The Pastor’s Words

Texts: Ephesians 1:3-14 & John 1:1-18
28 December 2008   
Topic: Count your blessings!
                                                                                   
Another year has passed.  It is almost 2009.  It is time to look back, count our blessings, turn around, and make plans for the future.
            When I was a child we used to sing a song in Sunday School that had the following refrain, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your blessings, see what God hath done. Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”
            This is sage advice for all of us to follow – especially if we feel that life is cheating us.
            From our second lesson today, St. Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for [all] the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven.”  (Ephesians 1:3 CEV)
            And from our gospel lesson today, we read these words from St. John, “Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another.”  (John 1:16 CEV)
            Both St. Paul and St. John remind us that blessings come from God, that God’s grace is mediated to us in the form of spiritual blessings, and they never stop coming.
            If we are counting blessings, we should start with the fact that we can express our Christian faith openly and safely.  I read in the newspaper last week that some Christians in Iraq felt safe enough this year to gather in their church for Christmas Eve services.  It’s been several years since they have felt safe enough to do so, but, thanks to the peace that is starting to hold in that nation, Christians actually assembled, lit candles, received communion and celebrated Christ’s birth in much the same way as us, except that they continued to do so with one eye looking over their shoulder.
Tomorrow, Joanne and I will be going on a trip to Europe to meet with Christians in the Czech Republic.  You are all aware of our synod’s connection with Tanzania, but our synod also has a companion relationship with Christians in a Lutheran church in the Czech Republic. 
It wasn’t all that long ago that Christians in that part of the world were severely punished if they chose to express their Christian faith openly.  Twenty years ago, the Czech Republic was still part of the Soviet Union, an anti-religious and constitutionally godless state, that made life really difficult for anyone who even tried to gather for worship.          
Now, twenty years after the Soviet boot has left them, Christians in the Czech Republic are once again free to worship, however, and whenever, they please.  And you can be sure, they are counting their blessings.   I look forward to telling you stories once we return.
So, at the end of 2008, count your blessings that we are able to gather this morning.
            Count your blessings by looking at your family.  Give thanks for mothers and fathers, for brothers and sisters.  Give thanks for your spouse and children.  Give thanks for your nieces and nephews and for your friends.
            Now, you may think you don’t have a family.  But look around.  We can be your family.  One of the blessings of being part of the church is that we can be family with and for one another.  We can even get into fights and arguments with you if that will help you feel like part of the family!  No one should feel left out.  Because, in church, we are family.
            You heard me tell the story of Daniel Alderman this past week at the Christmas Eve service.  Daniel, who is recovering nicely from a very scary episode with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is counting his blessings today.  He knows that his life was spared and he’s grateful.  Today, he is giving thanks to God for all who have been treating him medically and praying for him spiritually.
Six years ago, I had prostate cancer.  Six years ago, I was fortunate to have surgery which removed it.  Today, I am cancer free.  And today, I get to baptize our fourth grandchild.  I thank God for all of this.
            Prayer helps us count our blessings.  There isn’t a person here this morning who has not been disappointed with something in their life.  And without seeking to diminish the reality of that disappointment, a way to deal with disappointment in life is to focus on the blessings we already have.  I seek to do this through prayer.
            Each day I give thanks for the good things in my life and then pray for the things for which prayer, concern and action is needed.  Counting blessings through prayer helps us appreciate what we have, while at the same time allowing us to acknowledge and work on those things we still need.
            As individuals, it is a good thing to count our blessings.  But as a congregation, it is also a good thing to count our blessings. 
In this congregation, we have people of faith who pray and care for one another.  We have strong leaders and inspired teachers.  We have fine musicians and talented singers and instrumentalists.  We have a beautiful building and a marvelous new addition. 
Earlier this fall, it appeared that our congregation would end this year with a $24,000 deficit.  But, thanks be to God, through the generosity of individuals who have given more than $15,000 over and above their regular giving in the last two months, and a bequest from the estate of Clyde and Dot Weller, we are going to end the year exactly even. 
            So, having counted our blessings, let us look forward to the future and see what God might have in store for us in 2009.  It is my prayer that each of us will seek to know, to live and to share God’s Word.  In 2009, it is my prayer that every member of this congregation find some mission and ministry in which to involve themselves.  It is my prayer in 2009 that we may grow closer to God and thereby grow closer to one another.
            You and I are blessed.  Now, we need to seek ways of becoming a blessing to others.  As baptized Christians, this is our calling.
            May we find in the Word made flesh the source and the strength of our spiritual being. May Christ truly be the light your life and of mine.  And may we continue to count our blessings and truly see what God hath done.   AMEN

Christmas Eve 2008
Text:  Luke 2:1-20
Topic:  It’s Personal!
 
There’s a reason it’s called Christmas.  It’s CHRIST’S mass we are celebrating tonight.  
There’s a reason Christmas is celebrated in December of each year, when there is more darkness than light on any given day.  Long ago, early Christians, in an attempt to create a foothold in the plethora of religions that existed in the fourth Century, decided to usurp the pagan Festival of Lights which centered around the winter solstice, and replace it with a gospel message that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world!
There’s a reason we are called Christians and not “churchians.”  It’s because we worship Christ, and not the church.  Sometimes we are called Lutherans, or Methodists, or Mennonites, or Catholics, or Episcopalians, or Baptists, or a member of a non-denominational church.  But if we truly believe in the message of Christ, we are Christians first, and one of those other labels second.
There’s a reason we have a huge crucifix hanging above our altar – even at Christmas when we are remembering his birth and not so much his death.  It’s because even though we are celebrating the birth of a baby, and singing “Away in A Manger,” and really and truly being touched by the Incarnation of God, Immanuel, God with us, that baby grew up and died a horrible death for you and me. 
That baby became the sacrificial lamb for you and me.  That baby took all our sins upon himself and declared us forgiven, not just for today, but for all eternity.  That baby who was given the name “Jesus” became “Jesus the Christ” by virtue of his anointment from God to be the Savior of the world.
And so, it’s CHRISTmas, and not “JESUSmass.”  The message is that CHRIST was born to save.
Daniel Alderman is a college student.  He’s the only grandson of Ted and Anna Marie Alderman who are members here. Daniel studies hard at school and gets good grades.  He plays lacrosse and so, athletically, he is in really good shape. 
Earlier this month Daniel left campus to go to his parent’s home a few miles away, and while there collapsed onto the floor.  By the grace of God, his mother happened to be home at that very moment, called 911, and the paramedics, again by the grace of God, were able to keep him alive by use of one of those balloon pumps, and got him to the hospital.
It was determined that he was suffering from a very aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.  A mass had developed in his chest that enveloped his heart and lungs and was choking off his airway.  Because the mass was so intertwined with his vital organs, surgery was ruled out.  However, doctors and nurses, by the grace of God, were able to begin immediate drug therapy and within a few days, the large mass had shrunk to a manageable and treatable size. 
By the grace of God, Daniel is going to survive this.  He may not have realized before this ordeal the power and presence of God in his life, but he does now.  His grandparents told me this week that he’s been absolutely amazed that total strangers have been praying for him.  And he sends his thanks to all of us who have interceded on his behalf. 
He is grateful to his mother for being at home that day and calling 911.  He is grateful to the paramedics who saved him.  He is grateful to the doctors and nurses who treated him.  And he is determined to get back to his life once again. 
His story is nothing short of a miracle.  And my guess is, as a result, he is a changed person.  His story has been told by his grandparents, by his friends, by total strangers, and now to you.
When the shepherds were tending their flocks the night of Jesus’ birth, little did they know they would become part of a miracle story as well, a story that would be told millions of times over the course of literally thousands of years.
The angel that came to the shepherds that night said, “For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:11 KJV)
God made it personal.  God made certain the news of the birth of Jesus, God’s only Son, would be heard and made known to individuals.  “Unto YOU is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior.”  “Unto YOU is born the one who will teach you all you need to know about life and salvation.  Unto YOU is born the One who will give you everything you will ever need in this life.  Unto YOU I will give grace sufficient for the day.” 
In the case of Daniel, God provided all the necessary components for a successful outcome.  His mother was home and called 911.  The paramedics and doctors provided the correct treatments.  And the prayers of the people kept everyone believing that hope would not be denied.
The shepherds went to Bethlehem that night and saw personally, for themselves, the wondrous gift of God for all humanity.  They were so impressed they left the manger and told any and all who would listen, “Hey, God has sent a Savior to us.  We saw him.  And he’s come to save me and you, and you, and you as well.” 
The scripture says, they went home “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard.”  (Luke 2:20  KJV)  It was a story they just couldn’t keep to themselves, it was that personal.
I haven’t heard Daniel tell his story, but, I’ve heard his grandparents tell his story.  And they tell it personally.  They tell it because it’s from their heart, and they’ll keep telling it, just like the shepherds told the story about Jesus so very long ago. 
When we are touched personally by the Christ in Christmas we can’t help but tell others.  When we personally realize we cannot live without the grace of God, or live without the communion of saints that surround us, we can’t help but tell others.
Christ came to save us.  Christmas is for shepherds, and Daniel, and you and me, and for literally everyone one in this world.  That’s the wonderful and good news for tonight.  Let’s go out and tell someone.  Because like Daniel’s, it’s a story worth telling. 
Merry Christmas!  AMEN

Christmas Eve 2007
Text:  Luke 2:1-20
Topic:  Christ was born for me

(For website readers, the following hymn, a Polish carol from the 19^th Century, was sung.)
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
1          Infant holy, infant lowly,
            for his bed a cattle stall;
            oxen lowing, little knowing
            Christ the child is Lord of all.
            Swiftly winging, angels singing,
            bells are ringing, tidings bringing:
            Christ the child is Lord of all!
            Christ the child is Lord of all!
 
2          Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping
            vigil till the morning new
            saw the glory, heard the story,
            tidings of a gospel true.
            Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow,
            praises voicing, greet the morrow:
            Christ the child was born for you!
            Christ the child was born for you!
 
 
 
Christ the child was born for you!  Christ the child was born for me!  That’s the Good News for tonight!  This tiny, little baby was born with you in mind.  This one-of-a-kind baby was born with you and me in the center of his eye.  This infant child, cuddly and cute, diapered and all, had a purpose for being born.  His purpose was to save you from your sin.  His purpose was to save me from my sin.  His name was Jesus and he lived up to it’s meaning, “the Lord will save us.”

There are all kinds of people in the world, rich and poor, noble and not-so-noble, faithful and faithless, young and old.  And all of them could wear a sign that says, “Christ was born for me!”Remember what the angel said to the shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be for all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:10-11  KJV)