Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.

 

Sermon for Trinity 11, August 16, 2026

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love.  Amen.

1 John 1:5-2:2  ⁵This is the message we heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light.  In him there is no darkness at all.  ⁶If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice.  ⁷But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.  ⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  ¹⁰If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.  2 My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin.  If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  ²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world. (EHV)

Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Are you afraid of the dark?  Many people are.  The dark can be scary because we don’t see what’s out there, or worse, that there may be something unseen right nearby that threatens us.  On the other hand, what is perhaps even more common than fear of the dark is being afraid of the light.  Now, some might think that doesn’t make much sense.  However, in the context of this letter, many, many people show themselves to be afraid of the Light that is God.  Therefore, you and I, my friends, should Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.

John wrote, “This is the message we heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light.  In him there is no darkness at all.”  By rights, we should all be afraid of the darkness John mentions here, because it is everything that is opposed to God.  Yet, since the fall into sin, what do you suppose attracts us more?  To our sinful nature, the darkness seems enticing, and once fallen, darkness seems safer, because our consciences declare that our sin condemns us.  And when caught in the darkness of sin, we get everything about salvation and eternal life completely backwards.

Many years ago, I had a granary that was infested with rats.  Anytime I slid the door open and switched on the light, there was an explosion of rats scurrying every which way to find a hiding place.  They were afraid of the light and afraid of me (and perhaps my cats).  They knew that in the light, they were susceptible to death.  The same thing happens among people.  Far too many people turn against God or try to hide from Him because they fear His judgment.  If you look at the empty church pews in so many locations, you will see evidence that my statement is true.  People who feel guilty often avoid going to church, partly because they feel some inner shame, but mostly, because they fear being confronted by believers, which shows that consciences realize that their guilt is condemnable.

Likewise, because there is so much sin in our world, and thus so many sinners, there is much fear among those who reject God.  There are many who imagine that if they just don’t recognize that there is one true God, then He won’t be able to touch them.  Or perhaps, in our guilt, we can convince ourselves that we shouldn’t be judged because we are only doing what we desire to do, and we leave others alone to do what they desire to do.  Do you understand where such thoughts might lead?  John’s words here give us the answer to any who would hide from God and His judgment, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” … “If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.”  The result of this for any sinner, and I might add for every unrepentant sinner, is only eternal condemnation—whether that truth is believed or not.

This morning, as we continue our catechism review, we focus on absolution.  This might be the part of repentance that many people miss.  We can sometimes say we are sorry for the evil we do, but without absolution—that is, without the declaration of forgiveness for Jesus’ sake and trust in His forgiveness—the result of recognized guilt will still bring only despair leading to hopelessness.

On the other hand, dear friends, the cure for the hopelessness of guilt is to Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.  Remember John’s message, “God is light.  In him there is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice.  But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”  Light is purity.  Light gives sight to those blinded by darkness.  Light’s power can cut or heal. 

Thus, the Light of God is Jesus Christ who came into this world to remove the darkness from each of us and replace it with the light of His holiness, an exchange purchased for us with His blood shed on the cross.  “This saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’” (1 Timothy 1:15)  The darkness of sin covered each of us and made us afraid of the One who was appointed from everlasting to be our Judge.  It was the same for every sinner of the world, and every population of people gathered together with each other, both ancient and modern, sought a way to claw their way out of the darkness, but there was no hope to be found, until Jesus came into the world to fulfill the promise given in the beginning when mankind sinned and first hid from God.

One thing about the God who is Light is that He is always faithful to His promises and to His love for us.  Though there was no good to be found in any person on earth, God sought only faith in His love.  For that reason, He counted all of our guilt as if it belongs to Jesus, and He punished every last shred of guilt, every infraction of the law, and every shortcoming of imperfect man as though belonging to His holy, innocent, God-fearing Son.  Therefore, because the penalty for all the sin of the world was paid for in that brutal, murderous assault on Jesus at the cross, God’s justice allows only pardon for sin in us.

John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Since Jesus has paid our debt in full, there is no price we could pay, no hoops to jump through, no mountain to climb, no works that might remove the stain of our guilt.  Only Jesus’ blood washes away the stench that kept God at arm’s length.  Yet, dear people of God, that is exactly what was fulfilled for you and me on the cross. 

John wrote this letter to plead for all the people of the world to come out of hiding and into the light of Christ Jesus.  Already while He walked this earth, Jesus made it clear that though He is given authority to judge the world, that is not why He came as a baby in Bethlehem.  Jesus declared, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18)

To deny our guilt leaves us eternally condemned for as St. John wrote, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.”  Apart from faith in Jesus, there is only darkness, condemnation, hopelessness, and fear.  Now granted, sometimes that fear may come across as boastful arrogance, but the only sure way to forgiveness and salvation is to fall before our God in company with others like the tax collector at the temple, pleading, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)  This honest admission and plea is all that God seeks from us.  God knows that we cannot offer Him anything that is not already owed Him.  Yet, His love for us seeks nothing but faith in His Son as our Lord and Savior.

For that reason and that reason alone, St. John assured his readers, “My children, I write these things to you so that you will not sin.  If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate before the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world.”  Every sin means we have turned back to the darkness in which the devil is in control.  Yet, as long as we have faith in Jesus, He is with us to pull us back into the light because it is His light that covers us and gives us the way to heavenly peace.

God made Jesus the atoning sacrifice for the world.  There is no one on earth, or ever living on earth, whose guilt was not paid for by the death of that One and Only Son of God.  At the same time, our Redeemer didn’t stay dead, for He rose from the grave just as He had promised, and He ascended to heaven for the main purpose of interceding for us with His Father.  Because of Christ’s dedication to our salvation, the devil can never again accuse us of any sin.  The sins of the world have been paid for, so there is no reason to hide from God.  There is no reason to fear His judgment, because the judgment of God for all of us has already fallen on His own beloved Son, and with that debt paid by Jesus’ blood, God now calls us forgiven and welcomes all who believe in His Son as His own holy, dearly loved children.

Therefore dear friends, having heard the Word of your God, and having been washed clean by the powerful cleansing of Baptism, come humbly, confidently, and regularly before your God and Savior.  Hear Him again and again tell of the sacrifice He made to give you peace.  Then by the power of His Holy Spirit in the Word and the healing food of the Lord’s Supper, Stay in the Light through faith in Christ.  Amen.

The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.

Repent! Jesus came looking for you.

 

Sermon for Trinity 10, August 9, 2026

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Matthew 18:12-20  ¹²“What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go looking for the one that wandered away?  ¹³If he finds it—Amen I tell you—he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.  ¹⁴In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish.  ¹⁵“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you.  If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.  ¹⁶But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.  And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector.  ¹⁸Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  ¹⁹Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.  ²⁰In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.” (EHV)

Repent!  Jesus came looking for you.

Dear lambs of heaven’s flock,

            On our journey through the catechism, we have come to confession, and when we speak of confession, what we are really seeking is repentance.  Now, true repentance has two parts: first it consists of honestly confessing our sins, and in doing so the necessary second part is to trust in the forgiveness Jesus has won for you and for all on the cross.

Our sermon text comes as Jesus explains His concern for the “little ones” of faith.  Most often we associate “little ones” with children, but in the kingdom of heaven, it is safe to say that we are all children, and indeed, we are children of the heavenly Father, both, through creation and by the gift of faith through which He adopts us into His family.  On that basis, I can command and encourage you to Repent!  Jesus came looking for you.

Our text begins with a question for His disciples, “What do you think?  The question asks who did they think Jesus came to save?  The topic at hand was preservation of the faith of little children, and Jesus declared “Woe!” to anyone who might lead such a child of God astray.  Jesus wanted the crowd to understand His concern for all people.  There were many of His day, as there are in ours, who assumed children weren’t important enough to be a concern.  Consider the lack of love for children in our times that leads to the abortion of multitudes of babies, children abused by wicked individuals, and parents who don’t consider bringing children to Jesus through Baptism or instruction in the Word of God very important.  Woe to such ideas!

The fact of the matter is Jesus cares about the children, and that especially includes all those who have been made children of God by faith.  Jesus then tells a parable that clearly demonstrates His concern:

If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go looking for the one that wandered away?  If he finds it—Amen I tell you—he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away.  In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish. 

This was an obvious reference for the people that surrounded Jesus.  They were well familiar with shepherds and the value they placed on their flocks.  The history of Israel was filled with sheep and shepherds all the way back to Abraham.  Therefore, notice the details in this picture.  One hundred sheep.  The number one hundred could signify the whole flock regardless of the total number.  One strayed and was lost.  Again, the number one could be substituted for all of mankind.  This leaves the main point, Jesus left the flock of God in heaven to come to earth searching for those who had gone astray, which is the whole of mankind, including you and me and all the sceptics of His day.

Jesus was telling His hearers that He cares for every believer in His flock.  Now, I have heard some ask why a shepherd would leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness with all the dangers associated there?  Yet, Jesus says nothing that would indicate danger for the ninety-nine of His flock.  Thus, we could picture the ninety-nine as His flock already home in heaven.  Nothing could wrest them from the Father’s hand.  Therefore, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, came to earth to find strays like you and me.

Then, when we have been “found” by the proclamation of the Gospel and the washing miracle of Baptism, Jesus rejoices over every now saved soul, as does His Father and the whole host of heaven.  They all rejoiced when you were brought to believe in Jesus as your Savior.  The Father never tires of caring for you.  He never turns away from watching over you.  And should you or I go astray, God provides the people of His Church, His flock here on earth, to call you back into His care.

That brings us to the second part of this text, and the point of confession in the catechism.  Whenever the law of God convicts us of our sin, we are invited, encouraged, and even commanded to return to Jesus for forgiveness and life.  Apart from trusting in Jesus, there is only disaster and death.  St. Peter later wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Therefore humble yourselves under God’s powerful hand so that he may lift you up at the appointed time.  Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.  Have sound judgment.  Be alert.  Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:6-8)

Now, you and I all know that our sinful nature doesn’t like to be confronted with the Law.  The mirror of the law makes us look ugly both to God and to ourselves.  That is the law’s intended purpose, to show us how badly our guilt corrupts the image of God in which we were created.  At the same time, Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you.  If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.” 

By calling us brothers, Jesus is showing that this teaching concerns believers.  Obviously, the world is completely corrupt, but the people of the world are not the focus in this text.  That doesn’t mean we should ignore them, just they are not the focus here.  There are plenty other places where Jesus tells us to make disciples for Him in this world, but here He is showing His concern for those He has already won into God’s favor.  He wants us all to remain in that love.

Therefore, when confronted with our sin, whether we identify it ourselves or someone else has to call our attention to it, the proper response is confession of our sins and true repentance which is turning back to Jesus and trusting His sacrifice for you.  Christ lived and died and rose again so that we are counted as holy ones before God.  Jesus wants to keep us there.  For this reason, we have confession in our worship services, so that we may confess every sin and fault, every shortcoming and failure that troubles us.  And after the confessing of our sins, we hear again and again the gracious forgiveness of our Savior who took away all our guilt and shame.

But, what about that sinning believer who refuses to listen to you.  Jesus lays out the path we are to follow to bring that lost lamb back into the flock on His behalf.  When we have gone to that wandering soul personally and privately, but without achieving repentance, then Jesus tells us, “But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.  And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector.” 

In our church practices, we often call this process Church discipline which in the case of one who refuses to repent leads to excommunication.  Sometimes, people think of excommunication as punishment, but it is never intended to punish the sinner.  It is not intended to indicate that any particular sin is worse than what any of us do on a daily basis.  Excommunication is the final step of calling the sinner to repentance.  If all else fails in trying to bring that lost lamb back into the fold, it ultimately leads to recognition that the unrepentant person has rejected Christ to follow the ways of the devil and this world.  It is a sad and serious thing which is why God never desires this for anyone.

Finally, we receive Jesus’ promise, “Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.  In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.”  By the grace of our loving God, He gives the Church the authority to forgive sins and to offer the comfort of God’s love to all who repent.  If two or three witnesses find the sinner repentant, Jesus stands with us in declaring that lamb found and forgiven.  At the same time, Jesus is also right there with us even when the unrepentant soul is declared lost. 

This is one more reason why attendance in God’s house of worship is so important.  Here, our Savior gathers with us through the power of His Word and Sacraments.  Here, He offers us His body and blood and with that precious food forgiveness and life in His heavenly home.  Here, He empowers our ability to repent of our sins and failures, and here, He declares us righteous before God through faith in His life, death, and resurrection.

Dear friends, through this parable, Jesus is calling for you to hear His voice calling out to you in the wilderness of this world, calling for you to return to Him daily in confession of your sins.  He is calling and inviting us to have the same concern for our fellow members of His kingdom.  We are not to be self-righteously accusing others as if we haven’t sinned.  Rather, Jesus invites us, who have been found and forgiven, to love our fellow believers even when we must call them back to the narrow way of faith in Jesus which leads to life in heaven. 

Every child of God is dear to Him.  How much did God care for you?  So much so that He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to suffer the trials and pains of this corrupted life and then the shame and death our guilt deserved.  Through Jesus’ holy life and death on the cross, you and I were made righteous before God.  He now calls to us again and again, Repent!  For Jesus came looking for you.  Amen.

How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, everyone who is walking in His ways.  Amen.

Serve the Lord with the gifts He gives you.

 

Sermon for Trinity 9, August 2, 2026

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

1 Corinthians 12:1-7, 28-31  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.  ²You know that when you were pagans, you were deceived and somehow led away to mute idols.  ³Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  ⁴There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  ⁵There are various kinds of service, and yet the same Lord.  ⁶There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone.  ⁷Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. …  ²⁸And God appointed in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then miracles, healing gifts, helpful acts, leadership abilities, kinds of tongues.  ²⁹Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Are all miracle workers?  ³⁰Do all have healing gifts?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  ³¹But eagerly seek the greater gifts.  And now, I am going to show you a more excellent way. (EHV)

Serve the Lord with the gifts He gives you.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Last Sunday, we spoke about the Office of the Keys and how the Church is given the keys to heaven through the proclamation of the gospel and the forgiveness of sins.  Sometimes, however, it is imagined that this work is solely the responsibility of the pastors of the Church.  In our text, Paul demonstrates that the Office of the Keys is part and parcel of every believer’s call, though certainly we do have different aspects to the work depending on the gifts, talents, and calling given to each of us individually.  Therefore, we will say, Serve the Lord with the gifts He gives you.

It is apparent from this letter to the congregation in Corinth that much division had crept into the picture.  Different factions had developed that were tending to pull the congregation apart.  This type of divisive attitude has certainly afflicted Christianity to this day with so many divisions among what should be one Christian Church.  Still, even at a local congregational level, hierarchies and cliques can become a cancerous problem.  At Corinth, some had grown conceited concerning certain gifts of the Spirit with which they had been endowed.  There is evidence of such arrogance in our day as well.

Paul introduced this section by saying, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.  You know that when you were pagans, you were deceived and somehow led away to mute idols.”  Paul identified the problem in our sinful nature.  By nature, we don’t have gifts of the Holy Spirit.  By nature, we are lost and condemned creatures who serve only our selfish selves and the kidnapper who misled mankind into sin.  Therefore, not knowing God, man tried to satisfy that need for God with human inventions, but we were all deceived by the devil’s lies.

Then, while speaking to the believers in Corinth, Paul could rightly conclude that the Spirit had been at work there in the preaching about Jesus they had heard.  However, some of those Corinthians had arrogantly assumed to have made those decisions themselves, while others claimed allegiance to one teacher or another as more profitable for the soul.  Speaking on behalf of fellow pastors, we each certainly have our strengths and weaknesses that some may find attractive or annoying.  Yet, no one is ever brought into the Christian faith by the person speaking.  Rather, it is the Holy Spirit, who indeed has sent these various men, who has the power to rescue sinners from their condemnation.

Paul wrote, Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  We believe that the Holy Spirit places His servants into congregations to serve those congregations to the best of the abilities He gives, but also that the congregations should recognize the power behind the called servants.  Now, ideally, none of us frail human pastors would ever do anything that would cause offense, but we too are sinners who need forgiveness for our faults, weaknesses, and imperfections.

Thus, the first main point of our text is to recognize that it is the Holy Spirit who gives the gifts, talents, and especially the call to serve.  We indeed must repent of our sins whenever we might assume to question the Spirit’s decisions.

Now, right along with this arrogant tendency to view one man as better than another, there is another weakness that can afflict us into thinking we either have no gift of service to share with others or that there is no need for the service we could give.  For such false imaginations we must also repent.  When the Holy Spirit draws us by faith into the congregation of the Christian Church, He also blesses us with some part in the assembly.  The Church is often described in the Scriptures as one body of Christ.  And just like your physical body, each part has its own function and responsibility.

We read again, “There are various kinds of service, and yet the same Lord.  There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone.  Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  Obviously, the office of the keys is not limited to just the pastors, or to just the pastors, apostles, and teachers.  Every individual believer has a part in the body of Christ which God uses to reach out to the lost souls of earth.  This is where we each must look inwardly and diagnose whether we have served faithfully according to the riches of God’s grace in ourselves.  Have we applied ourselves diligently to the roles the Holy Spirit has given us?  Have we answered the call when He assigns us a part in the proclamation of the Gospel and forgiving others?

Paul then asks a series of rhetorical questions designed to teach us that every good gift comes from the Holy Spirit and is intended to be a blessing for the Church at large.  In the Greek, each of the following questions is actually a negative question implying that the expected answer is emphatically no!  Paul wrote, “God appointed in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then miracles, healing gifts, helpful acts, leadership abilities, kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Are all miracle workers?  Do all have healing gifts?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?”  The point is that all of these things and people are a gift of God to the church, but does that make one better or more useful than another?  No!  Not in the kingdom of heaven for in Christ’s kingdom each part makes its perfect contribution.

Compare it to the physical body.  A toe would make a terrible eye, and an eye would be a lousy finger, but while doing the part they are created to do, they each serve marvelously.  The same is true for you and me in the Church.  If we desire to serve the Church only in ways we might assume more honorable, we likely will serve far less faithfully than the Spirit plans.  Likewise, if we consider one or another type of service more highly than others around us, we dishonor the Spirit who has called each of us into the Church of our Savior, Jesus.  None of us does everything well.  However, the Holy Spirit can and does use each of us for the purpose He intends in reaching the lost with the Holy Gospel.  Therefore, Paul explains, “Though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.  We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us.  If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith.  If it is serving, then serve.  If it is teaching, then teach.  If it is encouraging, then encourage.  If it is contributing, be generous.  If it is leadership, be diligent.  If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:5-8)

Paul then encourages each of us to “eagerly seek the greater gifts.”  What are the greater gifts?  Well, I believe that the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is the faith that believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer of the world.  Another greater gift is the Word of our God.  We should therefore seek to learn and understand it more and more.  An incomparable gift given to us is the forgiveness of sins, and how awesome it is that we are gifted the opportunities to share that forgiveness with others.

Our theme this morning is Serve the Lord with the gifts He gives you.  As we examine ourselves rightly against the demands of the law, we see how far short of perfection we fall.  At the same time, we have the gift of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.  Jesus alone lived perfect service to God and to His Church.  Jesus alone suffered and died for the sins of the world.  Only Jesus came down from heaven perfectly holy and in line with the will of the Father above, so only Jesus could bear our sins and failures to the cross. 

However, Jesus has already accomplished this for you and me.  Our Lord and Savior has now called, invited, and encouraged us to proclaim His peace to the world.  Not all of us are pastors.  Not all of us will be missionaries or teachers.  Yet, as members of the body of Christ Jesus here on earth, we each can and should faithfully employ the gifts the Spirit gives us.  Thank God the Spirit enables those He calls with the gifts needed for our individual calls.

Dear friends, Jesus suffered and died to give you life.  On that cross of shame, Jesus delivered you from prosecution for any sin you may have ever committed.  At the same time, by covering you with His righteousness in the cleansing water and Word of Baptism, Jesus has presented you to His Father in heaven as a workman of righteousness.  Likewise, with His body and blood in the bread and wine of the Supper, Jesus feeds and empowers you with the forgiveness of sins, thus confirming for you that you have the key that opens heaven.

Do not be afraid.  Do not be ashamed of the gospel.  Its power gives you life and hope.  God’s grace makes that message of forgiveness and peace an unlimited resource for you to give life and hope to others.  Sometimes, we do that personally face to face.  Sometimes, we use our gifts to uphold the efforts of others who serve.  Often, that means we do the little things: changing the diapers, growing the crops, shoveling the snow, cleaning the floors, offering a friendly smile or greeting, caring for the poor, or opening up our treasure store so that the Word may be spread.  Always, God uses us, who hope in His love against all opposition, as shining lights to the world, making us beacons of hope to draw the meek and sorrowful out of this world’s darkness of death into the Light of our Savior. 

May God be with you who Serve the Lord with the gifts He gives you.  Amen.

Now, may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.  The Lord be with you all.  Amen.