The Incomparable Lord — Part 3: April 24, 2024

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                    The Incomparable Lord - Part 3
                             Isaiah 40:27
                              04/24/2024


        27   Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ``My
             way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is
             disregarded by my God?''  (ESV)

        We believe, teach, and confess that we were created by the
   Triune God.  We also believe, teach, and confess that He still
   keeps us and sustains us, even in times of trouble.  The devil,
   the world, and our own sinful flesh have no power over Him.  ``To
   whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says
   the Holy One.''

        Yet, in times of trouble, such as experienced the the
   children of Israel to whom Isaiah was writing, God seems far off.
   Yet He says:
        Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ``My way
        is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by
        my God?''


        The trials of this life show that we are not in control of
   our own fate and destiny.  As hard as we try, we cannot overcome
   the ravages of time, much less the combined forces of evil which
   daily attack us, which daily try to pull us from our only Help.

        Yet, Isaiah confesses that God sees our distress and hears
   our prayers and is there even when we feel scared and alone.  Our
   Lord uses the trials in our life to bring us closer to Him, to
   trust in Him and not our own feeble strength.

        Knowing of His love, we look not to our distress, but to the
   love which He show through Jesus Christ.  As we fix our eyes on
   Jesus we are strengthened to endure all the world can do to harm
   us.  In the end, for Christ's sake, we have eternal life with our
   heavenly Father.

        May our Lord strengthen and keep you in all trials.  Amen.

The Incomparable Lord — Part 2: April 23, 2024

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                    The Incomparable Lord - Part 2
                             Isaiah 40:26
                              04/23/2024


        26   Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created
             these?  He who brings out their host by number,
             calling them all by name, by the greatness of his
             might, and because he is strong in power not one
             is missing.  (ESV)

        God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, has tossed a
   challenge to all people.  ``To whom then will you compare me,
   that I should be like him? says the Holy One.''

        What powers do we have to create from nothing, to control
   nature?  Yet, in our arrogance, we suggest that the universe is
   the result of a random process, denying the obvious design of
   everything from the conditions which allow for life to the
   complexity of an individual cell.  If chance can cause life to
   spring from inanimate substances, shouldn't we be able to
   recreate the conditions to bring forth life?

        But Isaiah, writing as inspired by the Holy Spirit,
   proclaimed:
        Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?
        He who brings out their host by number, calling them
        all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because
        he is strong in power not one is missing.


        In spite of our rejecting Him, this creator God, all
   powerful and mighty, looks upon each one of His created humans
   with love.  Because they rejected Him, because they ran in fear
   at the sound of His voice, God has called them back to Himself.
   He sent His Son to redeem us from sin and death, to earn for us
   the right to stand forever in His presence, to be showered with
   His grace.

        May our Lord grant that we recognize His great and almighty
   love for our eternal benefit.  Amen.

The Incomparable Lord — Part 1: April 22, 2024

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                    The Incomparable Lord - Part 1
                             Isaiah 40:25
                              04/22/2024


        25   To whom then will you compare me, that I should be
             like him? says the Holy One.  (ESV)

        We are halfway through the Easter season, a celebration of
   seven weeks during which we see God's power over sin, death, and
   the grave.  No one, except God, Himself, claims to have the power
   to raise the dead, much less to forgive the sins of those who
   call upon Him.  No human, no created entity, surpasses the
   strength of our Creator.

        The prophet Isaiah wrote as inspired by the Holy Spirit:
   ``To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?
   says the Holy One.''

        Humans desire to be like God, to have power and strength
   over nature and all of creation.  This is the lure of original
   sin, the lying promise of the serpent in the Garden of Eden who
   promised that defying God would bring the joy of knowledge.
   Maybe the eyes of our first parents were opened, but all they saw
   was destruction.

        Man-made religions claim that we have the strength and power
   to overcome the evil that clings to our human nature.  By hard
   work, feats of great faith, we can pay the price our our sin.
   Yet there is no comfort, for we can never do enough good to
   balance the sins we have committed.

        There is no comparison to the God who created and sustains
   us.  This week we will look at Isaiah's words to discover God's
   rich grace, love, and mercy as found in Christ Jesus alone.

        May our Lord grant you His richest blessings.  Amen.

The Good Shepherd — Part 5: April 19, 2024

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                      The Good Shepherd - Part 5
                             Ezekiel 34:16
                              04/19/2024


        16   ``I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the
             strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I
             will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the
             strong I will destroy. I will feed them in
             justice.''  (ESV)

        God, speaking through Ezekiel, promises to seek and save the
   lost.  He also promises to judge the wicked, those sheep who
   bully and harm the others in the flock.
        ``I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the
        strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will
        strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will
        destroy. I will feed them in justice.''


        Jesus was once asked, ``What is the greatest commandment?''
   He answered, ``You shall love the Lord your God with all your
   heart... and your neighbor as yourself.''[1] The lost sheep,
   rescued by the Good Shepherd, were incapable of joining the
   flock.  They were lost, injured, weak, and helpless.  As sheep of
   God's pasture, we were called from the darkness of sin to the
   glory of His presence, not by our works, but because we heard of
   His love, were joined to Him through baptism, and enjoy the
   blessings of being in His presence.

        As members of the flock of God, we are privileged to reflect
   His love by serving one another, by seeking the good of our
   neighbor.  Our good works flow from the grace of our Good
   Shepherd.

        A portion of God's beloved flock gathers at Trinity Lutheran
   Church on Sunday at 9:00 a.m.  There we are fed by God's Word,
   blessed with the forgiveness of our sins, and comforted by the
   good news of Jesus Christ.  The Good Shepherd invites you to join
   Him for your eternal blessing.  Amen.

   ____________________

   1. Drawn from Matthew 22:37-40

The Good Shepherd — Part 4: April 18, 2024

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                      The Good Shepherd - Part 4
                             Ezekiel 34:15
                              04/18/2024


        15   ``I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I
             myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord
             GOD.''  (ESV)

        Ezekiel, as inspired and instructed by God, told the exiled
   children of Israel about God's rich love and mercy.  He spoke of
   the restoration of Jerusalem, the return to Israel.  This is the
   work of God, not of the corrupt, ineffective rulers and leaders
   of the people.

        God told Ezekiel to say: ``I myself will be the shepherd of
   my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord
   GOD.''

        Part of the heritage of the exiles were the songs of David,
   which they knew by heart.  Ezekiel's words echoed the description
   of the Shepherd of the Twenty-Third Psalm.  Even today, many
   people who know nothing of God's rich grace and mercy, of His
   desire that we should not perish but have everlasting life, know
   the words of David.  ``The LORD is my Shepherd,'' is used at
   countless funerals to bring the hope of the resurrection.

        God calls us to Himself through the proclaimed Word, the
   Gospel of reconciliation.  He shows us His love by sending Jesus,
   His Son, to pay the price of our sins, a price that we are
   absolutely unable to pay.  His message is not of our works to
   appease an angry God, but a message of pleading to allow Him to
   care for us.

        What does God call the sheep to do?  To lie in green
   pastures, to feed upon the very body and blood of the sacrificed
   Son of God, to bathe in the waters of baptism.  We are privileged
   to reflect the love which we receive.  God seeks the lost sheep.
   The one who is tangled in the briers, who has cuts and bruises,
   who cannot care for himself, that is the sheep that God rescues.
   He rescues sinners who are in despair, and gives them comfort and
   hope.  May our Lord grant that we recognize, know, and trust in
   the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The Good Shepherd — Part 3: April 17, 2024

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                      The Good Shepherd - Part 3
                             Ezekiel 34:14
                              04/17/2024


        14   ``I will feed them with good pasture, and on the
             mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing
             land. There they shall lie down in good grazing
             land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the
             mountains of Israel.''  (ESV)

        Ezekiel, as given the message from God, proclaimed hope and
   comfort for the children of Israel who were exiled in Babylon.
   They had been failed by both the rulers and the religious
   leaders.  They had been enticed from the truth of God's love to
   the worship of worthless idols.  They were given religious
   burdens rather than the peace of God.

        Now they were longing for the day they could return to
   Jerusalem.  God's promise was not only about the restoration of
   Judah, but of His Son being the Good Shepherd of the flock, the
   people of God.

        ``I will feed them with good pasture, and on the
        mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land.
        There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on
        rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of
        Israel.''


        Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the
   redemption of His flock.  While Ezekiel's words remind us of the
   Twenty-Third Psalm, they also are a reminder of Jesus' words.
   ``Take and eat, this is My body given for you for the forgiveness
   of your sins.  Take and drink, this is My blood, shed for you.''

        Why does our Lord and Savior bestow upon us the forgiveness
   of our sins and the promise of everlasting life?  Is it because
   we are particularly good sheep?  No, it is because of His love,
   His grace, and His mercy.

        This promise is for you.  God has said that He longs for us
   to return to Him, to trust in Him, and to receive His love.  May
   our Lord richly bless you with the comfort that He is our
   Shepherd who cares for us.  Amen.

The Good Shepherd — Part 2: April 16, 2024

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                      The Good Shepherd - Part 2
                             Ezekiel 34:13
                              04/16/2024


        13   ``And I will bring them out from the peoples and
             gather them from the countries, and will bring
             them into their own land. And I will feed them on
             the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in
             all the inhabited places of the country.''  (ESV)

        The prophecies spoken by Ezekiel certainly saw their
   fulfillment as God caused the children of Israel to return from
   Babylon to Jerusalem.
        ``And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather
        them from the countries, and will bring them into their
        own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of
        Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places
        of the country.''


        This promise, however, was not only for the children of
   Israel, to bring them hope and comfort while they were exiles in
   Babylon, but to tell us of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  It
   is the Good Shepherd, Jesus, who laid down His life for the
   sheep.  It is the Good Shepherd who took up His life again so to
   bring eternal life to His flock.

        Yes, God gathered the scattered, exiled Jewish people from
   Babylon and returned them to the land once promised to Abraham.
   But showing even greater love, God gathered people from all
   tribes and nations to be part of His Kingdom, the Church.  The
   message of hope, of comfort, is not for a select few people, but
   for all sinners, for you, for me.

        We were gathered up by God, not to perform great feats of
   faith, but to be cared for as God's precious flock.  As we hear
   Ezekiel, ``And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel,'' we
   also hear King David, ``He makes me to lie down in green
   pastures.''[1]

        Even when we seem far from home, strangers in a strange
   land, we have the comfort of God's promise of forgiveness and
   life everlasting.

        May our Lord grant us the peace of knowing His rich grace
   and love.  Amen.
       ____________________

       1. Psalm 23:2a (ESV)

The Good Shepherd — Part 1: April 15, 2024

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                      The Good Shepherd - Part 1
                           Ezekiel 34:11-12
                              04/15/2024


        11   ``For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself
             will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
        12   As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among
             his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek
             out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all
             places where they have been scattered on a day of
             clouds and thick darkness.''  (ESV)

        The story of ancient Israel was one of political and
   religious corruption.  After the death of Solomon, the kingdom
   split because of inept leadership.  The kings looked to foreign
   gods, ignoring the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Eventually,
   God caused the children of Israel to be exiled in Babylon for
   seventy years.

        During the Babylonian captivity, the prophet Ezekiel
   proclaimed the truth of God to the exiles.  He brought them hope,
   for he brought them God's Word which proclaimed a restoration.
   More so, the message proclaimed by God through Ezekiel looked to
   Jesus Christ.

        This last Sunday, in the liturgical congregations which use
   the historic series of readings, was ``Good Shepherd Sunday.''
   The Old Testament reading was from Ezekiel.
        ``For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will
        search for my sheep and will seek them out.  As a
        shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep
        that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep,
        and I will rescue them from all places where they have
        been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.''


        Throughout the history of the Church, from the earliest days
   recorded in the Old Testament, people have turned their backs on
   God.  They ignored the men God appointed to proclaim His grace,
   love, and mercy.  In turn, these priests and scribes did not
   uphold the Word of God, but allowed and encouraged the people to
   worship false gods, to worship in ways and places not according
   to God's Word.  God, Himself, would have to correct the
   situation.  The Good Shepherd, the very Son of God, lived, died,
   and rose again to seek and save the lost.  May our Lord grant us
   faith to hold firmly to the Good Shepherd and His gracious gifts.
   Amen.

Dry Bones — Part 5: April 12, 2024

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                          Dry Bones - Part 5
                           Ezekiel 37:11-14
                              04/12/2024


        11   Then he said to me, ``Son of man, these bones are
             the whole house of Israel.  Behold, they say, `Our
             bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are
             clean cut off.'
        12   Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the
             Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and
             raise you from your graves, O my people. And I
             will bring you into the land of Israel.
        13   And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open
             your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my
             people.
        14   And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall
             live, and I will place you in your own land. Then
             you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken,
             and I will do it, declares the LORD.  (ESV)

        Ezekiel, a prophet who lived and worked while the children
   of Israel were exiled in Babylon, received a vision of a valley
   of dry bones.  God told him to proclaim the word of promise, the
   word of life to the bones.  The bones came to life.  The
   resurrected multitude was given the assurance of the restoration
   of Israel.
        Then he said to me, ``Son of man, these bones are the
        whole house of Israel.  Behold, they say, `Our bones
        are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut
        off.'  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says
        the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise
        you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you
        into the land of Israel.  And you shall know that I am
        the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from
        your graves, O my people.  And I will put my Spirit
        within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in
        your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD;
        I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.


        This prophecy, this revelation that God can indeed raise the
   dead, goes well beyond Israel's future.  Israel would indeed be
   revived and receive the restoration of an earthly kingdom.

        But a revived Israel is but the dry bones from which God
   will call Spirit-filled people from all nations to Himself.
   Those who are dead in the trespass of sin receive a new life in
   Christ Jesus because of His death and resurrection.

        Do you wish to learn more?  Join us at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday
   at Trinity Lutheran Church.  You will hear of God's rich grace,
   love, and mercy which restores you to the hope of everlasting
   life.  Amen.

Dry Bones — Part 4: April 11, 2024

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                          Dry Bones - Part 4
                           Ezekiel 37:11-14
                              04/11/2024


        11   Then he said to me, ``Son of man, these bones are
             the whole house of Israel.  Behold, they say, `Our
             bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are
             clean cut off.'
        12   Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the
             Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and
             raise you from your graves, O my people. And I
             will bring you into the land of Israel.
        13   And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open
             your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my
             people.
        14   And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall
             live, and I will place you in your own land. Then
             you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken,
             and I will do it, declares the LORD.  (ESV)

        Ezekiel, a prophet who lived and worked while the children
   of Israel were exiled in Babylon, received a vision of a valley
   of dry bones.  God told him to proclaim the word of promise, the
   word of life to the bones.  The bones came to life.
        Then he said to me, ``Son of man, these bones are the
        whole house of Israel.  Behold, they say, `Our bones
        are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut
        off.'  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says
        the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise
        you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you
        into the land of Israel.  And you shall know that I am
        the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from
        your graves, O my people.  And I will put my Spirit
        within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in
        your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD;
        I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.


        God explained the vision to Ezekiel, the vision of hope
   which Ezekiel would bring to the children of Israel.  Although
   they were exiled, God promised to restore them to the land of
   Judah.  They would again dwell where their forefathers dwelt.
   God would restore their faith in His promises.

        Today, when more and more people reject the good news of
   salvation by grace through faith for the sake of Christ, when the
   church is openly attacked by leaders and citizens alike, we have
   hope.  The Word of the Lord endures forever.  We have the promise
   of eternal life.

        May our Lord grant us faith in Him that we trust His promise
   of life because He has given to us the reality of the forgiveness
   of our sins.  Amen.