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Transfiguration 2025
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
March 2, 2025
Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Hebrews 3:1-6, Luke 9:28-36

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            All four of my kids have worked at the same pizza place over the years with Caleb starting right after his 16th birthday in 2006 and Rebecca continuing to this day with just a brief pause during Covid. When each of them started working I gave them the same advice.  “Show up on time, and do what they tell you to do.”  Simple enough.  Do what the boss tells you to do. 

            That is good advice for children with their parents. Kids, just listen to your parents and do what they tell you to do.  Easy?  Right?  Why are you looking at each other like that? Listen and do.  It shouldn’t be hard to just do what they say, the first time, without a fuss…and yet it is.

            Jesus is having this same issue with his disciples and the crowds in the Gospel of Luke.  At the end of the Sermon on the Plain Jesus asks, Luke 6:46 (ESV) 46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”   

            This is a good question that we can each ask ourselves on behalf of Jesus as we prepare to enter the season of Lent.  “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

            Jesus continues, Luke 6:47–49 (ESV)  47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”  If you hear Jesus’ words and do them…on Christ the solid rock you stand. 

            The first Sunday after Epiphany we remembered the Baptism of Our Lord.  Jesus goes to John the Baptist down at the Jordan River.  And it is an epic beginning to answering the questions, “Who is Jesus? And, “What has He come to do?”  Luke 3:21–22 (ESV) 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, 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.” 

            Who is Jesus of Nazareth?  He is the Son of God.  Jesus shows this throughout His ministry.  He goes to Nazareth and announces at the synagogue that He is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy.  He heals the sick and drives out demons.  He gives the disciples He is calling a miraculous catch of fish.  He cleanses lepers and heals people who are paralyzed.  He heals a Roman centurion’s servant without even seeing him.  He raises a young man from the dead in Nain.  He heals great crowds of people.  He feeds 5,000 plus with five loaves and two fish.  He is doing things that only God could do.  Jesus is God in flesh.

            He teaches the people the parable of the sower and the seeds.  Luke 8:14–15 (ESV) 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. 

Jesus continues, Luke 8:18 (ESV) 18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” 

Take care how you hear.  What incredible advice from Jesus given during a time which was utterly quiet compared to now.  There were no radios, no podcasts, no recorded music, no giant billboards, no television, no smart phones, no internet and still Jesus warns, “Take care how you hear.”  Today there are so many voices vying for your attention and your time.  It takes great intention to turn off all of the voices in order to listen to Jesus.  Take care how you hear.

What would it be like to be in Jesus’ family?  But who does Jesus say is His family?  Luke 8:19–21 (ESV) 19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”  You who hear the word of God and do it are Jesus’ family.

            Hear the word of God and do it.  But just what does Jesus say?  Jesus has some difficult sayings as we heard last week, Luke 6:27–28 (ESV) 27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” 

After feeding the 5,000 Jesus has some heavy back and forth with the disciples. Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ of God and then Jesus tells the disciples, Luke 9:22 (ESV) 22 … “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 

            And then…Luke 9:23–25 (ESV) 23 …[Jesus] said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” These are difficult teachings. These are teachings that the disciples have trouble hearing.  They are still worried about which of them is the greatest. 

            And then eight days later, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a high mountain and Jesus is transfigured before them becoming dazzling white, and Elijah and Moses appear with Jesus.  A cloud overshadows them… Luke 9:35 (ESV) 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 

            Who is Jesus?  And what did He come to do?  Jesus is the Son of God.  He is God in flesh.  He is the fulfillment of prophecy.  He is the perfect, final offering for the sin of the world.  He will be sacrificed on the cross and rise again from the dead to conquer death.  He is the Lord.  He is King of everything.  The Kingdom of heaven is near because Jesus is King.

            Is Jesus God?  Yes.  Does He have authority?  Yes.  Should you listen to Him?  Yes. 

            Listen to Jesus and do what He says to do.  It is so simple and straightforward and yet so difficult. 

It is certainly tempting to not listen to Jesus.  It is tempting to reject Jesus’ lordship and be your own boss, and do things your way.  It is so easy to be acting with God like a little child rebelling against his parents in a futile attempt to take control.  Parents are not going to give up control, and yet children will throw temper tantrums trying to get their way.  God is not going to give up being God because humans get grumpy.  As the Lord teaches in Psalm 46:10 (ESV) 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. …” 

Be still.  Take time each day to unplug from the noise of the world and be in God’s Word and hear Jesus.  Retreat from the cacophony of voices surrounding you, turn off the noise, and set apart some time to listen to Jesus.  This is difficult.  I know this is hard for me.  It is hard for me to take quiet time alone to read and meditate upon God’s Word.  There is a constant nagging to get finished and move on to the next thing.  A constant temptation to check my phone, think about something else.  There is always something else to do.  I find myself being a Martha, running around doing things, instead of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him. 

Carefully listening to Jesus really needs to be planned and deliberate.  Take care how you hear.  Set aside quiet time each day to pray and read and listen to God’s word.  Learn again that Jesus has paid the price for your sin.  Gather together here each week to listen to the Word of God read and preached and sung. Come to a Bible study to dig more deeply into scripture.  Listen to Jesus. 

Listen to Jesus.  And if Jesus says something that you disagree with…know that Jesus is right.  This is humbling and liberating.  To know that God’s Word trumps your own ideas frees you from trying to mold and shape God to fit your ever-changing thoughts and ideas. It keeps you from being… James 1:6 (ESV) 6 …like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”  As a baptized follower of Jesus who struggles with sin and temptation, listen to Jesus because He has the words of eternal life. 

            To listen to Jesus and do what He says gives you freedom within the limits of God’s law.  To live in the Kingdom of God under the reign of the Lord Jesus gives you blessed assurance that you belong to Jesus and you are God’s treasured possession.  He has set you apart for eternal life with Him.  Listening to Jesus and doing what He says is an act of worship acknowledging that Jesus is Lord and Savior. 

            To show up on time and do what they tell you to do is good advice for work.  To hear Jesus’ words and do them is God’s command for His followers.  As we come to the end of the Epiphany season we have answered the questions, “Who is Jesus?”  He is the Son of God, Immanuel, God with us.  “What did He come to do?”  Jesus comes to be the perfect final sacrifice for your sin.  Jesus is your Lord.  Jesus is your Savior.  He has forgiven you all your sins. Listen to Jesus.  Amen. 

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Epiphany 7 2025
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
February 23, 2025
Genesis 45:3-15, 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42, Luke 6:27-38 

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”\
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            Venn diagrams can be an interesting way to analyze information.  These items belong in one set.  These items belong in another set.  These are the characteristics that both groups share. 

The whole human population can be broken down into two sets; sinners and perfect people. Who goes into the sinner category? Adam?  Yes.  Eve?  Yes.  All of their children and grandchildren?  Me? You?  Yes.  Who goes into the Perfect category?  Well, actually one of Adam and Eve’s great, great grandchildren.  Jesus of Nazareth.  He is in the perfect category.  Two sets, one with all humanity minus one and the other set with Jesus. 

            But here is where it gets interesting.  The two circles overlap.  Many folks are only in the sinner category and Jesus is only in the Perfect category, but there are many people in the area of overlap.  They are both sinners and perfect.

            How does that work?  These are sinners who believe in Jesus to whom Jesus has given His perfection and declared them to be holy.  These people are both sinners and saints at the same time.  You are in this overlap.  As a baptized child of God, as a follower of Jesus, you are in the area of overlap.  You are a sinner, but you have been declared to be holy and perfect and you are safe from the coming judgment on the Last Day.

            The strange thing about being in this area of overlap is that you can become more aware of your sins than those who are in the sinner area alone.  The more you learn about God’s law, the more sinful you realize that you are — knowing you sin in thought, word and deed.  This makes you increasingly grateful for all that Jesus has done for you. 

There is a danger in the area of overlap.  The devil will try to convince you that you did something to earn your place in the overlap.  He wants you to forget that you are a sinner who deserves condemnation and start to believe that you are good enough.  He will tempt you to believe you are so much better than the sinners you are not in the overlap. 

This is what Jesus is warning about in our Gospel reading today.  When thinking about sin it is our natural tendency to think about other people’s sins rather than to look at our own, and to think their sin is so much worse than ours.

It is spiritually healthy to remember who you are in the overlap of saint and sinner.  You are a sinner redeemed by Jesus.  Beginning worship each week with the confession of sins keeps you grounded.  Being a saint is not from you, but is purely a gift of God though the blood of Jesus. 

            Now, in the set of sinners who are not also in the overlap area of perfection there is a large subset of people who think they are good enough.  These are those who think they are autonomous and just make up and adjust their own rules to live by.  It is also those who follow false religions which teach that you can be good enough through your own actions.  And it is those who trust in their good works rather than trusting in Jesus.  Everyone in this subset of thinking they are good enough is mistaken.  They have been misled.  They are not good enough and are in danger from the coming judgment when Jesus returns.

            No one in the set of sinners is good enough.  Those in the overlap with perfection know that they are not good enough, but have been given the gift of forgiveness, holiness and perfection by the Lord Jesus, and they follow Jesus because He is the font and source of eternal life.  Those in the overlap are marked with the blood of the Lamb which protects them now, and on the Day of Judgment.

You know you are in the overlap of saint and sinner.  You know you are by nature sinful and unclean and you know you justly deserve God’s present and eternal punishment.  You know that God has had great mercy and grace upon you and given you forgiveness and eternal life.  You are safe from the coming judgment.  You also know that those outside the overlap are in grave danger when the judgment comes. 

            There is a disaster looming and there is ready protection against the disaster.  Picture for a moment a building full of people.  You know there is a looming disaster which will destroy the building and everyone inside.  You know there is safety on the other side of a doorway.  How do to let people know about the doorway to safety?  It is difficult when people do not sense the danger, they will think you are just acting crazy. 

            It can be like this in the world and worse.  You know that everyone in the set of sinners deserves the judgment and condemnation of God.  You know there is protection in the Kingdom of God, under the reign of Jesus, in the overlap of Saint and Sinner.  You try to warn people of the pending disaster and have them come to safety. The problem is that so many are in the subset of those who think they are good enough. 

You try to warn them, “Repent and believe Jesus died for you and rose to give you eternal life,” and too often the response is, “Whoa…what was that first word?  Repent? Are you saying that I have something to repent of?  Don’t you know your Bible?  Luke 6:37 (ESV) 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged…”  It is a frustrating place to be for you.  In love you want to warn of the impeding danger for all people in the set of sinners, including yourself, but they are hearing it as you being judgmental.  And certainly there are those all about judgment and not about love and it is easy to fall into judgment and condemnation rather than compassion and patience and love.  This is also what Jesus is warning about in the Gospel reading today.  So, how can you make them understand the danger and see the path to safety? 

            A lot of that is the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Lord wants all people to be saved but many resist the Holy Spirit and refuse to repent of their sins.  So what do you do?  Be the light.  Many in the “think they are good enough” subset actually have doubts that they really are good enough.  They are honest enough with themselves to be troubled.  They are looking for something.  So, take time to listen to people.  Listen to their stories.  Listen to their hurts.  It is hard living outside the overlap of saint and sinner not knowing who you are or what you are supposed to do.  Listen with the sympathy and empathy of a fellow sinner and invite them to come with you to this place where we admit the awful truth that we are sinners and we hear the amazing good news that Jesus forgives our sins. 

Now, in the world you will encounter those who hate Jesus and hate you because of Jesus.  Jesus teaches,  Luke 6:27–28 (ESV) 27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

This is a high and difficult calling.  It is a call to not respond instinctually to insults and hurts, but to respond like Jesus.

            Last week there was a hockey game with the U.S. against Canada.  The Canadian fans booed the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and so when the hockey match began three American players started fights with the Canadians.  “If you boo our national anthem we will make you pay — with our fists.”  That is, I guess, the way of hockey.  That is the way of the world.  But that is not the way of Jesus. 

We naturally want to be aggressive and decisive and demanding and vengeful, but that is not Jesus’ way.  Jesus’ way is mercy and compassion.  Jesus has great mercy and compassion on you.  You deserve His present and eternal punishment, but He patiently gives you forgiveness — over and over and over.  He never endorses or encourages sin, but He patiently loves you, forgives you and calls you to follow Him. 

As you deal with those who are in the subset of thinking they are good enough, speak the truth in love.  Don’t pretend that they are not in the set of sinners.  Don’t pretend they really are good enough.  But listen.  Listen to their hurt.  Walk with them in love and compassion.  Be a beacon of hope.  Be the light of the world.  Let the love of Christ shine through you.  And as we learn in…1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) 15 … in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” 

When the time is right, gently tell them that the whole set of sinners faces judgment on the last day, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Let them know there is still time to take shelter in the grace of the Lord Jesus.  Without endorsing sin, have compassion on those struggling with sin because you are a fellow sinner… struggling with sin… and Jesus has compassion on you.  Be patient with those caught up in sin because Jesus is patient with you.  Offer Jesus’ grace and mercy to others even though they don’t deserve it because Jesus gives grace and mercy to you even though you don’t deserve it.  Judge not because you are not the judge.  Condemn not because that is not given to you to do, but share that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through Him. 

Love others with the reckless love of Jesus.  This is radically countercultural, so rebel against culture. Love like Jesus.  Love others like Jesus loves you.  Amen. 

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Epiphany 4 2025
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
February 2, 2025
Jer. 1:4-10, 1 Cor. 12:31b – 13:13, Luke 4:31-44

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            It feels like we just got the Christmas decorations down and packed away and wherever you go there are heart decorations. February is a month of generally dreary weather and a relatively obscure holiday right in the middle… on February 14. Valentine’s Day celebrates the sweetness of love.  It is a day to give flowers and candy and sweet little notes.  Kids in school exchange valentines with goofy messages. And there are those relatively tasteless little candy hearts with messages like, “be mine, hug me, you’re sweet, cutie pie,” and the like.  It is a sweet little celebration of love in the middle of the dreary month of February. 

            Valentine’s Day is all about the sweetness of love. And today we get our epistle reading from 1 Corinthians 13; the love chapter.  At first glance we can think that this chapter is another teaching about the sweetness of love.  This is often chosen to be read at weddings because weddings are all about love.  But what is this love that we talk about.  What is love?  People will say, I am, “in love.”  People say, “I love cheeseburgers.”  People say, “I love my mom, I love my kids, I love my spouse.”  What is love?  What does it mean to love someone?

            There is romantic love.  Google’s AI definition is not bad. “Romantic love” refers to a deep, passionate form of love characterized by intense emotions, physical attraction, a desire for intimacy, and a longing to be with a specific person, often associated with the pursuit of a long-term relationship and mate selection; it involves a combination of idealization and bonding with another individual.”

            I worry that when we use the word “love” we too often are thinking only of romantic love.  Romantic love is wonderful and powerful, but the love that you are called to as a follower of Jesus is so much more wonderful and powerful.

            Even in marriage, romantic love is only one aspect of marital love.  During the wedding ceremony the bride and groom pledge to take the other and, “to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death us do part.”  There is so much more to marriage than romantic love, or the sentimental sweetness of candy hearts.

            While it is often chosen for weddings, 1 Corinthians 13 is not about married love in particular.  It is about the love you are to have for one another.  Love in the body of believers is not about romantic love at all, but about a serving, selfless love.  It is about loving others, even those you do not like. 

The church in Corinth is troubled by division and sin and Paul is writing to implore them to be true followers of Jesus and to understand what is most important. What is most important for a church? Is it that the pastors are great orators; preaching prophetic sermons?  Is it that the people can speak in many different languages of men and angels? Is it that the pastors and teachers are super knowledgeable and understanding?  Is it that people have incredibly strong faith?  Is it that the people give generously or are willing to die for the faith?  All of these things are good and important, but what is the most important thing?

            1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (ESV) 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 

            Love is more important to the church than all of those other things.  Love comes from God.  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.”  God loves you.  You are called to love one another.  The five word summary of all the Ten Commandments is, “Love God, love your neighbor.”

            Love all people, and particularly love those around you. Of course that is the difficulty. C.S. Lewis once said, “It is easier to be enthusiastic about Humanity with a capital ‘H’ than it is to love individual men and women, especially those who are uninteresting, exasperating, depraved, or otherwise unattractive. Loving everybody in general may be an excuse for loving nobody in particular.”  Wow.  This is truly convicting.  When you hear, “love your neighbor,” you can default to, “I love all people.”  But what about that one person?  The one annoying, rude, frustrating, problem person that you have to deal with?  The one who is constantly pushing your buttons and making you angry?  The one you think about all the time?  That incredibly frustrating person for whom Jesus died?  Do you love him?  Do you pray for her? 

            What is love?  St. Paul explains this in our reading today and it is an incredibly blunt, condemning teaching.  Sometimes people will claim that the Bible is just an old book, 2,000 years out of date and does not have anything to say to us today.  They are so wrong.  Paul’s insights here into our natural inclinations are astounding. 

            1 Corinthians 13:4–6 (ESV) 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”

            Valentine’s Day love is all about the sweetness of love. Paul teaches us about selfless, serving love.  It sounds terrible, but instead of the sweetness of love, here Paul teaches about the burden of love.

            There is a great quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, “Life Together.”  “The brother is a burden to the Christian, precisely because he is a Christian.  For the pagan the other person never becomes a burden at all. He simply sidesteps every burden that others may impose upon him.”

“The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated. The burden of men was so heavy for God Himself that He had to endure the Cross. God verily bore the burden of men in the body of Jesus Christ. But He bore them as a mother carries her child, as a shepherd enfolds the lost lamb that has been found. God took men upon Himself and they weighted Him to the ground, but God remained with them and they with God.”

            Love is a burden, but what a wonderful burden.  Jesus loves you, you love others and they love you. In marriage, both partners are called to love selflessly.  In pre-marriage preparation I teach that if each person in a marriage is most concerned about the other person’s needs and desires then both will be fulfilled and find joy in the marriage.  If either partner is most concerned about themselves it brings great trouble.  As in marriage, this is also true for the gathering of the followers of Jesus.  In the Church we are called to love others selflessly.

            Love is patient.  Love is patient even when the other person has once again gotten on your last nerve and does not deserve patience.  Love is kind even when you want to settle the score.  Love does not envy others’ abilities, or appearance, or possessions. Love does not boast about itself to others.  Love does not one-up the other when they tell a story.  Love is not arrogant or rude.  Love humbly considers the needs of others and is not pushy or careless with others and their feelings. 

Love does not insist on its own way.  Ouch!!  Why is St. Paul picking on me?  What if my way is the best way?  It doesn’t matter.  In our life together as redeemed children of God we work together in love and seek to avoid stepping on people’s toes, we do not demand to do it my way.  Life together in love can be messy and inefficient.  Love is not irritable or resentful.  It is so easy to default to living an irritated life being surrounded by others and their foolishness.  It is natural to resent others’ presence.  Love anyway.  Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing.  Love does not celebrate unrighteousness or delight in hearing about evil or perversion. 

            Love.  You are called to love like Jesus.  You are to love like Jesus not in order to earn forgiveness.  You are to love like Jesus because you are already forgiven.  You are loved by God through your Savior Jesus. You live in the love of Jesus and strive to love like Jesus.

            You are loved by Jesus, but it is hard to feel the love of Jesus.  Jesus can feel very far away.  His love can seem cold and distant.  You know the truth.  “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” but you see in a mirror dimly and it is a struggle to feel Jesus’ love.  It is a struggle to love like Jesus. 

            Your love for others flows from Jesus’ love for you even though you cannot clearly see Jesus’ love.  Jesus’ love is an abundant, overflowing love that you are called to imitate.  Love bears without limits, believes without limits, hopes without limits, endures without limits.  This is an amazing love.  This is Jesus love for you, and… 1 Corinthians 13:8 (ESV) 8 Love never ends…”  Jesus’ love never ends.  The things of this world will go away, but Jesus’ love is for eternity.  “…As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”  Love never ends. 

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

            The day is coming when Jesus will return and take those living up into heaven and raise the dead and then you will live forever face to face with Jesus.  Then you will know Jesus’ love fully, the love He fully has for you right now. 

            How frustrating that here in the love chapter you find condemning law, but you also find great hope because you learn the kind of love that Christ has for you, even while you struggle to love like him. 

            So, once again broken by God’s law, struggling to love like Jesus, repent of being loveless and selfish and come to the Lord ’s Table to receive His body and blood under the bread and wine, not directly seeing Jesus face-to-face, but looking into a mirror dimly.  Come as sinners, unable to love like Christ loves. And in the Holy meal you are loved once again by the Lord Jesus.  Leaving here go and love like Jesus.  Love the one you don’t like.  For…1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV) 13 … now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  Amen.

WORSHIP VIDEO LINK (linked after 10:45 AM Service)

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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

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            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. 

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EDITED WORSHIP VIDEO WITH WORDS (linked when ready)

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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

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org  
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            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. 

WORSHIP VIDEO LINK (linked after 10:45 AM Service)

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

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            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. 

WORSHIP VIDEO LINK (linked after 10:45 AM Service)

EDITED WORSHIP VIDEO (POSTED WHEN READY)

WORSHIP AUDIO LINK

SERMON AUDIO LINK

BULLETIN

SERMON TEXT BELOW

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

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
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            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.