Thursday, January 29, 2009
Apologies
I apologize for there not being an updated Seeds of Faith. I will make no excuses. Please accept this backlog of Seeds as a token of my appreciation for reading.
Epiphany 4
“[The evil spirit said,] I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."
Here we see the glory of God himself in the Gospel of Mark 1:25. No mere man commands such authority that even the demons recognize him as God. No mere man commands such authority that even the demons obey. No mere man commands such authority as to forgive your sins. This is God revealed to us in Jesus!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Here we see the glory of God himself in the Gospel of Mark 1:25. No mere man commands such authority that even the demons recognize him as God. No mere man commands such authority that even the demons obey. No mere man commands such authority as to forgive your sins. This is God revealed to us in Jesus!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Epiphany 3
How Jonah ever thought he would escape, we may never know. But then again, it was only words from heaven that told him to go to a wicked and sinful city.
How Jonah ever thought he would escape, we may never know. But then again, it was only a big fish that swallowed him to safety after he had been thrown overboard into the raging sea.
How those fishermen ever thought they would escape, we may never know. But then again, it was only the Son of God calling them to be fishers of men, that is to share the saving message of Jesus’ death and resurrection to the entire world.
Why would we want to escape from the grace of Jesus, who has completed salvation for the entire world and continues to call us through His Word proclaimed into our lives?
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
How Jonah ever thought he would escape, we may never know. But then again, it was only a big fish that swallowed him to safety after he had been thrown overboard into the raging sea.
How those fishermen ever thought they would escape, we may never know. But then again, it was only the Son of God calling them to be fishers of men, that is to share the saving message of Jesus’ death and resurrection to the entire world.
Why would we want to escape from the grace of Jesus, who has completed salvation for the entire world and continues to call us through His Word proclaimed into our lives?
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Epiphany 2
What is the dominant image of Jesus during the Christmas season? Of course, it’s a baby in a manger. Infant human flesh smiling on shepherds and wise men.
We still see human flesh smiling on humanity in these weeks after Christmas, called the season of Epiphany. But now we see something so much more.
We see the divinity of Jesus showing through.
The divinity that was there from the foundation of the world.
The divinity that was present when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
How do we see it? At Jesus’ baptism when the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” And the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus.
We see Jesus’ divinity when He sees Nathanael sitting under a fig tree who’s branches hide him. The God/man Jesus is being revealed for all to see.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
We still see human flesh smiling on humanity in these weeks after Christmas, called the season of Epiphany. But now we see something so much more.
We see the divinity of Jesus showing through.
The divinity that was there from the foundation of the world.
The divinity that was present when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
How do we see it? At Jesus’ baptism when the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” And the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus.
We see Jesus’ divinity when He sees Nathanael sitting under a fig tree who’s branches hide him. The God/man Jesus is being revealed for all to see.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
New Years
Happy New Year!
So when will the resolutions start? After all the Christmas cookies are out of the cookie jar? Or maybe when all the family goes home? Or is your response… “what resolutions?”
The New Year has been a popular time to try and change our own lives. Resolutions come and go and few actually become permanent
So in this time of out with the old and in with the new, it might be a good time to ponder a change that is good and does happen without any effort on our part. “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”
Being a forgiven child of God is a great way to begin the new year!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
So when will the resolutions start? After all the Christmas cookies are out of the cookie jar? Or maybe when all the family goes home? Or is your response… “what resolutions?”
The New Year has been a popular time to try and change our own lives. Resolutions come and go and few actually become permanent
So in this time of out with the old and in with the new, it might be a good time to ponder a change that is good and does happen without any effort on our part. “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”
Being a forgiven child of God is a great way to begin the new year!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Christmas 1
Bells are ringing, gifts are being given, family and friends are celebrating, songs are being sung. It is a joyous occasion.
Really, it is, despite whatever disagreements you’ve had over what to get the kids or who’s family to spend more time with.
What? You still don’t believe me? I’m sorry to hear that. I guess you’ll have to try harder next year.
Don’t want to wait until next year? Tired of the Christmas frustrations? Then stop what you are doing for a moment and hear God’s Word on the topic. “The Virgin will bear a Son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
That infant in diapers in the manger is God himself. He is bigger than any disagreements you will have this Christmas, for He has taken away the world’s sin.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Really, it is, despite whatever disagreements you’ve had over what to get the kids or who’s family to spend more time with.
What? You still don’t believe me? I’m sorry to hear that. I guess you’ll have to try harder next year.
Don’t want to wait until next year? Tired of the Christmas frustrations? Then stop what you are doing for a moment and hear God’s Word on the topic. “The Virgin will bear a Son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
That infant in diapers in the manger is God himself. He is bigger than any disagreements you will have this Christmas, for He has taken away the world’s sin.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Christmas Day
Merry Christmas! The angels sang! The shepherds saw. Mary pondered. The shepherds rejoiced and told all that they saw and heard.
There will be Santa and mistletoe and cartoons filled with gleeful characters that bring a nostalgic smile to faces all the while families sit around decorated trees tearing into presents.
These things are all good. Enjoy the moments that God has provided for you this season.
But don’t miss the opportunity to receive the greatest gift of all; God in human flesh. Receive Jesus this season in His Holy Word. See Jesus, just as the shepherds saw him that first Christmas night, Jesus, in body and blood, residing in His Word for you.
Be gathered together by the Gospel call, like a child calling the family around the tree to open presents. Only this is the greatest present of all, Jesus bestowing His forgiveness on you.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
There will be Santa and mistletoe and cartoons filled with gleeful characters that bring a nostalgic smile to faces all the while families sit around decorated trees tearing into presents.
These things are all good. Enjoy the moments that God has provided for you this season.
But don’t miss the opportunity to receive the greatest gift of all; God in human flesh. Receive Jesus this season in His Holy Word. See Jesus, just as the shepherds saw him that first Christmas night, Jesus, in body and blood, residing in His Word for you.
Be gathered together by the Gospel call, like a child calling the family around the tree to open presents. Only this is the greatest present of all, Jesus bestowing His forgiveness on you.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Advent 4
In the hustle and bustle of the season, where family and friends enter our lives to join our celebrations, take time to ponder another family who made a journey to their home town. There amidst a normally sleepy little town, now bustling with weary travelers for a census, came a normal looking family.
But this normal looking family awaited an event that was foretold from the fall of man into sin; the birth of the Savior of the world. The one who would destroy sin and death forever. The one who would reunite our heavenly Father with His children eternally.
They would call Him Jesus, just as the angel said, for He would save the world from their sins. Come to reside in human flesh. God and man inseparably united together. Come to reside with you.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
But this normal looking family awaited an event that was foretold from the fall of man into sin; the birth of the Savior of the world. The one who would destroy sin and death forever. The one who would reunite our heavenly Father with His children eternally.
They would call Him Jesus, just as the angel said, for He would save the world from their sins. Come to reside in human flesh. God and man inseparably united together. Come to reside with you.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Advent 3
Every celebration requires the right attire. Do you have your Christmas clothes yet? The time is coming quickly. In these weeks leading up to Christmas, it is good to think about what you will wear to the celebration that will last forever.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of it this way:
…for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
On our own we are clothed with the sin stained clothes of a beggar. But that is not good enough for our God. Instead, this Christmas he has clothed us with the baptismal robes of righteousness given to us by a babe in Bethlehem by the name of Jesus.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of it this way:
…for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
On our own we are clothed with the sin stained clothes of a beggar. But that is not good enough for our God. Instead, this Christmas he has clothed us with the baptismal robes of righteousness given to us by a babe in Bethlehem by the name of Jesus.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Advent 2
What brought you comfort as a child? Was it your special blanket? Your favorite doll? Retreating to your room? Was it mom’s gentle voice or dad’s strong arms? Why did you need comfort? Was it because you had a fight or you were afraid of what might hurt you?
The prophet Isaiah cried out, “Comfort, comfort, my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned….”
There is nothing more comforting than the gentle words of our Heavenly Father enfleshed in the person of His Son, Jesus. In His flesh is the forgiveness of all of our sins. This is true comfort. The end to the war between our sinful flesh and our perfect God is found in a babe in Bethlehem. Comfort that lasts into eternity!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
The prophet Isaiah cried out, “Comfort, comfort, my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned….”
There is nothing more comforting than the gentle words of our Heavenly Father enfleshed in the person of His Son, Jesus. In His flesh is the forgiveness of all of our sins. This is true comfort. The end to the war between our sinful flesh and our perfect God is found in a babe in Bethlehem. Comfort that lasts into eternity!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Thanksgiving
Stop! Before you carve that turkey. Put that fork down! Fold your hands and bow your heads. On this day of National Thanksgiving it is easy to be thankful for the food on the plate and the family that is there to share it with you. But before you say grace and move on, hear God’s Word through Paul to Timothy:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people… This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”
Yes that is right, all people. Those government officials that you want to vote out of office. That schoolyard bully. Our nations’ enemies. Pray for them. This is good and pleasing to our Savior Jesus for He gave His life for them as well. Give thanks for that good and perfect gift!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people… This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”
Yes that is right, all people. Those government officials that you want to vote out of office. That schoolyard bully. Our nations’ enemies. Pray for them. This is good and pleasing to our Savior Jesus for He gave His life for them as well. Give thanks for that good and perfect gift!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Last Sunday in the Church Year
Jesus likes to compare sheep and goats. Not that earthly goats are bad. Sheep, that is believers, go to heaven when Jesus comes again and goats, that is unbelievers, go to hell.
Jesus says of the sheep in Matthew 25:35ff:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
Yet it wasn’t that these sheep did great things, for they responded…
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
It wasn’t that they tried to do good, it was that they lived in faith as forgiven, redeemed children of God, through the blood of Jesus.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Jesus says of the sheep in Matthew 25:35ff:
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
Yet it wasn’t that these sheep did great things, for they responded…
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
It wasn’t that they tried to do good, it was that they lived in faith as forgiven, redeemed children of God, through the blood of Jesus.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
27th Sunday after Pentecost
Faithful. It’s such a little word. Yet it has major implications when we are not faithful. We pledge faithfulness to our spouse. When we aren’t faithful it hurts the relationship. Many end up in divorce. We are asked to faithfully carry out our duties at our job. When we don’t, there are consequences; garnished wages, lack of productivity, or being fired.
The same is true for our God in heaven. He demands perfect faithfulness. If you thought faithfulness to your spouse or boss was a challenge, faithfulness to a God who demands perfection is impossible.
So how can God say in Matthew 25, “well done good and faithful servant?” If I can’t be perfect, than I need the One who has been perfect in my place, Jesus Christ. To be faithful to Him is to trust that He has forgiven all my sins.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
The same is true for our God in heaven. He demands perfect faithfulness. If you thought faithfulness to your spouse or boss was a challenge, faithfulness to a God who demands perfection is impossible.
So how can God say in Matthew 25, “well done good and faithful servant?” If I can’t be perfect, than I need the One who has been perfect in my place, Jesus Christ. To be faithful to Him is to trust that He has forgiven all my sins.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
26th Sunday after Pentecost
It is easy to stare at death and see no hope. It is so final. Yet Paul tells the Thessalonians
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.… For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise…. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
We do not look back at our deeds or at death to see hope. Rather we look forward to the promise that when Jesus comes again, all who die in Christ will rise again, in their body to eternal life with Him.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.… For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise…. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
We do not look back at our deeds or at death to see hope. Rather we look forward to the promise that when Jesus comes again, all who die in Christ will rise again, in their body to eternal life with Him.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
All Saints
We have all seen those commercials that advertise the latest cleaning products. “Get’s out dried in stains, wine, and even blood.” Blood is something to be cleaned out, not cleaned with. But John writes in Revelation 7:
“They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.”
The blood of the Lamb, Jesus, is the greatest detergent of all. It cleanses every filthy stain of sin from our life. Jesus delivers that cleansing blood to us through water and word, bread and wine.
For this we rejoice for those whose robes have been washed in the blood of the Jesus; who’s trust was in the true Christian faith and now rest from their labors in death.
But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of Glory passes on His way.
Alleluia!!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
“They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.”
The blood of the Lamb, Jesus, is the greatest detergent of all. It cleanses every filthy stain of sin from our life. Jesus delivers that cleansing blood to us through water and word, bread and wine.
For this we rejoice for those whose robes have been washed in the blood of the Jesus; who’s trust was in the true Christian faith and now rest from their labors in death.
But, lo, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of Glory passes on His way.
Alleluia!!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Reformation
Reform. Change. Take something and make it different, better, more pristine. Key words this election year.
The day labeled the Reformation is really about Jesus. Romans chapter 3 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And later, For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
You can add nothing to your salvation or your earthly holiness. Jesus has done it all.
This Reformation salvation message is still for you and me today. There is no adding to it or moving on from it and we never grow out of it. It is the one central truth of the Christian faith on which all others stand or fall. Remain in this Word of Truth forever!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
The day labeled the Reformation is really about Jesus. Romans chapter 3 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And later, For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
You can add nothing to your salvation or your earthly holiness. Jesus has done it all.
This Reformation salvation message is still for you and me today. There is no adding to it or moving on from it and we never grow out of it. It is the one central truth of the Christian faith on which all others stand or fall. Remain in this Word of Truth forever!
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Proper 24
“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) Who ever said Jesus had nothing to say about money and taxes?
Yes, that’s right. Pay what you owe. No matter which politician is going to try and save you the most money this election season, whether your taxes go up or down, we have a God given responsibility to pay our taxes. Don’t seek loopholes and a way to bend the truth.
But there is a greater, equally true message that has to do with a lot more than money. “Give to God, what is God’s.” What can we give God, after all, He has it all? He doesn’t need your money. What He needs is what you need; for you to believe that Jesus has taken away all your sins.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
Yes, that’s right. Pay what you owe. No matter which politician is going to try and save you the most money this election season, whether your taxes go up or down, we have a God given responsibility to pay our taxes. Don’t seek loopholes and a way to bend the truth.
But there is a greater, equally true message that has to do with a lot more than money. “Give to God, what is God’s.” What can we give God, after all, He has it all? He doesn’t need your money. What He needs is what you need; for you to believe that Jesus has taken away all your sins.
These Seeds of Faith have been sown by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Bridgeport, NE. I’m Pastor Allen Strawn.
My apologies
I apologize for there not being updates to the blog. I will give you a nice backlog of them shortly.
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