Lord of Life
A Community of Grace
“Lord of Life Lutheran Church is a community of grace who loves the Lord their God and each other. We strive to be family that celebrates God’s grace in who we are as His children and how we serve His purposes. Our congregation encourages others in their walks of faith. Lord of Life strives to help disciples grow through teaching, caring, fellowship and community service.”
Grace Notes
January 29, 2012
You and I may not be wise by the standards of the world. More importantly, we are wise by God’s standards. The Apostle Paul wrote, “How from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” ( II Timothy 3:15). Perhaps no one understood God’s grace better than Paul himself. Almost overnight, Paul went from one of the greatest persecutors of Christianity to one of the greatest missionaries for Christianity. Why and how? Because Jesus showed him his sins but then assured him of forgiveness. Paul was never the same. So also to you and me. “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20).
January 22, 2012
When Jesus calls us who are sinful to follow him as he called his first disciples, it’s not because we are unworthy to follow. That was Peter’s first objection when Jesus called him to fish for men instead of fish. Peter said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” On the one hand, Peter was right. If Jesus’ call to follow him came with a price tag on it, no one could afford it. The Psalmist declares, “The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough – that he should live forever and not see decay” (Psalm 49:8-9). But Jesus made that priceless payment to redeem us. Because he shed his holy blood for us, he deems us worthy to follow him, to live in his grace and to be enriched in every way as we follow him home to heaven (I Corinthians1:4-5).
January 15, 2012
All four Gospels record the first few days of Jesus’ public ministry at the age of 30. A harmony of the chronology of these Gospel writers would look something like this: First – Jesus’ Baptism. Second – Jesus tempted in the desert. Third – Jesus calls his first disciples. Fourth – Water turned to wine at wedding in Cana. During these days, Jesus is beginning his public ministry up north in the region of Galilee. All of these records are testimonies to Jesus’ divinity, one after another making this proclamation, “Jesus is the Son of God.” In John’s Gospel today, Jesus reveals his divine knowledge as the Son of God, the One whom Moses and the prophets foretold would fulfill all of Scripture and the One who knows our hearts today just as much as he knew Nathanael’s heart before he met him face to face. We join Nathanael in confessing, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!”
January 8, 2012
Today we enter the season of Epiphany. The origin for the dates of Christmas Day and Epiphany (January 6) are elusive. Even before December 25 was established long ago to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Epiphany (meaning “appearance”) had already been established as early as 200 AD. We still call Epiphany the “Christmas for the Gentiles,” celebrating not only the visit by the Wisemen from the East, but also Jesus’ Baptism, as we do today. On that day, God the Father publicly launched his plan of salvation for all people, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well-pleased.” Because Jesus finished his Father’s plan three years later on Good Friday, God the Father says the same thing about you and me who are baptized into his family, “You are son, you are my daughter, whom I love; for my Son’s sake, with you I am well-pleased!” “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are” (I John 3:1)!
January 1, 2012
One of several one-word meanings for Christmas is PEACE! On the night of Jesus’ birth, the angel hosts announced it to the shepherds, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth PEACE to men on whom his favor rests.” In our liturgy, those are the words I sing to introduce the song of praise we all sing together after the absolution. In our Gospel lesson for today as the baby Jesus is presented in the temple, aged Simeon, holding the holy baby in his arms, bursts into song, “Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in PEACE.”
Too many today still misunderstand what kind of Peace this is. Today we see how Jesus’ parents’ obedience and Simeon’s song explain clearly explain what kind of peace this is and what this peace moves us to do in response to this PEACE.
December 18, 2011
When a child is born, parents can’t wait to send out a birth announcement with all the details. Of course, even before the birth of his one and only Son, God goes all out. Not with a card or an email, God sends the angel Gabriel with a “pre-birth announcement. Why was the angel Gabriel sent to the virgin Mary in the insignificant town of Nazareth? God’s grace. Why was God making good the promise he made over again to a people who turned their backs on him even more, you and me as well? God’s grace. What caused Mary (and you and me, too) to accept as truth this unbelievable message that she would give birth to God’s holy Son? God’s grace. As we approach the celebration of Christ’s holy birth once again, let us be reminded that Jesus’ miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and miraculous birth through the virgin Mary is proof of God’s grace, his undeserved love, for all sinners. Glory to God in the highest!
December 11, 2011
Like the John the Baptist, we rejoice when we share the good news of God’s saving love in Christ with others. Christ has come! Advent means CELEBRATE! John the Baptist also shows us how to CELEBRATE properly – with rejoicing, with humility and with faithfulness. John the Baptist rejoiced when people came to hear his message. John the Baptist showed humility by confessing, “I am not the Christ. I am only a voice of one calling in the wilderness.” John the Baptist showed his faithfulness by pointing people to Jesus, the true Light of the world, and by saying that Jesus must increase and he must decrease. Advent means CELEBRATE!
December 4, 2011
In view of God’s grace, we know where to turn when God calls us to repent through the message of John the Baptist. He prepared the way for Christ by preaching repentance, that is, turning from our sins to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. John’s rough garments and preaching station in the wilderness were in line with his rough message. He was the second Elijah, sent to fill in the ditches of our despair and to level the mountains of our selfish pride in order to make a smooth highway for Jesus Christ to enter our hearts. This is how we prepare our hearts for Christ’s final return and to celebrate his holy birth in the little town of Bethlehem. +
November 27, 2011
When we think of Advent Calls, John the Baptist comes to mind first. In our Gospel Lesson for today, Jesus has his own Advent Call, not for his first coming but for his second coming on the Last Day. He says, “Be on guard, be alert, expect my return.” Just as surely as he was born a baby in a stable in Bethlehem, so also will he come again. Not in humility, but in all his glory. When? Jesus says, “Be ready any time and all the time.” Sound scary? Don’t be afraid. Jesus ascended into heaven again because he has secured our salvation with his holy life and perfect death on our behalf. Forgiveness for every one of our sins and forgiveness for each of us personally. He has made us ready.
November 20, 2011
Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the Church Year – it’s kind of like New Year’s Eve. We look back at the year in review and what do we have to admit again? We haven’t lived up to what we have promised to do. We’ve sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But we also confess that there is one who kept all of his promises and who lives up to his name – “Jesus Christ, Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2). That’s why we sing “Crown Him with many crowns”! On the last day when we see him with our own eyes, Jesus will have a crown for each one of us and he’ll say, “This one’s for you!” Then we will rule with him forever. That’s what grace is.
November 13, 2011
All of our hopes about life after death and eternal life in heaven hinge on whether or not Jesus rose from the dead as he foretold. Jesus didn’t stay dead! You and I won’t stay dead either! Jesus’ resurrection is the sure foundation of our confidence that the saints “who have fallen asleep in Jesus” will participate in the resurrection of the dead on the last day. The saints who are still living (believers like you and me, if we’re still alive) will join together with the saints of old in a grand reunion with each other for eternity, life in a perfect heaven which has no end! “Therefore encourage each other with these words” ( I Thessalonians 4:18).
November 6, 2011
As the church year draws to a close, our Scripture readings prepare us for the end times. Today’s lessons help our end time meditation by reminding us of God’s own prescription for preparation. God’s law reminds us of his fierce and just anger over sin – ours included. On Judgment Day, this holy justice will be seen by everyone who ever lived on the face of the earth when God says to all unbelievers, “Depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”. Yet the end times are not lacking in comfort for you and me. No one knows when nor can predict when Jesus is coming back on the last day. When he comes, it will mark the final fulfillment of his Gospel promise. Through faith in the life and death of Jesus Christ on our behalf, the glory of heaven will finally be ours. We are confident about Jesus’ final return “for God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians 5:9).
October 30, 2011
Justification is the way God forgives us. God pronounces us righteous, free of sin for Christ’s sake out of grace. That establishes how we view God, our salvation and life itself. We no longer have to live in the hopelessness of trying to win God’s heart with our own imperfect virtues. Our faith in the justifying love of God moves us to joyful, devoted service to Jesus Christ. Justification - that God declares us not guilty through faith in Christ apart from the law - is the solid foundation for the triple crown of the Bible’s teachings: By Grace alone, by Faith alone, By Scripture alone. Faith alone apart from works saves. But saving faith is never, ever alone! Faith without works is dead. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6).
October 23, 2011
As another church draws to a close in the next five Sundays, we hear Jesus’ urgency to both the religious leaders of his day and the common folk. Time was running out for both groups. In our Gospel Lesson from Matthew, Jesus compares both groups to two different sons of a father: one son who at first refused and then later changed his mind and a second son who only had empty promises. Which of these two is you? Probably a little of both. Regardless, all of us need a third Son, the Son of God, who always said YES to his Heavenly Father so that his Father would say YES to us when we turn to him in repentance and faith. Hear the urgency in Jesus’ parable: As surely as God calls everyone to salvation, he will condemn those who despise and reject the gift of his grace and love in the person of Jesus Christ.
October 16, 2011
The joyful privilege of serving God in this life, regardless of our vocation, is a gift of God’s grace. God’s kingdom comes to different people at different times and in different ways. What’s our “reward”? The “reward” is not something we’ve earned. It is a gift we all receive through faith. It is the same for everyone because it is a gift of grace, not of personal accomplishment. Our service in God’s kingdom, be it short or long, is the privilege of God’s grace. Those who take issue with God’s grace will find themselves “last,” that is, outside of his grace. But when we consider ourselves last or chief of sinners, as the Apostle Paul did, we won’t be grumbling workers but grateful servants in God’s kingdom.
October 9, 2011
How many times should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? Jesus says, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times!” We can do this when we remember the huge debt Jesus paid for our own forgiveness. That helps us pray as Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who sin against us.” God’s grace to each of us empowers us to forgive those who sin against us. We rejoice in our Master’s grace by “forgiving from the heart and gladly doing good” to those who sin against us.
October 2, 2011
Following the Gospel Lessons from Matthew, we begin a 5 week series that I call “Jesus’ Shocking Truth about Forgiveness and Forgiving.” Contrary to many, the greatest love we can show to another person is to point out sin and then point to our Savior. With authority from Jesus, we have the power to declare God’s judgment on those who do not repent and God’s pardon on those who do repent. “I love you. I am sorry. I forgive you.” God help us to use these three word sentences in the fullest sense to his glory.
September 25, 2011
In our Gospel lesson for today, Satan tempts Jesus again to abandon the way of the cross as he did face to face in Matthew 4 when he said, “If you bow down to me and worship me, all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor will be yours.” This time Satan’s clever appeal is made through Jesus’ own beloved disciple, Simon Peter. Nothing less than our eternal salvation is at stake. Jesus’ stinging rebuke was fitting. Christianity without the cross is an impossibility both for Jesus and for us. We who stand with Jesus are ready to deny ourselves and even lose our very lives for his sake.
September 18, 2011
The Christian Church is built, protected and extended by the rock-solid answer to this question: Who do YOU say Jesus is? Human reason cannot consider Jesus to be any more than a special man of God, a prophet such as Elijah or Jeremiah. But Peter, on behalf the other disciples and on your behalf and mine, got it right, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus reminds Peter and us that we can’t take credit for this bedrock confession of faith. Jesus says, “This was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” How does Christ build his Church? By giving us the keys to forgive and retain sins, to open and close the door to heaven. In grace, Jesus gives us the right to build his church by power of his name.
September 11, 2011
Because his grace, the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls people from every nation into the communion of saints. Yet, how harshly Jesus seems to treat a Gentile woman addresses him as the “son of David” and pleads for help. Her repeated pleas are met with silence, exclusion and apparent insult. Nevertheless, faith in a loving, merciful Savior still sees room for a “yes” in Jesus’ harsh replies. Her “great faith” in Jesus is not disappointed, but strengthened when Jesus answers her prayer with healing of her daughter. Let Jesus do likewise with us as we wait on him persistently with patience.
September 4, 2011
With the miracle of Jesus walking on water, his Gospel promises turn hearts to faith and strengthen faith. When the disciples saw Jesus walking across the water toward their boat, they were terrified. Fears are dispelled with Jesus words, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” And the arm of our almighty Savior is never too short when weak faith trembles and cries out, “Lord, save me.” Our lives are often riddled with fears, doubts and distractions. But even a “little faith” finds strength is the gracious promises of the almighty Son of God. When the storms of life pass, we too worship Jesus with a deeper confidence: “Truly you are the Son of God.”
August 28, 2011
In our Gospel Lesson for today, as we begin a series of Jesus’ miracles in Matthew 14, Jesus graciously supplies forgiveness for the soul and food for the body. Jesus almost seems to be oblivious to the looming problem of feeding a large crowd in such a remote place. Not so! He was preparing everyone for his divine miraculous care. After Jesus tells his disciples to give the crowd something to eat, they assessed their meager resources – just a small boy’s lunch! What does Jesus do? He feeds them all with that small lunch and everyone is satisfied. There were 12 baskets of leftovers. Likewise, our Savior feeds our bodies and souls with more than we need.
August 21, 2011
With parables, earthly stories with heavenly meaning, Jesus teaches us about the kingdom of heaven. It’s NOT something money can buy. It’s NOT a place on a map. It’s NOT a building in a city. It’s NOT a church body with a name. It’s a relationship the Holy Spirit builds in your heart through the power of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. With the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl, Jesus shows us the inestimable value of the kingdom of heaven. We will joyfully sacrifice anything to stay in the kingdom of heaven. God’s kingdom, as in the parable of the net, gathers sinners like you and me into his gracious arms of forgiveness and eternal life.
August 14, 2011
With the parable of weeds among the wheat, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, Jesus teaches us that final judgment belongs to God alone. Yet, in righteous zeal, sometimes we are tempted to take matters into our own hands to destroy God’s enemies. With the weeds in our yards, we can pull them, mow them down or kill them with chemicals. However, it’s not our job as the body of Christ to weed out the world of unbelievers. First, we can’t look into people’s hearts; only God can. Second, our mission is to share the Gospel so God can bring others to faith. Third, final judgment, separation between the sheep and the goats, belongs to Jesus on the last day – and there will be no mistakes!
August 7, 2011
With the parable of the sower and his seed, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, Jesus teaches how God uses the seed of his Word to create and sustain saving faith in our hearts. God plants his Word in our hearts. His word alone can produce saving faith and then brings forth fruits of faith. God’s Word cannot fail. Any failures lie in unreceptive, sinful hearts. That’s why Jesus urges us, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
July 31, 2011
Though Christians need not be dominated by sin any longer through Jesus who enables us to do all things, there is inside each one of us that war between the old self and the new self. Each is bent on destroying the other. Sometimes we cry out like the Apostle Paul, “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God! The victory is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Epistle Lesson from Romans for today). That’s why Jesus continues to invite each one of us to come to him when any one of us is weary and burdened by our sin. Jesus is the rest our souls crave. Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:29-30).
July 24, 2011
We continue with our series for the month of July, “A Summer Vacation with Matthew.” We’re on board with Jesus all the way to heaven. With his holy life and holy death, he has paid our fare in full. In the mean time, we have also “Passed Security.” We are at peace with God but we are also at war with the world of those who reject Jesus as the Savior. Our love for Jesus may sever the closest bonds of human love – even to the point of costing us our own lives. But we are sure that when we suffer crosses with Jesus, we will receive eternal life by the grace of God. Likewise, the most insignificant act of mercy we do for others out of faith in Jesus, just a sip of cold water on a hot day for little one, always receives God’s eternal favor.
July 17, 2011
We continue with our series for the month of July, “A Summer Vacation with Matthew.” Whether it’s a cruise, a resort, a flight, a hotel, even a campsite, there’s a price that has to be paid to get on or to stay there. How much does it cost to ride with Jesus all the way to heaven? We can’t begin to pay that price. No installment plans are available. We can’t pay for one sin, much less our whole life. “No man can redeem (pay off) the life of another or give to God a ransom for him – the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough that he should live on forever and not see decay” (Psalm 49:7-9). But don’t be afraid! “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21). The price has been paid in full once and for all when Jesus died on the cross. Don’t be afraid! You’re on board with Jesus and no one and nothing can kick you off!
July 10, 2011
We continue with our series for the month of July, “A Summer Vacation with Matthew.” Jesus always saw the big picture. Having called his 12 Apostles, he sends them out first to harvest the lost sheep of Israel. Who are the lost sheep of Israel today? We could call them the un-churched or the de-churched. Do we really care about them? Jesus did. When we see them as sheep without a shepherd who cannot find their way to God, we will have compassion on them. As Jesus instructed, we will pray for them. Jesus’ prayer was followed by action. Today he sends you and me to reach out to fill open spots by proclaiming the Gospel, that Jesus is the world’s one and only Savior. Freely have we received, freely shall we give.
July 3, 2011
For this month of July, we follow a series of Gospel Lessons the Holy Spirit directed Matthew to write for us. I call this series, “A Summer Vacation with Matthew.” Today we begin with Matthew’s autobiography. In one word, Jesus not only associates himself with Matthew, an outcast, but he also called him to “come on board” and follow him. Matthew not only followed Jesus but threw a dinner party where all his friends could meet the Savior who found him. There Jesus reveals his mission of grace: to save those who know and need and want his forgiveness. Come on board with Jesus!
June 26, 2011
When you here the Benediction at the end of our worship service, that’s not merely a pious wish that God will be with you and bless you. Rather, this is God’s assurance that he is with you all the time – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. In one way, though, this is terrifying to know that God is always present. He knows our greed and our doubt. He hears the angry or bitter or immoral words we speak. He sees our loveless and selfish and hurtful ways to others. He knows, he hears and he sees… and hates it. Yet this same Triune God doesn’t forsake us. Through Jesus’ holy sacrifice he takes away our guilt for every one of our sinful thoughts, words and deeds. This is grace. That’s why Jesus says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).
June 19, 2011
On this Trinity Sunday, all three appointed lessons focus our attention on what our Triune God really means for us every day. While we cannot begin to understand the Trinity, we clearly see what our God has done for us in the past, is doing for us today and will do for us tomorrow. Even though the math doesn’t work, 1+1+1=1, yet this is the fact of our Triune God. Today we have the joyous opportunity to visit the holy mystery of the Trinity – the individuality and yet the unity of the three persons in one God.
June 12, 2011
Today is Pentecost Sunday, also called the Festival of the Holy Spirit. This day centers on the gifts of grace the Holy Spirit brings on all people through the Means of Grace – the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. The special signs given to the Apostles in Acts 2 didn’t last. However, we certainly see that the Holy Spirit, then and now, brings two gifts of grace – the gift of the truth and the gift of boldness. Without our asking and when we were unworthy, the Holy Spirit continues to give us God’s truth and the power to proclaim it boldly.
June 5, 2011
What’s up with Ascension? Jesus is! 40 days after he rose from the dead on Easter, Jesus went back home to heaven. His work on earth was complete and done perfectly. It also means heaven is for real, too. Since Jesus told us he’s back in heaven, he has to be there. Jesus is our way to the Father in heaven. He’s the only way and he’s all we need. The fact that we have a risen and ascended Lord is our certainty that in the person of Jesus Christ, we have a perfect Savior. Jesus has opened the door to heaven and keeps that door wide open for anyone and everyone who comes to him looking for a Savior in him. That’s what’s up with Ascension. “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:22). By God’s power Jesus is our C.E.O. ~ above all authorities, not merely for himself, but for us on our behalf.
May 29, 2011
As the season of Easter draws to a close, we ponder Jesus as he resumes his state of exaltation – resuming full use of his divinity. Jesus is exalted and so are we! Peter says it so clearly and simply in our Epistle Lesson for today, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (I Peter 3:18). After Jesus died on Good Friday, he descended into hell to proclaim his victory over Satan and the powers of hell. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. Christ is exalted and so are we! Good news to believe and good news to confess to everyone around us!
May 22, 2011
When I wear my gown, people know what I do. When I wore a collar to make hospital visits in Detroit, people knew what I did. To them, I was a minister of some sort. You don’t have to wear a gown or a collar to be who you are called to be and to do what you are called to do. Peter reminds us, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (I Peter 2:9). Not because you earned it or are worthy, but because of God’s grace. Therefore, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they may accuse of you doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (I Peter 2:12). No collar, no gown required. Just thanks for being chosen by God’s unmerited grace.
May 15, 2011
The lessons for today, Good Shepherd Sunday, assure us of the special relationship we have with our Savior, the Good Shepherd, who also became the Lamb of God. Though innocent, he endured unjust punishment so that the wounds of our sin are healed. The viewpoint today is from Jesus’ sheep who follow him. Jesus contrasts his role as the Good Shepherd with that of thieves. While they only come to steal and kill, Jesus came to give us life in its fullness. As his sheep, we hear his voice and follow him to the green pastures of his Word. Following his example of humility, if we must suffer unjustly and endure it for the sake of the Gospel, this is commendable before God. The word Peter uses for “commendable” is the Greek Word for “grace” – to find favor with God!
May 8, 2011
“Cash In On Your Inheritance” is our theme from Peter’s first letter during this Easter Season. Life in the United States is not very much different from that in Peter’s day in the Roman Empire. We are very conscious of our country’s origins and continued quests for personal freedoms. However, that hunger for freedom has veered away in a harmful direction – the path to “anything goes.” Supposedly, there are no moral absolutes, only shifting opinions and the clamor for personal “rights.” Peter urges today’s Christians to remember the expensive price our Savior paid to claim us as his own – his holy precious blood. Since we belong to him at that great price, God calls us to be different and to live differently as strangers in this world.
May 1, 2011
In the purest sense of the word, an inheritance is something you don’t work for or earn. An inheritance is something freely given to you because you are an heir, usually because you are related by birth. In this sense, our eternal inheritance is a clear example of God’s grace – we didn’t earn it or work for it. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday is the guarantee for our eternal inheritance. We are heirs of this eternal inheritance because God made us his children through holy Baptism. No one can swindle us out of our inheritance, not even Satan, because God keeps it safe with him in heaven.