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The Holy Spirit Is for Everyone :: Acts 2:1-21

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Not long after God had delivered the sons of Israel from their enslavement in Egypt, the people of God became unhappy with the way the Lord was taking care of them. Despite all the miracles they had seen ... despite the heavenly food called manna that was given each day ... despite the abundance of quail and water flowing from the rock ... the people wanted more. They wanted their old way of life. The promise of milk and honey wasn’t good enough (Ex 3:8).  So they began grumbling. Their complaints grew in such proportions that Moses became so troubled. He felt overwhelmed by the tremendous responsibility of leading so many people.  In response, the Lord told Moses to select 70 elders from among the people to assist him. I will come down and speak with you , YHWH said. I will set apart [some] of the Spirit that is upon you, and set it upon [those elders], and they will bear with you the burden of the people (Num 11:17).  When the time came to commission them, the Lord poured out his Ho
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Paving the Way with Complete Trust :: Proverbs 3:5-6

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The word for our meditation comes to us from the confirmation verse for Courtney Niemann:  Trust in Yahweh with all your heart; Do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways know him; He will make straight your paths. 5. There was a time in our lives when our society taught us to trust our elders, our leaders, our media, our tradition.  Tradition, some say, can be a valuable source of knowledge and cultural heritage. When we hold the Bible in our hands and hold to the truths of Jesus Christ in our lives, we stand firmly in a long tradition we can trust.  Today, our society teaches us that it’s a virtue to trust only yourself ... that it’s a virtue to chart your own course ... to pursue what we think is good ... to do it for ourselves. Society thinks this is innovative.  As we heard in our Old Testament reading this morning, after the waters of the great flood had dried up, God commanded Noah and his sons to disperse and repopulate the earth (Gen 9:1). Trust me with all you
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Faith Knows He Hears You :: Psalm 27:1, 11a, 12 (7a, 8b, 9a)

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All through the season of Easter, we have been meditating on God’s Word from our introits ... so today, we take up our verses from Psalm 27. You should remember that introit literally means entrance. Paired with the Psalms, an introit is an entrance hymn. We have entered the Divine Service thanking the Lord and singing his praise that he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it in the one true faith.   Because these are hymns, it is quite fitting to sing ... not just speak ... these verses. They’re incredible expressions of faith. Through these words, God opens our eyes to the joy of new birth. He enables us to recognize our Risen Shepherd coming to us, calling us, leading us back to the green pasture where we feast beside still water. Here, he teaches us to rejoice, and sing, and pray. He gives us confidence ... that is, faith in the promises of God ... not because of the things we are doing ... but because of what he has done and is
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What a Friend We Have in Jesus :: Ephesians 1:16-23

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In Proverbs 17, wisdom says: A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (v 17). That proverb identifies loyalty as the most important aspect of friendship. Love flows out of loyalty. Neither adversity nor the passage of time can destroy true friendship. You can always count on a true friend. To have a true friend is to have something exceedingly precious. True friends are always there for you.  This is one of the great truths established by the Ascension of Our Lord. In his ascension, Jesus proves to be our truest friend. WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS I. God provides the friends we need.  The Creator of Heaven and Earth knows all of our needs. As we heard Sunday, he cares about body and soul. He does not desire the death of a sinner. This is why he loved us in this way: Sending his only Son to die for you. Jesus was born without sin, so that he could live without sin, wash away all of your sin in baptism, and then ensure that your sin was crucified with him. A
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