WEBVTT 00:00.800 --> 00:01.600 Good morning. 00:03.800 --> 00:05.000 Grace, mercy and peace 00:05.000 --> 00:08.900 be to you from God, our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 00:09.300 --> 00:11.100 which we can say Amen. 00:13.700 --> 00:16.200 Today we get to celebrate Loehe. 00:17.700 --> 00:19.200 He was kind of a Loehe, man. 00:19.300 --> 00:21.300 Good guy. 00:22.600 --> 00:23.800 He was in Germany, 00:24.100 --> 00:25.500 Mid 19th century. 00:26.500 --> 00:29.100 We have all our modern deaconesses from him. 00:30.300 --> 00:32.400 So all of you studying for that. 00:34.400 --> 00:35.000 Good. 00:36.300 --> 00:39.100 I think in many ways we also have the Fort Wayne Seminary because of 00:39.100 --> 00:46.900 him because the Loehe men came to America and were commanded to get 00:46.900 --> 00:52.200 more training. And so one of the reasons Fort Wayne got set up as a 00:52.200 --> 00:56.100 more or less Practical Seminary as opposed to Theological Seminary 00:56.100 --> 00:59.200 here, that's no longer true but that's the way it was 00:59.200 --> 01:05.900 then. Was to help facilitate that training of the Loehe men who were here 01:06.500 --> 01:08.200 with very minimal training. 01:08.300 --> 01:12.500 Maybe a couple of practical theology courses and they came over and 01:12.500 --> 01:14.400 did the work of the Gospel. 01:15.100 --> 01:19.400 A lot of them in, Michigan, Indiana, and other parts of Synod that are 01:19.400 --> 01:21.200 not Missouri at the beginning. 01:22.200 --> 01:25.100 So, it's a nice day to celebrate that. 01:28.500 --> 01:31.200 Now, I want to make a brief comment about this text. 01:32.000 --> 01:35.900 Sometimes you have text that are easy to preach on, you know, they 01:35.900 --> 01:38.700 have a lot of nice law and gospel right there laid out in front of 01:38.700 --> 01:38.900 you. 01:40.100 --> 01:44.300 This text basically says, be a good pastor. 01:45.900 --> 01:48.100 If you're an elder, this text is to you. 01:49.700 --> 01:53.700 So, in a certain sense, the text is not that great for congregational 01:53.700 --> 01:54.800 preaching, right? 01:54.800 --> 01:57.100 Because not everybody in a congregation would be an elder. 01:58.300 --> 02:01.500 And it's also difficult because it doesn't really have any law or 02:01.500 --> 02:02.500 gospel handles. 02:02.500 --> 02:05.700 It just tells you how to develop and live a good life as an elder, 02:06.500 --> 02:07.900 which is a good thing too. 02:10.400 --> 02:15.300 Well, I mean, if you think about it, this text then is a text that is 02:15.300 --> 02:20.900 ideally geared for Chapel at a place where we train people how to be 02:20.900 --> 02:24.300 pastors, deaconesses and other Church workers. 02:25.600 --> 02:27.400 So that works here. 02:27.900 --> 02:31.600 But ever anybody listening out there, it may not work for your local 02:31.600 --> 02:33.600 congregation all that well. 02:36.400 --> 02:40.100 Here, we must understand and not miss out on the first few words of 02:40.100 --> 02:41.000 the text. 02:42.700 --> 02:45.000 To the elders among you. 02:46.800 --> 02:52.700 Which limits the scope of this text to people who have not 02:52.700 --> 02:56.500 recently become Christians, but are mature in the faith. 03:01.300 --> 03:06.000 So, here we have the spiritual maturity on the part of the hearers. 03:07.200 --> 03:12.500 These are things that are being said by Peter not to those who are 03:12.700 --> 03:17.600 sort of ordinary Christians but to those who are aspiring to something 03:17.600 --> 03:18.200 more. 03:20.800 --> 03:23.800 And maybe ordinary Christians would listen too 03:25.500 --> 03:28.400 because they also might aspire. 03:30.400 --> 03:35.000 These are people who also testify to and know about Christ's 03:35.000 --> 03:40.200 sufferings and death, at least from hearing about it and are ready to 03:40.200 --> 03:41.900 give their lives for Christ. 03:43.000 --> 03:45.300 I think, in Peters day, it did not simply mean 03:45.300 --> 03:50.200 laying down your life as a career. But in Peters day, it more literally 03:50.200 --> 03:52.900 meant laying down your life as a martyr. 03:54.600 --> 03:59.100 They know both the cross and the resurrection, they also know their 03:59.100 --> 04:02.700 sinful estate their need for a lord and savior. 04:03.500 --> 04:09.300 Peter, the fisherman, lays out what it is to be a Shepherd, for 04:09.300 --> 04:15.700 Christ. What it is to give one's life in Ministry in Christ's name. 04:16.600 --> 04:20.500 And that is germane to we, who minister, 04:21.600 --> 04:26.800 we who will Minister and also those who support those who do and will 04:26.800 --> 04:28.000 minister in Christ Jesus. 04:28.000 --> 04:34.200 So, family members, staff, who work here and other people like that, 04:37.600 --> 04:41.900 As leaders, these people understand the content of the Gospel already 04:42.100 --> 04:45.900 that Jesus Christ has died to save us from sin death, and the devil. 04:46.400 --> 04:49.600 And that we receive Christ and him crucified as both our Lord and 04:49.600 --> 04:53.600 savior through the preached word, the reading of the scriptures, the 04:53.600 --> 04:56.700 sacraments and the fellowship and counsel of our Brothers and Sisters 04:56.700 --> 04:57.500 in Christ. 04:59.500 --> 05:04.100 They both know their own inadequacy and their salvation through Christ 05:04.100 --> 05:06.300 who has given them New Life. 05:07.600 --> 05:11.300 And in this case, a Ministry to be called elders. 05:13.600 --> 05:19.100 Peter then lays out criteria that it would be wise to pay attention to 05:19.500 --> 05:21.400 as Elders in the church. 05:24.000 --> 05:27.600 These would fall under the Christian category of holy counsel. 05:29.200 --> 05:34.800 He makes several contrast that allow us to see what kind of leaders we 05:34.800 --> 05:39.900 might be if we are on a an appropriate path to sanctification in our 05:39.900 --> 05:43.900 lives. And I know sanctification can be used two different ways. 05:44.500 --> 05:47.700 A lot of people like to think of sanctification as being complete when 05:47.700 --> 05:52.700 you're justified and then sort of just peeled away all the layers and 05:52.700 --> 05:54.800 you get to see more and more of what is already done. 05:55.300 --> 05:58.700 That's a very Lutheran way to view it but there is also a results way 05:58.700 --> 05:58.800 of 05:59.000 --> 05:59.900 viewing sanctification. 06:00.400 --> 06:03.200 In which we simply talked about the fact that person appears to be 06:03.200 --> 06:05.500 growing in Christ Jesus. 06:07.300 --> 06:09.900 It is that second way I think that is meant here. 06:12.700 --> 06:18.700 First, we are to be Shepherds not because we must, but because we are 06:18.700 --> 06:19.300 willing. 06:21.000 --> 06:22.900 I think this brings some law to us. 06:26.100 --> 06:30.300 Now, I'm going to ask the students personally to think about this. 06:31.400 --> 06:37.200 How many of you rejoiced over your latest examination in class? 06:41.300 --> 06:46.000 I mean, did you say, wow, this is not a tough exam. 06:46.000 --> 06:50.200 I am willing, I am joyful, let's do it. 06:51.400 --> 06:51.900 Or was it more 06:51.900 --> 06:53.400 like I studied all night 06:53.400 --> 06:54.500 I hope to get through it. 06:55.700 --> 06:58.900 I got to say there are a lot of times in my own Ministry I think 06:58.900 --> 07:02.700 probably in your ministry to when we fall into the second category. 07:03.700 --> 07:05.400 Another thing that has to be done. 07:07.500 --> 07:10.400 But I think when we have that way of thinking about things, 07:12.100 --> 07:16.300 we need to think about the law and how the law comes to us and says to 07:16.300 --> 07:18.200 us. You know, 07:20.000 --> 07:22.700 there's the mirror servant and then there's the person who's the 07:22.700 --> 07:26.900 underlord, the person who has been given lordship under Christ and 07:26.900 --> 07:31.500 views their tasks as something to be joyfully, pursued. 07:34.400 --> 07:37.500 It is easy in Ministry to develop a kind of tunnel vision that 07:37.500 --> 07:39.100 focuses on the negatives 07:39.100 --> 07:41.400 the problems. Peter wouldn't have us 07:41.400 --> 07:45.000 re-examine why we are doing, what we are doing and repent asking for 07:45.000 --> 07:45.800 forgiveness. 07:46.600 --> 07:49.100 If we are only doing our duty. 07:50.700 --> 07:55.400 Christ were can also be joyful and fulfilling, but only when we bring 07:55.400 --> 07:59.400 to him our lives and the distractions that so easily entangles, us, 08:00.000 --> 08:02.200 and reaffirm our willingness to serve. 08:04.000 --> 08:08.100 In addition, Peter mentions that God wants us to be these kinds of 08:08.100 --> 08:09.200 willing servants. 08:11.800 --> 08:12.500 Second. 08:14.100 --> 08:17.800 Peter discourages pursuing dishonest gain. 08:19.400 --> 08:22.600 But encourages this willingness to serve again. 08:24.300 --> 08:28.700 It is true that we all need resources to get by in life and money is 08:28.700 --> 08:31.900 just one way of getting at these things and Loehe's day 08:31.900 --> 08:36.100 they got a lot of quid pro quo, you know, you preach the gospel and 08:36.100 --> 08:37.900 I'll give you salt pork for the winter. 08:40.000 --> 08:45.700 But obsession with money or other things in this life can make for a 08:45.700 --> 08:46.900 joyless Ministry. 08:48.700 --> 08:53.000 You can turn into a kind of empty mercenary service. 08:53.900 --> 08:56.800 That is the distraction instead of the core thing 08:56.800 --> 08:59.400 we do. Rather than a glad sacrifice 09:00.000 --> 09:02.300 for a savior who has done so much for us. 09:03.000 --> 09:05.300 This can get in the way of our eager service. 09:06.000 --> 09:07.900 It can spoil our zeal for the Lord. 09:10.800 --> 09:17.100 Again, a lot of law. Third, Peter warns about becoming Lords and the 09:17.100 --> 09:17.700 church. 09:18.400 --> 09:21.300 He does not want us to Lord it over other people, but would rather 09:21.300 --> 09:25.700 have us be examples of what life in Christ should look like. 09:27.000 --> 09:31.000 Again, this involves repenting. Again, this involves looking at our 09:31.000 --> 09:33.200 lives seeing what's there 09:33.500 --> 09:34.500 that's toxic 09:35.900 --> 09:41.200 After all, Jesus came and served and he would have us do the same. 09:42.200 --> 09:44.200 He bent down and washed feet. 09:45.800 --> 09:50.200 And this service while it does nothing to save us 09:51.400 --> 09:56.000 does create a joy and peace within us 09:57.000 --> 09:59.100 and also in others, we might meet 10:00.200 --> 10:06.100 And here is love that people may notice and ask, why are you this way? 10:07.500 --> 10:08.800 What's different about you? 10:08.800 --> 10:10.600 Where do you get your strength? 10:12.100 --> 10:13.800 Or other such questions. 10:14.800 --> 10:19.000 These may lead them into a conversation about the most important 10:19.000 --> 10:20.300 servant of all 10:21.700 --> 10:24.200 and the most important service of all. 10:27.600 --> 10:30.700 Now, some people out there going to comment Dost, that's a lot of law. 10:30.700 --> 10:31.500 Of course it is. 10:33.400 --> 10:36.500 But, you know, we are friends of the law as Christians. 10:37.200 --> 10:41.500 The law is our friend, there's nothing wrong with the law. 10:43.200 --> 10:48.000 It doesn't save us but it does teach us good things to do. 10:51.000 --> 10:53.900 And yes, you as Elders in the church 10:53.900 --> 10:54.700 know what 10:54.700 --> 10:56.100 those Elders knew. 10:56.900 --> 11:03.100 That Jesus Christ is the only one who empowers and enables Ministry. 11:04.200 --> 11:05.900 He is the only one 11:07.000 --> 11:13.300 who forgives and loves and changes your hearts and minds and lives in 11:13.300 --> 11:13.700 Christ 11:13.700 --> 11:17.000 Jesus. He is the only good news. 11:18.300 --> 11:19.500 that is real good news. 11:24.700 --> 11:30.300 Finally, there is some good news, but not the good news of the Cross, 11:30.800 --> 11:35.100 not the good news of the Resurrection, not the good news of Christmas, 11:35.600 --> 11:36.700 not the kind of good news 11:36.700 --> 11:37.500 we're used to. 11:39.200 --> 11:42.700 Here is the good news of the return of Christ in glory and what he 11:42.700 --> 11:46.400 brings to us as believers who faithfully strive and serve and 11:46.400 --> 11:46.900 patiently 11:46.900 --> 11:47.500 wait. 11:48.700 --> 11:53.000 Here we find a Crown of Glory that awaits us in heaven, where God will 11:53.000 --> 11:57.600 call out to his own and to declare to them declared to them. 11:58.000 --> 11:59.900 Well done thou good and faithful 12:00.000 --> 12:01.100 servant. 12:03.000 --> 12:05.100 This also is good news. 12:06.500 --> 12:11.500 Good news that this is not all there is and that better awaits us. 12:12.900 --> 12:14.900 A good news that gives us hope. 12:16.100 --> 12:16.800 Amen. 12:18.500 --> 12:21.200 And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding. 12:21.200 --> 12:23.400 Keep your hearts and Minds in Christ Jesus. 12:24.100 --> 12:24.700 Amen.