Sermon Archive - December 31st, 2008

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=130 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="12ba6e903.jpg"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="11fcbc320.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="50" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>OFC:  713-526-5731      5315 MAIN STREET, HOUSTON TEXAS 77004      FAX: 713-524-1709</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Matthew Lutheran Church Houston, Te"><U><B>HOME</B></U></A><B>  ~   </B><A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Worship Schedule"><U><B>WORSHIP</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Map Directions"><U><B>LOCATION</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id362.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="URL Calendar Home Link"><U><B>CALENDAR</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="mailto:info@stmatthewhouston.org?subject=Website Inquiry" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@stmatthewhouston.org?subject"><U><B>EMAIL US</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id452.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><U><B>SITE MAP</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=155 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="123030970.jpg" border=0 width="48" height="151" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="id464.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome"><U>Welcome</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id465.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lutheran Beliefs"><U>Lutheran Beliefs</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id466.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How to Join"><U>How to Join</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id467.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Local Missions"><U>Local Missions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id468.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Global Missions"><U>Global Missions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id508.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Parish Education"><U>Parish Education</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=280 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> Sermon Archive - December 31st, 2008</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="568" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#990000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#FFCC99" FRAME="VOID" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#FFCC99 HEIGHT= 18 WIDTH="134"><div> <A HREF="id563.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Matthew Sermon Archives"><U><IMG SRC="157a270e0.png" border=0 width="39" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#990000 WIDTH="421"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="18" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="421" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>“Our Faithful God”</B></div> <div> Luke 2:6-20</div> <div>  New Years Eve, 2008</div> <div> Pastor Mark Wiesenborn</div> <div> St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas</div> <bR> <div>      <I>Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ</I>.  Our sermon message for New Years Eve is based on the second chapter of Luke's Gospel, where an angel of the Lord comes to shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night, and says to them:</div> <div> “<I><B>Fear not: for, behold, I bring you </B></I><I><B><U>good tidings of great joy</U></B></I><I><B>, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!</B></I>”</div> <bR> <div>      Dear friends in Christ, have you given much thought lately to <B>how we </B><B><U>show love</U></B><B> to those we care about</B>? In our everyday lives, we usually show affection not only through our words, but also by our actions. For example, a young man trying to win his sweetheart's love will look for creative ways to show her special attention. He will buy little<U> presents</U> for her. He will go out of his way to say sweet and loving things. A young lady will usually show extra respect to the young man she is trying to woo, and she, too, might use <U>gifts</U> of one kind or another to win his devotion. Her conversations may even focus on him, so that he feels like <I><B>the center of her world</B></I>.</div> <bR> <div>      People in other types of relationships use many of the same tactics to show love. Grandparents are well-known for <U>giving gifts</U> to grandchildren to show their love - occasionally to the chagrin of the parents! Even businesses sometimes <U>use gifts</U> to lend the impression that the individual means something special to their business. Sadly, sometimes in broken marriages, one parent will offer gifts in an attempt to pretend they hold a greater love for the children than the other parent.</div> <bR> <div>      Unfortunately, we can become so used to <U>receiving gifts</U>, and special attention and favors, from those who want us to <I><B>feel loved</B></I>, that <B>sometimes we don't think we feel God's love</B>. If everything in our lives is not exactly to our liking, we become like spoiled children thinking that God is neglecting us or withholding His love from us. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, it is in our earthly relationships that neglecting to love others is most evident. <B>But God's love for us never changes</B>.</div> <bR> <div>      Many of us have already begun the process of <I><B>cleaning up after Christmas</B></I> - gathering up the scraps of wrapping paper and colorful bows; stuffing now-empty gift boxes into large trash bags in preparation for the next time your garbage collector makes the rounds through your neighborhood.  The after-Christmas sales are winding down, and those store shelves are already being prepared to display Valentines Day gifts and spring clothing.  Yet something in the back of my mind has been telling me to “<B>HOLD ON to Christmas!</B>”  Follow that Star, listen to the angels, come to Bethlehem in search of the Christ child, and then let us bow down before the manger and worship Him!  That is where we will begin to find answers to what is broken in our world, and perhaps also broken in our lives.  <U>That is where we will first find tangible HOPE in the precious love of our faithful God</U>.</div> <bR> <div>      Of the many ways that the Story of Christmas has been told, one of my all-time favorites is the one featuring cartoon characters from Charles Schultz' masterpiece known as <B>Peanuts</B>.  I have a particular fondness for the little boy named Linus, who carries a soft blue “<I><B>security blanket</B></I>” everywhere he goes.  As the children's school Christmas pageant is falling apart because <I>everyone else wants to do their own thing</I>, Linus wraps that security blanket around his head and neck so that he resembles one of the Bethlehem shepherds.  And when he tells the story of baby Jesus in the manger, the sweetness and gentleness of the moment remind us of the GIFT that came down from heaven in a very special way.  <U>God's love came down at Christmas</U>, in the middle of a dangerous and ungodly world.  <B>God's love took hold of us, even before Joseph and Mary took hold of the Savior of the Nations</B>.</div> <bR> <div>      Some of you may have heard a contemporary Christmas song called “<B><U>Mary Did You Know</U></B>”.  In the lyrics to that song, we have the chance to reflect on some powerful questions:</div> <div>      “Mary did you know, that your baby boy would someday walk on water?</div> <div>      Mary did you know, that your baby boy <U>will save our sons and daughters</U>?</div> <div>      Did you know that your baby boy has come <U>to make you new</U>?</div> <div>      This child that you've delivered, <I><B>will soon deliver you</B></I>.”</div> <bR> <div> “Mary did you know, that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?</div> <div> Mary did you know, that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?</div> <div>      Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?</div> <div>      And when you kiss your little baby, <I><B>you've kissed the face of God?</B></I></div> <div>      Mary, did you know?”</div> <div>           [<I>Buddy Greene / Mark Lowry  © 1991, Word Music</I>]</div> <div>      </div> <div>      Chances are that even as Mary holds her tiny son, she is NOT pondering questions like these in her heart.  She simply wraps him tightly in “swaddling cloths” - a kind of <I><B>security blanket</B></I> to keep this tiny baby safe and warm - and holds him tenderly in her loving arms.  But she is also treasuring up the events of those past few weeks, as shepherds and wise men have come from places near and far to see her child.  They have been sent by our faithful God, <I><B>to see His salvation!</B></I></div> <bR> <div>      Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God and <B>the firstborn son of Mary</B>.  Genesis chapter 4 tells the story of <B>the firstborn son of Man</B>, born many centuries earlier to Adam and Eve after they had been driven out of the garden paradise of Eden.  We might imagine that Eve also wrapped her tiny baby in swaddling clothes, and held him tenderly in her loving arms.  But Cain was the first of many generations to carry <B>the curse of Original Sin</B> that began with Adam and Eve's disobedience against God.  Cain struggled with sinful thoughts, words, and deeds even to the point of murdering his younger brother Abel.  And since then, no generation has been completely free from the destructive forces of sin in this world.</div> <bR> <div>      <U>The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth</U> right up to the present time.  [<I>Romans 8:22</I>]  This becomes evident to us when nations rise in conflicts against nation, and kingdoms against other kingdom.  We hear reports of great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and <U>great signs from heaven</U>.  [<I>Luke 21:10-11</I>]  These are the signs that Jesus tells His followers to expect, as <B>signs of the end of the age</B>.  Some people are convinced that the magnitude of these events is proof that <U>the end will come during our lifetimes</U>.  Others point to devastating wars and natural disasters that have been happening again and again throughout history.</div> <bR> <div>      But the message that comes to us from the manger at Bethlehem points directly to the cross of Jesus Christ: “<B>The Kingdom of our faithful God is near</B>.”  Our Lord is making His power and presence known in ways that can be seen and heard, through experiences that cannot be understood according to worldly expectations.</div> <bR> <div>      <U>That is why Christians have an opportunity to teach those who do not know about Jesus Christ</U>.  We have encountered an all-powerful God who does not cause suffering and death in the world, yet He chooses to allow it to exist so that we might <B>seek Him</B> and <B>find Him</B>.  Ever since God's Creation was broken by SIN there have been consequences in the lives of people, happening in ways that are often mistaken as personal attacks or punishment - certainly not demonstrations of <I><B>God's love</B></I>!  And because He created us with free will, our suffering can produce two different responses:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">It can cause people to <B>reject God</B>, out of fear and anger.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c800008000.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">It can cause people to <B>turn towards God</B>, calling out for His mercy and help.</div> <bR> <div>      <B>When the love of God takes hold of us</B>, we receive faith by His grace.  Our faithful Lord gives a greater gift than any of us could ever desire or deserve.  He wraps us in the <U>security blanket of salvation</U>, which comes to us through the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of His own beloved Son Jesus Christ - who died on the Cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, for all time.  And we are comforted that our own experiences of pain and grief and loss are a participation in the sufferings that Christ has already completed on our behalf.</div> <bR> <div>      <B>From beginning to end God remains unchanged</B>. His will endures forever. His love is forever and His Word will never pass away. Jesus fulfilled all the Law for us, yet God's Word remains our guide for living - by loving God as <I><B>the center of our world</B></I>, and also by loving our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We don't earn salvation by living according to God's will. Through Jesus, God the Father has already given us salvation. So out of thanks for God's abundant love and infinite mercy, we should live according to His will.</div> <bR> <div>      We show our love through <B>the gifts of our words and actions</B>. God's love was, and always will be, visible to you and me through the Savior on the cross, and through the Words of Scripture which bring the Gospel promises to us. And now our loving God expects that we will show love to our neighbors in everything just as He has shown His love for us in His Son. Because we have been forgiven through Jesus' sacrifice, <U>we are to gladly and freely forgive others</U>, believing that Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world. Just as God loved us and brought us to faith through the preaching of His Word, so we are to share His Good News with those around us who still need to hear about the forgiveness offered through faith in Jesus Christ.</div> <bR> <div>      <B>Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?</B>  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  Paul is convinced that <U>the Kingdom of God is near</U>, as he answers his own question: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”</div> <bR> <div>      <I><B>Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the love of our faithful God has taken hold of you.  Nothing can separate us from His love!  And if God is for us, who can be against us?  As we turn our eyes to the fresh beginnings of a New Year, may we find comfort in the love of God that always </B></I><I><B><U>protects</U></B></I><I><B>, always </B></I><I><B><U>trusts</U></B></I><I><B>, always </B></I><I><B><U>hopes</U></B></I><I><B>, always </B></I><I><B><U>perseveres</U></B></I><I><B>.  His love never fails!  We pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>GOSPEL LESSON </B>- Luke 2:6-20 [KJV]</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >     6</FONT> And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that <I>Mary</I> should be delivered. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >7</FONT> And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.</div> <bR> <div>      <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >8</FONT> And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >9</FONT> And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.</div> <bR> <div>      <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >10</FONT> And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >11</FONT> For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >12</FONT> And this <I>shall be </I>a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >13</FONT> And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >14</FONT> Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.</div> <bR> <div>      <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >15</FONT> And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >16</FONT> And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >17</FONT> And when they had seen <I>it</I>, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >18</FONT> And all they that heard <I>it </I>wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.</div> <bR> <div>      <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >19</FONT> But Mary kept all these things, and pondered <I>them </I>in her heart. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Franklin Gothic Book" >20</FONT> And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=155 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="122e30960.jpg" border=0 width="48" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="id499.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meet Our Leaders"><U>Meet Our Leaders</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tour Our Church"><U>Tour Our Church</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id493.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Read Our History"><U>Read Our History</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id626.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Arts and Music"><U>Arts and Music</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Special Events"><U>Special Events</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id515.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery"><U>Photo Gallery</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=70 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="id423.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bible Search"><U><B>BIBLE SEARCH</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>~  </B><A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LCMS Links"><U><B>LUTHERAN</B></U></A><A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LCMS Links"><U><B> LINKS</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>~  </B><A HREF="id100.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Online Devotionals"><U><B>DEVOTIONALS</B></U></A><B>  ~  </B><A HREF="id563.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Matthew Sermon Archives"><U><B>SERMON ARCHIVES</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> © 2008  St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Houston, TX - All Rights Reserved</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>