Easter 3A Sermon: The Lord Preserves the Simple

Preached on Psalm 116:1–14
The Third Sunday of Easter (Series A)
Responsive Prayer 2 Suffrages (LSB 282)
26 April AD 2020

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of The Lord Preserves the Simple. Responsive Prayer 1 Suffrages from the Lutheran Service Book begins with the Opening Verse (LSB 282), Lord’s Prayer (LSB 282), Apostles’ Creed (LSB 282), Psalm 116:1–14, Psalm 133, and the Readings. The sermon starts at the 9:00 mark. The service concludes with the Morning Sentences (LSB 283), Collect of the Day, Collect During an Epidemic, Morning Prayer(LSB 283), Benedicamus (LSB 284), and Benediction (LSB 284).

Summary: Human pride leads us to say things like, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” Basically, this means that if we want His aid, we need to begin a godly task with noble desire and firm resolve.

Of course, unless He is already helping us, we don’t have a natural desire to be about godly tasks. And even if our hearts are in the right place, we’re often too weak to even begin a task that needs God’s aid.

The psalmist tells us, “The Lord preserves the simple.” He helps those who can’t help themselves. God doesn’t want us to be simple-minded but He does ask us to focus on one simple truth: Jesus died to save us. He died to save us from ourselves, from Satan, and from eternal death and endless suffering.

Text: I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”

What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. Psalm 116:1–14

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.

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of The Lord Preserves the Simple. Sermon begins at the 9:00 mark.

Other Readings: Psalm 133; 1 Peter 1:17–25; Acts 2:14a, 36–41; Luke 24:13–35

Lent 5A Sermon: These Bones Live

Preached on Ezekiel 37:1–14
Fifth Sunday in Lent
With an Abbreviated Service of Prayer and Preaching
29 March AD 2020

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of These Bones Live. Sermon begins at the 13:10 mark, following Responses, Scriptures, Creed, and Lord’s Prayer. The service concludes with the Prayers of the Church, Collect of the Day, Collect for the Word, Morning Prayer, and Benediction.

Summary: When they are caught up by the Spirit of the Lord, His people end up in some interesting places. Today we witness Ezekiel, prophet to the exiles in Babylon, receiving a vision of restoration for Israel in a valley of dry bones. These are not the recently deceased, as was Lazarus in today’s Gospel. They are long-dead, barely a memory among the people. Yet they receive new lives as a gift of God.

Just as the Spirit reassembles and reanimates the dry bones, so the Lord promises to revitalize the Children of Israel and to return them to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Furthermore, we know that the same God who grants life to all creatures and spiritual life to all who believe in Him will lead us from mortal life in this fallen Creation to everlasting life through Christ in the New Creation.

Text: The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:1–14

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.

Video: Click to view the YouTube video of These Bones Live. Sermon begins at the 13:10 mark.

Other Readings: Psalm 130; Romans 8:1–11; John 11:1–53

Pentecost 22 Sermon: Praise the Lord!

Preached on Psalm 148
22nd Sunday After Pentecost — Proper 27C
10 November AD 2019

Title: Click to hear the MP3 of Praise the Lord!

Summary: We usually think of praise as the conscious action of thinking beings. We might go so far as to include “higher” animals as capable of some sort of praise. This is particularly likely when we look at domestic animals, particularly our pets. We want to believe that they appreciate us and desire to show their love.

However, we rarely give thought to the idea that inanimate objects can actively praise someone. How can a star or a planet, a mountain, a snow storm, or a tree give praise? Yet that’s the picture painted by the psalmist.

By its very nature, the entire creation praises the Lord simply because it was made by Him. Perhaps under divine encouragement, even that which lacks sentience can actively praise God — after all, Jesus said just before the events of today’s Gospel that if the people’s voices were stilled on Palm Sunday, “the very stones would cry out. (Luke 19:40)”

We Christians especially praise Him because we are remade by Him as His redeemed children. Because of our faith in Christ, He now praises us as His holy people.

Text:

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
  praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
  praise him, all his hosts!

Praise him, sun and moon,
  praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
  and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
  For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
  he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
  you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
  stormy wind fulfilling his word!
Mountains and all hills,
  fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
  creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
  princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
  old men and children!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
  for his name alone is exalted;
  his majesty is above earth and heaven.

He has raised up a horn for his people,
  praise for all his saints,
  for the people of Israel who are near to him.

Praise the Lord! Psalm 148

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 Praise the Lord!

NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media 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: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17; Luke 20:27-40