Mount Zion Lutheran Church

09/06/2026

A message from Pastor Phil.
15th Sunday after Pentecost Ezekiel 33:7-11 Psalm 119:33-40 Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18:15-20 Year A
Prayer of the Day: O Lord God, enliven and preserve Your Church with Your perpetual mercy. Without Your help, we mortals will fail; remove far from us everything that is harmful, and lead us toward all that gives life and salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
Our Scripture Readings today deal with conflict resolutions. In our First Reading, God has made the prophet Ezekiel a sentinel for the people of Israel (33:7-11). When God speaks, Ezekiel is to warn the people to turn from their wicked ways. If he does not, their blood will be on his hands. If they despair, Ezekiel is to reassure them: "As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their evil ways and live." In our Holy Gospel, Jesus offers practical advice to His disciples on how individuals and the Church [everywhere believers gather for worship] should restore relationships when one member has sinned against another (Matthew 18:15-20). First is one-on-one. If that doesn't work, bring one or two others and again seek reconciliation: "For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them." In our Second Reading, the Apostle Paul urges the Romans to love one another and so fulfill the heart and goal of the Law (13:8-14). That is all well and good. But near the top of the second column he writes something ominous: "Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light" (13:12). We can see that days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer. Yet something else is going on here.
We are the most technologically advanced people in history. We can talk about ancient civilizations with hi-tech but they are long gone. We have no idea how they built such massive structures. Today we have smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. We wonder just how far AI (Artificial Intelligence) will go. We are the most connected people in history. This should be a golden age. But every day brings more bad news. Darkness is all around us. We are affected by forces beyond our control. Like the Wizard of Oz, powerful people are hidden. We don't see them. We don't meet them. They don't live around here.
We are the only people who can bring light and love to this dark and fearful world. We are grateful to God Who loves us and redeems us through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23-25). The Holy Spirit teaches us, guides us, comforts us, and brings peace: "Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:25-27). We bring opportunities for reconciliation, for restoring relationships.
Written when the Apostle Paul was in prison (3:1, 4:1, 6:20), his Letter to the Ephesians presents God's eternal purpose in establishing the Church. Called from various backgrounds and nationalities by God, members are redeemed and forgiven by Jesus Christ and incorporated into community by the divine, indwelling Spirit (1:5, 12, 13; 2:18-20; 3:14, 16, 17; 4:4-6). Worship is lively: "but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father" (5:18-20).
He concludes with encouraging words: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak" (6:10-20).
We usually think of armor that encloses a knight from head to foot. That protected them from gunshots and arrows. Draft horses – work horses – were bred to carry the weight of soldiers in armor into battle. In Paul’s day armor was different. It was close to football players’ uniforms today. Replace pads and guards under their uniforms with metal plates and guards. A helmet protected a soldier’s head and neck. Metal guards protected their shoulders and arms. A breastplate protected their chests, stomachs and their backs. A skirt of narrow metal plates protected their loins. Metal guards protected their legs and feet. Roman armor combined protection with freedom of movement. Then – and now- we adapt to new situations and circumstances. The Word of God empowers us to stand, to fight, to go into the world and make a difference. “Behold, [we] long for [God’s] commandments; by [God’s] righteousness enliven [us]” (Psalm 119:40).
Thanks be to God. Amen
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God

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09/05/2026

Sunday morning worship service at 9AM, with Holy Communion, at Mount Zion. Sunday morning worship service at 10:30AM, with Holy Communion, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Nuremberg PA. Please worship with us!

08/30/2026

A message from Pastor Phil.
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8 Romans 12:9-21 Matthew 16:21-28 Year A
Prayer of the Day: O God, we thank You for Your Son, Who chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world. Humble us by His example, point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow Your commands, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
This morning our Scripture Readings deal with conflict. They could not come at a better time.
These days conflict is pervasive and bitter. Arguments on social media are vicious. People defend their own viewpoints. Those who differ are wrong. It gets nasty.
Today our First Reading quotes Jeremiah. He is called "The Weeping Prophet" for good reasons. He lived in miserably evil days. For more than 40 years he had to say hard things to obstinately wicked people. It did little good. They despised him. The more he preached the worse they became. He had to witness with his own eyes the fall of Jerusalem, the Temple ransacked, and Judah conquered by the Babylonians. He and the prophet Ezekiel were taken with many others into exile and died there. In our First Reading Jeremiah laments his situation. God promises to deliver him but his life was exceedingly bitter (15:15-21). In our Holy Gospel, after Peter confesses that Jesus is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), Jesus tells His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, undergo great suffering at the hands of elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed, and on the third day be raised. Peter, no doubt voicing everyone's thoughts, rebukes Jesus, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to You." Jesus replies, "Get behind me, Satan!" Satan had tempted Jesus by offering to make Him the Messiah everyone expected and avoid suffering and death (Matthew 4:8-9). Rejecting that temptation was painful. Peter brings that moment to life, though he does not realize it. Jesus then declares, "If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:21-28). In our Second Reading, the Apostle Paul portrays this sacrificial love when he urges believers to associate with the lowly and overcome evil with good (Romans 12:9-21).
We receive this sacrificial love, this agape love, in Holy Communion. We usually express this love in hospitality, in welcoming strangers, in supporting our community. This love goes much deeper. This is a matter of life and death.
Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob. He was the son of Jacob's old age. Jacob gave him a coat of many colors or a coat with long sleeves. The meaning of the Hebrew text is uncertain. He wore it all the time. Then he dreamed that he would wield authority over his older brothers. He kept bragging about that. They came to hate him. Their father didn't deal with any of this. Things came to a head when his brothers decided to kill him. Reuben talked them out of that. When Jacob sent him to check on his brothers and their flocks, they took his robe, threw him into a pit, and sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt. His brothers killed a goat, dipped Joseph's robe into the blood, and showed it to their father. He assumed that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (Genesis 37). In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. All was well until Potiphar's wife wanted to lie with him. he refused. She accused him of assaulting her. He was cast into prison (Genesis 39-40). Two years later, Pharaoh had a troubling dream that no one could interpret. A cupbearer who knew Joseph in prison recommended him to Pharaoh. Giving credit to God, Joseph explained that seven good years would be followed by seven lean years. That would make Egypt an easy target for conquest. To prevent that, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of storing crops to prepare for seven lean years. When they come, all the world goes to Egypt to buy grain, including Joseph's brothers. That sets the stage for their reconciliation. But this story doesn't end there. God has turned evil to good for many people. Joseph tells his brothers that God had sent him to Egypt to preserve life (Genesis 45:5). God speaks to Jacob "in visions of the night": "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes" (Genesis 46:1-4). Later, Joseph tells his brothers, "As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Genesis 50:20).
Centuries later, during the time of the Judges, Ruth returns with Naomi to Bethlehem. Boaz, a relative of Naomi's husband, invites her to glean in his fields. When she asks him why he does that for a foreigner, he replies, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, and how you have left your father and mother and your native land and come to a people you did not know before. The LORD recompense you for what you have done, and a full reward given to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under Whose wings you have come to take refuge!" (Ruth 2:10-12).
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
How does this happen? The Apostle Paul asks, "But how are men to call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!'" (Romans 10:14-15). How beautiful are our feet when we bring good news!
Thanks be to God. Amen
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God

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08/29/2026

Sunday morning worship service at 9AM, at Mount Zion. Sunday morning worship service at 10:30AM, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Nuremberg PA. Please worship with us!

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08/23/2026

A message from Pastor Phil.
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 51:1-6 Psalm 138 Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20 Year A
Prayer of the Day: O God, with all Your faithful followers of every age, we praise You, the rock of our salvation. Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of Your Son, that we may gladly minister to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
We admire buildings made of wood. We admire buildings made of bricks. We appreciate buildings made of stone. They inspire us. They have been around for a long time. We hope they are around for years to come.
Buildings made of stone come in all shapes and sizes. On a farm, a stone building could be a springhouse, a summer kitchen, or a root cellar. In Jim Thorpe, the red brick Jersey Central station, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Building, and a magnificent clock tower stand at the intersection of Lehigh Avenue and Broadway. Immense structures like Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza invite us to pause and appreciate them. Buildings made of stone not only stand but also soar. They inspire us.
Stone is a common them in our Scripture Readings. We can consider stone as background music. In our First Reading, the prophet Isaiah declares, "Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug." This rock is linked with Abraham and Sarah and moves forward to the LORD comforting and restoring Zion. Teaching will go forth from God and justice shine as a light to the peoples. Even when the heavens vanish like smoke, and the earth wears out like a garment, God's salvation will be forever and deliverance will continue without end (Isaiah 51:1-6).
Psalm 138 begins with thanksgiving and moves to worship in the Temple. Then all the rulers of the earth will praise the LORD when they have heard the words from the LORD'S mouth. The LORD is high, yet cares for the lowly. The psalm concludes, "You will make good Your purpose for me; O LORD, Your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works of Your hands." We can link that with dedicated people who restore old buildings.
In our Second Reading, the Apostle Paul urges the Romans to present their bodies as "living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God." That stands in sharp contrast to rampant immorality in pagan culture that surrounds them. He describes individual believers as many members of one body with different functions (Romans 12:1-8). We can link that with different stones that form one structure.
Background music in our Holy Gospel changes from a formal tune to a playful tune (Matthew 16:13-20). Jesus and His disciples have arrived in Caesarea Philippi, about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the base of Mt. Hermon. This the location of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. Abundant water made this area fertile and attractive for religious worship. Numerous temples were built in this city in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Their answers reflect popular beliefs. The Son of Man could be John the Baptist somehow restored to life after a son of King Herod had beheaded him (Mark 6:14). "Elijah" comes from the prophet Malachi who had proclaimed 500 years earlier, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes" (4:5). "Jeremiah or one of the prophets," like "John the Baptist," likely someone following in their footsteps.
"Son of Man," like a stone building, appeals to us. This is used 107 times in the Hebrew Bible, 93 times in the Book of Ezekiel. It is used as a form of address. It links Ezekiel with the people of Israel. And it contrasts the lowly status of humanity against the permanence and exalted dignity of God and angels (Numbers 23:19, Psalm 8:4).
Daniel 7 tells of a vision given to Daniel in which four "beasts," representing pagan nations, oppress the people of Israel until judged by God. The "Ancient of Days" (God) gives dominion over the earth to "one like a son of man." The passage in Daniel 7:13-14 is written in Aramaic
Later, "one like a man" certainly implies a "human being" and also stands for "the saints of the Most High" (Daniel 7:13-14, 21–22) and "the people of the saints of the Most High" (7:27) The "saints" and "people of the saints" probably represent the people of Israel. The author hopes that God will take dominion over the world away from the beast-like pagan "nations" and give it to Israel.
Peter replies, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:13-20). Jesus has some fun with all this, like skipping a stone on a pond. He declares Peter is blessed and adds, "And I tell you, you are Peter {Petros] and on this rock [petra, "petrified"] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:16-18). We move from skipping a stone on a pond to a grand stone building, an impressive church. We go inside this building and see what happens there. As we worship our true identities are revealed. We are many members of one body. We have different gifts and different functions (Romans 12:1-8). Jesus promises that believers will prevail over the devil and his angels. That happens in worship. We are sent into the world to bring light and love amid darkness and fear. And God delights in surprises.
In Jim Thorpe, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Building was built by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1882, using the latest technology in fireproofing and cast iron structural elements. When it was completed, it was sold to the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. In 1979 it was rehabilitated into 27 apartments for seniors. Nearly 40 years later, the 20,000-square-foot building was in serious need of repair.
United Neighborhood Community Development Corporation of Scranton purchased the building in early 2017 with the intent of upgrading its major systems and restoring the terracotta facade and bluestone exterior enhancements which had begun to deteriorate and create a safety hazard. The terracotta was painstakingly restored, remolded where damaged and re-coated to preserve its integrity. In addition, all exterior infill windows were removed and new wood windows were installed that replicated the originals. Basic systems which were functionally obsolete included the elevator, HVAC system and roof which were all replaced. Other improvements included replacing floor coverings, appliances, fixtures and kitchen cabinets; all apartment entrance doors were changed to wood. Total development cost for the project was more than $5 million.
Today the world is in serious need of repair. We are called and empowered to proclaim, "Do not fear. For our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. On Christ the solid rock we stand. All other ground is sinking sand."
Thanks be to God. Amen
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God

08/22/2026

Sunday morning worship service at 9AM, at Mount Zion. Sunday morning worship service at 10:30AM, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Nuremberg PA. Please worship with us!

08/16/2026

A message from Pastor Phil.
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 Psalm 67 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Matthew 15:10-28 Year A
Prayer of the Day: God of all people, Your arms reach out to embrace all those who call upon You. Teach us as disciples of Your Son to love the world with compassion and constancy, that Your name may be known throughout the earth, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
Holy Scripture evokes two reactions. Both are triggered by two words in Psalm 67: "Let Your way be known upon earth, Your saving health among all nations" (v. 2). "Saving health" can be translated "salvation" or “safety.” But the meaning goes deeper. We know that we ought to take care of our health. We should eat right, exercise, get medical checkups. We may have to take our medicine. Yet "saving health" goes in the opposite direction. God saves us. God heals us. God makes us whole. That also requires us to take our medicine.
Our Scripture Readings focus on "saving health." In our First Reading, the prophet Isaiah calls upon Israel to do justice. In a heartbeat he declares that foreigners who join themselves to the LORD will be brought to God's holy mountain and welcomed in the Temple: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." In fact, God will not only gather the outcasts of Israel but also others (56:1, 6-8). Psalm 67 begins with a prayer of blessing: "May God be merciful to us and bless us; may the light of God's face shine upon us." Immediately that prayer extends to the whole world: "Let Your way be known upon earth, Your saving health upon all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. . . . May God give us blessing, and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe." Our Second Reading continues the Apostle Paul's exposition of the place of Israel in God's plan of salvation: "God has not rejected [God's] people, whom [God] foreknew. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32). Omitted verses provide details. Most Israelites did not believe in Jesus. The apostles turned to the Gentiles: "a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved. . . . Just as you [Gentiles in Rome] were once disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so [Israel has] now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy. For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that [God] may have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" (11:25-26, 30-33). Then comes our Holy Gospel.
Jesus is having a hard time. After The Feeding of the 5,000 Jesus arrives in Gennesaret, a small plain on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee. That was the garden spot of Palestine. Soil was rich like that of the Nile delta. Water for irrigation was available from streams flowing out of the surrounding hills and from springs. Wild trees and flowers abounded, as well as crops such as grapes, figs, olives, walnuts, rice, wheat, vegetables, and melons. Rabbis spoke of this plain as “the Garden of God” and a “paradise." The sick from all that region were brought to Jesus. As many as touched the fringe of His garment were made well (Matthew 14:34-36).
Then Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem and ask, "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat" (Matthew 15:1). They are determined to find fault. Jesus is not one of them. They don't like Him. The beauty of the place, a link between The Feeding of the 5,000 and Messianic abundance mean nothing. This time it gets to Him. He accuses them of having hearts far from God and teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. He warns the crowd of the blind leading the blind. Peter says the wrong thing at the wrong time: "Explain the parable to us." Jesus almost loses it: "Are you also without understanding?" (Matthew 15:1-20).
Fed up, Jesus goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon, about 88 miles north of Jerusalem. That takes time. He wants to get away from it all. Then this Canaanite woman runs up and shouts, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David, my daughter is tormented by a demon." He ignores her. When she persists, He attempts to discourage her: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she kneels before Him, blocking His way. He has to deal with her. Through clenched teeth He says, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She replies, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." He relents and heals her daughter. We see and hear "saving health" for all people here. But it isn't easy.
For a long time, "throw it to the dogs" demanded attention, like a baby crying in church. But times have changed. Go to social media. Vicious arguments there make "throw it to the dogs" seem polite.
Yesterday was the Feast of Mary, Mother of Our Lord. We know her well. Today I want to focus on one part of her life that we take for granted: “In those days Mary arose and went with haste to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted [her kinswoman] Elizabeth” [Luke 1:39-40). Why did Mary go there in haste? MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS at Sight & Sound Theatre answers that question onstage.
Mary and Joseph were betrothed (Matthew 1:18). An engagement today is similar. Yet a betrothal could be broken only under drastic circumstances. When Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit, people did not praise God. They gossiped. They pointed fingers. It got so bad that Mary fled to her kinswoman Elizabeth. She stayed there three months, until Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist.
When we are stressed, when things look black, when people judge us, we need each other. We need someone to listen. We need someone to understand. We need someone to offer comfort and safety.
That is what "saving health” really means. “Saving health” is not our own doing. It is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Elizabeth opened her heart and her home to Mary. We open our hearts and our homes to each other. Scripture Readings show us that living our faith isn't easy. We need God. God comes when we pray. God loves us. God comforts us. God sent Jesus to save us. We have hard times. So did Mary. So did Jesus. He listens to us. He loves us. He answers our prayers. He helps us travel safely on the road of life.
Thanks be to God. Amen
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God

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08/09/2026

The altar flowers today were grown and given by Randy Teter.

08/09/2026

A message from Pastor Phil.
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 1 Kings 19:9-18 Psalm 85:8-13 Romans 10:5-15 Matthew l4:22-33 Year A
Prayer of the Day: O God our defender, storms rage around us and within us and cause us to be afraid. Rescue your people from despair, deliver your sons and daughters from fear, and preserve us in the faith of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
Years ago, millions of people listened to Paul Harvey News and Comment at Noon on their radios. He began, "Hello, Americans! This is Paul Harvey. Stand by for NEWS!" He and his son, Paul Harvey, Jr., also produced a five-minute program called "The Rest of the Story." Little-known or forgotten facts were narrated with some key element mentioned at the end. For example, an educator turned United Brethren minister named Milton, returning from a business trip, noticed a toy helicopter in a store window. He went inside and asked about it. The owner told him about several models. He also had one that took off and hovered, powered by a rubber band. It was a kit. That was even better! His sons would enjoy assembling it and flying it. He bought it for 50 cents. When he got home, his boys called, "What did you bring us, Daddy?" He took the kit from behind his back and gave it to them. They were fascinated. They assembled the kit and flew it inside. To their amazement it bumped against the ceiling and gently came back down. They took it outside and it soared as high as the trees. We have not heard of Milton Wright. But we have heard of his sons, Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Our Scripture Readings this morning seem simple and straightforward. But “The Rest of the Story” brings them to life.
In our First Reading, God assures the prophet Elijah that he is not the only faithful believer. A wind, an earthquake, a fire appear, but the LORD is not in them. Then Elijah hears the sound of "sheer silence." God speaks to him. God tells him to anoint Hazael as king over Aram, Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and Elisha as Elijah's successor (1 Kings 19:9-18).
The Rest of the Story is that we don't expect any of this. Elijah had won a great victory over the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel. When Queen Jezebel sends a messenger threatening him we expect an epic confrontation. Instead, Elijah flees for his life (1 Kings 18:36-19:9). Then our First Reading takes place. One more thing: Elisha sees Elijah taken by a whirlwind into heaven. That is a sign that Elisha inherits a double share of the spirit given to Elijah (2 Kings 2:9-14). Elisha does twice as many miracles. Yet few people can name even one. The Rest of the Story is strange indeed.
Psalm 85 invites us to listen to what the LORD God is saying. Salvation is very near (v. 8-13). The Rest of the Story puts that in perspective. Psalm 85 is a group lament. People pray for deliverance from a national emergency. They don't hold back: "Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away Thy indignation toward us! Will Thou be angry with us for ever? Will Thou prolong Thy anger to all generations? Will Thou not revive us again, that Thy people may rejoice in Thee? Show us Thy steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us Thy salvation" (v. 4-7). Then they are invited to listen.
In our Second Reading the Apostle Paul declares, "if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). In “The Rest of the Story,” he urges us to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to those who have not heard (Romans 10:14-15).
Our Holy Gospel portrays Jesus walking on the water. Peter asks to join Him. When Peter feels the wind and sees the waves, he begins to sink. "Lord, save me!" he calls. Jesus catches him by the hand and asks him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:22-33). Reading that one night in seminary, I had a radical thought: What if Peter were a little man? He need not be much smaller than others. He is always trying to keep up. A smaller fisherman would be at a disadvantage. Slightly shorter arms and legs would provide less leverage for casting nets and hauling them aboard. This may be in the background as a c**k crows after Peter has denied knowing Jesus three times. Jesus looks and him. He goes out and weeps bitterly. Peter comes up short. That brings us back to Elijah's crisis of faith in our First Reading. Later, when Elisha is plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. That must have been a huge plow! Elijah casts his mantle on him. Elisha asks Elijah to let him kiss his mother and his father goodbye. Elijah replies, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" (1 Kings 19:19-21). The Rest of the Story helps us hear the frustration, disappointment and, perhaps, anger in Elijah's voice. We feel sympathy for him. God did not give up on Elijah or Peter. God doesn't give up on us.
These are dark and fearful days. We are tempted to hunker down and prepare as best we can for spiritual storms. The Apostle Paul calls upon us to confess with our lips and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord. Then he sends us out into the world as messengers of the good news of Jesus Christ. We Lutherans meet people where they are: "since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, they are justified by God's grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as an expiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in divine forbearance God passed over former sins" (Romans 3:23-25). Then we go to the next level: we are thankful. Everything we do springs from thanksgiving for God loving us even when we aren't very lovable. God did not give up on Elijah. God did not give up on Peter. God doesn't give up on us. And now we know the REST of the story.
Thanks be to God. Amen
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God

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