Advent 1

The Lord Jesus enters Jerusalem “humble, and mounted on a donkey,” riding on “a beast of burden” (Matt. 21:5), as He Himself bears the sins of the world in His body. Now He comes by the proclamation of the Gospel to save us from sin, death, the devil, and hell.

Therefore, we sing, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matt. 21:9). By His Word, we “walk in the light of the Lord” (Is. 2:5). That is to live in love, which “does no wrong to a neighbor” (Rom. 13:10). We “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light”.

Hence, the entire Christian life is a time to wake and watch, “for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24:42). We wait in hope for our Advent King.

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

Day of National Thanksgiving

The nation resounds with thanksgiving for the earth's bountiful harvest, crops of wheat and grains, all beneath the canopy of God's almighty care. But “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord”. It is this divine Word that penetrates the world with its Law and Gospel which proclaims Jesus as the sole source of life, health, and wholeness.

It is Jesus who heals lepers with His Word. Of the ten cleansed, only one expresses thanksgiving back to Jesus. But true gratitude proceeds from a heart sustained by faith. Jesus bids this one to “rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” So also, we are sent from the Divine Service, bolstered in our faith by the Word to be thankful in our circumstances of plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

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 reigns in love among those who are baptized in His name. He says, “They shall be mine.” In the proclamation of His Son, God makes His justice clear defining “the distinction between the righteous and the wicked”. He truly is “the King”, who governs His Church with all authority in heaven and on earth. He has come into His Kingdom by His cross, and He graciously remembers us in Paradise.

Therefore, do not weep for Him, but with repentant faith “weep for yourselves and for your children”. Then the mountains and hills of Jerusalem, His holy Church, shall cover you with His righteousness and peace. For “All things were created through him and for him”, and “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” bodily in Him, reconciling all things to Himself “by the blood of His cross”.

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

Proper 28

The temperature is getting colder. The leaves are falling. Harvest is done or almost done. Wars and worldly strife. Broken families. Wildfires, earthquakes, and hurricanes that tear the world apart and take life.

What do all of these things have in common? They tell us a change is about to take place. Unfortunately the change isn’t as tame as fall turning into winter. But it is just as obvious. When we see all the pain, suffering, and death, Jesus says then we know that the Kingdom of God is near.

But for those who are in Christ, they need not fear all of the calamity. Jesus says, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” His words of promise and salvation are for all who trust in Him. When you are in Him, eternity is yours.

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

All Saint's

“A great multitude from all tribes and peoples and languages,” cry out “salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne”. Faith-filled saints from every place and time “shall see him as he is” and with unified voices eternally magnify the Lamb of God. In our earthly tension vacillating between saint and sinner, faith and doubt, we earnestly seek Jesus to calm our fears, comfort our spirits, and forgive our sins. The Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ propels us forward, fortifying us in Word and Sacrament, to our eternal home. In the midst of our constant struggle as believers, we need to be blessed. And so we are. The poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the merciful, the pure, and the persecuted are all blessed and we will most certainly inherit the kingdom of heaven.

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

All Saint's Day

“Get’s out dried in stains, wine, and even blood,” says the commercial for cleaning products. 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.

Reformation

We are coming upon the celebration of the posting of 95 statements of debate on a door at a church in Germany some 490 years ago. Who could imagine that a German monk named Martin Luther would still have an impact today. Time magazine placed him in the top ten most influential people in the entire world!

But if it were really about a man named Luther, we would have forgotten about him long ago. The day labeled the Reformation is really about Jesus.

For He has rescued us by His grace from the slavery of sin and death. By the proclamation of His eternal Gospel “to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people”

By hearing this Gospel of Christ Jesus, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”

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

Proper 23

Ten lepers cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Jesus says: "Go show yourselves to the priests." You only did that after the flesh quit rotting and was restored. Jesus speaks to them as if they are healed already. And in Him they are.

So they go and on the way they are healed! You’d think it would be easy to remember to turn around and give thanks, especially when you get what you ask for. But alas, even after their heartfelt cries for salvation, “mercy,” thanksgiving wasn’t on their mind.

Except for one heathen Samaritan. "Arise. Your faith has saved you." What Jesus does for the Samaritan, He does for us. “Arise!. Go your way. Your faith in Jesus has saved you.” For anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has passed the new has come.

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