Mid-week Lent 2

Midweek Lenten Service 2 Noon

March 15, 2000  

Genesis 28:10-17 

“Surprised by God”

INTRODUCTION:  Jacob was surprised that God was present. He thought he was alone and far from God because God, he thought, was restricted to his geographical area. Are we surprised to find God in places other than in a church?  Would you be surprised to find God in a cocktail lounge, in a jail, in nature, in a hospital?  God comes to people wherever they are in need, regardless of the place.

When God comes to you…

1.                 Be aware of His presence v. 16  “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."

A.    God is truly with us always! I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.  I am with you always.

            B.      Especially at those times when we did not expect it or recognize

God’s presence in our lives.  He comes in Word & Sacrament to sustain and forgive.

2.                 Be reverent v. 17 “And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place!”

A.    Are we respectful of the holy?  What is our reaction once we have encountered God? Are we changed? Are we different?

B.      This was a life changing moment for Jacob.  What are those life-changing moments in our lives? They ought to be awesome for us as they were for him.

3.                 Be cognizant of its significance v. 17 “ This is the house of God… the gate of heaven”

A.    Jacob grasped what God was doing in his life. He would never be the same.

B.      Likewise, in those encounters with God may we walk away changed and different people.

Conclusion:  “Let us ever walk with Jesus, Follow His example pure

Flee the world which would deceive us, And to sin our souls allure.

Ever in His footsteps treading, Body here, yet soul above.

Full of faith and hope and love, Let us do the Father’s bidding,

Faithful Lord, abide with me; Savior, lead, I follow Thee. {TLH #409 stanza 1}

Mid-week Lent 2

Midweek Lenten Service 2 Evening

March 15, 2000 

Romans 5:1-11 

“Confident even in the midst of suffering”

INTRODUCTION: In this season of Lent we place our focus on the cross and the sufferings of the Savior.  We realize that in the midst of His earthly life the Savior suffered for our sin and us too.  As we walk with the Savior, we too will encounter various and sundry pains and sorrows. The Bible refers to them as afflictions and sufferings. And, although they may appear outwardly to be physical in nature, there is a spiritual connection attached to them. Lurking behind ever trial, every suffering, every affliction is the Devil tempting us to give up or to give in.  Yet through it all we can say with St. Paul that we are able to overcome and win the victory. We find strength and courage as we suffer with the suffering Savior.

Because of Christ who suffered for us

1.                 We will share in God’s glory vs.1- 2 “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

This little verse sums up our entire Christian faith.  Everything we are as Christians hangs on this little verse.  Just consider what Paul reminds us here:

A.    You and I share in the glory of God because we have been justified by faith. We stand before God perfect and whole because of faith. We trust God. We believe God.  Therefore we are counted as righteous before God because we trust God at His Word.

B.      And what is the result of such faith and trust? We have peace with God.  We know where we stand. We know where we are headed. Our salvation is all wrapped up in the works and merits of Jesus Christ our Savior. We don’t have to worry about working our way up to God. We don’t have to worry about doing more or sinning less. Our peace is not based on anything that we do. It all depends on Him. If Jesus Christ has declares us not guilty of sin. We have a peace that this world simply can not give. A Savior who suffered for us that we might live wins our peace. 

C.    What’s more we also exalt in the hope of the glory of God. There are some in this world who live as if there is no tomorrow. They do so, because that is what they actually believe. They live for the moment or they live for the day because they have become convinced that what they have in this short period of life is all that there is.  They are convinced that there is nothing more so they live as if they until there is nothing left you and I, on the other hand. live with an eternal perspective. We live in the hope of a new tomorrow. We live in the hope that we will see the glory of God. We live as if there is a tomorrow for there really is. Our life is not tied only to what I do today. True, what I do today is very important. But the future is what I really live for.

 As Christians you and I live for an eternal tomorrow. We live in hope of the glory of God. In short, we live with the hope and promise of living with Jesus forever in paradise. That is what shapes our present. That is what gives meaning to all that we do.

O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies,

O they tell me of a home far away;

O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,

O they tell me of an unclouded day.

O the land of cloudless day,

O the land of an unclouded day,

O they tell me of a home where not storm clouds rise,

O they tell me of an unclouded day.

O they tell me of a home where my friends have gone,

O they tell me of that land far away,

Where the tree of life in eternal bloom

Sheds its fragrance through the unclouded day. 

O they tell me of a King in His beauty there,

And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold

Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow,

In the city that is made of gold

O they tell me that He smiles on His children there,

And His smile drives their sorrows all away;

And they tell me that no tears ever come again

In that lovely land of unclouded day.

O the land of cloudless day,

O the land of an unclouded day,

O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,

O they tell me of an unclouded day.

The Unclouded Day 

By Rev. Josiah Kelly Alwood 

Spring Hill (now Tedro), Ohio 1879

Transition: Because heaven is our home and since we live in the expectation of this eternal hope we endure whatever might come our way - we know that even the sufferings that we might be forced to endure are only temporary. They will not last forever!

2.                 We suffer in hope vs. 3- 4  “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”

We live in a fallen world. Because of a fallen world, because of our fallen nature we must endure present sufferings. Each person must suffer, and some sufferings may appear to be unmanageable. But then, in the midst of our suffering we turn to the only One who can help us, our suffering Savior Jesus and He brings a transformation in us. Listen, again to how Paul describes this change.  Sufferings bring about perseverance, which leads to a proven character, which finally leads to hope. Our hope is nothing more and nothing less then what we expect to happen. We expect Christ to bring us to completion. He will carry us safely to be with Him in glory. This is our hope. ” My hope is built on nothing less then Jesus’ blood and righteous, I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” {TLH #370 stanza 1}

3.                 We are reconciled with God vs. 11 “And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

We stand reconciled to God. Once we were at odds now we are at peace. Once we were enemies, now we are friends. Once we were opposed to one another, now we are one.  This was all made possible through our Lord Jesus. Thanks be to God. We are now in His camp, apart of His family, restored, refreshed, redeemed.

CONCLUSION: You and I can be content…even in the midst of suffering. We belong to a Savior who suffered for us, who helps us endure the sufferings that we share in the life.  We belong to Him and in His hands we are safe and we are secure.  Fare thee well, for all is well in Jesus our suffering Savior!

+ Soli Deo Gloria+

NB: The song Unclouded Day was sung by Willie Nelson on his family album in 1979 and performed for the Farm Aid benefit in the 1980’s.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Noon

Genesis 22:1-14 

March 8, 2000

The Attitude of Testing

God tests Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac.

“Here I Am”

INTRODUCTION:  There was once a commercial, which said: “Delta is ready when you are!”  In our lesson for today Abraham is always ready when he is called and needed. In each case, he replies, “Here I am”. Abraham is always ready and willing to respond. He is always there when you need Him.  What an example for us! When a job needs to be done, who will say, “Here I am”? When you need someone desperately to help in time of need, does the Christian say, “Here am I”?

A Christian is ready when called…

1.    A Christian is ready when God calls. Vs. 1  tells us  “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."  - The call of Abraham was  a call to obey.  True, it was an awesome task, to sacrifice his only Son. But clearly Abraham knew that the Lord would provide.  Do we trust God at His Word? When summoned to obey God do we trust Him at His Word? Abraham trusted God at His Word.  We can do nothing else. During this 40-day pilgrimage may we trust God at His Word. Following Him as we listen to His Word. When He speaks - we listen. When He commands - we follow. As He leads may we follow willingly, trusting in Him to will and to do what He has promised.

TRANSITION: The Christian is ready when God calls and  listens to God. But we are also ready when we listen to the call of our neighbor. We are ready to say “here I am”…

2.    When man calls. Vs. 7 tells us  “And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" – Abraham was given a question to answer.  Isaac had a legitimate question. Where is the lamb?  Abraham could only tell his son what he knew to be true, that the Lord would provide.  We live in a world in which many are searching for meaning in life and answers to their problems.  Where are people to be directed?  When seeking direction where do we lead people? Do we give them our own words, do we given them advice and words that we think they will want to hear?  We must point people in only one direction and that is to the person of Jesus Christ.  He is the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Jesus.  “Jesus is the answer for the world today” so goes the words of the old spiritual.  May we point people to Jesus the joy of man’s desiring – Jesus our only hope in desperate times. During this 40-day period of Lent may we point people to Jesus our strength and our redeemer.

TRANSITION:  We follow Christ and His word. We point people to Christ. We also say “here I am” when angels call.

3.    When angels call. Vs. 11-12 says      “But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."  –  This angel of the Lord - The angel of the Lord is Jesus Himself who gives us a call to receive grace.

On that day Abraham’s son Isaac was spared and a lamb was provided.  God would not spare His only Son.  Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was sent into this world to take away the sins of the world.  The hymn tells us “A lamb goes uncomplaining forth, the guilt of all men bearing”  That lamb was Jesus. He went to the cross to suffer and die. He went to the cross to take away our sin.  He went to the cross to win for us salvation and life.

Conclusion:  And that’s what Lent is all about!  It’s about Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Lent is a time when we think about what Jesus did for you and for me.  During this 40-day journey may we walk with Jesus as He makes His way to the cross on Good Friday. When He speaks to us in His word we will say with Abraham of old “Here I am” when others ask “who is this Jesus? We will say “here I am” to witness of what we know and what we have seen. When Jesus speaks we will say “Here I am” and He will simply say “I am with you always, even unto the end of the age!”  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Evening

Romans 8:31-39 

March 8, 2000

No one can separate us from Christ’s love.

The bumper sticker, which reads “Smile, God loves you”, may seem trite, but it does express a profound Scriptural truth. A deep need of human  beings is to know that not only people  love them but that God loves them. St. Paul assures us that God indeed loves us so fervently and faithfully that NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD!

I.                   No condemnation by anyone.

A.  We frequently experience condemnation.

1.    People sometimes remind us that we have not met their

expectations, and so we cannot expect their love either. We get so used to thinking that love is dependent on our good behavior that we think God’s love works the same way.

2.    Even if we do not experience outright or subtle condemnation by others , an honest look at our imperfections and failings can lead us to condemn ourselves.  We then draw the conclusion that God must be condemning us because He could not possibly love such sinful people as we.

B.    God justifies us.

1.      God condemned our sin in Christ and punished Him instead of us. For Jesus’ sake, God has accepted us; He willingly gave His own Son into death for us.

2.      God responds continually to the resurrected Christ’s intercession for us.

3.      God has elected us by His grace to be His own. Since He has called us by to faith, He will keep us in faith.

Transition:  Since neither God nor Christ condemns us, we can be sure that no condemnation by anyone can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ. Not only these judicial assaults but also direct assaults seek to separate us from the love of God. But then cannot do it either!

II.                 No affliction of any kind.

A.  Afflictions can cause us to think that God no longer loves us.

1.    We may be influenced to think this way by people who are quick to judge us, intimating that we must have done something to merit an affliction.  

2.    Being conscious of our sins, we can begin to think that God is punishing us.

B.    Afflictions are not proof of God’s wrath but of His love for us.

1.    Afflictions are a way of entering into the fellowship of Christ’s suffering, which is a privilege (Philippians 3:10).

2.    Tribulation of all kinds has always been the lot of believers  since Old Testament times.

3.    Afflictions, no matter where they originate or what their intensity, can never make God stop loving us. We do not have to be afraid of the affliction of death or of life or of anything in all creation; for God is with us. He will never leave us. He will never forsake us!    

Conclusion:  No matter how unloving or unloved we sometimes feel because of condemnation and affliction, nothing – absolutely nothing – can be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Savior. In spite of everything, we keep achieving the most brilliant victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration

Series B

Mark 9:2-9 

March 5, 2000

“Worship At Its Best”

Introduction:   The Transfiguration was a worship experience.  Jesus took His inner circle with Him to a mountain to get away from the busyness and the concerns of the world to be with the Father. It became a worship experience in which Jesus’ three disciples witnessed the very glory of God found in Jesus’ Transfigured body.

Each and every Sunday therefore, needs to be a Transfiguration Sunday, for worship at its best is an experience with God.  It is obvious that many in our churches are not having a religious experience. How do we witness Jesus first hand?  This morning, let’s consider the essentials of a worship experience which should bring a divine brilliance to our lives.

With the Transfiguration as a backdrop for us this morning let’s consider what worship can truly mean. Let’s consider worship at its best. 

{1}            Fellowship with the saints – “Moses and Elijah”  (vs.4) As Peter, James and John were on the mountain with Jesus suddenly there appeared to them the two great prophets of the past; Moses and Elijah.  Of all the great men of old it was Moses and Elijah who are remembered as God’s chosen prophets.  As two great men, to whom the prophecies were announced, Jesus would simply tell us clearly “Moses and the prophets they testify to Me” (Luke 24:44) Beginning with the Law and Moses and the Psalms Jesus opened His disciples eyes to see that all of the prophecies of old were fulfilled in Him.  When we worship Jesus we worship Him who has fulfilled all things. In Him all of God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen” Worship at its best is realized when we find fellowship with those who have gone before us in the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 

{2}       Real worship happens when we give praise and adoration to Jesus  Christ –  Upon seeing these three figures, Christ, Moses, and Elijah, our text tells us that the disciples were “exceedingly afraid” (vv. 2, 6)  They were filled with awe and wonder.  Is there a sense of awe and wonder in our worship experience?  Do we have a sense of entering into the presence of the divine?

This is what we are to experience when we encounter the divine.  Is our worship experience filled with a sense of the divine with a sense of awe or is it merely an experience that we have grown accustomed to, or, even worse, something that leaves us ambivalent? Worship at its best calls for a sense of awe as we approach the divine.

{3}       Hear the Word of God – The Father speaking from the cloud that encircled them said,  “This is My beloved Son” (vs.7) We come to worship to hear the very word of God.  As we hear the Words of Scripture, especially the Gospel we hear the very Words of Jesus. We come to encounter Christ. We come to hear Jesus’ Words.  Jesus tells us “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me and I give them eternal life and no one shall snatch me out of My hand” (John 10:27) Whose words do we come to hear? We come to hear and to follow Jesus. Worship at its best calls for us to come and to listen to Jesus and His Word.

{4}            Challenge to obey – We come not just to a worship service but in service we worship Him.  Worship, at its best calls for us to follow and obey the Savior.  The Father, speaking to the disciples and to you and me this day says this; “Listen to Him” (vs.7) We listen and we obey. Christ calls us to discipleship. He calls us to obedience. Worship at its very best calls us to be new people, new people in Jesus Christ. He calls us to follow Him as He guides and as He leads. 

Conclusion:  We began this season of Epiphany this year with John reminding us “He must increase, I must decrease” We conclude this season with the same thought. We follow Him as He guides and directs us. Worship at its best is a challenge for each of us. 

When we return to this holy house in three days we will begin a pilgrimage of following Jesus to the cross and open tomb. This will be worship at its very best. As we follow Him down from the mountain of Transfiguration to the Mount of Olives, to a hill called Galgatha, to the open tomb may we experience Jesus in His glory hidden at that time but now fully revealed to us. As we do this, not only will we find worship at its best we will truly worship Him in spirit and in truth.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

New Year's Eve

December 31, 1999

"Y2K"

As we close out the year of our Lord 1999 we recall that when the chips are down Christ has been our ready defense. He is always compliant regardless of the year or the season…for He came into this world to redeem sinners. As we say farewell to 1999 and anticipate the dawn of a new day approaching remember this…

Y eshuia {Jesus} is coming for the

Jesus Christ. He is the first, the last, the beginning, and the end. In Him, we live and move and have our being. He is the author of our salvation. He is the One who came into this world the first time. He will come again in glory to judge both the quick and the dead. Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith. Jesus, He is the eternal Son of God, and yet, for us and for our salvation He came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He became human. All of the prophets of old foretold of His coming. They were granted the privilege of looking into the future to see the dawn of a great day in which God Himself would step into time and space. He came to be our substitute. He came to this earth to bear the sins of man in His own body. This Jesus; our Lord and Savior is the One whose birth and coming we celebrated just one week ago. As we have celebrated His birth we also anticipate His Second Advent. For He will come again. He will come for a second time.

2 nd. time as

This Jesus will return again. He will come in the clouds and at the trumpet sound will be seen visibly by the entire inhabited earth! The saints who find themselves buried in our church cemetery each are buried facing the east. There is a reason for this. East is the direction of the rising of the sun. Early in the day, at the rising of the sun, the women hurried to the tomb of Jesus and they found it to be empty.

As a result every Easter, and every Sunrise, and in fact every Sunday morning (the day of Easter) is a reminder of His resurrection and a promise that Jesus will return again.

The angels speaking to the disciples on the day of Ascension have simply told us "this Jesus will return in the same manner in which you have seen Him go." As the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven we anticipate seeing Jesus descend from heaven visibly. We will see it with our own eyes! We are reminded to watch the horizon.

What do you see lurking into the future? What will the year 2000 bring? How will we do economically? Will our economy continue to grow or will it begin to slide in the New Year? What about the world of politics? In the year 2000 we will elect a new president whose duty it will be to appoint at least three Supreme Court Justices; each of these appointees will have a significant impact on our lives for the twenty to thirty years! Who will be that man who will lead us into the next century and the new millennium?

This past growing season witnessed significant drought. We are still roughly five inches short of moisture. Will we make it up in the winter of 2000? Will the summer be another scorcher or will be wet? What will the market bear for our crops? And in the world of sports could the year 2000 be the year that the Hoosiers or the Boilers return to Pasadena? Only time will tell!

All these hopes and dreams for the future come with each passing New Year’s observance and yet, this year, as possibly never before, everyone seems to be talking about the fact that the future could bring about a sudden change with the appearing of Christ in the clouds physically. We are reminded to read the signs of the times as Christ could return at any time.

K ing of kings very soon!

As we sit here this evening Y2K the year 2000 is only a few hours away. The anticipation for this year’s celebration of a New Year has been the subject of much discussion. These past 364 days we have been reminded that people all over the planet are going to "party like it’s 1999!" Will the Y2K bug come to reek havoc on our lives as some have predicted? We’ll find out in just a few short hours.

There are many who will be working this evening my brother –in-law Steve is just one of many who will be watching the clock tonight making sure that the lights stay on.

Will there be panic in the streets and mayhem abounding? I hope that this night will be peaceful but what if there will be some small glitches in various and sundry places? For the next full year we will hear reports of what was done and what could have been done to alert us to this night’s transformation. AND YET, what will go unnoticed by many in this world is the fact that with each passing day we are coming closer and closer to that time when we will see Jesus face to face. Jesus will return visibly and physically as King of Kinds and Lord of Lords soon!

With the coming of Y2K some have asked the pointed question "can we predict the time in which Jesus will return?" No, we do not know the particular hour. This Jesus has said quite clearly when He said "No man knows that hour, neither the Son, nor the angels, but only My Father" Jesus has also told us that His return will come at a time "when men least expect it" So, when will Christ return? There is only one tiny hint and that is the prediction made by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel when He said "And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preach around the world as a testimony to the nations and then the end will come!" Now, I ask you to find a place on the globe where the Gospel of Christ has not been preached! I don’t think that there is a place! The Gospel message has gone across the globe at such an amazing rate. No, Jesus did not say that everyone would believe…but He did say that it would be preached in every corner of the world. No we can not predict when Christ will return but we can say this quite clearly that His return could be sooner rather than later! It could be sooner then one might think! Ask yourself this simple question: "what does Christ need to do before the world can come to an end?" And the answer is "absolutely nothing!" We should look for Christ to return as King of Kings soon!

Tonight the Savior asks you to place your faith in Him and trust not in yourselves. In His arms He will uphold you. In His paths you shall go! In these last hours of 1999 and in just a few hours, when the clock strikes midnight, and throughout the rest of your days and the days appointed for this earth. In all things our Lord Jesus remains in control! "He’s got the whole world in His hands!"

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Thanksgiving Through the Decades

Thanksgiving Eve

Wednesday, November 24, 1999

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"Blessings Through The Decades"

For the last hundred years, American Thanksgivings have come and gone. We as citizens of this nation have much to be thankful; as a nation, as a parish, as a people of God. This present house of worship is nearing 100 years. Just think of all of the Thanksgiving services, which have been celebrated at this particular house of worship. {96 to be exact!}

This year will mark the last Thanksgiving service of a decade and of a century. Each decade has been important to us in its own unique sense. With each passing decade we recall significant milestones in our life as those important aspect of our life take shape. Through the passing of time we were born, went to school, were confirmed, married, had our children, focused on our career and entered into retirement, each in a particular decade. True, your events may differ from mine, but this century truly has been a very unique one in all of life’s aspects. Over the last hundred years, what have we celebrated in saying thank you?

1900-1909- America was on the move. This was the decade of the exploration of air travel; the birth of aviation happens in the same year that this church building was dedicated. This decade witnessed the birth of the airplane, the telephone, refrigeration, railroad expansion, as well as coast to coast modernization.

1910-1919- America witnessed the suffering of the First World War. Labeled as "the war to end all wars" it was only the first of other wars that were yet to come. Perhaps this decade’s best achievement was the advancement of medicine, which handled various ailments that we often felt incurable. Just wander through the infant row of our church cemetery and you will find many a child that died during this ten year span.

Twenty years into a new century many Americans were witnessing longer and healthier lives due to newfound advances in medicine.

1920-1929- Next came "The roaring 20’s". In this decade we witnessed Woman’s suffrage and the advance of radio. The Lutheran Hour "Bringing Christ to the Nations – and the Nations to the Church" became the first evangelistic radio program and is thus the longest running religious radio outreach to our nation and beyond. Our Synod became known as a voice on the cutting edge of media evangelism. This was the decade in which mainline churches began evangelism outreach. We also entered a stage in which America took greater strides to be a leader in a New World.

1930-1939- Prohibition. The 30’s saw an increase in many of the "isms"; Fascism, Nazism, Communism…the church became more English in worship language and less European. In this parish we held on to our cultural roots retaining German in worship services although English services were begun. In many areas of the Synod German-Lutheranism became "Americanized" during the ‘30’s.

1940-1949- Another war-World War II. America emerged as a world power to be recognized. As the world was on the verge of total annihilation the church responded with a vision of offering hope to a world gone mad. The church was on the dawn of witnessing its greatest growth any time in the history of America. This was the decade in which Lutherans in America began to develop their own identity. The German language took a second place to the English language and city churches soon began the flight to the suburbs.

1950-1959- Our Synod saw a need for more clergy. Synod schools, colleges, and seminaries were at an all time high; graduates from our Synodical institutions of the 50’s are now entering retirement and the clergy and teacher shortages for the next ten years will have to be dealt with seriously.

In the 50’s our parishes began to "reach out" and say thank you for this nation. It was a time in which the "cold war" was in full gear. Consequently the church family began to worship together as never before; programs were at an all-time high remember -the Walther league? Televisions began to appear in nearly every home. As a result of peace time dividends more and more students began to realize the dream of a college education. We became modernized as a nation.

1960-1969- In my opinion, the decade of the sixties was a watershed decade. When this century is studied in the history books of the future, the 60’s will be remembered as what dramatically shaped our culture just as the Civil War helped define the 19th. Century. Consider the impact of these ten years. We landed on the moon and witnessed the British Invasion. The 60's was the decade of Vietnam, the Cuban crisis, free love and Woodstock. The 50’s were long gone; Ozzie and Harriet, Donna Reed- they became a thing of the past. Laugh In became big and so were communes among Christians. A President, Senator, and an Advocate preacher all died by assassination. The summer night of ‘68 were filled with the shrill sounds of sirens, broken glass, and of riots as the cry "burn baby burn" was heard in nearly every corner of the nation, and "YOUTH" was voted man of the year. In the church the question was asked "do we have a direction in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod? A split was already developing in our church body yet no one was ready for it.

1970-1979- The decade of Watergate, the end of Vietnam, and the leisure suit. Speculation is made that family union may become a thing of the past. Loyalty to country is now being questioned.

The church, in the meantime becomes active in community projects. Steel Mills close, factories and mines are shut down. Gas prices go up. The free flow of oil into American interests becomes the fuel that runs the engine of the free world. The family farm is in trouble as government regulations increase while commodity prices decrease. There is disharmony in the heartland as a new paradigm in American agriculture is introduced with much resistance. Nixon resigns while The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod splits apart {1974-1976}. New service formats begin, while traditional churches become suspect.

1980-1989- Pride in the nation returns. Reaganomics, the fall of Communism and a split in Lutheran circles. Aids shows up in the gay community while churches claim that the devil is alive and well upon this earth and we are still twenty years away from the year 2000!

1990-1999- This decade has begun like the other previous nine decades. We have advanced in so many ways- in medicine, in computer technology; there has been an explosion of information in just the past five years…every sermon, every Bible class, every minuet of a church meeting conducted over the past 161 years of Friedheim’s history; all of the church records and so much more is currently housed in six file cabinets. That information now can be "burned" into two CD’s! The Lord has open a window to the world for us. Immigrants from China, Africa, and Eastern Europe are flooding into our area because America still remains the land of plenty. The heartland is no exception. We no longer need to do mission work traveling across the ocean there are peoples from every conceivable culture in our own back yard. When an Anglo-Saxon dies in America one takes his place due to birth or immigration. When a black man dies three take his place due to birth or immigration. When a Hispanic dies five take his place due to birth or immigration. When an Asian dies ten take his place due to birth or immigration! The face of America is changing yet the need for others to hear the Gospel has not changed!

In the 90’s we have witnessed prosperity, growth, and also national disgrace. The church is still split and people talk of near Armageddon.

What do we say to all these things? St. Paul reminds us that "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself not counting our sins against us and He has given us this message of reconciliation". As time marches on we must remember with the Psalmist "My times are in Thy hands" The little children sing "He’s got the whole world in His hands" and so He does!

We make it the habit of marking time. It helps us remain connected to what has happened in the past and it gives us some sort of mark by which to predict the future. Yet, we worship a Savior who is timeless, Who has prepared for us a place where there is no time. As we recall the changes and changes of this ever-churning world may we recall that in Him we live and move and have our being.

He will direct us. He will sustain us. For His mercy, which endures to this present day, may we thank, and praise, serve and obey Him. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. And yes, A Blessed Thanksgiving!

+ Soli Deo Gloria +