Everyday Lutherans

In the Gospel lesson, we hear of two people who were longing for the arrival of the Messiah.  Both of them knew and trusted that God would give a Messiah to save the people.  I think even more important than that is that both of them realized the need for a Messiah.   Now before we go any further, I want you all to be aware that Messiah, Christ, and the Chosen One of God are all describing the same person.  Messiah is the Hebrew word for Chosen One of God, Christ is the Greek word for Chosen One of God.  So when a person says, Jesus Christ, they are declaring that this is Jesus, the Chosen One of God.  This is the title Jesus was given once people realized who he was and what he was doing.  However, people did not know how the Messiah would come or what exactly he would do.  There were many prophets who told that the Messiah would come and bring peace. The Messiah would bring back the relationship that the people would enjoy with God. That the Chosen People of God would be restored to

We gather together tonight to celebrate a very important gift.  The arrival of the long expected Messiah, Savior, Christ, the Chosen One of God. Tonight, we hear the history that is so familiar because we hear it every single year.  Many of you could even share the details without having to open the Bible.  This history has a way of comforting us and reminds us of what is important.   However, there is another person who often gets much attention this time of year who often confuses us in the role of God.  A few days ago, there was a department store Santa who was handing out candy canes and other small gifts to children.  After many hours and several hundreds of children, the santa ran out of candy canes and everything else.  The children still in line had seen others who were getting gifts.  When Santa told them that he was out and that they would not get a gift, many of them were so frustrated and angry.  Some of the children threw a tantrum.  Some actually kicked him.   Some of the

Today, we are coming to the end of the Royal Highway.  We started with so much laid out for us.  It was given to us by our Savior and Lord but also by those loved ones who have gone before us.  Those who have traveled, learned, and shared what they knew with us.  As we gather here, we begin to wonder, what is there for me to do?  Plenty!  In fact today, we hear of the person who is one of the greatest examples of servant hood and being a faithful servant to God.   Mary is the mother of Jesus. She demonstrates to us today, what it looks like for us as a human being called by God into service.  The very first thing that Mary experiences is shock.  Standing right before her is an angel, a messenger of God who is bringing to her a message from her creator and sustainer.  In the midst of that shock, she is told that message.  She listens to the message that God is calling her to do.   Once she hears the message, then she has to believe it.  She asks questions and makes sure that she underst

We continue our journey in the season of Advent.  We continue the joyous celebration and we remember the promise, the gift that is Jesus, our Christ, our Messiah, The Chosen One of God. As we talked about last week, Advent is a time in which we gather together to be reminded of Jesus Christ’s first coming as a baby, but it is also a time in which we gather to be reminded of that day when Jesus Christ will come again.  So how do we help each other?  How do we remember that promise and that great gift? One of the ways that we do that is through songs.  Today as we gather together to join our voices, we sing songs that speak to us.  Through music, we hear sermons that others have written so that we can be reminded of the important stories and the important truths that happened for us.  Those songs have a way of staying with us.  I have never heard anyone humming or speaking the last few lines of any of my sermons, but I have heard people humming the chorus of one of the songs that we sang

Advent Season is the season of preparation.  We prepare for the arrival of Jesus, not only remembering the first time that Jesus Christ lived and dwelled among us.  We also remember the time in which Jesus promised that he will come again.  A time in which we remember that Jesus has not abandoned us in this world to fend for ourselves, but that we are with Jesus Christ.   So today, we remember the time, the way, and the person who God called to do this work, John the Baptist.  For he was the one who God used as an instrument to prepare the people and to declare to them that the Messiah was indeed coming to the world among them.  John the Baptist prepared the way for each and everyone of us to stop from our individual lives, and to think and hear that Jesus Christ was coming to us.  So that we would take notice and that we would pay attention to the gift that is Jesus Christ. Within our own modern days, we have paths that others have prepared for us to get from one place to the next.  T