Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Money Talks

Mark 12.41-44

Tailored suits, chauffeured cars

Fine hotels and big cigars

A French maid, foreign chef

A big house with king-size bed

Hey little girl, you want it all

The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall,

Come on, come on, listen to the money talk

These lyrics, highlighting a luxury lifestyle that is all up for grabs if you have enough money, come from AC/DC’s 1990 hit song, Money Talks.

In a Westernized world, dominated by capitalism, we all know that money talks.  If you want it or need it, you have to flash the cash.

However, as the Bible warns us several times over, money is an addiction.  We can become so engulfed in wanting that new car or that next vacation, that we are willing to throw away and sacrifice, time with our spouse and kids, time building supportive relationships with our friends, and leisure time for stimulating our brain.

In Biblical terms, money can very, very easily become an idol.  An idol being something that we chase after and trust more than God our Father in Heaven who has created us and promised to provide for our every need.

In this morning’s text, we hear how two different people handled their money when it came to giving a financial gift to the Temple and how their money talked and what it said about their beliefs.

Mark 12:41–44 says this:

[41] And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. [42] And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. [43] And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. [44] For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (ESV)

In this story, recorded for us by the disciple Mark, we see that Jesus was in the temple and observed people as they came to put their monetary gifts in the offering box.

If people were giving money at the temple, we have to ask questions like, “why were they giving money at the temple?, and “what was that money being used for at the temple?”

Well, the Jerusalem Temple had 13 trumpet-shaped offering boxes in the Court of Women, where people could place contributions for specific purposes: 

Offering boxes 1 and 2 were where you paid the temple tax. One chest was for the current year and one chest was for the previous year.

Offering boxes 3 through 7 were for turtledoves, pigeons, wood, incense, and golden vessels.

Offering box 8 was for money left over from sin offerings.

Offering boxes 9 through 12 were for money left over from guilt offerings.

And, offering box 13 was for voluntary contributions.  In today’s church language, we would call this a “free-will offering.”

The boxes were shaped liked trumpets so that coins could easily be dropped in while making a noise signifying the act of giving.

To sum all of this up, people would give money at the temple so that the temple had the resources it needed to continue operating and doing the work of God in the world.  

So, with all of that historical context, we can easily transfer the question and answer about financial giving to our monetary gifts at the church today.

Why do we give money at the Church on Sunday Morning?  Why do we bring money and put it in the offering box in the foyer?

We give money at the Church so that the Church has the resources it needs to continue operating and doing the work of God in the world.  To be more specific, the Church uses the money to share the love of God in the Good New of Jesus Christ alive, dead, and resurrected for the forgiveness of sins, the gift of righteousness, and eternal life in Heaven.

To be very specific, to do that work of God here at Bethel, the money given as an offering to God is used to provide Bibles and teaching curriculum to Children’s Church, Women’s Bible Study, Confirmation, Youth Group, Bethel Kids, etc.  

The money given as an offering to God is also used to make donations to people doing the work of God in our community and nation.  We are currently making monthly donations to Helping Hand Rescue Mission (a Huntington Station mission that provides food, clothing, and various other daily resources to those in need) as well as a chaplain at Urban Sky (who brings Bibles and teaches Bible Study at a women’s prison in Denver Colorado).

And, the money given as an offering to God is used to pay the utility bills, maintenance bills, the pastor’s salary, as well as other operating expenses, to ensure that the church is ready daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to welcome people in to hear the proclamation of the Good News and be comforted by the grace and mercy of God for them in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Our text shows three reasons why people give financial gifts at the Temple and Church. Those three reasons are (1) Showing Off, (2) Obligation, and (3) Thankfulness.  

Let’s begin with giving money at the church to show off and increase our pride.

In our text, Jesus sees the rich putting large sums of money into the offering box.  By comparing them to the giving of the poor widow, Jesus illustrates that they weren’t using their financial donations as an act of thanksgiving and worship, but instead they were using their financial giving to put on a show and gain praise from others for being generous.

Jesus speaks about this wrong way of making a financial offering in His Sermon recorded in Matthew 5-7.  

In Matthew 6:1–4, Jesus says:

[1] “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

[2] “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

Let’s move on to the idea of giving money to the Church because you feel like you have to and are being forced to.

Over the Christmas break, I was having a conversation about God’s command for us to financially give in the Church.  Those that I was having this conversation with shared that they did not like the part of the Church Service when the offering was taken.

They shared feelings of forced obligation.

The forced obligation would often cause them to scramble in their pockets and purses for something to put in the offering plate or box in order to save themselves from embarrassment.  

My conversation partners are not alone.  I am sure we have all felt those feelings (and maybe still do) when it comes to supporting God’s Church with our money.

However, when God commands financial giving to the church, He does not do so to embarrass us or strong arm us.  

Those feelings only come out of our sins of greed, pride, and showmanship.

We think things like:

“Who is the Church to request my hard earned money?”  

“I work so that I can do the things I want to do and buy the things I want to buy!”

And, “If I am going to give, I am going to make sure people see me give and talk about my giving and generosity to others.”

These selfish and self-centered thoughts, words, and actions, fly directly in the face of God’s design for money.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says:

[18] You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (ESV)

And, since God has given you the means to receive money for your daily needs, Proverbs 3:9 says:

[9] Honor the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce; (ESV)

Finally,

[6] The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6–7, ESV)

So, that brings us to the poor widow who gave all that she had to live on.

Several years ago, there was a homeless man who came to Bethel on a regular basis.  Social services had placed him at one of the motels nearby on Jericho Turnpike and he would walk here on Sunday mornings and sit in the front pew.

Back then, before the COVID pandemic when we passed offering plates around, I would watch him every Sunday morning, reach into his pockets and pull out a few coins to place in the offering plate.  At one point, after a service, he said to me, “I don’t have much, but that will never stop me from giving an offering because I am so thankful for what God has given me and I want to make do my best to make sure other people will know that He has given them Jesus too!”

To say I was humbled to the very core of my being would be an understatement.  

Just like the poor widow in this morning’s text, this homeless man was giving money to God’s Church out of pure thanksgiving with joy.

This morning, are you concerned with,

Tailored suits, chauffeured cars

Fine hotels and big cigars

A French maid, foreign chef

A big house with king-size bed

The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall,

Or, are you concerned with,

The cross of Christ, forgiven sin

Righteousness, eternal livin’

Being generous, sharing love,

The will of God, in Heaven above?

The poor widow, in our Biblical text, was concerned and consumed by,

The cross of Christ, forgiven sin

Righteousness, eternal livin’

Being generous, sharing love,

The will of God, in Heaven above.

Hearing all of this, we know that we have not been faithful mangers of our money or good stewards of the money that God has given us.  We have been greedy, selfish, and stingy.  So, what do we do?  

We do what we do with every other sin, we confess it, repent of it, and place our faith in Jesus who always treated money in a God honoring way.

When asked about paying taxes by people who didn’t want to pay taxes, Jesus said, 

[21] …render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:2, ESV)

Through faith in Jesus, which fully unites to Jesus, we are given Jesus’ perfect record of always using money for God honoring purposes. 

The poor widow joyfully and thankfully realized that God gave to her more than she could ever give to God.  She realized that she could never out-give God.

The poor widow knew this because her Savior, Jesus, was standing before her in the temple.  She knew that she was wretched and sinful, separated from God.  But, she also new that God’s desire was to reconnect her back to Himself.  So, God gave His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to forgive her sin, cleanse her of her lifetime of disobedience to God’s commands for life and love, and reconciled her relationship with Him eternally.

You can imagine her singing these words as she was placing her offering in the box:

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

  Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

    “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

God is the greatest giver.

He doesn’t give you nonsense.  He gives you want you need.

After providing for your ultimate need—forgiveness—God also promises and fulfills his promise to give you what you need on a daily basis.

The poor widow’s generously giving all of what she had financially shows her absolute trust in God’s daily provision as well.  

Continuing on in 2 Corinthians 9.8-15, we are told this:

[8] And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. [9] As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

[10] He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. [12] For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. [13] By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, [14] while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. [15] Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (ESV)

When your God-given money talks, does it say, “Look at me, I am so generous!,” or, does your money say, “I have to pinch and store up and watch every penny because deep down I don’t really trust God to provide for me?”

Or, when your money talks, does it say, “Look at the Grace of God for you in Jesus Christ!”

This morning and this year, put your money where your mouth is.

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, “There is Power in the Blood!”

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, God’s love for me is so great that it is actually fully, “Indescribable!”

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, “To God Be the Glory!”

I exhort you and encourage you, like the poor widow in this morning’s Biblical text, respond in thanksgiving to God’s giving of Jesus to you by honoring God with your money and give generously to His Church and her ministries that allow other people to hear, receive, and believe, the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

January 12, 2025.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Never Forgets You

Luke 2.40-52

Here we are.  

12 days after Christmas morning.

Have you scrubbed your house clean of all traces of the holiday?

Have you put away the lights and mistletoe?

Have you dragged the tree to the curb to be picked up by the garbage truck?

Have you waited on return lines to exchange the gifts that you didn’t want?

Are some of the toys (that your children begged for) already in the trash because they were quickly broken?

Have you put the manger scene, with baby Jesus, away in the closet, basement, or attic, to be out of sight and out of mind for the next 11 months?

Many of us have let out sighs of relief that the planning, organizing and executing of “holiday cheer” is over.

Many of us have already lost the memories of the laughs and the love, the hugs and the tears, and the hellos and goodbyes.

Christmas is close; It happened less than two weeks ago. 

But Christmas also seems far away.

As a Church, we spend a lot of time focusing on all that God has done for us in the Christmas event.  

The four weeks leading up to Christmas morning have us hearing about the wisdom of God and the favor of God that gave us the hope, peace, joy, and love in the gift of Jesus for Christmas.

However, a week after Christmas, we turn the corner into a New Year Celebration that usually takes the focus off of God.  We forget about God and focus on New Year’s Resolutions which are about self-promotion, self-help, and self-improvement.  

Now, that Christmas is over, it’s just back to the grind of everyday life with the self-inflicted burden of trying to forge a path forward on our own.

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this Second Sunday After Christmas, we hear about Jesus’ parents who also struggled with forgetting about Christmas.  

Let’s hear what happened as recorded for us in Luke 2.40-52.

Luke 2:40–52 says this:

[40] And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

[41] Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. [42] And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. [43] And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, [44] but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, [45] and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. [46] After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47] And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48] And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” [49] And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” [50] And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. [51] And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

[52] And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (ESV)

In this piece of history from Jesus’ tween years, Jesus’ parents leave the city of Jerusalem, after the Passover Feast, to travel back to Nazareth.  Somewhere along the 90 mile/30 hour walking journey, they realize that Jesus, their son, who is also the Son of God, was not with the group.

The busyness and distractions of organizing, planning and traveling, the talking and celebrating with family and friends, along with the urgency to get things done for the day, week, and month, cause them to forget about Jesus.

Just like Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ earthly parents, 

We forget about the existence of Jesus, the Son of God the Father in Heaven.

We forget that Jesus is living and active in the Father’s House — the Church.

We forget that Jesus is all about doing the business and work of God which is the work of salvation.

1 Timothy 2:4–6 tells us:

[4][God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (ESV)

We forget that Jesus is the wisdom of God.

We forget that the favor of God is upon Jesus.

We forget that in Jesus, the favor of God is upon us.

We forget that in Jesus we have a Savior in who has forgiven us of our sin and made it possible to be fully accepted by God now and forever.

We forget about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.

And, we daily forget that we have been made a new creation, filled with God’s presence through the Holy Spirit, empowered and strengthened to walk in good works so that the people that God lets us come into contact with will also experience the care and concern of God for them through us.

Even though we get distracted by the busyness of life and forget about God, the Bible tells us the good news that God never forgets about us.

When the apostle Paul was giving instruction and encouragement for ministry to his disciple Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to,

[8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, (2 Timothy 2:8, ESV)

But, Paul also gives Timothy the comfort of knowing that even when he fails to remember Jesus Christ, God will not fail to remember him.

A few sentences later Paul says,

[13] if we are faithless, [God] remains faithful—

for [God] cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13, ESV)

The idea that Jesus grew in wisdom with the favor of God upon Him acts as a bookend at the beginning and end of our Biblical text this morning.

There is also a nod to this idea of Jesus possessing wisdom and the favor of God when those he is talking to in the temple find themselves “amazed at [Jesus’] understanding and his answers” to their questions.

Why is Luke, the 1st century doctor who wrote this biography of Jesus, telling us that Jesus grew in wisdom?

Well, Jesus was fully God and fully man at the same time.  This is a mystery that we will just have to trust by faith for now with our finite minds unable to grasp how this infinite truth is possible.

The fact that Jesus was born and grew up, having toddler years, adolescent years, and adult years, gives him the full human experience.

We are told that Jesus, being God in the flesh, always had full access to totality of eternal wisdom and power.  However, He willingly gave up access to all of that wisdom and power for a set period of time to meet us where we are at, understand our every thought and feeling, and do life on earth perfectly as we could never do.  

After doing the human life perfectly in every way, Jesus and ONLY Jesus was qualified, as the lamb without blemish, to be the only eternally acceptable sacrifice for our sins. 

Because of God’s love for you, His wisdom and favor rested in and upon Jesus  to take on the pain, suffering and death for every fear and failing that you experience. 

Just like Mary and Joseph, when we come to our senses with a gracious wake up call made by God’s Holy Spirit through God’s Holy Word and we realize things are not right in our life, we will always find Jesus where he belongs, alive and working in His Father’s House, the Church.

And, we will find Jesus still doing what Jesus does, sharing the truth of sin and salvation, offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent and believe.

When are eyes are opened and we wake up from forgetting Jesus and instead find ourselves in His presence once again, we recognize what those at the temple were beginning to realize when Jesus was with them…

God is with us!

God is in our midst!

In a book I read this past week, Swedish pastor and theologian, Bo Giertz summed this up beautifully for us.

GOD IS IN OUR midst! All Christian life is characterized by this overwhelming truth, the whole existence of the church is carried by this jubilant certainty: God is present here! God who is invisible, unreachable and incomprehensible has descended to us. His incorruptible and imperishable glory has entered this world marked by death, has become embodied in the only begotten Son, has overcome death, and has established that community of victory, redemption and salvation, which is named God’s Holy Church. 

God is in our midst! At one point the wall of separation is broken. All glory of heaven is now flowing into our existence. The morning has dawned and the Good News is now resounding on earth: 

We have seen His glory! The eternal life which was with the Father was made manifest to us! That which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, this we proclaim. The light has come into the world, the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining (see John 1:14; 1 John 1:1–2; John 3:19; 1 John 2:8). 

Even more: From His fullness have we all received grace upon grace! In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. In Him we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In Him we are partakers of the fullness of deity, of the unspeakable, incomprehensible and incorruptible glory of the heavenly realm (see John 1:16; Eph 1:3,7; Col 2:10).

God is in our midst! Also today. Because what happened once in history is not only something in the past. The connection that was then opened between earth and heaven has never since been broken. The same Lord, who came to dwell among us, also built His Church among us. He is still active there through His Spirit, in the external forms of the word and the sacraments. The new life still descends into this world of corruption. The eternal light is still being revealed. Christ is still doing the work for which He was made man.

I encourage you to go into this new year prayerfully asking God to help you remember that in Jesus, He is with you every moment of every day.

Don’t put Jesus away for 11 months only to be brought out into the light every December.

In Jesus, God is present with you everywhere you go until the end of time.

We often forget Jesus throughout our day or our week.

However, Jesus never forgets you!

Jesus is always at work in God’s Word (the Bible), through God’s Church, bringing God’s forgiveness, righteousness and eternal life to you!

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

January 5, 2025.

Prayer:

Faithful God, 

We come to you today as deeply forgetful people. You have been so much better to us than we deserve, faithfully fulfilling your commitment to give us good things in Christ. Yet we quickly forget all the wonderful gifts that you have already given us, and feel angry and bitter when you won’t answer our prayers the way in which we want you to. Instead of remembering your deliverance and running to you daily as our shield of refuge, the anchor of our souls, we prefer to remain in bondage to our idols, because we love our sins and it seems too hard to fight against them. We doubt your goodness and power many times each day and resent the race of obedience that you call us to run. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you for remembering the truth faithfully on our behalf. You worshiped your Father daily, with unwavering faith and unshakable hope in his goodness. Cherishing the Father’s unchangeable character, you submitted to his perfect wisdom and trusted him completely in all the circumstances of your life, even when it was most painful. You took refuge in him often in your times of need and never turned toward false gods. Now your obedience becomes our strong encouragement to hope in the midst of continuing weakness, and you continue to advocate our cause as our heavenly High Priest. We have no other hope, nor do we need one. 

Holy Spirit, we need your power at work in us to stir up our hope. Help us to know and worship our God as he is, the unchangeable, sovereign King, who has sworn by himself to save us in spite of our perverse foolishness. Cause us to know the certainty of God’s great love for us, until we are transformed into people who love him deeply, and are able to run the race with strong confidence and joyful hope in Christ. Open our lips to join the heavenly worship service, and help us look forward to the triumphant coming of our heavenly King. Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  In Jesus, God never forgets you!

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Love: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 1.39-56

How do you feel loved at Christmas time?

Do you feel loved when you spend quality time with family and friends?

Do you feel loved when you receive a well thought out gift?

Do you feel loved when you hear words of appreciation for all your planning and execution of the holiday?

Or, do you feel loved when people come alongside of you to help you with all of planning and execution of holiday?

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Advent.  The liturgical calendar tells us that this is the Sunday that we celebrate LOVE.

During this season, we have continually heard about

Waiting for Jesus to come to us during Advent;

Jesus’ coming to us on Christmas morning;

And, Jesus’ coming to us again at the end of history.

So, what’s love got to do with it?

Well, in this morning’s Biblical text from the Good News of Jesus according to the doctor and research scholar Luke, we enter into a piece of history that records for us an encounter of two pregnant women.  One is pregnant with the Lord and Savior Jesus.  And, the other is pregnant with John the Baptist, the cousin of the Lord and Savior Jesus.

This encounter tells us that Jesus’ coming to us is all about love.  

Specifically, it is about God’s unconditional love for each one of us.

Let’s here about what happened when Elizabeth and Mary met up during their pregnancies and how it relates to love.

Luke 1:39–56 says this:

[39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40] and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, [42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. [45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

[46] And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

[47] and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

[48] for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

[49] for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

[50] And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

[51] He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

[52] he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

[53] he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

[54] He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

[55] as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

[56] And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. (ESV)

Elizabeth, Mary, and even unborn baby John, tell us what Christmas is about.

They all know and believe that Christmas is about God’s love causing him to pour out His favor upon us.

To say that we have God’s favor is to say that we have God on our side.

In Romans 8:31–39, Paul speaks of the confidence we can have in life, regardless of our moment to moment situations and feelings.  In this passage, that is labeled in our English Bible’s as, “God’s Everlasting Love,” the apostle Paul says to us:

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [36] As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] 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. (ESV)

Christmas is about sharing and proclaiming the Good News that God is always for us. That means God is always fulling his promises to us in the gift of a Savior, a forgiver of sins, and a giver of righteousness and eternal life.  This occurs for us in the birth of Jesus (and the life, death, and resurrection that follow).

First, Elizabeth recognized God’s love come to her as she shared and proclaimed that Jesus was Lord and Savior the moment that pregnant Mary entered her presence.

Many think that Peter was the first person in the Biblical narrative to publicly proclaim Jesus as Lord, but it was actually Elizabeth, Jesus’ aunt, as we hear in this morning’s text.

Second, the unborn baby, still growing and maturing in the womb, recognized God’s love come to him, and also shared and proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior by leaping and dancing with joy, inside Elizabeth, the moment that pregnant Mary entered his presence.

And, third, Mary, the mother carrying God’s Lord and Savior, Jesus, recognized God’s love come to her and the whole world, when the angel spoke to her and gave her the Good News.

Luke records this event for us earlier in Luke 1:26–38.

Luke says:

[26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. [28] And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” [29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. [30] And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

[34] And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

[35] And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. [36] And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37] For nothing will be impossible with God.” [38] And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (ESV)

Mary is so overwhelmed with God’s love for her and for the world and that Mary sings a song, in this morning’s text, that praises God for taking care of the lowly and humble through doing what He said He would do for thousands of years—save people from their sin.

This text gives us something very interesting to note.  

Here in this Biblical text we are shown clearly that knowing God’s love for you in the person and work of Jesus, and understanding God’s love for you in the person and work of Jesus for you , and believing God’s love for you in the person and work of Jesus, is not something that is limited to age, gender, or socio-economic status.

Here in this short text, we see a baby in the womb, a poor elderly woman (who lives off people’s donations at the temple), and a poor unwed but pregnant teenage girl, all believing and rejoicing in God’s love for them in the Christmas gift of Jesus Christ.

When it comes to believing and rejoicing in God’s love for you, there is no age of accountability, there is no level of wealth or charitable giving, and their is no biologically determined body part that makes you more lovable in the eyes and arms of God your Father in Heaven or in the eyes and arms of Jesus Christ your brother and Savior.

These facts are important to note, because there are many that will tell you that you have to be a certain age or have a certain mental capacity before you can know and believe God’s love.  And, there are many that will tell you that because you struggle financially, the love of God isn’t active in your life.

Those that teach these things are nothing but false teachers who have no Biblical basis for the things they are saying.  This morning’s Biblical text disproves all of those false teachings.

Later on in the Gospel of Luke, Luke records this encounter between Jesus and the religious teachers of His day.

[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

[3] So he told them this parable: [4] “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:1–7, ESV)

Do you know what the religious leaders were complaining about?

They were complaining about Jesus loving the people around him.

You see, the religious teachers of Jesus’ days believed the exact opposite of what God teaches about love.

The religious teachers of Jesus’s day believed that you had to get your life in order before God would love you.

But, as God speaks and shows, He has come to you in the person and work of Jesus because you cannot get your life in order without His help.

Only through faith in Jesus do you receive the forgiveness of your sin, as well as the indwelling Holy Spirit to daily help you choose to think, speak, and act in ways that are Godly.

In this deeply touching parable, there is no note of scolding or recrimination directed at the wayward sheep.  The shepherd doesn’t lecture the lost lamb: “Do you realize how much I worried about you?  Did you even think about the danger you were in?  Or how I had to leave your 99 bothers and sisters to come all this way to find you?? I mean, what were you thinking?! Believe, me, there are going to be consequences for your actions, young man.”

Instead, He joyfully puts the sheep on His shoulders and carries it home.  The consequence? A big party.

Preaching on a Christmas morning almost five hundred years ago, Martin Luther reminded his congregation that the proper response to the Christian story is not mere rejoicing or casual interest but faith. Beyond this, Luther understood that this faith has two important dimensions. 

Luther argued that most persons know how to rejoice when they are given a Christmas gift. “But how many are there who shout and jump for joy when they hear the message of the angel: ‘To you is born this day the Savior?’ Indeed, the majority look upon it as a sermon that must be preached, and when they have heard it, consider it a trifling thing, and go away just as they were before. This shows that we have neither the first nor the second faith.”

As Luther understood, to hear the Christmas story and respond with mere interest is an indication of faith’s absence. 

Furthermore, Luther helpfully reminded his congregation that a mere affirmation of the fact that the incarnation occurred is not saving faith. “We do not believe that the virgin mother bore a son and that he is the Lord and Savior unless, added to this, I believe the second thing, namely, that he is my Savior and Lord.” 

In other words, the message of Christmas is received when Jesus Christ is not merely affirmed as the baby in Bethlehem’s manger but as one’s own Savior and Lord. 

“When I can say: This I accept as my own, because the angel meant it for me, then, if I believe it in my heart, I shall not fail to love the mother Mary, and even more the child, and especially the Father,” Luther continued. “For, if it is true that the child was born of the virgin and is mine, then I have no angry God and I must know and feel that there is nothing but laughter and joy in the heart of the Father and no sadness in my heart. For, if what the angel says is true, that he is our Lord and Savior, what can sin do against us?” 

With those words, Luther articulated the majestic faith of Christmas—the faith that saves. When Christmas is rightly understood, we know that God loves us, even as we are sinners who deserve no love. We also understand that this love is demonstrated in the gift of the Son, who would die for our sins and would be raised by the Father in order to secure our salvation. 

Thus, a true Christmas is celebrated when we come to understand, to know, to celebrate, and to receive the fact that Jesus Christ is not merely a Savior but our Savior–even my Savior and your Savior.

Because of Sin, we often get love wrong.  But, God in his grace and mercy for you always gets love perfectly right.

Christmas is about God’s love for you; a love that gives you peace and joy and allows you to hope in the wrongs being made right and the dark things being made light.

God’s love, shown to, known by, and believed by Elizabeth, John, and Mary, comforted their anxious hearts that were burdened by sin and therefore separated from God.  

In Jesus, God came to Elizabeth, John, Mary, and you so that you could rejoice in the comfort of God’s concern and care for you.

In Jesus’ coming to you, in His birth, in His life, in His death, and in His resurrection, you are rescued from the suffering and disappointment that life in a broken body in a broken world can often cause.

And, you like Elizabeth, John, and Mary, can jump for joy, sings songs of thanksgiving and praise for God’s love that actively sought you out, and you can share and proclaim the rescue mission of Jesus to the people and world around you.  

Go, tell it on a mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 22, 2024

Prayer:

Faithful Father, heavenly Husband, Your love for us is changeless and unending. We confess that our love for you is weak, flickering, variable, and laced with selfish ambition and desire. Your love is like a mighty ocean that rushes toward us each day and envelops us with kindness, mercy, and steadfast faithfulness. Our love for you is like a fleeting mist: a vapor that rises from time to time and quickly evaporates in the heat of life’s pain and suffering. Father, forgive us for loving so many other gods and giving our lives to them, while failing to notice your hand of love at work for us each day. You govern the entire universe and work all things together for our good, but we are quick to blame you, to turn away from you, and to give our worship and love to many other husbands. Lord, forgive us for our many sins. 

Jesus, thank you for your changeless and unending love. You loved us before the foundation of the world and entered history in order to redeem us. As a human being, you loved God and your neighbor perfectly, loving and serving God and keeping every one of his statutes and commandments. You did this because you knew that we never could, and so you gave us the gift of your spotless perfection. 

Holy Spirit, fill us with gratitude for the love we have in Christ that will never let us go. Though our sins are many and increase in number every day, lift up our heads and show us the cross. We thank you that we cannot close our hearts to you, for your love is relentless, and in faithfulness you pursue us and draw us back to you time and time again. Show us the beauty of our beloved husband, Jesus Christ: his wounds that paid our ransom and his faithful obedience that makes us perfect in him. Help us to love and cherish him in growing obedience until we bow before him at last and sing his praises for all eternity. Even so, come quickly, LORD Jesus. Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace.  God’s love is poured out upon you as Christ your Savior is born.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Joy: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 7.18-28

Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

As we know, joy and happiness are the theme of many traditional and contemporary Christmas songs.  We are often commanded by lyrical content to be, “Merry and Bright!” 

So, I ask you this morning, “What does your Christmas feel like?”

How’s your Christmas season going this year?

Does Christmas feel merry and bright?  

Are you overflowing with feelings of great pleasure and happiness?

Or, are you dealing with feelings of exhaustion, depression, and dread because of everything you have done and still have to do in the next 9 days before Christmas morning arrives?

The truth is, that for many of us, Christmas isn’t merry and bright and we don’t feel like “repeating the sounding joy.”

Because of the brokenness caused by what the Bible calls Sin, the holiday season just highlights how wrong and dark life can actually be.

However, even in the face of what seems to be insurmountable trouble, the Biblical song found in Psalm 30:4-5 tell reminds us to:

[4] Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

[5] For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning. (ESV)

The purpose of Advent and Christmas is to remind us that even though life has it’s sadness, it’s tears, and it’s pain, joy still comes on Christmas morning when God’s gift of Jesus, your Savior, arrives in your life.

Let’s hear a little more about how Jesus brings joy into our lives from this morning’s Biblical text from the Good News of Luke, or, in other words, Luke’s biography of Jesus.

Luke 7:18–28 says this:

[18] The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, [19] calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” [20] And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” [21] In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. [22] And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. [23] And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

[24] When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [25] What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. [26] What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [27] This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you.’

[28] I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (ESV)

In this Biblical text, we enter into a scene where John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, sends some of his disciples to get assurance from Jesus that He is actually God’s promised Savior.  

And, Jesus sends them back to John with the message that they can all be filled with joy because He is in fact God’s promised Savior.  

Jesus gives John and his disciples three specific reasons, from what they have already seen and heard, why His coming from God to mankind can make them joyful.

First, joy comes from being healed by Jesus.

Isaiah 53:5 says:

[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV)

And, in Luke 5:31–32, Jesus says:

[31] And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [32] I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (ESV)

What do we need Jesus to heal us from?

Why do we need Jesus to be our Great Physician?

Well, as King David tells us, from the moment of conception, we are all sick from Sin (Psalm 51).  And, as the apostle Paul later points out, “No one is righteous, no not one; all have turned aside; no one does God; no one naturally seeks after God” (Romans 3).

We are all dying and dead because of Sin.

However, Jesus heals us from the sickness of Sin when He dies on the cross and walks out of the grave fully alive 3 days later.  

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus comes to you and I in order to defeat the power of sin and death that enslaves us and keeps us separated from God.

Second, joy come from hearing and believing the good news that Jesus Christ brings.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah is known for his very clear descriptions of the Messiah/Savior many years before that Messiah/Savior would come to humanity.  

God used Isaiah to paint a very clear picture of Jesus so that His coming and His presence in your life couldn’t be easily denied.  This is nothing but another example of God’s grace to you.  God wants you to know the good news of the forgiveness of sin and eternal life and has continued to make that Good News as clear as possible to you throughout history.

In Isaiah 61:1–2, Isaiah describes Jesus, the Messiah/Savior.

He prophetically says, in the 1st person voice of God in Christ:

[1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

[2] to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn; (ESV)

And, we see that description come to life in Jesus as recorded by the Good News writer, Luke.

Luke 4:42–43 says:

[42] And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, [43] but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (ESV)

And, returning to Isaiah, Isaiah records his reaction to believing the Good News that God gives us in His Savior.

In Isaiah 61:10, Isaiah says:

[10] I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (ESV)

Finally, joy comes from being made great in the Kingdom of God by faith in and friendship with Jesus.

John 1:9–13 tells us:

[9] The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. [11] He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. [12] But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, [13] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (ESV)

What’s it like to walk free again after years behind bars? Lee Horton and his brother Dennis know the feeling. They were convicted of robbery and murder in 1993 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They always maintained their innocence. Earlier this year, after being locked up for a quarter of a century, they were granted clemency and released.

Here’s Lee Horton’s story:

I’m going to tell you honestly. The first thing that I was aware of when I walked out of the doors and sat in the car and realized that I wasn’t handcuffed. And for all the time I’ve been in prison, every time I was transported anywhere, I always had handcuffs on. And that moment right there was … the most emotional moment that I had. Even when they told me that the governor had signed the papers … it didn’t set in until I was in that car and I didn’t have those handcuffs on.

And I don’t think people understand that the punishment is being in prison. When you take away everything, everything becomes beautiful to you. … When we got out … we went to the DMV to get our licenses back. My brother and I stood in line for two and a half hours. And we heard all the bad things about the DMV. We had the most beautiful time. And all the people were looking at us because we were smiling and we were laughing, and they couldn’t understand why we were so happy. And it just was that – just being in that line was a beautiful thing.

I was in awe of everything around me. It’s like my mind was just heightened to every small nuance. Just to be able to just look out of a window, just to walk down a street and just inhale the fresh air, just to see people interacting. … It woke something up in me, something that I don’t know if it died or if it went to sleep. I’ve been having epiphanies every single day since I’ve been released.

One of my morning rituals every morning is I send a message of ‘good morning, good morning, good morning, have a nice day’ to every one of my 42 contacts. And they’re like, ‘how long can (he) keep doing this?’ But they don’t understand that I was deprived. And now, it’s like I have been released, and I’ve been reborn into a better day, into a new day. Like, the person I was no longer exists. I’ve stepped through the looking glass onto the other side, and everything is beautiful.

This world and its history are prelude and foretaste; all the sunrises and sunsets, symphonies and rock concerts, feasts and friendships are but whispers. They are a prologue to the grander story and an even better place. Only there, it will never end. J. I. Packer said it so well: “Hearts on earth say in the course of a joyful experience, ‘I don’t want this ever to end.’ But it invariably does. The hearts in heaven say, ‘I want this to go on forever.’ And it will. There can be no better news than this.”

Philippians 4:4–9 has the apostle Paul leaving us with this exhortation:

[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (ESV)

Entrepreneur Walt Disney said, “After the rain, the sun will reappear. There is life. After the pain, the joy will still be here.”

Theologian Oswald Chambers said, “Happiness depends on what happens; joy does not.”

And, author, disabilities advocate, and political activist, Helen Keller said, “As selfishness and complaint pervert the mind, so love with its joy clears and sharpens the vision.”

This Advent and Christmas, ask God to clear away the sin of selfishness and complaint that pervert your mind so that you focus on the work of holiday season instead of the work of God in Jesus on your behalf. 

This Advent and Christmas, ask God, in his love for you, to restore you to the joy of your salvation so that your vision is sharpened to rejoice in the Lord always.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 15, 2024.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

We confess that, like little children, we hate to wait. We fuss and fret about our difficult circumstances until we are weary of crying, instead of resting in you and trusting your unmatched wisdom. We grasp for the things that our wisdom and appetites demand right now, rather than waiting patiently to receive the good gifts that you have planned for us in your perfect timing. Even good things regularly become the object of our over-desires. We persuade ourselves that we need riches, relationships, sex, children, food, or possessions to be happy and fulfilled, instead of recognizing your wisdom and perfect plan for our lives. You have given us exactly what we need, in perfect measure, with perfect love. Your Word exposes the perverse foolishness and ingratitude of our hearts. 

Jesus, we desperately need to have the filthy, sin-stained rags of our wrong desires and over-desires removed, and our nakedness covered by your holy purity. While you lived among us, you always waited patiently for your Father’s timing. You were never rushed or late, never out of step with the Holy Spirit’s leading. You never pined for the things that your Father withheld from you, nor drew back when he handed you the cup of suffering. Clothe us in your holy purity and perfect patience, we pray. 

Holy Spirit, renew our minds with your perfect holiness. Teach us how to wait patiently for the Father to answer us and how to endure without those things that we think we must have. Show us even how to survive our repeated failure and sin, by making Christ’s beauty shine all the more clearly in the light of our own spiritual brokenness and ugliness. Grow within us daily a greater longing and eager expectation, as we await the day of Christ’s appearing, when we will finally see him with our own eyes and all our purified desires will finally be fulfilled in him. Amen.


Benediction:

Go, in peace, this morning.  Jesus has come to you and is coming to you again.  Rejoice that God’s has given you His Savior!

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Peace: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 3.1-14

Can you put a price on peace?

Peace sells, peace sells

Peace sells, but who’s buying?

In 1986, Heavy Metal legends, Megadeth, growled these lyrics in their chart dominating hit that monopolized airtime on MTV.

In their aggressive poetry set to face-melting riffs, Megadeth was alluding to the fact that the idea of peace is popular, but the actual seeking out and making of peace isn’t as attractive as philosophically talking about it.

For example, how many Miss America contestants contestants answered, “World Peace,” when asked the question, “What is one thing you hope for in your lifetime?”

Or, John Lennon’s 1969 musical exhortation for everyone to “Give Peace a Chance,” and two years later in 1971, asking the world to join him to,

Imagine all the people

Livin’ life in peace

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

And, then, admitting,

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

Many people throw the word peace around but very few commit to practice what they preach.

However, this ideological using of the word peace is not new to 20th and 21st Century America.

Thousands of years ago, God the Father in Heaven, used his prophet Jeremiah to confront and convict leaders with misusing the idea of peace to give false hope to the people whom they served.

In Jeremiah 6.14, the prophet, through God’s inspiration, says this:

[14] They have healed the wound of my people lightly,

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14, ESV)

Again, people like the idea of peace, but not the path that leads to having peace on earth.

Peace calls for action, not just talk.

The dictionary defines Peace as freedom from disturbance or tranquility.  The secondary definition of Peace is a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended.

This morning, if you could choose one place in your life to have peace, what place would you choose?  Where would you choose to eliminate tension and conflict?

Would you choose to have peace in your home—with your spouse, children, and extended family?

Would you choose to have peace in your place of employment—with your co-workers, clients, and boss?

Would you choose to have piece in your friend group?

Or, maybe, you would choose to have peace in church—with God and with other parishioners?

During the Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, we annually explore the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. 

This morning, we will focus on the peace we have while waiting for Jesus’ coming to us and through Jesus’ coming to us.

With that being said, let’s hear from the lectionary text chosen for this Second Sunday in Advent.

Luke 3.1-14 says this:

[1] In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2] during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. [3] And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

[5] Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall become straight,

and the rough places shall become level ways,

[6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

[7] He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. [9] Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

[10] And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” [11] And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” [12] Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” [13] And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” [14] Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” (ESV)

In this morning’s Biblical text from the Gospel of Luke, or Luke the physician’s biography of Jesus, we encounter a man named John who was out in the desert baptizing people that came from the surrounding towns to hear his message and who believed in his message.

As a reference point, John, also known as John the Baptist, was Jesus’ cousin.

John’s message went like this, “Listen to and follow God the Father in Heaven. Be baptized while repenting of your sin and God will forgive your sin.”

However, as mentioned in the text, the baptisms that John performed were only effective to bring peace between God and man because they were fulfilling the promises that God made earlier in history and recorded in Scripture.  These promises that God the Father in Heaven made to humanity make it clear that baptism, repentance, and forgiveness were made possible through the Savior’s, Jesus’, coming to us and by His living perfectly according to all of God’s commands, dying on the cross as the innocent lamb without blemish, and defeating the power of sin and death through His resurrection from the dead.

As today’s Biblical text from Luke chapter 3 tells you,

Jesus comes to you and brings peace.

The metaphor used to illustrate this is the evening out of creation or the elimination of difficult travel in life. For example, the crooked road will be made straight, the valleys will be lifted up to ground level, and the mountains will be brought down to ground level.  

Jesus comes to you and brings you peace with God.

Jesus comes to you and brings you peace on earth and in Heaven.

The metaphor used to illustrate this point is the cutting down and burning of all the trees that don’t grow properly and produce bad fruit.  That is, God will remove all of the false teachers who give false hope wth their false teaching.  This false hope comes from telling people that their good works will earn them God’s favor and the reward of eternal life in Heaven.

Jesus comes to you and brings you peace with God through offering you the opportunity to repent of your sin, be forgiven of your sin, and see the salvation of God.

Why is there peace with God through repentance?

Well, another word for repentance is honesty.

So, to repent is to be honest with God about your Sin.

Honesty always brings peace to our lives because we stop holding in the lies, the secrets, and the misinformation.  We stop worrying about being caught, being found out, being exposed, and covering our tracks with more lies. Instead, through repentance, we have a chance to move forward with the freedom.

To repent is to be honest with God about doing your own thing.

To repent is to be honest with God about your denying of His existence in you daily routine.

To repent is to be honest with God about your active disobedience to His rules for life and love.

To repent is to be honest with God about your inactive disobedience to His rules for life and love.

Overall, to repent is to be honest with God and admit that because of the internal brokenness of your thoughts, and the external brokenness of your words and actions, life has been hard, that there have been struggles for you along way, that you haven’t always done the right thing, and that you know you need God’s forgiveness, love, and strength to carry on and choose the good part of every hour moving forward.

And, here is the Good News for you today:

Your repentance is always met with grace from God.

Following Megadeth’s question filled lyrics, Advent and Christmas offer the answers the band is seeking.

Here goes:

God put a price on peace.

And, that price was the life of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.

Eternal peace with God has been bought for you by God Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

John 3:16–21 tells us about the price of peace with God.

[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. [19] And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. [20] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. [21] But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (ESV)

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 tells you that Jesus bought peace with God for you by paying the price for your peace with God with his own life.

[19] … You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (ESV)

Our Biblical text from this morning doesn’t end with the good news that when Jesus comes to us, he brings peace with God.

Our Biblical text for this morning goes on to let us know that God expects us to be peace makers in this world to show that true and lasting peace is possible.

So, now that we have peace with God through Jesus’ death on the cross, how do we live with peace on a day to day basis?

Well, our Biblical text from Luke’s biography of Jesus tells us how we will experience peace in this world.

Looking at verses 10-14, we hear this:

[10] And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” [11] And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” [12] Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” [13] And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” [14] Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

After attaining peace with God through faith in Jesus, according to Jesus’ words, daily peace comes from sharing, caring, honesty, truth, and contentment.

Here, Jesus is telling you that in order to experience peace everyday, prayerfully ask God to work in and through you by the Holy Spirit to bear fruit.

You may be saying, “Pastor Fred, does Jesus mean that I am supposed to give out apples and bananas?  What does it mean to bear fruit?”

Well, elsewhere in the Bible’s Scriptures, specifically in Galatians 5.22, we hear the apostle Paul encourage the Christians in the city of Galatia by defining what God’s Spirit will produce in the life of those who have faith in Jesus.

Paul says:

[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

[25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22–26, ESV)

These words of Paul follow exactly what Jesus is commanding in verses 10-14 of this morning’s Biblical text.  Once you find yourself believing in Jesus, you find yourself being a new creation with new hope, new peace, new love, and new joy.  And, all of that comes from being empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit which strengthens you to see the world with the eyes and mind of Christ.

So, the new you has a new desire to become a peacemaker.  

Now, due to the ongoing battle with the sinful flesh, you won’t always get this right, but the knowledge of what is right will drive you to prayer to do what’s right and to repentance when you do what is wrong.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the apostle Paul, again, gives similar encouragement when he says to you:

[31] So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (ESV)

The Christmas season can easily turn into a time to dwell on perishable gifts. Children are especially prone to the unceasing wave of advertisements that feature the latest toys and games. Any parent can testify to the noticeable uptick in the phrase “I want that!” from toddlers and young children during the Christmas season. Yet adults, too, can buy into the temptations of materialism that come during the Christmas season. In doing so, we forget that “our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Christmas reorients our focus on the mission of Jesus to make all things new by his incarnation. It reminds us that this world will one day give way to the glorious inheritance that awaits all those who believed in Jesus—the eternal life he secured by being born in the manger. 

When Jesus took on flesh, God declared that the creation he had made would be made new. The world he created—indeed, the bodies of believers—would not be obliterated but remade, refashioned in the new heavens and the new earth. 

Christmas, therefore, brings with it an eschatological—an end-time—hope for the world. The fear of death no longer holds power, nor can it enslave those who belong to Christ. Why? Because Christ has come. He was born in a manger for us. He lived for us. He died for us. He paid the eternal price of God’s wrath for us. He came so that we might live forever. This, however, he could not do unless he became like us in every way. 

Not only do we announce in this season the coming of the Savior, but we also proclaim a day when sin will be no more, when death will have no power, when Satan will forever be silent, and when all tears will be wiped away. Our Christmas carols ring with the message of the birth of the Son of God who dwelt among his people in the flesh, who radiated grace and light, and who secured through his ministry the city of heaven. As we celebrate Christmas, meditate on this particular aspect of why Jesus came. He came so that we might inherit the new Jerusalem, a new earth, where God will dwell with his people forever and ever. He came as the fulfillment of all God’s promises.

The Huntington Station poet, Walt Whitman, said, “Peace is always beautiful.”

Peace with God, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, is beautiful because it gives us the hope of peace that comes from knowing that God is no longer against us but for us every moment of everyday.  And, one day there will be complete peace when Jesus comes to us again to completely and fully eliminate sin and death from our experience ensuring that there will never again be pain, suffering, or tears.

Today, rest in the peace you have with God through Jesus’ coming to you.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 8, 2024. Second Sunday in Advent.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

Our hearts are constantly storm-tossed by our varied circumstances. When life is going well, we are elated and feel infinitely strong. When we face problems and frightening situations, we are cast down and feel sure that we will drown. Instead of thankfulness and peace, our hearts are often ruled by forgetfulness and fear. We imagine ourselves to be abandoned because of our sin and cut off. We feel isolated from one another as well as from you. We know that you have overcome this world, but our peace is fleeting and is built upon flimsy things, and we are not comforted by your strength and love. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you for your perfect peace in all life’s deepest trials. You were able to rest in the midst of the storm, because you knew that you were the Father’s priceless treasure, whom he would not allow to see destruction. Even when the Father’s wrath was poured out upon you for our sake, you rested in his sure promises and trusted in him. Thank you that this peace is now given to us as a free gift. Because of you, we are the Father’s priceless treasure, his beloved children, whom he will never give up. 

Holy Spirit, quiet our unruly hearts. Banish our fear and sadness with your truth. Give us the peace that we so often lack by reminding us of the rich word of Christ. Teach us to find solid hope in Christ’s blood, which is shed for us. Thank you that even when nothing feels well with us, all is well with you—the gospel is true in spite of our feelings. Help us to celebrate this when our hearts are cold, our will is weak, and you do not remove our fear as we wish you would. May we encourage one another joyfully and boldly with this great news. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, you have peace with God and are strengthened to daily live in peace with man and woman.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Hope: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 21.25-36

This time of year, the Advent and Christmas season, we are often brought into Charles Dickens’ classic piece of literature, A Christmas Carol.  

Whether it is a direct read of his text or a visual representation of his work with Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, or comedian Jim Carrey, playing the famed characters of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and nephew Fred, we are left encouraged at the end of the story by changed hearts and reconciliation summed up by these words of Dickens:

“It’s always something, to know you’ve done the most you could. But don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last.”

In our American culture, we have many cliches about hope.

Some of those sayings go like this:

“Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

“Hope springs eternal!”

“Never give up hope!”

Or, ”I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” 

Hope has also been the theme of many hit songs.

For example,

Journey’s 1981, Don’t Stop Believin’.

The Beatles’ 1969, Here Comes the Sun.

Tom Petty’s 1989, I Won’t Back Down.

Bill Withers’ 1972, Lean on Me.

As well as, Louis Armstrong’s 1959, What a Beautiful World.

And, hope has been a talking and writing point for theologians, politicians, authors, and philosophers.

Pastor and Civil activist Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

Current best selling fantasy author Sarah J. Maas said, “We need hope, or else we cannot endure.”

However, I believe Ms. Mass borrowed that idea and reworked a quote from the prolific 19th Century Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky who famously said, “To live without hope is to cease to live.”

The dictionary defines Hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

During the Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, we annually explore the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. 

This morning, we will focus on the hope we have while waiting for Jesus’ coming to us.

With that being said, let’s hear from the lectionary text chosen for this first Sunday in Advent.

Luke 21:25–36 records these sayings of Jesus:

[25] “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, [26] people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [27] And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

[29] And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. [30] As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. [31] So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. [32] Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. [33] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

[34] “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. [35] For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. [36] But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (ESV)

Here, the physician and biographer, Luke, writes down what ended up being the final words that Jesus spoke at the temple before his crucifixion.  

And, Jesus’ words on that day were words that instilled hope in all who heard and believed him.

Jesus’ words point out that the world will seem to be falling apart, almost everyday, but God is still in control and God is still fulfilling His promise to the world and to you—a promise for eternal safety and security though the rescue of salvation.

When you turn on the news and see images of floods devastating North Carolina, rockets flying between Russia and the Ukraine, and political riots and protests across the globe, you are given a very clear picture that something is not right out there.  However, as many of those disturbing images and words tell us, the actions and consequences driving those sad realities are propelled by the human race and therefore there is also something not right inside the human being.

Psalm 51:5 tells us what is wrong on the inside of the human being when the author, King David admits,

[5] Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me. (ESV)

And, as Paul the apostle writes in his letter to the Christians in the city of Rome,

[12] Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…(Romans 5:12, ESV)

And,

[18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. [19] For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. [20] For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:18–21, ESV)

Because of sin, both the human being and the created order are corrupted and falling apart and falling away from God.

The good news we have, despite the brokenness of humanity and creation that followed the Fall in the Garden of Eden, is that God still promises us that one day He would fix and restore all things through a Savior who would right every wrong, and reconcile every wreck to God.

That is the hope Jesus gives us in today’s Biblical text.  Jesus is pointing to the end of the world as we know and tells us that we will be fine if we stand strong with faith in him as the One who was always Faithful to God for us.  

In these three pericopes, or passages, Jesus tells us that there are three reasons to have hope in Him and God the Father today.

First, there is hope in Jesus’ coming to us because his presences signals redemption is drawing near.

Ephesians 1:7:

[7] In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (ESV)

Second, there is hope in Jesus’ coming to us because his presence with us means His Word is true.

2 Corinthians 1:20:

[20] For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (ESV)

And, third, there is hope in Jesus’ coming to us because his presence with us means we will have strength to stand before the Son of Man — meaning God — at the gates of Heaven.

Isaiah 54:10:

[10] For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (ESV)

Through Jesus’ perfectly lived life, when measured against God’s commands for life and love, Jesus death on the cross to forgive you of the falling away and falling apart that happens when you sinfully and selfishly love yourself more than God and others, and Jesus resurrection from the dead to defeat the power of sin and death that separates you from God forever, you are able to stand strong, even as the world falls apart around you, because you are safe and secure today, tomorrow, and forever in God’s loving arms.

One of my favorite theologians of this era is Albert Mohlher Jr. Mohler is the current President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  This week he wrote about the hope of Christmas, meaning the hope of Jesus coming to us in response to John 1.4-5 which says:

[4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4–5, ESV)

Mohler’s following commentary is this:

The need of this Light points to the harrowing reality of the darkness. All humanity lives under the black shadow of sin and shame. The darkness which blanketed the world inhibited everyone from seeing and knowing God. Darkness befell the creation all the way back in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve, through a display of high treason, disobeyed God and subsequently plunged the creation and the cosmos under the shadow of sin. God, however, promised a day of redemption. Indeed, in Genesis 3, God cursed the serpent, pronouncing, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15). From that day forward, God continually spoke of a day when the curse would be reversed, when the light would break through the darkness, when redemption would rescue people from their sin. 

That is what happened at Jesus’s birth. The birth of Christ marked the culmination of all God’s promises. God incarnate had come as “the true light that gives light to everyone” (John 1:9). This marks the glory of Christmas.

Speaking about hope being an integral part of the human condition’s ability to focus and carry on day to day comes from 20th Century South African Anglican Bishop who spent his days an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.  Tutu said:

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

The sin of humanity has done what it has always done best — turned away from the glory of God to stare intently and intensely in the mirror admiring the glory of the self.

We live in a time where materialism has replaced the Messiah and Santa has replaced the Savior.

We, therefore, live in a time where hope is both misplaced and lost altogether for many.  Maybe even you. 

This Advent season, on this Sunday of Hope, live with a changed heart, being reconciled to God through His gift of Jesus.

And, like a child who stays awake on Christmas Eve because of the overwhelming excitement of hope they have for presents on Christmas Morning, I encourage you, with Jesus’ words to, “Stay awake at all times, praying” being overwhelmed by the joy of Jesus’ coming to you so that you won’t be faithless in fear, and won’t be distracted by debauchery.  But, instead, be strengthened by God to stand strong through the joys and trials of life always prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have — Jesus your Savior who has come on Christmas and who is coming again at the final trumpet to lead us into our eternal home of Heaven.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 1, 2024.

Prayer:

Almighty God,

You alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant us grace to love what You command and desire what You promise; that, among the quick and many changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; 

Give us grace to cast away the words of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which Your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immoral;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Benediction:

Go, in peace today.  Live in the hope that is yours when Jesus comes to you.  You are redeemed from sin.  God’s promises always come true in your life.  And, you will stand strong before God until the end and in the end. 

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Love Will Lead You Home

Luke 12.38-40

Right now, who is speaking into your life to lead you?

Right now, who are you letting influence the way you think, speak, and act?

Is it a family member or friend?

This election season, is it a politician or political party?

Is it a journalist or podcast host?

Is it a famous actor or musician?

Is it a TikTok or YouTube star?

Is it a parent?  Is it a child?  Is it a spouse?  

Is it a teacher or principal?

Is it a pastor or theologian?

Or, is it God and His Word, the Bible?

We have all made choices throughout our years to let other people, institutions, philosophies, and theologies control some of our personal internal and external narrative. 

And, as we can all confess, we have learned over time and will continue to learn over the time that has not yet come, sometimes we choose good mentors and sometimes we choose bad mentors.

In our text for this morning, chosen by the lectionary for this November, we receive a warning from Jesus.   

In this section of the disciple Mark’s biography of Jesus, we hear Jesus telling those in his presence 2000+ years ago, as well as us today, that we need to carefully choose who we listen to and follow because many who claim to be wise are actually fools.  And, many who claim to be holy and righteous are actually sinful and corrupt.

Let’s hear from Mark 12.38-40 together.

Mark 12.38-40 says this:

[38] And in his teaching [Jesus] said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces [39] and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, [40] who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (ESV)

In these words, Jesus is warning the people against following those that were claiming to be God’s representatives on earth.

These religious leaders, known as scribes, or, as Martin Luther renamed them, “the Scribblers,” were putting on a show for the world, claiming to be wise and holy, when they were in fact fools and sinful.  Their actions proved that they did not understand God’s ways for life and love.  

God works and loves through being selfless.

The scribes words and actions were self-centered, self-righteous, and selfish.  Their words and actions were the opposite of how God works and loves.  

Here are the problems with the scribes behavior according to Jesus, who I like to remind you is God in the flesh:

The scribes did things for recognition.  They wore long robes, or they dressed fancy, so that people would compliment them and think highly of them for having access to such garments.

The scribes lived with a sense of entitlement.  They expected special treatment.  When they went to the synagogue, they expected to have reserved seating up front so that they would always be seen by the other worshippers.  When they went to someone’s house, they expected a seat next to the host so that they would always be seen by the other guests.

The scribes did not show mercy.  They were always looking out for themselves first, or, in the words of our culture, they were looking out for #1.  In fact, they actually cheated and oppressed the poor and helpless to get everything they could out of this life.  Jesus says they “devoured” the widows.  Scribes lived off the donations of others.  When they went to the widows and the poor who had no one to help them, the scribes would demand large sums of money from those who were themselves in need.

The scribes showed off their theological knowledge.  When they prayed in public, Jesus says they prayed long prayers with many words to indirectly say to the people, “Look how much better I am than you.  I know many scriptures and many big theological words. Be impressed with me!”

Here are a few Scriptures from the Bible that show how far off the scribes were from a Godly way of life.

James 2.1-4, 8-9 say this:

[1] My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. [2] For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, [3] and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” [4] have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

[8] If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. [9] But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:1-4, 8-9, ESV)

James 1:27 says this:

[27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)

Matthew 6:5–13 has Jesus teaching this:

[5] “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

[7] “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. [9] Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

[10] Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

[11] Give us this day our daily bread,

[12] and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

[13] And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. (ESV)

With all of that being said, Jesus says this to his followers in Matthew 23:1–12:

[1] Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, [2] “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, [3] so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. [4] They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. [5] They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, [6] and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [7] and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. [8] But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. [9] And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. [10] Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. [11] The greatest among you shall be your servant. [12] Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (ESV)

Several year’s ago, NBC’s show The Good Place, was a humorous depiction of life after death. The creator Michael Schuur said it’s based on “the idea of an omniscient [point] system, like we’re all playing a videogame that we don’t know that we’re playing. And someone’s keeping score, and the 10 highest scores out of every 10,000 people get rewarded.”

Let’s take a look at the show intro to see how they understand getting in Heaven.  

After her death, the character Eleanor Shellstrop finds herself with this small minority of the world’s best people in the good place. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t belong there. She was actually a pretty awful person. When Michael, the architect of the Good Place, finds out she is there by mistake, he gives her a questionnaire to determine her worthiness.

Did you commit murder?

Did you commit arson?

Did you take off your shoes and socks on an airplane?

Did you ever have a vanity license plate?

Did you ever reheat fish in an office microwave?

Have you ever cared about The Bachelor and any of its attendant spinoffs?

Michael lets Eleanor know that they are going to watch some highlights from her life as Michael tries to determine if she is good enough to stay in the Good Place. Eleanor says, “It doesn’t make me look great, so don’t judge me.” To which Michael replies, “That’s literally the purpose of this entire exercise.”

We may sit here and laugh at this clip from a television show but I would argue that most people think that this is exactly how one gets into Heaven.  The religious leaders known as the scribes, the ones that Jesus is saying are working hard in this life only to earn condemnation and eternal separation from God, certainly thought this way.

I saw someone on Facebook this past week post this statement:

“God, please let the good I have done outweigh the mistakes I have made.”

This is the problem—we are not just mistake makers.  We are all law breakers in God’s eyes.  We have been the scribes in this text more times than we would be able to count.

We like recognition from others.  We get dressed up to hear, “You look hot!” Or, “I can’t believe you could afford that brand!”

We have a sense of entitlement. We believe we deserve to get more than we are often offered.

We like special seats at special events.  We like to be seen with the popular people in popular places.

We often live to get all we can out of life with no regard for others.  We don’t show mercy because we are always “looking out for #1.” 

We like to show off our knowledge and be praised for our wisdom, insight, and intelligence.

Martin Luther, the 16th Century Church Reformer, in His Large Catechism says this:

“The devil has deceived us to such an extent with false holiness and the glamour of our own works.” (Large Catechism, page 514)

And, in his essay, On Translation: An Open Letter, Luther wrote:

“I want to give such offense; we preach so strongly against works and insist on faith alone, for no other reason than that the people may be offended, stumble, and fall, in order that they Amy learn to know that they are not saved by their good works bu only by Christ’s death and resurrection…Now it is Christ’s death and resurrection alone that save us and makes us free from sin, as Paul says in Romans 4[.25], ‘He died of our sins and rose for our justification.’…Faith alone, indeed, all alone, without any works, lays hold of this death and resurrection when it s preached by the gospel.” (Luther’s Works. AE 35, pages 196-197)

Historically, people have thought and continue to think that they can earn their way into God’s Kingdom of Heaven.  This is their own fault for two reasons.  First, they are at fault for not reading the Bible and knowing what God actually says about forgiveness and Heaven.  Second, it is there own fault because without knowledge of God and his ways, they follow false shepherds disguising themselves as religious leaders teaching this false theology of works based righteousness for personal gain from their sheep.

In our Biblical text for this morning, we hear Jesus warning against this wrong way of thinking.

All the inspired authors of the Bible, God’s revelation of His love for you in the person and work of Jesus Christ, make the bottom line of forgiveness of sin clear — you cannot earn enough “good” points to make God love you and accept you.

God’s forgiveness and love come to you ONLY through FAITH in the person and work of HIS ONE AND ONLY SON Jesus Christ.

However, because this burning sinful desire to take credit for saving ourselves by proving to God how good we are continues to exist in our human nature, the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Christians in the city of Rome during the first Century, says this:

[20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

[21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—[22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:20–25, ESV)

Because of God’s great love for you and God’s desire to have you with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forever,

Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your search for recognition and compliments by dressing up and putting on a show.

And, Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your favoritism in giving recognition and compliments based on what someone else externally shows you.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your sense of entitlement and your giving into others entitled requests.

Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your lack of mercy, your selfishness, your self-righteousness, and your self-centeredness. 

And, Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive your misuse of wisdom and knowledge to gain another humans praise and adoration.

Romans 8:1–4 gives us the final good news for this morning.

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. [3] For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, [4] in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (ESV)

This week we are celebrating Thanksgiving.

As we prepare to be thankful, we have to realize that “Gratitude most naturally springs from an awareness that we have been given something we do not deserve or have not earned.  For believers, then, the eternal wellspring of gratitude flows directly from the atoning cross of Christ.  In other words, there is a beeline between Good Friday and Thanksgiving.”

Today, tomorrow, and this week, listen only to God’s Word and allow only Jesus to lead and influence your thinking, speaking, and acting, because this is the grace of God that turns you away from condemnation and death and holds your hand all the way into glory and eternal life.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

November 24, 2024.

Prayer:

We thank You, God our Father, 

for all Your gifts so freely bestowed upon us.  For the beauty and wonder of Your creation, in earth and sky and sea.  For all that is gracious in the lives of men an dwomen, revealing the image of Christ.  For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends.  For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve.  For health and strength to work and leisure to rest and play.  For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity.  Above all, we give Your thanks for the great mercies and promises given us in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace, this morning.  Follow Jesus who alone takes away your condemnation and reconciles you to God your Father in Heaven.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Cancels the “Power” of Humanity

psalm 9

Have you ever thought that you did something or could do something, now or in the future, that would make God stop loving you?

If you have, what you are actually thinking is that men and women are more powerful than God.  Or, more specifically, that you are more powerful than God, the Creator of the Universe.

You are thinking that men and women are more powerful than God if you think you can do something that would make God stop loving you because you are saying that you have the power to overthrow God’s promises of love and forgiveness by your own thoughts, words, and actions.

It isn’t uncommon for humans to think they have power over people, places, and things. 

Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, who was responsible for the deaths of 168 men, women, and children, and the injuries of 800 more, embraced the poem “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley. 

According to Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck, in their book, American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing, McVeigh intended to include some of its lines in his last words, which he did in fact end up doing.

Invictus, the Latin word for invincible, was published by the obscure British poet in 1875 as a tribute to self-reliance. The last stanza is not only an apt picture of Timothy McVeigh, but of much of our society:

It matters not how straight the gate, 

How charged with punishments the scroll, 

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

Author Os Guinness traces our contemporary idea of human freedom, or human power to affect all things, that “began in the Renaissance … blossomed in the Enlightenment and rose to its climax in the 1960s.” 

The classic understanding of human freedom comes from the statement of Pico della Mirandola, during the Renaissance period, as he imagines God addressing Adam: 

He imagines God as saying this to Adam, his creation:

“You, who are confined by no limits, shall determine for yourself your own nature …. You shall fashion yourself in whatever form you prefer.”

Throughout the centuries this same view of human freedom—limitless potential apart from God—has been expressed by other key thinkers.

Some of those expressions from the 20th and 21st centuries are:

  • President John F. Kennedy: “Man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.” (20th century, America)
  • Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand: “Man’s destiny is to be a self-made soul.” (20th century, Russian-American)
  • American biologist, naturalist, and author E.O. Wilson: “Humanity will be positioned godlike to take control of its own ultimate fate.” (21st century, America)

In this morning’s text, we will hear, once again from King David in the book of Psalms.

In Psalm 9, King David reveals the conclusion that he comes to after looking at both God’s power and humanity’s “perceived”power.

Psalm 9 says this:

[1] I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

[2] I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

[3] When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before your presence.

[4] For you have maintained my just cause;

you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

[5] You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

[6] The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;

their cities you rooted out;

the very memory of them has perished.

[7] But the LORD sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

[8] and he judges the world with righteousness;

he judges the peoples with uprightness.

[9] The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

[10] And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

[11] Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!

Tell among the peoples his deeds!

[12] For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;

he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

[13] Be gracious to me, O LORD!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,

[14] that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

[15] The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;

in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.

[16] The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

[17] The wicked shall return to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God.

[18] For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

[19] Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!

[20] Put them in fear, O LORD!

Let the nations know that they are but men! (ESV)

Have you ever asked yourself, 

“Where is God?”

If you have, there is a good chance that one of the times you have asked that question was this week.

Maybe you have asked, “Where is God while the people of our nation are spewing hate at one another over a Presidential Election?”

Maybe you have asked, “Where is God while Hamas is attacking Israel?”

Or, maybe you have asked, “Where was God  over two decades ago when the Twin Towers in NYC fell?”

Well, as we have heard in Psalm 9, King David certainly asked similar questions from time to time as he was coming to the conclusion that he presents to us this morning.

When he looked at the world in which he lived, King David would have asked questions like,

Where is God while my enemies are attacking my nation?

Where is God while my life is being threatened?

Where is God when evil men get away with torture and murder?

Where is God when innocent civilians are being oppressed?

Where is God when human rights are being taken away?

And, a few years later, Jesus even asked a similar question to “Where is God?” from the cross when he, an innocent man, was being crucified for sins of the entire world.

From the cross,

[46] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, ESV)

It would be easy to come to the conclusion that all of this points to a blind and deaf god, or an uncaring sadistic god, or no god at all.

However, the exact opposite is true.

As King David pointed out in the middle of his own questioning of God’s whereabouts and God’s ways, “the LORD sits enthroned forever…he judges the world with righteousness…the LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed [in their time of trouble].”

You see, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God entered the flesh and lived among us.   He did so for my good and your good.  God’s time in this world, in the person of Jesus, gave him experience with human trouble and human feelings so that he could relate to you, sympathize with you, empathize with you, in the hardest and most difficult times that you will face and while you are asking questions that seem to have no immediate answers.

We are reminded of this good news in the book of Hebrews when we are told:

[14] …we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16, ESV)

Jesus knows the things you are thinking while the world seems to be falling apart.

Jesus knows how you feel when you are being personally attacked.

And, in all of that Jesus assures you that he, through his life, death, and resurrection has canceled the power of man.

Humanity thought they could get rid of God by crucifying Jesus on the cross, but God was powerfully triumphant when he defeated the power of sin and death by walking out of the grave on the first Easter morning.

Humanity cannot overthrow God. 

Humanity cannot take a step or make a move without God allowing it (and I admit that some of those things that God allows will be hard to understand this side of Heaven).

Proverbs 16:9 let’s us know this truth when it says:

[9] The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps. (ESV)

What Psalm 9 is making clear is that God is always in control and cancels the power of humanity.

The Recovery Bible makes the following comment:

“If we think we can control our own destiny or the destinies of others, we have a terrible surprise in store.  One day God will step in and demonstrate who is truly in control. Since God is ultimately in control, the only wise plan is to follow God’s plan.”

Returning to where we began…

Sixteen years after Henley first published “Invictus,” the British preacher Charles Spurgeon offered another philosophy of life. On June 7, 1891, in the closing words of his final sermon, Spurgeon urged people to submit to a better “Captain” for our soul. Spurgeon said:

Every [person] must serve somebody: we have no choice as to that fact. Those who have no master are slaves to themselves. Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ. Either self or the Savior. You will find sin, self, Satan, and the world to be hard masters; but if you wear the uniform of Christ, you will find him so meek and lowly of heart that you will find rest unto your souls …. If you could see our Captain, you would go down on your knees and beg him to let you enter the ranks of those who follow him. It is heaven to serve Jesus.

The apostle Paul’s words from Romans 8:31–39 preach good news to us when he says:

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] 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. (ESV)

A social media post that I saw yesterday said:

“Caesar is now a salad dressing but Jesus is still King.”

Go in peace this morning and trust in the promise that Jesus cancels the power of humanity and forgives your sin of trying to be stronger than God.

Pray with David this week:

[13] Be gracious to me, O LORD!

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,

[14] that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

This is the Word of God for you today.


This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

November, 10, 2024.

Prayer:

Mighty God, 

The forces that are arrayed against us in this life far outmatch our little strength. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against powerful spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. Our enemy is strong and crafty, and if we try to stand against him in our own strength we will inevitably fail. Yet, Father, we confess that we often trust in our own wisdom and strength, as if we were mighty and self-sufficient. We go through life oblivious to the dangers around us and not heeding the warnings of your Word. When we find ourselves defeated yet again, we complain and moan as if you had let us down, when the fault is entirely ours. Instead of praying and asking for your help, we grumble and resent our weakness. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you that you have entered the battle on our behalf, leaving the safety of heaven to engage the challenges of living as a human being. You felt all of our human weaknesses, yet you endured without sin, because you constantly entrusted yourself to your Father’s mighty power. Thank you that you were triumphant for us, redeeming us and giving our souls complete safety in you. The strong forces that are arrayed against us can never separate us from you, and so our ultimate victory is secure. 

Holy Spirit, thank you that you are at work strengthening us daily. When you give us the grace to stand, depending upon you, help us to remember that the strength is yours and not ours. When you leave us to ourselves and we fall, show us your good purposes in that, too—help us to learn our own weakness, to become more watchful and distrustful of ourselves, to pray more frequently and fervently, and to become more eager for the final day of our victory in Christ. Thank you that he is even now interceding for us and that he will continue to do so throughout our earthly warfare, until he welcomes us into his closer presence. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace this morning knowing that trusting in the promise that Jesus cancels the power of humanity and forgives your sin of trying to be stronger than God.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

God’s Candidate

Revelation 7.9-17

This coming Tuesday is an important day for the American people.  It an an important day that comes around once every four years.  And, on this important day that comes around once every four years, each of us, who is an American citizen has to answer the question, “Where do you stand?”  Meaning, “Who do you stand behind and who will you vote for to lead our nation?”

So, I ask you the rhetorical question (because I believe it is a private matter and I don’t want to know your answer), “Where have you chosen to stand on Election Day?”

Our text for this morning, which has been chosen for us by the lectionary, speaks to the issue of figuring out where we stand.

However, it is not asking us where we will stand on Election Day.

Instead it is asking us where we will stand on Judgment Day when we meet God face-to-face.

Let’s hear together from Revelation 7.9-17 now.

Revelation 7.9-17 says this:

[9] After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” [11] And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, [12] saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

[13] Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” [14] I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

[15] “Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

[16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

the sun shall not strike them,

nor any scorching heat.

[17] For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (ESV)

In our Biblical text for this morning, from the apocryphal book of Revelation, we get to peak into Heaven to see what our eternal Heavenly home is like. 

What we see when we peak into Heaven, through Revelation 7, is what we would consider to be a church service.  

People are singing songs of praise and worshiping Jesus who is present with them.  

The gathering of people who have found their forgiveness and hope in God’s gift of Jesus Christ are telling of what God has done for them and thanking God with a never-ending thanksgiving for His grace and mercy upon them.

Those in Heaven standing around Jesus, their eternal Lord and Savior, are overflowing with praise because they know the truth that we are saved and made pure by Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was the innocent and blemish-free sacrifice for our sins on the cross.

They are particularly thankful that God’s offer of salvation is both global and glorious.

I love that we are told that the people who are there are people from every tribe and nation that ever existed on earth.  This is such an important reminder because sometimes we get so anchored in to our local congregation and used to the way that things are done there that we forget that there are other Christians doing the same thing as us, sometimes in a different way.

One commentator points out that, “In this massive throng of the redeemed in heaven, there is not the slightest hint of bigotry, ethnocentrism, prejudice, or racism. Of the 11,243 people groups in the world, each is present and represented.”

Those in Heaven standing around Jesus, their eternal Lord and Savior, are also overflowing with praise because they know the truth that we are fully and enterally satisfied and provided for in Jesus.

In verses 13-17 of this morning’s text, we hear thanksgiving and praise in Heaven because:

Jesus makes us clean.

Jesus let’s us take part in God’s plan by serving Him and our neighbor.

Jesus gives us His presence.

Jesus provides for our needs.

And, Jesus promises to always be our Shepherd—our leader, defender, and teacher.

1 Peter 2:24–25 sums this up for us when the apostle Peter writes:

[24] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. [25] For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (ESV)

This week is election week.  

Election week culminates on Election Day.  

This is the day that we, in the Republic that is the United States of America, use the democratic process to cast a vote for the individual that we think will do the best job at overseeing our nation as the President for the next 4 years.

For those of us that profess faith in Jesus Christ and know that God’s Law is the ultimate law set forth to govern the rights and wrongs of individuals, it is our responsibility to head to the polling station to vote for the person that will rightly and justly discharge the duties of the office, uphold the Constitution that governs our land, and that we believe will give us, the Church, the freedom to continue worshipping and believing the truth without interruption.

In his famous 1967 “Knock at Midnight speech,” delivered in Cincinnati at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Jr. announced:

“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

As true as all of this is, there is a very sad reality behind every election.  

The sad reality is that both those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and those that deny Jesus’ divinity often put all of their hope and trust in a human political candidate and a humanly governed political party inside a humanly run government to save them.  

Those that profess faith in Jesus forget that God is ultimately in control of all things and all things that happen in this world are allowed by God our Father in Heaven.  

Instead of prayerfully voting and trusting on Election Day, Christians all across the world throw God out the window and choose to die on the hill next to some human president, governor, or King.  

Those that deny Jesus’ divinity and God’s ultimate control over all things have no other option except to sadly die on a hill next to a politician who can help them on this earth (if they are true to the promises they make) but cannot help them in Heaven.

I want you to hear this loud and clear:

The candidates on Tuesday’s Presidential ballot cannot clean you from your sin.

The candidates on Tuesday’s Presidential ballot cannot strengthen you to serve and love God and your neighbor.

The candidates on Tuesday’s Presidential ballot are not omnipresent.

The candidates on Tuesday’s Presidential ballot cannot provide for your ultimate needs.

The candidates on Tuesday’s Presidential ballot cannot eternally shepherd you into God’s Kingdom of Heaven.

That is why King David warns you in the Old Testament book of Psalms against placing your trust in earthly leaders.

In Psalm 146, King David gives us these instructions for life:

[1] Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, O my soul!

[2] I will praise the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

[3] Put not your trust in princes,

in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

[4] When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

[5] Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

[6] who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;

[7] who executes justice for the oppressed,

who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;

[8] the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

the LORD loves the righteous.

[9] The LORD watches over the sojourners;

he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

[10] The LORD will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD! (ESV)

When you wake up on Wednesday, the day after America’s Presidential election, God will still be in control. 

When you wake up on Wednesday, the day after America’s Presidential election, Jesus will make you clean.

When you wake up on Wednesday, the day after America’s Presidential election, Jesus will still need you to take part in God’s plan by serving Him and your neighbor.

When you wake up on Wednesday, the day after America’s Presidential election, Jesus will be alive and present with you.

When you wake up on Wednesday, the day after America’s Presidential election, Jesus will provide for your needs.

When you wake up on Wednesday, the day after America’s Presidential election, Jesus’ promise to always be your Shepherd—your leader, defender, and teacher—will still be fulfilled.

And, when you wake up on Wednesday, the day after America’s Presidential election, Jesus will still be the ONLY ONE able to save you from your sin through the forgiveness he provides for you through his death on the cross—including the sin of placing your trust in politicians, political parties, and political systems.

In his essay, “A Brief Instruction on What to Look For and Expect in the Gospels,” 16th Century Church Reformer, Martin Luther, says this:

“Yet even the teaching of the prophets, in those places where they speak of Christ, is nothing but the true, pure, and proper gospel—just as if Luke or Matthew had described it.  For the prophets have proclaimed the gospel and spoken of Christ, as St. Paul [in Romans 1.2] reports and as everyone indeed knows.  Thus when Isaiah in chapter fifty-three says how Christ should die for us and bear our sins, he has written the pure gospel.  And I assure you, if a person fails to grasp this understanding of the gospel, he will never be able to be illuminated in the Scriptures nor will he receive the right foundation.”

Revelation chapter six ends with the question, “Who can stand in the day of the Lamb’s wrath?”  Meaning, “who can stand on the day of judgment when God they meet God face-to-face as he He rightfully and justly punishes sin?”

According to the good news found in our text from the Biblical book of Revelation, if you find yourself standing before God’s throne, faithfully believing in Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son, as your Lord and Savior, the only way to receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life, you will continue to stand in God’s Kingdom of Heaven forever. 

However, if you find yourself standing before God’s throne, faithlessly denying Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son, as the Only Lord and Only Savior and the only way to receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life, you will be sent away to stand in the pain and suffering that comes with being separated from God in Hell.

This morning, know that Jesus is God’s ONLY elected candidate to be your Savior.

This morning, though faith in Jesus Christ you are God’s chosen candidate for the Kingdom of Heaven.  

That is the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 says:

[13] But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. [14] To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

And, John 15:12–17 says:

[12] “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command you. [15] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. [16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. [17] These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (ESV)

Today, this week, and this Election Day, joyfully sing over and over again,

Standing on the promises of Christ my king,
through eternal ages let his praises ring;
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God I shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God. 

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, 
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

November 3, 2024.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

We confess with our lips the blessedness of seeking your kingdom first, but our lives proclaim a different story. We sing the wonders of your love, but we grumble and complain when our desires are not fulfilled. We say that we follow a loving God who does what is best for us, but often we want to be our own gods, running the world in our own way. We declare that we long for the coming of your kingdom, but often we are more interested in the gifts that you give us than we are in you. Instead of following you, we are prone to follow our wisdom, our desires, and our own kingdoms. Father, forgive us for this prideful selfishness. 

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are the King who reigns in truth and love. You showed us this love by becoming one of us and following your Father’s will in our place. When Satan tempted you with the glory and power of your own kingdom, you rebuked him and followed the path of suffering instead. You laid down your life so that we could flourish in your kingdom forever. Thank you for this disarming kindness and love. 

Holy Spirit, grow in us the desire to follow you, because we are still sinful, blind, and easily distracted. Help us to see the glory of your kingdom and to love it more than we love our own. Delight our hearts with your goodness until we bow our will to you joyfully. Give us grace to stand in obedience, knowing that without you we can do nothing. Give us grace to run to you when we fall, knowing that in Christ we have all the righteousness we will ever need. Help us to trust that your will is always done on this earth, even when it looks like Satan is winning. Help us to die to ourselves and to serve your kingdom with humble gratitude, boasting in the sweet name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace this morning; through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, you are God’s chosen candidate for His eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

The Truth Will Set You Free

John 8.31-38

We have all been the victims of false advertising at one point or another in our lives.

False advertising is the use of misleading or blatantly untrue statements when promoting a product.

In other words, false advertising is making a promise that it cannot keep or that cannot be kept.

Maybe you ran to a restaurant to get that picture perfect burger that you saw on TV but were met with something that looked like it was run over by a car before they served it to you.

Maybe you chose your favorite cartoon character to help cool you down on a hot summer day after seeing the picture on the side of the ice cream truck but were met with something that resembled a blind person’s attempt to draw that character when you pulled it out of the wrapper.

Or, maybe you got a bait and switch—you were promised one item but after making the purchase, you realized they gave you something else.

The one who believes the false advertising’s promise is left disappointed, monetarily burdened after wasting their money,

and often angry.

In this morning’s Biblical text, Jesus’ is warning his hearers of false advertising.

Let’s hear from our lectionary text chosen for this Reformation Sunday.

John 8:31–38 says this:

[31] So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [33] They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

[34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. [35] The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. [37] I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. [38] I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” (ESV)

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were advertising that God would accept a person into His Heavenly Kingdom based on who they were related to and the tasks that they performed throughout their lives.

However, this was false advertising because the Bible makes it clear that no one will be forgiven of their sin and accepted by God because of human relationships or good deeds or having your Confirmation picture hanging in the hallway of the church.

The religious leaders surrounding Jesus were telling others that things like church attendance, family name, good works, donations of money, and volunteer service would make one qualified to be accepted and loved by God.

Because this false advertising places power in our hands to get something from God, the if you do this for God/then God will do this for you relationship, it tickles our ears and attracts our attention.

However, this advertising by religious leaders is false because it makes a promise that it cannot keep.

In fact, even though it promises eternal love and freedom, it actually delivers the exact opposite.

The promise of a good deeds based forgiveness does nothing but enslave the one who buys it because it piles burden on top of burden as you try to do more, try to do enough, and try to do something of value that will please God. 

You live life worried and weary believing the fake claim that God will accept you through the life you have lived. 

You end up regularly disappointed in yourself as well as angry at God for making His love so hard to obtain.

I have a movie clip, from the greatest Christmas movie of all time, that I want to share with you now.

For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, Elf is the story of a human that is raised by Elves in the North Pole.  The Elf in this clip, named Buddy, has traveled back to New York to find his birth parents.  He is confused by everything in what we would call “the real world” because he was raised under the nonsensical rules governed by fun and Christmas magic in Santa’s town and workshop.  Therefore, when he sees the department store Santa, he knows that this isn’t “the real Santa” because the real Santa smells like candy canes and hot chocolate not beef and cheese.

Today the Christian Church around the world is celebrating the 508th anniversary of the Reformation.

For those of you unfamiliar with this history-changing event, the bass player from Megadeth, yes, you heard that correct, the bass player from Megadeth, also an ordained Lutheran pastor, sums up the Reformation succinctly and beautifully for you.

In his biography, My Life With Deth, he says,

“In 1517, the German theologian, Martin Luther challenged the political agenda of the [serving] priesthood, which taught at the time that believers could buy their way into heaven.  Luther went back to Scripture, read it, and declared that the church was doing it all wrong. They were not following what Jesus said.” (Dave Ellefson, My Life With Deth, 174)

Martin Luther was saying to the church leaders of his day,

“You sit on a throne of lies!”

He was telling them that their presentation of God’s forgiveness smelled like beef and cheese, not like the sweet fragrant aroma of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

Luther was standing in classrooms, and in the church pulpits;

Luther was standing on on the city streets shouting that what was being offered by the religious leaders of his day was nothing but false advertising, it was a fake.

And, all of what happened 508 years ago during the Reformation was nothing but an echoing, a retelling, a return to what Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day 2000 years ago as recorded in this morning’s Biblical text.

Jesus was saying to the church leaders of his day,

“You sit on a throne of lies!”

He was telling them that their presentation of God’s forgiveness smelled like beef and cheese, not like the sweet fragrant aroma

of God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

Jesus was standing in temple courts, and in the synagogue podiums;

Jesus was standing on the mountainsides and on the city streets shouting that what was being offered by the religious leaders of his day was nothing but false advertising, it was a fake.

Jesus brought you the good news of God’s grace.

God was not a God of burden.

God was the God of love.

God was the God of forgiveness.

God is the God of freedom because God requires NOTHING from you in exchange for His love, forgiveness, and eternal freedom.

Everything God required from you was completed for you in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It was a freely offered gift from Him to you. 

A gift that was purchased by Him, for you, with the blood of His own Son.

This is the truth that sets you free.

Jesus lived the perfect life of obedience to God the Father.

Jesus took on your sin and died on the cross to take the punishment that your sin deserved.

Jesus rose from the grave defeating the power of death once and for all.

And all of that perfection,

all of that complete work,

all of that victory,

all of the meeting of God’s requirements

was completed for you because God is gracious and God loves you.

God knows that you could never complete His requirements for perfection by yourself but He still wanted to accept you into His Heavenly Kingdom.

At the theological conference I attended a few years, one of the speakers shared this thought,

“Without Christ, you are in bondage to sin, trying to buy and earn God’s forgiveness.

With Christ you are free because forgiveness has been bought for you.”

Only if Jesus Christ, the Son sets you free, are you free indeed.

“Because Jesus gave you His righteous, you are free to live and love your neighbor because you don’t need anything from them.” (Elyse Fitzpatrick, Here We Still Stand, San Diego, October 20, 2017)

This morning,

here I stand,

proclaiming to you the unquestionable truth that you are saved and set free from your sins, by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Jesus’s words remind you of this good news.

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8.12, ESV)

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6, ESV)

This morning, repent of your sins, confess them to God, and believe in the truth that sets you free—in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God forgives everyone of your sins.

Go into the world today trusting in God’s Word alone which proclaims this truth to you.  Do not believe any other false advertising which places a to-do list into your relationship with your Maker and Creator.

This is the Word of God for you today.


This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

October 27, 2024.

Prayer:

Glorious heavenly Father, 

We admit that we don’t see your glory very clearly. In heaven we will be captivated by your beauty, but now we are weak and sinful and do not adore you as we should. We do not have clean hands and pure hearts, but have wandered away like lost sheep. Our idolatrous hearts desire many things besides you; our days are filled with other thoughts; we live in a world full of strong temptations and have an enemy who knows how to draw our eyes away from you. Father, forgive us for finding so much glory in your creation while failing to see you in all of your wonder and radiant majesty. Our souls are darkened and all our motives mixed, yet you allowed your perfect Son to die in our place. Help us to see the great glory of your love and forgiveness through the outrageous sacrifice of the cross. 

Jesus, you preserved purity in both your heart and your hands. You touched lepers and brought them wholeness instead of becoming defiled by them; you ate with tax collectors and sinners and called them away from their sin rather than being drawn into sin by them. You used your hands to glorify and praise your Father, and now you have ascended into the heavenly sanctuary, which you purified once for all with your own blood. Now you grant us access to the Father through the gift of your perfect cleanliness—what a privilege is ours! 

Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see the magnificence of our great Savior. Lovingly strip away the idols and trinkets that seem so priceless to us, yet keep us from worshiping him alone. Wean us from our strong attachments to your wonderful gifts, and quiet our anxious thoughts when you take them away. When we see our impure hearts and unclean hands, give us the gifts of godly sorrow and swift repentance. May the darkness of our sin magnify the glory of Jesus Christ, whose perfect heart and spotless hands have been credited to us. Make us grateful that through him we are worthy to belong to the King of Glory, to fall at his feet and join in worshiping him forever. Until then, may we live as joyful and grateful debtors to your mercy alone. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  In Jesus Christ alone, you are free, free indeed!