Pentecost 3

Now that the school year is over, the conversations of reading, writing, and arithmetic will go into extinction for the summer. But what about your conversations of God’s Word?

Deuteronomy 11 says: “You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Formal education in the faith is great, but more invaluable is your everyday conversation about the things of God in the life of your family. Teaching all that Jesus has done FOR YOU in His death and resurrection does not have a beginning and ending date. That forgiveness is worthy of talking about every day, spring, summer, winter and fall. Do not graduate from God’s Word. Remain in it forever.

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

Pentecost 2

How will we pay the bills? What are we going to do with Grandma? We can’t afford to put her in a nursing home? We can’t afford all the fuel costs this year!

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?... But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

If Jesus would give you eternal life by His dying and rising, how much more will He care for you in the midst of worldly anxiety?

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

Easter 6

What saved Noah, his family, eight total, and every kind of animal? It would be easy to answer, “God’s grace.” Or “God’s plan.” These are true statements, yet they don’t really tell the whole picture. How about this question, what makes anything float?

Water.

God’s Word tells us in 1Peter 3:

God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you,

Noah, his family, and all the animals were saved by the water that rushed and killed everything evil around them. It is that same water, empowered by Jesus’ death and resurrection and given the power to forgive by Jesus’ promise that kills all the wickedness in your life and raises you to new life.

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

Easter 5

It really hurts when you stub your toe. You would think that it would be easy to know where your own feet are going. But somehow, no matter how cautious you are, you will stub your toe. For those of us who are exceptionally clumsy, it might be quite frequent, and you may even fall.

God tells us in 1 Peter 2 that a stone of stumbling exists.

"The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,"

and

"A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense."

That stone of stumbling is Jesus Christ. Many stumble over Him because by Jesus’ death and resurrection, salvation is just plain easy. They stumble because they wish to add something to Jesus life giving Word and promise of forgiveness.

No need to stumble. Salvation in Jesus is that simple.

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

Easter 4

The 60’s produced gatherings of like minded individuals that would pack themselves into one location, supporting each other in their “new” free beliefs.

While the radical 60’s wouldn’t exactly be what we would consider appropriate behavior in their communal situations, the book of Acts speaks of a communal situation.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. … And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

This communal living is called the church, where we are to learn the one true faith together, receive God’s gifts in worship together and have everything in common.

This is true communion with God and with one another, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

Easter 3

Have you ever had all the facts laid out for you, yet it still didn’t make any sense? When I was a linear algebra student oftentimes all the formulas were on the page, but the problem just didn’t make any sense. It would take the teacher to reveal it to me.

As the Emmaus road disciples walked with a man whom they didn’t recognize, they had all the facts laid out. We had hope Jesus would be the Messiah. He said he would be put to death and He was crucified. He said He would come back from the dead three days later, and the women at the tomb said it was empty.

They had all the facts, but the Truth hadn’t been revealed to them, that is until Jesus opened their eyes and gave Himself to them in the breaking of bread.

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

Easter Week

Alleluia! Jesus is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

There have been a lot of men who have died over six thousand or so years. The cross has been the instrument of death for many of them. Some men have even claimed to be a savior of the world.

Only one man has risen bodily from the dead and proved it by showing himself to over 500 people. That man is Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. Jesus rose physically from the dead because He cares about your physical body both now and into eternity. His physical resurrection is the victory march over the effects of sin, disease, infection, cancer, death. His physical resurrection is His promise to you that these things will not plague our bodies into eternity.

Alleluia! Jesus is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

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

Holy Week

It seems foolish. What self respecting Savior would die on a cross?

And besides, can any one man die for the punishment of the entire world’s guilt?

Only God is big enough to make that kind of sacrifice. But then, how weak must God be?

The Word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

He was weak so that we would be strong. Jesus’ death, God’s death, is our life.

To those who believe, Jesus is the power of God who forgives their sins and raise them up to everlasting life.

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

Palm Sunday

It is time for a parade! The most important dignitary of the whole wide world is coming to your town. Break out the banners! Strike up the band! Don’t forget the streamers. He’s right around the corner. Wait, he doesn’t seem to be all giddy with excitement. Oh he seems to be trying to smile, but are those tears in His eyes? Hmm… Oh it’s time to shout… Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

Yes indeed, Blessed is He who continues to come to us in the name of the Lord through, Word and Water, Bread and Wine. That first Palm Sunday to enter to pay for the sin of the World. Now He comes to bring that forgiveness to you. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Jesus our Savior King!

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

Lent 5

Crime shows have a fascination with finding bones subtly hidden in the wide open. There is one thing that is guaranteed when they find bones. The person is dead. No need to call for an EMT. Mouth to mouth won’t help.

Spiritually, we are like those bones found, long dead. There is no getting up and walking on our own accord. But the Holy Spirit through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, can give you spiritual mouth to mouth

St. Paul says in Romans 8, “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

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

Lent 4

I only need to take off my glasses to know what it is like to not be able to make out any detail in the world. But the total darkness of blindness terrifies me. One thing that I do know for certain… even in earthly blindness, “the works of God will be displayed.” (John 9:3)

We need not try and find what causes each hardship in our lives. Instead, how will the work of God be displayed?

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame…(Hebrews 12:2)

And that is the greatest work of God that He has done. He sent Jesus to endure the cross to take away our sin. That is the greatest work of God displayed in our lives.

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

Lent 3

“Is the Lord among us or not!” cried the children of Israel while they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. They were hungry. They were thirsty. At least that had something when they were slaves in Egypt.

If God is with me why??? “It would be better if…”Sound familiar? especially when it seems things are not going your way.

St. Paul says “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

In the midst of your worldly sufferings, drink deeply of the stricken rock, Jesus Christ our Lord. In Him is the only true nourishment.

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

Lent 2

Born again. Right Jesus. You want me to get back into my mother’s belly and be born again. Wouldn’t that be silly? How could I even fit, I’m all grown up. As if being born once isn’t traumatic enough.

Jesus’ response to Nicodemus. “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

This being born again must be pretty important that Jesus would describe it and connect heaven to it! Water, Spirit, and heaven collide in Baptism. Out with the old birth, in with the new. The sinful child from conception is gone. The new man given birth in water and the Spirit, whether your 1 day or 100 years. With the new man comes heaven given to you. Thank you Jesus.

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

Lent 1

“The devil made me do it!” cries the child, trying to convince his parents why he shouldn’t be punished. Parents quickly see through that charade knowing that the only thing that made their child disobey was their own selfish desire to do what they should not do.

Temptations to do what we should not do abound. They come in forms as subtle as TV commercials and as blatant as friends saying, “c’mon give it a try.” Jesus as He walked this earth was not exempt from temptations. And He even had a batch handed out by the Devil himself.

Jesus overcame all of these temptations by using God’s Holy Word to live a spotless life in our place. When we succumb to our own temptations, cling to God’s Holy Word of promise of forgiveness of sins in Jesus death and resurrection.

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

Ash Wednesday

Even though we are in the midst of cold temperatures and snow, we are coming upon a dusty season. No, I’m not predicting another dry spring. Instead I am talking about the dusty season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday.

God cursed our first parents Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, “for you are dust and to dust you shall return.” We also live under that same curse. Ash Wednesday then is a reminder of our mortality caused by our first parent’s sin and yes even our own sin. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Death.

And God sent His Son, Jesus into the dust of our flesh so that the dusty mortal’s curse would be placed on Jesus, leaving us with His immortality.

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

Transfiguration of Our Lord

One more happy time. One more glimpse of glory. One more precious moment to make a memory last forever. These are things that people wish for when they are in the midst of sorrow and suffering. One last hurrah.

In the church calendar we get one more high point before going into the somber season of Lent. We see Jesus standing on a mountain with his clothes as white as light hearing a booming voice from the Father, “This is my beloved Son, with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”

Why the glimpse of glory before the slew of sadness? So that we, who live most of our lives in the valley may know that we can listen to the Word of God and trust that He ascended the mountain of the cross for you and me.

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

Epiphany 3 Seeds of Faith

It can be one of the most heated battles in childhood games. To be the first to get that checker all the way across the table and get to cry out…. “King Me!” Your kingdom is at hand.

In Matthew 4:17 Jesus says, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This isn’t some childhood game of checkers where Jesus marched across a table and claimed an earthly crown.

Although the world was seeing some earthly consequences to the kingdom of God being at hand in Jesus. The deaf hear, the lepers cleansed, the blind see.

This is just a small glimpse at the true Kingdom of God. Jesus did march, not across a table but up a tree, to die to take away all sin. By doing so He opened up the eternal Kingdom of God to all believers where there is no more sickness and death.

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

2nd Sunday after Epiphany Seeds of Faith

During the Civil War a company of Confederate irregulars known as the Bushwackers were arrested by Union soldiers. Because they were not in uniform, they were not recognized as prisoners of war but were sentenced to be shot. A courageous boy in the Union Army touched his commanding officers arm and pleaded, “I know one of the condemned men. He has a large family who needs him badly. Please let me take his place. My parents are dead and I have few friends. No one will miss me. Let me take his punishment.” Hesitant, the officer finally consented. His marker reads: “Sacred to the memory of Willy Lear. He took my place.”

Behold the Lamb of God, Jesus, who takes our punishment of eternal death onto himself so that we no longer must face the wrath of God, but rather have his good pleasure. He took my place.

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

The Baptism of Our Lord Seeds of Faith

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Which one? The one standing in the muck of the Jordan River? The one who had water wash over his head by God’s servant, John? The one who the Spirit descended on in the form of a dove? Yes this one! The Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present there to attest to it!

Well, that’s nice Jesus, just go and dry off now and let us ponder more important things.

Woah! Put on the brakes for a moment. Let us not hurry too quickly past this seemingly small event in Jesus’ life. If the Father is well pleased with His Son, that means he is pleased with all those who are baptized into Jesus. You are my beloved child, with you I am well pleased.

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

Epiphany Seeds of Faith

On Sunday was the celebration of Epiphany*, that is, the coming of the Wise Men to see the infant Jesus. It was made clear to them that God had indeed brought about everything He had prophesied would take place. The Wise Men were shown the King of the World wrapped in diapers. God told it. They saw it with their eyes and their eyes of faith. It is certain.

We call these men wise, not because they had any greater knowledge than anyone else but rather because they knew to listen to God’s direction to see Jesus. Oh to be wise like the Wise Men who followed the light of the star.

We don’t need astronomical skills to be wise like the Wise Men. Simply put, open God’s Holy unerring Word. It’s light will always point you to your Savior, Jesus.

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

*To make clear or certain by showing or displaying