Jan 6, 2018               Two Kingdoms                                         

Friday Night, I watched the movie, “Chocolat.” It is the story of a woman who is a chocolatier, who moves to a new town and opens a Chocolate shop.

Now the town is run by the Mayor, who is very religious, and does not like that this woman has opened a chocolate shop during lent. And so he exercises his control over the citizens, and even the church, to dissuade anyone from patronizing her business.

But, somehow the woman has a gift for inviting, welcoming, and knowing just what people want, and need. So that though business is not great, she makes enough to get by, and along the way she gives hope, strength, reconciliation, and love to the people who come to her shop.

Ultimately, the Mayor is so alarmed by the woman and her chocolate shop, that he tells one of the citizens he is close to, that something must be done, and that citizen goes out and sets a gasoline fire that almost kills the woman’s daughter.

Because of this event the woman decides to leave town, just as she has done in the last 4 towns, being run out by those who are afraid of strangers, and make life difficult for her. But just as she is about to leave, she walks past the room where she makes her chocolate, and finds her customers, some who she has taught to make chocolate, making chocolate in order to keep the shop open even if she leaves. They have become a new community, through her service to them.

In the end, the mayor is so filled with rage, he breaks into the shop, and starts to destroy the chocolate creations, and is caught in the process, and the woman stays in the town, having found a home at last.

I know this may not be the greatest way to come at our gospel lesson this morning. But I do know that the gospel of Matthew describes for us a battle between two kingdoms, the kingdom of men and the kingdom of God. In that same way, the movie Chocolat describes a battle between the rule of the mayor over the townspeople, and the community created by the chocolatier. The mayor uses rumor, fear and defamation of the woman to keep people away from her shop. He even edits the local priest’s sermons to suggest that the woman is a servant of the devil, and to remind the church goers that real religion is about reframing from evil – specifically what he determines is evil. All the while, he becomes more and more fearful, as he sees himself losing control.

On the flip side, we see the chocolatier freeing a woman from an abusive relationship, welcoming strangers to the community, reconciling a grandmother and son, and renewing love for a couple that had lost it. Real religion for the chocolatier, comes not in what we reframe from doing, but in the ways in which we care for those in need.  It is in these acts of compassion for one another, that we recognize the true King, Jesus Christ, as a shepherd, not a tyrant.  And that’s the conclusion which Matthew wants us to draw from his stories about Herod in the gospel.

You see, fear causes not only destruction, but even more devastating - in-action, apathy, and oppression. While love causes us to act in ways that lead to healing, reconciliation, a new community, and the kingdom of heaven in our lives. I know that there is plenty of fear in the world today, but I would encourage you, to live not in the kingdom of fear, but to act in ways that bring about the kingdom of God’s love in your lives, and especially in the lives of those in need around you. I think that’s what it means to “go home by another way” as the Wisemen did on that first Epiphany. Going home by another way, leads to a true home, where love is found. And that’s the good news of Jesus Christ!   

Dec. 30, 2018                  My Father’s House                                               

Obedience is a dirty word in our society. Somehow we feel that being obedient lessens us, deprives us of our freedoms and rights, and so as young people grow up, they rail against obedience, and some spend their entire lives doing the same. But sometimes obedience is a good thing, sometimes it can set boundaries for us that help us focus, grow into maturity, and open the door to life.  And that’s the message I believe our gospel lesson is teaching us this morning. Especially when it means obedience to God.

I remember growing up that I had the same kind of trouble with being an obedient son. Set up study times for school and homework at home? forget that! That is until my grades in high school were in the tank. Come home before midnight? Why should I do that? Until a drunk plowed into my car and I realized it was safer to not be on the roads late at night Get my chores done early on the weekend, so I am not doing them Sunday night? Who wants to do that?  Until my parents made me stay home from a Sunday party because my chores weren’t done. Show up for work ahead of time ready to work? I’ll get there when I get there – that is until I got fired for not being on time from my first job. – Well, that one didn’t actually happen, just used it as an example, but I hope by now you are getting my message, obedience, can be a good thing! It can help one avoid a lot of painful, and troublesome experiences. 

Throughout the gospel stories of Jesus birth we find one example of obedience to God after another. We find an obedient Zechariah faithfully perfoming his duties. We find an obedient Mary, accepting in humility her role as Jesus mother. We find an obedient Joseph doing what God directs him to do in a dream. We find obedient Kings who being warned in a dream do not return to Herod. We find an obedient Mary and Joseph observing all the rituals of their religion, and be find them again, obediently bringing Jesus to the temple for his bar mitzvah, and finally we hear about Jesus who obeys his parents, and grows in wisdom and stature and human favor. And each time, we find these people being obedient to God, we see God overcoming another obstacle in their lives!

Now, I realize the name of my sermon this morning is “My Father’s House”, and that’s the direction I was headed this week, until the passing of Della Rohrer. That event reminded me of the days, when people didn’t think that obedience to authority, one’s parents, and even God was not such a bad thing. Obedience was how one learned how to live, how to behave, how to have a better life.

It may not always have been the most fun, but it also avoided a whole bunch of problems that people get themselves in today. It helped people to, as our gospel lesson says, “increase in wisdom, and grow in divine and human favor.” And as I wrote Della’s eulogy, it reminded me what a full life people had during those times, and that their obedience taught them to overcome the challenges of life that face them.

So back to “My Father’s House”. The first step in learning obedience, or at least discerning when it is appropriate to be obedient, is devotion to God, specifically the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ!  And that only comes when we gather for worship to hear God’s Word proclaimed. It only happens when we practice God’s love and faithfulness in our fellowship and life together. That only happens when we devote ourselves to God’s house and to God’s mission in the world.

And that reminds me of just one other thing. There’s a line in the song, “O Holy Night” that’s been jangling around in my head the last few days. It goes like this: “A thrill of hope a weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” As we approach the new year and we wonder how we will renew our lives, and renew our church, it reminds me that renewal only comes through dedication, a renewed level a dedication to God’s will for our lives, and for the work of God’s house! For therein lies a new and glorious morn!

And that’s the good news of Jesus Christ! 

Dec. 29, 2018       Della Rohrer                                                                         

Della Rohrer, 102, of Sheridan Illinois passed away Monday December the 24, 2018 at her home with her family by her side. She was born August 19, 1916 in Mission township the daughter of Daniel and Livie (voga) Twait. She was baptized and confirmed at the Fox River Lutheran Church in Norway, Il. She married Burton A. Rohrer on January 4, 1936 at the church parsonage in Newark, Il. Della was not just a housewife, she was also a farmer. When Burton’s family farm was passed on to them, Della put in plenty of time in the fields to help out. Even in the last few years, Della would be looking out the window, thinking about planting times, harvest times, crops, machinery, and what work was going on in the fields around her. In later years, when her help was not so desperately needed, she found herself work at the Sandwich Hospital, working as the Supervisor for the Housekeeping department for 18 years.

Della was a spiritually strong woman. She faced life’s challenges and met them head on. She did not whine or complain about her lot in life, but took the cards she was dealt in life and played them well. Like Lady Wisdom, Della laid a solid foundation for her house, her children, and family. And not only did she lay that foundation at home, but she also went into the community and served as well, with the FHA chapter, the Boy Scouts, the Community Chest, Sons of Norway and other organizations. And when I say served, I meant she was not one of those who needed to be a leader, but who helped wherever she could.

Della also served in her church. She became a member of her husband’s home church, Union Congregational in the 1950’s. As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ - she was a servant, volunteering to help with many an activity, be it baking, helping to clean the church, being a member of the Sunshine Band, or finding some other way to serve. And she was faithful and devoted in her attendance and participation in the life of the church.

Della’s faith was strong. She was in her teens when the depression hit. It was a time when people did not have the abundance of things and activities that distract and lead people astray. In those days, people found order, discipline, and meaning through the church. Indeed the church was the center of community and social activities for many in that time. Old Time Religion for Della meant the basics, attending worship, serving those in need, faith in times of trouble, and seeking God’s presence in prayer. The last time I visited her and took her communion, she mentioned how God’s presence had sustained her and was still sustaining her in the midst of her illness.

As the years passed, again like Lady Wisdom, Della rejoiced in the fruit that her life and faith bore. She loved her interactions with children, and grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved gathering with family and relatives of all sorts, and many a time, she would adopt friends and others as unofficial members of her family, and of course she loved being with her church family. Again, a beautiful statement of her Christian faith. While we are sad at her passing, it’s tough to be sad about how great a blessing Della was to those in her family, her community, and her church. And it’s tough to be sad about such a long and wonderful life.

Finally, let’s talk about the resurrection! Paul’s proof of the resurrection, to the Corinthian church lies in what he calls the first fruits of the resurrection. The remembrance of those wonderful Christ like qualities of those who have passed being raised in us for the living our lives. As we gather to worship the risen Christ, as we gather to hear the gospel each week, we are engaging in that act of remembrance, and we are reminded again of those wonder people like Della, who laid a foundation for our lives, and have shown us the way to life eternal. For as they are alive in us, we can be assured that they have been raised unto heaven above. And that’s the Good News of Jesus Christ! 

Dec. 24, 2018            Light in the Darkness                                          

Sunday evening, after I got home from visiting, I watched one of my favorite religious movies, “King of Kings”. Now it has been a while since I last saw it, so I was interested in what new things I would find in it that I hadn’t noticed before, and I wasn’t disappointed.

This time, I noticed all of the different agenda’s of the characters. The agenda of the Romans to enforce their rule at the point of a sword. The agenda of Herod to live in luxury and pleasure. The agenda of the chief priests to maintain their religious monopoly. The agenda of the zealots to violently overthrow the romans. And through it all, we have Jesus, calling disciples, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, forgiving sinners, and proclaiming the kingdom of heaven. A kingdom unlike any other kingdom upon the earth, one in which there is peace, justice, mercy, faith, and love.

Of course, the romans only care if Jesus disturbs the peace, Herod only cares if Jesus will entertain him, the priests only care if Jesus threatens their monopoly, and the Zealots only care if Jesus will turn his followers over to their cause. Each of them look at Jesus through the lens of how he can help or hurt or be used by them, and so, their eyes are dark, they are blind to what he is doing, and they cannot see the light that is within him.

So what is Jesus doing? He is offering all of humanity an alternative to the ways of sin and death that make up the world. He is telling us that peace does not have to come at the end of a sword or spear. He is telling us that life isn’t solely about wealth and pleasure. He is telling us that we do not have to pay a price for forgiveness in order to turn from sin. He is telling us that those who take up the sword, shall perish by it. And finally, He is telling us that the power of God’s love in human life, can create an entirely new life, and a new world in which to live. A life of peace, safety, and security, a world where no one needs to be afraid, a world without hunger, injustice, and violence.

Now the Romans, the Herods, the Priests, and the Zealots, all think that the message of Jesus is a lot of talk, a lot of Words, he doesn’t have their power to make any of his kingdom to become true. Ah, but he does…, Jesus has the power of the Word, to enlighten the eyes of those living in darkness, to give understanding to those who are confused, to give hope to those who are hopeless, to bring peace to the lives of those who are afraid, to change the lives of those who have gone astray.

Jesus has the power of the Word to help people imagine a better life and a better world in which to live. The power of that Word draws people to him, creates disciples, followers, and draws the masses. The power of that Word in which people live as if the kingdom of God was present among them, despite the powers of the world around them. And so when that cross is raised on Calvary, all who heard that Word recognized it’s truth, that if we live according to the ways of the World, then we condemn ourselves to an endless cycle of sin, suffering, and death. But if we turn from our worldly ways, then indeed Christ will rise and be present with us, and the kingdom of God shall come into being among us.

Skip forward two thousand years, and we find ourselves with all the same familiar worldly characters, all pushing their agenda’s, and all inviting us to join them in their causes. And when we give into them, when we choose to make our lives all about power, pleasure, control, and violence, we may tell ourselves that’s the way the world works, but our sins multiply, our sufferings grow, and the fear of death hangs constantly over us. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Skip back two thousand years, and we find that Word of God was born among us. That the Word of God came and enlightened our eyes. That the Word of God brought a new way of life into being. And despite the powers of the world, the world could not overcome the Word. And despite the darkness of the world, that darkness could not overcome the light - that was born in Jesus Christ. 

Dec. 23, 2018                        Love                                                    

One of my favorite love stories is “The Gift of the Magi” written by O. Henry in 1905. It is the story of Jim and Della a young couple, with very little money, on Christmas Eve. Jim’s prize possession is a pocket watch he got from his grandfather, and Della’s prize possession is her long thick shining hair. The story goes that Della goes out in the morning on Christmas Eve to find a watch chain for Jim’s watch, and finds that it will cost $21. She looks in her hand and counts out $1.87 in change, realizing it is far to little. Then she gets an idea, she goes to the local hairdresser, and sells her hair for $20, and buys the watch chain.

As she sits waiting at home for Jim to come back from work, Della worries that Jim will not find her attractive with short hair. And indeed, when Jim does get home, he stops short at the sight of her, but does not mentioning anything. To ease the tension, Della suggests they exchange their Christmas presents, and she gives Jim a package, which he unwraps to find the watch chain. Della explains to Jim that she sold her hair to get the chain, and assures him that her hair will grow back.

At this Jim, pulls a package out of his coat and Della unwraps it to find a set of tortoise shell combs to put in her hair, and Jim explains that he pawned his watch in order to get the combs he saw Della admiring in the local hairdressers shop. Ironically, while Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither can use, they realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for one another, and that is more wonderful than any gift could ever be.

 Another movie I watched recently said it this way, “Love, real love only occurs in our lives, when we love someone more than we love ourselves” That is the beauty of the story, the Gift of the Magi. In our world today, we are often told that loving someone else more than we love ourselves is foolishness, and that we must make others respect us, and that means meeting our needs first before we should give of ourselves in return, counting the good or bad things they do and trying to match it, lest we be treated like a doormat. But this is not love. 

In the book that I use for pre-marital counseling, love is found in the little things, knowing one’s partner, knowing what they like or don’t, doing the things that will make them happy. In short, loving your partner more than you love yourself. This is what love is, and how you can show it in your life.

So what does this have to do with Mary’s Song of Love this morning that we find in our gospel lesson? Mary’s song is celebration of the fufillment of God’s promises to humankind. The powerful will be brought down, and the weak will be lifted up, the hungry will be fed, the thirsty shall drink, there will be justice and righteousness and mercy for all. This is Luke’s version of what John wrote in his gospel. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Believes in him, means believes in God’s divine love, and that means in the little things. Caring for the poor, the stranger, the foreigner, the lost, and the sinner. Doing the little things, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, find work for the unemployed, care for the sick, the dying, and the grieving, demanding justice for all and showing mercy to all. That is righteousness! Not a righteousness of tit for tat, or of the law, but a righteousness of love, God’s divine love in human life.

And that is what we celebrate each Christmas, the birth of that divine love into our lives, so that a world that is filled with darkness, may come to see the light of God’s salvation for our lives. Love. And that’s the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Dec. 16, 2018         Twelve Days of Christmas                                

Usually, when there is a Sunday School Program, I skip the sermon, but on this Sunday, I thought we could have a little Christmas fun, and tell you the story of the song, 12 days of Christmas.

It is said, that back in the days when Catholics and Protestants were persecuted by the Church of England that they used this song as a kind of catechism of their faith. Such that for each part of the song, their children could memorize and recite part of their Christian tradition.

Now I realize that this story is probably not true, but it does provide a teaching tool, and as I said before, it’s kind fun. And it wouldn’t be the first time that Christianity took over a secular song or pagan celebration for this purpose. So what are the supposed meanings behind the lines of the song? Well,…..

Partridge in a pear tree – Christ on the Cross for our salvation.

2 Turtle Doves: Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens:  Faith, Hope, Charity the Theological virtues, Trinity

4 Calling Birds: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

5 Golden Rings: the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

6 Geese a laying: the six days of creation

7. Swans a swimming: the seven sacraments of the church. Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Annointing, Marriage, Ordination.  

8. Maids a milking: the eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing, the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, charity, and self-control.

10 Lords a Leaping: the ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping: the eleven faithful apostles: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the younger, Simon the Zealot, Judas son of James. From luke 6

12 Drummers Drumming: the 12 faith statements that make up the Apostle’s Creed

       And so, the next time you sing that song, you might try to remember what each of the lines could represent, as a kind of catechism for yourself. 

Dec. 9, 2018                    Peace                                                 

On this Sunday our gospel lesson is about John the Baptist and his call to repentence. Now in the years I have preached on this passage, I have spoken about changing our lives, or refocusing them from our will to God’s will. But I think in the light of our Advent devotion, I think we could look at repentance as choosing to surrender to God’s will for our lives. And in doing so, the valleys and the mountains of our lives, can be leveled, and the crooked ways of our lives can be made straight, and we can find the peace in our lives that so often times is missing. 

And so, as I looked for things relating to the idea of surrender, I came across this hymn, written by Judson Van DeVenter. It's title is, "I Surrender All".

1. All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give: I will ever love and trust Him, In His presenced daily live. Ref.  I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. 2. All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow; Worldly pleasures all forsaken, Take me, Jesus, take me now. 3. All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine. 4. All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with They love and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me. 5. All to Jesus I surrender, Now I feel the sacred flame; Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory to His name! 

Van DeVenter said of the inspiration for the text, "that for  some time, I struggled between developing my talents in the field of art, and going into full time Evangelistic work. At last the pivotal hour of my life came and I surrendered all to Christ. A new day was ushered into my life. I became an evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent hitherto unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart and touching a tender chord, He caused me to sing!

I also chose this story about Judson Van DeVenter because of our devotion this morning about Mary accepting the news that she would be the mother of Jesus. 

Last Christmas Eve, I talked about Mary, and the reasons she had to be afraid of what would happen to her. As I mentioned above, she could have been accused of adultery and stoned or driven out of her community, she could have lost her husband Joseph and been left to raise her baby alone, or she could have died in childbirth with no one to care for her. Mary had a choice to either surrender to these fears, or to surrender to the will of God. And in surrendering to the will of God she found peace. 

Now during the Christmas season, we can often find ourselves getting so caught up in the commercial rush of Christmas, the rush of meeting our desires, and the desires of others, the Christmas rush that makes us crazy, out of breathe and out of time, and out of money. That is why surrendering our lives to the will of God, can help us to step back from this Christmas rush and determine what is truly important in our lives, God’s love for us and for one another, and in that surrendering, we can find peace for our lives this Christmas. And that's the Good News of Jesus Christ!