First Lesson: Jeremiah 1: 4-10
Responsive Reading: Psalm 71: 1-6
Second Lesson: Hebrews 12: 18-29
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 13: 10-17

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
If there was one day that I dreaded as a child, it was “Report Card.” Day.  My Mom was a really good student growing up.  When she was in high school, she was a National Merit Scholar which was awarded to those who excelled both in grades and test scores.   After having children, she went back to school and earned a Master’s in Education.  I never remember a time when she hasn’t had a pile of books near her. 
 
Well, all my trouble began at a young age.  I was asked to take the Iowa Basic standardized tests.  I did well . So according to my parents,  anything less than straight A’s would be a disappointment.  The problem was that like a lot of twelve-thirteen year old boys I lacked focus and study skills.  So B’s and C’s would soon decorate my report card and I never looked forward to the report card arriving . If I thought today was the day, I would try to be able five miles away from home by the time my Mom picked up the mail. 
 
My parents did as much for me as any parents possibly could to improve my grades.  They would offer rewards, they would enlist tutors, and they even willing to drive me to a new school.   So did I ever really get my act together?  Not really, at least while I living underneath my parents roof.  Here’s the thing, my parents through all this keep referring to me as their son, regardless of whether I had ever been the perfect son. 
 
My imperfect school days lead us into today’s Lesson coming to us from the Book of Hebrews[1]. Hebrews is a book written to the earliest Jewish Christians residing in Jerusalem. It’s meant to serve as a history of God’s activity beginning in the Old Testament with which the Hebrew Christians were familiar into the current age when the New Testament was written.
 
It’s the third straight Sunday that I’ve preached on the Book of Hebrews.  Two weeks ago, I preached on the story of the Father of Jewish people in Abraham who clung to the great hope of the long-awaited Messiah, even if Jesus would not be born for nearly 2000 years[2].
 
Last week, told the story of the persecution of Christians in the present age how they would prevail within all their trials even death itself[3].  This week’s lesson explores one of the most major Old Testament themes of Covenant. 
 
While Covenant might not be a familiar term, let’s begin by thinking about  a term in better known term of  “Contract[4].”
 
When I moved to Silver Bay, I had a satellite dish installed, so I needed to sign a contract vowing to be a customer of the Dish Network for two years.  I could have broken the contract by not paying.  Dish would have stopped providing me T.V. service at that point, plus being legally entitled to more money on top of this.  You order a pizza, but don’t hand the delivery driver money then “No pizza for you."
 
On the other hand, if the delivery driver fails to give “pizza,” You’re not going to chase
them with money as they drive off.
 
So contracts are two-way agreements that can be broken when either party fails to keep their promise.  So what makes a covenant different than a contract? Think back to the story of my parents and my disappointing grades.  My parents were never going to disown me for getting a “c” in math; they were going to do everything they possibly could to support. 
 
The best distinction  between a contract and a covenant? Would be that contracts are agreed to based on the commitment of both parties such as paying bills for goods, whereas covenants are dependent on the unconditional commitment of on the one establishing the Covenant.
 
If one wants to understand the Old Testament, it is a book of Covenants[5]. 
 
The First Covenant establishes Adam and Eve within the Garden of Eden.
 
Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
 
After Adam and Eve eat the Forbidden Fruit, they try to hide like me on report card day, but  a Second Covenant is established:
 
Genesis 3:19: “By the sweat of your face; you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust,  and to dust you shall return.”
 
The following verse might not have at first seemed like a Covenant; it would have been the equivalent of my parents permanently grounding me on account of grades.  What good could possibly have come from being returned to the ground from which Adam and Eve came? But it was when Adam and Eve fell into the Sin, that the first promise of the eventual savior was set in motion.
 
The next famous covenant comes in Genesis 8 given to Noah after the flood.  God declares Genesis 8:21: “Never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”
 
The most important Covenant given to the people of Israel of whom Hebrews was written takes place in Genesis 12 where God declares to Abraham’s descendants
 
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you[1];”

It would be through Christ Jesus that Jewish Christians would receive this blessing, also known as “The New Covenant[7].”  The New Covenant made upon a cross would not have any conditions, and it would be an covenant unto eternal life. 
 
What might this covenant mean for us?
 
Earlier this Summer, the Baseball Hall of Fame had its induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York.  Three hundred twenty-three individuals had previously made up the Baseball Hall of Fame; no one had been unanimously voted in until this year with the election of former New York Yankee Mariano Rivera[8].
 
Rivera had the most high-stress role on the Baseball team as the closer.  The guy assigned to get the final outs with the game on the line and the pressure at its highest[9]. 
 
Rivera was most known for two things throughout his career, his nearly unhittable cut fastball and his Christian faith[10].
 
How were the two connected? In the year 2001, Mariano Rivera lost not only a game for the New York Yankees but the final and deciding game of the World Series in the 9th Inning[11].
 
Mariano Rivera was able to quickly see this loss as a tool for the good.   You see the Yankees never got a World Series celebration that year.  So a teammate of his Enrique Wilson got to take home an earlier scheduled flight.  Wilson’s originally scheduled flight if they had won the World Series crashed, taking the lives of everyone on board.

 The following led to Rivera declaring: “I am glad we lost the World Series,” “because it means that I still have a friend[12].”  So Mariano Rivera was able to see God’s hand in his life even after his high profile disappointment.


What it means to be a Covenant people is to understand that God is still your God even at those moments of your life when like Mariano Rivera you experience your greatest failures.  God will not abandon you, even when you seemingly think you find evidence that he has. 
 
My Mom was a Middle School English Teacher for twenty years.  She would encounter often encounter a certain type of mother when she was teaching.  The mother would have had a boy in 7th grade.  The boy was sloppy, he wouldn’t always turn his work in on time, he struggled with staying focused in class, staying out of trouble, and wouldn’t always have the best grades.  These mothers would be at their wits ends over what lied ahead for their child.  My Mom would then tell them the tale of a former student of hers, who had all these same qualities: sloppy, disorganized, would get in trouble and didn’t always have the best grades.  My Mom would then declare that this boy now years later is a Lutheran Minister and her son.
 
The power of covenant is such that were many times that I could have easily gone down a much different path.  My parents on the toughest days of my life have continually vowed never to stop supporting me.  A parental covenant such as this one,  can be one of the most profound influences for us, but our lesson declares that as Christian people we live under an even more powerful covenant.   
 
Our lesson for Today describes the fulfillment of all God’s covenants upon Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.  The day when the Angels finally surround us[13]. 
 
On this day, we will look into the eyes of our savior, deep down, we might be scared and afraid because of our failures and disappointments of this life, like myself on the day of receiving my report card.  But the nature of being a covenant people reminds us that God’s goodness, mercy, and grace are way more powerful than any bad grades we’ve maybe received
 
Amen

[1] Genesis 12:2. 
[1] Hebrews 12:18-29. 
[2] Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.
[3] Hebrews 11:29-12:2. 
[4] Shelley, Bruce. “Contract vs Covenant.” Sermon Illustrations. Web. Aug.1.2019. 
[5] Unger. F. Merrill. The New Unger’s Bible Hand Book. Revised by Gary N. Larson, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984, p. 595. Found on Sermon Illustrations.com.
[6] Genesis 12:2.
[7] Unger. F. Merrill. The New Unger’s Bible Hand Book. p. 595.
[8] Stonestreet, John and Roberto Rivera. “Unanimous.” Break Point. 11. Feb. 2019. Web. Aug.1.2019. Found on E Mail Mediatations.
[9] Stonestreet, John and Roberto Rivera. “Unanimous.” Break Point.
[10] Stonestreet, John and Roberto Rivera. “Unanimous.” Break Point.
[11] “2001 World Series.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 13.July.2019. Web. Aug.1.2019. 
[12] Stonestreet, John and Roberto Rivera. “Unanimous.” Break Point.
[13] Hebrews 12:2.  

First Lesson: Isaiah 5: 1-7
Responsive Reading: Psalm 80: 1-2, 8-19
Second Lesson: Hebrews 11: 29 - 12:2
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 12: 49-56

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
A few years back, with Gunnar Frahm’s encouragement, I had an idea.  The school needed a Silver Bay Mariner flag for sporting events.  The school happened to think this wasn’t a terrible idea. 
 
The flag arrives in time for a Girls Basketball game down at Duluth Marshall.  The Mariners were heading into the game heavy underdogs, even before losing their best player.  But, every Silver Bay basket, I would start enthusiastically waving that Mariner flag.  There weren’t a lot of Silver Bay baskets that night as they lost 68-14.  The Marshall fans we not bothered by the flag in any way.  
 
Sometime would soon happen with the Mariner flag!  Games would get closer.  Silver Bay would win a number of games with the Mariner flag flying in the background.  The most dramatic of these was a Boys Basketball game down in Two Harbors which the Mariners won at the buzzer.
 
 In the last few years, I’ve multiple students from Two Harbors high school tell me how much they can’t stand the sight of that flag.  
 
Going into potentially hostile territory with such an eye-catching witness for Silver Bay was bound to bring some potential jeering?  Whenever you put either your self, your team, or your belief system out there, you have no idea how people might respond.  But the worst-case scenario for the Mariner Flag pales in comparison to many peoples worst case scenarios (Especially within the Early Church).
 
Polycarp was born in 69 A.D[1].  He grew up during the last days of Jesus’ disciples.  Legend has it that he was baptized by the Apostle John.  Polycarp’s faith eventually leads him to be the Bishop of the Greek coastal city of Smyrna. One of the primary issues that Polycarp dealt with during his reign was seeking to settle the date that Christians should celebrate Easter[2].  
 
What Polycarp though might be most remembered for is his death. Polycarp was an old man of “86” when word came that Roman officials desired to arrest him.  Polycarp retreated to a place of prayer[3].  Polycarp, while in prayer, decided he could not hide from the Romans.  So Polycarp appeared before a Roman trial.
 
The charge against Polycarp was “being an Atheist, for refusing to worship the Roman Gods including the Emperor[4].  Polycarp knew that denying Roman Gods would lead to certain death, either at the hands of a wild beast inside an arena or being burned alive[5].  Polycarp was given multiple chances to deny his Christian faith, Polycarp refused.  Polycarp then declared: “Eighty-six years have I served him (Christ), and he has done me no wrong: how then can I blaspheme (deny) my King who saved me[6]?”  Polycarp was then placed upon a stake, he told the soldiers that nails would be unnecessary[7], he began to pray,   Polycarp’s flesh would be consumed by fire.  Even the non-believers attending would forever remember Polycarp’s witness as he passed through death before entering the presence of his fellow Christian witnesses who had gone before him. 
 
The story of Polycarp leads us into our lesson for Today from the Book of Hebrews.  Last week’s lesson from the Book of Hebrews told ofthe earliest heroes of the faith from Abel to Enoch to Noah to Abraham clinging in their most challenging of times to God’s eventual promise of great hope in Jesus Christ[8]. 
 
This week’s lesson, transitions to more recent heroes of the Christian faith[9].   These heroes were men and women who the Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem had heard or knew that went to their grave for like Polycarp declaring: “Jesus saves[10].” 
 
For you see, the first persecution of Christians within the church had taken place within Jerusalem shortly after 3,000 converts were received on the Day of Pentecost[11].  So Hebrews was written to an audience who understood what it meant to be living in continual danger on account of their faith.  Legend has Hebrews written[12] a short time after Jesus’ brother James was put to death for his faith as Bishop of Jerusalem[13].
 
So Hebrews is written as a means as to try to encourage the Jerusalem Christians amid their persecution. 
 
What does Hebrews author declare?
 
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God[14].”
 
So what did these witnesses do? Their lives remind us of the great confidence they had in Jesus Christ even unto their own death.  As they left the struggle of this life behind, their testimony and witness encourages us to be bold in following in their footsteps. 
 
How exactly might this happen? A number of years ago, a young man tried out for the Columbia University football team. The young man wasn’t very good, but was so enthusiastic the coach decided to keep him around to sit on the bench to encourage his teammates[15].
 
The young man never waned in his enthusiasm all year-long.   The coach one day notices the man walking arm in arm around campus with his visiting father.  The coach was tremendously touched by this father/son bond.
 
 One day, the coach receives a tragic call informing him the young man’s father had died.  The coach has to break the news.  The young player leaves for the funeral.  Upon his return, the coach asks, “Is there anything that I can do for you[16]?”  The young man declares: ‘” Let me start the game on Saturday.”
 
The coach didn’t know how to respond.  It was the final and biggest game of the year.  But the coach decided to let him start.  The coach figured he’d give him a few plays as a tribute to his dad.  The team was shocked that the coach would start a bench warmer for a big game.  The game begins, the young man takes the field, he played the most inspired game that anyone had ever seen, the coach never took him off the field, the young man was voted the outstanding player of the game[17]. 
 
Coach takes the young man aside after the game asks: “What happened out there?” The young man declared: “You see the reason, my father and I walked arm and arm around campus is because he was blind, but Today was the first time that he could see me play.[18]”
 
This young man had seen the death of his father.  It did not defeat him, though.  The young man drew strength and encouragement from his father’s loss.  
 
What those who died for confessing Jesus remind us is that we can indeed walk unafraid just like Polycarp because Jesus went to the grave ahead of us[19].  We are now called to share the same faith that the witnesses who came before us shared with us. 
 
Sharing one’s faith can be hard.  It was certainly hard for the Jewish Christians to whom Hebrews was written.  It can hard in our day even if our life isn’t necessarily on the line; we can still face social rejection and ostracism.  So we must remember why the First Christians were so willing to risk their own lives. 
 
Let me close with one final story to illustrate why we witness as Christian people.  It was London at the end of the 19th Century.  Charles Bradlaugh was widely considered one of the most brilliant men in all of London; he was a lawyer and a member of parliament.  His claim to fame as a member of parliament was to try to get around parliament’s oath to the Christian faith as Bradlaugh was an outspoken atheist[20]. 
 
On the other side of London was a gentleman named Hugh Price Hughes.  Hughes had a ministry focusing on London’s downtrodden: the poor, battered women, and alcoholics[21].  
 
As one of London’s most prominent Christians,  the Atheist Charles Bradlaugh challenged Hugh Price Hughes to a debate.  Hughes wasn’t sure if he could match Bradlaugh the lawyer in a debate on Christianity until an idea came to him.  Hughes told Bradlaugh that he had one condition for agreeing to this debate[22].
 
Hughes wanted like one of Bradlaugh’s court trials to be able to call witnesses. Hughes requested that he bring 100 witnesses. Each of these 100 people would have had their lives forever changed by Christianity.  Hughes said each of these 100, would even be willing to let the lawyer Bradlaugh cross-examine them on how their life had changed[23].
 
Hughes then gave Bradlaugh the same offer[24].  He could bring forth 100 non-believers whose lives had been changed by their lack of faith.  Hughes wanted the debate to take place based on evidence of lives that were once dark and deep in sin.
 
Hughes then proclaimed to Bradlaugh: “If you can’t bring 100, then you can bring 50; if you can’t bring 50, then you can bring 20; if you can’t bring 20; then you can bring 10.  Mr. Bradlaugh if you can’t bring 10, then I challenge you to bring one person whose lives has been forever changed by their lack of faith[25].”
 
Charles Bradlaugh then considered the offer.   The atheist Bradlaugh then backed away from his offer to debate Hugh Price Hughes over the truth of Christianity[26]. 
 
What the Book of Hebrews reminds us is that the church had everything go against it in its earliest of days.  They had the most powerful empire in the world seeking to burn them alive to the presence of cheering locals.  There was something though that kept men like Polycarp, and the First Christians going.  The Christian church survived because those first believers weren’t going to be scared off by nasty words or a little jeering.  They were being cheered on by a great cloud of witnesses that had gone before them.  Amen  


[1] Packer, J.I. , Mark Galli, and Ted Olsen. 131 Christians Everyone Should Know.Holman Reference. 2000. Web.Taken from  Christianity Today: “Polycarp: Aged bishop of Smyrna.”  Church History. July.25.2019.  
[2] ChrIstanity Today. “Polycarp: Aged bishop of Smyrna.” Web. July.25.2019.
[3] ChrIstanity Today. “Polycarp: Aged bishop of Smyrna.”
[4] Higgins, Scott. “Polycarp’s Martyrdom.” Stories for Preaching Web. July.25.2019. Taken from J.B. Lightfoot’s Apostolic Fathers cited in A New Eusebius. Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337.
[5] Higgins, Scott. “Polycarp’s Martyrdom.” Stories for Preaching.
[6] Higgins, Scott. “Polycarp’s Martyrdom.” Stories for Preaching.
[7] ChrIstanity Today. “Polycarp: Aged bishop of Smyrna.”
[8] Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.
[9] Hebrews 11:29-12:2.
[10] Hoezee, Scott. “Hebrews 11:29-12:2.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. 7.Aug.2016. Web. July.25.2019.
[11] Acts 4:1-3.
[12] “Epistle to the Hebrews.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 29.June.2019. Web. July.25.2019.
[13] “James, Brother of Jesus.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.. 21.July.2019. Web. July.25.2019.
[14] Hebrews 12:1-2. 
[15] Lane Butts, Rev.Dr. Thomas. “Look Who Is Watching.” Day 1. 1.Nov.1998. Web found on Text Week. 25.July.2019. 
[16] Lane Butts, Rev.Dr. Thomas. “Look Who Is Watching.” Day 1.
[17] Lane Butts, Rev.Dr. Thomas. “Look Who Is Watching.” Day 1
[18] Lane Butts, Rev.Dr. Thomas. “Look Who Is Watching.” Day 1
[19] Lane Butts, Rev.Dr. Thomas. “Look Who Is Watching.” Day 1
[20] “Charles Bradlaugh.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 18.July.2019. Web. July.25.2019. 
[21] Stier, Leon. “Challenge Accepted.” Email Mediatations. 26. May.2017. Web. July.25.2019.
[22] Stier, Leon. “Challenge Accepted.” Email Mediatations.
[23] Stier, Leon. “Challenge Accepted.” Email Mediatations.
[24] Stier, Leon. “Challenge Accepted.” Email Mediatations.
[25] Stier, Leon. “Challenge Accepted.” Email Mediatations.
[26] Stier, Leon. “Challenge Accepted.” Email Mediatations.

Fist Lesson: Isaiah 1: 1, 10-20
Responsive Reading: Psalm 50: 1-8, 22-23
Second Lesson: Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16
Gospel Lesson: Luke 12: 32-40

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 
​
The year was 1967. My Dad was a freshman at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities campus).  He played in the marching band during Golden Gopher football games.  The Gophers were good in 1967; the Gophers were so good in fact that after beating Wisconsin in the last game of the season, they were set-up  to play in College Football’s grand showcase, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day.   All that had to happen is heavily-favored Purdue needed to beat Indiana. Rose Bowl plans seemed so inevitable that My Dad was given an itinerary for the upcoming trip to California.  Well, Dad has  never seen the Rose Bowl in person.  Indiana upset Purdue to go the Rose Bowl instead.  The Gophers wouldn’t get close to going to the Rose Bowl again in Dad’s four years of college.  

Now Dad has always talked about going to the Rose Bowl when the Gophers  perhaps eventually play.  In the year 2000, the Gophers upset perennial powerhouse Ohio State, my Dad started looking into January travel plans midway through the season, only to see the Gophers lose the next week to lowly Indiana so that the dream died once again.  So the wait has been fifty-two years for Gopher fans like my Dad who have longed to spend New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. 

My Dad is a realist about the Gopher football team.  He knows the Gophers have numerous disadvantages both in terms of financial resources and local talent to compete with Big Ten powers like Michigan, Ohio State, or even recently Wisconsin that always play in the Rose Bowl.  

Sid Hartman is the most famous sportswriter in all of Minnesota.  Sid began his career writing about the Gophers and other teams in 1945.  Sid is still writing and will turn 100 next spring[1].  

Here’s the thing that I love about Sid, every spring or early fall is going to be the year the Gopher Football team is going to breakthrough.  It doesn’t matter if the Gophers were 1-11 the previous year.   The Gophers small, but dedicated fan base is about to travel to Pasadena to see the Rose Bowl in droves. 

Sid when it comes to the Gophers is the eternal optimist.  When Sid was growing up in Minneapolis, the Gopher Football team was winning National Championships.  Sid remembers the Gophers trips to Pasadena in 1961, 1962 fondly.  Sid believes that somehow, someway the Minnesota farm kids will triumph against bigger, faster, and stronger kids from Ohio. 

My Dad, Sid, and the Gophers lead us into our New Testament Lesson for Today from Hebrews 11[2].

Now before we begin, let me ask the following question: “What is the difference between Sid-Hartman like optimism and hope?”  Optimism and Hope might seem to be the same thing until you come to our lesson[3].

Our lesson begins with the following verse: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see[4]?”

Hebrews 11 then proceeds to give a history of those who in the earliest days of the Old Testament clung to both faith and hope regardless of their present circumstances: Abel, Enoch, Noah, and finally Abraham.

Abraham’s life begins in the land of Ur[5], which lies in modern-day Iraq.  Abraham had been doing well in Ur, living a comfortable day to day existence have accumulated all sorts of land and possessions.  One day, God proceeds to interrupt Abraham’s life by declaring: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.“I will make you into a great nation.[6]”

Here’s the problem, Abraham is already “75” at this point[7], his wife Sarah is long considered to be barren.  No ordinary thinking person would have thought Abraham’s move in the midst of both wealth and comfort to be a good idea. 

So what did the years ahead bring Abraham? Abraham as soon as leaving the land of Ur experiences great famine in the land of Canaan, so he is forced to journey to Egypt[8]. While in Egypt,  the Pharaoh tries to steal his wife, putting Abraham’s own life at risk[9].  Abraham separates from his closest family member Lot[10].  His wife Sarah remained long-barren, so she gives Abraham permission to conceive a child with her handmaiden Hagar instead[11]. The child would be called Ishmael[12].   When Abraham is 99 years old[13], God declares that Abraham, through Sarah, will (still) be “a father of many nations[14].”  Sarah finally gets pregnant with her son named Isaac. 

Only Abraham, Hagar, Ishamel Isaac, and Sarah have so much conflict that they’re forced to separate[15].  Then at the end of all this, Abraham is asked to sacrifice his beloved Isaac upon the Mount of the Lord, only for the Lord to intervene as Abraham held a knife to Isaac’s throat[16].  Abraham becomes a widow after his beloved Sarah dies[17].   Abraham eventually dies “100” years after being asked to leave his life of comfort behind in Ur[18].  So Abraham’s story nearly has it all: uncertain living arrangements, famine, infertility, family separation, and grief. 

God might have chosen Abraham with the most unique of callings, but this didn’t mean that Abraham didn’t have many dark days where he longed to see a clear sign of God’s promise someday coming true[19].  In the midst of all this, Abraham never abandoned either faith or Hope.     

For it was nearly two thousand years later that  the fulfillment of Abraham leaving Ur for a better place was made known as our Hebrews lesson concludes: “they (Abraham’s descendants) were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them[20].”

Abraham left Ur amidst the greatest of uncertainties, so that he and his descendants may ultimately inherit heaven upon the Cross of Christ. 

What is the difference between optimism and Hope, as displayed in the life of Abraham? Optimists like Sid Hartman tend to see the best in situations and best in people.  Optimism is, in many cases,  is a good thing.
Optimism though has its limits.  It’s not enough to be optimistic when, like Abraham, you long for one child or many children only for it to seem medically impossible.

It’s not enough to be optimistic when the fate of your long-awaited child is hanging in the balance? It’s not enough to be optimistic as we bury our loved ones and seem soon to follow them?  Abraham had numerous events take place in his life that should have crushed his optimistic spirit, Abraham instead clung to hope.
What is the difference between optimism and Hope? Optimism is based on human potential, whereas Hope is based on God’s eternal promises[21].  Optimism can only take you as far as the grave, whereas Hope can take you beyond the grave.  Hope is found in the moments when mere optimism fails.

Harold Russell was born in 1914. Russell was struggling in life at the age of 27, thinking himself a failure because he was working in a supermarket. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. Russell enlists in the U.S. Army in response hoping to turn the direction of his life.  In 1944, while teaching demolition work to his fellow soldiers, a defective fuse went off costing Russell both his hands[22].   Harold Russell as he woke up in a hospital bed seeing nubs where his hands used to be, thought his life to be over.  As he lied in his hospital bed, Harold Russell kept entering into deeper and deeper despair, until one day when he received a visit from a fellow soldier who had also lost both his hands[23].   Russell couldn’t make sense of his fellow solider being so joyful, without his hands. 

The soldier then turns to Russell before declaring: “There's one thing you ought to keep in mind…You are not crippled; you are merely handicapped[24].”

The great Christian hope is this, life such as in the story of Harold Russell can hurt and handicap us in many ways, even defeating our optimism, but life cannot cripple us. Hope can turn what appear to be crucifixions into eventual resurrections[25]. 

Harold Russell would go onto live a remarkable life without any hands.  He would marry his childhood sweetheart, act in motion pictures even winning an Academy Award, and become a best-selling author[26].   

Reality is the following. We will like Harold Russell or Abraham have our circumstances where we wonder from: “Where in our life can Hope possibly come?”

With this in mind, let me close with one final story[27].  Over a century ago when the steamships full of passengers would frequently venture upon Lake Superior.  A great fog broke out.  The passengers quickly grew concerned as the ship didn’t even slow down.  The passengers go track down the captain’s first mate to complain about the ship’s speed.  The first mate gave the passengers some wise advice declaring: “Don’t be afraid! The fog lies low and the captain is high above it.  He can see where we are going[28]!”

We like these passengers, Abraham, or Harold Russell will have our moments when we can’t make sense of the waters behind us or ahead of us.  The following is o.k. because Our Savior has gone and seen the darkest of places before us, only to walk out (again) three days later.  So we are not merely optimistic about any Rose Bowls that lie ahead, instead, we cling instead to the great hope given upon the Cross of Christ. Amen

[1] “Sid Hartman.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 16.Mar.2019. Web. July.24.2019. 
[2] Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.
[3] The following sermon idea comes from Micheal Foss ‘ “Wishful Thinking, Optimism and Hope.” Given on August 12, 2007 found on Day 1 linked by Text Week on July 23, 2019. 
[4] Hebrews 11:1.
[5] “Ur of the Chaldees.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 15.July.2019. Web. July.23.2019. 
[6] Genesis 12:1.
[7] Genesis 12:4.
[8] Genesis 12:10.
[9] Genesis 12:14-20.
[10] Genesis 13:5-12.
[11] Genesis 16.
[12] Genesis 16:15-16
[13] Genesis 17:1.
[14] Genesis 17:4.
[15] Genesis 21:8-21.
[16] Genesis 22:1-18.
[17] Genesis 23:1-2.
[18] Genesis 25:1-11.
[19] Hoezee, Scott. “Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. 31.July.2016. Web. July.24.2019.
[20] Hebrews 11:16.
[21] Foss, Michael. “Wishful Thinking, Optimism and Hope.” Day 1. 12. August.2007. Web. July.24.2019.
[22] “Harold Russell.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 21.June.2019. Web. July.24.2019.
[23] Foss, Michael. “Wishful Thinking, Optimism and Hope.” Day 1.
[24] Foss, Michael. “Wishful Thinking, Optimism and Hope.” Day 1.
[25] Foss, Michael. “Wishful Thinking, Optimism and Hope.” Day 1.
[26] Foss, Michael. “Wishful Thinking, Optimism and Hope.” Day 1.
[27] Klaus, Ken. “Fear and Faith.” Lutheran Hour Ministries. 26.Aug.2001. Web. July.24.2019.
[28] Klaus, Ken. “Fear and Faith.” Lutheran Hour Ministries.

First Lesson: Hosea 11: 1-11
Responsive Reading: Psalm 107: 1-9, 43
Second Lesson: Colossians 3: 1-11
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 12: 13-21

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
The year was 1970; the place was Stanford University[1].  A social experiment was planned to consist of thirty two- preschool age boys and girls of equal numbers.  The test was each child would be offered a choice of one small reward mostly marshmallows, or if the child had enough restraint to wait fifteen minutes before eating the marshmallow, then they would get to enjoy one additional marshmallow for two marshmallows in total[2].  The children were given toys as potential distractions for those fifteen minutes[3].
 
So the study was intending to ask: “How good are preschoolers between 3 and 5 at waiting, even for a very short time, when they could potentially receive a much better reward just fifteen minutes later?”
 
What did the Marshmallow study prove? We’ll get back to the results in just a little bit.
 
Leon Stier tells the story how, once upon a time a young woman was living in California.  She proceeds to write a letter to her mother living in North Dakota[4].
 
Dear Mom,
“Sorry, we haven’t been in touch.  I got sick of hearing all Dad’s and your speeches telling me how I was wasting money.  Even when I last came home as he was dying, he wanted to talk about my foolish spending ways.
 
I write because I must admit that you were both right.  Mark lost his job about six months ago and we’re going under on the home mortgage.  We’re also getting divorced, as the constant fighting about money and our debt has destroyed our marriage[5].
 
As much as it pains me to admit it, I should have listened to Dad more.  I thought Mark and I had it made.  We both had college degrees and good jobs.  Between the banks and credit cards, we were able to travel all over the globe and move into our dream house.  We thought we could have had as many possessions as you accumulated over the years, as soon as we got married.  I thought we had it easy with money that would never run out[6]. I was wrong in many, many ways!
 
I need to say that I’m sorry for our big fight after Dad’s funeral. I was petty and mean on one of the worst days of our life[7].
 
If you could forgive me, I have a huge favor to ask.  I need a place to live.  I need to file for bankruptcy as my company is downsizing.  Could I possibly have my old room at home back, until better days[8]?”
 
Love, Pamela
 
Now Pamela would be an example of a person who only lives life in the short-term.  A person whose wants quickly become needs.  Pretty soon, life falls apart.  What can we learn from Pamela[9]?  
 
I began this morning by telling the story of the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.  The psychologists behind it did a follow-up study in 1988, where they evaluated the thirty-two preschool children (eighteen years later)  as they transitioned into adulthood.  What the follow-up studies found is that children that were able to wait (fifteen minutes) even as preschoolers  for the extra marshmallows had higher SAT scores, achieved higher levels of education, and carried less body fat all because they had learned the ability of patience to receive rewards when they were very young children[10].
 
Today’s Gospel lesson tells a similar story[11].  Jesus is preaching to a crowd.  When someone interrupts Jesus by shouting out: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me[12].”
 
I imagine the lesson is set by Jesus being annoyed by this question as Jesus is preaching about Heaven and Hell.
 
So Jesus seeks to make a dramatic point in response! 
 
Jesus tells the tale of a rich farmer.  This farmer’s land had done so well that he does not have enough storage space in his barns.  So he begins to make plans to build bigger and bigger barns[13], so that he may have the most comfortable of retirements.
 
The rich farmer at first glance would seem to be the exact opposite of the children who couldn’t wait for the extra marshmallows or Pamela and Mark who racked up credit card debt all the way to bankruptcy.  The farmer had saved well for the future and seems now to be able to now enjoy his prosperity.
 
But as Jesus says within the parable, the rich farmer has made a miscalculation[14].
 
“You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be[15]?”
 
The big question of our lesson is this:  “Why does Jesus call the rich farmer a “fool?” “ The issue isn’t that the rich farmer saves, but rather the rich farmer thinks his possessions can buy his way into eternal life.
 
You see the rich farmer had more money than he could ever need, yet he was unwilling to consider how he could give back to the God who provided it all.
 
The rich farmer had a wrong understanding of where his security would ultimately come.  He was one unexpected illness or accident away from the same spiritual bankruptcy of the man who interrupted Jesus about his inheritance at the beginning of the lesson[16]. 
 
The point isn’t that the rich farmer’s wealth is a problem; it’s instead where the rich farmer’s priorities ultimately lay.  Was the rich farmer’s life pointing only towards the short-term thinking of what’s in it for him (how many marshmallows can he immediately consume) or would he use his considerable gifts to help bring salvation to the world around him[17]?
 
Let me tell you about another rich person of whom you’ve maybe heard named Henry Ford.  The year was 1908; Henry Ford invents the Model T[18].  Henry Ford soon grew very, very rich.  Henry Ford could have been just like the rich farmer in Jesus’ parable sitting back, building bigger and bigger garages. Henry Ford thought long-term rather than short-term.  Ford longed to create cars that the average person could own.  The labor process for the Model T was too expensive for the commoner, until one day, an employee described a recent visit to a slaughterhouse which made use of a conveyor[19].  Perfecting the assembly line required all sorts of tinkering, patience, investment, and long-range thinking for Ford.  Henry Ford ultimately put his business and fortune on the line for the sake of the long-range goal of an automobile assembly line.
 
By 1914, Henry Ford’s assembly line was a reality. Cars went from taking 12.5 hours to 1.5 hours to manufacture. Prices dropped over  50 percent. Within a decade, Ford would sell his ten-millionth Model T[20]. All sorts of other good things had happened: salaries skyrocketed for employees, working hours decreased, and America within a generation would become a global economic super power.  All these things happened because short-term thinking of merely being rich wasn’t good enough for Henry Ford. 
 
There is a well-known Bible story that like Henry Ford contrasts with the thinking of the rich farmer.   The Book of Joshua tells the tale of the Nation of Israel who had waited for forty long years wandering in the uncomfortable heat of the wilderness eating the same boring foods (day after day) awaiting the long-promised land[21].   Now entering the Promised Land would have appeared to take a mere matter of months, but the nation of Israel kept straying leading to consequences. It was only the generation after Moses, Aaron, and Miriam that would be able to enter the Promised Land .   When the people of Israel finally did enter the Promised Land, they had built enough faith that God’s promises would eventually come through that they were able to overcome mightier enemies than even they could imagine.
 
Bible commentator Elisabeth Johnson recalls how once upon a time, there was a very wise Pastor who realized something important about the difference between thinking in the short-term like the marshmallow eaters, Mark and Pamela , and the Rich-Farmer versus the long-term thinking of Henry Ford and the Biblical Joshua.
 
The Pastor declared: “I have heard many different regrets expressed by people nearing the end of life, but there is one regret I have never heard expressed. I have never heard anyone say; ‘I wish I hadn’t given so much away. I wish I had kept more for myself[22].” Death had a way of clarifying what really matters[23]”.
 
With this in mind, let me close with one final story that comes from my hometown of Lindstrom.  I want to tell you about Elmer and Pearl.  Elmer worked as a milkman.  Pearl worked for the telephone company.  Elmer and Pearl never had any children.  Elmer died in 1961. Pearl would live until 2015  staying quite active in Trinity Lutheran for all these years.  Upon Pearl’s death at the age of 104, it was revealed that she had left her estate to the church.  Pearl’s gift was worth over 1.2 million dollars.  Jaws around town were dropped because people couldn’t believe that she’d have that type of money.  What made Pearl such a remarkable woman of faith is that she understood that Christianity is ultimately not about the sins of your past, nor is about the rewards of the present whether farmland or even marshmallows, instead Christianity looks to the future hope of the Resurrection.  Where the eyes might even be able to see more marshmallows than they’ve ever seen before.  Amen      


[1] “Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 21.May.2019. Web. July.18.2019. 
[2] “Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[3] For further reading see Walter Mischel’s The Marshmallow Test published by Litte, Brown and Company in 2014. 
[4] Stier, Leon. “Instant Gratification (1/2).” Email Mediatations. 15. Jan.2016. Web. July.18.2019. 
[5] Stier, Leon. “Instant Gratification (1/2).” Email Mediatations.
[6] Stier, Leon. “Instant Gratification (1/2).” Email Mediatations.
[7] Stier, Leon. “Instant Gratification (1/2).” Email Mediatations.
[8] Stier, Leon. “Instant Gratification (1/2).” Email Mediatations.
[9] Stier, Leon. “Instant Gratification (1/2).” Email Mediatations.
[10]“ Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[11] Luke 12:13-21. 
[12] Luke 12:13. 
[13] Luke 12:18.
[14] Johnson, Elisabeth. “Commentary on Luke 12:13-21.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 4.Aug.2019. Web. July.18.2019.  
[15] Luke 12:20
[16] Johnson, Elisabeth. “Commentary on Luke 12:13-21.” Working Preacher.
[17] Johnson, Elisabeth. “Commentary on Luke 12:13-21.” Working Preacher.
[18] History Channel. “Ford’s assembly line starts rolling.” History.com. 13.Nov.2009. Web. July.18.2019.
[19] “Assembly Line.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 27. June.2019. Web. July.18.2019.
[20] History Channel. “Ford’s assembly line starts rolling.” History.com.
[21] Stier, Leon. “Instant Gratification (2/2).” Email Mediatations. 16. Jan.2016. Web. July.18.2019. 
[22] Johnson, Elisabeth. “Commentary on Luke 12:13-21.” Working Preacher.
[23] Johnson, Elisabeth. “Commentary on Luke 12:13-21.” Working Preacher.