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| "That's a sermon?" |
This transcript was delivered stealthily by Witness:
"I've just discovered this lovely transcript. It's the sermon that accompanied KOINE's Evangelism Day 2011 evening rock concert in the Chapel of the Golden Calf. It's a word-for-word transcript -- fragments and all -- with a few explanatory notes I put *inside asterisks*".
This is the worst sermon I have ever weathered. This Blödsinn does not belong near Lutherans.
*The devotion
begins with a short and amusing bluefish.tv video. In summary: A trail hiker is
trapped and needs help desperately. A passing fellow hiker manufactures lame
excuses concerning why he will not help.*
Brothers and Sisters, I hate to put you in a really difficult spot
right now, but is that you and I? Is that us, when we make an excuse like that
sometimes? And maybe not as dramatic as that was. And that's a hard accusation
for me to make. Especially here in this chapel. At this college where you're
being trained as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. And yet, do you
realize that the devil is working double-time on this place? He's everywhere,
but he's working harder on you. Because the last thing he wants is you to be
out there, sharing Jesus.
Evangelism day. You know, what an amazing day we had today. You had the
opportunity to come in here, listen to presenters talk about missions in
far-away countries, hear about mission opportunities right here at home. Maybe
it was little kids. Maybe it was inner-city. Maybe it was people with special
needs. Maybe you're thinking about a job, found a job opportunity for the
summer, or mission trip.
And yet, despite all the good things we had today, I know that some of
you were encouraged and looked forward to this, but I also know that some of
you maybe didn't take it that seriously last night. Maybe you thought, “it's a
good day to get out of class,” and you stayed up later, didn't think you had to
pay much attention today. Wherever you were at this morning, wherever you were
at in your life, you had an opportunity to be encouraged today and to learn
about new opportunities. And yet the devil was working harder in you today than
ever. It's very easy for us to imagine that situation that we're in and have
confidence and say, “I would never do something like that guy, I'd have
the answers.” And when it happens, we panic. We panic, and we come up with
excuses.
We come up with all the things that we can do, and many of them... are just plain sin.
*A whiteboard on a tripod stands in the chancel. He begins illustrating
the yellow highlighted words on the
whiteboard*
You know, what else gets in the way of us sharing Jesus? I'm going to
wait to share Jesus, because I need to study
more first. I'm going to study more first, and then I'm going to share
Jesus, because then I'll know more.
I'll wait. I'll wait until my
vicar year. Then I'll go out and share Jesus. I'll wait until I actually have
my call.
Maybe it's not the right place?
You have an opportunity to share Jesus and it just doesn't look like the right
place to do it.
How about courage? Maybe you
haven't been in the word lately and now you're lacking courage?
I think one that we all like to do sometimes is say “someone else will do it. That's not my job.
I'll let somebody else do that. They'll have plenty of time to hear it.”
And maybe, I don't have to tell them, because they already know? I'll just assume they know who
Jesus is. We make that judgment by looking at them.
Sometimes, our excuse is that they probably wouldn't understand. It'd take to long, and they
probably wouldn't understand.
How about bothering? I might be
bothering them. A few weeks ago, in a grocery store with my two daughters,
one's four and one's two years old, in the grocery cart and they're singing at
the top of their lungs “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” And shame on me, the
first thing I thought was, “how can I get them to be quiet? Somebody might be
offended in the grocery store.” And what I should have been thinking was, “who
cares? What an awesome faith!” What an awesome, childlike faith! And an
opportunity to witness and share Jesus.
We have a lot of bad things up here that get in our way, and where do
we go? Our reading tonight from Isaiah, written so long ago, and yet applies so
well for you right now.
And now the LORD says ---
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength ---
he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
(Isaiah 49:5-6)
Friends, this is where it's at. We have a God that is standing next to
us and tells us that he's giving us strength, and he's giving us that
opportunity and that command. To be that light to all people. And we don't have
to do it ourself. And all these things that are in our way...
*Shatters the whiteboard using a cane, revealing a vibrant
illustration of a cross*
They're gone. They're gone because of what happened right there (pointing
to cross). Evangelism day might be over, but this is your time. Today is your
day to share Jesus' love. Right now, not when you feel you're ready. Not when
you have someone backing you up. Your time is right now.
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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":
I highly recommend going to your local (W)ELS church website and read through the posted sermons. The Law driven sermon above is actually quite common.
"The gifts we give are seldom as well thought-out as these gifts were. The gifts we give are seldom as precious or treasured as much as these gifts were. We can’t help but imagine the wise men bow down in this little house in Bethlehem, a chair and a bench scrape on the floor as the family makes room for the wise men crowding in the little kitchen—Mary and the baby probably by a little hearth, the firelight glinting on the latches of the treasures as they open them up to show Joseph and Mary what they want the baby to have—and what is it we bow down before the Lord with? Do we hesitantly open a wallet? Do we scramble on Sunday morning to find the envelopes for church? Do we grudgingly look at our calendars before we offer our time? Do we hesitate before we commit to or even consider a task for the church? Or do we sometimes hold back our service because we think, “Someone else has more time,” or “I’m not going to waste my time doing that because no one else will come.”
"But what the Lord asks of us is that we serve, and that we give—"
"(F) To the Magi and even through the Magi, Jesus was revealed as the Savior of the World. He came as a gift to us; the wise men brought their gifts to him, and how can we do less than offer up our whole lives as gifts to him, who came into the world to take away our sins? He gave us the peace of God…"
http://splnewulm.org/weeklysermons/?p=801
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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":
"After recognizing that, what other “missions” do you now have that God has placed before you? You have probably not been called to mentor kings, but God has a purpose and mission for your personal life.
What is it?
• To be a godly mother?
• To work hard as a productive employee in the company?
• To be a teacher?
• To be a student?
• To be a father, the spiritual leader in your home?
• To be a counselor for a troubled friend?
• To be a leader in your church, by specific office or as a supportive member?
• To plan to witness to that person that you know will probably not be hearing about Christ from others around them?
• Or, for some of you young people here today, could God be calling you to consider serving him as a pastor or teacher with your life?
As you think about all that, what is your attitude toward your mission?
• Are you tired of your station in life?
• Are you unhappy with it?
• Do you feel like complaining about it?
• Do you neglect the duties before you that God has placed there?
• Are you stubborn?
• Or young people who might be able to consider whether God could use you publicly for his kingdom, would you say “No” for no good reason?
Is there a temptation for us to say to God, “Listen, Lord, for your servant is speaking”?
If so, it is a day to repent of selfish thoughts and marvel that in Christ our Savior we have forgiveness. It is a day to recommit ourselves to whatever mission God personally has put before us in our lives and strive to fulfill it with the strength that he provides in an attitude that is humble, trusting, and ready. It is a day to say along with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
Speaking is a miracle, isn’t it? And the fact that God would speak to us is a greater miracle, isn’t it? Yet today we close with a prayer that God would work a miracle in us to… Listen. God is still calling today. He is calling:
1. By a miracle
2. For a mission
May he move us to hear and heed his call. And believing in his forgiveness and grace, may we be led to say, “Here I am, Lord.” Amen.”
http://www.htlc-wa.org/home/140004986/140004986/140047070/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20011512%20Sermon.pdf
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Gorath has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":
Not an ounce of gospel in that sermon, is there? There's no mention of savior, salvation (not in his interpretation of Isaiah 49), mercy, grace, peace, forgiveness, atonement, or sacrifice.
This guy demands sharing Jesus' love, while he has not shared it anywhere in his own sermon! Classic pietist "you're not good enough" rubbish.
***
GJ - If they do not believe that the Gospel comes to us solely through the Means of Grace, they are going to pound us with the Law. As the allegory Pilgrim's Progress states, "I am the Law. I have no mercy."
It is worth noting that the author of Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan, read Luther's Galatians Commentary more than any other book except the Bible.
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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":
And this from yesterday's Meditations (1.19.12). Text: 2 Thess. 2:16,17; Theme: "We are encouraged"; Author: Andreas Karlstadt?
When hardships and heartaches put you back on your heels and cause you to wonder if God really loves you because you can't feel it at the time, God points to the cross so you see the full extent of his love....
When a guilty conscience nags at you and tells you that you aren't good enough to get into heaven, God points to the cross so you see the completed payment for all your sins. Your sins are forgiven. Your guilt is gone. Heaven is waiting....
When your life seems to be on a treadmill and you don't seem to be making any progress or making any difference in the world, God reminds you that your life still has meaning and purpose and that your labor in the Lord is not in vain...
And on it goes. Not a word about the means of grace, just talk about "God reminds you." "Karlstadt" keeps pointing back to the cross for forgiveness and encouragement.
Here's what Luther said, "If I now seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there. Nor must I hold to the suffering of Christ as Dr. Karlstadt trifles, in knowledge or remembrance, for I will not find it there either. But I will find in the sacrament or the gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me that forgiveness which was won on the cross" ("Against the Heavenly Prophets" AE 40:214).
