Read Matthew 3:1-12

Good morning Family!

You’ve probably been involved in staring contests before. Haven’t you? It’s 1-2-3——-GO! and then you stare the other guy in the eyes until one of you blinks. Whoever blinks, laughs, or turns away first loses. Simple. Fun.

John the Baptist is setting things up here for a staring contest. The contest is between Jesus and sinners. His preaching calls all people to repentance. In other words, turn to God. But not just any god. There’s a specific person the Baptist turns people toward, and that person is his relative–Jesus. When he says, “the kingdom of heaven is near!”, he’s not talking about a place or geographical location. John is saying that the rule and reign of God is right here among you and He’s staring you right in the face.

At Christmas time the Christian remembers that God needed to have a showdown with Satan, Sin and Death. He needed to have a stare down with them in order to save you! But the stakes were a lot higher than claiming a victory in a game. This was no game. Eternities were on the line–your eternity!

On the cross, the Babe born in Bethlehem’s manger had a knockout, drag-down staring contest with the unholy trinity. Jesus stared the power of Sin in the face. He stared Death and damnation in the face. And He stared Satan himself in the face. Whoever blinked first lost.

Jesus never blinked. He continued through the suffering, beatings, crucifixion and ultimately death. In His death, the Christ-child demonstrated His victory. It’s weird to think of it like that–that death is victory. But in God’s plan of salvation, that’s what it is and that’s how it works. Through the Christ-child’s death you now have life. That’s God’s GIFT to you!

The Kingdom of God is staring you in the face right now. He calls you, and all people, to repentance. In other words, turning to Jesus and follow Him. This is a staring contest that God WANTS us to lose! He wants us to blink and turn to Him because in doing so, we really win! In repentance, God opens our hearts to let Jesus the King enter into your lives. There He rules with love and mercy, not fire and judgment. And it doesn’t matter what you’ve done or who you are. He’s stared down your pasts, presents and futures for you–AND WON!

I love you! Dad

Read Romans 15:4-17

Good morning Family!

It was October 20, 1982. It was Game 7 of the World Series. The relatively new Milwaukee Brewers had finally arrived on the scene as they made it to the World Series as the American League Champs. Their rivals were the National League Champs, the St. Louis Cardinals (the Brewers were in the American League @ that time). This was the big game, and this was for the whole enchilada. Harvey’s Wall Bangers, as they were known then, were just one game away. Everyone hoped they would win. But hope led to disappointment in the 6-3 loss to the Cardinals.

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Read Psalm 72:1-7

Hi Family!

Growing up in Sheboygan I remember being surrounded by monarch butterflies. I love them. And they’re one of the most beautiful butterflies out there. I always assumed, growing up, that monarchs were everywhere. But I found out that they’re not. You see, monarchs (as with each individual type of butterfly) need the right environment. It’s a unique environment. They live only where there is milkweed. If there’s no milkweed, then there are no monarchs. They need it for food, for laying their eggs, for eating the leaves once the eggs hatch, for growing into caterpillars, to go into their chrysalis stage, and then to emerge once again to repeat the whole cycle over again.

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Read Isaiah 2:1-5

Good morning Kids!

Hey. You know how much Mom LOVES old movies. In fact, she’s the reason I love old movies. Mom’s the one who introduced me to It’s A Wonderful Life after all (BTW, when you’re all out here for Christmas, you KNOW we’re gonna watch it!). Mom loves the old black & whites from Hollywood’s days of yore (days gone by). They just don’t make movies like they used to. And the actors and actresses just aren’t quite the same as they were in the past. There was something classy about them; there was something elegant and the actors and actresses of the past seem to set the standard, which no longer seems to be able to attain or replicate.

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Read Isaiah 11:1-10

Hi Family!

This is the 2nd week of Advent. We’re counting down to Christmas and we can’t wait to have you out here with us. Here’s the sermon for the radio show. If you can’t make it to church, then listen to this.

I love you! Dad

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. PHILIPPIANS 4:4

Joy Is a Result of Faith

This joy is a fruit and result of faith…. It is impossible for a heart to rejoice in God which does not first believe in Him. Where there is no faith, there is only fear, flight, timidity, and sorrow as soon as God is even thought of or named; indeed, there is hatred and enmity toward God in such hearts. The reason for this is that the heart finds itself guilty in its conscience and has no confidence that God is gracious and favorable, since it knows that God is the enemy of sin and horribly punishes it…. Therefore, this Epistle was not written for sinners, but for saints. The sinners must first be told how to be freed from their sins and receive a gracious God; then the joy will follow of itself when they are freed from their evil conscience…. St. Paul is here speaking about that kind of joy. There is no sin there, no fear of death or hell, but rather a glad and all-powerful confidence in God and His kindness.

From the Church Postil, sermon for Advent 4 on Philippians 4:4–7 (Luther’s Works 75:157–58) December 7

Luther, Martin. Day by Day:365 Devotional Readings with Martin Luther . Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

 

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you.’”
MATTHEW 21:5

All Wrath Is Laid Aside

Do not flee, and do not be afraid, for He does not now come as He came to Adam, to Cain, to the flood, to Babylon, to Sodom and Gomorrah, nor as He came to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. He does not come in wrath; He does not want to call you to account nor to affix blame. All wrath is laid aside; nothing but gentleness and kindness remain. He indeed wants to deal with you in such a way that your heart will have pleasure, love, and full confidence in Him, that from now on you will cling to Him and find refuge in Him much more than you before were terrified and fled from Him. See, He is nothing but gentleness toward you. He is a different man completely. He acts as if He were sorry ever to have terrified you and to have caused you to flee by His punishment and wrath. For that reason He wants to make you bold again and to comfort you and kindly bring you to Himself.

From the Church Postil, sermon for Advent 1 on Matthew 21:1–9 (Luther’s Works 75:36–37)

Luther, Martin. Day by Day:365 Devotional Readings with Martin Luther . Concordia Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

Read Psalm 24:7

Hello Family!

Cell phones. Everyone’s using them, and everyone’s looking at them all the time. Me included. Dr. Dale Meyer (president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis), our old neighbor, regularly comments on how these tools of technology has affected society. Lots of people these days are too busy looking down at their cell phones and not looking at and acknowledging the people around them. We can get so focused on ourselves and forget the people around us. I wonder if we’re going to develop droopy neck muscles?

There’s actually a term and disease for droopy muscles. Here’s something from the Mayo Clinic:

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Read Matthew 21:1-11 & Zechariah 9:9 

Hello Family!

I think you know me when it comes to movies, remakes and prequels. I like the originals. No. I LOVE the originals! I don’t like what “they” did with Star Wars (whoever “they” is) with all the renumbering of the movies, etc. Star Wars came out in 1977; The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980; The Return of the Jedi came out in 1983. These are facts grounded in history’s timeline. For me, these will always be episodes one, two and three. I wish people would stop messing with me half-way through my life.

Dittos goes with Disney’s Aladdin. I love the 1992 animated version with Robin Williams as the Genie. One of the lines in the film was when Genie was telling about how powerful he was, yet he was still enslaved to the master and owner of the lamp; “Phenomenal cosmic power; in an itty-bitty living space.”

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Read Romans 13:8-14

Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Hello Family!

Have you ever watched little kids when they dress up and make believe? You kids did this yourself, and I’ve done it too! For instance girls, you would dress up in a magical little dress and we would then travel to a magical land with unicorns and castles. Boys, we would set up the train tracks going all through the house, and you guys would become train conductors.

This is what Paul tells us here in Romans. You are what you wear. In the English translations, however, it sounds as if we are the ones who have to bring about this loving to our neighbor. It sounds as if it is by our power and initiative that we serve our neighbor. But if this is really the meaning here, then how do we know when we have done it correctly? How do we know if we have done enough? Well, the answer is we can’t and we don’t.

But this isn’t up to us as individuals. It all is centered in God and His power and His initiative. God, in the person of the Christ-child, has already fulfilled all the demands of His own law! He subjected Himself to His own standards and carried them all out to perfect satisfaction in Jesus.

In Baptism, each of you received a very special and priceless gift. You each received God’s Holy Spirit when you were baptized into Jesus. That means you have Jesus, the Christ-child, dwelling within you through faith alone. And that’s pretty cool because now God has changed your identity! You are a Christian! It’s more than just a label we wear. It’s a whole change in your person. You have a new identity. You are already and right now a new being. You are a new creation right now, as the Bible says (Galatians 6:15 and 2 Corinthians 5:17).

So, what’s this mean for you? Well, this “loving one another” is no longer a command for the Christian where he or she has to make sure that they’re doing something. Rather, it’s Christ in you that’s simply being lived out in the Christian’s life. Why? Well, it’s because Jesus lives in and through you by His indwelling Spirit.

Jesus is coming again for His final Advent. The time is closer than we think, and every person should think about this too. In the meantime, God says that we are to simply live in the Christmas clothes He has given to you. God has made you one of His dear and precious children in Baptism.

I love you guys! Dad