St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church, Watertown, WI

Sermon by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Pentecost 7, July 15, 2007 Isaiah 52: 7

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion; “Your God reigns!”

People of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God—

The other day the postal service lady brought my latest issue of Newsweek. The very top line of the cover says 181 Things You Need To Know Now! I thought 181 things—are a lot of things—I need to know—and I need to know them now! You can take a quiz on the Internet to see how many of these essential 181 you know. I thought—I watch the news. I listen to talk radio. I have smart friends. I bet I know this stuff! Did you know our national debt is $8.5 trillion dollars? Did you know that China has 4% of that debt? Japan has 8% and the US Treasury has 52%. Do you know how much money is sent from workers in this country to family back in Mexico? $20 billion dollars—in little clumps of $100 or $200. There are no less than 1 billion people who don’t have regular access to clean safe water. There are two billion people who lack bathrooms—washrooms. You are supposed to know people in Japan—on average—live longer than any other people in the world—men till 77 and women until 84. It is good for the people of God to know and understand what’s going on in the world around us. Because the world around us is our mission field. Jesus said—we are in the world but not of the world. We are in this world—to be salt and light. We are in this world—for our time of grace—to live our faith and to share our faith before it’s too late!

Today God’s Word reminds us:

Even Pastors’ Feet Are Beautiful!

1. They preach good news of peace

2. They point to the King of kings!

God’s Word says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news…” This world is full of bad news. It’s hard to get away from the bad news. A mommy goes missing—a mommy with a baby in her tummy—literally days away from being born. People from all around pick up papers with her smiling picture on it. They walk through forests and fields—shoulder to shoulder—looking down—looking for anything that might be a clue to where the missing person and their unborn baby might be. Then—about 4 or 5 days later—they find the mommy and her baby buried in a shallow grave—out in a forest. There is bad news as people are playing on their front porch or in their front yard—and there is a shooting. People are wounded and even killed because of gangs and because of drug deals. There is bad news about flash floods—little children washed from the arms of their moms. How horrible would the guilt be—to think if somehow you would have held on tighter or somehow tied them to yourself—that somehow you could have kept them safe? And now it’s too late! There is bad news when people park their cars and trucks in the heat—with puppies trapped in the deadly heat. Bad news when people in grocery stores say horrible hurtful things to their small children or their spouse. Bad news from Iraq when cars and trucks explode—and soldiers are killed or horribly wounded. There is bad news when marriages and families are torn apart at the seams—and the wounds are so deep inside that only Band Aids of the Gospel can begin to heal the hurt!

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news… There is good news in God’s Word. Pastors and Day School teachers—teachers at Lakeside and Luther Prep will tell you the good news of Scripture—law and gospel—always that combination—always in that order. The law exposes our sins. Sin is through and through us. When you wake up in the morning—with little eye krispies in your eyes—with little wrinkles in your cheeks from your pillow case—with a little drool in the corner of your mouth—your hair a bed head—we are fatally flawed because of sin. Instead of thinking—this is the day the LORD has made—we will rejoice and be glad in it—we are thinking—half my kingdom for another 20 minutes of sleep. We are thinking—I don’t want to get up! I don’t want to go to work! I don’t want to deal with the mess that is my life! All through the day—do we grumble and complain? Do we complain about the weather? When is it going to rain? My lawn is getting all crinkly! That can’t be good—can it—like kind of brown kind of yellow steel wool! My flowers are all drooping. My crab grass is doing great—green and growing—but that’s about it! When is Jesus going to send the rain? And the temperature? What’s with the 90º+? That’s a little too warm, too, don’t you think? And the wind—Jesus really likes to crank the fans—doesn’t he? And I for one could do without the humidity—don’t you think? Do we complain about the weather? And when we have a picture perfect day—about 75º and 30% humidity—and the sun is shining—but there are plenty of puffy clouds—and just a gentle breeze—do we say—sure it’s nice now—but we will pay for this come January? Like Jesus is up in heaven saying—I will give them a nice day now—and then get even with them—with a freezing rain—ice bringing down power lines—slip off the road into a fender bender and then the ditch—come this winter? Do we really think that way? God’s Word reminds us week after week—just like Job was reminded—it is not for sinful people like us to question the Great I AM—the Holy One of Israel. It is for us to give thanks and praise. It is for us to say, “The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth be beside the sill waters. He restoreth my soul!”

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news… Pastors and teachers teach you the Gospel! The good news that is sweeter than honey in the honey comb. Some of my friends went by some Amish farms the other day. They brought back for me one of those little plastic like Tupperware containers--a little brick of honey in the comb! It is indescribably sweet—the golden juice in those little wax stop sign shaped containers. Spread it on an egg bagel with snooty coffee—with caramel, butterscotch and hazelnut—and that’s pretty sweet, too. But it isn’t as sweet as Jesus’ unconditional forgiving love. Whatever we have been—whatever we have become—we are at peace with God for Jesus’ sake! There is forgiveness—for people who have abused and sold drugs. There is forgiveness—for those who have prostituted themselves—for money to buy drugs. There is forgiveness for those who have broken their marriage promises again and again—with their whole body or with their heart and mind—their thoughts and emotions. There is forgiveness for those who drank alcohol until they were drunk—then said and did things that are hurtful and horrible and wrong—and then because they drank so much—don’t even remember saying and doing them! Jesus died for those who pray like the Pharisee—I thank you LORD, that I am not like other people—or even like this tax collector and sinner. Jesus died for us all. There is no better news than that!

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion; “Your God reigns!” This message of grace and mercy for Jesus’ sake—is intended for Watertown. It is also intended for people all around the world! People are dying all the time. Do you know the three leading killers in this world? People are dying from AIDS—spread by people who are not married having “hugs and kisses”! That’s wrong! Death is spreading from TB—people cough on each other. And the next thing you know—you can’t breathe! Death is spreading from malaria! People get bit by these little mosquitoes—and the next thing you know they are sick—so weak they can hardly sit up to eat! If you add to AIDS or TB or Malaria the smallest additional trouble like malnutrition or some kind of infection or weakness—and people die! In our world—and there is a big world out there—past Ixonia and Oconomowoc—mommies are dying. Mommies are dying giving birth at the rate of one every minute—every minute of every day. That means by the time church is done this morning—another 60 mommies will have died! How sad is that? People all around the world need to hear the Good News of the Gospel. What are we supposed to do about it? Pray about it! I mean pray like that actually makes a difference! Don’t pray like—well—all we can do is pray. It can’t hurt! We need to pray—remembering who we are talking to—the Maker of Heaven and Earth! We need to bring our children to church—every Sunday! I mean every Sunday. What if the weather is terrible? Come to church! The worst blizzard we ever had in Watertown on a Sunday morning—a grandma—a widow—a tough little lady named Irma drove through practically a white out to church. And when I said, “Irma—what are you doing here?” She said—“It would take a bigger storm than this—to keep me away from my Father’s House on a Sunday morning!” Be here—all of us--every Sunday. Be here every Wednesday during Advent and Lent to get your hearts ready. Be here Christmas Eve and Christmas morning—New Year’s Eve and Ascension—every Ascension. Speak well of your Pastors and teachers to your children—always speak well of them—who brings you God’s Word! Always speak well of them to your children—and then your children—by the power of the Gospel—will want to grow up to be like them—preaching and teaching the Gospel to people who will be eternally lost without it! Love Jesus with all your heart, soul, strength and mind—and then you will want to bring your Thankofferings—the best you have from cheerful hearts—because you love Jesus so much! Read your Bible at home and then come to Bible Class—to study and learn and grow in the Gospel! Come to Lord’s Supper—all the time—and your faith will grow and grow!

Last week was the WELS International Youth Rally—in Dallas Texas. Near the hotel elevator on the 15^th floor was an almost life size photograph of President Kennedy waving goodbye! It made you think. Just a block or two from our hotel was the place where President Kennedy was mortally wounded. Just a little ways down the street past our hotel was the Book Depository—where from the 6^th floor a shot rang out. There is a mark on Elm Street—an X that marks the spot where the car was—when President Kennedy was mortally wounded. The X on the road has begun to fade. But people who are aware—switch lanes—to show respect by not driving over that exact spot. Not too far from there is a monument to President Kennedy. It’s a centotaph—that is an empty tomb. It looks just like a grave—except there’s no body buried there. Jesus’ grave is the ultimate centotaph—the ultimate empty grave. It’s not empty because Jesus is buried some where else. It’s empty because Jesus isn’t dead any more. He is risen from the dead—and lives and reigns eternally. There were about 2,500 young people and chaperones at the youth rally. During the presentations—it was common to have group participation. How many of you have known from experience—the pain and hurt of divorce? Almost every single hand went up. How many of you have felt the heart ache of the funeral of someone you love? Again—almost every hand went up. Teenagers—the young people who just a few weeks or just a few years ago—promised to suffer all even death—rather than fall away from Jesus—know the hurt and pain that are the wages of sin! In a world where there is so much bad news—so much pain and hurt and grief and sadness—how precious and sweet to hear good news! How priceless to hear that all our sins and painful hurtful mistakes of the past are all washed away! How wonderful to hear the absolute and life changing truth of the Gospel—that we are adopted children of God for Jesus’ sake! How beautiful are even the feet—the toes and sole and ankle—the feet of those who bring good news—that Jesus is our Redeemer! Let us dedicate our lives to share that Good News! Amen!

To God alone all glory!

Rev. Anthony E. Schultz