The Third Sunday of End Times, November 15, 2020

Readings for this week:

First Lesson: Ezekiel 37:15-28:  Earthly troubles are temporary.  The triumph that’s coming won’t be temporary.  It will be a kingdom without divisions caused by sin. 

Second Lesson and Sermon Passage:  Revelation 19:1-9:  Saint John lets us see what we watch for:  the consummation of the marriage of Christ and his Church.  Keep us watchful for our coming triumph!

Verse of the Day:  Revelation 7:15:  Alleluia.  They are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple.  Alleluia.

Gospel:  Matthew 25:1-13:  Jesus pictures the time before his return as virgins waiting for a bridegroom and the start of a wedding feast.  Jesus central instruction in this parable calls for the waiting Church to be the watchful Church.  Keep watch, for you do not know the day or the hour!

Sermon:  Revelation 19:1-9:  Are You Ready for the Wedding?

Are you ready?  There is no reason to doubt at all that you are part of the bride of Christ because it’s not dependent on yourself, but because God sent his Son to pay for your sins and sent you the Holy Spirit to believe that. 

How true and comforting are the words of the angel, “Blessed are they who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.” 

Are you ready for the wedding?  There is no doubt that all who trust not in what they have done but only in what Jesus has done for them are ready. 

Let there be no hesitation in your voice as you answer the question:  Yes, I am ready because Jesus has declared me innocent and holy, a saint who has been invited by His grace.”

Amen

Pastor Ron Koehler

The Second Sunday of End Time, Judgment Day, November 8, 2020

Readings for this week:

First Lesson, Daniel 7:9-10:  Daniel sees a vision of the Last Judgment that is filled with fire and thrones and books.  We can rejoice and look forward to the end of this age when we will reign with Christ in glory.

Second Lesson and Sermon Text, Romans 2:2-11:  Being mindful of the judgment means never falling into a self-righteous condemnation of the world around us. God will give according to what each person has done---but the point here is the motive, not the actions themselves.

VERSE OF THE DAY, Matthew 24:42:  Alleluia.  So be alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  Alleluia.

GOSPEL: Matthew 25:31-46: The Son of Man came once as a humble baby, but will return as a glorious king with angel armies at his side.  He will sit on his throne, and all the nations will be brought before him to be judged.  Lord, keep us mindful of your coming judgment that we might be found in faith, judged by your grace, and gifted with eternal life!

Sermon, Romans 2:2-11, God’s Righteous Judgement:

As Lutherans who rightly emphasize our salvation through faith alone, given to us by God’s grace alone, it might alarm you to see how much emphasis is about good works in the readings for today.

At first glance, this talk of works seems to contradict what we just said about faith being the basis of God’s righteous judgment of people, but upon closer examination, we see that faith and works are not contradictory teachings:  they complete the picture of what a Christian’s life should look like when it comes time for Last Judgment.

Let us remember what it is that God is basting his righteous judgment on:  faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin.  Faith is trust, trust in who Jesus is, what he has done for us on the cross, and what he promises to those who believe in him.

With a heart that is set on God’s Word, let us then direct our thoughts, words, and actions so that they are a proper result and reflection of our faith in Christ.  Amen

Pastor Tim Patoka

This Sunday’s order of worship is based on the six chief parts of Luther’s catechism. Because there was no sermon this Sunday we are posting the entire service audio.

Jesus Guides His Church, Week Eight, October 25, 2020

Readings for this week:

FIRST LESSON, 2 Chronicles 30:1-5, 10-22:  King Hezekiah sent invitations throughout the land to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem.  Just as King Hezekiah’s invitation was rejected, so was Jesus invitation to the land and so it is still rejected today by some.

SECOND LESSON, Romans 11:1-10:  It is not God who rejects people, it is us who reject God’s invitation to believe in Him.

PSALM 23:  The LORD is our shepherd.  He delivers us from the burden of sin and from our futile efforts to save ourselves by our own works.

VERSE OF THE DAY, John 20:31:  Alleluia.  These words are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  Alleluia.

GOSPEL AND SERMON TEXT, Matthew 21:1-14: In this parable of Jesus, Jesus substituted a certain king for God, and the son of that king represents Jesus.  He uses a wedding banquet as the setting for a story of how God extends a gracious invitation to all people. 

Sermon, Matthew 21:1-14, Jesus Guides His Church With a Gracious Invitation.

The gracious invitation to believe that Jesus is the son of God was declined by many of the religious leaders and others of Jesus’ day, even though he sent his servants like John the Baptist to invite them to see Jesus as God’s Son and their Savior. 

Those who reject the God’s gracious invitation to trust in his Son will not receive eternal life in heaven but will instead suffer the banishment and fire of hell.

If we have been guilty of being preoccupied with life and our own interests at the expense of God’s grace in Jesus, we have the opportunity to repent today.  The same is true if we have found ourselves a little disinterested, too.  As people who know God’s gracious invitation, we know that we find forgiveness in the King’s Son.

We pray that God’s Holy Spirit would continue to work on our hearts and build us up in our faith by speaking to us as we gather for worship and the study of his Word. 

Pastor Ron Koehler

Jesus Guides His Church, Week Seven, October 18, 2020

Readings for this week:

First Lesson, 2 Kings 21:1-15:  More shocking than King Manasseh’s long time sin is the story of God’s grace.  In 2 Chronicles 33, we learn that Manasseh finally heard God’s call to repentance.  He humbled himself and cried out to God—and God forgave him.

Second Lesson,   2 Corinthians 6:1-13:  The Apostle Paul warns us not to squander the opportunity before us by receiving the grace of God in vain.

Psalm 118:  Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; this is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

VERSE OF THE DAY, Hebrews 2:12:  Alleluia.  I will declare your name to my brothers.  Within the congregation I will sing your praise.  Alleluia.

GOSPEL AND SERMON TEXT, Matthew 21:33-43: In this parable of Jesus, we see the amazing patience of the vineyard owner.

Sermon, Matthew 21:33-43, Jesus Guides His Church with Incredible Patience.

We live now under God’s great patience.  He warns us not to fall back into sin and unbelief.  He encourages us to consider how we respond to the prophets and to t hose who bring God’s words of warning of promise to us. 

God sent his own beloved Son, knowing full well that people would execute him.  He sent his Son not only to seek fruits of faith and repentance, but to forgive sin and to enable those fruits of faith and repentance.

God’s promise is on full display; he has been patient with us in our sinfulness and has called us out of our sin to faith, to repentance, and ultimately to eternal life with him.  His love is marvelous.  He has done this for us.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Jesus Guides His Church, Week Six, October 11, 2020

Readings for this week:

First Lesson, Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32:  Ezekiel brings a strong warning for Christians who grow lax in their faith or dismissive of their sins. Repent, God says, turn from your wickedness and live. God promises not to judge us by our past, but by our present, and so he calls us to live anew.

Psalm 25: A Psalm of prayer: a prayer for protection, for forgiveness, for mercy, and for rescue.

Second Lesson:  2 Corinthians 13:5-8: The Corinthian congregation had heard from the Apostle Paul about repentance and obedience; he encouraged them to test themselves.

Gospel and Sermon Text:  Matthew 21:28-32:  The great men of Israel had gathered against Jesus in the temple courts. They claimed to be doing God’s work and fulfilling his will, but there was no repentance and no true obedience.

Sermon:  Matthew 21:28-32:  Doo Your Father’s Will.

To do the Father’s will begins with true repentance, but repentance consists of more than the words we say. It continues with heart-driven actions that also encourage us to do our Father’s will.

Repentance can be understood as a U-turn arrow. You start off in one direction leading towards sin and then you do a complete 180 away from sin.

There are three steps to do this: first you genuinely confess your sins, second you trust in God’s promise of forgiveness, and third you live a life free from those same sins: a turn away from sin and a turn towards God.

True repentance is not easy nor is it fun. It requires us to take an honest look at ourselves and come to the sobering conclusion that what we have been doing isn’t right and we shouldn’t continue on with it.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Jesus Calls His Church with Inconceivable Grace.  (Matthew 20:1-16

Readings for this week:

First Lesson, Jonah 4:5-11:  Jonah wanted Ninevah destroyed; in his mind it would only be fair.  Jonah had not wanted to prophesy to them because he was afraid that they might listen and repent.  He knew God would then have compassion on them and forgive them. But God is far more gracious than Jonah could have imagined.  They were his children and he wanted them to be his forever.  So great is God’s grace!

Second Lesson:  Romans 9:6-16:  Is God fair?  Is God just?  Neither—he is inconceivably gracious, as our eternal election proves.  Paul answers the question by pointing us back to God’s speech to Moses in Exodus 33.  The Israelites had worshiped the golden calf, and Moses made intercession for them.  Moses asked the Lord to show him his ways and his glory.  God responded by declaring his inconceivable grace:  he would show mercy and grace to those he chose, regardless of any merit or worth.

Gospel and Sermon Text:  Matthew 20:1-16:  What is our God like?  Jesus teaches us with a story, but we struggle with the lesson.  The parable offends our finely honed sense of what’s fair and what’s not.  This parable carriers both warning and promise for us---a warning that all comparisons based on merit or work do not belong in God’s kingdom; a promise that our relationship with God is based solely on grace which he lavishes in abundance.  He doesn’t give us what we deserve.  He gives us what we don’t.

Sermon:  Matthew 20:1-16:  Jesus Calls His Church with Inconceivable Grace.

We need to look at things from God’s perspective---that instead of being jealous of God’s blessings to others or relying on our good lives to earn God’s love---we ought to marvel that God loved us first…and that he loved us at all!

This is a story that focuses not on us, but on our loving God. God’s requirement for justice was fulfilled when the perfect Jesus was sacrificed for a world of imperfect people.  The price for sin was paid.  And because of that, this incredible, inconceivable grace rules and guides his church now and it will for eternity.

This good news gives us great comfort and leads us to praise the God of grace.  Amen.

Pastor Ron Koehler

Jesus Guides His Church to Forgive as God Forgives, Week 4, September 27, 2020

Readings for this Week:

First Lesson: Genesis 50:15-21: Joseph had forgiven his brothers their terrible deeds.  Through his tears, Joseph never wavered, but he calmed his brothers’ fears, forgave them like God forgives and set them free from their prison of the past.

Psalm 103:  Praise the Lord; He forgives all your sins, a beautiful psalm of comfort.

Second Lesson: Ephesians 4:29-5:2:  Forgiveness is the primary mark of the Christian.  We forgive because God forgave us in Christ.  That makes us imitators of God.

Gospel and Sermon Text: Matthew 18:21-35: Jesus’ parable contrasts the forgiveness of God and our own unforgiving nature.  Who can comprehend the forgiveness of God?   Have mercy on us, Lord, and teach us to forgive like you!

Sermon: Jesus Guides His Church to Forgive as God Forgives

Isn’t it easy to think of ourselves as good Christians? I suspect that Peter thought he was a pretty good Christian to suggest forgiving the same person seven times.

As it turns out, seven times is not particularly generous, Jesus said. Jesus wants the members of his church to forgive as God forgives; to do as they pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” He wants us to remember that our immense debt of sin has been forgiven, completely wiped out.

Let us rejoice that God has graciously and generously forgiven us, and then let’s forgive others as God forgives us.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Jesus Guides His Church to Call Each Other to Repentance, Week 3, September 20, 2020

Readings for this Week:

First Lesson: Ezekiel 33:7-11: God drops on us the heavy message of being a watchman for our brother. God’s judgment on fallen man is as clear as it is severe. If we fail to do the job God has assigned us, God promises to hold us accountable. With the Law driven deeply into our hearts, God then reminds us why he has given us this job: because of his grace and his desire for the salvation of all mankind..

Psalm 51: Psalm 51, written by King David, contrasts the depths of guilt and the riches of forgiveness..

Second Lesson Galatians 2:11-21: Being your brother’s keeper will lead at times to uncomfortable situations or even confrontations. Here Paul tells how he had to oppose Peter to his face. Paul did not do this out of jealousy. This had to do with the eternal salvation of everyone involved. Paul took his job of being a watchman seriously: if righteousness could be gained by following the law, hen Christ died for nothing!

Gospel and Sermon text: Matthew 18:15-20:  Satan tries to make Christian discipline seem like the height of hypocrisy or meddling. But only love could lead the Christian and the Church to go to a fallen brother. Only love led our Savior to command it. Even the manner Jesus prescribes shows great love for the fallen. Such a great privilege and power has Christ bestowed on us!

Sermon:  Jesus Guides His Church to Call Each Other to Repentance.

Jesus suggests that we are to have a God-like love for sinners. And he gives us a blessed privilege to show that love; handling his law and gospel for the salvation of souls.

You and i get the to share God’s Word with people so that they will repent and be saved. This is gospel ministry! We also are blessed that others will do this for us, too.

May the Holy Spirit help us to see that calling each other to repentance as loving work and fill our hearts with God-like love when we see each other wandering. Amen.

Pastor Ron Koehler

Jesus Guides His Church With a Powerful Promise, Week 2, September 13, 2020

Readings for this Week:

First Lesson: Judges 16:22-31: Samson had the world: strength, fame, power, leadership, love. Yet he was losing his soul. But the God grace humbled him. Samson repented and took up his cross and followed. He lost his life, but died in faith.

Psalm 121: Psalm 121 reminds us that our help comes from the LORD; He will keep us from all harm.

Second Lesson Galatians 6:12-16: Christians will be temped to give in to license or legalism in order to escape persecution. But Christ told us to expect persecution and burdens that come from carrying his cross.

Gospel and Sermon text: Matthew 16:21-26:  Jesus had come to fulfill the redemptive mission for which he was anointed; he had not come to fulfill Israel’s earthbound views of the Messiah. He couldn’t be the Messiah they wanted, and still be the Savior they needed. Cross and death were first necessary. For Christian followers, cross comes before crown as well. We die to self, but gain Christ, the Life.

Sermon:  Jesus Guides His Church through Cross and Trial: Matthew 16:21-26.

As we read Matthew chapter 16, this was Jesus’ first time telling the disciples about his coming death and resurrection and see that, as we contemplate the scripture, we need to keep in mind the things of God and continually deny our sinful selves.

As hard as it may be to continually deny our sinful self, what is to come from it is worth all the trouble, for we will find a life that is with our God, accompanied by our brothers and sisters in the faith, and assured of the peace we have with God himself because of his forgiveness.

And, when that life transitions to its eternity in heaven, we will finally have rest from the crosses and trials we endure in this life and find life with Christ forever in heaven.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Jesus Guides His Church With a Powerful Promise, Week 1, September 6, 2020

Readings for this Week:

First Lesson: Joshua 4:1-9: Twelve rocks told the story of God’s grace and preservation to generations of his people. Through the Word, they still speak to us today. As he once used his might to halt a river in its place to preserve his people, so today God still preserves and protects the new Israel, his Holy Church.

Psalm 34: Psalm 34 gives thanks to God for delivery from danger.

Second Lesson Revelation 7:1-8: God doesn’t just hold back rivers, but he even holds back the winds of destruction until every one of his elect is safely sealed.

Gospel:  and Sermon text: Matthew 16:13-20:  In this reading, Peter confesses Jesus to be the Son of the living God. This living God is the hope of every sinful man. Jesus had the mission to restore life to this world of death. This truth is the rock on which the Church stands. Because it stands on the rock and not on the pebbles of mem who serve it, the Church will stand forever: its message is changeless; the ramifications of its work are eternal..

Sermon:  Jesus Guides His Church with a Powerful Promise: Matthew 16:13-20.

The powerful promise of Jesus is that Christ’s Church will always stand—-right up until the end of this world’s existence.

It will not go away.

It will not be defeated.

And it will continue to exist as God’s people live with him for all eternity.

This encourages us in our faith as we see the pressure a sinful world puts on Christians.

This gives us comfort and peace.

Pastor Ron Koehler

Summer Worship Series, Sunday August 30, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 12, We Won’t Need the Sun

Readings for this Week:

First Lesson: Isaiah 25:1-9: The Mountain of the Lord in Isaiah’s prophecy describes the joy of living with God in this life and living with him forever in heaven.

Psalm 46: Psalm 46 provides comfort for God’s people during difficult times, inspiring Luther’s famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

Second Lesson and Sermon Text:  Revelation 21:9-14, 21-26. The Apostle John saw heaven portrayed in various ways in his vision. Here, it is described as a place that needs no sun because God is its light.

Gospel:  Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.  Jesus’ parable of the Wheat and the Weeds is both a warning concerning the coming judgment and comfort for those God will welcome into heaven through faith in his Son.

Sermon:  We Won’t Need the Sun: Revelation 21:9-14, 21-26.

The first lesson from Scripture in our “Under the Sun” worship series started in Genesis with the world in darkness, before the sun was even created.

Today, we end our summer worship series with the last verses of the Bible that speak about the sun that tell us about a world without the sun. This one is not dark like the world was before light was created. This world is full of the light of God’s glory and his grace. This is heaven where we won’t need the sun.

Heaven is a perfect place of God’s promise, and it is also a perfect place of God’s presence and we will live there with God. All who dwell there live in the light of the glory of God, the brilliant, radiant, bright shining glory.

This is the reason that heaven does not need a sun. The glory of God has given it light. Sin is gone. Shame is gone. All that is left is the perfect holiness that God has given to us in Jesus, and so we will bask in the full and unveiled glory of God.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Summer Worship Series, Sunday August 23, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 11, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down While You Are Angry

Readings for this Week:

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 6:1-12: When the People of Israel entered into the Promised Land, they were to hold fast to the commands God had given them and to put them into action.

Second Lesson and Sermon Text:  Ephesians 4:25-32. The Apostle Paul shares with the Christians in Ephesus a number of practical ways to put their faith into action through sanctified living.

Gospel:  Matthew 5:21-26.  In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urges his followers to control their anger and to seek reconciliation.

Sermon:  Don’t Let the Sun Go Down While You are Angry: Ephesians 4:25-32.

Today’s sun reference in the Bible is also used in marriage advice, “do not let the sun go down while you are angry." (Ephesians 4:26) While not a hard and fast rule, it is a blanket statement based on common sense. It is generally not good for anger to last for a prolonged time.

Don’t give the Devil any extra opportunities to shipwreck our faith. The Devil wants nothing more than to trip us up so that we revert back to our sinful self.

Jesus gives us, though faith, a new self that is free from sin and its dreadful curse. We have his promise of forgiveness. This is not the only thing God has done for his sanctified children. As God’s love is continually given to us in Christ, so we mirror that frequency by continually treating our neighbor with that same love.

If we minimize the opportunities to sin and remain standing in Christ, we will also be encouraged to treat our brothers and sisters in the faith in the same way that God has treated us in Christ with his love.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Summer Worship Series, Sunday August 16, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 10, The Sun is Darkened

Readings for this Week:

First Lesson: Isaiah 53:1-9: Centuries before Jesus lived and died, God’s prophet Isaiah foretold how he would be pierced for our sins and crushed for our iniquities, punished that we might have peace.

Second Lesson:  2 Corinthians 5:14-21. A great exchange was made on the cross. Jesus became sin for us so that we might have the righteousness of God through him..

Gospel and Sermon Text:  Luke 23:44-49.  From noon (the sixth hour) until 3:00PM (the ninth hour), the world was dark as Jesus hung on the cross.

Sermon:  The Sun is Darkened: Luke 23:44-49.

At exactly the time when we would expect the sun to be at its brightest and highest and hottest, there was darkness from noon until three in the afternoon on the day when Jesus died on the cross. On the day we call Good Friday, the sun was darkened.

Normally, darkness hides the truth. You can’t see in the darkness. On that Good Friday, the darkness of the sun shows us the truth. It shows us the battle of sin and the judgment that sin deserves. It shows us the sacrifice and shows us our Savior. This is Jesus who once said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46).

We can marvel once again that God gave miraculous signs to mark that amazing occasion, and we commit ourselves to living in the light of his love until he calls us to his side in heaven.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Summer Worship Series, Sunday August 9, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 9, The Sun Scorches the Plants

Readings for Week 8:

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 8:1-9.  The Israelites who would enter the Promised Lan had gone through much testing and many difficult times, but through it all, God had positive lessons for them to learn.

Second Lesson:  Hebrews 12:1-13.  On the heels of the great “Hall of Faith: chapter of the Bible (Hebrews 11), this reading reminds us that all of God’s people face difficulties that God uses for our discipline and ultimate benefit.

Gospel and Sermon Text:  Mark 4:1-20.  The parable of the Sower and the Seed describes a variety of reactions people have to hearing the Gospel.  May God grant that we continue to hear his Word with joy and gratitude and bear much fruit!

Sermon:  The Sun Scorches the Plants.  Mark 4:1-20

Sometimes the message from God has the purpose of confronting people with his law…and sometimes this meets with rejection.  That message then condemns those who oppose God.  At other times, that Word fulfills the desire of God that people be saved, and it works or strengthens faith in him.

This message of Jesus’ was meant to build up those given the gift of faith and allows us to think about our need to be deeply rooted in God’s Word so that we do not allow trouble and persecution to scorch our faith.  And we all experience our share of trouble in this world that we Christians must go thru in order to receive eternal life.

It is a blessing to know that just as Jesus loved us enough to live and die for us, he also loves us enough to warn us.  He forgives us for our past failures in these things and he urges us to listen to his Word, because that will produce a faith strongly rooted in the words and promises of our Lord.

Pastor Ron Koehler

Summer Worship Series, Sunday August 2, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 8, The Sun Rises Over Good and Evil

Readings for Week 8:

First Lesson, Exodus 23:1-9.  When God made laws for the nation of Israel, he took special note of those who might otherwise be looked down on.  He instructed his people to show them a special measure of love.

Psalm of the Day, Psalm 72.  The Rule of the Righteous King.  Psalm 72 describes the glorious right of the messianic King, the Son of David.

Second Lesson, Romans 12:9-21.  The Apostle Paul reminds the Christians in Rome to love others and to repay the evil done to them with good done to others.

Gospel and Sermon, Matthew 5:38-48.  In this section from his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus corrects the mistaken notion of many that they are to love their friends and hate their enemies.

Sermon, Matthew 5:38-48.  The Sun Rises Over Good and Evil.

Jesus reminds us that it is God who causes the sun to rise day after day and to shine on the earth.  The sun rises for everyone; people all over the world benefit from its light and heat and energy. 

God does not divide up this world into those who are his enemies and should be left in darkness or drought and on the other than those who are his friends who enjoy the sunlight and the needed rain. 

We can make it our attitude that we weight our words and our actions not according to how we feel or what we think, but against God’s standards.  We can look at our enemies and pray for them and love them.

God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good and he invites his children to imitate that sort of love.

May every sunrise remind us to live humbly out of love for others, and to love even our enemies in the name of him who loves and forgives us.

Amen

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Summer Worship Series, July 26, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 7, The Sun Beats Down on Jonah

Readings for this week:

First Lesson and Sermon:  Jonah 4:5-11.  When God first sent Jonah to preach to the city of Nineveh, Jonah fled.  God redirected Jonah back to the city, where he preached and the people repented.  This account records Jonah’s reaction to their repentance.

Second Lesson:  Romans 10:8-15.  God wants people to be saved through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.  Because of this, he sends people out with his word to share it with others.

Gospel:  Luke 10:1-16.  Jesus appointed and sent out 72 followers to share his message.  We continue to pray that God would send workers into his “harvest field.”

Sermon:  The Sun Beats Down on Jonah (Jonah 4:5-11)

The story of Jonah is not about Jonah or a fish or the Ninevites.  Here, at the end of Jonah, Chapter 4, the last chapter, it becomes clear that this is all about God and his mercy for repentant sinners like the Ninevites, and like Jonah and you and me.

What a truly wondrous and gracious God we have who spares sinners from the judgment they—we—so richly deserve. 

May we be reminded of that as we think about how God wanted to reach the Ninevites.  And may the Holy Spirit work in us to see out people around us who need to know about the forgiving and gracious God!

Amen.

Pastor Ron Koehler

Summer Worship Series, July 19, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 6, The Shadow of the Sun Moves Back

Readings for Sunday, July 19, 2020

First Lesson and Sermon:  Isaiah 38:1-20.  Hezekiah was a righteous King in Judah.  When he prayed that God would heal him, God gave him what he requested and even gave him a special sign for reassurance.

Psalm 27:  A psalm of David.  An exuberant declaration of faith and trust in God.

Second Lesson:  James 5:13-18.  It ought to be the attitude of all Christian to pray to God in times of sickness and suffering.  We have God’s promise to hear and answer our prayers. 

Gospel:  Luke  18: 1-8.  Because of God’s power and love for us, we can pray boldly and not give up.

Sermon:  The Shadow of the Sun Moves Back.  Isaiah 38:1-20

Each day, the sun rises moves across the sky and sets in the west.  It was quite unusual when the shadow of the sun reversed course and moved back ten steps during the reign of Hezekiah, a faithful king in Judah, as a sign from God that he’d heard his prayers.  Hezekiah  had become sick and was dying. Hezekiah knew the Lord, so he turned to him in prayer, and God heard.

This lesson is most definitely a lesson about prayer but it doesn’t mean that we should pray that God would allow us to live longer and then we will live longer. Instead, it reinforces what God teaches us throughout Scripture: that he hears us when we pray.

Jesus himself instructs us to pray and not lose heart.   We don’t always know whether our prayers will be answered the way that we want them to be answered, but we can be absolutely certain that God has the wisdom to do what is best for us.

So let us pray.  Let us go to God frequently, regularly, repeatedly with our cares and concerns. 

Let’s pray for ourselves and for others.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke

Summer Worship Series, July 12, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 5, Life Under The Sun

Readings for Sunday, July 12, 2020

First Lesson and Sermon:  Ecclesiastes 1:1-14.  In this book, King Solomon describes how many things “under the sun” are meaningless.  He then explains that through fait in God our lives have meaning.

Second Lesson:  Philippians 3:7-11.  Faith in Christ allows us to know and to believe that anything else in our lives would be meaningless without him.

Gospel:  Matthew 6:25-34.  Since earthly things are far less important than spiritual matters (the kingdom of God), we do not need to worry.  We can trust that God will provide what we need.

Sermon:  Life Under The Sun. 

1)       It is all chasing the wind

People of all times and all places have wondered what the meaning of life is:  Who am I? Where do I come from? Why am I here?

Believers have an advantage the unbelieving world does not and that is God’s Word, a source that will answer whatever questions we may have when it comes to figuring out what truly matters in life. 

There’s a sobering truth that no matter what we do or don’t, we cannot prevent ALL future pandemics, economic downturns, or the painful ways our sinful nature shows itself.

Sin is and will always be a part of this world until the Last Day.

2)      God alone gives meaning.

Once we lift our gaze to the one who is over the sun (God) everything changes for the better. 

As God had promised, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, lived, died, and rose so that righteousness and forgiveness could be given to all with faith.  That is a historical fact with eternal results that can never be undone or called into question.

We have a home waiting for us over the sun where sin hasn’t and will never leave its ugly mark.

“This is the conclusion of the matter.  Everything has been heard.  Fear God and keep his commandments.  For mankind, this is everything. (verse 12)

Prayer: May our Lord help us focus on him and always value the righteousness he gives so that we know what truly matters in this life under the sun.  Amen.

Pastor Tim Patoka

Summer Worship Series, July 5, 2020

Under the Sun Series, Week 4, The Sun Stands Still

Readings:

First Lesson and Sermon Text:  Joshua 10:8-15. The Israelites, led by Joshua, had made a treaty with the People of Gibeon. When Gibeon was attacked by the Amorite kings, they called to Israel for help. These verses share how the battle unfolded and how God fought for his people in a special way.

Psalm 31: In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge

Second Lesson:  Ephesians 6:10-17..  Not only does God fight for his people, he also fights with them and equips them for their battles against evil.

Gospel:  John 16:22-33.  We rejoice and take comfort not in our own ability to overcome the sinful world, but in the victory won for us by Jesus. He has overcome the world in which we still struggle.

Sermon: The Sun Stands Still: Joshua 10:8-15.

We pause to consider how God fights for his people today. “His people” no longer means a specific nation in the world, but they are called out of nations throughout the world: they are the full number of those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin.

Our battle is a spiritual battle. Currently in the world it is a battle whether we will trust in people and expect that the only way we win this battle by trust in in God’s promises that he will use all things to accomplish his good purposes.

This spiritual battles requires us to look past the limitations of this world and into an eternal life that God has promised to us.

God fights for us because without him we don’t stand a chance. Jesus, on the cross, defeated Satan and death and hell. He said, “It is finished,” because the battle was won. But the skirmishes continue!

We need to daily repent of our sins and weaknesses, our failures, and to humbly look to God for forgiveness and strength.

Pastor Nathan Kassulke