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Five years ago at this time I was leading our congregation through the book “Red Letter Challenge” by Zach Zehnder. In many Bibles, the words of Jesus are written in red. This 40 day challenge was to read and think about the words Jesus said and then actually put them into practice! A brilliantly simple idea: Listen to Jesus and do what He says.

Day 8 of the challenge encourages you to “Worship the Lord your God” (Luke 4:8). It noted that worship is more than what takes place in church buildings on Sundays and Wednesdays. It is a way of life. But can you truly worship at all times? After we read that devotion, my wife prayed that we might avoid the distractions in our lives that keep us from worshipping God.

Right after that, I drove to the hospital to visit one of our members. She was there unexpectedly as a result of an infection and dehydration. Talk about a distraction! Do you think she felt like praising God?

We have seen the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. As I think about all those people dealing with the aftermath of those storms, I wonder if they feel like praising God right now with the distraction of destroyed homes and loved ones who were killed.

Every day we all have plenty of stuff that distracts us, whether it is traffic or job related or family issues or car troubles. Those things can take our focus away from the wonderful news we have in our lives: God loved us enough to send His Son to take our place in punishment, pay for our sins, and give all who believe in Him the guarantee of forgiveness and life everlasting. That  is the reason we have to thank and praise and worship our God.

One of the suggestions in the devotion for remembering to praise God was to listen to Christian Music. I do that quite a bit, especially while driving down the road. I listen to stations on the radio, but I also have playlists on my phone and computer. These remind me to worship and praise and thank God no matter what. And while music in the background is a good thing, it is also good to have some time when you listen to music with distractions! A couple of songs that I turn to in trying times are: “I Will Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns and the old hymn based on Psalm 46: “Be Still, My Soul.”

Scripture that encourages us to worship God at all times:

Psalm 34:1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May your life be one of constant worship!

The followers of Jesus Christ should know and be assured that they have forgiveness for all their sins and the certainty of life everlasting because of what Jesus did for us. He promised that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. That is a comforting assurance, and one that I cling to in my life.

Knowing what I have for Jesus’ sake is what motivates me to want to help others. Knowing that I don’t have to earn my forgiveness and salvation frees me to live a life of service that responds to the grace of God that has been shown to me.

In Matthew 25, Jesus is describing the final judgment, where some are declared righteous and some are not. It is an example of “by their fruits you will know them.” Speaking to those judged righteous for Jesus’ sake, the Lord lists the kinds of things they did in their lives.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (Matthew 25:34–36, NIV84)

This attitude and mindset is what drives Christians around to world to live lives that serve others. It is also the impetus behind an organization in out nation called Family Promise. Family Promise has chapters all over the United States that are working to help homeless families with children under the age of 18. The goal is to get these families established in a way that they can support themselves and be independent. By providing temporary housing and a program leading to self-sufficiency, this program is having a tremendous impact on families. We have a chapter in our county and my congregation is actively involved in it.

Homelessness continues to be a problem all around us. Are you looking for a way you can help those who need someone to encourage them and offer a helping hand up? Take a look at familypromise.org.

Although I served Grace Lutheran Church in Denison, Texas for over 32 years before I retired, we lived in Sherman, Texas for most of that time. Those two towns have the longest standing High School football rivalry in Texas. It dates back to 1901, with there being some years they played each other more than once. Back in 1949, someone donated a Battle Ax to be used as the trophy for the team that won this game. This year marked the 126^th Battle of the Ax game between Sherman and Denison. Denison had won for the last 11 years, but Sherman took back the Ax in this year’s contest. By the way, Sherman also had an 11 game win streak at one point, and has won the game more times than Denison overall.

I attended many of these games over the years, but it has been a few years since I have gone to one. I still hear about them before and after the game. Whenever I hear people talking about this football battle, I am reminded that every day of our lives is a battle.

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

While Christ has won the victory over sin and death for us through His life and death and resurrection, we still have to struggle with sin and its consequences here on earth. It is our daily battle. Evil is a present reality. But we don’t face it alone.

The weekend many churches will celebrate Reformation Sunday. A hymn that will be sung by many in celebration of the Reformation is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.  It contains the line, “but for us fights the valiant one whom God himself elected.” He is still with us, by our side, every step of the way. He strengthens us, picks us up when we falter, encourages us to press on, and FIGHTS FOR US!

While we still have our daily battles, we keep it in perspective when we remember that the ultimate battle was won for us by Jesus. And He is still with us.

Cheryl and I have three daughters. All three of them have been married now for quite some time. I was being nostalgic and thinking about their weddings. Each time I was in the fortunate and somewhat unique position of being both the father of the bride and the officiating minister. There was a point in all three of those services where I got choked up, but God enabled me to recover and make it through the rest of the service each time.

I love my family deeply, and the emotions I display reflect that love. I have rejoiced with them, laughed with them and shed tears with them. Through it all I am aware of overwhelming blessing God has shown to our family in our lives together.

The love that I feel for my children, deep though it may be, is but a poor reflection of the love that our heavenly Father has for all those He created. There is a song by a man named Stuart Townend entitled How Deep the Father’s Love for Us that does a good job of describing that love

How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure
That he should give his only son, to make a wretch his treasure
How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turned his face away
As wounds which mar the chosen one, bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon his shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life; I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything: no gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ; his death and resurrection
Why should I gain from his reward? I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart: his wounds have paid my ransom

I thank God that He has allowed me to be a father. I thank my Father in heaven even more for the love He has shown to me.

Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 119:70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.

Psalm 119:92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

Romans 7:22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;

In our travels, Cheryl and I worshipped in a church earlier this year where the Pastor made this statement: “To live by the Gospel is to delight in the Law.” What followed was a list of rules and regulations, a lot of legalism. He did something that is very easy to do: he confused Law and Gospel.

My Seminary education warned warned against confusing God’s Law and His Gospel. Properly speaking, God’s Law tells us what to do, what not to do, and how to be. This is summarized in the Decalog, the Ten Commandments. His Gospel tells us the Good News that Jesus has fulfilled the Law for us to earn our forgiveness and life. The Law shows us our sin and constantly accuses us of being sinners. The Gospel shows us our Savior and is “the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

So why do all the passages above speak of “Delighting in the Law?” The answer is simple. In the narrow sense of the term, the Law means what I said above, how God would have us live. But in the broad sense of the term, the Law has a meaning of all that God has told us, both Law and Gospel. (It should be pointed out that the word “Gospel” also has a broad sense of meaning all of God’s Word.) We “delight in the Law” when we read and take to heart the message of all of Scripture, Law and Gospel, sin and grace, and are comforted by it.

When I read God’s commandments, His rules and regulations, I am convinced of my sin and need to be forgiven. When I read the message of Jesus coming to take my place in punishment in order to buy me back from sin and death, the Spirit causes my heart to swell and rejoice in God’s great goodness. That motivates me to strive to live according to God’s Will so that I can show Him how grateful I am for what He has done for me.

Luke 10:25–37 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus told this parable to answer the question, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus was showing us that we should be like the outsider, the Samaritan, who showed mercy and compassion to the one who was in need.

Think of all the characters Jesus mentions in this story: the traveler who gets beaten, the robbers, the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan, and the innkeeper. When you read or listen to this account, with whom do you identify? If you are honest with yourself, you must admit times when you have behaved like the priest and the Levite. Maybe you have been the innkeeper in some situations. Unfortunately, we have all had times we have all played the part of the robbers. And hopefully you can recall instances where you have acted like the Samaritan, following the example of our Lord Jesus Himself.

However, first and foremost I think we need to see ourselves as the one who was robbed and beaten and left for dead on the side of the road.

Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…

Left on our own, we would be dead forever, separated from God forever, identified as His enemies. But God was not content with that. He came down here to reconcile the world to Himself.

Ephesians 2:4–5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Jesus was to us the Good Samaritan, doing everything necessary to rescue us from our dire situation and circumstance. We live because of what He did for us. And our Savior encourages us to follow His example in how we treat others, even those we would consider “enemies.”

Acts 18:1–4 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Just over a year ago Cheryl and I were in Corinth on a “Footsteps of Paul” tour. The unearthed ruins of ancient Corinth were surrounded by modern day homes. We were able to spend some time wandering through the ruins and wonder what life must have been like 2000 years ago in that city. Several places were suggested as possible locations for Paul to have set up his shop as a tentmaker because of the tools found in the area. While we know he was there, we cannot know the exact spot he worked.

When the apostle Paul visited Corinth, that city was about as secular a place as you could find. It was a port town with a lot of sailors and a lot of prostitutes. There were many temples to many different gods. It was a corrupt town in which a good number of the people felt no need for any god of any kind. It was to such a city and such a people that Paul came with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and only through Him. Jesus was proclaimed as the solution for the Corinthians in their search for meaning, peace of mind, forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. Paul did not mince words. He was specific when sharing the message. He did not speak in vague or uncertain terms. He did not preach an ambiguous message of Jesus. He proclaimed the power of Christ, the Son of God, the only Savior of the world. He spoke of Jesus living a perfect life, being crucified for the sins of the world, and rising again to proclaim victory over death. The Holy Spirit worked through his message. People came to faith. They became convinced that Jesus was the answer to the problem of their sin and its consequences – death, separation from God, eternal condemnation. That is still true today for people all over this planet.

That is what we need to be busy sharing Jesus. Paul did it on a personal level. So must we. I know that the Spirit of God can and will work through a variety of means. I’m sure that people have been led to faith in Christ because of the Internet, e-mail, television, and radio. Those are all tools that can be used. They are good things. But the most powerful and effective means of making disciples since the church began is to let the Holy Spirit use you as an individual. The best method is what Jesus said: Go, tell, teach. Be a Christian, a disciple, who lives his or her faith wherever you find yourself. The first place that needs to happen is in your home as a father, mother, husband, wife, son or daughter. Being a forgiven child of God will influence the kind of father, mother, husband, wife, son or daughter that you are. You will try to be an imitator of Christ so that the members of your family will see Him through you. That should be true first and foremost in your home. If you share Christ in word and action in your home, then it will be true wherever else you go.

• Teaching in a public school
• Waiting on tables
• In the board room and the break room
• At your receptionist desk
• At the coffee shop
• On a sales call
• Where you volunteer

Matthew 28:18–20  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The calling to “make disciples” is something that every one of us must answer. The best way to go about the task of making disciples is to live your faith and talk about it. This happens on a personal level. People will come to know and believe in Jesus Christ because they see Him in you and the way you live. Of course, the only way that will happen is if He is in you. That is why it is crucial for believers to continually be strengthened and built up in their own relationship with Christ.

• This happens when you take time to let Him speak to you through His Word, whether in private devotions or in Bible Study with others.
• You are built up in your own relationship with Christ when you remember your Baptism and that through water and the Word God has claimed you as His dearly loved child.
• Your are made stronger in your faith when you receive the Sacrament of the Altar, assuring you that the death of Jesus has paid for your sins and that you have forgiveness and eternal life.

There should be no uncertainty about your status before God. With faith in Jesus, you have the guarantee that you are forgiven, you are His redeemed child now and will be His forever.

All around you are people seeking the answers for life. They want a new life, they want something better, something more, but don’t know how to get it. People are spiritual beings, and they are searching for spiritual answers. You and I have the answer: Jesus! But there are plenty of voices out there today proclaiming other “answers.” Do whatever feels good. Look inside yourself. You have to work for whatever you get. There are all kinds of philosophies out there. Some answers point to God, some suggest you take care of our own problems, others look to the stars, still others consult mediums and tarot cards. In the midst of all these solutions and the confusion that goes with them the Church proclaims Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again, as the only answer.

Do you remember that show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Did you know that the show is still being made? It started over 25 years ago. By answering a series of trivia questions, you can earn the top prize of one million dollars. The first host of the show in the U.S. was Regis Philbin. When a contestant would give his or her answer to the multiple choice question, he would always ask, “Is that your final answer?” The contestant had to affirm that it was, and would then be told whether or not he had given the correct answer.

You and I know that God has given us the answer we need, and it is Jesus. God’s Final Answer to the problem of sin is Jesus. This answer is for everyone. Your mission is to make sure others know who He is and what He has done for us all. Don’t assume that the people you meet are believers in Christ as their Savior. In fact, it is better to assume they are NOT! Then you will make a conscious effort to show them the difference in your life because you know Jesus is God’s Final answer!

Acts 4:12  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Yesterday I posed the question “What is Your Mission?” As we continue to consider this today, I direct you to these words:

Ephesians 4:11-16 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Note how it ends: each part does its work. Different parts of the body need to do their part. That is what it means to mature as a disciple. Each part needs to do its work.

Jesus gave His followers as Mission Statement at the end of Matthew:

 Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

 What is your part in this mission? In any group of believers, there are those who step up and take leadership roles. There are others who serve faithfully as teachers and helpers. All of you have a part in this mission.

As you try to determine your part in this mission, consider how God has blessed you. Some of you are able to give more financially than others. God does not ask you to give what you don’t have. He does want you to use what He has given you for His Kingdom. Some of you have special skills that you could offer. Some are able to give more of your time.

A a recent Lutheran Women in Mission event where my wife was speaking, one of the ladies stood up and said, “There are things we can do that men cannot do. And there are things the men can do that we can’t.”  She understood that EACH PART needs to do its work. You need to do your part when it is your time to do your part.

Be a person who takes to heart the message of forgiveness and life you have for Jesus’ sake. Be a person who responds to that message in your living. What it boils down to is giving of yourself because Christ has given to you. With the whole body working together, you will grow and build each other up in love, as each part does its work.