A Pastoral Approach
Rev. Lewis Polzin
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Sermon: John 2:1-11, January 16, 2022
A Pastoral Approach
01/16/22 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on January 16, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 2:1-11. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from the Gospel according to St. John, the 2nd chapter:
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
Jesus is the bridegroom of the Church. Men, I think, get a little uncomfortable thinking about this, especially today when this would seem to imply that we're married to another man, but let's put your minds at ease. The Church is seen as a collective as the bride of Christ. You are not individually married to him, but you are married to him through the Church. And it gets a little confusing, of course, because you talk about the one body and then, of course, you think of consummation in the marriage, where the man and the woman know each other intimately and become one flesh.
And here's the deal. Jesus is the bridegroom; we are the bride. And he does consummate his relationship with the Church, not through that sexual act that we are aware of in terms of marriage, but in the intimate act, the heavenly act of making us part of himself. And he does that first through the Word. That Word then is attached to His means of grace, and so, for most of us, it came to us first through the waters of Baptism. Then it comes to us, not just the reading, preaching, and studying of the Word, but also through the Sacrament of the Altar. First the Word gives us faith, then it gives us strength. It brings to the day of everlasting life, when we find our life in the body of Jesus Christ. This is much more intimate than what a husband and wife share with one another.
This is the way that Christ brings his Church from all times and all places into himself to be one with her forever. Theologians call this the mystical union. And there's a whole lot that we could talk there. I mean, you could probably have an entire series of sermons on each aspect of what the mystical union actually composes, but it is enough to say that mystically, which is not magically, but mystically, mysteriously, Christ uses his Word and his sacraments to join together with you forever.
So, understanding that Christ is the bridegroom, let’s ask here, from the text, who is the master of the feast speaking to when he tastes the good wine? Now, if you follow along in the story, you want to go, well, he's speaking to the bridegroom of this wedding. But I've got to tell you, John is one smart cookie, and he loves what we call double entendres, where he says one thing and means two things by it. For instance, when Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and asks all these questions as a secret believer in Jesus, Jesus says,You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus says, What, am I supposed to crawl back up into my mother that I might come out of her again? But the word Jesus says, the word John uses in Greek is anothen, which means two things: to born again and to be born from above. These two things are both tied into that one single word. And John is using that word to portray this reality in such a way that Nicodemus would get it and still have to seek it by faith, but that you, having now been enlightened by the Spirit, would understand all of it. So when John is telling you about this first miracle that Jesus performs, he's not intending you just to look at the idea that, well, Jesus did this nice thing with...
Sermon: John 15:1-8, May 2, 2021
A Pastoral Approach
05/02/21 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 2, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 15:1-8. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Sermon: John 6:35-51, August 8, 2021
A Pastoral Approach
08/09/21 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on August 8, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on John 6:35-51. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Sermon: Isaiah 9:2–7, Titus 2:11–14, Luke 2:1–20, December 25, 2021
A Pastoral Approach
12/25/21 • -1 min
This Christmas Day sermon is taken from and based on Concordia Publishing House's series, "Symbols of Salvation" for Advent and Christmas, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on December 25, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from our readings this day:
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
The familiar words of the Christmas Gospel are almost as if it is invite us to imagine a story in which the Caesar was the ruler of a large land, and, one day, decided that he wanted to take an accounting of all the people who lived there. So he sent out a message that all people should go to the homes of their fathers… it sounds like a fairy tale. But, it’s not. In fact, it’s so much not a fairy tale, it’s history. It’s a true story. It’s a real Caesar, it’s a real town of Bethlehem, it’s a real Mary and a real Jospeh and a real journey. Christmas is that special time that we start to believe in fairy tales and magic, but when that feeling starts to...
Sermon: Hebrews 3:12-19, October 10, 2021
A Pastoral Approach
10/10/21 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on October 10, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Hebrews 3:12-19. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the third chapter:
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
The idea that we can fall from the grace of God is something that many people today try to debate about. But the author here is clear: it’s possible. It’s a difficult thing to hear because we must all always be on our guard. It's very easy to do this. It is so easy for David. It was as simple as seeing something that led him astray, leading him to fall out of grace and lead him into the clutches of hell. Just seeing Bathsheba bathing on that roof was enough for sin to well up inside him, enough for him to commit adultery, enough to commit murder and to try to cover it all up before the eyes of God and before the nation of Israel. It’s easy for those 2 million Israelites who walked out of Egypt. They had been led by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire by night, walking through the parted red sea, having manna provided and quail provided in the wilderness, having water come for them out of a rock that walked around with them. And yet still they fell from grace, hardening their hearts, turning away from the God who had done great miracles around them.
Even in our Gospel lesson, we find this man who comes up to Jesus and asks, What must I do to be saved? And Jesus says, Do the law. And he says, I've done the law. And Jesus loved this man who, by the way, we think actually is the author, Mark, writing himself in to show how such a man can be saved without giving himself acclaim. And Jesus says to him, after he loves him, Go and sell all your possessions, give it all to the poor and then come and follow me and you will have eternal life. And the young man went away sad, because that meant a lot of things would be changing for him. It was easy for him to harden his heart in that very moment and to look more to his possessions than the one true God who stood before him.
For us, it’s easy. We haven’t seen the miracles. We haven’t seen the incarnated Jesus. When was the last time any of us saw a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire that would lead us through the water? When were any of us provided for, mystically by God, where food just appeared on our table in the middle of the night? So, how much, how much easier must it be for us to harden our hearts and to fall from the faith than for those who witnessed the great acts of God? Apparently it is not any easier, nor is it more difficult for us to do this. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews knows this. And he says, be on guard.
This is written not that long after Jesus ascended into heaven, and the author here knows from the very beginning of the Church, even for the people who saw and heard Jesus or saw and heard the people that Jesus taught, that it is going to be easy for people to turn away from God, to turn their hearts towards sin, for them to fall out of grace and then into the clutches of hell, just like David. And so the author admonishes us to keep watch over one another, exhort one another day by day. How are we doing with that?
Sometimes I think about our congregation, what it is that we are supposed to do. We have been joined together in this place to exhort one another toward good works, to exhort one another to stay out of sin, to exhort one another that we might look to the gospel of Jesus Christ and find the free forgiveness given from the cross. That's our duty. How have we been doing with that? This has been especially difficult, I think, in the time of the pandemic, where we really couldn’t join together, and we’ve gotten in a rut of s...
Sermon: Luke 10:38-42, July 17, 2022
A Pastoral Approach
07/17/22 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 17, 2022 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Luke 10:25-37. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
Sermon: Mark 6:14-29, July 11, 2021
A Pastoral Approach
07/11/21 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 11, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Mark 6:14-29. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from the Gospel according to St. Mark, the 6th chapter:
King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
We have nothing to fear from the world, although the world has much to fear from us. It's true. The world should be very afraid of us, even though it's not. The world should be very afraid of us because we have Christ, who is Lord of all, dwelling within us. And the Lord has promised that he will take his recompense against this world for what they do to His saints. And so when the world sees us, they should see the Christ who has vowed to avenge his saints in this place. But the world doesn't fear us. And that is because the world is very dumb.
It's true. The world does not know what it should know and rejects what it should hold dear. But you have not. The fact that you are here today testifies to the fact that you have within you this Christ, this Christ who will protect you in all things. And that is a very good thing for you because, though we should fear Christ for he is the one who is the judge of the living and the dead, He has promised to have mercy upon you. And so, while we fear him as the judge, we have no fear of judgment. There's a big difference there.
To fear judgment is to think, well, maybe Christ will send me to hell. Maybe I haven't done enough. And the answer to this, of course we know, is you have not done enough, but your Lord has promised not to send you to the place that you deserve, the place that's prepared for the devil and his angels, but has instead promised to welcome you into his kingdom. Not because you've done anything, but because he has done everything.
If you were to fear the judgment of Christ, well, you would at least know what the world does not, but it would show that you have a very weak faith, if you had faith at all. Instead as Christians, we don't fear the judgment. We know that we will be called on the last day to stand before Christ. And he shall declare us righteous, again, not because of the work that we do, but because of the work that he has done for you. Every saint has this hope. Every saint from Adam and Eve, all the way through David, all the way through Amos, all the way through until today has this hope. Now it may not be that every saint was able to testify that the name Jesus is the one that would be given to the Messiah, but from the very beginning, this ha...
05/30/21 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on May 23, 2021 at Christ Our King Lutheran Church in Saline, MI, on Ezekiel 34:11-16, on the occasion of the installation of Rev. Joseph Polzin. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this day is from the prophet Ezekiel, the 34th chapter:
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
Thus far the text.
Dear Saints of Christ Our King, Joseph, guests, family, friends, and my dear friends in Christ,
It is a sincere honor to be invited to preach the Word to you this day, and I’m so glad to do it, especially on the occasion of this installation. It’s a joy to have my very brother as a brother pastor. I helped ordain and install him in his last call, and it’s wonderful to see him take this call, following where the Lord would have him. And, while Joseph lacks the magnificent beard of his brother, he makes up for it in many ways, like his very fine head of hair. You will love him very much, and he will love you.
To the text, God does not mince words through the prophet Ezekiel: the flock of Israel is messed up. The shepherds of Israel had led the sheep astray. These men that God had placed over them, the priests and the so-called prophets, had taken God’s people and scattered them, driving them to despair, to seek after false gods, to just walk away. They were starved by these men, not by lack of physical food, but of doctrine, of the substance of life. Well, not everyone was starved; there were some who became so puffed up with pride and knowledge that they abused the other sheep, doing to them only what they saw their shepherds doing.
What a deplorable, miserable condition this is. This is not the way it is to be. This is not how God wants His sheep treated. But, when a shepherd begins to think of himself too highly, when he begins to think that he is the source of the answers to life, the universe, and everything, he will abuse the sheep by taking them away from God’s care, and when sheep are out from under God’s care, only misery can await.
Now, this is something that people don’t like to hear, but it is something that is absolutely true: the shepherds take care of the sheep by feeding them right doctrine and surrounding them with right practices. If God demands perfection from how we live, perfection according to His Law, and we know we don’t measure up, why would we think He would demand less than absolute truth and purity when it comes to His Word and how He desires we study it, learn from it, believe, teach, and confess it? God doesn’t feed us with pizza and ice cream. He doesn’t feed us with experience and happiness. He feeds His sheep with what He’s promised will fill them into all eternity: forgiveness, life, and salvation, which come through Word and Sacrament. These are where He’s placed His promises. But, some so-called shepherds don’t care, or they lose the plot. They are the ones that God will destroy and reduce to ruin. They are of no use to the sheep except to lead them astray. God permits them for a time, that His sheep may turn back to Him, that He may go and find them, but the day is coming when God will destroy these weak men and His sheep will only ever follow Him.
Most of the time, shepherds are hired hands, especially back when Ezekiel wrote down God’s Word. There was the owner of the flock, and you could certain...
Sermon: Judges 6:11–24; 7:2–9; Micah 5:2–5a, December 15, 2021
A Pastoral Approach
12/19/21 • -1 min
This Advent Midweek sermon is taken from and based on Concordia Publishing House's series, "Symbols of Salvation" for Advent and Christmas. You may play the audio of the sermon here or by clicking the post's title.
Sermon: Mark 6:46-56, July 25, 2021
A Pastoral Approach
07/25/21 • -1 min
A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on July 25, 2021 at St. Peter–Immanuel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI, on Mark 6:46-56. You may play the audio of the sermon here.
A mostly unedited transcript of the sermon follows the jump:
Immediately He madeHis disciples get into the boat and go beforeHim to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and He was alone on the land. And He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they sawHim walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all sawHim and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognizedHim and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and imploredHim that they might touch even the fringe ofHis garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
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