http://christlutheranpulpit.podbean.com

Please join Pastor Butler at his new Podcast Broadcast! However, remember that Trinity Pulpit will continue to broadcast as usual with various fill-in pastors until Trinity calls a new full-time pastor.

PB

August 10, 2008

  Synopsis ►

This whole hymn is describing what happens when we attend the Lord’s Table.  Sometimes we take the Lord’s Table for granted; perhaps we think we are just going through a ritual.  But what happens when we take the Lord’s Supper is nothing short of miraculous.  We are told in the Epistle lesson that the law was glorious, even though it was a ministry of death and condemnation, it was glorious.  If that which condemned us was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of the Spirit.  The Law says, “Do this and die;” the Spirit says, “Believe this and live!” What this beautiful hymn tells us is part of the ministry of the Spirit.  It is not Law that Our Lord comes to us through this Table.  When it  comes to these Holy Things—this Communion every Sunday morning, our “mortal flesh” should keep its mouth shut.  There is nothing we can say.  It’s beyond our comprehension.  It is eternal and we are not. 

We believe not that this represents Jesus; but that Jesus Himself is in, with, and under this bread and wine because He said He is there.  IS.  The Body and Blood of Christ do not belong to me, or to this church, or to any mortal.  They belong to Christ.  He comes to this table because He wants to.  That same Word that was in the Garden creating, that hung on the cross, that spoke to Peter and Paul is here in this Bread and Wine.  For you.  There is a transaction going on here.  When this goes into your mouth, forgiveness is delivered.  To you.  He brings what He says He will bring.  Where Jesus is there must be forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation.  God doesn’t need us to feed Him; He comes to feed us to pull us out of the grave.  When we say the words of Christ at our Communion Table, the Heavens part and Christ comes to vanquish death and the devil.  

Scriptures for the Day ► 

Old Testament—Isaiah 29:18-24

Epistle—2 Corinthians 3:4-11

Gospel—St. Mark 7:31-37

Hymn—“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” (Lutheran Service Book) LSB #621 Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

August 3, 2008

Guest Pastor: Rev. Edwin Carey

Synopsis ►

This gospel lesson is the story of two men who did the right thing at the right time and in the right place, but one of them did it the wrong way—the one you would have expected to have done it the right way: the Pharisee. But God first and always looks at the heart. Before God, we’re all sinners, all in the same boat! There are honest sinners and hypocrite sinners: some know it and admit it and stand robed in the clothes of Christ, and others do not. Some things can sound absolutely right, logical, but in reality can be all wrong. The things the Pharisee said before God may have been “right,” so why should he put on a false air of contrition? Like the song, “Oh Lord It’s Hard to Be Humble When You’re Perfect in Every Way,” the Pharisee was doing everything just the right way. The usual interpretation of this parable is to see the Pharisee as bad and the publican as good. It’s usually seen as a lesson in humility. But the Pharisee was a hard working Biblical scholar, not ashamed of the Scripture, one who was responsible for maintaining the scriptures and ministry down through the difficult times of the Jews’ history.

Despised by the whole Jewish community, the publican was considered a sinner and a heathen, a liar, a cheat, a traitor. Which of these men should God be pleased to have standing before Him?

When we try to justify ourselves, we always do it by comparing ourselves to another person; we put other people down to lift ourselves up. But this is not the stick that God uses to measure us. With His stick, we all come up short. His stick is the Law. His Law says that we are all sinners, all in need of his Grace. The difference in sinners is that some recognize the fact and admit it, and some do not. The publican went down to his house justified, but the Pharisee went down to his house unchanged, and so that is unfortunate for the Pharisee. The publican, however, was justified, but he needed to hear that he was justified, just like we do. We must let the Good News do its work to let us know that we are justified, and then tell others so they, too, may rest in the comfort of their justification in Christ.

Scriptures for the Day ►

Old Testament—Genesis 4:1-15

Epistle—1 Corinthians 15:1-10

Gospel—St. Luke 18:9-14 (Text)

July 27, 2008

Guest Pastor: Martin Keller

On the Occasion of his Granddaughter’s Baptism

Synopsis ►

It is an honor to preach in this historic church which nurtured the Lutheran community over many years. But the greatest honor in preaching here on this day is that this is an historic occasion: the baptism of Emily Juliet. Emily’s parents, Paul and Megan, are following Christ’s command to all believers: to bring all—especially the little children—to be baptized into Him. Who would not want the words and promises of Baptism into Christ? The forgiveness of sins, rescue from death and the devil, and eternal life. The devil, the world and others will ask, “How can water do such great things?” It is not just the water, but the Word of God in and with the water. With the Word, it is a life-giving water. It is God who is rescuing us, justifying us, adopting us—all done in Holy Baptism.

It is good to eagerly desire this gift of baptism for your daughter, Emily. In just a few minutes, she will have her name written in the Book of Life in Heaven. Baptism gives a new birth, a heavenly birth. Her mother gave birth to her once, of flesh; here she will receive a new birth, a birth in Christ.

It is well that the old baptismal font is placed at the entrance of this church sanctuary. For we walk through the baptismal waters to enter the Body of Christ. Emily and all the other children in this congregation are the next generation in the line of children who will know this place to be the House of God, where the love of Christ is demonstrated; and by the power of the Holy Spirit they will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Scriptures for the Day ►

Old Testament—Jeremiah 8:4-12

Epistle—1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Gospel—St. Luke 19:41-48

Rev. Wade E. Butler

July 13, 2008

Synopsis ►

You are very highly prized by God!  There is no reason for a Christian to ever have poor self-esteem. He has put in us a Spirit that has done some marvelous things.  We do not have a Spirit of fear because we know God is on our side.  We do not have a God who is high and exalted and mean.  We have a Spirit of adoption.  God came and found us, chose us, and gave us His Name.  To us, He is Abba, Father, Daddy, not some far off god.  We need not be prisoners of our flesh any longer.  Our relationship with God has qualified us to be too good for the sins of the flesh.  We are heirs with Christ!  We have no need to roll in the rot of this world; we will inherit the New Heaven and the New Earth.  Who wouldn’t be a Christian, knowing that?

Scriptures for the Day ► 

Old Testament—Jeremiah 23:16-29

Epistle—Romans 8:12-17

Gospel—St. Matthew 7:15-23

Rev. Wade E. Butler

July 6, 2008

Synopsis ►

We take a peek at the dawn of Creation.  Adam had several vocations: tend the Garden, avoid a tree, name the animals, love & take care of his wife, and be fruitful & multiply.  However, Adam abandoned his vocations.  When he did that, sin poured into this Creation.  Death, doom, sadness, and pain came in for us all.  Jesus Christ came in to this world to reverse what Adam had done.  He came to repair what the first Adam ruined.  Jesus Christ came to fulfill Adam’s vocation.  First, he began to teach and call to Himself children—Peter, Bartholomew, Nathaniel…–and instructed them to preach and create more people who believe in the Gospel, to “be fruitful and multiply.”  Then, Christ began to love the one who was from His side.  When He hung on the cross and his side was pierced, what came out?  Blood and Water, Communion and Baptism, the two things that make the Bride of Christ.  Then, He began renaming, from Peter, “the Rock” to each one of us whom God Himself has named with a new name at Baptism.  Adam was to avoid a tree:  the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Jesus had to be nailed to a tree to redeem us.  After He was removed from the cross and risen, He was mistaken for the gardener.  Why?  Because He was gardening!  Mary Magdalene found Jesus fulfilling Adam’s first vocation:  tending the garden, caring for the Earth.  The first Adam failed us; the Second Adam redeemed us.

Scriptures for the Day ► 

Old Testament—Genesis 2:7-17

Epistle—Romans 6:19-23

Gospel—St. Mark 8:1-9

Rev. Wade E. Butler

June 29, 2008

Synopsis ►

St. Paul gives us a world view in this text from Romans. Most people fear death, but St. Paul says here that we Christians are already dead! We were baptized not only so that our sins would be washed away, but also to put us dead in Christ, buried with Him. That part of us which was completely at odds with God has been buried with Christ. Before Christ, this world was headed toward absolute entropy. When He died, all the ruination of sin was put on Him and died, too. Two things happened at the baptismal font: we were buried and we were raised. Our Old Man was drowned and at the same time we were given new life. We are two people: the Old Man who decays day by day; the New Man, transformed with the New Birth. He grows and emerges day by day, fed on the things of God. The New Man has far different desires than the Old Man. Spiritual growth is about letting go the old cocoon and embracing what God desires. A spiritual taste change.

Scriptures for the Day ►

Old Testament—Exodus 20:1-17

Epistle—Romans 6:3-11

Gospel—St. Matthew 5:20-26

Guest speaker: Cantor Paul Keller

June 22, 2008

Synopsis ►

In this miraculous report from St. Luke, Christ tells his disciples to cast their fishing nets in an unlikely area, to take a chance with a new way, an unconventional Truth. They took the chance; they obeyed. And the harvest of fish filled two boats. In this miracle, Christ revealed His Divine Nature through using nature. He was telling the disciples the Truth—that they were fishers of men. Christ, through us, His disciples, fishes for men with the Truth and restores them with the water of Baptism, removing the hook of the devil who is also fishing for men.

Scriptures for the Day ►

Old Testament—1 Kings 19:11-21

Epistle—1 Peter 3:8-15

Gospel—St. Luke 5:1-11

Father’s Day

June 15, 2008

Synopsis ►

In the reading from St. Luke, Jesus gives us three principles that we need to understand to be good disciples: the Principle of Return, the Law of Spiritual Growth, and the Principle of Self-knowledge.

The Principle of Return is “as you sow, so shall you reap.” What we sow not only comes back, but comes back with lots and lots of company. How careful we must be in what we sow! When the “harvest” is negative, the only Christian response is to repent for the sowing and endure the harvest, resolving to never sow those seeds again. Watch what you sow; the harvest can be bitter. On the other end, people who gladly sow love, compassion, etc. sometimes don’t know how to receive the harvest of blessing. Reap and rejoice!

In the Law of Spiritual Growth, Christ shows us that in order to teach, we must be practicing what we teach. The blind leading the blind will not work.

The Law of Self-knowledge Christ gives us to encourage us to know ourselves rather than being judgmental of others.

If we really are disciples of Christ, we will understand these principles. Jesus, of course, knew Himself and knew that he could remove the speck from the eye and the sin from the soul, and knew that we were all blind and destined to reap a harvest of everlasting dysfunction. Thanks be to God that Christ has died for us, fulfilling these principles and allowing us to reap the harvest of salvation.

Scriptures for the Day ►

Old Testament—Genesis 50:15-21

Epistle—Romans 8:18-23

Gospel—St. Luke 6:36-42

June  8, 2008

Synopsis ►

This sermon is an explication of the hymn “The Lord’s My Shepherd” (lyrical version of Psalm 23.)  This Psalm describes our relationship to Christ as our shepherd, a Shepherd who truly cares about His sheep:  protector, provider, and defender.  David, who wrote this psalm, understood the relationship, being a shepherd himself.    We could not have chosen Christ to be our shepherd any more than a sheep in the field could choose its master.  Why does the Lord take care of us like he does?  Not because of any righteousness of our own, but because once He marked us as His own, we became His responsibility.  What happens to us reflects on His Name.  His Name is on the line. 

Scriptures for the Day ► 

Old Testament—Micah 7:18-20

Epistle—1 Peter 5:6-11

Gospel—St. Luke 15:1-10

The 23rd Psalm is one of the most memorable and beloved psalms in the Bible. Using the lyrical version found in the hymnal, we examine what it means to be in relationship with God that is so tender and devoted that one wonders: “Why would anyone not want such a shepherd?”

Synopsis ►

In this parable from the book of Luke, a man throws a supper and all his supposed friends make excuses not to come. Traditionally, this has been interpreted as God calling the Israelites, who rejected the invitation, then transferring the invitation to the Gentiles. But let’s look at it another way.

This man is not the gracious host we think of when we think of God. He expects his friends to drop everything in their lives on the spur of the moment to come to the party on his timetable. He is concerned about appearances, inviting only those whose means allow them to buy properties and oxen and have a wedding requiring a dowry. And he gets angry at them when they refuse the invitation; only then does he invite the poor and lowly to fill out his party. What does this tell us about this man? What friend wouldn’t know what was going on in the lives of his friends? Or rejoice with them at their good fortune and postpone his party? Why did he not invite the poor and lowly in the first place? Who will “eat bread in the Kingdom of God”? It certainly won’t be those who are like this man.

Jesus was the antithesis of this man. Jesus came when the time was perfect for us. He was willing to put all our lives ahead of His. He didn’t get angry at those who disappointed Him. And he came first to the poor and lowly. As He hung on the cross–the Light of the World–no one was there except those who wanted to snuff out the light. Jesus Christ was the party! And before He went to the cross, He instituted a feast with the disciples because He knew that we, in our lost and condemned condition, could in no way come unto Him. He brought the feast to us.