Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine

Tomorrow March 31st 2013 The High Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”

30Mar/130

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tomorrow morning at 9:30 am we gather to celebrate the High Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ! This is the single most important day in the Church Year on account of it's critical importance in the life of every believer in Christ.
Saint Paul wrote, "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." (1st Corinthians 15:14) These words testify to the fact that Jesus bodily resurrection after His death on the cross is the pivotal event of the Christian faith. If it is not true, then Christianity is just another myth. But if it is true, then it is the truth and the answer to our greatest desire which is to live!
Tomorrow, I am going to explain why we must retain this desire (yes, God wants us to desire) and recognize it's fulfillment in the Risen Christ. I will also present the reality-based truth of the resurrection event itself. That is, not only will you receive the saving Gospel of Christ's resurrection for your life, but you will also be further equipped to witness to the historic, reality-based foundation of the saving faith.
There will be inspirational music, exceptional decor, focused liturgy of the Word of the new and eternal life that is yours in Christ, a message for the children, and a sermon that will be faithful to the Law and Gospel of God's Holy Word. After worship, there will be a light Easter brunch and egg-hunt for the children.
I look forward to seeing you and serving you with the powerful Word and Sacrament of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please invite your friends and family!
Here is an excerpt from tomorrow's sermon:

Sermon

“He Is Not Here, But Has Risen”

(Luke 24:6a)

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Buddhism teaches that all desire leads to suffering. Thus a basic goal of this worldview is to learn to eliminate all desire. If desire is gone, then you won’t feel loss, sadness, or suffering when something bad happens. If something is taken away like your health or someone you love, then you won’t suffer if you’ve managed to eliminate your desire for health or the loved one. With all desire wiped out, you will arrive to the Buddhist version of peace. So goes the hypothesis and I pray that this view never seeps into your soul. The evil one, however, uses this popular idea to distract people from a very important biblical teaching: God wants you to desire. God has designed you to be desirous, but all which stands against God seeks to ruin the way you’ve been created!

 

But if the misleading path of deadening one’s desire doesn’t work, the evil one has another approach. He says, “Well, if you’re going to desire, let’s make your desiring all wrong.” Thanks to the ramifications of full-blown Darwinian Evolution, not only is it perfectly natural to desire, it is also perfectly natural to desire without any moral restraint. The reason for this is simple: if philosophical naturalism is true then the material realm is all there is, and if there is nothing beyond the material realm, then there is no God and morals become non-binding constructs invented by the religious fanatics of the world. If materialism is true then people should pursue whatever they desire (regardless of anyone’s standard of morality). May the Lord protect you from this deception as well as the other: May we never seek to kill our desire; may we never poison it either.

 

In the meantime, it may not sound like a very religious thing to say, but it is 100% biblical and gives glory to Jesus Christ: God has designed you for desire. Psalm 145:16 says, “You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Verse 19 of the same Psalm records, “He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” The only qualification to this rule is that we cut off the desires that are evil and contrary to the will of God. Saint Paul puts it simply, “Put to death therefore…evil desire…” (Colossians 3:5).

 

So what is the greatest God-given and God-sanctioned desire? It is simple, powerful, and holy: it is life. God has designed you to desire life more than anything else. And you know what? Everyone – no matter how hardened they are against God and life knows that this is true at the core of their being: we desire to live. This is why we respond to tragedy the way we do. What destroys life causes us to flinch and feel a certain dissonance and discomfort because what is an affront to life is an affront to our greatest desire and the gift of God so that it is good to hate that which is evil and that which belongs to death.

 

At the same time, the Christian knows that their greatest desire to live has been already been met by the resurrection of Jesus. Death is now something we may stare down! St. Athanasius wrote, “A very strong proof of this destruction of death…is [that Christians] despise death; they take the offensive against it and, instead of fearing it…[they]trample on it as on something dead.” (On The Incarnation, SVS Press, 57) But St. Paul said it better in Philippians: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Pastor Espinosa
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Tonight Good Friday March 29th at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Why THESE Words?” (the seven last sayings of Jesus from His saving cross) at Concordia University Irvine in the CU Center at 7 pm

29Mar/130

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today is Good Friday, God's Friday. This is also the second installment of our 3-day service during this Holy Week.
The Seven Last sayings from the cross: they are not random; they are not unrelated.  Strung together and fitting together, they present a beautiful and powerful mosaic. The Lord Jesus in His dying words gave us words to live by; words which give life; and words which protect us and keep us in the life of God.
This service tonight will lift you up and strengthen your faith as we gather to celebrate why this day is truly good.
Please come at 7 pm to the CU center in the middle of the campus at Concordia University. This is the building between the library and the gym with the blue roof. The statue of the Good Shepherd is in front of the CU center. Service begins at 7 pm. Please come and invite a friend or two or three.
Here is an excerpt from tonight's sermon:

Sermon

“Why These Words?”

(The Seven Last Sayings of Jesus from the Cross)

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Of all the things our Lord might have said while He was dying…why these words? Let us consider them in order:

 

First, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” In a very real sense, the first saying is the most important from the standpoint that it summarizes the saving faith. What is its message? What is its benefit? What encapsulates the reason for Christ’s coming to begin with? One word: forgiveness. The word “forgiveness” means a cancellation of debt. Your account is now clear. Romans 6:23a states, “For the wages of sin is death…” The wages of sin put you in the red, but the death of Jesus Christ to cover your debt puts you in the black. Christ began His words from the cross in order to summarize the Gospel, the Good News that explains why He came: all is forgiven you! You are forgiven dear Christian; your debt is no more.

 

This truth of the Gospel gives us tremendous insight for our new lives in the Gospel. How does the Gospel lead you to live? As you struggle in any relationship, the solution is not to strive to feel good, but to forgive and God will take care of the rest. This is not about emotions, but an objective thing: cancel debt. Do not wait for repayment, but forgive; cancel the debt that your neighbor owes you. Hold nothing in your neighbor’s account. Let it go, wipe it clean. If you don’t, then you choose to be trapped in your own sin…but Christ died on that first Good Friday to release you from sin’s bondage.

In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Rev. Dr. Espinosa
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Tonight Holy Thursday March 28 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine at Good Shepherd Chapel at Concordia University Irvine 7 pm

28Mar/130

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Please remember and help me spread the word that we meet tonight at 7 pm at the Good Shepherd Chapel on top of the gorgeous campus of Concordia University at one of the most inspiring locations in south county. The chapel is marked by a cross and is very chapel-like on the edge of the hill overlooking Irvine (along the main perimeter road of the campus).
Holy Thursday service begins at 7 pm.
How exciting it is to be in the crux of Holy Week and to offer this extraordinary service on the night that Jesus was betrayed when He gave His Supper for His people.
I will remind you that you are in a battle. It is a battle against your own sinful nature, the evil temptations and influences in the world, and against the devil himself (along with his demons who do his bidding). No this is not an outdated and unrealistic world view...it is rather reality. The Christian can feel the battle every, single day.
So how does God protect us? The answer is straightforward (here I list the "big 3" if you will):
1) Through His Word
2) Through prayer
3) Through the fellowship and encouragement of fellow believers
In this service tonight you will receive all three, but you will also receive what is probably the single most important gift of the Word to keep you vigilant in your faith: The Holy Supper originally instituted on this holy night.
Keep in mind that we are commencing what is really one large service in three parts: Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) which continues on Good Friday which continues on Easter Sunday. Come and start the entire service tonight!
I hope to see you tonight at the Good Shepherd chapel at Concordia University at 7 pm. Bring a friend and help spread the Word that Jesus has come and still comes for His people!
Here is an excerpt from tonight's sermon:

Sermon

“For You” (Luke 22:20)

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen. Our salvation, our being rescued from our sin, the evil influences of the world, and from the devil himself is bound-up in this Holy Sacrament also known as “Holy Communion,” “The Eucharist,” “The Lord’s Supper,” and “The Sacrament of the Altar.” As a matter of fact, there is an even more primitive and pristine reference to the Holy Supper in Acts 2:42 when it is described in the context of first-century Christian worship as quite simply “The Breaking of Bread.”

 

And if there has ever been a time that we need this gift of the Lord’s Supper in our lives and in the Church today in this world today, then it is now. Furthermore, so that we can truly appreciate our very great need for the Lord’s Supper, we mustn’t be naïve about what has occurred in terms of Christianity in America which probably has had a more profound influence on us than we realize. I can tell you this (and I don’t think anyone here tonight will be surprised) that the substance of American Christianity is not what we believe in and practice in this congregation, but is hands-down American Evangelicalism. In this popular way of thinking, Holy Communion is nothing other than and merely a holy and reverential remembrance or memorial of the blessed sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. We of course do not deny the symbolic significance of the Holy Supper, but it is much, much more than that. For in this Supper, poor sinners like you and me, receive Jesus Himself.

 

The popular Christian culture, however, doesn’t like this idea. It insists that if Jesus is Lord in your life which is to say that you have already received Jesus, then it is therefore non-sense that you would need to continue receiving Him over and over again. “Make up your mind already poor Lutherans. Have you or have you not received the Lord Jesus Christ [so goes the tricky argument which is a classic either-or fallacy of logic]? If you have, then boldly proclaim that you are born-again and do not make Communion something more than what it actually is: it is simply affirming what you already know and what you already have.” So goes a representative complaint against what is perceived as formalism, traditionalism, and institutionalism.

 

These are terrible temptations which would work to rob you of the great intended benefit of the Lord’s Supper which far surpasses mere symbolism and memorialism. Again, we are bold to proclaim the truth: Jesus comes to you in this Sacrament over and over again…and it isn’t good enough to reduce this to a metaphorical meaning; it isn’t even good enough to reduce this to a so-called “spiritual” meaning…none of these will suffice. The body and blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary which became living again from the dead is the SAME body and blood that is actually, truly, and miraculously given to you when you receive the bread and wine of the Sacrament today. Jesus said, “This is my body…this is my blood.” You receive Jesus’ body into your mouth when you receive the Communion bread; and you receive Jesus’ blood into your mouth when you receive the Communion wine. Again, mere symbolism and memorialism doesn’t cut the mustard, doesn’t fit the bill, and doesn’t hold water. The compromising teaching of the popular crowd won’t work and frankly it assumes that our God of miracles is suddenly unable to perform them.

 

This greater reality is not just a “Lutheran thing.” Long before the Christian denominations, the early Church took seriously the plain and simple teaching of God’s Word. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, professed his faith in Christ before Emperor Trajan and was subsequently condemned to the wild beasts in A.D. 107. I wonder how Ignatius valued and considered the Holy Supper? Well, he wrote of it in his Epistle to the Ephesians: “Stand fast, brethren, in the faith of Jesus Christ, and in His love, in His passion, and in His resurrection. Do ye all come together in common, and by name, through grace, in one faith of God the Father and of Jesus Christ His only-begotten Son…breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which prevents us from dying, but a cleansing remedy driving away evil, [which causes] that we should live in God through Jesus Christ.” (Ante-Nicene Fathers Volume 1, p. 57)

In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Pastor Espinosa
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Holy Week Services at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine

26Mar/130

Dear Christian Friends,

 

You are invited to...

Maundy Thursday at Concordia University Irvine at 7 pm. We are meeting for this service with Holy Communion on the beautiful campus of Concordia University and meeting specifically in The Good Shepherd Chapel which is the small chapel along the perimeter road of the campus. This chapel overlooks Irvine.

 

Good Friday is also at Concordia University Irvine at 7 pm. This time, however, we are gathering in the CU Center, which is the large assembly building in the center of the campus with a blue roof.

 

Easter Sunday is back on campus at Crean Lutheran High School in the event center/gym where we typically hold our divine services. The service of the high feast of the Resurrection of our Lord begins at 9:30 am. We are having a reception for all and also an Easter Egg Hunt for children immediately following the service.

 

In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,

 

Pastor Espinosa

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Tomorrow Palm Sunday March 24th, 2013 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “The Green Wood”

23Mar/130

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On his way to the hill of the Skull to be crucified outside the city gates of Jerusalem, our Savior Jesus -- already severely suffering from the Roman flogging -- speaks a word of love and warning to those mourning for Him:
"For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (Luke 23:31)
 
In this instance in His passion and suffering, Jesus referred to Himself as green wood. Why?
The answer is an amazing source of hope and comfort to us. It is the revelation of His life that would -- at the point of His first speaking these words -- overcome death. More important to you are the ramifications of your being joined to this green wood and what this union does in your life.
Come to worship. Receive Christ's Word and Sacrament and rejoice tomorrow in the forgiveness of all of your sins. Not just as a teaching of the Christian Church, but as an experiential gift that will be actively received once again when Jesus comes to serve you in this service! It is hard to imagine that the very ransom that purchased our forgiveness and eternal life is given to you...there can be no doubt that you are in Christ and that your sins are completely washed away! Rejoice O Christian, Rejoice even as we enter this Holy Week and contemplate our Savior's Passion.
For this Palm Sunday, we will assemble outside and receive palm branches and process together as the people of God!
I look forward to seeing you!
Here is an excerpt from the sermon tomorrow:

“When the Wood is Green”

(Luke 23:31)

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

Introduction: So which is it? What vitally important day in the life of God’s Church and God’s people is it today? Is it the Sunday of the Passion or is it Palm Sunday?

 

Answer: Yes! He was entering into Jerusalem to receive Palm Sunday praises and He was entering into Jerusalem to commence His most severe suffering and passion which would lead to His gory and excruciating crucifixion to cover your sin with His blood.

 

  1. Jesus entered into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. It was a jubilant, celebrational, and victorious event. The palms were signs of welcoming royalty and the shouts of “Hosanna” which mean “Save now!” represented the confidence the people were placing in Jesus as a King and Savior.
  2. The question, however, comes in the form of understanding what kind of king and what kind of Savior. How many of those very same people understood why Jesus was coming into Jerusalem or understood for what purpose was Jesus coming into Jerusalem; why was He coming and what was He going to do? How many of the people in that original Palm Sunday crowd would change their minds just a few days later -- while not all of them did -- when the popular crowd would shout and request that Christ be crucified instead?
  3. For now, let me just say that while there was popular confusion about the Lord and His ministry, what is most clear is that Jesus Himself knew exactly why He was entering into Jerusalem. He had no illusions about it as is made plain in the Scriptures leading up to Palm Sunday. Here are just two:

 

Matthew 16:21: “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

 

Matthew 17:22-23: “As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.’ And they were greatly distressed.”

 

Part I: But Did Jesus’ Prior Knowledge Make His Passion Less Severe?

 

  1. Not in the least. Just compare what happened to our Savior to you or I having prior knowledge that we are going to undergo a surgery. Your prior knowledge does not make the surgery less painful. In fact, if anything the prior knowledge might present more hardship through worry, fear, and anxiety of what lies ahead!
  2. The nails that would tear into His flesh were still 5-7 inches long. The whips designed with embedded bone fragments and metal balls still tore at His flesh. In fact and again -- if anything -- Jesus had a better understanding of what was awaiting Him more so than anyone else who might suffer crucifixion.
  3. Still, this was an amazing situation to say the least: while His bodily suffering would go beyond anything we could ever imagine or experience, He still had a grasp on what God was going to do.
In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Pastor Espinosa
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Upcoming Services for Holy Week and The High Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus!

21Mar/130

Dear Friends,

 

You are invited to Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine for the following special services:

 

Palm Sunday, the Sunday of the Passion: 9:30 am at Crean Lutheran High School. Be sure to get there on time to receive a palm branch and to take part in our Palm Sunday processional.

 

Maundy Thursday at Concordia University Irvine at 7 pm. We are meeting for this service with Holy Communion on the beautiful campus of Concordia University and meeting specifically in The Good Shepherd Chapel which is the small chapel along the perimeter road of the campus. This chapel overlooks Irvine.

 

Good Friday is also at Concordia University Irvine at 7 pm. This time, however, we are gathering in the CU Center, which is the large assembly building in the center of the campus with a blue roof.

 

Easter Sunday is back on campus at Crean Lutheran High School in the event center/gym where we typically hold our divine services. The service of the high feast of the Resurrection of our Lord begins at 9:30 am. We are having a reception for all and also an Easter Egg Hunt for children immediately following the service.

 

In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,

 

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

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Tomorrow Sunday March 17th 2013 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Beware of Rejection” (Luke 20:17-18)

16Mar/130
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is true that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Amen to that! Does that mean that we have nothing to heed? Does that mean that we have nothing to watch for and guard against? No. That same saving grace of God moves us to beware of our own sin and its main threat: that we in our sinful nature are capable of rejecting God; capable of rejecting God's Word. This should cause us to tremble. This should make us humble. Rejection is our main threat, but it is not that God would reject us, but that we would reject God and the good gifts that He has graciously given to us. It seems amazing, but the very religious leaders who were to be examples of embracing God and following God were the very ones who rejected Christ. If they were capable of it, then we are capable of it. Jesus, however, is the only unifying cornerstone for our being incorporated into God's house. If we are blessed, then we will fall on Him and have our sinful pride crushed and have our tendency to reject the things of God smashed. Then in His grace He will raise us up, forgive us and heal us that we may live as His people. Christ is our cornerstone and upon Him we are built into the people of God!
Besides receiving this vital word from Luke 20:17-18 above, we are also -- as always -- consecrating, distributing, and receiving -- the precious body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins. This is the "over and over again" aspect of our salvation. This is the gift more than any other that keeps our faith alive in Christ!
 
Let us gather tomorrow at 9:30 am in the Name of the Lord!
 
A couple of reminders:
 
We start setting up at 8:15 am if you'd like to help.
 
We are installing two new officers tomorrow! Thanks be to God!
 
We are offering a children's message for the kiddos!
 
We are collecting plastic Easter eggs with individually wrapped candies to go inside...please give to Traci Espinosa.
 
You can sign up for an Easter Lily order (or two or three) and also sign up (as of tomorrow) for the Catechism Convocation on Saturday, April 13th.
 
Also, we have Bible Study at 11:00 am!
 
Also, the Higher Things youth will meet with pastor at 12 pm for Pizza, and do our fourth Evangelthon...we will be back at Crean by 2 pm. Tomorrow you will see a report in the bulletin as to how much each youth participant has earned thus far.
 
I hope to see you in God's house to receive the powerful Word of Christ!
Here is an excerpt from tomorrow's sermon:

“Christ our Cornerstone”

(Luke 20:17-18)

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

Introduction: Sometimes rejection can be a really painful thing.

1. And I’m not speaking of the pain of being rejected when you really want something. In basketball if a defender blocks a shot attempt, we call that a “rejection!” In that case, it’s the shooter who has to swallow his pride, but rejection is infinitely magnified when our dream job is given to someone else or -- even worse -- when someone we love rejects us. All of these things can be construed as bad, but I’m talking about the rejection going the other way.

2. Sometimes we are presented with a choice and with full awareness, volition, willingness, and perhaps even with gladness, we choose to reject something that comes our way.

a. In 1995, I returned a call to go to a very large congregation in Edina, Minnesota. I know that if I had accepted that call, my life would have taken a significantly different path. Just a year later, I received a call from this congregation. I don’t see how I would have connected to Saint Paul’s if I had gone to Minnesota.

b. Around the same time, I resigned my commission in the U.S. Army. If I had become a full-time chaplain in the Army, I would have made it just in time to serve during the Iraq War.

c. Back in college, Traci was confronted with a choice she had to make: whether or not to accept or reject me when I proposed to her. I’m sure that if you ask her, she will tell you how ecstatic she is -- to this very day -- that she didn’t let me get away.

d. The truth is that I thank God that she said, “yes!” How I thank God that she did not reject me! I honestly believe that she is the only woman who could possibly withstand living with this man who is preaching to you and yet still love him at the end of the day!

3. There are, however, instances that our volitional choice to reject can turn out to be a catastrophic decision.

4. Sometimes when we reject, it can spell our doom.

5. I know that this simple concept might mess with us Lutherans. We are clear about biblical doctrine:

a. God chooses us, we do not choose Him. This is clearly taught in John 15:16 where Christ is recorded as saying, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…”.

b. It is also true that our very faith is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Indeed, it is the very work of God (John 6:29).

c. Now this Scriptural teaching often invites the assumption that since God is responsible for salvation, that He must also be responsible for reprobation or condemnation. But God did not elect Pharaoh or anyone else to be damned (thank God!), but reprobated them on account of their rejection of Him!

d. Remember that God desires all to be saved (1st Tim. 2:4) and that Jesus died for the whole world (John 3:16 & 1st John 2:2).

e. But rejection is not on God. Remember the words of Luke 13. Jesus cried out to Jerusalem: “…how I longed to gather you as a hen gathers her chicks, but you were not willing!” God is warning us in our Gospel about rejection…don’t reject Him!

 In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
 
Pastor
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Tomorrow Sunday March 10th 2013 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Prodigal God” (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32) Remember Daylight Saving Time Begins Spring Ahead One Hour

9Mar/130

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tomorrow I have the privilege of preaching and presenting to you my favorite parable and what may very well be one of your favorites as well: the parable known as "The Prodigal Son" or "The Lost Son"...the popular designation, however, might be somewhat limited in representing this vital portion of God's Word from Luke 15:1-3, 11-32.
For one, the parable tells the story not of one son, but two. The younger brother has issues, but so does the older brother...and between the two of them, all of us are represented. Both of them want to use the father for their own purposes; both of them care more about themselves than their father. The two sons/brothers are both sinners, but their sin comes out in radically different ways. We need to be aware of the profound difference and similarity at the same time.
It is the father, however, who is the most important figure in the parable. The father is representative of our Lord Jesus Christ. The presentation of Christ's love and compassion for you is astounding. It typifies the Gospel itself and God is serious about this Gospel: your sins are forgiven and He refuses to negotiate this fact; He refuses to allow anything to get in the way of His profuse and prodigal love for you. To be prodigal is to spend everything. Jesus spent everything He had for you...for you...for you.
Come hear this message and be blessed.
And then receive His prodigal love and mercy through His Holy Sacrament. His body and blood given and shed for you.
What a joy it is for me to serve you dear Christian, but know that I do not live in the ethereal realms. I know what the Lord reveals to be true. You have burdens, you know your sin...God's service tomorrow is to treat you with His medicine, to cover you in His righteousness, to love you with a radical and transforming love. Let us gather to receive from Him. He will gladly come to serve you again!
Here is an excerpt from tomorrow's extended outline for the sermon:

“Prodigal God”

(Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)

Rev. Dr. Espinosa

 

Introduction: The definition of “prodigal”…adjective, 1. Recklessly extravagant; 2. Having spent everything.

1. Perhaps the most popular of all of Jesus’ parables!

2. This is my personal favorite, as indeed I have always felt that I am a recovering prodigal son! And how I thank God for my dad who confronted me with loving discipline!

3. The title of the parable, however, leads us to focus on one son, but there are two sons and they both have major issues!

a. In fact, given the fact that text informs us that the Pharisees were listening to Jesus and grumbling, it was the older brother contrasted to the younger brother who represented the proud Pharisees.

b. However, both brothers speak to the broad spectrum of sinners under two basic categories:

(1) The bad rebels…those who are immoral and irreligious. These reject the Lord and say, “I’m the only one who can decide what is right and wrong for me. I’m going to live as I want to live and find my true self and happiness that way. (Keller, The Prodigal God, 31)”

(2) The “good” rebels…those who are moral and quite religious. These reject the Lord and say, “I’m not going to do what I want, but what tradition and the community want me to do. (Keller, The Prodigal God, 31).”

c. Both are far from the God and the saving Gospel! Why? Because both live for something other than the Lord; both resent the father’s authority; and both wanted to tell the father (the Lord) what to do!

4. Still, the most important figure in the parable is neither the younger son nor the older son, but the most important figure is the father! First things first though…let’s get into the parable!

In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Pastor
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Tomorrow Sunday March 3rd, 2013 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “If It Should Bear Fruit” (Luke 13:6-9)

2Mar/130

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ's parables are rich in meaning for teaching the Christian life. In tomorrow morning's parable from our Gospel in St. Luke, chapter 13, verses 6-9 we learn that we are God's trees planted in the vineyard of His Church. Yes we are to bear fruit, but the parable is not pointing us to dwell on the fruit, but to dwell on and to dwell in the Vinedresser. It is the Vinedresser who makes us alive and then keeps us alive. It is the Vinedresser who gives us His life-nourishing Word and Sacraments. When we behold the Vinedresser and receive His love, then everything else follows; everything else falls into place. Then His love becomes ours and His life overflows in and through us. In Christ, you will not be cut down, but you will know life and you will bear fruit because His life has become yours and His life never ends!

In addition to receiving the Living Word of Jesus into our hearts and minds, we will also -- as always -- receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is one of the primary reasons we come to Church. To receive what our Lord has appointed us and commanded us to receive. In this, He takes care of us. He keeps our faith alive, strong, and growing! Thank God for this precious gift!

Also, I need to share some exciting news I just received just minutes ago: after his intensive treatment at City of Hope hospital, Bob DeYoung's labs are going up. The treatment is working! He might even be released some time next week. This is fantastic news and thank you for your prayers for Bob and his dear family!

 

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow's sermon:

Needless to say, therefore, there are few things more important than repentance in the Christian faith. This is what the account in Luke 13 is about. It is easy to misread Luke 13 when the owner (who represents our Father in heaven) comes to inspect the fig tree in his vineyard (the fig tree representing the Jews in Jerusalem – remember last week our consideration of Christ mourning over Jerusalem, Luke 13:34 – and the vineyard is all of Israel, His chosen nation). It is easy to misread, because of the initial reference to the Father looking for fruit on the tree. This is why so many people misunderstand what repentance is. That is repentance is often led to focus on fruit, or the works of faith. That is to say, if you look at your own life and you feel that you are being productive in good works, etc., then you might very well conclude that you must be living in repentance, because after all true repentance produces “fruit”: the good things that come from the life of faith (like good thoughts, good works, good actions, good service, good prayer, good worship, good witness, etc.). But this is exactly what gets Christians into trouble. If you focus on the fruit, then you will neglect the rest of the tree and quite frankly, you will miss the single most important part of this parable: namely, the vinedresser who is caring for the tree. His name is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the vinedresser.

 

In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,

 

Pastor

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