Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 25, 2014

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  John 14:15-21

Sermon Theme:  “Who Needs Help?  We All Do”

 (Sources:  Emphasis Online Commentary; Emphasis Online Illustrations; original ideas; Wikipedia online; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A)

 Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

           As a person who wanted to be a cartoonist from age five to age twenty-five, I naturally notice any cartoon that shows up anywhere.  Sometimes a cartoon can capture life attitudes better than a novel or a poem.

          A cartoon in the New Yorker a few years ago sadly depicted the way that many people live.  It depicted two young women, who, having just returned to their apartment from their day’s work, are trying to relax and make the most of their leisure time.  Both look, and are, thoroughly bored.

          One remarks, “I don’t know whether to take a Benzedrine and go to the party, or a Nembutal and go to bed.” Continue reading →

Sermon for Graduate Recognition Sunday

Friendship Sunday, Easter Five, May 18, 2014

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  1 Peter 2:2-10

Sermon Theme:  “Blocks That Fall and Stones That Live”

 (Sources:  Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 24, Series A; SermonSuite/Emphasis Online Illustrations; original ideas; “The Chief Cornerstone” by Johnny Hunt; Funny Graduation Stories Online; “A Lesson in Life” by Michael J. Fox)

 Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

           “A graduation ceremony,” says Robert Orben, “is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that ‘individuality’ is the key to success.”

          That’s funny because it’s a contradiction, isn’t it? 

          Sometimes we get to feeling that life itself is a contradiction, don’t we?  Especially if we’re a graduating Senior.  The fact that we seem to struggle and struggle on the path of life and yet get nowhere is a paradox.  We need to keep in mind what Frank A. Clark once said, “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”

          About this time of year, some high school seniors may not only be thinking that life is a contradiction, but also that every situation has two sides to it. Continue reading →

              Sermon for Mother’s Day, Good Shepherd Sunday, Easter Four

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas, May 11, 2014

Sermon Text:  1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon Theme:  “Suffering at the Hands of Your Own:

                                                   A Mother’s Day Perspective”

 (Sources:  Emphasis Online Illustrations; Emphasis Online Commentary; original ideas and personal examples; Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; Believer’s Commentary by William MacDonald)

 Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

           It’s only natural on Mother’s Day for us to think about our mothers and grandmothers – I include grandmothers, because, for many of us, our grandmother was like a second mother.  Contrary to the popular notion, not all mothers are sweet, gentle, and soft-spoken, and that’s all right.

          My grandmother was sweet, gentle, and soft-spoken, but my mother was loud, strong-willed, and rough-hewn.  I loved them both.

          And the fondest memories I have of both of them is hunting eggs.  My grandmother had a huge chicken yard with many chickens, and she sold eggs by the crates, something quite necessary when the cotton crop failed.  When I was about five years old, she took me with her to hunt eggs, — I loved hunting chicken eggs with her, because it was like having Easter egg hunts all year long!  Today, when I think of her, that’s what I remember best. Continue reading →

Sermon for Third Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2014

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  Luke 24:13-35

Sermon Theme:  “When You’re on the Road to Emmaus”

 (Sources:  Anderson’s Cycle A Preaching Workbook; SermonSuite and Emphasis Online Illustrations; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 24, Part 2, March 9 – June 8, 2014; original ideas and illustrations; Online Blog, Just a Closer Walk with Me; John Burley, www.tfcanglican.org.)

 Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Has this ever happened to you?  You are in a grocery store, the mall, the Post Office, or even in a hotel in another town, and someone comes up to you all smiles and beaming eyes.  They say, “Hey, how have you been?  It’s been a long time.  You look great!”  You look deep into their eyes, you think for a second and the truth begins to sink in . . . . . . . .you have no idea who this person is!

Something like that happened to me when we were staying in the Ant Street Inn in Brenham.  All the rooms open out into the Grand Parlor which is a huge Victorian style living room. 

I walked out of our room into the parlor, and there was this church group having a social gathering.  I passed this elderly man who smiled at me and said, “Hey, how are you?”  I mumbled “Aw-right, you?,” and kept walking.  ‘That man acts like he knows me, but I don’t know any old geezer like that,’ I thought to myself.  Continue reading →

Sermon for Second Sunday of Easter

April 27, 2014, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wallis, Texas

Sermon Text:  1Peter 1:3-9

Sermon Theme:  “Born Again into the Kingdom of Heaven”

 (Sources:  Anderson’s Preaching Workbook, Cycle A; Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 24, Part 2, March 9-June 8, 2014; original ideas; Emphasis Online Illustrations; Emphasis Online Commentary)

 Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Well, the joy of Easter should still be with us, and I don’t mean Easter candy and cookies, — as too much left over candy eggs may still be giving the kids stomach aches!  I mean the true joy of our rebirth in Christ made possible by the Resurrection.

So, how does one keep rejoicing and hoping while they are still enduring the hard times, trials, troubles, and difficulties of life?  That’s what folks reading Peter’s letter wanted to know, and so do we!    Continue reading →