faith – Page 5 – From the Pulpit

Posted on January 26, 2025 by pastorkevinjud

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Epiphany 3 2025
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
January 26, 2025
Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, 8–10, 1 Corinthians 12:12–31a, Luke 4:16–30

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The most monumental occurrence in all the history of the world is happening, but it is happening so quietly at first and then grows with bursts of excitement followed by long periods of silence. An angel appears to a young woman in Nazareth to let her know that she would be the mother of the Son of God. Joseph is told by an angel in a dream. Unborn John the Baptist and his mother Elizabeth rejoice at Jesus’ presence when Mary comes to visit. It is all very quiet. But then on the night of Jesus’ birth the big event is announced by an angel along with an army of angels to shepherds near Bethlehem. The shepherds spread the Good News. At the Temple, Simeon and Anna recognize the newborn Christ and spread the word. The Magi from the East follow a star to the one born King of the Jews. At twelve years old Jesus is back at the Temple and you wonder if any of the teachers have an inkling that this boy is the Christ. And then 18 years of quiet until Jesus heads down to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Afterwards… Luke 3:21–22 (ESV) 21 … the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The witnesses must be astonished and tell everyone what they saw. The people of Capernaum see Jesus drive out demons and perform miracles and the news of Jesus and what He is teaching and doing spreads all around Galilee.

And then Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, a small village 30 miles west of Capernaum. The people of Nazareth have heard about all what their home town boy is doing in Capernaum and the surrounding areas. They have heard of the teachings and the driving out of demons and the healing of the sick and even turning water into wine. They have wondered when will Jesus come home to visit His family so they can see Him face to face and watch Him do some miracles and other amazing things? And now He is here. Jesus is here…in Nazareth…on the Sabbath…at the synagogue. He stands up and slowly walks to the center of the synagogue to read and is handed a scroll from the prophet Isaiah. A murmur is heard from those seated on the three levels of stone benches surrounding the central floor. Jesus sets the scroll on the reading platform and rolls through it until He comes to this passage.

Luke 4:18–19 (ESV) 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

What does this mean? Why did He read that section? Is that all? Jesus rolls up the scroll and hands it to the attendant and sits down. All eyes are on him. What will He do next? Luke 4:21 (ESV) 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus is saying. Luke 4:18–19 (ESV) 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus announces that He is the one Isaiah is talking about. He declares in His hometown synagogue that He is the Holy One of God, the Christ, the Messiah. He has been doing amazing things in Capernaum and the surrounding area. He has been driving out demons and healing the sick and infirm. Crazy things happened when He was baptized in the Jordan. They have heard all that Jesus has done and now they just heard Jesus declare He is the fulfillment of prophecy. This is incredible. This is an historic moment. This is amazing. But hold on. Hang on just one minute here. We know this guy. How is it that this guy is declaring Himself to be the Messiah?

Jesus knows what they want. They do not want to take Jesus’ word that He is the Messiah; they want Him to prove it; to do something miraculous right here. The people of Nazareth have known Jesus His whole life and now He takes a trip down to the Jordan to get baptized and comes back claiming to be the Messiah. Who does this guy think He is? It is said that familiarity breeds contempt. The people of Nazareth think they know everything about Jesus, but they are missing the most important thing. And so, when Jesus declares He is the anointed one, they want Jesus to give them a show.

There is a danger of becoming so familiar with Jesus that you forget the most important thing. Jesus’ name gets used in so many ways. People use it as an expletive to replace foul language. His name is tossed around as if it had no value or power. Politicians and celebrities will invoke Jesus to try to bolster their positions on various political and social issues, but rarely, if ever, do they talk about who Jesus is and what has He come to do. They use Jesus but lose that Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. They use Jesus for their own purposes, but forget that Jesus came to save sinners like themselves. Many people claim to be Christians, followers of Jesus, but live like unbelievers. They view God’s commands as mild suggestions at best. People reduce Jesus and become so familiar with their reduced Jesus that they get confused and forget who Jesus is and what He has done. In our society we have a therapeutic Jesus, a life coach Jesus, a political Jesus, a social justice Jesus and so many others. So many ways that Jesus is reduced to fit people’s desires. The people of Nazareth desire for Jesus to do a show for them to prove what He is saying, but that is not how Jesus operates. They get angry and try to kill Jesus and then they get their miracle as Jesus just walks away.

With Jesus coming in the flesh as a baby in Bethlehem it can be easy to forget that Jesus is Lord. Jesus looks like a regular guy and it can be hard to remember He is God in flesh. He is the savior from sin. You have heard all that Jesus has done. That he died and rose from the dead. You know Jesus is God in flesh, but there is a great temptation to want Jesus to be a manageable Jesus; a Jesus you can control. Not Jesus, Lord of the universe, but my Jesus, my assistant, my helper, who does what I tell Him to do. The temptation is to want a Jesus who is all about helping you to be successful in life; a Jesus who is an accessory rather than Jesus, Lord of your life.

There is a similar danger with the Word of God. When Jesus reads the scroll in the synagogue in Nazareth there is likely one copy of the scriptures in town. Scrolls were hand copied and cost as much as a house. That was the case until Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press around 1454. Even then a Gutenberg Bible cost around three years’ wages so normal folks could never afford it. So, just like the people of Nazareth, until fairly recently with the industrial revolution and lower printing costs, coming to weekly worship to hear the Bible read was your only way to learn the Word of God. The Bible at Church was precious; it was the only one in town.

Over the years printing technology has evolved and now Bibles are printed in abundance. You can purchase on at the dollar store. What used to cost three years wages can now be had for less than 10 minutes wages. You can download a Bible app on your phone for free. Bibles are plentiful. There is such an abundance that you can start to forget how precious the Word of God is. There is a danger that with Holy Scripture being so abundant we take it for granted and forget its value and power. Just like with Jesus. We can start to think we know all about Jesus and forget His power and value. We can forget the reason Jesus came to earth.

At Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon him and the voice of God the Father said, Luke 3:22 (ESV) 22 … “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus. He is the anointed one to proclaim good news to the poor. Jesus is the Messiah come to set the people free from bondage to sin, death and the devil. As He travelled, Jesus would often free people in physical bondage to sickness and demon possession. This was amazing and miraculous work by Jesus, but this is not the main reason Jesus came. His physical healings point us to Him freeing all people from the spiritual bondage to sin and death that has bound people since Adam and Eve fell. Through His sacrificial death and His conquering resurrection, Jesus frees the whole creation.

Jesus is God in flesh, God with us who has come to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. He is the Lord Almighty. He is Prince of Peace. He is the King of Kings. He is Immanuel, God with us. Stay on guard against letting being God with us make him so familiar that you forget He is God with us and reduce Jesus to your helper instead of your savior.

That is what makes weekly worship so powerful. Here you remember what Jesus has done for you. Here, as you gather in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, you remember that you are a child of God adopted in baptism and set apart from the multitude of unbelievers. Gathered together, you hear God’s Word of forgiveness and love. Here you receive the Body and Blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Here you remember the power and value of God’s Word, the power and value of His sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, and most of all the power and value and Lordship of His Son, your Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is Lord and Savior. He is almighty God who has come to save you. Amen.

Posted on December 8, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

God’s Bulldozer

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Advent 2 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 8, 2024
Malachi 3:1-7b, Philippians 1:2-11, Luke 3:1-20

John the Baptist is sent by God on a mission of earth moving; a mission of roadbuilding. Fulfilling the words of Isaiah the prophet John is… 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 is sent by God to fill valleys and level mountains. John is God’s earthmover…God’s bulldozer. His job is to prepare the way of the Lord. John is God’s bulldozer.

No, it may just be my inner six year old boy talking, but bulldozers are pretty cool. I love to watch the bulldozers on the gold mining shows. Bulldozers are incredibly powerful. A small Caterpillar D1 dozer weighs 9 tons and costs over $200,000. It is 80 horsepower and can push about 2 tons of dirt at a time. The Cat D11 dozer is a behemoth 850 horsepower, 114 tons and costs over $2 million. It can push 45 tons of dirt with a blade 20 feet wide and 7 feet high. I enjoy watching the big dozers moving tons of earth to get down to the gravel pay layer where the miners hope to find gold.

Sometimes they get down a ways in the overburden and find a rock hard layer of permafrost. The blade of even the biggest dozer cannot penetrate this layer so the miners deploy a ripper, a curved, sharp-tipped arm that extends down from the back of the dozer to rip through the permafrost and expose it to the sunlight so it can thaw.

John the Baptist is charged with earth moving, but John does not have a bulldozer. Caterpillar won’t make their first bulldozer until 1945. So, what kind of bulldozer is John? John’s blade and his ripper are the Word of God. With God’s Word John pushes people to turn from their sin and rips into their belief that they can save themselves by strict obedience to the Pharisees’ many additional commandments. John pushes and rips and exhorts folks to return to the Lord, their God. The Pharisees instituted an extensive legal code in order to avoid God’s judgment, but they lost sight of God, and His mercy, and His promised Messiah. John proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He calls people to turn from sin and self-righteousness and believe in the coming Messiah.

And like a bulldozer, John is not subtle as he pushes and rips with the Word of God. Luke 3:7–9 (ESV) 7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” John is clearing the way for Jesus and ripping deep into the false securities of the people.

Different people react differently to his words of warning. Many hear John’s words and repent. They turn from their sin and receive John’s baptism of repentance in the Jordan River in order to be prepared for Messiah’s arrival. They ask John “What then shall we do?” John tells them to be generous with those in need and do what you have been given to do with honesty and integrity.

Some are just curious. They come out to see this crazy wilderness prophet and investigate what all the fuss is about, but they are not interested in John’s message. They resist repentance, and instead trust in their ancestry and their own works. They are the children of Abraham and they have everything under control. They do not need a coming Messiah.

Bulldozer John speaks the blunt truth to all, including those in charge. Herodias, Herod Philip’s wife who is living with her husband’s brother, Herod Antipas, hears John’s words of warning and is greatly offended. Who is this wilderness madman to tell me who I should be sleeping with? Herodias will demand that John be arrested and thrown into prison and Herod Antipas will comply.

John is in the wilderness preparing the way of the Lord. He is spiritually filling valleys and lowering mountains and straightening curves. John calls on the people to turn from their sin and believe that the promised Messiah is near. The children of Israel entered the Promised Land through the Jordan after the exodus wilderness wanderings. In the same way, the children of Israel who repent pass through the waters of the Jordan in baptism and return to the Promised Land knowing the Messiah is near.

God’s law is still proclaimed today. John’s message to repent is still being preached. When the world hears God’s Word of law warning them to turn from sin and return to the Lord their God, how is it received? When you, a follower of Jesus, hear God’s word of warning to repent…how do you respond?

Many hear God’s law and get angry and reject God’s call. Martin Luther addresses these people in his Large Catechism writings about the First Commandment. “They utterly disregard whether God is angry at them or smiles on them. They dare to withstand His wrath, yet they shall not succeed. Before they are aware of it, they shall be wrecked, with all in which they trusted. All others have perished like this who have thought themselves more secure or powerful.

Such hard heads imagine that God overlooks and allows them to rest in security, or that He is entirely ignorant or cares nothing about such matters. Therefore, God must deal a smashing blow and punish them, so that He cannot forget their sin unto their children’s children. In that way, everyone may take note and see that this is no joke to Him. These are the people He means when He ways, “those who hate Me” [Exodus 20:5], i.e., those who persist in their defiance and pride. Whatever is preached or said to them, they will not listen. When they are rebuked, in order that they may learn to know themselves and make amends before the punishment begins, they become mad and foolish. They rightly deserve wrath…”[1]

In Old Testament times…at the time of John the Baptist…at Martin Luther’s time…and still today… there are so many who do not listen to God. They have turned away from God and have become, “people with brute hearts who think that it makes no great difference how they live.” [2]

God’s law preached by John the Baptist or by preachers today is a call to repent; to have a change of heart; to turn away from sin and return to God – to know you need a Savior because you cannot save yourself.

Hearing God’s law I believe there is a danger that you can sometimes feel like you have God’s law under control and most of what He is concerned about does not apply so much to you. That God’s law is mostly about those other people, the ones proud of their sin; that God’s law is aimed at those who are proud of engaging in ongoing, open sexual immorality, or theft, or violence. And God’s law certainly is targeting those people to turn from sin and return to the Lord. But God’s law is also targeting you and your own struggles with secret temptations of thoughts and words and deeds. But sin is not just sexual sin or stealing or violence.

This is where God’s law rips deep into the permafrost of your heart. Reading the list of the works of the flesh in Galatians 5 you see that sexual sins are listed, but a much greater emphasis is put on sins of division and anger and strife.

Galatians 5:19–21 (ESV) 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The plowing and ripping of God’s law in your life hurts. Valleys are filled. Mountains are lowered. Curves are straightened. As a baptized child of God, let the ripper arm of God’s law pull up the permafrost of stubborn sin in your life and expose it to the light of Christ’s forgiveness and love.

There are four warnings of sexual sins, two for having other Gods, one for drunkenness, and eight examples of infighting and divisions. This is a reminder that it is far too easy to fall into the sin of division and discord. This happens in families, at work, at school, in the community and in God’s family here at Immanuel. Anger and rivalries and such are the devil’s work getting you to proudly believe that you are right and they are wrong. The devil wants you to get annoyed and angry and judgmental at your fellow believers in Christ so he can use that crack of annoyance to drive in a wedge of division and tear apart God’s Church. Be on guard against the devil’s temptations of anger and division.

God’s law is for you. As a follower of Jesus, you feel the bulldozer of God’s law pushing away daily sin and ripping deep into the longstanding hardness of your heart and it is painful. It is tempting to try to justify your thoughts, words and deeds that you know are contrary to God’s will. It is tempting to reject God’s call and believe everything is just fine. It is tempting to ignore God’s law and bury your sin deeper and deeper. Anything but say those most difficult words. “I was wrong. I messed up. I sinned against God. It is my fault, my own fault, my own most grievous fault.”

The plowing and ripping of God’s law in your life hurts. Valleys are filled. Mountains are lowered. Curves are straightened. As a baptized child of God, let the ripper arm of God’s law pull up the permafrost of stubborn sin in your life and expose it to the light of Christ’s forgiveness and love.

John’s message is, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Jesus is coming to reign, but His reign is not immediately a reign of judgment and punishment, but rather a reign of forgiveness and love — a reign of service; sacrificing Himself as the payment for all sin. John 3:17 (ESV) 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Advent is a difficult season. Advent is a time of waiting. Advent is a penitential time when you look deeply and honestly at yourself and allow the Word of God to dig up your stubborn sins and have them melt away in the light of Christ’s love. It is a time to ponder, once again, your helplessness to save yourself and the great joy of knowing that, on the cross, Jesus has already forgiven your sin and freed you from the guilt and shame.

Advent means coming and coming means preparing. Jesus is coming back and you do not know when. To stay prepared you continue to hear the Word of God’s law which convicts you, and hear the word of God’s Gospel which sets you free in the blood of Jesus. Living in the light and love and forgiveness of Jesus you bear good fruit. Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) 22 …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Despite the pain, let the bulldozer of God’s law do its work in you. You are God’s treasure and He loves you enough to refine you like gold into His most precious possession. You belong to the Lord Jesus. He is coming back to claim you. Stay ready. Amen.

[1] Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions—A readers edition of the Book of Concord – 2nd Edition, pg. 362

[2] Ibid, pg. 361

Posted on December 1, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

The Main Ingredient in your Advent Soup

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Advent 1 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
December 1, 2024
Jeremiah 33:14–16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 19:28-40

Today is December 1. You are at the starting line of a very busy month. There are just so many things to get done before the 25th. If December was a pot of soup it would be overflowing onto the stovetop. So many ingredients get added to this December advent soup. So many different things get mixed together that there is a danger of losing the flavor of the main ingredient.

This is a busy time in the church and in life in general. Retailers try to make big money before December 25th so they try to start the Christmas season earlier and earlier each year to get people to buy more and more.

Christmas decorations seem to go up sooner each year. Now, just after Halloween, many folks begin the celebration of this season of lights by draping houses and bushes with hundreds…thousands of twinkling lights and yards are full of Christmas inflatables. Christmas trees are decorated and wreaths are hung. A Cincinnati Christian music radio station started to play Christmas music on Reformation Day. There is a tremendous wave of early Christmas cheer that is difficult to resist, but I do wonder if we are a little premature in our celebrations. Advent is, after all, a season of waiting…of anticipation.

A lot of this early celebrating is a fairly recent phenomenon. It was not that long ago that Christmas trees did not go up until Christmas Eve.

Now, retailers want to make more money so they start earlier and earlier, but I wonder if there is something else behind society’s desire to extend the Christmas season. I wonder if folks are trying to find meaning and joy in the lights and the decorations and presents and traditions and memories rather than finding joy and meaning in Jesus coming to be Immanuel; God with us. Is it possible that people have made Christmas celebrations so complex and extravagant that Christ gets obscured and forgotten? All of the busyness of Christmas preparations can be overwhelming as we skip over the anticipation of Advent and try to celebrate Christmas for the whole month of December.

For adults, December can seem like the shortest month of the year with all the preparations; cookies to bake, presents to buy, parties to attend, cards to write and on and on. The joyful anticipation can be tarnished by fatigue and guilt that their Christmas celebration won’t be just perfect.

For children, December can seem like the longest month as they await Christmas day and the presents. School days just drag on. Joyful anticipation of Jesus’ birth can get tainted by a case of the “I wants” and the “Gimmes”.

As we add so many ingredients to the mix, this season of Advent becomes a complex soup. So many things blended together; so many ingredients competing for your attention. This first Sunday in Advent I encourage you…keep Jesus as the main ingredient.

The word, Advent, means the coming or arrival of something awaited and momentous. Advent is a season of anticipation of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Advent isn’t easy. We are an impatient people and Advent is a season of waiting. Advent is a season of waiting and waiting is hard.

December can be so exhausting that by the time we get to the 25th, we are already tired of Christmas. This year, let us all set aside some time each day to rediscover the sense of Advent waiting and anticipation of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Let us keep Jesus as the main ingredient in our advent soup with thoughts of Jesus first arrival 2,000 years ago and looking forward to Jesus’ second coming. If you are able, gather each Wednesday at 6:15 PM for some homemade advent soup before our Evening Prayer service. Pick up an advent devotional booklet to read as a family each day. Maybe read the 24 chapters of the Gospel of Luke one per day in the days of Advent. Keep Jesus and His first arrival and His promise to return the focus of your advent.

During this time of year look forward to the celebration of Jesus, the son of God, breaking in on the world and coming in flesh as a baby born to Mary in Bethlehem. That baby is God in flesh, God with us; Immanuel. Look forward to the celebration of the incarnation; God becoming flesh and dwelling among us as the Lamb of God come to take away the sins of the world.

Also ponder Jesus coming again in glory on the last day; the judgment day. Look forward to the day when he will break through into our world in overwhelming glory and power and destroy evil and restore peace and righteousness.

Christmas images can seem sweet and heartwarming as you picture baby Jesus asleep on the hay, while Jesus’ return in glory and judgment can be more troubling. Jesus’ return comes with a sense of anxiety and fear. You struggle with sin, and for sinners, Jesus’ return is unsettling. “What if I’m not ready? What if I am caught in the midst of some sin?” As a poor, miserable sinner, it is hard to look forward to Jesus’ return. So, the season of Advent is also a penitential season; a time of the year, much like Lent, of self-examination when you sorrow over your sins and look for salvation in Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, born in Bethlehem, the city of David.

The Christmas story can seem to be all sweet and wonderful, but Jesus’ first arrival as the baby in Bethlehem is actually full of hints of what is to come for Jesus. Jesus comes as the sacrifice for sin. The baby swaddled in a stone manger foreshadows a crucified Jesus wrapped in a shroud lying in a stone tomb. There is a gift of myrrh — a burial spice. There is Herod the Great trying to kill Jesus. Herod’s successor, Pilate, accomplishes the task. Jesus comes to be the once-for-all sacrifice for sins; your sin and mine. Advent is a time to reflect on our sin and heed John the Baptist’s call to, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Advent indeed is a complex season. It is a mix of memories and decorations and sadness and generosity and joy and anticipation. As all the elements of the season mix together keep Jesus as the main ingredient.

During the reading of the lessons you may have wondered, “we are in Advent, why the Palm Sunday reading?” This is a traditional reading for the first Sunday in Advent. The events of Palm Sunday help us consider Jesus’ arrival. The folks in Jerusalem that day look forward to Jesus entering the city. They hear he is coming and they get ready. They gather and wait; they have been waiting a long time for the Messiah and he is almost here. They can see him coming down the Mount of Olives. The king is coming!

The people cry out, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory.” From the Gospel of Matthew we know they also shouted, “Hosanna in the highest!”

The Lord Jesus is right there with them riding on His donkey and they cry out to him, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” The Lord is right there with them.

You sing the same words. You will sing them today in the Sanctus. “Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord!” And why do you sing these Palm Sunday words? You sing them because Jesus is right here with you today in sacrament of Holy Communion. Jesus said, “This is my body, this is my blood.” He comes to you in these veiled forms to strengthen and preserve you until the time when he comes again. As you sing out with those lining the streets of Jerusalem you know Jesus is present with you today and you look forward to Jesus coming again in victory.

That Palm Sunday Jesus rides the donkey colt down the Mount of Olives. Forty-seven days later he will be back up on the Mount and ascend into heaven with his disciples watching. After He ascends, angels of the Lord appear and tell the disciples, Acts 1:11 (ESV) 11 … “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus will return. Not like he came the first time as a humble infant wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. He will return. Not in humility riding a donkey of peace. He will return. Not veiled under bread and wine, water and the Word. He will return in full glory and he will conquer evil once and for all.

So now you wait. You wait for Christmas when you celebrate Jesus’ first coming, and you wait for Jesus to come again to restore all things. This advent season is a time of waiting. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Amen

Posted on November 24, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Jesus is Coming Back. Stay Awake!

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Last Sunday of the Church Year
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
November 24, 2024
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Jude 20-25, Mark 13:24-37

We have come to the end of another church year and Jesus still has not returned. Jesus is coming back…but when? It could be this afternoon and it may not be for thousands of years. Jesus promised to return, so, as a follower of Jesus, you wait. However, while waiting, many people get distracted trying to figure out when Jesus will return, but Jesus does not want you to guess when He will return. Mark 13:32 (ESV) 32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Jesus is coming back and there will be the judgement and Jesus wants you to be prepared when He arrives.

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.”

As you wait for Jesus to return you must stay awake. Not physically awake, but spiritually awake. You need your sleep and you need to stay on guard. Do what you have been given to do and stay ready for Jesus to come back. Live out your good Christian character.

The great basketball coach John Wooden once said: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are…the true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

Do what you have been given to do even when no one is watching. Do the right thing every day and if you find yourself doing something you would not want to be doing when Jesus returns…stop doing it. Repent. Cut that sin out of your life. Confess that sin and receive forgiveness. This is an ongoing struggle. This process has to be repeated often, stop, repent, confess, be forgiven. Battling sin is frustrating, but in your frustration with your natural immorality, do not give up the fight.

Jesus returning on the Last Day is a troubling teaching. You know you should be doing what you are supposed to be doing. You know that you do not want to be engaged in open sin when Jesus returns. You also know that you are, by nature, sinful and unclean and your struggle with sin and temptation is real. Jesus gives a serious warning, Mark 13:37 (ESV) 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Jesus returning for judgment is troubling because you know that on your own you will not be ready.

In our reading from Jude you get instructions on how to live in preparation for Jesus’ return. How do you take care of each other in this dangerous world full of people warring against the truth? Jude is a short book with only one chapter, so there are no chapter numbers. It is often an overlooked book, but Jude has much to say to us today. The book of Jude is an appeal to followers of Jesus to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. It is a stern warning against false teachers. Jude 4 (ESV) 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Jude warns that God will punish sin. Jude shows how God punished those who turned away from him with three examples. Jude 5–7 (ESV) 5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”

Jude exhorts to contend for the faith that was delivered to us from the apostles and do not give in to false teachers and Jude does not pull punches when describing false teachers. Jude 8 (ESV) 8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.” Jude 10 (ESV)10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.”

What is truth? How do you know what is true? Do you, like a growing number of people, follow the ways of unreasoning animals and understand instinctively by following your feelings, or do you abide in the truth of God delivered to you in the words of Holy Scripture? Do you follow your feelings — or the Bible?

Jude 17–19 (ESV) 17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.”

A very great danger that has lurked from the earliest days of the Christian Church is false teachers who want to abuse the grace of God to permit, and even promote, sexual sin and other sins. These minions of the evil one; these wolves in sheep’s clothing, want you to follow your feelings and be led onto the road to hell. Jude warns against giving in to these false teachers.

Jesus’ return for judgment is troublesome. God punishes sin and you are a sinner. Jesus is coming back for judgment and you are by nature sinful. How do you stay ready for Jesus’ return? Jude tells you how, he does not leave you in fear. Jude points you to the truth of scripture, that Jesus is the savior from sin; the one who paid the price for you out of love.

Jude 20–21 (ESV) 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”

Build yourselves up in your most holy faith. As Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:24 (ESV) 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Build yourself on the solid rock of Christ. Keep yourself in the love of God. As God the Father tells Peter, James and John at the transfiguration, Matthew 17:5 (ESV) 5 …“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Listen to Jesus and do what He says.

Pray in the Holy Spirit. As a baptized child of God your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Bring your praise and concerns and desires and confessions and thanksgivings to the Lord. And when you do not know what to pray, the Holy Spirit will pray for you Romans 8:26 (ESV) 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

Keep yourself in the love of God. Jesus loves you, this you know, for the Bible tells you so. John 3:16 (ESV) 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus the Lord. Come to worship. Hear your sins are forgiven. Hear God’s Word declaring His love and forgiveness. Receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. Keep yourself in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Jesus is coming back. You are in Christ. You know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Abide in Christ. Abide in His Word. And look out for each other on this journey toward the Last Day. Jude 22–23 (ESV) 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

As brothers and sisters in Christ you are called to care for each other. Jude here speaks of three levels of caring for those who are in danger of going astray. There are those who are uncertain in their faith. They have doubts. They wonder, “Is forgiveness really true? How can God do that? Am I really saved?” To these we admonish them to trust the promises of Christ and put aside their doubts.

To those who have almost been led astray by false teachers we should snatch them like a burning stick of wood from the fire and get them away from the eager claws of the devil wanting to pull them down to hell.

To those who are on the verge of turning aside from the narrow path to heaven to go on the wide and easy path to damnation you offer loving and merciful assistance, but you do it in fear and humility lest the one offering help is pulled in by the temptation. Lutheran theologian Paul Kretzmann writes about dealing with others getting caught up in sin, “In our entire attitude there should not be the least indication of pride and presumption, but only a holy horror of sin, of the spotted garment of the flesh. And as for ourselves, it must be our constant effort to keep the garment of salvation, of the merit of Christ, with which God has clothed us, unspotted both by false doctrine and by carnal life…” When helping others caught up in sin you need a healthy fear of the attractiveness of sin and the power of temptation.

Jude ends his short letter with a wonderful conclusion pointing you back to the one who has the power to save. The one bringing mercy and forgiveness. The one who makes you holy. Jude 24–25 (ESV) 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.

Jesus is coming back and you don’t know when. In Christ you are ready. Stay awake. Amen.

Posted on November 17, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

How do you wait for Jesus?

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Pentecost 26, 2024 Proper 28
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
November 17, 2024
Daniel 12:1-3, Hebrews 10:11-25, Mark 13:1-13

There is a great difficulty in being a Christian who comes to church; it is the hypocrisy; the hypocrisy of a broken person coming into a holy place. You are called to be perfect in Christ — to love God and love your neighbor — and you try. Sometimes you do ok and other times you fail miserably. Over and over you fail to live up to being who you are as a Christian and you still come to Church to gather with others and you think, “If these people only knew the real me. If they knew my struggles…if they knew my failures…they would kick me out and forbid me to return.” If only they knew…but they do know. They know about you, because they are thinking the same thing about themselves. It is shocking hypocrisy. This church is full of sinners and the one up front is the worst.

I’ve told Bible class groups, but I’m not sure if I have ever said it in a sermon. After I graduated from seminary and was driving up to Hamilton from St. Louis I feared God would strike me dead before He would ever let me become a pastor. I had gotten through seminary and field work and vicarage and driving up it struck me that this is all for nothing. Who am I fooling? God will never allow this. Pastors are good people and I am not a good person. Well…God let me to live…and be ordained and has allowed me to serve here for 23 years. Apparently God really can use broken people.

The church here is full of broken people. This is most certainly true. But do you know what else is most certainly true? The church here is full of perfect people. You are perfect. I am perfect. Jesus has declared it to be so. Jesus declares broken people to be perfect, because Jesus is the single sacrifice for sins. Hebrews 10:14 (ESV) 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

To be sanctified is to be made holy. You are perfect in Jesus – righteous, innocent and blessed — and you are being made holy. This is quite a paradox. You are holy and you are being made holy at the same time.

You have been forgiven in Christ. Jesus promises, Hebrews 10:17 (ESV) 17 … “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” You are safe in Jesus’ love. Romans 8:35–39 (ESV) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

You are more than a conqueror through Jesus. You have been made perfect in Jesus and He will not remember your sin. In Christ, you are well equipped for the challenges of life in this world as you wait for Jesus to return. You are ready for Jesus to return, but for now…you have to wait. And the wait can be long and difficult.

The day is coming. The day is coming when Jesus will return and it will be the end; and a new beginning. I think we sometimes have the sense that the goal of the Christian life is to die and go to heaven as if that is the end. Certainly, many from our fellowship have died and their spirits are at peace with the Lord, but their bodies are still in the cemetery. They are at peace, but there is still evil in the world. There is still violence and anger and hatred and selfishness — and sickness and injury and disability and death. Those who have died are at peace, but you are still in the struggle. You are still looking for Jesus to return and eliminate evil forever and raise the dead.

The day is coming, as we hear in our reading from Daniel 12:1–2 (ESV) 1 “…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

There shall be a time of trouble. In our Gospel reading Jesus warns the disciples about the coming destruction of the temple in 70 AD at the hand of the Romans, but it is also a warning for us today waiting for the last day. Mark 13:5–8 (ESV) 5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.” The wait for Jesus’ return will be tumultuous and difficult.

Mark 13:9–13 (ESV) 9 “…be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. 10 And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” We see this happening to the apostles in the book of Acts and it is still happening today around the world. It could happen to you as a follower of Jesus, because the world hates Jesus.

You are ready and you are waiting. So how do you wait? You gather here each week to receive what you need for the journey. You have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. There is a new and living way to God through Jesus’ flesh who is the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. He is the sacrifice and He is the great High Priest. How do you wait? The most powerful thing you can do during the wait is to come to church and be a part of a congregation of Christians as we read in Hebrews 10:22 (ESV) 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” As a baptized follower of Jesus, washed with pure water, you come into the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to receive, once again, through your ears and your mouth, the forgiveness of sins in God’s Word and in His precious Body and Blood. Here you are strengthened for the journey and preserved for everlasting life. You worship during the wait.

How do you wait? Hebrews 10:23 (ESV) 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” As Jesus teaches, John 8:31–32 (ESV) 31 … “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Hold fast to the truth of scripture. Strive to know the truth so well that you can easily spot counterfeit teaching. You study during the wait.

How do you wait? Hebrews 10:24–25 (ESV) 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” You gather as the fellowship of believers to be encouraged to do acts of mercy and witness.

Gathered together you inspire each other to love and to service. By the physical act of fellowship together in person you encourage one another. By knowing that your struggles are not yours alone but the common struggles of all Christians, you are able to carry on as broken people made perfect in Christ. It can be lonely to be a Christ-follower in a world that hates Jesus, but knowing that you are not alone in this world of falsehood and hatred strengthens you for the journey. For families raising children in this sin sick world it is good to know you have a support system here to help. You are not alone.

Worship, Study, Mercy, Witness, Fellowship. Come to church each week to join with your fellow believers as you wait for Jesus to return. Come to church each week until the time comes that you are physically unable to get to church and then we will bring church to you. Make church attendance each week a top priority. You know this, of course. You are here, I am preaching to the choir. You are ready now and you are waiting for Jesus.

The day is drawing near. Jesus is coming back. Stay ready. Keep waiting. “The one who remains to the end will be saved.” Amen.

Posted on October 27, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Dignity in the doing?

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Reformation Day 2024
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 27, 2024

Today we celebrate Reformation Day. We remember Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg Germany on the Eve of All Saints Day in the year 1517. This call for debate on the sale of indulgences began the Reformation of the church and led to the Lutheran Church coming into existence.

I confess that I may have, at times, turned the Reformation Day sermon into a sort of pep rally for Lutheranism, but I have not yet in the cheerleaders from school to lead us in a rousing chant, “Lutherans are ready… Lutherans are smooth… Lutherans will take control and stomp all over you!” I haven’t gone that far for Reformation Day, but it certainly seems to be a day to be proud to be Lutheran. Proud to be Lutheran! But wait…is that an okay thing to say? In the Gospel of Mark we learn that pride is one of evils that come from the heart of man. And, interestingly, what Luther rediscovered about humanity in Holy Scripture is not a source of pride.

The beginning of the Reformation came from Luther questioning the sale of indulgences which promised to remit all earthly punishments for sin for someone who is alive. Or, an indulgence could be purchased for someone who had died with the promise that they would spring from purgatory as soon as the coin in the coffer clings.

As a Lutheran pastor I am not overly familiar with the teachings about purgatory, so, at a casual discussion group I was chatting with a young Catholic priest and he talked about the dignity of purgatory. He said a person has dignity because they suffer on account of their sins either in this life, doing penance, or in purgatory. Now, dignity means to be worthy of honor or respect. Does the Bible teach that you have dignity because of your actions? Is there dignity in the doing?

Even today, for Roman Catholics who want to avoid purgatory, they can still get an indulgence. You cannot buy one, but a quick internet search shows there are still many ways to earn a plenary indulgence which is the full remission of the earthly penalty for your sins. You can earn one each day, by being in a state of grace and with a proper disposition, go to confession, receive communion, and pray for the intentions of the pope. You can apply the indulgence to yourself or to someone who has died. In 2025 you can earn two indulgences each day because the pope has declared it is a jubilee year. For the jubilee year there is a detailed list of many ways to earn an indulgence; you can go on a pilgrimage, perform an act of mercy, fast from social media, and many other things. From these instructions it seems that there is dignity in the doing.

But what does the Bible say? Looking at our Epistle reading from Romans, what can we learn about our dignity? Romans 3:19 (ESV) 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.”

God’s law stops your mouth, leaving you nothing to say in your defense. The law says you have no excuse. You get no dignity from the law. Paul continues, Romans 3:22–23 (ESV) 22 … there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” In our gospel reading Jesus teaches more about sin, John 8:34 (ESV) 34 …“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”

The very difficult thing about Christianity is the knowledge that you cannot save yourself. As a descendent of Adam and Eve, you are, by nature, sinful and unclean. You cannot undo that. The Bible is clear about the source of salvation. 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.” It is utterly humbling to realize that you cannot do it. There is nothing you can do to save yourself. With man it is impossible. You are poor in spirit. You have nothing to offer God.

We like to go through life pretending that we are pretty good people and we are doing ok, not like those really bad people, but then we learn from Holy Scripture, Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) 6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

The New Testament is no more encouraging. 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.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”

You are like grass that withers. Your righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. You cannot do it. There is no dignity in your doing.

This can make it hard to market Lutheran theology. “Come to our church and we will let you know that you are a helpless sinner and you can do nothing to save yourself.” That is not a very positive message.

But that is not the whole message. God’s truth is not all about God’s law. Romans 3:21–22 (ESV) 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe…”

Righteousness does not come through the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:22–25 (ESV) 22 … there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation (an appeasement) by his blood, to be received by faith. …”

You can do nothing to merit salvation. You cannot gain dignity by doing. It has been done for you. Jesus did it for you and gives it to you as a gift. Romans 3:27 (ESV) 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. John 8:36 (ESV) 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

You are free in Christ. You can trust this Good News because Jesus did it all without your help and Jesus does things perfectly. In Christ you have the perfect promise.

Which of these two statements gives you more assurance? “I am saved because I believe in Jesus.” Or “I am saved because Jesus died for me.” If you emphasize your belief you are always left wondering, do I believe enough? If it is about what Jesus has done, you can trust it completely. You are saved — because Jesus died for you. Let the joy of that promise sink in. The truth is that you can do nothing to aid in your salvation; you have no dignity in the doing, and that is the most joyous truth because it means that you need not doubt. You need not wonder — have I done enough. Jesus has done it all.

Jesus delivers this saving grace to you in the waters of Holy Baptism, in His Body and Blood in Holy Communion, and in His Word.

Lutherans follow scripture alone. Whatever I teach from this pulpit or in a class, I need to be able to show you where it comes from in the Bible because the Bible is God’s Word. In scripture you find truth.

As Jesus teaches, John 8:31–32 (ESV) 31 … “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

1 Peter 1:24–25 (ESV) 24 … The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” VDMA Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum. The word of the Lord remains forever. This is the motto of the Lutheran Reformation. So we sing and we pray, “Lord, keep us steadfast in your word.”

You have the amazing, pure Good News that your sins are forgiven in Jesus. And today we remember and celebrate the rediscovery of that Good News begun by Martin Luther in Wittenberg.

Jesus saves you, you do not save yourself. There is no doubt of what Jesus has done. You can trust that His redemption of you is complete. And so, while you still struggle with temptation and sin, Jesus has declared you to be a saint; holy, righteous and pure. The joy and light of Jesus shine forth from you as a redeemed child of God destined for eternal life in the Heavenly City.

You are destined for eternity with Jesus, but for now there are dangers lurking, so be aware. The devil will tempt you to believe that you have to do something to complete your salvation; that your sins are forgiven, if, you do your part. The devil will tempt you to abuse your salvation by acting like an unbeliever following the ways of the world, instead of acting like the saint that you are following the commandments of God. The devil will try to get you to abandon God’s truth and believe the devil’s lies. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Today, we celebrate Reformation Day. We remember a brave, stubborn monk who rediscovered the truth that dignity is not in the doing, or in the buying of an indulgence, or suffering in purgatory, an imaginary place invented by men. Jesus’ grace is a free gift for all people.

For questioning indulgences, Martin Luther was kicked out of the Roman Church and sentenced to death. The penalty for translating the Bible into any language other than Latin was also punishable by death. So since he was already under a death sentence, and with the protection of his prince, Luther translated the Bible into German so the German people could read the Bible in their own language. The people could abide in God’s Word and the truth set them free. Luther gave people the Word of God and churches were able to learn the truth of the Bible.

Luther did not start something new. He did not start a new church of the enlightenment period in which he lived in order to make everything make sense. He did not start a new church that rejected infant baptism and rejected the real presence of Jesus’ Body and Blood in Holy Communion because that just makes more rational sense. Luther did not start something new. Luther went back to an earlier form of the Church when scripture alone was the source of church teaching. Luther called it the Evangelical Church. The Gospel Church. The Good News Church. “Lutheran” was first a name coined by Luther’s enemies, but the churches began using the term in the middle of the 16th century to distinguish themselves from Anabaptists and Calvinists. So now we are called Lutherans and the last Sunday of October each year we remember and celebrate the Reformation. We are tempted to say, “I’m proud to be Lutheran,” but perhaps it is better to say, “I am thankful to be Lutheran because I know the truth. Jesus has fully redeemed me and I need not doubt God’s promise to me.”

You know the truth and the truth sets you free. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. The word of the Lord remains forever. Amen.

Posted on October 20, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

How Much Money is Enough?

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Pentecost 22, 2024, Proper 24
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 20, 2024
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20, Hebrews 4:1-13, Mark 10:23-31

When I was in my late 20s I went to work as a representative for AAL, Aid Association for Lutherans, which was a forerunner of Thrivent Financial today. I worked with families regarding their finances, and sold insurance and mutual funds to try to meet their financial needs. I taught people the value of investing money over time to grow wealth. I taught my children that when they get their first adult job they should invest in their 401K or 403B in their 20s because if they can get a good chunk invested by the age of 30 they should have 40+ years for that money to grow. It takes as long to double $1,000 to $2,000 as it does to double a $500,000 to $1,000,000. So, the earlier you start, the more chances of doubling you have. As you manage money, wise investing is a good thing. But with money there is always a danger.

Money is tricky. If you work hard and control your spending and save money and invest wisely you can end up wealthy. Or if you are an entrepreneur and build a successful business and employ people, you can be wealthy. Also, you can work hard and save money and invest and run a business, and circumstances can make money disappear.

Here, at Immanuel, we have folks that are barely scraping by, we have many who work hard to make ends meet each month, and we have folks that are quite well off. But no matter how much you have, money is tricky for everyone. In our Gospel reading today Jesus teaches, Mark 10:24–25 (ESV) 24 …“Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

It is impossible for a rich person to enter the kingdom. Now, you may think, that is bad news for Warren Buffet, good thing I am not rich. But you are rich. By world standards, every one of you here is rich. To be rich by world standards is to have more than one pair of shoes and get to choose what you eat. In 2019, 85% of Africans lived on less than $5.50 per day. If you have a roof over your head, clothing and shoes to wear, and food to eat you are rich. Most of us have far, far more than we need, but how much is enough?

John D. Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company and the first billionaire of the United States of America — he was at one time the richest man on Earth. Rockefeller was once asked by a reporter, “How much money is enough?” He calmly replied, “Just a little bit more.”

Money is tricky because it is easy to believe you never have enough. You can feel like you never have enough when you spend everything you have and come up short every month. You can feel like you never have enough when you are barely making ends meet. You can feel like you never have enough when you have more money than month and savings and investment accounts grow.

How much money is enough? There is an ever present danger to love money. We all need money, and it is nice to have more money and so the desire to love money is a constant temptation.

Money is a good gift of God, but oddly enough, loving money will ruin it for you. If you love money you will be like Rockefeller — always wanting more — never satisfied. In our reading today from Ecclesiastes wealthy King Solomon shares wisdom about money. Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV) 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.”

Throughout the Bible you are warned about the love of money. 1 Timothy 6:6–10 (ESV) 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” The desire to be rich can bring ruin and destruction. The love of money can cause people to wander away from the faith.

In our Gospel reading from Mark 10 we learn that it is impossible for you to save yourself. And yet, you are saved. You believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior, but your saving faith is not from you, it is a miracle of God. It is not from your own reason or strength, but the Holy Spirit has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, sanctified and kept you in the true faith. You cannot save yourself. Jesus saves you. As Jesus says, Mark 10:27 (ESV) 27 … “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Afterwards, in response to Peter saying that the disciples have left everything to follow, Jesus responds with a promise. Mark 10:29–30 (ESV) 29 Jesus [says], “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Jesus promises they will have abundance in this time. Jesus promises you will have abundance in this time. You have abundance because, as a follower of Jesus, you are content with what you have been given. Being content brings great joy and thanksgiving for all you have received from God.

Enjoy what God has given you. Eat and drink and enjoy the work that God has given you to do, whatever it is. How wonderful to enjoy your labor and receive wages for doing it. God’s grace and provision are sufficient for you. Be content with what you have been given by God — and manage it well.

Twenty percent of the commandments deal with the sin of coveting. Coveting is having a sinful desire for what belongs to another. The opposite of coveting is to be content; to be satisfied with what you have. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Godliness with contentment makes you wealthy. Being content with what you have makes you wealthier than John D. Rockefeller who was never satisfied. Being content, you are wealthier than Rockefeller who always wanted more.

You have enough. God promises, “My grace is sufficient for you.” You have been rescued from the devil’s darkness and through Jesus you are brought into the kingdom of light and love. Be content with what you have. Take Solomon’s teaching to heart and live it out. Ecclesiastes 5:18 (ESV) 18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.”

Enjoy what God has given you. Eat and drink and enjoy the work that God has given you to do, whatever it is. How wonderful to enjoy your labor and receive wages for doing it. God’s grace and provision are sufficient for you. Be content with what you have been given by God — and manage it well.

Jesus gave everything for you. He redeemed you with His holy, precious blood and His suffering and death. As a baptized child of God, all that you are and all that you have belongs to God. Be a good steward of God’s body that you care for, and manage well God’s money and God’s possessions He has entrusted to your care. Work hard in whatever you have been given to do and be a good steward of God’s gifts to you. If you work hard and you manage money and possessions well they may grow. That growth in God’s gifts gives you more opportunity for tremendous generosity.

Being content with what God has given you will bring joy. Rejoice in your toil. Give thanks for all God has given you to do at school, at work, at home, at church, in the community. And as Solomon teaches, Ecclesiastes 5:19–20 (ESV) 19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.”

So, beware the temptation to love money. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Beware the strong desire to never be content with what you have and what you have been given to do. Beware the love of money. Beware the devil and the world’s desire to keep you discontent.

The antidote for the love of money is generosity. Be generous with what you have. Give a generous, first-fruits offering to the Lord’s church. Give to deserving charities to help those in need. As you can, directly help out those in need. Share with others. Lend without expecting repayment. Be generous with your wealth and with your time.

Jesus gave everything for you. Enjoy what God has given you. Be content with what you have. God’s grace is sufficient for you. God’s provision is sufficient. Rejoice in all God has given you. You have enough. Amen.

Posted on October 13, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

Elon Musk is Needy and Helpless

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Pentecost 21 2024, Proper 23
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
October 13, 2024
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15, Hebrews 3:12-19, Mark 10:17-22

Elon Musk is needy and helpless. Jeff Bezos is needy and helpless. Bill Gates is needy and helpless. Like everyone else, the very wealthy are needy and helpless, but, far too often, they do not know it.

The very wealthy can do things that normal people cannot even imagine. They own islands, airplanes, huge collections of exotic cars, they get things done by using their power, wealth, and influence. They are problem solvers. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has projects going on all around the world dealing with issues of poverty. They are working improve education, agriculture, health and nutrition in some of the poorest nations. Jeff Bezos recently gave over $100 million to fight homelessness in the U.S. In response to Hurricane Helene, Elon Musk sent helicopters into Western North Carolina to set up hundreds of Starlink internet stations so people can get on the internet and be able to communicate and let their families know they are safe.

Rich people see a problem and have the resources to make things happen and solve the problem. I would think that to become very wealthy you need to have a “git r done” kind of attitude. The very wealthy are problem solvers. Here is a problem. How can I fix it?

In our Gospel reading today we meet a very wealthy man who is used to solving problems. He comes to Jesus after Jesus has just finished teaching about children and the Kingdom of Heaven. 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.” Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

Now, the disciples originally tried to keep the children away, but the rich man encounters no interference. The disciples are likely quite impressed that the rich man is coming to them. He runs right up to Jesus and kneels before Him and asks, Mark 10:17 (ESV) 17 …“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” What does the rich man believe about Jesus? The man seems to have a high view of Jesus as he genuflects before Him and calls Him “good teacher.” “Good teacher” is an unusual title in Jewish culture; only God is good. This prompts Jesus’ response, Mark 10:18 (ESV) 18 …“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Does this man know Jesus is God? Does he think He is a prophet? Maybe He has heard all Jesus has done and suspects the truth, wonders about the truth, but is not quite ready to believe the truth. Much like the father of the demon possessed boy who says to Jesus, Mark 9:22, 24 (ESV) 22 … But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us….[, and] “I believe, help my unbelief.”

The rich man may suspect Jesus is possibly divine, but does not know what all that means. There are so many today that have some idea about Jesus, they may say they believe in Jesus, but they misunderstand Him, they do not know who Jesus is and how He works. They are looking for Jesus to be a helper and a coach and a comforter. They are looking for Jesus to help them be successful. But Jesus did not come to help you be successful; Jesus came to save you. The rich man asks a question, but it is the wrong question. Mark 10:17 (ESV) “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” It is a very normal question, a very typical question, but it is the wrong question. Jesus answers him. Mark 10:19 (ESV) 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” Basically, all you have to do is keep the 10 commandments.

The man answers, Mark 10:20 (ESV) 20 … “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” This guy believes he is one of the good ones. He believes that he is good enough. His wealth is a sign that God is blessing him and he believes he is keeping the commandments. Now, you know that, 1 John 1:8 (ESV) 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” But somehow the rich man has convinced himself he is keeping the commandments. The man is seeking the right thing, but he is asking the wrong question, and he is lying to himself about keeping the commandments. Jesus looks at him with love and lowers the hammer of the law onto the rich young man with one sentence. Mark 10:21 (ESV) 21 …“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; ….” The man may think he is doing well with the second table of the law, but what about the first table; the commandments about God. What about the first commandment; you shall have no other Gods?

Who or what does the man fear, love and trust? Does he fear, love and trust God… or money? Jesus convicts the man with this one sentence. The man realizes that he is not keeping the first commandment and this breaks him. He is broken by the law of God. But Jesus does not crush him with the law and leave him crushed. He invites the man, “…come, follow me.”

Jesus loves the man and wants him to be saved, but the man does not follow Jesus. Something else is more important. Mark 10:22 (ESV) 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

The man is disheartened because he realizes that he is not good enough. He realizes that he cannot do it himself. He realizes that he needs help. He is wealthy. He can get things done. He is a problem solver. But this is a problem he cannot solve. He is needy and helpless. This is a new, confusing sensation for the wealthy man. He is…needy…and…helpless, like…a…child. Jesus invites him to follow, but to follow Jesus would be admitting that he is needy. So, just like the man declared he is keeping commandments 4 to 10 he does not want to admit that he is breaking the first and greatest commandment by loving money more than God… and he walks away.

This is still a hard lesson today. This is a most difficult teaching. You live in a land of great abundance and are constantly tempted to love money and love stuff. It is way too easy to fear, love and trust in possessions and money and investments. You worry that if forced to choose between wealth and Jesus you would be sorely tempted to choose wealth. Wealth is the way of the world. The world teaches you to love money and use people. Jesus teaches you to love people and use money.

You know the temptation, so you come here each week and get on your knees and admit you are needy. You are needy and helpless like a little child. No matter how much money you have, you are needy and helpless when facing the law of God.

Jesus’ disciples are also having that same problem. In next week’s Gospel reading, after the rich man went away, Mark 10:23 (ESV) 23 …Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is the wrong question. There is nothing you can do. You do not deserve it, you cannot earn it, it can only come as a gift from God. Salvation comes from God alone. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. With God all things are possible.

The disciples are amazed. How can this be? Everyone wants to be rich. They believe wealth is a sign of God’s blessing, and yet they just saw a rich man turn his back on Jesus and walk away disheartened. He could not admit he is a helpless, needy child. Jesus continues, and notice how He addresses the disciples. Mark 10:24–25 (ESV) 24 …“Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

A camel…through the eye of a needle…that’s crazy…that’s impossible. The disciples are confused. Mark 10:26 (ESV) 26 … “Then who can be saved?” Mark 10:27 (ESV) 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is the wrong question. There is nothing you can do. You do not deserve it, you cannot earn it, it can only come as a gift from God. Salvation comes from God alone. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. With God all things are possible.

The rich man in our Gospel reading is needy and helpless. The very wealthy today are needy and helpless. You are needy and helpless. The advantage you have is that you know it. You know you are a spiritually needy, helpless child, and you know the way of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. You are a baptized child of God. Jesus gave you the gift of the Holy Spirit. You have heard Jesus’ invitation, “follow me,” and you follow Him because you know He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You know you cannot do it on your own. You follow Jesus. Amen.

Posted on September 29, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

The Devil is Powerless Against You

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St. Michael and All Angels
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
September 29, 2024
Daniel 10:10-14, 12:1-3, Revelation 123:7-12, Luke 10:17-20

What would it be like to be, right now, in the presence of God — with the angels and the archangels and all the company of heaven? As we read in Daniel 7:9–10 (ESV) 9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” In God’s presence there are countless angels all around the throne of God.

If you ever had to go to court as the defendant, what kind of representation would you want? Would you want a lawyer who believes you are totally guilty and who keeps telling the judge how guilty you are and if given the opportunity you will do worse? Because that is what it would be like to have that fallen angel, the devil, representing you before the throne of God. In the Old Testament in Job and Zechariah we see the devil accusing God’s saints, Job and Joshua, the high priest. The devil once had a place in the council of angels before the throne of God… and then everything changed.

2,000 years ago God the Son leaves heaven to take on human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. God takes on flesh and the devil sees an opportunity to defeat the Son of God while He is a vulnerable human.

The book of Revelation is full of prophetic picture language, but we can clearly see the battle between light and darkness, good and evil, in Revelation 12:4–6 (ESV) 4 [The dragon’s] tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.”

The woman is Mary — and the Church. Satan uses Herod the Great to try to destroy the Christ child in Bethlehem, but Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee in the middle of the night to Egypt. After returning to Nazareth, Jesus grows to adulthood. At age 30 He begins His ministry and fulfills His mission of being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in Jerusalem on that awful Friday we call Good. The devil uses the Jewish leaders, Jesus’ disciple Judas, Jewish crowds, and the Roman governor to carry out his evil plan to nail Jesus to the cross to die in utter humiliation. As Jesus declares, “It is finished,” and breathes His last, the devil thinks He has won… but Jesus does not stay dead. On Sunday morning His tomb is empty. Jesus descends to Hell to preach a victory sermon and He appears to His disciples and over 500 others. Jesus is victorious over sin, over death and over the devil. Forty days later Jesus ascends to heaven from the Mount of Olives and arrives at the throne of God. The devil tried to get rid of the Christ and establish himself as the prince of angels, but he is defeated. Jesus wins the right to represent fallen humanity and He is the one, Revelation 1:5 (ESV) 5 … who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood”

In a war of words, Michael and his angels throw Satan and His angels out of heaven and down to earth. Michael means, “Who is God?” The answer is, “Jesus is God; the devil is not.”

There is great joy in heaven at the devil’s eviction. Revelation 12:10–12 (ESV) 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

There is a cosmic battle of good versus evil; light versus darkness. The battle in heaven has been won and the evil one and all his angels have been thrown down. The devil tries to destroy the church, but God’s Church is protected by the Lord. The Church is built on the rock that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the gates of hell will not overcome Christ’s Church. Who is God? Jesus is God.

The devil cannot destroy Jesus. The devil cannot destroy the Church. So the devil is going after you. Revelation 12:17 (ESV) 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus…”

You know the devil is a liar. He wants to convince you that you can work off your sins, but you know, Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 8 … 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.”

The devil is furious and he is coming after you with his accusations and his lies. The devil will hold up your evil deeds in front of you and declare that you are a sinner who deserves death and hell. The devil will tell you that God cannot love you because of your sin, but you can work your way back into His favor by being good enough; that it is all up to you. Also, the devil will try to convince you that sin is okay, everyone is doing it; you can decide for yourself what is sin and what isn’t. The devil is clever and the devil is furious, but for a follower of Jesus, the devil is powerless. For a Christian, the devil is like a 2-year-old having a temper tantrum; lots of bluster — amounting to nothing. Because you know the truth. You know that you are a sinner, you readily admit that. You get on your knees each week as we begin worship and confess you are a sinner who deserves death and hell thus rendering the devil’s accusation powerless.

You know the devil is a liar. He wants to convince you that you can work off your sins, but you know, Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 8 … 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.”

The devil wants you to embrace sin because sin does not matter, but you know sin is real, and sin is serious because the wages of sin is death, and that is why Jesus had to die for you. The devil is a furious, powerless liar. He only has power if you give him power. You do not belong to the devil. You belong to Jesus.

We read in 1 John 2:1 (ESV) 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

The devil wants to act like he has some control; like he has some influence; like he has some power. But that is the great good news of our reading from Revelation today. When Jesus ascended to heaven to be your advocate with God the Father, the devil was kicked out of heaven. The devil cannot accuse you to God. The devil has no access to God. Jesus speaks to God the Father on your behalf. Jesus is your advocate with the Father. He is your defense attorney and He is the one who paid the penalty. He also is the prosecutor and the judge. There is no one in heaven to accuse you, because you are covered by the righteousness of Jesus. He is the one who has washed you clean and presents you Ephesians 5:27 (ESV) 27 … in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that [you] might be holy and without blemish.”

The devil tries to accuse you and lie to you, but he is just babbling nonsense. Don’t listen to him. Do not give him any power. You don’t belong to the devil. Like he did with Eve, the devil wants you to believe that you can be like God, but you cannot be like God. Remember what the angel Michael’s name means. “Who is God?” God is God, and you His beloved creation. You are the apple of His eye. You belong to Jesus.

Jesus has declared that your sins are forgiven and you are holy, innocent and blessed. Jesus is at the right hand of God declaring this about you to God the Father. The lying devil is powerless unless you give him power. Stay alert for his lies. Ignore his accusations. You belong to Jesus. Jesus’ angels defend you. Let His holy angel be with you, that the evil foe may have no power over you.

In Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress” there is a stanza about the devil that fits so well with our lesson today.

3     Though devils all the world should fill,
    All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
    They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
    He can harm us none.
    He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.

One little word. “Liar!” Amen

Posted on September 22, 2024 by pastorkevinjud

What were you discussing on the way?

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Pentecost 18, 2024, Proper 20
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
September 22, 2024
Pastor Kevin Jud
Jeremiah 11:18-20, James 3:13-4:10, Mark 9:30-37

The old saying is, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” You want to win. You want to be successful. You want to overcome obstacles and accomplish your dreams.

We love rags to riches stories. We love to hear about people, who, through hard work and perseverance, accomplish great things. It is the American dream. Work hard and achieve greatness.

We compare ourselves to others in order to see how we are doing. We keep score so we know we are keeping ahead of others.

In school we keep score with grades, friends, trophies, clothes, electronics, and the number of likes on Instagram. As we get older we keep score with houses and cars and paychecks. Parents keep score by the progress of their children. “My child learned to walk at 7 months. He already has 8 teeth.” Pastors keep score by the size of their congregations and the number of new members.

With whom do you compare yourself? How do you keep score? How do you know that you are doing better than others?

Jesus is walking with his disciples coming back from the Mount of Transfiguration on their way to Capernaum. Along the way Jesus drives out an unclean spirit from a boy after the disciples were unable to do it, and then they continue on their way. As they travel, Jesus teaches the disciples for the second time about what is going to happen to Him. Mark 9:31-32 (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.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.”

The disciples are following this great teacher Jesus; He is wise, He is powerful, He can do miraculous things. He is really going places. The disciples are following Jesus right to the top.

Jesus tells them what is going to happen, but they are confused. This doesn’t sound like success. Taken prisoner, killed, rise again. Jesus is amazing and powerful and great; so, obviously, He must not know what He is talking about with this getting arrested and getting killed stuff.

So the disciples ignore this second teaching about Jesus’ arrest, death and resurrection because they know better and they have more important things to worry about…like which of them is the greatest.

How do you think the disciples keep score? Maybe it’s who gets to sit next to Jesus at dinner? Maybe who gets to walk next to Jesus? Who gets to hold the money bag? Who Jesus talks with the most? Which of them is the greatest?

Likely, in this conversation, Peter, James and John are arguing that “who is the greatest” is based on who got to go with Jesus up on the mountain of transfiguration. The disciples are keeping score. They want to know where they stand. They are a lot like us.

Jesus ignores their conversation as they walk along but after they arrive back at the house in Capernaum Jesus asks, “What were you discussing on the way?”

The disciples are silent. They realize their conversation was selfish and self-centered and they are worried that Jesus may have heard them. They think they understand Jesus, but they do not yet really understand. Like Adam and Eve hiding from God, the disciples think they can do things and say things without Jesus knowing.

Jesus sits down and calls the silent twelve to Himself and says, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Wait…what? That does not sound right. To be first you have to be last? To be first you have to be servant of all? What is that about? The disciples must be thinking, “Uh… Jesus. Uh… we are here because we want to be near your power and greatness because we want power and greatness; so what is all this servant talk?”

Jesus’ teaching is all backwards. It is all backwards for the disciples and it is all backwards for you and me. We want to be great. We want success. We want to be winners. We want to be number one. But Jesus says that to be first you must be last. To be number one, you must become servant of all. Jesus then takes a little child and puts the child in the center of the group and hugs the child. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Now, at Jesus’ time children have no status. They are helpless, dirty little tots who have no value until they are old enough to do some work, and due to lack of good medical care, half of them won’t even live to see adulthood. Children are fragile, whiny, and needy, and yet Jesus is saying that we are to receive the children in His name.

The disciples must think, “Children are not great, they have not achieved anything. We are so much more important than some stupid child…oh…that is the point Jesus is making…we are not more important than a child.” The disciples are not more important. You are not more important. You are a humble servant. You are a humble servant because the Lord is a humble servant. Jesus serves you. Jesus purchased and won you from sin, death and the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.

In the cleansing waters of baptism Jesus sets you apart from the world and calls you to be a servant of all, and as you keep reading the Gospel you see Jesus live this out by being servant of all as He goes to the cross to die for you…to die for the whole world.

By nature you want to succeed. You want more than others. You want to be better than others. You want it to be about me, me, me. Jesus calls you to give up on greatness and humbly follow Him.

Against your nature you are called to be a servant. You want to be great. You want to know you where you stand with others. Like so many of us, the disciples argue about who is the greatest.

In our Epistle reading from James we see this very thing warned against. (James 4:1-7 ESV) 1What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

By nature you want to succeed. You want more than others. You want to be better than others. You want it to be about me, me, me. Jesus calls you to give up on greatness and humbly follow Him.

You have been marked by the cross of Christ. You have been baptized into Christ. You belong to Jesus. You don’t have to do anything to make yourself great because you have been given the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven. You are destined to live forever in the presence of the Lamb of God basking in His light in the Heavenly City of New Jerusalem.

Jesus promises that one day you will live in His presence forever, but for now, you live here on earth in love and service for one another. You support each other. You work hard in service to your family; to your brothers and sisters in Christ, to your neighbor. You work hard — not to achieve greatness, but in service to others. You give of your time for others. You give your money for others. You give your life for others. You are called to be a servant to all because you are already a child of God.

Success, greatness, and winning, these things are important to the world, but they are not important to God.

Many churches have become quite large and many pastors have become quite wealthy by preaching about how to achieve success and greatness in the world; which is exactly what peoples’ itching ears want to hear. But this is not Jesus’ teaching. This is the world’s teaching.

You are right now in the Kingdom of Heaven because the work of salvation has already been done for you by Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, you live and work in humble service. “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Amen.