Part I:

It is a little challenging for a church nowadays to put the whole “evil” thing out there (as God’s Word most clearly does). Why? Because our culture tries to make us feel that the popular norms are more than acceptable.

In tomorrow’s sermon I use the illustration of the frog in the kettle. It settles in the water unsuspectingly as the temperature rises and is unaware that it is about to be killed. This is what the evil influences in the world try to do to us.

“Evil” of course is a word that is typically left for Hollywood scripts, but it is a very real concept in God’s Word. It is therefore a very real concept period. It is the playing out of sin in tangible ways; it is sin’s disorder in the world in concrete and perceptible ways that impact our bodies and the living out of our lives.

Tomorrow’s text from Galatians chapter 1 is the proclamation that Jesus Christ came to “rescue us from the present evil age (Galatians 1:4).” God’s Word tomorrow is designed to wake us from complacency in the face of evil and to increase our love for the Lord as we meditate on how He rescues us!

Part II:

One of our new members, Professor Adam Lee, is about to depart to lead and teach a contingent of Concordia University Students enrolled in CUI’s highly acclaimed “Around the World” program for the next several months. Professor Lee will employ his skills not only in the field of teaching literature, but in the field of Christian missions as he travels and teaches to the glory of Christ. I will be adding a special, blessing/send-off for Professor Lee in tomorrow’s service. Please join me in keeping our brother in Christ in prayer as he journey’s as the Lord’s ambassador representing Jesus, CUI, and of course our congregation, Saint Paul’s.

Part III:

We were already scheduled to conduct a special offering tomorrow to assist in the damage sustained in Moore, OK, but as many of you know Oklahoma was struck again (this time in Oklahoma City). The reports this morning indicate that nine (9) people have lost their lives in this latest storm. Because of the overall damage that Oklahoma is sustaining, our offering will go to LC-MS Disaster Relief Fund to address the overall effort to help the people of Oklahoma.

Here is part of a devotional offered at lcms.org:

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “The present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31). Everywhere in the pages of sacred Scripture, our God reminds us of this: that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14), that there is no certainty of a tomorrow in this fallen age for you, for your parents, for your children or grandchildren, for your community. None. “In the very midst of life death has us surrounded,” we sing, and it is simply true. And so terror randomly drops from the sky, snuffing out lives and hopes and plans and holiday weekends, tearing apart families and friends and destroying homes and property, leaving a community shaken to the core and staggering under the load it now must bear. It is, sadly, the stuff of life in an age that is dying.

People loved by God, [joy can still fill our hearts] even as tears fill your eyes and you work diligently to ease the suffering, to console the bereaved, to bury the dead. You do all this not as a people who are surprised that such suffering exists and comes to human beings. You have been forewarned in Scripture to expect such and more. But you face it knowing that death, destruction, tears and heartache will not be the end of this world. They simply will not. They are indeed “the present form” of this world.  But that form passes away.

 

And what will be, what the Spirit guarantees will be, is the glorious hope we hear of in Revelation: the nail-scarred hand reaching out to touch each weeping face, to wipe away the tears and to do away forever with the sin and the suffering and the death that plague us here and now, striking without warning and tearing apart those whom God created to live together.

 

The Spirit moves us to tend the suffering as best we may, weeping with them, and praying constantly: “Come, Lord Jesus! Come!”

 

Part IV:

Vacation Bible School 2013 is this month from Monday, June 24th through Friday, June 28th. Please sign up at church. It is for children pre-school through 6th grade. AND junior high schoolers, high schoolers, and college youth are encouraged to be helpers and have fun with pastor and the kids! Also, we need lots of volunteers as once again we are having VBS on the beach! VBS is 9 am to 12 pm. We will provide snacks and lunch. Registration is FREE! Please speak to Dr. Mary Hobus or Pastor if you are registering or would like to help.

 

Part V:

 

Thus far in 2013, we have been blessed with eight (8) confirmations: 4 adults and 4 7th and 8th graders!

 

I am now forming the next class of youth which will consist of 5th and 6th graders (as we are giving our children the opportunity to be confirmed earlier and at a younger age; there is no need to wait until they finish 8th grade as this is only a more recent tradition in the Lutheran Church). The individual visitations pastor has been conducting to younger confirmands will transfer to a group class this Fall. Thus far, we have the following confirmands enrolled:

1. Faith Ackley

2. Luke Binoya

3. Joshua Bradford

4. Doug Cavanaugh Jr.

5. Bethany Dawn

6. Bryan Espinosa

7. Katherine Espinosa

8. Alyssa Junge

9. Shane Perry

 

Part VI:

 

Exciting News!

 

Former Saint Paul’s members (when we were in Laguna Beach), Rev. Steve and Robin Parks have officially requested membership to the congregation. Steve has been conducing doctoral studies in theology overseas and will continue the completion of his writing stage as he joins the full-time theological faculty at Concordia University Irvine beginning on July 1st. Robin has just been hired to work as the case manager at Orange County Rescue Mission Village of Hope in Tustin. I had the great privilege of confirming the Parks into the LC-MS and later marrying them 14 years ago. Steve is an exemplary theologian of the highest caliber (this is no exaggeration; he is a superior theologian). Robin with her musical talents, leadership skills, and compassionate spirit is also a powerful servant of God. We are extremely blessed to be conducting their transfer back to Saint Paul’s. We will be seeing more of the Parks this fall.

 

Part VII:

 

My health update: As many of you may know by now, on Thursday, May 23rd I was showing the symptoms of Bell’s Palsy and on Friday, May 24th I received an official diagnosis of the same. Yesterday, a neurologist confirmed the diagnosis of my internal medicine physician. It appears that I am showing some slight improvement and I believe I’m able to perceive it beyond my imagination. Evidently, the right side of my face is less tight and the left side of my face (which is the paralyzed side) is starting to return to some more normal shape. This is extremely encouraging as the range for healing for Bell’s Palsy is very broad. This is known to last for as long as several months. However, it is also possible to heal in a matter of a few weeks. I’ve been very proactive in rest, taking B-12 vitamins, receiving acupuncture, muscular therapy, taking the prescribed prednisone, using eye drops, and most importantly remaining in prayer.
The neurologist has asked me to rest during this time.

 

I have made a focused effort for recovery, esp. as this effects my proclamation of the Word of God and my ability to clearly communicate (which from my stand-point is rather important for a pastor-teacher).

 

At the same time — and I speak from the heart — I am also preparing myself for whatever the Lord wills. Sometimes He permits a thorn in the flesh for our good. I have already, in fact, received blessings from this predicament. One of those blessings has been receiving so many well-wishes from so many people. This has warmed my heart and filled it with joy.

 

I am making one important exception to the resting project prescribed to me: that is conducting tomorrow’s divine service. I will not be doing so to be a macho man, to infer that I think I’m indispensable to the Church, etc., but I do it as a source of great comfort and joy to lead my people. I assure you that I will not push myself. I will conduct tomorrow’s service with faith, hope, and love. It will be a tremendous blessing and source of strength for me to see you tomorrow and shake your hand. In all honesty, I consider this a vital part of my healing process.

 

Well, this has turned out to be a long-email. Sorry ’bout that, but I hope to see you God’s house tomorrow. Come! Let us worship the Lord!

 

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow’s proclamation:

 

“To Deliver Us From The Present Evil Age”

(Galatians 1:1-12)

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. I am excited that I get to delve into a series on the letter to the Galatians with you, my dear congregation in the Lord, and for many reasons.

 

One reason is because more important than the fact that this letter is one of my favorite letters in Scripture, it was Luther’s favorite period. Luther actually called the letter to the Galatians after his beloved wife! He called Paul’s letter “my Katie von Bora” (Kittelson 249) and he said this about the letter overall:

 

“But in this epistle Paul is dealing with the most important and sublime subject matter: the Gospel, faith, Christian righteousness, the definition of the Person of Christ, the meaning of His work, what He undertook and accomplished on our behalf, and what blessings He brought to us miserable sinners (AE 26:367).”

 

But another reason that I’m excited to get into this letter is because it came through the revelation given to Saint Paul, the apostle we identify with in the name of our congregation. Over the years I’ve heard people talk about the significance of how congregations are named. For example, if a congregation names itself in connection to an apostle, say Paul, then should that congregation’s name be “Saint Paul’s” (with an apostrophe-“s”) or simply “Saint Paul” (with no “s” at all)? It has been said that to name a congregation as we have gives the impression that the congregation is identified as being in a state of the possessive sense in connection to Saint Paul. That is, we are a congregation that belongs to Saint Paul. This is silly and all of this provides for me the launching pad for expounding on why I’m excited about our name and about the letter to the Galatians.

 

We are “Saint Paul’s” in the sense that we hold to the powerful and overwhelmingly comforting revelation and exposition of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ that God provided through the apostle Saint Paul. We are Saint Paul’s in the sense that Saint Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel is what we identify with! That revelation of Jesus that was Paul’s is ours and we are named Saint Paul’s in order to perpetuate this life-saving revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

 

And if there is any letter of the 13 Pauline epistles which communicates this wonderful saving Gospel, then the letter to the Galatians is it! I look forward to this series and I hope you will as well.

 

One of the other reasons that I’m excited about preaching on this letter is because it was written in such a bold, direct, and no non-sense manner. It is the kind of message that we need today in the 21^st century!

 

Writing this letter was in a sense for Saint Paul a very difficult task. He was indignant and even angry while full of the Holy Spirit and led by God. The congregations in the region of Galatia which he had worked so hard by God’s grace to establish had been compromised by false teachers and by a false, so-called “gospel.”

 

This letter demonstrates therefore what some might call “tough love,” and what a holy jealousy that strives to protect the beloved sounds like and feels like. Paul writes so as to defend his God-given call and apostolic ministry to refute those who attack him and the work he laid down in Galatia. As a result of the fact that Saint Paul was attacked, the Gospel of Jesus which Paul taught and proclaimed was also being attacked, and therefore the saving Gospel itself in the midst of the people of Galatia was being compromised. The very eternal-life source for the churches in Galatia was being undermined and Saint Paul therefore was red-hot. Yes, we should be a congregation that will proclaim the Gospel with such boldness, because we live in a world today that will otherwise dismiss the true Gospel as irrelevant and in turn dismiss the single most important message in the world and the only source of lasting life. May we never be silent and may we always be bold just like the apostle Saint Paul was when it came to the Gospel proclaimed through him!

 

In Jesus’ Love,

 

Pastor