Our Lenten theme of Mercy continues with Mercy in Relationships.  Relationships are difficult to maintain.  We either wrong someone else or someone else wrongs us in many different ways.  The churches in the New Testament had a problem of relationships as well.  So, even among Christians, problems in relationships exist.  We can liken relationships to fruit that is ripe and fruit that is rotten.  Listen in to how Christians should live through Mercy in relationships because of Christ's mercy in our relationship.

Mercy in Betrayal.  We continue our theme for Lent of "Mercy in ...".  Betrayal.  A word hardly used today.  We say "throw under the bus."  Did Judas thrwo Jesus under the bus?  Betrayal is paying lip service and Judas definitely paid lip service to Jesus, betraying Him with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane that Maundy Thursday evening more than 2000 years ago.  In today's world, ther are many ways we betray Jesus with our lip service as well.  We think about that in today's sermon....and what to do about it.  Join us.

Our Lent theme continues with: Mercy in Suffering.  Why would God allow suffering to take place in this world, especially to his Christian children?  Or, when Christians suffer, is it different from the other sufferings in this world?  Luther understood that God, although not causing suffering, does allow suffering to happen for His purposes.  What might those be?  How are we triumphant because of Christ Jesus even in the face of suffering?

Mercy in Temptation - our Lenten Theme on God's Mercy continues.  Temptation is almost unheard of today. in a world where everything is legit and you're encouraged to do whatever you want, where nothing is prohibited or bad how can we talk about "temptation?"  to be tempted, you have to have a legitimate system of right and wrong values.  society no longer has right/wrong values.  Also, society no longer accepts God as the objective authority in right and wrong.  right and wrong are determined by YOU.  So...temptation is a difficult concept no days unless....you are a Christian.  You know what temptation is.  It is persistent and progressive and takes your focus off of God and His will.  Only through Christ can temptation be overcome.

Ashes to ashes.  We hear it at every funeral.  We find it in Scripture referring to our return to the earth after our death.  Ashes.  A simple of decay, filth, destruction, and sin.  The Old Testament is full of references of repentance shown by donning sackcloth (burlap) and ashes.  Even Jesus uses this phrase for repentance.  Why repent?  What's behind it?  What will move you to repentance?  Why even confess your guilt, your evilness?  We do it in the face of God's mercy.  We hear from Him that while we were in our sins, Jesus Christ came to take our punishment and guilt upon himself.  He removed our filth and clothes us with His righteousness.  We are made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  Listen in.

A familiar story closes our Epiphany theme: Joy for All.  this, however, is no parable.  What Jesus has been revealing about himself and about the kingdom of God is now experienced by the disciples, Peter, John and James.  They were transformed as they saw Christ in His glory with Moses and Elijah, and had a mountain top experience.  HAve you had a mountain top experience with God?  Have you witnessed His kingdom coming to you?  Find out!

Our Epiphany these: Joy for All continues.  IT'S NOT FAIR.  The persistent widow appears for the Jewish judge and a tax collector outdoes a Pharisee in repentance.  They're both looking for true joy for all.  Do they find it?  Can you find it in any court of law in our country, or anywhere else? What is Jesus up to in this parable?

We all know the story of the Prodigal Son.  "Prodigal" means to be lavish.  Sometimes, we even see ourselves as that prodigal son who squandered everything and then wants to return home.  We relate with the son, who seeks his father's forgiveness.  But that is not Jesus' point in this parable.  Whoever labelled this paragraph in your bibles as The Prodigal Son got it wrong as well.  It's not about squandering; its about something else and it's all about the older brothers and the Pharisees, not about the younger.  Who is this elder son; the prodigal son?

Our Epiphany theme continues, Joy for All! The Shepherd lost a sheep and sent to look for it. A Woman loses a coin and ransacks the whole house looking for it. There is joy when they find it. How much would you sacrifice for something precious that you lost? Would you give up looking after a while, or would you even sell everything that you had to recuperate it? What’s your price? Why does Jesus tell this parable anyway?

We’ve heard the story from Luke repeatedly. Probably every year. We know it as the Good Samaritan. When we hear the title, our immediate reaction is, “Oh, I know this story…there were three men who walked beside a half-dead bludgeoned man on the side of the road AND the one who came to his aid, was the one whom you least expected: not the Jewish priest, not a Levite, but the outcast Samaritan. He was the good one, the one who did the right thing.” And our take-away from the parable is that we should be like the Samaritan, who showed love. That is a good deed, a good action. To do likewise would be good Christians. Well, I’m here to tell you that THIS is not the point of the parable.