A New Hope - Easter 3A

My farewell sermon as the Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill, preached on May 4th, 2014.

The stained glass window to the in the picture to the right provided a visual aid, and the convergence of Star Wars Day with my last Sunday may have also influenced the sermon.

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Funeral Sermon: The Tongue of a Teacher

A funeral sermon preached at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill for Pat Schroeder. Text for the day were Isaiah 50:4, 7-9a; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, 53-57; and John 11:21-27.

 As we head into Holy Week, it a fitting time to look at how even as we go the grave we make our song: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!





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"No More" Sermon for Easter 5C

A sermon for the 5th Sunday of Easter, preached at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill on April 21, 2013. Texts: Revelation 21:1-6 and John 13:31-35.

(Thank you to Pastor Clint Schnekloth for his insight about the promise "No More" as a central element of this text. Subscribe to Pastor Schnekloth's sermons on iTunes and read his other ideas on his blog.)

Note: In the past, I have recorded a "podcast version" of the sermon on Monday. This week, I uploaded the recording from one of the Sunday services, with a little introduction. What do you think? Does it make a difference to you?





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"Do Over!" Easter 3C

A sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, preached at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill on April 14, 2013. Jesus' resurrection appearance to Peter ("Simon, son of John, do you love me?") and the Damascus Road experience of Saul of Tarsus. Texts: Acts 9:1–20 and John 21:1–19.

Thankfully, my voice lasted through the sermon!

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Thomas Christians, Easter 2C

A sermon for the 2nd Sunday of Easter, preached April 7, 2013, at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill. Text: John 20:19-31.
This was also our Confirmation Sunday, as 6 young people affirmed their baptismal promises.

Image is copyright Joshua Harris, visit his website here. 



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"He Ain't Here!" Easter 2013

"He Ain't Here!"
A sermon for Easter Sunday, preached at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill on March 31, 2013 at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill.


Inspired by the Rev. Dr. Don Armentrout, ELCA pastor and professor at the School of Theology of the University of the South, in Sewanee, TN.








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God is Dead!

Like PKs everywhere, my daughter spends a significant amount of time in the church building: in the sanctuary, in the classrooms and meeting rooms, and of course, in Daddy's office. I remember those days, being in Dad's office at the church. I knew where everything was - what pictures he had on the wall, what pieces of artwork he had around. I knew that office like it was just another room in my home. Which is why I am surprised when,  from time to time, my daughter notices something in my office for the first time - as she did Tuesday evening while I was getting prepared for our service of prayer and conversation.

I was sitting at my desk, hastily reading a few last minute things to help me get my thoughts together for the service. My three year old was playing with the stash of toys that stay in my office for just such an occasion. And then, from behind me I heard her declare, "God is dead."

This is not exactly what your pastor wants to hear his child proclaim, no matter what her age. But I've been to this rodeo before, and I knew that the worst thing I could do was over-react. Maybe I misheard her. Maybe she was talking about something else. Maybe her words got jumbled, as often happens for three year olds. So I asked, "What was that?"  She walked over to me, "Is God dead, Daddy?"

Ok, less of a proclamation, more of a question. "What do you mean?" She crawled into my lap as a I turned around in my desk chair. And then she pointed to the crucifix that hangs on my office wall, "Is God dead, Daddy?"

Ah, now this makes sense. She is a good Lutheran, who understands Good Friday. This wasn't a crisis of faith in my toddler, it was a teaching opportunity. And so, all rush to prepare for the service stopped. Now was the time to stop everything, and answer her questions. We talked about Good Friday, and the fact that Jesus died on the cross, and that was sad. And then we talked about Easter, and how Jesus rose again, lives forever, and we don't have to be sad any more. We ended our discussion with a competition to see who could shout "Alleluia!" the loudest as we celebrated the fact that Jesus is risen.

The point of this is not that my daughter is amazing (although she is - just ask me sometime and I'll tell you all about how amazing she is). No, the point is the importance for parents to talk with their children about faith. Keep objects of faith around the house - crosses, Bibles, artwork. Bring your children to church to see the people gathering and hear the stories. Do those things, live your faith, and they will ask you about it.

Just like grown-ups, children are trying to make sense of their world. The first place children are going to turn with their questions is to mom and dad. Make the time to answer those questions. If you do not - if you are too busy to answer their questions, if the questions make you uncomfortable - then your children will learn the lesson: there is not enough time for faith, and God is not something we talk about. And, well, a faith not talked about will die out and not be passed on to a new generation. A God not talked about from generation to generation may as well be dead.

Is God dead? Not in my house.

Easter Sermon: Stumbling in the Dark with Mary

An Easter sermon, preached at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill, Easter 2011

Alleluia! Christ is Risen

Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia.

“After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb.”

It really is a little detail; one that we could easily overlook. On that first Easter morning, the women walked to the tomb in darkness. The four Gospel accounts of the resurrection can be a little sketchy – they seem to have a hard time describing this wonderful and amazing thing that has happened. But about this, they agree. The women walked to the tomb in the dark.

It’s not something that you and I do a whole lot of: walking in the dark.

Anywhere we go in this modern world of ours, we have light. Sidewalks and parking lots are bathed in the glow of streetlights and floodlights. If we walk away from those lights, we carry a flashlight. Rarely do we really walk in the dark.

But that’s what the women did that morning. Perhaps they carried a flickering candle, as they made their way through the darkness, but that’s all. Outside the city, away from the houses, into the graveyard. In the dark.

Can you imagine how frightening that must have been? Did they stumble as they walked in the dark? Trip on the rocks along the way?

Regardless, they made the journey. They had too. You see, the women that day were not just in the darkness of early morning. No, they were also making their way through the deep darkness of life. Trying to make sense of the events of the last few days, to find a way forward.

They were in the darkness of grief: Jesus, their friend and teacher was dead. They were in the darkness of hopelessness: Their vision of a better future died with Jesus. They were in the darkness of anxiety: What would they do next? Were they in danger too?  It could have been the middle of the day, and still they would have been in darkness.

We may have streetlights and flashlights, but this is the darkness that we still walk in. In this room, whose life has not been touched by the sharp pain of grief? Who has looked at the pile of bills on the counter and felt hopeless? Who has not looked at the lives of our loved ones – of parents, or children, or nieces and nephews – and felt anxiety about their future? Who among us has not walked in the darkness?

We know what the darkness is. We know what it is to stumble through the darkness of life, and struggle to find our way.

And so Magdalene and the other Mary walked. What else could they do? Sometimes it’s all you can do. Put one foot in front of the other. One day at a time. At least provide Jesus with a decent funeral – it’s the least we can do. Stumble on, through the darkness.

And they walked to the graveyard. And in a moment, everything changed.

The stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty – He is not here, he is risen! Those words, that fact, changed everything. He is risen!

Grief became joy.

Fear became love.

Darkness became light.

Death became life.

The only one who could show them the way; the only one who could restore their hope; the only one who could lighten their darkness; came to them – there in the dark, there in the middle of death, in the graveyard – came to them to bringing light, bringing life, bringing joy.

Sure enough, they still had to face the future, they still had a whole heap of challenges ahead, but they knew that they would be facing those challenges with Jesus at their side; they knew that they would be facing those challenges wrapped in the love of God.  He is risen! At that moment, they knew that not even death could separate them from God’s love.

And that is the promise to each of you this Easter as well. God knows the challenges we face: illnesses, work, family, money, hopelessness, loneliness, anxiety, grief, sadness, fear. God knows all about the darkness our lives.

You. God’s child. Made God’s own in the waters of baptism. You. God loves you so dearly, that nothing can keep God from coming and walking beside you, nothing can keep God from wrapping you in love.

 In the darkness of life, God is there with you. In the troubles of life, God is there with you. Nothing can keep God from your side. That is the promise this Easter. Not even death can separate God from you. That is how strong God’s love is for you.

He is risen, for you.

He battled against death and won, for you.

To paraphrase Saint Paul: If God – the God who raised Jesus from the dead – if God is for us, what darkness can overcome us? If God – the God who raised Jesus from the dead – is for us, what do we have to fear?  He is Risen!

The truth is, I don’t know what’s going on in your life. I don’t know what your struggles are. What I do know is this: God will not let anything – not even death – separate you from the love of Jesus.

Yes, there are still challenges in this life. This side of God’s kingdom there always will be. But today, we know how the story ends.

Christ is risen!

God’s love wins!

Light defeats darkness!

Life defeats death!

This is the day, Christ burst the chains of death.

This is the day, Christ broke the seal on the tomb

This is the day, Christ battled the powers of death, and won.

And he did it, he did it all, for you.

He did it all because of his great love for you.

Christ is Risen, for you! Alleluia!

The Paschal Homily

What follows is the Easter sermon of John Chrysostom. It has been called the best sermon ever preached by Christianity's greatest preacher (ca. 400 ad).  For centuries it has been read as the the meditation for the Easter vigil, and indeed it continues to be preached in many Orthodox churches to this day.

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!

If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first.

To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry.
Partake, all, of the cup of faith.  Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death,
for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.
Isaiah foretold this when he said,"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."

Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting? O Hell, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

It's NOT Easter Saturday!

Here we sit, on the Saturday prior to Easter. Despite what the advertisements in the weekend paper tell you, this is not Easter Saturday. Easter has not yet arrived. Easter Saturday will be in one week, the last day of the week that begins on Easter Sunday.

Today is also not "pre-Easter," or the Easter pre-game show. For many of us - inside the church and out - today is primarily about preparation. Getting the celebration of Easter started right. Make sure the ham is thawed. Do we have all candy we need? And of course, we who work in the church are not exempt from this. Are the lilies all in the right place? Are the liturgies prepared and the anthems rehearsed?

For many of us today, our thoughts and energy are already on Sunday. Christ has been raised.

But today is NOT Easter Saturday. Today is Holy Saturday, Black Saturday, the Great Sabbath. As Jesus disciples experienced it, this was the day without hope. The day that they spent hiding behind locked doors - afraid for their lives, and grieving the loss of their friend and the end of their ministry. As we hurry on to the joy of Easter, we miss the importance of this day.

Holy Saturday speaks to many of us in this life. It is about those who see no hope for the future. It is about those times when it feels like everything is lost. It is about the moment in life where the joy of Easter seems to be out of reach.

How many of us have been there at some point in our lives? How many people in our world experience most of their lives that way?

You probably have some Easter preparations you have to do today. I know that I do. But in the midst of those busy preparations, stop. Pray for those who see no hope in life. Pray for those who live in a Black Saturday world. Pray for those struggling to find meaning in life. Pray for those who are so occupied with the struggles of life - with financial hardship, with hunger, with illness of body and mind - that they do not have time to stop for a Sabbath. Pray for those who cannot see resurrection in their lives. Pray for our Lord Jesus, as he battles with death on this day.

Remember that on this day, our Lord rested in the tomb. And join your local congregation as they go to visit that tomb tonight or tomorrow morning in the Easter Vigil.