Emmus and Easter

This is my sermon from Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri. You can also watch it here.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Pay close attention to the details of the story I’m about to tell you.

            It was Thursday, April 1, 1999 and my brother Paul and I were playing whiffle ball in the front yard with our friend Jon. We were well into our game when a man pulled quickly into our driveway in an old brown car. He hopped out and said in a deep Southern drawl, “Hey, ya’ll seen any of them their eeeemuuus? It’s a really big bird about yeah high” he said making a motion at about eye level to indicate the height of an emu.

            We were not surprised by this. There were people in our area who were raising emus for their eggs, meat, and oil. We drove past one farm which had emus quite often.

            “No,” we replied, “We have not seen any emus.” The man hopped back into the car and drove off just as quickly as he came.

            We thought nothing of it and went back to our game. Several innings passed when we saw it. It was out in the wheat field across the road, walking back and forth. It was an emu—the very one the man in the old brown car had inquired about not more than a few minutes ago. Now free from the farm it was enjoying its emancipation by running across the green wheat fields of Southern Illinois.

            Outrageous laughter broke out because we remembered that it was April Fools Day and no one would believe us! The emu passed into the next field and we went inside, still laughing at the spectacle.

            Dad, whose name is Tim, was the first one we told. “Dad, Dad, Dad! There was an emu in the field across the road.”

            “Hahaha guys, April Fools.”

            “No Dad, we’re serious! There was an emu in the field.” Our laughing probably didn’t help convince him that what we were saying was true.

            “Good one guys.” He replied. Dad would not be a true believer.

            Mom was next. “Mom, Mom, Mom. There was an emu in the field across the road.” She at least believed us, sort of.

            That was Thursday. Sunday morning, we were vindicated in Sunday School when we heard the story of a boy from town, another Tim, who saw the same emu and attempted to ride it. He was not successful.

            We aren’t sure what exactly happened to the emu. Most likely it was apprehended and return to the farm where it lived out its days.

            Now, why do I tell you this story? First, it’s April Fools day and it fits. That story, true though it is, is just a story. It’s a nice story and the kids like it. But no one’s life changed that day we saw the emu. Whether you believe the emu story is true or not doesn’t really matter.

            There are many people in world today who treat the story of Easter like the Emu story or an April Fool’s Day joke. It’s a nice story and the kids like it. But their lives are not changed. Whether they believe Jesus rose from the dead or not doesn’t really matter to them.

            Let’s look at what Paul tells us here in 1 Corinthians 15 and see why this does matter. We might just touch on some connections with the emu story.

            The first reason it matters is because it actually happened. This isn’t a fairy tale. In the emu story there are a couple details keep you from thinking this as well. I started by telling you the date, April 1, 1999. I referred to a specific place.

            You can say the same thing for Jesus’ resurrection. This is not “long ago in a land far, far away”. In the Easter accounts we have some of the same details to ground it historically. The Gospel writers place the story of Easter in a real place at a real time. They all mention that Jesus died during the Passover celebration which was a fixed holiday each year. We know Tiberius was Caesar, Pontius Pilate was governor, and Caiaphas was the high priest. We know more about all of these people from outside the Bible than we do from within it.

            We know where this happened. It was a garden outside the city of Jerusalem in the land of Israel. You can find it on a map and visit there if you want.

            Even the minor characters lend credibility to the story. In the emu story, there were also two different characters who share the name Tim: my dad and the boy who tried to ride the emu. You also have two women named Mary who went to see Jesus’ tomb. The point is this, if you’re making up a story, why would you give two characters the same name? The best explanation for having two Tim’s or two Mary’s is that there actually two people with that name there.

            I’m telling you the emu story as an eyewitness. This is also one of the most important reasons we can be confident of Jesus’ resurrection. John, for example, recounts things that only an eyewitness would know. He talks about racing Peter to the tomb and seeing the grave cloths folded up neatly in the empty tomb.

            By the way that’s a really interesting detail. It sounds like after Jesus rose from the dead, He took the grave cloths off and folded them up neatly and put them in two piles. Jesus doesn’t leave the tomb a mess. God is a God of order, not of chaos. By rising from the dead, He is ending the chaos death brings to the world.

            There were more witnesses. The women who went to the tomb saw Jesus soon after they left. Paul tells us here about a whole bunch of people who saw Jesus alive. Peter saw Him, the disciples saw Him, more than five hundred people saw Jesus at one time. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians about 21 or 22 years after Easter. If you doubted the truth of the resurrection, you could go talk any of the hundreds of people who were still alive at that time who had seen Jesus after His resurrection.

Many of these people were willing to—and did—die for the truth of what they had seen. People don’t die or a lie. I don’t think I would die for the emu story, but people have been, and still are, willing to die for the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.

            But last of all, Paul saw Jesus. Seeing Jesus completely changed him. Paul first wanted to be famous for persecuting the church. He even went to Damascus to hunt down Christians and arrest them. But God had other plans for Paul. He knocked him off his horse, blinded him, and left him there for three days.

            God sent a Christian named Ananias to Paul to restore his sight and baptize him. From then on Paul boldly proclaimed Jesus as the promised Messiah and Savior of the world. He traveled to the ends of the earth to bring the good news that Jesus was risen from the dead to everyone. He says he worked harder than anyone else because he knew that he was not worthy.

            Since Paul keeps bringing up his past, it seems that it still haunted him even though he knew God’s grace. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul calls himself “chief of sinners”. Of all the sinners in the world, Paul knew he was the worst. But by God’s grace, he was forgiven! God’s grace was not in vain. The forgiveness of sins truly made a difference in every part of his life.

            Paul knew that if God could love Him, then God can certainly love you. If Jesus could forgive Peter who denied Him, the soldiers who nailed Him to the cross, a thief who mocked Him on the cross, and Paul who went after His dear children, then He is certainly able to forgive you. Of all things on Easter Day, God is reminding us that even though our sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow.

            God’s grace is bigger than anything this world has. There is no sin that is bigger. There is no one who is too far gone that God can’t change. There is no one who is too dead. God can make us alive. That’s what He did for Paul and that is what He has done for you. Jesus’ resurrection is important because it changes your life just like it changed Paul’s life. Don’t let God’s grace be in vain toward you.

            You stand in the Gospel. That means you stand forgiven, loved, and accepted by God. If God says those things about you, it must be true, and nothing can change it! You’ve been baptized into Christ and received the promise of a resurrection like His. You are coming today to Christ’s table to receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. Jesus did this for you so that you would have life just as He has life.

            You can walk away from my emu story and say, “well that was interesting” and never think of it again. You can’t do that with Jesus’ resurrection. Either it is the most important and precious event ever, or it means nothing. Jesus will not let you go halfway on this. If Christ is not risen from the dead, then nothing else matters. But if Christ is risen from the dead, then nothing else matters!

            Dear friends, Christ is indeed risen from the dead. Not only did He raise himself, but He is coming back for you to take you to be with Him forever. Easter is just the beginning. Jesus is just the first. You are going to follow with Him. Jesus is risen and that’s no joke. Amen. 

“We Thank God for You”

Mrs. Debra Lange celebrated twenty five years of teaching on October 23, 2016 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, New Minden, Illinois. All of those years have been at Trinity-Saint John Lutheran School in Nashville, Illinois. I was her student in fourth grade for the 1995-1996 school year and was asked to come back and preach for the occasion. My goal with this sermon was not to make it about Mrs. Lange, but about Jesus and why Christian education is so important. Mrs. Lange’s service has been a good example to explain this.

In the name of Jesus, who made all things and will complete all things, dear fellow redeemed, especially you, Deb,            

I’m sorry, there’s a nine year old screaming inside of me who still has to call you Mrs. Lange. Today he’s going to win a lot.

            Without thinking of it, we probably use something that we learned from each of our elementary school teachers each day. Fourth grade is kind of a sweet spot. On the one hand, you’ve got kids who are still at least a little interested in school. On the other hand you’ve got kids who have learned enough to start asking some really interesting questions.

You learn a lot in fourth grade. It’s one of the first times you really start taking a look at history. You’ve moved beyond just writing sentences. For us it was the first time we started putting sentences together into paragraphs for essays. I remember that paragraphs had to be at least four sentences long and have an introduction sentence. It’s an important step—the move from grammar to logic. I know I use that skill several times a week. To this day, as I’m writing sermons, I still sometimes look at paragraphs and wonder if they would pass muster for Mrs. Lange.

For all of this and so much more, we thank God for you. That’s what Paul says as he begins his letter to the church at Philippi. As we walk through this text together, we’ll see that we thank God for you for many of the same reasons that Paul thanked God for his friends at Philippi.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5)

            Teaching in a Lutheran School is all about partnership in the Gospel. We heard in Deuteronomy[1] that it is parent’s responsibility to teach their children the faith. Do it when you get up in the morning, when you lie down at night, when you’re driving down the road, and when you’re sitting at the dinner table. Make it a part of you and your home. Kids will consider what you teach them (or don’t teach them) by word and example to be true.

If it is the parent’s job to teach the faith, why do we have Lutheran Schools? We do it because the church, parents, and teachers have something in common. The thing we have in common is very simple. We want people to have faith in Jesus. We know that faith comes by hearing His word. We know that He doesn’t want a day to go by when we don’t have the Holy Spirit using His Word to work on our lives. We just heard[2] that Jesus invites even babies to come and be with Him. So, the church is comes along side families and multiply the work that parents are doing.

Paul touches on why this is so important in the next verse:

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

            God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has sent us the Holy Spirit so that we received faith, either in the water of Holy Baptism or by hearing the word when we were older. Either way, it was all God’s action. He sent Jesus to live for you. He sent Jesus to die for you. He raised Jesus from the dead for you. He started working on us. Faith is the good work God began in us.

            God is going bring our faith to completion when Jesus comes again. That’s “the day of Jesus Christ”. When Jesus comes again faith will no longer be necessary. Instead of believing without seeing, we will both see and believe. Faith will be brought to completion when all of God’s promises are fulfilled when Jesus changes our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body, as Paul would say a few chapters later.

            All through this life, God helps us along. We are baptized. We hear His Word. We receive the Lord’s Supper. We receive encouragement from fellow Christians. Mrs. Lange, for all of us, you have helped us learn God’s Word. You have encouraged us as a sister in Christ.

For most of us you weren’t the first to tell us about Jesus. For most of us you weren’t the last to tell us about Jesus. God has already started working in us and He is far from complete by the time we’re in fourth grade. But we thank you for your work in our life of faith.

As Paul continues, he tells us the main reason why you have been such a help to so many: 

“It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:7)

We are “partakers with you of grace”. You were able to tell us about God’s love because you’ve known that it is true for yourself. Since you have known this in your own life, you are able to share it with others. Let me explain how this works.

Fourth graders have to deal with sin. I’m sure this is something you deal with just about every day. Two boys start squabbling. It quickly turns from shouts, to shoves, to blows. Two girls exclude another girl from their games and then their friendship. Who’s there to stop it, but Mrs. Lange? The beauty of working in a Christian school is that you not only stop the fight, but you care that the kids involved forgive each other.

It’s a good thing we learn this in grade school because we haven’t changed much. As adults we still shout at people and exclude them from our friendships. But this isn’t the playground at TSJ anymore. We don’t have a teacher to stop our fights and heal our friendships. We need to, with the help of the Holy Spirit, do that without a teacher prompting us.

            You are able to help kids with this because you know that you are a sinner. It’s a good thing you’re not perfect, otherwise you would be no help to kids at all when they mess up. But as a fellow sinner, you can share God’s grace with them as someone who has received God’s grace. Grace is more meaningful that way.

            Fourth graders deal with the effects of sin. I’m sure this is something you have to deal with more than you would like. How many kids have come into your class with families and lives broken by divorce? How many kids have dealt with awful diseases and injuries? How many kids have already lost hope? These are fourth graders. They haven’t even been on this planet for a decade! They shouldn’t go through these things. Such is life in a sinful world.

            You are able to help kids with this because you’ve have your own difficult moments in life.[3] You know that Jesus has been there for you. He has comforted you with His love. He has been present with you as you went from doctor to doctor, from one test to another and in and out of surgery. He has neither left you nor forsaken you. Deb, I know that the trials you have been through have been a blessing to us because you know that Jesus carries you through.

            Fourth graders deal with death. When I first found out about today, I thought of my memories from fourth grade. Wednesday, February 29, 1996 we were pulled out of school and drove straight to Ft. Wayne, Indiana where Grandpa Mueller was in the hospital. He would die two days later—the first time in my life anyone I had really known died.

            We missed something like a week of school. But I’m glad I was where I was. Grandpa certainly had faith in Jesus and so did I. Had I not been in a Lutheran school, that faith would still have been strengthened in church, Sunday school, and in our family devotions. But, looking back, I’m so glad that my parents, my church, and my teacher had me in a place where I was hearing about Jesus every day in religion class and doing memory work.

            You’d be surprised, but last year when I was going into surgery for cancer, the words that came to my mind as I went into the operating room to give me comfort where words that I had for memory work for the first time in fourth grade:

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is MY Lord. Who has redeemed ME, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won ME from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; now with gold or silver, but with HIS holy precious blood and with HIS innocent suffering and death, that I may be HIS own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity, This is most certainly true.

            So, kids out there today, that’s why we have you learn memory work. Mrs. Lange has several students, who are already there with the Lord. What they learned from her strengthened their faith and now God has taken them to Himself.

            Paul continues:

 “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:8)

I don’t know if anyone yearning to go back to fourth grade. Yes, things were simpler then. The biggest thing you had to worry about was the spelling test at the end of the week or maybe some multiplication tables. Fourth grade might not be so bad but who wants to go through middle school, high school, and college again?

Paul is writing this as a pastor. One of the biggest difference between being a pastor and teacher is the length of time you’re called to serve someone. For as pastor, it’s from the time you take the call to the time you accept another call. For a teacher, your call to that group of students mostly happens over the course of one school year. You receive them from one teacher and you get to hand them off to another teacher.

But just because the time is shorter, doesn’t mean your work is less important. Consider this, if the school year is about 180 days, then at six hours a day, you have about 1,080 hours with these kids. Do you know how long it takes to spend 1,080 hours in church? That’s going to church every Sunday for twenty years.

So, if kids are in church every Sunday, by the time they finish fourth grade, they have spent half as much time in church on Sunday morning as they have in the class room in just that one year of school. That’s probably going to be more contact time with you, then with their pastor. A lot of pastors don’t stay for twenty years--Dad. For a lot of your kids they will have more time with you then they ever will have with any one pastor. That’s quite an impact you’re able to make and have made on us. 

            And so Paul concludes:            

 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

Mrs. Lange, our prayer is the same for you. May your love for your kids and for Jesus abound more and more. May your knowledge of Christ overflow so that you and your students stand together, forgiven and blameless when Jesus comes again. May everything that happens in your classroom and in all our classrooms be to the glory and praise of God.

For twenty-five years you’ve been there for us—giving us Jesus every day. We give thanks for your work among us not just because you’re a great teacher, but because you show us the greatest teacher, Jesus. In His name, Amen.

---

[1] The Old Testament reading was Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “You shall teach them [these commands] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

[2] The Gospel reading and text for the children’s sermon was Luke 18:15-17. “Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’”

[3] Mrs. Lange was born with a heart condition and has been blessed to serve in spite of it.  

The Message of the Cross: a sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

For the rededication of St. John's Lutheran Church, New Minden, IL, on August 9, 2015

When billows blow and dark winds howl

When whirlwinds and cyclones scowl

The young, the old, the timid the bold,

Are all alike as hope grows cold

It was Sunday, November, you recall,

That brought violent weather for the fall

Remember that morning, what could be better?

Baptism and communion—the Lutheran double header!

But worship was over and people departed

That’s about when the trouble all started

The storm quickly turned joy into sorrow

We wondered what would be left standing tomorrow

With storms like this, we remember days past

We’ve become accustom to such a deadly blast

Twice before the village was reduced to sticks

Nineteen ought seven and eighteen ninety-six

The dark wind struck, the storm bared down,

How many would be dead?

The storm went north, it missed our town,

God hit His house instead.

In the Name of Jesus, our shelter in the stormy blast, dear beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

The message of the cross is the power and wisdom of God. But to the world looking on, the proclamation of Christ crucified is nonsense. Why? Paul describes for us the way that the people of his day tried to seek God. Jews ask for signs. Greeks seek wisdom. But we have something better to offer both ourselves and the world. 

Looking for signs or wisdom is people’s natural reaction when they try to figure out God. Either they want some something they can see—as the Jews often demanded Jesus to show them a sign, or they want to learn something—as the Greeks liked wisdom.

When disaster strikes, we try to do the same thing. We think this must be some sort of sign. Tornadoes, however, don’t function well as a positive sign. A tornado has got to be a sign of something negative. Surely I must have done something to make God angry at us. Surely we must be doing something wrong. Or maybe God isn’t there at all. You’d figure after three tornadoes, it must be a sign of something—right?

Maybe if we don’t think of a tornado as a sign, we can also think that maybe God is trying to teach us something. Maybe God is teaching us to be thankful for what we have. Maybe we’re supposed to help our neighbor who is suffering. Maybe we’re supposed to cherish our families. Maybe we’re supposed to have a better understanding of our own mortality. Three tornadoes later, you’d think we’d at least learn something.

Those things are all true. Maybe you’ve even learned them through this experience. If you have, that’s wonderful. God wants us to be thankful, love our neighbor, our families, and be mindful of our own end. But should it take a tornado for us to learn them? We just read the Ten Commandments! We should have learned those things before.

Why did this tornado come here? Why did my house get blown away? Why did my neighbor’s house get blown away and not mine? I don’t know. Dad doesn’t know. We’re not going to try to make up and answer for you.

What we know is this: God calls us instead to look beyond the signs we see with our eyes. He calls us to disregard the wisdom we make up. He calls us to look at something that has been right in front of us the whole time—something that has been there long before any tornado destroyed anything here. He calls us to look to the cross.

The message of the cross is not only the message of Good Friday, but the whole story of what God has done for you. We can see in things like tornadoes that this world is broken. God didn’t plan for disasters like this to happen—ever. They are signs that this world is broken by sin—our sin.

But God couldn’t stand to see His creation broken—including and especially you. In Jesus Christ, God broke into our brokenness and started to fix it. We see this with the way Jesus interacts with His creation. He’s in the boat late one night in a storm. But at His word, the wind and waves have no choice but to stop. He is the one who walks on water, makes the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the dead live. In other words, the worst of this world must submit when Jesus shows up.

He did signs. He taught wise things. So in our reading from John 12 we find ourselves on Palm Sunday. The disciples must have thought that finally Jesus was getting the recognition and praise He deserved. Jesus says instead, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)

In other words, Jesus says, “You think this Sunday was awesome—just wait till Friday!” That Friday Jesus would be glorified as He hung there on the cross for you and for me. To the world this would look like absolute foolishness. Jews were looking for a Messiah who would win—not die on a cross like a failure. Greeks were looking for a great wise man—only fools, criminals, and slaves were crucified.

But this is the wisdom and power of God. Jesus would hang there between earth and heaven to be the perfect mediator—God and man. He would be broken for broken people so that they would be whole.

Because Jesus suffered, He is with you in your suffering. We have a God who knows what it is to suffer. He knows what it’s like to feel pain. He knows what it’s like to lose everything. He knows what it’s like to die. So when those things happen to you. Jesus is right there with you.

Let me give you an example. When I was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, the most comforting message came from a fellow pastor back in Missouri who has been through two rounds of what I'm going through. He basically told me, "You know, you've a great surgeon, great doctors, and a great team of nurses. Your prognosis is good. You'll probably make it." Thanks be to God, as of right now, everything is going very well. It looks like all the cancer is gone. But he continued, "You'll probably make it--but you might not. And that's okay because you belong to Christ." 

Those were the most comforting words because they confirmed my fear that this cancer might actually kill me. But better yet, it grounded me in Christ, and in His work for me. It centered me on the Message of the Cross.

The message of the cross isn’t just the message of Good Friday, it’s also the message of Easter! Yes, Jesus did fall into the ground like a seed and die. But He was just being planted. When you plan a seed it grows! Jesus rose again from the dead to guarantee to you that your sins are forgiven—to promise you that you have everlasting life—to give you hope in trouble that death is done.

Even in trouble you have the hope of resurrection. Job said in his distress. 

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27)

The message of the cross helps us to trust even when God doesn’t do exactly what we want. Just look at the people of Israel in the reading from Numbers 21. The people complain. God sends snakes. The people repent. Notice what they say: “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” (Numbers 21:7)

Notice what God did. Did He take away the snakes like the people asked? NO! Instead He gave them a promise—look at the snake on the stick and you will live. Snakes are still there, and God calls His people to trust in Him.

God calls us to do the same thing. He’s worked forgiveness life and salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. He calls you to look to Him in faith and receive the promise for ourselves.

That’s why you’ve come here today. You know that today you’re not going to hear someone trying to interpret signs or give you some good advice as we move forward. You came here today because Jesus is here. You came here to listen and receive once again that message of the cross.

As we dedicate the baptismal font, altar, lectern and pulpit today, listen to the promises that God has made concerning what happens here. God promises to be here with His life giving forgiveness and saving pardon.

We sum it up in one of the verses of the hymn we’re about to sing:

Here stand the font before our eyes, telling how God has received us.

The altar recalls Christ sacrifice and what His Supper here gives us.

Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim Christ yesterday, today, the same

and evermore our Redeemer.

The baptismal font may be a new color, but God will still remind you of the promise He made to you years ago each time you see a new Christian baptized. This pulpit looks a little different too. From it preachers have come and gone. But each Sunday you will hear the saving message of the Cross. The altar looks way different, but God will still give you Jesus here for forgiveness, life, and salvation with His body and His blood. The church looks a little different; it even has that “new church smell”. But here you will gather with your brothers and sisters in Christ—just as generations have at St. John’s for 169 years. You gather so that you would receive God’s promises and together be built up in Him.

The point is this—why would you ever want to be missing? You’ve missed being in here—haven’t you? Now that the church is back, don’t be missing yourself.

Here you’ll hear the message of the cross. Since it is the power and wisdom of God, we can use the things that seem to be signs and wisdom to talk about Christ and Him crucified. When people wonder if they were hit because they feel like God has it in for them, remind them that all of our sins were taken away at the cross. When they feel like God isn’t there, tell them that God is with us in our suffering because Jesus died for us. When they ask you what you learned, you can say that you learned that Christ is our only hope. He is there for us even with nothing else makes sense. 

            

            I bring you greetings this morning from your brothers and sister in Christ at Holy Cross in Emma where I serve. I can tell you for sure, that the people there are so excited for you today.

People back in Emma aren’t that different from you. Rural Illinois and rural Missouri are quite similar. After three years of living out there I can tell you that really the only difference is that in Missouri we have these things called “hills”. They’re these big mounds of earth that make it harder to grow wheat so most people have more cattle. But other than that, the people are very much like you. 

Actually, it was kind of spooky when we got the call documents--town of 200, congregation of 300 some, cow pasture out back--it was just like going home! Emma is very much like New Minden. I have no doubt that they would have responded just like you did in the days after the tornado.

It was kind of nice to be able to use you all as a good example. I was able to go back to them the next Sunday and pray that God would give us, in Emma, the same perspective that He was giving you, here, in those days after the storm. It’s really easy to see the need when people’s lives and homes have been ripped apart. It’s easy to see the need when the church is half gone. But it’s really hard to see the needs around us when they aren’t staring us in the face. Who looks for the family  where the marriage is going sort of rocky? Who looks for the person with the addiction to drugs or alcohol? Who looks for the people who are doubting, have lost hope, or are simply lonely?

So, are we looking for the needs of our community? We don’t have to look too hard. If we find a need to we feel compassion? If we feel compassion will we be moved to action? I pray that God would give us the same perspective—His perspective. Remember what happened in the days after the tornado:

Before the stones could finish falling

God’s people began to answer the calling

You are God’s house of living stones

A truth that you know way down in your bones

You came with your truck, backhoe, and tractor

Red, yellow, orange, or green it wasn’t a factor

You came with fried chicken, casseroles and pies

Folks always came in to a tasty surprise

You picked up debris across country side and fields

You helped the farms protect their yields 

You were there for the broken, crushed, and frustrated

You shared Christ’s hope that makes us elated

Now that the stones are all back in their place,

And we’ve gathered for worship again in this space

A challenge I’ll offer, if I may be so bold,

A challenge that comes to you—twofold

You did it, you loved God and served your neighbor

You showed with your work and your labor

How will you love now that news trucks are gone?

And the governor’s not standing out on the church lawn?

It’s still true for you, the washing with water

That’s where God made you His son or His daughter

Why wouldn’t you come, each time you are able

To receive forgiveness at the Lord’s Table?

So when billows blow and dark winds howl

When whirlwinds and cyclones begin their scowl

Remember God’s mercy, you’ll know what to do,

Share the message of the cross, what Christ’s done for you.

Amen.