God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Letter, Lutherans and Life, and my focus is our Epistle (James 1:22-27). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Because this is my first time preaching among you, I want to introduce myself through the way I preach — by hanging the sermon on three points. As I said in the introductory prayer, these are the Letter of James, how Luther and Lutherans have seen and used it in their teachings, and how James influences our life as Christians today.

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First the Letter. Here, I will cover the identity of James, the purpose of the letter, the mirror of the Law and the Greek word for perfect (teleios).

According to its opening verse, this first of the Catholic (universal) Epistles is written by James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The use of the title servant suggests that he is a church official addressing the twelve tribes in the Diaspora (Christians churches outside Jerusalem). The unmistakable tone of authority we read throughout the letter indicates that he is someone powerful. In the opening verse of the Letter of Jude we read, “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James …” In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote that he went to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and “saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.” (1:19) And when Jesus taught in his hometown synagogue, many asked, “Are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3) He is also mentioned in Acts (12:17; 15:13) and Galatians (2:9,12). He came to be known as James the Just.

Beginning with the Early Church historian Eusebius through today, there is some debate on whether James is the actual blood brother of Jesus or a pseudonym for a Christian who possessed an excellent Greek style of writing and was well versed in Judaism and wished to honor James by attributing the Letter to him.

As you read James on a Sunday afternoon, you will discover the purpose through a long series of brief and loosely connected exhortations. Yet the main concern of the Letter is that the faith of the recipients be not theoretical of abstract, but implemented in action in every aspect of their lives. In a situation where trials and temptations abound and where the poor suffer at the hands of the rich, James exhorts Christians to joy, endurance, wisdom, confident prayer, and faithful response to the liberating word of God in a hostile world, as they wait for the coming of the Lord. The recipients are a group of Jewish-Christian communities living in an area where the name of James would have authority.[1]

The Lutheran Study Bible entitles this section (1:19-27) Hearing and Doing the Word. It teaches us that the word in which we were given birth by God must be heard, obstacles must be removed, and the word must be implemented in deed. As baptized and redeemed Christians, we must “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (19-20) As doers of the Word, we should recognize that when he concluded the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus took the words of Moses (Dt 4:5-6), and taught, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Mt 7:24) Jesus also said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:21; 11:28)

When we come to verse 23, we recall from our study of the Catechism that one of the uses of the Law is a mirror. It shows us our sin, but even more, it reveals the righteousness we already have in Christ. But someone who leaves the perfect image by not living a righteous life as taught in the Word turns away from righteousness.

In verse 25, law means Word. The verse reminds us that the Word is perfect because it is from God and makes us perfect and complete. The Greek word for perfect is teleios, meaning end, and as we age, our goal is become perfect through the power of the Holy Spirit. The older, mature Psalmist wrote, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.” (119:92-94) God commanded His people to obey His Law so that they could enter the land He was giving them. Read Leviticus, and you will see that His Law constantly called people to be righteous.

Finally, religion in James is not a set of beliefs or a movement, but the deeds that a person does because of his beliefs. Such actions may be in accord with God’s will or, as here, sinful, for the person who does not act righteously by controlling his tongue may consider himself righteous, but he is delusional because such behavior does not reflect the righteousness of God.

And as our passage is completed, James instructs Christians that pure religion includes visiting orphans and widows, people with the deepest needs. This is based on the Law and the Prophets (Dt 10:18; Hos 14:3; Lk 7:11-17).

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So much for the Letter—now let us turn to Luther and Lutherans. In 1522, Luther made harsh statements about the Epistle of James. Luther’s frustration was not with James, but with those who misused the second chapter of James to undermine the Gospel, and what he learned about justification and sanctification while studying the Epistles of St. Paul. The chief problem is raised by the way James and Paul use the same terms (faith; law) and the same Old Testament history (Examples of Abraham) to illustrate different points about the Christian life.[2]

Critics delighted that Luther described James as an “epistle of straw” and used this statement as their reason for launching attacks on other New Testament documents and doctrines. But when Luther used the word straw to describe the Letter, he referred to its moral, mundane topics and not its truthfulness. He did not dismiss James, but was contrasting it with other Epistles that teach about Christ and what the apostles were commanded to teach. In fact, he wrote, “We should not be deterred if wood, straw, or hay are perhaps mixed with [the works of the apostles], but accept this fine teaching with all honor.”

In his day, and even today, straw has several basic uses. Luther’s bed was stuffed with straw. On our property, Cindy and I use straw after seeding grass. We also use it in the chicken coop for the hens’ bedding and warmth. And if you have ever attended a retreat at Camp Lutherlyn in Butler, PA, you should know that the walls of the chapel are constructed of straw.

In short, Luther was inconsistent with his view of James, but despite his early, harsh opinions and influence as an interpreter, the Lutheran Church has held that James is rightly part of the New Testament.

Article V of The Apology, which addresses Love and Fulfilling the Law, cites four passages from James. The Large Catechism quotes a dozen verses, including its importance on the Last Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. You can find other verses by scrolling through the Bible References in the Index of the Book of Concord. My point is that we should not be misled by uninformed people who criticize what we believe.

Having finished a brief overview of how Luther and our Lutheran Fathers employed James in our teaching, we move onto my last point, Life. How does James influence our life today? Staying in the lane of our epistle passage today, I propose two points: baptism and service.

First, baptism. On Easter Sunday, Cindy, two of our grandchildren and I attended Trinity Lutheran Church in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The parish is vacant and a pulpit supply pastor led worship and preached. His name is Pastor Nourreddine Bennai. We met Pastor Bennai in 2011, when we moved to Oklahoma City. Like us, he worshipped at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. I was an assistant pastor there, and he is a missionary pastor.

Nourreddine Bennai was born and raised as a Muslim in Morrocco, and every day, he spent time in a mosque learning and memorizing the Koran. He was taught that Christianity was a cult, and Christians were unclean people who did not believe in Allah. In 1986, his best friend convinced him to come to the Oklahoma City, where he got a job in a restaurant.

In 2001, his American wife and he divorced, and he moved to Texas, to be with his best friend, who at that time had become a Lutheran. His friend also led Nourreddine to become a Lutheran, but that was not enough. Nourreddine wanted to know more about Christianity, and his friend and he joined People of the Book Lutheran Organization (POBLO). From there they went on to the Fort Wayne Seminary where they became pastors (2005) who outreach to Muslims.

He said that as a Muslim, you do the best you can to keep the five pillars and hope that God has mercy on you to let you into his kingdom, but you never know. There is no assurance, only hope. But when the Lord Jesus chooses you, you know the difference between living in darkness and living in light. As a Muslim, he lived in darkness, but only after he became a Christian did he know that he lived 40 years in darkness.

On Easter Sunday, Pastor Bennai preached on the Resurrection and Baptism. You are aware that James uses the mirror to warn against forgetting who we are in Christ — forgetting our baptismal identity. Pastor Bennai reminded us that every time we look in the mirror and wash our face we should think about our baptism.

Now, you may not recall the moment you were baptized, but as I write this draft on the 69^th anniversary of my baptism (April 14, 1957), I want to emphasize the importance of recalling that you are a baptized person who knows from God’s Word that you are a redeemed child of God. Whether you were baptized as an infant or at 40, you walk and live in the Light of Christ.

And that brings me to service. In 2004, I worked at the Jubilee Kitchen in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. One of my assignments was ministry to incarcerated mothers of young children at the Allegheny County Jail. Most of these women were imprisoned for crimes related to their addiction to drugs. I did this for 18 months before returning to the priesthood. At one point, as I walked to the jail, it came to me – “I was in prison and you visited me.” (Mt 25:36)

For twenty years, I had been visiting parishioners in their homes and hospitals, spending time with the sick, the dying and the widowed, and this verse never dawned on me until that day when I was walking into the jail.

As a Lutheran Pastor, I visited homebound parishioners every month, and one day, an elderly WWII Veteran told me, “No one visits me. You are the only person who visits me.” Friends in Christ, don’t rely only upon your pastor to visit all the people. If you do, you are cheating yourself of the joy that comes from sharing the Gospel with a lonely person. Be a doer of the Word. Be in the Word daily, and share that Word with others. You are like Pastor Bennai’s best friend, leading another person from the darkness of sin to the light of Christ.

We pray. Thank you, Lord, for Your Word. Hold it continually before me, and bring me to hear it preached and taught. May it be rooted deep inside me, that it might transform me into your righteous servant. And may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your minds and hearts in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Material is found in The Epistle of James by Thomas Leahy in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.

[2] See pages 2130ff in The Lutheran Study Bible.

God’s grace, peace and mercy to you. My sermon is entitled Hope while Suffering, and my focus is our Epistle (1 Peter 3:13-22). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Suffering. A few weeks ago, I said that we all understand suffering. It comes to us from two Latin words: sub, which means up or under, and ferre, meaning to carry or bear. Joined together, we have our English word, suffer. Throughout its history, the word has not changed much with the exception of the phrase Suffering Succotash, an exclamation of annoyance and surprise, made famous by the cartoon character Sylvester the Cat.

Since much of the New Testament was written against the backdrop of the Greek world, we turn to see what their philosophers said about suffering. The Cynics taught that suffering is alleviated by achieving mental clarity or freedom from some false belief, mindlessness or folly. One must develop self-sufficiency and love of humanity.

The Hedonist Epicurus advocated that we should first seek to avoid suffering and the unwelcome consequences of fleeting pleasures. Hedonism claims that good and bad consist ultimately in pleasure and pain.

For the Stoics, the greatest good rested in reason and virtue, but the soul best reached the greatest good through an indifference to pleasure and pain. As a consequence, this doctrine became identified with stern self-control. While the writers of the New Testament were persuaded by Greek schools of thought and culture, they were influenced to a greater degree by the Old Testament.

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Suffering in the Old Testament is understood in terms of pain, sorrow, affliction and anguish, stemming from the loss of loved ones, property or land, sickness, guilt or frustration because of the absence of God. Pain or affliction may also be physical or emotional brought about by childbirth, manual labor, or the effects of war and hunger.

Suffering is a result of sin or the transgression of God’s law. This dominant view is understood in terms of vengeful justice or punishment. In other words, actions have consequences. Good behavior or good deeds lead to reward, while bad behavior or bad actions lead to punishment.

Vengeance is seen in terms of the direct intervention of God. This is emphasized in Deuteronomy, the Prophets, the Wisdom of Solomon and the Book of Job. A just God has the power and will to execute justice. There is a lot more that can be said of suffering for breaking God’s law, as well as innocent suffering as portrayed in Job, and vicarious suffering, such as that endured by Isaiah the Suffering Servant, but suffice it to say that the New Testament writers were inspired and influenced by their culture, the Holy Spirit and Sacred Scripture as they penned the gospels and epistles. So, we move from suffering in the Greek and Hebrew worlds to suffering in the early Church.

Peter has been bringing both words of hope and caution to his readers in the first chapters of the letter. They should act in ways that are honorable and holy so that their neighbors and family members have no reason to criticize them. The tension inherent in their situation comes to the fore in our passage, where Peter asks the question that seems to be plaguing his audience: “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?”

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You see, followers of Jesus were recipients of slander and malicious talk. They were treated this way because of their allegiance to Jesus as Lord in a culture where abandoning temple worship of their former pagan gods was equivalent to treason. In this difficult situation, Peter advised Christians to adhere as much as possible to the expectations of state and household: “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people” (2:15).

So, when Peter asks, “Who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?” (3:13), his audience could have easily responded that they had been harmed precisely for doing good – for following their Lord. But Peter asks the question to call for even deeper reflection on their situation. He will readily concede in the very next breath that it is possible for his audience to suffer slander even as they live worthy lives, but it seems he wants his readers to do a double check when this kind of external pressure comes their way.

The need for self-reflection comes into even greater focus in verse 17 where he wonders aloud about the absurdity of suffering for doing good “if that should be God’s will.” Peter is bent on ensuring that the slander directed toward these Christians comes from their allegiance to Jesus and nothing else.

Pursuing allegiance is a central appeal of this passage: “in your hearts honor Christ as holy” (3:15). In a world of many lords and gods, these believers are to have only one Lord and are to be ready to speak to the hope they share in common with the community of faith. By speaking of their hope respectfully, humbly and honorably, they remain above reproach even if they are slandered by neighbors and family members. The hope held out is that their honorable behavior will put to shame those who slander them.

In the rest of our chapter, Peter offers the example of Jesus to encourage his readers. As Jesus was vindicated after he suffered unjustly, so these struggling followers can look forward to vindication if they commit themselves to their faithful Father and continue to do good.

There are numerous difficulties interpreting vv. 18-22, most notably the identity of disobedient and imprisoned spirits, the nature of Christ’s preaching or proclamation to them, and the rationale for the analogy between Noah’s situation and the Christian community’s condition.[1] Peter draws on the flood story to assert Christ’s proclamation of victory over all evil, including the spirits “in prison,” a picture of God’s patient restraint from their destruction. Christ’s victory over death brings his full lordship over all angels, authorities, and powers, including these spirits who epitomize evil.

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Because of Christ’s resurrection and his vindication, those who trust Him can be assured that they, like Noah’s family, will be rescued through water, an analogy for Christian baptism. The readers of 1^st Peter knew about the Flood the way we know the writings of modern Christian authors. They heard the story of Jesus’ vindication after suffering and his removal of all opposing powers, and that gave them hope that their own suffering would be vindicated.

Now, let’s move out of Peter’s world and into our own where we are influenced not only by contemporary philosophies, but also by faith. As Greek thinkers influenced the world in which Jesus and his first followers lived, modern philosophers like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill affected our culture more than a woke movement. Bentham and Mill developed and promoted hedonistic utilitarianism, a popular doctrine in ethics, politics and economics. Bentham argued that the right act or policy is that which would bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. Others advocated the use of biotechnology to abolish suffering. Still others taught that we should consider not only the interests of human beings but also those of animals. Humanitarianism seeks to make the unhappy happy rather than the happy happier. It is a main ingredient in many of our social attitudes.

Now, I am not against making unhappy people happy or happy people happier. Yet, I know that truly deep happiness is rooted in something beyond this world and the time I spend living in it. For me, the Resurrection means everything, and therefore, the teachings of the Resurrected One, our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, mean everything to me. It is in Him and His teachings that I find true happiness. Christianity is not part of my life; it is my life. Nevertheless, not every moment of my life and not every event in my life stirs happiness. I am not happiest when I am pulling weeds or cleaning ashes out of the fireplace. I am not happy about arthritis or high blood pressure. Suffering still is part and parcel of my life as a Christian.

So, we want to be careful in making direct comparisons between 1^st century Christians in Rome and 21^st century Christians in the U.S., where we often have significant advantages in relation to people of other faiths. Many of us live and work among some people who practice a non-Christian faith or no faith at all.

Yet some of the themes we hear in our epistle resonate with us. As Peter pressed his readers to greater self-reflection to ensure that any suffering they experienced came only from their allegiance to Christ, so we might consider that any persecution we encounter arises not because of our faith, but possibly because of our own bad behavior, our own sin. Sometimes people do not like me because to them I act like a jerk.

That said, suffering occurs in our world. Beyond the suffering we experience when death is pending or sickness is present, when we face the strain of personal or congregational finances, stressful relationships among family members or employees for whatever reason, there is the additional suffering directly related to living as a Christian, and we need to be aware of it as much as 1^st century Christians were. We are aware that 1^st century Christian were persecuted for being Christian, but did you know that there were more martyrs in the 20^th century than under any Roman ruler?

Throughout the 20^th century, faithful Christians were murdered throughout Mexico, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Communist China and Vietnam, as well as many oppressive regimes in South America, Eastern Europe and Asia. Today, Christian persecution occurs regularly in North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, India and many other nations.

In Iran, Christians face systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Libya trains militants to attack Coptic Christians. In France, vandalism, theft, arson and other increasing attacks occur on churches. Worldwide, 260 million Christians suffer from persecution.

What do they ask us and what is there we can do for people who suffer at this time? They want you to pray, engage and partner with them as fellow believers who share our faith but not our freedom. Pray, engage and partner with believers who share our faith but not our freedom.

My friends, it may seem that suffering seems to be winning the day, but the story of Jesus offers hope to all who follow in His footsteps for we know deep within our hearts that the God who vindicated and exalted Him, offers the same to us. Today, pray, engage and partner with others suffering from whatever life hurls at them, and know that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] An answer to these three significant textual questions comes from the Jewish apocalyptic book, 1st Enoch, which dates from about the second century B.C. In Enoch 6-16, we hear an expanded interpretation of Genesis 6-9 in its narration of the exponential growth of human sinfulness and the subsequent flood, which only Noah’s family survived. In 1st Enoch, the Nephilim, or giants of Genesis 6:4, give birth to evil spirits who bring great wickedness upon the earth that is the impetus for the great flood.

Do you live in a small house or a large house? Most of us live in small to medium-sized houses. Some people live in really big houses. One member of a church where I was pastor had a mansion with big iron gates and his initial on them. He had lots of rooms in his mansion, and then behind it, he had a big garage with two apartments above that. But I think the biggest house I visited was The White House. You can get lost in there.

I mention big houses because in our Gospel today (John 14:1-14), Jesus talks about his Father’s house and the many rooms in it. How many rooms do you think are in that house? Well, there must be a lot because Jesus is preparing rooms for all of us. I hope mine has a huge bed because my dogs like to sleep in bed with me.

Often, we refer to a church as God’s House. Why do you think we call it that? It’s because we come here to be with God and to be together, like Jesus and the Apostles did. When we’re in a House of God, we look around and compare it to other houses, another church or our grandparents’ house or our own house. We may not like the size of this house, or the walls or floors. Maybe this house does not “feel” like other houses.

Do you know what I like about any house of God? I like being here with you and God. I like that God is here … and all of God’s sons and daughters are here too. I like that Jesus is here with us in Word and Sacrament, and that he is going to show us the way to his Father’s house. And when we get to our Father’s house, do you know what we’re all going to say? “This is the best house ever!”

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon today is House, Way, and Ask, and my focus is our Gospel (John 14:1-14). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

House. The word itself can have many meanings. A house serves as a living quarter for people or animals. If you have enough money, you may build a guest house for visitors. If you have committed some great or grievous error, you may find yourself in the doghouse. Yankee Stadium is affectionately known as The House that Ruth Built. A friend of mine owns a house in which he stores his horse-drawn carriages. Royal families, such as The House of David includes the generations of his extensive family. House can refer to government, a business (movie house, fish house), wine or something free (on the house). Hundreds of movies, shows, books and songs contain the word house.

House appears over 2,000 times in the Old Testament, and over 300 times in the New. Jesus used the word when instructing his disciples (Lk 10:7), telling a story (Lk 6:48), or cleansing the temple of thieves (Lk 19:46). Twice Jesus spoke the phrase, “my Father’s house.” The first time was when he was found in the Jerusalem Temple by an exasperated and relieved Mary and Joseph. His response to their question was “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49). The second was when he expelled the merchants from the Temple, commanding them, “Do not make my Father’s house a house of trade” (Jn 2:16). Obviously, his Father’s house is a heavenly dwelling in which there are many rooms where the disciples will dwell in peace after the struggles of life.

Jews would have easily understood their house as heaven which has room enough for all of us. They understood that heaven was the resting place for the holy and just, but not the wicked. They also knew their history that in the Exodus from Egypt, God went before the Israelites to seek out a place for them to pitch their tents and to show them which way to go (Dt 1:33), and not to fear their enemies (Dt 1:29).

The message that Christ has gone before the disciples to prepare a place for them as well as the early Church and us today is that through our own death and resurrection, that is, Baptism, Christians have a place reserved for them in their Father’s house. St. Paul reminds us of this in his words, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Cor 5:1)

The fact that Jesus was going ahead of his followers and that he assured them of this was lost on his enemies as well as Thomas, a disciple who could not originally grasp what his Master said. That leads to my second point, Way.

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An important theme in the Gospel of John is the “I Am” statements of Jesus. In today’s passage, verses 6-11 explain how Jesus is the Way to the Father. He is the Way because He is the Truth or revelation of the Father so that when people know Him, they know the Father and when they see Him, they see the Father. He is the Way because He is the Life – since He lives in the Father and the Father lives in Him. He is the channel through which the Father’s life comes to you and me.[1] Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father.

Now, if you are like me, you must wonder where Jesus got these concepts. I can tell you that being married to a Star Wars addict, Jesus did not get this from watching The Mandalorian, who repeatedly states, “This is the Way.” Jesus got it from reading the Psalms, particularly 86:11, which reads, “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” And Proverbs, where we read, “The wise man’s way leads upward to life that he may avoid Sheol below” (15:24). The way of life and the way of death are contrasted in Jeremiah when God says, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death” (21:8).

We could spend an inordinate amount of time researching and discussing Old Testament themes and the use of “the Way” by John the Baptist and the application of “the Way” to the followers of Jesus.[2] What it means here is that Jesus Christ is the only road of salvation because He is the Truth. Jesus is the only revelation of the Father who is the goal of our journey. No one has ever seen the Father except Jesus; and he tells us what he saw in the Father’s presence. Through faith in him and through Baptism, he makes us children of God whom we can call Father.[3] If Jesus is the Way in the sense that he is the Truth and enables us to know our goal, he is also the Way in the sense that he is the Life. Life comes through the Truth.[4]

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That brings me to my third point, Ask. Aside from serving God as a pastor, I made a good living working as a development director for several nonprofit organizations raising money for a variety of educational and social service needs. As a development director, I was always asking people to invest in a cause. At times I asked and the answer was no. Other times I asked and the answer was double-yes. There is one other word that I spoke as a development director, and I will get to that in a moment.

First, when I asked people to support a cause, did I have in mind Jesus’ promise? No. Did Jesus literally mean “anything” when you ask him to do something? No. True faith leads to understanding. So, how are we to understand what Jesus meant when he said, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”?

The “Ask” is a continuation of what we read in verse 10-11, about the unity of God the Father and God the Son. Thus, there is no doubt that a Christian’s requests will be granted. Do you believe that? Your requests will be granted because of the unity of the Persons of the Trinity and our unity with this Triune God, our Triune God. That being the case, should our requests be petty? No. Don’t complain because you did not get what you wanted when you prayed for financial windfalls or a fitter physique, for a team victory or an election day upset. Lots of saints live in poverty and with disabilities, Ernie Banks never won a World Series and many people with integrity never won an election. Our requests should be pertinent to our Christian living and the continuation of the work by which Jesus glorified his Father. So, when you ask God for something keep in mind Jesus’ words to his Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (Jn 17:4).[5]

Looking at what was ahead for them – passion, death, crucifixion and everlasting life – what did the first disciples request? What was Stephen’s request as he looked up to heaven? What was Paul’s request as he sat chained in prison waiting for his death sentence? Knowing that our heavenly home is guaranteed, and that when we pass through the realm of death, we are protected from Satan through our faith in our Savior because we are baptized believers … Knowing that Jesus is the only way to our heavenly home, what are our requests?

I could answer you glibly, and I am sure if I handed each of you the mic, you could quickly answer that question, but let’s not make a list of what we will ask from God. Instead, go home and pray with your spouse and family, or gather with friends and fellow worshippers, or alone – and ask God one question: “How can we better glorify you, Father, and continue the work Jesus gave us to accomplish?”

I am asking you to first ask God what is best for us as a congregation. As you pray about that ask, look past material stuff we need and seek how we should live together as God’s people. How should we worship? How should we share with others what God is doing for our congregation right now? How should we tithe? How should we support the District, the Synod or a seminarian or missionary in addition to paying our bills? Should we get a Lutheran Comfort Dog? (Oh wait, we already Maggie.) After that, we can talk about what God revealed to us in prayer.

The other thing I learned to be successful as a development director is that you always, always have to say thanks. “Thank before you bank.” We thank our Triune God for creating us, for redeeming us, and for sanctifying us. I say thanks to you for your prayers, thoughts and actions as a congregation. As I was completing this sermon, I came across this prayer: Through your Son, you taught us, Father, not to be fearful of tomorrow but to commit our lives to your care. Do not withhold your Spirit from us but help us find a life of peace after these days of trouble. As you ask God for guidance, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Raymond E. Brown, The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI. Garden City NY: Doubleday and Company (1970), p. 628.

[2] See Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22.

[3] Brown, p. 630.

[4] Brown, p. 631.

[5] Brown, p. 636.

Eight times a year, Cindy and I attend class. We are not studying finance or theology, but wine. Through the Community College of Beaver County, Belinda Alvarez teaches the fundamentals of wine appreciation to a group of about thirty adults.

Belinda has spent her entire adult life in the wine and spirits industry, and her classes are held in the Wine Room at The Wooden Angel Restaurant in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania — a setting as meaningful as the subject itself.

The classes are held there because of the founder of the restaurant, the late Alexander Emil Sebastian. Alex was a mentor to Belinda, and although he passed in 2022, the restaurant still hosts these classes eight months each year. The Wooden Angel won numerous national awards, including Wine Spectator Magazine’s Grand Award (the only restaurant in Pennsylvania to be bestowed with the honor) and Best Award of Excellence. The Wooden Angel holds one of the greatest wine lists in the world.

Belinda’s classes focus on many topics: the grape, the terroir, the region, the bottling, the wine glass and what to look for when shopping for a bottle of wine. Each class is named so that you know when you register what Belinda will be presenting on that date. Some examples have included: A Chill on Red, A Bit of the Bubbly, Bodaciously Beautiful Blends and Switzerland. Our most recent class was on Australian wines. During this class, our palates learned how to appreciate four different wines – Riesling, White Blend, Shiraz and Cabernet. All these wines are available at a Pennsylvania state store, and Belinda always has the price of each bottle.

One of the lessons that stayed with me involved something deceptively simple: looking at the color of wine in your glass. A painting contractor once explained to me why he wore white coveralls — white reflects light without altering the color of the paint. Wine works the same way. To judge its true color, hold a piece of white paper behind the glass. The contrast gives you a far more accurate view, something Belinda reinforces throughout the class and in the images that accompany this article.

The latest thing we learned in our class on Australian wines is that almost every bottle has a screw top, as opposed to a cork. There are very good reasons for that, which Belinda will explain when you attend one of her classes.

Attending these wine classes also allows Cindy and me to enjoy a wonderful dinner prior to each class at The Wooden Angel. We have also become friends with David and Beverly Patrick, Janet Buckey-Mace and others.

There is much to learn and appreciate about wine, and I close with the last words of Alex Sebastian’s obituary. “Alex signed every email with, ‘Wine! What are you saving it for?’ … Open that special bottle of wine you’ve been saving and savor it with your loved ones today.”

This article explains how LCMS congregations fit into circuits, districts, and the Synod, and introduces some of the key roles and structures that shape our church body.

Winkle? Vicar? Circuit Counselor? District? Synod? These are words that I did not understand when I became a member of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS). Coming from the Catholic Church, I was fortunate to be able to translate Lutheran lingo to corresponding Catholic labels (Deanery, Seminarian, Dean or Vicar Forane, Diocese and Conference).

Yet, conversations with Lutherans over fifteen years convinced me that many neither understand the lingo of LCMS nor care about the structure of the Synod. This led me to the conclusion that a brief tutorial is necessary for lifelong and neophyte Lutherans as well as other Christians or the public. Here goes.

The Circuit

Beyond our individual congregations, each is a part of a circuit, district and the Synod. Our congregation, Prince of Peace in Freedom, belongs to the Pittsburgh North Circuit. There are eleven circuits in the Eastern District and twelve congregations in our Circuit.[1] Ours encompasses congregations north of the City of Pittsburgh including Ambridge, New Castle, State College, Oil City, and others within this area.

Our Circuit Visitor is The Reverend Scott Kuntz, Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church, West View. A circuit visitor is a pastor who supports, inspects, and advises a group of congregations and their pastors within a specific geographic circuit, serving as a liaison between them and the District President. The current District President is The Reverend John Pingel. Circuit visitors assist congregations with the process of calling a new pastor. They also mediate conflicts; encourage church workers, e.g., teachers, musicians, etc. and ensure doctrinal unity.

The District

The Eastern District is one of the four original districts of the LCMS and one of the 35 districts in the Synod. There are 123 congregations in the District which covers most of Western New York; all of Pennsylvania, except for York and Lancaster Counties; and Garrett County at the western corner of the Maryland panhandle. The rest of New York, including New York City, is in the Atlantic District; York and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania are in the Southeastern District. In addition, sixteen congregations in the Eastern District’s area are in the non-geographic English District, and eleven Pennsylvania congregations are in the District of the Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC).

In addition to congregations, there are nine elementary schools and 48 preschools. Within the congregations there are 25,000 communicant members and 32,000 baptized members (children not yet confirmed). 102 active pastors and 72 retired pastors serve these congregations. This tells you that there is a shortage of pastors, and serves as a reminder that you can promote and pray for young men to become pastors.

The District is divided into four regions (Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Rochester). A District Vice President represents each. Pastor Edward Grimmenstein of Zion Lutheran Church in Bridgeville is the Pittsburgh Regional VP. Along with elected lay members, the VPs serve on the Eastern District Board of Directors and install pastors when President Pingel is unavailable.

The Synod

The Missouri Synod is a confessional Lutheran denomination. With 1.7 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. In 2025, the Pew Research Center estimated that 2.9 million people identified with the LCMS and evangelical Lutheranism in contrast with approximately 5.2 million people who identified with the ELCA and mainline Lutheranism.

The Missouri Synod was organized in 1847 at a meeting in Chicago as the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. It is led by an ordained synodical president, currently The Reverend Matthew C. Harrison. In advance of the triennial convention each congregation of the Synod is entitled to register one of its called and installed pastors and one of its lay members to vote for one of the five presidential candidates determined by the nomination process. Six weeks prior to the national convention, the Secretary of the Synod provides, through an impartial, online election contractor, the opportunity for two voting delegates from each congregation or multi-congregation parish to vote for one of the candidates for President.

The Convention

This year the Synodical Convention will be held in Phoenix in July (because we got a deal). Cindy Cwynar will be the lay delegate, and Pastor Kuntz will be the pastoral delegate for the Pittsburgh North Circuit, and I will be an advisory, non-voting delegate for the District representing the retired pastors. At the convention discussions of doctrine and policy take place and elections are held to fill various synod positions, such as boards supporting the Synod, missions, seminaries and universities. This year the Eastern District nominated only one candidate, Jon Allen, who is a retired Coast Guard Officer, and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Eastern District.

As a confessional church body emphasizing the importance of full agreement in the teachings of the Bible, the LCMS is not associated with most ecumenical religious organizations. It is a member of the International Lutheran Council, made up of over 50 Evangelical Lutheran churches worldwide that support the conservative/confessional doctrines of the Bible and the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of 1530, among other accepted theological documents. For more information on the Synod go to its website: www.lcms.org.

Understanding how circuits, districts, and the Synod work together helps us appreciate the wider fellowship and shared mission of the LCMS. My hope is that you research more about our circuit, district and synod so that you know more about our beliefs and polity.

[1] https://www.lcmsed.org/vps-circuit-visitors

I spoke about sheep and goats before, but today I am going to talk about people who take care of sheep. We call them shepherds. I have seen plenty of sheep, but never met a real shepherd.

In today’s Gospel Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd because he will do anything to save his sheep, even give up his own life for them. Do you know who Jesus means when he talks about his sheep? He means you and me and everyone who follows him.

Jesus was inspired or got his idea about the Good Shepherd from another shepherd. That shepherd is King David. Before he was King David, he was a military leader. Before that he was an actual shepherd.

After he became a king, David wrote the Psalms. One of everybody’s favorite Psalms is the one we heard today, Psalm 23. It begins with the words, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

There was something King David wanted to do while he was shepherding God’s people. He wanted to build God a house, but God told David that he did not want him to build a house or a temple for him. His son, Solomon, would build a temple for God.

Today, we are worshipping in a new house of God. It is new for us. Still God is here with us. Wherever we gather in prayer, God is with us. Wherever we worship God will be our Good Shepherd. Wherever we hear God’s Word and celebrate His Sacraments, our Good Shepherd will care for us and love us.

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon today is The Lord is Our Shepherd, and my focus is our Gospel (John 10:1-10). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Someone to Watch Over Me by George and Ira Gershwin has been performed by numerous artists since its 1926 debut. It is a ballad and jazz standard in the Great American Songbook. Its memorable stanza goes:

There’s a somebody I’m longing to see

I hope that she turns out to be

Someone to watch over me.

I’m a little lamb who’s lost in a wood.

I know I could always be good

To one who’ll watch over me.

The sentiments expressed by the Gershwin Brothers stir our longing for someone to watch over us – little lambs lost in a wood – especially when we are tempted to sin or enter the sheepfold by another way. We need a shepherd to protect or correct us. On this Good Shepherd Sunday, I offer an overview of Biblical Shepherds; explain the meaning and model of Christian Shepherds; and finally, reflect on how God calls us to shepherd one another.

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First, Biblical Shepherds. Even if we never met one, we know a shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds and guards herds of sheep. Like many terms, the word shepherd stems from an amalgam of several words – sheep herder.

The Good Shepherd illustrates God’s care for His people as we heard in Psalm 23, our morning psalm – The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. … For millenniums Jews and Christians have taken to heart the words of the psalmist as a way of saying that in our Judeo-Christian tradition, Shepherd is a term used for God.

Those God appointed to watch over His people started out as shepherds. Among God’s great leaders were Biblical shepherds including Abraham, Moses, David and Amos. They protected and corrected God’s people, like good Missouri Synod Lutherans who expertly applied Law and Gospel as needed.

Of course, all Scripture points to Jesus, who fulfilled the Law, Gospel and prophecy. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who watches over us. In His earthly and risen life, Jesus is protector and corrector. Before He ascended into heaven, He appointed others to protect and correct us. My second point, Christian Shepherds.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus called Peter to shepherd His sheep (John 21:15-29). In his First Letter, we read how Peter called wayward Christians to return to the Shepherd and Overseer of souls (1 Peter 2:25). His letter demonstrated care and correct teaching for Christians.

Over time, the Church appointed men like Timothy and Titus to shepherd and oversee multiple congregations. By the end of the first century, the fluid terms of bishop, priest and deacon achieved fixed forms to designate certain functions. The Church recognized Timothy and Titus as bishops because they ordained and disciplined priests and deacons.[1]

Bishop comes from the Greek word, episkopos, meaning overseer. Today, not every Christian denomination recognizes the office of bishop in its structure, however, most recognize those who oversee, protect and correct as pastors. The term Pastor, the Latin word for shepherd, denotes clergy of most Christian denominations.

Pastors perform three basic tasks. Remember this the next time you are standing in line at the airport. Pastors teach, sanctify and administer – TSA – but we will never search your luggage or take away your knitting needles. Pastors teach the Faith in Sunday School, inquiry and confirmation classes, and from the pulpit or over the internet. Pastors form Christians through correct teaching and correct misinformed Christians and catechists when, like in First Peter, false teaching appears under the guise of Christian orthodoxy.

Pastors sanctify – or make holy – when they lead worship and when Christians gather for any type of prayer. Lastly, pastors administer the daily business of the church. However successful, every pastor knows that through the Holy Spirit, Christ continues to oversee and shepherd His Church.

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That brings me to my third point: Christians Shepherd One Another. Our reading from Acts is a snapshot of the Church immediately after Pentecost when Peter and the apostles baptized 3,000 people. Today’s passage illustrates their devotion to teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer. Think of Peter and the apostles teaching, sanctifying and administering the church as they tend to the needs of everyone.

Eventually, tending to the needs of everyone overwhelmed the apostles, and the Church chose men like Stephen to tend to duties apart from preaching and sanctifying. These were the original deacons. Today, deacons serve some remote (LCMS) churches, while in most congregations, laymen known as elders are appointed to serve the congregation in its temporal affairs and assist the pastor in his administrative tasks.

In his book Pastors and Elders, Reverend Timothy Mech addresses issues that often arise in congregations.[2] His book answers frequently asked questions: Who is in charge? What are the expected and allowed duties of elders? How should pastors and elders work together? How do members hold elders accountable? How do elders challenge self-absorbed Christians?

The ultimate responsibility of shepherding the Church, however, falls neither to the pastor nor the elders, but to the parents. Parents bear responsibility for teaching their children God’s Word so that the Faith may remain alive and grow.

Godparents, pastors, elders and catechists assist parents in their duty to shepherd their children. Together, we ensure that everyone enters the sheepfold by the door and does not climb in some other way.

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With Mother’s Day soon approaching and this being Good Shepherd Sunday, let me tell you how my mother taught me pastoral theology. Mom taught me how to pastor by showing me how to grow tomatoes. She was much better at growing tomatoes than I will ever be.

Every spring our family planted more than 100 tomato plants (at least it felt like we did), which sufficiently fed our family of five. When the weather broke – usually around Mother’s Day – we tilled the garden for tomatoes and many other vegetables.

We dug holes, planted, fertilized and watered our plants. Through the summer, we weeded and watered; checked for bugs and blight and discarded rotten tomatoes.

We harvested tomatoes for salad, sauce and juice. We buried the discarded skin and seeds which produced a later crop. Since we were 4-H members, we entered our prize tomatoes in exhibits at local fairs.

Growing tomatoes taught me three practical necessities about pastoral ministry: nourish, reserve and share. Parents, pastors, elders and all members need to nourish, reserve and share their faith.

First, nourish. By exercising our faith – by attending worship, reading God’s Word daily, taking Communion whenever it is offered, seeking forgiveness through private confession to a pastor and attending Sunday School or Bible Study classes – we are nourished.

Second, reserve. 39 years of ministry taught me there are times when we cannot nourish ourselves adequately. There will be times when troubles and temptations attack us. … We need a reserve. There will be times when caring for sick children or frail parents exhaust us. There will be times when completing projects, cramming for exams or meeting deadlines consume us. There will be times when we do not have the luxury to bathe ourselves in God’s Word or enjoy the feast of His banquet. We can only birdbath and eat on the run. During challenging times, we need that reserved Mason jar of tomatoes in the pantry. That is why my mother taught us how to can tomatoes. That is why she taught us to memorize Scripture passages and prayers because she knew we would someday need a reserve – of spiritual food that God provides to nourish our bodies and our souls.

Third, share. When God blessed us with plentiful tomatoes, we shared them with others. We shared tomatoes with friends, neighbors, pastors and the less fortunate. Mom taught me to practice charity by sharing God’s abundant blessing with others. That said, this summer we will share the abundance of our garden. How do you share God’s abundant blessings with others?

Take a moment, look around and notice something that you have never noticed. Notice who is missing. Who is not here today that you normally saw six months ago? Who was here on Easter or last Sunday, but did not return today? More importantly, who has not been here for a month, a year? Who has not been here since before Covid hit and is still not? Make a list of names of people you have not seen in church, and when you go home, call those individuals.

You may be thinking that I am kidding. I am not. … Do not protest by thinking, “That’s not my job. That’s my elder’s duty.” … True, it is not your job. True, it is your elder’s duty. … Sharing with a little lamb who’s lost in a wood how God abundantly blessed you today during this time of worship is not a duty or a job, it is a privilege, your privilege, my privilege. … Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ risen from the dead for the forgiveness of sins is not a job to be completed, but a privilege shared by all.

In this liturgy, God nourishes us so abundantly that we have enough reserved in our spiritual pantry not only for those times when life tests us and Satan tempts us, but also enough to share with others.

Lest thieves and robbers enter the sheepfold and steal souls for Satan, we – pastors, elders, parents and members – must nourish, reserve and share our faith. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Christ His Son charge you to watch over one another as good shepherds, to protect and correct one another.

By teaching me how to grow tomatoes, mom taught me how to be a good shepherd. She taught me to nourish, reserve and share. I am sure your mother taught you the same. This year, honor your mother by sharing the Gospel with others. Share with others how God has blessed you today and ask them the same. And when you listen to their blessed answer, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] See 1 Tim. 5:19–22; 2 Tim. 4:5; Titus 1:5.

[2] Timothy J. Mech, Pastors and Elders: Caring for the Church and One Another. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2011.

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. The title of my sermon is Inheritance, Baptism and Suffering, and my focus is our Epistle (1 Peter 1:3-9). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

As I was preparing this sermon, I thought I could shorten it to three letters, but once having been inflicted with the illness known as IBS, I thought not. Then, I recalled that God does have a healthy sense of humor, and discovered that the acronym IBS can mean many other things, such as International Business Systems, Internet Banking System, Inductive Bible Study, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, and 1,600 more. That said, with no pun intended, let’s move on to my first point, Inheritance.

The land which I own came to me through inheritance. My grandparents, John and Helen Cwynar, purchased 81.2 acres on Mowry Road in Potter Township from the Rambo Family on March 22, 1946, which was 11 years before I was born. I inherited 21 acres from my father. Those of you who have inherited anything know that it comes with a cost, an inheritance tax, which varies on your relationship to the original owner.

Many things can be inherited: property, genetic traits or material possessions like art or furniture. In addition to our land, I inherited some antiques: some kerosene lamps, my father’s “Pep Young” baseball glove, a few end tables and a horse-drawn rake. The French gave us the word after borrowing it from the Latin, inhereditare, which means to put into possession. Someday, someone else will possess all the stuff I now own.

Peter’s First Letter addresses “the elect strangers of the Diaspora.” The Diaspora or the dispersion of Israelites beyond the borders of the Holy Land came about because of war, exile, forced dislocation or voluntary resettlement due to commerce and trade. As Christians or early members of the Jesus movement, they lived in a precarious social condition among an alien, Gentile society. They were disenfranchised, and subject to the ignorance, slander and hostility of the locals who were suspicious of their intentions and allegiances. Such was the perennial predicament of strangers in the ancient xenophobic world.

Peter addressed these early Christians who faced the perennial problem encountered by all displaced peoples: maintenance of their distinctive communal identity, social cohesion, and commitment to group values, traditions, beliefs and norms in the face of constant pressures urging assimilation and conformity to the dominant values, standards and allegiances of the broader society.

These elect strangers shared the same paradoxical condition with their Lord and Savior – vulnerable and lowly, yet elevated to an elect status. Peter conveys the idea that they share the same status with their Lord to provide them with hope even in the face of suffering. Following Christ’s example of obedience and submission to God’s will, these people served as a model for Christians for the next 2,000 years, including us today.

What is it that these early Christians would inherit and how did they come into its possession? Inherit or inheritance appears over 500 times in the Bible; 455 times in the Old Testament and 49 in the New. In the Gospels, Jesus is asked to settle an inheritance quarrel between two brothers (Lk 12:13). He speaks of inheritance in the Beatitudes (Mt 5:5) and the Great Judgment (Mt 25:34). In several different ways, Jesus is asked about how one is to inherit eternal life (Lk 18:18; Mk 10:17). He speaks of inheritance in a parable (Lk 20:19), and finally, promises eternal life to those who follow him (Mt 19:29).

Early Christians realized that they shared in the inheritance that was given to them by their merciful Father. Christian inheritance, however, differed from the territorial concept of inheritance that the Israelite would have had in mind. The inheritances differed in four ways. First, the Christian focus of hope is no longer the reacquisition of land (Israel) and the restoration of its political autonomy. Second, Christians and Christianity are not defined by borders, language or citizenship; rather it is a worldwide, universal or catholic movement. Third, Christendom supersedes or replaces the holy land. Finally, Christian inheritance cannot perish, be defiled or fade because – as verse 4 states, it will be “kept in the heavens for you.” That said, who would you rather have hold your inheritance – a financial advisor or your Heavenly Father?!

Before I move on to Baptism, keep in mind this. As strangers and aliens, Christians were ineligible to own land or any property. Think of that. If you were a Christian in the late first or early second century, you had fewer legal rights than everyone else. Would that factor into your choice of Christ over citizenship? Would it today? Would you remain Christian if you were stripped of your right to own property or free speech, your Medicare benefits or the right to vote? Would you rather have those, or the inheritance held by our heavenly Father in His Kingdom?

Baptism is how believers established their right to inheritance with their Heavenly Father. By being baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as the Son of God commanded his Apostles (Mt 28:19-20), Christians became children of God.

1^st Peter clearly brings out the importance of the traditional family or the paterfamilias. The term “Father” in v. 3 expresses an intimate, familial relationship to both Jesus Christ and to the believing members of the Christian community. Incorporation into the family of God occurs through baptism. His baptismal theme of rebirth or new birth permeates this section as a metaphor for the radical transformation of the believer’s relation to God, Jesus Christ, one another and society.

While the transformation of believers’ their relationships started with their baptism, the original source was God the merciful Father and His word, the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ and his resurrection. Like all newborns, these new Christians drew sustenance from the milk of the word. But they were adults who accepted and adopted pagan ways. So, they needed to break from their former way of life and its ungodly desires, loyalties and behavior. These “elect” were holy children of God, redeemed by the holy Christ, and children whose hope and trust are in God. For the modern Christian, this begs the question of how you see your baptism as a new beginning and a break from your former life. It should cause us to ponder at what point in our lives our merciful Father profoundly changed us.

I was baptized 69 years ago, on April 14^th. Like one or two of you, I also accepted and adopted many of the ways of our society, and at one point chose to divorce myself of some of its ungodly desires, loyalties and behaviors. Yet, even today, I struggle with separating myself with all that our society offers. There is a lot that our world today offers that I want to embrace, and I must reflect upon what to embrace and reject.

What helps me is the advice Martin Luther offered when he encouraged Christians to pray daily on four points: The Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion). Reflecting on Baptism needs to be done while standing under the Cross with Christ hanging there dying or dead. Given that we just observed Lent and Good Friday followed by Easter Sunday enhances our reflection.

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Through the Paschal Mystery – the suffering, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – I am reminded of what my Baptism means for living my daily life and making daily choices. Peter reminded early Christians and us today that Christ’s resurrection demonstrates God’s life-giving and saving power, and is the basis for hope and trust in Him despite all adversity.

Peter’s Letter reminds people of their living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ because they are living in a world that offers an attractive life. We live in a world that offers an attractive life, according to standards different from what we believe, which is why we need reminders like the Letter of Peter, the sound advice of Martin Luther, and the mark of Baptism.

When you were baptized, the pastor placed an indelible mark upon your forehead and heart – the sign of Christ’s Cross. Through baptism, we receive the supernatural life or grace; and that mark on our forehead and heart, as well as our soul is a permanent and distinctive quality. That is why we call it the mark of Baptism. So, like Peter, I encourage you to think about and pray about your baptism every day. Now, let’s move on to suffering.

We all understand suffering. It comes to us from two Latin words: sub, which means up or under, and ferre, meaning to carry or bear. Joined together, we have our English word, suffer.

What kind of suffering did the early Christians endure that Peter told them that for a “little while you may have to suffer various trials”? First, their suffering was not due to a catastrophe, sickness, or even random acts of violence, such as floods, earthquakes, tornados, cancer, AIDs, heart disease, a car accident or a stray bullet. His original readers suffered affliction for the faith from hostile outsiders. Let’s face it, in the pagan world, Christians were not welcome. They did not worship the gods or the emperor as divine. They did not participate in socially acceptable behavior such as debauchery or lewd conduct. They worshipped as Lord and Savior a man convicted by the empire.

On the other hand, not every Roman citizen persecuted Christians. Peter reminded the faithful that suffering is potentially part of following Christ. You may have to suffer, but it is not necessary that you will. God does not call you to suffer. God calls you to obey.

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Second, suffering is not permanent. Suffering is “for a little while.” Finally, Peter reassured his readers that their suffering is a test to demonstrate that their faith is genuine. Such faith is more precious than gold.

Now that we have observed Lent and entered Easter, let’s look at the other side of the suffering coin. Let’s look at happiness. Are you happy? Your presence here more than likely means that you are happier than the average American. I base my statement on an article I read recently. It was an interview with a Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer.[1] He has spent his life studying human happiness. The interview was conducted after the annual World Happiness Report (2023) was issued. Life evaluations from the Gallup World Poll provide the basis for the annual happiness rankings. They are based on answers to the main life evaluation question.[2]

There are various levels to happiness. I am happy when I am eating my favorite foods: my wife’s turkey stuffing or homemade pierogies, deep dish pizza or filet mignon. I am instantly gratified by this and other such experiences like driving a nice car or when Maggie wants to cuddle in the morning.

As normal human beings, we seek happiness through fame and achievement. Often, people settle for this level of happiness, opting to pursue careers, money and fame that they believe will make them appear better than their peers.

Thirdly, contributive happiness occurs when I make a positive difference in the lives of other people. I do this because I love other people and want to make them happy: children, grandchildren, parents, coaches, teammates, neighbors and others. When I visit people unable to worship with their congregation, I experience that level of happiness.

Everyone can achieve these levels of happiness regardless of their religious beliefs or unbelief. Yet, as Spitzer says, “The fourth, and final, level of happiness can only be achieved through connecting with that which is ultimate good, ultimate truth, ultimate beauty and ultimate being itself: Jesus Christ. The previous three levels fail to fulfill the deepest longings of the human heart.” Spitzer recognizes that only through fostering an intimate relationship with God through the gift of faith can you come to achieve this fourth level of happiness, which is joy.

We are joyful and happier than others not because we are better than they, but because we seek first the Kingdom of God and the Prince of Peace. Today, the Risen Jesus Christ gives you that gift of joyful peace through the Holy Spirit and the means of grace – Scripture, Sacraments and Church. Even if you are suffering persecution from others because of your faith, you can find joy in Jesus, as did the Apostles and early Christians. As you attend church this Sunday, hold fast to the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, and may it keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] https://www.ncregister.com/features/father-spitzer-happiness-begins-by-looking-for-the-good-news

[2]

https://worldhappiness.report/

Before there was a museum, a map, or even a road, welcome was something you heard—sung in a shared language so travelers would know they were safe to stop, eat, and belong. That idea stayed with me after a visit to the Chickasaw Cultural Center last Saturday, April 4, 2026.

My wife, Cindy, and I visited the Center with two of our grandchildren and their parents while traveling to Oklahoma to visit family. Cindy is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, and the visit gave all of us a deeper understanding of her ancestors and their history.

Visitors quickly learn that although the Chickasaw Nation is now based in present‑day Oklahoma, its people originally lived across what are now western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, northwest Alabama, and southern Kentucky. Along with neighboring tribes—including the Choctaws, Natchez, Creeks, and Cherokees—the Chickasaw were forced from their homelands following the Indian Removal Act of 1830, promoted during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The Cultural Center presents this history clearly, while also highlighting Chickasaw art, daily life, and military service to the United States.

After touring the museum, we attended a Stomp Dance demonstration. The spokesman explained that the opening dance traditionally signaled welcome to those passing through the area, inviting them to join the village for food and fellowship. He told us that the songs were sung in a common language so travelers could understand the message and take part.

He also described the roles within the dances, including women who wore deer toes and turtle shells to create rhythm. During the final dance, audience members were invited to participate, and Cindy and our granddaughter Kinley happily joined in.

Afterward, the spokesman kindly posed for photos with our grandchildren before we explored the village grounds, viewing structures typical of southeastern tribal communities.

For many Americans, direct experience with Indigenous cultures is limited. It is easy to overlook the distinct identities of individual nations by assuming all tribes share the same history and traditions. Visiting cultural centers like this one offers a meaningful way to learn—through history, art, and living tradition. The Chickasaw Cultural Center is an excellent place to begin.

The capital for the Chickasaw Nation is in Ada, Oklahoma. The Tribe provides its members with many benefits, such as prescriptions filled through its pharmacy, health care, counseling, scholarships, legal services and employment at many different sites, including Bedre Chocolates and Winstar, the world’s largest casino.

For info on the Cultural Center: https://www.chickasawculturalcenter.com/

For info on the Chickasaw Nation: https://www.chickasaw.net/

An informative book is The Chickasaws by Arrel M. Gibson

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. … My focus is the Gospel of Mark where we read: “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”[1]

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”[2] Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Chris and Dana step to the microphone. Four years after incurring $80,000 of debt from student loans, credit cards, two cars and the birth of two kids, they are ready for this moment. In unison, they shout at the top of their lungs, “We’re debt free!” … On the heels of their debt free scream, a line from Braveheart – “Freeeee…dooommm!!!”

Daily, dozens of couples and individuals echo these screams. Relieved that they are debt free, these people tell the world their stories of incurring debt and paying it off by heeding the advice of one man, Dave Ramsey.

Dave Ramsey fans travel to Nashville to tell their story and scream on his syndicated radio show because they are relieved they worked diligently, budgeted income and expenses, ate beans and rice, and lived like no one else. They proudly paid their debt.

We too are debt free. After incurring the debt of our sins and our parents’ sins – Adam and Eve – our debt is paid. The difference between the debt paid by Chris and Dana and ours is that Jesus Christ our Risen Lord paid our debt. Christ was payer and pay, propitiator and propitiation, and His payment warrants a debt free scream from each of us.

Our freedom from debt involved no effort on our part. We did not budget income and expenses, work two jobs, use the envelope system, or eat beans and rice for two years. All we did was believe. Believe.

Mark recorded the disciples of Jesus did not run from the cave screaming, “We’re debt free!” Rather, when they left the tomb, “they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”[3]

The thought of Jesus rising from the dead did not occur to them because they did not expect a resurrection. … Think of it. Until this moment, the Bible recounts six people raised from the dead – 3 by prophets and 3 by Jesus.[4] Why would resurrection enter the disciples’ minds? That is why Mark recorded that the disciples fled the empty tomb trembling and astonished, and said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.

Resurrection from the dead … furthest thing from their minds. God’s victory over Satan, sin and death … furthest thing from their minds. A debt-free scream … furthest thing from their minds. In other words, Mark pointed out that the disciples realized God’s victory comes not from an experience of an empty tomb, but from an experience of the Risen Lord.

For Mark, the empty tomb in itself is not proof of the resurrection, but simply a source of wonderment. Faith in the resurrection springs from the actual experience of the risen Lord.[5] Only then did the first Christians understand what the empty tomb meant – that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

The Lord has risen indeed! God indeed conquered Satan, sin and death. Christ paid our debt. We are indeed debt free. Alleluia! Amen!

Unchecked excitement ran through the disciples’ veins and down their spines when the risen Lord appeared to them. They saw Him die. They saw His empty tomb. Then, they witnessed Him alive. The unparalleled experience of witnessing Christ alive impelled them to tell the world of the great Paschal Mystery – Christ’s willful suffering, death and resurrection, and what He taught throughout His life on earth. Peter and the disciples remembered and shared their experiences of Jesus the Christ with greater zeal and zest than any Dave Ramsey disciple.

Today, more than 2 billion Christians around the world celebrate Easter. More than 2 billion people share their own experiences of the risen Lord. More than 2 billion people share their debt free screams with others. More than 2 billion witnesses.

Are we among them? When did we last witness? When did we last share our debt free screams? When did we last share our experiences of the risen Lord with zest and zeal? Or are we still silently wondering what happened?

Is it because we have not pondered how the risen Lord has appeared to us? Is it because it is more difficult to believe God is present in bread and wine, in baptism and confession, in the Word proclaimed and preached by ordinary human beings than it is to believe Jesus rose from the dead? Indeed, God is present to us today, at this moment, but we do not always feel it or cannot articulate what we feel.

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Let me share the brief articulated expression of a woman named Sally who became a baptized Christian more than 30 years ago. During the Easter Vigil 1989, Sally – then 62, frail and legally blind – was baptized and received into the Church. Several days later, when asked to share her experience of Christ’s death and resurrection symbolized in baptism, Sally, whose facial expressions and voice reminded one of Carol Channing, exclaimed, “WOW!”

Wow! Wow, Christ is risen and is present to us right now. Does the wow of that experience impel us into the streets like apostles with tongues of fire to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed? Does the wow of Christ Risen sustain me when I return to the humdrum of life’s work? Does the wow of Easter stay with me at home or hospital, in classroom or lunchroom, at the office or the in-laws? Do I feel the freedom of being debt free? Do I feel Victory even when I feel like a loser?

The wow of Easter should take all of us into the world because the world, America, Pennsylvania needs Christians who know Christ’s Victory and the deeper meaning of being debt free. John’s Gospel says that the truth will make us free[6] - not comfortable and not respected, but free in the real sense of the word: able to see and do what is right.

In the Christian tradition, freedom is to be used in the service of others. Working to defend the dignity of human persons and the dignity of the human family is an obligation of our freedom. As debt-free Christians we are obliged, are we not, to protect the unborn child, the immigrant, the disabled, the elderly. If Christians are not involved in ensuring the dignity and rights of others, then we risk living in a state governed not by justice but by thieves.[7] Bi-partisan thieves at that.

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Let me close by asking a question that I pray you ponder as you go out from here and make your way home, hopefully not trembling and astonished. You should know that in recording that the women said nothing to anyone, Mark asked the unexpected question to every Christian who read or heard his gospel. Will you announce Christ rose from the dead? Will you demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life as Jesus did in his? Or will you remain silent when you are afraid?

As church, can we remain silent in public and be faithful to Christ at the same time? Working respectfully and firmly to form the public conscience violates no one’s free will. Actively witnessing to our convictions and advancing what we believe about Christian morality in the public life is not coercion. It’s truth-telling.

Let’s tell the world the truth about our faith, about what we believe. Let’s witness to the point that when neighbors see us walking up their driveway, they will no longer say, “Here come those Holy Rollers,” but, “Here come those Missouri Synod Lutherans.” And when we share with them the good news that we are debt-free because Jesus Christ rose to free us from our sins, may we be overwhelmed by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, and may it keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Mark 16:6-7

[2] Psalm 122

[3] Mark 16:8

[4] 1 Kings 17:17-22; 2 Kings 4:30-37; 2 Kings 13:21; John 11:38-44; Luke 7:11-17; Matt. 8:28-43 (Mark 5:1-20,

Luke 8:26-39)

[5] Eugene LaVerdiere, Luke. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc. 1986. p. 282.

[6] John 8:32

[7] Attributed to St. Augustine

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Last Words, and my focus is our Gospel (John 18:1-19:42). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

A Lenten reading that I have suggested is Death on a Friday Afternoon: Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross by Richard John Neuhaus. Neuhaus wrote one chapter on each of the seven last words of the Gospels as Jesus hung from the cross dying. They are “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34); “Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43); “Woman, behold your son! Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26-27); “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34); “I thirst” (John 19:28); “It is finished” (John 19:30); and “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

If you were unable to read Neuhaus’ Meditations this year, I suggest you add it to your Lenten “to do” list for 2027. Several times in his book, he mentions a nondenominational megachurch designed with no cross because the pastor did not believe that a suffering Jesus spoke to his congregation. I think otherwise. Throughout his book, Neuhaus advises the reader not to be so hurried to rush to Easter to be done with the whole ordeal of Christ’s suffering and death. He writes:

Do not rush to the conquest. Stay a while with this day. Let your heart be broken by the unspeakably bad of this Friday we call good. Some scholars speculate that “Good Friday” comes from “God’s Friday,” as good-bye was originally “God be by you.” But it is just as odd that it should be called God’s Friday, when it is the day when we say good-bye to the glory of God. Wherever its name comes from, let your present moment stay with this day. Stay a while in the eclipse of the light, stay a while with the conquered One. There is time enough for Easter.

With that, let me move to my “Word” from John, “Woman, behold your son. … Behold your mother.” This saying comes not long after the naked Jesus is hung upon the cross. Most of his disciples abandoned Jesus, but his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood by faithfully. Only one of the Twelve remained, the one we know as the disciple Jesus loved, also known as the Beloved Disciple.

The Passion Narrative according to John is the only one which mentions this Beloved Disciple. “Why is that?” you wonder. It is because for Matthew, Mark and Luke, he did not play a key role in Jesus’ earthly ministry as did some of the others, such as Peter, Andrew and James. True, he is mentioned in several accounts, including the Transfiguration, the Garden of Gethsemane and a healing, but apart from that, nothing; but for the community or church for whom John wrote, the Beloved Disciple is, of course, significant.

The other person mentioned here is the mother of Jesus. She plays no significant role in John’s Gospel other than the fact that she intervened with Jesus at the Wedding at Cana, and only because they ran out of wine. In fact, she played no role at all once Jesus began his public ministry.

Prior to this Word, John mentioned three groups present at the Crucifixion: the chief priests, the soldiers and this group. The first two groups mocked Jesus in their own way. The chief priests complained about the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head. The soldiers, of course, nailed Jesus to the cross, and gambled for his garments and seamless tunic. Finally, the women and the Beloved Disciple were there not to mock, but rather simply to be with Jesus, and as we shall see, for a greater purpose that affects us even today.

Now, it is interesting to note that the Synoptic Evangelists make no mention of the mother of Jesus present at the crucifixion. Luke mentions no women by name. Mark and Matthew both list Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses. The former lists Salome, and the latter the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Again, you must wonder, why the discrepancy, and why John included Mary if she played no role in Jesus’ public ministry. Who is she for John the Beloved Disciple and for his community? To help understand that let’s put this into perspective.

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Perspective is the science of optics. It comes to us from the Latin word perspectus which means clearly perceived. Its roots are per meaning through or forward and specere meaning to look at or observe. Eventually, it came to be understood as one’s mental outlook or the lens through which we see.

When we look at Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of God, we see her from a perspective removed by 2,000 years, 6,000 miles and countless other factors, including language, culture and religion. Our view of her, like our view of anyone or anything, is biased. Even if we knew her as we know family members and old friends, we would still have our own unique perspective of Mary. The early Church, as a universal body and as individual congregations, had various views of Mary. She was an historical person and she is a symbolic person. Mariology, that is, the theology of Mary, developed over centuries, but always has been and is closely related to Christology. To know Mary is to know Christ and vice-versa. Right now, however, I am more interested in who Mary is as a symbolic person.

Keep in mind when you read the Gospel of John or any book of the Bible, you should first ask why this author presented a person or a teaching as it was originally written. What inspired John to include this brief moment, this Word, into his account of Jesus’ crucifixion? As many people are, Mary was a symbol of something larger. Over time, historical people – Mother Teresa, George Washington, Jackie Robinson or Joe Namath – become symbolic because of a certain trait, whether it is compassion, leadership, confidence or a combination of many other things. What did Mary symbolize for John and his community?

Throughout the history of the Church, Saints John Chrysostom, Basil, Gregory, Augustine and others wrote of who Mary symbolized for the church in whatever century they lived. Indeed, it is important to address her as a figure for who we are now, and to a greater degree, we should seek to understand who Jesus is for us today.

For centuries, much has been written of Jesus’ concern for his mother’s material welfare so that he placed her into John’s hands to care for her. But notice that there is no Scriptural reference of John’s home or earthly origins, and the only people in this Gospel that are interested in the earthly origins of Jesus are the grumbling unbelievers who witnessed the multiplication of loaves (6:42).

The Jesus of John’s Gospel had a greater concern for the spiritual welfare of the community of believers he was leaving behind than the material welfare of his mother. Recall in chapter 17, that Jesus prayed for the people his Father gave to him. He did not pray for the world, but for his disciples and for those who would come to believe in Him through them (6:20). Those later believers included people who had a familial or fraternal relationship with Jesus, but not necessarily a spiritual one. There were people who knew who Jesus was, but did not believe in him as did his original disciples. All these early and late disciples became the Church, the New Israel.

His mother was a symbol of this New Israel. She was denied her role as a disciple at Cana because Jesus’ hour had not yet come. Now that it arrived, Jesus gave her the role as mother of the Beloved Disciple. For members of the Community of the Beloved Disciple, John was regarded as highly as most people today regard the Mother of God. So, her presence at the cross was important for John’s community because when she becomes mother of this Beloved Disciple, he becomes a “blood” brother of Jesus through the spoken Word of the Lord. In short, what John wrote in one verse was a way of saying that one related to Jesus by flesh (his mother) became related to Jesus by the Spirit (a member of the ideal discipleship) because of the Word He spoke.

Why did John go through so much pain to include Mary and John at the Cross when the other Evangelists did not? Why did the Beloved Disciples include this Word into his Passion Narrative? Because his community struggled with the issue of how a member of Jesus’ natural family could become a member of his spiritual family, of the Church. How could people who did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah while he lived with them and among them now show up at the church door and join them in prayerful worship?

Jesus had a human family like you do. I have dozens of cousins for whom I regularly pray and whom I love very much, but they do not worship with me. My relationship with most of them is genetic or historical, but not spiritual. As preacher and hearers, your pastor and you have a spiritual relationship even though you are not blood relatives. We may not be bound by blood, but in John’s eyes, we are bound by the Holy Spirit even more tightly than family ties.

The Word of Jesus brought together his Beloved Disciple John and Mary, who is related to Jesus physically, but during his public ministry appeared only when she and Jesus’ brothers sought to seize him because they heard people saying he was out of his mind (Mark 6:21, 31-32). At this, Jesus looked at the people around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (6:34-35). This must have left the original members of the Community of the Beloved Disciple and his readers with the impression that the natural family is separate from the spiritual family of disciples. Some of them thought that since they were now members of this Community, they should no longer have a relationship with people who did not believe as they did. They needed to know that Jesus’ Word bought Mary and John, both who had a relationship with him, together as mother and son.

This relationship made not only John, but all followers of Jesus true brothers and sisters of Christ. For John’s community, this relationship enlarged Christian discipleship in a significant way as a sign that it would grow and contain many diverse backgrounds. It also makes the final Word in John intelligible to us for after Jesus accomplished this, it was finished. The new birth of the people of God in the messianic age was completed by Jesus before he died on the Cross as the Son of God.

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What does this have to do with us? What is my perspective not only of Jesus and Mary and the Beloved Disciple standing around the Cross? More importantly, what is my perspective of my brothers and sisters in church? On Good Friday, we are all onlookers present at the Cross simply to offer comfort to our Lord. Every one of us is brother and sister of Jesus Christ not because of what we think, say, or do, but because on the Cross before He died, Jesus spoke the Word and made it happen. The rub for us is do we resemble the Community of the Beloved Disciple all the time? Do we look and feel like family all the time?

We entered the world as sinners. Baptism has freed us from sin. Confession and Absolution continually works to free us from sin. Taking and consuming the Body and Blood of Christ makes us one with Him and one another. Friends, take a moment to look around. Look at the people gathered here tonight. Think of the people who are not here tonight, but hopefully, will be on Sunday or someday. And now, call to mind the Word of Christ: Behold, your son. Behold, your mother. Behold, your brother and sister, your spiritual family through Christ’s blood and Spirit. Now, that it is finished, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your minds and hearts in Christ Jesus. Amen.

God’s grace, peace and mercy to you. The title of today’s sermon is Jesus Came to Humbly Serve and my text is our Gospel (John 13:1-17). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

I dare say that when some people read the 13^th chapter of John, they see Jesus as a humble servant, perhaps forgetting He is the Second Person of the Trinity; but even in an act of hospitality often executed by servants, His glory shines forth. Some might imagine Jesus resembling a Mother Teresa cradling the dying of Calcutta, a dedicated social worker or even a faithful volunteer handing out hot dogs to the homeless. To see Jesus in that way – forgetting his divinity – diminishes the deed and the message John delivers. Remembering His divinity, as He executes this act, exponentially multiplies His humility. Imagine God – the all-powerful – washing your feet!

With a reminder that His divinity never disappeared even when He was engaged as a humble servant, let us examine what John said in chapter 13 about Jesus and His disciples, what it meant for his community and what it means for us today.

The washing of one’s feet is a common cultural practice in the ancient Near East. In Genesis 18, Abraham said to his guests, “Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on — since you have come to your servant.” Scripture records God commanded Moses to remove his sandals before setting foot on holy ground. In Exodus 30, we read, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.’” During Jesus’ day, Temple priests walked in bare feet because the ground was sacred, and wearing sandals would have profaned their ministry. Therefore, the practice of washing feet had significant cultural and religious meaning to Jews of Jesus’ day.

What did it mean for John? How did his community see Jesus and His disciples? John divided his Gospel into two books – the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory. Chapters 1 – 12 make up the Book of Signs where Jesus performed miracles that caused others to believe in Him. Read what happened after He turned water into wine, healed the son of a royal official or the man born blind, fed 5,000 and raised Lazarus from the dead. People came to believe in Jesus.

Chapters 13 – 20 (or 13 – 21) make up the Book of Glory or the Book of Exaltation where Jesus was exalted on the Cross. The beginning of that Book illustrates that the footwashing was not merely an act of hospitality, but the foreshadowing of Jesus’ death on the Cross, his exaltation.

The meaning of the footwashing is originally lost on the disciples, and recognized only after the Resurrection. In fact, in response to Peter’s protest, Jesus answered, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Just as the disciples did not understand why Jesus had to be crucified, they did not understand why He had to wash their feet … for the moment. After the Resurrection, the Spirit enlightened them and they understood. Only then could they correctly interpret Jesus’ signs, His death on the Cross and this humble act of washing their feet.

After washing their feet, Jesus asked His disciples, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

Meaning what? Meaning Jesus mandated that His disciples engage in acts of humble service because He did. Because John included the footwashing in his Book of Glory, we understand that we engage in acts of humble service not simply because Jesus said so, but because we cannot imitate what Jesus did later on the Cross. We can only do what Jesus did at the beginning of the Book of Glory, not the end of it. We cannot reconcile sinful humanity to the Father, but we can humbly serve our Father.

That is how John understood Jesus’ humble act of washing His disciples’ feet – an act they could imitate because they could not imitate what it foreshadowed – His Crucifixion. What else did this passage mean for John’s community? … That is revealed in verse 1: “Before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

The passage meant Jesus embraced His crucifixion and this humble act with love. Imagine Jesus washing their feet lovingly, gracefully – the way He washes your dainty feet and my big feet. John’s Church is commonly known as the Community of the Beloved Disciple. His members could never imitate Jesus’ love on the Cross but they could imitate His humble service of washing others’ feet.

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They could only do this, however, if they were humble enough to allow their Lord and Master to wash their feet. … Dare I ask, are we?

A colleague of mine once wrote, “Many of us find it hard to receive undeserved love from another. For some reason it is very humiliating to the ego. We want to think we have earned any love that we get by our worthiness or attractiveness. So, Jesus has to insist on being the servant lover. Thank God Peter surrendered, but it probably took him the rest of his life to understand what happened.”

It may take us the rest of our lives to understand what happened. What happened is that God loved us. Take a moment now and recall the person who loved you the most in your life – and know that God loves you at least that much – and that God calls you to love at least that much.

Each of us loves and humbly serves in some unique way. Each of us possesses different gifts and interests, various talents and skills, as well as the ability to humbly and lovingly serve our Father. God poured forth into our hearts the ability to love as God loves, and each of us has the potential to imitate Jesus’ love as humble servants. Whether we visit the incarcerated or the infirmed, serve hot dogs to the homeless or spend our lives as a primary caregiver, whether we tutor elementary students or coach sports, we serve others as Jesus served His disciples, and we love as Jesus loved.

I close with a few words of Prayer for the Increase of Humility from Johann Gerhard, the premier Lutheran theologian of the early 17^th century. “Omnipotent and merciful God, You bitterly hate all arrogance. Help me to be a rose of charity and a violet of humility so that I may spread a fragrant aroma through works of love and think humbly of myself. What am I in your sight, O Lord? Dust, ashes, a shadow, nothing. Therefore, because I am nothing in your sight, grant that I consider myself nothing in my own eyes. Push back the inborn swelling of my heart so that I may receive the dew of heavenly grace.”

As God’s humble servants, may we live that prayer and may the peace of Christ, which surpasses all human understanding, keep our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Buddy Up! I asked Tammy Eckstrom, an active member at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Freedom, why she thought of calling this new ministry Buddy Up I should have guessed knowing that Tammy owns a horse and is an avid rider. She replied that she was trying to think of a name for it and the name just came to her. She added, “It rhymes with Giddy Up!”

I wanted to know more about this ministry when I read about it in the church bulletin. Cindy and I attended our first meeting in the Fall, and have attended subsequent meetings. I found out that the idea grew out of a group of people reading Joining Jesus on His Journey. The author, The Reverend Greg Finke, is the Associate Pastor of Missions at Trinity Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas.

On his website, Finke writes, “I am a follower of Jesus. He’s been leading my life from the beginning. But lately He’s really been messing with my status quo.” He explains that “although I knew a lot about Jesus, I didn’t really know Jesus very well.” He continues, “I realized there was a big difference between believing in Jesus and actually believing Jesus. I realized there was a big difference between believing in Jesus and actually following Jesus.”

I read Finke’s book, and agree with a review that states it will “alter the way you see your life as a follower of Jesus and take you beyond living your life for Jesus to living life with Jesus. Simple, powerful and applicable insights show you how to be on mission and recognize where Jesus is already at work in your neighborhoods, workplaces and schools.”

After I completed Finke’s work, I spoke with Tammy about Buddy Up. The gist of our conversation was that after reading Joining Jesus, she was excited but unsure how to carry what she learned to the next level. She shared some of the stories people related at the October meeting.

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During the November meeting, individuals volunteered to prepare care packages for members of Prince of Peace who are attending college. Others shared how they acted upon opportunities to share their faith with friends or strangers.

Fast forward to this past week. On Wednesday, Cindy and I went to UPMC-Presbyterian Hospital for a scheduled MRI on my knees for a study in which I am participating. Emma, the young woman who is part of the team conducting this research met Cindy, and guided her to the waiting room. After completing the necessary questions prior to the MRI, Emma asked me, “Do you two have any exciting plans for the evening?” I replied, “We’re going to church.” To my surprise she inquired, “Oh, what church do you attend?” I answered, and then she told me that only recently has she resumed attending church, adding that she really enjoys it.

We continued the conversation as we waited for the MRI tech to come into the room. She briefly sketched her spiritual journey, asked me about the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, and noted that she lives near one of the LCMS churches. I encouraged her to attend.

Two days later, we were waiting for an energy company representative to come to our home to renew a mineral rights lease. As the conversation started, Cindy mentioned that Prince of Peace receives royalties from an energy company. The rep asked the location of our church. After we signed the paperwork, I asked the man, “What church do you attend?” He replied that his family and he attend an active congregation near the Pittsburgh Airport. He added a few anecdotes about the priests, his marriage classes and wedding, as well as the activities for his children.

After these two episodes, I discussed my experiences with Cindy, realizing that this is what Pastor Finke and Tammy were writing and talking about. Conversations about our Christian faith are not contrived or rehearsed, but flow naturally from a simple conversation. A young woman coordinating schedules for study group members, a husband and father meeting with landowners. Such conversations happen everyday among neighbors, at ball games, waiting in the checkout line or riding the bus.

As I started thinking about these experiences, I recalled another time when speaking about my faith transformed an angry man into a guy who asked me to give him a hug. You can read that story here.

Back to attending our original meeting. The mission of Buddy Up is: To help new and existing members become part of the Prince of Peace family for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with the church and community. Responsibilities and Activities include introducing yourself to others, inviting people to church events, including worship and Bible class. We also seek to integrate new members into the congregation by learning about their gifts and explaining how they can serve. When church members go missing for a few weeks, we text or call them.

Tammy has been encouraged by the willingness of participants to reach out and share what they are doing. “I think there’s a comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting. All we need to do is be considerate of and kind to our neighbors (wherever they may be) and be willing to listen when the opportunity arises.” That is most important. Don’t let opportunities slide.

Friends, I encourage you to be open to how God sets before you people who are looking for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. They may be non-practicing Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists or unbelievers. Ask them to join you as you journey with Jesus Christ through this life and into eternal life. He is the only One who can make this happen. If you would like to know more about Buddy Up, leave a message.

Have you ever seen a palm tree? Palm trees grow in hot weather in places like Florida and California. They have very large leaves a produce a lot of palm oil.

In Jesus’ day, people threw palm leaves on the road in front of a king or general to show him honor and respect. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, people did this.

What happened if you did not have palm leaves to throw on the road? What would you do? Would you throw banana peels or apple cores or money or your coat?

How about this?! If you did not have palm leaves, then you waved your arms. It’s like everyone doing the wave. … You can ask your parents to show you how to do that later.

And when your arms got tired, then you could clap your hands. Do you know how to clap your hands? You bring them together like this. (clap hands)

Have you ever clapped before? Why do we clap? We clap to show someone honor and respect. We may clap after someone delivers and inspiring speech or scores a goal. We may clap for sports champions or a great leader. We bring our palms together because we don’t have palm leaves.

Today is known as Palm Sunday because people paid honor and respect to Jesus. We should clap for Jesus because he won something greater than a basketball championship or a battle. On the Cross, Jesus won for us eternal life. He deserves more than our honor and respect. Jesus deserves everything we have and are. With that, let us pray.

Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled “God Visits Us as a King,” and my focus is our Processional Gospel (John 12:12-19). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Easter in the Cwynar home meant visiting the Bednarski girls, my mother’s sisters. Most of them lived in Ambridge, allowing us to visit Aunts Jane, Jessie, Helen and Stella in 2 days. This childhood tradition came to me as I pondered how Jesus visited people these last three Sundays. So, let me lay out 3 points. First, the King visits; second, the King is welcomed; and finally, how we respond to the King’s call.

First, the King visits. To visit means to go and stay with a person or at a place for a short time for sociability, business, or curiosity. We visit friends, clients and famous places, like Punxsutawney. The word visit is from the Latin visitare meaning to go to see or come to inspect. By the 13th century, pastors and doctors would visit or pay a call to people in their homes. It also means to come upon or afflict with sickness or punishment. Depending on who the visitor was, you would either welcome or reject him.

If your visitor arrived on horse, be wary. Throughout Biblical history, horses were the mounts of kings, princes, conquerors, and soldiers. Horses heralded threats of war, and were such a symbol of army strength that God ordered Israelite kings not to keep many horses because He did not want the Israelites to trust in their own resources of strength, but to rely on Him for victory and deliverance from their enemies. A king visiting on a horse implied war, doom and victory.

If your visitor arrived on a donkey, relax. Donkeys hold the distinction as being one of the earliest and most frequently mentioned animals in the Bible. A king visiting on a donkey symbolized industry, peace and wealth.

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Visits imply welcomes. Welcome to my second point – the King is Welcomed. … Today, we welcome kings, heroes and championship athletic teams with parades. In a Bible study of Thessalonians, I explained how a welcoming committee would go out to greet the emperor and escort him into the city. The Roman citizens did this out of honor and reverence for Caesar and his emissaries. Likewise, when people heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they went out to greet him with leafy palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!”, a jubilant praise for victory or salvation. John tells us that Jesus’ disciples did not understand these things. What did these “things” mean?

Jesus’ humble entry into Jerusalem foreshadowed victory over his enemies. Of the four accounts, however, only John wrote that the crowd took palm branches, which symbolized victory in Jewish culture, and went out to meet Jesus, singing Psalm 118, a processional hymn for the feast of tabernacles. The significance is that Psalm 118 announces triumph because of reliance on Yahweh, echoing Israel’s jubilant Exodus chant. Shouting hosanna – a phrase invoking God to save them – victors with branches in hand proceeded to the altar where they offered sacrifice.

John’s point? Before ascending the Cross in His hour of triumph, Jesus knew He had won. That is why Scripture records the people singing “Hosanna.” Jesus was victorious – and humble. Jesus was humble to the point that when others declared Him King of Israel, He brushed aside the comment or withdrew into the mountains. Yet, Jesus knew His entry into Jerusalem demonstrated His fulfillment of prophecies from Genesis through Malachi. That is why John records these “things” – the King’s visit and how the King is welcomed – and now we ponder how we might respond to such a King.

For a moment, imagine yourself as a disciple in John’s Gospel, who did not understand these things when they occurred, but now you do. You understand Jesus is the King who conquered Satan, sin and death in His victorious Hour, and now He visits you. The king asks you to follow Him. … Are you willing to follow Him? ... Really?! … Are you truly interested in following a man riding a donkey?

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People are willing to follow inspirational, heroic leaders like Patton, Grant or Washington, and sometimes only if they got paid. Napoleon Bonaparte possessed the charisma to inspire multitudes of men. In his own words, Napoleon said, “I know men, and I have inspired multitudes to die for me. A word from me and the sacred fire was kindled in their hearts. I do, indeed, possess the secret of this magical power that lifts the soul, but I could never impart it to anyone. None of my generals ever learned it from me; nor have I the means of perpetuating my name and love for me in the hearts of men.”

Napoleon knew that, unlike Jesus, inspirational leaders do not possess the means of perpetuating their names and others’ love for them. Only Jesus Christ possesses the means of perpetuating His name and love for Him. The difference between dynamic human leaders and Jesus Christ? They are dead. Jesus Christ is a living Person who is present and calls me now. He visits us with grace to expand our hearts which gives us the desire and generosity to do something about this disordered universe. Jesus does not simply say, “Your sins are forgiven.” He calls you to follow Him … on your own donkey.

You need your own donkey because you must ride in peace extending your victorious palm branch to the conquered enemies of this world and let them know – as you know – that they are loved by our victorious Christ and by us. Otherwise, what’s the point of being a Christian if we don’t accompany Christ as compassionate companions? What’s the point of observing Palm Sunday and Good Friday if we can’t say to the world’s Barabbases, “I love you”?

In other words, the King’s visit implies a call to saddle up and ride with Him into the world. His call, His challenge forces us to ask: Is our spirituality authentic if we exclude public issues that conflict with our self-interests? As sinful humans, we have an inordinate hunger for wealth, honor and power. The Word of God, the call of the King, is not held in honor by the world. There is another line in Psalm 118 that reads, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” To heed the King’s call, to obey God’s Word, to welcome the visiting King suggests dishonor in the world’s eyes, but victorious honor in God’s.

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I offer one example of a man who embraces the visiting King and accepts his call. Gary Haugen, founder of International Justice Mission and author of “The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence”, pinpoints a basic source of entrenched poverty overlooked by well-intentioned outsiders: corrupt government officials who turn their heads while criminals victimize the poor. For example, 90% of murders in Mexico go unsolved. On the other hand, Haugen reminds us that the church played a critical role in the struggle against child labor and for civil rights. He urges Christians to accept their biblical, prophetic role and use their moral voice to ensure the state protect the weakest in our world. Haugen influenced Howard Buffet, Warren Buffet’s son, to examine the rule of law before donating money to a cause in that land. Friends, you don’t have to start an international justice mission to embrace biblical justice and heed our King’s call. Simply embrace His call and apply biblical justice to whatever you do in life.

I close by quoting the prolific Scripture scholar and pastor, NT Wright, “We must speak truth to those with power so we can speak love to those without it.” We must speak truth to those with power so we can speak love to those without it. When we accept our biblical, prophetic role and use our moral voice to ensure those with power protect those without love, because we know Christ our King has already conquered Satan, sin and death, this we know: We are simply donkey riders with palm branches responding to the call of the King. Ride with God, my friends. Ride with God. And may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Genevieve (Gennie) Bednarski was born on December 29, 1926, in Baden, Pennsylvania. Her father, Felix, was 40, and her mother, Władysława, was 41. She was the ninth of ten children and the last daughter of the family. As the saying goes, they saved the best for last. In this case, she was the last daughter, and her brother, Walter, was the last of all the offspring.

Mom graduated from Ambridge High School in 1944. She worked at Anderson’s Candyland in Ambridge (before it moved to Baden). When I visit Anderson’s I always mention that. It does not get me a discount, but it does make for friendly conversation.

Because Cindy and I met at a dance in Burlingame, CA on July 3, 2009, I like the fact that Mom and Dad met at a Polka dance in the late 1940s. They married on September 9, 1950 at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Ambridge. This was Mom’s church. She and her siblings were baptized at this church. My brothers and I, as well as most of my Bednarski cousins were also baptized at this church. Many made their First Communion and Confirmation here, and others were married here. Most of my aunts and uncles were buried from here.

A young priest named Father Zygmunt Szarnecki married my parents. Mom was 23 years old, and Dad was 25. I have their wedding album, and when you look at it, you realize how much more dignified couples and their weddings were compared to the last 30 years. Looking at the photographs, you would think that Mom and Dad were Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier.

When my parents celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary in 2000, I invited Ziggy to renew their vows at St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Oakmont. He happily obliged. Because we did not want them to object until it was too late, neither my brothers nor I told our parents about this celebration. Mom found out about it. I told her out-of-state brother and sister, Walt and Mary, would have to cancel their trips. Mom accepted the idea, but was not thrilled.

Mom was not a high-profile person, and preferred to stay out of the spotlight. She limited her role to helping at events like the Annual Beaver County Holy Name Society Dinner by pinning corsages onto the lapels of speakers and honorees. Even when she attended Mass on or around her birthday, and the one time that I asked the congregation to sing Happy Birthday to her, she asked me never to do that again. Where many people enjoyed the attention, she chose to be the demure woman.

That said, as we approached the anniversary, Mom informed me that she was not willing to renew her vows in front of the congregation. I was not going to argue with her about this. When Father Ziggy entered the front door of the rectory, I explained the situation. He simply said, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” He then walked into the living room, greeted everyone, and turned to my mother asking, “Gennie, do you want to go to heaven?” She said, “Yes.” He followed up with, “Good, then you have to renew your vows.” Mom obliged, and all went well from there.

During our childhood, Mom was a stay-at-home mother. Some of the memorable moments that I recall include the following. Mom and Dad filmed the first day of school for my brothers and me entering First Grade. Dad kept all these moments on 8mm film. As an aside, Dad also filmed President John F. Kennedy when he visited Ambridge in 1962. Mom and Dad took Ed and me to the street where he sat atop the backseat of his convertible. The street was renamed Kennedy Boulevard, where our family doctor’s office set. We still have that film.

Mom was a typical 1960s mother. Dad had a good blue-collar job as a First-Class Machinist at J&L. Like his brothers, Ted and Al, who worked as a Teamster and a Pipe Fitter respectively, Dad made enough money to support our family. Mom made sure dinner was ready at 5:00 PM. It was a perfect time because we got home from school about four o’clock. We had time to change clothes and play outside. After supper, we played baseball, basketball or football with Dad. We did our homework at the dinner table, watched some TV and got ready for bed, and either Mom or Dad would come into the bedroom with us and pray with us.

Each morning Mom made sure we were awake and ready for school. We ate cereal for breakfast and toted sandwiches and fruit in our lunchboxes for lunch. Rarely did we eat cafeteria food (a good thing). We all attended Potter Township Elementary School from 1961-1971. John graduated in 1969, and I was a member of the final class, graduating in 1971. Ed finished seventh grade there.

Attending Potter School was one of the best things that happened to me, and I will write about that another day. During the time we attended, our school district was the second richest in the Commonwealth. For example, our final field trip was a one-day round-trip flight on Allegheny Airlines from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg to tour the state capital and the Capitol Building. This was one of the few field trips that neither Mom nor Dad chaperoned.

Mom and Dad were both active in our extracurricular activities. Dad served as a school board director through the 60s, and Mom participated in homeroom parties. Although we could walk to Potter School in six minutes, a bus transported us across State Route 18. My parents did not think it was a clever idea to have children walk along and cross a highway where vehicles typically exceeded the speed limit. So, they arranged for a bus stop across the street from our house. Dad built a shed to protect us from inclement weather. It stood for ten years.

Throughout our school years Mom and Dad attended as many events as they could – band concerts, plays, football and basketball games – as well as helping us with fundraisers for band trips and so on. If they saw we needed help with a subject, they would personally ask the principals and teachers to offer that, and our teachers obliged. Ed, the smartest of us three, didn’t need help, but I needed help in Algebra and Trigonometry.

During the time we were in grade school, Mom took on the cause of getting water piped into Potter Township. Along with our neighbor, Anna Taormina, Mom went door to door asking residents to sign a petition. They attended meetings and finally, the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa piped water to Potter Township. This foray into the public was generated by Mom’s frustration with a reliance on well water and a cistern that Dad filled with water from St. Joe Lead several times per year. (And as I write this, we have no water! Hahahaha!)

In 1970, the Beaver Valley Mall opened, Mom started working at Gimbels Department Store on Day One. She first worked as a salesclerk in the Boys Department, and later in the Men’s Department. This way, she could set aside clothing in our size and buy it on the days employees got additional discounts. Every birthday and Christmas, our presents came in gift-wrapped Gimbels boxes. Mom worked there for 17 years, and when Gimbels closed in 1987, she finally got to enjoy her retirement.

Another aside. One evening, while we were watching TV, Michael Keaton appeared on screen. Mom said, “I know him. He buys his clothes at Gimbels.” She added that he was always friendly and polite. Michael Keaton was not the first actor Mom met. Many years earlier, Mom was friends with a woman who introduced her brother by saying, “This is my brother, Charles. He wants to be an actor.” That man was Charles Buchinsky, aka Charles Bronson. He became an actor despite his sister’s doubts.

While we were boys, Mom made sure we were present at all activities: Cub Scouts, 4-H, Altar Boy practice and serving duties, etc. On occasions when Dad worked on Sunday, she called neighbors to make sure we all had a ride to Sunday Mass.

Throughout our high school years, Mom and Dad got more involved in church and the Polish National Alliance, ensuring that we attended every CCD class and participated in all the practices, rehearsals and performances of the Krakowiaki, the song and folk-dance ensemble of Monaca’s Polish National Alliance Group #841. Mom was active in Christian Mothers and Catholic Daughters of America. She and Dad even chaperoned the weeklong training sessions at Alliance College in Cambridge Springs, PA. They were not considered “helicopter parents” but simply responsible parents.

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I would be remiss if I did not mention what Mom taught us. First, she taught us how to pray. On the inside of the hall closet door where we hung our coats hung a large glossy paper picture of the Stations of the Cross. On every Friday during Lent she would have us repeat after her the words that focused on each of the fourteen stations. She also made certain that we memorized the prayers necessary for an Altar Boy to speak while serving Mass. When she ironed clothing in the basement, she had us sit on the steps and repeat Polish phrases such as Jak się masz? (How are you?), Dziękuję (Thank you), Idę do domu. (I’m going home), and Idę spać. (I’m going to bed).

She also taught us how to peel and boil potatoes, which I usually burned. We learned how to hang laundry on the clothesline and how to wash clothes on a wringer washer. Throughout the summer, Mom taught us how to weed the vegetable garden, pick vegetables and make compost. Since I am at it, I would like to add that Dad taught us how to tie a necktie, change the oil and spark plugs in a car, among other useful things.

Lastly, Mom taught me how to care for someone who is dying. In 2005, I was serving as the Parochial Vicar at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Eureka, CA. I asked to serve in the Diocese of Santa Rosa, and when the discussion arose at the meeting of the personnel board, The Reverend Loren Allen, Pastor of the aforementioned parish, responded to a question: “Should we accept someone from outside the diocese?” He scanned the room and said, “Aren’t we all from someplace else?” He was right. Most priests were from another diocese before landing in Santa Rosa. He requested that I be sent to St. Bernard. I arrived in June 2005.

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Father Allen suggested that since Christmas fell on a Sunday that year I take a week and spend it visiting my mother. I arranged the trip, and came home. I was invited by my friends, Bill and Kari Katz, to attend their holiday party in Cheswick. I conducted the wedding of Bill and Kari, and subsequently baptized their first two children. Bill is a cardiologist, and I had asked him to run some tests for Mom when she was having health issues in the summer. He explained that Mom had multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, and that she had between two months and two years to live. I asked him what I should do. He simply stated, “I don’t know what you will do but if it were me, I would come home.”

My brother, Ed, had used up all his vacation and sick days doing his best to care for Mom. At the time, he lived in Swissvale, east of Pittsburgh, and worked as a chemist at USX. He implored that I return home to help care for Mom. I agreed to return.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in the bone marrow that produces antibodies. It causes abnormal cells to accumulate, leading to bone damage (lesions), kidney issues, and high blood calcium levels. Key symptoms include severe bone pain (back/ribs), fatigue, frequent infections, and anemia. In Mom’s case fluid built up in a sac in her torso. The sac would push and the pressure against her ribs created excruciating pain.

I arrived home in February 2006. I was assigned the Parochial Vicar at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in nearby Center Township. I knew a lot of people there, including the pastor. Many of my high school classmates, and my attorney, the late Daniel D’Antonio, were active members. But my main purpose was to care for Mom.

The pastor, Father Kleppner, permitted me to live at home. This allowed me take Mom to her many doctor’s appointments, cook her meals, shop for her groceries, launder her clothes, and shampoo her hair, among other duties. I also learned to deal with what the cancer was doing to her. I relieved the pressure on her ribs by evacuating the fluid in her torso. One of her pulmonary doctors inserted a port in her side. Every other day, I connected to the port a specially designed plastic vacuum bottle. As soon as the connection was made and I turned the valve the bottle would vacuum a quart of fluid from her body into itself. The process took less than five minutes. Instantly, Mom felt relief.

During that year, most of Mom’s appointments were at UPMC’s Hillman Cancer Center. She not only met with cancer specialists, but also pain specialists, and an array of other physicians. Because she slept late, we scheduled all of her appointments late morning or early afternoon.

As a caregiver, I learned quickly to ask others for help. The drive from the Hillman Center was over an hour, and at times we would get home in the evening. I asked members of the church to prepare low-sodium meals for us, and to sit with Mom when I had to be at church, visit the sick or conduct a funeral. Ladies prepared dinners that would last at least a second, and often a third day. Church couples, many of whom Mom already knew, would sit, talk and listen. They helped her walk when necessary, and brought a book for the time when she would grow tired and nap.

In the last weeks of her life, after the doctors did all they could, Mom did little except sleep. Ed and I finally contracted hospice to come to the house during the last week of Mom’s life when she had slipped into unconsciousness. The hospice nurse, also a member of the church, visited twice. Mom showed no signs of discomfort. She just slept.

On All Saints Day 2006, I was scheduled to lead worship and preach the Noon Mass. I had asked a woman from St. Frances to sit with Mom while I was at church. She was one of many true saints from the parish who cooked meals and sat with Mom throughout the year. When I returned home, we went into the bedroom where Mom was sleeping on her hospital bed. Her breathing was very shallow. At one point Mom stopped breathing and the woman said, “I think she’s gone.” Mom took another breath. I replied, “Not yet.” A minute later, Mom passed. It was two o’clock.

I had no regrets for all I did for Mom in the last year of her life. I conducted her funeral at St. John’s Catholic Church in Monaca. It is where our parents raised us in the Christian Faith, and is the most beautiful church in Beaver County. We laid Mom next to Dad at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Hopewell. It is where Dad’s parents and our oldest unnamed brother and Ed are buried. Cindy and I will be buried there eventually.

When Dad died suddenly, I was not prepared, and reacted differently than after Mom died. In the days after Dad died, I cried my eyes out, but in the days after Mom died, I never cried. Like I said, I had no regrets for what I did for Mom in her last days.

If you have any memories of any Cwynar or Bednarski Family members, I would appreciate it if you would share them with me. Later this year, I will send a document to family members. After that, I can share it with future family members. Thanks in advance for reading and supporting me.

Have you ever been really sad? In our Gospel today (John 11), two of Jesus’ friends are very sad because their brother died. Jesus was also sad. He was so sad that he cried. That tells you that Jesus had a human nature like us.

Now, these sisters, Martha and Mary, wanted Jesus to come visit their brother, Lazarus, when he was very sick. Jesus did not go, even though it was less than two miles. Blackhawk High School is two miles from here. Then, a few days later, Lazarus died, and Jesus decided to visit.

Jesus went for several reasons. He wanted to see Martha and Mary, but he also wanted them to see what power God has. So, he walked to their home and spoke with each sister, and then went to the grave – a cave – where Lazarus was lain.

Jesus ordered some men to move the huge stone, and then he prayed to his Father in heaven. He prayed that the people standing around him may know that God the Father sent Jesus.

To me, all of this seems a little strange. I mean, if I were standing there, and saw Jesus offer kind words to his friends, have the grave stone moved away, and then offer this prayer to God the Father, I would wonder what Jesus would do next. That’s when he called Lazarus to life, and Lazarus walked out of the cave. Jesus told the men to take off his grave clothes and let him go free. And that was that.

If you saw that, how powerful would you think Jesus, the Son of God, is? He is so powerful that he can make dead people live again, and someday he will make all of us alive in heaven.

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled These People, This Person and Predicaments, and my focus is on our Gospel (John 11:1-44). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are standing within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Who’s this guy?” or “Who are these people?” I remember asking myself that when flying to Israel in 1995, when in the middle of the night, a chorus of voices awakened me. I thought, “Who are these people?” After I woke I realized that they were rabbis praying. I asked myself when we were grocery shopping in some Midwest supermarket, and realized all these young women over 6’ tall were members of a college volleyball team. It’s a question we ask today of three people with important roles in John’s Gospel and life of the Church: Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

The family lived in Bethany, a village one and three-quarters miles east of Jerusalem. There is no mention of the town in the Old Testament, and there is some doubt that the site of the current Bethany is the same as that mentioned in John’s Gospel. The name Bethany means either “House of Misery” or “House of Dates.”

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In Bethany Jesus received hospitality. In Mark we read that while Jesus “was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head” (14:3). Matthew wrote that after Jesus cleansed the Temple, he went to Bethany (21:17). Luke records that as Jesus approached Jerusalem, “he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet” (19:29). He also wrote that this is where Jesus led the disciples before he ascended into heaven (24:50ff.). Thus, it is known that Bethany is a place where Jesus went often and everyone knew his name.

Martha is mentioned twice in John, chapter 11 and 12. She is mentioned in Luke 10, where she welcomed Jesus into her house. We are all familiar with Martha’s complaint that her sister, Mary, sat at Jesus’ feet while she prepared and served the meal. Both sisters were disciples who sought to please the Lord.

In today’s passage, St. John identifies Mary not only as the sister of Martha and Lazarus, but also as the one “who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair” (3), which is reported in chapter twelve, when Jesus went to Bethany before Passover. “Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (1-3).[1]

Apart from being the sister of Martha, there is some confusion about the certainty of who Mary was. When we take all four Gospels together, some believe that there are three distinct women: the “sinner” of Luke (7: 36-50); the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10: 38-42 and John 11); and Mary Magdalene. This goes back to the Greek and Latin Fathers and today, among Catholic and Protestant scholars. If you are interested in that detail, check the footnote.[2]

Lazarus is the Latin form of Eleazar, a name that means “God has helped,” and mentioned throughout the Old Testament. During the time of Jesus, Eleazar was one of the more popular names for Jewish males. Other than being a close friend of Jesus and sick, there is little to know about Lazarus. We should note, however, that this is not the same person identified in Luke’s Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. To conclude my first point, we now know something about “These People.”

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My second point is This Person. In this passage the sisters properly addressed Jesus as Lord and Teacher or Rabbi. The way people identified Jesus was much different than how Jesus identified himself. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus identifies himself using the phrase “I Am.” The phrase is used 45 times leading many interpreters to believe that St. John’s Jesus was making divine claims. The use of this phrase is connected to the Old Testament.[3] In Exodus, God revealed himself to Moses by saying, “I AM WHO I AM.” God told him to tell the people, “I AM has sent me to you” (3:14), and later God said, “I am the LORD” (6:2).

Recall that several weeks ago that Jesus said to the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s well, “I who speak to you am he” (4:26). Several times while speaking to the Jews in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus used the phrase. He said, “When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am (he), and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me” (8:28). Later, he said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (8:58). He also used the phrase at the Last Supper and when arrested.[4]

Using this phrase, Jesus identified himself as the Bread of Life (6:35, 41, 48, 51), the Light of the World (8:12; 9:5), the Door (10:7, 9), the Good Shepherd (10:11, 14), the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6) and the True Vine (15:1, 5). Again, all of these have roots in the Old Testament where they are used primarily to speak of God.[5]

His opponents, who supposedly knew the Scriptures, did not understand why Jesus used these phrases to identify himself as God the Son, and accused him of blasphemy. Even his disciples did not understand. We read how Jesus chastised them by saying, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? … The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me” (14:9; 16:32).

In today’s passage, Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (11:25). Her confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ was steadfast. No doubt that Mary confessed the same faith in Jesus. So, what does Jesus mean when he calls himself the Resurrection and the Life?

First, when Jesus responds to Martha’s belief that her brother will rise again in the resurrection on the last day, his statement is a direct answer to this, and he is telling her that he is the present realization of what to expect on the last day. Jesus is the Resurrection! If you believe in Jesus, even though you will go to the grave, you will come to eternal life because life is from above – from God – and through the Spirit, life conquers death.

Second, Jesus is that life. Whoever receives the gift of life through belief in Jesus will never die a spiritual death, for this life is eternal life.[6] The resurrection and life are what Jesus is in relation to people. They are what he gives to people, to you and me.

Martha probably understood Jesus in the same way the Samaritan woman did – as a prophet. Only when he told her to go and call her husband did that woman begin the search for a deeper, more meaningful faith. In that exchange, Jesus taught. Here, he will act out the drama that raises Lazarus to life.

Folks, what is it that Jesus said to you – whether in Scripture or in prayer – that led you to search deeper for a more meaningful faith, a more profound faith in Christ and what he can do for you, not so much as individual believers, but to a greater degree, as Church, as a congregation?

You know, as we explore the Gospels throughout the Season of Easter, we will hear Jesus pray for us (John 17) and break bread before us (Luke 24) so that we come to see ourselves not simply as a group of people who come together for an hour on Sunday mornings, but as a powerful sign of God’s sovereignty actively alive in His world. Realizing that will be much more exciting and longer lasting than the thrill of basketball’s Final Four.

Martha and Mary saw the miraculous work of the Father when Jesus raised Lazarus. Jesus’ prayer was for people to see this miracle, this sign, and even more importantly, to come to know the Father and receive life themselves. John does not dwell on the act of raising Lazarus. For John – and for us – what is crucial is knowing that Jesus has the power to give eternal life on this earth and a belief in Jesus’ promise that in time he will raise the dead. That will include my parents and your parents, our ancestors and friends, and every blessed believer we have ever known.

And that brings me to my third point, predicament. A predicament is an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation. But for those of you who took the required college philosophy class, you may remember that a predicament was one of Aristotle’s categories, meaning something that is predicted or asserted. The Romans borrowed the word from the Greeks, and formed praedicatus, meaning to assert, proclaim or declare publicly before it happens. Here, Jesus made one bold public assertion before he and his Father made it happen.

The predicament was that his friend was dying, and he waited until he fell asleep to go see him. This may have perplexed not only his disciples, but also Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus could have leisurely walked the distance in forty minutes. Google tells me that I can walk the distance in 38 minutes. But God does not think or work like Google or us. By waiting Jesus did more for Lazarus and his sisters than by going to see him breathe his last breath. It is how God worked then. It is how God works today.

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We’re in a predicament. A congregation without a pastor is in a predicament, and there are many congregations in such a predicament. We believe, however, that God’s plan is always bigger than ours, at least his plan is always bigger and better than mine; and so, there is something to be said about faithfulness. In my sermon for the First Sunday of Lent, the Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness, I spoke of how Israel did not prove themselves to be faithful to the God who delivered them from Egypt, and how Jesus showed himself and us to be the faithful Son of the Father. God calls us to be faithful like Jesus to the Father’s plan and to worship Him wherever we are.

Friends, I have led worship in many churches, and I have led worship in nursing homes and state mental hospitals, on ships and in social halls, in gymnasiums and parks, even in a pub in Ireland. The Church can worship God anywhere because we are Church. Because we are Church, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] A careful reading shows that John does not conflict with the accounts in Mark and Matthew for one cannot prove that Martha could not serve in Simon’s house. See https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09721b.htm

[2] https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/Mary-Magdalen

[3] For more on this, a good online resource is https://catholic-resources.org/John/Themes-IAM.htm and https://catholic-resources.org/John/Sharing8.html.

[4] John 13:19; 18:5, 6, 8.

[5] Bread of Life / Bread from Heaven - Exodus 16; Num 11:6-9; Ps 78:24; Isa 55:1-3; Neh 9:15; 2 Mac 2:5-8; Light of the World - Exod 13:21-22; Isa 42:6-7; Ps 97:4; Good Shepherd - Ezek 34:1-41; Gen 48:15; 49:24; Ps 23:1-4; 80:1; 100:3-4; Micah 7:14; Resurrection / Life - Dan 12:2; Ps 56:13; 2 Mac 7:1-38; Way - Exod 33:13; Ps 25:4; 27:11; 86:11; 119:59; Isa 40:3; 62:10; Truth - 1 Kings 17:4; Ps 25:5; 43:3; 86:11; 119:160; Isa 45:19; Vine / Vineyard - Isa 5:1-7; Ps 80:9-17; Jer 2:21; Ezek 17:5-10.

[6] Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John (I-XII). Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. (1966), p. 434.

John Walter Cwynar was born on June 23, 1925, in Detroit. He was the second of four sons of John and Helen Cwynar (pronounced Svinar). As mentioned previously, he lived in Detroit until he was eight years old. In 1933, his father moved the family to Aliquippa, PA, so that he could work at J&L Steel. The family lived on Aliquippa’s Plan 11 for six or seven years before they moved to Raccoon Township, Beaver County, PA.

John graduated from Aliquippa High School in 1943. Like most young men of “The Greatest Generation,” he worked to help the family stay afloat. I recall that he said he worked at a gas station. I remember this from our visit to the Smithsonian where he saw a Hudson, and how he marveled at seeing it, telling me he saw one when he pumped gas at 16 years old.

At 18, he was hired by J&L. He worked at J&L for 46 years, from 1943-1989. Initially, he wanted to become a millwright, but one of his bosses discouraged him from this, and instead encouraged him to become a machinist. This was one of the best choices in life that he made. Dad became a First-Class Machinist after completing the apprentice program at the mill.

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Dad was a record keeper. He saved all his apprenticeship training materials that included many mathematical trainings and tests. When I was an older teenager, I recall reviewing these books and thinking that he was exceptionally good at math. He was also an innovator. J&L paid him for several patents. There was an agreement with the company that if an employee created an idea that could be patented, he would be compensated for the patent, which would then be owned by the company.

Dad would complete government jobs for friends at J&L. For example, our neighbor, Ted, worked at J&L and had a side business as an excavator. Occasionally, Ted would need a part repaired for one of his bulldozers or excavators. Dad could repair this. Another friend, Joe, a J&L blacksmith, and Polish as Ted was, gave dad a couple of sledgehammers in exchange for another government job. I gave one of these sledges to a friend of mine, Father Ken White, to split firewood at his cabin in the Allegheny Mountains. Ken said it was the “mother of all wood splitters.” We have one in the shed.

The most stupendous work Dad created is a gift that he presented to me for my ordination to the priesthood on May 23, 1987. Dad took two pieces of scrapped stainless steel and transformed them into a chalice and a paten.

During his time at J&L, Dad also served as a Machinist in the US Army during World War II and the Korean Conflict. Because he and my mom saved everything, mom was able to prove this fact after his sudden death in 2003. As a Machinist, he was more valuable stateside than he would have been as an infantryman overseas. No disrespect to anyone who served overseas as an infantryman, pilot of sailor, but we must recognize the importance of military doctors, nurses, communications technicians, scientists and machinists. His gravestone lists Dad’s service to our Nation.

Outside of work, Dad was incredibly involved in our church and community. He and mom were married at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Ambridge on September 9, 1950. When they built their home in Potter Township, they joined and became active members of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Monaca. Dad taught 7^th and 8^th grade CCD. He served on church council, but his main love was serving in the Holy Name Society and later in the Serra Club. Dad was involved in the parish, deanery and diocesan levels, and the same levels for the Serra Club.

He served on the Potter Township School Board in the 1960s, and was opposed to the Commonwealth’s forced merger of the Potter Township School District with the Center Township School District, which eventually became the Center Area School District when Ed and I attended it in the 1970s. The reason for the forced merger was because Potter Township had many more jobs that paid a higher rate than our neighbors. At the time, Potter Township was home to the St. Joe Lead Company, Koppers, Duquesne Light as well as the Montgomery Dam. Recently, it has been proven that several retail and residential parcels which Center Township has claimed lie within Potter Township. Lastly, one of our county commissioners mistakenly has repeated that the new Shell Plant is in Potter Township, Such are the claims Democrats make. (ha ha)

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Dad coached Little League and Pony League Baseball. He was also an active member of the Polish National Alliance Group #841 in Monaca. While we were teenagers, my brothers, cousins and I performed in the Group’s Krakowiaki, a Polish Folk Song and Dance troupe. For years, Mom, Dad and many others made and sold pierogies to financially underwrite the costs of the troupe. They also did this at St. John’s Parish.

It was fitting that after many years of loving service to God, family and community, Dad died on April 16, 2003, Wednesday night of Holy Week. He had planned to attend the Chrism Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, where I was ordained on May 23, 1987. It was the most difficult Holy Week that I ever observed because I was torn between the grief of losing my father and the actions of the Paschal Mystery (Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection).

Ever since I was a young priest, I always thought that it would be beautiful to be buried on Easter week because the church is decorated with many blooming flowers. How fitting it was that Dad’s funeral was on Easter Monday.

I preached the sermon at Dad’s funeral, using a visual aid – his Pep Young baseball glove, which we keep in a guest bedroom with other family heirlooms. I spoke of the evangelical work Dad did not only in church and men’s fellowship gatherings, but also on baseball fields. As our coach in Little League and Pony League, he not only ran practices and managed games, but also taught lessons about living the Christian life. The baseball diamond was his pulpit.

Here’s an example. One day we stopped to visit a family close to us. When we arrived the head of the household was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a beer. We had not even sat down when he started spouting foul language. Dad said to the man, “If you’re going to talk like that, we’re leaving.” A few words later, we were out the door and in the car. Real men do not need cuss words in their vocabulary. Nor do they subject their children to hear it from others.

Following Dad’s burial, his longtime friend, Gino Piroli, wrote a column in the Beaver County Times about Dad. One point was his remembrance that Dad walked to Aliquippa High School uphill both ways. Gino went on to explain how this happened. Dad walked down from Plan 11 and then up the hill to the high school in the morning, and in the reverse in the afternoon. Life has its difficulties, and those few words of wisdom by Mr. Piroli remind me of this to this day.

If you have any memories of Dad, please send me a message at paulcwynar@gmail.com. You can also attach any pictures to your email. I appreciate that you took the time to read this post. Next, I will write about my mom, and then about the two of them as our parents. Please forward this to any members of the Cwynar or Ginalski Families.