Tomorrow Morning, the First Sunday after Christmas, December 30th, 2012: The Presentation (Luke 2)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
B. But there was much more to be done and 40 days after His birth and 32 days after the circumcision He is brought to the temple this time for a presentation that was for purification.
1. The holy family brought prescribed clean and sacrificial animals for their entire families’ purification. In this case, a pair of turtledoves and two young pigeons (v 24).
2. And while it may be easy for us to understand why Mary and Joseph needed purification, what about Jesus (because He too was definitely included)?
3. This tests us dear Christians as to how much we actually understand the Gospel. Too often religious folks throw the word “Gospel” around, but if one were to stop and ask, “What does this mean?” I’m not too certain how folks would do. The good news of salvation in Christ Jesus is quite simply a happy and glorious exchange…if we are to be saved we must know and trust in this truth:
Christ took our sin; we took His righteousness.
Or put in another simple way…
The righteous is counted as sinner; sinners are counted as righteous.
This Morning — Christmas Morning December 25th — at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “God’s Christmas Tent” (John 1:14)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Merry Christmas! If you’ve ever been camping, have you ever noticed how close you’ve gotta be with the people you’re camping with? All vanity is thrown to the wind! You get up in the morning and the friends you’re with will see you at your absolute worst! Most of the time, you don’t even have a chance to look into a mirror before you step out of the tent and your friends see your hair in total disarray and who knows what the rest of your face looks like! You eat, sleep, work, play and do everything else in close proximity…so much for pride and dignity!
When you go camping, when you go tenting, you start to really and truly relate to the people you’re with. You realize that all people get cold, all people get embarrassed, all people laugh, all people get worried (especially if you’ve realized you’ve forgotten toilet paper), all people get excited, all people look kinda funny when they get out of their tent first thing in the morning and all people share a lot more in common than we realize. But it is a very good way to bond and to grow closer and again, to relate, to be like a family and to be close. Tenting really makes you grow close and see all that you have in common! Tenting makes you join one another, sharing each other’s space and sharing each other’s lives.
In John 1:14, the original word that the ESV translates as “dwelt” may also be properly translated as “tented”. Thus, the verse could very easily read like this: “And the Word became flesh and tented among us, and we have seen his glory…”. The Word – Jesus Christ – “tented” among us. It takes us back to the Old Testament when the people of Israel were so close to the Lord, because He literally traveled with them through the desert in the elaborate and beautiful tabernacle that was in truth a great tent! God was camping with the Israelites. The cloud of His presence was constantly over the tabernacle and on some occasions, the Lord Himself met the high priest in the Holy of Holies within that great tent. God joined His people in a wonderfully intimate way.
Tonight — Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24th, 2012 — at 7 pm: “A Savior Has Been Born To You” (Luke 2:8-10)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christmas Eve is tonight -- Monday, December 24th -- at 7 pm at Crean Lutheran High School.
From the 405 or 5 take Sand Canyon east towards the hills (northeast Irvine).
Cross Irvine Blvd.
Turn right at Saints Way onto the campus of Crean Lutheran High School.
We worship in the hard shell "tent" building.
Come and join us this holy night. We are excited to offer a Candlelight Service of Scripture Readings, Hymns, and Sermon complete with a candle for everyone in attendance as we sing "Silent Night". This night we celebrate the gift of God born in the flesh to save us from sin, death, and the power of the evil one. He came into our lives to give us eternal life. With great joy we gather tonight. We would love to welcome you to this service!
Here is an excerpt of the sermon tonight:
So again, the shepherds epitomize this great reversal. They are not kings, governors, Roman centurions, or priests, but shepherds, so that the theme of the Gospel would be established from the very beginning of Christ’s coming into the world: God has come for the weak, not the strong. Some will object, “But I thought the angels said for ‘for all people,’?!” Yes, true, but the strong reject the Savior who comes; He does indeed come for the strong as well, but the strong do not need Him (so they miscalculate); they love the world more than anything else; and they do not want the things of God; they do not want Jesus; they believe that they do not need Jesus, so even though Jesus comes for them as well, He is also rejected by them. This is why we say He does not come for the strong. We are simply pointing to the end result. Because the strong reject Him, they do not receive Him.
Instead, He comes to the poor shepherds who represent the poverty of hearts and spirits weighed down by sin; He comes to the exhausted, the lowly, and the despairing. Some of us despair because we are ashamed – struggling with a sinful addiction – some of us are filled with guilt knowing that what we have done and what we are doing is no only an affront to others created in the image of God, but rebellion towards God Himself, and some of us are full of fear for that medical diagnosis or that situation that seems to be spinning out of control...all such conditions make us feel weighed down with sin, poor, and weak. And in the world’s version of Christmas the ironic “solution” is to try hard to mask what we despair of through merchandise that will fade and money that is useless for repairing broken hearts. If you relate to what I’m saying then you’re like the shepherds...you too are like those who take great joy that Jesus has entered your life, your real life. If He could come for the poor, dusty shepherds, then He could – and did – come for the likes of you and for the likes of me!
Thank God that he came to shepherds! Hear the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 9: “But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners (vv 12-13).” And hear from Matthew 11: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (v 28).” These words fit shepherds, and more importantly, they fit you.
In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Pastor Espinosa
Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine 2012 Annual Report
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thanks be to God for all of the blessings the Lord has poured out upon us at Saint Paul's in 2012!
Please enjoy this annual report.
In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Pastor Espinosa
December 17th, 2012
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thanks be to God for what He is doing to grow Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine! I’m sharing this short annual report so that we may have a greater sense of our identity, give thanks to God for His blessings to us, and to use this information to form our goals for 2013.
Last Sunday, December 16th, we celebrated our 89th Sunday divine service since the restart of our congregation on August 10th, 2011. The Lord has blessed us with 103 baptized members and 76 confirmed members. Our membership-to-attendance ratio is exceptional. In 2011 we averaged just over 41 worshippers per Sunday, but in 2012 we have averaged over 65 per Sunday and over 70 during the last 12 Sundays. In addition, we’ve received two adult transfers yet to be officially welcomed and I am conducting adult confirmation for a third adult. Furthermore, a half-dozen more have expressed their intention to join St. Paul’s even while several more attend on a regular basis. This is humbling to say the least when one takes into consideration that on November 16th, 2010 there were only seven (7) who gathered to call me to serve Saint Paul’s.
We had four (4) “new member Sundays” in 2012. On April 15th we received the Muellers, Hobus’s, Debbie Burns, Kuntz’s, and Chris Harris. On May 27th we received the Brashears, Frank’s, Ashmon’s, and Synder’s. On August 12th we received the Taylor’s, Bradford’s, Stolte’s, and Carolina Barton. On October 21st we received Sarah Barrick, the Geisler’s (Rev. Herb), the Dawn’s, and the Geisler’s (Dr. Herb). We only had one family (Bob and Ninette DeYoung) transfer out (because of relocation). In 2012 we also had a total of four (4) baptisms and two (2) adult confirmations.
Pastoral care was a priority as always and in 2012 (through December 17th) the Lord permitted me to conduct 147 pastoral calls and 123 pastoral counseling sessions. The work was not, however, all about the pastor. Our volunteerism among the royal priesthood of believers was on the rise. With the exception of the director of stewardship (please pray that we fill this vital position), we now have a full slate of parish council officers. We had our first Vacation Bible School (since the re-start of our congregation) in June on the beach! Besides having a high of 19 children, we had well over two-dozen additional volunteers serving the children! In addition, we now have five (5) altar guild teams, and this past Lenten season and for Easter Sunday we had our first choir in a long time. 2012 also saw the official formation of a high school youth group (we sent our first delegation to a “Higher Things” conference this past summer), and we made strides to formalize our young adult ministry.
Being in the Word is a priority at Saint Paul’s. Our four main Bible Studies have included a Sunday study in which we recently completed the synodical Witness, Mercy, and Life Together and just started On the Incarnation. Wednesday nights has been an intensive study, Galatians, consisting of 26 parts.Tuesday mornings completed a study from “The Lutheran Difference” series entitled God the Son, and is now conducting another study from that same series entitled Creation. Tuesday nights has been our study for our young adults and meets on campus at Concordia University Irvine. We have taken a “Table Talk” approach for this study.
Speaking of catechesis, we have two (2) separate confirmation programs for our youth. We have four (4) 7th-8th grade confirmands going through Luther’s Small Catechism and I am hoping to conduct their confirmations this May. In addition, we have seven (7) 5th-6th graders I am visiting individually in their homes while conducting a biblical foundations course. We have also continued to offer a Sunday School class for the children thanks to the services of Traci Espinosa, Christina Espinosa, and Dr. Mary Hobus.
In 2012 we also increased worship services. 2012 is the first full year that we have offered both Wednesday night Lenten services and Wednesday night Advent services in the same year. In addition, 2011 saw only a Christmas Day service, but in 2012 we are offering both a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service. In addition to worship, however, we also gathered for Fellowship. We have a strong tradition of gathering every Sunday in the café after worship and this December had about 50 members attend our first congregational Christmas party since the re-start.
We were also witnessing. I lost count of how many individual members connected us to other folks (family and friends) once again proving that the best outreach “program” is personal invitation and one-on-one sharing of the faith. But this ideal did not stop us from commencing our “Evangelthon” program with our older youth in which we knocked on some 455 doors in our Irvine community and extended some 107 personal invitations. Furthermore, we formed serious evangelistic connections as we are now an association congregation of both Crean Lutheran High School and Orange Lutheran High School to say nothing of the very close relationship we have with Concordia University Irvine.
Our witnessing extended to supporting the greater church. Once again we dedicated significant funds (almost $3,500.00) to support The Lutheran Church in the Philippines. And in this witness we shared the Lord’s mercy while sending a $1,200.00 (approx.) special offering gift to Trinity Lutheran Church in New Hyde Park, N.Y. hit by Hurricane Sandy; supporting The Teen Project which helps emancipated foster children by donating a used van to them and then donating many Christmas gifts on their Target wish-list. We were active in our first “Heart for Hunger” drive and we used $500.00 from our social ministry fund to help Evalynn Cerdenola (wife of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines president Rev. James Cerdenola) who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The Cerdenola’s were in need of additional funds for Evalynn’s proper treatment. The rest of our annual social ministry funds helped others in the community who had come on hard times and we assisted for the basics like food and housing.
The blessings at Saint Paul’s have truly been innumerable. I think for example that we are truly blessed to have a fantastic organist/choir director in Karissa Lystrup, and most recently have welcomed our very helpful and efficient part-time administrative assistant Angela Perry. We have a developing website (www.saintpaulsirvine.org) updated weekly, a new church brochure (ask me for some if you’d like to share with neighbors), and do you want to hear something really exciting? When I served this congregation “the first time” when she was in Laguna Beach we developed a reputation for sending church sons to seminary preparing to become pastors in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synond. In the past 15 years we have sent forth such church sons as Steve Parks, Bror Erickson, Philip Miller, Jeff Ware, and Ross Johnson as well as well as church daughters who became LC-MS deaconesses like our current member Linda Seward, and former members Mireya Johnson, and Patty Kristofic (did you know that two of the pastors listed here were some of my vicars in Texas?!). And now we have just learned that one of our members, Mr. Joshua DeYoung, has announced his intention to apply for admission to Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN after he graduates from Concordia University Irvine in 2014. Please keep Joshua’s preparations for application in prayer!
The blessings have not stopped flowing from the Lord in and through our congregation. Let us rejoice! What does all of this mean for 2013? First, let us work together for the Lord to grow His congregation at Saint Paul’s in and through us, His dedicated people, so that we may do even more – much more – in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Second, let us pray for and find our own facility and view this as a key way of facilitating a more thorough and stable ministry. Third, let us grow our Bible Study and catechetical opportunities (the Lord has blessed our congregation with a small platoon of teachers). Fourth, let us commence our stewardship ministry so that each member would be in a better position to individually share in the ministry of our congregation (please pray for a leader in this area). Fifth, let us be in 2013, Christians who pray – each and every day – for the Lord to bless us and then just watch, He will! In Your Service & To Christ’s Glory, Pastor Espinosa
Sunday, December 23rd, 4th Sunday in Advent: “The Baby Leaped For Joy” (Luke 1:39-45)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
But here in our Gospel this morning -- one more canticle; one more special song for us to consider before Christmas on the occasion of what the Church calls “The Visitation,” when Mary traveled for about four (4) days to visit her cousin Elisabeth -- the Lord surprises us that there was a coming of Christ (a sending of Christ to appreciate the actual word “Christ-mass” before His birth; a kind of “Christmas” before Christmas). That is, we mustn’t forget dear Christians that before the birth of our Savior, there was for Him just like there was for you, a conception -- the vehicle used by God to initiate the incarnation insofar as it touches our lives in this world -- God taking upon Himself flesh; true God becoming also at the same time true man nine months before His birth; your brother who was and is true God. He became a true human like you and was therefore able to be your human representative and human substitute to save you from your sin and to save you from death. As the great Athanasius wrote, “This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, when He had fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, [the law of death] was thereafter voided of its power for men…[and I especially love this part]…Thus He would make death to disappear from them as utterly as straw from fire (On the Incarnation, 34).”
We see that Jesus is God even at conception! Pieper wrote, “Not only as a man (Matt. 16:13-17; 26:63f.), not only as a boy (Luke 2:49), not only as the child in the manger (Luke 2:11), but already as the child in His mother’s womb He is [The Lord], the Lord God, called that by Elisabeth (Luke 1:43). He was then already received into the Person of the Son of God (Volume II, 79-80). The Augsburg Confession summarizes exactly what the Word of God is presenting us through the conception of Jesus: “Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary (Trigl. 44, Art. III, 1).”
You’re Invited To Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine! We Love Jesus Christ!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are so blessed to have been given the opportunity to re-start Saint Paul's Lutheran Church (formerly of Laguna Beach) now worshipping at Crean Lutheran High School located at 12500 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine, CA.
Directions:
Exit Sand Canyon from the 5 or 405
Head East, towards the hills
Cross Irvine Blvd.
Turn right on Saint's Way
Here is our upcoming schedule:
Sunday, December 16th at 9:30 am (Divine Service with Holy Communion): "Commanded To Rejoice?!" (Philippians 4:4-7)
Wednesday, December 19th at 7:00 pm (Vespers and Advent Series on "Canticles of Christ"): "Christ's Coming: The Song of Christ's Glory" (Philippians 2:5-11)
Sunday, December 23rd at 9:30 am (Divine Service with Holy Communion): "The Baby Leaped For Joy!" (Luke 1:39-45)
Monday, Christmas Eve, December 24th at 7:00 pm (Candle-light service with hymns, carols, and Scripture readings): "Christmas Out in the Field" (Luke 2)
Tuesday, Christmas Morning, December 25th at 9:30 am (Divine Service with Holy Communion): "Christmas in the Flesh" (John 1)
Hope to see you in God's house!
In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa, pastor, Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine, CA (LC-MS)
Tomorrow at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine (Third Sunday in Advent, December 16th, 2012): “Commanded to Rejoice?!” (Philippians 4:4-7)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is hard and painful and causes great anxiety to rise up from our flesh when we are mistreated! To be mistreated is the cause of great anxiety that can easily keep you up all night! But in the midst of this, the original disciples – who especially faced persecution as they were either martyred or exiled for the faith (do we really have anything to complain about?), they were called by the Lord to “rejoice and be glad.” Why? Because of the salvation set before them. Their roads – even if they were roads of extreme hardship – were paved to lead them back to the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Jesus was the cause of their joy; Jesus was their assurance that everything bad would be used by God to lead to greater blessings in Christ. Even if it meant that they would simply get better at falling into the arms of their Savior!
Which leads me to really appreciate how this text presents the concept of joy. It is something commanded of us. And let’s face it: if we conceive of this as essentially a feeling, then the imperative command from the Lord will seem very confusing to us. How does one “flip a switch?!” If you are going through great anxiety, do you simply “feel better” because you think that this is what God is commanding you to do? This invites again terrible – and unnecessary – confusion. This peace, however, is objective. Now, I’m not saying that this objective peace cannot and does not lead to subjective, emotional peace. It does and it should (indeed, it must)…eventually, but you know the old saying, “first things first!” And if we lose the emphasis, if we lose the objectivity of this peace and the proper order of things, then we will never know the subjective peace. So our focus is not on an impossible and phony “flip of the switch,” but rather our focus is on Saint Paul’s true meaning. This peace is the peace that Christ has established between you and your Maker, the Creator, your Heavenly Father. Through the blood of Jesus, peace between you and God has been established. This is now an objective fact: you have peace with God. You are no longer His enemy and as a result, God your friend is committed to standing by your side to help you, to deliver you, to save you, to bless you no matter what you face! And what truly encourages you and propels you in this real reason for joy is the fact that the Lord is near; His coming is soon…before you know it, we will know nothing but glory and we will not even be able to remember what caused us anxiety and worry. This is the truth, this is a fact and this is the objective basis for our peace which stands as a guard at the entrance of our heart: The Lord is with me and His coming is very soon…I have reason once again to rejoice, because none of my earthly troubles will last, none of them will take me from Christ, none of them can remove the crown I will receive on account of Christ! And all of them are a reminder for me to call on the Name of my Coming King who has already saved me!
I hope to see you in God's house tomorrow morning!
In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa
Advent 2, Wednesday, December 12th, 2012: “Advent Canticles: Benedictus” (Luke 1:67-80)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Part 2: But in the Benedictus it only gets better!
A. At verse 72, the Lord then adds these amazing words which explain WHY He is so gracious and so good to you.
Luke 1:72: “to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.”
B. This is not just a random addition to the text.
1. One of the single-most important themes in God’s Holy Word is the word “covenant.”
2. Have you ever wondered, “How can such a salvation as this be given to the likes of me! I am so far from God, so lost in my sin, so undeserving…how can this Gospel be true for me?!”
3. And the answer is here given: it is because the Lord made a covenant. It is easy to underestimate the meaning of this word. Some might try to simply use the word “promise” as a synonym. Not good enough. The Lord has bound Himself to those He makes covenant with. For the Lord to break His covenant is unthinkable, because if He did, He would cease to be God. He would rip Himself apart. He would destroy Himself. All of which is impossible – yes, there is a category of that which God cannot do; He cannot act contrary to Himself, He cannot sin, He cannot lie, He cannot do evil, etc. -- He cannot, could never, ever break His covenant. He has bound Himself to you dear Christian. That is just a fact.
C. So all of this is true for you…
1. He has visited you as a good pastor visits the one in need with all compassion.
2. He has redeemed you from sin and every evil by His blood which He gave freely as an act of obedience and love to the Father.
3. He has raised up a horn of salvation for you so that you would know that your salvation is stronger than anything else.
4. But one more thing – in case there would ever be any doubt – He has bound Himself to you; He has made a covenant and He loves you so much that He re-enacts this covenant every time you receive His body and blood in the Holy Sacrament to assure you that His Word is unbreakable…He has not forgotten and never will!
In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa
Tomorrow at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine, CA (LCMS): The Second Sunday in Advent, December 9th, 2012: “That Your Love May Abound” (Philippians 1:9-11)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
And this leads us to the fruits of knowledge and discernment. Paul’s love was knowledgeable of the Word of God and the Word of God insured him that the Lord uses the difficult times to work great blessings, the Word of God gave him discernment to know that the Lord uses hard times to the glory of Jesus, to lead people to Christ. Love for Christ and love for people is easy to celebrate when you know that you will be blessed even through the hardships and even through the valleys of life. Paul had the example of Joseph who was sold as a slave in Egypt; he had the example of Daniel who served while Judah was in exile and Paul had the example of the prophets who were rejected and yet filled with astounding strength to endure. Paul had the knowledge and discernment of God’s Word to see through his circumstances. Most importantly, he kept before him the wisdom of the Gospel that the world considers foolishness: that Christ Himself who appeared to be most desperate and weak was saving the world unto Himself.
In Your Service and To Christ's Glory,
Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa, Ph.D., pastor, Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine, CA (LC-MS)