April 19, 2026 Written Sermon

 Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Alma, MI

Luke 24:13–35 

He Lives to Restore My Hope

I think it is uncanny how I can spend  5 minutes looking for the chip dip in  the refrigerator, but Sue walks in and  finds it in 10 seconds. It was right  there in front of me. I just couldn’t  see it. Now chip dip isn’t all that important  if we can’t find it. But if it is something important and we can’t see  it, we lose hope. Hope is most often what we lose sight of because it is a confident  expectation of future, unseen realities rather than a present, visible  possession. It is frequently hidden by overwhelming despair, fear, and  personal struggles.  

Here a just a few key reasons why hope is not seen: 

• Definition of Hope: Often people think hope should be the open  door or window they see to escape a current situation. But we often  don’t see what’s right in front of us because of the situation. 

• Overwhelming Circumstances: Personal hardships, such as grief  or economic difficulty, can make it seem impossible to see a positive  future. 

• Negativity Overload: Constant exposure to or thinking about negative news leads to hope blindness. 

• Misplaced Expectations: Misplacing hope in uncertain things like  finances or other people, outcomes instead of trusting in a higher  purpose, leads to disappointment, making hope feel absent. 

That is where we find the two men in our reading. They felt hopeless. The last time these men saw Jesus he was dead. But now they’ve heard from  several women that angels had told them Jesus is alive. They don’t  believe the what the women said, focusing instead on the sadness of what  they saw. 

They had come to Jerusalem for the Passover feast and now it was time  for them to go home. As they leave town, blinded by grief and confusion,  Jesus comes alongside them hiding his appearance. After a brief  conversation about the events of the last days, they tell Him, “our hope  was buried with him.” What is revealing about their mindset is that they call Jesus a prophet. They no longer say Jesus was the “Messiah” or the “Christ.” They’ve lost faith. Since Jesus is dead, he must have just been a  prophet like the prophets of old who died. He can’t possibly be the  Messiah chosen by God. When things get dark in life, when we lose our  jobs or a loved one dies, a war, serious illness, or tragedy, and our hearts  don’t sense Christ, it’s easy to say, “Maybe he’s not God, maybe Jesus is  not as powerful as I thought.” They couldn’t see hope in that moment,  even though hope was right next to them. 

So, Jesus rebukes them, “O foolish ones,” he says, “and so slow to  believe all that the prophets have spoken.” And as they walked Jesus begins in Genesis and goes through all the prophets, showing them  that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer first and then to enter his  glory. The work of the Savior and the hope that He would bring was right  in front of them in the Old Testament. They just didn’t see it. 

But there’s an important theme that is developing. We heard it Easter  morning when Jesus appeared to the women and to Mary Magdalene. We heard it last week when Jesus appeared to the disciples and later to  Thomas. 

He tells them He is going to be with them in a very different way. He  won’t walk physically with them, as He did before the crucifixion. Rather  he will be with them according to his resurrected glory. They will have  him not according to his normal bodily presence, rather they’ll have him  according to his word. 

That’s why he says to Mary Magdalene, “Don’t cling to me.” That’s why  he says to Thomas, “Blessed are those who believe and have not  seen.” That’s why he hides himself from the disciples on the road to  Emmaus. Instead of opening their eyes to see his physical form, he opens  their ears to hear the word. 

Why? Why are we so much more blessed if we believe without seeing?  Too often the natural man stands in the way of faith. It is easier to trust  the senses than it is to trust God. Led by our senses (seeing is believing)  we are blind to the spiritual truth that can only be discerned in the heart.  True faith is not a reaction to physical evidence, but a spiritual conviction  that leads to a deeper relationship with God. Physical sight is limited to  the temporary world, while faith connects believers to eternal glory and  the "unseen" reality of God's kingdom, which is more real and enduring  than the material world. 

That’s why Jesus wants us to have the sure testimony of the holy  scriptures, so that we would know the truth that defies our senses. The  truth is that Jesus is God in the flesh, that Jesus is crucified for us and for 

our salvation, and that Jesus is truly risen from the dead. The grave is  empty and he sits at the right hand of God the Father until the day  coming soon when he returns for us. 

This is the hope that we have. As Jesus Christ suffered in this world, so  do we. Only here is the difference. We are guaranteed the victory. We  will conquer in Jesus Christ. God is with us if we get sick or a loved one  does. He is with His children in their time of suffering. Even if the  sickness brings an end to our lives in this world, we are still the victors  because an imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance awaits us. Nothing on this earth can destroy the hope God gives us in the  resurrection of Jesus Christ. To destroy our hope, you would have had to  kill Jesus Christ and kept Him in the tomb. But God raised Him from the  dead and therefore nothing can steal our living hope away from us. 

It’s that word that rings in our ears from the pages of Scripture that gives us hope. When our eyes see trouble and despair, we can hear the voice  Jesus calling us over the tumult. When we see fear and desperation, we  hear the voice of Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid. I am your refuge and  strength.” 

Zoe Yens, and you three adult confirmands, Dean, Fred and Zoe, that’s  what I have worked to instill in you through our study together. It is  seeing Jesus through your ears as you listen to His word. That’s why  there were so many Bible passages that we studied together. You have the  whole of God’s plan for your salvation in writing. You have the promises  of God written down to give you hope. You have the unwavering hope  that even when you don’t see God before your eyes, you will hear Him in  your heart through that word. Our eyes can deceive us, but His word  never will. 

When we’re struggling, fatigued or frustrated, when we can’t see Jesus  and can only think of everything wrong with our lives, we should pause  and check our memories and ask, “Am I being selective in what I am  remembering?” How has Jesus done good things for me and shown  himself to me in ways in the past. If he’s been good for years and years, why would I assume he would stop now?” Lord, may we not have  selective memories but memories full of the goodness of Christ. When  you can’t see what Jesus is doing in your life look to the Scriptures. Go to  your Bible. See him there. Hear him there. 

As these three approached a village towards evening, Jesus pretends to  keep going but like good hosts they invite Jesus in to stay with them the  night. When he breaks the bread, much like he did at the feeding of the 5,000 and the Last Supper (Luke 9:16; 22:19), they finally recognize him  for who he is. Then he’s gone. And what do they immediately afterwards? 

They marvel at—the scriptures! 

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us  while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures  to us?” 

Once they understand how all of Scriptures point to the Messiah needing  to suffer and die and rise it changed everything. They believe! Their hope  is restored. 

There is a movie called The Sixth Sense. Have any of you seen it? You can  only see that movie twice because once you know the ending it changes  how you see the whole movie. It came out in 1999, so this is a spoiler  alert. Bruce Willis, a child psychologist, is trying to help a young boy who  sees dead people. You go through the whole movie with that plot line and  at the end it turns out Bruce Willis is one of the people who is dead. Now if you go back through the movie it’s so obvious he is dead. His wife  doesn’t look at him or interact with him. No one really talks to him except  for the young boy. After knowing the ending, you can’t help but see the  whole movie differently. 

Easter is like that. The gospel is the good news that the hero of the story  is alive and well. Now as you go back through the Scriptures you can’t  help but read them in light of that good news. It’s all about him. It’s all  about the hope that He brings. Knowing the ending we can’t but help  look at all the troubles, trials, setbacks and problems we experience with  a whole different understanding. It’s all about Jesus, his suffering, his  death, and his life-giving resurrection so that anyone who puts their faith  and trust in him will one day come out victorious! 

For you confirmands this morning, and for all of you, may this be your  confidence, your comfort, your wisdom, and your peace.  

As the hymn says, “O God our help in ages past, Our hope for years to  come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home.” 

And all God’s people will say, “Amen.”

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April 12, 20206 Written Sermon

Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Alma, MI

John 20:19–31 

The Difference is Peace

I think most all of us get peace of mind  at night by locking our doors. It gives us safety and security when we’re sleeping  or away. And that’s where we find the  disciples today - behind locked doors. But it wasn’t peace of mind that made  them lock the doors.  Their hearts and minds were in turmoil.  Can you imagine the turmoil that the  disciples were in that evening? They  were afraid of the Jewish leaders who had their Teacher and Master  killed on Friday morning. Their hopes and expectations and faith in  Jesus as the Messiah were dashed to pieces by the events of previous 48  hours. Can you imagine the disappointment in themselves for  abandoning Jesus. The disillusionment that they had spent three years of  their lives following Jesus only to have their hopes and dreams snuffed  out? Can you imagine how they felt having believed Jesus’ words about  forgiveness and love only to see him crucified before their eyes for saying  that? Can you imagine the sense of lostness they were feeling? How their  hearts must have been broken.

Their minds storming. Their consciences  beating them up.  

When the disciples were together, with the doors to their room locked  and the doors to their minds barred shut from hope and peace, Jesus  came and stood among them. What would have been the first words out  of your mouth to a room of men who deserted and abandoned you a few  days earlier. Who, except for one (John), were too scared to even show up  at the cross when Jesus died. If Jesus’ first words were “seriously, guys? After everything I did for you?” - we’d totally understand. But what he  says is one of the best and most beautiful phrases that exist: He said  “peace to you.” And to put their restless hearts to rest even further, Jesus  doesn’t just tell them words of peace, but shows them assurance as well.  The holes from where the nails were. The space from where the spear  pierced his side. Visible here for all to see. Then he doubles down on His  greeting saying, “Peace be with you!” 

And then to prove that He harbors no ill will, he gives them the keys to  the greatest kingdom of all - the kingdom of heaven. He doesn’t punish  them for their actions over the past days. He reinstates them as His  disciples, to carry on His mission. He breathed on them and said,  “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins  are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Words of peace twice, see your Savior standing before you, bring the  peace of forgiveness to others. Perfect love drives out turmoil and unrest. 

That’s the difference that Easter makes. It’s the proof that brings peace. 

When we read Bible stories from the gospels we can go hard on the 12  disciples. Why did they fall asleep in the garden like that? Why did they  abandon their Savior on Holy Weekend like that? Why are they so afraid  here! Why did Peter say that or do that! Silly foolish disciples! Why does  Thomas doubt?! Bad Thomas. I think we sometimes go hard on them  because we have the benefit of hindsight. We have the whole story laid  out for us in the Word. They were living it in real time. Honestly, they  were real people with real turmoil. Fearing for their lives they hid behind  locked doors. They were being eaten up by grief and regret. No one talks  much about that Good Friday night. We cut to the happy ending and the  joy of Sunday morning. There are moments in which the promise of  Easter seems irretrievably far away — when life itself seems far harder  than death. Our turmoil and unrest might look different than those first  disciples, but it’s still turmoil and unrest. We too, have doubts. Are we  afraid that by being a follower of Jesus, our lives are on the line? Church  shootings and bombings are becoming increasingly common. Some  churches, like ours, lock their doors during the service. Others hire  security guards. When rain clouds descend upon our world even the  strongest faiths among us have wrestled with a lack of peace. 

And I haven’t even started talking about spiritual matters yet. How often  don’t we remember a bad choice, a cruel word, a failed opportunity that  changed our lives? Even years later those memories haunt us. Have we  deserted Jesus when we could have spoken up? How often don’t the  memories of past sins come back to haunt us? Have we stood by Him or  run away when the going got tough? All of that and more robs us of  peace. We lock ourselves up hoping no one, even God, will find out.  

As Jesus came and stood among the disciples he could have unloaded on  them. If he came in the flesh right here among us - the things he could  say to us! He could bring all our most shameful sins to light. He could call  us out on our lack of faithfulness. We celebrated last week, Jesus lives!  How long did that joy and peace last? Likely only until the next turmoil  arose. If Jesus stood in this room of fearful children, and if he opened his  mouth to speak...what he could say to all of us? 

Well, he’d say the same thing he told the disciples. “Peace.” And then he’d  say it again. Again, peace be yours. We come here each week in the Lord’s  house and each week he calms our troubled hearts by speaking peace to  us. Christ has eliminated the greatest reason for our turmoil- -our sins by His victory on the cross. Our sins are paid for. They’re erased. 

Spiritually we have nothing to fear. And when we are here on Sunday we  receive words of peace that can soothe us in our relationships with  others, guide us through our hardships, and strengthen us as we walk  through dark days. Does that mean that everything will become a bed of  roses when we walk out of these doors? No, not necessarily. But we can  walk out of these doors knowing that we have the God of the universe in  our corner, filling us with love and peace. 

Christ brought peace to his disciples and Christ brings us peace, too. Jesus is present to give us peace in the words of forgiveness that we offer  to one another. We call these the Keys to the Kingdom and they were  from one of our verses here - I’ll read them again. “If you forgive  anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive  them, they are not forgiven.” Some guests to our church have asked  me, “Why are you (the pastor) able to stand up there and say, “I forgive  you your sins …?” This is the reason why right here. God has given his  church, us, the ability to forgive sins of others. And you don’t need to wait  until 10:20am every Sunday to finally hear that. You don’t need to wait  for an eight-year trained man of the cloth to remind you of forgiveness.  Because our parents and kids, friends and family can assure us of Christ’s  forgiveness because Christ has given us these keys. 

You can give others the peace of Christ when you forgive sins. You receive  the peace of Christ when you take to heart that God stops keeping record  of wrongs. We experience the peace of Christ from the Word we meditate  

on week in and week out. Christ gives us daily peace, through these  simple pages. He restores our hope. 

Even if we are like Thomas. Poor doubting Thomas. He refused to believe  even when all the others told him they saw the risen Christ. So locked in  by doubts, and unrest, guilt and human limitations that he just couldn’t  believe. But let’s give Thomas some credit. The resurrection of the dead  was too good to be true. It was unheard of, even though he had seen  Jesus raise the dead multiple times. But guilt does that. It blinds us to the  truth. It can deafen us to words of comfort that resurrect our peace. 

Throughout my ministry, I have known men and women who like  Thomas have been equally troubled in their faith. They held high  expectations for God’s assurance, but along the way they were met with  disappointment, and they became skeptical. Perhaps, you count yourself  in that number. Doubt breaks in in all sorts of ways. Tradition doesn’t  match truth. Or, perhaps you were offended one of God’s messengers  along the way. We hear the pastor speak the words of peace, but does he  really mean me? “If he knew what I did, what I thought, how I live in the  privacy of my home, he wouldn’t be so quick to say I’m forgiven. How can God forgive me for what I did?” With others it is a struggle with  questions about suffering that has been a major stumbling block. 

The more I have grown to know the modern day Doubting Thomases, the  more I have grown to understand that faith and doubt are often closely  linked. Doubt doesn’t need to destroy faith. After all, doubt did not  destroy Thomas’ faith. But rather doubt inspired, encouraged and drove  Thomas to seek that faith in Jesus which would transform his life. Doubt  can do the same for us, if we use it to find God’s answers instead of  blaming Him. 

When Jesus appeared, He gave Thomas visible signs. He showed him his  hands and feet. Don’t doubt Thomas, believe. I did this for you. You are  forgiven. I give you peace.  

He gives us visible signs too. His body and blood in the Holy Supper. He  says, “This is for you, for your forgiveness. I don’t reject you, I reinstate  you as my disciple. Don’t doubt. Believe. I did this for you. You are  forgiven. I give you peace.” 

What comfort today's Gospel has for us. Despite all that we have done to  make God hate us, He still loves us. He searches for us. He comes to  us. He gives us His peace. He encourages us to touch Him. He overcomes  our terrors and our doubts. He brings peace to our turmoil. 

My friends, in the midnight hour of the soul, when you are wrestling with  doubt, when everything you have been holding onto seems to have fallen  away, turn again like Thomas to the places where your faith can be  nurtured, and where Christ promises he will meet you- in the mystery of  God’s word and sacrament. Yes, in these simple means of grace, Jesus  invites you “to place your fingers into the nail prints” and to “place your  hand into his side.” So that you too may confess, “My Lord and my  God.”  

Amen

4 


Written Sermon 3/8/2026

 Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Alma, MI

Jesus is Your Living Water

Sermon for 03.08.26  John 4:5-26 

He sits near you every Sunday. She  sits across from you in class. You  see him every day at work. Rarely  do they start a conversation. From  what you can tell, things are going  well. Yet, day after day he  struggles with depression. A list of  things he has done wrong swirls in  his head. His marriage. Her children. His job. Her home life. It  is overwhelming. It is said still waters run deep and, if you were to start an honest  conversation with that person, you would find that true. Beneath his calm  demeanor, lies a depth of depression troubling his soul. Yet deeper still  runs the Word of God. So deep that it has the power to restore your soul as the psalmist writes, “He leads me besides the still waters, He restores  my soul.” Jesus is our Living Water. 

So, this Samaritan woman came to draw water at the hottest time of day. Normally women would draw water in the cool of the morning or  evening. But this woman came during the hot time, probably to avoid the  sneers and whispers of the town gossips about her sordid past. The well wasn’t a faucet or pump like we are used to. You had a clay jar which you  lowered 30 feet into a hole. You let it submerge and fill with water. Then  you had to pull it back up by a rope. And you had to do that multiple  times to get enough water for the day. It was hard work. Hard work made  harder by the burdens she carried. The men she had known. Or rather,  the men who had known her, had used her, and had divorced her. 

So marked was she by all these failed marriages, that she was now living  with a man who was not her husband. He was just one more man in a  line of men, using her, and leaving her, each time a little less human in  the eyes of others. She came to the well wanting water to quench her  thirst. But what she needed was someone to restore her soul. 

The Samaritan religion was a mix of Judaism, paganism and nationalism.  She has a vague understanding of the Scriptures. The kind you get from  T-shirts and coffee mugs. And she had an even more vague idea of the  Messiah. With her patchy knowledge of God, she also faces a dilemma in  her personal life. She knows she is wrong to be living this way. She’s  ashamed of it. Yet she can find no peace. Her vague religion leaves her  with Band-Aid fixes for her sin, like coming to the well when nobody is  around so she doesn’t have to confront her issues. Workarounds and excuses lead to more workarounds and excuses, until you’re tangled in  this knot you can’t untie. It’s like having to draw water from a well day  after day: the task will never be finished, and she will never have her  thirst for peace quenched. 

How does one restore a soul? The body can be healed. A surgeon’s hands  can open your chest, reach in and actually touch your beating heart. But  your soul is a different matter. It cannot be seen. It cannot be touched by human hands or examined on the operating table. Yet it feels the traumas  of life. Abuse that ends one’s childhood too early. A miscarriage that  abruptly ends one’s parenting. Divorce that tears marriage apart. These  things cut deeper than any surgeon’s knife, touching your soul. Making it  restless. Longing for life as God meant it to be. 

Augustine said, “You made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are  restless until they find their rest in You.” So, this woman at this well is  not the only one who longs for restoration. We all have moments of  restlessness. It could be 3 am, as you lie there in bed, awake and unable  to stop yourself from thinking. It could be 3 pm, as you worry about  going home to a fractured family, wondering if it will ever turn around.  Restlessness flows like an undercurrent through life, pulling us, dragging  us downward, making us weary of living even as we go through the  normal motions of a day. 

When Jesus speaks with her, He doesn’t address her behavior. Jesus  addresses the condition of her heart: Everyone who drinks of this  water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water  that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I  will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to  eternal life. You are thirsty, dear woman. Not just in the bodily way. Your soul is parched. 

Ask yourself what thirst(s) do you have in your life? What has sin caused  you to be thirsty for? Better yet, ask yourself what people, places, and  things have you attempted to use to satisfy your thirst? Was it in human  relationships, real or imagined, like the Samaritan woman that had been  married five times? The world tells us that it has what we are thirsty for is  more everything--more money, more fame, and the latest one of these or  the newest one of those. And then in our sinful nature we think we can  satisfy our own thirst, which leads to pride, selfishness, and addictions of  various kinds. But, of course, all those things leave us thirsting for more.  Nothing in this fallen world will quench our thirst. 

King Solomon attempted to satisfy his thirst with everything this world  offers. But he was left thirsty! And he tells us why in Ecclesiastes 3:11, He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set  eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God  has done from beginning to end. Then he concludes, 13 This is the  conclusion of the matter. Everything has been heard. Fear God  and keep his commandments. For mankind, this is everything (12:13). When you get down to the deep recesses of the human heart the  only thing that will satisfy our spiritual thirst is a right relationship with  God. He offers that to us through the living water of salvation found in  Christ alone 

To this woman, to you, the Shepherd comes. 

John does not speak of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in this passage but  that is what I see: A shepherd who knows when a sheep is weary and  comes to offer care by sharing the water of life. The Lord is my  Shepherd, we have learned to say. He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul. Today, we see Jesus, coming as a shepherd,  offering still waters, restoring a soul. 

The water He offers does not come from any well. It comes from Him. Jesus is the source of all living water. His life, His death, and His  resurrection are a life-giving stream. Only in the gospel of John does  Jesus cry out, I thirst, at His crucifixion. He becomes the thirsty one,  longing for life. Bearing our suffering. Enduring our shame. He enters  the depths of Hell itself and dies in our place that He might rise and offer  us His eternal, life-giving stream. God’s grace to us in Christ is flowing. It  does not run out. It is active and moving and life-giving. 

Jesus sits by the well as a shepherd, coming to offer this woman a life giving stream-God’s grace, forgiveness power and the Holy Spirit who  gives new life. What He gives makes her a child of God. The life she finds  in Jesus is a gift that will never go away. 

He still sits there, our Shepherd, by the well where, with a splash of water  and God’s word, you are made a child of God. It is that fountain of living  water that is held before us in the sacrament of baptism. Long after the  water has dried from our heads we are assured that the Holy Spirit leads  us and directs us; that he empowers us and encourages us and enlivens  us to live the way of Jesus. Be assured today that this living water can and  will sustain us through the driest and weariest days. 

Confession. Most of us do not like to admit our faults, our sins, even to  ourselves or our Savior. What God’s Word says about our favorite vices  may make us angry, ashamed or afraid. Yet this Samaritan woman didn’t  hide the fact that she was living in sin. However, God’s call to repentance is one of love. Jesus didn’t confront this woman to harm her but to love  her. 

Absolution: For us, repentance or turning from sin and to Christ is no  theological abstraction, but a concrete practice of Christian living.  Pastors restart our crushed hearts with Jesus’ words of ultimate love: I  forgive you all your sins. 

Holy Communion. Eating and drinking His Body and Blood refreshes us.  Through this Sacrament, we experience God’s love in the resurrected  body and blood of Jesus in the bread and wine. 

The words of our Lord run deep, deeper than any of your troubles, deep  enough to conquer Hell itself that He might rise from the depths with life  for you. Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, I  will give you rest Jesus cries. Today, Jesus comes to restore your soul. 

Is your soul parched from thirst today? Is your spirit longing for a place  of acceptance and healing? Do you have holes in your life through which  your life is draining away? Jesus says, “Come to me, come to the well  spring of life and received God's gift of living water. It's yours for the  asking.” 

There's an old song that says it well, “There is a fountain filled with blood  drawn from Immanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood  lose all their guilty stains.” The cross is God's own fountain of living  water, refreshing, and gushing for all eternity. Come to the cross today  and drink deeply of the gracious forgiveness offered there to you. Claim  the great promise of God's Word, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a  new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

When we face the thirsts caused by sin, as long as we live in this sinful  world, we repeatedly need to drink the Water of Life—salvation found in  Christ alone! 

And our thirst is quenched. Amen.

4 


Written Sermon 3/1/2026

Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Alma, MI

Genesis 12:1-8

The Miracle of Faith and the Promise

Have you ever thought about how impossible faith is? How  there is really no good,  demonstrable reason that we  should believe anything the  Bible says? Think about it. None of us have seen with our  own eyes the people and events  on which the Christian faith is  based. Have you ever seen one  of the Great Lakes spilt in half  leaving only dry ground? Then  why do we believe it happened at the Red Sea? Have you ever seen a dead  person come back alive? Why do we believe the several recorded  instances in the Bible? If you stop and think about everything that is  working against faith – it’s nothing short of miraculous that anyone  living in 2026 has it. And so today we’re going to talk about the miracle  of faith and the promise that comes with it.  

Our text for today relates a portion of the life of Abraham, or Abram, as  he was called at this time. God told this 75 year old man to pack up his  belonging and family and move to a foreign country. God didn’t even tell  Abram where he was going. He just said, “Go and I’ll tell you when to  stop.” And we read that Abram packed his house, his nephew Lot’s  household and all of their servants and flocks and set out. He went, not  so much in obedience to a command, but because, as the Bible says, he  believed that God was telling the truth – that God really would bless  Abraham and give to him and his offspring that land, and much, much  more. 

What faith! Where did that come from? I’m not sure that Abraham would  have been my first choice. Just think about everything that was working  against him. He didn’t have a Bible like we do that is full of accounts of  God’s faithfulness. He lived in a country that was idolatrous. We don’t  know anything about his background as to whether he was raised in a  believing home or not. It seems the Lord called him out of the blue. How  quick would you be to pack up everything and leave based on literally  nothing more than the promise of God? On top of that, the Lord told  Abram that he would make him into a great nation – as innumerable as  the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). And you know what obstacle stood in  front of that promise, right? Abram was 75 and his wife, Sarah, was 65 – and they had been childless the entire time. 

Certainly, by all appearances, it made no sense to believe God’s promises. And at certain times, Abram showed that he didn’t – at least not  perfectly. He got impatient with God. He challenged God: you haven’t  given me any children. He didn’t trust God’s plan or timeline. He tried to  take matters into his own hands; sleeping with his wife’s servant to work  around God (Genesis 16).  

Do we ever get impatient with God – expecting him to act on our  timetable – and when he doesn’t, we take matters into our own hands?  Abram’s wavering is meant to comfort us. To show us that even the  “father of faith” was by no means the perfect believer – especially in the  face of real, seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  

Perhaps the biggest obstacle believers face today in holding onto faith is  that they’ve been led to believe the wrong thing. For example, that when  you put your faith in God then life will automatically get better (that  having faith is like having an all-powerful genie on your side). Perhaps  more believers have fallen from faith in recent decades because they  believed this lie than any other single reason. The truth is that faith is not  a guarantee that your life will get better – in fact it means that you will  face more challenges in your life than you otherwise would. Don’t be  surprised by this, because Jesus didn’t say “take up your La-Z-Boy and  follow me.” He said “take up your cross and follow me” (Luke 9:23).  

So how do we get faith like Abram to pack up and follow Him wherever  He leads? Romans 10:17 tells “faith comes from hearing the  message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.” Faith is a miracle because faith is totally God’s work since it doesn’t  depend on reason or proof. If it did then it would be knowledge not faith. For most of us, that miracle first happened in baptism – which is a  beautiful picture of this. There at the baptismal font, God used nothing  but his Word and some water to adopt us into his family, to wash away  our sins, to plant the seed of faith and write our names in the book of life. 

Our conversion was worked entirely by God. It had to be, because by  nature we were spiritually blind (Ephesians 4:18), but ”The Lord opens the  eyes of the blind” (Psalm 146:8). We were spiritually dead (Ephesians  2:1), ”But God . . . made us alive together with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:4-5).  We were enemies of God (Romans 8:7) and could not receive the things of  the Spirit, for they were foolishness to us (1 Corinthians 2:14), but ”we have  received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things  that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). 

If it were not for God’s grace bringing us to faith in Christ, we would still  be lost with the rest of the world which thinks the Bible is foolishness.  

Thank God every day that He has come to you in His Word ”to open your eyes, in order to turn you from darkness to light, and from the power of  Satan to God, that you may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance  among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ” (Acts 26:18). 

But we have done ourselves a disservice. We say, “I have faith.” But when  the Bible speaks about faith, it never stands by itself. It is always faith in  something. 

Saving faith starts with a specific knowledge of what the one true God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – has said and promised in his Word.  Then, saving faith agrees with those words and promises. Faith agrees or  confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, that his death has  wiped away the sins of the world, that he did, in fact, rise from the dead  after three days and will return again to judge the living and the dead.  And finally, saving faith trusts these things, making them personal, uses  them in life. Saving faith trusts that Jesus loves me, saved me, protects  me, provides for me, leads me and so much more. Saving faith recognizes  that all of God’s promises find their center and their answer in Jesus  Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).  

This is faith that lasts. This is faith that is unshaken by challenges and  obstacles because this faith is not rooted in me and my ever-changing  circumstances. It is founded on God and what he has done for me in  Christ. That will never change, not even when this body and this world  are destroyed (Isaiah 54:10). You will be tested, of that you can be sure – just like Abram, just like the apostles, just like every saint who has gone  before you. But this faith does the impossible: it trusts God’s promises  despite challenging circumstances because it sees beyond the present to  the ultimate, unshakeable proof of God’s goodness: the cross of Christ.  The cross is the one thing you can, you must hold onto – because it will  not move, even when the rest of life is falling apart around you.  

And so when our faith is challenged, what do we need? Abram, we need  to hear God repeat his promises over and over to sustain our faith. What  promise does God attach to faith? Philippians 3:9 “and be found in  him, not having a righteousness of my own, which comes from  the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the  righteousness that comes from God by faith.” 

Abraham believed God’s promises, staked his life and his eternity on  them – and through this hand of faith God gave Abram the righteousness  that he needed to be saved from final judgment and receive the gift of  eternal life. 

You have God’s promise too that, solely on account of Christ Jesus – The  Offspring of Abraham – God declares you to be righteous. God declares  you to be forgiven and loved. 

You who believe in Christ Jesus as your righteousness and innocence  before God, you who know God to be favorable to you on account of  Christ alone – you are, in part, God’s fulfillment of his promise to Abram. You believers make up the stars in the heavens that Abraham couldn’t  possibly count. You are his offspring. You are his heirs, because you are  in Christ, by faith – the same faith that Abraham had. Your baptism has  brought you into that saving faith in Christ Jesus. Since Christ is  Abram’s heir, and you are in Christ, you, too, have become Abraham’s  heirs, heirs who will inherit eternal life in the eternal kingdom of the Son  of Abraham. 

Do you believe that? Then see how your perspective on life changes! You  begin to see life on earth not as your goal, but as a pit stop along your way  to your heavenly home. 

Yes, this faith is a marvelous and miraculous thing. Not because you’ve  got to be crazy to believe it, but because it is all God’s doing, from  beginning to end, through his powerful Word. Amen. 

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Written Sermon 2/15/2026

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SERMON for February 15, 2026 by Pastor Himm 

The Glorious Reappearing of Christ 2 Peter 1:16-21  

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Although February is the shortest month of the year – even with the extra day in leap year  – sometimes it seems like the longest. What accounts for this? Could it be a couple warmer  days that get you excited for spring only to be followed by another blast of arctic air and  snow? Could it be because there is still more than a month before Easter? All these make  February feel like a very long month. 

March isn’t much better, is it? Perhaps there is more hope for spring since some of the days  get much warmer. But will it come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, or will it come in  like a lamb and go out like a lion? Combined with February, it is easy to get the winter  blues.  

To combat the winter blues we need to look ahead. We look forward to a warmer and  more pleasant time of the year. We look forward to spring and summer. We need to start  thinking about getting out and playing baseball and softball, soccer and golf, tennis and pickle  ball, planting a garden and going on walks. So, as we look forward to these things we still  must live one day at a time. Yet we wait with eager expectations for what lies ahead. We  set our hopes on the better times ahead. 

February and March are not only long months according to our physical & emotional minds,  they can also be long months for our spiritual minds. There can be a depression between  the happy Christmas season and the joyful Easter celebration. Satan tries during this time of  the year to put doubts in our heads about our faith and/or need to faithfully hear the Word  of God. 

At times such as these, we need to look forward to a better time. And that is exactly what  the Apostle Peter is proposing in our second lesson this morning. He proposes that we  eagerly await THE GLORIOUS REAPPEARING OF CHRIST. He tells us why we can set our  hope on the glorious reappearing of Christ. First, he tells us that it is based on his  eyewitness account of the Transfiguration. Then he tells us that it is also based on the sure  prophetic word. 

St. Peter writes: 16 To be sure, we were not following cunningly devised fables when  we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we  were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

In his 2nd letter, Peter was proposing for his readers to look ahead for comfort and strength.  He told them to set their sights on heavenly things, to the glorious reappearing of Christ their  Savior. He assured them that is was not simply a made-up story that Christ would come again in glory. It wasn’t a fable. It was true. And the reason Peter knew that it was true was because  he had seen the Lord Jesus in his full glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. He, together  with James and John, were privileged to witness Jesus in his glorious, exalted state. 

Do you remember what took place at Jesus’ Transfiguration? You heard Matthew’s account  of it in the Gospel this morning. According to Peter he declares this about Jesus:  17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when the voice came to  him from within the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with  him I am well pleased.” 18We heard this voice, which came out of heaven when  we were with him on the holy mountain.  

Jesus did indeed receive honor and glory when he was transfigured. According to St. Matthew,  His face was shining like the sun. His clothing became as white as the light. Jesus  for this brief moment in time, once again displayed his full power and majesty that rightfully  belonged to him as true God. Remember, how Jesus laid aside his full power, honor, and glory  when he left his heavenly throne to become true man? Now Jesus was being strengthen for  what was laying ahead of him – the payment of our sins by his suffering and death. For that  brief moment he was once again in his full glory. It was like having his battery recharged so  that he could faithfully and perfectly carry out his Father’s plan of salvation for us. 

While on that mount, Moses and Elijah also appeared with Jesus. According to Luke’s Gospel,  they spoke to Jesus about his departure which he was about to bring to fulfillment in  Jerusalem. They were there to encourage Jesus in the last days of his life. 

We might wonder why the Son of God needed this encouragement, or why he needed to be  transfigured at all. If we fail to realize that Jesus is both true God and true man, we will  undoubtedly never understand it. We need to remind ourselves that Jesus was every part  human as you and me, except he was totally without sin. That is why we see Jesus hungry or  thirsty, tired or troubled. That is why he would often go off by himself to pray. Jesus needed  encouragement in much the same way we do. He needed it especially now as he faced going  up to Jerusalem to die. As true God he knew exactly what laid ahead. He knew he had to  fulfill the Scriptures. That is why he needed the Transfiguration. It was like a shot in the arm  so that he could set his face toward Jerusalem to suffer and die for you and for me. 

The voice from heaven was extremely comforting to our Lord. Just like at his baptism, the  Father once again confirmed that Jesus was his Son and that he was well pleased with him.  When Peter heard this testimony, he must have been reminded of Psalm 2 where it says; He  said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your Father.” The testimony of  Peter is true, he not only saw this event with his own eyes, he heard it with his own ears. 

It is interesting that as Jesus and the three disciples – Peter, James, and John – made their way  down the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell anyone about what happened up there until  after his resurrection. For prior to his resurrection, no one would have fully understood the  events of the Transfiguration. Peter had waited to tell of the events just as Jesus said. Now 

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he tells how these events support that Jesus will once again return, not as he had once humbly  come, but that he would return with his fully glory, the glory Peter had witnessed at the  Lord’s Transfiguration. 

During these long months of winter, sometimes we get the blues. We just go through the  motions. We forget that our Lord and Savior could come at any moment. We forget what a  marvelous time that will be. With Lent beginning this Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) we think  of Jesus as an unfortunate man who was betrayed by his own disciple, Judas, suffered the  whipping and ridicule of the soldiers; condemned by the religious leaders; sentenced to death  by the Roman governor, Pilate; crucified and buried. These horrific things we need to once  again ponder. But may we never forget he did it all willingly to redeem us from our sin and  its penalty of eternal death. This was God’s plan of salvation. Remember, Jesus as true God  didn’t have to be subjected to any of that suffering and death. But he did! He did it because  that was the only way you and I could ever to heaven, Love for us and faithfulness to his  Father compelled him to take the beatings, mockery, and the agony of crucifixion to save you  and me – and every follower of Jesus. 

Yes, Jesus could come again at any time. But he will not come with a crown of thorns on his  head or with a purple robe on his bloody shoulders and back. He will come with his awesome  glory and majesty, the same glory and majesty that Peter witnessed on the Mount of  Transfiguration. We can look forward to seeing Jesus’s face shining like the sun and his clothes  being as white as the light. Like, Peter, we too, will be able to say, “Lord, it is good for us to  be here!” 

The eyewitness account of the Transfiguration is not the only basis for the glorious  reappearing of Christ. The sure prophet Word is also. Peter states: 19We also have the  completely reliable prophetic word. You do well to pay attention to it. 

The Scriptures give us hope. It gives us the hope of the glorious reappearing of Christ. For  the Old Testament speaks time and time again of the coming of the Lord for Judgment. It  speaks of the glory and splendor of which he will come. Therefore, my friends, pay  attention to the sure prophetic and inspired Word of God. 

Peter describes this prophetic Word: as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the  day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts, 20 since we know this above  all else: No prophecy of Scripture comes about from someone’s own  interpretation. 21 In fact, no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men  spoke from God as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit. 

What does it mean when Peter writes: the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in  your hearts? Paul in 1 Corinthians tells us how the gospel shines in our sin-darkened  hearts. Peter here tells us something else. He is writing to Christians. This 2nd letter of his  is addressed to: To those who have obtained the same kind of faith as ours in the  righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Therefore, the dark place cannot be our hearts since our hearts have already been illumed by God’s Word. No, Peter means  that the Word shines in this sin-darkened world in which we live. The sure prophetic and  inspired Word gives us hope, joy and peace. But it also give provides hope to others as it  calls them to the cross of forgiveness. This light shining in this dark world gives us hope in  confidence of the glorious reappearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

But what does Peter mean by Morning Star rises in your hearts? In the book of  Revelation, it tells us who this Morning Star is. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you  this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the  bright Morning Star. Jesus will rise in our hearts as he reappears in his full glory, majesty,  and splendor on the Last Day. He will shine brighter than the star that appears in the  morning – the sun. He will shine with unimaginable splendor as he returns to take us to be  with him forever in heaven. What a wonderful day that will be when we see our Lord who  loved us, died and rose for us. What a marvelous day when we here him say, I love you, I  forgive you. I am pleased with you. Enjoy my heavenly banquet. Celebrate with all the saints  and angels. 

What a glorious occasion we can look forward to. This will keep the spiritual winter blues  away. So just as you look forward to spring and summer with eager expectations, look  forward to the glorious reappearing of Christ. It isn’t a make-believe story, nor a fable,  simply a parable. It isn’t a mere hope that can be snowed on. It is a solid hope based on the  eye witnessed account of our Lord’s Transfiguration by Peter and the sure prophet and  inspired Word of God.  

Yes, the Lord is coming with his full glory and majesty. You can be sure of it. Amen.


Written Sermon 12/28/2025

  Pastor John Eich

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Alma, MI

 

Today we turn to Romans 1:1-7 

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart  for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised in advance through his  prophets in the Holy Scriptures. 3 This gospel is about his Son— who in the flesh was born a descendant of David, 4 who in the  spirit of holiness was declared to be God’s powerful Son by his  resurrection from the dead—Jesus Christ, our Lord. 5 Through  him we received grace and the call to be an apostle on behalf of  his name, to bring about the obedience of faith among all the  Gentiles, 6including you, who were called by Jesus Christ. 7 To all  those loved by God who are in Rome, called to be saints: Grace to  you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 

It’s a topic that perhaps drives you nuts. Is it “Merry Christmas,” or  “Season’s Greetings”? “Blessed Christmas,” or “Happy Holidays”? Which  greeting do you prefer? I believe most Christians would say they like a  greeting with the word “Christmas” in it. After all, the reason for the  season is Christ’s birth. But what exactly do you mean if you say to me,  “Merry Christmas!” Are you expressing your hope that I have a good  time opening presents with family? Oh, I think we Christians can do  better than that. The Son of God didn’t take on human flesh and  endure a birth in a barn so that we could look forward to unwrapping a  doll or a new tablet under the Christmas tree. His birth has brought so  much more meaning to our lives than that. The Apostle Paul helps put this birth into perspective by offering his readers a greeting which could  be described as God’s Christmas greeting: “Grace and peace are yours!”  Let’s find out why that greeting is worth sharing. 

“Grace and peace are yours.” That’s a greeting Lutheran pastors often  speak from the pulpit. Because we’ve heard it so often have we stopped  thinking about what those words mean and treat the greeting like the starting gun for the sermon? It was a greeting that the Apostle Paul  loved too, and included in twelve out of thirteen of his epistles. His use  of this greeting in his letter to the Romans makes it clear that this was  not just a throw-away phrase. The Christians in Rome could be certain  that grace (undeserved love) and peace from God was really theirs even  though Paul would also say to them: “The wrath of God is being  revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness  of men” (Romans 1:18). God is angry, explained Paul, at our sexual  impurity, our envy, gossip, and the disobedience we show our parents  (Romans 1:29, 30). These were just a few of the sins that Paul  specifically pointed out in his letter to the Romans. 

But does such talk about sin get tiresome – especially at Christmas?  Aren’t we supposed to be talking about cheerful things like sugar plum  fairies, eggnog, and presents under the tree? If that’s what we think,  then we are like the people of the prophet Isaiah’s day. God said of  them: “They say to…the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what  is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way,  get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of  Israel!”…This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel,  says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and  trust is your strength, but you would have none of it” (Isaiah 30:10,  11, 15). 

God wants your pastor to talk about sin because he loves you. He’s like  the doctor who subjects you to various medical tests and then tells you  everything that’s wrong with your body, not because he gets a kick out of seeing you squirm, but so that you will take action before the  bacteria and viruses lurking in your body can do fatal damage. So  friends, don’t treat your sins like the salty grit you track into your car at  this time of year. You can shrug off that mess because what can you do  about it? That’s life in Michigan. Keeping your car mats clean at this  time of year is impossible so why waste time worrying about it?  Likewise, we sin every day, often committing the same sin several times  

in an hour. What can we do about it? Just shrug it off? No. God says that  every sin is a problem, for it has the potential of forever separating us  from his love. God’s message to us this morning is to be sorry for those  sins – the way you would be sorry if you tracked mud across Mom’s  clean kitchen floor whether you meant to or not. 

But being sorry for my sins doesn’t repair my relationship with God any  more than being sorry I muddied Mom’s clean floor will make the floor  clean again. Action must be taken…but not by us when it comes to the  matter of sin; God must act to restore the broken relationship. God did  act in the person of Jesus. Paul said of Jesus in our text: “…who as to  his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through  the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God  by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans  1:3, 4). 

Jesus is like no one else in this universe. He has human ancestry, yet he  is God from eternity. Ponder this mystery with me for a minute. When  Jesus was brought to the temple eight days after his birth, he was at the  same time eight days old…and older than the dirt on which his parents  stood. At that point in his life his legs weren’t even strong enough to  support the weight of his tiny body…and yet he was powerful enough to  keep earth from being pulled too close to the sun and scorched. Later  in his stepfather’s wood shop he learned for the first time how to nail  two boards together…while at the same time was the one who had put  hydrogen and oxygen together to make water on Day 1 of Creation. 

We ponder this mystery because it shows how much God loved us - so  much that he came down to us. He took on a shoe size and shirt size – not just to hang out with us but to save us. He did that by diving into  this manure pit of sin, wrapping his arms around us, and then pulling  us out by climbing the ladder of the cross. The result is that Paul could  write to the Romans and now to us: “Grace and peace to you from  God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7b). 

Grace! Not grapes of God’s wrath. Peace! Not punishment. This is good  news indeed and this is God’s Christmas greeting to the whole world.  Paul put it this way: “Through him and for his name’s sake, we  received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the  Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith” (Romans 1:5). 

Like every Christmas, people this year are looking for something to  make them merry and jolly. Some hoped that Christmas parties will do  that for them. But the buzz from the wine, beer, and hard liquor won’t  last. Others hoped that for once the family would get along when they  get together for Christmas. But what hope is there for people who by  nature believe the way to happiness is to insist on having things their  way? A Christmas tree with presents stuff underneath seemed like a  sure way to joy, but how do you feel now after all the presents have  been opened and there’s nothing left under the tree except shredded  wrapping paper? It’s a lonely feeling isn’t it? Still others hoped to find  peace in giving instead of getting this Christmas. And so they buy tons  of presents, even for people they may never meet. But if they do this to  attract attention and love, they are disappointed on that front too.  Thank you cards are often late in coming if at all. But Christmas can be  different. You can be the one to tell others: “Grace (underserved love)  and peace are already yours! You have heaven. You have eternal life!  That’s what God has given you through his Son, Jesus.” 

Please understand, I’m not suggesting that it’s wrong to wish someone  a merry Christmas. But let’s not forget what makes Christmas merry - not presents, family, or turkey. God gave us the reason to rejoice when  he sent his Son to save us from sin. Share the reason for your joy with  those who think there is none. For God’s grace and peace are not just  for you; they’re for all. Enjoy the true Christmas greeting – grace and  peace to you! Amen.