Written Sermon May 11, 2025

 Sermon for 05/11/25 

Written by Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Alma, MI

 John 10:22–30 

22Then the Festival of Dedication  took place in Jerusalem. It was  winter, 23and Jesus was walking  in the temple area in Solomon's Colonnade. 24So the Jews  gathered around Jesus, asking,  “How long will you keep us in  suspense? If you are the Christ,  tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered  them, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I am doing in my  Father's name testify about me. 26But you do not believe, because you are  not my sheep, as I said to you. 27My sheep hear my voice. I know them,  and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given  them to me, is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my  Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one.” 

Trust is essential in life. Every day, we place our trust in people, systems,  and routines—whether driving a car, following medical advice, or even  sitting on a chair. Yet the book, "The Day America Told the Truth" (1991  Prentis Hall) says that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about  matters they consider trivial, and 36 percent lie about important matters;  86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to  siblings, and 69 percent to spouses. 

Every brand claims to offer the best value for your money. Ever buy the  advertised brand of paper plates only to throw half of them away un-used  because they were so flimsy, crumbling as soon as you placed so much as  a scoop of potato salad on them? 

But even if you have the cash to buy the best of everything, how do you  know what is the best? How can we trust anything anyone says? We want  proof don’t we? Like kids in a school yard we shout “PROVE IT!”  

That was the basis of the question that the people asked Jesus. John tells  us, the crowds gather around Jesus as he walks in Solomon’s porch.  “Stop talking in riddles and parables,” they complain. “If you are  Messiah, just tell us!” It’s a challenge of authenticity, a call to prove that  what he was saying was trustworthy. Tell us plainly. 

Haven’t there been times when you prayed that prayer? Just tell me  plainly what I need to know, Jesus. Show me clearly who you are. Sure  the name Jesus means “Savior” but did that Babe of Bethlehem live up to  the hype? Help me make the right decision. Make your will for me crystal clear. Give me a sign. Send me an email, a text, a tweet, something! We  know his promises in Scripture, but sometimes, perhaps more often than  we care to admit, don’t we wonder if they are true? Don’t we wish for  some word, some sign that all those promises are trustworthy? 

Yet, hasn’t Jesus already proven himself, many times? Yes. But the people didn’t pay attention. Even though His miracles proved what He  was saying, they weren’t satisfied. 

It’s like the person who complains that they didn’t know about some  event, some decision that was made. There have been announcements in  the bulletin, in the newsletter, on the bulletin board, the television in the  narthex, from the pulpit. Yet, they grumble about a lack of  communication. We want proof God will keep his word before we step  out of the boat although He has given us that proof throughout Scripture  and in our own lives. We just don’t always pay attention.  

Jesus is calling his followers into something completely different,  something more. Jesus is calling his followers into a life-changing,  intimate relationship. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them,  and they follow me.” 

Why would we follow Jesus? He made some pretty wild claims, didn’t  he? “Believe in me and you will live forever.” “The Father and I are one.”  “I will die and on the third day rise again.” Or in the Twenty-third psalm,  “The Lord is my shepherd I lack nothing.” Those are pretty wild claims.  Almost unbelievable. So why do we believe them? 

Because Jesus, our Good Shepherd, proved he is trustworthy.  

Jesus promised that on the third day he would rise from the dead. If  Christ is not risen our faith is futile. Or preaching is useless. But Christ  has risen! He has risen indeed. Every religious leader there ever was has  claimed their teachings were true. Mohammed, Confucius, Zoroaster,  Mary Baker Eddy, Buddha, Krishna, Rhonda Byrne, all claimed to teach  the truth. But none of them proved it by rising from the dead. Only Jesus  proved what he said was trustworthy and true by doing something no one  else could do. The historical, provable fact of Jesus’ resurrection is God’s  stamp of acceptance and approval of all that Jesus has said and done.  

That’s why we follow him.  

That’s why the resurrection of Jesus is so central to our faith. Everything  hinges on Jesus proving that what he said was true by rising from the  dead. We know our sins and our need for a Savior. We know that our sin  brings hell on us. But Jesus came to be our Shepherd, to lay down his life  for us. That’s what we need him to do, and that’s what he did for us. As our Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep and took it up  again. The resurrection proves that God’s anger against sin has been  appeased. It proves that the payment for sin – death- has been paid.  

So with our eyes on the resurrected Lord, we hear his voice and trust  what he says.  

He is with us at every moment and in every place. We are never alone,  never separated from him because He fills all creation. His resurrection  and ascension proves it. 

He is King—He is powerful, nothing is beyond His powerful reach,  nothing is outside of His sovereign rule. He wields that power for the  sake of His church, those who believe in Him. His resurrection proves it. 

He is our Good Shepherd who supplies us. “Give us this day our daily  bread.” Why do we pray that? Because proved it by his miracles that  provided what people need. Why do we still believe it? Because He  proved His promises by rising from the dead. 

He is the Forgiver of all our sins. He is the sacrifice that made peace with  God. He is the all sufficient payment for the sins of the world. Your guilt  has been washed away. He proved his promise to forgive us by…His  resurrection. 

Jesus makes one more promise in our text: “No one will snatch them out  of my hand.” Allstate insurance adopted the “You’re in good hands with  Allstate” slogan in 1950 and has used it ever since. As advertising slogans  go, “in good hands” is a memorable one. It suggests strength, support,  stability, skill, guidance, protection, and above all, personal involvement.  We use our hands to touch. Touch is personal and comforting, as we all  know from countless handshakes, gentle caresses, and sympathetic pats on-the-back. 

Imagine the many circumstances in which you would welcome such  words as “you’re in good hands.” When dropping the children off for  their first day of school, we’re glad to hear, “Oh, don’t worry. Your  children are in good hands.” When considering major surgery: “Don’t  worry. Doctor Jones is a skilled surgeon. You’re in good hands. Relax.”  When stepping onto a commercial airliner, investing hard-earned  retirement funds, purchasing a house, or following a military commander  onto a battlefield, who would not welcome the knowledge that, “You’re in  good hands?” 

There are no better hands to be in than the nailed scarred hands of a God  who loved you so much that He hung on a cross suffering and dying when  He had the power to save himself. 

When you are in God’s hands, He is always leading you. Jesus said in  verse 27, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow  Me.” I can think of no greater, more reassuring reality for our personal  lives and troubling daily headlines than the reality: “Jesus is always  leading me. My hand is in the hand of Jesus.” How does the old song go  by Loretta Lynn? “Put your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the  waters. Put your hand in the hand of the Man who calmed the sea.” 

Can you remember holding your parents’ hand as a child? Can you  remember clasping your own child’s hand—teaching him to walk, leading  her across busy streets, holding on to him in crowded airports, or helping  her up when she fell? How do those memories make you feel? Aren’t they  filled with feelings of love, support, protection and gratitude? 

We are eternally safe in God’s hands. This lesson is so important for us to  remember that Jesus taught it twice in consecutive verses. Verse 22: “no  one can snatch them out of My hand;” and in verse 23: “no one can  snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” 

When I was a boy, I used to play a game with my dad in which he would  clench his fist tightly and I would try to open it. I would use one hand,  then two hands. Then I would try to wiggle my fingers between his  fingers, targeting his big thumb or little finger, looking for any indication  of weakness; all while grunting and giggling and using my legs to gain  leverage. But nothing worked. He was too strong. 

The same hands too strong for me to open were also the hands strong  enough to go on providing for me and protecting me. With those strong  hands of his, my dad disciplined me when I did wrong and hugged me to  show he still loved me. I was blessed to have him. For in him I had a brief  glimpse of what it means to have a ‘Father’ in heaven. 

Is there anything more encouraging or heartening than the knowledge  that ‘nothing can snatch you out of God’s almighty hand?’ Nothing can  interfere with His love and purposes for your life or the inheritance that  He has freely given you or the eternal life waiting for you. Nothing can  come between you and God. Not terrorist bombings or destructive  weather. Not petty dictators making nuclear threats. Not your own self inflicted folly. Not even death itself. Nothing can change God glorious  plan for your life because you are in God’s hands; and as Jesus said, “no  one can snatch them out of My hand;” and “no one can snatch them out  of My Father’s hand.” 

That’s a promise from the risen, trustworthy Good Hands-God.


Written Sermon 3/23/25

Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Alma, MI

Luke 13:1-9

Now is the Time to Repent

1At that time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? 3I  tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all perish too. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the  tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse sinners than  all the people living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you  will all perish too.” 6He told them this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted  in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it, but he did not find any. 7So  he said to the gardener, ‘Look, for three years now I have come looking for  fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none. Cut it down. Why even let it use  up the soil?’ 8But the gardener replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year  also, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. 9If it produces fruit next  year, fine. But if not, then cut it down.’” 

As I reflected on today’s gospel for this sermon I thought about the  Russian war on Ukraine, the more than 46,000 killed in the Gaza crises,  the six million covid deaths worldwide, and the 42 killed in severe storms  last weekend. Why? 

Not much has changed since the time of Jesus. Tyrants are still acting,  and tragedies are still happening. I want to know why these things  happen, don’t you? I want some explanation and a way to make sense of  it all.  

We’re tempted to try and connect the dots and we can’t help but wonder  what they did to cause it. They must be guilty of something. God must be  punishing them for something we don’t know about.  

Sometimes we may wonder if our troubles are punishment for our sins.  What did I do wrong for this to happen? But Jesus stops this thinking in  its tracks. The answer is that I have done all kinds of things wrong. I am a  sinner before the Lord. But this is not the reason why a hailstorm  destroyed my car. This is not the reason why I’ve had a flat tire on the  road. God is not karma. Now, we certainly experience consequences for  our sinful decisions. But calamities, sicknesses, and disasters are not a  direct way that God punishes us. 

Jesus doesn’t offer an explanation of why Pilate mingled the blood of  Galileans with their sacrifices, or why the Tower of Siloam fell killing  18. No, Jesus says, those Galileans were not worse sinners. No, he  insists, those people in Siloam were not more guilty than you. Don’t focus  on the cause, says Jesus. Rather, consider your response. And how  should we respond? Jesus says,“repent.” 

This call to repentance seems strange because we normally think of  repentance of something we do when we’ve done something wrong. But  that thinking is too small. Jesus is talking about repentance more  broadly. Don’t just repent when you’ve messed up, Jesus says. Repent  when any bad thing happens. 

Because bad things are so common in this broken world, repentance  becomes more than just a response to felt guilt. The Greek word for  repent could be translated more exactly with ‘assume another mind and  feeling, recover one’s senses, or have a change of spirit. Repentance is not  a bargain with God for the temporary relief of guilt. Repentance is a  turning away from anything that is not right in His sight and turning  toward the One who can make all things right. Each disaster should make  us renew our repentance. 

Which is where Jesus’ story of the fig tree comes into the picture. Jesus  continues his call to repentance by telling a story of mercy and patience  in the light of coming judgment. The fig tree deserved to be cut down and  destroyed. It had not produced fruit for years. But the caretaker asked for  mercy. He tended, nurtured and cared for this tree, patiently cultivating  it so that it might bear fruit. But if it doesn’t, then it will be cut down. Judgment is inevitable. That much is certain. 

This story is about repentance. And that’s been true all through this  season of Lent, as we have tuned our ears to listen to Jesus. Here, he says  it plainly – not once, but twice: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you  will all perish just as they did.” As God tends you the fruit of His work is  repentance. If there is no repentance then there is only death and  destruction. 

The question isn’t so much, “Is what I’m doing something that’s  deserving of death?” because the answer is “Yes! Absolutely. Every sin  deserves the death sentence.” Death, in all its forms, is a preaching of  God’s law. And Jesus’ most sincere desire is to save you from it. That’s  why He keeps nurturing to cause us to be fruitful in repentance. 

For as much as people might like to find a reason for with the troubles of  others, remember, Jesus has a reason for you – to bring you to repentance, to assure you of his forgiveness, and to show you the back  door to heaven. When life happens…repent! Bear fruit!  

Yet the time for God’s patience will run out. We usually think of that as  the end of the world, the final judgment. And that’s true. However, it can  also happen at any time by death. That’s God warning through these  tragedies. Don’t wait. Death can come unexpectedly as it has to some  over the last couple of weeks. Like a twelve-year-old girl dying within  days after contracting a virus. Or a one-year-old boy dying from a rare  brain cancer, or 42 people killed by a storm. Jesus is warning all of us to  take these troubles to heart. Live a life of repentance, aware of the brevity  of life. Don’t waste time, don’t put off repentance, there might not be a  tomorrow. There might be a life-ending tragedy around the corner.  

Should that thought cause us to look over our shoulders constantly  expecting the sky to fall? NO, not at all. But neither should we go through  life ignoring the fact that those things can happen. And we do try to  ignore it, to not think about it and to not even plan for it. When you see  those tragedies, remember the fleeting nature of life. Put off sin, and turn  to your Savior because he promises to forgive you. 

Notice how Jesus doesn’t tell us whether that fig tree did finally bear  fruit. That’s because He is letting us know that we have a choice. He’s not  offering a cause and effect explanation, he’s offering a choice between life  and death. While God does this work, you and I have a part to play. We  can’t make our faith stronger on our own, but we can put ourselves in a  position to be surrounded by his Word, to be in a place where God will do  the work he’s promised. So, tending to the tree of our faith means  immersing ourselves in his Word. 

Every moment is a burning bush moment of divine presence, hope, new  life and more life. The only question is whether we will “turn aside to see  this great thing.”  

But God’s grace is still here is this parable to lift our hearts from the  abyss of impending doom. The vineyard worker doesn’t just sit and watch  and see if the tree figures it out. The vineyard worker goes to work on  that tree – digging around it, fertilizing it, doing everything necessary to  make this tree does what fruit trees do. He holds off destruction and goes  to work. That’s exactly what Jesus does for you and me. He brings us to a  realization of our sin through his law, and then proclaims and promises  his perfect rescue in the gospel. He turns us outside of ourselves, bearing  fruit for the glory of God and the benefit of our neighbor. Repent! Bear  fruit! But do you see the only way both of those things happen? Only in Christ – he brings us to see our sin and our sin’s forgiveness in him.  Christ himself is the one who makes us fruitful. 

So God assures us time and time again, sometimes in direct conflict with  our internal dialogue and emotions, that he loves us. While, yes, we have  sinned, and yes, we do deserve eternal punishment in hell for those sins,  Jesus took our place. Jesus paid the price we owed. Jesus has saved us  through his perfect life that he applies to us and his death on the cross  that removed every single one of our sins. Now, the soil can breathe and  have nutrients rush to the roots. 

And what is the result? What could the result be but joyous thanksgiving  to God? When we can see and appreciate how great the love of God for us  is, how could we possibly respond in joy to him? To be clear, any  response, any good works we do are not done to earn God’s love or  forgiveness; those have been given to us as a free gift. No, the fruit we  produce is the result of thanksgiving to the God who loves us. 

In the end, it’s not the fruit that is the ultimate concern, but the fruit is a  sign of the tree's health. The good works in our life are not the goal, but  they are useful to gauge the health of our faith. The faith that clings to  Jesus as the only and complete Savior from sin is what is most vital. A  healthy tree will produce good fruit; a healthy faith will produce thankful  fruit, and we want our faith to be healthy as we look forward to the rescue  from this life that God will provide. 

God grant us his Holy Spirit to see in every trial, tragedy, or triumph in  this life, an opportunity to turn in repentance and faith to our Savior who  forgives us and makes us fruitful.