Grace and peace to you through Jesus Christ who loved us enough to give himself over to death for us. Amen.

Loving Lord, You sent Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to rescue us from sin and death. Even as You continually bestow Your forgiveness on us through Your holy Word and Sacraments, increase our love for You and for one another, that we may daily serve You and them by our words and deeds. Amen.

When we receive a gift, whether for Christmas, a birthday, or another special occasion, we often notice how beautifully it has been wrapped. The final touch often is a beautiful bow or ribbon that ties it all together and makes the present complete. This morning our Bible lessons for Pioneers Sunday focused on leadership. However, the greatest leaders demonstrate love, they give the gift of love to those they are leading. That describes Jesus perfectly doesn’t it? He showed his leadership by loving us to death and then to life again.

Today the Apostle Paul shows us many beautiful gifts that the Lord gives to his people. As a beautiful bow or ribbon makes a gift complete, so love ties all of God’s gifts together!

God first blesses us by choosing us to be his holy and dearly loved people. You see, God chooses very differently than we do. Children, you all seem so cute and innocent as babies. But you grow up to be quite different. I think God makes you so cute and cuddly early on so that we as parents don’t realize what we are getting ourselves into. Here are some tests that you children put us parents through.

You put us through the mess test. This is an example of the mess test. The parents walk into the living room to find peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Mud from the flowerpots is rubbed on the walls. Those stains are then covered with crayons. You put us through the dressing test. The dressing test can best be described as a parent trying to dress a live, large, unhappy octopus. You put us through the toy test. The toy test is for your parents to try to walk through a dark hallway after a 55-gallon box of Lego landmines have been scattered wall to wall. They are to try to negotiate these landmines without screaming because that would wake up a sleeping child.

I know your parents love you. I know they wouldn’t trade you for the world. But I’m not sure your parents would choose you if they really knew what they were getting into. I know a lot of you kids, and if I don’t personally know you, I know your kind. Remember, I have three children of my own. There are times when you are slobs, when you are lazy or rude or impatient or noisy or selfish or ungrateful.

Parents, you are irritable, easily angered, busy, impatient, self-serving, unappreciative, or easily offended. At least we try to have an excuse. Our children make us this way.

None of us, whether we are adults, parents, teens, or children, we are not always nice people to be around. Although parents don’t exactly know what kind of child God is going to give them, God knows exactly what he is getting with each of us. We can try to put on our best face and be on our best behavior, but it is never good enough. God’s standard isn’t "good enough." It is perfection. He says, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

God knew that we are sinfully sloppy people. He knew we would rather stay in bed than worshiping in his house. He knew that we spend more time talking on the phone with our family than we do talking to with our heavenly Father in prayer. He knew that we would rather play video games or watch a movie than practice our Christianity at a Pioneers meeting. He knew that we would subject ourselves to Chinese water torture rather than deal with rambunctious children twice a month as a Pioneer leader.

Even though God knew all of this about us, he still chose us. Thank God that he chose us, even though he knew exactly what he was getting. In choosing to love us, he sentenced his Son to death. He punished his Son with hell. He had to reject his holy and heavenly Son. He picked us anyway. Why such an undeserved gift? Love – God’s love for us ties it all together.

What is the worst sin you have ever committed? I’m sure something popped into your head. Maybe you still feel guilty about it. God has wiped your slate clean. He no longer holds that sin against you. He has removed your guilt. His Son died for that sin. "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed your transgression from you." (Psalm 103:12) That is love.

I’m going to read a portion of Scripture for you. You need to fill in the blanks. _____ is patient, _____ is kind. _____ does not envy, _____ does not boast, _____ is not proud. _____ is not rude, _____ is not self-seeking, _____ is not easily angered, _____ keeps no record of wrongs. _____ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. _____ always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. _____ never fails. You probably guessed that the word "love" belongs in those blanks. You could also write in "Jesus," because 1 Corinthians 13 describes the perfect love of our Savior.

Our love (if we dare call it that) is self-seeking. Jesus’ love isn’t; that’s why he lived and died for us. Our love keeps track of wrongs. Jesus’ love doesn’t; that’s why our sins have been forgiven, and we have peace with God. Unlike ours, Jesus’ love never fails; that alone is why we can look forward to eternal life in heaven. Jesus’ love also makes it possible for us to love. And we do that when we read our own name in the blanks and, by God’s grace, live up to what we read.

God gives his newly chosen people a fresh outlook on life. He has changed us. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Pioneers, children, parents, and leaders, these are exactly the kinds of attitudes you will need in dealing with each other every day of your lives. You will be blessed as you follow God’s way of love, for it is the gift that ties all of these attitudes together.

I’m going to share two stories with you. Story #1: Jimmy an orphan from a foster home, was fishing by himself on the end of a pier. Full of curiosity like most ten year olds, he leaned over the edge to look at an insect crawling next to him and fell into the water. Unable to swim, he frantically splashed and screamed, trying to paddle to the pier. Just as he went under and bobbed to the surface again a strong arm reached down, grabbed him up and set him on the pier. He was soaked to the skin and close to tears, but without the cocky attitude that allowed him to risk hanging over the edge. His rescuer scolded him about being so careless, turned, and walked off.

What’s missing in this picture?

Story # 2: Jimmy an orphan from a foster home, was fishing by himself on the end of a pier. Full of curiosity like most ten year olds, he leaned over the edge to look at an insect crawling next to him and fell into the water. Unable to swim, he frantically splashed and screamed, trying to paddle to the pier. Just as he went under and bobbed to the surface again a strong arm reached down, grabbed him up and set him on the pier. He was soaked to the skin and close to tears, but without the cocky attitude that allowed him to risk hanging over the edge. Sounds like the same story, doesn’t it? So what’s different?

This time the rescuer firmly but gently pats him on the back, burping out the water he has swallowed, carries him to the showers to wash away the saltwater, and dries him off. Then he drives him to the mall, buys him new clothes, and takes him home with him, introducing him to his father and family. They feed him a hot meal and invite him to live with them. This wonderful loving provider mentors the newly adopted boy in the family’s faith and makes him one of his heirs. He’s delighted as the boy participates in the activities of his new family. Jimmy finally has a family has a home, a father, and brothers who love him. He is secure in his new father’s love.

So what’s different? In the first story we saw what it means to be rescued, but not loved. Love changes everything. I believe that love is what separates our Lutheran Pioneers from other organizations or activities like 4-H, Scouts, RASA soccer, T-ball or anything else. Our leaders are willing to go out of their way for children who aren’t their own. They are willing to sacrifice their time, willing to surrender time with their own families, willing to be creative and fun and interesting with our children. They are willing to love our children. In a small way, they are willing to fulfill Jesus’ words, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

All of you Christians, realize that God is only requiring of you a small measure of what he requires of himself. In ways we cannot ever fully understand, God went through hell for us for the sake of love. Jesus is our model of what God thinks about love. He held back nothing for our sake. Our entrance into heaven came at the great cost of his life. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world." (1 John 4:9)

Think of the soldier who died battling the Nazis so his wife and kids could live in freedom. Now multiply that passion and devotion by a factor of several billion. That will give you an idea of what motivated God to secure heaven for us. That is the kind of God we are dealing with.

God is love. He has all the characteristics of love that is in your sermon text. And he wants us to exhibit these same characteristics of love in our lives: "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

If you are realistic, you know you won’t always be compassionate, kind, or gentle. Sometimes your pride will be hurt. Sometimes your pride will hurt others. You won’t always be patient with the child God has given to you. You will want to hold grudges with your friends. You will be tempted to withhold forgiveness in order to punish someone. Thank God for his gift of forgiveness. God never forgives partially or conditionally. He never says, "I’ll forgive you if you do this for me." Forgiveness, full and free, is ours through our Savior’s gift of his life and death. Jesus gave himself for us. He wanted to give us forgiveness. He lived so that we might have forgiveness. He even died so we might have forgiveness.

Once we are touched by God’s forgiving love, we will strive to share such forgiveness with one another. "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Forgiven Christians then can work together in sharing God’s love.

As a beautiful bow completes a package and ties it all together, so love ties all God’s gifts together into a beautiful package for his people to enjoy and share. "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Amen.

May the peace of God which transcends all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.