Growing in Christ - Matthew 2

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 26, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 2. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Hebrews 1:1-12, December 25, 2013

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 25, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Hebrews 1:1-12. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon: Hebrews 1:1-12, December 25, 2013

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from the Letter to the Hebrews, the first chapter:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power… “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     Merry Christmas!  This day we celebrate the birth of the Savior, who is Jesus Christ.  He has come from the highest heavens in order to humble Himself, be born of a virgin, and take on our human flesh that He would win for us salvation from our sins.

     For indeed, this One, this Jesus, is the One who has long been prophesied.  From the very beginning, God promised this One where He says to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”  This offspring of the woman is Jesus the Christ. 

     And this Christ was to be born of a virgin, as it says in Isaiah 7, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  And so the Lord chose Mary, a virgin teenager, to bear forth the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, yet bearing human flesh and blood.

Advent Sermon: Dear Cities: Bethlehem, Micah 5:1-15, December 24, 2013

    This sermon series will focus on the major cities of Jesus Christ’s life here on this earth, Nazareth, Capernaum, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.  Each sermon asks a singular question, what did Jesus do in that city, and answers with a letter, addressed, if you will, from the future, warning each city to pay attention to its Lord and Messiah and guiding them to His truth.  As we listen and hear the words to the past, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word. 

     This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 24, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Micah 5:1-15. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this evening comes to us from the Prophet Micah, the fifth chapter:

Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. 

Thus far the text.

Dearest Bethlehem,

     You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you?  When the Assyrians were coming up against Israel and her holy city, Jerusalem, you were waiting.  You were waiting to fight, weren’t you?  You were waiting to go into battle.  You were waiting to do miraculous and heroic acts.  

     But, O Bethlehem, that’s like the 5-year old who puts a pot on his head, holds a spoon in his hand, and heads toward the door with his decorated brother who’s going back to Iraq.  It’s a ridiculous sight to see.  It’s cute, even.  

     But, O Bethlehem, you didn’t want to be cute did you?  You wanted to fight.  You wanted to defend.  You wanted to do marvelous things for the Lord’s name.  When you saw Israel being attacked, you wanted not to turn the other cheek but to strike them back on theirs.

     But you were too small.  You were too little.  In fact, compared to the rest of the tribe of Judah, that glorious tribe of Israelites, fearsome, awesome, dedicated, the men and women about whom all the best Biblical stories are told, you were just a runt.  There were no great stories out of you.  The best you had was that the great King David had come from your city.  But even he didn’t have much to do with you afterwards, he reigned from his palace in Jerusalem.  And he left you behind.

     But God had not forgotten you, O Bethlehem.  In fact, He gave you your name in order to foreshadow what He would do in you and through you.  Your name, which you know, means “House of Bread.”  You had no idea why you were named such a thing, did you?  Perhaps you thought your name should be BayitDavid, House of David, or Bayitzaeer, Little House.  But God had something much bigger in mind.

     You could not fight, O Bethlehem, you would lose all your people.  So the Lord decided that just as David had come from your city, so too would you have the singular distinction of bringing forth the ruler over all of Israel, even the world, that He had promised to Eve back in Genesis 3, that from the seed of woman, the Messiah would come.  

     And this Messiah, He would be of the ancient of days.  What does this mean, but that the Messiah is God Himself?  So, out of Bethlehem, out of a bunch of people, one who would be God would come.  Perhaps this sounds like blasphemy, O Bethlehem, but this is the point: that the One who would come to rule over the world does things in ways you could never imagine.

     For in you, O Bethlehem, the Lord God would send His Son, Jesus the Christ, to be born in your town, in a manger.  A little child, laying in the feed trough of animals.  A human boy, set in a place where things eat.  Setting up a foreshadowing of what you would do one day, O Bethlehem and all who hear this letter.

     For you are no better than the animals.  In your sin, you have made yourself as low to the ground as the serpent in the garden.  Make no mistake, you are dirtier, dingier, and more sinful than you could ever imagine.  House of Bread?  House of moldy bread perhaps.  House of worm-filled, dung-splattered bread.  That’s what you are.  That’s what you all look like in God’s eyes.  

     But, you, O Bethlehem, YOU are not the bread that is to be eaten.  Rather, that bread is this little baby.  You are as the animals, looking for food, going to the manger, and only finding the body of a boy.  But instead of turning away in disgust, as most people would, the baby invites you to eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, for in them are true life, true salvation, true repentance, true faith.  If you do not eat and drink of His true body and blood, He will say you will have no part in Him.

     For His flesh is true bread.  HE is the bread of the House of Bread.  He is the one who was born in your town for the forgiveness of the entire world’s sins.  He is the one who will grow up and die for you.  This little baby, born tonight, in the City of David, is Christ the Lord.  But the Christ, the Messiah, this Jesus, He is so different than what you expected.

     How could you expect that this Jesus would grow up to die on a cross, O Bethlehem?  How could you expect that this Jesus was the Son of God, and not just the Son of Mary?  How could you expect that this Jesus, this one with human flesh, human soul, human emotions, human in every way except for sin, is God Himself?  How could you expect any of this?

     That’s the point, O Bethlehem.  Despite your smallness of size, despite your grievous sins before the Lord of All Creation, God will use you to bring forth His Son in order to save you.  He shall be the shepherd of His flocks, not flocks of animals, but flocks of sheep-like people, people who need to be lead, need to be reminded that they cannot do anything unless their Master tells them to.  And this Master Shepherd, He shall lead you beside the still waters, make you lie down in green pastures, restore your soul for His name’s sake, but He will also lead you into the valley of the shadow of death.

     But, O Bethlehem, do not fear.  For just as the night grows dim, a new dawn shall break.  For you who dwell in the darkness of sin and the shadow of death, you shall rejoice, for indeed, you have seen a great light and the new light of a new dawn has come upon you.  Jesus Christ is that light.  For indeed, in Him, O Bethlehem, is all hope to be found.

     When you enter the doors of your churches, you must indeed abandon all hope.  When you enter them, there is nothing for you based of your own doing.  Bethlehem, and all who hear this, you cannot save yourself.  You will not go to be with the Lord if only you are a good person.  You are lower than the angels, you are lower than the snake, you are lower even than the devil himself.  For you are sinners, each and every one of you.  You have no hope of being saved.

     Except that this Jesus the Christ came to be born for you.  He lived for you, died for you, and was resurrected for you.  When your trust is in Him, when your faith is in Him, when the Holy Spirit has worked these things in you, then, and only then, do you know that you are saved.  But when you do not have these things, when you turn away from the Christ as so many will come to do, then you are trusting in yourself.  And that is a perilous place to be.

     But that’s why Jesus came, because you had no hope.  He is your hope and your salvation.  The way of this Shepherd will guard you into all truth and righteousness.  And just as He has come into this world as a baby, we now know that He has borne all our griefs and carried our sorrows.  He has taken all things from us onto Himself so that He would redeem them, starting in His manger and leading to His cross.

     This Lord, O Bethlehem, is a man of wood.  Born in a wooden manger, working with His own two hands in carpentry, and having those two hands nailed to a cross.  He is born into this world to be crucified by its devices and ingenuities.  But He also uses creation, He uses the things of this world in order, not only to effect salvation, but also to bring it to you by His means of grace.

     The cross, the manger, would mean nothing, except if it had a way to get to you, a vehicle.  And so, this Jesus, born this night, O Bethlehem, would grow and institute His baptism, where by the water and the Word of God, you would be saved. “[And this is] not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

     And He would sit down with His disciples one Sabbath evening and, “…the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

     By these means, O Bethlehem, the Lord will bring to you His cross.  And by these means, O Bethlehem, the Lord will shepherd you.  And by these means, O Bethlehem, the Lord shall show His strength and declare His majesty.  For the Lord choses to do things in ways you can’t imagine.  Choosing you, O Little Town of Bethlehem, does not make sense.  Using bread and wine does not make sense.  Eating and drinking this baby’s true body and blood does not make sense.  Washing you clean of all your sin with water and the Word does not make sense.

     But, who said the Lord ever had to make sense to you, O Bethlehem?  Who made you in charge of deciding what would and would not be?  No one.  The Lord has declared to you these ways.  And though you may have missed all that the Lord was doing in your midst, O Bethlehem, there is still time, for there is still hope in this very Lord, Jesus the Christ, that tiny baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.  In Him, all the hope of the world is found, and it is in no other place.  Turn to Him and trust Him for the forgiveness of your sins, O Bethlehem, for He, and He alone, is your peace.  In Jesus’ name, we write you in love and concern.  Amen.

     Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord!  Amen.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 16

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 22, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Matthew 1:18-25, December 22, 2013

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 22, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 1;18-25. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon: Matthew 1:18-25, December 22, 2013

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Matthew’s Gospel, the first chapter:

...When [Jesus'] mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins..."

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     So now, our text takes us into the celebration of Christmas.  For indeed, this week is one of great joy and hope.  But, as always, you cannot get to Christmas unless you first go through the rest of the story.

And so we see Joseph, the one who would adopt Jesus as his son.  The one who would train this Jesus up in His life.  The one who would begin to teach this little baby, this little boy, all the things of God from the Scriptures.  The one who would apprentice Jesus in the way of carpentry.  The one who would be as a father to this Jesus.

     But Joseph isn’t there yet.  Joseph is an honorable man, he is a man who wants to do the right thing.  But, he’s also a scared man.  He’s afraid of what would happen to Mary, even what would happen to him, should Mary be found to have conceived a son before they were to come together as man and wife.  And so Joseph desires to leave her, and this little boy, behind.

     It’s an understandable thing, actually.  See, if Joseph were to stay betrothed to Mary, he would probably face some type of pressure, according to the Law of Moses, to have Mary stoned to death for sleeping with another man outside of their marriage.  But, if he left Mary, in essence divorcing her before the marriage even began, then Mary would at least have some honor left to her.  She could be seen as a prostitute, one who could be forgiven.  Perhaps another man, at some point, would come along, but more than likely, she would be taken care of by her family, until her son, the one that she would bear, would be able to support her for the rest of her life.

Growing in Christ Bible Study - Luke 2:1-20

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 19, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 2:1-20. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Advent Sermon: Dear Cities: Jerusalem, Matthew 16:13-23, December 18, 2013

     This sermon series will focus on the major cities of Jesus Christ’s life here on this earth, Nazareth, Capernaum, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.  Each sermon asks a singular question, what did Jesus do in that city, and answers with a letter, addressed, if you will, from the future, warning each city to pay attention to its Lord and Messiah and guiding them to His truth.  As we listen and hear the words to the past, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

     This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 18, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Matthew 16:13-23. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

The text this evening comes to us from Matthew’s Gospel, the 16^th chapter:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”…From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Thus far the text.

Dearest Jerusalem,

     You had no idea what would happen, did you, when Jesus rode into your city limits that last time on Palm Sunday.  You had no idea that Jesus had set His face towards you, that He had resolved to enter your city one last time.  Jesus had, of course, been here many times during His life.  He came yearly to make His sacrifices for the atoning of sins.  And that made it that much harder to see Jesus for who He is, didn’t it?

     You see, you know, O Jerusalem, that one who makes atonement for sins must then have sins which need be atoned for.  You know that only a guilty one would need to become innocent, for indeed that is what the Law of Moses, the Law of God, says.  But, you missed it with Jesus didn’t you?

     Jesus wasn’t coming to the Temple each year to make atonement for His sins, for indeed, He was sinless.  Instead, Jesus came to the Temple in order to fulfill the Law.  He completed all the Law for you, so that you no longer needed to obey it in order to win for yourself the salvation unto eternal life.  Jesus did these things for you.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 14 & 15

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 15, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Isaiah 35:1-10, December 15, 2013

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 15, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Isaiah 35:1-10. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon: Isaiah 35:1-10, December 15, 2013

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from the prophet Isaiah, the 35^th chapter:

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing… Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water… And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     In the text this morning, we see contrasted two ideas: the way of the world and Satan and the way of God and His righteousness.  The wilderness, dry land, desert, weak hands, feeble knees, anxious hearts, blind eyes, deaf ears, lame men, mute tongue, burning sand, jackals, and the unclean, these all belong to Satan and his work.  But, the fertile ground, the springs of water, the strong hands, firm knees, the unfearing heart, eyes that see, ears that hear, legs that walk, tongues that sing, sandy pools of water, reeds and rushes, and the righteous, these are the things of God.

     And these two ideas, these contrasts in the passage from Isaiah could not make it more clear.  The ways of Satan and the world shall pass away.  All danger shall one day cease.  Safety shall be had by all.  People shall stream to Zion with songs on their lips, gladness and joy shall be theirs, joy shall be everlasting, and there shall be no laborious tasks to undertake.  They way of the Lord will be established and only the righteous, whether they be fools or not, shall walk upon the path of righteousness.

Growing in Christ Bible Study - Luke 1:57-80

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 12, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 1:57-80. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Advent Sermon: Dear Cities: Capernaum, Matthew 4:12-17, December 11, 2013

     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

     The text this evening comes to us from Matthew’s Gospel, the 4^th chapter:

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

Thus far the text.

Dearest Capernaum,

     The Lord chose you.  The Lord Jesus picked you out of all the cities He could live in, and He lived in your city limits.  Of course, had you known the Scriptures, this may not have been a surprise to you.  But it is easy to forget the Scriptures, isn’t it, when you are so busy with your daily trades in fishing and building.

     I know, O Capernaum, you don’t have much time for this Scripture thing.  But if you had, you would know that the Messiah would be in your midst one day.  You would be looking for Him.  For indeed, ever since the time of Joshua, when he led you into the promised land, and when he divvied up the land among the twelve tribes of Israel, a plan was set in place.  This plan would be that in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, a land which once belonged to Gentiles, a light would dawn.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 12 & 13

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 8, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Romans 15:4-13, December 8, 2013

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 8, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Romans 15:4-13. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for December 8, 2013: Romans 15:4-13

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the fifteenth chapter:

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     To understand today’s text, we must understand that to the Hebrew world, the Gentiles had been declared unclean.  The Hebrews understood this, just as we do, that each of us has been born sinful and unclean and that we are separated from God starting at our very conceptions.  Even the Hebrews had to be made clean.  And so they were, using the means that God set down for them through the prophet Moses and by the faith granted to them by God.  But the Gentiles, they rejected God’s means of cleanliness and they rebelled against the Lord and Creator of the universe.

     So, God chose the Hebrews, the Jews, to be His Chosen People, the people that would hear His laws, bear up under His covenants, and wait for the fulfillment of His promises.  Note in this that the Hebrews were also supposed to obey the laws and covenants, and yet, they never did.  Still, the Lord showed them mercy, He welcomed them into His people, not because of their righteousness, but because of His righteousness, for His glory and His purposes.  Why?  Because they sought after the Lord, they turned from their wickedness and received repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

     You see, the Gentiles were different than the Jews.  To Israel, the Lord showed mercy and steadfast love, that means that He withheld the wrath He was to show to the Hebrews for their constant transgressions.  But, to the Gentiles, to those outside of the Hebrew nation, outside of the people of Israel, God withheld His wrath only so that He would show His mercy to Israel.

Growing in Christ Bible Study - Luke 1:26-56

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 5, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 1:26-56. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Advent Sermon: Dear Cities: Nazareth, Matthew 13:53-58, December 4, 2103

     This sermon series will focus on the major cities of Jesus Christ’s life here on this earth, Nazareth, Capernaum, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.  Each sermon asks a singular question, what did Jesus do in that city, and answers with a letter, addressed, if you will, from the future, warning each city to pay attention to its Lord and Messiah and guiding them to His truth.  As we listen and hear the words to the past, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.

This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 4, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Matthew 13:53-58. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this evening comes to us from Matthew’s Gospel, the 13^th chapter:

And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. 

Thus far the text.

Dearest Nazareth,

     Oh, dear city.  If you only knew what it was that would happen in you.  If only you had known that you would be the home of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, for most of His life.  Perhaps then, you would have left Him some honor.

     Nazareth, I know what it’s like to have a hometown.  When I go to my home, it is strange indeed.  There are all the memories I had as a child, growing up in my church, growing up among all those people.  To them, I’m never Pastor Lewis.  I’m just Lewis.  Lewis, the kid who has a picture on the wall of the church of when he was 12 and was wrestling with other kids in youth group.  Lewis, the kid who grew up in their midst.  This is who I am.

     Oh, Nazareth, you must have seen Jesus in the same light.  This Jesus who grew up with his family.  Jesus, who ran around with His brothers and sisters.  Jesus, who disappeared from His family when they went to visit the Temple in Jerusalem.  Jesus, who would grow in your midst, but in the meantime, you resorted to your sinful nature.  You saw Him as just another boy.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 13

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 1, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Matthew 21:1-11, December 1, 2013

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 1, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 21:1-11. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for December 1, 2013: Matthew 21:1-11

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Matthew’s Gospel, the 21^st chapter:

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden…’” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     A strange text to have the first week of Advent, wouldn’t you think?  Here we have the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem by the Christ, the time where He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, the sign of a conquering king coming back to His city, in order that Jesus might live out His final days before the crucifixion.  

     But, what is the point here?  Well, the point is really what Advent is truly about.  Advent is a time of waiting.  Yes, we are looking forward to the day of Christmas, that mass of Christ, the Eucharist of Christ, the Lord’s Supper of Christ, where that Christmas morning we shall gather here before this altar and take and eat, and take and drink, the incarnate flesh and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

     This Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified, broken, and bled out for us, is the one who came into this world and took on human flesh in His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary.  He was conceived in her, traveled down her fallopian tubes, and implanted in her womb, only to grow and be born nine months later.  We look forward to celebrating this on that day.  But it’s not here yet. 

Sermon: Luke 17:11-19, Thanksgiving Eve, November 27, 2013

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 27, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 17:11-19. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Luke 17:11-19, Thanksgiving Eve, November 27, 2013

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this Thanksgiving Eve is from Luke’s Gospel, the 17^th chapter:

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     This Thanksgiving, we are likely to give thanks for many things.  We have been so overly and abundantly blessed with so many things by God, our Creator. He has given us our body and soul.  He has given us eyes, ears, and all our members.  He has given us our reason and all our senses, and still takes care of them.  He also gives us clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all we have. He richly and daily provides us with all that we need to support this body and life.  He also defends us against all danger and guards and protects us from all evil.  All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in us.  For all this it is our duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.  This is most certainly true.

     And it is true.  Think of all the wonderful blessings you have in life, and thank God for them, for indeed it is He who daily and richly provides you with that which you need.  Be thankful; it’s the right thing to do.

     In today’s Gospel text, we see 10 lepers who were very thankful.  This is often missed in the telling of this tale.  All 10 lepers were thankful indeed.  But we tend to focus on this last leper, the leper that returned.  We call him thankful, we call the others ungrateful.  We call him righteous, and the others unrighteous.

Growing in Christ Bible Study - Luke 1:5-25

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 28, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 1:5-25. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for November 24, 2013: Colossians 1:13-20

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 24, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Colossians 1:13-20. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for November 24, 2013: Colossians 1:13-20

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the first chapter:

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     Today being the Last Sunday of the Church Year, we are beginning to turn our attention fully on the end of all things.  The Gospel readings have been warning us more and more of the violence and death that is to come in this world.  All prophetic words uttered by Jesus have come true.  On the day that Jesus died, the earth quaked, mountains trembled, seas roared, there were wars, rumors of wars, the moon blotted out the sun, the dead rose up from their graves.  The end is coming, my friends, and we would do well to mark it.

     That is why we have this day, why we celebrate it here in this congregation.  We are marking the end of time.  It is coming to a close.  And what will be the ultimate sign that the end is nigh?  Of course, it is Christ coming back for the final time, that day when all will see Him descending from the heavens and every tongue confess that he is Lord of all.  He is coming back on a singular day in history.  This is the last day of time as we know it.  It will be a great and terrible day.  For those who believe in Christ, Christ will welcome them into their great and eternal rest.  For those who have rejected Christ, rejected His saving work for them, Christ must send them into the terrible pit of hell itself, prepared for the devil and his angels, but now also occupied by humanity.

     This is a great and terrible day that we await, the Day of the Lord.  But, we must await it.  Next week begins Advent.  Though we celebrate the end of time today, and rejoice in the Lord and His will, we must await that time when all things are fulfilled in Him, when all things become as He desires them, perfect, sinless, and without blemish.

Growing in Christ Bible Study - Esther

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 21, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Esther. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Bible Study: Colossians 1:13-20, November 20, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 20, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Colossians 1:13-20. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 10 & 11

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 17, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for November 17, 2013: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 17, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for November 17, 2013: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, the third chapter:

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     This being a Sunday focused on our stewardship and monetary pledges, those treasures that we bring back Christ and His Church, for indeed, they all belong to Him, you might expect that our sermon would be all about stewardship.  A money sermon.  And, I mean, it is right that you give to Christ, in joyful thanksgiving for all that He’s given to you, not only in your lives, but here in this Church with His Word and Sacrament.  The Israelites were commanded to set apart 10 percent of their income for the benefit of the priests, the Levites, who had no land, no crops, no way to sustain themselves.  This was the tithe.  The tithe, the word for this practice, was there to support the priests, those who brought to God’s people His Word and performed the sacrifices and prayers for them.

     If the Israelites, who had not yet seen all that God would do in His Son, Jesus Christ, gave that 10 percent, shouldn’t we want to give even more for all that has been for us in Jesus Christ?  In fact, we should.  We should.  But we don’t.  None of us do.  None of us are able to follow in the commands of Christ.  None of us can fulfill anything of Christ.  None of us can stop sinning.  None of us can do anything to even begin to obey what is expected of us.  

     Yet, in today’s text, Paul says that he commands the Thessalonians to follow his rules.  It is good that he command this.  You see, we can’t do it, but that’s not the point.  The point is that we realize how short we fall when we cannot keep the commands the Scriptures place on us.  The point is, that when we fall short, when we sin, when we realize our utter depravity and inability, we should look to Christ, who keep all commands, all Law, perfectly for us.  

Growing in Christ Bible Study - Daniel 3

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 14, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Daniel 6. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for the Funeral of Helen Martha Eckardt, November 14, 2013

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for this morning’s sermon comes to us from our first reading, from the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 7:

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Thus far the text.

MaryLou, Loren, Lorraine, Bethany, Scott, Stacy, Charlotte, Emily, Matthew, Lori, Gail, and my dear friends in Christ,

     Helen made me laugh.  Mostly because of her bluntness, perhaps because of the extreme German side to her.  Of course this is no surprise.  On my last visit to her, she told me, “Pastor, I listen to your radio service and I like it.  But you speak too fast for me to keep up.  But that doesn’t matter.  Now, give me communion.”  She was blunt, she was quick, she was lovely, and she is redeemed by Christ.  You see, she knew the important thing.  She knew what I was there to do.  She knew that I was going to give her Jesus.

     This is the whole reason we are gathered here today.  We are not gathered to cover over Helen’s sins.  She was a sinner.  We are not gathered to make up stories about how good or gracious she was.  She was a sinner.  We are here because we celebrate what God did to the life of this redeemed child of God.  She was and is also a saint in Christ and no longer a sinner.

Bible Study: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, November 13, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 13, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 8 & 9

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 10, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for November 10, 2013: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 10, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for November 10, 2013: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 2:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed… For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God…But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     As we keep getting nearer and nearer to the end of the Church year, the focus of our Scriptures keeps pointing us closer and closer to the end of all things, that time when our Lord Jesus Christ will return, resurrect us, and recreate this world for all of God’s chosen people.  It is right that we continue to look to this latter day, for indeed, each day that we live is drawing closer and closer to that day.

     But, concerning that day, Jesus says that no man, not even He, the Son of Man, knows that date or that hour.  We don’t know when Jesus is coming back.  We expect it, and we expect it soon.  Just as we have been expecting it soon for the last 2000 years.  He could come back in the next 5 minutes, 5 days, or 5 million years.  Jesus will come back, but we do not know when.  The Apostles had assumed it would be before they all died.  But, instead, they all, except for John, were horrifically martyred for their faith.  The Church Fathers all thought it would be before Rome fell, but instead they were fed into the mouths of hungry lions and burned at the stake.  Some in the middle ages assumed it would be soon since Luther had finally brought the Gospel back to the world, but instead, they lived in a fractured Church, which, more and more, began to preach the same quote-unquote gospel that the Roman Catholics were preaching, which is not a Gospel at all but the Law.

Growing in Christ Bible Study - Daniel 3

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 8, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Daniel 3. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Bible Study on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 13-17, November 6, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 6, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 13-17. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for November 3, 2013: Revelation 7:9-17

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 3, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Revelation 7:9-17. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 6 & 7

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 3, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for October 20, 2013: Revelation 7:9-17

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from the Revelation of John, the 7^th chapter:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” …

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Thus far the text.

Dear saints in Christ,

     Today being All Saints’ Day, our tendency is to make the focus here on the saints that John sees in his Revelation, these saints that come from every corner and nook of God's creation.  And maybe that's right.  But, this marvelous revelation, when John is given this grand vision of the Church from the beginning of time until the end, focuses us in past the saints and onto the workings of Christ throughout the Church and His world.  While Christ is not the main actor in today's reading, He is the actor around which everything happens.  The Lamb who was slain, the rider of the white horse with a two-edged sword coming from His mouth, the one who is worthy to open the seals, the defeater of the demons and the devil, the one who chases the great dragon down to kill it. 

     Christ is the focus of John’s Revelation.  Of course the saints are there, those who have gone before us into the Church Triumphant, and us now in the Church Militant.  We, too, belong in this Revelation.  We, right now, are those who are numbered in the people of Israel.  We are the Church on earth.  

A Pastoral Approach: Growing in Christ Bible Study - 2 Kings 18-19

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on November 1, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Jonah. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study on Revelation 7:9-17, October 30, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 30, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Revelation 7:9-17 This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 3, 4, & 5

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 27, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for Reformation Day, October 27, 2013: Matthew 11:12-19

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 27, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 11:12-19. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for Reformation Day, October 27, 2013: Matthew 11:12-19

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from the Gospel of Matthew, the 11th chapter:

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     Today is, of course, the day that we celebrate the Reformation.  No, let me start again, one does not simply celebrate the Reformation itself, but we celebrate what it is that the Reformation returned to us, namely the free gift of the eternal Gospel in repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

     You see, by the 16th century, the Church was tolerating awful doctrines in their midst that make us focus on ourselves and the work that we do.  Horrendous.  It was teaching that we had to be good people in order to get to heaven.  Ridiculous.  It was teaching that we had to do good works to get to heaven.  Horrible.  It was teaching that we would be judged by our works, and we better measure up or else we won’t go to heaven right away.  Wretched.  This is not what the Church, the true Church, the orthodox and catholic church, our Church, has EVER taught.  We teach grace.  We teach freedom in Christ.

     So, in reality, you do not have to be a good person to go to heaven.  Jesus is the good person for you.  In reality, you do not have to do good works to get to heaven.  Jesus did the good works for you.  In reality, you do not have to be judged by your works, which is good because you would NEVER measure up to perfection.  In reality, Jesus tells you to be judged by HIS works, because He WAS and IS perfect.

A Pastoral Approach: Growing in Christ Bible Study - Jonah

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 24, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Jonah. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study on Matthew 11:12-19, October 23, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 23, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 11:12-19. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 1 & 2

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 20, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for October 20, 2013, Luke 18:1-8

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 20, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 18:1-8. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for October 20, 2013: Luke 18:1-8

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Luke’s Gospel, the 18^th chapter:

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ...[and then He said] will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     The widow keeps on coming to the judge, Jesus says.  She gets him to the point where she almost wears him down, that point where your fingernail is almost chewed down to the nail bed.  It hurts, but not as much as it’s going to when your teeth come back to rip that last little bit off.  The nail comes off, a little blood at the end, and agonizing pain follows.  Almost as bad as when you run your little toe into the table.  You have a few choice words.  But the pain remains.  

     And so the judge decides to relent, for giving her what she wants is much easier than giving her more time to rip his nails off.  Giving in to the widow will be better than living with the agonizing pain of encountering her day after day after day.  Giving in to this widow is going to be ever much less painful than withstanding yet another nagging woman in his life.  

     You see this judge was unrighteous.  And though he may not have realized it, he was doing to the widow what the widow’s adversaries were doing to her.  He was making it so that he was the bad guy.  He was now her adversary.  The one whom God had set in a position of power and authority and justice was doing injustice.  He loved himself, but he had no love for God, and even much less love for his neighbor.  He cared not for the plight of those whom he could help.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study on Luke 18:1-8, October 16, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 16, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 18:1-8. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Growing in Christ Bible Study - 2 Kings 5:1-14

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 15, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 2 Kings 5:1-14. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study: The Book of Concord, The Athanasian Creed

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 13, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for October 13, 2013, Luke 24:44-53

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 13, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 17:1-10. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for October 13, 2013, Luke 24:44-53

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Luke’s Gospel the 24^th chapter:

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things...Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them...  

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     You are my witnesses, Jesus says.  Well, perhaps the text is more that you ARE witnesses.  But we are witnesses to all that Jesus has said and done and will ever do.  And we are only witnesses because Jesus is the faithful witness, the one who reveals to us the Father, witnessing to His compassion and love, but also His wrath and justice.  

     For this is what Jesus does.  Jesus witnesses to the Father, and the Spirit witnesses to the Son, and being called through the Spirit, we are witnesses of the Holy Trinity.  We not only observe what it is that our God has given us to know about Him, but we also go and witness about Him.

     For this is what we find in the text, we find a pattern, a rhythm, if you will, that the early Church themselves found.  In the appearing of Christ in their midst, which is at the beginning of this passage of Luke, they realized that there was something Christ was showing them.  He appeared, He taught them, they had a meal together, then Christ went out into the world.  

A Pastoral Approach: Growing in Christ Bible Study - 2 Kings 2:1-15

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 10, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 2 Kings 2:1-15. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study on Luke 24:44-53, October 9, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 9, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 24:44-53. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon for October 6, 2013, Luke 17:1-10

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 6, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 17:1-10. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for October 6, 2013, Luke 17:1-10

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Luke’s Gospel, the 17^th chapter:

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     You know what the problem is?  The problem is that we look at the mustard seed and we say, “My goodness, I must have faith SMALLER than a mustard seed.  I haven’t moved any trees lately.  I haven’t done anything great.  I guess I really don’t believe all that much in Jesus if I can’t do incredible things.”  But that’s not what Jesus is talking about.  Because we rip these few words out of context, we start to focus so hard on the ability to do incredible things with our faith, that we miss what Jesus is ACTUALLY talking about.

     When the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith, does anyone notice what Jesus does?  He doesn’t say, okay.  He doesn’t do it.  He doesn’t actually answer them in any way that they were expecting.  Instead of increasing their faith, it becomes clear from this passage that Jesus is saying they already have everything they need.  In fact, Jesus is saying that THEY’VE MISSED THE POINT of everything He’s been saying.  And so, too, have we.

A Pastoral Approach: Growing in Christ Bible Study - 1 Kings 18

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 3, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 1 Kings 18. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Bible Study on Luke 17:1-10, October 2, 2013

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 2, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 17:1-10. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Bible Study: The Book of Concord, The Apostles and Nicene Creeds

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 29, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Sermon for September 29, 2013: Luke 16:19-31

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 29, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 16:19-31. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for September 29, 2013: Luke 16:19-31

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Luke’s Gospel, the 16th chapter:

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.’”

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     I have to tell you here and now that being rich won’t send you to hell.  Being rich also won’t send you to heaven.  Being poor won’t send you to heaven.  And being poor won’t send you to hell.  How much wealth you have doesn’t determine anything about your eternal life.  Not one bit.  Not at all.

     Instead, knowing who it is that has provided for you all the benefits and blessings you have and trusting Him, THAT determines your eternal life.  You see, the rich man in Jesus’ story in today’s Gospel reading didn’t have any understanding that God had provided to him the riches he so enjoyed.  He wore the royal color purple, he wore fine linen, he ate the best food much and often.  But, he thought he earned it.  He thought his works brought him all the good.  He was wrong.  He received the good things from the hand of God but never gave thanks back to his Creator, the one who brought these things forth out of nothing but His own Word.  And did you catch that word in there?  Received.  The rich man received all the things.  He passively received them, they were brought into his life; he did not reject them.  He did not turn them away, but received them.  They were offered as a gift, and he accepted.  And he didn’t care about God, he didn’t trust in the God who saves him.

     Lazarus in the story here, Lazarus, whose name means “God is my help,” Lazarus is different.  Lazarus received things from God, too.  Just as the rich man received the wealth he had from the hand of God, so, too, did Lazarus receive the skin affliction he was given by God.

Podcast Bible Study: Growing in Christ: 1 Kings 17

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 26, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 1 Kings 17. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Bible Study: Luke 16:19-31

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 25, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 16:19-31. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Sermon for September 22, 2013: Luke 16:1-15

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 22, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 16:1-15. The text of this sermon may be found at the following web address: http://apastoralapproach.blogspot.com/2013/09/sermon-for-september-22-2013-luke-161-15.html. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Preface

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 22, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for September 22, 2013: Luke 16:1-15

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning comes to us from Luke's Gospel, the 16th chapter:

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     Sometimes, I sit in my study alone, and I look through the texts of the week and I say, “What in the world is going on here?  Why is Luke such a downer?”  I mean, it seems to me that we’ve had about 6 weeks of difficult teaching.  And then, this week, we’ve got 4 verses of Amos about God’s judgment, we’ve got Paul telling Timothy that a woman should learn in quietness, and then we’ve got this Gospel where we think we hear Jesus telling us to be dishonest in order to win friends and influence people.  Any text I chose to preach this week felt like it basically went in a loss category for me, kinda like playing Eli Manning in Week 2 of Fantasy Football.

     Anyway, these are some hard texts, and I couldn’t really get away from any of them.  It’s not like I can just come along and insert my own hobbyhorse into the readings.  When the lectionary committee got together, they put these readings together for a reason, and that reason wasn’t likely to make the pastor’s job more difficult, though sometimes it does.  The reason is that they’re all about stewardship and they’re all about mercy.

Podcast Bible Study: Growing in Christ: 1 Kings 5-6

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 19, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 1 Kings 5-6. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Bible Study on Luke 16:1-15

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 18, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 16:1-15. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Bible Study: Growing in Christ: 1 Kings 3

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 12, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 1 Kings 3. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Bible Study on Isaiah 61:1-62:7

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 11, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Isaiah 61:1-62:7. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the readings and sermon preached the following Sunday.

The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Sermon for September 8, 2013: Philemon 1-21

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 8, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Philemon 1-21. The text of this sermon may be found at the following web address: http://apastoralapproach.blogspot.com/2013/09/sermon-for-september-8-2013-philemon-1.html. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon for September 8, 2013: Philemon 1-21

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text this morning is from Paul’s Epistle to Philemon:

So if you consider me your partner, receive [Onesimus] as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     Admittedly, the sermon text this morning is a little strange for our modern ears.  We don’t know much of slavery, and that which we do know is really centered around the atrocious behavior of certain Christians and non-Christians in America’s history, where, on the basis of race and white supremacy, they enslaved those who were differently colored and forced them into abusive and destructive service.  It was wrong, it wasn’t Christian love at all, it spoke nothing of the vocation that each of us have to our neighbor, to love and to care for and protect them.  

     But, the slavery in the passage from today, the slavery of the ancient world, cannot be judged by our modern view and judgment of slavery.  It was very different.  It was a slavery, not based on race, but based on contractual agreements.  The slave owner was just as responsible for his actions as the slaves were responsible for theirs.  Slaves were more like family members who didn’t have the choice of running away, unlike some bad-tempered 6-year olds in some of our families.  I’m not saying slavery back then was necessarily right, it just was very different.  

Podcast Bible Study on Philemon 1-21

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 4, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Philemon 1-21. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Podcast Sermon for September 1, 2013: Luke 14:1-14

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on September 1, 2013 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 14:1-14. The text of this sermon may be found at the following web address: http://apastoralapproach.blogspot.com/2013/09/sermon-for-september-1-2013-luke-141-14.html. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.