April 28, 2024 by achristoffels

You ARE the branches

Readings for the day (Easter 5B, Sunday, April 27, 2024):

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

This last week, I had the opportunity to explain to my son what a landline phone is. For those of you who know what this is, try explaining it to someone who’s never used one, or even seen one. It’s not as easy as you would think.

We were out driving somewhere, when a call came through on my phone. My son looked at the screen, saw the name of the person calling, and then noticed something that he hadn’t seen before. Next to the person’s phone number, there was the word “Work.”

After the call, he asked about this word. What’s a work number? So, I went into this long explanation about landline phones, and that before cell phones the only way to get ahold of someone was to call the phone at their home or where they worked. And if the person you were trying to reach wasn’t at either of these two locations, then you’d just have to wait to talk to them until later. It was no big deal at the time, because we didn’t know any different.

Today, we have endless opportunities to remain connected with each other. We don’t have to wait for someone to get to work or get back home, in order to get ahold of them. We can just pick up the phone and call them. We have these small communication devices that allow us to remain connected to each other wherever we go. Except, what happens when you forget your phone? What happens when you leave for work or school without remembering to grab your phone? Do you feel lost? Do you get this sense of feeling disconnected? Without your phone, you can’t get ahold of anyone, and no one can get ahold of you. Before the age of cell phones, we did this all the time. But now that we carry these little phones with us wherever we go, when we leave home without them, we feel lost. We feel incomplete. We feel disconnected.

Being disconnected from the people that we love isn’t something that we strive to achieve. Instead, we do whatever we can to remain connected with those we care about. We keep that phone near us, so that we can text our friends whenever we want. We remember to grab that phone so that we can call our parents and our children and our siblings. We like to remain connected with those who we care about.

As Jesus is speaking with His disciples, they didn’t have cell phones to stay connected with each other. And Jesus knew that He would soon be leaving them as He continued His journey to the cross. So, Jesus gives them is metaphor, this image, of a vine and some branches. And Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide (or remain) in me and I in them bear much fruit.”[1] Those who remain connected to Him, Jesus says, will bear much fruit. Those who remain connected to Jesus will be great and will do great things for God’s kingdom. And then Jesus continues by saying, “Because apart from me you can do nothing.”[2]

Nothing. You can do nothing. Similar to when you forget your phone at home, you can’t communicate with others. You feel lost and disconnected. When you are disconnected from Jesus, you can do nothing. When you are disconnected from God, it’s like forgetting your phone at home. You’re lost and you don’t feel quite right. Now being connected with God, being connected to the vine, Jesus says, is for a purpose. That just as the branches of the grapevine serve a purpose, with you being connected to God, serves a purpose. And that purpose is to bear fruit for God’s kingdom. To carry out God’s mission in the world. To spread and share the Good News of Jesus and the empty tomb. Bearing fruit for God’s kingdom doesn’t mean that you need to stand at street corners asking if people have found Jesus. It doesn’t mean that the church needs to pay for a billboard on the interstate.

There are many other ways to bear fruit for God’s kingdom, and it all begins by remaining connected to God’s Word. Because through our connection to God’s Word, the hope, the peace, the joy that is experienced through this connection, spills over into your daily life. Recently I was visiting with someone who was certain that the world was going to hell. That there’s so much loss and destruction and carelessness and sin happening that this person was convinced that there was no hope for any of us. So, I told this person that I’m actually quite hopeful for the future because there are many wonderful signs of great things happening all around us – as long as we’re willing to open our eyes to see them. Yes, the negative stuff is out there, but so is the positive stuff. And we will focus our attention on the things that interest us. You don’t have to focus on the negative. You get to choose what you focus on. And when you focus on the hope and peace and joy that comes from God’s saving work, that energy and excitement will spill over into your daily life. And that alone spreads the Good News of the empty tomb.

Now, remaining connected to Jesus through God’s Word, you not only are giving a mission, a purpose that’s filled with this hope, peace, and joy, you’re also given a promise. Look again at what Jesus says about the vine and the branches. He says, “I AM the vine; you are the branches.”[3] Notice here Jesus doesn’t say that you have been the branches, or that you will be the branches someday. No, Jesus says that you are the branches. Meaning right now, in the present. You are the branches now. You belong to God, now. You are connected to God, now.

This connection between the vine and the branches shows that there is a mutual dependence for one another. As the branches, you need the vine. You need Jesus. Branches that are apart from the vine do not survive. You need this connection with Jesus. But what is a vine without branches? God needs you, too. Just as the branches can’t survive without the vine, God’s kingdom will not survive without you. Jesus is the vine. You are the branches. You are eternally connected to God through the cross and the empty tomb. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Amen.

[1] John 15:5, NRSV

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid

April 21, 2024 by achristoffels

Finding Reliability

Readings for the day (Easter 4B, Sunday, April 21, 2024):

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Being independent is important, isn’t it? We like having our independence. We like being able to choose what we want to do, when we want to do it. We like having the choice of what to eat and what to wear. Being independent means that we get to choose what we’re going to read and what we’re going to watch. We get to choose how we decorate our living space. We get to choose what we believe about God and this world that He created.

And we like having our freedom of choice. I remember counting down the days until I turned 16, all so that I could go and get my driver’s license. And once I had that driver’s license, I had a greater sense of independence. I had the ability to go somewhere, anywhere, without having to rely on someone else to take me there. We love being independent.

Except, we can’t be independent in every aspect of our lives, can we? There are some things in life that we are unable to do ourselves. Some of you know that I’ve been remodeling our basement. We’re adding a couple of bedrooms for our children. With some knowledge of construction, I’ve been doing much of the work myself. However, I don’t have the knowledge, or the skills needed to independently complete the project without help – without professional help. Such as the electrical work. I know just enough about wiring outlets to be dangerous. So, I hired someone to do that work. I also don’t have the skills necessary to do a good enough job on finishing the drywall (the mudding and the taping and the texturing). So, I hired someone to do that work too. Now, relying on these professionals to do the work that I can’t, means that I had to give up my independence with this project, and put the timeline to completion into someone else’s hands. Trusting that they would show up and complete the work as they said they would.

Over the winter, our project stalled. It stalled for over two months without any progress being made because I had lined up an unreliable contractor. This contractor never showed up. I don’t know why, but I never heard back from him. I depended on this contractor, and he ended up being unreliable.

Throughout His teachings, Jesus often uses examples and images of farming and agriculture because that’s what many of His followers were familiar with. Now in the reading today from John’s Gospel, Jesus gives us this image of a shepherd, a hired hand, and some sheep. The shepherd’s job is to care for the sheep. The shepherd is to feed them and care for them and protect them. The role of the hired hand is to assist the shepherd in whatever way is needed, in order to properly care for the sheep. And the role of the sheep, well, their job is simply to do sheep things.

When the wolf comes, the sheep are helpless, and Jesus says that the hired hand flees. At the first sign of trouble, the hired hand leaves. The hired hand runs away. Maintaining their independence, while being unreliable for others. Trouble appears in the form of a wolf ready to feast on these sheep, and the hired hand, who was hired to protect sheep runs away in the opposite direction, without an ounce of care for the sheep.

We love our independence. We love being able to do the things that we want to do without having to depend on others. But sometimes our independence turns into us being unreliable as well. The hired hand chose their independence over being reliable in caring for the sheep. The hired hand put their own interests ahead of the sheep who were under their care. The hired hand not only let the shepherd down, but the hired hand let the sheep down, too. I’m sure you’ve had someone in your life who has let you down. Who has been unreliable. Who said that they were going to do something, but through their independence, chose to do something different instead. And it goes both ways – just as others have let us down, we too, have acted like the hired hand and let others down. We too, have been unreliable.

But Jesus says that there is One who is reliable. And He is always reliable. He never runs away at the sign of trouble. The hired hand runs away from the wolf and the sheep, because the hired hand has no interest in the sheep. He doesn’t own them. The sheep don’t belong to him. And the sheep don’t belong to the hired hand because the sheep belong to the shepherd.

You may have some hired hand tendencies. You may even be unreliable at times, and this story certainly gives a reminder to be better and to do better. But in this story, you truly are not the hired hand, because instead you’re the sheep. And even though people and systems and programs and organizations have let you down in the past. And even though you will face people in the future who will be unreliable, who will let you down, Jesus as your Good Shepherd, promises to never let you down. To always be reliable. To always put your interest ahead of His own. And you can see that Jesus does put your interest ahead of His own when He does the very thing that you cannot do for yourself – paying the true cost for your actions and your words. By laying down His life for you, Jesus not only shows that He cares for you. Jesus sacrifices Himself to show you how much He loves and cares for you. And that you belong to God.

We love our independence. And God grants us many ways of exercising that freedom of choice. But you belong to your Creator. You belong to God. And God gives this promise to you, that through the cross and the empty tomb, He will always have your best interest in mind. For you are the sheep of His fold, a lamb of His choosing. And so, you can be wholly and completely dependent on Jesus. Jesus, who is the risen Christ. Amen.

April 14, 2024 by achristoffels

Mind Tricks

Readings for the day (Easter 3B, Sunday, April 14, 2024):

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Does your mind ever play tricks on you? Making you wonder if something is actually real, or if you just imagined it. Such as, when you’re tired and you just want to fall asleep, so you climb into bed. You get comfortable under the blankets. You close your eyes, and then it hits you. Did you remember to lock the door? Did you remember to turn the lights off? Did you blow out that candle? Did you put the leftover food away? More than likely you did do all of those things, right? You’re 99% certain that you locked the front door. Except, now your mind is playing tricks on you. What about that 1%? Maybe you did forget to blow out that candle. Now you’re doubting yourself and questioning if you actually did all of these things, or did you just think that you did them. And once you start down this path, it’s hard to shut it off. The only way to resolve this issue is to get yourself out of your comfortable bed and go check on that lock, and the candle, and the lights, and the food.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ll drive away from home – just far enough that I can’t see the front of the garage. And then it will hit me. I’ll wonder, “Did I close the garage door?” It’s an action that I do without even thinking about it, that when I actually stop to think about it, I can’t remember if I did it or not. Our minds play tricks on us, leading us to doubt.

After the Resurrection. After Jesus rises from the dead. After Jesus defeats the power of death and the grave, He appears to the disciples at a variety of times. Last week we had the story of Thomas and how Thomas wasn’t present one of the times when Jesus appeared, and so he doubts the Resurrection of Jesus. In that story, Jesus shows up behind their locked doors. This week when Jesus appears before the disciples, they question if what they are seeing is actually true. They question if they have actually seen the risen Jesus alive? Or were they seeing a ghost? Was this figure in their midst just a figment of their imagination? Was Jesus a hologram? Was their mind playing tricks on them, making them to think that this was the risen Jesus, but He actually wasn’t there at all?

When Jesus appears before the disciples and says, “Peace be with you” the disciples get startled. They’re terrified because not only did this strange figure appear among them, but the strange figure spoke, and He spoke directly to them. But it’s odd. When Jesus spoke to them, He wasn’t angry or upset with them. He didn’t yell or condemn their actions when they deserted Him during His trial and crucifixion. He doesn’t lash out at them for denying ever knowing Him. Instead, when Jesus appears and speaks to His disciples, He gives them this friendly greeting, “Peace be with you.”

These disciples get startled. They’re terrified. They’re even doubtful of His presence among them. And all for good reasons, right? Their feelings and the way they react to this unannounced visit from Jesus is certainly justified. The crucifixion of Jesus had put them all on edge. So, when an unannounced visitor appears, their reaction makes sense. But it makes sense only because that’s what this world does to us. This world gives us every reason to be startled, and terrified, and doubtful. We lock our doors for safety. We close our garage doors to protect our belongings. We do whatever we need to, to protect ourselves and those whom we love. Because we see that the world is a scary place. We are witnesses of these things. So with these higher interest rates, we get startled by this news. This repeat of the presidential election of four years ago not only gives us Déjà vu, but it’s also frustrating and terrifying. We hear reports of violence and crime all the time. Last night we saw tension in the Middle East rising once again with Iran carrying out air strikes on Israel. This world does a great job at startling us and terrifying us. This world fills us with information that seeks to make us doubt God’s love and His care for us. This world gives us every reason to be startled, and terrified, and doubtful. With so much misinformation out there today, it’s challenging to believe and trust in any source. So, we can end up doubting any and all information that comes our way.

Now Jesus calms the startled disciples by showing them His hands. Jesus gives reassurance to these terrified disciples by showing them His feet. Jesus puts away any question or doubt of Jesus being a ghost by eating some fish. Jesus shows them that what He says and what He does is no figment of their imagination. He is no ghost. He is truly present with them. And they know this to be true when Jesus opens their minds to understand the Word of God.

This world will give you every possible reason to be startled and terrified and doubt God’s immeasurable love for you. But just as you are witnesses to the scary things of this world, Jesus makes you witnesses of the Resurrection. You are witnesses to God’s love that is poured out over the face of the earth. You are witnesses when you make peace with each other. You are witnesses when you care for others in the name of Jesus.

A few weeks ago at GIFT, we gave our families a project to work on. Instead of studying another Bible story, they made fleece tie blankets. This past Wednesday, we prayed over and blessed 25 handmade tie blankets that will be going to the St. Cloud Hospital for children and adolescents who go to trauma department. We’re sending another 15 blankets to the humane society to be placed in the kennels of cats and dogs.

When you share the love of Christ, the world becomes less startling and terrifying. You are witnesses of these things. Your mind may play tricks on you and make you question if you locked the front door. But through God’s Word that is revealed to you in the opening of scripture, you can have the confidence in knowing that Christ died and rose for you, so that the peace of Christ may be with you always. Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Amen.

April 7, 2024 by achristoffels

From ‘Cleansing’ to ‘Fellowship’

Readings for the day (Easter 2B, Sunday, April 7, 2024):

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

When we think of Easter, isolation typically isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Often, we celebrate Easter together with family and with friends. We celebrate Easter in a group, in a community of other believers. Except, on the evening of that first Easter, the disciples are not out celebrating. Instead, they have isolated themselves away from the world.

Now, being in isolation isn’t enjoyable. If you ever had to isolate or quarantine during the pandemic, you know that it’s not an enjoyable thing to do. Plus, being in isolation is not the way God intended for us to live. Back in the garden of Eden, God creates a partner for Adam. For God says, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.”[1] You see, God creates Eve all so that Adam won’t be alone. God never intended for us to live in isolation. Neither in isolation of each other nor in isolation of God. Instead, God intends for us to live in fellowship with each other. In fellowship with God. And living in fellowship with each other simply refers to companionship. A group of people who share a common belief or interest.

But on the evening of that first Easter, after the disciples hear about the empty tomb, the tomb’s emptiness is not a cause for celebration, but rather a basis for their fear. The disciples go into isolation. They isolate themselves because of fear. They locked themselves in a room away from the world, away from their family and their friends and their community. They feared what might happen to them after seeing their Lord and Teacher brutally and publicly crucified. Fear drives them into hiding. Locking and isolating themselves away from everyone.

Now, not all isolation is bad, right? There are medical reasons to isolate for a time. And sometimes we just need a break from the people around us. After being cooped up for nearly 72 hours during the Holy Week snowstorm, we all needed a break from each other. Breaks are good. Breaks are necessary and healthy. Isolation, however, is a break that goes on for too long. Isolation is too long of a break that negatively affects our health and our relationships.

When we choose to isolate ourselves from others, we are making a choice. We are making the choice to not participate, to not be in fellowship with others. To not join in having companionship with those around us. Now, we also get isolated from God. Our sin separates us from God. Our sin prohibits fellowship with our Creator.

And isn’t fellowship, or a sense of community, a sense of belonging, what any of us want? We want to fit in, right? We want to fit in at school, at work, at church. We want to be included and part of something. We want fellowship. We want companionship. And I think that’s what Thomas wanted as well. When Jesus first appears in that locked room, all of the disciples are present, except for Thomas. Thomas, for reasons unknown to us, is absent. He’s not with the rest of the group behind the locked door. The rest of the disciples end up getting this first-hand experience of seeing and having fellowship with our risen Lord. But Thomas missed it. He wasn’t there. And so, when Thomas hears about this experience. When Thomas hears about this fellowship that his fellow disciples get with the risen Jesus, Thomas refuses to believe it. He refuses to join in fellowship. Thomas instead chooses to remain isolated. But isolation is not how our Heavenly Father intends for us to live. We are intended to partner with each other. To have companionship with each other. To live in community, in fellowship with other believers. To surround ourselves with those who share our common belief in the risen Christ.

Awhile back, I heard someone make a comment about how much food we go through here at Our Savior’s. And we do serve a lot of meals. And it’s all because fellowship, being together, sharing with one another is so vitally important in our life together. And next to sharing our common belief in the risen Christ, we also share in the fact that we all need to eat in order to live.

Now having fellowship with God is also important. But our sin separates us. It forms a barrier, or a wall, making it challenging to maintain a relationship with our Creator. In his first pastoral letter, the Apostle John tells us that, “if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”[2] The blood of Jesus cleanses us. Notice John doesn’t use the past tense of this word here – cleansed, or a future tense – will cleanse, but instead John says – cleanses. Meaning a present action. The blood of Jesus cleanses you – present tense.

Your sin puts you in isolation away from God. The cross of Jesus, though, with His blood poured out, gives you fellowship with God. And you get this fellowship with God in this holy meal that we celebrate. Today we have five young individuals who have been studying and preparing and baking bread in preparation for this day – to join us in fellowship with our risen Lord in a deeper, more intimate way, through the celebration of our Lord’s Supper. Evan and Nolan, Chloe and Gracelynn and Jase, when we were talking about what Holy Communion is and why we need it, I told you that this Sacrament, this holy, sacred thing that we do is a receiving of our forgiveness, a cleansing of our sins, a cleansing of our mistakes. And then I asked you, how often do you make mistakes. And do you remember what you said? All THE TIME! Now, this cleansing and giving us fellowship with God despite our mistakes, does not give us permission to go and do whatever we want. Our Lord’s sacrament isn’t your get of jail free card, thinking that you can make whatever mistake you want because God will forgive you later. Instead, this cleansing gives you the peace and the comfort of knowing that when you recognize that you’ve messed up, when you realize that you’ve made a mistake and that this mistake will isolate you from God, that you can go to Jesus, and you can rely on His continual cleansing and forgiveness.

God never intended for you to live in isolation, but rather to have fellowship with each other. God wants you to have companionship with your fellow believers. And since our Lord created you with the need to eat at some point, being together in fellowship is easy to do around food. And even though your sin separates you from God, the empty tomb of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross gives you fellowship with God. So, every time that you eat and drink of our Lord’s body and blood, Jesus cleanses you. Jesus forgives you. Jesus gives you fellowship with your Heavenly Father. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

[1] Genesis 2:18, NRSV

[2] 1 John 1:7, NRSV

March 31, 2024 by achristoffels

Not Among the Dead, but the Living

Readings for the day (Resurrection of Our Lord Sunday, March 31, 2024):

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“They fled the tomb…and said nothing to anyone.”[1] Now, that’s not really a great way to end a powerful story. A story of how a leader was put to death, laid in a tomb, and when some of His followers visit the tomb, they are overcome with terror and amazement. So, they flee the scene and say nothing to anyone. Not a great way to end the story. It’s also not a great way to begin a story, either. And yet, this is how Mark ends his telling of the Good News of Jesus – with the women fleeing the empty tomb and saying nothing to anyone.

Now, there’s a variety of things that can cause us to remain silent and not speak up. Maybe you have a good filter, and you know when it’s appropriate to say something. Maybe you’re unsure or don’t feel you have the confidence to say something. Maybe you’ve spoken up before and no one’s listened to what you had to say. So now, you remain silent due to a lack of trust because why say something when no one is going to listen?

We don’t know exactly why Mark tells us that the women fled the tomb and said nothing, because our presence here today tells us that they did say something to at least someone. Maybe it was a lack of confidence or a lack of trust. Did they trust the young man in the empty tomb? Did they believe him when he said that Jesus was raised, that Jesus was indeed alive? Putting our trust in death is far easier than putting our trust in the Resurrection. Because death has a perfect record. Because death never makes empty threats. Death always follows through on its promises. And for all of us on this side of death, on this side of the resurrection, it appears to us, that death gets the final word here. And if the women who saw the empty tomb trusted in death, then the way the Gospel ends, makes a lot of sense. Because then death does get the final word, and the women do leave without saying a word to anyone. Because death has won. Death claims final victory over even the Almighty God Himself.

Except telling the women in that tomb that Jesus isn’t there, is not the only thing that that young man had to say. Because after saying that Jesus is alive and isn’t in the tomb anymore, the young man says to the women, “…[Jesus] is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”[2] Now the young man isn’t simply saying that Jesus is alive, but he’s telling the women where they can find the risen Jesus. And the risen Christ is going ahead of them to Galilee. And why Galilee? Because Galilee is their home. It’s where they live. It’s where they work. It’s where they play. It’s where they celebrate the joyous moments of this life. It’s where they mourn and grieve the terrible moments of this life. The young man tells the women that not only is Jesus alive again, but that Jesus is not going to be found among the dead. That Jesus isn’t going to be found in a tomb somewhere. That God isn’t going to hide in a tomb and remain idle. Instead, Jesus will be found among the living. And specifically, Jesus will be found where you live. Where you work and play and celebrate and grieve. Jesus will be among the living. Jesus will be wherever you are.

It’s one thing to say that Jesus has been raised. It may have been difficult for the women to trust the young man’s words when he told them that Jesus had been raised. But the Resurrection has so much power, that even though the Apostle Mark tells us that the women run away without saying a word to anyone, the Good News of Jesus overcoming death and the grave still gets out. This message that Jesus will not be found among the dead, but rather the living, still gets out. This message is so big and so powerful that it cannot be contained within some stone tomb. This message is so big that Satan cannot squash it. That’s how much power the Resurrection has. That even though you trust death and all of its terrible threats, you can trust in the power of the Resurrection even more. You can trust that Jesus is alive and found among the living. You can trust that Jesus is with you wherever you may go. That when you are at home, Jesus is there. That when you are at work or at school, Jesus is there. That when you are out and about shopping and fishing and golfing and doing all of the wonderful things that this life has for you, Jesus is there. When you are grieving and sad, Jesus is there. When you are mourning the loss of something or someone, Jesus is there. When you are celebrating the milestones of this life, Jesus is there.

Jesus is not found among the dead, but He’s among the living. And you can trust in His presence with you. You can trust in the power of the Resurrection because even though Mark says that the women flee the tomb and say nothing to anyone, the message of God’s victory over death and grave still got out. This message cannot be contained. The Good News of Jesus rising from the dead, defeating death and grave, cannot be contained. And because of this Good News, because of His victory, because of the power of the Resurrection, we trust that Jesus is with us today and always. And through this trust we confidently say “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Amen.

[1] Mark 16:8, NRSV

[2] Mark 16:7, NRSV

March 10, 2024 by achristoffels

Look at the Stick!

Readings for the day (4^th Sunday in Lent – Sunday, March 10, 2024):

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

We are already over halfway through the season of Lent. And with the coming of Holy Week and Easter, this also means the traditional viewing of the Ten Commandments movie. That iconic movie which has aired around Easter for 68 years. And the movie, actually is less about the Ten Commandments, and more about how God frees the Israelites, God’s chosen people. Freeing them from slavery in Egypt and leading them into the Promised Land.

God calls on Moses to lead His people out of slavery and into freedom. Moses goes before Pharaoh, asking for the Israelites to be released. But Pharaoh denies this request. Nine times this request is denied. Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, thinks that if he just ignores Moses and these pleas for freedom, that maybe he’ll just go away. That if Pharaoh just ignores this Moses problem that he has, that the problem will just magically go away.

Now I’m sure that none of you ever ignore a problem with the hope that maybe this said problem will just vanish into thin air. Someday, that check engine light that’s been on for two months will turn off, right? That pesky drip in the bathroom sink, it’ll eventually stop, right? Or what about that hard conversation that you know is important, that you know needs to happen, and yet you just don’t want to get into it.

Sometimes we think that if we just ignore the letters and the emails and the voicemails and any other problems that come up in life, that they’ll just go away on their own. If we stop talking about social issues in society, maybe they’ll just disappear. If we ignore our sins and our wrongdoings and let them go unnoticed, maybe they’ll just magically go away.

Except, our problems don’t go away on their own, do they? That check engine light won’t turn off until you find out what caused the light to turn on in the first place. That drip in the bathroom sink won’t stop until you address the problem. That hard conversation with a loved one won’t go away until you actually sit down and have that conversation. Our problems don’t go away on their own. We may ignore them. Pushing them into a corner. Covering them up and forgetting about them. But they haven’t gone away. And our problems won’t go away without addressing them directly.

When Moses goes before Pharaoh for the tenth time, the King of Egypt finally realizes that his Moses problem is not going away. So, he grants the request for Moses and the Israelites to leave Egypt. After four hundred years, they are free again. And we’re told that on their way to the Red Sea, which means that they’ve barely left Egypt, the Israelites begin complaining about having no food or water, and wishing to go back to Egypt. They put into question why Moses did this to them. Why Moses would lead them out of slavery and into the wilderness, just to die.

And if they thought that having no food or water out in the wilderness was bad enough, there’s these poisonous snakes that begin appearing among them. And these snakes start biting them; many of whom end up dying from these snake bites. So, the people go to Moses and plead with him to have God take away the snakes. They say, “We’ve sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you.”[1] They admit their faults and plead to have God come and take away their problem. They want God to take away these poisonous snakes.

But instead of taking away their problem, God tells Moses to “Make a serpent, and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.”[2] So instead of taking away their problem, instead of taking away the snakes, God creates a solution that will restore their lives. But in order to restore their lives, they have to stare directly at their problem. They must face their fear, and stare directly at the very thing that is killing them. And upon doing so, God promises that they will live.

If the Israelites ignored their snake bites. If they ignored their problems, maybe even denying that they were ever bitten in the first place, then they certainly would die from their snake bites. If we ignore our problems. If we push our problems into the corner. If we act like our problems are no big deal, or that we don’t have any problems at all, then eventually these problems will come back to bite us. These problems that we have ignored or pushed into the corner or covered up, they will reappear.

If we ignore our sins. If we try to hide and cover up our faults. If we deny or fail to acknowledge our wrongdoings, then we certainly will have a similar fate to that of those snake bitten Israelites – we will die. But if we face our problems. If we admit our faults and acknowledge our sin before God and each other, then we will live.

God told Moses to create a serpent. Put it on a stick. And everyone who was bitten by these poisonous snakes could face their problem directly, by looking at the very thing that bit them, and they would live. Likewise, Jesus says that the Son of Man will be lifted up like a serpent on a stick. And when you look upon the Son of Man hanging on a stick, you will see your problems. You will see your sin hanging on that cross. You will see the very thing that is killing you. But instead of death, you are given life. Instead of suffering the same fate as those of the snake bitten Israelites, you are forgiven and given the promise of eternal life.

Now looking to Jesus doesn’t mean that your problems will just magically disappear. Looking at the cross of Christ will not make that check engine light in your car turn off. Admitting your faults to God will not make that pesky drip in the bathroom sink stop dripping. Jesus doesn’t magically take away your problems. You will still experience problems. You will still sin and mess up. But what the cross of Christ does for you is that Jesus takes your problems and your sin so that these things are not what define you. Instead, you are defined and known by Christ. You no longer need to wait to face your problems. For it is Jesus who grants you the confidence and the strength to face your problems directly. Trusting that through the cross of Christ, through your bronze serpent on a stick, you are loved. You are forgiven by God. That Jesus came into the world so that you may not perish, but have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”[3] Amen.

[1] Numbers 21:7, NRSV

[2] Numbers 21:8, NRSV

[3] John 3:17, NRSV

March 3, 2024 by achristoffels

Jesus’ Other Side

Readings for the day (Lent 3B, Sunday, March 3, 2024):

Exodus 20:1-17

Psalm 19

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

John 2:13-22

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

I recently finished watching the quarterback series on Netflix. This is a documentary that follows three people throughout the football season, to learn what an NFL quarterback does on a daily and weekly basis. What they do mentally and physically to prepare for the games each week.

After watching the series, I saw a different side to these guys. For two of them, my level of respect increased. Seeing how they were off the field made me like them even more. For the other one though, I saw a different side of him that honestly made me not like him as much.

That’s probably happened to you too, right? Where you see or hear someone in only a particular role, and naturally you form an opinion of this person. Maybe it’s a co-worker that you only see at work. Or a teacher that you only see at school. But then you meet them outside of that role. You see them in a different environment, and you end up seeing a different side of them. Sometimes this different side of them increases your level of respect for them. Other times, though, you’re put off by this other side that you experience.

In that reading from John’s Gospel, you may feel like you are seeing a different side of Jesus. Many of the stories of Jesus that we’ve been studying in the last several weeks have been of Jesus teaching about God and healing people; casting out demons and performing miracles. These stories show the compassionate side of Jesus. They show how much Jesus cares about the people that He is serving. But today’s reading is different. Today, Jesus is in the temple and He’s making a whip and He’s chasing people and animals with it. He’s flipping over tables and yelling at people to get out of the temple. Jesus is dumping money out and spreading it across the temple floor. This is not the Jesus that we’re used to seeing. This is definitely a different side of Jesus.

Now, the people were in the temple to make their required sacrifices. These temple sacrifices were important spiritual practices. After the Israelites left the bonds of slavery in Egypt, God gave them parameters, rules to follow. This morning’s reading from Exodus was God giving Moses the Ten Commandments. However, there were many other rules, or laws, that God gave Moses over the years. One of those laws had to do with making sacrifices. When the people sinned. When they messed up and put tension between themselves and God. When they created a division in their relationship God, God told the people that in order to make things right again, they had to sacrifice something. Now, this sacrifice typically was an animal. They would need to bring an animal, usually from their own farm, and bring it to the temple to be sacrificed. For people traveling a long distance it became easier, and more economical, for them to buy an animal in Jerusalem, rather than bringing one from home. So, this whole marketplace just outside the temple, or even right inside the temple, probably didn’t start off as a bad idea. Having the option to purchase an animal for the required sacrifice would have made long distance travel a little easier.

So, whether people brought an animal from home or purchased one at the temple, they would bring said animal into the temple where then the animal would be sacrificed. And this sacrificial act would set things right again with the person’s relationship with God.

In a way, we still do this today. We’re not going to a temple to sacrifice an animal to atone for our wrongs and put us back in God’s good graces. But when you hurt someone, or do something wrong, don’t you try to make up for that mistake? Sometimes we’ll buy someone a gift, to say we’re sorry. We’ll do something special, to show we care about them. And we do this, all so that we can satisfy the person that we hurt, in hopes that these thoughtful gestures will bring us back into their good graces. That’s what these temple sacrifices were all about, bringing someone back into good graces with their Creator.

Now Jesus, enters Jerusalem. He goes into the temple and finds the temple to be a circus. There are money changers who are exchanging the Roman currency for the temple currency. There are people selling animals for sacrifices, so that people traveling a large distance didn’t need to bring an animal from home. The temple was loud. It was chaotic. It was irreverent. And here’s where we see this different side of Jesus. He unleashes on them – for good reason. They were putting a price on everything. By setting a price for those sacrificial animals, the sellers of said animals defined how much a person’s relationship with God was worth.

Even today, our lives are heavily influenced by money. How much money we earn, influences how much money we can spend. When we pay someone to do something for us, that amount defines how much that person is worth to us. Money really influences so many of our decisions. Everything really does have a price on it. And with everything having a price, we end up treating people according to how much we think they are valued and worth.

This other side of Jesus that you see in the temple, overturning tables and driving people out, also shows how much you are worth according to God. You see, the reason why Jesus chases out the sacrificial animals and overturns the tables of the money changers is because He shows you that soon these sacrifices will no longer be necessary. Soon these sacrificial animals will no longer be needed in order to bring you back into God’s good graces. Because Jesus goes to the cross and sacrifices Himself for you. Jesus becomes your sacrificial lamb in order to make everything in your relationship with God right again.

There really is a price on everything. And the sacrificial act of Jesus on the cross show just how much you are worth to God. Because God was willing to die for you. That’s how valuable you are to Jesus. So yes, we do see another side of Jesus, but this side of Jesus shows just how far He is willing to go. To save you. To redeem you. To put you back into God’s good graces. And Jesus will go all the way to hell and back, for you! Amen.

February 25, 2024 by achristoffels

Winning, Losing, and a Moon Race

Readings for the day (Lent 2B – Sunday, February 25, 2024):

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Psalm 22:23-31

Romans 4:13-25

Mark 8:31-38

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

On Thursday, history was made again. Over 50 years later, the United States landed a spacecraft on the moon. We haven’t accomplished this task since 1972. In the 50s and 60s, a race to the moon began, as competing countries strove to be the first to land a spacecraft on the surface of the moon.

In recent years, we’ve seen a revived race to the moon with more countries working to accomplish this amazing feat. Thursday’s moon landing was certainly an accomplishment, except we weren’t first. In fact, we finished fourth in this new race to the moon. Over the last couple of years, three other countries have successfully landed uncrewed spacecraft on the surface of the moon, ahead of us.

Now, we’ll tell ourselves that winning isn’t everything – and we know it’s not. If we lose a game, there’ll be another one. If we don’t come out on top at a competition, we’ll work harder before the next one. If we don’t get that job offer, we’ll go into the next job interview with complete confidence that we’re gonna rock that interview and get the job. We know that winning isn’t everything. We know that all is not lost if we don’t come out on top. But it still feels better to be on the winning side, doesn’t it? Because when we win, even if it’s just a card game, that victory increases our confidence, it elevates our self-esteem, and it gives us a better outlook on life.

Winning and being successful in life is a goal for many of us. And even if winning and achieving success isn’t one of your top life goals, the opposite of winning, the opposite of being successful is certainly less than desirable. Because we don’t like to lose, and we certainly don’t like to fail.

Today’s Gospel reading takes us back in time a little. Two weeks ago, was Transfiguration Sunday, where we hear the story of Jesus taking Peter, James, and John up a mountain. Today’s reading is right before their trip up the mountain. Jesus has asked His disciples what people are saying about Him. Who do people think that Jesus is? And then Jesus asks His own disciples what they think about Him. And now up until this point, the disciples have continued to question who Jesus is. And here Peter makes a bold statement by saying, “Jesus you are the Messiah.”[1]

Now, Peter is one of the first disciples that Jesus calls to follow Him. Peter has invested quite a bit in following Jesus. He gave up his career, his family, his friends. All to follow wherever Jesus would lead him. And now, after following Jesus this far, for this long, Jesus tells Peter and the rest of the disciples that soon they will be heading to Jerusalem, and when they get there, Jesus will undergo great suffering. He will be rejected by the religious leaders and be killed.

Upon hearing this news, Peter refuses to accept it. Peter refuses to go along with this plan. Peter refuses to allow Jesus to fail. Because Peter sees his teacher and Lord giving up. Peter has given up so much of his life to follow Jesus, and now if feels like Jesus is just throwing in the towel. That He’s just throwing it all away. That everything that Peter has given up has been all for nothing.

And I think we can relate to Peter’s reaction here. If you’re not doing something. If you’re not actively making progress on something, don’t you feel lazy? When you choose to just lounge around all day, maybe it’s your one day in the last week that you actually got a break. We’ll say, “Oh, I took a lazy day.” I didn’t do much. If we’re not actively doing something, we’ll call ourselves lazy. Or if we see someone else not doing something, we’ll call them lazy. And this is all because of the strong work ethic that we’ve been taught from a young age. That if we aren’t doing something. That if we aren’t being productive. If we aren’t working towards something, then we’re being lazy.

For Peter, he took what Jesus said about the Son of Man suffering and dying as not just being lazy, but as a failure. That if Jesus goes to Jerusalem to suffer and die, then Jesus has just given up. Peter couldn’t see how having the Son of Man suffer and die would make his life any better. All Peter saw was his teacher and Lord just standing there and willing to die. Some Savior He is. Some Messiah He is.

But Jesus says that when we focus so much on survival and on worldly success, we end up missing the mark. We miss the point of the mission that Jesus is on. That following Jesus is not about getting fame and glory. Following Jesus is not about gaining riches and wealth. Following Jesus is not about being successful. Following Jesus is actually about setting our sights on the cross and on the Resurrection to come. That when we place our hope in the resurrection to come, we are setting our minds not on earthly things, but on divine things. That when we deny ourselves, putting our egos aside, we are freed. We are free to follow Jesus. We are no longer weighed down by the striving for success and the winning that rules this world each and every day.

In this life, we put a lot of emphasis on races and competitions; like a revived race to the moon. We focus on who’s winning and who’s losing. Who’s being successful and who’s failing. And the thing with winning and losing. The thing with being successful and failing is that it’s all dependent on you and what you can do and what you cannot do. But in God’s eyes, your victory and your success are not something that you can control. Your victory and success are not found in what you do. Your victory and success are found in the faithfulness of Jesus as your Messiah. And so, even if it appears that God is just standing idle and being lazy, not doing anything, Jesus willingly goes to the cross for you. He’s not idle, He’s saving you. God’s not lazy, He’s forgiving you. God claims you so that you are a winner. That your success is defined not by what you have done, but by what Jesus has done for you – defeating evil and gaining final victory over death and the grave. Amen.

[1] Mark 8:29, NRSV

February 18, 2024 by achristoffels

In a Word…Why?

Readings for the day (Lent 1B, Sunday, February 18, 2024):

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Questions. We all have them, don’t we? We all have lots of questions in many areas, about a variety of topics. We question the weather and if we actually will get an early spring this year. We question who our next president will be. We question what type of season the Vikings will have next year (or the Packers if you root for that other team). We question when the price of groceries and gas will stop going up. We question where we’ll be in six months. A year. Five years. Where will we be and what will we be doing?

We have lots of questions. Lots of questions about life. And often it is through asking these questions that we not only get answers, but we also learn and we grow. Children are great at asking a variety of questions because they want to learn. They want to grow. They want to know about this life – what it is and how it works. So, we ask questions that will give us the facts. We use those ‘W’ words. Who. What. When. Where. Who’s going to lead our country? What will the Vikings do during the offseason to make next season better? When will all of this inflation slow down? Where will I be five years from now? Often, these types of questions are seeking facts or information. And for these questions, often we can find the answer by paying attention to the news media. We can watch videos regarding the upcoming election. We can read articles about what teams and players are doing in the offseason.

There is, however, another type of question that we often ask. Another question that moves us beyond facts and information to motive and understanding. This type of question is a favorite among young children. And when this particular question is overused, it drives adults nuts. The question? Why! Why are you doing that? Why are you washing the dishes? Why are you shoveling the snow? Why are you staring at your phone? This question of why moves us beyond fact seeking to motive seeking. Now, we’re not just interested in the facts and getting information; we’re interested in the motive behind the facts. We don’t just want to know what someone did. We want to know why they did it. What was their motive?

On this first Sunday in Lent, we hear the story of how Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. And Mark’s telling of this story is so brief that it can leave us with a lot of questions. But the question that we often go back to is why. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell a similar story, and for all three of them, the story takes a bizarre turn. After John the Baptist gets on the scene, Jesus comes to the Jordan River to be baptized. To begin His earthly ministry. And here, at the baptism of Jesus, God declares His love for Jesus. The voice from heaven declares, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.”[1] Now this is an exciting moment. What a thrilling way to begin this telling of God’s story. This telling of God’s redemptive story. But just as quickly as the story begins, the story takes a bizarre turn. With Jesus still soaking wet from His baptism, Mark tells us that immediately the Holy Spirit drives Jesus out into the wilderness where He is tempted by Satan. God gives Jesus the boot and sends Him into the middle of nowhere. Our translation says the Holy Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. This word can also be translated as throw – as in, the Holy Spirit threw Jesus out into the wilderness. And this was God’s doing. God drove, or threw, His beloved Son out into the wilderness. The same Son that God just declared His love for. Such a bizarre turn of events from the baptism of Jesus in the previous verse. Not the previous chapter, but the previous verse – the previous sentence.

So, we have this bizarre turn of events. And God’s action can leave us asking and wondering one very important question, “Why?” Why does God drive His beloved Son out into the wilderness. Why does God throw His only Son into a wilderness of temptations? Why would God do that? And if God would do such a thing to His only beloved Son, what’s stopping God from doing the same to us? Or has God already done the same to us?

This bizarre turn of the story can really lead us to put into question God’s motives. When we feel abandoned and alone in the wilderness of this life, was that God’s doing? Did God drive us out here? Why would God do that? Why would God leave us? And if God throws Jesus into the wilderness, does God also cause terrible things to happen to us and to those we care about? When we question God’s motives, fear and distrust creep into our minds. Making us wonder if God really is for us. Or is God actually against us?

Now, God’s story takes another bizarre turn when this beloved Son of God is nailed to tree and abandoned. Forsaken. Left for dead. But it is at this bizarre turn in the story where God’s motives become clear. Why does God’s Spirit drive Jesus out into the wilderness? Not to abandon you, but to save you. Not to cause bad things to happen to you, but to support you on your journey in this crazy life, even when bad things do happen. You see, God throws Jesus out into the wilderness of your life for your sake. To enter into the wilderness with you. To walk with you. To comfort you. To encourage you. To lift you up. To overcome your temptations. To save you from the very thing that you can’t save yourself from – death. You cannot save yourself from inevitable eternal death that awaits you. But Jesus can. And Jesus does. And He does so, by entering into the wilderness with you.

God’s story certainly has many bizarre turns, which leave us wondering and asking questions. Why does God do what He does? And God does it, for you. God drives Jesus out into the wilderness of temptation, for you. God sacrifices His only Son, for you. Amen.

[1] Mark 1:11, NRSV

February 14, 2024 by achristoffels

Don’t Forget about Act Two

Readings for the day (Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024):

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Psalm 103:8-14

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.

For centuries, the stage theater has been the place for people to tell stories that make us laugh, and cry, and ultimately be entertained. The theater can be a wonderful getaway place. A place to get away from the sorrow and the despair that we experience all too often in this world, in this life that we live. The theater is a fantastic outlet for us. The theater creates a reprieve from reality.

Now acting is a performance. It’s talented people taking on the role of someone else, portraying their character, portraying their essence, in order to tell us a story. To paint a picture in our minds. To entertain us. To make this life suck just a little less. Or at least help us forget about the troubles of this life for a few moments.

As technology has advanced over the years, the stage theater began appearing on a screen, and coming into our homes. Now even though most of us are not frequenting a stage theater every night of the week, many of us do engage with a screen on a regular basis. And we do so, seeking the same outcome as that of the stage theater – to get a break from the world. To be entertained. To get a good cry in. To laugh so hard that our eyes begin to water. All so that we can step away from reality for a moment, and just be.

We enjoy seeing people act. We enjoy watching performances. And yet, in that Gospel reading, Jesus is rather critical of people who are acting. The reading is from a portion of His Sermon on the Mount, the most well-known and longest recorded message from Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount begins with the familiar Beatitudes, but in this particular section of the sermon, Jesus is rather critical of the religious leaders of His time. And that’s because they were carrying out a variety of pious rituals that ultimately were performances. They were standing on street corners showing off their prayer skills. They were making announcements regarding how much time and money they were giving. They were disfiguring their faces while they were fasting just so that everyone would know that they were holding a fast. And even though praying and talking to God is important. Even though giving our time and money back to God is important. Even though fasting from certain foods and behaviors are important. These religious leaders were putting on a show; and it wasn’t for entertainment purposes. They weren’t real. They were acting. They weren’t being genuine. They were being fake. They were artificial.

And now there’s a difference between people who act for entertainment and people who act artificial. In acting for entertainment, the objectives are clear. This is a show. It’s a performance for entertainment purposes – such as stage theater, and movies, and TV shows. These are performances that entertain us. But now, when people act artificially in real life, they’re not doing it to entertain us. They’re doing it to be someone they’re not. They’re not being real with each other. They’re not being real with themselves. They’re not being real with God.

The season of Lent, which begins today, is a six-week period in the church year where you’re reminded to not be someone you’re not. To not be artificial. To not put on a show and be something that you’re not. But instead to be authentic. To be yourself. To be who God created you to be. So, admit who you are. Admit what you can and cannot do. Be real with each other. Be real with yourself. Be real with God. Because Jesus says that God sees you. Being fake might fool your neighbor, but you’re not going to fool God. God will see right through that. So just be yourself. Jesus says don’t be something that you’re not. Don’t put on a show, like the religious leaders of His time. Instead, be who God created you to be.

And on this Ash Wednesday, what you were created to be is dust. You were created from the dust of the earth, and as that cross was marked on your forehead, you were reminded that it is to dust you shall return. But returning to the dust of the earth is not the end of the story for you. Because just as the season of Lent doesn’t last forever, there’s an act two in God’s story. Where act one is filled with darkness and despair, act two is filled with light and hope. Act one reminds you that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Act two declares that from dust you will rise to new life in Christ.

Being artificial won’t get you very far because there’s nothing that you can do to fool or trick God. But being real. Being authentic. Being you, is what God asks for. And that’s what Jesus went to the cross for. For you. Not for the artificial you. But for the real you. To give light to your darkness. To give hope to your despair. To bring new life to your dust. Amen.

The Rest for The Weary

Sermons & Thoughts from Pastor Anthony Christoffels

You ARE the branches

Finding Reliability

Mind Tricks

From ‘Cleansing’ to ‘Fellowship’

Not Among the Dead, but the Living

Look at the Stick!

Jesus’ Other Side

Winning, Losing, and a Moon Race

In a Word…Why?

Don’t Forget about Act Two

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