Thursday, November 28, 2013

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 17th 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.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

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.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

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.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

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.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

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.  

Thursday, November 14, 2013

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.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

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.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

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.

Friday, November 8, 2013

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.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

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.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

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 7th 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.  

Friday, November 1, 2013

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.