St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois

After several decades in Babylonian exile, YHWH stirred the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to build Him a house in Jerusalem. Cyrus decreed by voice and letter throughout his kingdom, “Whoever there is among you of all His people…let him go up to Jerusalem…and build the house of YHWH…. And everyone who is remaining, from every place where he is sojourning there, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, with the freewill offering for the house of God.” The heads of the people (including the priests and Levites) whose spirit God had stirred to go up and build the house of YHWH arose, and all those who were surrounding them made strong their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with choice-gifts, besides all that was freely offered. Furthermore, the heads of the fathers when they came to the house of YHWH freely offered for the house of God to cause it to stand on its foundation. According to their strength, they gave to the treasury…gold, silver and priestly tunics. As with the second temple, we believe the same God will stir hearts at SP to give according to their strength for the work of His kingdom here. Though our freewill offerings will also vary in size and manner (collective ownership), together we can accomplish His purposes among us, for in every Biblical campaign, the funds/supplies/persons needed for fruition already existed among the peoples – a token of God’s blessing, faithfulness, and masterful provision.

With God’s people graciously settled in Canaan, the second capital campaign in the Bible is the Jerusalem temple, a “permanent” structure where God would continue to dwell with His people. King David leads the campaign. His personal, above-and-beyond offering for the LORD’s house flows from his profound understanding of both who and whose. (1) WHO is WHO? YHWH is the forever God; to Him is THE greatness, might, beauty, splendor, heavens, earth, kingdom, headship, riches, glory, and reign. We, however, are temporary sojourners here and our days as a passing shadow. Likewise, (2) WHOSE is WHOSE? Literally everything comes from YHWH and belongs to Him; thus, even when we give to the LORD, we are but giving to God from God’s own hand. Our capital campaign, then, is not primarily about the amount received nor constructed phases; rather, it is a spiritual journey for us – a personal, corporate, and joy-filled expression of both who and whose. Why then not summon our assembly as David did his: “Who then is moved to fill his hand this day for the LORD?” (v5)

The building of the tabernacle is the first capital campaign in the Bible. God longs to physically dwell among His people, and He will do so through a holy tent on their way from Egypt to Canaan. The text has 3 parts: (1) God’s invitation for every Israelite who has a “willing/inclined/impelled (nadiv…same root as a freewill offering - nadevah) heart” to bring a contribution; (2) the response of the people: every Israelite – both man & woman – whose “heart was lifted” and “spirit impelled/willing/inclined (nadiv)” brought contributions and gave services according to their gifts and giftedness for the tent of meeting; and (3) the campaign results: so many freewill offerings (nadevah) kept coming in from the peoples every morning for the work of the tabernacle that Moses had to send a proclamation throughout camp to stop bringing any further contributions!

The third consecutive parable of Jesus has three main points of contact: the prodigal son represents sinners who draw near to hear Jesus; the elder son’s response typifies the rejection of the self-righteous, religious leadership over whom Jesus is welcoming to Himself; and the uncharacteristic actions and words of the father reflect God. Repentance leads to an absolute reversal: repentant sinners are restored and embraced by the heavenly Father with joy. In fact, the Father not only receives repentant sinners with open arms, He offers them His very home. Lastly, through the unresolved ending of this parable, Jesus calls us to respond to repentant sinners not with comparison, suspicion, or jealousy, but with the very joy that reflects the Father’s welcome.

When the Pharisees and religious leaders grumble/murmur over the outcasts who are coming to hear Jesus, He continues with a second consecutive parable. Jesus tells of a woman who has 10 silver coins. When she loses one coin, she lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and searches diligently until she finds it. What is lost must be pursued until it is found! When the woman finds it, she also celebrates with her friends and neighbors over the one lost and found coin. Again, on a much grandeur scale, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents.

When the Pharisees and religious leaders grumble and murmur over the outcasts who are coming to hear Jesus, He tells three consecutive parables that reveal the true heart of God and dire condition of mankind if left to himself. In this first parable, a shepherd loses 1 of his 100 sheep. Without hesitation, the shepherd leaves the 99 and goes after the 1. When he finds the lost sheep, he doesn’t scold it; rather, he places it on his shoulder and celebrates with his friends and neighbors. On a much grandeur scale, such is the response in heaven when one lost sinner repents!

When Jesus crosses to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, he is met by a man who had a legion of demons in him. The demons would often seize him, empower him to break chains and bonds, and drive him into the desert. Jesus drives the legion out of the man and into a herd of pigs who rush down a steep bank and drown. When townsfolk come to see what had just taken place, they see the man sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind. Jesus charges the man to return home and declare how much God has done for him. Luke notes: “The man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.” (v39) One encounter with Jesus, and this man becomes a courageous storyteller. Courageous storytellers share with people around them what God is doing in their lives. We, too, have encountered Jesus by grace and have stories of transformation to share: stories of forgiveness, peace, healing, hope, blessing, provision, answered prayer, life-change, and more.

When a lawyer seeks to justify himself by loving God with his entire being and his neighbor as himself, he asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells of a Jewish man who travels from Jerusalem down to Jericho. The man was robbed, stripped, beaten, and left for dead by thugs. A Jewish priest and a Levite both see him yet pass by on the other side of the road. However, a Samaritan responds to him with compassion; he dresses his wounds, sets him on his own animal, brings him to an inn, and takes care of him that evening. The next day he gives the innkeeper two days of wages to tend him and offers to cover any additional expenses. This man proves to be his neighbor, and Jesus tells the lawyer, “Go and do likewise.” Jesus’ parable and charge to be this kind of neighbor to anyone exemplifies a generous responder. Generous responders purposefully live out their God-given calling and use everything they have to bless people around them. Jesus’ entire life from human conception to cross, grave, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost can be summed up as THE Generous Responder.

This posture is one of our favorite characteristics about St. Peter. When Peter compares followers of Jesus to newborn infants, he is not suggesting that they/we are spiritually immature; rather, as newborn babies crave food every 2-3 hours (8-12x per day), Peter desires that very longing in us but for pure spiritual milk (i.e., God’s holy Word). The Greek word for long here is epipotheo, which means “to have a strong desire for something/someone, with the implication of need: long for, earnestly desire”...used of Paul earnestly desiring/longing to see believers in Rome, Thessalonica, and Philippi, as well as believers longing to be clothed with their heavenly abode (2 Cor 5:2). In the same way, Hungry Followers earnestly desire time with God and His Word because it is their source of life with transformative power to become more like Jesus. Moreover, every time we feast on “the Lord’s goodness” in Scripture, it saturates the soul and makes us crave it even more.

Jesus doesn’t mince words. In the story of the rich fool, He warns us against placing our hope and trust in earthly things that will all eventually pass away. While it may seem challenging at first, His invitation to a truly good life turns out to not only be the key to eternal salvation, but also the best way to live today!

This is the second largest portion in 2 Thessalonians. There are a few able-bodied believers within that congregation engaged in a habitual pattern of laziness and refusing to work with their own hands. This is now the second time Paul has addressed the issue there (cf. 1 Thess 4:9-12; 5:14); his patience has run out. Paul points to his own manual labor among them and calls them to imitate his responsible, productive living. Paul tells working believers to practice church discipline and to admonish the idle as brothers. In addition, he encourages the church to not grow weary in doing good. He leaves them with the ever-present, all-encompassing peace and presence of the Lord Jesus.

Paul follows his prayer for the Thessalonians’ comfort and steadfastness in chapter 2 with a prayer request of them; in fact, his imperative “pray” is both emphatic in position (stressing its importance) and in the present tense (desiring it to be continual among them). His prayer request is twofold: that (1) the word of the Lord would speed ahead/run (Gk: treko) and be glorified as it had among them; and (2) for Paul’s missionary team to be delivered from wicked and evil men (i.e., enemies of the gospel in Corinth). To this day, when we take the Word of God forward, we can expect strong opposition. Hence, after his request Paul reassures them of God’s faithfulness; He will establish and guard them from the evil one, as well as direct their hearts to the love of God and to steadfastness in Christ.

Though Paul had to address 2nd coming speculations circulating in the Thessalonian church and the enormities of the Man of Lawlessness, his real exhortation comes in these ensuing verses. He calls us back to the work of the Trinity in our salvation: God chooses us, the Lord (Jesus) loves us, and the Spirit makes us holy and leads us to believe in the truth that we may obtain the glory of Christ. Because eternal salvation is entirely God’s decision and doing, Paul calls us to grip firmly and hold to the traditions (Scripture) that we have been taught. Moreover, because we are ineffective in our own strength, Paul asks God on our behalf to comfort our hearts in all of this and establish them in every good work and word.

Paul teaches Christians that the coming of Jesus and our being gathered to Him will not come until THE apostasy comes first, followed by the revealing of THE man of lawlessness – who will oppose and exalt himself above everything that is called God, take his seat in the temple of God, and even claim to be God. His coming is clearly the work of Satan with all power, false signs, and wonders. Though many people will be deceived, believers need not fear, for Jesus will kill him with the breath of His mouth and bring to naught the appearance of his coming.

When we look at the greed, injustice, murder, abuse, trafficking, and other evils in this world, we question: “Why do bad people doing evil deeds seem to get away with it and even live happy, prosperous lives?” The same goes for those who persecute and mistreat the church physically and socially, as Christians in Thessalonica were suffering at the hands of others. Paul commends their faith-endurance and assures all believers that God’s just retribution is coming upon all evil when Jesus returns in flaming fire. At one-and-the-same time, Jesus will grant rest and relief to His church but inflict eternal vengeance, punishment, and destruction away from His presence on those who do not know Him in Christ and have afflicted His children throughout the millennia. In the meantime, as we must live out our faith in a world that opposes God, His words, His ways, and His people, Paul leans into the power of prayer that by God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we may be made worthy of His calling and glorify His name in our lives.

Graphic depictions of The End can be found in tabloids, books, prophecy websites, Hollywood, and social media – images evoking fear, global catastrophe, bewilderment, chaos, violence, survivorship, calculations, and a host of doomsday scenarios. The End has become an obsession in some church circles too. For the truth, WE always turn to Scripture alone, and yes, the Bible gives its fair share of graphic events too, including in 2 Thessalonians. However, Paul begins this short epistle with words of comfort and peace; he reminds us that we are already “in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1:1) There is no greater, safer place to be for The End. Moreover, as we prepare for The End, our faith in Christ is neither static nor couch potato, but ever “growing abundantly” along with “the love we have for each other.”

Every human life has one of two foundations: either the sand of this world or the bedrock of Jesus and His words. Only that latter foundation will last now and for eternity.

Today the Christian church celebrates Pentecost – the anniversary of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon believers 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. To this point in Acts, the Holy Spirit has already been spoken of as the coming promise of the Father, being baptized into Him, receiving power for witness when He comes upon you, and all believers being filled with Him. Peter mentions in his first sermon after receiving the Holy Spirit that His outpouring on all flesh is a sign of being in the latter Messianic days. Today we will look at specific transformations the Holy Spirit works in your walk with Jesus.

In today’s text, Jesus reaches the end of His earthly ministry. In a mountain scene, Jesus ascends in resurrected glory from earth to the Father’s right hand. As the disciples were gazing into heaven, two angels in white robes stood by them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” These words continue to fill us with hope today, for any day now the very same Jesus is coming back visibly and physically and we will meet Him in the clouds.

When 10 disciples tell Thomas that they saw Jesus alive on Easter evening, he proves the most unyielding skeptic. In the strongest possible way in Greek (ou mn + subjunctive), He refuses to believe their testimony that Jesus lives; he even puts a demand to God before he will believe for himself. The cross had obviously shattered Thomas’ messianic world to pieces. One week later, however, Jesus appears to the disciples again announcing peace, but this time Thomas is present too. Jesus commands Thomas to put his fingers where his faith should be. The hardness of Thomas’s unbelief melts at the physical sight of Jesus. In a moment of instantaneous transformation, Thomas professes Jesus as both Lord and God! Are believers today at any disadvantage from those first witnesses who got to see the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes? Not at all! In fact, Jesus pronounces a special blessing upon every person who believes in Him without Thomas’ privilege (and solely on the eye-witness account of the 11 that we have in Scripture). Do YOU believe Jesus lives?