Time in the Word - Epiphany 2

The theme for the second Sunday after the Epiphany is quite clear –the call of God. Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael to discipleship in the Gospel. God calls Samuel to be his prophet in the Old Testament lesson. Through Paul and the church God calls us to glorify Him in our bodies. When we respond to God’s call, we appreciate His goodness and thus we break forth in praise.

How many today feel that they are carrying our a call of God? Probably, very few. For most, life is a matter of making a living as best they can and getting some enjoyment out of doing it. Under this philosophy, the one thing they look forward to is retirement – no work and all play! Christians are different. Their lives are a fulfillment of God’s call to a specific task.

God the Father calls you to a holy vocation – 1 Samuel 3:1-10
God the Son calls you to discipleship – John 1:43-51
God the Spirit calls you to glorify God – 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Collect for Epiphany 2— Almighty and everlasting God, who governs all things in heaven and on earth, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Monday, January 12, 2009—Psalm 40:1-5- The Antiphon, is taken from Psalm 40:10 “I do not hide you r righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal Your love and Your truth from the great assembly. ” When speaking of the Lord we must center our conversation on His faithfulness and salvation which flows from righteousness. The word Epiphany literally means, I see, I understand, I see the light, I get it! In Epiphany we “get it!” This Jesus whom we have worshipped at Christmas truly is the Son of God. By grace, through faith, by the Spirit’s aid we are brought to a right understanding of spiritual things; finally we “get it!”

Tuesday, January 13. 2009—Psalm 139:1-10—The key verse of this psalm is verse 14, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” The Psalmist is saying literally “Lord you know me as one who formed me yet I can not begin to comprehend this creature you have fashioned. I can only look upon him with awe and wonder.” Miracles happen all around us. Some might wonder if the Lord will support them in the New Year. The antiphon affirms He will. He acts in our lives so we can see that the plan He has for us and the path he has determined for us will be the best for us. Fare thee well child of God His sure hand shall guide you.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009—1 Samuel 3:1-10— The child Samuel hears God’s call to be a prophet. In the temple at Shiloh, the boy Samuel is serving the priest Eli. He sleeps near the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God’s presence. One night Samuel is called. Twice he mistakes the voice of God for Eli’s. Then Eli instructs the boy to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” Samuel obeys and God speaks to him of future happenings in Israel.

Thursday, January 15 2009—1 Corinthians 6:12-20— The human body is to glorify God. People in the Corinthian church were sexually immoral for religious reasons. They accepted the truth that Christ’s death on the cross fulfilled the law for them. Since they were saved by grace alone, they felt free to do what they pleased. Some of them participated in sexual perversion. Paul counters this thinking by giving a theology of the body. These words of Paul give us a divine perspective. We are not free to do as we please. The grace of God is not a license to sin.

Friday, January 16, 2009—John 1:43-51— Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael. When Jesus is in the area of John the Baptism, He calls Andrew and Peter as disciples. Then He goes to Galilee and calls Philip of Bethsaida. Philip asks Nathanael to come and see one, who he claims, is the

Messiah.

At first Nathanael is skeptical and asks if anything good can come from an insignificant village of Nazareth. When Jesus tells Nathanael that he saw him under a fig tree at the time when Philip invited him, Nathanael changes his mind and calls Jesus the Son of God and King. Jesus did not want him to base his opinion on a miracle and promises that Nathanael will see greater things in the future.

Notice the word of Jesus’ call to Philip denotes a relationship between Christ and the Christian. To follow Jesus means we acknowledge and accept Him as shepherd, leader, and master. It is not an association of peers. There is no democratic relationship of equality. The word also indicates our position in the relationship. To follow Him does not mean we walk with Him (beside Him), nor before Him, but behind Him. He is first and we are second; He is leader and we are followers; He is master and we are servants.

Saturday, January 17, 2009—Matthew 16:24- The hymn of the day is, “Come Follow Me, the Savior Spake” (LSB 688) Nathanael is asked to follow as the Savior has directed him. Some decisions we make are life altering. Where do we go for direction in life? We seek the Lord. As He has promised to guide us we too must follow. It would do us little good if we decide to head in the opposite direction from whence we should go. This much loved hymn speaks of the Lord guiding His own.

Sources
LUTHERAN SEVICE BOOK © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO

LECTIONALRY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES B © 1981 John Brokhoff CSS Publishing Lima, OH

Luther’s Works: American Edit Edition. 55 volumes. (Volumes 1-30, Concordia Publishing House; volumes 31 31-55, Fortress Press)

Schnorr von Carolsfeld, woodcuts Zachariah names John, Jesus feeds the 5,000 © WELS Permission to use these copyrighted items is limited to personal and congregational use.

IN MEMORIAM

Eldora Scheumann

Born August 25, 1921

Baptized September 11, 1921

Confirmed in the Faith June 9, 1035

With Christ in Peace January 11, 2009

Epiphany 1

Almighty God, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of Your incarnate Word. Grant that this Light may shine forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

There are many great days in your life. What might they be? Could it be a wedding, or a graduation ceremony from high school or college? It might be winning a state football title at Lucus Oil Stadium. How about the birth of a child? You’ve heard the one that says, “The happiest day in a man’s life is the day he bought his boat…and the second…is the day he sold it!” There are many great and wonderful days the Lord has given us. In this New Year of 2009 I pray there will be many happy and wonderful great days the Lord will allow you to experience.

Yet, as Christians there are three great days in our life; the day we are born into this world, the day we are born again, that is, when we are born spiritually in Baptism and finally, the day we are born into glory. This morning, on this, the Baptism of our Lord, we focus on the first two great days of your life with a brief comment of the third.

The two great days of your life –

1. The first important day of your life is the day of your birth. Mark reminds us, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth” (Vs.9) Life is a great privilege. It is an adventure. It’s not to be measured in how many breaths you take but rather in how many breaths you take away.

The education of our youth is very important. It’s a time for discovery; finding out not only what you can do but what you can do well. It’s the occasion for you to develop those skills and put them to use. This all started on the day of your birth. It all began on your birthday.

The Lord has given you talents, abilities, gifts. Each is to be used for the Lord to honor Him. We do this as we love God and serve our neighbor. Mike Davis, the former coach at IU, when being interviewed, would often begin with the statement, “I’d like to that God for giving me this opportunity…” Unfortunately, he would more often then not say this only when his team had won. He wouldn’t use the statement when they lost.

Do we honor God, or give Him credit only when we are successful? What is the measuring stick by which we determine success? Every circumstance is an opportunity for you to love God and serve your neighbor. Consider your station [of life] according to the Ten Commandments, whether you are a father, mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, a man-servant or maid-servant.[1] Whatever you do with faith in your heart and done to the glory of God your heavenly Father sees this as something that is good. By definition a “good work” is everything that a child of God does, speaks, or things in faith according to the Ten Commandments for the glory of God, and for the benefit of his neighbor. [2] St. Paul would remind us, “Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” [1 Corinthians 10:31] Life is a gift. Life is a treasure. Each birthday affirms that the Lord can and will use you for His purposes.

There is the day of your birth into this world. There is also the day you were born into the family of God.

2. Then there is the day of your second birth – the day of your re-birth – Baptism. Why is this so? In Holy Baptism you are given a new life. In baptism you are adopted into God’s family. This we have witnessed in the life of Parker this morning.

The Father spoke saying, “This is My beloved Son”. (Vs.11) The Father declares that Jesus is His Son. Here Jesus receives the knowledge of His identity, His self-understanding, and of His mission in life to be your savior. From now until Easter Sunday we will focus on those specific steps Jesus took proving that He really is God’s Son and your savior. He will prove Himself faithful. He will prove Himself worthy to carry your sin and meet all of the requirements the Father has placed upon Him to be your substitute. It is important to remember that you will only know who we are and what we are to do in relation to the Father. That relationship began in your baptism.

In Jesus’ baptism, God the Father proclaimed Jesus as His Son, whom He loves. In His baptism, our sins are washed into Jesus. The baptismal waters are sanctified, that they might wash our sins off of us.


We, too, are beloved of God. The day of our Baptism is one of the greatest days in our lives, when our old man was drowned in those sacred waters, and our new selves, righteous and holy, were brought forth to “live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”[3]

St. Paul reminds us, When we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into His death. We were buried with Him by our Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. [4] In baptism we die to sin and a raised to a new life in Christ.

A tradition in many homes, one which we have adopted as our own, is to have the baptismal certificates framed and hung on the wall in a prominent room in the house. Every time you pass those certificates you are reminded not only of who you are but also whose you are.

When we know whose we are, we know who we are. Baptism for us is the time of adoption as children of God. By His grace we are accepted as children of His kingdom. Baptism is the initiation and incorporation into the body of Christ.

Of course the third great day of your life is the day you are born into glory. That birthday comes when you talk a walk, from one end of God’s Kingdom to the other - from the Kingdom of grace into the kingdom of glory. It happens when you close your eyes to this world only to behold the Father’s face. Yet this day can not happen nor will it happen unless the second birth happens first. The Savior reminds us, “You must be born again.”[5] You are a redeemed child of God. Live and experience in your life the benefits of your baptism namely, the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. And then live in that hope and faith each and every day of your life. May that be a reality in your life. We say this in Jesus’ name.

[1] Luther’s Small Catechism, the Office of the Keys & Confession, - what is confession?
[2] Luther’s Small Catechism, the Apostles Creed - what is a god work in the sight of God.
[3] Luther’s Small Catechism, The Sacrament of Baptism, - the significance of baptizing with water.
[4] Romans 6: 3-5
[5] John 3: 7

Time in the Word - The Baptism of our Lord

The first Sunday after the Epiphany is a special day – the baptism of our Lord. In the early church Epiphany was celebrated in terms of Jesus’ baptism. In keeping with the festival, the liturgical color is white. The Gospel lesson records the events of John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. With His baptism Jesus will begin His earthly public ministry. John comes preaching repentance and baptizing in the Jordan. He prepares the way for Jesus by telling the people that one is coming who will baptize with the Spirit. Then comes Jesus from Nazareth and is baptized by John. According to Mark, this is a personal experience of Jesus, for He alone saw the dove and heard the Father’s voice. From this moment Jesus is the Son of God.

Collect for the Baptism of our Lord—Father in heaven at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful to their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Monday, January 5, 2009—Psalm 2:7-11, 12c- The Antiphon, is taken from Isaiah 42:1a “Behold my servant whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.” In ancient times the term “servant” meant something like “trusted envoy” or “confidential representative” but here there is more. This is the Lord’s chosen one, the one in whom the Lord delights, the one in whom the Lord’s Spirit is given. This is a prediction of Christ who comes to make our salvation a reality. With His baptism not only does the Savior begin His ministry but from here on there can be no turning back. Salvation will find its completion at a bloody and cruel cross and an empty tomb.

Tuesday, January 6. 2009—Psalm 29—The key verse of this psalm is verse 3, The Voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.” The Voice of God is the theme for Psalm 29 which blends with the theme for this coming Sunday that the Voice of the Father was heard by the Savior. In the thunderstorm, sometimes frightening, suggestive of terrifying cataclysms at the end of the world.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009—Genesis 1:1-5— The Old Testament lesson for the Baptism of our Lord reminds us once again that the Voice of God is important. In ten phrases the Creator of the Universe speaks the world into existence. Sunday’s Old Testament lesson will focus on Day 1. Merely by speaking God brought all things into being – see also Psalm 33:6, 9 and Hebrews 11:3. God’s first creative word called forth light in the midst of the darkness. Light is necessary for making God’s creative works visible and life possible. As you have been baptized God is re-creating faith in a once sin-darkened heart.

Thursday, January 8 2009—Romans 6:1-11— Paul will explain both the when and how of the Christian’s death to sin. Baptism is a means by which we enter into a vital faith relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a means of receiving God’s grace, and it depicts graphically what happens as a result of the Christian’s union with Christ. Through faith we are united with Christ, just as through our natural birth we are united with Adam. As we fell into sin and became subject to death in father Adam, so we now have died and been raise again with Christ – with baptism effects.

Friday, January 9, 2009—Mark 1:4-11—Sunday’s Gospel reading is St. Mark’s account of the baptism of our Lord. In Jesus’ baptism, God the Father proclaimed Jesus His Son, whom He loves. In His baptism, our sins are washed onto Jesus, and the baptismal waters sanctified, that they might wash our sins off us. We, too, are beloved of God. The day of our Baptism is one of the greatest days in our lives, when our old man was drowned in those sacred waters, and our new selves, righteous and holy, were brought forth to “live before God in righteousness and purity forever.”

The Father declares that Jesus is His Son. Here Jesus receives the knowledge of His identity, His self-understanding, and of His mission in life as the messiah. Wasn’t Jesus God’s Son prior to His baptism or does this mean that this is the first time Jesus came to a realization of who He was? It is important to note that we only know who we are and what we are to do in relation to the Father. When we know whose we are, we know who we are. Baptism for us is the time of adoption as children of God. By His grace we are accepted as children of His kingdom. Baptism is the initiation and incorporation into the body of Christ.

Saturday, January 10, 2009— Matthew 3:13-17; Hebrews 2:17; Luke 4:18; 2 Corinthians 4:21 - The hymn of the day for the Baptism of our Lord is, To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord (LSB 405) In this hymn reference are made to the Savior’s baptism. The Theme for the day emphasizes baptism as the time of the Spirit’s reception and the beginning of ministry.

Sources

LUTHERAN SEVICE BOOK © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO

LECTIONALRY PREACHING WORKBOOK SERIES B © 1981 John Brokhoff CSS Publishing Lima, OH

Luther’s Works: American Edit Edition. 55 volumes. (Volumes 1 ion. 1-30, Concordia Publishing House; volumes 31 31-55, Fortress Press)

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

Instalation of Pr. John Dreyer

Pr. John Dreyer will be installed as St. John Bingen's pastor today at 3 pm. The vacancy lasted eighteen months. Godspeed and welcome to Decatur.

Christmas 2

Christmas 2
January 4, 2009
God’s Eternal Plan for Christmas
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18

Introduction: The celebration of Christmas has been going on for a long time now. We usually think that the celebration started with the announcement of the angels to the shepherds, who then made haste with joy to see the great thing that had happened. But then we are reminded that people in the Old Testament looked forward with much joy to the coming Messiah too. We Christians today celebrate the birth of God’s Son, for Christmas is still on our minds. The Epistle lesson for today leads to a continuing celebration of Christmas and added an eternal dimension as it talks about God’s eternal plan for Christmas.

1. Christmas began before the world was made.
A. God love us then already (v.4)


1. He did not fall in love with us. He loved us because He is love. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:8) In spite of our sin, which separate us from Him. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
2. His love had a purpose and design that set the pattern for all that would happen in the world (V.4)
B. He planned to make us His sons and daughters. He chose us. (V.5)
1. This would happen in Christ, who would effect the forgiveness of our sins by His sacrificial death on the cross. (V.5)
2. In His grace God would also attach us to Christ by faith so that we would enjoy and have for our very own the forgiveness of sins. (v.8)
3. This is how His plan would work out in time to make us holy and blameless before Him.

2. Christmas happened at Bethlehem.
A. We went in spirit to Bethlehem last week and there adored again the newborn Savior.
1. It was not a new celebration but a special celebration of God’s faithfulness to His plan and promises.
2. Our wisdom and understanding grew through the means of grace.
B. We can not limit the celebration of Christmas to one week.
1. The celebration is a life-style. We are people of grace.
2. We celebrate all year long.

3. Christmas is taking place today in the life of the New Testament Church.
A. The eternal plan is being work out among us.
1. We have been brought to faith in the Lord (Vs. 15)
2. Therefore we love each other.
3. We know and believe we have been chosen.
B. The eternal plan moves us to specific prayers for God’s people.
1. We thank God for believers in Christ. (V.16)
2. We pray that God’s people may grow in knowledge and faith (V.17)
3. We pray that the church may be filled with the hope of the glorious inheritance prepared for God’s people (V.18)
4. Christmas points us forward to the celebration that will take place in eternal life.

Christmas involves an eternal plan. It stated before the world was made, was worked out in time when Christ was born, and continues to unfold in the life of the church today. God had you in mind from the beginning of the world and has worked out that plan so that you might have eternal life.

Could be a long winter

"This place had to be completely gutted. And now we're living it!" - Coach Tom Crean

Of the IU players who played in league games last season, Indiana returns just 19 points and 185 minutes of experience. The second-least experienced team is Iowa, with 405 points and 1,418 minutes.

The drive for five continues. 5 non-conference wins + 5 league wins = a decent season for this year.