Dear Christian friends:

Sometimes hearing people use this idiom: "preaching to the choir." Do you know what that means? It means telling the Gospel to people who already know it, who have heard it many times before. Are we wasting time when we "preach to the choir?" NO! You who are in the choir need the Gospel preaching again and again and again. I need to hear the Gospel again and again and again. Same each one of you needs to hear the Gospel again and again and again. There's nothing wrong with preaching to the choir. We all need and love to hear the sweet Gospel as often as we can.

But Jesus wants you and me to do more than preaching to the choir. Jesus wants us also to preach the Gospel to people outside of our Church, especially to those who have never heard it or to those who do not yet believe it. That is what Jesus is emphasizing in the Gospel Lesson which I signed to you before from Luke 6:27-38.

In this Gospel Lesson Jesus says that we should do good to those people who can't or won't do good to us. What does this mean for us here at Pilgrim? Most of you are members here. You come to the church services regularly. Some of you do more. Perhaps you belong to the choir. Perhaps you serve on the Board of Directors or on one of the committees. Some of you ladies belong to the L.W.M.L. You are busy in various good activities. But Jesus wants you to do more than serve here at Pilgrim. He wants you to help bring God's mercies to those outside of Pilgrim, to those who have not yet received God's mercies in Jesus Christ. We must not be satisfied to "preach to the choir." Jesus wants to widen our vision. We should do good beyond our congregation and beyond our group of Christian friends.


God Himself shows us how to show mercy beyond our circle of Christian friends. In our text, after Jesus tells us to do good to those people who can't or won't repay us, He says that God shows kindness to people that don't thank Him and are wicked. (verse 35) Then Jesus commands us: "Show mercy the same as your heavenly Father shows mercy." (verse 36)

"Mercy" is the important word about God. In our text Jesus says that God shows kindness to people that don't thank Him and are wicked." (verse 35) God lets the rain and the snow come down on both the good and the bad people. And Martin Luther in explaining the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD, writes, "God gives daily bread even without our prayers, also to the wicked." Therefore, "mercy" means doing good to those who are not worthy, who are bad and enemies. Jesus says, it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemies." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven. He lets His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:43-45) Again and again, in many ways we see and in many ways that we do not see, God shows great mercy to us and to all people. Really we all are unworthy to receive daily bread because we are all sinners before God.

God, our Father in heaven, shows His greatest mercy in His Son, Jesus Christ. God was not satisfied to keep His loving kindness in Himself. The Father decided to send His One and only dear Son from heaven to earth to save the world from sin. The Son willingly came from His glory in heaven and joined with us in our shame, sin and death. On the cross the Son "gave His life as a ransom (payment) for many." (Mark 10:45) And on Easter He arose from death to show us the way to eternal life. Through the Word and the Sacraments, God's Holy Spirit leads sinful people to believe in this God of mercy and forgiveness. That is why we do not only confess that "we are by nature sinful and unclean," but with joy add that "we flee for refuge to Your boundless mercy, seeking and imploring Your grace for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ." St. Paul says, "God who is rich in mercy, because of His deep love for us, also made us who were dead in sins alive with Christ." (Ephesians 2: 4-5)

"Therefore, you are no more foreigners or strangers but fellow citizens with the believers and members of God's family." (Ephesians 2:19)

As God's mercy brought us from death to life, from aliens to the family of God, same His mercies lead us to do good to those still outside our congregation. The Gospel broadens our vision about what we should be doing.

Our Father's mercy leads us to "preach beyond the choir."

Fifty years ago, when Pastor Hauptman began preaching the Gospel to the deaf, it was easier to make contact with deaf children and deaf adults and lead them to faith in Jesus. At that time there were only three churches that ministered to the deaf: The Lutherans, the Catholics and the Episcopalians. And in the Southern states the Baptists ministered to the deaf. But today there is much more competition, many different churches now have ministries to the deaf, some of them are not Christian and do not preach the true Gospel, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons. Also, fifty years ago most of the deaf children went to large state, residential schools for the deaf. It was easy to find the deaf children and get in touch with their parents at these state schools for the deaf. The parents were happy to let us teach their children God's Word. But today most deaf children do not attend the state, residential schools. They are mainstreamed into the regular public schools all over the city. And the principals are not permitted to give pastors the names and addresses of the parents or even to tell what religion the children have, if any.

Fifty years ago it was also easier to reach the deaf adults. Our Lutheran pastors were hearing persons, and therefore they could interpret for the deaf at work when they had a problem or with their doctor or lawyer and at court. Through this interpreting the pastors met many unchurched deaf and were able to make friends with the deaf and in that way lead them to Jesus. But today the deaf do not depend on the hearing pastors for interpreting. Why? Today Vocational Rehab has their own interpreters, the courts, the hospitals and GLAD and other agencies have interpreters. Also the Welfare Departments have their interpreters. True, this is progress for the deaf, but now pastors do not meet the unchurched adult deaf as easily. So, today it is difficult to find the deaf children and the deaf adults and make friends with them and then lead them to Jesus.

Bringing God's "mercy beyond the choir" is more difficult today, but we can't quit. We must find new ways to preach beyond the choir, new ways to bring God's mercy to the many deaf outside our congregation who do not yet know or believe in Jesus.

We are beginning to find new ways to "preach beyond the choir."

God's mercy has led our Pacific Southwest District to call the DISTRICT DEAF MINISTRY DEVELOPER, The Rev. Donald Leber. Most of you know that Leber has been doing a very good job:

Almost every Sunday he preaches at a hearing church in our District to tell the hearing people about the deaf ministry and to enlist their help and support. Sometimes new deaf persons come when Leber is preaching. Through Leber's P.R. work three new interpreted services have been established at Anaheim, Diamond Bar and Burbank, and more will begin in the future.

Pastor Leber has been training some of you to be leaders and helpers in the Sharing, Learning, Caring groups that meet in the homes. One group seems to be going good. We hope others will get started. These S.L.C. home groups can be a new way of bringing God's mercy beyond the choir.

This summer Pastor Leber plans to have a camp for deaf children. Through this week-long camp we can teach some deaf children about Jesus. Through the camp we can make friends with some deaf children and their parents. As a result of the camp we may be able to establish a Sunday School or after school religious classes for deaf children. This camp for deaf children and youth or teens can be a new way of bringing God's mercy beyond the walls of Pilgrim Church.

In the Bible Class each Sunday we have been learning to GO AND TELL. These are lessons about witnessing to deaf people who do not yet believe in Jesus. These lessons can help us become better witnesses of Jesus to the deaf beyond the choir. We, the deaf members must learn to talk to our deaf friends about Jesus. We, the deaf members here at Pilgrim, must learn how to make friends with other deaf, so that they trust us and will listen to us when we speak to them about our faith in Jesus. We can't depend on the hearing pastors to do this as they did fifty years ago. We are the ones who know the deaf, we work with them, we play with them, we visit with them. We know who goes to church and who does not go to church.

We need to begin speaking to them about heaven and hell, about Jesus and how he saves us from hell and gives us eternal life. Our heavenly Father's mercy to us can lead us to do this witnessing.

Today let us thank God who has shown much mercy to us during our life. Let us thank Him for making our vision wider so that we can see others outside our Church. Today, let us thank God because He helps us to share His mercies beyond the choir!

Amen.