We Are God's Temple!

The text for our meditation on God’s Holy Word is the epistle lesson appointed for the day. I bring you grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Last week we heard the Good News that we are God’s building—that far from abandoning us or giving up on us when we do not progress in our Christian faith as fast and as far as we should—God continues to patiently build us up just like a construction manager raising a building from the earth one girder at a time.

Today we hear from the apostle Paul just exactly what kind of structure God is building out of our Christian life: that we Christians—collectively and individually—are the temple of God—the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit! That is the glorious building that God is constructing out of our lives! As we meditate on God’s Word, we are going to talk about the foundation for that temple—and how it is built—and what it means that we are the temple of God. Paul writes:

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

The Corinthians demonstrated their immaturity by placing a big emphasis on the individuals who served them as pastors. Paul knew it was only by the grace of God that any of them were permitted to serve God in this way at all. And so there was no pride in Paul when he called himself a skilled, master builder. Who he was came as a gift of God—and the foundation that he laid there in Corinth upon which stood the living, breathing temple of God—had been given to him as a gift by Jesus Christ.

Earlier in our series we heard Paul say that he consciously made a decision to proclaim nothing else than Jesus Christ crucified for the sins of the world. This “word of the cross” was the necessary foundation for everything else that would follow—everything else would be built upon it—and without that foundation—a dwelling place for God could never be built in a Christian’s life. So it still is today!

The irreducible minimum for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Corinthians’ lives was a confident faith and trust in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for the sins of the world—that in him, a way had been made back to God so that now man could dwell with God and God could dwell in the midst of his people’s lives. That foundation laid by Jesus 2,000 years ago still stands and to try and build a life with apart from this foundation is impossible.

Just like with any building—if the foundation is not sound—the structure itself cannot remain standing. That is why Christian pastors are so insistent that the justifying work of Jesus Christ is carefully preached and taught to God’s people—because the foundation must be true if the spiritual temple built upon it is true.

But Paul goes on to say that not only must the foundation be sound—but the living, breathing temple of God that is built upon it in our lives must also be constructed out of those things that are true and beautiful and precious and lasting. He writes:

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Paul had laid the foundation for the temple of God that was being built out of believers’ lives there in Corinth-- he had showed himself to be a skilled, master builder. But he could not stay there forever—other men had already, and would continue to come along, who would be responsible for the spiritual building project in that place and throughout the world as the Church grew.

The men who followed him in Corinth—and the men who serve God’s people today as his pastors--have the same responsibility to choose spiritual bricks and mortar and girders and beams that are best. And then and now, individual Christians have a responsibility to see that the best spiritual materials are chosen because your life is the temple being built.

None of us would intentionally let a contractor choose cheap building materials when it comes to our homes—and most of our houses will not be standing one hundred years from now. How much more do we need to hear and heed these words of Paul that what our living, breathing, eternal temples ought to be built out of-- is the very best—what Paul calls gold, silver, and precious stones!

Now obviously, he was using a word picture for those things that are true and beautiful and good and lasting. Pastors have a responsibility to build on the foundation of Jesus’ blood and righteousness by faithfully using the Word and Sacraments—eternal things--to build up the people of God into a beautiful dwelling place for God.

But the people themselves, you folks sitting here today, also have a responsibility to insist that when it comes to building up your spiritual life, your pastor holds fast to the Word of God and administers the sacraments according to Christ’s institution. You have a responsibility that you make use of the means of grace in this place and take advantage of opportunities to study his Word. And you have a responsibility to avoid those things that can tear down the temple that God is building in your lives.

Paul calls these types of things wood, hay, and straw and they are being used all over Christendom by pastors- and allowed to be used- by their people. Marketing strategies and gimmicks—sermons that could just as easily be delivered at self-improvement and self-empowerment seminars—lies and false gospels nowhere taught in the Bible and yet taught as truth in Christian churches. None of this rubbish is suitable to build up the people of God for it will not endure!

There is coming a Day when what has been used to build living, breathing temples for God will be shown for what it is: that which can endure the purifying fire of God—or--that which will be burned up as chaff on the Last Day.

Those pastors and people who have made use of that which is valuable and good and lasting will receive their reward—gracious gifts of glory. While those who have used what is cheap and temporary will see their life’s work reduced to ashes—though God promises to save even those folks if only the foundation of Jesus Christ remains true. But those who have destroyed that foundation—those who tried to build on something else—will be destroyed. Paul writes:

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

When we understand who we really are, then we will understand everything that Paul is teaching us today. We ARE God’s temple—as individual Christians, as a congregation, as members of the Body of Christ—we ARE God’s temple—the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit—our lives set apart for the living presence of God—each part of it holy to the Lord.

The only way for that to be true-- is to be built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and the only way for us to endure the fire of God’s judgment-- is for each part of our spiritual lives to be built out of spiritual building blocks that God himself gives in Word and Sacrament. God desires that this living, breathing temple would endure forever—it is the entire purpose of his interaction with mankind.

And so for anyone or anything to destroy that living, breathing temple by tearing down the foundation of Jesus that it is built upon —is to engage in outright warfare against the purpose and plans of God himself—and with that rebellion will come destruction. The foundation must remain sound if our lives are to endure the fiery judgment to come. Paul writes:

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men.

The world regards the word of the cross as foolishness and weakness--and yet the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection is really the strength and wisdom of God. We know this and believe this to be true! But none of us are immune from the temptation to set that rock-solid foundation aside.

The devil tempts us to boredom when it comes to hearing about the death and resurrection of Jesus each weak and gives us itching ears that wants to hear something new.

Our own flesh regards the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood as an occasional extra rather than an essential building block of faith that builds us up as a temple to God.

Pastors and congregations and church bodies want to treat the church as a business, and employ the methods of the world to accomplish its mission rather than step out in faith with the values and ways of the Kingdom.

To attempt to build a life with God in this way is futile—in other words it cannot and does not work. Adopting the wisdom of the world, we deceive ourselves into believing that the necessary foundation of Jesus-- and the careful, spiritual building blocks of Word and Sacrament --can be dispensed with.

But Paul calls this so-called wisdom: folly—with the only cure for it a return to the weakness and foolishness of the cross and the man who died there. There in that place and in that man is where we find all that we need for this life and the one to come. Paul writes:

For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

For the Corinthian Christians and for the Kingsville Christians there is no need to pick and choose which pastor to align ourselves or attach ourselves to-- for they are merely servants to bring us to Christ and bestow Christ’s gifts upon us. There is no reason to pick and choose which events and circumstances and persons to regard as blessings from God-- for he causes all things to work for our eternal good—to be a part of that grand temple he is constructing of our lives.

And so blessing and hardship are equally part of God’s master building plan. Joys and sorrows are written into the blueprint of our lives as a necessary part of the dwelling place he is constructing in us. Even death now serves his purposes as the tool God uses to move us from this earthly life to our eternal heavenly life. All things become part of his construction plan for the sake of the One who has chosen to make us his dwelling place and earthly temple.

The Good News for us today is that we are the temple of God. A rock-solid foundation for our life has been laid in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God himself has appointed workmen—his fellow servants to build us up spiritually through Word and Sacrament. And God is carefully working out his perfect plan for our lives so that they would be a shining, glorious example of what it means that God chooses to make his dwelling with men. May God grant this to be true of each of us for Jesus’ sake! Amen.

And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

Rev. Franke's Theme Thoughts

Epiphany 7, Series A February 20, 2011

Lessons for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

Leviticus 19:1–2, 9–18 ~ The holiness of God is to be reflected in the kindness and generosity of His people.
1 Corinthians 3:10–23 ~ We are all temples of God’s Spirit, building a witness to Christ in word and deed.
Matthew 5:38–48 ~ Just as their Father in heaven, His children go the extra mile to return good for evil.

GATHERING THE TEXTS: Holy God; Holy People
It’s a tall order, but St. Paul says it is God’s work in us through Christ Jesus, by the power of the Spirit that has claimed us and made each of us God’s holy temple. By our lives we reflect the steadfast love of our holy God in the way we treat others. As we allow the poor to glean from the generosity of our lives, as in kindness we return good for evil to those who mistreat us, so we witness to the love of God who, in Christ, “does not deal with us according to our sins nor repay us according to our iniquities.”

PRAYER BEFORE THE SERVICE: Loving Lord, You have given me so many ways to show my love to You in the way I treat those around me. Empower me by Your Spirit to tell them of Your love and to demonstrate it in my life. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT: All the material blessings in our lives and all the gifts of God’s grace are at our disposal to demonstrate the steadfast love of our heavenly Father in kind and generous dealings with those we come into contact with each day.

OFFERING PRAYER: Holy God through holy people, dealing with the world’s sad poor,
Use our lives and bless our offerings, opening up Your Kingdom’s door.

CONVICTION AND COMFORT: The Epiphany readings have revealed Jesus’ identity in word and deed. Today they point to God’s people as an epiphany of His grace, but if God’s glory is seen in the building of a great temple, then our lives are too often a mean hovel. The descriptions of kind and generous actions in our lives that should reflect God’s holiness are clear and specific: do not deal falsely; do not lie; do not bear a grudge; turn the other cheek; go the extra mile; be true children of our heavenly Father! With a record like ours, we may well be disinherited, but God has put His Spirit in us and made us His holy temple, built on the foundation of His grace in Christ Jesus! Our lives are transformed to demonstrate His steadfast love.

This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

Even though I preached the Epistle this morning, the Gospel for today (Matthew 5:21-37) is an important text to hear. "You have heard it said,...but I tell you." In every one of these sayings of Jesus, His lesson goes from the outward demands of the Law to the demands of the whole person in the Law. In effect, these sayings of Jesus tell us just what horrible sinners we really are.

Who is it that keeps the Law to this level? Who is it who is able to keep the Law not just outwardly, but with his whole being? It is our Lord Jesus Christ alone! In His perfect obedience, His keeping of the Law goes beyond the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. And, by faith, His perfect obedience becomes ours. And, in the life of faith, our Lord Jesus gives us His example as a guide.

Congratulations to Sarah and Abigail Waddle in the most recent UIL art competition, for high levels of achievement. Well done!

I don't remember if I mentioned this last weekend, but congratulations to Andrew Jones for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout! Well done!

I'm really jazzed about this week's possibilities at the Lutheran Book Club. The first book of study is Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. My desire is not a philosophical discussion, but good Christian interaction over a book recognized for its value. Don't know much about the book? I'm going from what I learned in the preface, to tell the truth. The Lutheran Book Club will meet Tuesdays at the home of Dru and Tammy Blanc at 7 p.m. I don't have my directory in front of me right now, so I'll send out the address tomorrow. Please, if you have the book, read through Book 1 in preparation.

The Church Council meets Monday night at 7 p.m., but I'm told that there might be change to that day and time. More bulletins as they are warranted.

Prayer Concerns:
Walter and Pearly Theiss as they complete their move to the Humble area
Emmett and Emma Wright, Ann Cleveland, Bruce Blake, and all the sick, recovering, and mourning
Those who serve in our armed forces and their families: Rob Vadney (Afghanistan), Richard Rhode (North Carolina), Dru Blanc, John Sorensen, and Ryan Radtke (NAS corpus Christi)
The Church throughout the world as she proclaims Jesus Christ and Him crucified

This Week at Mt. Olive:
Monday, February 14
6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

7 p.m.
Church Council (pending)

Tuesday, February 15
7 p.m.
Lutheran Book Club

Wednesday, February 16
8:30 a.m.
School Chapel

9:30 a.m.
Bible Study

6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

7 p.m.
Choir

Thursday, February 17
6:30 p.m.
Cub Scout Pack 278

God bless!
PKJ

Lord, Help Us Grow Up!

The text for our meditation on God’s Holy Word is the epistle lesson appointed for the day. I bring you grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Why don’t you act your age—not your foot size!” “How immature!” “You’re acting like a baby!” “Oh, for goodness sake, grow up!” Those are the kinds of expressions we hear from kids at school and from our parents—from our friends and families and from our spouses-- when our maturity level is not what it ought to be.

But I don’t know if any of us expect to hear these words from our pastor. And yet, the Corinthians did—and through Paul’s words—we do too. “Grow up!”

You see, not only are we expected to grow up physically and emotionally and intellectually—but God expects us to grow up spiritually—that over the course of our Christian life we would become more mature in our Christian faith—more mature in our Christian outlook—more mature in our Christian life—that we would “grow up.” Paul experienced that in his own life of faith. He said:

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

And God expects the same of us: that we would “grow up” spiritually into the mature sons and daughters that he created us, redeemed us, and sanctified us to be. And so that’s what we’re going to talk about today: what spiritual immaturity is- what undermines our spiritual growth -and how we can “grow up” spiritually. Paul writes:

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready…

When someone tells us to “grow up” it’s difficult to hear that in any other way than as an insult—and we quickly get defensive. That’s why I want you to focus on that one little word that begins our text and informs us as to how we are to hear these words to “grow up”—and that is the word “brother.” Paul addressed the Corinthian Christians—and he addresses the Kingsville Christians—as brothers and sisters in Christ—members of the same household of faith—children of the same heavenly Father. And so God’s command through Paul to “grow up”-- is spoken out of genuine love and concern for our spiritual well-being—that there would be growth and progress in our spiritual life.

When people in Corinth began coming to faith in Jesus and then joined together in a Christian congregation—they were infants in the faith—they were newly re-born believers in Jesus—just beginning to learn what it meant to be a child of God.

And so Paul taught them simply: he told them about their sin and need for God—he told them about the Savior God had given in Christ—he told them how the Spirit had worked to bring them to life. It’s the same thing we do in Sunday School & confirmation & new member classes. And through the word of the cross they became children of God.

Five years had passed from the founding of that congregation to this letter—five years from when they came to faith in Jesus-- to where they found themselves spiritually when they received this letter. The problem was: they hadn’t progressed much at all in those five years—they were still infants in the faith—they hadn’t grown up or matured.

When it comes our children’s physical growth and maturation—five years is a phenomenal amount of time—a newborn baby that is absolutely helpless, incapable of communication, and barely aware its surroundings, five years later has become a little boy with lunch box in hand heading off to the first day of school—able to tie his shoes and go to the potty by himself. Fantastic progress has been made in those five years!

But those five years between the Corinthians being born again- and the occasion of this letter- had not yielded five years worth of spiritual growth and maturity. Yes, they were saved—yes, they were Christians—but they hadn’t grown up in their faith.

What about us? What positive changes have the last five years brought in our life of faith? Do we have a deeper knowledge of the things of God? Have we grown in Christ-likeness? Are we more spiritually mature today than we were back then? That’s what our heavenly Father wants to see in his children. But if not, then these words from Paul about the need to “grow up” spiritually-- are spoken to us too.

And so what was the problem that was impeding the Corinthian’s growth in the faith? What is it that keeps us from becoming mature Christians? Paul writes:

You are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

Earlier in our sermon series on these opening chapters of First Corinthians we talked about how there was factionalism and division in the congregation stemming from their individual attachments to some pastor who had served them—how, what should have been a harmless preference-- had turned into a hurtful problem.

In their hearts they were jealous of one another—each wanted the prestige that came from being attached to some great pastor. And this attitude showed up in how they treated one another—fussing and fighting and failing to get along. Jealousy and strife was the sinful attitude and behavior—but what was at the root of it went much deeper.

The Corinthians were living according to the flesh—what Paul calls being “merely human”. In other words, they were living like the unbelieving world around them—living according to their old, sinful nature-- living as if they had never come to faith at all. That new person that they were through faith in Jesus—that new person that was supposed to grow and mature in Christ-likeness—that new person which was called forth from the waters of Holy Baptism to walk in newness of life was nowhere to be seen.

What about us? It doesn’t have to be strife or jealousy or divisiveness that reveals an immature Christian faith—it can be any attitude or action that looks like the unbelieving world rather than the new person we are in Christ.

Maybe it’s the way we regard money—that we count it as “ours” rather than the Lord’s-- to be spent however we see fit with giving to the church as an afterthought rather than a priority.

Maybe it’s the content of what we watch on TV or see at the movies --and our viewing habits aren’t really informed by God’s counsel that our minds be filled with those things that are pure, noble, beautiful, and praiseworthy.

Maybe it’s a constant cycle of conflict in our marriage and family because we are not loving our wives and respecting our husbands and obeying our parents.

Maybe it is our attitude towards others and we find ourselves unforgiving and embittered towards someone rather than filled with loving-kindness for them.

Anytime some facet of our lives looks like the unbelieving world rather than Jesus—anytime our actions and attitudes are guided by our flesh rather than the Spirit—there is a lack of spiritual maturity in that part of our lives and we need to grow up. And so how does that happen—this growth that God is looking for from us? Paul says:

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

The solution to growing up spiritually begins with knowledge--that we know and understand what God’s will is for our lives-- and what he teaches about each part of our lives as his people. We don’t chastise kindergartners for only knowing their A, B, C’s (after all they have to begin somewhere) but neither are we content that they possess only that knowledge when they get to fifth grade. They should have matured in the things they know and their ability to do them—their knowledge ought to have expanded. So it is in our spiritual lives. Paul says in Romans chapter 12:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For a Christian to be conformed to the world: is immature—it is fleshly—it is merely human. To grow up in our faith we need to be renewed in our minds and understand what the will of God is for our lives.

That’s what Paul was doing for the Corinthians in these verses—he was telling the Corinthians-- not only that the way they were thinking about the pastors who have served them was incorrect and sinful—but he was also explaining how they ought to think about their pastors—that pastors were merely servants who did the thing that needed to be done for the people of God in that moment.

The same thing is needed if there is some facet of our lives that has not attained spiritual maturity—we need to search God’s Word for what our heavenly Father has to say about money and entertainment and family and relationships and believe it and order our lives accordingly. But to do that—we need God’s help.

Our heavenly Father is the One who caused us to be born again and he is the One who helps us grow up in our faith to reach spiritual maturity. Paul writes: For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

Earlier in the sermon I mentioned how important it was that we hear this call to “grow up” spoken in the context of that word ‘brother”—that Paul has our best interests at heart when he tells us to “grow up”. I hope these closing words will provide the same comfort.

When we look back at the last five years of our lives of faith, maybe we don’t see a lot of spiritual growth—maybe we haven’t become more Christ-like—maybe our knowledge of the things of God hasn’t really deepened all that much. It’s easy to become discouraged. But Paul reminds us: We are God’s field. We are God’s building. In other words, the God who saved us by the blood of his Son hasn’t given up on us anymore than we give up on our children when we are teaching them to tie their shoes or ride a bike.

Like a farmer plowing a field or a craftsman building a building—God is at work in us. He knows what he is looking for in us and so he patiently works through pastors (his fellow workers) to shape us into a finished product: the mature Christian who is fruitful in good works and whose life is beautiful monument to the glory of God and the goodness of Christ.

When we listen to the pastor’s sermon on God’s Word and study the Bible in Sunday School and receive the Sacrament of the Altar—there in those moments-- and through that man-- and by those humble means—God is work in us, helping us to grow up in our faith in Jesus.

Most of us have seen the bumper sticker: “Be patient—God’s not finished with me yet” and usually we can add our hearty “Amen!” But the good news is that slogan is true of us too. We’re not as mature a Christian as we ought to be—we haven’t grown up into all that God wants us to be. But the Lord’s not finished with us yet and he will help us to grow up in our faith as we hear his Word and receive the sacrament. Amen.

And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

Rev. Franke's Theme Thoughts

Epiphany 6, Series A February 13, 2011

Lessons for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ~ Hold fast to God's way, for it is the way of life; any other way leads to death.
Psalm 119:1-8 (antiphon vs 1)
1 Corinthians 3:1-9 ~ As people of faith mature spiritually, they unite in the work of the Lord.
Matthew 5:20-37 ~ Jesus exposed the rabbis’ teachings as compromise and taught God’s radical demands.

GATHERING THE TEXTS: Advice Worth More Than You Can Pay
In this world, advice that is too freely given is often worth nothing! But Moses gave valuable advice to the Israelites as he prepared to leave them before they entered the promised land: “Follow God's laws and live!” Jesus pointed to the difference between the teachings of the rabbis and the intent of God's law which goes to the heart of the matter and reveals what is the matter with our hearts. In his letter to the Christians of Corinth, St. Paul revealed the Spirit of God as the only source of a wisdom that can teach us the true worth of the gift of salvation that we have received from God through Christ Jesus.

PRAYER BEFORE THE SERVICE: Lord God, giver of all good things, thank you for the wisdom that comes to me through your Spirit to guide me in knowing and living by your will. Help me remember the value of your gift of forgiveness and salvation in Christ my Savior so that I may live at peace with you and with my neighbors. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT: The greatest spiritual gift is not attainable at any price but only when we recognize that it is freely offered through the invaluable sacrifice of our Lord’s life. Now we are free to use the goods that come at greater cost to ease the lives of those who cannot afford even the basic of needs. With that gracious help, we demonstrate God’s greater gift.

OFFERING PRAYER: Lord, in these gifts we bring today,
Remove all hindrances away,
That what we give to You may prove
Your greater gift of Jesus’ love.

CONVICTION AND COMFORT: We think more expensive means better quality and, translating that to spiritual matters, expect more complex laws and ways to be more helpful. Only the Spirit of God can lead us in understanding spiritual matters. Jesus said the rabbis with their extrapolations of the commandments had not improved them, but rather ruined them. “Let ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and ‘no’ be ‘no’.” Moses taught simply, follow the Lord’s ways and live. Any other way is the way of death. The radical, undiluted law of God urges us to seek the free gift of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.

This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

Car advertisements aside, the Super Bowl commercials so far have not disappointed: the focus is on the marketing devices and gimmicks, not the product. I already have a few favorites, one involving a pug and the other involving product placement.

This is diametrically opposed to the proclamation of the Church. Our message is Jesus Christ and Him crucified - period. The wisdom of God is forever located in Him. Whenever the Church tries to mirror the age around it, inevitably the proclamation of Christ becomes obscured and the aims of man become the focus. Instead of looking trendy or smart, the Church winds up looking silly.

Lord of the Church, keep us grounded in the message of the cross, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. By Your Holy Spirit, keep us faithfully proclaiming this message, and faithfully witnessing to the Lord of glory who was crucified for sinners. AMEN

Yesterday, the funeral for Ruth Prytz was a joyful occasion. Whenever we sing the last stanza of For All the Saints, the imagery of the stanza inevitably leads me to see the countless throng of the saints, those of every race and language and tongue, singing in the robust voice of those redeemed, rested, and resurrected in Christ the crucified, praising the Holy Trinity in the song that never ends. Thank you to all who served to present the meal afterward.

Also yesterday, it was a time of achievement for Andrew Jones, who received his Eagle award, the highest rank in scouting. Congratulations, Andrew!

This week, the Lutheran Women's Missionary League will set the program at its Tuesday meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Also this week, Choir rehearsal is set to begin. Hopefully our Lord will preserve us from inclement weather this Wednesday.

Finally, I'm really jazzed about the reemergence of the Lutheran Book Club. While this is begun with the Young Adult Bible Study, this group includes all ages. What you need is a willingness to keep up with the reading, a readiness to discuss, and eagerness to grow. The first book we will read is Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Copies are available through half.com, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and you might be able to scare up a copy at Half-Price Books. If you're interested in joining us, send me a blast and I'll get you a copy of the study guide. The Lutheran Book Club will meet on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. at the home of Dru and Tammy Blanc, beginning February 15.

Prayer Concerns:
Bruce and his family as they mourn Donnae's death
Esther and her family, as they mourn Ruth's death
Those who serve in our armed forces and their families: Rob Vadney (Afghanistan), Richard Rhode (North Carolina), Dru Blanc, John Sorensen, Ryan Radtke (NAS Corpus Christi)
Our home bound members: Emmett and Emma Wright, Walter and Pearly Theiss, Ann Cleveland, Ruby Rieder

This Week at Mt. Olive:
Monday, February 7
6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

Tuesday, February 8
9 a.m.
Circuit 27 pastors' conference

6:30 p.m.
LWML meeting

Wednesday, February 9
8:30 a.m.
School Chapel

9:30 a.m.
Bible Study

6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

7 p.m.
Choir rehearsal

Thursday, February 10
6:30 p.m.
Cub Scout Pack 278

God bless!
PKJ

The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit

This last month we have been looking at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. We have talked about how these words answer the great questions of life: who am I—what is my life’s purpose—and where am I going when this life is over. We talked about how the answer to those questions—Jesus Christ—has united us to one another and to God. And then last week we talked about how this “word of the cross” that unites us as Christians, also has the power to divide us from those who are not Christians.

The assumption that lies behind what we have learned is that we believe what Paul has to say: that the great questions of life are answered by Jesus—that his atoning sacrifice has united us to God and to one another in the church—that there is a division between those who believe these things and those who don’t. These things we believe.

But what we haven’t asked yet is this: Where did this faith--come from? How I am able to believe God’s Word and trust in Jesus Christ when so many in the world around me—do not? The answer to that question is the person and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives--and that is what Paul talks about today. He says:

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

The Corinthians would have expected that anyone coming to them with some new, important message would have been a persuasive speaker and a great debater like they were used to hearing from the philosophers of the day. They would have expected what Paul calls: “lofty speech and plausible words of wisdom”.

But Paul made a conscious decision NOT to do that. In fact, he says that when he spoke to them he was “weak and fearful and trembling”. But his message was life-changing! I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And in their lives-that message- was a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.

The Corinthians began their journey of faith where everyone begins their journey of faith--regarding the word of the cross as foolishness and weakness—spiritually dead. But as Jesus Christ was preached to them, the Holy Spirit worked through that message and their hearts were changed- and their eyes were opened- and they were born again.

This remarkable change wasn’t accomplished because Paul was a great speaker—it wasn’t accomplished because he won some argument—it was accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the word of the cross. So it is in our life of faith. The pastors who baptized us and taught us the faith and preached to us all these years didn’t save us. Rather, our salvation comes through the work of the Spirit as the message of the cross is preached and given in the sacraments.

And the value of God’s way of bringing us to faith, is that there can be no doubt that it is his work that we are saved—not because we were caught up in some emotional event—not because we were taken in by some smooth-talking preacher—but because the Holy Spirit has worked faith in Jesus in our hearts. That rock-solid foundation for our faith is something that transcends the passing wisdom of this age. Paul writes:

Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

The wisdom of God is not like the wisdom of this day that can be known through reason and measured scientifically—but it is real wisdom. In fact, it is a wisdom that never fades away, like various scientific theories that have come and gone along with the scientists who came up with them. Instead, the wisdom of God is a wisdom that endures from everlasting to everlasting for its source is from before the foundation of the world.

God’s eternal purpose in creating the world and creating us is that we would live with him forever in perfect fellowship—his glory reflected upon us- and in us -and through us- to others. This is what Paul calls “the secret and hidden wisdom of God”—secret and hidden only because our eyes cannot see it or our ears hear it or our hearts imagine it—secret and hidden because it musts be revealed to us.

This wisdom of God—his desire that humans would have fellowship with him—is possible only through his Son. Jesus is the bridge that connects us to God. The greatest minds of the ages could never have conceived such a thing—because if they could, they never would have crucified the one and only God-given way back to God.

But what sinful man did in spiritual blindness--God designed and decreed for the eternal glory of those who love him so that Jesus’ death would bring everlasting life with God-- back to us. Jesus is the Lord of Glory not only because he possesses the glory of God himself—but because he is the only way that we can dwell forever in that glory.

Life in God’s presence is why we were created and God’s eternal saving purpose cannot be reasoned out by us, it has to be revealed to us through the Spirit. Paul writes:

The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

What God has planned from eternity for our salvation—what Jesus has accomplished in his dying and rising for our salvation—has to be revealed to us- and made known to us- and we have to understand it and believe in it- if we are to be saved.

Without the Spirit’s work in us, the loving purpose of the Father and the saving works of the Son will do us no good whatsoever. Those who do not believe in Jesus are lost. Yes God loves them—yes Jesus died for them—but each person must receive that for themselves in faith to be saved. We need the help of the Holy Spirit for this.

While we cannot know or understand the wisdom of God on our own—the Spirit knows it intimately because the Holy Spirit IS God and just as our own spirit knows what is in our hearts and minds, so the Holy Spirit knows the saving will of God towards us and conveys it to us through the preaching of the cross of Christ. Paul writes:

We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

In Romans chapter 10 Paul carefully explains this necessary connection between “our believing” and the “Spirit’s work” and the “preaching of the Gospel by men”.
He says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead—we will be saved. But then he asks the question that we began with: How can we call on the Lord if we don’t believe in him? How can we believe in him if we’ve never heard of him? How can we hear of him if no one preaches? For faith comes from hearing—and hearing through the word of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the One who brings us to faith in Jesus --he is the One who reveals the saving will of the Father—he is the One who stretches out our hand to receive the gifts of God. But the Holy Spirit does that enlightening, sanctifying work through the Gospel that is preached- and the sacraments that are administered--by pastors.

Paul says: WE IMPART THIS (THAT IS SALVATION) IN WORDS TAUGHT BY THE SPIRIT. When the pastor preaches the Good News of Jesus-when he baptizes us into Christ’s death and resurrection-when he administers the saving fruits of the cross in Holy Communion-when tells us that our sins are forgiven-we can be confident that the Holy Spirit is at work in the Gospel to impart God’s gift of salvation to us. Paul says:

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Jesus once told Nicodemus: You must be born again—flesh give birth to flesh—but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Paul says the same thing: the person that we are by nature-- cannot accept the things of God—we must be born again spiritually. This new birth is not something that we can bring about in ourselves anymore than we were responsible for giving birth to ourselves naturally—we must be born again by God.

That is exactly what the Holy Spirit has done in us by the Father’s will through faith in Jesus. We no longer possess only a sinful nature—but now we are a new person spiritually. We have been given the ability to know and understand and believe the wisdom of God that is hidden from our senses and our intellect. We have a spiritual knowledge and insight and confidence that the world does not—and cannot—have.

The judgment of the unbelieving world on those things that matter eternally—those things that we have been talking about over this last month—are simply wrong. They don’t know the answer to life’s great questions. They don’t believe that Jesus has reconciled them to God. They think everyone will be saved. Who God is- and what he is about in the world- and what his attitude is towards us—is hidden to them—BUT—it has been revealed to us in Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

Today we give thanks for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He has brought us to faith and he will work in our lives to keep us in faith until that day that we are safely delivered into the presence of the Lord. Amen.