We’re kind of spoiled when it comes to water. We have it in abundance. If you want a drink of water, you have choices. You can have tap water, or bottled water, or spring water, or purified water, or flavored water. Did you know that the Village of DeForest has four groundwater wells that supply our water? Between 400 and 700 deep, these wells keep us well supplied.
For today’s Lent worship, Pastor Nathan Berg from Eastside Lutheran in Madison is leading our worship services.
I don’t know if you caught it a moment ago, but in our text both Jesus and Nicodemus recognize the other as a “teacher.” The first words out of Nicodemus’ mouth are, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher…” (v. 2) Nicodemus calls Jesus “teacher.” And Jesus will do the same to Nicodemus. Later in the text Jesus says to Nicodemus, You are the teacher of Israel. (v. 10) Reminds me of two doctors meeting. They greet one another, “Doctor…” “Doctor…”
For today’s Lent worship, Pastor Scott Schwertfeger from Zion Lutheran Leeds/Lodi is leading our worship services.
Some of you may have paid attention to the controversy a couple TV ads caused during the Super Bowl this year. The ads I’m talking about are the “Jesus Gets Us” ads. The one ad showed a number of still photos of people in each other’s face yelling angrily. The point was that people don’t get one another and that brings us into conflict.
Exodus 24 is an extremely significant chapter of our Bible. Here is the context: Israel has come out of Egypt a free nation and has arrived at Mt. Sinai. The LORD God has just spoken to the people from Mt. Sinai. His address began with a reminder of his love and grace: I am the LORD, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Exodus 20:2). After that Gospel introduction, he spoke out loud in their hearing the Ten Commandments. The voice of God scared the people.
One of the potential dangers for the Christian as we live our lives as salt and light in this world is the pitfall we might call “cruise control Christianity.” You all know what cruise control is. It’s that option in your car that allows you to accelerate to a desired speed and then engage this control that automatically keeps your car going at that speed. The car will not go less, and it will not go more, than the speed you set.
In the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus puts forward a description of what his followers are like. Among other things Jesus describes them as those who will be insulted and persecuted and maligned in this world. And then, in the very next breath, Jesus says to these disciples who will be insulted and persecuted, You – yes, YOU – are the salt and light of the world!
What does it mean to be “at the top”? The term is used often in our culture. It is used when talking about the person who has become the best or most successful at what he or she does. The MVP is described as being at the “top of his game.” Taylor Swift is at the top of the pop music industry, causing Ticketmaster to crash over demand for tickets to her upcoming tour.
After God created all the matter in the universe and it was a dark, surging mass covered in water, the first thing he called into existence to bring order to it all was light. Let there be light, he said. (Genesis 1:3) And there was light. So basic and primary, light. Yet without light, life cannot exist. This is easily demonstrated. Put one of your houseplants in a dark closet for a week and then check on it. It will be dead.
