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WEEKLY DEVOTION
APRIL 9

Tuesday, APRIL 9, 2024

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“Who Will Roll Away the Stone?”

READING: Mark 16:1-6 – When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

Pharaohs built great pyramids in old Egypt filled with all kinds of luxuries and loot to while away the time until it was done. A Chinese emperor had a huge army of thousands of entirely different and unique ceramic soldiers and horses made to assure its happening. A famous baseball player had his body quick-frozen and kept perpetually at perfect zero until it could happen. The nobles and the wealthy of many ages and on nearly every continent had themselves buried in elaborate tombs supplied with utensils, gold, and now and again, a wife or two and a couple of servants so they wouldn’t be lonely or wanting until the time came. Nearly every religion known to man has some thoughts and even an answer or two when the subject comes up. So what am I talking about? The question the ladies asked one another as they hurried to Jesus’ tomb that Sunday morning: “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?”

That is a question that has bedeviled human beings from their earliest times. “When I die and the family buries my body, is that it? Or will there be more? If so, who will open my tomb and bid me to come out?” Good question, right? Hard question for the unbeliever, the agnostic, the skeptic, but not so hard for the Christians. Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb? The ancients outside Israel had all kinds of ideas. Most of them revolved around an afterlife that resembled their earthly existence only in a more ethereal plane. It was going to be so much like earthly life that they tried to pack every comfort, luxury, and tool so they wouldn’t be wanting “on the other side”. A lot of thought and a lot of expense went into it for those on the “uptown train.” For the poor and for the slaves, there was a plain and empty grave that might mean more of the same kind of existence in the afterlife. No promises of something better or freer.

Even still in our day there is much writing and speculating about what comes after death. Except for the hardcore and committed atheists, most people at least speculate about what might be waiting for them “out there.” Mostly it’s wishful thinking about “The Big Guy Upstairs” who’s been watching from a distance and knows that they “tried to be good.” They tried “not to hurt anybody” and they were good to kids and animals. They hope “The Big Guy” cuts them some slack “…cause after all, nobody’s perfect.” They have a nebulous hope to meet up with their family and loved ones somewhere, somehow. No promises; no assurances, just some wishful thoughts.

Not so you and me! We know EXACTLY who is going to roll away the stone from the entrance to our tombs. We know how he’s going to do it, too. “He will come on the clouds with the angels and the saints, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” (I Thess. 4) That last and glorious day will be the fulfillment of every promise Jesus has made to us. No wishful thinking here. No nebulous hopes. We have HIS WORD on it.

When the women were hurrying to the tomb, their thoughts were filled with the practical details of a Jewish burial rite. Traditions and requirements had to be met. Things had to be done right. But the most practical of all their concerns was getting that tomb opened up. They had seen the stone rolled in place. They knew how big it was; all of them together would not be strong enough to budge it. So came the question, “Who will roll away the stone…?”

Little did they guess that the answer had already been given. Their greatest needs has already been addressed: forgiveness of their sins, reconciliation with God, through baptism a status of sons and daughters of God would be given, and a reunion in heaven with their dear Lord and all those who died in Jesus. It had all been taken care of for them and for us.

So as you and I continue to celebrate the Easter season and rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection, we don’t have to wonder and worry about the afterlife. When we give up our final breath, we already have a place prepared for us by the One who did not let the stone set before his own tomb hinder him. That thing got blown away. It could not hold him. The grave could not claim him. Neither will our graves hold us. When the Lord gives the loud command, “Come out!” we will do what Lazarus did when he heard the voice of Jesus: come alive and come out! Stone or no stone! Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) Please pray for our Junior Confirmands. This weekend they participate in their Retreat. On April 21 they will make their good Confessions in the Sunday morning services. And then on the 28th, they will be confirmed in the faith in the 10:30 service. Pray for Amelia, Madelyn, Maggie, Breena, Heidi, Knox, Landon, Asa, Kellen, and Lukas as they prepare themselves for the events of this month.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/v5jtMa_Pd4M

PRINTABLE PDF: WDAPRIL9.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION APRIL 8

Monday, APRIL 8, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“Over the Moon”

Today is a special day. Today is the day of the Solar Eclipse here in Indiana. I’ve picked up my eclipse glasses and I have a place to go to watch within the zone of totality. The zone of totality is something we have been hearing a lot about for the last few months. This zone of totality describes the area that is going to be totally dark when the eclipse happens. In a nutshell it’s the zone that has the best seats in the house. Well, since this will be the last eclipse over Indiana within many of our lifetimes, (2049 being the next one), I am going to try to experience this rare moment.

What role does the moon have in scripture? Well, Genesis 1:14-18 speaks of the moon as one of the “great lights” that God made on the fourth day. The moon is part of the system of “lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and…to mark sacred times, and days, and years…God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.” The moon with all its phases is designed to mark the passing of time from day to day, month to month.

The new moons mentioned in scripture also marked the beginning of months in the lunar-based Hebrew calendar and signaled times for certain sacrifices. Numbers 28:11 speaks to the Israelites; “At the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish…” In speaking about the Passover, we hear Psalm 81:3 says, “Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival…” The time that the moon marks is often associated with a festival or sacrifice. Because of the moon’s association with Passover, it is possible that a full moon may have been in the night sky on the night Jesus was betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Having just celebrated Passover the timing may have been just right for the moon to be full.

On another interesting front the moon is also associated with Joel 2:31: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” (See also Revelation 6:12). The moon seems to also have a role in the future for marking the end of time when the Lord returns on judgement day. In speaking about the restoration of Israel from Babylon Isaiah 30:26 marks the occasion with a day when “the moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter.” It certainly appears that the moon is a marker of significant moments in our future as well as our current calendar.

According to Wikipedia, The Moon is a planetary-mass object or satellite planet. Its mass is 1.2% that of the Earth, and its diameter is 3,474 km (2,159 mi), roughly one-quarter of Earth’s (about as wide as Australia.) The moon also has a significant role to play on our oceans. The high tide is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. The moon effectively causes the tides to bulge out on both sides of the planet. (See illustrations from Nasa sight– https://science.nasa.gov/moon/tides/). The earth seems to be interdependent upon the Earth and the Earth to the moon. And based on all the pot marks and craters on the surface of this rock it also seems to me to be a nice little shield from various garbage floating about. The science of it all is pretty amazing. The Lord has been very creative with this lessor light.

As spiritual lessons go the moon as bright and as amazing as any full moon may shine it is still just a rock with no actual light of its own. All it can do is reflect the light of the sun. Without the sun there is no light of the moon. Human beings are likewise a reflection of the Light of the Son, Jesus. We are the light of the world says John 1:4-5, but only in so far as we are people of Christ. We are created in His image made to reflect that image. Seeing us is to see Jesus. We are not to be the center of attention but to remind others of the greater light of Christ.

Years ago, during a season when I worked at Yosemite National Park in California, I once got the opportunity to hike up to the top of half-dome in the full moon light in July. Half-dome in Yosemite is basically a huge bald granite mountain. The face of mountain facing the Yosemite Valley is flat but the 11.5 acres on top is as bald and rocky as it gets. My friend and I got to the top of the mountain at about midnight. The best part about it was the full moon. The light of the moon reflected off the granite so brightly that the whole mountain seemed to glow in the dark. It was so bright that neither of us needed a flashlight to see. It will always be a once in a lifetime experience that I will remember all my life.

Today’s eclipse is a once in a lifetime experience as well. The hope is for us to be the light of Christ to someone in a way that we can leave a lasting impression as well. You see, the moon is a daily reminder of a greater Gospel truth. God’s people are designed to reflect the greater light, a light that shines in the darkness. As followers we are the lessor light. We are a light in the darkness only because of Jesus. The design of who we are as God’s people is to shine in a way that the people see our good works but then give God the credit for the goodness that is demonstrated. To see us God willing they see Christ.

It should not be lost on us that Jesus Himself also represented the Father in a similar fashion as well. In John 12:44-46 Jesus cries out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” In John 14:9 when Philip asks Jesus to show him the Father Jesus immediately reminds the disciples, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father as well.” This is the same Jesus who said, “I am the light of the world.” What that means for us is spelled out in 2 Corinthians 3:18; “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Just as the moon is tied to an intricately and brilliant eco system which relies on the light of our sun so too we are part of a greater body of work by our Lord. We too rely on the Light of Christ and we too are part of the greater body of work by our Lord in the saving of many souls.

I don’t read much into eclipses except that they are a marvel and a unique conjunction of God’s creation. I do think however that the moon holds for us Christians a strong example of what we are designed to be as image bearers. We are not here independently in this world. We are part of a body as much as the moon is part of a greater celestial creation and together we groan for the Lord’s return. In the meantime, we are designed to influence those closest to us much like the moon affects the tides. We are to be a reflection of the greater light; no light of our own, but made to reflect a greater image than ourselves. And just as the light of the moon is evidence in the night that light is still shining Christians are evidence in this dark world that light is still with us. Praise God for the moon and for its humble service in our night sky.

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WDApril8.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/j9d1Ol2pydM

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327

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WEEKLY DEVOTION
APRIL 2

Tuesday, APRIL 2, 2024

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“The First Word”

READING: I Corinthians 15:1-8 – Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! A Blessed Easter to each and every one of you. What a marvelous day Easter is! Lent and Holy Week with all their gloom, their doleful music, and their sorrow give way to the loud and joyful sounds of celebration and victory. There’s nothing like it. Not even Christmas can match the triumphal pitch of Easter.

Our text for this morning may be more important than you’ve ever imagined. Certainly it’s St. Paul stressing the importance of Jesus’ resurrection to the Christian community. He goes on in the chapter to remind us all that if there is no truth to the Easter story, if Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, then the entire Christian message is humbug and without merit. Then our faith is worthless, and we are still mired in our sins. After this discussion he sounds the triumphal note with these words, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

What you might not be aware of is that our reading today is widely considered in scholarly ranks as the earliest written attestation of Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead. You see the learned people think that Paul wrote I Corinthians in 55 A.D. near the end his three-year stay in Ephesus. The best guesses for the writing of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) seem to point to a late 50’s, early 60’s. John is typically considered to have been written in the 70’s or even 80’s. If (and I say, if) the scholars are close to correct, St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is the first written testimony we have of the Resurrection. That makes it an important text to those who want to investigate the Easter story.

St. Paul is the only one to give us a list of the various witnesses to the Resurrection. Look back at his list and ask yourself, “Who is NOT on that list?” The answer is: the Ladies. That’s always of interest to the scholars, for the Gospel writers all give prominence to the women being the first to receive the Good News and even to be the first to see and touch the living Jesus. Paul says nothing about them. Of course the skeptics always veer towards, “Obviously, the early church was at odds over who saw Jesus and hadn’t yet solidified their story.” (To that I say, “Bologna!”)

I think that Paul’s purpose here is to establish his credentials as an evangelist. Having already brought the good news of Christ to the Corinthians, he mentions some of the most well-known and prominent eye-witnesses such as Peter, James, and “The Twelve” before listing his own testimony. He doesn’t need to mention the women because the Corinthians wouldn’t have known them, nor would they bolster his place on the list. Whatever his reasoning, the Gospels all testify to the role of the women on Easter morning.

If Paul did write this letter in 55, we realize he is doing so only some 20-25 years after the Passion and Resurrection took place. There would have been many of the eye-witnesses still living who could attest to his report or contradict it if it was not accurate. Paul is already well aware of the importance of the Easter message to the salvation offered in Jesus’ name. Without the Resurrection there IS NO CHURCH! Without the physical resurrection of Jesus we have no real hope in him. If there was a dead Jesus in some grave on the third day, then the whole thing is a sham and a shame. The skeptics and the unbelievers have always realized this, that’s why they so often attack the Resurrection. It is the column on which the Church stands or falls. Thanks be to God that we have eye-witness testimony and the martyrdom of so many of the principal leaders of the Church. That they were willing to die for the Savior attests to their absolute faith in the truth of that Sunday morning. Who is willing to die for a fabrication they know to be a lie?

Jesus lives! Paul knew it. Peter knew it. James knew it. Mary Magdeline knew it. The Twelve knew it. And because they knew it, we know it, too! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia and amen!

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) Please pray for our Junior Confirmands. Next weekend they participate in their Retreat. On April 21 they will make their good Confessions in the Sunday morning services. And then on the 28th, they will be confirmed in the faith in the 10:30 service. Pray for Amelia, Madelyn, Maggie, Breena, Heidi, Knox, Landon, Asa, Kellen, and Lukas as they prepare themselves for the events of this month.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/zNsNkMn4jKE

PRINTABLE PDF: WDAPRIL2.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION APRIL 1

Monday, APRIL 1, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“The Tomb is Empty”

Empty things are usually discarded. Ever notice that. When the paint can runs out of paint what do we do with it? (Throw it away.) When tube of toothpaste has been squeezed and flattened until no more can be gotten out what do we do with the empty tube? (Throw it away).

We are not normally keen on empty things. If we were to get an empty box all for our birthday it probably wouldn’t mean much. “Yes, but look how pretty it is wrapped. I wrapped it really pretty just for you.” Yea, no. If the outside is really pretty but nothing is inside of it what’s the point? Right?

We are not really fond of things being empty. If our gas tank is empty we fill it. It’s either filled up again or the car won’t run—for most of us. If we use the expression, “my tank is empty” we may need to fill our stomachs or get an energy drink to “fill our tanks” because we may be tired. Most of us like things that are full. We fill our garages. We fill our closets. We fill our stomachs and our schedules. Let’s face it. Empty things are usually thrown out or refilled.

On Easter Sunday the Tomb that Jesus was laid in was empty. Matt 28 tells us that an angel came down from heaven and rolled away the stone. His appearance was like lightening, and his clothes as white as snow. It was so overwhelming that the guards of the tomb shook and became like dead men.

When the tomb was sealed Pilate put a Roman seal on it which meant than anyone who opened did so under penalty of death. However, the angel was of a higher authority than Rome and opened the tomb for the women to see what was inside. It was empty. It was a tomb without a dead body. Oh, the grave clothes were there but no Jesus.

Maybe they got the wrong tomb. How many of us who have buried a mother, or father, or a child would ever forget where their grave was. Come on! Matthew 27:61 tell us that Mary Magdalene was watching as Joseph and Nicodemus placed Jesus in the tomb. And something tells me that the view of the angel also gave it away. John 19 mentions that all that was left when Peter and John looked inside later on was Jesus’ burial clothes. His resurrected body passed right through them but the head clothe was folded up by itself. The tomb is empty. No dead body. Jesus was not there.

Maybe Jesus wasn’t dead and just walked out on his own. Come on! Even the chief priests saw how beaten and bruised Jesus was. They watched Jesus die. They insisted on his death. Can anyone seriously believe that those men who hated Jesus so much would let him slip away. Besides the Roman soldiers did this for a living. The had crucified many. The callous way that they cast lots for Jesus’ clothes right at the foot of the cross illustrates how routine this was for them. Besides all of this they made sure Jesus was dead when one of them thrust the spear into Jesus’ side—blood and water flowed. Jesus didn’t flinch or move. He was dead. Even Mary Magdalene, goes looking for a dead body for a bit in order to put Jesus back into the grave. Everyone knew Jesus was actually dead. And even if he did survive how would he have the strength to move the large stone? Not dead. Come on! It would take a lot more faith to even consider such things as possible. Anything but the Gospel truth is an empty story.

The angel’s words say it all. “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

The tomb is empty because Jesus isn’t in it anymore. He is risen! He is risen indeed! If He didn’t our faith would be futile. The empty tomb became the loudest place on the planet. It may be empty but it is full of meaning for us. Isn’t it cool! The cross which was a symbol of death becomes the symbol of life. The tomb which is a place of death becomes the place for life.

What’s amazing is how the chief priests react to the guards’ report. Somewhere they had heard Jesus’ prophecy that he would rise on the third day. They were hell-bent on keeping Jesus in the grave; posting the guards and getting Pilate to seal the tomb.

The tomb is empty. The guards undoubtably went looking for a body when they woke up. If Jesus body were to be found they would have gladly paraded it back to the tomb. But there wasn’t a body. To be fair I guess even Mary Magdalene went looking for Jesus’ body.

The guards were definitely shaken by this and reported everything to the chief priests. And what was their reaction. “Praise God! Looks like we were wrong after all. Let’s go and worship at the empty tomb!” Not even close. Nope. They devised a plan. More plotting and scheming behind closed doors. They came up with their own story. Here is what you are to say…. “Tell everyone you are really terrible soldiers who slept on the job. Then somehow while you were sleeping and not aware of anything, you saw the disciples come and steal the body.” These religious leaders filled the empty tomb with a false narrative, fake news, anything but the truth. Because the truth for these religious leaders is having to face a resurrected Jesus on judgement day. No. They were too full of themselves to allow that.

And why would the guards even go along with a plan that would ruin their careers and make them look like fools? For the same reason we all distrust politicians today—Large sums of money; bribes from lobbyists trying to get their agendas passed into law. Large sums of money were offered to the guards. And if the news reaches Pilate, which it would, Large sums of money will make him happy too no doubt. “No one will go away empty…as long as you stick to our story. Forget what you saw.” And yes, by the way those large sums of money would come from the same coffers as those thirty silver pieces came from—the temple treasury.

I wonder if at least one of those guards would at some point share with someone what he actually saw and regretted taking the money. After all who could forget the sight of an angel in all of its brilliance. I wonder if those guards second guessed themselves when they started hearing rumors of a resurrected Jesus appearing to over 500 people at one time. I wonder if any of them went to listen to Peter on Pentecost who spoke of Jesus resurrection. And then stood in wonder as thousands of pilgrims became believers and were baptized. I wonder if one of them noted Peter and John’s bravery as they spoke out in the Temple and went to prison for it– in direct opposition to the religious leaders who threatened them with the same end as Jesus. I would like to imagine at least one of those guards come to faith because the tomb they once guarded for three days was empty. I could imagine that soldier perhaps following pilgrims who went to the tomb to see for themselves. To watch their reactions and listen to some who may have spoke about seeing Jesus. The story of the religious leaders had to be bought with large sum of money and would seem so void of life while the Gospel story blesses people so freely and is full of life. The question then becomes which story will he follow? Which do we follow?

The message we know and love and believe is that the tomb is empty. What does this mean? We all know that that means. So, I think we should answer this question together because the answer applies to all of us who believe in Jesus.
It means… the Word of God is truth. The Bible is completely true.
It means… that my death has been swallowed up in victory.
It means… I am going to heaven.
It means… I am going to live in the Father’s House.
It means… no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain.
It means… that the old things have passed away and the new has come.
It means… I will be reunited with loved ones and never have to say good-bye to them again.
It means… I will see Jesus face to face.
It means… He will wipe every tear from my eyes.

The empty tomb means a lot. The cross of Jesus is where Jesus emptied Himself and took upon Himself our sin and died. Now, the tomb is empty and full of life. The empty tomb is actually very full of meaning for us. It means that Jesus’ promises are never empty. It means that our lives are full of purpose as representatives of the Gospel. It means eternal life is real and we have reason to hope. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WDApril1.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/O36kbvAwfTA

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327

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WEEKLY DEVOTION MARCH 26

Tuesday, MARCH 26, 2024

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“A Day Full of Traps”

READINGS: Luke 20:20-26 – Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” He saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.”

Mark 12:32-34 – “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Tuesday of Holy Week has often been referred to as the Day of Inquisition. That day one delegation of Jesus’ opponents after another came to him with cleverly devised questions by which they hoped to trap him in an answer that would bring him into conflict with the Roman authorities or would offend the common people who were flocking around him. Either way they were hoping to move Jesus off the stage and out of their hair.

The problem they discovered was that none of their traps had any teeth. Jesus out-thought and out-witted them at every turn. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians, the Elders and Teachers of the Law all sent their brightest and best, and one by one each delegation slunk away after being publicly humiliated by the Savior. He saw through their schemes. He knew the Scriptures and human nature better than anyone there. He knew what they were trying to do and why. Not one could best him or embarrass him. Even before the Sanhedrin on Thursday night/Friday morning, they could find nothing with which to charge him. If he spoke to them at all, his humility and his wisdom prevailed.

It was not until the moment when the High Priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then they went ballistic! Then they roared in anger! Then the leaders gave a sigh of relief…they had him now! Their trap had been sprung, and they had caught their man. Or so they thought.

Jesus was not the victim of a clever oath. Jesus was not a helpless victim caught up in his own words and now charged with blasphemy. Remember always that Jesus is not your classic victim in all of this. Jesus chose those words with complete understanding. He knew the Father’s will, and he had said in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.” Three times he asked the Father to take the cup from him, but after the third time, he filled his heart with obedience and resolve. The Cross was the only way God’s wrath at sin could be turned away from the sinners. Jesus is not the victim; he is the Redeemer, giving himself into death so that we his disciples could have life!

Our cultural elites often try to do the same kind of thing to Jesus’ followers today. With carefully crafted allusions and outright lies, they try to paint faithful Christians as homophobes, reactionaries, haters, and racists. While any Christian who allows him or herself to actually fall into those categories brings disrepute on Christ, the majority of Christians do not rate any of those terms. We simply speak the truth as God has spoken the truth. We try to love others and treat all people with respect. They are loved by Jesus, same as us. He died for each one of them, too. We simply stand upon the same word Jesus stood upon, and we trust that in the end God himself will justify us and bring us home. Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

This is Holy Week so there will be services on Maundy Thursday (w/Communion) and Good Friday at 7:00 P.M. Easter morning services at 6:30, 8:00, and 10:30, all with Communion. Join us as we walk with Jesus on the Way of Tears, see him hanging on the accursed tree, and watch the stone rolled away from an empty Tomb. We’ll get to sing “Alleluias” again! There’s even an Easter Breakfast from 7:30-9:30. Come and rejoice!

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/cX0UDxqgWQw

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMARCH26.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION MARCH 25

Monday, MARCH 25, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“The Witnesses of Good Friday”

Springfield Illinois may not be on your radar, but it stands out in history as the place where Abraham Lincoln is buried. Lincoln probably traveled more dead than when he was alive. His body toured hundreds of cities before his final location in Springfield, Illinois. Yet, history tells us he didn’t rest in peace for a while.
Turns out Abraham Lincoln’s coffin was pried opened at least twice. The first occasion was in 1887, twenty-two long years after his assassination. The reason? Because of an attempted theft of the body and then rumors that Lincoln was not in the casket after years of being moved, buried, and then reburied. It was decided by the custodian of the Lincoln Memorial to open the casket for witnesses to confirm Lincoln’s body was still inside before Lincoln was laid to rest for what was thought to be the last time. These witnesses then watched as the casket was resealed with lead and set inside a six-foot vault.

Unfortunately, the monument was crumbling from poor foundations. So, Lincoln’s only surviving Son, Robert Lincoln set to rebuilding the monument. Once again the body of Lincoln along with family members were move to a temporary location for 18 months until the entire monument could be finished properly this time. It was finally finished in 1901. It was decided that 16 witnesses would once again confirm that Lincoln’s body was in the casket before burying
Lincoln under two tons of concrete. https://historymysteryman.com/lincolns-body-after-death-the-bizarre-story/

Witnesses are also all over the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We don’t have to look far to discover the corruption of the legal process that Jesus endured. In the much the same way that Jezebel set up Naboth in 2 Kings 21 the high priest, Caiaphas tried to set Jesus up with witnesses against Him. Matthew 26:59ff tell us; “The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.” We know that this trial was illegally held at night in Caiaphas private residence, behind closed doors. At first light they formally charged Jesus and rushed Him to Pilate where we see more corruption.

Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent no less than seven times. The first was in John 18:29-38; Luke 23:4 saying, “I find no fault in this man.” The last one is found in John 19:7-12 when Pilate heard of Jesus describing Himself as the Son of God. “Upon this Pilate sought to release Him…” However, Pilate would never release Jesus because of the pressure put on him by the crowd to put him to death. There would be no justice for Jesus.

Two other witnesses who were sort of drawn into the events of Good Friday seemingly randomly were Barabbas and Simone of Cyrene. In Matthew 27 we are told that Barabbas was a notorious rebel who deserved to be crucified but instead was released. Pilate looking for a way to release Jesus thought that the obvious difference between Jesus and Barabbas would convince the crowd to release Jesus but it never happened. Jesus would be crucified and the sinner would be set free. Unfair treatment to say the least.

And then we meet Simon of Cyrene who we are told in Matthew 27:32 was forced by the Roman soldiers to help a very weakened Jesus carry the cross. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Simon did not do so willingly but was voluntold to walk alongside a man he had never met, whose face and body were beaten and swollen, scourged, bleeding, breathing heavily, stumbling, and weak, and barely able to carry himself let alone a heavy wooden crossbar. Certainly, another witness to the unfair treatment of Jesus. I wonder how this may have affected Simon of Cyrene. In the end however, this cross would not rest on Simon’s shoulders but on Jesus. Even for those of us who deny ourselves to carry our cross do not have to bear the full measure of Good Friday as Jesus did. At some point our cross is lifted off of us and placed upon Him. Certainly, the promises of our Baptism do this daily as that Baptism connects us to the cross and the resurrection.

And then of course, we know about the two criminals on Jesus right and on his left crucified next to Jesus. One comes to faith, and witnesses for Jesus in Luke 23. The other does not come to faith. Certainly, these are witnesses to the sheep and goats, the wheat and the tares, the good and the bad of Jesus’ parables which emphasize a separation distinguished by one’s relationship with Jesus. The two men were under the same conditions suffering the same way for the same crimes and yet one comes to faith while the other does not. Good Friday is where the sifting takes place.

Another pair of witnesses are Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. I can’t help but think of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea as two men who gave a delayed witness of faith. They could have witnessed at the Sanhedrin for Jesus defense but no mention of them is given in those proceedings. We learn why they didn’t step up and defend Jesus in John 19:38-39. It tells us, “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.” At the death of Jesus perhaps assuming the worst that could be done had been done these men summoned the courage to come out of the shadows. They bury Jesus’ body in Joseph’s family tomb affectionally including Jesus into Joseph’s own family by doing so. Yet, it would be Joseph who would be welcomed into Jesus’ family because of this tomb.

Another pair of witness are the soldiers who gamble for Jesus’ clothes and the Centurion who led them. This was not just another crucifixion. The soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothing fulfilling Psalm 22:18. The Centurion on the other hand watched Jesus very closely. Isaiah 53:7 tells us, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Jesus received the cross bravely. For a hardened soldier who had seen many who were crucified cry out for justice, and spit venomous words at the crowds and the soldiers on previous occasions, Jesus seemed to welcome the cross. And then the darkness and earthquake did not go unnoticed. The compilation of the experience was moving enough for him to declare in Mark 15:39, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Finally, another pair of witness were the angels at the tomb and the women. Up to this point all others would witness to a Jesus tried and condemned unfairly, a fear of the religious leaders, colleagues or not; witness to the unfair treatment and abuse; all the way to the death on the cross and burial after. Like the witnesses at Lincoln’s tomb all they see is a wounded man and eventually a dead body.

When the women arrive at the tomb on Easter morning Matthew 28 tells us they were met by an angel with a very different message. Luke 24 tells us that there were two angels. However, only one does the talking which is why Matthew only mentions the one who spoke. The message was simple. “Don’t be afraid. Jesus is risen. He is not here. See where he lay and then go and tell the disciples.” Both witness to an empty tomb. Added to this, the angels emphasize what Jesus said before hand in Luke 24:6-8. Likewise, the disciples would emphasize their own witness of the same events in Acts 5:32. The angels witness to the women, the women to the disciples, and the disciples to the world. The body hadn’t been moved, stolen or displaced but had risen. This is a long way from the shape witnessed on Good Friday. The only wounds on Jesus were the nail marks and the hole in his side.

We mentioned many witnesses and left off many others. Lincoln’s tomb is really a mere curiosity and yet much is remembered and passed on by witnesses who stole a look into his casket. They found a dead body. It was still there. Jesus on the other hand is more than a curiosity. Everyone in Jerusalem had heard of what happened in Jerusalem on Good Friday. Jesus was too famous for it to be otherwise. There were plenty of accounts of what happened from all angles.

So, when Easter came and reports spread of an empty tomb, no dead body, word no doubt spread again. Reports of seeing Jesus resurrected, one would also expect that such an event would lead many to pay attention to those who witnessed it. And many came to faith because of those witnesses. The Bible mentions many witnesses teaching us that witnesses are important. It is good to remember that our witness has the same power and authority as we demonstrate our faith in the crucifixion and in the resurrection of Jesus.

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMarch24.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/CwV4cdS1WP0

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327

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WEEKLY DEVOTION MARCH 19

Tuesday, MARCH 19, 2023

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“The Crucifixion of Jesus”

READING: I Corinthians 1:20-25 – Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

On the first Sunday of this month I preached a sermon in which I mentioned a scholarly work I’ve been reading called “The Resurrection of Jesus”. I mentioned in the sermon that the author established what he calls “historical bedrock”. These are facts that the vast majority of scholars accept whatever their religious views. One of only three he grants is the crucifixion of a man named Jesus of Nazareth under the authority of one Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea. Believers, agnostics, skeptics, and outright atheists nearly unanimously agree on the fact of Jesus’ crucifixion.

After the early service I bumped into Georgianne Weathers and in a concerned tone she asked me, “Pastor, do you know that in the comments section of our Facebook page someone has written Moslem statements about Allah, Mohammed, and ‘the prophet Jesus’?” I said I had no idea. She asked who takes care of the Facebook page, and I could only say that Jim Furber used to do that, but I wasn’t sure who was doing it now. I suggested that Jim might still be able to access the page and take down those comments.

After the late service I made a quick run to Baptist Floyd to see someone, and when I came back into the church parking lot, Georgianne was just coming out of the church. In speaking with her she said she had called Jim, and he had been able to access the page, take down the comments, and block the person who had made the comments. Then she showed me screen shots she had taken of the comments. There were three of them, and each one appeared to be a direct quote from the Qur’an. Each one warned against the Christian doctrine of the Trinity for, they claimed, Jesus was only a prophet of God, but not equal to Allah, and not the last and greatest of the prophets since that was obviously Mohammed.

I was a little surprised to discover that a Moslem had been watching our 8:00 o’clock service. I was not all that surprised that the person had responded negatively to what he or she heard in my sermon. You see, the Qur’an states categorically that Jesus was never actually crucified. It claims that another person was crucified in his place so that it only appeared that he had been crucified. He did not die on the cross for he was a prophet of Allah, and Allah had spared Jesus of such a death. Keep in mind, the Qur’an was written some 600 years after the crucifixion took place. Mohammed countered the sacrifice of our Lord, and in so doing attempted to take out the very heart of the Christian message: no crucifixion, no resurrection, and thus no salvation.

Our Scripture lesson for today is considered by most the first written word about the crucifixion of Jesus. Paul wrote I Corinthians some 10 to 30 years before the Gospels appeared. The crucifixion is attested by all four Gospels, by Paul in Romans, I and II Corinthians, and Galatians, by Luke in Acts, by John in Revelation, and by the writer to the Hebrews. It is also attested to by Josephus, a Jewish historian, and a number of the Early Greek Fathers. As St. Paul says, the crucifixion is “the power of God and the wisdom of God.” It is an essential doctrine of Christianity. The Qur’an has it wrong. Western scholars admit as much.

As Paul says in our text, while allowing that a man named Jesus died on a Roman cross, the world often considers it “foolishness” to speak of that event as a sacrifice for all mankind. Our Moslem friend was of the same mind. He or she can’t even grant its occurring. But for you and me the moment of the cross and the event of Easter are the very lifeblood of our faith. Jesus, our Lord, gave himself into death to pay our penalty and satisfy the Father’s justice. Then rose again on the Third Day that we might know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the price had been accepted, and that we now have eternal life in his name. Thanks be to God forever. Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) LENTEN SERVICES are being offered every Wednesday. Services start at 7:00 PM. Our overall theme is “The Forgiveness Challenge” and the pastors are interviewing various Biblical characters whose lives or stories teach us important truths about the forgiveness of God and the forgiveness we can give to one another. This week The Unmerciful Servant visits us. Join us as well.

2) Holy Week is just ahead. There will be services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday at 7:00 P.M. Easter morning services at 6:30, 8:00, and 10:30.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/OGXhIAJVp5w

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMARCH19.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION MARCH 18

Monday, MARCH 18, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“Prayer By the Oil Press”

Perhaps one of the most intense moments in Jesus’ ministry happens in the Garden of Gethsemane. We had seen Jesus pray before. He once spent all night praying over the selection of his disciples in Luke 5:12-16. Such a big decision literally shaped the church that followed Pentecost. If we are making big decisions, we may not pray all night, but we do have an invitation to go to the Lord with those big decisions and pray as long as it takes. When I received the call to be pastor at Grace I prayed for weeks over it. Jesus was also known to go off by Himself and pray in private. In Mark 1:35 Jesus gets up before the sunrise to pray away from the crowd. From this prayer Jesus determined to share the Gospel in other places. The point is simple; Jesus never missed an opportunity to pray. The most noted place is in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Mark 14:32-34 tells us, “32 They (Jesus and the disciples) went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

First, of all let’s take note of the location. Gethsemane is a word made up of two Hebrew words “Gat Shemanei,” which literally means “Olive Press.” In fact, genuine olive oil is still pressed each year from the fruit of those ancient and gnarled olive trees growing in the Garden of Gethsemane today. The trees however, are not original to Jesus’ day because the Romans burned them all in 70 AD. Needless, to say this was Jesus’ favorite place in town to pray and because it was well-known to be Jesus’ favorite Judas knew right were to find Him. Still, this is where we find Jesus praying His most anguished prayer carefully selected as the starting point for the events on Good Friday. It was so intense that Luke 22 tells us that he sweat blood. It is in this very select location that communicates to us the importance of finding our own place to pray. If we don’t have a garden, perhaps we have a “war room” a phrase made famous by the movie. Wherever our Gethsemane may be, think of it as the place where you may commune with the Lord in prayer.

As second thought. Whenever Jesus was faced with the deepest of emotions, He made it a special point to pray. Here in Gethsemane we are told that Jesus is “deeply distressed and troubled.” The words are ekthambeisthai (deeply distressed) denotes a state of shuddering horror in the face of the dreadful prospect before Him. And ademnein (troubled) is an anxiety from which there is no escaping and of which there is no help or comfort. This makes Jesus “exceedingly sorrowful even to the point of death.” We remember that Jesus is facing the cup of God’s wrath, the punishment for sin. Jesus would have to be the suffering servant before becoming the victorious servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Thankfully, it would be a weight upon His shoulders that we will never have to endure.

Perhaps we have had our own real lows; exceedingly sorrowful to the point of death experiences. Perhaps, our world has become numb from the overload of trouble or sorrow. When such moments invade our lives, I encourage you to notice how much Jesus keeps leaning into His Father in heaven.

“Not my will be done but yours, Father.” Jesus is sweating blood while doing this. This is rare but only happens under intense stress. Yet, notice that Jesus starts off with “Everything is possible with You” in Mark 14:36. What’s possible is that in our own intense moments our Father will also see to it that we are sustained. Jesus went in knowing the Father’s Will but still struggled with the moment. We may have to search for our Father’s will and ask for courage to accept it and sometimes that may take more than one visit in prayer. Yet, note even while on the cross Jesus kept praying to the Father. “Father forgive them…” “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” He never allowed the circumstances to separate Him from the Father but continually kept praying. As people of faith, we can expect that we are not immune to such moments like the one in Gethsemane. And when they come, we may do as Jesus, crying out to our Father. Thankfully, in Jesus we know our prayers already begin with the reassurance that Jesus has already taken the heaviest burden of our sin. In other words, we have a head start on our deepest cries to the Lord.

Paul, who endured the heaviest trouble of all the disciples wrote from his prison in Rome about how much God is for us. Romans 8:31-32: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” The logic of Paul’s argument is one I am trying to make with prayer. If Jesus goes the distance to die on a cross it makes no sense that Jesus would not meet us in our prayers and then give us what is needed to sustain us in our own troubles and sorrows. The Father didn’t take the cross away from Jesus but He did give Jesus what is needed for it. Likewise, we may not have our cross taken away either but will have the grace to endure it. Sometimes only God knows how that even works at all. The lesson of Gethsemane is to trust our Father in heaven as Jesus had done. Keep the conversation going.

One last thing worthy of mention today is how Jesus’ prayer in the Garden prepared Him for what was next. Three times Jesus prayed. When He was finished, He was determined to carry on, to follow through on what He was praying for. In the midst of the faint light of the torches, Judas shows up with Roman thugs, betrays Jesus with a kiss and then is ushered off. Disciples suddenly awaken to an adrenaline rush of fear and anxiety. They rally to Jesus, even try to defend Jesus, Peter cutting off Malchus’ ear, eventually everyone running away.

I wonder if Judas was the last one standing in the garden that night. The disciples were gone. Soldiers no longer needed him. Just the quiet tortured guilt building within him all alone in the Garden with his thirty silver pieces. I wonder if that is when his shame hits him.

After that prayer in the Garden Jesus carries on. One foot in front of the other. Sometimes just one more thing is all we have the energy for. Prayer sets up the change for that one more thing. Prayer prepares us. Martin Luther has been noted for saying, “I have so much to do today that I will be three hours in prayer.” He has also been noted for saying, “To be Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Luther, who suffered with bouts of depression depended on prayer regularly.

Jesus made prayer a part of life. He made it a point to have a conversation everyday with His Father in Heaven. All of that prayer perhaps made Gethsemane a lot more helpful to Jesus. Perhaps we too could pray as Jesus with the same confidence and devotion expressed at Gethsemane. My hope is that as we approach Holy Week (next week) we take advantage of it as a time for prayer, as a chance to lean into the Lord just a little bit more. Perhaps in so doing we are just a little stronger, a little more aware, have a little bit more strength, get a little bit more courage, find a little bit more humility, or receive a little bit more of whatever we need. The Lord will know. May the Lord bless your conversations with Him.

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMarch18.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/DTkLliSFrWk

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327

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WEEKLY DEVOTION MARCH 12

Tuesday, MARCH 12, 2023

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“This Old Tent”

READING: II Corinthians 5:1-9 – Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

So I’m reading “The Resurrection of Jesus” by Dr. Michael R. Licona. It’s a very scholarly theological study, and he weeds through all the many, many studies done by both believers, skeptics, and atheists. In the course of reading the book, I came to a section in which our text for today is discussed because the meaning of “resurrection” has to be established. Some scholars maintain that on Easter the Apostles were greeted by “the spirit of Jesus”, ethereal, not physical. This of course would completely alter the Christian faith, and according to St. Paul in I Corinthians 15, negate the hope and power of Easter.

At the start of the discussion regarding our text, Dr. Licona writes, “Before drawing a final conclusion on Paul, we will need to consider his teaching in a passage that has created much controversy and which presents the possibility that he changed his view of the meaning of “resurrection” after writing I Corinthians.” He goes on to say, “This passage has been one of the most difficult in the New Testament for scholars to decipher, and little agreement exists regarding its meaning.” From there he lists a number of views on just what Paul is saying about the state of the Christian immediately after death and the thought of many that he indicates “an immediate ‘resurrection’” with an ethereal “heavenly dwelling”.

Now, I am not a Doctor of Theology, nor a learned scholar. I’m just a dumb old pastor, but what confuses and confounds the “wise” does not present a great mystery to me. In none of the viewpoints he presented in this section did I see one reference to John 14:2-3, where we hear Jesus promise, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” I believe Paul is making a direct application to what Jesus promised the Apostles at the Last Supper. Yes, Paul probably wrote I Corinthians before John’s Gospel was written and dispersed, but Paul had met with various of the Disciples and leaders of the Church who would very likely have spoken of that night with Paul. Paul is not writing this passage in a vacuum.

The problem with the “scholars” is that so many of them don’t believe any of the words they are parsing. They don’t believe that the entire Bible is one complete love story, though written by many authors, conveys one coherent and abiding vision set down by our God. They get confused and wrapped up in the pieces without sitting back and looking at the whole. If you took a two-by-two-inch piece of the Mona Lisa and studied it without seeing how it fits in the whole painting, you could and would come up with erroneous conclusions, I guarantee it!

Paul was a tentmaker. He knows that tents are not permanent dwellings, they are not very secure, and eventually they cannot be repaired and have to be replaced with something new. He uses what he knows about tents to describe what is true about our mortal bodies. They are not permanent dwellings (“…three score and ten, or eighty if we have the strength.”). They are not very secure because they are prone to injury, illness, accident, and aging. And, finally, just as Paul frequently had to tell people he couldn’t repair their old and rotted tents, the day comes when the doctor says to us, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more we can do.”

But Paul says twice, “We are confident!” Why? When this mortal body comes to its end, we have a place awaiting us in heaven. We won’t be ghosts flitting around old, abandoned houses. We won’t be disembodied spirits with no future. No, Jesus has already promised us he has a place already prepared for us in heaven. And, when the glorious day of his second coming arrives, we will be resurrected with “tents” that will never expire, for they will be like his glorious body, filled with eternal life.

So, pity the “wise and learned” who so often are foolish and confused because they do not see Jesus for who he is, nor the Word of God for the treasures it contains. They cannot see the forest for the trees. St. Paul says we can be confident that when this life leaves us, we can and should rejoice that our Lord has us covered. We’ll be just fine. He has our place prepared. And best of all, we get to be where he is – our Father’s house. Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) LENTEN SERVICES are being offered every Wednesday. Services start at 7:00 PM. Our overall theme is “The Forgiveness Challenge” and the pastors are interviewing various Biblical characters whose lives or stories teach us important truths about the forgiveness of God and the forgiveness we can give to one another. This week St. Peter visits us. Join us as well.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/3GLjG3qNfIU

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMARCH12.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION
MAR 11

Monday, MAR 11, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“Say It Again!”

“Huh!” “What!” These were usually the first words from my great grandpa. My Grandfather was really hard of hearing. My grandmother would call out, “Oscar, its time for lunch.” He would call out, “What?” She would call out again a second time. This time it was a little louder. And then again, a little louder until he finally responded with understanding. Funny thing–Now I catch mom doing this with dad, (also great grandparents). Circle of life, I guess.

What I hope to draw your attention to today is how much the scriptures repeat itself. Maybe because sin makes us hard of hearing or like the disciples, dull in our understanding. Scriptures repeat words, phrases, ideas, all with the intention of highlighting it and for us to gain saving knowledge from its words. In a nutshell, if the Bible repeats words, phrases or truth, its important and needs to be paid attention and because we usually have to be told more than once to remember it.

For example, when Moses was teaching the next generation of Israelites toward the end of the wilderness wanderings he laid a heavy emphasis on obedience. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says,

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Moses repeats this again in Deuteronomy 11:18-20. In other words, keep God’s Law integrated into every aspect of your life. Jesus himself speaks a great deal about righteousness in his Sermon on the Mount integrating the Law into every day interactions. The message is simple. God considers obeying His commands as a form of righteousness. It is also something noted about Abraham. His obedience was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6, James 2:3).
Hundreds of scripture passages are also devoted to God as Creator. Next to God as our Salvation, creation is a huge running theme throughout. Genesis 1 and repeated in Genesis 2 tell us who created everything. Many psalms such as Psalm 8 speak of God as Creator. Job 38-40 is famous for God telling Job about how he laid the foundations of the world and set the boundaries of the waters. John 1 proclaims that all things were created through the Word made flesh. Colossians 1:16 tells us that all things are created by God.

All of this is very significant and closely connected to the idea of marriage and the binary nature of man and woman. Genesis 1:27–“God created them in his own image. Male and female, He created them.” And of course, we remember what is said about marriage. “The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.’ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. – Genesis 2:18, 21-24. Jesus himself repeats this definition in Matthew 19:4-6. The repetition comes full circle in Ephesians 5:21-31 laying heavy emphasis on marriage being in the image of Jesus’ relationship with his church.

Consider how Jesus repeated his mission statement to the disciples at least three times emphasizing the cross and resurrection. Jesus teaches in Luke 24:7, “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ “ We see it also in Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19 and Luke 24:26 on the road to Emmaus. We see it also in Mark 8:31-33, 9:30-32 and 10:32-34. This teaching was very hard for the disciples to accept as noted when Peter took Jesus aside and tried to stop it. And in Matthew 17:23 we are told that the disciples were filled with grief. This grief would explain why it was probably repeated many times to the disciples. Grief makes a lot of things harder to hear. The suffering, death and resurrection talk was repeated so much that even Jesus’ enemies catch on to it perhaps because of Judas’ betrayal. This why they coerce Pilate into sealing the tomb and placing a guard. Matthew 27:62-66 says it this way:

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Of course, the most important repeated teaching of God’s Word in the minds of Christians what comes after the crucifixion of Jesus, His rising after three days. All of the Gospels speak about Easter morning. Luke 24:5-7 for example, famously shares the words of the angels at the tomb. “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

We remember also Acts 2:24 in Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” And then again in Acts 3:15 “And you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 speaks about the resurrection. And 1 Thessalonians repeats the thought once more, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” Many passages in the New Testament speak of Jesus’ resurrection and the rising to life of those who believe in Him. Its repeated often in scripture because the resurrection is central to our salvation.

Repetition is an effective tool for the Lord. I know people that can quote movies line for line because they have seen it so many times. I know kids who sing songs word for word with great excitement because it’s been on the radio so often. Most of us learn our times tables through repetition and through pages of problems to solve. Repetition is an effective tool especially when what is learned is put into practice. I can change my brakes on my car in less than an hour most of the time because of repetition.

Maybe this is why we see repetition commanded and put into practice in things like the Passover as a way of remembering what God did when He brought Israel out of Egypt. Perhaps then it stands to reason that it is good to celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday each year. It’s important to have such a thing as a church year that highlights the activity of God so that like the Israelites with Passover, we may continually remember what makes us God’s people. Jesus wants us to remember and celebrate what has been given through Him.

Perhaps a fitting way to end our thoughts today is by using another form of repetition which emphasizes the superlative. Isaiah 26:3-4 gives us two.

“You will keep in perfect peace (literally peace, peace) those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. 4Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” May Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, then give you perfect peace. May we have ears to hear the repeated, daily grace, forgiveness, and promise given to us in God’s Word. And may we gratefully ask the Lord to say it again, and again.

Pastor Matt Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMarch11.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/7ct6tej433s

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327

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WEEKLY DEVOTION
MARCH 5

Tuesday, MARCH 5, 2024

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“Treasures in Jars of Clay”

READING: II Corinthians 4:7-12 – But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is a work in us, but life is at work in you.

I came across this particular reading as I was looking for something else in the Bible, and it triggered a thought in me that I want to share with you. Of course St. Paul is not talking about actual clay jars in this passage. He is referring to himself and other evangelists who had the Gospel of life in them but were themselves only mortal men made of clay. They had no particular power to bring life and peace to others of their own accord. It was only the Gospel message within them that when it was shared and explained had the power to give life to all those who believed it.

I do find it ironic that St. Paul had no way of knowing how “Treasurers in Jars of Clay” would play out when the “Dead Sea Scrolls” were discovered and came to light. You may remember that in a ten-year period from 1946-1956, thousands of fragments, portions of whole known books, and nearly an intact scroll of the book of Isaiah were found in the Qumran Caves on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Nearly 15,000 pieces of parchment, papyrus, and even copper strips were found, most of them contained and secured against the elements by jars of clay!

It took many years for some of the most precious finds to be scientifically opened, preserved, copied, and studied. Due to their age and condition, great care had to be taken not to simply make these precious treasures disintegrate into dust. The scrolls were especially challenging since any attempt to unroll them caused them to crack and break. New methods had to be developed and devised in order to see and record the contents of each one.

Until the scroll of Isaiah could be opened and read, there was a great deal of speculation in the archeological journals as to what they would reveal about the scriptures. This particular scroll was about ONE THOUSAND years OLDER than the oldest copy of Isaiah then known. Many scholars were sure they would find major revisions and textual additions and reductions once the scroll was opened. Many were convinced that the Isaiah we had then was just the latest in a long line of “Isaiahs” – each one changed and amended to meet the needs of the priests and/or the rulers of the Jews in their own particular days. Scholars faithful to the Scriptures had always resisted such an idea. They knew that the priests and scribes of the Biblical era held the texts to be sacred. They took great care to make sure every “jot and tittle” was accurately copied. They had scribes who did nothing but count the words in each book to make sure the word count was the same. They even counted letters in each line to be sure nothing was changed. The thought that they could amend Biblical books to meet their own ends would never have occurred to them, and others would never have stood for such an outrage. Still, the secular scholars awaited the opening of the scroll with bated breath, sure that they would finally have the proof positive to their belief that the Bible is really just a manmade creation.

Well, guess what? When the scroll was finally opened and its contents photographed, translated, and studied, over 98% of it was EXACTLY the same as the text we already had. The only changes were misspellings, word omissions, and transposition errors where two words were put in a different order. NONE of those errors changed one single passage’s meaning. As the faithful scholars had argued all along, the priests and scribes believed those words to be God’s words, and we still do!

So when St. Paul wrote the words “these treasures in jars of clay” he was using a metaphor. The evangelists and indeed every believer who knows the good news of the Gospel has within their mortal body a true treasure that offers life to anyone who receives it. However, his picture also applies to those pieces of ancient writing that give us insights into the Biblical record. They were preserved inside jars of clay, waiting for the day when Christians would be heartened to know that the Biblical record is accurate and trustworthy. Jesus said, “…for these are they which speak of me.” Treasures in jars of clay – absolutely! Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) LENTEN SERVICES are being offered every Wednesday. Services start at 7:00 PM. Our overall theme is “The Forgiveness Challenge” and the pastors are interviewing various Biblical characters whose lives or stories teach us important truths about the forgiveness of God and the forgiveness we can give to one another. This week the Prodigal Son’s Older Brother visits us. Join us as well.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/1kQB7bEium0

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMARCH5.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION MARCH 4

Monday, MARCH 4, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“Finished and Secure”

The world we live in offers no real security. We lock our cars, our houses, our church, we set our alarms turn on our cameras, we keep our guard up for bullies at school, shield our finances from taxes, get yearly doctor exams to stay healthy and buy insurance just in case something fails, all to help build some security in our lives. The latest kind of security under assault is identity Theft, the fastest growing security problem in our time.
The trouble with such security is that protection only lasts as long as you can afford it. The threat remains looming over us with or without identity theft insurance. Trouble always waits just outside the walls of our temporal efforts for security; prowling about eager to pounce on us. In reality insurance doesn’t stop the accidents that sometimes altar human lives, alarms and cameras only alert us to a crime but rarely stop the thief in time, and yearly exams at the doctor’s office don’t guarantee that our health won’t fade. Life is never a lock and protecting ourselves is never finished. That is until we meet Jesus, who declared, “It is finished” putting an end forever the power of sin, guaranteeing a lock on eternal life.

In John 19 we get to know two men, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who found real security and discovered eternal life. We will do well to value their courage and follow their example; two men that gave up their reputation, their identity, and risked everything to follow Jesus.

Good Friday. Jesus has been betrayed, denied, arrested, tried, beaten, mocked, struck, flogged, crucified, and died. The High Priest, Caiaphas and his cohorts in the Sanhedrin (The highest religious authority of Israel, like a congress and supreme court all in one) hated Jesus and couldn’t wait to put an end to him. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were members of the Sanhedrin. It is reasonable to think that Nicodemus and Joseph had friends within the Sanhedrin, and perhaps had worked for many years with other members; 70 in all, very exclusive. For Joseph to use his own tomb with the help of Nicodemus to bury Jesus may have meant severing long friendships and perhaps their careers as leaders in the Sanhedrin.

It was on Good Friday that Joseph of Arimathea is introduced to us. Luke 23 tells us that Joseph was a good and upright man who had not consented to the decision to condemn Jesus. Mark 15 tells us that Joseph was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin and John 19:38 tells us that he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared his Colleagues. He was joined by Nicodemus who met with Jesus secretly at night in John 3. Two men caught in a world of insecurity; feeling at the same time a faith and desire to follow Jesus while hiding in a terrible fear of their closest friends. But something about Good Friday, in all of its horror, in full view for all to see something inspired these men to find the courage to be counted with Jesus.

Together these men go to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. The late Dr. Eric Kiehl, professor of Concordia Sem says that must have seemed like a strange request coming from two men who were part of the very group who condemned Jesus. Secondly, Roman Law prevented anyone executed for high treason to be given to friends of relatives so that their tomb did not become a shrine for any followers. Normally, Pilate would have followed this Law. Maybe because Pilate still believed Jesus to be innocent, or because Pilate didn’t mind sticking it to Caiaphas for blackmailing Pilate into crucifying an innocent man, Pilate granted the request.

With only hours before the Sabbath Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus reverently but quickly take Jesus’ body down. By handling Jesus’ dead body, they two men would become ceremonially unclean for seven days and therefore unable to celebrate all remaining activities related to the festival of Unleavened Bread—perhaps for the first time in their lives they would miss it.

According to the Mishnah, Joseph with the help of Nicodemus probably washed Jesus’ body before wrapping the body. They anointed Jesus with 75 pounds of spices and gave Jesus the funeral that the disciples could not. Perhaps more importantly Luke 23 tells us that Jesus was laid in a new tomb, cut into the rock like a cave. It was for Joseph’s family, but Jesus would be the first to use it. By putting Jesus in his family tomb Joseph was proclaiming Jesus to be family. Thankfully, on Sunday Joseph discovered his tomb empty; death itself was finished, death was swallowed up in victory. The cruelty and sadness of Good Friday gave way to the victory and joy of Easter. And the best part for Joseph was that he was a part of Jesus’ family but not because they shared a tomb, but because faith meant they would share eternal life.

Joseph was a believer for a long time but lived in fear because of his colleagues who hated Jesus. The disciples did not attend the funeral because they too were hiding in fear over the same people—feeling a long way from Palm Sunday. Suddenly, because of the crucifixion one can imagine that things seemed very unfinished; Peter wishing he didn’t deny Jesus after sounding so tough at Passover meal; Like any mother, Mary wished she could take her son’s place; Thomas wondered what it was all for; A room full of disciples hiding in fear of the unresolved guilt that now hung over them like the darkness over the cross. Feeling unsettled with how things seemed to have ended, running away from Jesus’ captors in the garden. Wondering how in the world they didn’t see Judas’ betrayal. Somehow, I’ll bet that it all felt incomplete for Jesus’ followers, wishing they could go back and do it all differently; thoughts racing through their heads plotting a rescue that could never happen. Perhaps even Joseph felt the pangs of guilt for not stepping out sooner to defend Jesus. Jesus said it is finished but it certainly doesn’t feel that way—perhaps even for many of us.

Too many things in life leave us feeling unfinished, like a hamster in a wheel caught in a perpetual tide of repetition, things left incomplete. What might be unfinished in your life? I don’t ask this assuming that everything can be complete or whole in a fallen existence. I know that some of us will never reach some of our life goals. Some of our regrets will spoil our attitudes, perhaps our ability to forgive ourselves. I am aware that prodigals in our circle of family and friends may remain prodigals. It has been shared with me by some how some of us hold long conversations within ourselves about the guilt or shame some of us wear which never goes out of fashion. We have plenty unfinished and more than just a few pictures incomplete.

My wife and I like to do puzzles. We like the 1000-piece puzzles that take a while. Somehow the last puzzle we bought (brand new) ended up missing 18 pieces. The last four puzzles have had many pieces missing. We never find them. Our great suspicion is that the dog must be nibbling on them. When the pieces are missing the puzzle isn’t quite as satisfying, even disappointing. Chances are, a normal life has at least one puzzle like this. Something is missing that makes a part of our life incomplete and unsatisfied. This is where I would argue Nicodemus and Joseph spent much their lives and careers, eventually disillusioned by their office and then by the hypocrisy, and the manufactured outcome of the cross.

Luke 23:51 says that Joseph longed for the coming of the kingdom of God. But everything even in Joseph’s world was so routine and felt stuck cloud of repetition. Everything seemed routine until Jesus came, but his colleagues instead of embracing Jesus’ teaching decided to protect their power and influence. Those colleagues decided that there was more security, more of a comfort zone in maintaining status quo. Joseph and Nick found something greater than a status quo religion in Jesus. They found truth.

All changed with Jesus, so much so, that like Paul they Joe and Nick were ready risk everything, perhaps leave it all behind for Jesus. Good Friday is anything but status quo. Good Friday meant that sin was finished. God’s forgiveness had taken hold. Good Friday is good because it goes hand in hand with Easter Sunday—Good Friday cannot be separated from Easter Sunday. Good Friday offers us something we can’t obtain through routine and repetition; it offers us security, real security because eternal life is promised to all like Joseph and Nicodemus. Eternal life, means eternal love, never ending joy, and never have to say good-bye to anyone ever again. Good Friday makes this all possible. Jesus Christ made it possible for two men to show courage and for a group of disciples to come out of hiding—men who went from ordinary to extraordinary and would all give their life for the sake of the Gospel.

We started off talking about identity security and ways that we try to achieve security. What we find in a life filled with insecurities, and temporary fixes is Jesus, who is the only lock on life that we can count on. May God bless us with the same courage as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who in the end found the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WDMAR4.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/nFlNn9YEvAs

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327

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WEEKLY DEVOTION FEBRUARY 27

Tuesday, FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“The Word Informs the Faith”

EADINGS: John 19:32-35 – The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.

Mark 15:42-47 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joeseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

On the first Sunday of Lent I preached on the Old Testament text for that day, “The Binding of Isaac” (or as you may better know it, “The Sacrifice of Isaac”). In that sermon I maintained that you cannot understand that story in its original context and setting without seeing the picture God is painting, not of Abraham and Isaac, but of Himself and his Son, his only Son, Jesus. Abraham was not required in the end to sacrifice his son, his only son, because “God himself will provide the lamb” – “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” I also talked about a PBS program from 1996 that featured “scholars” from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds who discussed the story and its possible meanings. I expressed my disappointment and disgust at the failure of any one of the three “Christian experts” to even mention Jesus in regards to this story. Just because they have a prestigious doctorate in “Biblical Studies” does not mean such people have faith. Unless they see the Bible as the actual Word of God, they will fail every time to truly believe what that Word tells us.

I’m currently reading a theological study called “The Resurrection of Jesus” by Dr. Michael R. Licona. He does a very careful study of all the Biblical and Extra-Biblical sources that pertain to the Easter story. He also takes a very careful look at numerous studies done by other scholars, especially the atheist, sceptic, non-Christian, and avowedly unbelieving ones. In discussing what he titles “The Historical Bedrock” of the Resurrection event, facts that the vast majority of scholars accept as absolutely true, he points to the certainty that Jesus of Nazareth died by crucifixion. He was most certainly dead when the Romans had finished with him.

Still, there is one named Barbara Thiering who suggests this scenario by which Jesus only “appeared to be dead”: “drink was brought, of ‘vinegar’, wine that had been spoiled….It was snake poison, taking a number of hours to act. But its first effect, together with that of the trauma he had suffered, was to render him unconscious….Jesus did not die on the cross. He recovered from the effects of the poison, was helped to escape from the tomb by friends, and stayed with them until he [recovered].” Further the help he received was in the form of about 100 pounds of myrrh and aloe. The juice from the aloe was administered to Jesus as a “purgative” to drive out the snake poison, and the myrrh acted as a “soothing ingredient” to help heal his wounds.

Did you get that? Snake poison and purgatives! She gave no evidence whatsoever for her hypothesis. Pure speculation and full unbelief! The Scriptures give us the most straight forward and consistent explanation for all that happened in our Lord’s Passion. If one believes there is a God who interacts with his human creatures, then every testimony and every detail in the text stands plausible and believable. The Word informs the Faith, and the faith of the Church becomes our faith, built on God’s words, actions, prophecies, and fulfillments over the millennia since he first breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils. If one does NOT believe there is such a God, then any other explanation, no matter how speculative and far-fetched, has as much weight as do the Evangelists.

You and I have sources for all we believe to be true about Jesus. Those sources can stand up to any scrutiny and are not diminished by the unbelief and attacks made by “the wise and the learned”. God’s word is our treasure and the only source of faith and doctrine. It is the “bedrock” of our hope In Christ Jesus. The Old Testament is found in the New, and the New Testament is found in the Old: same story of salvation, same God who calls us to trust him. The Word informs the Faith, and the Faith informs our hearts. Thanks be to God. Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) LENTEN SERVICES are being offered every Wednesday. Services start at 7:00 PM. Our overall theme is “The Forgiveness Challenge” and the pastors are interviewing various Biblical characters whose lives or stories teach us important truths about the forgiveness of God and the forgiveness we can give to one another. This week Saul/Paul visits us.

2) The SUGARBUSH MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL takes place near Salem again this Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3. Grace will once again be serving breakfast and lunch both days. We’ll need LOTS of help, so if you are able, sign up soon.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/FV32OzyCojM

PRINTABLE PDF: WDFEB27.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION FEBRUARY 26

Monday, FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“The Right Person, Right Place, Right Time”

Irena (“Jolanta”) Sendlerowa (1910-2008) was as an infection control nurse and social worker during WWII in Nazi occupied Poland. She became head of the children’s section of the Zegota, the Polish underground Council for Aid to Jews. She is credited with the saving of 2500 Jewish children from the Ghetto in Warsaw 1942-1943. She worked for the Warsaw health department and had permission to enter the Ghetto, which had been created in 1940 to segregate the nearly 400k Jews from the community.

She used various means to smuggle the children out sometimes carrying them in suitcases or toolboxes. She even trained her dog to bark whenever a child started to cry or make any noise while passing the guards. This would cause the guard dogs to bark and provide excellent cover in the chaos. She risked her life each time. Once she rescued them, she would hide them in orphanages, convents, schools, hospitals, and private homes. She provided each child with a new identity, carefully recording in code their original names and placements so that surviving relatives could find them after the war.

In October of 1943 she was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo. Her legs and feet broken she was sentenced to die but the Zegota managed to rescue her before she could be executed. She assumed a new identity and continued working for the group but remained on crutches the remainder of her days. As history looks back upon Irena one can say that she was the right person in the right place at the right time.

Consider a Biblical example that I mentioned last Wednesday night; Obadiah, the palace administrator to King Ahab. Ahab was not an easy man to work for and his wife Jezebel was downright dangerous. Jezebel made it her mission to destroy anything of God. She set out to kill every single prophet of the God of Israel, especially Elijah. Her goal was to fill the land with Baal worship and to replace all the prophets with the false prophets. She would not succeed because God would not be mocked. At Mt. Carmel 450 of her prophets were slaughtered at the command of Elijah by the people of Israel.

In 1 Kings 21 we see on full display the true character of Ahab and Jezebel. When Naboth refused to sell his ancestorial vineyard to the king, Ahab whined to Jezebel probably knowing that she would do his dirty work. And she did. She set Naboth up and got him convicted of treason. In the end he was executed and so was his family (2 Kings 9:26). Afterward the king without any remorse went to took possession of the vineyard. This would be the last straw as God pronounced a curse upon them both for their actions.

In the midst of this we have Obadiah who was said to be faithful to the Lord since his youth. That alone put him at great risk amongst this evil pair. It was no doubt a daily exercise of courage, faith, and caution because as Administrator he usually within reach of the king. Thankfully, King Ahab trusted Obadiah and God protected him. Obadiah did not waste his position but when Jezebel was searching out and killing the prophets he bravely hid 100 prophets of God in two caves. He also for a time supplied them with food and water and provisions from the King’s own cupboards, which I am sure was satisfying, but again very dangerous. It must have been hard to distinguish who in the palace may be trusted with such knowledge and who might betray him secret efforts. Obadiah did this at the height of Jezebel’s power and at the height of her slaughter of the prophets. So, when Elijah sent him to the King with the message from Elijah for the King do meet Elijah it was at great risk to his own life. Yet, it Obadiah did as he was commanded by Elijah and the actions only served to solidify a trust from the King. Once again, the right person at the right time at the right place.

Such examples are all over the scriptures. Joseph became the right hand of Pharaoh and was in a position that saved his family. Esther was in a position to go before the king of Persia to expose Haman’s plans to destroy all the Jewish people. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the King of Persia and was in a position to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Most importantly Jesus Himself we are told in Galatians 4:4 comes in the fullness of time. He alone is the right person to mediate between God and sinful humanity. Only in Him are we preserved in the cross and in His resurrection. He is the right person as the Word made flesh (John 1) and as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10). He is the resurrection and life proven in the raising of Lazarus in John 11. He has risen from the dead and lives and reigns over all things. All who believe in Him will be saved. In Him a great multitude are saved and standing in heaven.

Could it be possible that God has called you to be the right person in the right place and the right time? Perhaps you are not where you are to rescue children from Nazis or prophets from Jezebels but you may be the very person needed to bring grace to a difficult situation. Could be in the family. Could be in the church. Could be in a number of places.
You may be the one that stabilizes a work environment just by the way you go about things; words and actions. Maybe your work environment is tense. You probably don’t particularly enjoy such a situation but perhaps you can bring some relief; an example of a godly way to talk with one another, not behind backs but saying something constructive and encouraging. Maybe you find something to compliment even for the one that isn’t easy to be around. Perhaps your work ethic inspires a little more out of one other coworker. Maybe you are the one someone unexpectedly opens up to because you are approachable. Who knows how this may go. Maybe there is a risk that you take in doing something but for you doing the right thing seems impossible to ignore. Where does this courage come from? How did you say just the right things in the right way? God only knows sometimes. As we have seen from history, never underestimate what the Lord may accomplish with the right person in the right place at the right time. That person may be you.

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: WDFeb26.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/AIacX4GeGJo

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327

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WEEKLY DEVOTION FEBRUARY 20

Tuesday, FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Pastor Bruce Kischnick, Grace Lutheran Church, New Albany, IN

“The Gutford Road”

READINGS: Psalm 5:4-8 – You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors. But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies – make straight your way before me.

Last week I had the opportunity to drive Gutford Road in Clarksville. I had gone to visit Harold Klapel at P.A.M. and needed to travel over to Baptist Floyd. The quickest route was along Silver Creek on Gutford. What a piece of work that road is! There are curves everywhere along it, two of them 90 degree turns. There are hills, hidden driveways, and places where you cannot see cars coming toward you until you’re right on top of them. It’s a tricky road by day. It’s downright scary at night.

I have often thought how very much like life itself Gutford Road is. What I mean is our lives also have ups and downs, sharp curves when things suddenly change directions, and unforeseen obstacles that hinder our way. Griefs and sorrows come at us out of nowhere. Disappointments slow our progress. Temptations lure us to take side paths and turn-outs that seem like scenic routes but turn out to be dead-ends and tourist traps. We seldom know what’s around the next bend in the road. Sometimes we labor up a steep incline only to suddenly find ourselves going at breakneck speed down the opposite slope. Life’s road can be just as trying and just as tricky as driving Gutford at 5:30 on a late December evening. What’s a person to do?

Our texts for today come from different eras in the history of God’s people, but both of them speak to the journeys we are on. While we cannot foresee and sometimes have little control over the path life brings us, we do have a roadmap that helps us to navigate that road with assurance and success. While our material life can be difficult and confusing, both David and Jesus direct us to a spiritual path that aids us and even protects us from the pitfalls and wrong turns of life.

It’s often referred to as “the straight and narrow”. David asks God to guide him into a straight path that acknowledges and serves the true God with obedience and Godly ethics. He contrasts that kind of life with the actions of those who do not fear the Lord but seek only to serve themselves and their sinful ambitions. We see these things demonstrated all the time in the lives of those who live only for their own pleasure and comforts. Those are lives that do not travel a path that leads to God and eternal life. Rather those are lives that lead to destruction. The little kingdoms they carve out for themselves turn to dust when their last breath escapes them.

Jesus speaks of the narrow path. My brother-in-law Mike and my sister Sally recently visited us. He complained quite plaintively about how narrow the roads are in Floyd County. He is used to a square mile grid pattern in Michigan with the county roads laid out absolutely straight with generous roadsides that separate the roads from the ditches. He was a bit frightened by our roads that hardly ever run straight and true and which go from pavement to ditch in a matter of inches. Jesus’ words can also frighten the sinner. The path that leads to eternal life is a narrow one and exclusive. Jesus is the only way there and is the only door through which we may enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

That’s not what much of the world wants to say and believe. To many, which religion a person holds to is unimportant. “I’m spiritual but not religious,” they claim. “All religions are basically the same. They all point us to the same end,” they exclaim. “Christianity is chauvinistic and exclusionary. Who are you to judge other religions and cultures as deficient?” We don’t. Jesus died for everyone in the world. We offer his grace to everyone. But he himself said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” That makes the path narrow but also the one that gives life.

When next you have need to travel on Gutford Road, be careful! It’s narrow and not at all straight. Keep your eyes on the road and your mind on what you’re doing. In the same way, commit your path unto the Lord, letting his Word and Holy Spirit guide you on your life’s journey. Fix your eyes on Jesus while being watchful of the unrighteousness to which you can be drawn. This is the path that leads to eternal life. This is “The Way” – our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

PRAYER:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1) LENTEN SERVICES are being offered every Wednesday. Services start at 7:00 PM. Our overall theme is “The Forgiveness Challenge” and the pastors are interviewing various Biblical characters whose live or stories teach us important truths about the forgiveness of God and the forgiveness we can give to one another. This week King Ahab visits with us.

2) The SUGARBUSH MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL takes place near Salem on Saturday and Sunday, February 24-25 and March 2-3. Grace will once again be serving breakfast and lunch both days and both weekends. We’ll need LOTS of help, so if you are able, sign up soon.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/ZDeEbxDpiK4

PRINTABLE PDF: WDFEB20.PDF

[email protected] — (502) 797-7407

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WEEKLY DEVOTION
FEB 19

Monday, FEB 19, 2024

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“Breathe In the Fresh Spirit”

WMost of us are familiar with Carbon monoxide. Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. This is why many cities are mandating the use of Carbon Monoxide Detectors that work like smoke detectors to warn occupants of the danger.

CO is lethal if exposed to it too long. At low concentrations CO causes fatigue in healthy people and chest pain in people with heart disease. At higher concentrations, it begins to mess with everything in your head– impaired vision and coordination; headaches; dizziness; impaired vision, confusion; nausea and flu-like symptoms that all clear up after leaving home. Most noticeable though is the reduction brain function and resulting from dead or dying brain cells.
It is fatal at very high concentrations. What happens is the oxygen is literally cut off from your body. The formation of carboxyhemoglobin develops in the blood, which inhibits oxygen intake – you fall asleep and never wake up.

This is essentially what happened to Israel. Ezekiel is a book written to the Israelites when they were exiled in Babylon. Jerusalem is a distant memory. In Chapter 37 we are told that Ezekiel saw a vision of a vast valley of dead bones—bones that were bleached dry, picked clean by predators broken and in piles—essentially appearing beyond hope. Ezekiel was placed in the midst these bones and led around this valley to understand the lifelessness that surrounded him. Ezekiel 37:11tells us that this is house of Israel, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone.” Gone because the nation carried into exile and the Temple lay in ruins. But the message of Ezekiel is that even these bones are not beyond hope. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

Why is the picture so horrifying? We probably already know. Because Israel ignored the Spirit-Filled Word of God. First, they stopped reading it and they stopped following it. The house of Israel began to fill with an odorless, invisible poison of false ideas, of idols, a corrupted Temple, evil kings and politicians, and a forgotten Lord. The prophets tried warning them, but the house of Israel ignored them, murdered them, and refused to believe they were in any danger. The House of Israel were God’s people, they should have known better—they knew about evil and they were taught about holiness but their minds were confused and corrupted by their sin so they couldn’t think straight. They were told to repent and turn away; to breathe in the fresh air of God’s Word but didn’t. And in the end the nation died.

We have a great lesson in Israel. This lesson is repeated in Romans 8. Sin is real; it has saturated our lives, and it is deadly. The ONLY solution is transformative Gospel of Jesus. The Spirit-Filled Word of God, which brings life to the soul and brings life to a person that has been reduced to a pile of dry bones.

Many years back when the Pirates of the Caribbean hit the screens we were introduced to Jack Sparrow and the crew of the Black Pearl. As the story goes the crew of the Black Pearl had a curse on it. During the day the crew looked like normal “scallywags”, dirty, smelly pirates. But when the moonlight shined on them the audience got to see them as they really were; cursed and dead.

In a similar way when the light of Christ hits each one of us there will be no hiding. We will be seen as we really are. Blame will not change it. Excuses will not undo it. We will stand before the Lord and we will be exposed for who we really are. Lent itself is meant to do just that, to confess who we really are and step into the light; to expose the skeletons in our closet before God. Lent is a time to breathe in the fresh air of the Spirit of God so that our very bones may live.

Can these bones live? Yes! Confess this reality–we are dead in our sins. Sin is real. And God is just. The cross of Jesus was demanded by God for our forgiveness. Someone had to die—Jesus was it. His death is followed by resurrection. And in Romans 8:11 we see how it comes to us. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

Do you want hope? Do you want real change? You’ve got it in Jesus. During the last Superbowl a lot of controversy started over the Ad titled “He Gets Us.” Jamie Bambrick a pastor in Northern Ireland, posted a video to social media the following Tuesday entitled “He Saves Us.” The pastor said that the “He Gets Us” commercial may have been “perhaps well-intentioned” but ultimately “failed to convey anything of the gospel to the hundreds of millions who saw it.”

The Washingtonstand.com reports that; Instead of AI generated people the “He Saves Us” video features real people and real stories; those like Kat Von D, a celebrity tattoo artist who abandoned witchcraft last year to become baptized a Christian, accompanied by the words, “former witch.” Next up is Josh Timonen, who worked on the book “The God Delusion” with prominent atheist apologist Richard Dawkins before converting to Christianity. The ad cycles through a whole host of real-life individuals who left behind their sinful pasts to embrace Christianity: other titles include “former jihadist,” “former KKK member,” “former drug addict,” “former gang leader,” “former drag queen & prostitute,” “former abortionist,” “former transgender,” “former pornstar,” “former new age guru,” and “former lesbian activist,” always with the word “former” highlighted in yellow.

Bambrick’s video (see link below) says, “Jesus doesn’t just get us. He saves us. He transforms us. He cleanses us. He restores us. He forgives us. He heals us. He delivers us. He redeems us. He loves us.” It ends with the words, “Such were some of you,” a reference to 1 Corinthians 6:11, which reads, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

I agree that the “Jesus Saves Us” commercial is a much better message and more consistent with Ezekiel and Romans. Can these bones live? Jesus has a much preferred answer of, ‘yes.’ Ezekiel prophesied to the bones and they came together ultimately complete bodies but it wasn’t until the Spirit entered them that they came to life. When the Word is spoken: bones come together again, sinews and muscle take shape, hearts begin to beat and lungs are filled with life-giving air. When the Holy Spirit comes from the four winds, resurrections happen, Dead things live again, and life takes meaning. Drug addicts change. KKK members are redeemed. We are better people, not just better Christians. Life happens right away and not just later. The Gospel is always transfiguring, always shaping us with Gospel precision.
Before we can ever hope to change the culture, we ourselves must be changed. The Word of God needs to mean something to us if it is going to mean something to those we love. Before we can be any kind of witness, we must be real; real means genuinely alive in Christ.

So, breathe it in. The Word of God is oxygen in a room of CO gas. The air around us is seemingly innocent, odorless, and clear, but it is filled with poisons. Oxygen is the first step provided when one needs extra care in a hospital. So it is in faith. Fresh air is needed to clear our minds and preserve our lives, it refreshes the heart and strengthens body and soul. In these pages you find this air. In its pages is the same Holy Spirit that breathed life into Adam, that raised the Valley of Dry bones, that comes upon us in Baptism, and brings living faith to the hearer. This Lenten season I pray that we breathe in the Word deeply and live. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pastor Matthew Woods

John 3:30

https://www.google.com/search?q=he+saves+us+vide0o&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgAEEUYOxjCAzIJCAAQRRg7GMIDMgkIARBFGDsYwgMyCQgCEEUYOxjCAzIJCAMQRRg7GMIDMgkIBBBFGDsYwgMyCQgFEEUYOxjCAzIJCAYQRRg7GMIDMgkIBxBFGDsYwgPSAQkyMzg0ajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:068eb721,vid:9cprYa-npfk,st:0
https://washingtonstand.com/news/he-saves-us-pastor-offers-alternative-to-controversial-super-bowl-ad

PRINTABLE PDF: wdfeb19.PDF

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/DVbAlyTlL6o

[email protected] — (502) 523-9327