If we’d really like to have a sleepover at a friend’s house, but figure Mom and Dad would shoot down the idea, we might just keep it to ourselves. If we’re sure the boss is going to reject our request for a raise or an increase in budget, we might just keep our desires to ourselves. After all, why go through the hassle and heartache of rejection if we know it’s coming in the first place?

We all like compliments. We all like to feel good about ourselves. We all like to think we’re making a positive difference in people’s lives. We all like to feel like we’re accomplishing something.

“Why is this happening?” Have you ever wondered that as you embark on some trouble or as the walls of your otherwise safe and comfortable world start to crumble around you? Each of us has had different experiences. We’ve had ups; we’ve had downs. Our struggles and trials might look very different. 

The importance of an eyewitness is difficult to overstate. When the teacher needs to know just what happened on one end of the playground while she was tending to another situation, a child who was not involved who saw what happened might be valuable.

The writer to the Hebrews urges us that we should have the kind of focus. No matter what the problems and challenges that we face might be, no matter how severe they might become, our focus should rest squarely on Jesus.

Jesus in our Gospel for this morning gives us the absolute worst case scenario. Jesus’ parable gives us a picture of people who reject his Word and thus are crushed by God’s judgment. With the people listening to Jesus we say “May it never be!”

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he was slowly but surely revealing his true heart to those closest to him. His disciples slowly learned who he was, from plain water into miracle wine to the healing of life-long ailments and even raising the dead. 

The lesson before us is what has been come to be known as the Benedictus (because that’s the first word of the song in Latin), or the Song of Zechariah. The song is a song of hope and assurance in the love and forgiveness of God, one uttered, as the verse before our lesson says, when Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. 

We have a mess that’s far worse than any clutter we might have around the house, a mess that is worse than a massive sewer backup in our homes. We have the mess of sin that hangs on us. We need to be purified and cleansed from that gunk. And that’s exactly what God does for us. 

During this season, and especially this Sunday, we reprise a number of the themes that we’ve heard over the last couple of weeks. God brings us assurance in his Word that though we face his just judgment and the end of time, for Jesus’ sake and by his mercy he saves us.

Our priorities tend to be fluid and change as needs arise. When the big project is due at work, perhaps getting that done and done right takes priority over nice, family dinners for a week or two. When the family hits the road on vacation, hopefully relaxation and bonding take priority over work for the duration of the trip. 

But no matter how dark, or gloomy, or scary, or alien the world and environment around us is going to feel, we can be confident, excited, and even powerful because we will stand in the power and glory of the Son of Man, Jesus, our Savior.

We are surrounded by lies every day, and we know it. So when a commercial comes on advertising a new product with claims that sound too good to be true, we raise an eyebrow and assume that it isn’t true. Parents question the weak excuses of a child when the child has been known to exaggerate or simply lie to try to get out of trouble. 

Festival Sundays surrounding a prominent figure from church history, biblical or otherwise, is always a delicate balancing act. Whether we are speaking about Martin Luther’s work at a Reformation celebration later this month or a festival like we have before us today, celebrating the work of the Evangelist Luke, we are very careful to make clear that we are not merely celebrating or even going to the extreme of worshipping the human being.

If we understand “faith” and “belief” as simply “trust,” we recognize very clearly that faith and belief must have an object. There must be something that we trust. We cannot simply trust in fantasize and assume that our faith will bring them into reality.

Have you ever been on a trip or lived far away from loved ones and start to get anxious to see them? Have you ever ordered something that you just couldn’t wait to see finally in your home? Have you ever waited anxiously to see the class results to see how you did in a course at school?

We’re hardwired to think of things beginning and ending. The day starts and the day ends; the worship service begins and, eventually, if the preacher isn’t too long-winded, the worship service ends.

There’s nothing worse than a guilty feeling, is there? Maybe you can go back to a time when you were younger and you were just waiting for Mom or Dad to find out what you had done

Have you ever said to someone, “You know what, I wish I felt a little bit less safe?” Probably not. We may seek thrills and excitement, but we all still value safety and security. Someone might go skydiving or bungee jumping, but they will want to check their equipment to make sure it’s reliable and going to function the way they need it to when they need it.

“We’re late!” That’s never a phrase you want to hear, is it? There are few things that can get your pulse racing like being late for something important. Maybe you had a conversation like that today on the way to church. It’s nice to feel like you’ve got plenty of time to deal with whatever may come your way, to have time to react and plan in a way that will be calm and productive.