Sermon preached by Pastor Eric Hullstrom

Salem Lutheran Church

Sunday, July 25, 2004

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Text: 

Grace and peace to from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen!!!

(Story about Margaret.  “Messy Spirituality” – Mike Yaconelli, pgs. 45-46, 55-56)

St. Paul writes, “And when you were dead in your trespasses…God made you alive together with Him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands.  He set this aside, nailing it to the cross”

Paul is speaking to the Colossians about the “empty lure” of the world.  He is warning people of the lies that the world tells them about where they are rooted.  Through baptism we are rooted in Christ and that is what wipes our slate clean.  That is what gives us hope.  That is what refreshes our souls.

There are so many, people, ideas and expectations pulling at us.  Telling us who we are and what we need to do to find fulfillment.  We invest in worldly desires only to find a bottomless pit where our investment is gone…leaving us feeling empty and wanting.  The only place where our investment is safe is through Jesus Christ and through our baptism. 

Do you see that whiteboard up front?  That whiteboard is something we possess.  No one can see it.  You hold it dear and close to your heart hoping nobody will ever see it.  You even try everything in your power to hide it from God, but somewhere deep down inside, you know God can see it and you feel ashamed.

What is written on your white board?  We all have secrets we want to keep.  We all have skeletons in our closest we are ashamed of.  We all have sins written on that board that make us feel unworthy to come before Christ.  We run and hide, but the white board keeps following us.  We try to erase it, but the words keep coming back.  We even try to ignore it, but the sting of those words burn within us and haunt our thoughts and dreams. 

Margaret was hunted by those burning words for 40 years.  They kept pounding her, sometimes into submission.  Those words ate away at her until she was raw to the bone.  Margaret did everything in her power to numb the pain, but nothing did the trick.  Nothing brought her relief until Christ was introduced to her. 

Christ is the one who took away that pain; by wiping her white board clean.  And Christ does the same for you.

There are so many people out there that are hurting and looking for relief…people who have never heard of Christ.  But there are also people out there who have heard of Christ, but forget what he has done.  Or don’t believe that what Christ has done was done for them.  Christ was nailed to a cross and with Christ, our sins and transgressions were nailed with him.  Through the nailing of our sins to the cross, Jesus takes that eraser and whites our board clean.  Nobody or nothing else can do that.

That is why we come to worship.  That is why we dive into scripture.  That is why we pray as the Lord has taught us.  For when we pray, when we ask for forgiveness and God’s Holy Spirit, it WILL be given to us.  Jesus makes that promise to us when he says that if we know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will God give us His Holy Spirit when we ask for it.  God WILL give us relief.  God will wipe our slate clean.  God will hear us and answer us.  That is the promise we have.

But adults are not the only ones out there feeling the pressures of life and the lure of sin.  Our youth struggle with pressures and expectations that are sometimes overwhelming.  Pressure to perform in athletics, in the classroom or with friends can take a toll on the youth today.  We need to help them see that there is someone out there that does not place any expectation on them, but rather lifts their burden.  They need to hear about God’s love for them and that their whiteboard is also wiped clean.  But they can’t hear that if they are not here or if nobody tells them about Christ.

The message of salvation and the cleaning of the whiteboard comes through our witness and faithfulness.  Let Christ heal you and others.  Sit back and watch Jesus come forward and erase your sins away.  Watch Jesus turn to you and write on your board, you are loved, you are special, you are forgiven.  Announce this awesome message from the hilltop through your witness.  Jesus Christ needs you and you need Jesus Christ.  Your salvation has been achieved through the cross; let’s let the world know this great news.  Amen!