Preachrblog

Sermon Revelation 3:1-6 “Jesus' Letter to Sardis” The Church in Sardis was not what it seemed to be. Everyone thought they were alive and vibrant and active and living – but they were sick, about to die, and slipping into a slumber. Perhaps it was apathy. Or maybe you could call it forgetfulness. Or spiritual frailness. Or all of the above. No there is no perfect Christian, and there is no perfect congregation of Christians. Remember the church in Ephesus, and her lack of love. The church in Smyrna, and her fear of persecution. The church in Pergamum, and her struggles with false doctrine. And the church in Thyatira, which tolerated open sin and heresy. Jesus calls them all to repent, so does he also call to the church in Sardis. Sardis, the sleepy church, is called to “wake up”. Just what was going on here? He says, “I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God”. And we recall the relationship between faith and works. Faith drives good works. Good wor...

I like Pastor Roemke's thoughts on this Annunciation day: A Blessed Feast of the Holy Fetus Isn't this what we should start calling Annunciation? Those who are pro-death use words like "fetus," and "embryo" to dehumanize the babies they say it is ok to kill. But Christ makes no distinction. He came to save those whom He lived for. He lived as a fetus and and embryo in the blessed womb of the Virgin Mother. Christ died for those He lived for, and today the Church celebrates His life as a fetus and gives thanks that those whose lives are so tragically and brutally taken have a Redeemer who lives for them.

Sermon Revelation 2:18-29 “Jesus' Letter to Thyatira” Someone asked me this week what our sermon series on the letters to the 7 churches had to do with Lent. I think they meant, how was it connected to the Passion – the arrest and trial, the suffering and death of Christ. In truth, it's not directly connected to all that. But it is a very timely series for the season of Lent. Throughout these letters, Jesus calls the churches to repent. Repentance is a major theme of this season. Lent is the most penitential time of the church year. It is a time for all of us to reflect on our own sins, and listen to God's word which calls us to turn away from sin, and turn to him in faith. When God calls, and when Jesus calls sinners to repent, he is very serious. And you'd certainly know that if you lived in Thyatira. There, they had a false prophetess among them who was sinning gravely, and also leading others into sin. Jesus words are harsh here, jarring, even. He calls he...

Funny. If you don't read "Stand Firm" , you probably should. Scott Diekmann is a long time friend-of-this-blog who finally started his own blog, which really is very good. Anywho, he's announced a week of special guest-blogs and other goodies to commemorate the one year anniversary of "Issues Etc" being canceled by LCMS, Inc. Be sure you check it out: http://stand-firm.blogspot.com/2009/03/intervention.html

Sermon Revelation 2:8-11 “Jesus' Letter to Smyrna” The second letter that Jesus wrote to the churches of Revelation goes to the church in Smyrna. And I have to tell you that this letter holds some personal importance for me. This past summer, I sat down with my grandparents and learned some family history. They told me that my great-great grandparents, whose last name was “Chrystodoulos”, were Greeks living on the coast of Turkey in a town called Smyrna. This is the same town mentioned in our reading. We're not sure exactly why or when, but sometime in the late 1800s, the Greeks there, including my great-great-grandparents, were massacred there by the Turkish army, and my great-grandfather Sammy was orphaned. Later, he made it to America, where his last name was shortened to “Chryst”. So, you can see why my plans for a trip to Greece and Turkey in a year or two have some special meaning. Not only will we follow the footsteps of St. Paul, and visit the towns mentioned in R...

Where the LCMS President is Really Elected - The Circuit Forum “I thought the President was elected at the national convention by the delegates?” Yes, technically, that's true. But in many ways the election is already decided when delegates are chosen at the Circuit Forums leading up to the convention. This part of the LCMS governance process is not as well known as the national convention, but just as important! These delegates will go to the national convention in July 2010 and vote in all of the elections and on all other matters (including the restructuring proposals). They are also, technically, delegates for three years until the NEXT convention – should there be a need for a special convention to be called in between. And many of these delegates already have strong opinions and positions on the issues and candidates that will come before the convention. Who chooses the delegates? Who can be a delegate? Might I be able to serve? Here's how it works. Sometime in t...

A local ELCA church here in Racine hosted a traveling troupe of youth group performers, who re-enact the passion of Christ through mime. http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2009/03/01/local_news/doc49ab55fbaee5f462857673.txt Is there something about this that takes away from the word? Especially when this is done in place of the sermon? I'm not against passion plays and such, and I suppose you could even do it respectfully and artistically without dialogue. But in church on the First Sunday in Lent?