Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church 8781 Brunswick Road Minocqua, Wisconsin

715-356-2255 www.trinityminocqua.org

Fifth Sunday of Easter May 10, 2020

Own It! Absolute Faith

The more I view American culture (global culture, really), the less certain I become of what is absolutely true. Are there absolute truths to be found? Who says? The less I view the absolute truth of God’s Word, the less certain I become of what God declares to be absolutely true. We need to reverse this pattern. More time in the Word, and less time devoted to the world. This will make the time we spend in the world – which is quite a bit (24/7, really) – less likely to shake the foundations of absolute faith in God’s absolute truth. Own this, by grace. He lives!

Pastor Stephen Luchterhand

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Invocation

M: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Confession of Sins

M: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

M: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

Readings for The Fifth Sunday of Easter

The First Lesson Psalm 33:1-12 (EHV)

1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, you righteous. The praise of the upright is beautiful. 2 Thank the Lord with a lyre. Make music for him with the ten-stringed harp. 3 Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully and shout praises. 4 Yes, the word of the Lord is right, and everything he does is trustworthy. 5 He loves righteousness and justice. The mercy of the Lord fills the earth. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made. By the breath of his mouth he made the whole army of stars. 7 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap. He puts the depths into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world revere him. 9 For he said, “Let it be,” and it was! He gave a command, and there it stood. 10 The Lord wrecks the plan of the nations. He hinders the intentions of the peoples. 11 The plan of the Lord stands forever. The intentions of his heart stand through all generations. 12 How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose to be his possession.

The Second Lesson 1 Peter 2:19-25 (EHV)

4 As you come to him, the Living Stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, like living stones, are being built as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, in order to bring spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will certainly not be put to shame. 7 Therefore, for you who believe, this is an honor. But for those who do not believe: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, 8 and, a stone over which they stumble and a rock over which they fall. Because they continue to disobey the word, they stumble over it. And that is the consequence appointed for them. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 At one time you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. At one time you were not shown mercy, but now you have been shown mercy.

The Gospel John 14:1-12 (EHV)

“Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am. 4 You know where I am going, and you know the way.” 5 “Lord, we don’t know where you are going,” Thomas replied, “so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. 7 If you know me, you would also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that is enough for us.” 9 “Have I been with you so long,” Jesus answered, “and you still do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I am telling you I am not speaking on my own, but the Father who remains in me is doing his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Or else believe because of the works themselves. 12 “Amen, Amen, I tell you: The one who believes in me will do the works that I am doing. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

Sermon John 14:1-12

Own It! Absolute Faith

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the

virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of

sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Blessing

M: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. Amen.

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Special note about today’s service: The first song in today's service is sung by Stephen Bautista and his daughter Marissa. You may recall that Stephen and his family visited us in the Fall of 2017. Consider visiting www.stephenbautistamusic.com and supporting Stephen and his family. You will also find him on Facebook. The family also has a travel blog at www.thetravelbags.com.

Announcements

Stewardship Encouragement from Scripture

"Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine" (Proverbs 3:9, 10).

Lessons for Next Sunday (Sixth Sunday of Easter) “Own It! Firsthand Faith”

Acts 17:22-31

1 Peter 3:8-16

John 14:15-21

Stay Updated: Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page and website (www.trinityminocqua.org) for information and updates at Trinity. We will also continue to send out emails to those who have shared an address with us. Don’t forget to check out Pastor Luchterhand’s Blog each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Offerings: We appreciate everyone who keeps Tr inity in their prayers through their offer ings. Dur ing this time, we encourage you to mail in your offering rather than drop it off. You can also go to our website, www.trinityminocqua.org, and click on GIVE PLUS+ for online giving. It will direct you to a link where you can do a one time donation or set it up as recurring. Please continue to keep Trinity in your prayers as we too, navigate through this unusual time. Meditations: There are two ways you can enjoy the upcoming edition of Meditations which run from May 31 through August 29.

The new edition is available to pick up on Monday through Friday mornings—Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00-10:00 am; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00 am until noon. We will have them available in the entry way of the school by the office (door 1). We will set out individual books for you to pick up as many as you wish and you can deposit the payment into the box provided. Each is book is $3.00, if you have the means to pay.

Another option to receive the Meditations devotional book is digital. This is free from Northwestern Publishing House for the upcoming edition. Go to the NPH website or find this link and fill in your information (name and email address): https://online.nph.net/free-meditations-form. You will receive a new devotion daily.

Forward in Christ: The May edition of the Forward in Christ is available at this link: https://online.nph.net/fic-free-issue-form Christian Worship Hymns: Are you interested in downloads of 80 free hymns from our hymnal? Organ or Piano music, your choice? Click on this link: https://online.nph.net/cw-hymn-downloads

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU REMAIN IN THE WORD

From Trinity:

Website: Look for the Blog link (devotions)

Emails from Trinity with the Blog content (please share your email with us)

Sermon videos/printed copies/bulletins online

Sermon copies can be mailed as well (please ask!)

Meditations booklets (the new edition, beginning May 31, will be available soon) Bread for Beggars

At www.breadforbeggars.com WELS-produced; devotional and musical content; parents, if you click on “Resources” you will find Christ-Light (Sunday School) material to work through with your children

Radio: Zion Lutheran, Rhinelander on WYCE 93.7 FM (9 am, Sunday) and WERL 950 AM (10 am, Sunday) Livestreamed WELS Services: https://yearbook.wels.net/streaming Time of Grace

Television WSAW (CBS 7) Sunday, 6:30 a.m.

Online at www.timeofgrace.org

Videos/Devotions also available on the Time of Grace app (Google Play Store or iTunes)

Printed devotional material in Trinity’s Welcome Center

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Upcoming Events

Trinity Lutheran School’s Closing Service, 8th Grade Graduation, and accompanying activities on Friday, May 29th, beginning at 4 p.m. As of now, this will be for school families only.

Confirmation Sunday; We will confirm our five 8th grade confirmands on Sunday, May 31st at 1 p.m. Whether we are limited to gatherings of 10 or less or gatherings of up to 50 are permissible, we are planning on Confirmation in keeping with the guidelines at that time.

Worship resumes at Trinity – actually, we don’t know when just yet; but we are making plans. The Elders and I had an excellent discussion this past week. We will be following government guidelines and we will be making every effort to protect worshippers. At this time, discussions center on adding a service to our Sunday morning schedule, making use of a sign-up process (so as not to exceed 50 people per service), and making use of our considerable sanctuary space for appropriate social distancing. We’ll be sending out guidelines when it becomes clear that we will be able to reopen for worship.

Upcoming texts and themes for worship; we’re using the overall theme, “Own It!”

May 17 = Isaiah 43:16-21 “Own It: ‘Everything New!’ Faith” May 24 = Acts 1:1-11 “Own It! Expectant Faith” May 31 = Acts 17:10-12 “Own It! Firsthand Faith” (Confirmation Sunday)

We continue delivering content online. Devotional posts are sent to our website (check the blog link), our Facebook page, and all email addresses on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Share this info with others, and please, send email addresses to the church office: trinity@trinityminocqua.org Are you “owning the Scriptures,” i.e., making them your own during these challenging times? Martin Luther loved God’s Word: “These are the Scriptures which make fools of all the wise and understanding, and are open only to the small and simple, as Christ says in Matthew 11:25. Therefore dismiss your own opinions and feelings, and think of the scriptures as the loftiest and noblest of holy things, as the richest of mines which can never be sufficiently explored, in order that you may find divine wisdom which God here lays before you in such simple guise as to quench all pride. Here you will find the swaddling clothes and the manger in which Christ lies.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 35, p. 236) “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me...A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a cardinal without it.” (Martin Luther: The Early Years,” Christian History Magazine, Vol. 34) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, Pastor Stephen Luchterhand

ACTS BIBLE STUDY

“You Will Be My Witnesses”

Acts 12-14 Chapter 12 1. Who was the first martyr from among the apostles? 2. When was Peter arrested? Why? How did the church respond? See James 5:16 for encouragement. 3. What Christian virtue did Mary, the mother of John Mark, practice? (To whom were they related? Cf. Colossians 4:10) 4. Envision the scene as people neglect to open the door: “Not now, Lord, we’re praying…” 5. How, and why did God punish Herod (Agrippa)? Notice vv. 24,25. Chapter 13 1. What was the significance of the “laying on of hands?” 2. Explain: The commissioning at Antioch was not what made Saul an apostle. (read 9:15,16) 3. Whose work is prominent here in vv. 2 & 4 & 9 and throughout the book of Acts? 4. Why the switch from “Saul” to “Paul” in v. 9 and after? 5. What happened in v. 13? This will be the cause of a later disagreement. 6. In vv. 5 and 14, Paul establishes his general pattern of witnessing? What is it? 7. Notice v. 26. Also, what does Paul use throughout his sermon? 8. Whose doing is it when people do not believe? (v. 46) When people do believe? (v. 48) 9. What was the significance of shaking “the dust from their feet”?

Chapter 14 1. Whose instructions were Paul and Barnabas following when they fled from Iconium? (see Matthew 10:23) 2. What misunderstanding took place in Lystra? 3. How did Paul and Barnabas react? How should we react when this sin is prevalent? 4. Is v. 22 meant only for first century Christians, especially missionaries? 5. When they returned to Antioch (v. 27), how did Paul and Barnabas illustrate that they understood their mission to be God’s mission? More specifically, what was their mission?

Own It! Absolute Faith

Sermon Notes on John 14:1-12

Series: Own It! “Trust me!”

1. Absolute faith ________ ________ a. The future is like a _________ _________, except for two things:

1) God knows ___________________ 2) We know _____________________

b. We’ve got a _______ in ________ waiting for us

The worst sin in America in 2020? _____________

2. Absolute faith is anchored in ____________, not _____________ a. Jesus is ______ Way, ______ Truth, ______ Life b. We are all __________ c. The path to life is the _______ of ________

3. Absolute faith does _________ ________ than ________ a. The miracle of ___________ life is greater than miracles involving __________ life b. God gives us the __________: _____________________ c. The ________ _________ through them

TRINITY EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

MINOCQUA, WI SERMON FOR MAY 10, 2020

“Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am. 4 You know where I am going, and you know the way.” 5 “Lord, we don’t know where you are going,” Thomas replied, “so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. 7 If you know me, you would also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that is enough for us.” 9 “Have I been with you so long,” Jesus answered, “and you still do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I am telling you I am not speaking on my own, but the Father who remains in me is doing his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Or else believe because of the works themselves. 12 “Amen, Amen, I tell you: The one who believes in me will do the works that I am doing. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:1-12 EHV) Trust me. You can trust me. What's your instinctive reaction to those words? Someone says, "Trust me," what do you do? Do you trust or are you wary? Depends who it is. Car salesmen, politicians, media outlets, and door-to-door windshield repair salespeople rank rather low. Nurses, doctors, engineers and police officers rank much higher for most of us. As would family and friends, the ones you can trust anyway. What if Jesus says it? He does, right here. "Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." The NIV says, "trust in God, trust also in me." Trust Jesus? Trust God the Father? Of course. No problem, right? Here's the thing about trusting God. Long before digital cameras and instant digital imaging, there were cameras that spit out instant snapshots. Well, almost instant, they came out gray and blank, but eventually with some waiting and waving and blowing, the gray gave way to the image of what we actually photographed. Good old Polaroid pictures. Imagine God handing out snapshots of people's futures. People/we would run excitedly to him to get a glimpse of tomorrow only to be disappointed when the picture reveals no clarity. Our future is like a perpetually undeveloped Polaroid picture, except for two things: 1) God knows what it looks like; 2) we do know what the end looks like. Jesus offers this vivid picture: "In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am." We've got a room waiting for us in heaven. It's not just a hotel room or a transitory rental, it's an amazing permanent dwelling place. But until we get there, Jesus tells us to trust him. From our perspective the future is gray, uncertain. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, even an hour from now. But we do know who will be with us. Last week's focus on Psalm 23 made that clear: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you (LORD) are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me." Trusting God is like signing and dating a contract on the first page, and the rest of the pages are blank - because they're the future, and we don't know the details. But we leave that to God. Most contracts are signed on the last page, after every detail is studied and analyzed, often by lawyers. But the Christian willingly

signs on without knowing the details because God knows them, and that's enough. Absolute faith trusts God. Faith can do this - you and I can do this - because Jesus isn't just a good man, a great teacher, one of the boys in that special club of religious leaders - Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, or whoever happens to be the best-selling religious guru of the moment. He is the Son of God. He is God, the one true God. There is no other. He says it like this: “I am the Way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." What news organizations/journalists/bloggers would let that statement stand? So arrogant, so exclusive, even hateful. Jesus is guilty here of what many Americans today believe is the greatest sin of all: intolerance. Doesn't matter that there are Ten Commandments. There could be 100 commandments, but the worst sin in 2020 is intolerance. On the other hand, tolerance and acceptance - that's the way to go and to be, so we can all get along in "love." In America, we believe in religious toleration. You can be a Satan worshipper and your religious expression is protected. But along with toleration has come the dangerous idea that no single religion should make exclusive claims to truth. There are many ways, many truths, and many lives worth following, so says the world. Let's learn from them all. Let's dine at the smorgasbord of spirituality, the buffet of blessedness reserved for the pious and sincere. Our world oozes tolerance for all. The only absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth. Our world expresses intolerance only for all those intolerant Christians, of course. People feel that as long as a person is sincere about he believes, it doesn’t matter what he believes. Don't worry about details. Sincerity matters. Isn't it strange that people will apply this logic to faith but not to any other area of their lives? They want the pilot flying their next commercial flight to be accurate, not just sincere. If you were headed to New York and you ended up in Bozeman, MT, would it matter to you that the pilot was sincere? The accountant who does your taxes should be accurate, not just sincere. The pharmacist who prepares your prescriptions: accuracy trumphs sincerity. The doctor to whom you entrust your health: sincerity/good bedside manner are nice, but accuracy matters. And yet, in the single most important area of life—our relationship with God—so many people settle for sincerity instead of accuracy. Let's all get along now, doesn't really matter if we get it right. Absolute faith is anchored in accuracy, not sincerity. Jesus uses the definite article "the" three times for a reason: the way to heaven is not marked out by GPS, or by someone’s sincere belief, it's Jesus. “I am the Way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." The way out of sin/death/the world has nothing to do with self/selfies/sincerity. The way/road to heaven is Jesus, only Jesus. God's truth isn't whatever you want it or think it to be. God's truth isn't subject to opinion polls or laws that change over time. God’s truth begins with this phrase “We are all beggars.” The last written words of Martin Luther, found on a scrap of paper at his bedside. We are all beggars – And this includes everyone: MDs, CPAs, business owners, employees, students, children, politicians, even preachers. You and me. We are by nature slaves to sin. The wages of sin is death. This is absolute truth. No exceptions, exemptions, excuses. But Jesus wants us to know the whole truth. The truth is that the path to life is the life of Jesus, crucified and risen again. Faith in this Jesus saves. Nothing else saves. No one else saves. Absolute faith is anchored in accuracy, not sincerity. Absolute faith is anchored in Jesus. One more thought to complete our examination of absolute faith. It comes from a rather stunning statement at the end of our text: "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Or else believe because of the works themselves. “Amen, Amen, I tell you: The one who believes in me will do the works that I am doing. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." Greater works than Jesus? Let's see: anyone of you change water into wine, heal the sick, or raise the dead? Didn't think so.

But, have you shared the Gospel with someone? Have you invited someone to hear God's Word in worship? Have you brought someone to the baptismal font where water was splashed and the Word was spoken? Have you come to the altar for the bread and wine over which the Word of The Lord was spoken so that you might receive his very body and blood for forgiveness? The miracle of faith, someone coming to spiritual life, is a greater miracle than changing water into wine, greater even than raising someone from physical death to physical life. Spiritual life assures us of eternal life with Jesus. Not that we have the power to do this. But we have the tools - Word and Sacrament - and we know who works through them - the Holy Spirit. In a manner of speaking, absolute faith does greater works than Jesus. Absolute faith. It's not about large faith, big faith. It's faith in the right thing, the right Person...in Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. Faith as small as a mustard seed, Jesus said, can move mountains – not because of the faith, but because of the Mover! Faith in Jesus is unshakable because Jesus is unbeatable, unconquerable, unstoppable. This Jesus says, "Trust me." Faith responds/you and I respond, "Yes, Lord, with all my heart and soul and strength." Pastor Stephen Luchterhand Minocqua, WI