Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 20, 2012

Sermon on Acts 1:15-26

It is necessary to choose men

  • Order of Service: Common Service, p15
  • Lessons: Acts 1:15-26, 1 John 4:13-21, John 17:11b-19
  • Hymns: 505 (1, 3-5), 411, 311 (1-3, 5-7), 277

Downloadable Version

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

I think it’s safe to say that nobody wants Judas as their pastor.  He stole money.  He betrayed Jesus.  He committed suicide.  Not a sterling resume.  Yet, Jesus made Judas a pastor.  Jesus appointed Judas to be one of those hand-picked by Jesus apostles sent out to testify about him.  No doubt Judas preached sermons, healed the sick, cast out demons, and baptized people.

And now he’s dead and people have questions and concerns.  “Judas was the first person I heard about Jesus from, what does that say about me?”  “Judas baptized me, do I need to be rebaptized?”  “Whoa, if that’s the kind of guy who believes in Jesus, I’m not sure I want to be a part of this Christian Church thing.”  “Look and see what kinds of degenerates pastor in that church!”  Some may have doubted the validity of Judas’ ministry, the Word he preached and the sacraments he administered.  Judas’ wicked end and how that reflected on the ministry and the Church may have concerned others.  Some might have used Judas as an excuse to leave the church.  Others may have used Judas as a way to slander the Church of Christ.

There’s no two ways about it.  What Judas did is shameful.  There’s no defense for theft, betrayal, and his suicide.  That’s why Luke calls what he did wickedness (Acts 1:18, NIV84) and Peter said that Judas left his apostolic ministry (Acts 1:25, NIV84).  Those who behave this way have no place in the holy ministry of the Church.  Thus Paul writes, the overseer must be above reproach (1 Tim. 3:2, NIV84) and He must also have a good reputation with outsiders (3:7, NIV84).

That being the case, it begs the question, “Why would Jesus make Judas a pastor?”  Why did Jesus risk the reputation of the holy ministry this way?  Why did He entrust the Word and Sacrament ministry to this traitor?  On the one hand, there’s a couple, simple answers.  Firstly, it pleased Him to do so.  It’s like trying to figure out why God created Satan or put the Tree of Knowledge in Eden.  He did and that’s that.  Secondly, we hear from Peter that Jesus did this to fulfill Scripture.  As Jesus shares the first Communion with His disciples He announces his coming betrayal and says, “One of you will betray me.”  Not because that makes for good theater, but rather, because Scripture foretold it.  Jesus quotes Psalm 41, He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me (John 13:18, NIV84).

And yet, we can also discern other reasons for Jesus to choose Judas.  It’s because Judases make it into the ministry all the time.  Pastors too behave like the worst of sinners.  Whether it’s Ted Haggard getting caught with male prostitutes or any number of preachers found to have golden toilets, private jets, and secret slush funds, pastors sin.  And worse than that, even though it’s rarely reported, pastors all over the world fall from the faith, teach false doctrine, or perform ministerial acts despite not believing in what they were doing.  I heard the story of a pastor in Germany who announced before reciting the Apostles’ Creed with his congregation that he didn’t personally believe much of what it said.  How do we handle sinners being our pastors?  How do we deal with Judases in our churches?  Do we abolish the office of pastor?  Do we go back to the drawing board, establish house churches with lay leaders?  Do we get rid of all the sinful men and start ordaining women and see if they can do any better? Read More…

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 18, 2012

Sermon on Acts 1:1-11 (Festival of Ascension)

Stick with what you know

  • Order of Service: Divine Service II, CWS, p28
  • Lessons: Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:16-23, Luke 24:44-53
  • Hymns: 171, 175 (1-2, 4), 750, 169

Downloadable Version

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

We love to speculate.  Did Junior Seau, the former professional football player who killed himself recently, kill himself because he suffered the after-effects of concussions, or because of post-career depression?  Writers, athletes, and pundits consumed hours of sports talk radio and television, along with pages of print trying to answer that question.  Better, speculating, since no one knows yet what really happened.

Take President Obama’s recent – and horrifying – announcement that he supports gay marriage as another example.  President Obama says he did it because his position on gay marriage has evolved to where he finds no compelling reason to stand in the way of it, even though over the last few years he often spoke of marriage as something for one man and one woman, as the Bible teaches.  However, not everyone takes the President’s words at face value.  A recent poll revealed that about 67% of respondents think he did it for political reasons, that is, to gain votes and win an election.  Since in 1996 Pres. Obama indicated support of gay marriage, before he was against it, and now for it, he has made it possible to speculate about his motives. We may never know for sure, or at least until the memoirs start coming out.

One last example, and perhaps for us who live in the Metroplex, the most pressing.  If you watch baseball at all, you can’t help but notice that Josh Hamilton, an outfielder for the Rangers, is having an OK season.  He’s hitting around .400, with almost 20 home runs in May.  He’s on pace to hit over .400, with about 80 homeruns and 200 runs-batted-in. That would shatter baseball’s records.  What makes things even more interesting is that at the end of this year Josh will be a free agent, that is, he can sign with any team he wants.  Take a few minutes to listen to local sports radio, and you will probably hear speculation about Josh’s situation.  Will he stay or will he go?  Does he want as much money as possible, or will he give a “home-town” discount to the Rangers?  Will the Rangers offer him the big money or not?  Does he want to stay?  Do the Rangers want him to stay?  Neither Josh nor the Rangers have said much of anything lately, yet hours each day are spent dissecting, discussing, opining, bloviating, and speculating.  Because we love it.

We speculate in the church too.  We speculate about God’s will.  What is God’s will for the present and the future?  What was God’s will for some past event?  We speculate about God’s actions.  How did He help?  When will He help?  Some speculate about Judgment Day, like the crackpot false teacher who last year predicted the world would end sometime in October, or the lying Jehovah’s Witnesses who for years set dates for Jesus’ visible, and then, when He didn’t appear visibly, His conveniently invisible return.  Luther dealt with guys doing this too.

We’re addicted to speculation, in both earthly and spiritual things, just like the disciples.  Read More…

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 17, 2012

God has ascended amid shouts of joy!

Come sing Psalm 47 with us as we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord tonight.  Divine service begins at 6:30pm and the Lord’s Supper will be offered.

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 16, 2012

Easter triumph and joy

Last December something great happened.  For the first time since 2008, St. Mark’s general account balance showed a positive instead of a negative number.  And that number has grown each month since.

In March, we received Char Haller back into communicant membership by profession of faith, and later that month shared with some of our local children the good news about a risen Lord.

During Holy Week we were able to briefly provide a rallying point for Team Rubicon, a group of military veterans who came to help clean-up after the devastating tornadoes that hit the DFW area.

On April 15, my family and I attended the dedication of a new worship space at Divine Peace Lutheran Church in Garland.

Recently (May 6) we got to baptize Lennon Coleman, and later that day I laid hands on Pr. Mark Gefaller, the new pastor at Immanuel in North Richland Hills.  Sometime in June I’ll get to do the same with Pr. Brad Taylor at Prince of Peace, Flower Mound.

At the end of May we’ll celebrate the birth of the New Testament Church at Pentecost, and at the end of June, God’s gracious preservation of His Church and her doctrine as we celebrate the 482nd birthday of the Lutheran church.  On top of that, the planning is now beginning for St. Mark to celebrate 50 years of God’s grace, baptizing, teaching, and communing Christians in Duncanville!

My point?  This is the Easter triumph and Easter joy that we live.  Yes, we have and we will go through many hardships, just as Jesus promised.  The devil prowls around looking for prey and the sinful world hates God’s Church and God’s children.  But that gives us no reason to spend our lives in pessimism saying, “Woe is me!” and waiting for the walls to come tumbling down.  Look at that short list of great things that has happened among us in the last six months or so.  Make a similar catalog in your life.  Even among the tragic, the sad, and the disappointing, you have your Lord who works out all things for you good, your Lord who said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full!”, your Lord who says you’ve already won because Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!  And baptized into that resurrection you are a child of God and you know that when Jesus appears you’ll be like Him, because you’ll see him as He is.  So, smile a little broader.  Say “Hello” a little cheerier.  Sing a little more enthusiastically.  Because you have hope and joy.  You have Christ!

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 16, 2012

Ascension reminder

Please remember, since the Festival of the Ascension falls on Thursday (this Thursday, tomorrow, May 17) there will be no Divine Service at St. Mark tonight (Wednesday, May 16).

Come join us tomorrow (Thursday, May 17) at 6:30pm to find out what all the fuss is about that could move church from Wednesday to Thursday.  The Lord’s Supper will be offered.

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 14, 2012

St. Mark celebrates the Festival of the Ascension — come join us!

This week we will celebrate one of the major, but oft-forgotten festivals of the Christian Church year – the Ascension of our Lord.

We will recall that day when Jesus left, but didn’t leave!  We will celebrate His ruling in heaven and on earth through Word and Sacrament.  Divine Service begins at 6:30pm and the Lord’s Supper will be offered.  Because of services on Thursday, there will NOT be Wednesday evening services this week.

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 13, 2012

Sermon on Acts 4:23-33

Our Good Shepherd preserves and protects His sheep

  • Order of Service:  Service of the Word, CW p38
  • Lessons: Acts 11:19-26, 1 John 4:1-11, John 15:9-17
  • Hymns: 154, 163, 144, 166

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

Have you ever feared for your life? Maybe it was that time you lost control of your car and found yourself spinning out-of-control across lanes of on-coming traffic, as happened to me when I was in college. Or maybe it was when your plane suddenly experienced extreme turbulence. Maybe it was when the doctor sat you down and said, “I’ve got some bad news.” Perhaps it was that time when planes started crashing into buildings and people began receiving letters filled with anthrax. Maybe it was something else. Many things make us fear for our lives.

Do you think the apostles Peter and John ever feared for their lives? At the time of our lesson from Acts 4, they had just seen soldiers come marching into the garden where they prayed, and after Judas planted his treasonous kiss upon Christ, they saw Jesus dragged away. Then they witnessed the lethal power of the Jewish and Roman governments as their master Jesus was brutally beaten and murdered. Then those same Jewish officials called Peter and John before their tribunal and threatened them, perhaps with beatings, perhaps with death, if they didn’t stop proclaiming the good news of the resurrection. Do you think the disciples were afraid? Do you think they feared for their lives? Do you think they felt their gospel mission was in danger?

Whatever fears and anxieties the disciples may have felt, they certainly handled it well. In fact, they handled them in the very same way we can handle our fears and doubts about life and about the Gospel ministry of St. Mark and God’s Church in the world. They went to God. They prayed. They entrusted their lives and their ministry to the Lord.

Do you always handle your fears and doubts so well? Do you always cast all your anxieties on God, because he cares for you? Or do you sometimes say to God, “Hey, Lord, didn’t you see this one coming?” Or: “Seriously, Lord, I thought you didn’t give people more than they could handle!” Read More…

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 11, 2012

Homosexuality, Gay marriage — what God says

The discussion about gay marriage in America ratcheted up a notch when Pres. Obama recently declared himself in favor of same-sex marriage.  He did it the same day that the state of North Carolina voted to add an amendment to their constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

In his statement, Pres. Obama says he evolved to his position of support mostly based on relationships with homosexual individuals.  But he also cloaked his decision with his Christian faith, using the Golden Rule — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

This fails to recognize some things:

  1. It’s possible to love one another and also say, “What you’re doing is wrong.”  We do it all the time with our children as we raise them.  So does God.  He proclaims both Law and Gospel.  The Law convicts us of sin, curbs sinful behaviors, and guides Christians in their walk of faith.  He also proclaims His gospel of forgiveness in Christ.
  2. In other words, the Scriptures do not call homosexuality the unforgivable sin, any more than it calls divorce the unforgivable sin.   Sexual sins are not the only sins that God condemns and calls us to flee from.  Read the Ten Commandments.  Only one is immediately about sex.
  3. Jesus never accepted people “as they were.”  He always called them to faithfulness to the Lord, for example, the woman caught in adultery in John 8.  He forgave her, and then said, “Stop committing adultery.”  And when He saw the young rich man walk away sad because He couldn’t/wouldn’t sell everything to follow Jesus, our Lord didn’t say, “Oh, wait a minute, come back here.  I’ve come to learn that you’re a nice, normal young man who just happens to break the first commandment.  You can go on doing that, we’ll call it an exception.”  He let the young man walk away until He could do what God asked of Him.
  4. Love without truth leads only to a crash, just as much as a plane with only wing will crash (likewise, truth without love will lead to a crash also.  ”Speak the truth in love,” Paul says.)
  5. The Bible speaks clearly on these matters, no matter how much people say otherwise.  The Bible defines marriage as an institution of God — a lifelong relationship between one man and one woman broken only by death (though sinful men and women can, and certainly do, break what God has joined together).  The Bible defines sexual intercourse as something that belongs only within the confines of a marriage between a man and a woman.  All other sexual behavior falls under the Bible’s term:  ”sexual immorality.”

In the end, our view of marriage, homosexuality, and sexuality in general comes from the Word of God and not from our feelings, opinion polls, or what we want to do, or others want us to do.

In addition, we want to speak compassionately and lovingly in the truth about these issues.  Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom we are the worst, whether we wrestle with sexual sins, money sins, obedience sins, stealing sins, coveting sins, talk sins, etc.  We dare not pick one sin and say, “THAT person is unclean,” as if all other sinners are somehow a rung above them.

Some passages to consider in this discussion:

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 10, 2012

Make use of Christian — Lutheran — education

Over the last couple of months I’ve heard the Junior Choir from Calvary Lutheran School in Dallas sing in our worship services.  I visited my home congregation – Zion, Monroe, MI – where I attended K-8.  And I got to observe math and science classes at my alma mater, Michigan Lutheran Seminary, as part of my service on the Governing Board.

It reminded me of the great blessings that we have in our District and in our Synod in the area of Christian education.  The Wisconsin Synod runs one of the largest private school systems (K-12) in the United States.  Some stats:

  • 403 early childhood ministries (pre-school) with 10,725 students (largest: 164, smallest: 1; average: 27).
  • 324 Lutheran elementary schools with 24,644 students (largest: 470, smallest: 6; average: 76).
  • 23 Lutheran high schools with 5,600 students (largest: 758; smallest: 58; average: 244).  Some students from our area attend Nebraska Lutheran High School (Waco).  My wife attended Minnesota Valley Lutheran (New Ulm).  Judy Calvert’s brother teaches at Michigan Lutheran (St. Joseph).
  • 2 ministerial education prep high schools with 627 students (401 at Luther Prep, Watertown, WI; 226 at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, MI).  Did you know that after Wisconsin, Texas is at the top in providing students at Luther Prep?  Recently students from Texas also enrolled at MLS.  Andrew Krentz attended MLS (graduating the same year that I did).  John Griepentrog graduated from Luther Prep.  Both Jeff and Lisa Gaertner attended prep schools (different ones).
  • 2,706 teachers serve these students.
  • The South Central District (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, part of Louisiana) has 19 schools and early childhood programs with over 650 students.  Our closest? Calvary Lutheran School in Dallas with 86 students – www.calvarydallas.org.
  • For the first time in the 21st century, the numbers of students at all four levels (early childhood, elementary, area Lutheran high school, and prep school) increased!

Stats are wonderful, but even more wonderful is why these schools exist.  They help parents raise children in the training and instruction of the Lord!  Every day in these schools children grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus!  And, on top of that (as if that weren’t enough) they also get prepared for the next steps in life, for good citizenship in our country, and for being leaders in the church wherever they live (some of them being prepared to enter the holy ministry!).  Pray for these schools!  And if you have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews of school age, please ask me for more information about how they could become a part of this wonderful gift from God!

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Posted by: St. Mark Lutheran Church | May 9, 2012

Bible study updates — new lessons and new class

If you go to our Bible studies page you can find copies of our latest Bible class lessons.  You will find questions covering through the 10th chapter of Proverbs (our Wednesday morning class) and the first two lessons of our study of the parables of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Mark (our Sunday morning class).

Enjoy!

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