Father, Son, Holy Spirit

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.   (Matt 28:16-20 KJV)

Today is Trinity Sunday. Usually, on Trinity Sunday, I focus a bit on the essence of the triune God. But, with the state of the Union as it is today I am reminded greatly of what or rather who it is that can save us. Who it is that forgives us all of our sins, reconciling us to God and to one another. God through Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit is our only real help in times like these.

We, too often, get caught up in the physical world, we forget that our battle is with spiritual forces. St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph 6:12)

Yes, we must stand up for what is right in this world. We must protect our neighbors. But, we cannot forget that what is behind the chaos are spiritual forces that aim to destroy us. We must engage in battle with these spiritual forces. We do that by doing exactly what Jesus commanded: teaching all people, baptizing in name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them everything that Jesus commanded to be taught. And, what he taught is good news for all people. We are to proclaim that Good News! We are to let people know that all power and authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth. That will bring to us adversity. But, we must trust him to help us as we proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom for all who believe in him. We must rely on his (not ours, not any government's) authority and power to overcome the chaos. 

We thank God our Father this and every day that through the Son and by the power of the Holy Ghost we can stand firmly, facing all adversity, so that all people might know that freedom and the peace that God would give to us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Great Commission

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt 28:18-20 KJV)

If you ask your children or grandchildren to help you with some household chore, you do not expect the reply to be "no." If your boss asks you to do something for him or her; that also would not typically require a yes or no response. They are simply being polite. Not all requests are meant to give you options. They are politely phrased commands. Now, of course, the child or the employee can say no if they choose. They can also suffer the consequences if they do. 

Likewise, we often tend to take Jesus' words "Go ye therefore..." as optional. For the Christian, they are not. They are a command. They are what is known as the "Great Commission." The words of your lips may very well lead them to baptism into the Body of Christ. 

Sharing the Good News; sharing what you know about Christ, is not optional for any Christian. It is a command from Jesus, himself. It is a command with a promise: "..and, lo, I am with you always."

God's Peace - Pr. J

Making Disciples

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and

teaching them everything he has commanded us.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20 NIV)

Go and tell! What stories do you share with others? Those of us who have children or grandchildren often talk about what they've been up to; their antics, their successes, the joy that they give to us. Sometimes we talk about our favorite hobbies or our careers. Way too often we find ourselves talking about nothing more than the weather. Day in and day out we muse about the weather! It's too hot. It's too cold. I wish the rain would stop already! But, how often do we talk about what Jesus has done for us?

So many "Christians" are so out of the habit of talking about the greatest love of our lives, Jesus the Christ, that they really don't even know how to begin to talk about him with others. Yet, Jesus gave us a command. Yes, it is a command and not a go ahead and do this if you feel like it suggestion. We have been given a commission to go and baptize people of all nations as we share everything that he has taught us, with both his words and his deeds. We share these things so that others will turn and follow him and ultimately also share the good news.

This command was followed by the first disciples and succeeding generations. The church on earth has grown because of the faithful witness of his followers. What part do you play in growing the church? Are you willing to share the good news that Jesus died for all people? He was crucified so that our sins might be forgiven and that we might be reconciled to God our Father for all eternity. So many who profess to be Christians do not wish to offend their neighbors by sharing this good news. But, we rarely consider the consequences for those who do not hear and believe. How offended are they going to be on judgment day when they stand before the Lord and he says, "I never knew you." 

Growing a church; making disciples is not about inviting people to a social club. Social clubs abound in our society and they come and go. Yes, we are social; but, the church is not a club, for a particular type of people. Everyone is welcome! As soon as someone is bored or unhappy with a social club they move on. But, the church will endure forever. The church is made of Christ's followers. It is made up of disciples who are willing to make more disciples by sharing the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

May God give us the courage to share the Good News of the Kingdom given to all who believe through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Look, The Lamb Of God!

     The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

     Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

     The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

     When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

                                                                                                               John 1:29-37 NIV

"Look, the Lamb of God!"

Twice, John saw Jesus and witnessed to those around him that Jesus is the Lamb of God. He testifies that Jesus is God's Chosen One. Because of John's testimony Andrew and his brother Simon Peter became followers Jesus. They became his disciples.

Have you told anyone about the "Lamb of God" lately? How many can say that it was your testimony that pointed them to Jesus; that led them to follow Jesus?

Do you recall the "Great Commission?"

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of  the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (John 21:19-20)

Go and witness to the love of God in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Go and witness to what He has done for us in giving His life for us. Go and make disciples for surely the "Lamb of God" the great "I AM" is with you always.

God's Peace - Pr. J

What Is Our Mission?

Faithful Stewards of the Word

Pr. John Henry, Pr. Jimalee Jones, Bp Alex Malasusa

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20

I include the words of Jesus in what is known as the Great Commission in many of my sermons to remind us what the Church is really all about. Sometimes, I fear, we forget and need to be reminded.

"Back to the Future: First Century Principles for the Twenty First Century" is the theme for the Lutheran Congregation in Mission for Christ's annual convocation that will be held in Denver this week. The annual gathering is a time for members of LCMC from all around the globe to gather together in worship and fellowship; to exchange ideas; to lift one another up in Christ with the good news; and to reexamine our individual and corporate ideas of what Jesus calls us to and how to do.  ("Just do it!" Don't debate it! As the Spirit of Christ abides in us; he does it for us, through us. Trust him!)

The exchange of ideas; rededicating ourselves to the mission that we have been called to and exploring how this can be done locally are all well and good. But, usually putting these "good ideas" to use means that we have to take a good look at ourselves: where we have been; where we are now; and, where we are going. When we do that we will usually find areas that need a bit of changing, sometimes some hard changes.

Sadly, what I have experienced over the years is that when the ideas; when the possibilities for growth in Christ are brought back to the congregation any changes that might be good for the growth of the local church are put on the back burner. Business continues as usual with members continuing to lament their deteriorating congregations. Lutherans largely hate change and they will fight to keep it the same old, same old, even if it means putting their congregation into a state of hospice.

The church grew in amazing ways during the first century. The shepherds were not so worried about making people comfortable or making sure that their preaching did not intrude upon the private secular lives of those who were listening. They were focused on preaching the truth so that the sheep would be fed and saved. There are no new programs or new buildings or new people or new anything else that will help your congregation to grow unless those who have been chosen or called to serve have received new hearts. The church on earth has one purpose and that is to reach out to all people with the good news of the Kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If things haven't been working well for your congregation; if mission has been put on a back burner and you are slowly (or maybe quickly) dying, maybe it's time to take a good look at what those first Christians focused on. Was it the building made of brick and mortar (there actually was none) or were they more interested in building up the Body of Christ, which is the Church?

May God help us to trust the power of His Spirit, that we might be good stewards of the Word, sharing the Good News with all people and spending less time focusing on our how we can save ourselves. We cannot save ourselves. Only God can save anyone.

God's Peace - Pr. J

What Is Keeping You From Being Baptized?

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. Acts 8:34-38 NIV

With, what is known as, the "Great Commission" Jesus commanded us to "... go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matt 28:19-20

Unfortunately, as Lutherans, particularly in the United States, I believe that we mistakenly believe that any and every adult that walks through a church door and worships with us is already baptized. This is most certainly not true! There are many reasons that adults who profess Christ as their savior are not baptized. What is yours? 

Let us pray that it is not because no one was there to tell you the good news about Jesus. Let us pray that you have not been baptized by water and the Word because this Sacrament has not been made available to you. If you have not been baptized, what is standing in your way? Ask and you shall receive!

God's Peace - Pr. J