Declare How Much God Has Done for You

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Declare How Much God Has Done for You, and my focus is our Gospel. … Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”  Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

In less than two weeks, we will celebrate Independence Day, a federal holiday commemorating Continental Congress’ adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and no longer part of the British Empire.

While we associate Independence Day with fireworks, family reunions, parades, picnics and political speeches, we also celebrate our nation’s history, government and traditions. All of this occurs annually because of the Declaration of Independence.

A declaration is a public statement. When I declare something, I say it in an official or public way, a strong and confident manner, or I simply tell the government how much money I earned in order to pay taxes.

Directly from the Latin words de and clarare, it means to make clear, reveal, disclose, announce. More than 20 people have declared their candidacy for President of the United States and many others have declared their support for a candidate. Judges declare sentence on the accused. Champions declare victory, and individuals declare bankruptcy.

In our Gospel today, Jesus ordered the man to declare how much God has done for you.[1] Before we declare how much God has done for us, my third point, I examine our passage and what it meant to the Church. In short, Passage, People of the Way and People Today.

First, Passage. The account is an exorcism, and follows the usual pattern for an exorcism.[2] Demons inhabited deserts, large bodies of water, the air and subterranean regions. They caused blindness, muteness, all kinds of physical problems and mental disorders. Demon possession was physical or mental possession, not moral.

Luke wrote that seven demons went out of Mary Magdalene. We assume she was immoral. She was not. All Scripture passages portray her as serving the Lord.

In today’s passage, so many demons possessed the man that it was named legion. He was naked and lived among the tombs, frightening local citizens with his bizarre behavior, but there is no mention of their influence over his moral life.

Since demons were from the supernatural world, they recognized Jesus as a person of God and an opponent of all forces that hurt, cripple, oppress or alienate human life. In his inaugural address, Jesus announced his intention to relieve, release, heal and restore life. We read in chapter 4, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”[3] All persons or powers to the contrary must view him as an enemy.

Jesus was not the only exorcist working the land. In chapter 9, when John the Apostle reported, “‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us,’ Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.’”[4] When some challenged his authority to exorcize demons, Jesus responded, “If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?”[5] We also read about Jewish exorcists in Acts.[6]

Now, the demons recognized Jesus and his power. He could send them to the abyss or netherworld, that is, Satan’s prison.[7] They knew the abyss was their prison and that it was not beyond the power of Christ. So, they begged to be sent into unclean animals to escape their fate.

Mercifully, Jesus allowed their request. He did not take pleasure in anyone’s death or in torturing demons for “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. … But whoever does not believe is condemned.”[8]

The unclean spirits entered the unclean animals that plunged into the abyss and were banished. We hear nothing more of them. Instead, Luke reports that the people of that village found the man sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. Afraid, they asked Jesus to depart.

At this point, you might be wondering why the villagers asked Jesus to leave. Luke’s second book, Acts, helps answer our question. In chapter 16, we read that as Paul and Silas were in Philippi, they “met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.

She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.’ This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. ‘The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!’ they shouted to the city officials. ‘They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.’ A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. … and then they were thrown into prison.” After the earthquake opened the prison doors, the city officials begged Paul and Silas to leave their city.[9]

Philippi’s city officials and Gerasene’s villagers asked the Apostles and Jesus to leave out of economic loss and fear. They learned to live with the evil spirits, but were afraid of an unknown power greater than evil spirits.

The Gerasene villagers knew where evil resided, and spent considerable time and expense guarding and containing it. They tolerated and managed evil, but the power of God disturbed the way of life they had come to accept.

Let me leave my first point, and segue into my second, People of the Way. People of the Way described the first followers of Jesus. They were named Christian when Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch. We read, “For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”[10]

What did the first Christians take from this brilliantly told passage? Irony. Given Christianity’s origins in the Jewish world, Luke’s Gentile readers were keenly sensitive to Jesus sending unclean spirits into unclean animals. They enjoyed the fact that the demons unwittingly invited their own banishment into the abyss.[11]

While that generated fear among the Gerasene villagers, the first Christians also took courage from this passage. It gave them courage to overcome any fear about proclaiming the Gospel and declaring how much God did for them.

Because Jesus, a Jew, was not afraid to cross into Gentile territory, they too – baptized in His Name – could cross cultural, societal, racial and economic boundaries to proclaim the Gospel.

Because Jesus, anointed with the Holy Spirit, faced the demons and enemies who opposed Him and His work – proclaiming good news to the poor, liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed – the People of the Way could face the demons and enemies who opposed them and their work. They endured imprisonment, beatings, stonings, mocking and even death. They endured this from people who feared the power of the Gospel. Read what the People of the Way endured in Acts, and what Paul endured in Second Corinthians.[12] The People of the Way learned a lesson in courage by proclaiming what God did for them.

Finally, People Today. To distinguish Law from Gospel properly, we know that the Good News is what God has done for us. Gospel is that God worked out our salvation, and with salvation comes blessings.

Now, I do not expect you to stand on a street corner or at the mall and declare how much God has done for you, but there are opportunities for each of us to proclaim that. And with that, I would like to say this.

Today, my hair is grayer, my step slower, my eyes weaker, my waistline larger, blood pressure higher and wallet lighter. Yet, my heart is greater. God filled my heart with joy because of what He has done for me.

God blessed me with wife and family, extended family and friends, health and home. God granted me the opportunity to see the world and the wonders of new life. God has blessed me in many ways. At times, I wonder how to thank God properly for what He has done for me. And our God, who simplifies everything, even provides my response.

The Psalmist wrote, “I love the Lord for he has heard the cry of my appeal; for he turned his ear to me in the day when I called him.” He continued. “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name.”[13] Sound familiar? It is our traditional offertory.[14]

Friends, during the Lord’s Supper, we raise the cup of salvation and call on the Lord’s name. That is why Christians have always called the Lord’s Supper, Eucharist. Eucharist is simply a Greek word that means thanksgiving.

Our post-communion prayer reads, “We give thanks to You, almighty God, that You have refreshed us through this salutary gift, and we implore You that of Your mercy You would strengthen us through the same in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another.”[15]

Our canticle’s lyrics? “Thank the Lord and sing His praise; tell everyone what He has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear His name. He recalls His promises and leads His people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.”[16]

Friends, God simplified life and worship. We need not invent praise and thanksgiving. Praise and thanksgiving occurs every time we worship. Each Sunday when you worship, you declare how much God has done for you. When we do that, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keeps our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Luke 8:39

[2] Fred Craddock, Luke (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 65f.

[3] Luke 4:17-18.

[4] Luke 9:49-50.

[5] Luke 11:19.

[6] Acts 19:13-17.

[7] Philippians. 2:9-11; Romans 10:7; 1 Peter 3:19; Revelation 20:3.

[8] Ezekiel 18:32; John 3:17-18.

[9] Acts 16:16-23, 38-39. New Living Translation.

[10] Acts 11:25-26.

[11] Eugene LaVerdiere, Luke (Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1986), 119f.

[12] 2 Corinthians 11.

[13] Psalm 116:1-2, 13-14.

[14] Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 159.

[15] LSB, 166.

[16] LSB, 164.

Moving Daze

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Moving Daze. My text is all three Sunday readings.[1] … Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”  Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Cindy and I have sold and bought several houses over the past ten years. Our next step is to sell our Illinois house and build a new home in Pennsylvania. When we sat down to close on a house in Oklahoma, we moved from a tract house to a custom-built ranch on a wooded one and one-half acre lot. Now, anyone who’s purchased a house knows you have 60 days from the time you close until you move. But in the 60 days after we moved into our Oklahoma house, we unpacked and gave away boxes, bought and moved furniture, washed windows and burned brush. In addition to moving, we started working for new employers. I went from an international nonprofit to a large Lutheran congregation. Cindy started working for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. In those first 60 days, we even found time to host a wedding and a houseful of visitors. And even though I started working as a pastor for a new congregation, I found myself filling the pulpit in a church about 45 minutes east of us for 25 worshippers. So, sometimes when you think you are about ready to settle down, God has others plans for you. Hence, the title of today’s sermon – moving daze. That’s daze with a z.

Moving is an appropriate title for my sermon as we will move from one reading to the next - first, to see how Jesus moved his disciples’ hearts; second, how three men are moved and dazed by heavenly visions; and lastly, to ask ourselves if we are moved and dazed by God’s love, and if we have moved or dazed others.

First, Jesus moved his disciples’ hearts. Throughout his life Jesus moved people’s hearts through his deeds and words. In today’s gospel the Lord speaks after he washed his disciples’ feet.

Think how those 12 men must have felt seeing their Lord and master assume the role of servant. Who of us would not react like Peter and protest? Imagine someone you love and admire washing your feet, and yet Jesus does this.

When finished, he stated, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” Jesus … glorified … after completing an act of humility. When I think of glory, I think of Cooperstown and Canton, Lombardi Trophies and Stanley Cups, Oscars, Emmys and Grammys, paparazzi and presidents. I don’t think of 13 men in a room and one of them washing the feet of the other 12. But the term “glory” means weighty or important. In other words, love is a serious matter.

He then instructed his disciples to “love one another.” Jesus didn’t plea for them to get along, but instructed them to love one another, meaning “do what I do.” Well, they hadn’t yet witnessed his crucifixion, but they had experienced his humble act of footwashing. … “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

What followed next was Jesus’ farewell monologue interspersed by some unconventional responses. Here is what the dazed disciples said.

When Jesus told them that he was going to prepare a place for them, Thomas said, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Following his explanation, Philip demonstrated dullness by saying, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Finally, after telling the boys that He will show Himself to those who love Him, Judas asked, “Why show yourself to us and not the whole world?” The entire episode of washing their feet, instructing them to love one another and bidding adieu left the disciples moved and dazed.

From John to Acts and Revelation where three others are moved and dazed by heavenly visions. … Paul Harvey was famous for a series entitled The Rest of the Story which consisted of stories presented as little-known or forgotten facts on a variety of subjects with some key element of the story (usually the name of some well-known person) held back until the end. The broadcasts always concluded with a variation on the tag line "And now you know the rest of the story."

If we confine ourselves to 18 verses of Acts 11, we don’t know the rest of the story. So, let’s start with an introduction. In chapter 10, we are introduced to Cornelius. Cornelius was a Roman centurion who had a vision. In spite of how we imagine Russell Crowe in Gladiator, this professional soldier was a devout and God-fearing family man who prayed daily. One day while praying, an angel appeared to him and instructed him to seek out Peter. So, he sent a detail down the coast to Joppa with instructions to bring Peter back to Caesarea. … Imagine telling a group of soldiers that you just got a message from an angel. …

The next day, Peter went up on his roof to pray. He too had a vision. His vision occurred three times. In it, God told him to kill and eat the animals in his vision. Objecting that he would never eat anything impure, God reminded him that He has not made anything impure. And while praying about this vision the Spirit instructed him to go with the men who sought him … By the way, they’re waiting for you downstairs.

The story unfolds at Cornelius’ house. … Until that time, the only people believing in Jesus as the Christ were Jews. A gentile wants to join them, and for Peter to enter the house of a gentile meant that he rendered himself religiously unclean.

As Cornelius explained his vision and how he was moved by God to send for Peter, and as Peter explained his and how he was moved by God to take the Gospel to all people, the Holy Spirit came down upon them and they began to speak in tongues and praise God. They were so moved and dazed by this experience that Peter baptized Cornelius’ entire household.

Later, Peter explained his actions to the apostles, and once they realized that God granted the gift of faith and repentance to gentiles, they praised God, and then sent Barnabas to look for Paul who began witnessing before gentiles in Antioch, which is where the word Christian is first used. … and now you know the rest of the story.

Like Cornelius and Peter, John too had a vision. How better to keep hope afloat for persecuted Christians than to tell them what God revealed. John’s Book of Revelation is apocalyptic literature. Filled with vivid imagery for a persecuted people, its main purpose is to offer hope. John interpreted the signs of the times as the end, and even though God triumphed over Satan, sin and death, he did not want Christians to lose focus on the church’s struggle against evil, false prophets and civil oppression.

In this passage, John envisioned a new heaven and a new earth, and he envisioned the old heaven and earth passing away. Perhaps that means nothing to us, but if you were living under the constant threat of persecution, the passing of the present age and the vision of a new one would be eagerly welcomed.

So, consider this: If you stood to lose your job and your friends, your property and even your family because of your religion what would you do? If you faced prison, isolation and death, would you remain a Christian? Would you renounce your faith or would you choose martyrdom?

Did you know that more than a million Christians chose martyrdom … in the 20^th century? More than a million Christians in Mexico through South America, from Nazi Germany and across the Iron Curtain, throughout China, Vietnam and much of Africa were put to death because they did not renounce their Christian faith.

Well, that’s not going to happen to us because we are citizens who enjoy God-given rights. We don’t live in 1^st century Rome or some 20^th century communist bloc country or Nazi Germany. Our Constitution, Amendments and Bill of Rights guarantee us rights, liberties and freedoms. We can worship together, live our faith and fear nothing. But before you jump to that conclusion, let me tell you how persecution happens here.

When I was living and working in Berkeley, California, Proposition 8 was on the state ballot. The state legislature affirmed same-sex marriage, but ultimately the voters rejected it before the justices of the California State Supreme Court reversed the voters’ decision. During that time, I sent a $50 check to a political action committee upholding traditional marriage. Within weeks I received a letter from an anonymous person who stated that I should be ashamed of what I did and that I should be fired from my job. So, while we may not be in the same danger as some Christians in the 1^st or 20^th centuries, when you proclaim your faith in word and deed, there are those who will hate and persecute you.

Finally, are we moved and dazed by God’s love? Have we moved or dazed others? Are we moved and dazed when we ponder what occurred in the Upper Room when Jesus assumed the role of servant and washed his disciples’ feet? Do we pray like Cornelius and Peter and meditate on the meaning of God’s revelation? Can we envision with John a new heaven and a new earth where God wipes away every tear from our eyes? Are we moved to loving one another – like Jesus? Do we risk loving others or do we prefer to keep love comfortable?

Keeping love comfortable is what we prefer. I’m sure Peter would have chosen fishing over shepherding, living on the coast rather than dying in Rome. I’m certain Christian martyrs of the 1^st or 20^th centuries would have gladly lived their lives in peace rather than persecution, but what about us?

I mean who wants to wash their uncle’s feet? Do teenagers and young adults believe what friends profess or what their faith community professes? When I was my mother’s caregiver, there were humble acts of loving kindness that I would have preferred to be done by someone else, but you rely upon God’s grace to strengthen you to love beyond your comfort zone.

Humble acts of loving kindness are not confined to the nursing home or schoolyard, but they all involve personal interaction. You know, one of the more pleasant experiences I had after I joined the Lutheran Church was when the men who belonged to Our Savior’s in Livermore, California reached out to me, and invited me to join their men’s fellowship. That moved me, and so, I have to ask myself: Does my love move others? Does our love move others into believing in Christ or joining us for worship? Or, have the people with whom I interact fallen into a spiritual daze?

This week, let’s think about how Jesus moved the hearts of his disciples and ask ourselves, “When was the last time my humble acts of loving kindness moved someone else to love?” … Think about what humble act of loving kindness you wanted to do last week but didn’t. Think about what you’d like to do this week. And next week reflect upon what you did to bring one more person to Christ.

Let’s thank and praise God for how He’s loved us and moved our hearts to love more deeply, and when we do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Acts 11:1–18; Rev. 21:1–7; John 13:31–35.

The WOW of Easter!

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Debt Free! My focus is our Gospel (Mark 16:1-8). … Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”  Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Chris and Dana step to the microphone. Four years after incurring $80,000 of debt from student loans, credit cards, two cars and the birth of two kids, they are ready for this moment. In unison, they shout at the top of their lungs, “We’re debt free!” … On the heels of their debt free scream, a line from Braveheart – “Freeeee…dooommm!!!”

Daily, dozens of couples and individuals echo these screams. Relieved that they are debt free, these people tell the world their stories of incurring debt and paying it off by heeding the advice of one man, Dave Ramsey.

Dave Ramsey fans travel to Nashville to tell their story and scream on his syndicated radio show because they are relieved they worked diligently, budgeted income and expenses, ate beans and rice, and lived like no one else. They proudly paid their debt.

We too are debt free. After incurring the debt of our sins and our parents’ sins – Adam and Eve – our debt is paid. The difference between the debt paid by Chris and Dana and ours is that Jesus Christ our Risen Lord paid our debt. Christ was payer and pay, propitiator and propitiation, and His payment warrants a debt free scream from each of us.

Our freedom from debt involved no effort on our part. We did not budget income and expenses, work two jobs, use the envelope system, or eat beans and rice for two years. All we did was believe. Believe.

Mark recorded the disciples of Jesus did not run from the cave screaming, “We’re debt free!” Rather, when they left the tomb, “they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

The thought of Jesus rising from the dead did not occur to them because they did not expect a resurrection. … Think of it. Until this moment, the Bible recounts six people raised from the dead – 3 by prophets and 3 by Jesus. Why would resurrection enter the disciples’ minds? That is why Mark recorded that the disciples fled the empty tomb trembling and astonished, and said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.

Resurrection from the dead … furthest thing from their minds. God’s victory over Satan, sin and death … furthest thing from their minds. A debt-free scream … furthest thing from their minds. In other words, Mark pointed out that the disciples realized God’s victory comes not from an experience of an empty tomb, but from an experience of the Risen Lord.

For Mark, the empty tomb in itself is not proof of the resurrection, but simply a source of wonderment. Faith in the resurrection springs from the actual experience of the risen Lord. Only then did the first Christians understand what the empty tomb meant – that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

The Lord has risen indeed! God indeed conquered Satan, sin and death. Christ paid our debt. We are indeed debt free. Alleluia! Amen!

Unchecked excitement ran through the disciples’ veins and down their spines when the risen Lord appeared to them. They saw Him die. They saw His empty tomb. Then, they witnessed Him alive. The unparalleled experience of witnessing Christ alive impelled them to tell the world of the great Paschal Mystery – Christ’s willful suffering, death and resurrection, and what He taught throughout His life on earth. Peter and the disciples remembered and shared their experiences of Jesus the Christ with greater zeal and zest than any Dave Ramsey disciple.

Today, more than 2 billion Christians around the world celebrate Easter. More than 2 billion people share their own experiences of the risen Lord. More than 2 billion people share their debt free screams with others. More than 2 billion witnesses.

Are we among them? When did we last witness? When did we last share our debt free screams? When did we last share our experiences of the risen Lord with zest and zeal? Or are we still silently wondering what happened?

Is it because we have not pondered how the risen Lord has appeared to us? Is it because it is more difficult to believe God is present in bread and wine, in baptism and confession, in the Word proclaimed and preached by ordinary human beings than it is to believe Jesus rose from the dead? Indeed, God is present to us today, at this moment, but we do not always feel it or cannot articulate what we feel.

Let me share the brief articulated expression of a woman named Sally who became a baptized Christian 30 years ago. During the Easter Vigil 1989, Sally – then 62, frail and legally blind – was baptized and received into the Church. Several days later, when asked to share her experience of Christ’s death and resurrection symbolized in baptism, Sally, whose facial expressions and voice reminded one of Carol Channing, exclaimed, “WOW!”

Wow! Wow, Christ is risen and is present to us right now. Does the wow of that experience impel us into the streets like apostles with tongues of fire to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed? Does the wow of Christ Risen sustain me when I return to the humdrum of life’s work? Does the wow of Easter stay with me at home or hospital, in classroom or lunchroom, at the office or the in-laws? Do I feel the freedom of being debt free? Do I feel Victory even when I feel like a loser?

The wow of Easter should take all of us into the world because the world, America, Illinois needs Christians who know Christ’s Victory and the deeper meaning of being debt free. John’s Gospel says that the truth will make us free - not comfortable and not respected, but free in the real sense of the word: able to see and do what is right.

In the Christian tradition, freedom is to be used in the service of others. Working to defend the dignity of human persons and the dignity of the human family is an obligation of our freedom. As debt free Christians we are obliged, are we not, to protect the unborn child, the immigrant, the disabled, the elderly. If Christians are not involved in ensuring the dignity and rights of others, then we risk living in a state governed not by justice but by thieves. Bi-partisan thieves at that.

Let me close by asking a question that I pray you ponder as you go out from here and make your way home, hopefully not trembling and astonished. You should know that in recording that the women said nothing to anyone, Mark asked the unexpected question to every Christian who read or heard his gospel. Will you announce Christ rose from the dead? Will you demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life as Jesus did in his? Or will you remain silent when you are afraid?

As church, can we remain silent in public and be faithful to Christ at the same time? Working respectfully and firmly to form the public conscience violates no one’s free will. Actively witnessing to our convictions and advancing what we believe about Christian morality in the public life is not coercion. It’s truth-telling.

Let’s tell the world the truth about our faith, about what we believe. Let’s witness to the point that when neighbors see us walking up their driveway, they will no longer say, “Here come those Holy Rollers,” but, “Here come those Missouri Synod Lutherans.” And when we share with them the good news that we are debt free because Jesus Christ rose to free us from our sins, may we be overwhelmed by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, and may it keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Married Couple Preaches Gospel

This is the presentation Cindy and I made at our Marriage Encounter Community. We discussed how we are both involved in my preaching.

Part I (Paul) - Write

When I am asked to preach, I feel privileged. My privileged feeling is like being a teacher or coach who is fortunate enough to teach young people something new. If my feeling were a color, it would be spring green. And so, I first read the Scripture passages for the day. Lutherans use a lectionary, and for the most part are proclaiming and hearing the same passages as those in mainline Protestant and Catholic churches. Most of the time, I choose to preach on the Gospel of the day, and may use the other readings to support a point in the sermon.

Once I have read the passages for the day, I begin to pray and meditate on them. At times, a strong message protrudes from the text. The raising of Lazarus from the dead prefigures Christ’s Resurrection.

At other times, a subtler message lies deep beneath the surface, and I love to dig around to discover the meanings. Chapters 12 and 13 of First Corinthians expose the not so Christian behavior of the community of believers.

Prayer leads to study. Afterall, the passage I am reading was most likely spoken in Hebrew or Greek and written in one of those languages for a people thousands of years ago in a culture unlike ours. So, I turn to my library and research what Scripture scholars have discovered and written. They offer insights that I may not know. For example, we read in Isaiah 11:1, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Did you know that Isaiah was describing a traditional form of woodland management called coppicing?

Coppicing exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level. When we lived in Edmond, Oklahoma, we cut down a number of trees, and surprisingly, shoots sprang up from the stumps. In other words, Isaiah used a traditional form of woodland management and applied it to God’s revealed word so that people might get the message. So, when I read about coppicing in my research, I understood how today’s landowners in Oklahoma or landscapers in Illinois might grasp the meaning of the words of a prophet spoken in a different language for a different people in a different time. Alaskan foresters or Midwest arborists understand what happens when they cut trees and allow stumps to remain. They can also understand how ancient prophecies relate to daily life in the forest or farm, as can accountants, teachers, nurses, engineers and students, which is why I conclude my sermon with a question: What does it mean to us today?

And while questions – “Did you know…?” and “What does it mean to us today?” – serve as bookends for my sermon, three points frame why the speaker spoke this message, why the writer recorded these words, and why the Church linked this passage (Isaiah 11) to the preaching of John the Baptist heard during the Season of Advent. Prayer, study and imagination help me write a draft, yet I often employ a method that helps listeners remember the main points of the sermon by framing my message with three points.

Research has shown that framing a message around three points, three words all beginning with the same letter helps one remember the main points. So, often I frame a message around three B’s – baby, body, beauty, or three P’s – Paul, pink and prayer – to make it easier for listeners to remember the main points of the sermon. Prayer, study and imagination help me write a draft. After I complete the writing phase, it is ready to be reviewed by Cindy, whom I lovingly call The Serminator.

Part II (Cindy) - Review

When Paul gives me his sermon to read, I read the scripture and pray. I do not read Paul’s sermon to challenge his theological points. I read it as a layman and whether or not I understand the points – frankly there are times when what Paul writes is over my head. While there are congregants who are very well versed in the Bible and have much more knowledge that I could ever achieve, sermons need to reach everyone.

When I come across points that I don’t understand, I ask Paul to explain to me what he is trying to say. I keep asking until I understand – then I make a suggestion on a possible way to explain his point. It may take just changing a work or two.

I try to read with a critical point of view. Will the words he uses mean the same thing to everyone, or can a word be interpreted differently?

There are times when Paul does not take my suggestions. I am ok with this.

When Paul asks me to read and critique his sermons, I feel honored. Honored that he trusts and values my opinion. This feeling of being honored is like winning an award or your favorite sports team going to the White House to meet the President. If it were an activity, it would be walking on a trail admiring God’s creation and feeling honored to be part of His creation.

Part III (Paul) – Speak

After Cindy returns the rough draft, I make the necessary changes. I then ask a couple of other people for some feedback and ideas. Once when I preached on Paul’s analogy of athletes competing, I asked our daughter, Jen, to reflect on the passage. Jen was a member of the UCLA Softball Team that won an NCAA Championship. When preaching on a healing passage, I asked my friend, Bill, a cardiologist to offer comments. Two individuals I always ask to offer feedback are my brother, John, and my friend, Wendell. Within a few hours or a few days, they return my second draft with some remarks and suggestions. Fresh eyes lead to fresh ideas. With appropriate changes, I incorporate these suggestions into my sermon.

Next, I run a spellcheck and final reading before printing my sermon. After I print the sermon, I read it aloud. I speak each and every word, marking the paper where further corrections need to be made. I may have to separate or merge paragraphs. I may add inflection marks.

I practice my sermon five or six times, and while I keep the text in front of me when I preach in the church, I am able to add or delete remarks as I scan the congregation. I preach from the script because I have seen others who do not use one lose track of their thoughts or later remind themselves that they should have said something they intended to say. And when I preach from the script, I know that I am not simply reading a sermon, but delivering a prayerfully inspired message that has involved Scholars, family and friends.

Preaching the Word before the congregation is an entirely different experience than writing, revising or reading the sermon. Preaching involves prayer, and, to paraphrase Martin Luther, prayer is much more difficult than preaching. So, before I stand to preach, I pray privately and publicly. My prayer prior to each sermon is this: Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

When I begin my sermon with this prayer, I feel hopeful. I know that what I am about to say will be the only sermon most of the people will hear this week. As I said earlier, I feel privileged when I am called to preach. And when I am about to preach, I hope my words will offer hope to men, women and children for at least a week. If my feeling were a thing, it would be spring training. If an event, the sunrise. Sunrise offers the hope of a new day, and I pray that my words offer hope to all who hear.

Part IV (Cindy) – Listen

On Saturday or Sunday when I arrive at church, I pray God will use Paul to deliver His message.

I have read Paul’s sermon and have listened to him practice. But when I am sitting in the pew listening to the sermon, it is like I haven’t heard it before.

It is humbling to see God use Paul to deliver His message. This humbleness is like knowing Christ died on the cross for me and had blessed me even as I am a sinner. I am also humbled that God brought Paul into my life. If it were a color it would be pastels. If it were a scene it would be hiking through a forest and feeling small among the tall trees.

Couple Dialogue: MEQ and How do I prepare for the message I hear from my priest or pastor?

Group Discussion Question: How do we as a couple keep God at the center of our marriage?