First Lesson: Genesis 29: 15-28
Responsive Reading: Psalm 128
Second Lesson: Romans 8: 26-39
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 13: 31-33, 44-52

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”-Romans 8:28

John Roberts is the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  In Roberts position, he would be considered one of the wisest people in the country.  Recently, Chief Justice Roberts was tabbed to be the commencement speaker at Cardigan Mountain School[1] in New Hampshire where his son Jack attends[2].  Cardigan Mountain School is a place where most of the boys come from a place of privilege in life.  They might have moms and dads who are rich, and grandmas and grandpas who are rich.  They might come from families of Senators or even the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Many of these boys have been born with every conceivable advantage in this world.  They might seem destined to follow in their family’s very successful footsteps. 

Normally commencement speeches are dripping with optimism telling people to remember where you came from, work hard, follow your dreams, maybe smile now and then, and close with wishing the hearers good luck.  Chief Justice Roberts wasn’t going to give one of these speeches.  Chief Justice Roberts instead wished the boys “bad luck.”  He said he hoped the years ahead would, in fact, bring them trouble. 

What did Chief Justice Roberts wish the graduating class[3]:
He wished the boys experience injustice, so they may know what and who is just.  He wished the boys are betrayed, so they may know who is truly loyalty.  He wished boys experience loneliness’, so they don’t take their relationships for granted.  He wished the boys experience bad luck, so they are reminded that the line between success and failure in this world is often a thin line often brought about by the uncertainty of chance.  He wished the boys are ignored by others, so they learn the importance of listening. 

Chief Justice Roberts’ main point is to remember that there is often a great message behind all of our misfortune. 

Now let me tell you about a man who would have liked what Chief Justice Roberts had to say.  The guy’s name was the Apostle Paul.  Paul was maybe the wisest man in the Early Church.  The Book of Romans would be a collection of all the wisdom that Paul had collected within his ministry[4].  Paul wrote Romans probably thirty years after his famous conversion on the Road to Damascus.  Paul wanted his beliefs on record in the empire’s capital, so he wrote this letter.  Paul in our lesson for Today wanted to touch on where we can exactly find God’s presence in moments of injustice, betrayal, loneliness, bad luck, and those moments when we feel powerless.  Paul wants Christians to know to whom they can tune in the moments of our desperation[5].  Paul always wants them to know this.  That life will sometimes hit Christian people hard.

Joseph M. Stowell grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey just across the bridge from New York City[6].  Stowell’s school had its share of really rough kids.  One day, while roughhousing with some of his friends,  Stowell gets hit in the face.  One of Stowell’s front-teeth comes loose.  Stowell has a dental emergency which nearly everyone would dread.  Here’s the thing, Stowell’s tooth had previously been crooked, the Dentist because of the punch was able to make the tooth straight once again.  Today, Stowell is a Christian College President and Author[7]. 

What Paul is saying is that there will be times such as these when the enemy seems to be bearing down on us, yet God is still present[8].  The following is true, even if he might seem way too far behind the scenes for our liking. 

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? “-Romans 8:31

How exactly does this all work though in God using all things for good, even the bad and hideously ugly.  Marie Balter was born in the winter of 1931 in Gloucester, Massachusetts[9].  Her Mom was an alcoholic with barely a cent to her name, who soon gave her up for adoption.  Marie would spend the next few years of her life bouncing around the system living in various foster homes.  At the age of 6, Balter was adopted by an Italian couple who didn’t speak English.  These were strict parents when Marie did something wrong they would lock her in a cellar or a dark closet.  If Marie were home late, they would lock her out of the house.  Marie wasn’t allowed to have any English speaking friends.  Marie eventually runs away from home into a convent[10].  At age 16, Marie Balter was suffering from as nasty a depression as a woman can experience.  She just began to shut down and stop communicating.  Marie was then diagnosed with schizophrenia.  She was then sent to live at Danvers State Hospital where she would be mostly confined for the next 17 years of her life[11].  These years seemingly broke Marie. By the age of 33; she seemed destined to Danvers Hospital forever.  Her panic and anxiety disorders were such that she hadn’t been able to walk for nearly two years.  She would continually hear voices within her head and she saw demons whenever she looked in the mirror[12].  Marie Balter was as low as a human could be in this world.  Marie Balter turned to prayer.  She prayed for escape.  She vowed to dedicate herself to mental health if the opportunity ever presented itself.  She began by shuffling cards to regain feeling in her hands; she then started taking small steps and scrubbing floors[13].  She then started walking longer and longer.  When she requested her release, the hospital staff took bets on how many weeks before Marie Balter came back to Danvers Hospital. 
​
Marie upon her release started working menial jobs; she eventually returned to community college, she then got a bachelor's degree from Salem State in psychology and a masters degree from Harvard in administrative planning[14].  Marie Balter would eventually return to Danvers State Hospital, seventeen years after her release, only this time Marie Balter returned as an administrator[15].  What changed Marie Balter’s life? She believed in setback after setback that God had a plan that would soon become known in her life.  Like Chief Justice Roberts, she believed there was a message in her all misfortunate.  She believed that her God could ultimately work all these things for a greater good.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”- Romans 8:35

I want to close with another story this morning as told by Ed Markquart[16].  Ollie the Oyster was one day out for a swim.  Ollie’s side was quickly struck by a grain of sand which got stuck.  Ollie had never felt so much pain in his entire life.  Ollie let out as much inappropriate Oyster language as one can imagine.  Ollie’s ranting though could not remove this painful piece of sand stuck to Ollie’s side.  Ollie cried and cried, Ollie cried until tears couldn’t come from his eyes anymore.  Ollie then tried to live with the pain, yet no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, Ollie’s pain could not go away.  Here’s the thing about Oysters though they respond a bit different to pain then You and I.  Ollie started producing within his body a fine oil to heal his wound[17].  No different than our scabs began to heal our wounds.  Over time, Ollie’s oil grew harder and harder, pretty soon all that oil mixed with Ollie’s wound produced the most beautiful pearl any of you can imagine. 

What Paul is getting at in our lesson for Today is this it is often our wounds as in the case of Joseph Stowell with his loose tooth, Marie Balter or Ollie the Oyster which transform the brokenness of our lives into eventual pearls.  We probably don’t believe this when the pain is leaving us unable to move.  Rest assured, God’s whole ways in the world involve taking our problems of sin and death and bringing forth pearly gates instead.   

Paul’s message for Today is God sees our problems.  Your problems are not too big for God.  God promises that no matter how dark a place you might be in life, pearls can be made.  Our problems can never separate us from God’s grace.  We can always find a message in misfortune.  We can always find this message in the work of our messiah.   

I close this morning with Paul’s closing words from our lesson:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord[18].”  Amen


[1] Steir, Pastor Leon. “Wishing You Bad Luck.” Email Mediatations. 17.July.2017. Web. July.24.2017. 
[2]John Roberts”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 13.June.2017. Web. July.24.2017. 
[3] Steir, Pastor Leon. “Wishing You Bad Luck.”
[4] Markquart, Ed. “Books of the Bible-Romans: Christ’s Spirit and Eternal Bonding.” Sermons from Seattle. Web. July.24.2017. 
[5] Kamudzandu, Israel. “Commentary on Romans 8:26-39.” Working Preacher. 30.July.2017. Web. July.24.2017. 
[6] Anselmi, Jeffrey. “God is Bigger.” Sermon Central. 12.June.2003. Web. July.24.2017. 
[7] “Joseph Stowell.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 27. Apr.2017. Web. July.24.2017. 
[8] Berge, Paul. S. “Commentary on Romans 8:26-39.” Working Preacher. 27.July.2008. Web. July.24.2017. 
[9] Brennan, Patricia. “Nobody’s Child.” Washingston Post. 6. Apr.1986. Web. July.24.2017. 
[10] Brennan, Patricia. “Nobody’s Child.”
[11] Lane Butts, Rev. Dr. Thomas. “On Winning the Biggest Battle of Life.” Day 1. 13.Jan.2002. Web. July.24.2017. 
[12] Brennan, Patricia. “Nobody’s Child.”
[13] Brennan, Patricia. “Nobody’s Child.”
[14] Brennan, Patricia. “Nobody’s Child.”
[15] AP. “Ex-Patient is State Hospital Administrator.” New York Times. 27.Nov.1988. New York Times. July.24.2017. 
[16] Markquart, Ed. “Books of the Bible: Christ’s Spirit and Eternal Bonding.”
[17] Markquart, Ed. “Books of the Bible: Christ’s Spirit and Eternal Bonding.”
[18] Romans 8:38-39.  

First Lesson: Genesis 28: 10-19a
Responsive Reading: Psalm 139: 1-12, 23-24
Second Lesson: Romans 8: 12-25
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”- Corrie Ten Boom.
​
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”- Romans 8:22

Let me begin with a story.  The year was 2001.  I was senior at Concordia College.  I had a friend named Nate.  The thing that you need to know about Nate is every dollar he gave up was a source of pain. It doesn’t matter if Nate has $1 or $1 Million dollars to his name.  Nate also liked to go out as much on other people’s dimes as possible.  So Nate, a group of friends, and I went out one night to Buffalo Wild Wings in North Fargo.  Nate and I ordered some chicken wings, but I picked the sauce since I agreed to help him pay.  Being a good Swede, I picked a mild sauce to Nate’s disappointment.  Nate being a brash 22 years old started running his mouth how he had an “iron stomach” and he could handle any chicken wings they could serve.  Neither my friends or I believed this.  So we decided to challenge Nate by ordering a half-dozen “blazing” wings, which were the hottest of 12 sauces on the menu.  If Nate ate these wings, we’d pay for them and give him an extra $5 to boot.  Nate was never going to turn down an opportunity to win money.  So we place the order.  Nate takes his first bite.  It becomes quickly obvious that Nate had no idea into what he was getting himself. Nate started sweating!  Tears were running down Nate’s face.  Nate required milk or water after every bite.  After seeing Nate eat two of the six wings, we figured there was no way he would ever finish.  Nate was not going to surrender $5 after going through so much pain to collect.  Nate took bite after bite as his face turned redder and redder.  By the fourth wing, we were starting to worry about Nate’s health.  Nate kept going and going; he ate every last drop.  Nate got up ran to the nearest facility and the rest of Nate’s night or even the day after wasn’t all that pretty for him.  Nate collected his $5 long after most people would have deemed the cost to be too great.   

Nate had a belief that temporary pain (no matter how brutal), would eventually work itself out in his life.  Now many of us can relate to Nate’s physical pain, yet this isn’t the only pain that affects us.  Perhaps you’ve had emotional pain or spiritual pain that you can’t quite make sense.

Joseph Parker was one of the most famous preachers in England at the end of the 19th Century[1].  Preachers of all faith backgrounds would gather to hear Parker give noon Bible lessons. Contemporaries describe Parker as having a gift with words like few Christian preachers ever[2]. If anyone was thought to have an unshakable faith, it would be Joseph Parker.  Joseph Parker at the age of 58 became a widow[3].  Joseph Parker described himself as never having a religious doubt in life before this point, only to see his faith collapse, and nearly become an atheist[4].  Parker felt his prayers had been going unanswered, Parker described his emotions as like “a dog in misery” and feeling “spat upon by God[5].”  Joseph Parker never really bounced back fully from the loss of his wife.  Joseph Parker kept preaching Sunday after Sunday, until his death three years later.  He struggled with the pain of his faith even as he kept on proclaiming it.
Parker’s story brings us to our lesson Today from Romans 8, as I’ve been preaching on the Book of Romans this Summer.  Paul’s conversion to Christianity had certainly brought him all sorts of hardship from being shipwrecked, imprisoned, and living in constant fear on account of his faith.  Paul like Joseph Parker needed to make sense of these events wrote the Book of Romans to express everything he believed. 

Our lesson for Today has Paul comparing living as a Christian to the experience of going through the pain of child birth. 

Israel Kamudzandu describes this passage well when he says[6]:
“It is a blessing to be pregnant, but we all know that before giving birth to new life; a mother always goes through pain, lost appetite, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, and struggles with mobility; and yet at the end there is a celebration.”

There must be pain before Redemption; there must be death before Resurrection.  As Christian people, we must continually be turning our heads towards what is coming at the finish line. 

Derek Redmond was a British sprinter born in 1965[7].  Derek Redmond ran the 400 meters faster than any other person in the country’s history.  In 1991, Redmond’s 4 x 400 Relay team won the World Championship against heavily favored the United States.  Britain posted the second fastest 4 x 400 time ever.  Derek Redmond qualified for the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 in the 400 meters.  Redmond posted the fastest time of all competitors in the initial round.  Redmond won his heat in the quarterfinals.  In the Semis, Redmond started quite well seemingly on his way to the finals and being an Olympic medalist.  250 meters from the finish line Derek Redmond’s life would change forever.  Derek Redmond felt a pop in his hamstring and collapsed to the ground.  Redmond would seem to have been unable to go any further.  Red Cross medics upon seeing Redmond get the stretcher ready[8].  Redmond though manages to get up.  Redmond starts limping; every step was painful.  Redmond regardless of how injured he was, believed crossing the finish line would be the payoff for his years of training. It didn’t matter that every step of Redmond’s run would bring more and more tears streaming down his face.  Redmond was only able to complete the race with the assistance of his father.  Very few people will be able to tell you who won the Gold Medal in the 400-meter dash at the Barcelona Olympics, but people will forever remember Derek Redmond’s determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  Derek Redmond today is a prominent motivational speaker in the United Kingdom. 

The Apostle Paul in many ways could empathize with Derek Redmond.  Paul would later be attributed as saying: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing[9].”

Within Paul’s day, the belief existed that it was the pain of the present, would bring about God’s final redemption[10].  For Christians, this pain was most officially revealed upon on a cross.  No matter how it appeared Christ’s pain ultimately did not bring death, this pain instead brought a new hope and life[11].  What Paul is saying Today is that our current pain mirrors Jesus in that its final meaning will not be made known only on our Good Fridays, but rather the Easters that lies ahead.

C.S. Lewis once described this passage well when he said: “Pain insists upon being attended to.  God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world[12].” 

Paul’s message for Today is this life will at times bring you not only chicken wings that bring tears to your face, but labor pains, torn hamstrings, and even loss of loved ones from which we seemingly can’t recover.  Our God can use all these things for his eventual glory.  Lastly, our God can even use fleas. 
Corrie ten Boom was born in the Netherlands in 1892[13].  Ten Boom worked as a watchmaker. In 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands.  The Nazis immediately began to restrict Ten Boom’s Christian faith.  Ten Boom though didn’t back down seeking to invite Jewish neighbors into their home.  Ten Boom’s family efforts became known to Jews far and wide.  In 1944, ten Boom’s actions became known to the Nazis.  Her and much of her family were arrested.  She was sent to solitary confinement.  Corrie and her sister Betsie eventually end up at Ravensbruck concentration camp[14].  Ravensbruck was brutal.  One could barely step into the bunk room without being swarmed by fleas.  Corrie and Betsie though had managed to sneak in a Bible to their bunker.  The following was a bold move as if the ten Boom sisters were caught; they would be executed[15].  They started passing around their Bible in as secretive a fashion as possible not to be discovered.  They soon realized the guards never came to check their bunker.  One day, Betsie over heard the guards explain why they never did a bunker inspection because the guards didn’t want to deal with all those fleas[16].  Corrie ten Boom because of those fleas became one of the best-known authors of the 20th Century with her book The Hiding Place. 

Paul’s message for Today is to think of pain just like Corrie ten Boom or my friend Nate. Pain within a Christian’s life is more than a mere reality of the present; pain instead points to the day when the words from the end of Revelation shall become a reality:
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”-Revelation 21:4.   

Amen    


[1] “Joseph Parker.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 28.Dec.2016 Web. July.18.2017. 
[2] Graves, Dan. “Joseph Parker’s Special Noon Service.” Christianity.com. July 2007. Web. July.18.2017. 
[3] Eisberg, Clarence. “Where Is God When I'm Hurting.” Sermon Central.com. 20.Mar.2007. Web. July.18.2017. 
[4] Eisberg, Clarence. “Where Is God When I'm Hurting.”
[5] Eisberg, Clarence. “Where Is God When I'm Hurting.”
[6] Kamudzandu, Israel. “Commentary on Romans 8:12-25.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. St.Paul. 17.July.2017. Web. July.18.2017. 
[7] “Derek Redmond.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.20.June.2017. Web. July.18.2017. 
[8] Brunton, Simon. “50 stunning Olympic moments No3: Derek Redmond and dad finish 400m.” The Guardian (US Edition). 30.Nov.2011. Web. July.18.2017. 
[9] 2 Timothy 4:7-8. 
[10] Kirk, J.R. Daniel. “Commentary on Romans 8:12-25.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. St.Paul. 20.July.2014. Web. July.18.2017. 
[11] Kirk, J.R. Daniel. “Commentary on Romans 8:12-25.”
[12] The following Lewis quote is from The Problem of Pain.  The following reference was cited by Daniel Ritchie on Desiring God website on Jan, 16, 2017.  The article  was reposted by Pastor Leon Stier on Email Mediatations on Jan.18.2017. 
[13] “Corrie ten Boom.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 22.June.2017. Web. July.18.2017. 
[14] Calhoun. Dr.George. “No Pain, No Gain.” Sermon Central.com. 25. Oct.2007. Web. July.18.2017. 
[15] Calhoun. Dr.George. “No Pain, No Gain.”
[16] Calhoun. Dr.George. “No Pain, No Gain.”

First Lesson: Genesis 25: 19-34
Responsive Reading: Psalm 119: 105-112
Second Lesson: Romans 8: 1-11
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”- Romans 8:1

It was the trial of the century.  People vs. OJ Simpson.  The majority of people in Lindstrom believed the facts were clear: OJ Simpson was guilty of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.  October 3rd, 1995, the verdict was to be announced.  Classes were put on hold at my school over the lunch hour so all the students may hear it.  Joining us for the announcement were  100 million other Americans in waiting for the verdict[1].  The outcome was shocking.  O.J. Simpson was declared innocent by a jury of his peers.  Like is often the case in such a well-known trial, many people were outraged at such an unjust verdict in their mind.  For many people, the leniency showed towards OJ Simpson was shocking!  You better have awfully good reasons to set a prisoner free.

Today’s second lesson comes to us from the Book of Romans the 8th Chapter[2].  Paul’s letter deals with a very different kind of legal judgment in our own.  The greatest of human experiences is continually experiencing judgment in this world[3].  We experience judgment whenever we step on the rising scale.  We experience judgment whenever we consider the state of our broken relationships.  We experience judgment when we don’t feel as smart as those around us.  We experience judgment when we struggle at our jobs, or when our best attempts at self-control fall short. 

I have an uncle who was a dentist in Rosemount, Minnesota.  My Uncle Kurt is one of the nicest and most genuinely positive people you can imagine.  In spite of all this when I went to his office I feared being judged for what I can do better with my teeth; I feared to hear a negative verdict.

Paul in our lesson for Today wants us to think about judgment differently.  Paul knows whenever we’re judged; we feel condemned.  Condemnation is very different from judgment because Condemnation is a statement of hopelessness[4]. 

When Jesus says his famous words “Do not judge[5]” in Matthew 7, these words could be much better understood as “Do not condemn.”  Here’s what I mean.  We make judgments every day of our life. 

My buddy Ozzie is trying to start a Cab service in Silver Bay.  Ozzie’s whole business model is that people will make the right judgment that “The best judgment is they will be unable to drive home at times.”  When we tell kids, not to eat a bag of Cheetos before dinner, we’re making a judgment.  Judgment is often needed to differentiate between whether an action is life-giving or potentially life-taking.[6]  Jesus was not warning against this type of judgment, Jesus was instead warning against condemnation which is different.

What Jesus is instead warning against is saying “A person is at such a dark place in their life that our God can’t possibly reach them.”

Karla Tucker was born in Houston, Texas in 1959[7].  Tucker’s home life growing up was a mess, she was born in adultery.  By the age of 8, Karla was smoking cigarettes. At 12, Karla began using drugs and fornicating. At 14, Karla dropped out of school and started selling her body for money.  The highlight of the next few years of her life is traveling the country as a Rock n Roll groupie.  At the age of 21, Tucker met a 35-year-old man named Danny Garrett.  One night, Garrett and Tucker broke into an apartment to steal a motorcycle.  Garrett and Tucker beat the apartment owner and his girlfriend to death with a hammer and a pick ax.  Karla Tucker would later brag about how exhilarating the double-murder was to commit[8].

The evidence was pretty clear, Karla Tucker was as guilty as any woman could be.  She was even quite high on drugs while committing the murder.  She looked to be the rare woman sentenced to receive the death penalty. 

While in prison, Karla Tucker was bored.  Someone gave her a Bible from the Prison Ministry program.  She began to read it out of boredom.  A short while later, Karla Tucker dropped to her knees, confessed her many sins, and became a Christian.  Karla would become a model prisoner and even married a minister[9].    
The very nature of her crimes in this world could not be escaped.  On February 3rd, 1998, Karla Tucker would be the first woman to be executed in the State of Texas in 135 years.  As soon as Karla Tucker was administered the chemicals which took her life, she began to praise the name of Jesus Christ and what laid ahead for her.

What is the difference between judgment and condemnation?  Karla Tucker was judged for her crimes, the evidenced was undisputed, yet Karla Tucker was not condemned by a force more powerful than the state of Texas.  One way to think of this is judgment is merely temporary, but condemnation is eternal. 

Martin Luther was one time having a dream[10].  Satan began to speak to him.  The Devil began to read a long list of all of Luther’s sins.  Finally, Luther says “Is that all?”  The Devil began listing even more and more sins.  Finally, the Devil stopped.  Like Karla Tucker, Luther did not dispute the charges.  Luther began to laugh at the Devil saying “You’ve forgotten something.  The blood of Jesus Christ’s God’s Son cleanses us from all sins.”

The Devil often attacks us in the same way[11].  All our sins are cast before us, with seemingly no hope of resolution.  Sometimes, the sins seem so grave that Jesus can’t possibly reach us.  What Paul in our lesson from Romans 8 is seeking to assure us Today “Is the blood of Jesus, will save us from all judgment no matter how nasty leveled against us.”

One final story for this morning[12].  Ernest Gordon was a Scotsman captured by the Japanese during World War II.  Gordon’s assignment as a POW was helping in the construction of the Burma-Siam (Sy-am) Railway.  The Burma-Siam Railway was one of the deadliest projects ever conceived by a man with nearly an estimated 400 men dying with each mile of track laid down.  Conditions every single day were horrible: heat, diseases, vicious insects, and a lack of food, clothing, shelter and other earthly comforts.  POWS who were lazy were often decapitated.  Conditions got worse and worse not only physically but socially every day of Gordon’s capture.  Anger and hatred were increasing every day not only against the Japanese but also fellow POW’s. 

One day though everything would change[13].  At the end of each day on the Burma-Siam Railway, the Japanese soldiers would collect all tools, so they weren’t stolen.  On this day, a shovel was missing.  The commanding soldier was angry; the commanding soldier threatened to put all the POWS to death by pointing his rifle up and down the line.  He demanded that the guilty man steps forward or else.  One POW did step forward; he was beaten to death with a rifle in front of the other POWs.  As the Japanese soldiers returned to camp, they counted the tools once again, and in fact, no shovel was missing after all.

The innocent POW’s death changed the captives.  The men turned from anger to religion.  Ernest Gordon became the Camp Chaplain.  Prayer and Church began occurring nightly[14].  The men began to believe that no matter how harsh their judgment was, they would not be condemned. 

What happened at the end of the war, the prisoners proclaimed the need not for their former captor’s judgment, but rather their forgiveness.  One simple shovel had changed absolutely everything.  Hope is indeed possible in the gravest of possible circumstances[15].  There is indeed no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

O.J. Simpson turned “70” years old this week.   My Aunt Carol who is a psychologist has lived in Southern California most of her life to this day is convinced OJ is innocent because of the required traffic time between Brentwood and LAX on the night of the murders.  OJ Simpson in 1997 had a $33.5 wrongful death judgment awarded to his alleged victims’ families[16].  In 2007, OJ Simpson was charged with multiple additional felonies of kidnapping and armed robbery.  Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison for these crimes.  Simpson is eligible for parole later this year.   What the story of Karla Tucker reminds us is that no matter how guilty a person may be of their crimes, no matter how harsh their judgments may be in this world, There is indeed no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus[17].   Amen
 
 


[1] “O.J. Simpson Murder Case.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.10.July.2017. Web. July.10.2017. 
[2] Romans 8:1-11
[3] NM. “Can You Guys Keep It Down Out There? I Can Barely Hear My Self-Condemnation”. MBird (Mockingbird Ministries). 20.Oct.2011. Web. July.10.2017. 
[4] Bryan. J. “Evaluation and Condemnation.” MBird (Mockingbird Ministries). 22.June.2017. Web. July.10.2017. 
[5] Matthew 7:1. 
[6] Bryan. J. “Evaluation and Condemnation.”
[7] “Karla Faye Tucker”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.19.June.2017. Web. July.10.2017. 
[8] Karla Faye Tucker”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[9] Karla Faye Tucker”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[10] Zahn, Jason. “How Can God Forgive Me When I Keep on Sinning?”  Sermon Central. 6.. Sept.2001. Web. July.10.2017. 
[11] Zahn, Jason. “How Can God Forgive Me When I Keep on Sinning?”
[12] Steir, Leon. “The Missing Shovel.” Email Mediatations. 1.July.2017. Web. July.10.2017. 
[13] Steir, Leon. “The Missing Shovel.”
[14] Steir, Leon. “The Missing Shovel.”
[15] Steir, Leon. “The Missing Shovel.”
[16] “O.J. Simpson”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.10.July.2017. Web. July.10.2017. 
[17] Romans 8:1.   

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Gene Siskel called it “One of the year’s worst movies[1].”
Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade of “D Plus.[2]”
The Washington Post called it “obnoxious[3].”

The story begins with a mother wanting to take a two-month vacation to Australia with her new boyfriend[4].  Not wanting to leave her children aged 17,15,14,13, and 11 home alone fearing disaster, she hires a seemingly kindly old woman to watch her children for the summer.  The babysitter and children quickly clash.  Shortly after this, the babysitter passes away in her sleep.  Being irresponsible children the Crandall children drop off the babysitter’s body at the nursing home. The children are not left with no money and no rules as they seek to make it through the next two months.  The children under no circumstances are going to tell Mom what’s going on.  They didn’t want Mom to make a big deal out of the Babysitter’s death.  So the rest of the movie is the children trying to avoid the seeming disaster which was to come in the wake of the Babysitter’s death.  The name of this cult classic movie is 1991’s “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.”  The plot seems way too unrealistic to take all that seriously, things working out for rowdy children in the wake of their babysitter’s death. 

Today’s lesson has similar plot details[5]: an unexpected death, a desperate family, and scrambling trying to find the way forward.  A man named Lazarus grows ill.  The illness is probably unexpected.  If Lazarus’ dies the consequences would be devastating for his sisters Mary and Martha.  Lazarus was the breadwinner for the family.  Lazarus had done quite well for himself.  If Lazarus had died, his sister's financial situation would have been devasted.  Women in Jesus’ day didn’t work outside the home.  Martha and Mary would have seen the family’s savings slip away, and be left to live the remaining days of their life as nothing more than charity cases[6]. 

Jesus and Lazarus were close.  They were so close to each other that Jesus would frequently dine at Lazarus’ house as mentioned in an earlier Gospel story[7].  So Jesus hears about Lazarus’s illness, Jesus’ response to them was odd.  Jesus pretty much shrugs it off.  Jesus figured that no matter how sick that Lazarus got, things would eventually work out for him in the end.  Jesus was no in real rush to even see Lazarus waiting around an extra two days, regardless of the updates the Disciples give on his condition[8]. 
Jesus’ words upon Lazarus’ death were so casual they imply that his passing is merely a part of life. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him[9].”  The Disciples were confused. 

So Jesus arrives on the scene of Lazarus’ passing, his siblings Mary and Martha are struggling with trying to find a way forward no different than scrambling children trying to make their way through the summer in both Mom and the Babysitter’s absence.  Mary and Martha blame Jesus for not being there at Lazarus’ death.  Death would seem to be the final judgment of judgments.  You can never cover up the harsh realities of the years ahead with Lazarus’ passing. 

Jesus though wasn’t going to make a big deal about his good friend’s death.  “Take away the stone[10].” “Lazarus, come out[11].”

Jaws drop.  Word of this miracle quickly began to spread.  Rumors of Lazarus’ resurrection convinced the religious authorities that Jesus had to be put to death[12].  The problem with this plan though is Jesus merely thought of his upcoming death as no different than sleep. 

Let me tell you a story from the life of Martin Luther[13].  After Luther got married, he had a permanent house guest named “Magdalene Von Bora” who was an aunt of his wife.  Magadelene like his Luther’s Wife Catherine was a Former Nun who had left the convent.  She moved in with Luther and served as a Nanny for his children.

On the night of her death in 1537.  Luther approached Aunt Lena.  Telling her the following “Your Faith rests on Jesus Christ Alone then quotes our passage.” He is the Resurrection and the Life. You will lack nothing.  You will not die tonight.  Instead, you will fall asleep like an infant in a cradle.  And when the morning dawns, you will rise again and live forever[14]”.  At seven o’clock the next morning, Aunt Lena fell asleep, only to awaken to something eternal and everlasting.  For just as Lazarus had casually waken from his sleep and walked out of the grave, Aunt Lena would soon do the same.

Leon Steir tells the following story. [15]  Once upon a time; there were two men.  These men were sitting in a café no different than Northwood’s over there.  These men were talking like men tend to do at the Café about Minnesota’s weather and the Twins lack of pitching.

Pretty soon though the conversation would take a different tone, Mike is asked: “How have you been feeling lately.”

To which Mike replies: “I’m always weak and sick for a few days after I have my chemotherapy treatments, but then I’m okay again for a couple a weeks[16].”

A friend asks Mike “Are the treatments helping?... “Are you going to be all right?”

Well, Mike replied: “the doctor says he can slow the cancer down a bit, but he probably can’t get rid of it.  He gives me a year, maybe two if I’m lucky[17].”

The room grows silent upon hearing about Mike’s outlook.  Before the man says “Sorry…How are you holding up[18]?”

Mike’s responded: “Well my retirement pension doesn’t worry me anymore[19].” 

Both men started to laugh at Mike’s response.  Mike believed that death would not be the end of his story.  Mike believed like the Crandall children that Summer would go on somehow, some way no matter how desperate the situation around him got.

What happened to Lazarus after he died?  In 1925, Eugene O’Neill wrote a play based on this story called Lazarus Laughed[20].  The play picks up at the end of our lesson.  Lazarus stumbles out of the tomb, readjusts himself to the light, as his family and friends embrace him.

Finally, someone from the crowd shouts “Hey, Lazarus what was being dead like[21]?”
Lazarus is stumped.

“Dead? Oh yeah, I suppose I was dead as far as what all of you saw of it.  But that is only how it looks from here.  There is no death, really.  For my part, it was just life.  Life here, and then life there.  I remember being sick here, and I suppose I went to sleep, and then died.  But all I remember is just waking up there, in that other place, and it was wonderful.  And the One who met me there was the one who gave me life here in the first place.  Death is only a moment, just a doorway through which we move from here into a greater life.  There is nothing to be afraid of, I tell you[22].”

Lazarus will die again someday, yet he knows like in the case of Mike or Luther’s Aunt Magdalene that he has nothing to fear.  And one last bit of advice, if your Babysitter were to die, “You don’t need to call your Mom and make a big deal out of it.”  Amen
 
                 


[1] Wieselman, Jarrett. “How "Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” Went From D.O.A. To Beloved Cult Classic.” BuzzFeed. 04.June.2015. Web. July.3.2017. 
[2] Wieselman, Jarrett. “How "Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” Went From D.O.A. To Beloved Cult Classic.”
[3] Wieselman, Jarrett. “How "Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” Went From D.O.A. To Beloved Cult Classic
[4] “Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 9.June.2017. Web. July.3.2017. 
[5] John 11:1-44. 
[6] Background notes come from “Jesus Wept” sermon given at Sychar on April 6th, 2014. 
[7] Luke 10:38-42. 
[8] John 11:6. 
[9] John 11:11. 
[10] John 11:39. 
[11] John 11:43. 
[12] John 11:45-57. 
[13] Tappert, Theodore. G. Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel. Regent College Publishing. 2nd Edition. 2003. Print. P.45-46. 
[14] Tappert, Theodore. G. Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel. P.45-46. 
[15] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.” Email Mediations.28.May.2017. Web. July.3.2017. 
[16] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.”
[17] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.”
[18] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.”
[19] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.”
[20] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.”
[21] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.”
[22] Stier, Leon. “Lazarus Laughed.” 

First Lesson: Genesis 22: 1-14
Responsive Reading: Psalm 13
Second Lesson: Romans 6: 12-23
​Matthew 10: 40-42

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Hundreds of years ago in the land which is today Belgium lived a couple of brothers named Raynald and his younger brother Edward[1].  When their father died, both brothers believed they were entitled to succeed him as Duke.  Edward and Raynald’s armies engage in battle, Edward’s army wins, and Raynald is sent to prison.  Edward hatched a particularly devious plan for his older brother.  Edward built a room for Raynald within his castle Nieuwkerk Castle.  Edward even made Raynald a deal “As soon as you’re able to leave this room, you will regain the dukeship and all your earthly possessions.  Edward’s offer seemed almost too easy; the room contained no outstanding features (the windows and doors were normal sizes), they were not locked, barred, or even guarded.  Nearly anyone would have been able to escape from Raynald’s room.
Raynald had one problem though; he was fat.  Raynald was so fat, wiggling through these doors even when wide open was next to impossible.  The solution would be Raynald just needed to lose a little weight then the duke ship would be his.  Here’s what made Edward’s plan so devious though, every day he would see large quantities of the most tempting/least nutritious foods to Raynald’s room that he could imagine.  Because of Edward’s staff’s cooking, Raynald was the rare prisoner to gain weight.  People would accuse Edward of cruelty to which he would merely say “My brother is free to leave at any time[2].”  Raynald would spend the next ten years of his life in Edward’s room.  Raynald would never develop the willpower to overcome the greatest of temptations.  Edward dies in battle and Raynald is released but dies within a year.  Raynald knew the way out of prison every day, yet he just couldn’t set himself free.

Freedom is something that the Apostle Paul struggled with in his life.  Paul gets converted to Christianity.  Paul starts seeing God as he had never seen him before.  Paul saw God reaching people even in the midst of the doors in which they struggled.  So last week, Paul wrote to the Church in Rome that Baptism is a sign of God’s faithful promises given to you even as your life has its various twists and turns.  Not everyone liked this message.  Some people thought Paul was making things way too easy.  People need a little “Do this, don’t do that” or so everyone thought. 

There is such a thing as too much freedom.  The year was 1987; Former Colorado Senator Gary Hart seemingly had it all.  Hart was known for being compassionate, intelligent, charismatic, and good-looking[3].  Hart was known for appealing to the political center.  Gary Hart had lost at the 1984 Convention to Walter Mondale and 1988 was seemingly Gary Hart’s year.  Shortly after announcing his candidacy though rumors began to spread about Gary Hart.  Gary Hart supposedly like women more than a married fellow should.  When Gary Hart was asked about the allegations, he responded “Follow me around. They'll be very bored[4].”  Such an offer should have led to a better behaved Gary Hart.  Just like Raynald in the presence of the enticing food.  Hart could not control his passions.  Gary Hart’s presidential campaign would end in media-exposed scandal just a short while later.  Stories like the rise and fall of Gary Hart and Raynald’s illustrate why too much freedom can indeed be a dangerous thing. 

Paul’s audience in the Church in Rome recognized this.  Laws are a good thing; Laws are the reason that drivers don’t go 100 miles an hour in school zones.  Laws in Paul’s life were what previously separated the faithful and the unfaithful.  Raynald and Gary Hart’s lives could have been so much better if they possessed the ability to say “No.” 

So Paul’s message for Today seems to go against all common sense.  Paul seems to be giving people “too much freedom.” 

Romans 6:14 “You are not under the Law, but Grace.” 

Why might Paul say such a thing?  Why might Paul give such an easy way to some many badly behaved people?

Daniel lived every day of his life in fear of death[5].  Daniel grew up on Los Angeles’ Southside. Daniel’s family had been part of the same street gang for generations.  Daniel’s body is marked with scars and gang tattoos.  Gang-banging was who Daniel believed that he was born to be.  Daniel didn’t believe that his life could be any different than those who came before him.  Daniel’s life was tough.  Daniel would go to bed every night afraid that he might die via drug overdose or shooting.  Daniel was convinced that if there were a hell, he would be going there.

Daniel’s life changed when he started hanging outside the local Lutheran church[6].  Daniel’s reasons for hanging outside the church were simple; throw the cops off his tail.  Daniel overtime noticed something about these church people; they didn’t chase him away like everyone else because of who he was.  They invited him even to attend Bible studies and worship.  Daniel snickered at first.  Daniel soon realized that these people were different.  They weren’t running like he was from everything they had previously done wrong.  Many of them were even unafraid of death, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection[7].  Daniel came to see like in the case of Raynald and Gary Hart that what has power over you today does not necessarily have power over you tomorrow.

Basically, God takes in broken and hurting people.  God saves those that no one else might dare to save.  People in Paul’s day had never heard a message such as this one. 

Paul’s main message of the Book of Romans is this: “Sin no matter how seemingly big or small, will lead to death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord[8].

The same God that rose from the grave converted Paul on the Road to Damascus can even reach you. 
Paul’s point in our lesson today is not to bless sin or call what’s life-taking to be life-giving.  Paul’s point is rather that no matter how nasty the world around you might get like in the case of Daniel.  Because of grace, there is always a way forward.

Final story for this morning.  Kennon Callahan tells the story of a young girl named Kate[9].  Kate seemingly had a pretty good life growing up; her parents were well-off and seemingly supportive.  Kate and her family had attended a church that was known for seemingly being forward-thinking and open-minded.  Kate one day at not much older than sixteen found out she was pregnant.  Kate’s life was never the same.  Kate’s parents disowned her and threw her out of the house.  Kate’s church ultimately wasn’t as open-minded as they claimed to be.  Kate’s former friends would take every chance to sneer at her when she wasn’t looking.  Kate’s boyfriend wanted nothing to do with her anymore.  Kate could have taken a simple way out, yet she didn’t want to do that.  Kate went looking for a support system.  Kate eventually shows up at a church on the other side of town from where she previously lived.  Kate’s new church was nothing like her old church: words to describe it were things like stiff, rigid, close-minded.  You take one look at Kate and one look at this church, it would seem to be a total mishmash.  Kate wanders in one day, knowing no one.  Grandma Ida Mae catches her out of the corner of her eye.  Ida Mae would seem to be the definition of stoic old lady that you would have nothing but nasty to say to a pregnant teen Kate.  Ida Mae called Kate over and said: “You can sit next to me.”  People around Ida Mae were shocked, but what Ida Mae says “pretty much goes.”  After the service, Kate was shocked as Ida Mae was seemingly the first person to be “warm” and “friendly” to Kate in weeks.  Pretty soon, Kate keeps showing up at Ida Mae’s church week after week.  Before long you looked at the choir, it was a bunch of gray hairs and pregnant Kate, no one thought anything of this.  Kate had walked out of the door which previously held her hostage into a whole new world of grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  What had previously defined Kate would no longer define her.  Every time, Kate walked through that church’s doors, she was indeed a child of God. 

There will probably be times in life when we feel like Raynald trapped in a cell of our own making, seemingly defeated by every temptation that comes before us.  We might even in cases like Gary Hart seemingly see all our hopes and dreams crumble when we fall.  Paul’s message to the Church in Rome is that in times of our stumbles, our God gives us a new path as evidenced by his death and resurrection.  Daniel, the gang member, had seen death nearly every day of his life, yet it wasn’t till he came in contact with our Gospel that he saw it would not defeat him.  Regardless of what her parents thought or anyone else thought, Pregnant Teen Kate would never cease being God’s child. 

Doors sometimes get jammed in life as in the stories of Raynald, Gary Hart, Daniel, Kate, the Apostle Paul, members of the Church of Rome, and our Church.  Because of the grace of God, these doors will soon be opened, so that Resurrection promises that one day we will be set free!  Amen


[1] Smead, Jeffrey. J. “The Grandfather in My Bones.” Sermon Central. 21.June.2014. Web. June.27.2017. 
[2] Wilkenson, Dave. “Prisoner of His Appetite.” Bible.org. 2.Feb.2009. Web. June.28.2017
[3] Breznican, Anthony. “Hugh Jackman will star as Gary Hart in Jason Reitman's The Frontrunner.” Entertainment Weekly. 27.June.2017. Web. June.28.2017. 
[4] “Gary Hart.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 10.June.2017. Web. June.28.2017. 
[5] Seitz, Reverend. Dr. Gregory. “Dream Giver for Dream Receivers.” The Lutheran Hour. 22.June.2014. Web. June.27.2017. 
[6] Seitz, Reverend. Dr. Gregory. “Dream Giver for Dream Receivers.”
[7] Seitz, Reverend. Dr. Gregory. “Dream Giver for Dream Receivers.”
[8] Paraphrase of Romans 6:23. 
[9] Callahan, Kennon. L. Twelve Keys to an Effective Church: Strong, Healthy Congregations Living in the Grace of God. Jossey-Bass Publishing. 2nd Edition (2010). Pg. 106-107.