I.N.I.
Blessed to be a Blessing 125t'' Anniversary of Trinity TC
Luke 11:28 April 26, 27, 2008
Lord,
grant us all aright to learn
Wisdom Your Word imparts
And to its heavenly teachings turn
With simple, childlike hearts. Amen.
What a joy to be apart of this celebration. It is truly an honor and privilege to occupy this pulpit, where the Word has been preached mightily for so many years. The tradition and heritage of the past is great and needs to be continued, remaining faithful to the Word and rightly administering the sacraments. Worshiping in such a beautiful setting, stained glass portraying the Gospel, where Jesus gave up his life on the cross, inspiring music full of doctrinal truth, but most important receiving the pure Word rightly divided and the true body and blood of our dear Savior.
We are blessed with a setting for remembering of our Baptism and the fact that we are forgiven children of God. It is truly a blessing to hear this proclaimed in the absolution that our sins are forgiven. For many of us were brought into God's family through infant Baptism. We had a blessed start in our spiritual life, but we need to grow in our faith. I am so thankful for Lutheran schools. You have had 58 years of Christian Day School. It is expensive, but worth every penny. If we Baptize babies, we need to educate them, so that they grow in their faith. We don't have the option of not having Christian Education. In Deut. 6:7, it uses the word "impress" for teaching the commandments to our children. We should not hinder them in coming to him, Jesus said in our Gospel reading. One of the best ways is to be an example to our children by being involved in Christian Education. We are blessed. But there is responsibility with such a blessing and that is Christian education. That is the topic this month. We are talking about growing in faith through the Word from the cradle to the grave. Besides Christian Day School, Christian Education includes Sunday School, Bible classes, youth and adult activities.
The importance of Christian education in the Day School is demonstrated in a post card sent from Trinity Lutheran Church and School. In these words of a first grader: "We prayed for you today". You need to have Baptized children be able to pray in their school. It is so important to have a strong and supportive link between home, church, and school. I am so thankful for my own schooling and the schooling of my children in Lutheran Schools. What a blessing!
Christian Education should include reviewing Luther's Small Catechism in your family and private devotions. When was the last time you reviewed the Catechism. A good project in this anniversary year would be to take one section a day and read it together with your family. The way it could be carried out is to say one commandment and meaning a day and when you are finished go to the articles and when you finished go to the Lord's Prayer and say one petition a day and so on. You will review the 6 chief
doctrines of the Bible. You will be blessed. You are blessed. You have been blessed. There is no such a word as "lucky" in the Christian's vocabulary.
Blessed to be a Blessing
I. Hear the Word. Blessed means that you are happy, content, guarded and protected from evil. Some would say a person is lucky when he is blessed. In Matthew's gospel blessedness refers to the condition or state of an individual who has been favorably accepted by God and has received his divine approval. To be blessed, you need to hear the Word. To hear the Word you need to have it preached and rightly divided. There is to be Law and Gospel. These are the great doctrines of the Bible. The Law is there to show us our sin. It tells us what we are to do and not do. The Gospel is the love of God, where he loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son. So that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. What a God we have and what a message that has been proclaimed for 125 year in Traverse City. For this blessing we need to be most grateful.
In the Portals of Prayer for this month, there was a devotion that talked about gratitude for God's blessings. There were these statements: "I have observed human nature, especially my own. God grants health; we want beauty. He provides bread; I crave jelly. He blesses me with a home; I complain about more cupboard space. My blessings are abundant; my expectations are more. I lose sight of the miracle." Let's not lose sight of the importance of Christian education.
Are we listening? In pre-marriage counseling I stress listening. I illustrate the problem of listening with this statement: "I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." Listening describes intentional activity and is difficult. When you are listening, you are actively trying to hear something. In contrast, hearing is something that happens without any intentional effort. You can hear even when you don't want to hear it and don't try to hear it. In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, the rich man went to a place of torment and Lazarus went to heaven. The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers so they would not end up in hell. Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them." "No father Abraham" the rich man said, "but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." He said to him, "If they do not listen to Mosses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:27-31)
So important to hear the Word. It is the one thing needful. Mary and Martha invited Jesus to their home. Mary sat the feet of Jesus listening to what Jesus was saying. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Jesus and asked, "Lord don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away form her." The one thing needful is to listen to the Word of God. (Luke 10:38-42)
II. Obey the Word.. This leads us right into the second part of this beatitude. It is the action that is caused by the Word. We need to walk the talk. Do you remember the old railroad signs that read: Stop, Look, and Listen. We needed to heed this sign. The next part is to Go. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew18:19) That is part of the mission of the school: The mission of Trinity Lutheran School is to provide a quality education that nurtures children in the Christian faith as taught by the Holy Bible and confessed by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in order that they believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and share it with the world.
The translations of the second part of the beatitude fall short. They use, "to keep it", "to obey it." A better translation is "to guard it". By keeping if safely in our own hearts as the most precious treasure (faith) and by allowing no contradiction or alternation of it (confession).
So important is this second part of the beatitude that Christ used it to conclude the Sermon on the Mount. The conclusion is the place where you bring it all together and have one more chance to instruct people and to move them to action. Here we have a warning in twin parables. Two men undertake identical plans to build houses. Upon completion they experience the identical misfortune of foul weather. The only difference is that one house is built on the rock and the other on the sand. Built on rock, one stands; built on sand, the other collapses. Its end is described "great was the fall of it." The subjects of the two-part parable are the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man represents those who hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice. The foolish man represents those who hear the words of Jesus and does not put them into practice. (Matthew 7:23-27)
When Jesus was told that his mother and brothers were there to see Him, He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and puts it into practice." (Luke 8:21) This further illustrates the importance of this blessing so we can be a blessing. The verse before the text, a woman utters a beatitude of the mother of Jesus, saying: "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. Jesus replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
We are blessed to be a blessing to others. By hearing and obeying the Word we are a blessing to others by what we say and do. We have a mission to let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) The meaning of the third commandment that we are not to despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. During this month of Christian Education examine how you can listen more to his word and carry it out in your life. Review the Catechism.
Work on your listening skills. We were given two ears but only one mouth. Some say it is because God knew that listening was twice as hard as talking. People need to practice and acquire skills to be good listeners.
There is a need to grow in our faith. Through the means of grace, the Word and Sacraments, we grow. Blessed for 125 years with Christians Education, we have a great responsibility to hear the Word and obey it. We should be in the Bible and in the Catechism on a daily basis.
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old Christian university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Christian education is the coffee: the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Christian education and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." God brews the coffee, not the cups ... Enjoy your coffee! The happiest people have the best of everything and make the best of everything, that is hearing the Word of God and keeping it. We should take God at His word and put it into practice. Hearing the love of God, and knowing your are his child and on your way home to be with him, is to be blessed indeed. Ever growing in faith, we support, participate in Christian education and receive the blessings. We are too blessed to be stressed.
God bless Trinity congregation as you continue to hear the Word and keep it. God continue to bless you so you can be a blessing to others. Continue to grow in Christ May every member of Trinity Lutheran Church and School be involved in Christian Education. It is our responsibility. Be blessed and be a blessing. "Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it"
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
R Pollatz