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Creation: Psalm 8

¹ O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Set this glory of yours above the heavens.  ² From the lips of little children and nursing babies you have established strength because of your foes, to put a stop to the enemy and the avenger. ³ Whenever I look up at your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place— ⁴ what is man that you remember him, the son of man that you pay attention to him! ⁵ Nevertheless, you make him suffer need, apart from God for a while, but you crown him with glory and honor. ⁶ You make him the ruler over the works of your hands. You put everything under his feet: ⁷ all flocks and cattle, and even the wild animals, ⁸ the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, which pass through the currents of the seas. ⁹ O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

On December 7, 1972, the astronauts of Apollo 17 turned a camera homeward and, from a distance of 18,000 miles, photographed their home planet. That image of earth— with its swirling colors of blue, green, and white— hanging in the vast darkness of space has been called "the blue marble." Although few people have seen the earth from that vantage point, even the photograph may be enough to leave a person feeling rather small and insignificant. 

The psalmist, who looks into the vastness of space from his vantage point on that blue marble, is moved to question his own significance. He marvels at the night sky God has created, the moon and stars, and he asks his Creator, "What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You care for him?" In this awe-inspiring universe with its countless stars and galaxies, has God even noticed him? Has God noticed us?

Yes, He has! Our significance on this blue marble of a world is found in the flocks and cattle, the wild animals, birds and fish that we are rulers over. Our greatest significance is that God’s Son humbled himself to come to this blue marble of a world to save us from our fallen world and fallen human nature. He has reconciled us to God and crowned us with glory and honor. We are his precious sons and daughters. There is no greater significance than that. God’s love endures forever!

Our Government and Nation: Romans 13:1-7

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For no authority exists except by God, and the authorities that do exist have been established by God. ² Therefore the one who rebels against the authority is opposing God’s institution, and those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves.

³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to evil. Would you like to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive praise from him, ⁴ because he is God’s servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because he does not carry the sword without reason. He is God’s servant, a punisher to bring wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.

⁶ For this reason you also pay taxes, because the authorities are God’s ministers, who are employed to do this very thing. ⁷ Pay what you owe to all of them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed.

Being the President must be a thankless job. It must be a stressful job. No matter what decisions you make; roughly 50% of the people are not going to be happy with you.

In the U.S. we have the freedom to disagree with our government officials and many feel that the First Amendment allows us to express that disagreement pretty much any way we want to. This quickly gets out of hand. People express their displeasure with the government through disrespectful bumper stickers, talk radio shows and social media comments. We are often tempted to join in and vent our displeasure in sinful ways.

God is not pleased. He commands and encourages us to submit to the governing authorities. Whether we disagree or agree with them, they are God’s servants. We treat them with honor and respect. They are God’s representatives to bless us. He grants us peace, law and order, protection, justice and many other blessings through our government. Whether we always agree, or we vehemently disagree, we give our elected officials the honor and respect they deserve as God’s servants. Through the peace they bring us so we may worship and share the gospel, God’s love endures forever.  

God's Word: 1 Peter 1:22-25

²² Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth, resulting in sincere brotherly love, love one another constantly from a pure heart. ²³ For you have been born again, not from perishable seed but from imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For: All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like a flower of the field. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.

God’s Word is like a refreshing rain shower. It moves from place to place, causing faith to grow since it is the living and enduring Word of God. We would do well to listen to Luther’s words. When Christians lose interest in the Word, the Holy Spirit moves on.

“Let us remember our former misery, and the darkness in which we dwelt. Germany, I am sure, has never before heard so much of God’s word as it is hearing today; certainly we read nothing of it in history. If we let it just slip by without thanks and honor, I fear we shall suffer a still more dreadful darkness and plague. O my beloved Germans, buy while the market is at your door; gather in the harvest while there is sunshine and fair weather; make use of God’s grace and word while it is there!

“For you should know that God’s word and grace is like a passing shower of rain which does not return where it has once been. It has been with the Jews, but when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have nothing. Paul brought it to the Greeks; but again when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have the Turk. Rome and the Latins also had it; but when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have the pope. And you Germans need not think that you will have it forever, for ingratitude and contempt will not make it stay. Therefore, seize it and hold it fast, whoever can; for lazy hands are bound to have a lean year.”

Show your thankfulness for God’s Word by making use of it. Allow it to water the seed of your faith. Watch that faith grow through the Word. For this is the Word that is preached to you. It is through this Word you learn that God’s love endures forever.

Our Church and Church Body: Psalm 84:1-2, 10

¹ How I love your dwelling place, O Lord of Armies. ² My soul grows weak and even wastes away, as I long for the courtyards of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. ¹⁰ Yes, one day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather wait at the doorway of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Why do we love our church? It is a beautiful building with stained glass windows, beautiful paintings and impressive woodwork. We love our church because it has served God’s saints in Racine for over nine decades. We love our church because of all the momentous events of faith that have happened here - baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals. But there is more.

We love our church because it is more than a building. It is more than events. We love God’s dwelling place because here we encounter our living God! This is what we yearn for! This is what we long for! Here God comes to us with his Law to show us our sins. Here God comes to us with his Gospel to show us our Savior. Here our Savior washes away our sins, announces his absolution, offers us his body and blood and sends us home with his blessing.

We Christians long for the courtyards of the Lord. We love to gather together with fellow Christians, and especially those who are united with us in the truth of God’s Word in our church body, the Wisconsin Synod. One day in church with Word and Sacrament has more meaning that a week apart from Christ. One day in the Lord’s courts outweighs any sinful satisfaction we might find elsewhere. One day in the Lord’s house of worship is better than a thousand days spent anywhere else. That’s because, here we learn that God’s love endures forever.

Christian Education: John 21:15-17

¹⁵ When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love^[a] me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I care about you.”

Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ A second time Jesus asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

He said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I care about you.”

Jesus told him, “Be a shepherd for my sheep.”

¹⁷ He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you care about me?”

Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you care about me?” He answered, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I care about you.”

“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.

I hear parents say silly things all the time. One of the silliest is when parents say they are not going to teach their children about God. They want their children to make the choice on their own. They want their children to grow up “neutral.”

Let’s apply that thinking to other areas of a child’s upbringing. Parents don’t say, "I'm going to wait until my children are old enough to decide for themselves if they wish to be potty-trained." We don't strive for neutrality when it comes to teaching our children how to cross the street, or avoiding eating things poisonous, or jumping off a house roof. 

Children are naturally sinful. They are not neutral to God. They are born enemies of God. So, they are going to always choose to be hostile toward God. That’s why parents need to train their children in the Christian faith. We help them with that responsibility by giving them opportunities for Christian education in Sunday School, WLS and Shoreland. We connect our college students to WELS campus ministries. We support the various missions and ministries of the WELS through our prayers, offerings and efforts. We want to raise our children – and help other parents raise their children – with the precious food of Jesus Christ. We gratefully feel God’s lambs and sheep because God’s love endures forever.

The Ability to Work: Deuteronomy 8:17-18

¹⁷ You might say in your heart, “My ability and the power of my hand have earned this wealth for me.” ¹⁸ But then you are to remember that the Lord your God is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth, to confirm his covenant that he promised to your fathers with an oath, as he does to this day.

Work is a blessing from God. When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden, he gave them duties to name the animals and care for his creation. Work keeps our minds active and our bodies fit. Work allows us to use our God-given talents and ingenuity.

But we need to understand the temptation to think that everything we have is from our own hard work and intelligence. No, everything we have is a gift from God. We thank God for the ability to work. We use our work to earn a living, provide for our family, support our nation with our taxes, support our church with our offerings, support agencies with our donations.

We need to remember to keep first things first in our lives. That’s what Jesus did. He never forgot, not for a moment, that his job here on earth was saving souls from hell. Because of his commitment to this important work, we are saved. Thank God for your ability to work, but remember why you work – it is to give glory to God, to support your family and to have enough to share with others. Work in such a way as to show that God’s love endures forever.

The Assurance of Heaven: Revelation 22:1-5

The angel showed me the river of the water of life, which was as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb. ² In the middle of the city’s street and on each side of the river was a tree of life that yielded twelve kinds of fruit. The tree yields its fruit every month, and its leaves are for the healing of the nations.

³ There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face. His name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will no longer be any night or any need for lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

The ancient city of Jerusalem did not have a fresh flowing river through it. It was a jumble of small streets. There were very few trees. It was an arid climate.

But that’s not how God describes the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation, the capital city of God's new heavens and new earth. He describes it with a river of pure life-giving water in this arid city; trees with live-giving fruit and healing leaves; a main street marked by life and health, not dusty and dying.

This is the kind of change we long for in our own lives, isn't it? When our lives are dry, we thirst for that water of life Jesus promises; when our worlds seem barren and empty, we long for the beautiful tree of life which both feeds and heals us. And we can have these things—or rather, what they represent—even now, in this life. This is better than any thanksgiving meal you’ll enjoy tomorrow! Jesus says: “I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

And how do we receive that gift? It comes as a result of Jesus' cross, where he destroyed the power of death and brought life and immortality to life. We look at his cross and suffering and see only a tree of death. By his resurrection God made it a tree of life for us, for everyone who trusts in Jesus to save us. Now he promises to share the fruit of his cross—everlasting life—with all of us, his people. God’s love surely endures forever!