This Week:

Please welcome Allen and Tammy Arnall to Zion. They moved to Bolivar from Springfield recently; they are transferring their membership from Redeemer.

Have you ever read John’s letters? Join us in Bible class as we take a guided tour of the letters written by the Apostle of Love.

Digging Deeper will begin next Sunday, September 12 at 7:00 pm. We will take a chronological journey through the Old Testament prophets. If morning Bible class is a bit too early, consider ending your weekend with us on Sunday evenings.

The children of Gene and Mary Ankrom will be having an estate auction September 6, Labor Day, beginning at 9 am. The auction will be at the Ankrom’s farm, 4489 S. 60th Rd, Fair Pay.

Next week is Worship in the Park… Invite a friend to join us. Start praying now for the Holy Spirit to open your friend’s heart to the good news of our risen Savior Jesus. Bring a chair and some food to share at the picnic afterwards. NO BIBLE CLASS OR SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Choir begins Wednesday, 8 September, at 6:30.

Other:

Joy for the Journey, A day of Spiritual Renewal for Women. Registration $35 before Sept. 1 or $40 after Sept. 1. Saturday, October 9, 2010, 8:30 am — 5 pm lunch included limited to the first 150 registrants, Golden Corral, Branson MO. Registration forms are on the table in the narthex.

Other:

You are invited to a wedding shower for Amanda Ewigman and Shawn Lewis at Zion Lutheran church Wednesday Sept. 8, 7 pm.

LWML Rally will be at St. Pauls Marshfield on Oct. 23 at 10 am.

LWML Fall Retreat will be Friday Nov. 5 and Saturday Nov. 6 at Redeemer in Springfield.

Our Chicken Noodle Dinner and Bazaar will be November 6.

Found: a smallish key on the parking lot. See Pastor to claim.

Our budget committee consists of Joe Hadank (chair), Kevin Spaulding, and Linda Wainscott. If you have input for the coming year’s budget, please speak with a member of the committee.

The nominating committee members are Stan Kravig (chair), Rebecca Leenerts, and Harold Langer. They are seeking candidates for the following offices: President, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Social, Evangelism, one Trustee (all two year terms); two elders (four year terms); a Sunday School superintendent and two board of education members (two-year terms); and circuit forum representative (one year term). If you are willing to stand for election, or if you would like to recommend somebody, please contact a member of the committee.

New Custodian: After several years of serving the congregation as volunteer head custodian, Loretta Pruitt is moving to Texas with George and Dustin. Other members of their team were Amanda Pruitt Ward, Shaw Lewis, and Amanda Ewigman. We thank them for their many hours of service, and we welcome our new custodian, Larry Johnson.

Convoy of Hope will have an event here in Bolivar on October 9. You are invited to support the effort financially through the church. Council voted to donate $750 to the cause from 1/2% of our mission funds; the first $250 donated will ‘repay’ the mission fund and the remainder will be passed on to Convoy of Hope.

You are invited to the wedding of Alyssa Maggart and Jesse Kueker at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Springfield on Saturday, October 9, 2010. The service is at 1 pm, with a reception to follow later in the afternoon. If you plan to attend, please sign up on the form on the memorial table.

Send your greetings to Cpt. Casey Rumfelt and other soldiers serving in Afghanistan. You will have the opportunity to record a video greeting, which will be burned to DVD along with the worship service that day. You may also bring in cards, notes, and the like.

Check out the Heit’s Point

information on the bulletin board in the narthex.

Marriage Retreat

On October 15-16, Pastor Loy will lead a marriage retreat for members of Zion. We will have a Bible study and social event on Friday evening, with some devotions and skills building on Saturday. Cost will be $20-25 per couple for materials. Enrollment is limited to 25 couples. After September 19, we will open up enrollment to other LCMS churches in the area, so hurry and sign up if you are interested. Sign up form is in the narthex.

Have you ever read John’s letters? Join us in Bible class as we take a guided tour of the letters written by the Apostle of Love.

Other:

The children of Gene and Mary Ankrom will be having an estate auction September 6, Labor Day, beginning at 9 am. The auction will be at the Ankrom’s farm, 4489 S. 60th Rd, Fair Pay.

New Custodian: After several years of serving the congregation as volunteer head custodian, Loretta Pruitt is moving to Texas with George and Dustin. Other members of their team were Amanda Pruitt Ward, Shaw Lewis, and Amanda Ewigman. We thank them for their many hours of service, and we welcome our new custodian, Larry Johnson.

Convoy of Hope will have an event here in Bolivar on October 9. You are invited to support the effort financially through the church. Council voted to donate $750 to the cause from 1/2% of our mission funds; the first $250 donated will ‘repay’ the mission fund and the remainder will be passed on to Convoy of Hope.

Please help fill a care package for CPT Casey Rumfelt, son of Dewey and Teresa Rumfelt, who is serving in Afghanistan. This is his second deployment; his first was in Iraq. Suggestions: cards, notes, ?????. Give your materials to Pastor Loy.

Joy for the Journey, A day of Spiritual Renewal for Women. Registration $35 before Sept. 1 or $40 after Sept. 1. Saturday, October 9, 2010, 8:30 am — 5 pm lunch included limited to the first 150 registrants, Golden Corral, Branson MO. Registration forms are on the table in the narthex.

Other:

You are invited to a wedding shower for Amanda Ewigman and Shawn Lewis at Zion Lutheran church Wednesday Sept. 8, 7 pm.

LWML Rally will be at St. Pauls Marshfield on Oct. 23 at 10 am.

LWML Fall Retreat will be Friday Nov. 5 and Saturday Nov. 6 at Redeemer in Springfield.

Our Chicken Noodle Dinner and Bazaar will be November 6.

You are invited to a wedding shower for Alyssa Maggart and Jesse Kueker at Zion Lutheran church Saturday Sept. 11, 2 pm. Zion Ladies Guild

Mission Month is coming… Put September 12 on your calendar, and invite a friend to join us for Worship in the Park that day. Start praying now for the Holy Spirit to open your friend’s heart to the good news of our risen Savior Jesus.

Marriage Retreat: On October 15-16, Pastor Loy will lead a marriage retreat for members of Zion. We will have a Bible study and social event on Friday evening, with some devotions and skills building on Saturday. Cost will be $20-25 per couple for materials. Enrollment is limited to 25 couples. After September 19, we will open up enrollment to other LCMS churches in the area, so hurry and sign up if you are interested. Sign up form is in the narthex.

Check out the Heit’s Point information on the bulletin board in the narthex.

[Click the arrow to begin playing the audio file of the sermon.]

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Imagine for a moment that Jesus himself comes to you and says, “I’m going to be at your house next Tuesday. You can invite 15 guests. Just let me know when to show up.” Naturally, you feel a bit nervous—after all, this is Jesus we’re talking about, and while some people are great hostesses or hosts, other people don’t do so well at setting up such social events. But, this is Jesus who’s told you to set the social up, and so you jump in with two feet. Before you do anything else, you need to get your guest list together so you can send out invitations. Go ahead and fill out your guest list now—choose up to fifteen people to come to this imaginary meet and greet with Jesus at your house next Tuesday.

Now that you’ve got your guest list set up, you realize that you’ll need to figure out the seating arrangement. You don’t really have a table large enough to seat 15 people, and all the big church tables are being used for some kind of reception, so you’ll have to make do with the three tables you have or can borrow. Each one seats six people. Take some time to set up the seating arrangement. Remember to include a spot for Jesus and a spot for you—seventeen seats in all.

Well, I could go around and ask each of you whom you invited, but that would take too long. Instead, just give me an idea what kind of people you invited to this imaginary meet and greet with Jesus next Tuesday. Did you invite family members? Friends? Maybe some folks from your church? Did you include your pastor on the list?

It’s funny, but I would guess that most of you invited the people closest to you, people you thought would appreciate an evening of hearing Jesus teach and preach, people who would send you a nice thank you note afterwards and rave about this wonderful opportunity to meet our Savior face to face at your house. Not to question your motives, but really, wouldn’t you hope for a little recognition for all the work that went into planning this social event?

Then there’s that seating arrangement. Tough choices to make, huh? How many of you put yourself next to Jesus in your seating arrangement? That makes sense, since you are the host of the event, and you should probably be near the guest of honor. On the other hand, a few of you might have been good Marthas and put yourself at a back seat near the kitchen so you could keep refilling Jesus’ coffee and bringing him and the other guests goodies. How did you decide where you should sit? How did you decide where the other guests should sit?

Jesus found himself in just that kind of situation one Sabbath day after the synagogue service. Problem is, Jesus really wasn’t a very good guest. He did things that weren’t kosher for the Sabbath, and he told the guests where to sit, and then he told the host he had invited the wrong people! “One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully” (Luke 14:1 ESV). In front of him is a man with dropsy—that is, edema, or swelling because of excess fluid in some part of the body. All eyes were on Jesus to see if he would follow the Sabbath regulations and the rules of etiquette for a dinner such as this. He did neither. He broke the Sabbath regulations by healing the man, and he broke the rules of etiquette by letting this outsider come into the inner circle of the party. Strike one.

Then “he noticed how they chose places of honor,” and he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place” (Luke 14:8-9 ESV). Jesus chides the guests, warning them to stop vying for places of honor. He points out their hunger for social status and recognition, and he points out how, even on the Sabbath, when God works to save all people, including a man with dropsy, and even at a meal meant for hearing God’s word propounded by a rabbi, people focused on who is better and who is worse, on who is in and who is out, on who should get closer to the teacher and who should sit further away. His advice? “When you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:10-11 ESV). After all, in the kingdom of God, we are all lowly. We enter the kingdom of God only by humbling ourselves before God. As James wrote, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you”(James 4:10 ESV). The well known story of the Pharisee and the tax collector illustrates this point perfectly. “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14 ESV). Now, what does this say about your seating arrangement? Did you seat people closer to Jesus based on their need to hear the good news that Jesus has forgiven us, or did you seat people closer to him based on their social status in your world?

Well, after getting his second strike by chiding the guests, Jesus turns around and gets his third strike by telling the host he had invited the wrong guests. “He said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just’” (Luke 14:12-14 ESV). Yes, the host had invited people based on their social status. He had invited people who could return the favor. But the kingdom of God works differently. God did not invite you into his kingdom because you can return the invitation to him some day. God invited you into the kingdom although you could never repay him. God sent his Son Jesus Christ to die even though you could never do enough good works to repay God for his wondrous gift of grace. God accepted Jesus’ death on the cross as the sacrifice that pays for your sins because you could never pay for your sins and although you could never write a thank you sufficient to his gift. He gives you a seat at the feast of the lamb in his kingdom, he puts you on the invitation list, if you will, and he does this although you are one of the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. As he said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 13:32 ESV). And what does that say about the guest list your wrote? Did you invite people who need to meet Jesus because they don’t know and trust him yet? Did you invite people who have never opened their invitation to the wedding feast of the lamb? Or did you invite people who would appreciate your invitation, write nice thank you notes, and rave about the social gathering?

You see your sin—and mine—here? We, like the Pharisees, think about social status and getting a return. Our God thinks about our need for salvation and having us join him at the table in the kingdom of God. That is why Jesus gave his life for you and me, who are sinners. That is why God pours out the Holy Spirit on you and me in baptism, before we have any opportunity to prove ourselves or to give him a return. That is why God also uses you to invite others to hear the good news of our risen Savior Jesus.

I would invite you to make a new guest list—one or two families who need a reminder to open God’s invitation to faith and heaven. Pray for the Lord to open their hearts to his invitation through you, and take the opportunity to invite them to church. After all, Jesus does come among us and join us so that we can hear his teaching and preaching, and he even feeds us at his table with the sacrament of the altar. We may not sit at tables, and we may not see his face, but he is among us at church anyway, and at this gathering, he has grace and forgiveness for you, for me, and for everyone. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your heart and mind through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Pastor’s trip cancelled: The continuing education event Pastor was to attend Monday and Tuesday has been cancelled, so Pastor will be in town.

On August 29 Vicki Helling, Rosie Benitz’s daughter will tell stories and share pictures from her mission trip to Poland last month. Join us during adult Bible class to learn about her exciting experiences.

Other:

Please help fill a care package for CPT Casey Rumfelt, son of Dewey and Teresa Rumfelt, who is serving in Afghanistan. This is his second deployment; his first was in Iraq. Suggestions: cards, notes, ?????. Give your materials to Pastor Loy.

Mission Month is coming… Put September 12 on your calendar, and invite a friend to join us for Worship in the Park that day. Start praying now for the Holy Spirit to open your friend’s heart to the good news of our risen Savior Jesus.

The children of Gene and Mary Ankrom will be having an estate auction September 6, Labor Day, beginning at 9 am. The auction will be at the Ankrom’s farm, 4489 S. 60th Rd, Fair Pay.

Borrowing a book from the library? Please sign it out (and sign it back in!) using the form in the red binder in the library.

Know the Recipe for Life-Long Love? Healthy Families, Healthy Homes seeks nominations of couples for their 5th annual calendar. This year’s theme is “Seasons of Life”; the calendar will feature couples and families who have overcome hardships and experienced the challenges of life. Speak with Pastor Loy for a nomination form.

Convoy of Hope will have an event here in Bolivar on October 9. You are invited to support the effort financially through the church. Council voted to donate $750 to the cause from 1/2% of our mission funds; the first $250 donated will ‘repay’ the mission fund and the remainder will be passed on to Convoy of Hope.

[Click the arrow to begin playing the audio file of the sermon.]

The text for this morning’s sermon is Luke 13:24, Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (ESV). Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Listen up, because Jesus says you may not be going to heaven like you thought you were.

It all started with a question. “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23 ESV). A simple question. An apparently innocent question. Just a point of information, really. But true to form, Jesus gives an answer unlike anything we would expect. “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24 ESV). So far, so good. Jesus confirms that those who are saved will be few. Not many will go to heaven. Just what his hearers expected, probably. But then he goes on with this little parable about people knocking at the door of the house after the master has closed the door, and the master of the house says, “I do not know where you come from” (Luke 13:25 ESV). And all of a sudden things go haywire. “In that place,” Jesus says, “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you”—who? You! The people who asked Jesus the question. The good Jews listening to Jesus there that day. “When you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out” (Luke 13:28 ESV). Jesus unmasks the simple question that started the whole thing for what it really is: the country club attitude of Pharisees and Sadducees and other people who think that having a place in the kingdom of God is like having a membership in an exclusive club—if you’re good enough, if you’re righteous enough, if you’re religious enough, if you’re spiritual enough, you can join the exclusive club and enjoy all the benefits of membership. “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” really means, “Lord, am I part of the exclusive country club that gets to golf on the green hills of heaven? Will I have to keep living with all these tax collectors and sinners like I do here?”

Jesus’ answer is a slap in the face. “No, you are not part of some exclusive country club that gets to golf on the green hills of heaven. You are not even part of the saved. You will be on the outside looking in. To add insult to injury, Jesus goes on. “And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29 ESV). Do you know who lived east of Israelites? People like the Babylonians, who had taken the Israelites into exile 450 years earlier. To the west? The Romans, who occupied Israel and stationed their troops there and exacted taxes. To the north? The Samaritans, people whom the Jews of Jesus’ day could not stand, and the feelings were mutual. To the south? The people of Egypt, who had once enslaved the Israelites. Yes, that poor sap who asked, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”—Jesus is telling him, “Yes, those who are saved will be few, and you are not part of them. You will be on the outside looking in, and all your bitterest enemies will be saved, and they will get to enjoy the great feast with the great fathers of your people, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with all the prophets, but you will be weeping and gnashing your teeth, and you will not even be able to eat from the crumbs that fall from the table or to dip your finger in the water people are using to rinse their feet in order to quench your thirst, no matter how much you would like to.” Turns out, the Pharisees and Sadducees and others who counted themselves worthy of the country club would not be in heaven like they thought.

How about you? Is your church your country club? The story is told of a cowboy who walked into church one Sunday in clean but faded jeans and a clean but slightly torn shirt. With his old, tattered Bible in hand, he stood in stark contrast to the well heeled, well dressed members of the congregation, some of whom even wore gold watches and pearl earrings. After the service, as the cowboy was leaving, the pastor leaned in close to him and said, “Do me a favor. This week, talk to God about what to wear to church.” Well, a week later the cowboy showed up at the same church in the same clothes—clean, of course, but a bit tattered. As he left after the service, the pastor said, “I thought I told you to talk to God about what to wear to church.” The cowboy answered, “I did, and God said he didn’t know, because he had never been in this church.” We Lutherans rightly talk about pure doctrine, and we rightly believe that we have pure doctrine. Our teachings point more clearly than those of any other church body to the salvation we have solely through faith in Jesus Christ and for his sake, apart from any works or merits on our part. The problem is, sometimes we Lutherans dress up with that doctrine. When we look at our fellow Christians and think, “Gee, I must be saved, because my doctrine is better than theirs,” then we have joined a country club. When we take pride in our doctrine as if being Lutheran makes me better than others, when we act like having a place in the kingdom of God is like having a membership in an exclusive club—if you’re good enough, if you’re righteous enough, if you’re religious enough, if doctrine is pure enough, then you can join the exclusive club and enjoy all the benefits of membership—well, then you’ll be on the outside looking in. That is nothing more than the same kind of works righteousness that Jesus indicted among the Pharisees and Sadducees. This is depending on what you do and what you believe to get into heaven. This is nothing more than the country club mentality, which will keep you out of heaven.

“Lord, will those who are saved be few?” Jesus responds, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24 ESV). Driving your Mercedes down that well-paved road through the tree-lined fields and along the cast iron fence to the gorgeous gate of the country club is not the kind of narrow door Jesus is talking about. He is talking about the small door on the nondescript building on a busy city block. It’s cold out, and the homeless people are sleeping in doorways and on air exhaust vents in order to keep from freezing to death, and in the end their homeless will condemn them all to death. Including you. And including the people around you. Yes, despite the dreams of vacations on sandy white beaches and gorgeous green golf courses and Beemers and Mercedes, you are not that good. No one is. You are homeless, penniless, impoverished, with no way out and no way up. No way except that small door on the nondescript building on the busy city block. People told you about it, and finally you admitted you were never going to make it to the country club on your own, and so you lowered yourself to the point of walking through that door, which is open for everyone who knocks. Inside is the marriage feast of the lamb in his kingdom: warmth, shelter, clothing, food—everything you need. Inside is God, who in Christ Jesus opens the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Jesus Christ became homeless in order to give you this heavenly home. Jesus Christ lived in poverty in order to give you all the riches of heaven. Jesus Christ left the great mansions of the heavenly estate in order to make a room for you there, where you can live forever with his heavenly Father. Jesus Christ died, my dear friends—died on the cross under the weight of all your sin—in order that you may live forever with him. He is the narrow door, “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him” (John 14:6 ESV). Yet coming to the Father through Jesus Christ means giving up every pretension of being good enough, righteous enough, religious enough, pure enough in doctrine. It means giving up every pretension of having what it takes to get into heaven yourself. It means walking through the door of a homeless shelter instead of driving through the gates of a country club. But walking through that small door is the way into the marriage feast of the lamb in his kingdom, which will have no end. It is the way to the table where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be sitting, along with all the great prophets and all the minor prophets at the marriage feast of the lamb. It is the way to heaven.

There is one more thing you can do—not to get into heaven, because your parents or grandparents or friends or whoever showed you the small door on the nondescript building. Instead, you also have the opportunity to show others that small door on the nondescript building. Rather than worrying about whether other people are good enough to join you in heaven, spend time instead praying that they will listen when you tell them about this door, and then take the time to show it to them. They won’t find it on their own, because “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV). They will find it, as you did, only when someone goes out and shows them how low they really are in God’s eyes and how rich is the feast in the marriage feast of the lamb in his kingdom. We hear this good news, and we share it—that is what our mission statement says. You, my dear friends, have the wonderful privilege of walking through that narrow door, which is Jesus Christ, and you have the wonderful privilege of showing that door to others, so that they can join you in heaven. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

This Week:

A Sunday School Workshop will be held here at Zion from 10-3 this Saturday, August 21 (date change from newsletter!). CPH editor Deaconess Pamela Nielsen will help us learn to use CPH’s “Growing in Christ” curriculum in a small Sunday school. If you plan to attend, please register with Jessica in the office.

Have you ever read John’s letters? Join us in Bible class as we take a guided tour of the letters written by the Apostle of Love.

COME EARLY FOR LWML MEETING!!! Join us by 6 pm or earlier to help tie quilts for missions. The LWML meeting will begin at 7:15. Please bring a wide eyed needle and small scissors to use.

Other:

A hearty thank you to every one who donated to or attended the pie auction fundraiser. We are pleased to announce that we raised $807 for the Gormans, and who knows how many calories we have consumed since then. All for a good cause!

The children of Gene and Mary Ankrom will be having an estate auction September 6, Labor Day, beginning at 9 am. The auction will be at the Ankrom’s farm, 4489 S. 60th Rd, Fair Pay.

Borrowing a book from the library? Please sign it out (and sign it back in!) using the form in the red binder in the library.

Know the Recipe for Life-Long Love? Healthy Families, Healthy Homes seeks nominations of couples for their 5th annual calendar. This year’s theme is “Seasons of Life”; the calendar will feature couples and families who have overcome hardships and experienced the challenges of life. Speak with Pastor Loy for a nomination form.

On September 29 Vicki Helling, Rosie Benitz’s daughter will tell stories and share pictures from her mission trip to Poland last month. Join us during adult Bible class to learn about her exciting experiences.

[Click the arrow to begin playing the audio file of the sermon.]

There is not text version of this sermon.

[Click the arrow to begin playing the audio file of the sermon.]

There is no text version of this sermon. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Have you ever read John’s letters? Join us in Bible class as we take a guided tour of the letters written by the Apostle of Love.

Eat ice cream and help a friend! Join us for a fundraiser beginning at 6 pm today. Cost is $3 person for a piece of pie, ice cream, and a drink. Please bring 1 pie to share and 1 or more pies for auction. If you can make ice cream, please contact Donna Uza. Proceeds will be given to Sonya and Eric Gorman to help with medical expenses.

The fellowship hall will be used for elections this Tuesday, August 3. Please plan accordingly.

Other:

A Sunday School Workshop will be held here at Zion from 10-3 on Saturday, August 21 (date change from newsletter!). CPH editor Deaconess Pamela Nielsen will help us learn to use CPH’s “Growing in Christ” curriculum in a small Sunday school. If you plan to attend, please register with Jessica in the office.

Borrowing a book from the library? Please sign it out (and sign it back in!) using the form in the red binder in the library.

Know the Recipe for Life-Long Love? Healthy Families, Healthy Homes seeks nominations of couples for their 5th annual calendar. This year’s theme is “Seasons of Life”; the calendar will feature couples and families who have overcome hardships and experienced the challenges of life. Speak with Pastor Loy for a nomination form.

Horses of Hope is also holding a charity event on August 13, 2010, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm with lots of food, fun, and even an elephant ride!  Horses of Hope provides “equine-assisted therapy” for disabled children and adults.  They also offer riding lessons and retreats for anyone, at-risk youth programs, and a summer camp for kids to learn about horses and their care and also ride horses, etc.  The Gormans found this to be a wonderful cause. They’re planning to be there and would love to see others…there is a flyer on the bulletin board by the office for more information.

[Click the arrow to being playing the audio file of the sermon.]

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15 ESV). In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The fool had a farm, and his farm fed big barns that were bursting at the seams, and this season brought yet another bumper crop and a quandary: what to do with all that grain. “He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’” (Luke 12:17 ESV). What to do indeed? This was not a poor subsistence farmer, struggling to get along on the little bit that his infertile land produced. This was not a small family farmer, hoping to sell enough to keep his family going for another year. This guy had a big operation. He had barns in the plural, and even before this year’s bumper crop those barns were filled to the brim, bursting at the seams, and people out in the world were starving, and what does the fool decide to do? “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry’” (Luke 12:18-19 ESV). This guy had a my-complex: my barns and my grain and my goods. They were his, and he felt no compulsion to share them with anyone else. They were his and he found security in them. Yes, security. His big barns would provide for an early retirement and a long one. His bumper crops would provide golf club memberships and fishing boats for relaxing. All his goods would provide gourmet food to enjoy and fine wines to drink and plenty of time to enjoy life. He had no worries, because he had big barns.

What a fool! “God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” (Luke 12:20 ESV). Big barns can’t stave off death, and all the work he put into building bigger barns went down the drain like so much vinegary wine poured into the sink. Big barns bursting at the seams don’t provide food and drink. Big barns brimming to the top don’t give security. The Psalm says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1 ESV), and this guy was acting the part to the hilt. All his trust in those big barns made him a practical atheist, a man who trusted an idol called big barns instead of the good God who gave him all he had. In the end, he got what his god could give him: “All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols” (Psalm 97:7 ESV). His big barns gave him neither lasting pleasure nor security.

Of course, you’re no fool, right? You believe there’s a god, and you believe in the true God—the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who sent his only begotten Son to take your sins on himself in order to reconcile you to God. When you think about security in your life, or when you think about happiness, he’s the one you look to. Right?

One man sells a mortgage he shouldn’t to a couple who can’t afford it on a house that can’t go up in value any more, and all of a sudden you are shown up for what you really are at heart: a fool just like the one in today’s parable. Sure, your barns aren’t big, red storage houses for bumper crops, but you have barns all the same. They are called 401(k)’s and 403(b)’s, Roth IRAs and savings accounts and your job and Social Security. And when those borderline mortgages and the stalled real estate market collided in the perfect storm, the wind and rain washed away every illusion about where your trust is. Did you say, “Gee, God, my retirement balances are down 30%, but I’m not worried, because I know you’re going to provide”? Or did you call your broker or bank in a panic? Did you say, “Lord, I took a pay cut, and who knows when my next raise will come, but you’ll get me through”? Or did you lash out in fearful anger and say, “Somebody better pay for this big catastrophe the way I’m paying for it”? By now, we’re all wondering whether those green shoots in the economy were the harbingers of summer or whether they were an early bloom about to be killed off by a mid-spring frost. And while it would be nice to know the answer to that question, I fear we look more diligently for the answer to it than we do for God’s gracious promises in the Scriptures that he will provide us with all we need. It’s not God we’re trusting. It’s not even man we’re trusting. We’re putting our trust in commodities prices and daily stock market gyrations and housing values and unemployment rates. And God says to us, “Fool! You’ve put your trust in the wrong place, and you’re acting like I’m not God.” You are a practical atheist, people worshiping a god called money, and whether your god is a bigger barn or a fatter 401(k), your god will disappoint you, and you will be put to shame. When you trust a bigger barn or a fatter 401(k), then you are coveting, and do you know what Paul says about coveting? “Put to death . . . covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5 ESV). You are an idol worshiper, and those who worship idols cannot enter the kingdom of God. Do you see? “You shall have no other gods” means “We should fear, love and trust in God above all things” (Small Catechism, 1st commandment and meaning, CPH 2005). And you don’t. You fear the next Great Depression more than you fear God, and you trust your big barns and fat 401(k)’s more than you trust God. You are worshiping an idol.

My dear children in the Lord, the true God is not anything like this idol you worship. The true God does not have the stinginess of commodities buyers. The true God does not have the capriciousness of the stock market. The true God does not have the short-sighted, self-interested motivation of shady mortgage brokers. The true God has your interest at heart, and he is more dependable than the day is long, and he is rich toward you. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV). Not rich in money, my dear friends, because “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15 ESV). It’s not how big your barns are; it’s not how fat your 401(k) is; it’s not how secure your savings are. It’s knowing that your life as a Christian is in the hands of our generous heavenly Father. “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Luke 1:53 ESV). Yes, you were an idolater, but God the Father nevertheless sent his Son to die on a cross to pay the debt of worship to God that you could not pay. Yes, you were an idolater, but the Father and the Son nevertheless poured out the Holy Spirit in holy baptism to convert you from worshiping idols to worshiping the true God, the God who has your interest at heart, the God who is dependable to his promise to save you, the God who is so rich toward you that he gave you his Son to make you rich, although you were pitifully poor. Through faith in Christ Jesus, you begin to see your life differently. You are rich because you are an heir of God, and what you inherit from him is everlasting life, which you will enjoy from this day on into all eternity. It’s not like money, that slips through your fingers faster than it comes in. It’s not like the stock market, that fluctuates in value. It’s not like investments and savings accounts, that go up and down based on prevailing conditions. It is backed by the full faith and credit of Jesus Christ, God who shed his blood to win you for the Father. Whether the stock market goes up or down, you know which direction you’re going when Jesus comes again. Whether interest rates rise or fall, you know that you will rise again on the last day. And whether your income is large or small, whether you’ve been down sized or right sized or laid off, you have God’s promise that he will give you your daily bread, just as he’s given you the bread of eternal life.

Now don’t get me wrong. God has no problem with your having big barns. It’s looking at your big barns or fat 401(k)’s as the source of your security that is sinful. Your fat 401(k) does not feed you. Your job does not feed you. Your gracious Father in heaven feeds you. When you look at your big barns and seeing them as yours that you can use to “relax, eat, drink, [and] be merry” that is sinful (Luke 12:19 ESV). That’s not the way God treats you. He has your interest at heart, and he is rich toward you in Jesus Christ, and in Christ Jesus, “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 ESV). Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your heart and mind through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.