Pastor Buegler - Sunday 7/25/21 Traditional | St. Paul Westlake - Church was live. | By St. Paul Westlake - Church | Facebook | Well, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Saint Paul Lutheran Church and School. It is a great day to worship god. Whether you are here with us in person or worshiping with us online. Just a few announcements to draw your attention to. Uh last week, we had uh a little video for the upcoming National Youth Gathering. Uh that’s going to be in July of 2022. Very excited about that. Very excited to get some of our uh high school-aged kids there. Uh just a reminder for that. if you have anybody who is in a high school age or will be I should say next year going into high school. No, going into eighth grade this year. Then the following, you’re going into high school. uh that there is an informational meeting next Sunday, next Sunday, August 1st at 1215 in here. Uh like I said, really excited about that. I think my favorite part II went to the National Youth Gathering uh when it was two and a half years ago. My favorite part I think was uh Star Wars spirituality It was really good. and I see a few eyebrows wondering what the Star Wars spirituality is about. Well, you know, you’ll have to catch me some other time. Um so, that’s next Sunday Uh informational meeting about that. Um when we look forward to uh our ministries in the fall, uh we’re going to be kicking off our in-person Sunday school last year. we did Sunday school online this year. We are blessed to be able to do it in person. We’re going to have a lot of We need some helpers. We need some people who are going to help teach Sunday school and who are going to help with the high school age and so uh if you or somebody you know would like to do that uh or if you would consider praying about that uh contact myself or Beth Edelman if you want more information on that Last announcement I have for you is a save the date speaking about fall ministry. Uh we have our church picnic on September 12th This church picnic is going to be like probably, I think most church picnics we’ve had here before. Uh I don’t want to give too much away but we’re going to be having a couple of food We’re going to be having inflatables. I’ve heard that uh I think uh Pastor Smith and Principal Loudoun are going to be in the dunk tank. Uh we’re going to have a lot of stuff. It’s going to give you completely free uh no cost to you. We want you to invite your friends, your neighbors, people you don’t know everybody. Um there’ll be more information to come on that but just uh save the date, September 12th, we’ll our church picnic. That is all the announcements I have for you this morning. Um we will now open with him 901 open now at the Gates of Beauty. May god bless our worship my soul. Where we my soul. I’m I invite you to please stand our order of worship this morning will be service of prayer and preaching which you can follow along on the screens or in the hymnal page Two, This is the day the lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it From the rising of the sun to its setting. The name of the lord is to be praised. better is 1 Day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a door keeper in the house of my god than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Make me to know your ways, oh lord, teach me your paths, sanctify us in your truth. Your word is truth from the rising of the sun to its setting. The name of the lord is to be praised. Glory be to the father and to the son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in is now and will be forever. with you. you. will say that. His name. gloriously. inhabitants of Zion. And he’s now. You may be seated. We now turn our attention to our scripture readings and our first scripture reading is from the book of Esther and this will be uh the focus for pastors, some uh Pastor Bug’s sermon, uh Esther also known as Hadassah was a Jewish woman who was brave and ascended in the ranks of the Persian Empire and I’ll let Pastor Buegler talk more about that but god used her to do amazing things and they Mordecai. What Esther had said, Then, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther. Do not think to yourself that. do not think to yourself that in the King’s palace, you will escape any more than all other Jews for if you keep silent at this time relief and deliverance will arise for the uh for the Jews from one place to another but you and your father’s house will perish and who knows whether you have not come to this kingdom for such a time as this then as told them to reply to Mordecai. Go gather all the Jews to be found in Sosa and hold a fast on my behalf and do not eat or drink for 3 days or nights. and I excuse me and I’m a young women will fast as you do. Then I will go to the king though it is against the law and if I perish, perish. Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther Esther had ordered him This is the word the lord. We now turn our attention to the book of Galatians and Esther talked about such a time as this and in Galatians, Paul talks about in the fullness of time, God sent his son to be born when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who are under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons and because you are sons, god has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying Abba father So, you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son, then an heir through god, this is the word of the lord. Thank you. I invite you to stand for our gospel reading. our gospel reading from Matthew where Jesus asks, who people think he is an important and familiar reading Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea, Philippi, he asked his disciples who do people say that the son of man is And they said, some say, John the Baptist, others say say, Elijah and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets, he said to But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, you are the Christ, the son of the living god and Jesus answered him, blessed are you Simon Bar Jonah for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but my father who is in heaven and I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then, he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. This is the gospel of the lord. Praise to you. forever. Oh lord, your word is firmly set in the heavens. Blessed are those who hear the word of god and keep it Glory be to the father and to the son and to the Holy Spirit. We know as god’s people confess our faith uniting us with all Christians throughout the world and all time who confess the same faith as us Using the words of the Apostle’s Creed. I believe in god, father almighty, maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pilate, Pilate, was crucified died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the father almighty. From then he will come to judge the living and the dead I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. We now pray the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread forgive us our trespasses as forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. You may be seated as we continue with our next hymn, Sing to the lord of Harvest grace be unto you and peace from god our father, and from our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text is really the entire ten chapters of the Little book of Esther in the Old Testament but especially these words that Pastor read earlier from Mordecai, Esther’s cousin. If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place but you and your father’s house will perish. Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this. sisters and brothers in Christ. The story I’m about to share with you and you’re about to read on Thursday and Friday of this coming week. is like a made for television movie As a matter of fact, Hollywood actually has made several movies of the book of Esther cast of characters includes a king a queen that loses her throne an orphan girl who becomes a queen, a man of god, and of course, a villain. Our story begins with the king of Persia Xerxes. He’s throwing a banquet for all of his officials. There was food. The drink was flowing freely and there were dancing girls and this was not just some little Saturday evening Soiree The king and his friends partied the whole week long and by the seventh day scripture says the king and his guests as scriptures describe them were in Spirits from wine spirits, and in his condition, he was not thinking very clearly and he ordered his queen. Vashti was her name to come out and display herself before the king and his guests. while she was very beautiful. and there was no way that she was going to be paraded out there among a bunch of drunks and so she refused and her refusal ticked off the king and so he deposed her. That’s what you do when you’re the king and he started to look for a new queen. and now enters another character to the story Esther, when she was just a little girl, Esther lost her father and mother. she became an an orphan girl and Mordecai, her cousin raised her as if she were his own. She was now a beautiful young woman, a very beautiful and she was selected as one who should be introduced to the king who was looking for a new queen and wouldn’t you know it As soon as Esther is brought before the king, he is completely taken by her by her beauty and he makes her the new queen. It’s an amazing story, isn’t it? And And I’m skipping of it. You’ll be able to fill that in when you read it this coming Thursday and Friday. So, are you ready to meet the bad guy? Alright, his name Hayman. He’s a guy with an ego. bigger than all outdoors and Haman convinces the king that he should make a decree that wherever Haman goes, people should bow down before him. How’s that for an ego? Well, maybe I didn’t tell you but I will. now, Esther and her cousin Mordecai are faithful Jews. faithful Jews and they don’t bow down to anybody. Accept the lord. They are a part of that little remnant. You know, that’s left after the Babylonian captivity. They refuse to bow down to Haman. Well, you can imagine it makes Hayman very angry and rather than just blowing it off, he devises a plan where he might execute not only Mordecai but all the Jews Haman tells the king, there are a group of people who just won’t honor the king’s command that the people down before him. Alright? And he says, if it pleases the king, put out a decree that these people should be destroyed. and the king says to to to uh Hammond. Yeah, go ahead. The king is not faithful at this point, you know, or at any point for that matter, the king is just the king. Go ahead and destroy. Annihilate all the Jews if you want to. Young and old women, little children, whatever. Now, that would have been a big deal, folks. Remember the covenant, the covenant god had made with the people of Israel, right? Well, when Mordecai hears that the Jewish people can be eliminated, annihilated, he weeps and word gets back to Queen Esther. That Mordecai is sitting outside the king’s palace completely overcome with emotion. Esther sends a messenger to find out what’s going on and Mordecai returns a copy of the King’s decree that that all Jews should be annihilated. and he says, Esther, you gotta go in and plead for mercy. for our people. Okay, you’re hanging in there with this story. This is an important Esther, you gotta go in there and plead with the king. Only problem is protocol says that you don’t just go in to the king unless you’ve first been invited. even the queen. So, Esther sends word back to Mordecai that you can’t just go in and waltz in before the king without an invitation. and when Esther’s words are reported to Mordecai, this is his answer. I know it’s kind of small but it’s our text for today. think that because you are in the king’s house that you alone will have all the Jews escape for if you remain silent, Esther at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will come from another place but you and your father’s family are going to perish and who knows Who knows that you might have come to this royal position for such a time as this. That’s the key to today’s sermon. and Esther sends the reply to Mordecai. Then, Ester says, go gather all the Jews and fast. Do not eat or drink for 3 days night and day and I and my maids will fast along with you and when this is all done, I will go to the king even though it is against the law, I’ll go to the king and if I perish, I perish Well, during the 3 days of fasting, Esther also develops a plan She decides that she’s got to trap Hayman. He’s a problem behind all this. Mordecai must be honored as he should be honored and she must reverse the edict that the king has made to destroy all the people. I tell you this story just gets better and better. Uh speaking of point number two, they’re honoring Mordecai. You see Mordecai earlier had heard about a plot where two of the King’s guards. We’re going to assassinate the king and Mordecai told Esther about it and Esther told the king about it and when the king investigated this matter, he found that it was true that these two guards were going to assassinate him and so so he had the two guards executed Mordecai in essence saved the king’s life which gets the king thinking I need to do something to honor Mordecai After all, he did save my life and so the next morning, Hayman come into the King’s Court. Hayman, the bad guy. and the king says to him, you know what should be done for a man whom the king wants to honor Well, Haman thinks he’s talking about himself and so he says, well, uh he should be paraded around the town and given a fine garment to wear and people should should uh honor him, right? With an elaborate parade and and uh a beautiful horse and a royal crown on his head Uh Imagine Hayman Chagrin when the king says to him, that’s a great plan, Haman, do it for Mordecai who saved my life and can you believe the look on Hayden’s face when he realizes it’s his bitter enemy that’s going to be honored and not him. Alright. So, So, we’ve got honoring Mordecai taking care of on her plan but what about Hayman? Well, remember the feast that Esther wanted to have for the king? while she was he he was feeling quite generous as a result of this and so the king says to Esther, my dear, this is wonderful. Make a request. I’ll give you anything you ask for up to half of my kingdom. He’s so pleased with Esther and seizes the opportunity. She says, if I’ve I’ve found favor with you, Oh, okay. And if it pleases your majesty grant to me that just this one request You see, I and my people have been sold into destruction by a man named Haman Where is this man? The king says, and someone gets the word to the king where Haman is. He’s outbuilding gallows that he himself wants to use to hang Mordecai and the king says, go hang Haman on his own gallows Esther then asked the king to overrule the edict that had been issued to eradicate to annihilate all the Jewish people and the king happily agrees and a new edict is published as a matter of fact, that will protect the Jewish people wherever they go from all other attackers. Esther, of course continues to find favor with the king. Mordecai is elevated to be second command in all the kingdom of Persia and the Jews in every region. of captivity. celebrate this good news. a happy ending to a remarkable story full of twists and turns and plots and deceptions which result in the ultimate victory for god’s people. Well, it’s quite a story. uh but there are some practical applications that I think we should put to our own lives before we just leave this little ten chapters of the old Testament behind us this week. First lesson, god will put us in the right place at the right time to serve him and to accomplish his will. Esther is a perfect example of god having his person in the right place at the right time. an edict from the king himself has gone out to destroy the Jews. Mordecai know that this is not just some veiled threat. This could have been the end of God’s covenant people. Mordecai says to Esther, who knows? Perhaps you have come to this royal position for such a time as this. It was no accident that Esther became queen when she did The same holds true for you. Same holds true. for me. It’s not, it’s not coincidental that you work where you work. It’s not fate that you live in the neighborhood in which you live your lives, your relationships, your jobs, your friends, your everything. is not just dumb luck. God has something for you to do. God has placed you where you are at for such a time as this and that brings us to the second point. God’s plan will be accomplished even if we don’t participate Did you hear what Mordecai said to Esther? If you choose to keep silent at this point, relief and deliverance will come from some other place. Yeah, the god’s eternal Abrahamic covenant of salvation was not going to depend upon Esther. It was a it was a covenant of divine obligation. In other words, god was going to see to it that it got accomplished but the beauty is Esther got on board with god’s plan where it was possible for her not to. now, some might be tempted to think well then the application for the second lesson is simple Pastor. If god’s plan is going to get done anyway, it doesn’t matter whether I get involved or not and if that’s what you’re thinking, You’re wrong and you’re thinking. You see, the reality is god has given us the opportunity to participate in accomplishing his will rather than thinking, well, god’s plan will get accomplished even if I don’t get involved, what we should be thinking is wow, we get to be involved. What an exciting thing it is to be a part of something. so big that god is doing in his salvation. God inviting us to be part of his Messianic plan. I gotta tell you, it boggles my mind. to think that god wants to use me. You see, I know me and I’m not that great. I’m just an average guy. It is amazing that god invites me to be involved in a plan like this. and that and that brings us to the third point. We cooperate then with god to accomplish his work. Here’s the really amazing thing God wants you to help him get the job done. There was a church in Europe that was destroyed terribly by the bombing of World War two and the building was destroyed and the statue of Jesus that was behind the altar was a damaged greatly. The arms and the hands of Jesus had been blown off the rest of the statue. there. And when it came time for the church to rebuild after the war, the members of the church said that the statue was going to stay just the way it was. Arms and hands. destroyed. Here’s why. If the hungry are going to get fed, we are the ones who are to feed them. If the naked are going to be closed, we are the ones who need to clothe them and if the poor are going to be taken care of and we’re the ones who are going to take care of them. Get the point. And the fourth point, I think that we can take from the story of Esther is that like her, we too need fellow believers, other believers to help and support us in our faith journey. Esther was not alone and the truth is that when we become Christians, we are not alone. We are part of this wider community of faith. We call it the body of Christ. We need each other. Now, I’ve heard many people say and you have also, I know you have people say, well, I don’t need, I don’t need to go to church in order to be a Christian. and there is some truth to that. I mean, going to church doesn’t make you any more. A Christian than going to McDonald’s make it through a hamburger but like McDonald’s is a place where you go to get the food that nourishes your physical body. Church is the place where you go to nourish your spiritual condition. my friends. We need each other. We need to pray for one another. We need to pray with one another. We need the community of faith to support us when we struggle, especially when we struggle, we need accountability to one another and to god and we need the encouragement of one another. We need to strengthen the vitality that comes from worshiping god together. from being in his word together. my friends. I am confident of this. that when we reach eternity, it will become very clear to us the who and the why and the what that god had in mind for each of our lives We may not see it clearly now but when we reach eternity, I am sure that 1 day 1 Day, we will know that each one of us were born such a time. as this. the story. the story. of Esther. and may the peace of god which passes all human understanding. Keep our hearts and minds with Christ unto life everlasting. Amen. You want another example? of being born for such a time as this? It was yes, I guess March a year and a half ago when the pandemic hit and we were trying to struggle and figure out how in the world we’re going to continue with worship and there are four who are still in the balcony today. who stepped forward and every week ever since then, Jus Ramona Ragland, Steph Jeremy Loudoun, have been making uh online worship not only possible but even person to person worship filled with joy and happiness. by providing the gifts that god has given in them to the rest of us and I think it’s high time we really make our Thanksgiving to them before we turn it over to them for special music to continue our worship today. the four of them were born for such a time as this. Please bless us with your music. I do. It’s time for us to do. of the day. Of course. praise and Thanksgiving. Uh what is on your behalf? He is cancer free. Um uh we’ll be celebrating tonight. uh later this week. Uh Welcome more prayers. Um Moses. Stepmother. Uh James. days ago. So, it’s for all those things. Now, in peace. Let us pray to the lord. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. You’re you. Lord have mercy. Praise the lord. Lord have mercy. Praise the lord. and have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. For the city of Let us pray to the lord. Have mercy for all. These Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. in you. Bless you. Oh god. Amen. I thank you my heavenly through Jesus Christ. tonight from all harm and danger. from sin and people that all of my doings and invite me please you for into your hands, I commend myself. And soul in all things, holding hands with me that the evil who may have no power in Christ Jesus. continue our channel. Are you guys ready for the book of Daniel? It’s coming up very soon here in I read Scripture Challenge It shows this book shows that when human beings do not acknowledge god as the king, when they acknowledge something or someone else as king, then they become a beast and we see people like Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego living in oppressive beastly kingdoms and even facing some beasts like the Lions like Daniel in the lion’s den. Uh so, how how do you remain faithful to god? How do you follow him faithfully when you’re living under oppressive? beastly rule. The book of Daniel is going to show us how it’s going to motivate us. It is going to give us hope for faithful Christian living even when it is difficult and it is dangerous. So, join us for worship here at Saint Paul uh the weekend of July, 31st and August 1st for a focus on the book of Daniel wait to see you here. worshiping with you. We can see now that like it. the bottom. the sun, and the holy Spirit. Bless and