DEVOTIONS

During Advent, we can fail to see the story that is going on, and instead see a pretty; perhaps a cute scene; with some barn yard animals, and some “precious moments” angels, and some wise men with gifts; and, of course, a beautiful sleeping baby who never cries. We even hear that picturesque sentiment in the song, right? Jesus couldn’t have been a FUSSY baby: Cause we know: “But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.”

But remember: REMEMBER what this little precious baby was sent here for. This precious baby was born with a mission. Really, here we have, in the Christ, one baby, BORN TO DIE. A baby born, not into a scene of tranquility, but into a world of death and sin.

A situation, even as he lays there in the hay, where Satan and the evil of the world are trying to destroy him! He comes into the world, and immediately King Herod attempts to kill him: to KILL this baby! SATAN desires to KILL BABY JESUS, using the forces of this world! WHAT A WORLD HE IS SENT INTO! HOW THE OPPOSITION TO HIS MINISTRY BEGINS FROM HIS BIRTH!

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Well I want you to think of it in this way: There can be times when ALL of us, as mature Christians in faith, can interact with others in a way where we PROCLAIM our righteousness; where we DEMAND what is rightfully ours. There are situations when others wrong us; when we have worked for a wage that we have not received; when we have been taken advantage of and have been SEVERLY wronged. When we have been mistreated. When a loved one has acted in a way that is UNCHRISTIAN.

And in these situations, we can often feel as though it is RIGHTEOUS for us to DEMAND what is rightfully ours! To demand apology! To demand repercussions! To demand that the cashier, neighbor, friend, family member, or person in the car ahead of us LIVE by the standard that we know is RIGHT, and TREAT US in the way we know God desires them to!

BUT, there are sometimes: when we interact with the world; where demanding what is rightfully ours, even if it IS rightfully ours; is a stumbling block against those we interact with. And when this happens, it is a sin. Because even if the act is NOT a sin IN AND OF ITSELF; as with eating the food set aside for idols is no real sin because the idols are not real thing at all; if you demand justice and it is a stumbling block to your neighbor, then because of your witness, it is not right for you to do so.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Let us so serve this poor broken world, by the power of God’s Spirit, until every knee shall bow and every tongue proclaims: “Jesus is Lord.”

Amen.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Listen, people of God: you have been SO blessed. And, with the Spirit of God living within you, you have something that many others are not so blessed to have. Do not let your extreme blessing turn into arrogance over those we meet who act in wicked ways.

Instead, treat them as Christ has first treated you:

Look upon them, and have mercy. Look upon them, and speak to them the love of Christ.

In many of these situations, what is RIGHT to do may be hard to see. But when these times come upon you: STOP; pray; and seek God’s Will. He will present to you opportunity to serve him. For he is with you.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

In books, or movies, or even comic books, there is one consistent trait of a hero. It isn’t that they never do anything wrong. It isn’t that they are always strong or skilled or talented. IN fact, many heroes of many stories are weak, and have serious character flaws, like tempers, alcoholism, and cowardice: you name it.

But one thing that is always consistent: and think about this: is that the hero will never go around thinking that he is better than everyone else. BUT, the villain always will.

We can look at the heroes and villains of the Bible, and see the same thing. The heroes of the Old Testament, flawed though they were, still knew that “But by the grace of God go we.”

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

There is a story of St. John that is my favorite. And I think it has very much to do with today: a day in which we look at Jesus primarily as KING; and where we look at just what that means.

This story was recorded in a tract by Clement of Alexandria. And told in my own words, it goes like this:

St. John was, for a time, exiled on the island of Patmos, where he, among other responsibilities, cared for Mary, the mother of Jesus, until she died. This was a responsibility that Jesus himself had given to him; as you may recall his words from the cross: “Son, behold your mother. Mother, behold your Son.”

But when the time had come for him to leave Patmos he traveled throughout Asia Minor, speaking the Gospel, strengthening churches and ordaining church leaders, among other things.

One day, John arrived in an unidentified city in Asia Minor, and while there, he appointed a leader of the church. Now at that time, St John had had a boy in his charge; a young boy that he loved very much, but could no longer care for. So he turned to his newly appointed bishop and told him, “I commit this boy to you before the church and with Christ as witness. Please care for him.”

The bishop not only accepted the charge, but he took the boy home to live with him. He raised him up and loved him and raised him in the true faith. But the boy was a troubled youth. He began to hang out with the wrong crowd; with those who were not of the faith, and who influenced the young boy to see things their way. He rejected the teachings and life that the bishop had set before him, and instead went with these new friends. Eventually, he turned to a life of including highway robbery; and he excelled at it. In fact, he eventually left the bishop’s household, and went off to live in the mountains, to lead his own band of thieves, gaining a reputation as the fiercest and most cold-blooded criminal in the land; a murderer and a thug.

A good while later, St. John once again came to the town. And upon arriving, the first thing that he did was visit the bishop, who was delighted to see him! But he was not delighted to see him for long. For the first thing that St. John said to him was, “Now please let me see the boy!”

The bishop was despondent. A lot of time had passed since St. John was last there, and the bishop had all but forgotten the boy, having figured him lost. He had given up home on him, and had barely given him a thought since.

St. John, however, had not forgotten.

“Come now, O bishop, restore to us the deposit which I and the Savior committed to you before the eyes of the church, which you lead.”

The bishop was flummoxed. He did not know what to say. He simply stood in confused and fearful silence.

Then John said, “I demand the young man! The soul of my brother!”

The bishop broke into tears. “He is dead,” he replied.

“Dead? How did he die? What kind of death was it?” John asked.

“He is dead to God,” the bishop replied. “He turned wicked, and he left. Now at last he is a robber, and he has taken possession of the mountain right in front of the church, along with his gang of thieves.”

To this, St. John turned away from the bishop, and shouted:

“Get me a horse,” he cried. And having received one, shouted again: “Someone to show me the way up the mountain!”

John the apostle wasted no time. He didn’t change or wash, but aged and gray, he climbed on the horse and charged up the mountains, where the thieves were known to live.

Alone he rode into the settlement of the thieves. And when there, facing those men who did not know nor fear God, they threatened him with death.

“Take me, then!” he shouted at them. “That’s why I’m here. But first let me see your captain.”

The thieves took the man into custody, and walked him arm in arm to their leader. The boy was a man now; full grown, long and strong, with the wear of a life in the wilderness and hands that had bloodied and beaten many.

But this rough leader of thieves, upon seeing this old bearded frail man walk at him between two men in his charge, his eyes grew wide in amazement, and weren’t the other thieves surprised when their leader, upon seeing the old man, turn … and run! He ran! He ran like he had seen the God himself!

That old man too, then, frail as he was, ran after him! After the captain of thieves as his gang stood their with mouths open.

“Why are you running, my son?” St. John shouted after him. “I’m old and unarmed! Please, pity me! Don’t be afraid! You still have hope of life.”

St. John continued to shout, still giving chase. He said:

“Stop! I will give account to Christ for you! The Lord died for us; I will willingly surrender my life for you! Stop! Believe! Christ has sent me!”

The young man, exhausted, gave up; panting, shoulders, slouched, he stopped and turned, and looked down at the old man. And walking to him, the captain of the thieves fell to his knees and burst into tears. St. John grabbed his shoulders, lifted him up, embraced him

John dropped to his knees and pledged to the young man that he would find forgiveness from the Savior. He kissed his hand, and he led him back to the church. And you will meet him one day in paradise.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

“YOU, you yourselves were dead in sin,” Paul says. “You were sons and daughters of disobedience. BUT BY GOD’S GRACE, you have been made new: God’s grace, which you have not worked for, but is a gift.”

So if you look at this, your neighbor, and think that they HAVE had every advantage you have had, think again. For you have been given the proclamation of Christ, and the Spirit of God, which dwells within you. And then, thinking on such things, turn to these neighbors and give them this same gift you have: SPEAK to them the love of God. RETURN to them the love that Christ has given to you first!

Be patient with them, even when they are rude and contemptuous.

Be kind with them, when they are cruel.

Be compassionate with them, even when they themselves prey on the weak like vultures.

And be God’s wisdom, and his voice of proclamation to them: even though they try to claim all the world’s wisdom for themselves.

For it is in this same way: as you were DEAD in your TRESSPASSES, that Jesus came to you.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, O heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Enough. This is the real deal. The clocks of our lives tick away with each breath, and each morning that goes into the sky and each night that descends is one day closer to the return of Christ. And for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, it will be a woeful day indeed!

But LOOK! The miraculous happens even in our presence here today! LOOK at the blessings that have befallen you. And LOOK at the patience and grace that the Lord has! LOOK at his love for you! For the hour has not yet come! The opportunity stands before us even now!

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

“This life is just preparation for the next,” we often times like to say. But you know what that downplays? The fact that this life is the real deal. It’s not dress rehearsal. The Kingdom of God is here now. It’s not here FULLY, and it is still full of sinners and is present in a creation that groans to be restored. BUT IT IS HERE; where Jesus Christ is found. And you are either part of that Kingdom that is here, or you are not.

If you ARE, then thanks be to God, for even now you have salvation that is given to you, by no means of your own, by the power of Jesus Christ.

If you do not…

BE PART OF THE KINGDOM! RECEIVE what it is that Jesus SO MUCH desires to give YOU today!

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Prayer isn’t like a magic trick, where you say the right words and “abaracadabra”, things happen. It’s a relationship, like a child to a father; where we ask for something and the answer comes back as either “yes” or “no”.

Acting like we know what the answer to our prayers will be is, in a very real way, acting like God is not in relation to us, like a father to child, but instead almost like we have a control or mastery over God. Almost as though because we pray in Jesus’ name, God is OBLIGATED to do what we ask.

And here’s the real thing about that: we do NOT HAVE, nor do we ever really WANT, a God who just gives us whatever we ask for.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

You know, Thanksgiving in Florida is so sneaky. It just pops up out of no where. Especially in a year like this one, where the weather hasn’t really changed that much since September. The trees outside my house are still green. And I’m not going to be wearing long sleeves anytime soon.

In fact, it was one of those weeks where I kept trying to schedule things with people on Thursday, and had to be reminded by those people that they would be unavailable, and presumably, so would I, because this Thursday is Thanksgiving.

And so, like a thief in the night, here it is: Thanksgiving is upon us. Family, food, football, and parades. What a great holiday! A moment where we gather together and reflect on all the blessings we have been given.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

The Lord is strength. And so he gives us his Spirit, in the time before the time to come.

You see, that’s important to remember: There is another event coming. An event with a lot of “buzz”. An event that will resonate with every person on the face of the earth, and every person who has ever lived. An event that will affect all our lives, and even more than that, all our eternities.

It is the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We look forward to that day! And until then, we gather here; to use the things that he has given us; his Word and his Sacraments; to sustain us until the moments where we are cared for face to face by our King, Jesus Christ. Forever and ever. Amen.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

With Jesus the point is ALWAYS you! How strange that you may feel so small in the world! How strange the times when you feel so alone! How strange when you feel you don’t have worth; or feel as though there is no hope! How STRANGE because it is so CONTRARY to the reality of your existence!

Jesus loves you!

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Being an admirer or a fan or a friend of Jesus but not LISTENING TO and BELIEVING him is nonsensical; and is EXACTLY what the Pharisees did with Moses and the Prophets. Because Jesus doesn’t want you admiration. He wants your FAITH. He desires YOU; and ALL of you; not just the part of you that you are okay in giving up.

So today is a Lutheran come to Jesus moment. And in doing this, realize that there’s a reason he brought you here today. And that reason is to HEAR JESUS. Don’t think it’s for the person next to you or behind you or the person who SHOULD have come here this morning but didn’t NO. Instead, hear this for what it is. The point… IS YOU.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

It was Dr. Charles Arand, a professor at our Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis, who first wrote that “compassion” was a helpful term regarding our interaction with creation. He was saying how much better that term was than others our society uses like “animal rights”. I think rightly, Dr. Arand shies away from terms like “animal rights” because terms like that actively seek to blur the distinction between the animals and people. Saying something like “animal rights” should be especially problematic for us Lutherans because we don’t really believe that ANY-thing in creation, besides God, has ANY rights!

After all, we confess just about every Sunday what it is our “right” to do: that is, we confess what we DESERVE. As sinners, what are our rights? To die and to be separated from God for our sins! That’s what we deserve! That is our “right”! But by his mercy, and by his grace, and by his love, and by his sacrifice, and by his death, and through the POWER of the resurrection, the Lord gives to us mercy beyond our rights. He doesn’t wield his authority over us to destroy us. Instead, HE has compassion.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

He who has ears, let him hear. Do not tell God that he is to real and too scary this evening. Do not tell him to not come at you so hard; or to soften what he speaks. He tells you this because HE LOVES YOU. And if you are walking around ignoring him as though this life will last forever, then you need a cold hard fist full of reality and truth. So here it is! And the truth set you free.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor