Summer Sermon Series 2025

SUMMER SERIES – 2025

Meditations on the Lord’s Prayer

       On another occasion, Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”  He said to them, “When you pray, say..." (Luke 11:1-2).

       On the Sundays in July and August, we will meditate on the Lord’s Prayer. The focus of each Sunday will be as follows. 

July 6         Our Father, who art in heaven.

July 13       Hallowed be thy name.

July 20       Thy kingdom come.

July 27       Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Aug 3         Give us this day our daily bread.

Aug 10       Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Aug 17       Lead us not into temptation.

Aug 24       But deliver us from evil.

Aug 31       For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

In Case You Ever Wondered: Anatomy of a Sermon

Every week, the pastor prepares a sermon to preach.  The congregation hears only the finished product.  (The pastor's wife may also be privy to the pastor's groans and laments as he wrestles with the sermon.)  What goes into the sermon?

Some of the work is done for the pastor long before Sunday approaches.  Those who follow the western rite (usually we use "liturgy" for shorthand) follow a selected set of lessons which are already assigned to each Sunday of the Church Year.  Currently, Good Shepherd is using a 3-year lectionary, and we are currently in Year B.  In Year B, the Gospel lesson is mainly from the Gospel according to St. Mark.  The lessons for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost have been set for years.  The Gospel was Mark 10:35-45 (although I preached on the epistle which was Hebrews 4:9-16.)

I choose from one of the three readings, usually the Gospel.  I may choose the Old Testament lesson or the Epistle, although the Gospel is what sets the theme for the day.  Once I do that, I read it in English, and then go to the original language for text study.  It has been my practice to actually write out the text in the original Greek (Hebrew for the Old Testament) and translate the lesson.  Thankfully, I have kept old text studies, so I am usually able to pull out a previously done text study and look through it again.  It is not unusual to add notes to a text study that was already done.

Often, I read through a commentary or two to see what insights I did not gain from my own text study.  If I have the time, it is nice to read through a sermon from years gone by.  Luther is my preferred preacher, but there are others that are worth looking at, such as John Gerhard.  Their sermons are usually WAY longer than I preach.  And, while I gain personally from them, they often touch on topics that will not make it into my sermon.  I feel like I collect a five-gallon bucket of water only to serve the congregation a drinking glass worth of material.  This is one of the perks of the pastoral office.  Nevertheless, the time which should be given to the sermons of old is short and, sadly, often scratched off the task list.  As a result, I think the congregation is short-changed.

Once these things are done (mostly on a Monday, God-willing), it is time to let the Scripture lesson, the text study, and other resources simmer.  So, I try to take a walk somewhere--either one of the neighborhoods, at Marybury State Park, or if necessary at Planet Fitness (looking at nature is better than the same view from a Nordictrack for 45 minutes).  This serves as quiet time to ruminate on the lesson.  It is a time to ask questions about the lesson: "Why did St. Mark use that particular word?  Why does St. Mark record this when St. Luke does not?  What makes this lesson unique to St. Mark?  What in this lesson calls me to repent?  What in this lesson proclaims the Gospel?  How does this reveal Jesus as our gracious Redeemer?"  The answers are not always that obvious.

Throughout that week, the reading is used with shut-ins and for nursing home chapels.  This forces me to preach on the Scripture reading, and to say something about the text.  Much of what comes from these devotions makes it into the sermon, but the simmering is not done, either.  Occasionally, what is preached at the nursing homes is dramatically changed before Sunday morning hits.  Sometimes it even changes from the Wednesday chapels to the Thursday chapel.  Actually preaching to people may bring some insight that I had not thought of before.  And actually talking about the lesson to people forces me to consider: "Why does this lesson matter for you?"

Throughout the week, I type of a sermon manuscript in bits and pieces.  Some of the best advice came from Rev. David Peterson on his blog.  Although I had done this in the past, he put is most vividly: "Vomit on the page."  I have done a text study.  I have read commentaries and sermons.  The lesson has been on simmer in my head for days.  There has to be something to say by now.  It will not be perfect, and it will not be the final product, but type something.  Say what the text says.  It can be cleaned up later.  New insights can be added.  Paragraphs can be re-written ... or stricken.  Not every insight will make it into the final draft.  They may be saved for a future sermon.  Even if the insight is brilliant, it may just not make the point that the text is making.

Farmington Hills in, where I conduct chapel every Wednesday at 1:30 PM.

American House in West Bloomfield, where I conduct chapel every Wednesday at 3:00 PM.

Once a draft of the sermon is complete (or close enough to complete), it is time to edit.  I print a hard copy and mark it up with a pen.  The simmering is not quite done either.  Edit, edit, edit.  There is always a better way to say something, or an insight that should not be overlooked.  On Sunday morning, I get over to church by 6:00 AM, and I edit the manuscript more as I memorize the sermon.  Since I have already preached some version of it at least four times already, memorization is not that hard--unless the manuscript has gone through some major changes.  Editing continues until about 8:30 AM, because that is when people start walking in the door for Adult Bible Class and I have to stop.  I would probably edit my sermon until Judgment Day if I did not have a deadline to preach it.  (And later in the day, I always think of things I could have said better.)

Then there is the actual preaching of the sermon.  During the final verse of the Hymn of the Day, I pray that God will bless the sermon and those who hear it.  Occasionally, a thought comes during the sermon and, once more, on-the-spot editing happens.  I usually try to avoid this.  Tangents are addictive (to me, anyway), but distracting.  I do not vary much from the manuscript, although it is not a word-for-word reproduction.  All of this prep work results in a sermon of about 15-17 minutes (always 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pages of single space type).  This kind of brevity means that there is no time for cute stories, no filler, and nothing about me.  If I have your attention for 15-17 minutes, then I want to show you Jesus is the most pointed, succinct, and vivid way possible.

After church, about Noon on Sunday, I post the sermon to my blog for posterity.  It is available to whomever finds it, to use however they wish.  It belongs to the Church.

Finally -- I am rarely satisfied with my sermons because I know it can always be said better.  But if people can find suitable nutrition from fast food restaurants, I would like to think that God's word, delivered through me, is able to strengthen and sustain the faith of those who hear.  That is always my prayer.  And since it is God's word, I leave it to him to do what he wills with it.

Sermon -- HVL Chapel (August 30, 2016)

Huron Valley Lutheran High School Chapel 

at HVLHS in Westland, Michgan

MATTHEW 10:40-42

Jesus Comes Through Messengers.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Lord does not do things the way we would do them.  We would like to see the Lord demonstrate his glory by signs and miracles.  We think that would get the world's attention and would get them to repent and believe.  We think that miraculous signs would also manage to keep our attention, keep us impressed, and keep us believing.  But God does not do that.  The Lord has never done miracles to entertain or to impress.  And even when the Lord did do miraculous signs, the world did not repent and believe.  Instead, Israel sacrificed to idols under God's nose at Mt. Sinai, and the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus.  And so, the Lord does not come to us through miraculous signs.
     The Lord does not do things the way we would do them.  We think that it would be best to entrust the message of salvation to angels.  After all, when Jesus was born, an angel spoke to the shepherds.  When Jesus was risen, angels declared it to the women at the tomb.  But God does not use angels anymore.  The angels did not tell everyone in Bethlehem; the shepherds did.  The angels did not proclaim the news to all of Jerusalem.  Jesus' disciples did.  Besides, whenever angels did come to proclaim God's word, people were terrified.  They cowered in the presence of holy creatures.  And so, the Lord does not come to us through angelic messengers.
     The Lord does not do things the way we would do them.  Even when the Lord came to save us, he hid himself in flesh.  He appeared as a frail, flesh and blood man.  While no one ran from Jesus in fear, neither did people rally to him because he appeared in glory.  People became believers the way they always had—through the preaching of the word.  Jesus preached God's mercy to sinners.  Jesus fulfilled God's love through his sufferings and death for you.  He declared himself to be the atoning sacrifice for your sins—the innocent one dying on behalf of the guilty.  It was not obvious.  Most people saw a nice man from Nazareth dying on a cross.  Those who believed the word of God saw the Son of God dying for the sons of men.  Only God's word reveals God's Savior.
     After Jesus' resurrection from the dead—the proof that his payment for sins is complete—Jesus ascended to heaven.  He entrusted the preaching of the word to his redeemed.  Sinners were to tell other sinners about forgiveness of sins through Jesus.  You and I might think there is a better way to do this—certainly a more impressive way to get this message out—but Jesus comes through messengers.  The God who became flesh for flesh and blood sinners sends flesh and blood ministers to declare God's salvation in God's name.  If that seems unimpressive, it probably is.  But God does not act to impress or to entertain you.  He acts to save you.  Jesus comes to you through messengers.
     Jesus said to his apostles: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.  The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward....” (Matthew 10:40-41)  Jesus Christ has sent ministers to administer his gifts.  Jesus Christ comes to you through his messengers in order to declare his salvation.  Jesus does not tell you to take a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to find your salvation.  All that Jesus won for you there he bestows to you through the word which is preached and the sacraments which are administered by his messengers.
     Jesus still does not do things the way we do them.  When we tell our stories, we like to glorify ourselves.  We like to be the hero.  Even when we are describing a disagreement that we are in, we make sure that we come out looking good even if we must omit a few facts to make that happen.  This is not true of the messengers Jesus sends to you.  Pastors do not preach about themselves.  Pastors are not the heroes of the story.  Neither are you.  If we are to come before Jesus, it is not as heroes, but as sinners.  Good news: Jesus Christ comes for sinners.  Therefore, Christ's messengers speak Christ's words.  Jesus said that if you receive the messenger who stands in the stead of Christ and speaks for Christ, then you are receiving Christ.  And if you hear Christ's messenger, then you receive the prophet's reward, which is the eternal life he is declaring to you.
     Once again, this is not always impressive.  But Jesus does not work the way we would.  But Jesus does work for your salvation.  He sends you messengers so that you can hear the word of the Lord spoken through the mouth of his messenger.  He hands you his body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins through the hands of his messengers.  And if you are haunted by your sins, Jesus does not leave you alone to figure out how to find comfort or to be relieved of guilt.  He has sent you a pastor who will speak to you Christ's word in Christ's stead, and he bestows on you Christ's forgiveness.
     Christ's messengers declare to you his amazing grace: The Lord made you.  He has redeemed you, and he loves you.  The Lord has made this known in the Bible and sends messengers to preach it so that you can be comforted and confident of the Lord's salvation.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Sermon -- 9th Sunday after Pentecost (July 26, 2015)

COLOSSIANS 1:21-29

CHRIST RENOVATES 

THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFE.

In the name + of Jesus. 

     If you have ever taken the boat ride over to Mackinac Island, you have seen Round Island Lighthouse.  It is a beautiful, red and white lighthouse which marks the way into the harbor at Mackinac Island.  That lighthouse was not always so beautiful.  After it was no longer manned by a government-appointed light-keeper, the lighthouse fell into disrepair.  In fact, it was pretty much a ruin.  Many people would have said the reasonable thing to do was to demolish it.  A group of lighthouse enthusiasts took strides to save it.  They collected funds and put in the work to restore and renovate that lighthouse.  You'd never guess today that the Round Island Lighthouse had been a dilapidated mess.  It was renovated into something beautiful.

Round Island Lighthouse before renovations.

     St. Paul told the Colossians that they were pretty much the same.  They were broken in their sins, and they could not fix themselves.  In their sinful condition, they were hostile to God, despising God's commands of right and wrong, pursuing their own selfish goals, and gratifying their own lustful cravings.  Many would argue that the reasonable thing to do is destroy such rebellious sinners.  Nevertheless, St. Paul wrote, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” (Colossians 1:21-23)  
     These Colossians had been broken, alienated, self-glorifying, self-gratifying, enemies of God.  That is what they were.  Through the Gospel, God revealed himself as the one who heals them of their brokenness, who reconciles them from their alienated status, who emptied himself of glory to suffer and die to win them glory, and who turned them from enemies of God into children of God.  God revealed himself through Jesus Christ who suffered and died for sinners in order to reconcile sinners to God.  In baptism, Jesus cleansed them so that they were now holy, blameless, and above reproach before God the Father.  Christ renovated these Christians, covering them in his own righteousness.  Of course, this is not just the story of the Colossian Christians; it is the story of every Christian.  This is your story, too.  Christ renovates the Christian's life.
     Because it was renovated, Round Island Lighthouse is beautiful.  But you only get to see the outside.  The online virtual tour reveals that the inside is still a work in progress.  It will take some time and effort before Round Island Lighthouse is renovated to be what it was originally designed to be.
     Christ renovates the Christian's life.  It is more than the fact that you have been covered by the blood of Christ.  It is more than the fact that you bear the status of God's holy children.  The mystery is greater than than.  The mystery is that Jesus Christ dwells in you.  St. Paul declares that he was made a minister of Christ to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:25-27)  Jesus Christ dwells in you.  Jesus transforms you so that you not only are a child of God, but also so that you now live as a child of God.
     Christ renovates the Christian's life.  Your sins have never been acceptable to God.  God has led you to repent of them; therefore, your sins are no longer acceptable to you, either.  Day after day, you strive to rid yourself of your sins.  If your house had rodents running around in it, you would do everything to get rid of them.  Rodents are destructive.  They are undesirable.  They can even bring in disease.  You want them out; and you would prevent them from getting back in.  Your sins are far more destructive and deadly than rodents.  That is why we do not give into them again.  Christ's forgiveness is not a license to continue in your sins.  Christ's forgiveness is never to be used as an excuse for doing evil deeds.  Jesus died for these things!  Why would we return to them?  Rather, we flee from them.  Christ renovates the Christian's life.  He transforms us so that we despise what is wicked and pursue what is good.
     Now, you likely recognize that your life does not measure up to what you what it to be and to what it should be.  You are not unique in that.  No one gets to where they want to be.  Though we all strive to live as children of God, we still prove ourselves to be sinners.  That does not mean that Jesus Christ has failed us.  Christ is not weak; we are.  We still struggle with temptations, and we still succumb to them.  We still need a Savior.  But Jesus Christ does not abandon you in your weakness.  Christ still dwells in you.  He still marks you as his own.  He continues to cover you with his righteousness.  He continues to work in you to transform you.  He is day by day, year by year, working in you so that more and more you are being renovated into the creation God has always designed and intended you to be.  His renovation project in you will go on for the entirety of your life.  If you are hearing God's word and partaking in his sacraments, Jesus Christ will always dwell in you and work in you to make you more Christ-like.  That is how he renovates the Christian's life.
     St. Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church...” (Colossians 1:24)  Christ renovates the Christian's life, even through sufferings.  It is not that Christ's atoning sacrifice is in any way insufficient for your salvation.  Jesus died for sins, once for all, to bring you to God.  That is certain, and it is complete.  Yet, the Church is the body of Christ, and the body of Christ will still be afflicted until Jesus comes again.  Just as the world hated Jesus and crucified him, so the Church also shall be despised for speaking as Jesus speaks and for loving as Jesus loved.  St. Paul notes that these are necessary.  If you are suffering for the sake of Christ, that demonstrates that Christ truly does live in you and that Jesus' work in you is seen by others.  If you would suffer, let it be for doing what is good and right.  Your flesh will hate it, but Christ blesses it and marks it as glorious.
     Even by afflictions, Jesus renovates the Christian's life.  He teaches you with any and every affliction not to long for this world and its problems.  With common aches and pains, he reminds you that these bodies will wear out and die, but he has revealed to you that a perfect, glorious body will be given to you at the resurrection.  With every indignity that others would inflict upon you, you are reminded that your glory does not come in this world, but after the resurrection.  Remember: The glory Jesus gives you is not a momentary thing in a temporary world.  Jesus Christ, who dwells in you, will bring you to glory everlasting in Paradise.  Every affliction forces us to flee to Jesus, and therefore, every affliction serves a good purpose for us, making us more Christ-like and more eager for his good gifts.
     Christ renovates the Christian's life.  He renews you day by day, even as he already declares you to be perfect and glorious, holy and blameless.  Christ dwells in you and is transforming you—your mind, your words, and even your will—so that you will be more Christ-like in every way.  And just as he dwells in you now, so also he will carry you through death to life eternal where your transformation will be perfected and your renovation complete.  At last, you will be precisely what Jesus Christ has designed you to be, and you will bear that perfect design forever.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.