March 8

Today was a blessed day at Point of Grace.  We joined in worship again with the school likes and a few guests.  This last week and this weekend was visiting time for parents.  A few of those came to church this morning.  Here at Point of Grace, they celebrate communion every Sunday.  So it was great to gather around the altar with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

At the end of the service we processed up to the school to officially open and dedicate the library.  There were a lot of happy people: team, teachers, Pastor and Lorna, students, and guests alike.  They said it will benefit no only the school, but the community as well.  

Our second service was at Ararat church, about 5 minutes from here.  The service ran about two hours with communion and 5 baptisms.  It was a really neat full circle for me at this church.  In order to get to the church we had to walk by the house that the team from Emanuel mudded in 2013.  After the service was over, I realized that 4 of the children I baptized were from that house.  

We got back around 2:30 and ate lunch.  Then we invited some of the sponsored children over who had gifts to recieve.  It was fun having them by themselves and getting a little chance to visit.  We watched a little bit of the movie Madagascar and then went to the chapel to Skpye with Dodge Center.  It worked for a while, but then we lost it as more kids came in.  So we recorded a bunch of songs, the kids sang for close to an hour and a half.  At least we can bring that home with us to Dodge Center.

It was a bit of a tough night in the chapel tonight.  We began saying out goodbyes tonight, which are as tough for the kids as it is for the team. We cried, we hugged, and I told the team we will get to do it again tomorrow!

One more sleep here at Point of Grace.  The time went fast but we are all ready to return to our families.  Pray for our safe travels, that the work at Point of Grace would continue, and that God's grace would continue to abound here!  

         

Safari

By 9 AM this morning we had seen the Big 5 (Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Water Buffalo, Lion).  This is a pretty rare feat!  My battery is low, so this post will be short.  We all had a great day and can't wait to share more.

Hut Mudding

Today was the day that we had all waited for anxiously.  We began talking about it when we showed up, we learned about the family, and kept updated on the progress of the frame of the house.  Everything happened according to plan this year!  We headed to the land around 9 A.M. and met with Rosemary in her old house, said a prayer, and got to work.  It was hard to comprehend that someone could live in such conditions with 4 children (3 of which were still at home).  The house had a definite lean and plenty of holes in the roof.

It started out a little slow, we all had a lot of learning to do with rolling and packing the mud and choosing the right rocks for filler.  After a while, more help showed up.  The NEEMA women's group showed up to help fling mud as well, and I will be the first to say they put us all to shame!  They worked quick and were very patient with us.  From beginning to end, the project took 4 hours.  That included a tea break, which we are all in favor of, and downtime waiting for more water to arrive.  After the house was completed, after picture were taken, we entered the new house and joined in song and prayer.  Rosemary, her family, her neighbors, we very appreciative of the new house.  We are all just praying that the house will be finished by the time the rainy season begins, which could be any time.

I was told many times that I won because I had the most mud on me :)  Anyone who knows me is probably not surprised.  The ladies at the Meeker's house sure got a laugh.  We cleaned up, ate lunch, and headed up to the school for some unexpected time with the kids.  We set up the volleyball nets and had some instruction time with a few teachers.  The ladies handed out some beads for necklaces, and they have stories from that, and then met up with Anderson, our safari guide.

Some of us snuck back over to the dorms and handed out some glo-stick brackets.  Jana, this was a great idea!  I have never head giggles like that :)  We closed the night by leading devotions again with the older dorms and said our goodbyes until Saturday.

Tomorrow we head to the Mara!!  I will do a picture blog tomorrow night (3/6) so that you can see a little bit of God's creation that we are experiencing.  

March 3

It isn’t until we sit down for the evenings here at Point of Grace that we realize just how busy we have been.  As the team feverously journals about their days experiences, we all share stories and laughs with each other.  I strongly believe this is a very important time of day for everyone. 

Today was another busy day with lots to accomplish.  We took all our donations to Lorna’s office, first thing this morning.  We had it planned out to distribute the quilts from Trinity, Faribault to students who needed them the most.  Lorna handpicked each one and brought them down to the office.  We all took turns handing them out and a few of us got to children who were special to us.  Karen gave a blanket to her new sponsor child Tobias.  I had the privilege to hand a blanket to my parents new sponsor child Mildred and to a child whose house I helped build in 2013.  Each of the 16 blankets were special moments.  Thank you Trinity ladies!  Pictures will be coming your way when we get home.  

We all spent some time this morning sanding the library bookshelves.  All shelving units are now built and some of us put on the first coat of paint this afternoon.  It looks really nice.  We have been told many times just how great this library will be for the school.  More than once I have been told that it is a dream come true.  The head teacher even told me that there is no other school in the area with a library like this.  Personally, this is very humbling to be told, to be able to have a hand in the project, but most of all to have this library bear the name “Chase”.  I am just glad that it will be a blessing and asset to the school.  With just a few more coats of paint, sweeping, and stacking of book, the “Chase Junior Library” and Point of Grace Academy will be complete! 

This afternoon, the ladies took the time to assemble 220 goodie bags for the boarding children.  They went school at a local store to pick up a few things, and boy did the kids love to get them all.  Thanks to all who donated toys, games, candy, and even whistles.  They will be enjoyed for some time. 

We will end our evening again by leading devotions for the kids.  We all enjoyed it so much last night, we couldn’t imagine not doing it again.  Tonight we must get some good rest, for tomorrow we mud a hut!  We are all excited for this chance to help a family out.  

Monday 3/2

I think I speak for the whole team when I say today was an exhausting day.  We each had a lot of different projects that we worked on today.  The ladies carried more boxes of books to the third floor of the school, where we are storing the books during construction.  Dale and I continued our sanding of bookshelves and were told that tomorrow we will start painting/staining and by Wednesday we can stack books.  Hopefully the room is ready for dedication on Sunday. 

Shirley Deetz, on our way back to the house for lunch we stopped by the house where the sewing machines are!  See the pictures below J  I couldn't believe when I learned that the three workers there make ALL the kids clothes.  They do an amazing job!  I thought about leaving my measurements and getting a pair of pants. 

In the afternoon, we all went separate ways.  The ladies went to see the women’s group that meets and into town to do a little shopping.  I headed back to school to visit with the kids and play a while.  They were all so sweet to ask me to take an afternoon run with them!  But, if I were to go run for thirty minutes, I would probably had collapse about 30 seconds in.  But I met them all for an hour of volleyball when they were done. 

We all took a walk over to see the Meeker’s house that they are building.  It has amazing views.  On one side you have breathtaking views of Lake Victoria, on the other you see the children’s dorms.  What a blessing that house will be for visiting teams when it is done. 

After we ate supper, we all went up and led devotions for the 2 oldest girls dorms and the 2 oldest boys dorms.  It was a very neat experience.  I hope to have the chance to do so each night before we head home.  I am teaching the girls to sing Abide With Me. 

All in all, it was another great day at POGA.  For those wondering, the team is all doing well.  No one has gotten hurt, only one hasn’t felt good to this point.  We are very thankful for our safety! 

A quick note to last year’s team, James is back!!  He says hello to everyone.    

     

A Double Post (Saturday & Sunday)

Saturday

The last day of VBS was great.  All the kids came back to school, and as told, they were in full uniform.  It was definitely more relaxed though.  The kids loved signing the banner, the teacher and the team all signed it too.  We have seen since day one that the kids have a passion for singing, this was especially evident today.  We had a mix of everything, from Jesus Loves Me to This Is The Way We Brush Our Teeth!  We all took turns tying necklaces, which didn’t last long, most have been turned into other things, but enjoyed all the same. 

We had a chance to feed the kids lunch one more time.  Today there was only one line, so most of us had a chance to go around and visit with the kids.  They are always so excited to have their picture taken, especially when they can see the picture right away. 

In the afternoon we headed up to the library to sand some more pieces.  There is one stack complete, with another on it’s way.  Peter, the carpenter, is using the plans drawn up by a member of Grace!  Way to go Rod, you are now an international architect!  We are hoping that once they get to work on Monday, the shelves will be produced quicker, since they have done one. 

We quit a little early this afternoon so that we could all get ready to head into town and treat the Meekers to dinner.  It was a beautiful evening at Kiboko (Swahili for hippo) Bay.  The food was delicious, it was a real treat for us all.  There was not enough time to stop at the Nakumatt tonight, but it is in the works soon. 

We are all looking forward to enjoying Sunday worship with the kids and to travel to an area church.  Your prayers continue to sustain us, thank you! 

Update Two: Sunday

Both of our services today were amazing.  So nice to worship with 200+ children.  I think that the team was impressed by how well they knew Divine Service Setting Three.  8,500 miles away from home, and they are using the same liturgy we are familiar with.  The second service was in a Luo speaking church.  Pastor Meeker can speak it pretty well, but there was a liturgist for us.  I had a chance to preach with Richard, Lorna’s helper in the CMC office, translating.  It was a really neat opportunity for us all. 

One thing that we found interesting was that someone put chicken eggs in the offering plate.  At the end of the service, one church member stood up and basically auctioned them off.  They turned the eggs into money.  But unlike our auctions, if you placed a bid, you paid that money whether you got the eggs or not!  We all thought we could give this a try for our school auction. 

We spent some time with the kids this afternoon, working with those who were going to be speaking during Skype.  They were all excited to speak to their sponsors, and even introduce themselves to potential sponsors.  We heard some heartbreaking stories, so many children orphaned.  But we are glad they have found a home, and friends, and Point of Grace.

I have to apologize to everyone who was at Grace this morning for our Skype.  I am sorry it didn't go better.  However, I am happy were able to get ids and sponsors matched up by the end.  We will have plenty of videos when we get back to share. 

We will see what tomorrow brings for us.  Some will work in the library, some will run errands, the ladies will be visiting the women’s group, and we might all do a few home visits.  We are excited to be able to get out into the community and see God at work.  

VBS Day 2

Today was another fantastic day at Point of Grace.  You could tell from the very beginning that the kids were warming up to us.  They were talkative, super smiley, and attracted to cameras!  I saw a shift in team as well, they really did well in our Jonah skit.  We had the kids involved as the people of Nineveh.  I told them to make the meanest face they could, most of them smiled. 

I think the biggest hit of the day was he fish party blower.  The kids were the first to take a liking to noise makers, but by the end, the teachers were having more fun that everyone else!  I can’t wait to share some videos from that classroom with you. 

The library shelves are officially underway!  The team spent the afternoon sanding the shelves, watching the carpenter prepare the wood.  It was an eye opener and pretty neat to watch.  We were told that by the time we get back to Point of Grace from the safari, the project will be complete.  We have been told by everyone that this will be a great addition, especially for the Form 1 kids. 

I had the chance to teach two classes today, both Pastoral Program of Instruction.  The first was for classes 5-8 (roughly 160 kids) and the afternoon session was Form 1 (32 kids).  They did very well, considering who their teacher was!  Dale and I were invited into the teachers evening meeting, and the general consensus is that VBS is a hit, for both students and teachers.  

  

After supper tonight we headed over to the dorms to have a tour and see a few of the kids.  At the moment they are packed tight!  As of tomorrow though, nearly 100 boys will be moved to the third floor of the school.  They have said that there is a need to separate the boys from the girls.   

All and all a great day, capped off by a Tusker beer. 

VBS Day One

Phew, what a first day!  Considering we have been living in below zero temperature all winter, today's 95 degrees wore us out.  Add in the fact that it was a full day, I think we will all sleep well tonight.  The teachers requested that we “team teach” with them, which mostly observing.  Some marked English assignments, others worked on math with the children.  It was so neat to be able to see the kids and teachers at work.  They all work so hard. 

After observing a couple of different rooms, we jumped into VBS, which was a head first dive.  You can only plan so much when you are dealing with 150-200 kids in a room, but team did great!  The school choir (30 kids strong) sang a little before we started and after we ended, it was beautiful. 

After VBS we became servants to the kids by serving them their lunch.  The amount they make to serve 450 kid is unbelievable.  But they have it down to a science, there was very little left over.  The nutrition of the children is very important to the Meeker’s.  If someone doesn't get what they need, their studies will suffer. 

Our afternoon was spent starting the library project.  This was something marked as one of the most important needs for the school.  We cataloged nearly 400 books, which was about 5-6 hours of work.  The shelving materials were delivered this evening and will be ready to being construction tomorrow.  The kids and teachers are looking forward to having these books available to them.  Until today, they were in storage.

The team had so much fun interacting with the kids.  Some sponsor children were visited and introduced to their sponsors.  I think that lifelong friendships are in the making! 

 

Our travels are done.....for now!

We have arrived!  What an amazing day of traveling we had.  All of us had our eyes opened with rush hour traffic in Nairobi (4 million residents).  It was basically a free for all, thankfully we had an experienced driver. 

I had to eat my words a bit today as well.  I had talked up the roads from Nairobi to Kisumu as some of the worst on the planet.  Well, we were able to travel on PAVED ROADS the WHOLE way!  What a fantastic surprise.  It really is easy to see the progress being made in the country. 

Everyone enjoyed the scenery, the entrance into the Great Riff Valley was breathtaking.  Among the many animals we were able to see today were zebras, gazelles, wild pigs, and baboons.  Our driver was always very willing to slow down and let us take a few pictures. 

But what we were excited for the most, to be able to officially say we are at Point of Grace!  After we got our bags situated, we took a walk over to the school.  We were able to see the dorms (and kids!) and check out the third floor of the school.  What amazing progress is being made.  By the end of the week we were told the scaffolding will be down, lights installed, and two rooms will officially be ready to be used as the older boys dorms. 

We are all excited to get a good night’s rest and start our work in the morning.  As always, thank you for your prayers!  

Jambo!

Hello everyone!
    We arrived safely in Nairobi last night at 8:25 PM local time.  We had very smooth flights and although we spent 2 and a half hours in the airport here, it was pretty smooth too.  We got some sleep last night, not great but more than we got on the planes.  We will be leaving in about 30 minutes to start our drive toward Kisumu and Point of Grace.

    We had the chance to come in contact with another mission group from western Minnesota (they are apart of a small Lutheran denomination) who were headed to Tanzania.  It was really neat to be able to share our trips with each other.  It is really amazing that half way around the world, Lutherans are working to share the love of God.

     Please continue to pray for our safe travels!

 
Side note: A special thanks to my wife, Jana, for being a relay person and getting word out on Facebook when we can't.  It was great to be able to call her last night, even if we did get cut off.

"Jonah" Jonah 3:1-5;10

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

Amen

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

In the Name of Jesus

For all intents and purposes, Samuel and Jonah might as well be complete opposite people.  Last week we talked about all the distractions we have in life and how, when our Lord calls to us, we must put down the distractions and answer as Samuel did, speak Lord for your servant hears.  What a faith, what an example for us to follow.  Even though he did not know who was calling him the first 3 times, the fourth time he did as his master, Eli, had told him.  In the still of the night, stop and listen to the command which the Lord would give. 

Jonah was not all that interested in listening to the Lord’s commands, or at least not after he heard where the command would take him.  Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”  Understand, Nineveh was a bad, bad place.  I don’t even know what we could compare it to.  Maybe imagine the Lord is wanting to send you to Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, I don’t know, New York City, San Francisco, or Detroit!  Nineveh was a corrupt town which had wandered away from the way of the Lord.  It was a large city, especially for that time.  It’s fortified wall was 8 miles in circumference.  It was the capital of Assyria, and it seemly stood for sin.  It was a powerful city, it was a ruthless city, and something had to be done. 

It was no doubt a daunting task for anyone.  Remember, last week, how I said there were those who hear the call and obey, those who searched for a life time, and those who ignored and went about their own business?  Samuel obeyed.  It stood ready to serve Eli and, when the call became clear, the Lord.  Jonah, however, was not so ready.  Nineveh stood 500 miles from his home town.  But that wasn’t far enough for him.  Instead, he goes down to the docks in Joppa, finds a boat going the opposite direction, , he bought his ticket to ride, cause he don’t care.    

Not only is he fleeing the people of Nineveh with this move, he is effectively evading the presence of the Lord and His divine command.  Instead of being still, dropping all distractions, and listening to the Lord, Jonah does what he can to run away and actually surround himself with the noise of the world.  Do you know how many of the Lord’s prophets have biblically recorded hissy fits and disobey the Lord?  ZERO!  Jonah is a trend setter!  Quite possible a trend he could have done without setting. 

Once he got on the boat, trouble arose.   The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.  Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.  So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” 

How bad it must have been for the career sailors to even be afraid.  And yet, Jonah sleeps.  And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.  Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”  And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”  Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.  Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.  He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”  Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.  Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”  So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

Even the unbelieving heathens knew that if your god told you to do something, you better do it.  As we well know, the punishment for Jonah didn’t end there, being thrown into a raging sea wasn’t enough.  A big fish came and swallowed him and there he dwelled for three days.  He thought, he prayed, he had a long talk with God.  Finally we get to our text today. 

I have said it the last few weeks.  The story doesn’t end in death.  Jonah’s story didn’t end with his suffering and dying in the belly of a fish.  His story ends with God’s will playing out.  He is spit out onto the shore, God calls to him again, and he follows the three big rules in which the Chase house has.  He listens immediately, obeys cheerfully, and speaks respectfully. 

If this second chance isn’t Gospel, I don’t know what is.   After blatant disobedience, our Lord gives Jonah another chance.  He not only spares him, but then uses him again!  And not only did Jonah get the all-important second chance, Nineveh did as well.  Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”  And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.  The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.  Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.

Our God, is a God of second, third, fourth, 1,000^th chances.  Yes we know the punishment for sin.  God’ doesn’t simply bring ruin to a city who disobeys.  He didn’t simply place a little water on the earth to hopefully destroy her.  He didn’t simply let the children of Israel go into Jericho to defeat her, he caused them to demolish their fortified wall, their pride, their protection.  He let the water fill the earth the earth roughly 22 feet above the highest mountain. 

But to those who repent, to Jonah, to the people of Nineveh, the Israelites, to Noah and his family who remained faithful, he shows his continued steadfast love.  He reminds them that because of their repentance, forgiveness is there.  He will relent not just of earthly disaster, but eternal disaster. 

You see, the disaster has passed, it’s over and done with.  The threat for us is gone.  What Jonah rightfully deserved, what Nineveh deserved, what deserve has already been handed down.  God destroyed his son, he abandoned him and left him for dead.  He wasn’t in the belly of a fish for three days but in a house of death, in a tomb only to leave three days later.  All so that when Jonah repented, when Nineveh sat in sackcloth and ashes, when we repent of our sins, we may hear the most precious words of absolution.    

What a profession of faith the king of Nineveh says stop turn from evil, who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.  This is the theme of Lent, repentance and forgiveness.  We even use the words from the second chapter of Joel during Lent Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”  Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.  Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him…

This is what Jonah, the prophet, forgot, and the King remembered.  It is what we must remember as well.  Whether we are the one lost in sin, if it’s someone we know or someday we have the chance to share forgiveness to a people we are intimidated by and are afraid of.  Preach the Gospel, share the gospel, lift high the cross at all times, who knows how and when the Lord will word, leaving a blessing in return.  

Amen

+SGD+

"Who's Calling?" 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

Amen

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

In the Name of Jesus

In today’s world, there are lots of things that vie for our attention.  In fact, that is the point of every ad we see, whether TV, newspaper, magazine, or internet.  They want our attention, our business, they want us to forget about every other product and solely buy theirs.      

There are lots of things that that we give our attention to.  When our phones ring with a phone call or text message we drop what we are doing to answer it.  If you are a news junkie then when you see a breaking news story I wouold be that you stop what you are doing to pay attention.  We will even devote ourselves to our favorite TV shows, sports teams. 

But is what gets our attention that which needs it the most?  Are you guilty of giving your full attention to things that don’t really matter?  Guilty of giving attention to something meaningless while other more important tasks which require attention are forgotten?   

There is even a certain sex among us that gets accused of selective hearing.  Hearing only what they want to hear and being able to tune out everything else, ignore all other distractions.  

Of all the things that demand our attention, the most important is our God.  God demands attention.  God has been calling for the attention of man ever since the creation of the world.  He spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden and demanded their worship and praise.  He spoke to and through the prophets of the Old Testament and even to the Paul, then Saul, on the road to Damascus.  Each time demanding action in His name.

In our Old Testament text today he calls someone a bit out of the ordinary.  Not someone who was in power.  Not someone who was old and wise.  Not someone who we would have expected.  Instead he is calling a young boy, a boy who was the answer to many petitions prayer by his mother, for she was barren.  Because this child was a gift from God, she promised to give him then to the Lord’s service. 

In chapter three for 1 Samuel, we find the boy, Samuel, living in the temple caring for the aging priest Levi.  It took dedication.  The text says that his eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see.  This particular evening, Eli was in his bed and Samuel was camped out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.     

Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!”  and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.  And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.’  Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.  And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” 

Samuel was confused by the call of the Lord.  It is very interesting for how religious his mother was, read the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, her faith is really why he is in the temple serving with Eli in the first place, we get the sentence there in verse 7, Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.  Really, how is this possible for him to be given to the Lord’s service, be in the Lord’s house day after day and yet have it written about him that he didn’t know the Lord or his word? 

Perhaps at a young age the boy had perfected his selective hearing and tuned out anytime he heard someone speak on the matter of God.  Maybe he worked so hard, and was so diligent in that work, that he was always distracted as to what was going on around him.  Either way he runs to the aid of Eli each time he hears his name called in the night. 

Ever wonder who is calling you?  We live in a world that is confused by calls.  These calls, even THE CALL are interpreted many ways.  Some will take the call for God in their life and spend their whole life searching out a “spiritual force” to follow.  Then there are some who will ignore that call and do whatever they want, almost a Jonah if you will (who we will talk about next week). 

How do we answer THE CALL?  Are we those who go the other way, those who ignore it, or those who search out the caller only to miss him all together?  Maybe another question we should answer is, does God still call?  Is he still calling to us today? 

Praise God he does!  He still calls to us.  Not standing and appearing to us but through his Word, through the Holy Spirit.  Think back to your confirmation memory work.  The third article explanation.   The Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.   

He speaks, he calls, through the Holy Spirit and his Word.  Just like he had things for Samuel to hear and to do, so he has things for us to hear and do.  Hear what the Lord had for Samuel.  Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.  On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.   And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.  Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”    

Remember this is Samuel’s first experience with the Word of the Lord!  But this is what HE wants us to hear too.  He calls so that we sit and listen.  He wants us to know the same things which Samuel would soon prophecy about.  First, we must know of our sin and that we are lost in that sin.  But we also need to know that we are not lost in that sin.  But it doesn’t end there.  We also listen to his words of love and because of that love, forgiveness.  He still calls us to and into his love and forgiveness.   

That’s what Samuel would end up sharing.  That is what his timeless, transcendent message will always be.  We are sinful, but he loves and because he loves us he forgiveness us through his Son.  When he calls to us be begins where we must begin as well, at the cross.  This is where ur relationship is founded, the actions of Christ for us.  This is what he continues to call to us with and say to us, whether we stop all distractions and listen or not.    

So we know he still calls.  But why?  What does he still come to us?  Well, in a world full of distractions he wants to hear things that are good and beneficial for us.  He wants us to hear, to continually to hear.  In fact he want us to just hear it, but he wants us to LOVE to hear his word.  To use the words from the collect we use on non-communion Sundays, he was us to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest His Words.  It’s the different between, I have to go to church and I get to go to church!  HE wants us to earnestly desire His Words. 

He also wants us to heed his calling.  He doesn’t just call men into the Office of Holy Ministry.  He calls everyone into vocation where they can be witnesses.  To some he calls into church council positions, some he calls to be teachers, business owners.  Just because your job doesn’t deal with religion or churches doesn’t mean God isn’t using you to witness to others.

Accordingly, he calls us also to spread his word, his love, his forgiveness.  If you have such a great message, you can’t just keep it to yourself, can you?  And what a better time.  Sitting right in-between Christmas and Ash Wednesday.  Invite others to come journey with us to the Cross of Calvary.  Invite others to put aside the distractions of the world and fix their eyes with us on Jesus. 

What a wonderful thought.  Praise God he allows us the opportunity to forsake this world and enter into his holy house.  Yes there can be distractions even here in his house.  Our mind can be in a million different places and our attention can be called away in an instant.  But His Word remains here whether we are distracted or not.  His presence remains here even when want to look to other things.  His body and blood remain here even when we refuse to see it.  His forgiveness will always flow here even when we think we don’t need it.

Praise God for his faithfulness to a distracted children.  

Amen

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"Necessary Water" Mark 1:4-11

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

Amen

in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

In the Name of Jesus

Water is a very important part of our lives.  According to my research the world is made up of 70% water while our bodies are made up of between 60-65% just one year after birth, down from 73% at birth.  In order to remain healthy, in order to keep the in balance, there must be the right amount of hydrogen di oxide.  Too much in our bodies and we can actually drown ourselves.  Not enough, and we run the risk of dehydration and causing our bodies to shut down.  Looking at nature, add more water to our lakes and streams then what should be there and you will see how quickly land will get saturated, flood, and become a devastating mess.  Not enough water and you will see the effects on more than just land and vegetation.    

It is plain to see, through our years on this earth, that the truth is this:  Too much or not enough….WATER KILLS. 

Don’t believe me?  Let’s first look at the Israelites.  Stuck in their brutal slavery to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, they begged for release.  God had hardened Pharaoh’s heart and caused him not to grant their wish.  After the tenth plague, after the Angel of Death passed over, Pharaoh told them to get out of town.

In order to be saved they had to pass through…..water!  They were cornered in certain death on the banks of the Red Sea it was either death by Pharaoh’s army or death by water if they tried to swim across.  In faith Moses followed the command of the Lord to stretch out his staff and the waters would part.  The Children of Israel went into the midst of the sea, passing on dry ground.  But as Pharaoh and his host went into the midst of the same sea, the water swallowed them up, thus wiping out, wiping away that when held them captive.  By the word of the Lord their chains were burst. 

Noah, living well before Moses, had to deal with sinful people.  Not just sinful rulers, but an entire population.  It is recorded that the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 

Strong words.  This led to the destruction of the world by the flood.  Water consumed the world and the only ones saved where the faithful, Noah and his family, saved in a vessel commanded and blessed by God.  The wickedness, the sinfulness, was wiped out and the earth cleansed. 

Back to Moses.  In a situation, somewhat related to the slaughter of the innocent boys in and around Bethlehem we remembered a few weeks back, there was an attack on young males in the Israelite camp in Egypt out of fear that they would be able to overthrow the Egyptian powers.  They said Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.  Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.  And so it was decided, since their first command to the midwives to kill the sons and leave the daughters was disobeyed,  Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.

Water brought immediate death for those young boys.  But to Moses, one destined by God to do great things, he his saved in a basket, a vessel blessed by God.  

In today’s world, water is still a sign of danger.  There was even a movie that exclaimed “Don’t go near the water!”  We are ever aware of the dangers of water with the searching for missing planes, dramatic rescues of individuals who fall through ice into fridge water.  In a matter of seconds, water kills. 

Yet it is simply amazing, throughout the Bible water is used as a means of death.  But it never ends there, it doesn’t end with death.  The death brings about a cleansing. 

And believe it or not, there is a proper way to approach this death by water.  Maybe you caught it.  Pharaoh and his host went down into the basin of the Red Sea before being overcome by waters of death.  For those outside of the ark, they stay down in the waters as it rose all around them.  The poor innocent Hebrew boys who were thrown down into the water so that the Egyptians would feel more secure about themselves before a Hebrew, himself, rose in power in their land. 

But to those marked by God, to those whom he has chosen to save, the water was a means of salvation.  While their oppressors died in the water, the Children of Israel passed through on dry ground and they watched as their pursuers died in the deeps of the water.  Noah saved in the same way as Moses.  In divinely inspired vessels.  To those who were forced into the deadly waters, our Lord brought them safely out on the other side. 

Even in out Gospel reading, where we get the institution and blessing of baptism, we get the implication of the proper movement regarding the death of water.  Mark records that in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Even our Lord went down into the waters of death in order to be brought up.  But why?  This is something that we all have done.  We have all passed through the waters, we have all gone down, in order to be brought up.  But the question remains, why must we go down to death?  Am I making a lot out of nothing this morning?  I guess I will let you be the judge of that.  Why must we go down in to the waters? 

In order of baptism to be lifesaving, our sin and the punishment we rightfully deserve must be placed somewhere.  It must be placed back on the one from whom all sin came.  Yes, Christ came and bore the sins of the word, he bore the punishment upon his shoulders which was meant or you and me, through the events of his life, he is eternally sticking it to the serpent.      

It is a three step process.  First our Lord comes, descends into the water and comes out for us.  He lives his live for us, perfect in every way.  He goes to the cross baring the weight of our sins, and dies for them.  Secondly, our Lord rises from the dead and proceeds to descend into hell to proclaim victory once and for all over sin, death, and most importantly, the devil.  He goes to proclaim that the punishment given him in the Garden of Eden, belongs to him alone.  He has redeemed His own.  He has given his life so that the sin we commit, is forgiven and we are seen in Christ’s perfection.

And the third step, he institutes Baptism, he gives us this live saving miracle, so that we can go down into the water, so that we can drown the Old Adam in us and leave it there.  He literally goes into the water so that we too can go into the water and DIE! 

And we don’t get to just kill that Old Adam once, we are urged to kill it daily!  Martin Luther writes, in answer to the question what does such washing with water indicate that it indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die. 

And what is even better is what Paul encourages us with in his Epistle of the Romans.  Words frequently heard and funerals because they beings us great comfort in the face of sins ultimate curse, death.  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin.  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Luther finishes his answer by stating after the old Adam is drowned and die that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.  Because we have gone down into the waters with Christ into death then we will be raised with him as well.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  Yes water means death, death for us all.  But praise God that because we have died, we will now live forever in paradise.  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 

Amen

                +SDG+