Pentecost 7; Proper 8

“Do not think that I have come to ring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

These words are shocking to hear from Jesus’ mouth in Matthew 10. Yet since Jesus said it, it must be true. It is true that Jesus stood and never fought back as people wrongly accused him and told lies about him. It is true He never fought to prevent himself from going to the cross.

But Jesus is a fighter when it comes to sin on earth. Sin cannot stand next to holiness. Jesus cannot stand next to any other god. So the earth is divided. Those who follow Jesus by confessing their sin and being given His forgiveness and those who do not want forgiveness from Jesus at all.

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, Nebraska. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn

Pentecost 6; Proper 7

It is reported that one day Abraham Lincoln went to a slave auction and noticed a young woman glaring at everyone with hate and contempt. When the bidding started, Lincoln offered a large sum and kept bidding until he won. After he paid the auctioneer and received her title, the young woman followed but looked at him with contempt.

The young slave asked Lincoln what he was going to do with her. He said, “I’m going to set you free.”

“Free? Free for what?” she asked.

“Just free. Completely free.” Lincoln replied.

“Free to do whatever I want to do?”

“Yes.”

“Free to say what I want to say and go where I want to go?”

“Yes.” Lincoln answered her flood of questions.

“Then,” she finally said, “I want to go with you.”

We are free from the slavery of sin. Completely free in Jesus Christ.

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, Nebraska. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn

Pentecost 5, Proper 6

We fear genetic diseases because there is little we can do to prevent ourselves from getting them. Romans 5 says that sin is in all of our genes.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned….

It sounds like a pretty bleak outlook for all of us. God’s Word continues.

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

If you think your genetic sin seems great, God’s love in Jesus is greater. Christ’s sacrifice gives the freest genetic cure for you, forgiveness of all of your sin.

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, Nebraska. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn

Pentecost 4, Proper 5

An envelope comes in the mail. It looks very official with it’s gold seal on the outside. It seems almost too expensive for who you are. As you open the envelope you see an invitation to the grandest banquet given in your honor.

Someone must have made an error because it is being held because you had given of yourself sacrificially to benefit the world. But you never made this gift so how can a banquet be held in your honor?

“It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

Jesus sacrifice for sins is counted as yours and you receive all of the benefits, even though you did nothing to deserve them. Christ did!

These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, Nebraska. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn