"I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing."  John 15:5
Summer will soon be in full swing.  The weather is getting warmer. The crops are being sown. The fruit trees have budded and soon will bear much fruit.  What are you looking forward to the most this summer? What are your plans?  Where will you go?  What will you do?  Here is my encouragement: Throughout this summer walk closely attached to your Savior Jesus Christ and bear for him much fruit.

Have you ever wondered how the media of today would report on the events of the first Good Friday? A reporter might be in the face of Mary questioning the claims of her Son and expressing a passive sympathy for her loss. An "expert" would be analyzing the claims of Jesus to determine if he was a fraud. Some would be questioning Pilate and his allowance of the horrific beating of Jesus and whether he thought crucifixion should be outlawed as an inhumane way to die. Others would seek an interview with the disciples and determine what's next for this bunch of men.

As we head into the season of Lent we begin our walk with Jesus to the cross.  Our theme for this year is Father, Forgive Them.  The “them” is you and me.  Without forgiveness there is no peace with God.  Without forgiveness we will not inherit the kingdom of God.  So what are we to do?  Ignore and deny our sins?  God forbid.  Rather confess them, repent of them and look to the cross of Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness.  But what if we are not willing to do so?

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.   Ecclesiates 3:1
“The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.”  Do you share the feeling of this Christian man?  Listen to the rest of his story.

Be Thankful.

The Scottish pastor John Watson called on a man from his church who had just suffered a heavy financial setback. Totally crushed by his economic losses, the man exclaimed, "Everything is gone!" Without hesitation Watson answered, "Oh, I’m sorry to hear that your wife is dead." The man looked up in alarm and questioned the pastor, "My wife?" The minister continued, "I’m doubly grieved to hear that you have also lost your character." Watson named one valuable asset after another, till the man protested, saying that he still possessed the things the pastor had mentioned. "But I thought you said you lost everything!" replied Watson. Then in a tone of mild and loving rebuke he exhorted, "Brother, come to your senses! You’ve lost none of the things that are really worthwhile!"

Colossians 3:15

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice to follow your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 119:9-16

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7

About what do you think when you hear the word "stewardship"? "Oh, no! Pastor is going to talk to me again about money." The second part of that statement is correct. Because the Bible often talks about money and the Christian’s proper use of it, there are times when I will talk about money. The part that I would especially have you think about in this message is the phrase, "Oh, no!"

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but regard it as holy and gladly hear and learn it.

"You place defiled food on my altar.
"But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?'
"By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible. When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty. "Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"-says the LORD Almighty. Malachi 1:7-9

Who of us doesn’t look forward to summer - blue skies, warm temperatures, summer fun. School is out. Vacation time has come. But what about our summer worship? As Christians, our walk with our God is year long. Our love for God in Jesus takes no vacation. Yet the temptation is there is push God and his worship into the background of our summer lives.

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”                                                                 Haggai 1:7

 

For seventy years God’s people had been in exile and their homeland lay in ruins.  The people had turned their hearts away from the Lord and the Lord withdrew his hand of blessing from them.  A remnant was carried off into exile in Babylon.  Seventy years later another remnant returned to Jerusalem. However, it wasn’t long before they started to fall into the same sinful pattern as their forefathers. They started to rebuild the temple.  The foundation was laid. But then they stopped.  For twenty years God’s house was ignored.  “The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built,” the people said.  Though this people didn’t realize it, once again they were telling God that he was not important to them in their lives.  They were telling God that they hated him.  The book of Haggai is only two chapters long but this book contains some powerful words of admonition that come from the Almighty God and also call us to repentance today.  If you want to tell God that you hate him, here’s how to do so.

“When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong?  When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong?  Try offering them to your governor!  Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.                     Malachi 1:8

 

What did you get for Christmas?  Was it something you really wanted?  Was it something you really needed?  Was it something that will make you happy for a long time?

 

What did you give for Christmas?  Did your gifts reflect your love to those who received them? Did you give more than you received?  Did your gifts make those who received them happy?

THIS WE BELIEVE

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31

"He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44

Ours is a confessional Lutheran church. We clearly teach what we believe and what we reject. We believe that we teach the Bible correctly and are happy when people search the Scriptures to see if what we teach is true. Why is this important?

COMMITMENT

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. When we as Christians want to talk about commitment, where do we have begin?

Psalm 37:5-6

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Recently the Baptist church held a revival at the Walworth County Fair Grounds. Through the use of giddy, enticing, exciting music and preaching they want people to "experience" Christianity and to chose to believe in Jesus Christ. While we rejoice over everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ for their salvation, there is some dangerous theology here of which we need to be aware. Is faith a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast? Or is faith a conscious decision on the part of a person in which he asks God to come into his heart.

As we near the end of another school year, we give thanks to God for Christian education. The primary responsibility for teaching children the word of God is the home.