Sermon for the Funeral of +Eileen Marie Nies+, May 29, 2014

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

The text this day is from Job, the nineteenth chapter:

Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! Why do you, like God, pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? “Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! 

Thus far the text.

Dear Elmer, Sheila, Ronda, Brandon, Christopher, other family, and all dear friends in Christ,

     Sometimes, things don’t seem to make much sense.  Sometimes, it seems that God hates us.  Sometimes, it seems that nothing in the world is going right and because of that, nothing will ever go right and we’re just going to have the worst lives possible in front of us.

     That’s what was happening to Job in the book that bears his name.  And maybe that’s what’s happening to you today.  You may feel that God doesn’t love you.  You may feel that Christ hates you.  You may feel complete rage that God took Eileen away from this world last week.  Or maybe you’re just questioning God.  Maybe you’re questioning why He would do what He did.  Maybe you’re asking why He would take Eileen away from us before we were ready.

Bible Study: 1 Peter 4:12-19, 5:6-11, May 28, 2014

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 28, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Acts 6:1-9, 7:51-60. 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 28

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 25, 2014 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: 1 Peter 3:13-22, May 25, 2014, Confirmation Day

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 25, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Acts 2:42-47. 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: 1 Peter 3:13-22, May 25, 2014, Confirmation Day

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 First Epistle of Peter, the third chapter:

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. 

Thus far the text.

Dear Mackenzie and Kennedy, our Confirmands, and my friends in Christ,

     Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!  

     Today is a day of much rejoicing, especially for the families of our two Confirmands.  They have worked hard over the past three years, they have studied the Scriptures, they have studied Luther’s Small Catechism, they have asked many questions, they have given many answers.  This congregation has questioned them and it has been seen that the faith given to them in their baptisms is indeed their own.  They claim it.  And they have a desire to receive today, and every time it is offered, the Lord’s Supper, in which our Jesus comes to them, and to us, in His true body and blood, in, with, and under the bread and the wine.

     Today, they shall receive with their lips this body and blood, and from their lips is drawn the hallelujah which confesses the true Christian faith.  This is a glorious thing and is cause indeed for much rejoicing, not just by their families, but by their Christian family, the Church, for this morning, we have two more with us participating in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, receiving with us and with the whole communion of saints that which Christ promised when He said, “This is my body… this is my blood.”

Sermon for the Funeral of +Victoria Ruth Butler+, May 22, 2014

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

The text that serves as the basis for this sermon this afternoon is from the 122nd Psalm:

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good. 

Thus far the text.

Dear Liz, Ellen, Su, Tim, Marty, Norman, Vicky’s grandkids, great-grandkids, other family and all dear friends in Christ,

     We all know why we are here this day, and of course, it is not for the happiest occasions.  We know, dear friends, that this day God’s own child, Vicky, has left us and we are left here, stuck with our grief, stuck with our sorrow, stuck with the memories of her life here.

     Having just arrived at this congregation last August, Vicky was one of the first people of the congregation I met outside the walls of this church.  Her first words to me were, “I was supposed to be gone by now, and now I have a new pastor.”  Her second were these, “I wish I could’ve come to church to meet you first.”  I can’t say that it was the primary desire of Vicky’s, to walk back in the door of this church (I think her primary concern was to continue to love you, her family and friends), but this desire to be back in the house of the Lord was a big one.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 28

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 18, 2014 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: Acts 6:1-9, 7:2a, 51-60, May 18, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 18, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Acts 2:42-47. 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: Acts 6:1-9, 7:2a, 51-60, May 18, 2014

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 Acts of the Apostles, the 6^th and 7^th chapters:

… some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen…[And he said to them,] “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. …And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!  And don’t you forget it! 

     Philip in today’s Gospel lesson asks Jesus to show the way to the Father.  Normally, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, a hard question, but Jesus seems nearly incredulous as He answers him, “Have I been with you so long, and you do not know me, Philip?  Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”  Now Jesus isn’t speaking some type of heresy here, where you say that Jesus and the Father are the same person, He’s saying they are the same God and they will be in the same place, for Jesus also reminds us that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that soon He shall go and prepare a place for us, a place where we shall be Jesus eternally.

     And that is the reason the Acts passage, and the passage from the Gospel, come to us in this Easter season of the Church.  For this Christ who is risen from the dead has gone to prepare a place for all believers.  He has gone to prepare a place for you.  A place we cannot yet see, but a place in which we hope.  And we do not hope in the way that we say, “I sure hope lunch is good,” or, “I hope to see you soon.”  We hope because that hope is the natural outgrowth of our faith.  This hope is sure, this hope is certain, this hope has an object, and that object is Jesus, for when did Jesus say anything and it was not true?  When did Jesus lie to us?  Never.  And so we have this hope that we shall see Jesus, and we certainly shall.

Bible Study: Acts 6:1-9, 7:51-60, May 14, 2014

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 14, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Acts 6:1-9, 7:51-60. 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 27 & 28

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 11, 2014 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: Acts 2:42-47, May 11, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 11, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Acts 2:42-47. 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: Acts 2:42-47, May 11, 2014

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 Book of Acts, the second chapter:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship of the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!  Following last week’s sermon on this risen and living Jesus Christ being found in the breaking of the bread, comes this wonderful pericope from the Acts of the Apostles where we find the Church doing what the Church has always done, center itself around Word, Sacrament, and Worship.  And no surprise, Jesus, just as He was in Luke 24, the risen Jesus is found in the breaking of the bread here, too.  

     You see, this is what the passage is all about, the breaking of the bread.  This reading comes to us from Acts 2, which is Pentecost day, the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and gave them the ability to speak and be heard in the language of any assembled person.  Then, Peter gives us a wonderful sermon about who Jesus the Christ truly is.  He tells us all about how the Scriptures have prophesied to this Christ, how everything has been leading up to this one, this perfect one, this one who was both Christ and Lord, Messiah and Yahweh, God Himself.  And then Peter tells those assembled, and he tells us, that despite this Jesus being the Christ and God, we killed Him.  

Bible Study: Acts 2:42-47, May 7, 2014

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 7, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Acts 2:42-47. 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 27

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 4, 2014 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: Luke 24:13-35, May 04, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 4, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on John 20:19-31. 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: Luke 24:13-35, May 04, 2014

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 twenty-fourth chapter:

… Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. …And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. …When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. …And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  And that’s what the disciples on the road to Emmaus are saying to the Apostles in today’s reading.  They had met the risen Christ, and they were able to learn from Him and they ate with Him.  They saw Jesus as He was, as He is, now glorified in His resurrection from the dead.  This is the Jesus that is still with us.  This is the Jesus that is still here.  This Jesus, who disappears in the breaking of the bread, this is the Jesus we need and the Jesus we truly want.

     Yet, like the disciples here on the road to Emmaus, perhaps this isn’t the Jesus we think we want, or the Jesus we’re unaware we need.  You see, these disciples, even the Apostles, didn’t get what Jesus was or what He was doing.  The angel, when he came to Mary and Joseph to tell them they would have a son, the angel had in mind the right Jesus, the Jesus who would save His people from their sins.  Simeon had the right Jesus in mind, the same Simeon who had sung over Jesus, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”  Anna had the right Jesus in mind, who when seeing the infant Jesus in the Temple, told everyone about the redemption of Israel.