Proper 18

It is impossible to forget that it is an election year. Once again we will put the next few years of our lives into the hands of our newly elected officials. It is easy to think that we are in control. Paul’s letter to the Romans gives a different image of our election year.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Romans 13:1

Those whom are elected to office are there under God’s authority. They are to act on His behalf. Whether they make good decisions or bad, our ever faithful God will work His glory.

May our elected officials always know that they too are to ever seek God’s will and that Christ died for them so that they may have His eternal home.

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

Proper 17

What is the work of Satan? To create havoc in the world? To spread horrible outward acts of violence? To be a visible embodiment of evil? Many of these things can come from the hand of Satan. But it is not his greatest work.

We learn a lot about Satan’s work when Peter and Jesus have an interchange in Matthew 16. Jesus is telling his disciples that He must suffer and died and be raised from the dead. That this is His primary work of salvation.

Peter vehemently disagreed with Jesus and told him it would never happen. Jesus’ response? Thanks for looking out for me. NO! “Get behind me Satan.”

The primary work of Satan is to prevent Jesus from forgiving your sins. To stop the benefits of Jesus’ cross from being delivered into your life.

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

Proper 16

How do you get into your locked house? You need a key! But not just any key, you need the RIGHT key. That key lets you into the safety and security of your own home. Without it, you have nothing. But that key does something else. Those who don’t have it, the thieves and the intruders, are kept out.

Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

He has given the church on earth the keys to our eternal home. The forgiveness of sins won by Jesus on the cross is shared to all who confess Jesus’ name and all He has done for us. Thanks be to God for Jesus’ forgiveness shared through His Church!

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

Proper 15

What do you feed your dog? His own special food? Table scraps? Or maybe your dog is a canine vacuum cleaner gobbling up anything that touches the floor under your table.

Your canine vacuum doesn’t deserve to eat those crumbs. It happens to be one of the benefits of being in your household. Some days he reaps greater rewards than others. But none the less, his presence in your house is of tasty benefit to him.

This is the understanding of a woman who approaches Jesus to heal her daughter. She trusted that even the food that fell from the Master’s table was enough to sustain her.

Jesus then said to this woman something He never said to even His chosen disciples: “Great is your faith!”

Great is the faith of those who trust in Jesus’ undeserved care.

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

Proper 14

Jump in! The water is fine! The sounds of summer at the pool. Peter in Matthew 14 made such a jump; from the boat to the sea. At Peter’s request, Jesus bid him to walk on the water to meet up with his Lord. And in did he jump without a splash.

If we would pause the frame right there, life is pretty good for Peter. He’s living a miraculous life standing on the water. But there is no pause button in life. The wind and the waves began to crash and Peter began to sink because he was afraid.

In reached his Savior’s hand. Thank you Peter, for what you experienced, so do we. The wind and waves do crash in on our miraculous lives, and we are afraid. And in reaches our Savior’s hand and pulls us out of the drowning water into His marvelous eternal arms.

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

Pentecost 11; Proper 12

How precious are you in the sight of God? How about a treasure that He hides in a field to keep you safe and then sells everything to buy the field?

Or how about he compare you to a fine pearl that He is willing to sell everything to acquire you?

It may sound strange but that is how our heavenly Father views all of you. Jesus told these parables in Matthew 13 to show us that God is willing to give everything so that He may have you. Everything, that is, His own dear Son to pay for you, so that you may be in His kingdom forever.

Don’t feel that precious or valuable? Look at yourself through the fountain of the blood of the Son of God and see the reflection of your Savior.

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

Pentecost 10, Proper 11

Before the advent of the use of weed specific chemicals to take care of a sugar beet or bean field, it was common to walk out with a hoe and chop out as many weeds as you could. But it was inevitable that you would end up chopping some of the crop along with the weeds. Call them casualties of war.

Our Savior Jesus, uses weeds in a field as an image in Matthew 13 to communicate that there will always be evil in this world. But our Savior doesn’t want any casualties of war. Those who are against Jesus are so entwined with the believers that separating them in this world is impossible.

Jesus will send His angels to take care of that when He comes again in all His glory.

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

Pentecost 9, Proper 10

What do you think of a farmer who plants his seed in good soil? You think he is simply a normal farmer. What if this same farmer planted his seed along the road? Now you wouldn’t think he is very wise, would you? What about a farmer who didn’t prepare the soil first by getting rid of all the large rocks? Or what about a farmer who saw an extremely weedy plot of land and planted his seed there? Not very smart?

Although you might not think much about that earthly farmer, our heavenly Father is just that liberal with the seed of His Word. He doesn’t just give the Word to faithful believers, He casts it among those who get choked by the cares of this world. He throws it out even amidst all those who are hard hearted like rocky ground. This is how gracious He is for our salvation.

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

Freedom

Fireworks! Explosions! Celebration! Grilling out! Family and Friends! Party!!!

Let freedom ring!

We pour much of our summer energy into celebrating this all important day for our country. Independence from someone over a distant sea ruling our land. Waving flags and banners, parades and carnivals. The victory that gives freedom.

And then we go back to our daily lives feeling as if freedom from ourselves and our addictions and bad habits and behaviors seems far away. Is the freedom given in this country enough?

No, it isn’t. But there is a greater freedom.

Paul says to the Romans “We know that our old self was crucified with (Jesus) in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. [For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”]

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

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

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