Sermon: Pentecost C (OT)

19 May AD 2013

Title: Babble Banished (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Ever seem like everyone’s talking and no one’s making any sense? Whether it’s many people or just one, if you can’t understand what’s being said — no matter how important it might be — you’re listening to babble. And if you’re the one who keeps talking while no one responds, maybe you’re the one who’s babbling.

Babble, noise, and confusion are signs of our fallen world. They divide and alienate us. Our world’s diverse languages make cultures suspicious of those they cannot understand. Many of us have heard a group laughing and talking in another tongue and wonder if we’re not the target of their humor.

Yet even though God divided the people by language and then geography, He always planned to reunite them in the promised Savior. That’s why the message of Pentecost wasn’t, “Come see what the Holy Spirit can do!” No, it was and remains, “Come see what Jesus did!” Sin and forgiveness, Law and Gospel, damnation and salvation — these are the poles of Pentecost preaching and they remain the Church’s vital message to a world still divided, suspicious, and confused.

Text: Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.”

So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. Genesis 11:1-9

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Babble Banished.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 143; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:23-31

Hymn: See the preceding post for Upon the Plain of Shinar, a Pentecost hymn I wrote based upon this text.

Tags: Pentecost | Feast of Pentecost | Day of Pentecost | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | God | Holy Spirit | Holy Ghost | Babel | Tower of Babel | Babylon | forgiveness | language | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 19 May 2013 | May 19, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Genesis 11 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Babble Banished | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Pentecost Hymn: Upon the Plain of Shinar

Genesis 11:1-9 is the appointed reading for Pentecost in the One Year Lectionary and Year C of the Three Year cycle of readings. It tells of the confusion of tongues at Babel. Pentecost shows God undoing the curse of Babel as He brought the Gospel to disparate tongues through the Apostles’ preaching.

This hymn tells the story of Genesis 11 and continues it into the New Testament. Human disunity — a sign of our lack of oneness with God Himself — is undone by Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. As we are made one with God, so now God also works to unite the world’s disparate tongues into a united voice of faith and praise.

I wrote Upon the Plain of Shinar in the LM (88 88) meter but it also works as an LMD hymn. Therefore, I’ve provided versification and suggested tunes for each form and a link to a copier-ready PDF with both LM and LMD included.

LM (88 88) suggested tunes include Gottlob, es geht nunmehr zu Ende, Herr Jesu Christ, O Heilige Dreifaltigkeit, Winchester New, and Wo Gott zum Haus.

1. Upon the plain of Shinar stood
   The sinful heirs of Adam’s fall.
   They formed and fired bricks of mud
   To raise a town with tower tall.
   
2. They said, “This tow’r and city bold
   Shall serve as beacons for our race.
   Their majesty our hearts shall hold,
   To cease our straying from this place.”
   
3. Their wicked, vain, and prideful hearts
   The Lord condemned: “It shall not be.
   Your evil minds pervert fair arts —
   You think yourselves to be like Me.
   
4. “This unity of sinful pride
   Has led you to deep shame and woes.
   Your evil efforts I’ve denied —
   Now turn, O neighbors, into foes.
   
5. “Your tongues,” He said, “Shall speak no more
   What each the other comprehends.
   Your pridefulness I do abhor;
   Be banished to the earth’s far ends.”
   
6. This curse upon our fathers’ pride
   Its full and fell intent achieved.
   Mankind was scattered far and wide
   And foreign tongues were ill-received.
   
7. To join the scattered tribes again
   The Son of God took human frame.
   By bloody death, through bitter pain,
   He reconciled us in His name.
   
8. Then came the time for Christ’s ascent
   To God’s right hand, His heav’nly home.
   The Holy Spirit Jesus sent,
   To grow and counsel Christendom.
   
9. The Holy Spirit testifies,
   “Believe in Christ; be whole again.
   Forsake fore’er satanic lies
   And live as one with God and men.”
   
10. Come, join in faith, each race and tribe;
    Sing praise to God, the Father wise,
    The Spirit, and the crucified
    And resurrected Jesus Christ.

LMD (88 88 D) suggested tunes include O Grosser Gott and Tallis' Lamentation.

1. Upon the plain of Shinar stood
   The sinful heirs of Adam’s fall.
   They formed and fired bricks of mud
   To raise a town with tower tall.
   They said, “This tow’r and city bold
   Shall serve as beacons for our race.
   Their majesty our hearts shall hold,
   To cease our straying from this place.”
   
2. Their wicked, vain, and prideful hearts
   The Lord condemned: “It shall not be.
   Your evil minds pervert fair arts —
   You think yourselves to be like Me.
   “This unity of sinful pride
   Has led you to deep shame and woes.
   Your evil efforts I’ve denied —
   Now turn, O neighbors, into foes.
   
3. “Your tongues,” He said, “Shall speak no more
   What each the other comprehends.
   Your pridefulness I do abhor;
   Be banished to the earth’s far ends.”
   This curse upon our fathers’ pride
   Its full and fell intent achieved.
   Mankind was scattered far and wide
   And foreign tongues were ill-received.
   
4. To join the scattered tribes again
   The Son of God took human frame.
   By bloody death, through bitter pain,
   He reconciled us in His name.
   Then came the time for Christ’s ascent
   To God’s right hand, His heav’nly home.
   The Holy Spirit Jesus sent,
   To grow and counsel Christendom.
   
5. The Holy Spirit testifies,
   “Believe in Christ; be whole again.
   Forsake fore’er satanic lies
   And live as one with God and men.”
   Come, join in faith, each race and tribe;
   Sing praise to God, the Father wise,
   The Spirit, and the crucified
   And resurrected Jesus Christ.

 — W. P. Snyder © 2007, 2013
May not be used or reproduced without permission

Click for a copier-ready PDF in LM and LMD.

Walter Snyder is a Lutheran pastor, conference speaker, author of the book What Do Lutherans Believe, and writer of numerous published devotions, prayers, and sermons.

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Sermon: Easter 7 C (Epistle)

12 May AD 2013

Title: Come, Lord Jesus! (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Even as Christ prays for us, so we pray to Him, saying, “Come, Lord Jesus.” These words begin what some call the Common Table Prayer. Yet the prayer probably isn’t as common as those who use it might imagine.

However, these words that close the Scriptures are still the common prayer of Christ’s Church. With them, we urge that He return to end this Creation and bring the New into being.

Until then, we ask that Christ would continue coming in grace and mercy, forgiving our many sins of thought, word, and deed so that we might be ready for His final return. We ask Him to come in Holy Communion, that we might feast on His body and blood and be sustained until the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end.

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Text: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:1-20

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Come, Lord Jesus.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 133; Acts 1:12-26; John 17:20-26

Tags: Easter | Easter 7 | 7th Sunday of Easter | Seventh Sunday of Easter | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | God | eternal life | Judgment Day | return | healing | life | forgiveness | Holy Communion | Holy Baptism | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 12 May 2013 | May 12, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Revelation 22 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Come, Lord Jesus | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: The Ascension of Our Lord (Psalm)

The Fortieth Day of Easter
9 May AD 2013

Title: God Has Gone Up with a Shout (MP3 Audio)

Summary: We don’t celebrate because Jesus left us but because He is with us always. We clap our hands because He ascended as conqueror of sin, death, and devil and because He now rules us in grace. We shout in triumph because His victory is ours. We sing for joy because He promises to return to lead us from this life into life everlasting.

Text: Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.

He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves.

God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! Psalm 47

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of God Has Gone Up with a Shout.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53

Ecclesiastical art by Ed Riojas. Graphics for the Church Year (1-Year and 3-Year Lectionaries) are available for for purchase on CD or by ZIP download from the Higher Things Store.

Tags: Easter | Ascension | The Ascension of Our Lord | Ascension Day | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | God | joy | eternal life | everlasting life | judgment | return | clap | shout | sing | heaven | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 9 May 2013 | May 9, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Psalm 47 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | God Has Gone Up with a Shout | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Easter 6 C (Epistle)

5 May AD 2013

Title: Home, Sweet Home (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Call it Paradise, the New Creation, New Jerusalem, or the New Heavens and the New Earth. Think of a return to Eden, green pastures and still waters, or a never-ending banquet. Scripture gives us many images of our resurrection home. Seen beside each other, these pictures seem confusing and contradictory. Seen together through the eyes of faith, however, they begin to show the fullness of God’s plan of salvation and the riches beyond measure that await us pilgrims when we complete our journey home.

Today’s reading from Revelation continues the image of the New Jerusalem introduced in last Sunday’s Epistle. The symbolic gates and foundation stones remind us that our faith is built on the sure word of the prophets and the apostles and that our citizenship is proclaimed and guaranteed in the Scriptures. While quite possibly symbolic rather than literal, the gold and precious stones display the richness God lavishes on our eternal dwelling place — and the value He assigns to us who trust in Christ’s redemption.

Text: Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed — on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb....

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day — and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Home, Sweet Home, preached to the saints of God at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Fayette, Missouri.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 67; Acts 16:9-15; John 16:23-33

Tags: Easter | Easter 6 | 6th Sunday of Easter | Sixth Sunday of Easter | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | God | Lamb | eternal life | Jerusalem | New Heavens | New Earth | Paradise | temple | Bride of Christ | heaven | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 5 May 2013 | May 5, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Revelation 21 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Home, Sweet Home | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Chapel Sermon: Follow Your Head

1 May AD 2013
Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles

Theme: Follow Your Head (MP3 Audio)

Summary: “Where are we headed?” As the head is turned, so follows the body. Many of our troubles arise when we follow our own heads or hearts. Eventually, such willfulness leads to death and damnation.

What a blessing it is to have Christ as our head! He never leads us where we should not be. Every blessing belonging to Him belongs also to His body — that is us, the Christian Church. Forgiven by Him and guided by His heavenly wisdom, we are freed to also use our earthly intellect and emotions as we follow where He leads.

Text: And [God] put all things under [Christ’s] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23

Hymn of the Day: Here are the introductory stanza and that for May of O Heavenly Wisdom Come to Earth, which I wrote for this academic year at SPLHS:

• O heav’nly Wisdom come to Earth,
  O Christ, You Child of virgin birth,
  We pray that You would make us wise
  That we might learn Your love to prize.
  
  Our lives complete while yet we live,
  Your gifts to us You freely give.
  Your Spirit knits Your Church in faith
  And makes us vessels of Your grace.

Hymn text © 2012 Walter P. Snyder. May not be used or reproduced without permission.

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear MP3 of Follow Your Head, preached at Saint Paul Lutheran High School, Concordia, Missouri.

About the Service and the School: The theme for the 2012 – 13 academic year at St. Paul Lutheran High School is Made Wise in Christ, taken from Colossians 2:2-10. Under this theme are monthly emphases and weekly foci. May’s emphasis is “Fullness in Christ” and the week’s focus is “Wise in Christ — Headed by Him.” Time is at a premium for the SPLHS chapels, so I tried to make a few quick, concise Law applications both to students and to teachers and to bring the Gospel’s forgiveness and Christ’s encouragement to each.

While certainly a Lutheran educational institution, St. Paul is also a mission field. Not only does it admit academically qualified Lutherans, the school also welcomes a number of other Christians as well as non-Christians — even some atheists. A high percentage of students come from other lands, so chapel speakers must tailor their messages age-appropriately while remaining mindful of those unskilled with English, uncomfortable with Christianity, or both. Present this day were American students and those born in Slovakia, Norway, China, Madagascar, Japan, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and elsewhere.

Note on Playback: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Tags: Saint Philip and Saint John Apostles | Concordia, Missouri | Saint Paul Lutheran High School | St. Paul Lutheran High School | SPLHS | theology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | head | body | guidance | forgiveness | salvation | damnation | Law and Gospel | Law | Gospel | 1 May 2013 | May 1, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Christian Church | Ephesians 1 | sermon | preaching | homily | text | theme | topic | Follow Your Head | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Easter 5 C (Epistle)

28 April AD 2013

Title: Here Comes the Bride (MP3 Audio)

Summary: The overworked and ponderous “Bridal Chorus (Treulich geführt)” from Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin is often called “Here Comes the Bride” in English. This begat a parody sung especially by school children but known by many. It begins, “Here comes the bride, big, fat, and wide.” Because of its pagan roots, sentimentalism, and the mockery it engenders, many pastors and priests refuse to use it in Christian weddings.

Yet today we read of a bride that seems to match this description — this “holy city, new Jerusalem” is big (12,000 stadia tall), fat (12,000 stadia thick) and wide (12,000 stadia across). Each edge of this huge cube measures about 1,380 miles, giving it a volume of 2,628,072,000 cubic miles, over one percent of the world’s entire volume. This may sound small, but it's roughly equivalent to the surface area of Australia and everything beneath it tapering down to the center of the earth.

Does this mean that our eternal dwelling place is a giant cube like something occupied by Star Trek’s Borg Collective? Of course not! This visionary language, in line with most of Revelation, is another example of God turning things “inside-out” when making all things new.

Under the Old Covenant, the only cube Scripture reveals is the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of Tabernacle and Temple, the place where the Ark of the Covenant sat and where the Lord ruled His people in grace rather than wrath. No one except the high priest on the Day of Atonement was allowed entry.

The New Creation has no temple (Revelation 21:22) yet it has the fulfillment of the Holy of Holies. Instead of sinful mankind gathering outside, hoping for mediation, we who are redeemed by Christ and who believe in Him will live within this “cubical city,” the place of God’s presence, pardon, and peace. Christ our great High Priest opened the way and the top-down tearing of the separating curtain at Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:51) testified to this new, full, and eternal access He provides us to our Father.

Text: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son....”

And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. Revelation 21:1-7, 15-16

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Here Comes the Bride, preached to the saints of God at Faith Lutheran Church, Knob Noster, Missouri.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 148; Acts 11:1-18; John 16:12-22

Tags: Easter | Easter 5 | 5th Sunday of Easter | Fifth Sunday of Easter | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | resurrection | eternal life | New Jerusalem | temple | Holy of Holies | Bride of Christ | Paradise | heaven | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 28 April 2013 | April 28, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Revelation 21 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Here Comes the Bride | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Easter 4 C (Epistle)

Good Shepherd Sunday
21 April AD 2013

Title: The Lamb Is My Shepherd (MP3 Audio)

Summary: As God paints the biblical picture of our salvation, His images often turn our own notions upside-down and inside-out. The deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, and the dead rise to life. Victims become victors — and God’s perfect sacrificial Victim, His only Son, becomes the leader of the Church, those redeemed by His blood.

Today we see the image of the humble Lamb who obediently followed His Father’s will leading, guarding, and guiding the flock of saints purchased by His sacrifice. The One who humbled Himself is exalted above the heavens. The One who was slain lives forevermore. The One who was led to the slaughter now leads us to life everlasting. The Lamb is our Shepherd!

Text: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”

I said to him, “Sir, you know.”

And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9-17

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of The Lamb Is My Shepherd.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 23; Acts 20:17-35; John 10:22-30

Tags: Easter | Easter 4 | 4th Sunday of Easter | Fourth Sunday of Easter | Good Shepherd Sunday | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Lamb | Lion | Good Shepherd | eternal life | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 21 April 2013 | April 21, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Revelation 7 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | The Lamb Is My Shepherd | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Easter 3 C (Epistle)

14 April AD 2013

Title: In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion (MP3 Audio)

Summary: We hear of the month of March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb. This is an often accurate description of early Spring weather.

To speak of Jesus’ work of redemption, it’s better that we reverse the expression: Christ came into the world a Lamb — meek, lowly, obedient even unto death. He then ascended as the revealed Lion of the Tribe of Judah, a conquering hero, glorious in battle and strong to save.

In Revelation 5, we meet Him as both and we join the heavenly host in singing His praises forevermore.

Text: Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:1-14

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 30; Acts 9:1-22; John 21:1-14 (15-19)

Tags: Easter | Easter 3 | 3rd Sunday of Easter | Third Sunday of Easter | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Lamb | Lamb of God | Lion | Lion of the Tribe of Judah | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 14 April 2013 | April 14, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Revelation 5 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Easter 2 C (Gospel)

7 April AD 2013

Title: Freed to Speak Freedom (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Like the jailed apostles in today’s reading from Acts, all of us are trapped. However, these same men are imprisoned already in the Gospel. As Richard Lovelace wrote in To Althea, from Prison, “Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage.” These men were prisoners of their own minds, their personal and corporate faithlessness.

The apostles weren’t alone. It might be external pressure or internal fear; excessive carnality or delicate spirituality. Take your pick: War, disease, famine, doubt, worry, accident, financial woes, or death — even times of wealth — any and all of these can confine us more tightly than the most imposing prison of stone and bars.

Fear had turned the key on the apostles. Similarly fear — or lust, self-pride, self-loathing, and any other sinful attitudes and actions — shut and seal the doors on us. Yet into the locked upper room — and the locked hearts and minds of the disciples — came the One who declared freedom to the captives (cf. Isaiah 42:7 and Luke 4:18) and who effected their release through His suffering, death, and resurrection. Proving Himself risen, He freed His apostles from their sinful fears that He might then free those who heard the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection from them.

To this day, the Lord forgives and frees people through the Church and her ministers. That first generation of apostles, pastors, and teachers gave way to hundreds and thousands more who have received and believed the Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. In preaching, teaching, and absolving, they breathe out this life-giving, fear-ending, jail-breaking Good News and, as the Spirit works, their hearers’ faith is kindled, fed, and constantly refocused on its Object, Jesus Christ.

The minsters’ message is the message of the entire Church. Whether we hold vocations churchly or secular, we have the privilege of testifying about the “reason for the hope that is in [us] ... with gentleness and respect.... (1 Peter 3:15)” This hope is the certainty of our freedom from sin, death, and devil and Christ’s blood-bought guarantee of everlasting life in Him.

Text: On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”

But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:19-31

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Freed to Speak Freedom.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 148; Acts 5:12-20; Revelation 1:4-18

Tags: Easter | Easter 2 | 2nd Sunday of Easter | Second Sunday of Easter | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Thomas | apostles | disciples | Holy Spirit | breath | peace | freedom | doubt | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 7 April 2013 | April 7, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | John 20 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Freed to Speak Freedom | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Easter Day C (OT)

The Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord
31 March AD 2013

Title: New and Improved (MP3 Audio)

Summary: This old world is tired and wearing out. Its people face age, accident, and illness — all part of being conceived and born sinners in a fallen Creation. We also must confront the consequences of our sins, not merely the guilt we happen to recognize or feel at any one time but the entire dreadful judgement God pronounces on all our shameful thoughts, words, and deeds.

Physically, we may try fighting the effects of time, sickness, or injury — we may even seem to win for a while. However, no program of diet and exercise, no amount of special care, no actions on our part can undo the inevitable. We will fall apart and die. Or, we may die before having much opportunity to deteriorate physically or mentally. Worse is the eternal death that awaits those who rebel against their Creator.

Because of this, God decided to remake everything and to do so literally from the ground up. He promises to create “new heavens and a new earth” and to populate this new Creation with people made new, recreated in His image rather than that of fallen Adam.

Christ’s resurrection is the first tangible sign of this new Creation. He who suffered death for us took up His life again, promising to make new all who trust in His forgiveness. Just as the Father unmade His beloved Son’s death, so does He unmake ours. He who put all sins to death on Jesus’ cross delivers into eternal life all who believe in Him.

God’s creating Word is God’s incarnate Word. The God who took on the body of a man promises to recreate believing mankind in body, mind, and spirit. Our Lord Christ pledges the new Creation based upon the fact of His original Creation and upon His very real life, suffering, death, and resurrection.

Text: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.

“I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.

“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. Isaiah 65:17-25

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of New and Improved.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 16; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12

Please visit Aardvark Alley to read The Resurrection of Our Lord, which includes Saint John Chrysostom’s Paschal homily celebrating death being swallowed up by the One whom it swallowed.

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