St. John Lutheran
Burlington, IL
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Ephesians 2:8-10 January 8, 2012
“A Grace-filled Journey”
Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we consider the wonderful words that make up our epistle lesson. It is Ephesians
2:8-10. Read. For the joy of your salvation. Amen.
Dearly Beloved in the Lord,
Our lives are often portrayed as a journey. It is in essence common language for us
to describe our days this way for they are indeed filled with journeys long and short. We
experience multiple journeys every single day. We experience journeys measured by
time. We experience journeys measured by distance. This morning we will talk about
journeys of time and distance but I will include a third kind of journey: a journey of grace.
That is what our text is teaching us. Whereas, a journey of time has measure and is
limited, and whereas, a journey of distance has measure and limit, your journey of grace
is timeless and without limit. We give praise to our Heavenly Father for His grace. We
give glory to Christ who fills your life with grace. Or should I say fills your journey’s with
grace. Your life is a grace-filled journey.
On June 8, 1980, more than 31 years ago, Immanuel Lutheran Church installed the
Reverend Donald E. Balgeman. Pastor Balgeman told me that being a pastor was his
ambition from as far back as he could remember. His grandpa, the Reverend Christian
Adam, served the Northern Illinois District for many years as a chaplain. Grandpa Adam
set the example that became his inspiration. Pastor Balgeman graduated from the
seminary in 1975 and began his ministry by serving St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Bowie,
Texas. After five years of service there a call to Immanuel drew him closer to home and a
better school system for his children. His journey of time here at Immanuel began over
thirty years ago. His journey of distance began also. His daily travels included a commute
from the parsonage to the church. It is about 1200 feet. It is a journey he could walk in
less than five minutes. He said he did so at least four or five times in the last three
decades. Yet his journeys of distance and time also included trips to homes, hospitals,
nursing homes, funeral homes and cemeteries.
Keeping all of this in mind, I’m sure pastor Balgeman will be the first to tell you that
wherever he traveled, whether it be time or distance, God filled his journeys with grace.
Paul tells us this in the first verse.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own
doing; it is the gift of God.” Verse 8
I’m also sure that Pastor Balgeman would be the first to tell you that he has much to be
thankful for. He is thankful for God’s grace throughout his life and ministry. He is thankful
for a wonderful and supportive wife in Gloria. Pastor Balgeman is thankful for his three
boys and their families. He is thankful that his boys have his stature and that their looks
and intelligence came from mom. Pastor Balgeman is thankful for the ministry that God
gave him at Immanuel for more than three decades. It is not a common thing for a pastor
to remain at one church for that long any more. In order for that to happen it must be a
journey with a special measure of grace. And so it has been.
In my own journey as a pastor I have come to know that it is God that builds up and
maintains a ministry. If there is any success God is the One who made it so. He is the
One we praise. Some congregations love their pastor because he is a great speaker or
he is great with the youth or he is young and energetic or he always says the right thing at
the right time. I will tell you that the most successful pastor is the one who loves his
people and is there for you no matter what. Being there is the best talent a pastor can
have and pastor Balgeman has been here for you over this span of time we call a journey.
But we pastors, if we are honest with ourselves, will simply point to God’s Word. Here,
here in Ephesians is a perfect example.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Verse 10
God knew that Donald Balgeman would come and be your spiritual leader long before
anyone else knew it. Long before any of us walked this place we call earth. God’s grace
is without time and limit.
Whether you are a pastor or someone who benefits from pastoral care, your life has
purpose. God has a plan for you. God has a plan for Immanuel Lutheran Church after
pastor Balgeman really retires. We just completed another Advent and Christmas
season. The promised coming of Christ and His birth give us purpose. What a fitting
name for you folks here: Immanuel…God with us. Today we observe and celebrate the
Baptism of Jesus. John baptized Jesus not for the forgiveness of His sins but a great and
joyful announcement by God of the forgiveness of your sins because of His Son. Each
year we make another journey from the waters of the Jordan to the cross and the empty
tomb. We walk with Jesus because He walked before us and through time and distance.
Your journey is about life and love and family. Our journey of time and distance is about
life, love and family. Your journey is a grace-filled journey given by God in your baptism
and carried on the shoulders of Jesus who earned your forgiveness and the Holy Spirit
who gave you faith to know Jesus.
We Lutherans have done well to claim this text as our doctrinal slogan for a true
understanding of salvation. What I mean to say is that we believe, teach, and confess
that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone. Take a
moment with me and think about the wonderful mystery of God’s love for you as it comes
to us through this text. This is an itinerary for your journey.
“For by grace…Saved through faith…Not your own doing…Gift of God
Not a result of works…No one may boast…Created in Christ Jesus for good
works…God prepared beforehand…That we should walk in them” Paraphrased Text
Today we say good-bye to pastor Balgeman as Immanuel’s spiritual leader, under
shepherd, and seelsorger. His journey with you is officially over. You have many fond
memories I’m sure. This little story just might jog a memory or two. A pastor and a pilot
were standing in line at the door to heaven. The archangel Gabriel welcomed the new-
comers and asked about them. “Welcome. Who are you and what did you accomplish in
your life journey?” The pastor said, “I’m pastor Don and I guided Immanuel Lutheran
Church for over thirty years.” Gabriel said, “Welcome pastor Don. Here is a wooden staff
and a cotton garment for you.” The pilot stood next in line. Gabriel said to him,
“Welcome. Who are you and what did you do in your life journey?” The pilot answered,
“Howdy, I’m Bob and I worked as a barnstorming pilot for many years.” Gabriel said to
him, “Here is a gold staff and linen garment for you.” Pastor Don overheard the
conversation. He noticed the gold staff, and as humble as he was, he simply complained.
“I served as a faithful pastor and you give this wild pilot a gold staff but me a wooden
one? That’s not fair.” Gabriel said, “Pastor Don, our goal here is results and the truth of
the matter is that when Bob flew people prayed. When you preached, people slept.”
Of course, we know that the only results that really count at the door to heaven is
what Jesus did for you on the cross. What a sense of joy. What a sense of grace as you
journey. Speaking of journeys, your journey with pastor Balgeman is ending. His journey
will continue in a different direction from yours. Your journey will continue in a different
direction than his. But here is one thing that will not change. That is your grace journey.
It is limitless and timeless. Your grace journey is real because the Father is pleased with
His Son. Jesus pleased His Father that day at the Jordan River. But His journey was not
over. He made his way to the cross to earn your forgiveness and fill you with grace. And
so Paul reminds us this special day that,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own
doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10]
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
Amen.
God fills your journeys with His grace. Praise be to Christ. Amen.
“A Grace-filled Journey”
Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we consider the wonderful words that make up our epistle lesson. It is Ephesians
2:8-10. Read. For the joy of your salvation. Amen.
Dearly Beloved in the Lord,
Our lives are often portrayed as a journey. It is in essence common language for us
to describe our days this way for they are indeed filled with journeys long and short. We
experience multiple journeys every single day. We experience journeys measured by
time. We experience journeys measured by distance. This morning we will talk about
journeys of time and distance but I will include a third kind of journey: a journey of grace.
That is what our text is teaching us. Whereas, a journey of time has measure and is
limited, and whereas, a journey of distance has measure and limit, your journey of grace
is timeless and without limit. We give praise to our Heavenly Father for His grace. We
give glory to Christ who fills your life with grace. Or should I say fills your journey’s with
grace. Your life is a grace-filled journey.
On June 8, 1980, more than 31 years ago, Immanuel Lutheran Church installed the
Reverend Donald E. Balgeman. Pastor Balgeman told me that being a pastor was his
ambition from as far back as he could remember. His grandpa, the Reverend Christian
Adam, served the Northern Illinois District for many years as a chaplain. Grandpa Adam
set the example that became his inspiration. Pastor Balgeman graduated from the
seminary in 1975 and began his ministry by serving St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Bowie,
Texas. After five years of service there a call to Immanuel drew him closer to home and a
better school system for his children. His journey of time here at Immanuel began over
thirty years ago. His journey of distance began also. His daily travels included a commute
from the parsonage to the church. It is about 1200 feet. It is a journey he could walk in
less than five minutes. He said he did so at least four or five times in the last three
decades. Yet his journeys of distance and time also included trips to homes, hospitals,
nursing homes, funeral homes and cemeteries.
Keeping all of this in mind, I’m sure pastor Balgeman will be the first to tell you that
wherever he traveled, whether it be time or distance, God filled his journeys with grace.
Paul tells us this in the first verse.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own
doing; it is the gift of God.” Verse 8
I’m also sure that Pastor Balgeman would be the first to tell you that he has much to be
thankful for. He is thankful for God’s grace throughout his life and ministry. He is thankful
for a wonderful and supportive wife in Gloria. Pastor Balgeman is thankful for his three
boys and their families. He is thankful that his boys have his stature and that their looks
and intelligence came from mom. Pastor Balgeman is thankful for the ministry that God
gave him at Immanuel for more than three decades. It is not a common thing for a pastor
to remain at one church for that long any more. In order for that to happen it must be a
journey with a special measure of grace. And so it has been.
In my own journey as a pastor I have come to know that it is God that builds up and
maintains a ministry. If there is any success God is the One who made it so. He is the
One we praise. Some congregations love their pastor because he is a great speaker or
he is great with the youth or he is young and energetic or he always says the right thing at
the right time. I will tell you that the most successful pastor is the one who loves his
people and is there for you no matter what. Being there is the best talent a pastor can
have and pastor Balgeman has been here for you over this span of time we call a journey.
But we pastors, if we are honest with ourselves, will simply point to God’s Word. Here,
here in Ephesians is a perfect example.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Verse 10
God knew that Donald Balgeman would come and be your spiritual leader long before
anyone else knew it. Long before any of us walked this place we call earth. God’s grace
is without time and limit.
Whether you are a pastor or someone who benefits from pastoral care, your life has
purpose. God has a plan for you. God has a plan for Immanuel Lutheran Church after
pastor Balgeman really retires. We just completed another Advent and Christmas
season. The promised coming of Christ and His birth give us purpose. What a fitting
name for you folks here: Immanuel…God with us. Today we observe and celebrate the
Baptism of Jesus. John baptized Jesus not for the forgiveness of His sins but a great and
joyful announcement by God of the forgiveness of your sins because of His Son. Each
year we make another journey from the waters of the Jordan to the cross and the empty
tomb. We walk with Jesus because He walked before us and through time and distance.
Your journey is about life and love and family. Our journey of time and distance is about
life, love and family. Your journey is a grace-filled journey given by God in your baptism
and carried on the shoulders of Jesus who earned your forgiveness and the Holy Spirit
who gave you faith to know Jesus.
We Lutherans have done well to claim this text as our doctrinal slogan for a true
understanding of salvation. What I mean to say is that we believe, teach, and confess
that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone. Take a
moment with me and think about the wonderful mystery of God’s love for you as it comes
to us through this text. This is an itinerary for your journey.
“For by grace…Saved through faith…Not your own doing…Gift of God
Not a result of works…No one may boast…Created in Christ Jesus for good
works…God prepared beforehand…That we should walk in them” Paraphrased Text
Today we say good-bye to pastor Balgeman as Immanuel’s spiritual leader, under
shepherd, and seelsorger. His journey with you is officially over. You have many fond
memories I’m sure. This little story just might jog a memory or two. A pastor and a pilot
were standing in line at the door to heaven. The archangel Gabriel welcomed the new-
comers and asked about them. “Welcome. Who are you and what did you accomplish in
your life journey?” The pastor said, “I’m pastor Don and I guided Immanuel Lutheran
Church for over thirty years.” Gabriel said, “Welcome pastor Don. Here is a wooden staff
and a cotton garment for you.” The pilot stood next in line. Gabriel said to him,
“Welcome. Who are you and what did you do in your life journey?” The pilot answered,
“Howdy, I’m Bob and I worked as a barnstorming pilot for many years.” Gabriel said to
him, “Here is a gold staff and linen garment for you.” Pastor Don overheard the
conversation. He noticed the gold staff, and as humble as he was, he simply complained.
“I served as a faithful pastor and you give this wild pilot a gold staff but me a wooden
one? That’s not fair.” Gabriel said, “Pastor Don, our goal here is results and the truth of
the matter is that when Bob flew people prayed. When you preached, people slept.”
Of course, we know that the only results that really count at the door to heaven is
what Jesus did for you on the cross. What a sense of joy. What a sense of grace as you
journey. Speaking of journeys, your journey with pastor Balgeman is ending. His journey
will continue in a different direction from yours. Your journey will continue in a different
direction than his. But here is one thing that will not change. That is your grace journey.
It is limitless and timeless. Your grace journey is real because the Father is pleased with
His Son. Jesus pleased His Father that day at the Jordan River. But His journey was not
over. He made his way to the cross to earn your forgiveness and fill you with grace. And
so Paul reminds us this special day that,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own
doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10]
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
Amen.
God fills your journeys with His grace. Praise be to Christ. Amen.