Jude.20-25; Last Sunday of the Church Year; November 24, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN

You know we are on a journey. Our lives are going somewhere. In fact, they are going toward eternity. It’s a journey that we are on, and one of the primary reasons we gather here every week. But it seems that so often we are focused on today and what we need to get along every day rather than the destination. So, every year at the end of November we concentrate on the destination. We think about eternity coming, and how that affects… at least how that should affect, our travels in this life. The epistle lesson for today is about just that. 20But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22And have mercy on those who doubt; 23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. 24Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 20-25 (ESV)

Grace and Peace to you from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Imagine you are a pioneer crossing the great plains of America, in a small wagon train. The wagons drone along the prairie making slow progress every day. One day the forward scouts come riding into the group pointing ahead at smoke on the horizon. It’s a great prairie fire raging. It’s moving very quickly fueled by the dry grass and the wind. It’s moving far too rapidly to out run… there is no way around it… in fact there is literally no escape for anyone. Fiery death is approaching and will soon burn everything and everyone.

“There is no time to waste,” the leader of the group shouts. He knows what to do. “Start a fire behind us, back there.” Some in the group object that the suggestion seems crazy. But there isn’t time, and everyone pitches in and follows the instructions. “Quickly,” he urges, “It’s our only chance to survive!” Soon a fire is raging behind, and the situation looks even worse. There is approaching death ahead, and a blazing fire in the only line of retreat. By all appearance you are even more trapped than before. But as you watch you see the fire behind moving away from you and leaving a burned patch on the ground; a dark smoldering barren area. “As soon as it cools,” shouts the leader get everything on that burnt patch! When the fire gets here it will go around us, and we’ll be safe.”

The group act together supporting one another as they move to the safe area. All the wagons, people and animals huddled together, fearfully watching the approaching firestorm. And just like your leader said it passes around. Flames and smoke fill the air choking your lungs and terrifying everyone. But everyone stays put in the safety of the area that’s already burned. Between you and certain death is a patch of ground with nothing to burn. The fire can’t get to you. When the danger is over everyone has survived, and the journey can continue toward its goal.

You and I are on a journey. This is our wagon train, and all these people here are our traveling companions. That’s what the Church is all about. Traveling on our journey toward eternity, the Promised Land. Every day that destination gets closer. We are on this trip together. No single person or family would dare travel the dangerous journey across the Great Plains by themselves. They traveled in numbers for safety and encouragement and strength. That’s what we do here, too. We gather for safety and encouragement and strength.

But it is a dangerous journey. There is fire all around us. Satan is very real and very active. He hates Christians with every fiber of his being. He wants nothing more than for you to leave the safety of the Church where he can drag you into Hell. And there’s more, the world that we want to live in is dangerous to us. It’s easy to get burned out there. So much of what’s around us dries up our faith. What’s worse is there’s nothing we can do about it. Satan is powerful. The world has great influence. The fire burns toward us, and we are helpless to do anything. We can’t get away and we can’t put it out.

But Jesus knows what to do. He makes a way to escape. We know how he suffered for us. He suffered our punishment, the fires of hell, in our place. He hung on the cross and suffered God’s burning anger against sin. Satan attacked him. The world hated him. They dished out the worst they had to give, and Jesus died. He gave his life for us, to give us a safe place to stand.

You see, the ground that we stand on here, in faith, is protected by Jesus. He gave His life for it. He spilled his blood on it for us. The fires of hell can’t get to us. Satan can’t harm us, and the dangers of the world can’t destroy us.

But there all around us is the burning and raging fire waiting, wanting to get to us. Danger and death are there all around us. And the danger is real.
What does the fire look like? Actually, we are enticed by it. It tells us things we want to hear, things that sound so reasonable.
• “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are true to your beliefs and do your best.”
• “All religions worship God in their own way.”
• “There are plenty of ways to get to God, just pick one and be sincere.”
• “Look within yourself. You are all you need.”
• Some Christian Pastors are even calling or for “Deeds not Creeds.”

But these are all lies. They lead away from the safety of Jesus, the only Way to God, our only protection. They say nothing about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection; nothing about forgiveness of sins that He won for us. And without Jesus there is no hope and no salvation at all.

There are other things in the flame that we are attracted to. We think we can play in the fire and not get burned. A little sexuality here and there never hurt anyone. You can see it every day in advertising. You hear it every day on the radio and around the coffee table. “Don’t be such a prude. Sex is fun and free. Marriage is old fashioned. People should be allowed to express themselves in any way they desire. Get with the times.” But that too, is a lie. Sex outside of marriage is pure fire that will burn you up. But how tempting it is… but how dangerous.

And in the fire greed calls to us. We want more and more, and we’ll do just about anything to achieve our goals. Even stepping on our brothers and sisters to push our way to the top. The desire to have the best and have more than anyone is part of the fire. And the rumor mill is in the fire. It churns up stories about each other that we can’t wait to pass on. And the smoke of laziness that keeps us away from worship and God’s Word.

You see the fire every day, all around us, calling to us, attracting us, and lying to us. It is deadly dangerous. Not just because it’s there but also because we are so easily lured into it. We are so easily burned.

Now look around you at the ground you are standing on. It’s safe ground. But, unlike the burned ground from the story this ground is rich and full of life. In fact, it’s full of new life. Life in Christ, you might say. You see, Jesus already was burned in our place. He died for us, but He didn’t stay dead. He rose again to a new life. He’s with us here. He causes everything in this safe place to grow and prosper. He takes care of us even while the fire rages all around. That’s what Paul is talking about when he says, “your most holy faith.” It’s faith in Jesus and what He has done for you and me. That’s what we are built up by. That’s what we are encouraged by. That’s the faith that we can live by and not be burned.

But we aren’t just standing here either. We are on a journey. We are going somewhere. And that somewhere is a place where there is no fire burning around us. That place is a safe place without the temptations that are all around. That place is the place that Jesus said He has prepared for us. And we don’t have to travel alone. We are on this journey together. Paul tells us to, “Travel together, hold each other accountable, love and care for each other, keep each other away from the flames.”

How do we do that? “By building each other up.” He says. You know how to do that. We do it all the time. Kind words are a great encouragement. Look out for each other. Reach out in care and concern when there is pain and hardship. See what needs to be done and do it. It’s not difficult. In many ways it’s just building on the friendships we already have. But building means to expand. And we also need to expand that circle of friendship beyond where it is right now. We need to include other people in our friendships that we wouldn’t normally include. People here in our church and people out there in our community. And if you are expecting that it’s just the pastor’s job to do that you’re missing a very good opportunity to share your faith with someone you know.

Secondly Paul tells us to pray. “Pray in the Holy Spirit.” Speak from your heart to God. Keep each other in prayer about all of life’s troubles, but especially about our faith. Don’t talk to other people about the rumors you hear, pray to God about them. Pray that we’ll keep our eyes on Jesus instead of the fire that is tempting us. Pray that we stand and walk together on this journey.

Finally, Paul tells us to hate what is evil and corrupt. “hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” It’s hard to live in the world that promotes so much of what is evil. It’s easy to say, “I’ll just let that go this time.” It’s hard to stand up against evil alone especially when it seems as if everyone is doing it. We need each other. “No, I’m not going to let my children watch that, or do that. Yes, I’m going to do what God says is right instead of listening to the world.” Doing the right thing is always the right thing.

The fire is all around us, but we are safe with Jesus. We are protected. He died and rose again for you and me. This journey we are on together is leading to a great and wonderful place that we can only begin to imagine. The journey isn’t easy, but our leader, Jesus, calls to us to keep in His love, in the safe place. As we travel, we are to build each other up and pray for one another and hate the evil of the world. You know, this journey won’t last forever, in fact, it will be over soon. When it is we will enjoy the heavenly place that Jesus Christ has prepared for you and me. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Mark 13:1-13; The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost; November 17, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

And as [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:1–13, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Well, that's not what they expected to hear. The disciples came out of the temple with Jesus they were looking up in awe at the wonderful buildings. They were impressive structures. They were permanent structures. They were set on foundations of deep stone. Surely these buildings would stand forever. And the sacrifices would continue until God's kingdom was fully established. So, when the disciples said "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings." They didn't expect Jesus to say in a time not too distant they would all be gone.

The revelation was jaw-dropping. Think of the reaction we had when the World Trade Center buildings fell. Think of the horror in their minds as Jesus says "“Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” There was simply no way they could have comprehended what Jesus was telling them. It was unthinkable that God would even allow such a thing. They wanted to understand. So, after a while when they had gone across the valley to the Mount of olives and were looking over on the city of Jerusalem they ask Jesus, "Tell us, when these things will be."

I'm sure in their mind’s things went from bad to worse. They had imagined what they were doing with Jesus was establishing a new kingdom. They were waiting patiently (and not) for Jesus to throw the Romans out. They thought their way of life was going to be established for everyone. This is not what Jesus says. Instead of stability; impermanence, chaos, confusion, wars, famines, earthquakes, and worse. What they hear from Jesus is that the whole world as they knew it was coming to an end. Instead of being in positions of wealth and honor and power because of following Jesus what they should watch for his arrest, persecution and death. The world would not accept Jesus as King. Families would be destroyed. Communities disrupted. And false prophets would lead people astray by telling them what their itching ears want to hear.

Well, that's not what they expected to hear. That's not what they wanted to hear. And then Jesus caps it all off by dropping this bombshell. "But the one who endures to the end will be saved."

Now you know what the disciples asked next. "Will that be me?" Jesus had just turned everything they believed to be true on its head. Of course, he said "Don't be anxious" and "Be on your guard" but when he said "the one who endures will be saved" they had to wonder "And just how do I do that?" I mean just look at what Jesus told them they would face. They had a difficult time getting what Jesus was teaching them right. They knew their weaknesses, and their sins. If the temple, as strong as it was, would not even last, how could they and their fickle, fearful, flesh remain faithful?

And now this is a good question for you and me. Jesus says to you "but the one who endures to the end will be saved." And in a certain sense it should give you chills down your spine. Look around you. You see the things Jesus is describing. Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, floods, fires, droughts, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Our soldiers’ boots on foreign soil. And even before they finish with one mission, we add another. Our economy may seem to be getting to a better foundation, it is far from certain. Inflation has taken a huge bite out of our monthly income. Real estate values are out of reach, everything changes. In fact, that's the only thing in this world that we can count on, change. Nothing stays the same. Nothing lasts. Nothing works out the way we think it should. These are the signs that Jesus tells us. The world is coming to an end.

And even spiritual things on the whole are not very good. On other continents our brothers and sisters in Christ face death for confessing the name of our Savior. In Muslim dominated countries loss of employment, home, freedom, and death are constant. And we can see hostility to the Savior looks to be better now, but don’t be fooled, it is growing even here. And we stand between an angry world, and what Jesus teaches, when we confess his name. And even worse, within the church, or those false teachers. They use Jesus’ name as a way to line their pockets. They teach what people naturally want to hear, which is, that they can earn God's favor by doing good things. And if they do good things God will reward them. These teachings lead people astray, sometimes our very own people, even to hell. And just once try to say that these teachers of prosperity see what happens. Talk about hostility. There is no end in sight to false teachers plaguing the church.

If these things make you yawn, either you not listening to what Jesus is saying, or you don't believe it. He tells us these things so that we can be alert and on guard. He tells us these things so that we know how to answer the question, "how am I going to stand and endure to the end?"

Don't think I'm going to give you instructions for stockpiling weapons and food and water. That's only shifting your hope from one shaky foundation to another. I'm not going to tell you that as things get worse Jesus promises you won't have to go through it. Some Christians believe, falsely, that they won't have to live through it. They believe that they will be whisked out of the world before the real trouble starts in the rapture. There is nothing remotely biblical about this belief. There is no rapture escape hatch for Christians. Put your faith in that and it will make you unprepared for the end.

So back to the question "How then shall we stand?" How can we be sure that we will endure? Jesus doesn't answer the question in our text for today. The truth is if he told the disciples what was going to happen, they would not have believed or understood it. They only came to understand it later. The writer of Hebrews believed and understood it. It's confessed clearly in our reading from Hebrews today. The buildings and the priests and the sacrifices they offered in the Temple (and throughout the Old Testament) could never bring forgiveness. They were only shadows, the earthly model of something much greater. Jesus is the priest, the Temple, and the sacrifice, who offered himself on the cross as a once for all atonement for the sins of the whole world.

Built on the Rock the Church shall stand

Even when steeples are falling.

Crumbled have spires in ev’ry land;

Bells still are chiming and calling,

Calling the young and old to rest,

But above all the souls distressed,

Longing for rest everlasting. (LSB 645)

The Rock is Christ. There is nothing else in this rust and decay ridden world that we can depend on to last until the end. The truth of Jesus is the only permanent and powerful thing. Clinging to him for the forgiveness he offers is the only place where strength can be found to endure. The only place to stand in days of trouble is in faith, in Jesus. And how is it that you know that Jesus is worthy of such faith? Jesus proves all that he said and did, especially that his life and death are for the forgiveness of your sins in your reconciling to God, with his resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is proof positive that faith in him is not misplaced. That he is the real thing to depend on. And his ascension to the right hand of God is also the guarantee that he rules and reigns over the world and he will come again with glory to place all things under his order and protection.

Jesus words about the Temple came to pass only 40 years after Jesus spoke them. In fact, the holy city of Jerusalem was razed by the Romans. It was a shadow of itself and lay in utter rubble. This world fell to pieces and the disciples only had the truth of Jesus life, death, and resurrection for their forgiveness to stand on. By then they did understand and believe. This truth is what enabled them to stand before kings and hostile crowds and confessed Jesus in the face of death. Trusting in the truth of all that Jesus did is what gave them strength to endure to the end.

The writer of Hebrews gives a specific instruction. "Let us draw near [to God] with a true heart." A true heart is one that recognizes its own sin and weaknesses. A true heart is one the confesses sins, failures and faults. A true heart is one that trust in God's mercy for the sake of Jesus life, death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sin. This is faith in Jesus Christ.

The writer continues, "… With a hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." He is of course speaking of Holy Baptism. It is in Holy Baptism that we are connected to Jesus. In Holy Baptism he promises the results of his life, death, and resurrection for us. He promises that we are washed clean. Hearing this in this place you hear your pastor say to you "I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit." That is, to revisit your baptism through your confession and God's pronouncement of your forgiveness. Your slate is wiped clean. You are forgiven. As the writer says you have a "clean conscience".

And so, every day from now until the end we endure with baptismally clean consciences. The writer of the Hebrews says, "Hold fast to the confession of our hope." Our hope is the resurrection and the life of the world to come. All that Jesus did points us to that focus for our future. God is indeed faithful. God completely keeps his promises. Through Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection, and our connection through Holy Baptism these promises are ours and that new life too.

The threats we face in the world a very real. False prophets, betrayals, natural disasters, persecution, all growing in intensity as the final days draw near. The world and all of its strength and glory fails in the face of the birth pangs of the end. But even as the world crumbles Jesus work on the cross for us stands firm. This is the foundation on which we, the church, stand on together. And standing there, in Jesus, we cannot fall. Standing there, in faith, we will endure all life's trials. This is God's promise for you. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 17:8–16; The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost; November 10, 2024;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

Then the word of the LORD came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’ ” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:8–16, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It was an unhealthy time to be a prophet. First, I want you to know that being a prophet wasn't necessarily about predicting the future. Although that was sometimes the case. The prophet’s primary job is to proclaim God's Word to a lost and sinful world and a lost and sinful people. Often, in those days, they paid the price of being faithful with their very lives. Israel was ruled by a whole list of Kings whose epitaph may be written as; the King "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." So, the prophets who spoke to these evil Kings had a dangerous row to hoe. But not only that, but their instructions were very specific. Being faithful wasn't always an easy task. Many died horrendous deaths. They were only given to speak God's word clearly in the face of sin. This is the difficult task that Elijah was given. And God's word was greatly needed. Just listen to what the writer of first Kings says about the King of Israel in those days:

And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” (1 Kings 16:30–33, ESV)

Elijah's task was to proclaim God's Word to Ahab, that Ahab might repent and turn back to the Lord. The confrontation between Elijah and Ahab is legendary. Ahab's nickname for Elijah is "Troubler of Israel". It begins with Elijah telling Ahab that until he mended his ways there would be a famine in all the land. The famine was devastating. But God watched over Elijah by providing for him in a hidden place. No matter how bad things seem God always watches over his own. This is his promise of everlasting love. And that brings us to the widow and her son in our text for today. Yahweh tells Elijah to go to Zarephath and find a widow who would feed him. Zarephath is a small coastal town between Tyre and Sidon.

This is the same area where Jesus later meets the faithful Syrophoenician woman who would not take no for an answer. When she asked for her daughter to be healed Jesus says he has only come for the children of Israel. "It's not right to give the children's food to the dogs." Jesus compares her to a dog. She says she is happy to be a dog and receive even the scraps that fall from Jesus' table. She has great faith; her daughter is healed.

The widow and her son are highly affected by the famine. She expects to die. This is a severe famine. We do not understand starving to death. We think starving is the feeling we feel when we skip a meal. She and her son do not have enough food to live. And yet look at her small act of faithfulness. Elijah asks "Please make me a cake first." And as she acts so she is supplied. God once again provides for Elijah and the widow and her son through this simple act of faithfulness.

This is so much like the instance we find in the gospel lesson for today. Jesus points to a poor widow in the Temple who gave not just a portion of what she had. She gave everything. Jesus says she gave more than all the rest. It was a simple act of faithfulness. She trusts that even though she gives all she has, God is faithful he will provide. She believes this to be true even if she starves to death. And yet it is God who is truly faithful. He provides for Elijah and the widow and her son through her simple act. Her flower jar never empties, and the oil jug never runs out for the whole length of the famine. It seems such a small miracle. And yet for the widow, her son, and Elijah it is lifesaving.

It's a "small" miracle. When we look at the world that we live in we so much want God to do big things. We want him to solve problems through political or cultural change. 0We look at the world's hostility to Christianity, and even the growing hostility here in the United States and want God to put an end to it. We may even look back to the "glory days" of Christianity in the 50s and long for the days when the church was the center of cultural activity. We want God to act to make our church pews full to the brim again, our Sunday schools overflowing, and people to respect what the church says. We want "big" miracles. We want God to act like he did in the Old Testament. We want God to act like he did for Paul and Silas and Peter. We think that the miracles were all over the Old Testament. But the truth is most of them are concentrated in the life of Elijah. We think that miracles were all over the New Testament. But the truth is most of them were concentrated to the time when the Christian church was just beginning. God very seldom acts with "big" miracles. He most often acts through simple acts of faithfulness.

It is our sinful condition that brings these thoughts to mind. We would do it differently if we were in control. We think we know best, better than God. We think it would be so much better for us if we didn't live in a hostile environment. But history shows that the church is built on the blood of the saints. It is not beyond God's care to allow the church to be troubled so that she comes back to what is important. These days we see the church theologically everywhere. So much of the church has become human centered. It promotes abortion, homosexuality, your best life now, transgender, and so many other human centered, human created theologies. The strife in the church is bound to grow. Last week’s election may seem like an answer, but politics isn’t the savior of the world, Jesus is. If you think the task we have as a church is simple and not fraught with danger, you not paying attention to what's going on in the world. If we are troubled is our own fault, for our own sin, because the church as a whole has lost its center in Jesus Christ, and his life death and resurrection for the sins of the whole world.

But even if God does allow persecution for the church to grow we should remember that he is always faithful. Remember that God provides even when we don't see the results. Even when we are unfaithful. We are not called to change the world, that is the work of God's Word. We are called to be faithful in the place and the time that God has placed us. God provided for Elijah and the widow and her son through a simple act of faithfulness. Even though this time that we live in may be "an unhealthy time to be a prophet", God is faithful. If your sinful nature causes you to doubt God's faithfulness, just as mine does, all you have to do is look to the cross. Jesus didn't die on the cross so that you could live a life of ease and comfort. He died on the cross for your sin. He died on the cross to save you from sin and death and hell. He died on the cross to make Satan powerless over you. He died on the cross so that your ultimate destiny his life forever with him. When we don't see the big miracles, our faith can falter. This is a time to run to the cross, cling to the cross, and rely on the one who died on the cross. Ultimately God's salvation of the world does not come in works of great power. They come in love, sacrifice, and servanthood. This is what Jesus does. In Jesus God becomes our servant. He walks the earth in the time and the place that he was given to serve. He preaches a Word of forgiveness, life, and salvation. He is faithful, even to death on the cross.

In light of Jesus faithfulness to us, he calls us to be faithful in what he has given us to do, in the place and time he has given us. We are to speak his Word plainly and clearly. We are to call sin, sin. And we are to proclaim him as the one who covers sin with his blood. And we are not to expect that the world will take this message kindly. Listen to what Jesus says:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18–19, ESV)

And so we are called to be faithful. Think of the two widows and their small acts of faithfulness. Look at your life; the time that God has given you; the place where God has placed you; the friends he's given you; the workplace where he has given you to serve; and the church he has given you as the means to keep you focused on your Savior on the cross. Serve by being faithful there with small acts of faithfulness for the sake of the one who lived died and rose again for the forgiveness of all of your sin. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.