The M3 - The Morning Morning Mail

Living out Sunday Monday through Saturday.

The leadership at church met on Saturday Morning (January 11) to talk about this year and what we want to emphasize. We decided that we want to help our families at Concordia follow Jesus throughout the week: equipping families to develop intentional behaviors to follow Jesus Monday-Saturday. Several outcomes of this goal were adopted, including this Monday morning email. Every Monday morning I or someone else from The Trustees, Deacons, or Administrators will recap Sunday’s Service and offer practical ways to live out themes or emphases from the service. It may come from the liturgy, readings, hymns, prayers, sermon, or something else that was noticed in the Divine Service. We’ll call this email the Monday Morning Mail or The M3.

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The Third Sunday after Epiphany - January 26, 2025

Welcome to your third Monday Morning Mail (The M3), an attempt to double-down on what was proclaimed from the Word of God yesterday—remembering and applying it in our life together as God’s people.

The Three-Year Lectionary provided the readings Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-32; and Luke 4:16-30. I offered the theme The Word of God to tie together all the readings, focusing especially on Nehemiah, 1 Corinthians, and Luke.

In Nehemiah the Jews returning to Jerusalem after several generations under Assyrian and Babylonia Captivity come under the new king of Persia, Cyrus, who began his reign in 539. Nehemiah receives a message at the court of King Artaxerxes from Hanani who has rushed back to Persia from Jerusalem to tell Nehemiah the dreadful state of Jerusalem—YHWH’s dwelling place (Jeru-YHWH and -salem-peace). YHWH’s peace had long been gone from Jerusalem but the state of Jerusalem as Hanani describes it moves Nehemiah to go see himself. He inspects the walls of the city literally day and night, eventually summoning Jews from its surroundings to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the walls. Our reading described a pause in that effort so that the Jews could hear the Torah read by Ezra the Priest. Ezra read from morning until noon and the people listened, bowing down and praising YHWH. God's Word was reestablishing the Jews and reestablishes us!

In 1 Corinthians the Apostle Paul writes to one of his most complicated congregations. The Corinthians were eager to receive the gospel, but its metropolitan aura often made it difficult to let go of sinful ways—fighting, betrayal, unfaithfulness, idolatry. The Apostle Paul reminds them of who they are in Christ and what he has given them—his very Body and Blood. Of course, they were not at the Jesus’ final Passover with his Apostles, but they receive both through and by the power of God’s Word (1Co 11). God’s Word gives Jesus, unites his people in who he is, and equips them to live differently as the church, people called out of the world (ec—out and clesaia—called out). God's Word was equipping the Corinthians Christians and equips us!

In Luke 4:16-30 Jesus reads in the synagogue from the prophet Isaiah, and tells those who hear that what they are hearing is, indeed, fulfilled by him. In other words, Jesus fulfills the entire Old Testament—its promises, hopes, future, etc. Luke records that people in the synagogue rose up against him and sought to throw him over the cliff of the city but Jesus passed through them. Because Jesus is the Word of God incarnate, I proclaimed that, although, many times we try to establish ourselves by any means other than the Word and we often resist the equipping of the Word by the Holy Spirit, He forgives us and continues to work in and through us! It is this promise that keeps us coming back for more—more Jesus. That’s what church is all about!

God’s Word reestablishes us every day as we remember its promise to forgive and make us his people. God’s Word equips to live out our vocations, living grace fully with the people he places in our lives. Jesus is the Word of God incarnate, as John so poignantly tell us in his opening lines from his first epistle:

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1Jn 1:1-4)

The Second Sunday after Epiphany - January 19, 2025

In some professional sports, schedules include a “Preseason” time when teams make their way to the regular season by playing new players, giving players coming off injuries time to restart, working on new plays, and, in general, reengaging the sport after an extended time off. Let’s call it a warmup. 

Last week I announced The M3—Monday Morning Mail—a Monday morning recount of what was emphasized in Sunday’s Divine Service. Alas, we are in a Preseason warmup for The M3, as I did not send out what I said I would. I’m sorry.

So, do you remember last Sunday’s main theme? I showed several images, but three focused in on the point: an image of Crazy Tony’s Bar in Guernsey, Wyoming, an image of a painting of the woman caught in adultery, and an image of a painting depicting the Good Samaritan. The theme: The Advocate. It is based on the first verse from the Isaiah 63 passage that we read: "For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, … .” My Uncle Steve was my advocate in ensuring that I could stay in the bar, even though I was only about 7 years old. The Bible tells us that Jesus is our advocate before the father (cf. 1Jn 2:1), which is graphically depicted in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable Jesus is the Good Samaritan, who comes to heal sinners—you and me. He is our advocate!

Sometimes, I end the sermon before I conclude the image slides for the sermon. Last week was such a case. In the last slide, I had an image of mirror, to encourage us to look in the mirror and encourage us to ask the question, “For whom am I an advocate as a Christian?” More specifically, how do we advocate for those who don’t know Jesus. Do we tell them about Jesus and His Story of Everything? It’s hard these days to do so. People are extra sensitive to having something “pushed” onto them. Yet, Jesus himself gives us the mandate to tell everyone (Mt. 28:19ff). 

Have we advocated for anyone this week who knows not the Lord Jesus? The traditional Bidding Prayer for Lessons and Carols includes the following petition, which I love:

“And because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us at this time remember in his name the poor and helpless,
the cold and the hungry, 
the abused, the exploited, the hated, and the oppressed; 
the Sick in body and in mind and them that mourn;
the isolated, the lonely and the unloved; 
the elderly and the little children;
all who know not the Lord Jesus,
or who love him not,
or who by sin have grieved his heart of love. 

All In!

Link to the Service

The Baptism of our Lord - January 12, 2025

The Sermon - Yesterday I preached on how difficult it is for us as sinners to be all in. I offered examples through images: 1) in the batter’s box; 2) a game-winning, overtime goal in the 2014 Winter Olympics; 3) serving on a jury; 4) getting married; and 5) having a baby. Each example highlights aspects of how hard it is to be all in.

Then, I shifted to Jesus. In his baptism, Jesus shows that he is all in to saving his creation. The Holy Spirit descends on him and God the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Translation: Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s Old Testament prophecies—the final Son of Israel who saves creation!

Following Jesus - Start simply but profoundly. Pray. Resolve to pray daily. Even Jesus the Son of God prays—it’s right there in the Gospel reading, Cf. Luke 3:21. Need help to pray? Try this basic rubric/formula:

Address God - "Loving Savior…"

Recall something you know from the Bible about God that relates to how you have addressed him - “… you knelt down and talked to the woman at the well."

Make your request - "Be present with my son who is overwhelmed with life right now, …"

State your hope for the request - “… so that he may enjoy the people in his life and recognize that they are also gifts from you.

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