The year in review

Three news items garnered much discussion this past year. Wet and cool conditions prevented farmers throughout the mid-west from planting corn and soybeans. A window of dry days failed to materialize. The spring continued a trend of frequent precipitation that goes all the way back to the winter months. The longest stretch of days without any precipitation was just three days on several occasions.  What is incredible statistically is that the last time a string of more than three days in a row occurred without any precipitation at all was January 3 through 7 2019. That is nearly five months in a row or 150 days!  

In May, rain fell on 21 days that month. There was a consecutive three- day stretch of dry weather from May 5 to May 7. A second stretch of two consecutive days occurred on May 14 and 15. The fifteen-day period from May 16 to May 30 had at least a trace (less than 0.01 inches of rain on each day. With the greatest amount during that period being 0.55 inches on the 26th and that was also the greatest 24 – hour precipitation amount for the month.  Not until the end of June was there recorded four or more straight days without precipitation in northeast Indiana.   May, normally the wettest month of the year with 4.27 inches of rain, surprisingly, despite all the days with rain,  May 2019 fell nearly a half inch below normal.[1]

_____________

After nearly two years of investigation special prosecutor Robert Mueller handed over to the Justice Department his findings regarding Russian intervention into the 2016 US election. The investigation produced 37 indictments; seven guilty pleas or convictions; and compelling evidence that the president obstructed justice on multiple occasions. Mueller also uncovered and referred 14 criminal matters to other components of the Department of Justice.[2] 
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On October 31 a split House of Representatives voted on rules on impeachment and by mid-December two articles of impeachment were drawn concerning the President’s actions toward the nation of Ukraine — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. For only the third time in US history the president was impeached by the House on 18 December. The vote progressed along party lines.   A trial in the Senate is scheduled to occur in early in 2020.

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How do we make sense of this world in which we live? As Christians we live by and through Christ’s cross.  You are sustained by God’s grace from beginning to end which leaves you free to be weak, honest, interdependent vulnerable, to love.

The source of all tragedy falls back to our first parents Adam and Eve.  They affected the whole of God’s creation. We now live in a broken and fallen world outside of Eden. Thus, we experience natural disasters, disease, and death. Consequently we occasionally find ourselves experiencing pain separation and loss.

It’s quite natural to experience feelings of abandonment when experiencing pain. Job certainly felt like God’s presence was very elusive, despite his belief that God was there.

We can take courage and comfort in the fact that we do not find an abandoning God in Scripture. Instead, we find a God whose ultimate desire is to care for and heal our wounds. The gospel message is that God desired to reconcile His people to Himself and was willing to do so even though He knew it would cost Him.

The cross is God’s ultimate expression of His love for His people. He knew He would have to allow and destine His Son to bear what was rightfully due those who killed His Son (Acts 2:23). This was God’s plan because of His mercy and love for His creation. There is no more powerful way to demonstrate love for another than to lay down your life for them (John 15:13).

There is no clearer display of God’s heart toward us than the cross. Surely we must conclude that God cares more deeply about us than we can imagine and as He was willing to remedy our greatest need through experiencing His greatest pain. We are not called to be successful, effective or efficient. We are called to a life of faithfulness. Faithful to Christ. Faithful to His Word. Faithful to each other.

“Stat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis” –“The cross of Christ stands while the world spins.” Even when steeples are falling. The word, which we use for “church,” is a translation of the Greek word, ‘ecclesia’ (Εκκλησία) meaning “a calling out one.” It never refers to a building. Or a meeting place. But always to a people. The ones “called out” of this world by God. Called into Christ’s service.

The message of Easter is a third person confession of faith. “Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!” It’s also a first person testimony. “I have seen the Lord” And this is the message those “called out” are to proclaim. It is all you need to hear. 

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD , and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD , that he might be glorified.” - Isaiah 61:1-3

It is the end of a year; an end of a decade. A new year awaits us. New challenges are before us.  As you reflect remember and recall the year just past may Christ continue to guide and sustain each of us in our journey together.

____________

[1] National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office – See Climatological Report (Seasonal) Issued by NWS Northern Indiana

[2] Key findings of the Mueller Report American Constitution Society - https://www.acslaw.org/projects/the-presidential-investigation-education-project/other-resources/key-findings-of-the-mueller-report/

2018 - In Review

National Security and the Russia investigations garnered most of the headlines in 2918. President Trump was set on a collision course with the national security world while tariffs and trade plagued the nation’s farmers throughout the year.  The unemployment rate dropped to one of the lowest in the country (a 50 year low) however, the president imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in March and then in July announced a $12 billion aid package for those hurt by the tariffs. These tariffs did not bode well for American farmers who witnessed record yields along with below market prices. By year’s end four of President Trump’s advisors; a campaign foreign policy adviser, his former campaign chair, a campaign aide, his former national security adviser and his personal attorney each pleaded guilty to federal charges. In late October the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh witnessed the single most killing upon a religious community in the United States; killing eleven congregants.

In the mid-term elections Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives while the Republicans retained the Senate. On November 11 the world paused to commemorate the one hundred anniversary of the armistice, which was signed between the Axis and Allies ending the First World War.   

U.S. stocks kicked off the New Year on a high note as Wall Street bet on another strong year for equities. The Nasdaq composite hit record highs. The index also closed above 7,000 for the first time. The Dow Jones industrial average rose to finish at 24,824.01 only to sharply fall around Thanksgiving wiping out any gains for the year. By year’s end, the Dow would finish around 23,000.  With fears of an extended government shutdown the year ended on a somewhat somber note.

They hymn writer reminds us:

When the woes of life o’ertake me—

Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,

Never shall the cross forsake me,

Lo! it glows with peace and joy.

When tragedy strikes Christ remains. This is nowhere more clearly known than in the cross of Jesus, where God was joined to the fullest human experience of loss - suffering an unjust and cruel death- out of love for us. God is present. - Not causing chaos. But entering into it. Not sending calamity. But suffering through it. Not standing over us. But holding tightly on to us. And promising never to let go. Wherever there is human tragedy and pain, the incarnate and crucified God is there. 

We do not know what condition our nation and society will be tomorrow, or in the future. But we do know where Christ will be from now unto eternity.

“Stat Crux Dum Volvitur Orbis” –“The cross stands while the world spins.” While the world appears to be breaking apart all around us, the cross of Christ stands strong.  We are not given to panic but to pray. So continue in the vocation, which Christ has placed you. Bloom where you are planted. Gossip the gospel. Stay focused. Be a blessing. Be a sermon in shoes!

In the cross of Christ I glory,

Towering o’er the wrecks of time;

All the light of sacred story

Gathers round its head sublime.

Despite the circumstances of our lives; separations, suspicions and sorrows Christ has conquered victoriously for us. The cross of Christ always stands before us. 

Image © Higher Things

In the Cross of Christ I glory, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve

December 31, 2015

New Year’s Eve

31 December 2015

Our God Our Help in Ages Past

Psalm 90

O GOD, You make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of Your only Son Jesus Christ.  Grant, that as we joyfully receive Him as our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold Him when He shall come to be our Judge on the Last Great Day; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

We've come to the end of yet another year. 365 days have passed. What will be said of this the year, the year of our Lord  - 2015 - when the history books are written and this chapter of our lives is read?

It's been a significant year for this our Friedheim family. 177 years of mission and ministry! What a year it has been!

Like other years, there were births. Infants were born into this world. They too were claimed to be "children of light" as they were born again, through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Still others were born into Glory. As they took a walk. From one end of the Father's kingdom to the other. From the kingdom of Grace.  Into the Kingdom of Glory.

So, how do we measure one year that is past? With all of its experiences, it's memories? What impression will this past year place upon your life?

And what do you say about the New Year, which is about to begin? How do we plot our future as we recall our past? Our hymn verse helps put all things into perspective.

Our God our Help in ages past. If you are ever admitted into a hospital, the first thing you need to do is remove your watch. You won’t need it. Hospital time is NOT regular time! The two are different! There is no time in a hospital. Time…is just a suggestion!  

There were moments this past year when time seemed to stop. Now they are in the past.  Yet, forever they remain with us.

There are moments in our lives that are frozen in time. We make it a habit of marking time. Glance at your calendar. It reminds you when you first planted corn and cut your first field of beans. It marks the first snowfall and the first 90-degree day. It recalls you of your child’s first tooth, and their first steps. It remembers your first kiss. The day you got out of debt. They day you landed that big account. The day your child walked across the graduation stage. The day you entered retirement. Each of us can remember those significant moments of this past year. They are forever in our memory.

 God was in the midst of each of these days. Moses reminds us in Psalm 90, “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or eve thou hast formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." –Psalm 90:1-2     

Moses will later write, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes establish the work of our hands.” – Psalm 90:17 It is important to remember that any of our accomplishments in our lifetime are really not much unless their directions come from our Heavenly Father. The importance of “His” work is greater than what this world holds as important.

Jesus remains, Our Hope for years to come. How do we face the next 365 days? What will befall us in the New Year? We simply do not know. But one thing we do know, “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” –Psalm 90: 2 

We pray that our Lord would direct us. “Heavenly Father, You have called us to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown... give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us."  

Because our Lord is with us. Because He has promised to lead us. Because He is our Good and faithful Shepherd. We know our Lord remains, Our Shelter from the stormy blast. Calamities. Tragedies. Disasters. They make the headlines. There were plenty this past year.

From the spread of ISIS worldwide. From Attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, to mass shootings in our own country. From a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in Nepal to record setting rainfall in the month of June locally.  From preliminary presidential debates to shifts in the cultural and moral fabric of our nation- from the Supreme Court’s ruling on Marriage Equality…

These events remind us we are living outside of Eden. Yet we do not loose heart.  St. Paul would remind us, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.” -  2 Corinthians 4:8-11  

We do not loose heart because we really don’t belong here. 0ur eternal Home! In this coming year there will be baptisms and there will be funerals. Infants will be welcomed into the family called the Church. Dear saints will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” We pray in the Te Deum “May we numbered with Thy saints, in glory everlasting.” The old song sings, “Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.” And yes! It will be. 

We will see the King! It could happen this year. The Lord might appear. The Lord might receive us. In His own perfect timing, all will be made right at the end of days.

Rejoice then this night. Your Savior remains timeless. The old year is gone. A new one dawns. The past year is over. Another takes its place. Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today, and yes, forever. Your times are in His hands. Fare Thee well child of God. Fare thee well. From this year unto the next. Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today, and forevermore.

Words –1,086

Passive Sentences –7%

Readability –84.1

Reading Level – 3.9

New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve

31 December 2014

The Christian's Hope

Romans 8:32

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Once again, we have concluded another year of grace – another year in which we have been permitted by God’s amazing grace to live, and serve and have our being in Jesus Christ. What shall we say concerning all of the events, which have transpired during the course of this past year? Possibly, they can be best summed up in the words of St. Paul in our text for this night: He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Paul gives evidence of a hope we have in Christ – a hope we have in fact.

1.        This hope is founded in the fact that Christ suffered for us.

That Jesus Christ, God’s Son, our Savior has suffered for us. Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary at Christmas is the Father’s gift to us; “He spared not His own and only Son”

Because of this fact, we can conclude that the suffering of Jesus Christ can only be equaled by the suffering of God.

2.        This hope is founded in the fact that man's lost condition affected the Father more than the suffering of His Son.

God our heavenly Father delivered Christ up “for us all.”  “God so loved the world…that He gave his only begotten Son…” {John 3:16a}

The Father could not bear to see us in darkness but He could ask Jesus to “humble Himself and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Thus, the Father closed His eyes to the agony of Jesus that He might the better contemplate our need. [“Why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  said Jesus on the cross] 

3. The hope is founded in the fact that you and I are once again restored back to the Father by the suffering death and resurrection of His Son.

If in the death of Jesus, God was mindful of us, how shall He not, “with Him” restored to love, “freely give us all things?”

That our risen Lord is our Mediator in the presence of the Father means that every need, ever petition, every request is delivered to the Father’s throne room of grace. He will answer every prayer according to His good and gracious will.

As we say farewell to yet another year know that your salvation is grounded in fact - this is our hope - He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Words – 471

Passive Sentences –

Reading Ease – 74%

Reading Level – 8.4

New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve

31 December 2013

Our God Our Help in Ages Past

Psalm 90

O GOD, You make us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of Your only Son Jesus Christ.  Grant, that as we joyfully receive Him as our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold Him when He shall come to be our Judge on the Last Great Day; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

We've come to the end of yet another year. 365 days have passed. What will be said of this the year, the year of our Lord  - 2013 - when the history books are written and this chapter of our lives is read?

It's been a significant year for this our Friedheim family. 175 years of mission and ministry! What a year it has been!

Like other years, there were births. Infants were born into this world. They too were claimed to be "children of light" as they were born again, through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Still others were born into Glory. As they took a walk. From one end of the Father's kingdom to the other. From the kingdom of Grace.  Into the Kingdom of Glory.

So, how do we measure one year that is past? With all of its experiences, it's  memories? What impression will this past year place upon your life?

And what do you say about the New Year, which is about to begin? How do we plot our future as we recall our past? Our hymn verse helps put all things into perspective.

Our God our Help in ages past. If you are ever admitted into a hospital, the first thing you need to do is remove your watch. You won’t need it. Hospital time is NOT regular time! The two are different! There is no time in a hospital. Time…is just a suggestion!  There were moments this past year when time seemed to stop. Now they are in the past.  Yet, forever they remain with us.

There are moments in our lives that are frozen in time. We make it a habit of marking time. Glance at your calendar. It reminds you when you first planted corn and cut your first field of beans. It marks the first snowfall and the first 90-degree day. It recalls you of your child’s first tooth, and their first steps. It remembers your first kiss. The day you got out of debt. They day you landed that big account. The day your child walked across the graduation stage. The day you entered retirement. Each of us can remember those significant moments of this past year. They are forever in our memory.

 God was in the midst of each of these days. Moses reminds us in Psalm 90, “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or eve thou hast formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. –Psalm 90:1-2      

Moses will later write, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes establish the work of our hands.” – Psalm 90:17 It is important to remember that any of our accomplishments in our lifetime are really not much unless their directions come from our Heavenly Father. The importance of “His” work is greater than what this world holds as important.

Jesus remains, Our Hope for years to come. How do we face the next 365 days? What will befall us in the New Year? We simply do not know. But one thing we do know, “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” –Psalm 90: 2  

We pray that our Lord would direct us. “Heavenly Father, You have called us to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown... give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us.[1]   

Because our Lord is with us. Because He has promised to lead us. Because He is our Good and faithful Shepherd we know our Lord remains, Our Shelter from the stormy blast. Calamities. Tragedies. Disasters. They make the headlines. There were plenty this past year. From a pipe bomb at the Boston Marathon to an F-4 tornado that left New Minden, IL in shambles.  2013 saw the fewest weather disasters in recent history. Yet, the Red Cross responded to 932 events this past year.

From the Arab Spring to the North Korea missile threats. They remind us we are living outside of Eden. Yet we do not loose heart.  St. Paul would remind us, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.” -  2 Corinthians 4:8-11   

We do not loose heart because we really don’t belong here. 0ur eternal Home! Is with the Lord. In this coming year there will be baptisms and there will be funerals. Infants will be welcomed into the family called the Church. Dear saints will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” We pray in the Te Deum “May we numbered with Thy saints, in glory everlasting.” The old song sings, “Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King.” And yes! It will be.  We will see the King! It could happen this year. The Lord might appear. The Lord might receive us. In His own perfect timing, all will be made right at the end of days.

Rejoice then this night. Your Savior remains timeless. The old year is gone. A new one dawns. The past year is over. Another takes its place. Jesus remains the same, Yesterday, today, and yes, forever. Your times are in His hands. Fare Thee well child of God. Fare thee well. From this year unto the next. Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today, and forevermore.

---

[1] Collect for Courage, Lutheran Service Book  © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

New Year's Eve

Joshua 3:4c
“...for you have not passed this way before”

We come the close of yet another year, and what a year it has been. What is it that is on our mind when we reflect back on this past year of 2012? Great expectations and triumphs have been met with frustrations and sadness in this past year. In the past 365 days we have met all of the emotions that life’s about.

What were the highlight and low points of 2012? There was... In this year of our Lord 2012, we have celebrated. All of the events of this past year are etched in our minds.

1.                  Yet, we must go on – there is no going back – whatever the path before us we must tread it. How will the future fare for us? Only the Lord knows.  Joshua was right “for you have not passed this way before.”

2.                  As we go let us look out for the signposts – bypaths plainly marked; in the past there have been warning signs misery, ruin, and death. We will meet them again in the New Year.

And there is the right path clearly shown happiness, peace, and heaven. Could it be that in this New Year we will be called home?  As we move on to the New Year of 2013 we proceed. But in what manner shall we proceed?

3.                  We proceed cautiously – make haste slowly – Hold ever before us the lamp of Thy Word, Lord. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” The Scriptures remind us. We enter into the New Year with the lamp of God’s Word giving us direction, purpose and hope. “Trust in the Lord with all your hear” the Scriptures remind us, “and lead not on your own understanding” All that stands before us in the New Year of 2013 must be measured carefully by the clear direction of God’s Holy Word. In every circumstance we must ask: “what is God teaching me?” “what is God saying?”, in short, with Luther we must ask ourselves and each other, “what does this mean?” 

4.                  Let us not go alone – Let us look out for friends on the road, those needing help on the way. Let us walk with Jesus who has promised to walk with us as He has clearly promised “Lo I am with you always even until the end of the age” Together with the Savior, family and friends we are given an incredible journey into the future. All that the New Year promises us we will experience not alone but with other who accompany us along the way.

5.                  Take the staff of God’s promise in your hand – Promises to help and comfort. Each promise is given for our encouragement and hope. Counting on the promises of God we trust each and every one.

6.                  Look forward with hope to the end of the way. In the end we will spend eternity with the Savior. That is the goal of this journey as we travel the road of life. Life is a journey. We know the final destination. As we venture forth to fulfill our destiny let us enjoy the scenery as we travel and experience the journey with Jesus who pilots us and with those who walk beside us.

CONCLUSION: Joshua was right when he wrote in our text for this night: “...for you have not passed this way before”. For this very reason we take provisions along the way. As we venture forth from this place into the future our Savior walks with us. Walk confidently with Christ as you go from here. A blessed New Year to one and to all!

New Year's Eve

Hebrews 13:8
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forevermore"

Well here we are at the end of another year. 365 days have come and gone. On a night such as this we come with many mixed emotions. We might look back at the past year and wish that the year would not end. On the other hand some might wish that 2011 would be past history that we might get the year over with and move on to something more positive. In any life there are years that we savor and other years we would much rather forget.

Tonight we look back on a year gone by. We look bat at this past year and realize triumphs as well as failures. We see both disappointments and blessings; we find pains as well as pleasures. And yet, as we look at time that seems to fly by so quickly we see that our Lord Jesus remains timeless. In fact, what's more He never changes. Jesus remains consistent beyond time.

I. Jesus Christ has been right by our side in the past.

A. There was never a time in the past year when He didn't know of your situation or circumstance.
1. He's all knowing
2. He's all seeing
3. He's ever present

B. He has never left you down
1. There have been times when we have left Him down.
2. There have been times when we would not listen to His Word

Transition: But He remains changeless and that is why in the beginning even before time began before this world existed He established an eternal plan to save and redeem you.

II. He is with us right now.

A. To forgive us our sin
1. Establishing us as His own
2. Drawing us to Himself
3. Ever guiding and leading us

B. Where there is the forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.
1. Jesus said: "I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly…"
2. Salvation, having peace with God is a byproduct of this forgiveness.

III. As He has never left us down in the past and is actively involved in our lives at the present we can be assured that He will go with us in this New Year.

A. Changes might come our way in the New Year of 2012
1. Our Lord has some things to teach us.
2. All this is to draw us closer to Himself.

B. No matter what comes our way He's mighty enough to handle any problem we might have.
1. This is the only way we'll survive in this often-unpredictable world.
2. We can depend on Jesus our Savior.

We live in an ever in an ever increasing world of change. But in the midst of change Jesus remains changeless. He will be with us as He has in the past and will continue to be so even in the New Year. In His hands we will rest safe and secure.

New Year's Eve

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Friedheim
10655 N – 550 W
Decatur, IN 46733
260.547.4248
www.zionfriedheim.org

A 21st Century Parish with a 1st Century Parish
Acts 2:42

Chartered February 25, 1838
Celebrating our 172nd Year

New Year’s Eve
December 31, 2010
Romans 8:31-39
In Christ, we are secure

Here we stand on the last day of the year 2010. Has it been a good year?
It all depends on your perspective. For some, it’s been a very good year. For others, it might be a good thing that this current year will soon be history.

Before we bid farewell to this year let us take the opportunity to review this past year and to ask ourselves four specific questions as our text presents itself. St. Paul answers us – in Christ, we are secure. What is it that the apostle Paul would ask this this night?

1. What shall we say concerning these things? Romans 8:31 What shall we say according this past year 2010?
A. There have been challenges, a few changes as well as some blessings this past year. The lagging economy, home sales, and an American presence in Iraq and Afghanistan continued to be topics of national interest throughout the year. A major BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April and reactions to the US House, which passed a comprehensive Health Care Bill, which guaranteed to overhaul the nation’s health insurance industry, drew national attention. Elena Kagan was nominated to the Supreme Court, while in Arizona tough anti-illegal immigration laws were signed into law. On October 13th, thirty-three minors were rescued after being trapped in a Chilean mine for sixty-nine days. Mid-term elections in November gave the Republican Party control of US House of Representatives.

B. Yet through the changes and chances of this past year one thing will never change. His name is Jesus Christ. St. Paul would remind us, He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? -Romans 8:32 How do you feel when 2010’w highlights are revealed? Do you feel blessed or beaten?

2. Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? -Romans 8:33

A. Paul reminds us “It is God who justifies.” He declares you righteous. He is the one who has borne the burden of your sins has he has done it all for you. Isaiah the prophet reminds us,
Surely our grief’s He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:4-5

B. This is the condition in which you now stand. It’s all because of the Father’s amazing grace. As we close out 2010 remember – who you are remember WHOSE you are. This life is a journey as we venture on into a New Year. We can be assured that the same Savior walks with you as He orders your days and directs your path.

3. Who then can condemn? –Romans 8:34

A. St. Paul reminds us it’s all about Jesus. There are specific actions your Savior performed for you. Christ is the one who died, but more then that he is risen to life. He is seated at the right hand of the Father and He intercedes for you.

B. This He did because He loves you. He did this because He cares for you. This He did for you – He is very much in love with you. He is concerned about you. Do not hesitate each day of this New Year to take it to the Lord in prayer; every day – PRAY!

4. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? – Romans 8:35
A. Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness and sword are all a part of this life lived outside of Eden.
This world is broken. Christ has redeemed it but it still begs to be relieved. Will the Lord finally relieve this world of its burdens in 2011?
B. You will be counted as those who love and look for His appearing. As the old song sings, “Soon and very soon we are going to see the King.”*

C. Yet, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. – Romans 8:36 In Christ we are winners. You will not necessarily be successful, not always with it, not always on top of your game, but more then conquerors –because always you are in Christ.

D. Nothing can take away your hope and joy. It is yours in Christ. You are His and He is in control guiding your life each passing year, each season, each month, every week, every day.
Fare thee well child of God. As 2010 is soon to be history and a New Year dawns Godspeed and God Bless!

*
Soon and very Soon by Andre Crouch “Soon and very soon We are going to see the King Soon and very soon We are going to see the King Hallelujah, hallelujah, We're going to see the king

No more cryin there we are going to see the King. No more cryin there, We are going to see the King No more cryin there, We are going to see the King Hallelujah, hallelujah, We're going to see the King

Should there be any rivers we must cross Should there be any mountains we must climb God will supply all the strength that we need Give us strength till we reach the other side.

We have come from every nation, God has already signed our name. Jesus took his blood and he washed my sins.. He washed them all away. Yet there are those of us who have laid down our lives but we all shall meet again on the other side... soon and very soon. Hallelujah, we’re going to see the King!”

New Year's Eve

When our children read in history books concerning the year of our Lord 2009 what shall be recounted as significant? On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama was sworn into office as the 44th president of the United States. On that day the Dow closed at 7,943. The Dow fell to 6,594 on March 19th but by mid October had risen to just over 10,000 points. The economy continued to make headlines as the House and Senate soon after Obama’s inauguration signed into law a trillion dollar stimulus bill to help boost the nation’s financial system. Both GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and restructuring in the 2nd quarter. In summer the temperatures were unseasonably cool across the Hoosier heartland. 2009 would be the coolest July on record. Only four days during the month reached average or above-average temperatures, but after the August recess in Washington things began to heat up as debate started over reforming the nation’s health care system. The college freshmen class set to graduate in 2013 had this unique distinction – never in their lives had they not known of a time when Americans were not fighting a war in Iraq.

Tonight we look back on a year gone by. We look bat at this past year and realize triumphs as well as failures. We see both disappointments and blessings; we find pains as well as pleasures. And yet, as we look at time that seems to fly by so quickly we see that our Lord Jesus remains timeless. In fact, what's more He never changes. Jesus remains consistent beyond time.
I. Jesus Christ has been right by our side in the past.
There was never a time in the past year when He didn't know of your situation or circumstance.
1. He's all knowing
2. He's all seeing
3. He's ever present
He has never left you down
1. There have been times when we have left Him down.
2. There have been times when we would not listen to His Word
Transition: But He remains changeless and that is why in the beginning even before time began before this world existed He established an eternal plan to save and redeem you.
II. He is with us right now.
A. To forgive us our sin
1. Establishing us as His own
2. Drawing us to Himself
3. Ever guiding and leading us
B. Where there is the forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.
1. Jesus said: "I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly…"
2. Salvation, having peace with God is a byproduct of this forgiveness.
III. As He has never left us down in the past and is actively involved in our lives at the present we can be assured that He will go with us in this New Year.
A. Changes might come our way in the New Year of 2010
1. Our Lord has some things to teach us.
2. All this is to draw us closer to Himself.
B. No matter what comes our way He's mighty enough to handle any problem we might have.
1. This is the only way we'll survive in this often-unpredictable world.
2. We can depend on Jesus our Savior.
CONCLUSION: We live in an ever increasing world of change. But in the midst of change Jesus remains changeless. He will be with us as He has in the past and will continue to be so even in the New Year. In His hands we will rest safe and secure.

Schnorr von Carolsfeld, woodcuts © WELS Permission to use these copyrighted items is limited to personal and congregational use

New Year's Eve

Finding the Gospel at New Year’s

Introduction:  We come to the end of another year. 365 days have come and gone. In a few hours a New Year dawns. Why come to a service such as this? Is there something or anything spiritual or sacred about pausing to reflect on the events of the past twelve months? Where’s the Gospel in the phrase, “Happy New Year!”?

The Gospel is found in the observance of New Year when we pause and ponder the fact that God is timeless. He’s beyond time – He has a completely different vantage point then we do when it comes to the concept of time. We who are mortal only can evaluate situations from the perspective of past experiences and present circumstances. When we begin to consider the future our prospects and predictions can become suspect. True, the old adage tells us past behaviors predict future outcomes, which is somewhat accurate.

Even as I am speaking to you - at this very moment - the Hoosiers are playing in a bowl game in Tempe, AZ. Thirteen winless seasons produced much frustration. Will the recent past repeat itself producing a similar outcome next year? The future is uncertain!

In the New Year, we citizens in this country will elect a new president. My children have lived under Presidents BUSH, CLINTON, BUSH, CLINTON?  Will the pattern continue? Having only the experiences of the past and only the circumstances of the present can sometimes make our predictions concerning the future uncertain and unclear.

Our Savior who has the perspective and advantage of eternity is the only One able to guide our future as He has the past. He is the only One capable of ordering our days and directing our path. We shouldn’t be surprised at this. The Old Testament trumpets this message clearly in the simple yet profound words of the prophet Malachi when he tells us, “I am the Lord, I change not.” [1]

Our good and gracious God remains faithful to His promises in spite of our history and our past. His Word is much stronger than our weaknesses. God remains faithful to His promises in spite of our history of doubt and unbelief. Have there been moments in this past year in which we are not proud?

Have there been times in this past year of 2007 in which we have not acted as becomes a child of God? The Word defeats sin. The Word who was made flesh defeated sin and destroyed death at a cross on a hill called Calvary. 

For the eternal God knew - that the only way to save and rescue mortal man - was to come down to our level; to enter time and space to live and dwell among us. The eternal Son left His Father’s world and entered our world to redeem and save us. Thus writes the Psalmist, “Thou art the same and Thy years shall have no end.”[2]

There you have it! Finding the Gospel at New Year’s (and throughout the year) is remembering the reality that the Lord is timeless and He will not, nor cannot change. But if there is to be any change in us – if there is to be a future for us – we will have to abide by His will and His ways. Your destiny is to live and dwell with Him, not in a fallen world which is marked by time – but in His world, which is beyond the scope and limits of time and space.

The writer to the Hebrews explains to us clearly, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes and forevermore.”[3]  Jesus is the same yesterday – a clear reference to His time on earth where people became eye-witnesses to His ministry. The time for Jesus to be born was the right time. Everything was planned by the Father’s hand. The God who is timeless decided the time was right to send His Son Jesus into our world to redeem and save it.

These witnesses heard His words and marked His actions, they beheld His glory. They observed Him as He was made known to them - they produced a living testimony – The New Testament – preserved for us by the Holy Spirit for us to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest. We posses this testimony in the Scriptures today – use it!

Jesus Christ is the same today. Every word and every action, - everything - what those eyewitnesses said about Jesus is true. Has He not acted for you in this past year of 2007? Has not this single solitary life impacted you?  Where do we find the Savior today?  We find Him in those places only the Father has promised. We find Him in His message of the Gospel. We find Him in the reading of the Inspired Word. We find Him in the waters of Holy Baptism. We find Him in His Meal, in His Words of Absolution, and hidden away in our own hearts.

This good news about Jesus calms our fears, removes our doubts and gives us hope. Does the death of a condemned man seem compelling enough to offer atonement? Could His life and sacrifice really save you? This is the means by which we find peace with God and absolution for our sin.

Jesus is the same yes and forevermore. His promises will always be true. He can not undermine His character and good name. His credibility is at stake. Your future is His concern and His care. As we enter a New Year Godspeed dear child of God – fare thee well into 2008 – fare thee well. 

+Soli Deo Gloria+

[1] Malachi 3:6

[2] Psalm 102:27

[3] Hebrews 13:8

New Year's Eve

Christmas 1 – New Year’s Eve

December 31, 2006

Luke 2:25-38

The Secret is Told!

Introduction: Now that Christmas has come, all the secrets are out to the joy of everyone. Or, are they? Christmas is clothed with mystery – what is the meaning of the virgin birth, the star in the East, an angel’s message to shepherds, a choir of angels singing in the night? Now is the time to see what it is all about. Simeon and Anna in their final years see the secret that explains all in a child - less than six weeks old, being carried into the temple for dedication to God. Simeon and Anna serve as models for us today to understand the true meaning of Christmas – to gain the secret of Christmas we, like Simeon and Anna, must:

Ø       Be looking for a Savior

Ø       Be in the right place

Ø       Be spiritually receptive

Ø       Be guided by the Spirit

Be looking for a Savior – V.25 “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” 

The people of our world habitually seek to find the Savior - yet they hunt for Him where He never will be found. The world seeks a savior which mirrors its own sinful center. Today, the children of men are seeking a savior which bears their own reflection.  People of this world today covet what feels good, what is desirable to the eyes, what  makes one look good, sophisticated, - and wise.[1]  The world seeks pleasure, comfort, - and no commitments. The world desires rigor without submission - Orthodoxy without obedience.[2] This world will attempt to invent its own custom religion with “God” defined as whatever fulfills your needs. The lost souls of this sorry world are forever seeking joy and peace; yet, all the while insistent of the freedom to make whatever choices one desires, - still demanding independence from any unpleasant consequences.      

But this is the amazing thing about our Savior - He chooses to be found in those places the world would least expect. He chooses to reveal Himself in those places the world considers unimportant. He chooses to exert His power in what an unbelieving world considers weak and of little importance.

Transition: Anna and Simeon were looking for the Savior. They were at the right place to receive Him.

2.   Be in the right place – V. 27 “Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,” 

The right place to receive and find the Lord is to be open to Him, and then to receive Him in faith.  Where do we find the Savior today? We find Him in those places only the Father has promised we would find Him. We find Him in His message of the Gospel. We find Him in the reading of the Inspired Word. We find Him the waters of Holy Baptism. We find Him in His Meal, in His Word of Absolution, and hidden away in our own hearts.

If you are seeking Christ this Christmas season and in the New Year you will find Him only in those places the Father has promised He would be found.  The Shepherds, Simeon, and Anna found Him – “just as it had been told unto them”.[3] Why then, should you expect anything different?

Transition:  Anna and Simeon were looking for the Savior. They were at the right place to receive Him. They were spiritually receptive.         

3.   Be spiritually receptive – Vv. 25, “Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

God is completely responsible for your salvation, from front to back. We don’t one day simply wake up and decide to follow Jesus – instead He plants the seed of faith in our heart. He then nourishes that faith by giving us His eternal Word which is able to make us wise unto salvation.

That seed of faith is demonstrated by how we live and treat one another. That’s what you as families do, [either in you immediate family or in our Friedheim family] especially as you care for our elderly – tending to their physical needs - especially in the last months and weeks of life. When you do this, your service and care takes on a spiritual dimension – you are preparing them for their entry into eternity.  Reminding them of the grace of God found in Jesus Christ our Redeemer – who came into this world at Christmas to be our Savior from sin.

One day Jesus happened to visit a family in mourning; the family of Mary and Martha, who were grieving over the loss of their brother Lazarus. As Jesus spoke with them He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Then, He asked them a question, “Do you believe this?” [4]

This is the question we each must ponder…

Is Jesus the resurrection and the life? The testimony of Scripture is undeniable. The early disciples simply said, “We are witnesses of these things!”[5]

Do you believe – that whoever believes in Jesus, even though they die will live and not die?

Scripture does not tell us for how long after this encounter that Anna and Simeon would live. We’re told from Scripture that they were old and advanced in years, and it probably wasn’t too many years before they were translated into glory.  Because Anna and Simeon were spiritually receptive, Simeon was moved to pray a simply yet powerful prayer. It is a prayer you and I sing at every communion service. It is a wonderful prayer for you and I to pray as we close out an old year and anticipate a new year, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.”[6]

Whether you are young or old, - it doesn’t matter - if you believe these words, you, like Simeon of old, are spiritually receptive and well prepared to be received into glory when our King comes.     Believing this reality – that you are a sinner, but also that Christ is compassionate who has promised to forgive our sins – all who have gone before us, dying in the faith, they are alive this day, they are well, they are at peace, they are whole – and if we have this same faith we will see each other again – never to be separated by time, distance, or space.

Transition:  Anna and Simeon were looking for the Savior. They were at the right place to receive Him. They were spiritually receptive, for they were guided by the Spirit.

4.   Be guided by the Spirit – V.27 “Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts…”

Three of the hardest words to pray make up the 2nd petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come” The reason we find these words so difficult is because we so often want to force God’s kingdom to come, or for it to be done according to our own agendas and plans. It’s what some folk call “playing church.” We want things done “my way!” That’s why we have to pray the 3rd petition, “Thy will be done, Lord!”

To assure us that God’s kingdom will happen God’s way, we are given a wonderful promise. God’s will is being worked out in your life. How do we know this is so?  He gives us His Holy Spirit. Luther would remind us in the Small Catechism, “The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.”[7]

Conclusion; We come again to the conclusion of another Christmas season and another year. How will 2007 fare? If we take the attitude and posture of these two saints; Anna and Simeon, 2007 will be a banner year. Fair thee well child of God, Fair thee well. And yes, Happy New Year!

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

[1] See the temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:6

[2] The premise of  David Brooks’  BOBO’S IN PARIDISE © 2005 Simon & Schuster

[3] Luke 2:20

[4] John 11:25-26

[5] Acts 3:15; 5:32; 10:39

[6] Divine Service, Setting Three from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis pp. 199-200

[7] The Small Catechism from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis pg. 324

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

December 31, 2005

Romans 8:32

The Christian's Hope

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

INTRODUCTION: Once again we have come to the conclusion of another year of grace – another year in which we have been permitted by God’s amazing grace to live, and serve and have our being in Jesus Christ. What shall we say concerning all of the events which have transpired during the course of this past year? Possibly they can be best summed up in the words of St. Paul in our text for this night: He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Paul gives evidence of a hope we have in Christ – a hope we have in fact.

I.        This hope is founded in the fact that Christ suffered for us.

A.     That Jesus Christ, God’s Son, our Savior has suffered for us. Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary at Christmas is the Father’s gift to us; “He spared not His own and only Son”

B.     Because of this fact, we can conclude that the suffering of Christ can only be equaled by the suffering of God.

II.     This hope is founded in the fact that man's lost condition affected him more than the suffering of His Son.

A.     God our heavenly Father delivered Christ up “for us all.”  “God so loved the world…that He gave his only begotten Son…” {John 3:16a}

B.     The Father could not bear to see us in darkness but He could ask Jesus to “humble Himself and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

C.     Thus the Father closed His eyes to the agony of Jesus hat He might the better contemplate our need. [“Why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  - Jesus on the cross]

III.   The hope is founded in the fact that he grave again restored to the Father His Son.

A.     If in the death of Jesus, God was mindful of us, how shall He not, “with Him” restored to love, “freely give us all things?”

B.     That our risen Lord is our Mediator in the presence of the Father.

CONCLUSION: As we say farewell to yet another year know that your salvation is grounded in fact this is our hope - He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

New Year's Eve

December 31, 2004

Psalm 90:1

“Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations”

INTRODUCTION: We come once again to the end of another year – 365 days have passed – the Year of our Lord 2004 – a year in which we have been blessed by God to serve Him, to be a witness, to experience His mercy and grace. What can be said concerning this past year? Possibly David summed it all up in the words of our text for this night: “Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations” {Psalm 90:1}

I.        The Lord our Dwelling place.

A. The Lord Almighty has been and is a refuge from the tempter and the destroyer.

B. He is a shelter from every storm.

II.     In All Generations.

A.          An Ancestral Home. Think of the repository of family traditions and memories and associations we’ve been permitted to experience this past year.

B.          Yet, in Christ we have a home more real than house filled with material things. The presence of Christ fills us and everything associated with Him. Think of those moments this past year when you have known of His presence in your life. Think of those times in which He was there yet we may not have known it… Only in eternity will everything be completely revealed.

CONCLUSION: Thus close out in just a few hours the year of our Lord 2004. In each year, in all generations the Lord Jesus has been our dwelling place. May He continue to sustain us from this generation to the next.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

December 31, 2002

Hebrews 13:8

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forevermore"

INTRODUCTION:  Well here we are at the end of another year.  365 days have come and gone. On a night such as this we come with many mixed emotions. We might look back at the past year and wish that the year would not end. On the other hand some might wish that 2002 would be past history that we might get the year over with and move on to something more positive.  In any life there are years that we savor and other years we would much rather forget.

Tonight we look back on a year gone by. We look bat at this past year and realize triumphs as well as failures. We see both disappointments and blessings; we find pains as well as pleasures. And yet, as we look at time that seems to fly by so quickly we see that our Lord Jesus remains timeless. In fact, what's more He never changes. Jesus remains consistent beyond time.

I.                    Jesus Christ has been right by our side in the past.

There was never a time in the past year when He didn't know of your situation or circumstance.

1.      He's all knowing

2.      He's all seeing

3.      He's ever present

He has never left you down

1.      There have been times when we have left Him down.

2.      There have been times when we would not listen to His Word

Transition:  But He remains changeless and that is why in the beginning even before time began before this world existed He established an eternal plan to save and redeem you.

II.                 He is with us right now.

A.                To forgive us our sin

1.      Establishing us as His own

2.      Drawing us to Himself

3.      Ever guiding and leading us

B.                 Where there is the forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.

1.      Jesus said: "I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly…"

2.      Salvation, having peace with God is a byproduct of this forgiveness.

III.               As He has never left us down in the past and is actively involved in our lives at the present we can be assured that He will go with us in this New Year.

A.                Changes might come our way in the New Year of 2003

1.      Our Lord has some things to teach us.

2.      All this is to draw us closer to Himself.

B.                 No matter what comes our way He's mighty enough to handle any problem we might have.

1.      This is the only way we'll survive in this often-unpredictable world.

2.      We can depend on Jesus our Savior.

CONCLUSION: We live in an ever in an ever increasing world of change. But in the midst of change Jesus remains changeless. He will be with us as He has in the past and will continue to be so even in the New Year. In His hands we will rest safe and secure.