War and Peace - Sermon for the 4th Sunday in Advent

Fourth Sunday in Advent - Rorate Coeli 
December 19^th, Year of Our + Lord 2021
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota
War and Peace – Philippians 4:4-7

 War and Peace.  Our theme this morning is War and Peace.   Sounds like it could be a long sermon...  

      “Peace” is an obvious theme for today, since we heard this from Paul:  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Peace from God, which surpasses all understanding.  Better than we can imagine.  Perfect peace. 

     Peace is good to ponder, every day, and especially this morning, as we are just a few days from the song of the angels, sung on the night of Jesus’ birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”  Peace from God in the birth of Jesus, the peace that passes all understanding, a peace which will even guard and keep you.  Nice.

     Peace is an easy choice for a theme this morning.  But why choose ‘War?’  What kind of a theme is
this to consider, as Christmas draws near? 

      There has been no time since the invention of firearms that shooting wars weren´t going on.  As the New Year turns, Ukraine is bracing for an attack from Russia.  The Chinese in Taiwan are even more nervous than usual about the intentions of the communist Chinese government on the mainland.  Our war in Afghanistan has come to an end, for a while at least.  But the poor Afghan people are now firmly under the repressive and violent thumb of the Taliban.  It’s easy to join the lament of the carol writer: “There is no peace on earth,” I said...

      Including here in the United States.  From L.A to Portland, Minneapolis to Chicago, New York to Philadelphia, violent crime is up, and society is spiraling down.  Which is driving up real estate prices in the Black Hills.  Our decades long culture war is becoming more serious, and sillier at the same time. 

     Have you heard the news?  Records in girl’s and women’s sports are falling at a record pace.  But not because females are making great athletic advances.  No, rather the records are falling because we have recently discovered that men who say they identify as women have a right to compete against biological females.  Which means a right to dominate women’s competitions, with their male bone structure and muscles.  Reasonable resistance to the madness of our world seems to have less and less effect these days.  I fear that our society’s war with itself will only get worse in the years to come.    

    And we should not forget that there are far too many places in the world where it is dangerous simply to be a Christian.  We rightly rejoice that the Christian aid and missionary workers who were held hostage for 61 days in Haiti have been freed.  But that is just a news story that managed to rise to the top of our feeds.  Sadly, all around the world, people fear for their own safety, and for the safety of their loved ones, just because they believe in Jesus.  But generally their plight does not make the news.   

     It can be dangerous to be a Christian, or a baby in the womb, or a disabled or elderly person.  A few years ago the media published glowing reports about how Iceland has almost completely eradicated Down´s Syndrome.  Which sounds amazing, until you realize they did not do this by defeating this condition with some new genetic procedure.  Rather, Down’s Syndrome was “eradicated” in Iceland by a policy of destroying in the womb any developing baby found to have Down´s.  I mourn for all the joyful, smiling souls we are losing.  I fear for the soul of our culture.   

      There is indeed a war in our culture, a war largely driven by those who reject God´s truth as revealed in the Bible and so want to curtail, limit, and silence Christians.  They want to force us to do things against our faith, to force us to obey men,                                                                                          rather than God. 

      But shooting wars and culture wars are not the only wars we face.  Maybe not even the wars that you fear most.  Often worse are the wars we fight with the people we are supposed to love the most: strife in marriages; animosity between parents and children; bitter rivalry between brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors.  And there are the wars we fight with ourselves, wars against substance abuse and depression and pornography and gambling, and the worship of material wealth, wars that all too often seem to turn for the worst during this season that is supposed to be most joyful.

     None of this war talk is “Christmas-y.”  Nor peaceful.  But that doesn’t make it untrue.  And all the strife of life makes it pretty hard to take seriously Paul exhortation:  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!  Doesn’t Paul know how hard things are?  

     There is a war on.  It seems there always is.  What are we Christians to do?  Shall we fight?  Certainly there seems to be a place for resisting, or at least protesting that babies in the womb and Christians around the world ought not be persecuted.  And yet, that doesn’t seem very promising, as if we are going to win the fight against the way of the world.  The cultural trendlines seem to all be against traditional Christianity.  However, do not despair.  If you study history, you’ll find they almost always are.  And yet here we still are. 

     Of course, fighting is hardly what you and I want to be doing as we gather with family and Church at Christmas.  Perhaps we should withdraw, retreat from the world and just try to maintain a way of life for ourselves, separate and insulated.  That seems attractive some days, doesn’t it?  Could we find peace by withdrawing? 

     No.  The first problem with this idea is that God has not called us to withdraw from the world.  Christians are not to be of the world, that is, we are called to live differently, to build our lives around God’s Word.  But we are also to be in the world, for the sake of the world, for the sake of love, and for preaching the Gospel.  Remember, God in Christ crucified has loved the whole world, not just the Church.  We are called to share that message, because God through the message seeks to convert, to save, more and more sinners.  

     The second problem with withdrawing to try to find peace is that even if we find a good hiding
place, we will bring the war with us.  We can complain about how the world is always working against God and His Church.  But each one of us Christians in this world is still a sinner, still resisting God’s Way, even as we seek to walk in it.  Still causing strife and discord, even as we seek to live as we are called.  For all the outside pressure on the Church, most of the problems we face as Christians are not caused by enemies on the outside, but rather by sin on the inside.  Trying to withdraw to find peace is both contrary to God’s Mission, and it will not work. 

     No, our most important response to the wars we face is not to be found in fighting, nor in withdrawing.   Rather, our answer is in the Lord.   Paul’s call to rejoice is not some formless, wishful thinking kind of exhortation, not some Biblical “Don’t worry, be happy.” 

     No, Paul says “Rejoice in the Lord always.”  Rejoice in the Lord, that is to say, dig deeply into the wonder of the Lord who came to save, who comes to forgive, who became a human in order to give His life for the peace of the world.  And not just for the peace of the world: Jesus gave His life AS the peace of the world.  The forgiveness of sins and the peace that only forgiveness can bring are literally found in the flesh and blood of this Jesus who was born in a stable.  He is our peace. 

     All the culture wars, all the shooting wars, all the personal wars every family faces, all these things are symptoms of the real war, the fundamental problem that is at the root of every other problem we face:  mankind, every man, woman and child descended from Adam, is by nature at war with God.  The whole point of Christmas is God’s Son coming to bring an end to that war, the eternally losing war that mankind declares against God every time we sin. 

     And Christ did not end this war by hiding away, or by calling a ceasefire.  Rather Jesus ended this war by calling down all the firepower of His Father, against Himself, on the Cross.  All of God’s just anger against sin has been absorbed by Jesus, so all those who are by faith joined to Him are forgiven, counted by God as righteous and holy.  This why we celebrate this Baby born in Bethlehem.  He is our peace.    

 

     This is also why the readings of Advent take us so far from Bethlehem.  The best way to prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ is to understand exactly who He is, God in the flesh, and why He came, to save us from our sins.  And so in the weeks prior to Christmas we hear from Moses, and John the Baptist, and we hear of Christ coming again, to put a final end to all wars, forever.  Rejoicing at Christmas does not depend on lights or trees or toys or great food.  These are wonderful, but they are only adornments to our true joy.  True rejoicing that brings lasting peace depends on hearing and believing who Jesus is, and receiving the gifts He has won for you, forgiveness, life and salvation, delivered to you through Word, Water, Wheat and Wine.    

     The deeper meaning of Christmas is very specific.  The wood of the manger foreshadows the wood of the Cross.  But fear not for this Child.  Evil fails and the war ends in what appears to be the worst of losses, the death of Jesus.  Peace prevails in His resurrection.  This is the promise of Christmas, and this is the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

A Merry Christmas, indeed, Amen.

The Greatest and the Least, Sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday in Advent
December 12^th, Year of Our + Lord 2021
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota
The Greatest and the Least

   “I am the greatest.  Float like a butterfly, sting like the be, I’m the best in the world, I’m Muhammad Ali.”  I am just old enough to have been enthralled by Muhammed Ali.  Too young to understand his politics or religion.  For me, Ali was just a marvelous fighter, and an amazing showman.  According to many, he was the greatest heavyweight boxing champion in history.  Ali certainly thought so.  From a very young age, Ali, formerly named Cassius Clay, or the Louisville Lip as he was not so lovingly nicknamed, bragged that no one, not in his day or any earlier day, no one was as good as him.  “I am the greatest!”  And perhaps Muhammed Ali was right.  He was frankly past his prime when I was old enough to follow boxing.  And still he was amazing to watch, with hand speed and footwork never before seen in a heavyweight fighter.

   It may be true that Ali was the greatest boxer who ever lived, and perhaps the greatest showman and braggart and self-promoter.  Among his most famous lines about himself were: “I’m young, I’m handsome, I’m fast.  I can’t possibly be beat,” and “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see,” and “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.” 

   Some younger people today may wonder who I’m talking about.  But Muhammed Ali was, in the 1970s and 1980s, probably the best-known person in the world.  Which would in some sense make him “The Greatest,” no?  I used to follow boxing closely, and even sparred a bit in my garage and backyard.  Not so much anymore.  It’s not that I decided that boxing is evil, but there is certainly a bitter side to boxing.  It’s danger and pain are part of its allure to a young boy, which a bit more age and life experience made less appealing.  Boxing is, after all, codified and controlled combat. 

   Now, I’m not up here to preach pacifism.  I’m a former Marine, and proud of it.  Even more, the Old Testament is full of fighters and warriors.  Moses.  Gideon.  Samson.  King David.  Elijah.  Indeed the angels we normally depict as lovely and gentle female figures in our Christmas decorations are a misrepresentation.  Angels are neither male nor female.  But if you read the Bible closely you will discover they most commonly appear as mighty warriors.  Often their task is to fight God’s battles for Israel.  That is, when the LORD Himself is not claiming the mantle as Protector of Israel, personally fighting to protect His Bride. 

   It is sadly necessary in this sinful world to have fighters: armies, police, and protective big brothers, or big sisters, as the case may be.  Martial values obviously pose a risk, easily being perverted into bullying, and violence for violence’ sake.  But it’s dangerous to pretend that there is no value in strength and a willingness to fight for truth, justice and to protect others.  If all the good and strong decide fighting just isn’t acceptable in any circumstance, then the bad and violent will take over.  Many would argue that boxing and other combat sports improve society by encouraging valor and strength, and by channeling our innate tendency to violence in a controlled way. 

   But boxing and other combat sports still take a toll.  The Parkinson’s disease that limited and then shortened Muhammed Ali’s life may or may not have been connected to the thousands of blows he took to the head.  But you don’t have to investigate long to understand the injury and debilitation that violent sports inflict on young men, and increasingly, on young women.  Whether it is defensible as a sport or not, boxing takes a toll. 

    But then, so does every worldly endeavor.  We are greatly blessed every day by the wonders of human innovation and technology.  But every great construction project, like the Hoover Dam or the Golden Gate bridge, each one inflicts injury and many cost lives, sometimes hundreds or thousands.  All work, however valuable, has the potential to injure.  Truck drivers get bad backs, and occasionally cause terrible accidents.  Farmers breathe dust and chemicals.  Carpet layers ruin their knees.  Woodworkers lose fingers.  Doctors and nurses are exposed to dangerous diseases, and in rare instances kill a patient accidentally.  Computer programmers get carpal tunnel, damage their eyesight, and are participants in the dulling of humanity’s brain activity.  Living and working in this fallen world, for all its beauty and blessing, is in the end a battle against decay, entropy, and ultimately death. 

   So when Muhammed Ali turned prizefighting into a mesmerizing dance and covered the violence of his sport with the armor of humor, wit, braggadocio and intelligence, he seemed to be contradicting the harshness of reality.  It’s not surprising many nodded along in agreement when he declared, “I am the greatest!  The greatest of all time.”       

   Jesus disagrees.  Today we hear our Lord declare there is no one born of woman greater than John the Baptist.  Jesus says His strange, wild, locust-eating cousin is the greatest man every born.  Or at least he is in a tie for greatest.  No one greater.  Maybe Moses, Elijah or Abraham was equally great, but no one was greater.  This is certainly an odd thing to say. 

   I mean, John the Baptist never built anything.  He never amassed a fortune.  He did attract some crowds, but mostly only crowds of Jews, a minor people of no consequence in the world.  And even amongst his own people, John the Baptist received a mixed reception.  The low and looked-down-upon, the sinful women, (that’s Bible speak for prostitutes), and tax collectors, (traitors to their people who worked for the hated Roman overlords), and other poor and marginal folks, these Jews liked John.  But the rich and powerful, the religious and educated, the Jewish elite did little more than tolerate him, and worry about his influence over the people. 

   In fact, John’s preaching landed him in prison, when he called out King Herod for his adultery and other sins.  So, John the Baptizer, the greatest born of women, sits rotting in Herod’s jail, his mouth getting him in trouble.  Not for promoting himself, like Ali, but rather for promoting the Truth of God’s Law, no matter how unpopular. 

   Through this lens Jesus helps us begin to learn about true greatness.  This world is a rough place, and we humans are a sad and sinful bunch.  In the context of the pain and grind of earning a living, and the injury and insult we suffer from and inflict upon others, physical strength and a willingness to stand up to evil and violence are good things.  But the knowledge of the Truth, and the moral courage to speak it plainly, come what may, this is true earthly greatness.  And no one ever did it better than John the Baptizer.  If anyone was ever going to earn his way into God’s kingdom, it was John the Baptist, whose whole life was dedicated to hearing and declaring what the LORD spoke to him, without regard for the consequences.  John was the greatest at hearing, following and declaring the Truth about life in this world, about the Law of God.  No one had ever done it better. 

   No one born of woman was ever better than John.  And yet, says Jesus, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  This is strange.  The kingdom of heaven, based on what Jesus says, is very different from this world.  Different standards of greatness apply.  Being a citizen of God’s kingdom requires a different kind of birth, and calls for a different kind of greatness. 

   Jesus came down from heaven to save this world, which is a little hard to understand, since Jesus turned the world upside down.  Everything we worldly creatures think we know about how things are, or should be, Jesus reverses.

For example, Jesus says:   

The first shall be last, and the last shall be first, and

Unless you repent and become like a little child, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of God, and while   

God hates sin, and yet Jesus ministers to the worst sinners. 

   For all the miraculous things Jesus did, which seem great to us, His teaching is hard to grasp, and hard to accept.      

    So no wonder that John, sitting in prison, was confused, or doubting, or something.  When John heard about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and asks Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"  God spoke directly to John, and told him to prepare the way for his cousin Jesus, because Mary’s Child was the anointed one, the promised Messiah, the Christ come from God to save Israel.  Now, John isn’t so sure.  Why does John suddenly doubt?  There are multiple possible reasons. 

    Jesus had promised to deliver the prisoners from captivity.  And yet here I am, John the Baptist, Jesus’ own cousin and forerunner, sitting in prison.  Maybe John was asking, “Where’s my deliverance?”  That’s possible.  After all, John was, for all his greatness, just a man. 

    Or maybe John himself didn’t doubt at all, but used his inquiry as a teaching tool, intended to transition his disciples from following him, stuck in prison, to following the real deal, Jesus.  Maybe. 

    But given the nature of John’s question and the way Jesus responds, the unexpected upside-down-ness of Jesus’ ministry seems likely to be the cause of John’s confusion.  Remember, John had predicted that Jesus would come with His winnowing fork in his hand, ready to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to burn the chaff in unquenchable fire.  If you’re not a grain farmer, this metaphor may be as obscure to you as references to Muhammed Ali.  The point is that John expected Jesus to be a fierce preacher of God’s Law, come to reward and bless the righteous, law-abiding people, and to punish by banishment to hell all those who failed to keep it.  So when Jesus instead hangs out with sinners, healing and blessing them, and speaking of forgiveness, well, this seems upside down and backwards. 

    Whatever the basis of John’s questioning, Jesus understands that his cousin needs to be reassured that He is indeed the Messiah.  And so, Jesus doubles down on Good News:  "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

   That last bit brings up another question, doesn’t it? What could be offensive about Jesus, the heavenly miracle worker? 

   Well, Jesus came to do something new.  He had to.  The fundamental confusion, if not of John the Baptist, certainly of all the rest of us, is the idea that we by following God’s Law could earn God’s favor, and thus gain entry into His Kingdom.  This was finally and completely rejected by Jesus.  God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit had set up this salvation-by-keeping-the-Law bargain through Moses, the Old Covenant.  And it is a fair deal.  But because of how we are, we sinners never had the capability to keep our part of the bargain.  We expect that righteous people will be favored by God, and this is true.   But of ourselves, of our morality and strength and goodness, no one is righteous.   No one truly follows God.  No, not one.  If this offends you, then you are listening well.  But blessed are you to continue listening and so be brought from being offended to being reborn. 

     You see, Jesus does not offend for the sake of offending.  To bring sinners into the kingdom of heaven, Jesus had to do things a new way.  Moral reformation would not be enough.  To save us sinners, Jesus would have to create a New Covenant.  He would have to give us new birth, a completely new start with a new source of righteousness: Himself, His very own life and being.   

    And so Jesus, who is by any measure truly the Greatest, opened the Kingdom of Heaven to us, by becoming the Least.  God’s Son became the Least, by being born in a stable, with a feed trough for a crib.  The Author of God’s Law became the Least, by submitting to His own Law, as if He were a sinner, like us.  The King of Heaven became the Least, by coming to serve, not to be served.  The Father’s most precious treasure, beloved from eternity, became the Least, totally expendable, worthy of scorn and attack by wicked men.  The Least, abandoned by all, even for one terrible moment by His own Father, punished not for His own sins, but for yours and for mine.   

    Jesus became the Least, in order to be the Greatest, who shares His greatness with you.  This is why a Crucifix, a representation of Jesus, dying on the Cross, is in Truth a symbol of Good News, a proclamation of God’s love, for you.  For the very Least, the dead Jesus on the Cross, is the Greatest, the source of new birth and eternal life.  His righteousness.  His holiness.  His goodness.  His morality.  Jesus died, to give all these to you, for free. 

   And thus we learn to treasure Baptism.  Our own sinful nature and the world all around us teach us to treasure wealth and power and braggadocio and cleverness.  We may not become the greatest in the world at anything, but we should all aspire to it, and idolize those who achieve greatness.  Or so says the world. 

   But Jesus disagrees.  Our Lord teaches us, and show us, that the Least is the Greatest, all the way to the Cross, and bursting forth from the Tomb.  And this Jesus, your Jesus, the Greatest of all time and eternity, has shared His greatness with you, by giving you new birth, by water and the Word.  Birth into His heavenly kingdom, where the Good News of Jesus upside-down and backward plan is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.  The Kingdom of Heaven is not a place, not some physical location, but rather it is a state of being, a relationship.  It is to live, wherever you are and whatever your circumstances, under the power and rule of the God who loves and gives, and sacrifices Himself.  The True God desires to save, and so He took your sins into Himself, in order to wash them away forever.   

    The driving forces of this world are strength, will, intelligence, drive, and a commitment to the rules, to the laws of men and the laws of God.  And insofar as we follow just rules and laws, this earthly life will be better.  But the rules can only get you so far, and not far enough, not all the way into God’s kingdom.  Because you and I do not truly keep them, not on our own. 

    The driving force of the Kingdom of Heaven is God, who is love.  God, who is just, and the justifier of the one who believes in Jesus.  This Gospel message is the Word talked about by Isaiah, the Word which goes forth from God’s mouth, empowered by the Holy Spirit, never failing, always accomplishing God’s will. 

    It certainly takes a lot of faith to trust this promise.  Because the blessed results and greatness of God’s kingdom aren’t obvious to our eyes.  And so, this same Word that speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven also creates in your heart the faith you need to receive it.  And this is the best news of all, straight from the lips of the Greatest, your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gives you His Spirit and welcomes you into the loving care of His Father, forever and ever, Amen.     

End Times Stewardship - A Sermon for the 2nd Sunday in Advent

 2^nd Sunday in Advent, Populus Zion 
December 5, Year of Our + Lord 2021
Our Redeemer and Our Savior's Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, South Dakota

   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

   Which do you prefer to talk about, the End Times and the Return of Christ, or Christian Stewardship?  The texts for the 2^nd Sunday in Advent, and normal end-of-year budget questions, converge today to confront us with not one, but two not-so-favorite categories of Christian teaching: the End Times and Christian Stewardship.  The Return of Christ, as you have just heard, brings to us warnings of burning wrath and frightening signs, and a necessity for perseverance in the face of tribulation and persecution.  On the other hand, thinking about budgets, our finances and our contributions to the Church and other good causes often gives us heartburn.   End Times and Stewardship.  Both can create dread in the hearts of preachers and hearers alike.  We might like to skip these topics.  But be careful.  If we do not return now and again to consider them, to have our understanding shaped by the Spirit through His Word, Satan will take advantage and fill our heads and hearts with lies, lies that create doubt and fear in us. 

   God’s goal in both our preparedness for the Last Day and in our Christian Stewardship is that we have peace and joy, so that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will abound in hope.  And there are similarities between the way God teaches us to think about the End Times and the way we are called to think about and live out Christian Stewardship. 

   End Time readings have occupied us quite a bit in recent weeks.  And the fundamental point for the Christian is actually fairly simple:  While frightening things are coming, in fact, are happening right now, believers in Jesus need not fear.  Because, like with everything else having to do with our salvation, Jesus Christ has already passed through the End for us.  All of the suffering, frightening events and persecution that are coming to the world have already been experienced and defeated for us, by Jesus, on His Cross. 

   Yes, in a transitory way, we will live through End Time chaos.  And we will face suffering.  Both of these can scare us.  Much like the wind and the waves on the Sea of Galilee frightened Peter as he tried to walk on the water to Jesus.  Peter started out well, but then his eyes focused on the danger, and fear caused him to start sinking.  But fear not.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, crucified and resurrected, for you.  Christ Jesus has already defeated every struggle and tribulation.  They cannot touch you, not in any lasting way, as long as you are with Him.  Persevering to the end means staying connected to Jesus, by His Gospel in Word and Sacraments.  Fix the eyes of your heart on Him.  Be fed through your ears and your mouth with His promises.  Jesus Christ is your Last Day, and He is your forever and ever future.  Amen.

   Getting to “Amen” concerning stewardship may prove a bit trickier.  But the Lord will bring us through, just the same. 

   The first thing to clear up is the actual topic.  Christian Stewardship is not about your money, not principally.  Your money, your material blessings, along with your time and your abilities, these are all involved in Christian Stewardship, but they are not the main thing.  Do a deep dive in the New Testament, and you will find Jesus’ big stewardship teachings are not about you using your material blessings well.  Rather they are about the Apostles, and the Church in total, and individual pastors and people, stewarding the Gospel. 

   For example, in the parable of the talents, Jesus is the owner who goes on a journey and leaves three servants with talents to manage, to steward, until his return.  A talent in Biblical times was not an ability, but rather it was a large amount of silver.  In case you hadn’t noticed, the Lord did not actually leave the Apostles and His Church with any stash of loot to manage, no earthly wealth at all.  So this parable must be about something else.  The valuable treasure the Lord has given us to manage well is His Gospel, the Good News of the salvation He has won for all people.  The Gospel is our treasure, our most valuable gift from our heavenly Father.

   Each of us, as members of Christ’s Church, have a part to play in protecting and investing the Gospel, for ourselves, and for the life of the world.  Within the Church and in our daily lives, we share a stewardship of God’s great gift to us, the Law and Gospel message of Jesus, which is the Spirit’s tool for saving souls. 

   So, the first step in Christian Stewardship is to be filled with this Gospel.  After all, you can’t manage or invest something you don’t have.  The Gospel is God’s tool to give you faith and strengthen it, saving you, leading you to confess Christ and to do works of love.  So, come and get the Gospel!  Weekly and daily go to the places where the Spirit is dispensing the Good News, through His Word: in personal and family devotions, and of course in the regular public worship of the congregation the Lord has made you part of.  The more Gospel you receive, the more hope you will have, and the more prepared you will be to invest this Good News in others, during your daily life. 

   And that is the next part of Christian Stewardship, investing the Gospel in the lives of others.  Just as you are not being a very good steward of your money if you hide it in a mattress, so also stewardship of the Gospel involves getting it out into the world, into the ears and hearts of other people. 

    You participate in this Gospel investment in at least these three ways:

          First by being ready to tell the reason for the hope that you have in your daily life,

          Second by supporting the ministry of your congregation with your time, abilities              and financial support, and

          Third, by supporting faithful missions and missionaries in other places. 

And all of this is good for you, because through it you will be in and around and speaking and hearing the Word of Christ, through which the Holy Spirit will both strengthen your faith and work through you for the good of others.  

   So, stewardship is first and foremost about what we, collectively and individually, are doing with the Gospel.   In fact, when the Bible actually teaches about money and material things, the main point is usually that we must be careful not to allow our earthly riches to become an idol.  The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.  Which is of course a big problem for us today.  Many of us enjoy such abundant earthly wealth; it’s hard not to let our money and things become the center of our lives.  In fact, whether one is rich or poor, we sinners are prone to worshiping created things instead of worshiping the Creator who has given us every good thing we have. 

   We easily become jealous and miserly with our money and things.  But God is jealous for your heart.  He does not want to lose you.  We who have been called and converted by the Gospel are also called to use our material blessings in line with this saving faith. 

     So, how much of our material blessings are we supposed to submit to God, to His purposes and to His glory?   What percentage does God want?  What do you think? 

     All of it. 100%.  You were afraid I might say as much as 10%, but I say 100%.  But not that you must give 100% to the Church.  Rather, you are called by God to use all your material blessings, all your money, all your stuff, all your time, in a God pleasing, Christian way. 

   Think of it this way: using your material blessings for things that don’t please God is to sin.  How much sin does God want you to commit?  None.  God hates sin.  All that we have, all our money and things, our bodies and our lives, all of these are gifts received from the same God who gave His Son to save you from sin and eternal condemnation.  So of course you are to use all your earthly blessings in a God pleasing way.  Which is a much broader category than simply supporting your Church. 

   To use a very current example, Shelee and I, and our bank, just bought a house.  We are happy, and thankful to God.  How shall we use our home?  Shall we make fixing it up and finishing the basement and being comfortable our #1 priority?  No.  God is pleased to bless us with house and home, family and friends, food and drink.  Of course, we must take care not to use these for sinful ends.  And above all, Shelee and I must not let our house become more important than our connection to Christ.  And along the way, we should give thanks to God every day for all He provides.   God wants to bless all of us and see our thankfulness to Him to grow, a thankful life made infinitely sweeter because of our greatest gift, our Savior Jesus Christ. 

   O.k. ...  But c’mon.  How do we decide how much we will donate to our church?  Well, first of all, every Christian should understand that in terms of charitable giving and volunteer service, the first priority is your congregation and its ministry.  This is where God is working out His Mission in this place.  Nothing is more important.  If every Christian focused first and foremost on supporting a faithful ministry in their own congregation, the world would be a much better place. 

   So, since your church is your first priority, (OSLC: it is helpful to know a bit about our budget and our financial situation.)  (ORLC:  it is helpful to receive, as you will today, financial data concerning our budget and financial situation.)  How did last year go?  What is the plan, and the budget for next year?  These facts will not tell you how much you should give, but they will help you understand the situation as you make your decision.  Then, simply give what makes you cheerful! 

    O.k., maybe I’m still not being helpful.  So, to help you be cheerful, let’s talk about some good ways to consider your personal support of your congregation.  I believe we should periodically take some time to pray, reflect and think about this.  But not more than once per year.  Do not give Satan the opportunity to torment you every week about how much you give.  Rather, consider, pray and decide what you want to give next year.  Make a giving decision for 2022, and live with it.  Unless your economic situation changes significantly during the next year, for the better or for the worse, you should not think again about how much to give weekly or monthly until next year.  Just give what you decided: Make it an automatic habit.  

   Today I will even provide you with a one-page guide to help you through this process.  It goes more or less like this.  Over the course of a couple weeks, each individual or household should reflect on all that God has done for you, most especially in and through Christ Jesus.  Revel in the richness of God’s grace toward you.  And then pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you in your decision.  Talk frankly about your financial situation, and what level of donation will give you joy.  Then decide.  After that, forget about how much you should give, until next year.                           

   The principal problem we have with both the End Times and Christian Stewardship is doubt.  Am I ready for Christ to return?  Am I giving enough?  Will God accept me?  Does He accept my meager gifts to His Church today?  Doubt is the enemy of the Gospel.  It robs from us the peace and the hope that your heavenly Father intends for you.  And the solution to both kinds of doubt is found in the same place: in Christ Jesus. 

   Draw near to Jesus, and you will be reminded that His return is a day of pure joy for you, because He comes to take you home.  Draw near to Jesus, and He will make you into the generous giver He wants you to be, by generously forgiving and restoring you, day after day.   

    And in this way the God of hope will fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  Hope that can face the turmoil and problems of the End Times, and hope that makes you cheerful to support the Gospel ministry of Christ, by loving your neighbor, being ready to give the reason for the hope that you have, and by supporting the collective ministry of this congregation. 

   I have hopeful news for you:  the End is coming, and the Church needs you to help with the stewardship of the Gospel.  Rejoice!  And rest in Christ, Amen.