that confused.

Today, in the Gospel reading, we hear Mary’s song. It is called the Magnificat, from the first line, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Lutherans are sometimes accused of not thinking highly enough about Mary. As we study the Magnificat, we find that Mary does not want to be highly thought of. We find from Mary’s song that Mary is not about Mary; Mary is all about God. Mary’s virtue is her humility. She is an unknown teenage girl from a nowhere village in the hills of Galilee. She is a nobody. She is not famous, she is not important, she is not rich, she does not have lots of followers on Tik Tok or Instagram. Everything that Mary has is from the Lord.

In our Gospel reading today we find pregnant Mary who has gone to visit her relative Elizabeth. Mary is a virgin, her womb should be empty, but she is going to give birth to the Savior of the world. Elizabeth is an old woman who has never been able to have a baby. Her womb should be empty, but she is six months pregnant with John the Baptist who leaps in his mother’s womb at the very presence of the unborn baby Jesus. The Lord has filled their emptiness with life.

The Lord filled their emptiness and Mary sings about this. She says, “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary does not want to talk about Mary, Mary wants to extol the Lord God Almighty. She does not say, “My soul magnifies me…my spirit rejoices in myself.” Mary is not taking a verbal selfie here.

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For he has looked on the humble estate of His servant.” Mary is a nobody from nowhere, she is of low estate and God has blessed her to be the mother of Jesus. “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” This is Mary proclaiming the greatness of God. Mary is in humble submission to the Word of God.

The Lord filled their emptiness and Mary sings about this. She says, “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary does not want to talk about Mary, Mary wants to extol the Lord God Almighty. She does not say, “My soul magnifies me…my spirit rejoices in myself.” Mary is not taking a verbal selfie here.

“His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.” Proverbs 9:10 (ESV) 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” The fear of the Lord is not a terror, but a familial fear. Like the fear of a good father. It is a reverential awe. It is a fear of knowing that the Lord is powerful and the Lord is merciful. It is the fear of knowing that God is God and you are not.

That really is the problem that so many have today and so many have had since time began. Folks do not want to believe that God is God and they are just lowly servants of the Lord. Like the children of Israel at Sinai who built the Golden Calf, folks so much want to create their own gods that let them pursue their every sinful desire. If you build your own god then you are in control. You are the one who calls the shots. People so much want to believe that they are in charge, but Mary clears this up.

“He has shown strength with his arm.” The Lord has done mighty things over the centuries to show who he is. He created the world. He destroyed the world with a flood. He killed the first born of the Egyptians and passed over the houses of the Israelites marked by the blood of the lamb. He parted the Red Sea so the children of Israel could pass through and then drowned hard-hearted Pharaoh and his armies. He sent manna and quail and water to sustain His people in the desert. Later He sent his unfaithful children into exile and then brought them back to Jerusalem. The Lord is God and He is almighty. He has worked powerful things in the past and He will do it again.

“He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts…he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.” This is a major issue for our world today. This is such a powerful temptation that it leads many astray. You so much want to believe and rely on your own thoughts instead of the Word of God. You so much want to be in charge and you are being told these days that your feelings trump the facts; that feelings are truth. You are being taught at school and at work and by the media that the most reliable source of truth is the thoughts of your heart. God disagrees. He scatters the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

When we think about Mary, the mother of our Lord, it is not about elevating Mary, it is about learning from Mary to humbly submit to the Word of God. Mary is a great witness to us of humble submission to God’s Word. When the angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she is going to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit and give birth to Jesus who will be king, Mary humbly submits to the Lord’s will, Luke 1:38 (ESV) 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” .. “Let it be to me according to your word.”

This is something you can use as a daily truism to repeat when you look in the mirror. “Let it be to me according to your word.” This is not a formula for success in this world, this is not some daily affirmation of how great you are, but rather it is a formula for faithfulness to God. “Let it be to me according to your word.”

“he has bought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” Jesus does not come to earth to prop up the status quo. He is not here to reward the rich and famous and congratulate them for their great accomplishments. Jesus is here to lift up lowly sinners. Jesus is not here to here to bring salvation to those who think they are good enough. Jesus is here to save sinners. Jesus comes to bring mercy to those who know they do not deserve God’s mercy.

Jesus does not care how much money you have. He does not care about your accomplishments in this life. Jesus cares that you have eternal life. If you are a lowly peasant farmer or you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, before God you are the same. You are a lowly sinner who needs Jesus. Jesus has come for you. You come before the Lord empty and He fills you with life. When you come to the communion rail to receive the body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, there are no distinctions; everyone at the rail hungers and thirsts for righteousness. “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.”

The Lord Jesus, God incarnate, God in flesh, is a developing little baby in the womb of a young virgin from Nazareth. Things are not what they appear. Jesus comes to bring about the great reversal. Those on the top of worldly things are brought low and those on the bottom are exalted to the highest heights.

It is so very easy to get distracted by the things of this world and start to believe that these things are most important. Jesus warns about this in Luke 8 in the parable of the sower and the seeds. The seed is the word of God. Luke 8:14 (ESV) 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

Work hard at what you have been given to do no matter how humble the task. Do what you have been given to do knowing that these good works are for this life; to serve your neighbor. Know you are a redeemed child of God, and each day look in the mirror and pray in the words of Mary, “Let it be to me according to your word.” Amen

Posted on December 12, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Things are not what they appear

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Advent 3 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 12, 2021
Zephaniah 3:20-21, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 7:18-35

A terrible and wonderful thing about Christianity is things are often not what they seem to be. For example, here you sit amongst this odd collection of people. Some you know well, some not so well, some you don’t know at all. There is that fussy child interrupting quiet moments. There the guy who sings loudly and off-key. There is that kid crawling under the pew. There are people staring up at the ceiling seemingly disconnected from what is happening. It is a strange collection of people. And they are people with secrets.

The people sitting around you do not want you to know what they have done, and you do not want them to know what you have done. This is a motley gathering of sinners, especially the sinner up front wearing the weird white robe as if he is somehow pure and holy. Looking around, this does not appear to be a holy gathering – and yet – and yet, that is exactly what it is. This is a gathering of the holy ones of God.

You are the saints of God. Despite your sin, you wear the white robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Even though you are a poor miserable sinner…even though you are, by nature, sinful and unclean, despite that, you are a saint. You don’t look like a saint. You don’t act like a saint. But you are a saint. Things are not what they appear. You are a saint because Jesus has declared you to be holy, innocent and blessed because you are washed in His blood.

Things are not what they seem to be. John the Baptist has been a faithful prophet of Jesus his whole life. He leapt in his mother’s womb at the presence of the unborn baby Jesus. John is the new Elijah who is prophesied by Isaiah and Malachi. Luke 3:4–6 (ESV) 4 … “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” John declares when he sees Jesus, John 1:29 (ESV) 29 …“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John baptizes Jesus and sees the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and hears the voice of God the Father saying Luke 3:22 (ESV) 22 … “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

John is a prophet of Jesus, the Christ. John is a bold, strong prophet who speaks the truth of God. And because of that, John is in prison. He is chained to the wall in the pitch black, stifling dungeon of Herod Antipas’ palace. John spoke the truth to Herod that it was not right for him to be sleeping with Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. John spoke the truth of God and now is in prison. Whenever he hears a guard coming to the door he does not know if they are coming to feed him or cut off his head. Things are looking very, very bad for John, this faithful prophet of Jesus.

John’s disciples send word to John that Jesus has healed a centurion’s servant and raised a widow’s son from the dead and the people are amazed. Luke 7:16 (ESV) 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” Jesus is doing incredible miracles.

You know the feeling John the Baptist is having. You have had that feeling. “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” You know the feeling of “Lord, things do not look right.”

And John sits in prison. Why?!? Why!?! Why doesn’t Jesus do something? Jesus is God in flesh. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus has the power of God, why doesn’t Jesus free John from prison? Things do not look right.

So John sends two of his disciples Luke 7:19–20 (ESV) 19 …to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to [Jesus], they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” John is saying to Jesus, “Things do not look right.”

You know the feeling John the Baptist is having. You have had that feeling. “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” You know the feeling of “Lord, things do not look right.”

You stare down at the big, red “F” on your test paper that means you have failed the test, the course and out of the major you thought was your destiny. What has happened? “Lord, things do not look right.”

You take off your wedding ring as you walk out of the courtroom. You are no longer married. Your spouse has left you, and divorced you despite all your prayers for reconciliation. “Lord, things do not look right.”

You are at the hospital bedside of a loved one who is not going to get better. You prayed for healing, but it did not come. “Lord, things do not look right.”

You are visiting your loved one who is in prison despite your prayers for them to find the right path. “Lord, things do not look right.”

You are sitting in prison and you pray to be freed. “Lord, things do not look right.”

You stand at the graveside as the casket is lowered into the ground. “Lord, things do not look right.”

Jesus’ response to John the Baptist in prison is such a powerful message to us that even when things do not look right, Jesus is still Lord. Jesus is still in control. Jesus is still on the throne. Jesus still reigns. Jesus’ gift of forgiveness first given to you in your baptism, and poured out continually in His Word and in His body and blood, is still real and still effective, even when things do not look right.

Jesus shows John’s disciples that He has the power of God; that He is the one who is to come. They do not need to look for another. Luke 7:22 (ESV) 22 And [Jesus] answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.”

That is convincing evidence that Jesus is Lord, and you have a greater sign than any of these. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus conquered death for you. Jesus died on the cross for you and rose from the dead for you. You indeed are in this world with all of its trouble and turmoil but you do not belong to this world. You are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. You are a baptized child of God so you can believe the promises of Jesus even when your experience fights against it.

Jesus greatest gift is the forgiveness of sins and this is what people are most offended by. How can Jesus forgive sins? Why do I need forgiveness? Is Jesus saying that I’m not good enough? Is Jesus calling me a sinner? It is offensive that Jesus hangs out with sinners; tax collectors and prostitutes. How can Jesus forgive those kinds of people; people who do not deserve forgiveness.

Praise be to God that Jesus forgives people who do not deserve forgiveness and calls them to follow Him. Being a follower of Jesus is not a promise of an easy life, it is a promise of forgiveness. It is a promise of eternal life. Matthew 16:24–25 (ESV) 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

John the Baptist is bearing his cross in prison. He is a faithful prophet of God and he will be beheaded. You bear the cross of the sufferings of this world and in the trouble that comes from speaking the truth in love. Life is hard. Life is a struggle. Life is short. 1 Peter 1:24–25 (ESV) 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” Things are not what they appear. This assorted collection of sinners gathered here are the holy saints of God. No matter how things may look, God’s promise to you remains. You are a forgiven child of God. You are an eternal citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.

Posted on November 28, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Everyone Loves a Parade

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Advent 1 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
November 28, 2021
Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 19:28-40

Some parades, like the July 4th parade, mark an annual remembrance; other parades mark the beginning of something, such as the opening day parade for the Reds.

This past Thursday the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City marked both an annual remembrance and the beginning of something. It is the annual celebration of the National Day of Thanksgiving and, perhaps more importantly for Macy’s, the kickoff of the Christmas shopping season as the final float carrying Old St. Nicholas takes up the rear. The parade gets you ready for Black Friday; the day after Thanksgiving, on which the retailers hope you spend lots of money.

In our Gospel reading today we have a parade down the Mount of Olives and into Jerusalem. Jesus is riding a young donkey down the hill while His followers lay their cloaks on the road so the colt does not step on the dirt. This parade down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem marks the beginning of the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. This parade marks a great transition for Jesus as He comes into Jerusalem to fulfill His calling on that dark Friday we call Good on which this King riding a donkey colt is sacrificed for the sins of the world.

At Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem angels announce to the shepherds Luke 2:10–12 (ESV) 10 … “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. An army of angels sings, Luke 2:14 (ESV) 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

A baby’s birth announced by angels. This baby is the Christ. Christ is Jesus’ title. He is the anointed one. The chosen one. When the Magi come to Jerusalem they ask around, Matthew 2:2 (ESV) 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Herod the Great, who thinks he is king of the Jews, is not pleased with the news there is a new King of the Jews and he plots to kill Him. Jesus’ stepfather Joseph is warned to escape and flees by night with Jesus and Mary to Egypt.

Now, in broad daylight, Jesus parades on a donkey down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem to shouts of, Luke 19:38 (ESV) 38 … “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” And words that echo the angels’ song at Jesus’ birth, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Angels announce Jesus’ birth. Crowds announce Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. The Pharisees want Jesus to shut them up, but there is no quieting the announcement of Jesus as King. Luke 19:40 (ESV) 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” And that is what happens.

At the end of the week Jesus is crowned and put on His throne. The governor declares Him to be “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews” and when His followers are silenced by grief and fear, the rocks indeed cry out as Jesus breathes His last. Matthew 27:51 (ESV) 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” Jesus accomplishes what He came to do.

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Advent means coming into place; arrival. Today we hear about Jesus’ advent in Jerusalem at the beginning of that fateful week. He comes into place by riding a donkey into the city as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” A donkey is the mount of a king who is coming in peace. Jesus has been on the way to Jerusalem and the cross for His whole ministry and now the time has come for Jesus to bring peace between God and man. Jesus has arrived.

As we begin the advent season and prepare to celebrate Jesus’ arrival on the scene as a baby in Bethlehem 33 years earlier, today we fast forward to the reason for the advent of our King. The birth, announced to lowly shepherds told to search for a baby lying in a manger, gives us a clue to what kind of king Jesus is. Jesus is the servant King, the suffering King, the sacrificial Lamb of God King. He is the King crowned with thorns and enthroned on the cross to accomplish His most glorious work of paying for the sins of the whole world.

This Advent season we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus and this is good. But, I fear, sometimes we can get so focused on Bethlehem, the city of David, that we forget that this son of David has a terrible, wonderful mission to accomplish in Jerusalem. Today, as we begin this new Church year, we focus on the goal of Jesus’ coming as God in flesh. Jesus came to die for your sins and rise from the dead to conquer death for you.

Advent is a busy season. As we look forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth, we also remember Jesus coming to Jerusalem as the sacrifice for sins, and look forward to Jesus coming again on the Last Day. We look forward to that day when Jesus and His parade of angels come to earth to raise the dead and ready the living in preparation for the judgment and eternal life in heaven for those clothed in Christ.

This beginning of a new church year we are reminded that Jesus came into our crazy, sin-filled world of turmoil to bring peace between God and man. Jesus brings peace between God and you. This morning Jesus comes to you in His Word declaring your sins forgiven. He comes to you in His body and blood to unite with you and strengthen you and preserve you in true faith. He comes to bring you the peace of God which is beyond understanding.

Jesus’ mounted parade on Palm Sunday marks the end of His ministry of preparing people for His coming to Jerusalem, it marks the beginning of Holy Week which brings Jesus’ teaching at the temple, the Last Supper where Jesus transforms the Passover meal into the Lord’s Supper, it brings Jesus arrest and trial, His abuse and condemnation before Pontius Pilate, His crucifixion, death and burial, His rest in the tomb, and His resurrection from the dead on Sunday morning.

Today, and throughout the year, we remember what Jesus came to do, what He continues to come into our midst to do, and we look forward to what He will come again in glory to do, for you, for eternity. Amen.

Posted on November 21, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Post and Orders, Remain as Directed

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Last Sunday of the Church Year 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
November 21, 2021
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Revelation 1:4b-8, Mark 13:24-37

If you get a chance to visit our Nation’s Capital, one thing not to miss is the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

According to the cemetery website, “The Tomb Guard marches exactly 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns, faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, then takes 21 steps down the mat and repeats the process. (The number 21 symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed, the 21-gun salute.) Next, the Sentinel executes a sharp “shoulder-arms” movement to place the weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors, signifying that he or she stands between the Tomb and any possible threat.”

Every hour, on the hour, in the slow tourist season, and every half hour in the peak season there is the changing of the guard. “The relief commander conducts a detailed white-glove inspection of the weapon, checking each part of the rifle once. Then, the relief commander and the relieving Sentinel meet the retiring Sentinel at the center of the black mat in front of the Tomb. All three salute the Unknown Soldiers who have symbolically been given the Medal of Honor. The relief commander orders the relieved Sentinel, “Pass on your orders.” The current Sentinel commands, “Post and orders, remain as directed.” The newly posted Sentinel replies, “Orders acknowledged,” and steps into position on the mat. When the relief commander passes, the new Sentinel begins walking at a cadence of 90 steps per minute.

Post and orders, remain as directed — Orders acknowledged.

Jesus commands His disciples, Jesus commands you, Mark 13:33 (ESV) 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.

There on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem, Jesus puts His disciples on guard duty because judgment day is coming. He gives them orders “Be on guard, keep awake.”

Mark 13:34–37 (ESV) 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

Jesus is preparing His disciples because He is going to go away for a time. After His crucifixion and resurrection, He will ascend into heaven and sit at the right hand of the Father. But He is coming back. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. Jesus is coming back, and you don’t know when. Jesus is coming back for judgment. This is a sobering thought. Jesus is coming back any day now. You need to be ready for Jesus to return. As a baptized child of God you have been declared perfect and holy by Jesus. You have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. You are ready for Jesus to return. But it is taking so long.

You want to be ready, you want to stay ready, but it has been so long. It has been 1,993 years, 728,000 some days. It has been so long and yet “post and orders remain as directed”. Jesus’ instructions to His disciples are still in force. “Be on guard, keep awake.”

As you wait for Jesus’ return — as the Church waits for Jesus’ return, it is far too easy to let down your guard, forget about the ways of God, and give in to the ways of the world. As an individual saint of God, and as the Church on earth, you are given your work to do — to love God and love your neighbor in all that you do. And so you do what you have been given to do. You do what God has given you to do, not in order to make yourself good enough for Jesus, but because Jesus has already made you a saint.

You are a saint of God, holy and blameless, covered by the righteousness of Jesus, and, at the same time, you are a sinner. You are a sinner who struggles mightily with temptations and evil desires. You are, at the same time, saint and sinner. So stay awake. It is possible to lose your faith. It is far too easy to fall away because it is the path of least resistance. It is so very tempting to just give in and instead of staying awake, to fall asleep spiritually, and just go with the flow and become a part of the multitudes living according to the ways of the devil, the world and their own sinful desires. So be on guard. Know you are a sinner. Know the devil’s favorite bait to try to trap you. Fight sin and temptation in your thoughts before they become sinful words and deeds. Because, as we read in James 1:15 (ESV) 15 …desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

So, as a saint who is also a sinner, “Be on guard, keep awake.” Stay ready for Jesus to return. Live each day knowing today could be the day. Knowing that today could be the last day, stay alert. Do what you have been given to do. Avoid doing things you would be ashamed of if Jesus returned. Live out each day, not in terror, but in reverent awe and anticipation, motivated to bring the Good News of salvation in Jesus to a world that is asleep in sin.

As an individual saint, and as the Church on earth, you must stay awake and remain on guard. Being on guard does not mean that you retreat from the world and hide. As the Church we remain open and welcoming to sinners needing forgiveness. We welcome sinners, but we do not welcome new teachings that contradict Holy Scripture. And so we read and study the scriptures in order to know what is genuine.

The Christian church is 1,993 years old. There have been saints on guard duty that whole time welcoming sinners to the font of forgiveness and keeping out false teachings. It has been a long and arduous journey, and the journey continues.

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church and School of Hamilton, Ohio, has been in existence for 125 years with saints on guard duty, staying awake and watching for Jesus to return. The guard has changed over the years, a number of times. For now, you and I are on guard duty. We are the ones to stay awake and remain on guard. If Jesus does not return soon, there will be another changing of the guard. We will pass the orders to the next generation, “Post and orders remain as directed.”

Be on guard against sin and evil and falsehood. 1 John 4:1 (ESV) 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

The world around you is full of evil and confusion. The devil, the world and your own sinful nature want to pull you down into the selfish darkness so you forget who you are in Jesus. The world wants you to look inside of yourself for identity and meaning, but inside of you is empty. Your identity comes from outside. Your identity comes from the Creator of the Universe who has marked you as His own child in the waters of baptism and declared you to be His own. Because you have been marked as a child of God, the world hates you and wants to pressure you to conform. If they cannot pressure you they will try to force you to conform.

In the time of the early church, as detailed in the Martyrdom of Polycarp, the Roman authorities would go to people and make them burn a pinch of incense to a small bust of Caesar and say, “Caesar is lord.” People had to do this in order to get their necessary documents to work or go to school, and to avoid punishment. Faithful Christians would refuse. Sometimes the Romans would just let the stubborn Christians languish without jobs or schooling. Other times they would make examples of the Christians. The faithful would be arrested and fed to the lions in the arena to entertain the people.

As an individual saint of God, and as the Church on earth, you must reject the world’s pressure, reject the world’s demands and live in the love of Jesus. Romans 12:2 (ESV) 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Nowadays, companies and schools and government officials are not looking for you to burn incense and say, “Caesar is lord.” Now, one of the ways they try to force you to conform is by demanding that you wear a rainbow flag sticker on your badge and say, “marriage is the union of any two people,” and “a man is a woman and a woman is a man.” And if you refuse to comply, if you dare say marriage is the lifelong union of a man and a woman; if you dare say men are men and women are women, you can lose your job, be kicked out of school, or be punished some other way. In some countries you can be arrested. If you dare say that Jesus is the only way to salvation you can be banned from polite society. The goal is to force you to conform to the world.

As an individual saint of God, and as the Church on earth, you must reject the world’s pressure, reject the world’s demands and live in the love of Jesus. Romans 12:2 (ESV) 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The guards at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier do the same thing over and over and over again, and no one says, “That’s boring, they should do something different.” As saints of God, as the Church on earth, you do the same things over and over and over. You confess your sins and receive forgiveness. You take into your body the Body and Blood of Jesus given and shed for you. You will do this over and over and over, until the Master returns or the changing of the guard.

The pressure to give up on Jesus and and give in to the world is as intense as ever. Many have fallen away; many will fall away, believing they are the wise ones. Be on guard. Keep awake. Abide in Christ. You do not know when the master is returning. Stay awake. “Post and orders, remain as directed. Orders acknowledged.” Amen.

Posted on November 7, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

What comes next?

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All Saints’ Day (observed) 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
November 7, 21021
Revelation 7:9-17, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12

It was a Wednesday. April 6, 1966. It was a momentous day, at least for me. It was the day that, against my will, I was forced from the warm, watery confines of my mother’s womb into the bright, antiseptic environment of the maternity ward at Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Up to this point I had the constant, comforting beat of my mother’s heart to keep me company. I could hear my mother’s muffled voice and voices of others around her. I had a blurry vision but could see the glow of bright lights. Depending on what mom had for dinner I could taste it in the fluid surrounding me. It was a wonderful life inside the womb. It was the only life I knew.

But then I had to come out into the world. I did not want to come out, but I came out into the world anyway, and it was not an easy trip. I do not remember much about that day, but I am sure it was traumatic. I probably cried and wet myself.

Birth is horrible and birth is wonderful. It transports you to the next stage of your existence.

You have been born, and you now live life in this world. You can see things more clearly. You can hear things more distinctly. You can taste the nuances of food and drink. You can feel the sun on your face and feel love from other people. You are pretty invested in this life. The joys and the struggles. The triumphs and the tragedies. The excitement of life and the drudgery of day by day existence. It is all you know as you live here in the womb of this life preparing to be birthed into the next life.

On All Saint’s Day you think about what is next. After your time here in this life, what awaits you? This is a question that has perplexed people from the beginning. What happens after you die?

Like a baby in the womb who thinks he is living his best life now, too often you can think that you are living your best life now, but you are wrong. The best is yet to come. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed here does not mean happy. Blessed means you are blessed for eternity. You are blessed with eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. You are blessed to have all your sins covered by the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. You are blessed to be destined to spend eternity with the Lord in the Heavenly City of New Jerusalem.

The best is yet to come and yet that is so easy to forget. It is far too easy to get so focused on the things of this life that death seems to be the absolute worst thing that can ever happen. Death can become terrifying. And so you try to deny death; ignore death; pretend that you are immortal. You want to stay insulated from death, and yet death is an ever present companion. Indeed, you walk through the valley of the shadow of death but you want to imagine that the shadow is not there. Today we remember those who died this last year, and before, and we are reminded that death is coming for each of us.

Death is horrible and death is wonderful. Death transports you to the next stage of your existence. Death is a step on the journey of your existence from creation to eternity in the Heavenly City where you will live in the presence of the Lord forever.

Stay alert. The devil, the world and your own sinful flesh want you forget about the life to come and to focus only on the here and now. They want you to give up eternal life for the things of this life.

In the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou” there is a guitar player who claims he sold his soul to the devil in order to become a talented musician. In movies and television there are many variations on this theme of selling your soul to gain something. You see this and think, “I would never do that!” but it is amazing to see for how little people are willing to sell their eternal souls. What keeps people away from gathering to hear the Good News of forgiveness and receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus? What gets people started on a habitual absence from the Body of Christ? Staying out too late on Saturday night? Wanting an extra hour of sleep? A lazy morning? The repeated plan to get to church next week that never actually happens? Life getting so busy you cannot squeeze one more thing in? People give up Jesus for the fleeting things of this world.

We are all sinners who need a savior. Salvation is freely given by Jesus to all people but so many who hear this Good News, so many who confess the Good News, get distracted by the busyness of life and the deceitfulness of wealth and they turn their backs on Jesus. It is so very tempting to give up Jesus to pursue the things of this world because we lose sight of the life to come. We get so focused on glory in this life we forget about the cross of Christ which brings you to the next life.

As followers of Jesus you are in the world but you cannot be of the world. Your identity is as a baptized child of God. You are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. You have been born again of water and the Spirit. You are in this world, but this is not your home. For now you live in this world and you do what you have been given to do. You manage God’s gifts to you, but you also know this life is short. Job 14:1–2 (ESV) 1 “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. 2 He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not. 1 Peter 1:24–25 (ESV) 24 … “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”

The Word of the Lord remains forever. Your body will not. You have been born of your mother and then born again in water and the Spirit. Unless Jesus returns soon, you will die, but because you are clothed in the robe of Jesus’ righteousness you will not experience the second death of eternity in Hell. You have the eternal word of the Lord.

Your body will, one day, be buried in the ground and return to the earth. Dust you are and to dust you shall return. When you die your remains are buried in the ground and your spirit goes to be with the Lord as you rest in peace awaiting the final resurrection of your body on the last day when you will be raised up imperishable. Folks have so many ideas of what things will be like in the afterlife, but we really do not know much about what life will be like in the Heavenly City of New Jerusalem. We know even less about the intermediate time between your death and resurrection. You do not now know what that existence will be like, but one day you will know.

The Word of the Lord remains forever. Your body will not. You have been born of your mother and then born again in water and the Spirit. Unless Jesus returns soon, you will die, but because you are clothed in the robe of Jesus’ righteousness you will not experience the second death of eternity in Hell. You have the eternal word of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV) 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

For now you get only get Biblical glimpses of your future in the Heavenly City. Revelation 7:9–12 (ESV) 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Life in the Heavenly City will be beyond what you can now understand. Like a baby in the womb you do not know what the next life will be like, but you have God’s promise that it will be paradise. You know that wearing the white robe of Jesus’ righteousness you will be one of the Saints who go marching in through the pearl gates on the Judgment Day. For now, you live your life as a stranger in this world, sealed with the blood of Jesus, trusting in the promise of life in the next. Remembering those who have fought the good fight of faith we feebly struggle waiting for the breaking of the yet more glorious day when we will be raised to eternal life in the Lord. And you confess with St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:55–57 (ESV) 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Posted on October 31, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

The Gospel is Scary

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Reformation Day 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 31, 2021
Rev. 14:6-7, Romans 3:19-28, John 8:31-36

This time of year there are lots of scary thing used to decorate; skeletons and ghosts and witches and spiders. For some, Halloween has become a time to try to make your house as scary as possible. But, for some, October 31 is scary for different reasons.

October 31, the eve of All Saint’s Day, All Hallows Eve, is an important date for Lutherans because this is the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door at All Saint’s Church in Wittenberg, Germany in protest of the selling of indulgences.

For many people, what Luther did was pretty scary and not because he was dressed up as a zombie or something. Luther just wanted folks to know that you are saved by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you and not by anything that you buy or do. Jesus died and rose for you and gives you the gift of forgiveness and eternal life in baptism, in the Word of God and in Holy Communion.

For so many, this Good News is terrifying. Many churches are afraid of the Gospel. They believe it is dangerous to let people know that they are saved by grace alone and not by what they do. How are you going to motivate people to do what you want them to do? How are you going to coerce people to give money to support the church? How are you going to control the people? They will just go wild.

Without the Good News of the free gift of forgiveness you can tell people that they will be saved if they give enough money; if they volunteer enough, if they pay the proper respect to the leaders, if they are good enough. And if you are not good enough or do enough or give enough there are penalties you need to pay in order to make up for your shortfall. They are afraid of the Gospel because they fear losing control.

Some churches are afraid of the Good News that Jesus died and rose from the dead for the forgiveness of your sins, because if Jesus forgives sin it means that there really is sin and it means that Jesus really is Lord; really is God in flesh. This is frightening because it means that Jesus has authority. It means that Jesus is in charge and you are not. It means you cannot erase the parts of the Bible you do not like.

It scares people to know that Jesus truly is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him because that means that religions that deny that Jesus is the exclusive way, truth and life are false religions. It is frightening because it means Jesus is God and not just a nice teacher or a wise philosopher that you can ignore if you choose. These Churches really want to keep Jesus at arm’s length; keep Him at a safe distance so He does not have any real effect on you. They are afraid of the Gospel because they fear losing control.

For individuals, the Gospel can be quite terrifying. The Good News that Jesus paid the price for your sins on the cruel cross of Calvary means that God really does take sin seriously; God takes your sin seriously. It means that you really are a sinner and you really need Jesus. The Gospel is scary because it means that you are not good enough on your own. You are dependent on Jesus.

This is hard, disturbing news to take in. You need a savior because you are a sinner and the wages of sin are death and Hell. As much as you may try to pretend that everything is okay, you know truth about yourself. Jesus also knows the truth about you. Jesus knows all your sins and failings – even your secret sins. You can, at times, pretend that you are good enough, that you do enough, that you give enough. Or you might rationalize that you are not perfect but you are so much better than a lot of those other people. You can pretend and rationalize, but God’s law breaks through any self-righteousness with the hard truth. If you say you have no sin you deceive yourself and the truth is not in you. The Gospel can be frightening because you fear losing control.

But you know the truth. You know trying to be good enough is not working. Trying to do enough is not working. Trying to give enough is not working. In the darkness of your despair over sin and failure, the Good News of Jesus’ forgiveness breaks through with the light of Christ.

Jesus comes for sinners — sinners like you. Jesus comes to be the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. As a baptized follower of Jesus you are marked with the blood of the Lamb. You belong to Christ. John 8:36 (ESV) 36 … if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Your sins are forgiven by Jesus. Out of His great love for you God the Father sent His Son to be the sacrifice — to be the propitiation by His blood. Jesus makes God view you as holy. By drinking the cup of God’s wrath to its bitter dregs, Jesus appeases God’s anger at your sin and through His cleansing forgiveness changes God’s attitude toward you from anger to love. You are saved by grace. You receive what you do not deserve. Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” In baptism Jesus makes you a part of Himself. You are a member of Jesus. You are a part of the Body of Christ.

The Gospel is pure gift and this can be daunting for adults. Little children can receive a gift freely without any sense that they need give a gift in return. Adults receiving a gift so often feel an obligation to make things even.

But with God, there is no way to make things even. You are forgiven by God out of His love. You cannot pay Him back. God’s love is out of your control. God’s love is messy. God’s love and freedom in Christ does not come with a clear cut set of rules. Freedom in Christ is messy. God’s love is messy, but it is a wonderful mess. God loves sinners like you and me. God loves sinners so much He sent Jesus to pay for sin and you cannot repay God. Like a helpless child you just receive God’s love. Give up trying to make things even with God and instead bask in God’s love and forgiveness and allow this love and forgiveness to so permeate your life that love and forgiveness flow out from you to others.

The Good News of God is disturbing to so many because of all the implications of personal helplessness and God’s authority. But the Good News is not scary. The Good News is Good News. The Good News that Jesus has died for you is the precious medicine of God’s love for you.

Live in Christ. Live in His forgiveness. Live in His love. Live in His Church. In love, do what you have been given to do. God has prepared good works for you to do. Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

God has works for you to do, however, good works do not precede salvation; they follow. Good works do not earn forgiveness, rather good works flow out of God’s love and forgiveness for you. Works done to earn salvation are not good works because the motivation is wrong.

The Good News of God is disturbing to so many because of all the implications of personal helplessness and God’s authority. But the Good News is not scary. The Good News is Good News. The Good News that Jesus has died for you is the precious medicine of God’s love for you.

Attempting to begin a discussion about the sale of indulgences, Martin Luther unexpectedly started a reformation. He brought back the Gospel which was being lost as church leaders obscured it in order to better control people and raise money. Luther renewed the Bible’s teaching that you are not in control. God is in control. God is God and you are not.

Even though it frightens many, we delight in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to fear. You know the pure truth of God. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the price for your sins and gain for you eternal life. You are justified by faith apart from the works of the law. It is not about you, it is about Jesus for you. Amen.

Posted on October 24, 2021 by pastorkevinjud

Road Trip with Jesus

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Pentecost 22 2021
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 24, 2021

Anyone else get excited about a road trip? New things to see, new people to meet, new areas to explore. Jesus has been on a different kind of road trip since Mark, chapter 8. Jesus’ road trip will bring him to Jerusalem where, as He tells His disciples, Mark 8:31 (ESV) 31 … the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.” What kind of road trip is this? Peter rejects this idea and rebukes Jesus for His negative talk. Jesus has to set Peter straight and then tells the others. Mark 8:34 (ESV) 34 …“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

On this road trip Jesus goes to the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James and John and then back to His disciples where He heals a boy with an unclean spirit. Together they walk through Galilee and Jesus tells them again, Mark 9:31 (ESV) 31 …, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

The disciples do not understand. Instead they are concerned about which one of them is the greatest. Jesus tells them, Mark 9:35 (ESV) 35 … “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Along the way Jesus teaches about sin and temptation. His road trip goes across the Jordan to the east side and there He stops for a while and teaches. The disciples try to keep children away from Jesus because children are not important, but they allow a rich young man come right up to Jesus. Jesus teaches them that God does not care if you are rich, but he does care about children. Mark 10:15 (ESV) 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

They get back on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus leads the way and the disciples and others follow; they are amazed and afraid that Jesus is still continuing to Jerusalem.

A third time Jesus tells what will happen, Mark 10:33 (ESV) 33 …“See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles.”

You would think that this would focus the disciples on the nature of this road trip, but not James and John. They come up to Jesus and ask Him to do whatever they ask Him to do. Jesus asks, Mark 10:36 (ESV) 36 … “What do you want me to do for you?” The brothers say to Jesus, Mark 10:37 (ESV) 37 “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus must just shake His head. Jesus’ glory will be suffering and dying on the cross with two criminals crucified on His right and His left. Jesus tells James and John that they do not know what they are asking and teaches about true greatness. Mark 10:43–45 (ESV) 43 … whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus leads the disciples and the others across the Jordan River to Jericho. Jericho is 825 feet below sea level. Jesus leads the disciples and the others through Jericho and out the other side on the road to Jerusalem which climbs up 3,300 feet over 18 miles. The road will take them through rugged, desolate wilderness up to the City of Peace; Jeru – shalom.

Jesus’ road trip is quite different from most road trips today. Now, we take a car out on the open road at 70 miles an hour. Jesus is walking on the stone and dirt roads maybe three miles an hour. At 70 with the windows up and music on, you see things whiz by outside, but you are not connected to them. If someone outside tries to talk to you, you will not hear them.

As Jesus walks out of Jericho with His disciples and a great crowd they walk past a blind beggar sitting on the side of the road. This helpless man calls out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus’ road trip is not a trip of glory as we think of glory. It is not a trip where Jesus is visiting the rich and noble people and staying at their fancy villas insulated from the common folk. Jesus comes for the little children, the outcast and downtrodden. Jesus comes for sinners who know they need a savior. Jesus comes for the poor in spirit who know they cannot save themselves.

The blind beggar, Bartimaeus, cries out to Jesus, and the people around him tell him to shut up. Who is this worthless, sorry excuse for a man to think he can talk to Jesus, the famous teacher? The people try to silence him, but Bartimaeus knows Jesus is Lord, Jesus is King. “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus hears the blind beggar and stops along the road outside of Jericho and the whole parade of the disciples and the great crowd behind Him stops. Jesus says, “Call him,” and they tell Bartimaeus, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”

Bartimaeus is likely sitting with his cloak folded in his lap to collect money from those who pass by. He throws off the cloak, coins clattering on the ground, and jumps up to get to Jesus. Jesus says to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” It is the same question He asked James and John after they demand that Jesus do whatever they ask of Him. But Bartimaeus is different. Bartimaeus is not seeking glory, he only cries out for Jesus to have mercy on Him and now Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” Mark 10:52 (ESV) 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.” Jesus says, “Go your way,” and Bartimaeus follows Jesus up the desert road to Jerusalem.

This road is not a road of glory. This road is not easy. Like the road from Jericho to Jerusalem it is often an uphill slog with tribulation and evil and illness and injury and death. Following Jesus is not the ticket to a life of ease.

This morning you gather together here and sing out, “Lord for mercy” and you receive mercy. You come in need of forgiveness, and forgiveness is given to you by Jesus in the words of absolution, and in His Body and Blood at His altar. You come as followers of Jesus and you are refreshed for the journey.

Today Jesus is still on a road trip to Jerusalem — the Heavenly City of New Jerusalem — and He calls you to follow Him. You have been on this trip with Jesus since your baptism into Christ. You follow in His footsteps. As a forgiven sinner you delight in God’s will and walk in His way. The road runs right through your midst; this stone path running from the altar down the center aisle of the church and into the narthex and out the door into the world – this is the road on which you follow Jesus. Jesus is in your midst. You all are the body of Christ on earth. You are a follower of Jesus, so, with Jesus, you walk this road, out of this building into the world, to follow Jesus on your road trip from the waters of the font all the way to the River of Life in the Heavenly City.

This road is not a road of glory. This road is not easy. Like the road from Jericho to Jerusalem it is often an uphill slog with tribulation and evil and illness and injury and death. Following Jesus is not the ticket to a life of ease. Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me.” You are on a lifelong road trip following Jesus through this life. It is an uphill, wilderness road where you love your neighbor, even love your enemy, as you follow Jesus through life in this sin-filled world.

Like Peter, James and John, it is so easy to get distracted by the things of this world as if they are most important. The world wants you to chase after every new, shiny thing. The world wants to elevate your feelings above truth and commitment. The world wants you to seek after glory for yourself as the greatest good. Jesus calls you to follow Him on the road to Jerusalem, and so you come here each week and sit by the side of the road and call out, “Lord, have mercy,” and He does, and you follow Jesus. Amen.