Preachrblog

In general, I think that the person unfamiliar with the Bible might be surprised to find out some of what is in it.  There are all manner of stories of abuse and deceit, betrayals and conspiracies, family dysfunction and plot lines that would be rated R if they were in a modern movie.  Many times, these things are even perpetrated by believers!  And so we can see that the Scriptures do not paint some lily-white, idyllic version of reality, but because they are entirely trustworthy and true, you can find even some of the darkest deeds of human nature in those pages.  You can find some of the most sinister and malevolent characters.  The Bible doesn’t sugar coat a thing. One of those bad guys is Herod.  Herod the Great, here, the one in charge during the days of Christ’s nativity.  This Herod was called great because of his many building projects and worldly accomplishments.  But he was also great – at being bad.  His paranoia and lust for...

Week 3 -   Bathsheba and Mary – Mothers of the Son of David We’ve looked at Eve and Sarah, mothers of promise, as well as Rahab and Ruth, mothers from the nations.   Tonight we consider two women who share a common distinction, but otherwise might at first seem very different – Bathsheba and Mary.   But as we look closer, we’ll see that they maybe aren’t that different at all.   Nor are we, who are also in Christ, the Son of David. Bathsheba:   2 Samuel 11:1-5; 26-27 Bathsheba’s tale is a sordid story of adultery, unplanned pregnancy, conspiracy and murder, followed by a cover-up.   We didn’t hear all of the gory details this evening, but even Scripture doesn’t spell out every last detail – but leaves some to our imagination. One debate that continues to run is what was Bathsheba’s culpability in the whole affair?   How much of a victim was she?   How much of a seductress?   Did she act out of fear before a powerful man, or ...

The Mothers of Jesus – Midweek Advent Series 2019 “Mothers from the Nations” We’re continuing our series on the “Mothers of Jesus” which began last week with the “Mothers of Promise”, Eve and Sarah, who shared a common thread.  They both received promises about their offspring and looked to God in faith for fulfillment.  Through these women, God would move forward his plan of salvation,that would culminate with the birth of his own son in Bethlehem. Today we are focusing on two other mothers from Jesus’ family tree, Rahab and Ruth.  Let’s call them, “Mothers from the nations”, since both of these women had their origins outside of 12 tribes of Israel.  Rahab was a Canaanite, a resident of Jericho.  And Ruth was from Moab, one of the neighboring nations. We know the central place the Israelites, and especially the tribe of Judah had in salvation history.  We know who they grew from a large family to small nation during their time of bondage in Egypt....

Matthew 3:1-12 "Vipers and Fruit, Sandals and Fire" Our annual Advent visit with John the Baptist comes almost like that odd relative that we see at the holiday family gathering.  We know and love him, but we aren’t always sure what to make of him and his odd ways.  Strange clothing, strange diet, strange living arrangement – but all of that seems designed to get your attention.  What’s really notable about John is his message.  He’s the voice, after all, of one crying in the wilderness ‘Prepare the way of the Lord…’ And at the heart of John’s message is a call to repentance.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. Repent.  It’s a hard word.  An unpopular word, perhaps even in the church. Did you know that Advent, as a season, is meant to be a penitential time, a season of repentance?  Sorrow for sin, and renewal of faith – that’s how the church prepares for its major celebrations.  Advent is, in this way, of a similar to...

The Mothers of Jesus – Midweek Advent Series 2019 “Mothers of Promise” This Advent for our midweek series, we will be looking in on 6 women from the Old Testament who share an important distinction.  Each of them is a mother in the long line of the Messianic lineage.  Through each of them, and the children they bore, God carried forward his plan of salvation and ultimately brought forth Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. We will see various aspects of sin and grace in each of these women – and hopefully also draw connections with ourselves.  And through it all give thanks to the Lord who never forgets his promises, but always works to fulfill them – whether through the rise and fall of nations – by the mighty deeds of famous and powerful men – or through the humble and common vocation of motherhood. Each week, we will consider two women under a common theme, and tonight we look at Eve and Sarah – both “mothers of promise”.  For each of these women received ...

“The Prophet fulfills Prophecy” Matthew 21:1-11 Once again the church year begins anew with the season of Advent, which simply means “coming”.  Of course, Christ is the one that is coming.  We anticipate the celebration of his birth – Christmas is coming.  We anticipate his second coming in glory on the Last Day.  And today, a Gospel reading about Jesus coming in another way – coming into the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, to the great adulation of the crowds.  They greet him with Hosannas and the moniker “Son of David”.  But this coming is humble and for not for purposes of conquering, but of dying.  He comes as Messiah, yes, but what does that mean? One of the blessings of the Advent season is that it sinks us a little deeper into the Old Testament.  We focus a little bit more, it seems, on the longing of the ancient people of God for their salvation to appear.  Their many years of waiting in faith for the promises of God to...

Deuteronomy 8:1-10 “Giving Thanks for Pomegranates” A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you all. Every year we observe this national holiday. The 4th Thursday of November is set aside by longstanding presidential order as a day of national thanksgiving. Your history books might tell you that the first day of thanksgiving was December 4th of 1619, when the Pilgrims in the Virginia Colony first celebrated the day. Or you might think of the Massachusetts Bay Colony marking their first thanksgiving in 1630. But the truth is, harvest festivals have a longstanding history in many nations and cultures. And we find something similar even in ancient Israel. We Lutherans teach and value the biblical value of thanks-giving, and instill it in our children when they learn their catechism.  Consider the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, where we credit God the Father who:  …has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my r...

“Christ the King” Luke 23:27-43 Why this reading today? This is Good Friday stuff! Why is the Gospel from an account of Jesus' crucifixion? It’s the end of November. Isn't today at least supposed to be about Jesus as the King of kings crowned in glory! It is Christ the King Sunday right? The Last Sunday in the Church Year! Isn’t that when we talk about Christ as King? I’ve been watching a TV show called, “The Crown”, which follows the lives of Queen Elizabeth and her family through the years.  It’s an interesting glimpse of what life might actually be like for the royal family, and some of the struggles they’ve had to face.  It’s an imagining of what it’s like behind the veil of pomp and pageantry, ceremony and tradition that surrounds the royals in all their glory. When we think of Christ the King Sunday we often think of what we know of earthly kings and Queens and their robes and crowns and thrones and palaces. But behind all of that, they are ultimately just regu...

Luke 21:5-36  “Your Redemption is Drawing Near” We mentioned last week that these last few Sundays of the church year, before we begin Advent in December – focus our attention on the last things, or what we call, “eschatology”. Last week we focused particularly on one aspect of that – the resurrection of the body.  We Christians will, on that day, rise from the dead, and live, body and soul, with God forever. But you might think of the end, and Scripture certainly also speaks of it in other terms:  as judgment day, the day of destruction, the second coming of Christ, or the day of redemption and the beginning of the kingdom yet to come. No matter what you call that day and its events, talk about the end gets people – even Christians – a little nervous. Maybe a lot nervous. Will there be gloom and doom and destruction and plagues and suffering and cataclysmic disasters? Or more personally, will I, myself, have to stand before the throne of God and answer for all my si...

Luke 20:27-40 Jesus’ usual opponents were the Pharisees.  They were the legalistic party of the Jewish Sanhedron, or ruling council.  They were really the conservatives.  Hyporcrites, to be sure.  Arrogant show-offs, greedy for gain, who balked at Jesus’ teachings and incurred his most firey rhetoric.  It is the Pharisees who are the forefathers, really, of modern-day Judaism. Not as often, we hear Jesus contend with that other party – the Saducees.  They were mostly of very high social class.  Though they were more concerned with politics than religion, they were the religious liberals among the Jewish leadership.  They denied heaven and hell, did not believe in the existance of angels, and cried foul at the promise of the resurrection of the dead.  That’s a big part of what is behind their questioning today.  Their false teachings put them at odds with both the Pharisees, but also with Jesus.  And so their question about the d...