Who's In Charge? Rejoice! God Reigns! Isaiah 66:10-14

“Who’s in charge?”

     After President Reagan was shot in Washington in March of 1981 Al Haig infamously (and erroneously) said that he was in charge.

A year ago Egyptians elected Morsi as president and this week, after a few weeks of protests, the army deposed him from power.  Now both sides are duking it out in the streets.  “Who’s in charge” in Cairo?

Even in the church we sometimes ask, “Who’s in charge?”

Our Congregational Leadership Council has been looking at our constitution and has been left to ask that very question.

So, we’ll probably be doing a study on this in the fall and making some small changes to it for you all to vote on at the fall voter’s meeting

And in my own life, my head is sometimes spinning asking, “Who or what is in Charge of my life?”

I’m an ordained minister called to Redeemer Lutheran Church

I’m married to Susan

I’m father to Katie, Chris, and Caroline,

I’m son to Del and Sandy.

And I’m a baptized child of God.

What about you? Who’s in charge of your life?

Is it yourself?

Your job?

Does it seem like the whole world has control over you?

Does the devil has his grips on you at times?

Another way to look at this is, what moves, motivates, and informs you as you walk through life?

Ambition?

Security?

Providing for your family?

Watching over your children?

Pleasing God by being a good person?

I’m afraid if it’s any of these, you are doomed.

According to Galatians anything we do—any life we live—that is not informed, directed and planted by the Holy Spirit is going to be corrupted.

Not “less than optimal”, not, “so-so”, not, “pretty good”, or, “ok”—CORRUPTED!

That is, “bad to the bone”, “rotten to the core,” “unsalvageable”, thrown into the fire”, ALL BAD!

Only things sown by the Holy Spirit will last.  Only that life which is from God will exist for eternity

So, when are you and I going to give up trying to be in charge of everything and let God reign?

When will we begin to live like he knows better than us?

When will we start seeking the answers to life from His book, instead of the Wall Street Journal, the KC Star or Fox News, or MSNBC?

When will we “Rejoice! Because God Reigns!” in our hearts and lives?

And, how will we know that he does?

In the Gospel we see an example of when this happened and it was amazingly simple.

Jesus sent out the seventy two disciples in pairs to prepare villages, towns and cities before his coming to them to preach the Good News.

They were to take no provisions—for God always provides

They were to bring God’s peace—and peace would come back to them or, be returned to them and they would take it elsewhere

They would heal the sick—so that everyone would be well enough to hear the Savior

Simple stuff to usher in the reign of Jesus.

Trust Jesus

Use what is placed before you

Heal in the name and preparation of Jesus

Let Jesus speak for himself to create faith by his Holy Spirit

Too often we are scared off from this mission of Jesus because we think we need to convert someone to faith in Jesus and that scares us—and rightly so

Because that’s not what Jesus teaches

If we were to be responsible for salvation we would be the king—we would reign.

No, we are just the heralds the messenger, the 72.

Jesus Brings salvation, Jesus is king, Jesus reigns.

As we begin to flesh out our vision for ministry as a congregation we keep all this in mind as we plan, as we gather resources, and as we go out into the city to prepare it for Jesus.

We trust Jesus—personally, and as a church

We use what is placed before us—knowing that even what might be seen as a shortage is also an asset to those who have faith

We heal and comfort people in whatever shape we find them—and tell them Jesus is on the way.

And then, we get out of the way and let Jesus and the Holy Spirit do their thing.

Rejoicing  that he has come into another heart

And saved another soul from corruption

As I came to church yesterday for a baptism I picked up a message from a woman in our community who heard we had a laundry ministry

You see, her friend had told her that some folks from Redeemer helped her at the Laundromat a few weeks ago  and her machines weren’t working and she really didn’t have the money to fix them or to keep going to the Laundromat.

Because some couples from our church went out like the 72 into our neighborhood, healing occurred, hope arrived, and Jesus may very well be on his way into this woman’s heart to reign in her life forever!

So, where else does Jesus reign?

I know you have ideas and I know God is placing this community on your hearts—you’ve told me so!

For some of you it’s housing ministry

For others its food and clothing

For some its college kids

And for others its young professionals.

Some of you have shared the idea of turning our big lawn out front into a community garden,

Others have a heart for single mothers

While others ache to restart efforts to reach the Hispanic community with our love for them in Jesus through ESL classes.

These are all signs that Jesus is reigning in YOUR hearts.  And if he is reigning in your heart you have all you need to go out and prepare the harvest field.  For it is indeed ripe.

And God Reigns here at Redeemer Lutheran Church. 

Each and every week we are witness to his coronation as King over evil and destruction

as we commemorate his death and resurrection 

as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper

and, thereby, celebrate the eternal life we now have through his body and blood spilled on the cross for our sake.

Each time a person comes to this font, like Kellyn and Malia did yesterday,

Jesus reigns as more people enter God’s family

And you and I have two more sisters in Christ (pause)

And God reigns in Olathe as our Gracious Living Magazine is read by thousands

So that at least one family has already inquired about preschool.

A neighboring Pastor has praised God for our outreach,

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund has informed us that we will receive a $500 grant to help us pay for this effort.

And a lay person in our community who has a business which ministers to seniors commended us for the publication and offered ideas on how we can strengthen future issues.

And another reason we know that God Reigns here is Olathe is ironically, by the opposition our little magazine has rustled up.

It’s only a small number, but there have been five or six people who have called the office, nearly enraged, that we would dare bring Jesus into their homes through our little mailing.

They are convicted by their lack of faith and

Regardless of how winsome our message, they do not want to face the King

Today we’ll pray for all those people

Knowing that God loves them just as much as he loves you and I

And praying that they will hold on to that magazine

Or that someway, somehow, God would use someone else to share the love of Jesus with them

so that God would reign in their hearts as well.

But God has just begun to reign in Olathe.

The Kansas District of the LCMS would like to start 20 ministries in the state by 2020 and the Synod set a goal of 2000 new congregations in the United States by 2017 (the 500^th anniversary of the reformation) at our 2007 convention

And with only two Lutheran churches preaching the grace of Jesus to a city of 130,000, we obviously have some work to do

and God is calling us to let him have free rein

in our hearts,

in our actions

in our wallets

on our calendars

and in our prayers and worship

All so that we might Rejoice! With Elijah as he does in our Old Testament Lesson, knowing that God reigns on earth and in heaven, now and forever more. 

It’s not too late to become a part of this important work of preparing Olathe for the coming of Jesus.

Even with the LCEF grant, we have only raised half of the $8000 the Gracious Living magazine costs to publish. 

Perhaps you could help us finish strong by putting your donation in one of the envelopes on the table in the narthex?

The Young Couples bible study would love to have you join them in their laundry ministry to our neighbors.

Seek them out during our fellowship time after the service today or send me an email or phone call and I’ll get you connected.

You can also still fill out the vision to action forms that you received with your bulletins today

so that we can connect you with others who have burdened with similar passions and callings that we might reach more people in more ways with the Gospel of Jesus.

And we are still in need of at least one more elder and, possibly another CLC member

so that’s God’s work at Redeemer Lutheran Church would continue to be strong and vivacious.

And that all we do would be in good order and accomplish what God would have us do.

Because God reigns in our hearts, over his church and even over this whole world, we can be bold and confident to serve him as did the 72 in our scriptures today.

And that boldness leads us to Rejoice in him and all he does

Through his word, his sacraments and through us, the people of his body, the Church.

To Him be all Glory forever and ever.  Amen.

The Obligitory Election Cycle Non-Sermon

In today's blog:  How you should vote and why you should be concerned about the latest Pew Poll on Religious affiliation.

Its that time again when we are on the cusp of electing a new President, all of our Representatives to the House and 1/3 of our Senators.  Its an anxious, yet at the same time, exciting time to be an American.

In times like these I often get asked, "Pastor, who do you think I should vote for?" or, "What do you think about ...xyz issue?"  Questions which I try my best to dodge, lest my political leanings would obscure the grace of Christ I preach, but more on that later.

As a church we are non-political.  Yet, as Lutherans with an understanding of Luther's Two Kingdoms theology, we believe that each of us is called to be active in the political process.  What does that mean?  Well let me give one example:  As a church we may value all life and we might preach against certain laws which degrade life or put it at risk, but we can not officially endorse specific candidates.

Why not?  Well, the main reason explained to me is that we would risk loosing our tax exempt status as a religious institution.  I haven't checked that out fully, but I would venture to guess that its a protestant dodge to committing to anything controversial.  After all, we often see the Roman Catholic bishops and priests and non-denominational preachers using their bully pulpits for political action and non of them have gotten in trouble with the IRS--yet.

The point is, as Luther explains in his explanation of the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer (in both his small and large catechisms) we are to ask God for our daily bread which includes good government.  We are praying that God would give us leaders who would not molest or harm us and our free exercise of our religion.  In Luther's day there were no elections, so perhaps this prayer was prayed more fervently as kings fell from and ascended to their thrones.

But in 21st century USA, God has placed a great amount of that selection process into the hands of us, the voters--so then, when we pray to God for daily bread, we pray that he would move us, and others, to vote for those who would best serve the people they rule over so that we might obey and follow them as the authorities they have been appointed to be.

This brings us to my next point.  One of our Redeemer members, Bryan Hileman, was reading the KC Star this AM where they had an article about the most recent Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey (you can also click on the title to read it) in which for the first time in its history, Protestants no longer are in the majority.  No big deal, right?  We are a pluralistic society in which all views are tollerated and, even, accepted, right?

Well, yes, but I feel this trend is very disturbing to us a the Church because it convicts us not doing what Christ has called us to do as believers, AND, it also means that we have, potentially, abdicated our influence in providing godly leaders.

"Come on Perry.  Aren't you on a bit dramatic?"  No, and hear me out on this.  As protestants we are defined by the fact that we preach that the grace of God is free in Jesus Christ--that there is nothing man can do to merit eternal life and salvation.  We are the only branch of Christianity which preaches this and Christianity is the only religion which does not center salvation on the works of the self.  We believe that we have the best-option, if you will, of all the flavors of religion at the spiritual soda fountain.  We are the (fill in the name of your favorite ice cream flavor here) and the rest of the choices are like rubarb-onion-sardine slush.  Yet, we are not moving the product.  It sits in the cooler while all the other, clearly inferior, choices are being scooped up like mad.

Why?  We have been hiding our flavor in the back, where no one can see it and where no one can taste it.  We have been so content to sit with our brand of faith, hording its delicious goodness, perhaps even afraid that it will run out (did we forget about the feeding of the 5000?) that we just stopped passing it around.  After all, we were in the overwhelming majority for 200 years, why would we worry about sharing grace when "everyone we know" already has it.  Well, clearly, they don't.  And that has political implications.

If people who truly know and understand grace are no longer in the majority, it will be that much more difficult to elect those who do.  Even now, none of our Supreme Court Justices are protestant and nearly have of them are ready to retire, ready to be replaced.  When someone knows grace, they give grace.  When someone does not know grace, they live under the Law.  And someone who is weighed down by the Law will tend to make others bend and bow to that law that they so loathe themselves.  And that's the kind of rule that our forefathers sought to escape when they fled Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

So the long and short of this little note today is you need to go out and vote this November.  Vote for those who you feel will uphold and support the kind of life that you value and uphold living under the Grace of Christ, rather than the laws of men.  But more importantly, in order to make that choice easier, perhaps we should be more focused on our first calling; to make disciples of Jesus Christ, by sharing that most-important gift of all with everyone we know--the Grace of Jesus.

Blessings on your deliberations and my God bless each one of you with his grace.  And, may God Bless America through your votes.