Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“Monkey see, monkey do.” If you’ve ever been around a child before, you know this expression well. Kids are known for copying whatever they see, be it good or bad. If someone throws a pillow, the kid will pick up the closest item to him and throw it too. If you start jumping up and down, most likely the kid will do it too. This is only natural to us and doesn’t escape us even as adults. One of the primary ways we learn is by example, that is, by watching others do something first and copying their actions.

Examples are a great way to learn something new until it’s an example you can’t follow. Take for instance the convoluted instructions you find with building furniture. Or there are those times where our parents tell us “Do as I say and not as I do.” Examples aren’t perfect. Even if it is a perfect example, sometimes the issue is with us following it. We struggle to copy exactly what we saw.

As we enter Lent, we begin by observing Jesus being tempted by Satan. Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Consider the first temptation, “The devil said to [Jesus], ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” Luke 4:3-4. The following two temptations are answered in the same fashion. Satan tempts Jesus and Jesus responds with Scripture, “It is written...”. From this, we often say, “See, you just need to know God’s word and you can resist Satan too!” In this way, we treat Jesus like our example to follow.

The only issue is we aren’t capable of following Jesus’ example. When we treat Jesus’ temptation like a five-step plan on how to beat temptations and Satan, we get stuck on step one. For when Jesus becomes only an example to us, his perfection condemns our imperfection. We regularly mess up when temptations rise, and where Jesus stood strong, we often fall. It’s not because we didn’t watch Jesus’ example. It’s because we’re wholly and completely sinful. The power and strength don’t reside within us.

Thus, when temptations arise for us, it’s not on us to follow Jesus’ example perfectly. On the contrary, Jesus came to be tempted so that he may overcome temptations for us. Jesus is our substitute! He takes our place in the wilderness with Satan so that his strength can become our strength. His victory can become our victory. This is why we’re meant to look to Jesus, not to copy his every deed, but to see that he has already done it for us! We must continue to watch Jesus because he doesn’t stop in the wilderness. Jesus continues his fight by going all the way to the cross. Jesus dies for you, that is, in your place, so that you may live in his place! In this way, our strength to overcome temptations and sin doesn’t rely on us following Jesus’ example, but in faith, that is, looking to Jesus and trusting in His victory for us!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Deuteronomy 34; Hebrews 3:1-6; Luke 9:28-36

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

No one wants to leave a party they enjoy. Imagine telling a child to put their toys away because it’s time to go to bed. Or how often do we wish that the weekend was one day longer? We revel in the moments when we can forget, even just for a moment, the struggles and challenges of life. This is why reading books and playing video games has such wide appeal. It’s the escapism that lets us leave the world and its trials behind and lets us enjoy life. 

However, whether it is reality smacking us in the face or the knowledge that our escape is only temporary, we know we must eventually return to the challenges before us. We can’t ignore our problem forever. We have to return to school, to work, to the responsibilities of life. And yes, life can feel a little mundane which makes our escapism take on a different emphasis.

This Sunday, we journey with Jesus and his inner circle up to the top of the mountain of Transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with him on this trip where they will be surprised by what they see. “And as [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,” Luke 9:29-30. This brilliant sight took the disciple’s breath away. They are amazed and in awe of Jesus and his appearance. For so Peter says, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah,” Luke 9:33. Peter wanted so badly to freeze time and stay right here for the rest of his life.

Of course, that’s the problem. They couldn’t stay even as much as they wanted to. It’s all too easy to want to forget our problems, ignore them, leave them behind when we have one of these moments. What escapism does is make us act like nothing is wrong even if our whole world was falling apart. And as nice as it is on those few occasions, the reality is, we can’t stay. We have to return and face our challenges. We have to return to the problems of sin that plague us, even the problem of death. 

The transfiguration of Jesus shows us just a glimpse of Jesus’ heavenly glory, his divine majesty. And for that moment, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. However, as quickly as the glory appeared, it fled away. For we find out from the Transfiguration an important lesson about life. Jesus doesn’t let Peter or the others stay there. We can’t stay in our “escape”. We must travel back down the mountain, back to the normal, the mundane, the problems and challenges of life. And as we do, we should see... Jesus comes with us too! Jesus doesn’t let us sidestep our challenges, but rather, he leads us through them! Jesus leaves the mountain behind to face his challenge... the cross. For by the cross, Jesus joins us so that he may lead us through every challenge and trial of life, even death and bring us to life everlasting!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your beloved Son You confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of Moses and Elijah. In the voice that came from the bright cloud You wonderfully foreshowed our adoption by grace. Mercifully make us co-heirs with the King in His glory and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Genesis 45:3-15; 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42; Luke 6:27-38

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Is it too late to reflect on Valentine’s day? For many people, I know a day passed is a day already put out of our mind. But it’s a funny coincidence that our texts for this week deal in large part with love. Valentine’s day is a day devoted to love. It’s a day where we make sure to do something special to remind a spouse, or significant other about our love for them. Even beyond this, we extend the day to those we love in general, namely, friends and family. 

Valentine’s day is a day where we are reminded that relationships take work… lots and lots of work. Relationships don’t just happen on their own. They’re based in large part on the effort and time we put into them. In this way, relationships are like investments. You invest yourself into a relationship with someone, so that you may receive a return or reward on that investment. For so, the other person puts in their time and effort too.

It's no surprise then that we’re timid to make “risky” investments. We don’t want to spend valuable resources (time, money, creativity) on a relationship that we’re not sure we’d get a return on. But hear what Jesus has to say, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them,” Luke 6:32. Love your enemies? Be merciful to all people? Give of your valuable resources and expect nothing in return? What Jesus asks of us is an even more difficult task.

If all we do is love people we get along with, people we know will return love to us, indeed, we are no different than anyone else. To say it simply, we’ve embraced the ways of our world, the ways of sin when we look only for “selfish” love, the “what’s in it for me?” love. And that’s the problem. When we act, love, live no differently from everyone else; when we treat our faith as nothing different, when we cheapen the love of God to only those we find it easy to love.

Valentine’s day is indeed about love. But it was first and foremost about God’s love. It was about the way that God loved us so much that he “invested” of himself when we were enemies. It was about the difference God’s love made in our lives. For God gave us His own Son, Jesus Christ, that we may experience a love unknown in our world. So, Christ displayed that love by going to the cross. He poured out all of himself into his relationship with you, never expecting anything in return. “We love because He first loved us,” (1 John 4:19). For God still pours all of himself into his relationship with you. He is merciful to us, forgiving us our sins, and “measuring” to us eternal life! So, by God’s love for us, may we live, love, and act differently that others may know God’s love for them!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayers:

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You, mercifully grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-20; Luke 6:17-26

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It would be nice if choices in life were clearer. We wouldn’t have to question whether we made the right decision or if we messed up horribly. Yet, we know that life is just filled with this “gray” in-between choices. There’s both right and wrong in all options given to us. This is why we must simply “do our best” and struggle through the gray.

However, when we read Scripture, we don’t often see this gray mindset. God always talks in black and white. It’s the clear distinctions between right and wrong that stand out for us. God, in many ways, doesn’t care about our rationale for all the evil we do, even if it was meant with the best of intentions. Vice versa, God rejoices when we do good no matter how we eventually got there.

In our Gospel lesson, we find these black and white distinctions as Jesus teaches the crowd. And we’re left here wondering, which side is for us? Jesus says things, like, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God... Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation,” Luke 6:20, 24. If I’m poor one day, but rich the next... which one is for me? Or what about these words, “Blessed are you who are hungry now... woe to you who are full now,” Luke 6:21, 25. I was hungry yesterday, but I’m full today. So, do I receive woes or blessings? It’s not very clear, is it?

In these beatitudes, we begin to see a description of the Christian life. Blessings are for the poor (v.20), the hungry (v.21), those who weep (v.21b), and those who are hated for Jesus’ sake (v.22). All of these point us to a reality that extends beyond material blessings to eternal blessings. That is, woes are for those who look only for the good things in this life. Woe to the rich, the full, the happy, and famous. For we see that a Christian doesn’t stop being a Christian if they aren’t poor, or hungry, or always weeping. On the contrary, a Christian is one who knows in these situations that they have a reward far greater than any material blessing.

What moves us then from woes to blessings? Is it not Christ? Indeed, woe to us who are sinners, who rely on our flesh, our wealth, and the blessings of this life as our god. But blessed are sinners who turn to Christ and are forgiven their sins! We find that all the woes that Jesus pronounces here are meant to drive us away from ourselves and to Jesus, to put our trust and faith in him! “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord,” Jeremiah 17:7. Jesus takes our “woes” upon himself. Jesus goes to the cross so that all the woes he speaks to us may turn into blessings. For by the cross, Jesus shows us that life isn’t about material blessings, but about the riches and mercy and grace of God given for all eternity! So, let us look beyond our present afflictions or blessings that we may trust in Christ for the blessings that are eternal! 

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, graciously hear the prayers of Your people that we who justly suffer the consequence of our sin may be mercifully delivered by Your goodness to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20; Luke 5:1-11

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I’ve never been big into fishing. I tried it a couple of times and I never had much success. I don’t even remember if I ever caught a fish. One thing I did catch was a wooden pole of a dock! Needless to say, if I was trying to make a living off of fishing, I would be in big trouble. But even more than that, fishing is a game of waiting, patience, and being in the right place at the right time.

Now, fishing can be done in a number of different ways. The old way of fishing is by net and hoping for a large gathering of fish. This is how the disciples would have fished, those who were fishermen by trade. They knew all the secrets, the perfect times, the proper techniques to optimize their chances of a good catch.

However, in our Gospel lesson this week, we hear that the disciples are having trouble catching anything. Peter, James, John, and any of their other companions had been fishing all evening and caught nothing. Then Jesus arrives with a crowd. He takes the chance to utilize their boats to teach the massive crowd. “And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets,” Luke 5:4-5. Even after catching nothing all night, Jesus tells them to try one more time.

Many people become competitive in their work and life. We all want to be better than the next person. But that’s hard to claim when we don’t have any success. I can only imagine that the disciples are confused at Jesus’ request. “We’ve already tried there” or “What good will trying again do?” However, they’re surprised by the result. Not only do they get a catch, it’s so large that it causes the boats to start sinking! This is when Peter has an interesting response, “But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” Luke 5:8. Peter’s sin and insufficiencies come into center view because it stands in stark contrast to the perfection just displayed by Jesus.

When we’re confronted by the perfect standard of God, we too must fall down at Jesus’ feet and say, “I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It is a fearful thing of the imperfect meeting the perfect. We toil regularly in life’s endeavors, like Peter, and then meet the perfect man, Jesus who makes it all seem so effortless. But Jesus puts our fears to rest with his words, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men,” Luke 5:10. By saying, “Do not be afraid,” Jesus is telling us, “Even though I am the perfect God, and you are a sinner, don’t fear. I came for you. I came to be with you here. Sin no longer divides me from you.” Jesus came to catch men. He came to catch… sinners! This is why Jesus goes to the cross to die for you and me. He casts his net over us by his cross that he may catch us, drawing us up out of sin by his forgiveness, and bring us into his kingdom!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

O Lord, keep Your family the Church continually in the true faith that, relying on the hope of Your heavenly grace, we may ever be defended by Your mighty power; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen! 

Jeremiah 1:4-19; 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13; Luke 4:31-44

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I’ve never wanted to be a bother to anyone. I think the same can be said for most people. Whenever we have a problem that we face, we go through this inner dilemma about whether to ask for help or not. It’s not hard to imagine that most of us think our problems are small or insignificant compared to what we think “most people” face. Or on the other end, if we think our problems too large and difficult, we won’t ask either because we’ve given into the belief that no one is able to help us. 

As much as we do this with people, we do it even more so with God. Whether we admit it or not, I think many Christians think of God as their last resort. We try to headstrong our way through our challenges, and when that doesn’t work, we *might* ask someone else for help. And when we’ve exhausted our friends and family with asking, THEN we might finally turn to God. For it all comes down to the feeling, “I don’t want to be a bother to anyone,” even God.

We see a whole different story when we look at our Gospel lesson this week. Jesus had just preached in his hometown and been rejected by his family. After this, he goes and preaches in Capernaum where he encounters a man who is demon-possessed (Luke 4:33). After Jesus commands the demon to leave this man, the demon listens and the people are amazed. “And they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Luke 4:36. We see again the power and authority of Jesus over our world and over demons.

Sometimes, I think we hear these stories and think, “These are the lucky ones who are graced by his presence, but I’m a nobody. Jesus wouldn’t want to be bothered by me.” I imagine it almost like the red carpet. All the celebrities and big names are out of reach and we’re all stuck on the other side of the barrier. Jesus would be just like them, we think. He wouldn’t want to be bothered by someone on this side of the barrier. His job, his work is too important or holy to deal with menial challenges like ours.

It’s not that way at all, though. For after casting out the demon, Jesus goes to Simon’s (Peter) house and heals his mother-in-law of a fever (Luke 4:39). Jesus allows himself to be bothered by all those who were sick or ill in ANY way. “Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them,” Luke 4:40. Not only does Jesus heal them, but he goes so far as to touch each one. Jesus wants to be bothered by our problems. Jesus wants us to come to him with whatever afflicts us. There’s no problem too small for our Lord, nor is there a challenge so large that he can’t help us. Jesus goes to the cross to care for all our problems both big and small. He gives us salvation, forgives our sins, but also desires to hear your every word. So, take your troubles to Jesus that he may so touch you with his grace and mercy to show you just how much he cares for you!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!

Nehemiah 8:1-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:16-30

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

There’s nothing more endearing to us than the thought of home. It’s the one place that we know is safe, comfortable, and welcoming. Home is meant to be the place where you will be welcomed all the time with open arms. We all look forward to going home to family and friends because we know we’ll have a friendly welcome, emotional support, and (if we need) even a shoulder to cry on. Yes, home is meant to be our safe space where we can go no matter whatever we do.

But there’s a weird paradox about home also, particularly about families. Those that know us the best can be either the most supportive or the most critical. When you know someone for a long time (particularly when it’s siblings), we know all the good and bad things together. This creates such situations where we only get the extremes. We can use all the bad things as ammunition, or we can look at all the good things so as to overlook the bad. 

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus returns home to see his family and goes to preach in the synagogue “as was his custom” (Luke 4:16). Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” Luke 4:18-19. This is the proclamation of the year of Jubilee. It was the restoration of all that people had lost. It was an incredible thing and reason for much rejoicing!

However, home and family can be a strange meeting. As he speaks before those who know him the best, he finds a not-so-warm welcome. “And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22. This boy that we’ve seen from birth, who does he think he is to say such a thing to us? Indeed, these people, this family who knew Jesus the best were the most blind to their own need. For Jesus fulfilled the words of Isaiah by preaching to them and to us. We’re the ones who are poor. We’re the ones who are captives and blind and oppressed.

God sent Jesus for this particular reason... “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” Luke 4:19. Jesus was anointed at his baptism by the Spirit so that he may proclaim to all people the favor of God! This is God’s favor, to set free those who are bound to sin, to heal all those who are afflicted in body and soul, to give liberty to all those oppressed by even death! God’s favor is to give us Jesus who will go to the cross to die for us. “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ Luke 4:23. So they did, with Jesus on the cross. They told him to heal himself of his wounds and come down. But it was the Lord’s favor and desire that Jesus should be crushed for us. Now, Jesus sends out others to proclaim this same message... the Lord’s favor for you. And this is God’s favor... to forgive you your sins and to grant you faith which leads to eternal life!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!