Christian Funeral for Larry Lee Kueker

(Audio)

John 14:1-6; Romans 8:31-39; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Our reading from Ecclesiastes is likely well known to those born in the 1970s or earlier due to the popular song inspired by it, “To Everything There Is A Season (Turn, Turn, Turn).” However, even among those who know the song well, I imagine the version they know best is from the American folk-rock group The Byrds, which was released in 1965. Fewer, I suspect, will know the original version written by Pete Seeger in 1959, released in 1962. The song speaks of God’s divine providence in prescribing to all human life and human actions an ordered time and purpose: “A time to be born; a time to die; a time to plant; a time to reap; a time to kill; a time to heal; a time to laugh; a time to weep. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Dear Rae Jean, Scott, Suzanne, and Amy, beloved grandchildren, family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, you are likely to experience several of these feelings and emotions today and for time to come as we commend our brother Larry Kueker to His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and as we give thanks to the Lord for Larry, his faith and life, and the blessing he was to you and to so many, all to the glory of the Lord.

Eighty-one years is a long life to be sure. But is it long enough? Yesterday afternoon I met with two parishioners, both in their late ‘90s, who have had enough of time and are ready to go to heaven to be with Jesus. Just a few weeks ago I officiated a funeral and burial for an unborn child of only six weeks old. As they say, time is relative. What seems a long time to one is too little time for another. But all things happen according to the Lord’s time and purpose. We all know that the past few years weren’t the best or the easiest for Larry health wise. He had trouble with his heart, trouble with his foot, mobility issues, and he just couldn’t do many of the things he enjoyed doing, and that weighed heavy on him. I don’t really know how Larry felt about all that, if he was getting tired and maybe ready to go? Perhaps some of you know. It certainly wouldn’t be an atypical feeling for someone to have. But the truth is that our lives are in the hands of our Lord who made us and redeemed us. We do not come into our lives, nor do we leave them, by our own choosing. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Throughout Larry’s eighty-one years, however, there was much time for life, and love, and for embracing and laughter. Larry liked to work with his hands, to build things, and to solve problems. He loved building things for his grandkids, like a doll gymnastics bar and a free library for the neighborhood. He fabricated a plow to put on the front end of a toy tractor. He loved to teach his children and grandchildren how to work with their hands, how to build things, and fix things, and do things for themselves. After seeing Larry’s Garage at the visitation Tuesday afternoon, I have to believe that Larry learned much of these qualities from his father and passed them on to you. Along the way, Larry was teaching, quietly, often with no words at all, teaching by example, how to love, how to work hard, how to persevere, how to care about others, and how to live with faith. He made you feel like you could do anything you put your mind to. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Larry worked hard. He was the provider for the family. He wanted his family to have what they needed, and they did. He loved to watch the kids’ and grandkids’ ballgames, and he made sure you got to church on Sunday. You hurried up if he was honking the horn in the driveway. Larry liked to be to church on time, and that meant early. Again, he led by example and made sure that his children had a right relationship with their Lord. Larry also enjoyed bowling and playing pool, cards, and even that most complicated of card games, Schafskopf. Larry and Rae Jean enjoyed the water, and the family learned to fish, swim, water ski, and to enjoy the outdoors. He loved cars, especially his convertible Impala, and enjoyed the Waverly Car Cruise. He loved his tractors. He loved his shop and woodworking. He built the little paper and pencil holders you see on the pew in front of you. Larry served the church as a trustee, helping to care for the church property and grounds. He put a lift in his house for David, digging a hole in the basement and through the upstairs floor. He built Amy’s house! Just days before he died Larry was on his tractor with the forks out lifting and moving large pieces of a tree that came down in recent storms. Larry was a Jack-of-All-Trades and a positive influence on so many. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

The thing about time is that you and I are bound in it, but God is not. For us, we have a beginning, and then we’re on a timeline that goes only one way; you can’t go back, you can only go forward, and, eventually, inescapably, we die. But that’s not all there is to our story. God is outside of time; he sees all time at the same time. That’s what it means to be eternal. He knew Larry before there was a Larry, before there was a heaven or earth, and he knew Larry’s days and deeds before there were any of them. More than that, God prepared a way of salvation for Larry, and for you, and for us all, before the foundation of the world. The Son of God became flesh and suffered and died for Larry, and for you and me, and for all the world, and rose again having destroyed death. Therefore, “Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in his Son Jesus. In the Father’s house there are many rooms, and Jesus has gone before you to prepare a place for you there.” The Lord has called Larry home to where his sheep may safely graze. One day he will call you there as well. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

One more thing I’d like to share with you: Blessed are those who die in the Lord, for they are with him. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we hear these words of the liturgy, “Therefore, with angels, archangels, and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name….” “All the company of heaven” now includes Larry. When you miss your loved ones who have died in the Lord and you want to be near them, you might go to the cemetery where their body has been laid to rest. Better still, come to church and to the Lord’s Supper, for where Jesus is present with his body and blood, there also present are the angels and archangels and the company of heaven, those we love who have died in the Lord. In the Divine Service, heaven literally comes down to earth, and we, bound in time, can join in praising the Lord with those outside of time in eternity. See you next Sunday. Larry won’t be honking for you because he's already there. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle

(Audio)

John 1:43-51; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10; Proverbs 3:1-8

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. But that wasn’t because he didn’t think that they would believe, rather, it was because he believed very strongly that they would believe and repent. He knew that the Word of God had that kind of power, to create everything out of nothing, to bring light out of darkness, life out of death, faith out of unbelief. No, he believed very strongly that the people of Nineveh would believe the Word of God. They would repent. They would be saved. And Jonah thought to himself, “That just isn’t right.”

Nineveh was the capital and the greatest city of ancient Assyria. The Ninevites were wicked and cruel. They were powerful enemies of God and of God’s people Israel. If any city and people deserved God’s wrath and judgment, so thought Jonah, it was the Ninevites. But God had commanded His prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh and to preach repentance to them that they might repent and be saved from destruction. Jonah didn’t want to go, not because he believed it wouldn’t work, but because he believed that it would. The Ninevites did believe. They did repent. And God did spare them. In fact, Nineveh and its surrounding territories became the cradle of Christianity. Some of the oldest Christian communions and church buildings remain in Nineveh, which today is called by the name of Mosul in the northern part of the country that today is known as Iraq.

While Christians have always been a minority in Iraq, in recent decades they have become an extreme minority. Today the country is 97% Muslim with Christians making up less than 3% of the population. Just a few years ago the jihadist Islamic State and the Levant, commonly referred to as ISIS and ISIL, seized control of a major portion of northern Iraq and began carrying out a systematic purge of Iraq’s Christian population, particularly from the city of Mosul, ancient Nineveh. It is estimated that 25,000 Christians were given the ultimatum to convert to Islam, flee, or die. For those Christians who did not comply with the decree, ISIS warned that, “there is nothing to give them but the sword.” Indeed, graphic photos and videos of Christian executions by rifle, hanging, beheading, and even crucifixion began to fill the walls of social media websites, the pages of many news publications, and the television screens of some national news media. Surely, we have all been tempted to think and feel like Jonah and have no pity or mercy for these modern Ninevites who are persecuting God’s people. Likely we have even hoped and prayed that God would pour down His wrath upon them and extinguish them from the face of the earth. In times like these, however, we must remember, recall, and repeat the words of our LORD: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the LORD,” “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,” and “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, persecution is a real and even necessary evil, and I say to you that it is good for Christ’s Church. Let me explain. Persecution is real. It’s ALWAYS real, ALWAYS happening in some way, to someone, somewhere. In our comfortable lives and homes, we too easily become complacent and unaware of persecution in the world, in our own nation, in our own towns. The truth is, however, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is often met with hostility and even violence. Our Lord Jesus and His disciples experienced this firsthand and He promises you that the world will hate you because of Him and will consider it good to persecute you. When horrific persecution like what happened in Iraq finally wakes us up, opens our eyes, and gets our attention, thanks be to God! That’s a good thing! ISIS meant this persecution for evil, but God meant it for good.

It is good that you are paying attention. It is good that you are more aware that this fallen world is not your friend, it is not your home. This world’s wisdom is foolishness. This world’s values are not aligned with God’s Word and will. This world’s treasure is fleeting and corrupt, it will not last, it is even now passing away. Yet, there is a treasure that does not fade away, that moth and rust cannot destroy, that thieves cannot break in and steal – the Word of the LORD. Our LORD, His Word, is the one thing that doesn’t change, that endures forever, that will never pass away. It is the only thing that truly matters – “Take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife; let all these be gone, they still have nothing won, the kingdom ours remaineth.” Persecution clears the air, clears the mind, clears the soul so that we can see, once again, that we are not gods, but that the God who created us, who loves us, sustains us still; we exist by the breath of His mouth; our life is His ongoing creative Word.

Blessed with the Wisdom of the LORD, Solomon gives us this Proverb: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” This is GOOD advice. This is advice for life. For, what does “your own understanding” think when you face persecution? That you suffer because God is punishing you? That you suffer because God does not love you? That you suffer because God is not able to help you or because He doesn’t exist at all? This was the counsel Job’s so-called friends gave him when God permitted Satan to persecute and afflict him, taking from him everything of worldly value. All Job was left with was God and His Word, and that was enough. When Job questioned why God permitted this suffering to come upon Him, God’s reply was, “That my righteousness might be revealed.” God’s righteousness is His Word, and His Word made flesh Jesus Christ. Men are counted righteous when they believe and trust in God’s Word, Jesus. Persecution and suffering helps us by stripping away all other things that get between us and God, idols, so that all that is left is God’s Word and our faith in that Word. God is not the author of evil and suffering and persecution, but He uses them for the good of those who love Him, who trust in Him. God alone is the LORD of life and death. Do not fear those who can only harm the body, but fear the one, the LORD, who has authority over body and soul temporally and eternally.

God’s Word, and His Word made flesh Jesus, is our treasure. St. Paul writes that “we have this treasure in jars of clay,” our fragile, weak, and perishing flesh, “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” When persecution comes, to Christians on the other side of the globe or to your own home or body, remember that you carry within your own body the death of Jesus, but you also carry the life of Jesus which will be manifested in the resurrection of your body on the day of Your Lord’s return.

When the Lord called St. Bartholomew, whom St. John calls Nathanael, Bartholomew marveled that Jesus knew who he was and all about him though they had never met. This demonstration of our Lord’s omniscience was enough to evoke Bartholomew’s confession, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus redirected Bartholomew’s faith and attention to God’s Word and promise saying, “You will see greater things than these. Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This allusion to the patriarch Jacob at Bethel also occurred at Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan by John. And, in His atoning death upon the cross, Jesus opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers, and on Pentecost He poured out His Spirit upon His Church. Thus, the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen, baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection and sealed in the Spirit, cried out as he was dying, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

St. Bartholomew is said to have taken the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Armenia, a country just north of Iraq. In fact, a great majority of the Christians in Iraq are Armenians whose ancestors likely first heard the Word of God from St. Bartholomew. Like Stephen, Bartholomew was martyred. Tradition says that he was flayed alive, meaning that his skin was sliced off of him by knife while he was still alive. Clearly, this kind of brutality is commensurate with the cruel horrors that were inflicted upon Iraq’s Christians not long ago. But, Jesus’ words to Bartholomew, confirmed by St. Stephen, are true for all His Christian people upon their death, “You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending.” Dear Christian, your Lord means for you to understand Him as the ladder, “the way, the truth, and the life” by whom alone you must come unto the Father.

Jesus is the ladder between heaven and earth, between God and man. Jesus is also the gate and the only way to heaven. He is the Word of God made flesh, the treasure we keep in the jars of clay which are our bodies. Let us never fear the breaking of the jar, the loss of our bodies and lives, but only the loss of the treasure, our Lord and His Word. Still, this weak flesh does indeed suffer temptation and waver in faith. Therefore, the best thing that we can do for our brothers and sisters in Christ suffering persecution in Iraq and in other hostile parts of the world is pray for them.

Pray for their safety and protection and for an end to persecution, to be sure, but also pray that the Spirit would strengthen their faith to maintain their confession, even unto death. Pray that they will love the LORD and His Word more than their jars of clay lives. Pray that they will find comfort, peace, and faith to persevere in the unchanging and immovable Word of God, the Word who became flesh and suffered and died for all and was raised again to imperishable and eternal life that can never be taken away. And, pray also for their persecutors, for their enemies. Pray that they may be moved by the Spirit of God through His holy Word and through the faithful confession of those they persecute and destroy to relent from their evil. Pray that the Lord would work through the faithful as He did through Jonah long ago to turn the modern Ninevites to repentance that they too may know forgiveness, life, and salvation through the Lord of life Jesus Christ.

Now, come and receive your Lord’s body and blood for the strengthening of your faith, for forgiveness, life, and salvation. His precious body and His holy blood will preserve, keep, strengthen, and protect you unto life everlasting.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Holy Matrimony of Brianna Rae Higgins & Carson William Rygh

(Audio)

Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:1-2, 22-33; Genesis 2:7, 18-24

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Falling in love. Have you ever stopped and taken a moment to consider those words? Falling in love.It’s almost like you tripped over something and, “Presto!” you found yourself with a skinned knee, a sore back, and, unexpectedly, in love! How’d that happen? Was it like an accident, a coincidence, or something else? Of course, what we mean by falling in love is that you weren’t really looking for it or expecting it; it just kind of happened. Kind of the way you Anna and Carson fell in love. You found yourself together in a study abroad experience that hadn’t gone the way you planned. You became friends. And then, “Presto!” you realized that you had fallen in love. That was back in 2023. However, today, August 23, 2025, you realize that there was more to your falling in love than mere accident, coincidence, or chance. You’ve even come to see God’s guiding hand in your coming together, your falling in love, and in the promise and commitment you are about to make to each other this day.

There are no coincidences. The LORD made them male and female. The LORD saw that it was not good that the man should be alone. The LORD made for the man a woman, a wife, and brought her to him. The LORD blessed them that they should be one flesh, be fruitful, and multiply. This is the LORD’s doing. There are no coincidences. Adam didn’t have to go out and find a wife, but the LORD brought husband and wife together, just as the LORD has brought the two of you together.

People today talk about “soul mates.” “You have go out there and find your soul mate.” And so, they peruse the dating circuit for months, sometimes years, looking for, searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right. But you don’t have to go out and find your soul mate. Your soul mate is the one you choose to love, that you commit yourself to care for, that you sacrifice yourself for to preserve and to protect and to care for. Because of your choice, you come to love someone you previously didn’t know, and they come to love you. And love isn’t merely a fleeting emotion accompanied by raging hormones and serotonin levels, but love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not insist on its own way; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but it rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

When we met a few months ago to discuss marriage and to prepare for your marriage today I shared with you a seldom discussed teaching of St. Paul from 1 Corinthians chapter 7: “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.” I’m certain that a lot of folks find these words scandalous today. But what is Paul’s meaning? Well, yes, he is speaking of sexuality and sexual relations, exhorting husbands and wives not to withhold themselves sexually from each other, except for an agreed upon period of time for prayer. However, truly there is much more to Paul’s teaching than that. Carson, Anna, your wife, is not only a body. Anna, Carson, your husband, is not only a body. Each of you are a body and a soul, created by God in His image, redeemed in the blood of Jesus Christ His Son for immortality and life with Him forever. I think we all understand that a husband is to care for his wife’s body, her health and well-being, and a wife is to care for her husband’s body, health, and well-being, how much more then is a husband to care for his wife’s soul, and is a wife to care for her husband’s soul? Yes! Carson, you are not just marrying a female human, but you are committing yourself to care for, nurture, protect, and preserve an immortal soul. And the same is true for you Anna. You have each individually been baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, and you each individually share in His immortal life. The soul of your wife, the soul of your husband, is as much a precious treasure to be cared for, protected, and preserved as is their body. Each of you is taking on a sacred charge today to care for, nurture, defend, protect, and preserve the other in both body and soul.

Today the LORD is making you a home. I don’t mean that He is building you a house, but the LORD is making you, Anna & Carson, to be a home. Husband & wife, father & mother, and children, should the LORD bless you with them, are the fundamental unit of society, created, instituted, and established, not by man, but by God. The home, the marriage of one man and one woman, and the family are the locale and means through which children are raised in the knowledge and fear of the LORD, civilization and maturation occur, and charity, mercy, forgiveness, and love are learned and cultivated. It is no wonder that Satan attacks marriage and the family, for they are the means through which the LORD causes and sustains stability and order, kindness and charity, peace and love, and all that is good. Yes, Satan will attack your marriage, your family, and your home. The only defense against his attack is the Word of the LORD and His blessed Sacraments. What I mean is that you must make the LORD and His Word and Sacraments a central part of your marriage, your family, and your home if you hope to remain strong against Satan’s attack. Go to church regularly. Pray in the morning and evening and give thanks before meals. Be quick to forgive and do not harbor resentment. Remember your marriage vows, remember your baptism, remember the forgiveness and mercy and love you have received from your LORD in and through Jesus Christ your savior. Jesus is truly the third partner in your marriage. The LORD has brought you together, and the LORD will bless you and make you a blessing. His is the love with which you love each other. Carson & Anna, remember the LORD, give thanks, receive His gifts, and share them with one another and others, and your marriage will be very good.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Ninth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity 9)

(Audio)

Luke 16:1-13; 1 Corinthians 10:6-13; 2 Samuel 22:26-34

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

I happened upon an article ranking the seventy-six best board games of all time. The list included classic strategy games like Stratego and Risk, card, dice, and word games like Uno, Yahtzee, and Scrabble, contemporary social games like Trivial Pursuit, Scattergories, and Pictionary, along with monetary, budgeting, and trading games like Payday, Sorry, and Monopoly, the latter of which, notably, came in second only after Chess.

These last three games are notable in that they have made entertaining and fun something that most of us likely feel is dull, mundane, and even torturous, namely budgeting, money management, and finance. The large part of what makes games such as these entertaining and fun is that we are able to manage enormous amounts of money, property, and possessions and attempt to build them into even greater fortunes and to make risky, bold, and, sometimes, foolish, moves with no risk or repercussions at all in our real and actual lives. And, that’s what makes these games great! Because, no matter how much, or how little, you have, we all have to make the best of what we’ve got, for ourselves, and for others. Better to learn good management and stewardship skills early on, when the money is only paper and the job is spinning wheels and rolling dice.

Consider this in relation to Jesus’ parable about the dishonest manager. The manager had been charged by his rich employer of “wasting his possessions” and mismanaging his wealth and he was commanded to “turn in an account of his management,” that is, to bring the accounting books for the master to examine. Notice that the manager made no argument in defense of himself. He knew that the charges were true and that he had no escape. He knew that he would be fired and that no one would hire him. He knew that he would have to live day by day fighting to secure the meanest manual labor or, worse yet, simply begging on the streets, which would not provide him enough to live.

But, that was when the dishonest manager came up with an ingenious, if morally repugnant, plan: He went to each of his master’s debtors and he reduced their bill by as much as fifty percent! His plan was based upon two premises: First, he knew that the debtors would treat him well when he became unemployed, and second, he knew that his master would honor debts he had reduced.

Now, we all want to cry out, “Unfair! Dishonest!” And, rightly so, for, the manager’s plan is a clear violation of the Seventh Commandment, “You shall not steal.” Thus, we are all rightly surprised, and perhaps scandalized, when we hear Jesus’ teaching that “the master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.” This simply would not work in our world. We would not be commended, but we would be arrested, for mismanaging our employers’ money, property, and possessions in this manner. Ah, but therein lies the key: Even when we manage our own money, property, and possessions, we are truly managing those things that belong, not to us, but to God. Moreover, our God will indeed honor the debts that His Son, Jesus, has, not reduced, but, in fact, has paid for us, fulfilled, and satisfied in full by His suffering and death on the cross for you, for me, and for all men of every time and every place.

You see, Jesus knows you. He knows your fallenness. He knows how you love money, property, and possessions and how you trust in them and fear losing them. Jesus knows that you have taken His Father’s good gifts to you and have made them your idols, your gods before and instead of Him. He knows how you, in your sinful corruption, blindly and intentionally worship created things in place of the Creator of all things, even yourself. Therefore, He teaches you, He disciplines you, that you may learn proper stewardship, management of the good things His Father gives you. He doesn’t want you to not use, benefit from, and enjoy His gifts, but He wants you to fear, love, and trust in Him, the Giver, above and before the gifts that He gives. And, one key way that you demonstrate this is by giving His gifts to others.

Jesus taught, “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” What this means you already know well enough, for you are well schooled in the worldly ways of spending money to make money, buying low and selling high, and flipping property to make more money. You are indeed very shrewd in these worldly matters, and the world rewards those who excel in this way. However, these things truly belong to your heavenly Father. Therefore, I ask you, in what way is He honored and glorified in your worldly dealings, O sons of light? Do you give back to Him a portion of what He has given to you as a thank offering? Moreover, do you give to others of what He has given to you and win glory and praise, not for yourself, but for God? You see, that is precisely what the dishonest manager did, he assured that his master would be glorified, even as he gave away what belonged, not to him, but to his master.

You see, Jesus does different kinds of things in His parables. Sometimes He wants you to “Go, and do likewise,” as in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but other times He sets up for you a negative example in which, it is not the action that He encourages – in this case, dishonesty in handling the financial affairs of another – but rather the recognition and confession of who your true Master is and of what true riches consist. To illustrate this, Jesus taught, “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Jesus would have you learn that there is no righteousness in mammon, that is worldly riches and wealth, and that you cannot gain righteousness through them, whether honestly or dishonestly. However, knowing this, O sons of light, you are liberated from fearing, loving, and trusting in unrighteous mammon to use it in fear, love, and trust in God for the benefit of yourself and your family, and to the benefit of your neighbor, to the glory of God. Jesus would have you see money, property, and possessions as a “little” thing, and He would have you believe and know that you have been entrusted with “true riches,” love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. “One who is faithful in a very little,” Jesus teaches, “is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?”

So, what does this all mean? Your Lord Jesus would have you be thankful for the gifts you have received from His Father and use them for your benefit and for the benefit of others, but always to the glory of God. You are to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. For, if you fear losing what you have, then your fear is misplaced and you are serving mammon. And, if you love your wealth and possessions more than you love God or your neighbor, then your love is misplaced and you love mammon and not God and your neighbor whom God loves. And, if you place your trust in material wealth and possessions for life and security and hope for your future, then your love is misplaced and you trust in mammon, not in God. “No servant can serve two masters,” Jesus teaches, “for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Your Master is good, and He keeps His promises. He has done all that was necessary to purchase you for His own, to redeem you, and to make you righteous. You are righteous through His Righteous Steward and Manager, Jesus. Jesus did not merely reduce your debt or even forgive it, but He paid your debt Himself in full, “not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” He knew that His Father would honor the debts that He had paid in full, and He perfectly feared, loved, and trusted in God alone.

“The master commended the dishonest manager,” not for his dishonesty, but “for his shrewdness.” Shrewdness is akin to wisdom, therefore, what was the wisdom of the dishonest manager? The manager’s wisdom was, as the Proverb teaches, “the fear of the LORD.” Recognizing and confessing that he was caught in his sin and that there was nothing he could do to make himself righteous before his master – that’s the preaching of the Law of God which always shows our sin – he placed his complete fear, love, and trust in the goodness of his master, not in himself, not in money, property, or possessions, and he shared his master’s mercy with his neighbors that his master would be praised, honored, and glorified. In the same way, you, O sons of light, go and do likewise, in the fear of the LORD.

And to forgive, renew, and strengthen you for this service, your Lord Jesus is present with His gifts of grain and wine combined with His powerful, creative, and life-giving Word that you may eat His body and drink His blood and bring His stewardship to your neighbor in need to the glory of His Father. Your debt has not been canceled, but it has been paid in full. You are “free to worship Him without fear, holy and righteous in His sight all the days of your life.” Go in peace. Serve the Lord.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity (Trinity 7)

(Audio)

Mark 8:1-9; Romans 6:19-23; Genesis 2:7-17

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Ever since the fall into sin, labor and bread go together. We all need our daily bread to live, and there’s no such thing as a free lunch. In the 60’s the term bread became synonymous with money, the means by which bread is acquired. Money implies work, but that same generation loathed work. The fall into sin brought the curse, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,” and then death, “till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The result of the curse is that we must toil and labor to put daily bread upon our tables. Each day is a struggle to survive – with the end result, we die. All our striving to feed ourselves and our families, to put a roof over our heads and clothing on our backs, all our striving to do the right thing, the moral thing, the good thing, leads to death. Life is short and then you die.

Notice how we call it a “fall” into sin? Almost makes it sound like an accident, doesn’t it? And of course, if it’s an accident, we like to reason, “We didn’t mean to do it, it just kind of happened.” And that doesn’t sound quite so bad. However, honestly, man didn’t simply fall into sin, it was a choice. In fact, it was man’s very first freechoice. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” That day is today. That day is tomorrow. That day is each and every day that you insist that you provide for yourself. That day is each and every day that you insist on determining for yourself what is good and what is evil. That day is each and every day that you insist on being god unto yourself.

In the beginning, God provided for man’s sustenance – all that he needed to support his body and his life. The fall into sin, the willful eating of that one forbidden food, the one free choice that man made of his own will in opposition to the will of God, to decide for himself what was good and what was evil, was a willful turning away from God. And from that day, and every day since, man has toiled and striven to provide for himself, physically and spiritually, daily bread – to the inevitable end, death. For the wages of sin is death – what you earn for your labor, what you earn for your striving, what you earn for your struggle, is death. From the very moment of conception, we die a little more each and every day. It is what we have chosen freely. It is what we have earned.

Too much is made of human free will. There was no free will in the beginning, at least not in the way we commonly think of free will, for there was only God’s will. Man, made in God’s image, knew God’s will and shared God’s will. Man knew nothing other than God’s will. It was in the eating of that forbidden food, a sustenance that the LORD had not given man, a food that the LORD had commanded man not to eat of, it was in the eating of that forbidden food that man came to know something other than the will of God. And in his knowledge of good and evil, free will entered the picture – man no longer shared the will of God, but man knew something in opposition to God’s will – his own will. Dietrich Bonheoffer put it this way:

In knowing about good and evil, human beings understand themselves not within the reality of being defined by the origin [God], but from their own possibilities, namely, to be either good or evil. They now know themselves beside and outside of God, which means they now know nothing but themselves, and God not at all. For they can only know God by knowing God alone. The knowledge of good and evil is thus disunion with God. Human beings can know about good and evil only in opposition to God.

And so, what seemed like freedom turned out to be slavery. Man found himself knowing that he must do God’s will, and striving to do it, but without knowing any longer what God’s will actually is. And worse, man, exercising his own fallen will, began to call good evil and evil good. Man presented the members of his body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness with the result that the fruit of his efforts, the fruit of his labor and toil, was still more lawlessness: man’s striving to produce bread on his own still leads only to death.

Bread is not supposed to bring death, but life – Bread is a staple for life, bread is good for you. The poorest people on the earth eat bread and drink water and survive. But man’s bread still brings only death, not life. For man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by the Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And God’s Word became flesh and made His dwelling here amongst us. As in the beginning God provided man’s daily bread, so again God would provide the only Bread that truly gives life – Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, our Bread King, the daily Bread of our earthly lives and the Bread that gives life that never dies.

Jesus was the Second Adam. He was sent to labor and travail and to die. By the sweat of His brow and the stripes on His back He would produce the Bread of Life. He would eat the bread of our death so that He might provide us His bread that brings life. Jesus looked at that crowd and had compassion on them because they had been with him three days and had nothing to eat.  That word compassion is telling – it literally means “to suffer together with”. Jesus didn’t simply feel pity for the 4,000 plus, but he suffered with them – He suffered their toil, their struggle, and their strife, and, ultimately, He suffered their hunger and their inability to produce life-giving bread. Jesus took the meager offering of bread that they could produce – seven loaves and a few small fish – and in a way hidden from the crowd provided them food enough that they were satisfied, with leftovers to spare.

But there’s still no such thing as a free lunch, and the wages of sin is still death. Shortly after the miraculous feeding of the four thousand Jesus began to teach His disciples that “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.” The bread He provided them in the feeding of the four thousand was but a foretaste of the bread that He would die to provide them. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us. Even though He was innocent, sinless, holy, Jesus became our sin. He became our sin so that the wage of death would no longer be ours. He didn’t just take our sin upon Himself, He became our sin. And death was meted out to Him – PAID IN FULL. It is finished. You are free, truly free – free to worship Him without fear, holy and righteous in His sight all the days of your life.

“When you were slaves to sin you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, [I told you that free will was overrated] the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”

On the third day He provided hungry, fainting pilgrims bread in the desolate wilderness. On the third day our Bread King was raised from the dead to give us the Bread of Life which a man eats that he may never die. And that Bread of Life is His body, given for you, and His precious blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. This bread is not food enough to keep you alive in this body forever, it’s barely enough to keep you from fainting today; but this Bread will keep the life freely given you in Holy Baptism alive forever, and it is all you will ever need.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Sixth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity 6)

(Audio)

Matthew 5:17-26; Romans 6:1-11; Exodus 20:1-17

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The fundamental error that you make concerning the Law of God is that you believe that God gave you His Law so that you would know what you must do to fulfill its demands. However, God’s Law does not state what you must do if you are to fulfill its demands. Instead it states what you must be if you are to be able to stand in the presence of God. For, the Law of God states what is right and good, and the good is always a part of the being of God. Thus, the Law of God, the Ten Commandments, do not tell you what you must do, but they tell you what you must be. Moreover, the Law of God, the Ten Commandments, tell you who God is and what He is like, and, therefore, they tell you what you must be, and what you will be, to live in Him – You must be holy, as He is holy.

Your God and LORD commands you to be holy, just as He is holy. And, this is the great curse of the Law, for you cannot make yourself to be holy through your obedience to the Law. You cannot work or earn your way into holiness, for holiness is a state, or a condition, of sinlessness and righteousness and goodness – in other words, to be holy is to be like God, for God alone is holy. And still, He commands you to be holy, just as He is holy.

Jesus’ teaching about the Law of God today follows directly after His teaching of the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapter 5. Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, no an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” It is popular to think that Jesus came to give you a new law, a law that is somehow, easier for you to do. After all, you think, “God surely would not command me to do something that I couldn’t do.” But, you are wrong. He has done precisely that. And, that is the point. Jesus taught that God’s Law of perfect goodness, righteousness, and holiness, not only will not pass away, but Jesus has made it even harder for you to fulfill than the Law and the Prophets originally appeared to teach!

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Yes, you think that so long as you have not wrung anyone’s neck you have kept God’s commandment and Law. But, Jesus says that if you have been angry with someone, if you have insulted someone, you have broken the commandment. Moreover, Luther explains in the Catechism that, not only hurting or harming your neighbor in his body, but failing to help him and befriend him in his bodily needs is a transgression of God’s commandment and Law. And then, but a few verses later, Jesus teaches, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” And, after that, He continues to remake and remodel the well-known commandments of God’s Law. Do you see, then, how Jesus expands, broadens, and adds to the commandments? He would crush your sinful, rebellious, self-righteousness and pride that you might turn to Him for forgiveness. For, He will not lighten the Law and the Commandments of God for you. He will not make them easier for you to do. But, He will fulfill them for you that you may be good, righteous, and holy in Him – that you may live in Him forever.

And you thought the Pharisees were bad, right? You have heard it said, again and again, that the Pharisees were bad guys. The Pharisees were bad because they were the teachers, the shepherds, the pastors of the children of Israel, and they did not preach the Gospel, the “Good News” of forgiveness in the Messiah, but instead they burdened the people with severe preaching of the Law. You have heard it said that the Pharisees loved the Law of God, but I say to you that the Pharisees hated the Law of God. They did not keep it themselves, and they did not teach the children of Israel to keep God’s Law and commandments either. Instead, they changed God’s Law; they softened it and rounded off its sharp edges, to make it more do-able. That’s what you thought Jesus came to do, right? WRONG! God’s Law cannot, and will not, pass away. It is always in force, for it is good and holy, and it is part of God Himself. Again, you must remember, the purpose of the Law is not to teach you what you must do so that you can fulfill it, but the purpose of the Law is to teach you what you must be to stand in God’s presence – that you must be good, righteous, and holy, as God Himself is holy. And, that is to say that you must receive His righteousness and holiness as a gift – a gift that He has given in the Messiah, Jesus.

The Pharisees did not love God’s Law and commandments, but they hated them and they feared them. They did not teach them rightly to the children of Israel. Instead, they changed God’s Law; they softened it and rounded off its sharp edges, to make it more do-able. And then, they added to the Law laws, commandments, and rules of their own, cunningly designed to make them look and feel good. The Pharisees could fulfill the law of their own design. Everyone looked to them as the most good, righteous, and holy men on the planet! As for the people, well, they either became puffed up and full of self-righteous pride, believing that they too kept God’s Law well and good, or, if they were honest with themselves, they fell into hopeless despair, knowing that they did not keep the law and commandments set forth by the Pharisees, but hearing not Gospel forgiveness from their lips either. Do you see how the Law of God impacts sinful men? The Law of God is perfectly good, righteous, and holy, and it is eternal and unchanging – “not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Thus, Jesus was not teaching His disciples, and He is not teaching you, that you must do better at fulfilling God’s Law and commandments, but, instead, He is teaching you that you must believe and trust in Him, that He has fulfilled God’s Law and commandments for you by His good, righteous, and holy death upon the cross. It was upon that cross, in His last breath, that He proclaimed “τετέλεσται,” “It is accomplished,” “It is finished.”

Jesus has fulfilled God’s Law and commandments for you. Believe and trust in Him, and you have the goodness, righteousness, and the holiness that is necessary to stand in the presence of God without fear. That is the Gospel truth, plain and simple. However, you must not conclude from this Gospel truth that you need not obey God’s Law and commands any longer, for, as Jesus teaches, they have not passed away, but they have been fulfilled. Do not then get the idea that you can do whatever your sinful flesh pleases, simply asking for forgiveness after the fact, and believe that you will enter God’s kingdom. In theological jargon, that is called antinomianism – it literally means “against the law”. Dietrich Bonheoffer called it “billige gnade,” or, “cheap grace”. And, this is what St. Paul warns against in our Epistle today saying, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

We Lutherans are sometimes criticized for being antinomian, for cheapening God’s grace, and often justifiably so. We have a rich doctrine of grace, centered in Christ, which glorifies God. But, let us not take that grace for granted and forget how costly it comes to us, for the price is the death of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, on your behalf. And so, God’s grace must have its way with you, raising you from the death of sin to new life in Jesus Christ. The Law has been fulfilled so that you are free to love your neighbor and to love God with Jesus’ love poured out for you. You must not attempt to relax God’s Law, as Jesus says, and as the Pharisees did, but you are called to a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees – that is, an alien righteousness, a righteousness that comes extra nos, from outside of you, Christ’s righteousness, given to you as a free gift of God’s grace. You must, as St. Paul says, “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

That life began in Holy Baptism, when you were buried with Jesus in His death, and were raised with Jesus to new life that can never die again. Thus, consider your obedience under God’s Law and commandments in this life to be preparation for the life that never ends. C. S. Lewis once wrote, “In the perfect and eternal world the Law will vanish. But the results of having lived faithfully under it will not.” But, perhaps St. Paul said it better still, “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.” Blessed be the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has done all things well and has made all things new, in the most Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Disordered Love and the Coldness of Sin

In Dante’s Inferno, sin is pictured as disordered love, loving the right things in the wrong way. Rooted in Augustine’s theology, this idea affirms that humans, made in the image of God, were created to love rightly: to love God supremely, and to love others rightly through Him. The Seven Deadly Sins illustrate this truth vividly, as each is a distortion of something inherently good.

Lust, for example, is a disordered love for the body, beauty, and sexual intercourse, all of which God created as very good and to be desired, in the right way. Similarly, greed is a disordered love of the good things God gives to us. Each of the Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Acedia (Sloth/Apathy) is a disordered love of a right thing in a wrong way. The root of such sin is idolatry, a sin against the First Commandment, because we have loved something or someone before and more than we have loved God.

Today, a surprising example of disordered love may be found in the modern redefinition of sympathy/compassion and empathy. While sympathy/compassion and empathy are good, biblical, Christian virtues, they can be bad, even sinful, like anything else, when they become untethered from God’s word, truth, and biblical morality.

For example, it has become common to affirm one’s self-chosen identity as inherently good, regardless of its alignment with biological or moral reality. To affirm someone's preferred gender identity or pronouns, regardless of biological sex, is seen as compassionate and empathetic. Yet, Christian love must be grounded in truth (Ephesians 4:15). When empathy becomes untethered from God's design, it is enabling deception rather than healing. Christians are called to speak the truth in love – not to affirm every self-conception, but to offer the better identity found in Christ, who reorders our disordered loves and gives us new hearts.

Dante’s imagery powerfully conveys the consequence of disordered love. Surprisingly, the lowest level of hell is not fiery but frozen. Lucifer is encased in ice, unable to move, locked in isolation and resentment. This frigid image reveals the true nature of sin: not the passionate fire of love gone wrong, but the cold lifelessness of love turned inward and away from God. This is a sobering image. Disordered love does not bring liberation but spiritual paralysis. It cannot satisfy, because it is disconnected from the Source of life and love.

The Gospel offers not just forgiveness, but reformation of our loves. Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God's love and truth, came not only to save us from sin but to reorder our affections. In him, we learn to love God supremely, others rightly, and his creation as a good gift, not a god. Through repentance and faith, we are invited into the warmth of divine love that thaws the coldness of sin. The Spirit works in us to align our desires with God's will, to restore what has been disordered, and to shape us into lovers of truth and righteousness.

Every sin is a misdirection of love. Even virtues like empathy can become disordered when separated from the truth of God. But Christ is the healing of our hearts and the reordering of our desires. His love, unlike disordered love, is not cold and self-serving, but self-giving, full of grace and truth.

May we, by His Spirit, become people who love rightly, who embody both compassion and conviction, and who reflect the warm light of God’s ordered love in a world growing increasingly cold.

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity 5)

(Audio)

Luke 5:1-11; 1 Peter 3:8-15; 1 Kings 19:11-21

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Word of the LORD is performative and creative; it brings into being what it says. Therefore, what effect does that Word have upon you as children and disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus’ Word to you, Jesus’ call to you, is “Follow me.” But, what does that mean? “Follow me” means, stop whatever it is that you are doing; stop going down that path upon which you are walking, turn around, and follow me in the path upon which I will lead you. Listen to me. Say what I say. Do what I do. Trust in me. Be my disciple, one under my discipline and instruction.

What did the fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James, and John do when Jesus called to them, “Follow me?” They immediately left their nets and their boats and they followed Him. The Word of Jesus changed them in some significant ways. They would listen to every Word of Jesus and take it into themselves. They would meditate on it, pray with it, and do it, not in fear of judgment if they failed, but in the freedom of the Gospel that the Lord would work with them and through them and despite them if necessary to accomplish the work for which He was sent. They would still be fishermen, but they would be fishermen with a new motivation, purpose and goal. Jesus signified this change by saying to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They would go to places they never would have dreamed of going to before, and they would do things that they never would have dreamed of before. And, they would go to these places and do these things without fear – fear of failure, fear of success, fear of bodily harm, fear of death. They would do bold things, even foolish things – like dropping their freshly mended nets into the deep after a toilsome night of unsuccessful fishing – at the Word of Jesus, without fear.

And, what did Levi do when Jesus called to him, “Follow me?” He rose at once and followed him, leaving his tax collector’s booth behind. Who would do such a thing, but one changed, emboldened, and empowered by the Holy Spirit through the Word of the Lord? Likewise, each of the other disciples, in their own way, hearkened to Jesus’ Word, left their old ways and lives and livelihoods behind and followed Him. For, to follow Jesus is to “come under His influence, to learn from Him.” It is to become a disciple, one “who lives under the influence of the Word of Jesus and consciously wants to do just that.”

The Churchly word for “calling” is vocation. Each of us has a calling, a vocation; indeed, each of us has many vocations. Your vocation is what you are called to do and to be. Your vocation is not merely your job or profession, though it is certainly that, but your vocation is God’s calling for you to do and to be as His child in this world. Most of your vocations are yours simply by virtue of who you are: Are you a son or a daughter? Are you a father or a mother? Then, being a faithful and obedient son or a mother is one of your vocations. That is to say, you are to not be merely a son or a mother biologically, according to nature, but you are also to be a disciple of Christ and a child of God in those vocational roles. Therefore, in your holy calling as a son or a mother, you will be as the disciples, trusting in the Word of the Lord, living under the influence of Jesus and consciously wanting to do just that.

Additionally, you have many, many other callings, other vocations: Are you an employee or an employer? Are you a teacher? A police officer? A bank teller? A butcher? A baker? Or a candlestick maker? Then, you are to do and to be your vocation as did the disciples, trusting in the Word of the Lord, living under the influence of Jesus and consciously wanting to do just that. That means that you will consciously see yourself and your vocation as something divinely given, as a gift of God and an extension of His grace, mercy, love, and compassion to others. Even the most mundane, inglorious, and boring work is holy and a means through which the Lord works to serve and preserve His people. Thus, Luther famously wrote about vocation saying that a mother changing her child’s soiled diaper is doing a holier work than any monk reciting his prayers. His meaning is that, though our God-given callings, vocations, are often not very glorious from a human and worldly perspective, nevertheless they are both necessary and glorifying of God when they are performed in Christian love, mercy, compassion, humility, and selflessness – not for one’s own glory, but God’s.

However, the as the result of our fallen nature, we are naturally impressed and drawn to miraculous signs and wonders. We also value and glorify things that are spectacular or that seem to be wise in our eyes. But, the power of God to save men is not in miraculous signs and wonders and other spectacles, nor is it in the wisdom of men, just as it was not in the wind and the fire and the earthquake which Elijah experienced, but, rather, in a still small voice. That still small voice is the preaching of Christ crucified, the Gospel.

Likewise, the preaching of Christ crucified is the net in the story of the Great Catch of Fish. Without the net, the disciples could catch nothing at all. And, even with the net, often it hardly seems sufficient to the task, even at verge of breaking so that all is lost. Yet, the preaching of Christ crucified is the “power of God and the wisdom of God.” The fishermen did as Jesus commanded, even though they thought it foolishness, having toiled all the night and caught nothing. Thus, they let down the nets into the deep at Jesus’ Word, and the catch was so great that the nets were breaking. Even when they called for help from other fishermen, the catch was so great that their boats began to sink. While the preaching of the cross will often seem ineffective and insufficient, there will be times when the success it grants will be so great that you will fear that you will not be able to manage it. Both results serve to remind you and to discipline you that it is not you at all, but the Word of the Lord that does the work and produces the fruit of faith. Moreover, you need not have the vocation of pastor to preach Christ crucified, but you preach this Good News in your vocations, whatever they may be, when you do them and be them trusting in the Word of the Lord, living under the influence of Jesus and consciously wanting to do just that.

“Do not be afraid;” Jesus says to you, “from now on you will be catching men.” Perhaps you do not feel worthy or up to the task? Good! That’s alright! In truth, that is where you need to be to be a disciple of Jesus – broken, unworthy, unable, having little or no faith, maybe even being an enemy of Christ! For, consider Peter. Peter was a common, ordinary fisherman. Still, Jesus called him, and Peter followed. Peter wasn’t perfect; in fact, he was far from it, unable to understand that Jesus had to suffer and die and rise again, and then betraying His Lord and Master three times on the night he was arrested and tried. And, what about Paul? Paul was an enemy and persecutor of Christ, arresting and even killing some of the earliest of Christians. Both men were common sinners, just like everyone else. But, the Church of Jesus Christ is not built on the foundation of our great works, our great faith, our great morals, or our great wisdom and intelligence, but the Church of Jesus Christ is built on Christ and the confession of Him as the Son of God crucified for the sins of all mankind and raised for our justification. The Church is a church of sinners, but also a source of forgiveness, where one can get help and be cleansed. Therefore, the Church is not a memorial for saints, but a hospital for sinners. And, as the saying goes, it can always use one more.

This is what Peter recognized and confessed when he fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” However, such a confession will not be left unanswered, but will always receive Jesus’ absolution, “Do not be afraid.” And, with the absolution comes a sending, a calling, a vocation, “From now on you will be catching men.” This is the ongoing vocation of all of Jesus’ disciples, carried out in and through the unique and various callings we all have. “However God calls us, he calls us for this: to be with Jesus and learn from Him, to live with Jesus and receive what only He can give.” It’s not about how great or little faith you have, but it’s about following Jesus, trusting in Him, listening to Him, saying what He says, and doing what He does. “The main thing is to stay with Jesus and follow Him. He takes care of the rest.” Thus St. Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth: “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

And, that you may be absolved, strengthened in faith, encouraged and uplifted in grace, and empowered to do and to be your vocations in Christ, your Lord and Master is present with His life-giving and sustaining meal of body and blood that you may eat and drink and be satisfied and that with ears to hear and hearts to believe you may be fishers of men to the glory of God the Father, in His Most Holy Son, through His Holy Spirit.

In + the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Christian Funeral for Dennis Edward Gamble

(Audio)

John 10:11-15, 27-30; Romans 8:31-39; Philippians 4:4-8, 19

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord, we are gathered here this day to remember and to give thanks to God our Father for Dennis Edward Gamble: Devoted husband, doting father, dependable friend, hard worker, wise mentor, comic genius, “The Godfather,” and one redeemed in the blood of Jesus Christ his Savior.

Dennis was born in Blackduck, Minnesota. I had to look that up. Blackduck is, shall we say, “up there” in Minnesota, nestled in the heart of the north-central part of the state appreciated for its natural beauty and abundant waterways, wooded trails, fish, and game. It’s no surprise then that Dennis was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing, hiking, and simply being out in nature enjoying God’s creation. Dennis especially enjoyed the outdoors with J.D. (Gerry Duffy). On one of their hunting excursions J.D. stepped on a skunk. Dennis told him he’d have to stick his foot out the window on the ride home because he wasn’t going to let that stink up his truck. One season when deer were afflicted with Chronic Wasting Disease Dennis bagged a deer and had it processed into venison sticks. When asked if he was concerned about the Wasting Disease Dennis replied, with subtle twitching movements, “I haven’t experienced any side effects.”

Dennis and Judy were married on March 1, 1980. They celebrated their 45^th Anniversary this year. Dennis loved his family and loved attending his children’s school events, concerts, plays, and competitions, and simply spending time with them enjoying the outdoors, singing, and making jokes. Dennis and Judy were their biggest fans and supporters. They are so very proud of each of you.

I’ve only had the blessing of knowing Dennis and Judy since 2018 when they rejoined St. John after some time away. Early on I had no idea of their history in this congregation: Judy having served as church volunteer coordinator and organist, Dennis having served on the Board of Stewardship, etc. However, what was self-evident was that they were part of a tight-knit group of friends here including the Duffy’s, the Hilbert’s, the Lee’s, the Niehaus’s, and several others (not to leave anyone out). Dennis and Judy sang in the choir; I had no idea how Dennis liked to sing funny made-up songs for any occasion. Jean shared with me that Dennis once dressed up like Frankenstein for one of her Halloween student piano recitals and lead the children in singing and playing “The Monster Mash.” Get-togethers with friends would often find Dennis and J. D. harmonizing in an impromptu jam session. One time they dressed up like country folk and played and sang “Where, O Where Are You Tonight” from Hee-Haw, complete with bib overalls, a straw hat, and pitchforks. Dennis was known as “The Godfather” of the group due to his spot-on impersonation of Marlon Brando. He was also known for mixing strong drinks, particularly Irma’s. And Dennis was famous for his storytelling and his “Lena and Ole” jokes, told with a perfect Norwegian accent. I’m sorry that I missed out on many of those qualities in Dennis.

That is because, of course, it wasn’t long after that Dennis began to exhibit some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Mercifully, that disease is relatively slow-progressing, but it effects a change in personality and mental clarity, along with motor skills, nonetheless. The Dennis I began to know was a kind, gentle, and faithful man, but I wouldn’t have guessed him the jokester, singer, and general life of the party I’ve learned him to be from other’s anecdotes and memories. I considered Dennis more the strong, silent type. But I could tell that he was kind, gentle, and faithful, like I said. Those qualities were self-evident even if some of his other qualities became somewhat muted. Dennis and Judy were in church regularly receiving the Lord’s gifts in Word and Sacrament. Eventually that became less frequent, and sometimes Judy would come without Dennis. So, I began to visit them at home. Dennis became noticeably thinner and even more quiet, but he still desired to hear God’s Word and to receive Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of his sins and the strengthening of his faith. Dennis’ hunger and thirst for the Lord’s gifts was sustained until the end.

I never heard Dennis complain. Perhaps he did from time to time, that would be expected, but I never heard it. Dennis had a quiet dignity about him, and he seemed content and at peace, often even hopeful and thankful. We heard in our reading a moment ago, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Is there any doubt that Dennis had that peace which passes our understanding? “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Dennis did just that. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

I regularly reminded Dennis of the Lord’s promises to him that cannot be broken, even as I remind you now: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” “I am with you always, unto the end of the age.” “Nothing can separate you the love of God in Christ Jesus.” “If God is for us, then who can be against us?” The answer, of course, is no one. Therefore, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Dearly beloved family and friends of Dennis Gamble, Dennis is a sheep in the Good Shepherd’s flock, and our Lord has called him home to where His sheep may safely graze. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” “If God is for us,” and He is, “then who can be against us?” What do we have to be anxious about or to fear?

Devoted husband, doting father, dependable friend, hard worker, wise mentor, comic genius, “The Godfather,” – Though Dennis was all those things and more, while those may be his qualities and characteristics we remember, that is not what brings us comfort and hope today. Today, and every day, our comfort and hope is in the fact that Dennis is one redeemed in the blood of Jesus Christ his Savior. He was baptized into Jesus, confessed his faith in Jesus, died in Jesus, and he is with Jesus now and forevermore. And more than that, Jesus is still calling His sheep by name to give them eternal life. Jesus has laid down His own life for Dennis, and for all His sheep, for you, that none should perish, but that all who trust in Him should live with Him in His kingdom forever. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.