Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Luke 16:19-31
How did the serpent put doubt in Eve’s mind? “Did God really say?” God has this funny way of communicating with us. He speaks. He gives words. He makes known His message through spoken and written words. So what does the devil try to do? Get us to question those words. Place doubt in our minds; to wonder if God is holding out on us. Has He given us all we need?
The rich man apparently had all that he needed. But then again, Adam and Eve actually did have all they needed. God withheld nothing from them except one tree. Satan capitalized on that. Was the problem with the rich man that he was rich? Was it even that he didn’t help poor old Lazarus out? No, those weren’t the real problems with this guy; there are plenty of rich people going to heaven even as there are plenty of poor people going to hell. And there’s lots of nice people who are going to hell even though they help others profusely. And you’d even be surprised that some of those people you think aren’t so nice will be in heaven.
The problem is shown in how he lived his life. Look at how he clothed himself. Look at how feasted. With the very best of attire. Celebrations are normally reserved for truly special events. But this man’s daily eating habits were spectacular feasts. The man’s life was filled up with himself. Not God.
On the other side of the fence was Lazarus. His life is devoid of anything good. He is clothed with sores and not even faring on any food, wishing only that he could get some scraps from the rich man’s feast. At least there were some beings around that showed some compassion on him, even if they were only dogs that licked his sores.
When he dies a figure well-known to us comes into the picture. And this is where we see that though Lazarus’ life was bleak in this life, he was filled with something that makes the rich man’s wealth look like pennies. Nearly every time Abraham is mentioned in the New Testament it is in connection with the promise God gave to him. What is that promise? It is the promise of the Savior. It is the promise God gave to Abraham and fulfilled in Christ.
So while Jesus here in His story didn’t spell it out—that is, how Lazarus got in to heaven—by showing us that the angels carried him to Abraham’s side, Jesus actually is spelling it out for us. That it is in Him that Lazarus received eternal life. But we even see it in the name of Lazarus. Lazarus is the Greek name of the Hebrew Old Testament name Eliezer, which means something like “God is my help.” We even see a real life example of that in the Scriptures with Jesus raising His friend Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus, even in the grave, was helped by his God.
After the Lazarus of our story died, the rich man also died. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that he knows who Abraham is? It truly is a dangerous thing to live in this life ignoring the Word of God. In hell, those who didn’t believe in Christ in this life will know without a doubt who He is. James even says that the demons even believe—but they shudder. It’s also fascinating that the rich man calls him “father”. You can almost feel the longing in his soul to be part of the intimate relationship with this father figure. Do you think maybe Lazarus had sought that as well in his lifetime with the rich man?
In his short life on earth the rich man feasted as if there were no end to it. Now he is in constant and eternal torment. What is it he asks for from Abraham? Mercy. The very thing Lazarus had sought and the very thing the rich man denied him. When Lazarus had been at his gate even the smallest of crumbs would have given him some relief. Now in torment the rich man asks for a drop of water that he may have the slightest bit of relief. But we see that God’s desire for Lazarus was not simply to grant him relief from his hunger. He filled him completely, bringing him to Abraham’s bosom and eternal rest in heaven. Whereas in hell there is not the slightest bit of relief granted but the torment is complete and unending.
The rich man strangely enough had called to Abraham as “father”. Abraham now addresses him as “child”. Even though the man had had no regard for anyone else, and most notably Lazarus, Abraham regards the rich man’s plight as if to remind him that he had placed himself above others, including God, and never humbled himself to acknowledge that he is merely a child, as we all are. Abraham then uses brutal logic on the man, as if to say, “In your lifetime you got exactly what you wanted. You wanted to have nothing to do with God and now He has given you exactly that—you are separated from Him eternally.” On other side, Lazarus in the midst of his suffering realized that God truly was his help, the suffering he endured in this life could not compare to the glory that would be revealed to him.
But even if Abraham had wanted to help the rich man he couldn’t. It is appointed for man once to die and then the judgment. When you die, you die either in faith and are welcomed into heaven or in unbelief and are cast into hell in torment. There’s no chance after you die. And if you’re in heaven there’s no chance of ending up in hell.
It’s funny, in an ironic way, how the rich man had no regard for Lazarus while he was alive. Now in hell he’s requesting of Abraham for Lazarus to do all sorts of things. Help him in his torment, warn his brothers… When you’re in hell everything becomes clear. The demons do indeed believe, but shudder. There is no time after you die. But Jesus tells this story to us while we’re alive so that we may end up where Lazarus ended up and not where the rich man ended up.
The rich man’s second request of Abraham introduces to us what is at the root of our problem. We have already seen that the purpose for Abraham being in this story is to show us that salvation is in Christ alone; in the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. We surmise from this that the rich man rejected that promise. In other words, he rejected Christ as his Lord and Savior. Now he’s grasping at straws, trying to figure out a way to prevent his brothers from doing the same thing and ending up in the same place. The same disregard the rich man had toward God in life he continues to have in hell—his thoughts are not of glorifying God, but of being relieved of suffering and in his brothers not ending up suffering.
Abraham’s answer is profound. If we took his answer to heart we would see how much like the rich man we really are. We have Moses and Prophets. In other words, we have the Word of God. The Bible. We have readily available to us the message of God in written form for us to see and read and hear. But do we? Do we see that we are like Lazarus in that we have nothing of our own in the sight of God? That He alone is our help? That it is only through the promise that is fulfilled in Christ that we have hope of being with Abraham and the whole company of heaven rather than in torment with the devil and all unbelievers? Or do we seek comfort in our possessions and the things of this life? Abraham’s response is simple: Let them hear the Word of the Lord.
The rich man’s response is eerily similar to the serpent’s temptation of Eve: Did God really say? The rich man does not listen to what Abraham says. He questions it. It can’t be. The Word of God alone can’t be enough. If someone rises from the grave, that will convince them. And that’s the way it will always be until Christ comes again. We will always be questioning the Word of God. What has God said? It can’t be enough. We need some other sign that’s powerful enough to show us that, yes, this is really true that there is salvation in no one else than Jesus Christ.
But Abraham knows about these things. He, too, had doubted God’s Word at times. He, too, asked for things from God on his own terms. But God’s Word is always sure. It is always true. And Abraham speaks the truth that if they don’t listen to the Word of God then they won’t believe even if someone rises from the dead. That is shown, in fact, in the real life Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, providing an opportunity for many people who didn’t believe to now believe. But just the opposite happened. Some were convinced even more so that Jesus was of the devil.
But the best example is Jesus Himself. He rose from the dead. He gave the greatest evidence of all, not just in being raised from the dead, as Lazarus was, but in rising from the dead Himself. If you don’t believe the Word of God not even Jesus’ own resurrection will convince you. So that’s why we must go back to our question: What has God said? But not as a way of questioning God, as the serpent and the rich man did. But asking “What has God said?” in the way of going back to what He said. In His Word, the Bible, we see what He has said. And we abide by it. We listen to it. We Mark it. Learn it. Meditate on it and memorize it and take it to heart.
What has God said? He has said that He is our Help. He is our salvation. Jesus Himself was covered with the sores of our sins and clothed in our guilt in His suffering and death on the cross. He traded His kingly robes for blood-stained garments. He has marked for us in His Word His promise to us: that when we die His angels will carry us to the place of everlasting peace and feasting. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing
Have you ever noticed how when you’re talking to someone else about what they believe on a particular doctrine and when the two of you believe differently that you both appeal to the Bible as the reason for why you’re right and they’re wrong?
So how do you tell? Do you just assume that they’re still wrong because they’re being blinded by their denominational preconceived notions? Do you begin to think that maybe you have denominational blinders on? Or do you begin to think that maybe both of you are making more of this than you should?
Sometimes we can lose sight of the main thing. We can’t see the forest clearly because the particular trees we’re disagreeing on are clouding our understanding of what is true and right.
There’s a lot in the Bible. There’s a lot in there that makes a lot of sense. Some things are tough to understand. Some things really stand out; some may not seem that important to us. And so on.
But there’s always that stuff in there we disagree on—and we both sincerely believe we’re right. How do we go about determining who is right? (And by the way, the purpose of determining who’s right and who’s wrong is not so we can win an argument—it’s so that we can be faithful to the Word of God.)
Someone has said that all theology is Christology. There’s one thing in the Bible that shines through clearly. One tree in the forest of the Bible that rises above the rest. The one thing that is the main thing. The one thing that if we do not keep as the main thing then we will not be interpreting the Bible correctly or understanding individual doctrines correctly.
Christ is the center of the Scriptures. He is the main thing. And if we do not keep the main thing the main thing then the other things will end up getting skewed. It’s true that we don’t get into heaven for perfect doctrine. But we must seek to be faithful to the Word of God.
The lens through which we view the Scriptures is Christ. He is the source of the Scriptures and the one to whom the Scriptures point. God Almighty has revealed Himself in the Scriptures and preeminently in Jesus. The Triune God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the Son is always at the center.
Any doctrine we hold to that does not hold up Christ in giving Him all glory is one that is not Biblical and therefore not true. The Bible points us to Christ and Christ Himself points us to Himself. His life, suffering, death, and resurrection are the hub from which the spokes of all the Biblical doctrines emerge. Our key to believing all doctrines correctly is to ensure that we are not believing anything that detracts from the main thing—Christ and who He is and what He has done for the sins of the world.
So how do you tell? Do you just assume that they’re still wrong because they’re being blinded by their denominational preconceived notions? Do you begin to think that maybe you have denominational blinders on? Or do you begin to think that maybe both of you are making more of this than you should?
Sometimes we can lose sight of the main thing. We can’t see the forest clearly because the particular trees we’re disagreeing on are clouding our understanding of what is true and right.
There’s a lot in the Bible. There’s a lot in there that makes a lot of sense. Some things are tough to understand. Some things really stand out; some may not seem that important to us. And so on.
But there’s always that stuff in there we disagree on—and we both sincerely believe we’re right. How do we go about determining who is right? (And by the way, the purpose of determining who’s right and who’s wrong is not so we can win an argument—it’s so that we can be faithful to the Word of God.)
Someone has said that all theology is Christology. There’s one thing in the Bible that shines through clearly. One tree in the forest of the Bible that rises above the rest. The one thing that is the main thing. The one thing that if we do not keep as the main thing then we will not be interpreting the Bible correctly or understanding individual doctrines correctly.
Christ is the center of the Scriptures. He is the main thing. And if we do not keep the main thing the main thing then the other things will end up getting skewed. It’s true that we don’t get into heaven for perfect doctrine. But we must seek to be faithful to the Word of God.
The lens through which we view the Scriptures is Christ. He is the source of the Scriptures and the one to whom the Scriptures point. God Almighty has revealed Himself in the Scriptures and preeminently in Jesus. The Triune God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the Son is always at the center.
Any doctrine we hold to that does not hold up Christ in giving Him all glory is one that is not Biblical and therefore not true. The Bible points us to Christ and Christ Himself points us to Himself. His life, suffering, death, and resurrection are the hub from which the spokes of all the Biblical doctrines emerge. Our key to believing all doctrines correctly is to ensure that we are not believing anything that detracts from the main thing—Christ and who He is and what He has done for the sins of the world.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
The Cost of Discipleship
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Luke 14:25-35
See, today your Lord sets before you life and death. And what will you choose? Will you immediately say you will choose the good that your Lord offers? See, your Lord sets before you today a blessing and a curse, good and evil. Will you know in confidence that you desire nothing from your Lord but His gracious blessing? That there is nothing evil you would seek from Him but only good? Do you seek nothing else than to obey His voice and hold fast to Him? Is your Lord the one you do in fact love with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind?
See, this is what your Lord sets before you today—Himself or eternity apart from Him. It is all or nothing. Your Lord is the Lord alone and He calls you to place Him as such in your life. In all your thoughts. In everything you do. When others see you. When you’re alone and there is no one else to know what you do or don’t do. In your good, bad, and ugly moments. In your life. In the waning moments of your life as you prepare to die.
See, your Lord is your Lord in your ordinary moments and your moments of glory. He is your Lord when you honor Him as such and when you forget about Him. He sets before you today a call. It is the call to discipleship. It is a matter of life or death. Of blessing or curse. Of good or evil.
See, your Lord brings before you all His glory, honor, majesty, and immortality and sets Himself before you as a man. He is the Lord, there’s no question. But He’s a man. He’s one who comes unassumingly. First in a womb of your common Jewish girl. Then in a feeding trough among your common barn animals. Then as a guy who’s walking toward the crowd in such a way that no one would have known who He was had not John the Baptist announced “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Then as one who speaks to some people on a particular occasion. See, this is your Lord, standing there in front of some people. Luke tells us they were crowds accompanying Him. They weren’t following Him. Jesus is going to talk to them about that. They were merely accompanying Him. Much like we often do when we think we’re such faithful followers of our Lord and Savior. After all, we’re here week in and week out. We help those who ask of us and we’re pretty decent people, which is a fantastic witness to that world of people out there who don’t always act so decent.
So we’ll see ourselves today for who we are—as those among the great crowds that accompanied Jesus on that day when He turned and called them to discipleship. What does the life of discipleship consist of? The life that has been set before us is this: life or death, blessing or curse, good or evil. Does it consist of being here week in and week out? Of being those good people we think of ourselves as being?
Or does it consist of something more than just accompanying our Lord? Putting Him above all. Everything. Everyone. Ourselves. Does it, perhaps, consist of something we wouldn’t expect to hear from our Lord—of hatred? Not just of sin and evil and the devil and all those things that are no-brainers for a well-trained Christian. But of hating those we care most about. Who, in fact, are gifts to us from our Lord Himself. Our father and mother. Our wife and children. Our brothers and sisters. Our own selves.
See, our Lord is not just here saying, I have come that you may have life—so come along for the ride. It’ll be fun! Just kick back and watch Me go. I’ll do all the work. You just so show up every week, make sure you do some good things during the week and make some time where you think about Me in the midst of your busy schedule. Your Lord is talking here about a brutal choice. It’s Him, or nothing. His way or the highway. But really we shouldn’t trivialize it in such a way. It’s His way or damnation. He truly is talking about life or death, blessing or curse, good or evil.
Which will you choose? Will you forsake all, even death, for your Lord? Your father and mother, your spouse and children, those you love the most, for your Lord? Accompanying Jesus sounds pretty good right now. Just being along for the ride. Why would our Lord call us to such a demanding choice? What is our Lord who is the author of the Ten Commandments and specifically the Fourth Commandment that we are to honor our father and mother getting at in calling us to the kind of discipleship that has at its base the hatred of those we are to esteem and love?
Perhaps we could translate the word Jesus used and remind ourselves that that’s not what He really meant. That when He said “hate” He meant something much softer. That would fit in much better with what we know of our Lord who is loving and kind and has given us our loved ones as people we are to love and cherish, not hate. But that won’t do much for those who seek to be disciples of our Lord. Because then we run into the problem of taking the words of our Lord and turning them into something other than His Words.
See, He says to you today: Hate. He didn’t say that they might have to take the back seat once in a while. He calls you today to bear your cross and come after Him. Don’t just come along for the ride, where you can have your cake and eat it to. Where your family can be every bit as important to you as your Lord is. Where your very own life can be at the forefront of your thoughts when it comes time for you to die.
Should we think that we should not have to bear a cross? Should we think that we should have things better than our Lord Jesus Christ? And why should we think that if we were to refuse our Lord’s will of hating our father and mother and those most precious to us that we would actually be following His will? Do we really think we can love them in the most loving and best way? Do we think that we really know better than our Lord? If bearing our cross is what our Lord is calling us to why would we think it would be easy? And why should we think that His words would be easy to digest?
See, our Lord is calling us to something that He knows will be hard for us to swallow. That is why He is doing it. So that we may see that we really do fall short in our love and devotion to Him. We think that we should love our father and mother and those dearest to us? Then why do we not love them as we should? Why do we sin against them? Why do we treat them shamefully at times? Why do we place our own desires ahead of theirs at times? We should talk about how strange it is that our Lord is calling us to hate them! We do a pretty good job of that without any coaxing on His part!
But no, He is not calling us to hate them in such a way that would break the Fourth Commandment. He is calling us to love Him above all things. If we place anything above our devotion to our Lord, even the people most dear to us, then we are not really loving them at all. How could we truly be loving others if our Lord is not first in our lives? We can be kind to others without being a disciple of our Lord. But are we showing them kindness for their soul? Are we sharing with them the greatest love of all—the love of Christ? No, Jesus knows very well what He is calling us to. He knows very well that our love falls short. That’s why He calls us to forsake all and cling to Him alone.
In that discipleship then is a new world in which we see with new eyes. A new vision opens up before us in which we see our loved ones not just as those we love and that are precious to us—but as very souls for whom Christ died.
See, we don't even know what hatred is that our Lord is talking about. He knows. He understands. He talks about things He knows about. We’re content to watch on the sidelines. He willingly chose to be the recipient of hatred. He Himself was forsaken by His precious Heavenly Father. He Himself was at the receiving end of the hatred of God’s wrath against those who sin against Him. This is righteous anger, just hatred against those who spite Him by refusing to acknowledge Him as Lord over all. Our Lord wasn’t the recipient of ill will against God Almighty but of damnation. He was turned away by His dear Father. He wasn’t just left for dead, He was damned by the eternal God.
Our Lord knows something about bearing the cross. He counted the cost beforehand—and chose it anyway. He knew what was set before Him: life or death, blessing or curse, good or evil. Not life, not blessing, not good was poured out upon Him but death. The curse of sin was laid upon Him. Evil was His lot. He suffered as no one could imagine and we see in Him that there is no cross that can be borne that is beyond what Christ Himself has borne.
We see that there was no standing idly by by Him. When one does not count the cost and determine whether or not he can complete his task he is ridiculed if he can’t complete it. Yet our Lord was ridiculed because He went through with His task. Because He completed it. When a king must fight against an army that is greater he asks for terms of peace rather than face a battle he can’t win. Our Lord went into the battle, however, as one against the devil and the host of hell. He laid down His life, appearing to have been defeated by His enemy. But in that act was our peace, our Lord laying down His life so that we may not die.
See, your Lord is calling you to discipleship. To renounce all that you have. Because without your Lord there is nothing that will be of lasting value. If you cling to those things you will simply be accompanying your Lord. But if you see that your Lord has set before you life in His suffering and death; if you see that He has set before you a blessing in your Lord Himself becoming the curse for you; if you see that He has set before you good in your Lord breaking under the weight of your evil—then you will see that the cost is great, but never beyond what you can bear. For, you see, your Lord has borne it all. He is your Lord and Savior. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Come unto Him all ye who are weary and heavy-laden and He will give you rest. Do not think He has called you to misery or despair, for your Lord disciples you into life.
You do not merely accompany Him. You are His disciple. You are His beloved. You are one with Him. There is weeping for a time but joy comes in the morning. You bear your cross but the resurrection follows the suffering. You are united with Christ, you have new and eternal life!
Our Lord has given you ears. Use them! Hear what He says to you, that He has given His life to you that your life may be in Him. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Luke 14:25-35
See, today your Lord sets before you life and death. And what will you choose? Will you immediately say you will choose the good that your Lord offers? See, your Lord sets before you today a blessing and a curse, good and evil. Will you know in confidence that you desire nothing from your Lord but His gracious blessing? That there is nothing evil you would seek from Him but only good? Do you seek nothing else than to obey His voice and hold fast to Him? Is your Lord the one you do in fact love with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind?
See, this is what your Lord sets before you today—Himself or eternity apart from Him. It is all or nothing. Your Lord is the Lord alone and He calls you to place Him as such in your life. In all your thoughts. In everything you do. When others see you. When you’re alone and there is no one else to know what you do or don’t do. In your good, bad, and ugly moments. In your life. In the waning moments of your life as you prepare to die.
See, your Lord is your Lord in your ordinary moments and your moments of glory. He is your Lord when you honor Him as such and when you forget about Him. He sets before you today a call. It is the call to discipleship. It is a matter of life or death. Of blessing or curse. Of good or evil.
See, your Lord brings before you all His glory, honor, majesty, and immortality and sets Himself before you as a man. He is the Lord, there’s no question. But He’s a man. He’s one who comes unassumingly. First in a womb of your common Jewish girl. Then in a feeding trough among your common barn animals. Then as a guy who’s walking toward the crowd in such a way that no one would have known who He was had not John the Baptist announced “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Then as one who speaks to some people on a particular occasion. See, this is your Lord, standing there in front of some people. Luke tells us they were crowds accompanying Him. They weren’t following Him. Jesus is going to talk to them about that. They were merely accompanying Him. Much like we often do when we think we’re such faithful followers of our Lord and Savior. After all, we’re here week in and week out. We help those who ask of us and we’re pretty decent people, which is a fantastic witness to that world of people out there who don’t always act so decent.
So we’ll see ourselves today for who we are—as those among the great crowds that accompanied Jesus on that day when He turned and called them to discipleship. What does the life of discipleship consist of? The life that has been set before us is this: life or death, blessing or curse, good or evil. Does it consist of being here week in and week out? Of being those good people we think of ourselves as being?
Or does it consist of something more than just accompanying our Lord? Putting Him above all. Everything. Everyone. Ourselves. Does it, perhaps, consist of something we wouldn’t expect to hear from our Lord—of hatred? Not just of sin and evil and the devil and all those things that are no-brainers for a well-trained Christian. But of hating those we care most about. Who, in fact, are gifts to us from our Lord Himself. Our father and mother. Our wife and children. Our brothers and sisters. Our own selves.
See, our Lord is not just here saying, I have come that you may have life—so come along for the ride. It’ll be fun! Just kick back and watch Me go. I’ll do all the work. You just so show up every week, make sure you do some good things during the week and make some time where you think about Me in the midst of your busy schedule. Your Lord is talking here about a brutal choice. It’s Him, or nothing. His way or the highway. But really we shouldn’t trivialize it in such a way. It’s His way or damnation. He truly is talking about life or death, blessing or curse, good or evil.
Which will you choose? Will you forsake all, even death, for your Lord? Your father and mother, your spouse and children, those you love the most, for your Lord? Accompanying Jesus sounds pretty good right now. Just being along for the ride. Why would our Lord call us to such a demanding choice? What is our Lord who is the author of the Ten Commandments and specifically the Fourth Commandment that we are to honor our father and mother getting at in calling us to the kind of discipleship that has at its base the hatred of those we are to esteem and love?
Perhaps we could translate the word Jesus used and remind ourselves that that’s not what He really meant. That when He said “hate” He meant something much softer. That would fit in much better with what we know of our Lord who is loving and kind and has given us our loved ones as people we are to love and cherish, not hate. But that won’t do much for those who seek to be disciples of our Lord. Because then we run into the problem of taking the words of our Lord and turning them into something other than His Words.
See, He says to you today: Hate. He didn’t say that they might have to take the back seat once in a while. He calls you today to bear your cross and come after Him. Don’t just come along for the ride, where you can have your cake and eat it to. Where your family can be every bit as important to you as your Lord is. Where your very own life can be at the forefront of your thoughts when it comes time for you to die.
Should we think that we should not have to bear a cross? Should we think that we should have things better than our Lord Jesus Christ? And why should we think that if we were to refuse our Lord’s will of hating our father and mother and those most precious to us that we would actually be following His will? Do we really think we can love them in the most loving and best way? Do we think that we really know better than our Lord? If bearing our cross is what our Lord is calling us to why would we think it would be easy? And why should we think that His words would be easy to digest?
See, our Lord is calling us to something that He knows will be hard for us to swallow. That is why He is doing it. So that we may see that we really do fall short in our love and devotion to Him. We think that we should love our father and mother and those dearest to us? Then why do we not love them as we should? Why do we sin against them? Why do we treat them shamefully at times? Why do we place our own desires ahead of theirs at times? We should talk about how strange it is that our Lord is calling us to hate them! We do a pretty good job of that without any coaxing on His part!
But no, He is not calling us to hate them in such a way that would break the Fourth Commandment. He is calling us to love Him above all things. If we place anything above our devotion to our Lord, even the people most dear to us, then we are not really loving them at all. How could we truly be loving others if our Lord is not first in our lives? We can be kind to others without being a disciple of our Lord. But are we showing them kindness for their soul? Are we sharing with them the greatest love of all—the love of Christ? No, Jesus knows very well what He is calling us to. He knows very well that our love falls short. That’s why He calls us to forsake all and cling to Him alone.
In that discipleship then is a new world in which we see with new eyes. A new vision opens up before us in which we see our loved ones not just as those we love and that are precious to us—but as very souls for whom Christ died.
See, we don't even know what hatred is that our Lord is talking about. He knows. He understands. He talks about things He knows about. We’re content to watch on the sidelines. He willingly chose to be the recipient of hatred. He Himself was forsaken by His precious Heavenly Father. He Himself was at the receiving end of the hatred of God’s wrath against those who sin against Him. This is righteous anger, just hatred against those who spite Him by refusing to acknowledge Him as Lord over all. Our Lord wasn’t the recipient of ill will against God Almighty but of damnation. He was turned away by His dear Father. He wasn’t just left for dead, He was damned by the eternal God.
Our Lord knows something about bearing the cross. He counted the cost beforehand—and chose it anyway. He knew what was set before Him: life or death, blessing or curse, good or evil. Not life, not blessing, not good was poured out upon Him but death. The curse of sin was laid upon Him. Evil was His lot. He suffered as no one could imagine and we see in Him that there is no cross that can be borne that is beyond what Christ Himself has borne.
We see that there was no standing idly by by Him. When one does not count the cost and determine whether or not he can complete his task he is ridiculed if he can’t complete it. Yet our Lord was ridiculed because He went through with His task. Because He completed it. When a king must fight against an army that is greater he asks for terms of peace rather than face a battle he can’t win. Our Lord went into the battle, however, as one against the devil and the host of hell. He laid down His life, appearing to have been defeated by His enemy. But in that act was our peace, our Lord laying down His life so that we may not die.
See, your Lord is calling you to discipleship. To renounce all that you have. Because without your Lord there is nothing that will be of lasting value. If you cling to those things you will simply be accompanying your Lord. But if you see that your Lord has set before you life in His suffering and death; if you see that He has set before you a blessing in your Lord Himself becoming the curse for you; if you see that He has set before you good in your Lord breaking under the weight of your evil—then you will see that the cost is great, but never beyond what you can bear. For, you see, your Lord has borne it all. He is your Lord and Savior. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Come unto Him all ye who are weary and heavy-laden and He will give you rest. Do not think He has called you to misery or despair, for your Lord disciples you into life.
You do not merely accompany Him. You are His disciple. You are His beloved. You are one with Him. There is weeping for a time but joy comes in the morning. You bear your cross but the resurrection follows the suffering. You are united with Christ, you have new and eternal life!
Our Lord has given you ears. Use them! Hear what He says to you, that He has given His life to you that your life may be in Him. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, September 2, 2007
The Heart of God: Jesus
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Rally Day
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Luke 14:1-14
It’s a humbling experience to come to the realization that you’re selfish. It’s easy to see in others, isn’t it? But there’s so much we need to do simply to take care of ourselves, so many things we do simply to enjoy life, that we don’t see as we should that we very much are absorbed in ourselves. Don’t do it now, but some time take a hard look at yourself and ask yourself if you really can come to the conclusion that you’re not selfish. If you can come to that conclusion, well, there might not be much of a chance of you really listening to the Word of God and taking it to heart. Of hearing it as a message God intends directly to you, not all those other people here today. Or all those people out there who aren’t here. If you can see yourself as you really are, a selfish person, then humble yourself to realize that even this is something that God helps you to see and as something that only He can help you overcome.
Jesus is good at doing this. He’s God, after all. He’s good at whatever He does. And in this particular case—helping us realize that we’re selfish and in need of an overhaul in the humility department—what He does so well is not just lecture people on how they should behave in social situations. No, what He’s really good at—and what He’s really doing here, and, really, in everything He does—is bringing Himself into the center of our lives. The focus. The very core. The purpose for who we are and what we do. Jesus has better things to do than playing the part of Miss Manners, which He would do better than she does any way, even though she’s really good.
Jesus cuts to the chase. And He does that by cutting us to the heart. What is it really about? If we’re honest, our lives as we live them are really about us. What Jesus does is enter that life and show us that, no, it’s really about Him. That may sound kind of goofy, being that Jesus is putting all the focus on Himself. But He’s God, remember? The focus must be about Him.
But how does He do it? I don’t know about you, but if I were a powerful person, I would use it to my advantage. But Jesus doesn’t do that! He’s God, and does things that are for our benefit! Yes, the focus is all on Him, but He brings it about by being humble.
Take just the whole scenario itself of the Gospel reading. The Lord of all creation is taking time to be in an undistinguished house where a Pharisee lives. Okay, you might argue that Pharisees were not just ordinary people because they were spiritual leaders. But do you really think if Jesus had a head trip He’d be sitting there for a meal in a common Pharisee’s home? There are kings and Caesars and far more prominent people Jesus could have mingled with. But in all of creation and all of history He confined Himself for a few moments to this common abode where He witnessed several pathetic religious leaders try to show up one another. Their focus was most certainly not on Jesus but on themselves.
The humility and serving attitude Jesus is exhorting us to here is more than just sitting at the back rather than going to the front where we’ll be noticed. It’s more than just helping those who can’t pay you back. It’s a focus on Jesus. It’s seeing that He Himself has placed Himself at the back of the room. He Himself has invited all those who can’t repay Him to His banquet. So what if we sit in the back? What does it matter if we help those less fortunate than ourselves? Are these things going to get us into heaven? Will they win points with God? Will He take notice of us and give us a higher standing in eternity?
These are the kind of things we turn Jesus’ exhortations into because we’re selfish. What’s going to break us out of this kind of attitude? Jesus. That’s why He came. That’s why He healed the man with dropsy. It was not too small a thing for Him to help the man out. That’s why He took the time with those self-indulgent Pharisees. That’s why He didn’t cavort with kings and important people. He came for the ordinary person. The one who is caught up in all the things needed to do to live. The one who may not even realize that in so doing is very selfish and focused in on him or herself.
Jesus didn’t come to earth and say: “Hey folks! God here! Please bow before Me. Furnish for Me the finest of things. Luxury, a winter home, the very best food.” He came Himself almost indistinguishably. He looked very much like every ordinary person. Why did He do this? Because even though it’s all about Him, He is passionate about us. He created us, after all. We are the crown of His creation. He loves the human beings He created so much that He wants us in the eternal glory of the new Eden—heaven. So for Him it’s actually all about us. He comes not to say, “I’m the Almighty Lord of all creation so humble yourselves before Me.” He comes to say, “Be healed. Be forgiven. Take your place here at the front. Receive glory and honor. Your sins are washed away. There is only abundance of grace and eternal blessings.”
That’s why He has Baptized us. Because He wants to wash in a flood of grace all our sins away. That’s why He prepares a banquet for us today—His very Supper. So that we may feast on the richest of all food: our very Lord Himself, His body and His blood. In the Psalms God described His people this way: “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” God has shown us His ways. While our heart goes astray God has shown us His heart. His heart is Jesus. If we want to see His ways we look to Jesus.
We’re not just talking about humility, even the humility of Jesus. We’re talking about the heart of God and the heart of God is Jesus. Jesus here in the Gospel reading is not telling us how to live, although if we lived in the way described things would be much better and we’d glorify God. Jesus is really showing us the heart of God and that’s why He came. That’s why He humbled Himself. That’s why we see Him doing the very things He exhorts us to do.
That’s why we see Him going to the back of the room and alone taking the sins of the world upon Him on the cross. That’s why we see Him inviting us into His eternal mansion when He knows we can never repay Him. I sometimes wonder if someone was making a joke when they created Labor Day and then gave everyone the day off. Well, this is kind of like the way it is with us and salvation. Payment must be made for our selfish and sinful nature. Work must be accomplished for us to gain salvation. But God tells us to take the day off. He says that we are to rest while His Son alone bears the burden of the work.
That’s why we have all the Bible Studies we have at our church. That’s why we have Sunday school for all the children. So we can grow in Him whose heart is for us and for our salvation. That’s why He continues to serve us through His Word and Sacraments, inviting us to come forward to the front so that we may feast with Him, our very Lord and Savior. So that we may know that the God of all creation has shown us His heart and it is in Jesus alone that we may know everlasting grace and mercy. Amen.
SDG
Rally Day
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Luke 14:1-14
It’s a humbling experience to come to the realization that you’re selfish. It’s easy to see in others, isn’t it? But there’s so much we need to do simply to take care of ourselves, so many things we do simply to enjoy life, that we don’t see as we should that we very much are absorbed in ourselves. Don’t do it now, but some time take a hard look at yourself and ask yourself if you really can come to the conclusion that you’re not selfish. If you can come to that conclusion, well, there might not be much of a chance of you really listening to the Word of God and taking it to heart. Of hearing it as a message God intends directly to you, not all those other people here today. Or all those people out there who aren’t here. If you can see yourself as you really are, a selfish person, then humble yourself to realize that even this is something that God helps you to see and as something that only He can help you overcome.
Jesus is good at doing this. He’s God, after all. He’s good at whatever He does. And in this particular case—helping us realize that we’re selfish and in need of an overhaul in the humility department—what He does so well is not just lecture people on how they should behave in social situations. No, what He’s really good at—and what He’s really doing here, and, really, in everything He does—is bringing Himself into the center of our lives. The focus. The very core. The purpose for who we are and what we do. Jesus has better things to do than playing the part of Miss Manners, which He would do better than she does any way, even though she’s really good.
Jesus cuts to the chase. And He does that by cutting us to the heart. What is it really about? If we’re honest, our lives as we live them are really about us. What Jesus does is enter that life and show us that, no, it’s really about Him. That may sound kind of goofy, being that Jesus is putting all the focus on Himself. But He’s God, remember? The focus must be about Him.
But how does He do it? I don’t know about you, but if I were a powerful person, I would use it to my advantage. But Jesus doesn’t do that! He’s God, and does things that are for our benefit! Yes, the focus is all on Him, but He brings it about by being humble.
Take just the whole scenario itself of the Gospel reading. The Lord of all creation is taking time to be in an undistinguished house where a Pharisee lives. Okay, you might argue that Pharisees were not just ordinary people because they were spiritual leaders. But do you really think if Jesus had a head trip He’d be sitting there for a meal in a common Pharisee’s home? There are kings and Caesars and far more prominent people Jesus could have mingled with. But in all of creation and all of history He confined Himself for a few moments to this common abode where He witnessed several pathetic religious leaders try to show up one another. Their focus was most certainly not on Jesus but on themselves.
The humility and serving attitude Jesus is exhorting us to here is more than just sitting at the back rather than going to the front where we’ll be noticed. It’s more than just helping those who can’t pay you back. It’s a focus on Jesus. It’s seeing that He Himself has placed Himself at the back of the room. He Himself has invited all those who can’t repay Him to His banquet. So what if we sit in the back? What does it matter if we help those less fortunate than ourselves? Are these things going to get us into heaven? Will they win points with God? Will He take notice of us and give us a higher standing in eternity?
These are the kind of things we turn Jesus’ exhortations into because we’re selfish. What’s going to break us out of this kind of attitude? Jesus. That’s why He came. That’s why He healed the man with dropsy. It was not too small a thing for Him to help the man out. That’s why He took the time with those self-indulgent Pharisees. That’s why He didn’t cavort with kings and important people. He came for the ordinary person. The one who is caught up in all the things needed to do to live. The one who may not even realize that in so doing is very selfish and focused in on him or herself.
Jesus didn’t come to earth and say: “Hey folks! God here! Please bow before Me. Furnish for Me the finest of things. Luxury, a winter home, the very best food.” He came Himself almost indistinguishably. He looked very much like every ordinary person. Why did He do this? Because even though it’s all about Him, He is passionate about us. He created us, after all. We are the crown of His creation. He loves the human beings He created so much that He wants us in the eternal glory of the new Eden—heaven. So for Him it’s actually all about us. He comes not to say, “I’m the Almighty Lord of all creation so humble yourselves before Me.” He comes to say, “Be healed. Be forgiven. Take your place here at the front. Receive glory and honor. Your sins are washed away. There is only abundance of grace and eternal blessings.”
That’s why He has Baptized us. Because He wants to wash in a flood of grace all our sins away. That’s why He prepares a banquet for us today—His very Supper. So that we may feast on the richest of all food: our very Lord Himself, His body and His blood. In the Psalms God described His people this way: “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.” God has shown us His ways. While our heart goes astray God has shown us His heart. His heart is Jesus. If we want to see His ways we look to Jesus.
We’re not just talking about humility, even the humility of Jesus. We’re talking about the heart of God and the heart of God is Jesus. Jesus here in the Gospel reading is not telling us how to live, although if we lived in the way described things would be much better and we’d glorify God. Jesus is really showing us the heart of God and that’s why He came. That’s why He humbled Himself. That’s why we see Him doing the very things He exhorts us to do.
That’s why we see Him going to the back of the room and alone taking the sins of the world upon Him on the cross. That’s why we see Him inviting us into His eternal mansion when He knows we can never repay Him. I sometimes wonder if someone was making a joke when they created Labor Day and then gave everyone the day off. Well, this is kind of like the way it is with us and salvation. Payment must be made for our selfish and sinful nature. Work must be accomplished for us to gain salvation. But God tells us to take the day off. He says that we are to rest while His Son alone bears the burden of the work.
That’s why we have all the Bible Studies we have at our church. That’s why we have Sunday school for all the children. So we can grow in Him whose heart is for us and for our salvation. That’s why He continues to serve us through His Word and Sacraments, inviting us to come forward to the front so that we may feast with Him, our very Lord and Savior. So that we may know that the God of all creation has shown us His heart and it is in Jesus alone that we may know everlasting grace and mercy. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Are You Left Out in the Cold?
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Luke 13:22-30
All you baseball fans know what an achievement a perfect game is. Maybe some of you have seen a perfect game and know that you have seen something that not many see. For those of you who think baseball is about the most boring thing around and you’d sooner watch grass grow, you might actually wonder if the game will ever end and what exactly the point of the game is if you were witnessing a perfect game. A perfect game is when the pitcher gets every batter out. Three up, three down, for nine straight innings. It’s been done only fifteen times.
Imagine if you are watching a perfect game in progress. Each inning toward the end is more intense. Finally, the pitcher has two strikes on the final batter. All he has to do is get one more strike, but throws three balls instead. George Will in his column this past week talked about the umpire who was behind the plate at just such a moment. History is about to be made, and yet, the umpire called the pitches for what they were—balls, not strikes. And the last pitch? Also a ball, spoiling a chance for history. But George Will points out that though one kind of glory was lost that day, another one was achieved: the integrity of rules. The pitcher could very well have been feeling that the umpire took away his glory and spectacular of achievement of that day.
It’s a sinking feeling when the authority tells you that you’ve come up short. Kind of like when you get to the door of an event you were really looking forward to like a show or a sporting event and you realize you lost your tickets. The people at the gate can be the nicest people in the world, but they’re not going to let you in without a ticket. Or if you’ve maintained a 4.0 grade average but in one of your classes you make enough mistakes to bring you below that. Your teacher may feel for you in giving you a lower grade, but gives it nonetheless.
A good friend of mine was a model of health. He took care of himself, was in good shape, and was very healthy. But he died instantly from a heart defect from birth. It had never affected him. He didn’t even know it was there. He didn’t even know he died when he did. It was a small tear that eventually broke wide open and killed him instantly.
What’s it going to be like on Judgment Day? Do we think about that much? Or do we tend to ignore it with the thought that it doesn’t really affect us here and now? There are times, though, aren’t there, where we wonder about it all? How many will be saved? Will God go ahead and just save everybody? Or just most people, leaving only the vilest of people to rot in hell? Or do most people have no chance? Will there only be a few who are saved? And we might even wonder at times if anybody has a chance. These questions are back there somewhere in our mind, if not troubling to us more often than just occasionally. Because at the heart of it is the question, will I be saved? And how can I know?
The non-Christian, the one who doesn’t believe in Jesus, might not think twice about these things. The Christian might just as easily think that he’s in, no worries. But the pitcher was sure he was one pitch away from a perfect game. And the people going to their concert were excited about getting in to see it. And the student was convinced he had the 4.0 in hand. And my friend was expecting to live a good long life.
We’re sure we’re going to be saved, aren’t we? That if it’s only a few who are saved that the many are certainly a lot of people “out there”. But ought we to be so sure? What’s all this talk from Jesus about struggling to get in through the narrow door? Is He warning us that we shouldn’t be so confident of our salvation after all? The people He describes at the big feast are shocked that He won’t let them in. Is He trying to tell us that this is us? That’s not a very comforting prospect.
Jesus makes clear that He doesn’t come to save only some. The door is open. It’s open for all. But it’s narrow. Not all will want to go through the narrow door. The wide door is also always open. But being wide it will appeal to many. So Jesus doesn’t just usher some through the right door. It’s just that He offers His salvation in only one way, and that’s why it’s narrow. The wide door is the one that appeals to many because it doesn’t exclude them if they don’t believe in Jesus, or no matter what they believe, for that matter.
The narrow door is exclusive, however. Like that umpire who didn’t just give the perfect game to the pitcher, or the ticket taker who doesn’t just let people in without a ticket, or the teacher who gives a lower grade even though it means the student is out of the 4.0. The authority is rigid and unwavering. My friend looked like he had a long life ahead of him, but he had no chance against a little defect.
That question—will I be saved?—is a disconcerting one. Because we have doubts. On the other hand, we might have no doubt at all. What’s even more disconcerting is Jesus’ answer. He seems to put those of us who see ourselves as among the few who are saved among the many who are left out in the cold. But Jesus isn’t assigning us to hell. He’s not saying we have no hope. Otherwise, why would He bother telling us all that He says here? If we had no hope He would just say so and leave it at that.
But there is hope. That’s why He keeps saying “you”. You struggle to enter through the narrow door. You will be standing outside and not let in. He will say, “I do not know where you come from.” You will say, “But we ate and drank with You and You taught in our streets.” And He will say, “I don’t know you,” and “Depart from Me, all you workers of evil.”
I know. It’s scary stuff. It’s as if He’s saying, “You think you’re saved? Think again. You’re going to hell.” But that’s not what He’s saying. He’s warning us. And that is the greatest kind of love and grace. He’s making us aware of what could be before it happens. So that it won’t happen to us. He doesn’t want it to happen to us. Otherwise, why would He go through such pains to warn us? Why would He come at all?
And most of all, He makes known to us that it will be a struggle. We don’t want to hear this, of course. You mean it’s going to be hard? You mean there’s difficulty to this? It’s not just an easy ride?
If it were, why would Jesus leave the eternal throne of glory and become a man? Talk about difficulty—He’s living proof! But this is really where He’s going with this. It always is. He never points us to ourselves when it comes to salvation. He does point out, yes, that we of ourselves are on the outside looking in if we’re content with our own righteousness. That’s what all the “you’s” were about. But the reason He uses all those “you’s” is so that when we look to Him—where our only hope is to be found—we can hear the “you’s” He speaks to us in our Baptism and His Holy Supper.
I forgive you of all your sins. He says to you, “Welcome into My eternal feast of glory.” Take and eat, this is My body, given for you. Take and drink, this is My blood, shed for you. The reason it’s a struggle is because our sinful flesh is always wanting to focus back on itself rather than on Christ. But Christ focuses our attention to Him. Where He has endured the supreme struggle, taking the sins of the world upon Himself in His suffering and death. He died for you. He rose from the grave so that you may live forever. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Luke 13:22-30
All you baseball fans know what an achievement a perfect game is. Maybe some of you have seen a perfect game and know that you have seen something that not many see. For those of you who think baseball is about the most boring thing around and you’d sooner watch grass grow, you might actually wonder if the game will ever end and what exactly the point of the game is if you were witnessing a perfect game. A perfect game is when the pitcher gets every batter out. Three up, three down, for nine straight innings. It’s been done only fifteen times.
Imagine if you are watching a perfect game in progress. Each inning toward the end is more intense. Finally, the pitcher has two strikes on the final batter. All he has to do is get one more strike, but throws three balls instead. George Will in his column this past week talked about the umpire who was behind the plate at just such a moment. History is about to be made, and yet, the umpire called the pitches for what they were—balls, not strikes. And the last pitch? Also a ball, spoiling a chance for history. But George Will points out that though one kind of glory was lost that day, another one was achieved: the integrity of rules. The pitcher could very well have been feeling that the umpire took away his glory and spectacular of achievement of that day.
It’s a sinking feeling when the authority tells you that you’ve come up short. Kind of like when you get to the door of an event you were really looking forward to like a show or a sporting event and you realize you lost your tickets. The people at the gate can be the nicest people in the world, but they’re not going to let you in without a ticket. Or if you’ve maintained a 4.0 grade average but in one of your classes you make enough mistakes to bring you below that. Your teacher may feel for you in giving you a lower grade, but gives it nonetheless.
A good friend of mine was a model of health. He took care of himself, was in good shape, and was very healthy. But he died instantly from a heart defect from birth. It had never affected him. He didn’t even know it was there. He didn’t even know he died when he did. It was a small tear that eventually broke wide open and killed him instantly.
What’s it going to be like on Judgment Day? Do we think about that much? Or do we tend to ignore it with the thought that it doesn’t really affect us here and now? There are times, though, aren’t there, where we wonder about it all? How many will be saved? Will God go ahead and just save everybody? Or just most people, leaving only the vilest of people to rot in hell? Or do most people have no chance? Will there only be a few who are saved? And we might even wonder at times if anybody has a chance. These questions are back there somewhere in our mind, if not troubling to us more often than just occasionally. Because at the heart of it is the question, will I be saved? And how can I know?
The non-Christian, the one who doesn’t believe in Jesus, might not think twice about these things. The Christian might just as easily think that he’s in, no worries. But the pitcher was sure he was one pitch away from a perfect game. And the people going to their concert were excited about getting in to see it. And the student was convinced he had the 4.0 in hand. And my friend was expecting to live a good long life.
We’re sure we’re going to be saved, aren’t we? That if it’s only a few who are saved that the many are certainly a lot of people “out there”. But ought we to be so sure? What’s all this talk from Jesus about struggling to get in through the narrow door? Is He warning us that we shouldn’t be so confident of our salvation after all? The people He describes at the big feast are shocked that He won’t let them in. Is He trying to tell us that this is us? That’s not a very comforting prospect.
Jesus makes clear that He doesn’t come to save only some. The door is open. It’s open for all. But it’s narrow. Not all will want to go through the narrow door. The wide door is also always open. But being wide it will appeal to many. So Jesus doesn’t just usher some through the right door. It’s just that He offers His salvation in only one way, and that’s why it’s narrow. The wide door is the one that appeals to many because it doesn’t exclude them if they don’t believe in Jesus, or no matter what they believe, for that matter.
The narrow door is exclusive, however. Like that umpire who didn’t just give the perfect game to the pitcher, or the ticket taker who doesn’t just let people in without a ticket, or the teacher who gives a lower grade even though it means the student is out of the 4.0. The authority is rigid and unwavering. My friend looked like he had a long life ahead of him, but he had no chance against a little defect.
That question—will I be saved?—is a disconcerting one. Because we have doubts. On the other hand, we might have no doubt at all. What’s even more disconcerting is Jesus’ answer. He seems to put those of us who see ourselves as among the few who are saved among the many who are left out in the cold. But Jesus isn’t assigning us to hell. He’s not saying we have no hope. Otherwise, why would He bother telling us all that He says here? If we had no hope He would just say so and leave it at that.
But there is hope. That’s why He keeps saying “you”. You struggle to enter through the narrow door. You will be standing outside and not let in. He will say, “I do not know where you come from.” You will say, “But we ate and drank with You and You taught in our streets.” And He will say, “I don’t know you,” and “Depart from Me, all you workers of evil.”
I know. It’s scary stuff. It’s as if He’s saying, “You think you’re saved? Think again. You’re going to hell.” But that’s not what He’s saying. He’s warning us. And that is the greatest kind of love and grace. He’s making us aware of what could be before it happens. So that it won’t happen to us. He doesn’t want it to happen to us. Otherwise, why would He go through such pains to warn us? Why would He come at all?
And most of all, He makes known to us that it will be a struggle. We don’t want to hear this, of course. You mean it’s going to be hard? You mean there’s difficulty to this? It’s not just an easy ride?
If it were, why would Jesus leave the eternal throne of glory and become a man? Talk about difficulty—He’s living proof! But this is really where He’s going with this. It always is. He never points us to ourselves when it comes to salvation. He does point out, yes, that we of ourselves are on the outside looking in if we’re content with our own righteousness. That’s what all the “you’s” were about. But the reason He uses all those “you’s” is so that when we look to Him—where our only hope is to be found—we can hear the “you’s” He speaks to us in our Baptism and His Holy Supper.
I forgive you of all your sins. He says to you, “Welcome into My eternal feast of glory.” Take and eat, this is My body, given for you. Take and drink, this is My blood, shed for you. The reason it’s a struggle is because our sinful flesh is always wanting to focus back on itself rather than on Christ. But Christ focuses our attention to Him. Where He has endured the supreme struggle, taking the sins of the world upon Himself in His suffering and death. He died for you. He rose from the grave so that you may live forever. Amen.
SDG
Thursday, August 23, 2007
When It All Falls Apart
Okay, before I get to what I’m going to say, let me say that if you want to know what the actual lyrics of a song are you really have to read them. When you hear the singer sing them some of the words sound different than what they really are.
The next thing I want to say is that, in my humble opinion, the best thing about the “Bourne” movies (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum) is the music. Especially the song they play at the end (which is called “Extreme Ways” by Moby). What a fun song!
Anyway, as I was listening to the song I first thought the refrain sounded like “Oh babe, then it all fell apart.” But then I thought, it must be saying (fitting in with the theme of the movies), “Obey, then it all fell apart.” And it really sounded like that to me.
Well… I looked up the lyrics, and it’s “Oh baby, then it all fell apart.” (I think the singer must be singing “babe” rather than “baby”.)
The point of all of this is that I would like to go with the idea of “obey, then it all fell apart.” After all, doesn’t our Lord command us to obey Him? And doesn’t our life have times where things fall apart? It’s very tempting to not obey since it doesn’t always seem to make things better for us. I mean, look where it got Jason Bourne? He obeyed his government and it all fell apart. (He ends up being hunted down by that very government.)
But I would like to suggest that this is the very reason we ought to obey our Lord and Savior. He doesn’t say, after all, “Follow Me and all will be well.” What He says is, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” I guess we could kind of paraphrase this to say, “Obey Me even though it means it will all fall apart.”
Because who do we need if everything is going along just fine and dandy? Oh yeah, we’ll know we need Jesus. We’ll say it, we’ll be believe it, we’ll even think about it now and then.
But will we act like it? Will we really live like it? The fact is, we need Jesus and nowhere is that more apparent than when it all falls apart. And it’s tough to obey Him when that happens, right? You bet it’s tough, that’s why He said so—take up your cross and follow Me.
But you know what happens when it all falls apart? When you wonder if the same Jesus who said “I am with you always” really is with you at those times? You don’t say, Well I guess I’m just not obeying enough.
You look at the one who was obedient unto death. You look to the one who obeyed His Heavenly Father only to see it all fall apart. Every disciple splitting the scene. Every religious leader and soldier mocking Him. Every sin placed upon His shoulder. Every drip of the cup of God’s wrath poured out upon the obedient Lamb.
He knows what it means to have it all fall apart. And He knows what He’s talking about when He tells you to take up your cross. Because He knows a little something about that kind of stuff. When it all falls apart you may not trust fully in Him, but He will always remember His promise to you—He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is with you always. Even when it all falls apart.
The next thing I want to say is that, in my humble opinion, the best thing about the “Bourne” movies (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum) is the music. Especially the song they play at the end (which is called “Extreme Ways” by Moby). What a fun song!
Anyway, as I was listening to the song I first thought the refrain sounded like “Oh babe, then it all fell apart.” But then I thought, it must be saying (fitting in with the theme of the movies), “Obey, then it all fell apart.” And it really sounded like that to me.
Well… I looked up the lyrics, and it’s “Oh baby, then it all fell apart.” (I think the singer must be singing “babe” rather than “baby”.)
The point of all of this is that I would like to go with the idea of “obey, then it all fell apart.” After all, doesn’t our Lord command us to obey Him? And doesn’t our life have times where things fall apart? It’s very tempting to not obey since it doesn’t always seem to make things better for us. I mean, look where it got Jason Bourne? He obeyed his government and it all fell apart. (He ends up being hunted down by that very government.)
But I would like to suggest that this is the very reason we ought to obey our Lord and Savior. He doesn’t say, after all, “Follow Me and all will be well.” What He says is, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” I guess we could kind of paraphrase this to say, “Obey Me even though it means it will all fall apart.”
Because who do we need if everything is going along just fine and dandy? Oh yeah, we’ll know we need Jesus. We’ll say it, we’ll be believe it, we’ll even think about it now and then.
But will we act like it? Will we really live like it? The fact is, we need Jesus and nowhere is that more apparent than when it all falls apart. And it’s tough to obey Him when that happens, right? You bet it’s tough, that’s why He said so—take up your cross and follow Me.
But you know what happens when it all falls apart? When you wonder if the same Jesus who said “I am with you always” really is with you at those times? You don’t say, Well I guess I’m just not obeying enough.
You look at the one who was obedient unto death. You look to the one who obeyed His Heavenly Father only to see it all fall apart. Every disciple splitting the scene. Every religious leader and soldier mocking Him. Every sin placed upon His shoulder. Every drip of the cup of God’s wrath poured out upon the obedient Lamb.
He knows what it means to have it all fall apart. And He knows what He’s talking about when He tells you to take up your cross. Because He knows a little something about that kind of stuff. When it all falls apart you may not trust fully in Him, but He will always remember His promise to you—He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is with you always. Even when it all falls apart.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The Sending of Fire
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Luke 12:49-56
"I came to cast fire on the earth…"
Do you know what a fire camp is? I didn’t until I saw one. On our vacation one of the roads we needed to go on was closed because of bad fires in northern Montana. Thankfully, the road was reopened and we were able to go on it. As we were driving we saw a sign that said “Slow, Fire Camp Ahead”. We wondered what that was until we got to it and saw that they had set up a temporary camp for all the firefighters and other people helping fight the fires.
We never saw the fire but we saw plenty of smoke. We also saw the tremendous amount of people and resources poured into stamping the fire out. Fires are a mighty force. If you’re in the way of a wildfire you have no chance, you will lose. It’s a sad fact that there are fire fighters, people who are trained to be safe and skillfully attack fires, who lose their lives in action. Wild fires are destructive and powerful. That there are people willing to put their lives on the line to put them out, to save homes and lives, shows how wild fires can be very bad.
So why would Jesus come to earth to cast fire upon it? Fire will destroy most of what’s in its path. Why would Jesus come in order to bring something that destroys?
Well, it sounds kind of strange, but Jesus is delivering something to us that we need. To understand this, think for a moment about life. You don’t have to think long to acknowledge that things are not always clean in life. Life is messy at times. It’s difficult at times; more often than not, seemingly. The fact is, circumstances in life are not always what we’d like or what seem best.
Why does God allow things to not go smoothly in our lives when that time could be better used to serve Him? Why does He allow us to suffer illness when we could be using that time to witness to other people? We tend to look at our circumstances and think of them as negative if they’re not ideal for us. We know it’s true, that things won’t always go the way we want them to. And yet, when they don’t go well for us we struggle not only with that, but with why they don’t always go well.
The way Jesus answers this problem is not by taking our problems away but by stating straight out that as Christians things will be difficult for us. And not only that, He will be the source of some of those difficulties. That doesn’t make sense to us, but He’s not coming to us with the intent to have things meet with our understanding. Part of the mess we’re in is because we want to have things go according to how we’d like them to be. Jesus says, Nope, it’s gotta be the way I will show you how it is.
So the real question we should be asking is not, why is it so difficult to live as a Christian, but what is Christ doing in my life for my benefit? We know a lot about how we think things should be but come up short when it comes to discerning God’s will for our lives.
How we know what God’s will is for us is by looking to Jesus. I know that sounds pretty straightforward, but really it’s not. When we look to Jesus we need to see Him for who He really is and what He came to do. In the case of what He says here He says that He has come to bring fire on the earth. And He has come to bring not peace but division. Okay, so now instead of scratching our heads and wondering why He would say something so strange or complain that that’s not very Jesus-like for Him to do this, we should be looking to Him for the answer. The answer is not in what is happening to us in this life. The answer is in who Christ is and what He has done.
What that is is undergoing a baptism. This is something more than the Baptism He received at the Jordan River from John. This is a baptism of fire. This is something no one would want to go through. No one, that is, but Jesus. And even He according to His human nature sought from His Heavenly Father a way to avoid it. What Jesus really did was choose it willingly.
When we hear that He’s bringing fire on the earth we react negatively toward that. Whereas He willingly chooses the suffering. Do we complain because we’re suffering? Look at what Jesus said about the time until He would suffer His baptism by fire: “how great is My distress until it is accomplished.” What Jesus brings upon the earth—fire, division—does not compare to what Jesus Himself underwent. The fire and division Jesus brings upon the earth must be seen and understood in light of who Jesus is and what He came to do. That’s why He alerts us to His baptism of fire He underwent for the world.
Jesus willingly stood in the path of the fire to be destroyed so that we could escape the ravages of the fire of God’s wrath for our sin. There’s no question Jesus has brought upon the earth a destructive force to destroy it. That’s because we need to be destroyed—more specifically, our sinful flesh. Our life will not last forever on this earth. What comes at our death is either heaven or hell. He does not want to see us suffer in hell forever, that’s why He came to save us.
That’s fantastic, obviously. But why does He want us to suffer now? Why bring the fire and division upon us in this life when His ultimate desire and work is to bring us to heaven where we’re free from all the hardship and division of this world? Again, we must look to Him for the answer. Who He is and what He has done. The answer is found in His baptism at the cross.
If we lament that we suffer here; that it’s hard being a Christian; that God doesn’t seem to be helping us out—we’re not looking to the cross. We’re not looking to the trial and division Jesus endured for us. We’re not looking to that one place where He answers all of our questions and meets all of our fears and confusion. We’re looking rather to our current circumstances and how we’re fed up with them.
Jesus didn’t just come to bring fire and division upon the earth. He came to bring Himself to the earth. He brought salvation with Him, undergoing a blessed event of being anointed in Baptism by His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit at the Jordan and a stunning and terrible event in His baptism by fire on the cross. He bowed down before the blaze of God’s wrath. He was cut off from the presence of His Heavenly Father. He was a man of sorrows, but with only one thought foremost in His mind and heart: you, me, and the world. Christ suffered in such a way so that we may live forever.
When wildfires start on their own they not only destroy the trees and vegetation, but also a lot of built up dead leaves, vegetation, and wood, that is a burden on the forest. A wildfire clears that away making way for new growth to come. New trees pop up. New vegetation springs up. The forest in a sense is reborn.
So are we in Baptism, where Christ casts His holy fire upon our sinful flesh, melting it away. What emerges from this amazing event is new life. We spring forth into new life because the fire of God’s love has not only destroyed our sinful flesh but has purified us as His very own people. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Luke 12:49-56
"I came to cast fire on the earth…"
Do you know what a fire camp is? I didn’t until I saw one. On our vacation one of the roads we needed to go on was closed because of bad fires in northern Montana. Thankfully, the road was reopened and we were able to go on it. As we were driving we saw a sign that said “Slow, Fire Camp Ahead”. We wondered what that was until we got to it and saw that they had set up a temporary camp for all the firefighters and other people helping fight the fires.
We never saw the fire but we saw plenty of smoke. We also saw the tremendous amount of people and resources poured into stamping the fire out. Fires are a mighty force. If you’re in the way of a wildfire you have no chance, you will lose. It’s a sad fact that there are fire fighters, people who are trained to be safe and skillfully attack fires, who lose their lives in action. Wild fires are destructive and powerful. That there are people willing to put their lives on the line to put them out, to save homes and lives, shows how wild fires can be very bad.
So why would Jesus come to earth to cast fire upon it? Fire will destroy most of what’s in its path. Why would Jesus come in order to bring something that destroys?
Well, it sounds kind of strange, but Jesus is delivering something to us that we need. To understand this, think for a moment about life. You don’t have to think long to acknowledge that things are not always clean in life. Life is messy at times. It’s difficult at times; more often than not, seemingly. The fact is, circumstances in life are not always what we’d like or what seem best.
Why does God allow things to not go smoothly in our lives when that time could be better used to serve Him? Why does He allow us to suffer illness when we could be using that time to witness to other people? We tend to look at our circumstances and think of them as negative if they’re not ideal for us. We know it’s true, that things won’t always go the way we want them to. And yet, when they don’t go well for us we struggle not only with that, but with why they don’t always go well.
The way Jesus answers this problem is not by taking our problems away but by stating straight out that as Christians things will be difficult for us. And not only that, He will be the source of some of those difficulties. That doesn’t make sense to us, but He’s not coming to us with the intent to have things meet with our understanding. Part of the mess we’re in is because we want to have things go according to how we’d like them to be. Jesus says, Nope, it’s gotta be the way I will show you how it is.
So the real question we should be asking is not, why is it so difficult to live as a Christian, but what is Christ doing in my life for my benefit? We know a lot about how we think things should be but come up short when it comes to discerning God’s will for our lives.
How we know what God’s will is for us is by looking to Jesus. I know that sounds pretty straightforward, but really it’s not. When we look to Jesus we need to see Him for who He really is and what He came to do. In the case of what He says here He says that He has come to bring fire on the earth. And He has come to bring not peace but division. Okay, so now instead of scratching our heads and wondering why He would say something so strange or complain that that’s not very Jesus-like for Him to do this, we should be looking to Him for the answer. The answer is not in what is happening to us in this life. The answer is in who Christ is and what He has done.
What that is is undergoing a baptism. This is something more than the Baptism He received at the Jordan River from John. This is a baptism of fire. This is something no one would want to go through. No one, that is, but Jesus. And even He according to His human nature sought from His Heavenly Father a way to avoid it. What Jesus really did was choose it willingly.
When we hear that He’s bringing fire on the earth we react negatively toward that. Whereas He willingly chooses the suffering. Do we complain because we’re suffering? Look at what Jesus said about the time until He would suffer His baptism by fire: “how great is My distress until it is accomplished.” What Jesus brings upon the earth—fire, division—does not compare to what Jesus Himself underwent. The fire and division Jesus brings upon the earth must be seen and understood in light of who Jesus is and what He came to do. That’s why He alerts us to His baptism of fire He underwent for the world.
Jesus willingly stood in the path of the fire to be destroyed so that we could escape the ravages of the fire of God’s wrath for our sin. There’s no question Jesus has brought upon the earth a destructive force to destroy it. That’s because we need to be destroyed—more specifically, our sinful flesh. Our life will not last forever on this earth. What comes at our death is either heaven or hell. He does not want to see us suffer in hell forever, that’s why He came to save us.
That’s fantastic, obviously. But why does He want us to suffer now? Why bring the fire and division upon us in this life when His ultimate desire and work is to bring us to heaven where we’re free from all the hardship and division of this world? Again, we must look to Him for the answer. Who He is and what He has done. The answer is found in His baptism at the cross.
If we lament that we suffer here; that it’s hard being a Christian; that God doesn’t seem to be helping us out—we’re not looking to the cross. We’re not looking to the trial and division Jesus endured for us. We’re not looking to that one place where He answers all of our questions and meets all of our fears and confusion. We’re looking rather to our current circumstances and how we’re fed up with them.
Jesus didn’t just come to bring fire and division upon the earth. He came to bring Himself to the earth. He brought salvation with Him, undergoing a blessed event of being anointed in Baptism by His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit at the Jordan and a stunning and terrible event in His baptism by fire on the cross. He bowed down before the blaze of God’s wrath. He was cut off from the presence of His Heavenly Father. He was a man of sorrows, but with only one thought foremost in His mind and heart: you, me, and the world. Christ suffered in such a way so that we may live forever.
When wildfires start on their own they not only destroy the trees and vegetation, but also a lot of built up dead leaves, vegetation, and wood, that is a burden on the forest. A wildfire clears that away making way for new growth to come. New trees pop up. New vegetation springs up. The forest in a sense is reborn.
So are we in Baptism, where Christ casts His holy fire upon our sinful flesh, melting it away. What emerges from this amazing event is new life. We spring forth into new life because the fire of God’s love has not only destroyed our sinful flesh but has purified us as His very own people. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, August 12, 2007
More than Food and Clothing
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Luke 12:22-40
There are some people who truly are anxious about basic necessities of life, such as food and clothing. If you don’t have enough to eat and have only rags to wear it’s hard not to worry about how you’ll survive. For many of us, though, we take these basic things for granted. We have enough to eat. We have clothing. So we’re usually not worrying about these things.
Now if we’re prone to worrying about things in our lives then Jesus’ words strike home because food and clothing are used by Jesus for all those necessities of life we have. How easy is it to get good health care? And affordable health care, at that? How much money do you keep pouring into your car that’s breaking down more and more before you bite the bullet and buy a new car?
Jesus’ answer isn’t necessarily satisfying: don’t worry. The birds and flowers don’t spend their time worrying and yet God takes care of them. Life is more than food and clothing. And this is where we really see that no matter who we are we so often miss the point of what God really wants to give us.
We spend our time worrying about how we’re going to get by another month when things are tight. Or we simply take so many things we have for granted, rarely thinking about what tremendous blessings they are.
Life is more than food and clothing. If we really thought about that and took it to heart we’d spend less time worrying about the things of this life and being more humble and grateful for the many ways God takes care of us and provides for us. What does Jesus say? Seek the Kingdom of God.
How much of our lives do we spend seeking the things of this world and not the world of the next? The things of this life which is temporary instead of the things of eternal life which is, well, eternal. God knows we need food and clothing. That’s why He provides those things for us. When we’re in need it’s tempting to worry. But what we need to do is trust in God.
How does the twenty-third Psalm say it? “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When we have the Lord as our Shepherd we have everything we need. We know He will take care of us. What does He lead us into? “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Our Good Shepherd is mostly concerned with giving us the things we need for eternity, not this short life. Look at how He is described when things are dark in our lives: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Our Lord is described as one who invites us to sit down and feast at a banquet in the midst of the dark times of life. That’s why it’s remarkable that when Jesus tells us in the Gospel reading for today that those await on their master will receive not a master but a servant—one who girds up before them to serve them.
You see, life truly is more than food and clothing. In fact, what God wants to give to you is the very robe of righteousness and the very heavenly food only He Himself can give you. If we’re constantly worried about the things of this life, how will we see that God is giving us so much more than we think we need? If we simply take the things of this life for granted, how much more might we take the spiritual blessings of God for granted?
Our loving Lord has given us life and provides for us in life. But there is much more to it than food and clothing. He clothes us spiritually and feeds us spiritually. Listen to the picture God gave to Zechariah in chapter 3 of his book:
Then He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”
This is how God clothes us. In Baptism our Lord puts on us the robe of Christ’s righteousness. Filthy and stained by our sin we are clothed in the clean garments of Christ’s righteousness.
Dressed in the forgiving love of God we are ready to enjoy the banquet He provides for us. He feeds us with forgiveness also. Just as we are clothed with Christ we are fed with Christ. His very Body and Blood are given us to eat and drink. Life is more than food and clothing. The life Jesus gives to us in Baptism and His Holy Supper is much more than we often think we need.
The forgiveness God gives us, His spiritual blessings He provides for us, are not something that happens out there some place. They are delivered to us where He has promised to give them to us: in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. What do we do in our need? We pray. We ask God to help us. Jesus Himself in the Lord’s Prayer said pray for our daily bread. But our prayer doesn’t feed us. We don’t pray and then feel satisfied because our stomachs are now full. What God does is answer our prayer at the table, with real food that we eat and fill our stomachs with.
It’s the same with our prayer for forgiveness. We aren’t forgiven because we pray. He answers our prayer at the Supper Table—specifically, the Lord’s Supper. Having clothed us with the righteousness of Christ who served us by giving His body into death and shedding His blood for our sins he now serves us with that same Body and Blood for our forgiveness. He always gives more than we seek. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Luke 12:22-40
There are some people who truly are anxious about basic necessities of life, such as food and clothing. If you don’t have enough to eat and have only rags to wear it’s hard not to worry about how you’ll survive. For many of us, though, we take these basic things for granted. We have enough to eat. We have clothing. So we’re usually not worrying about these things.
Now if we’re prone to worrying about things in our lives then Jesus’ words strike home because food and clothing are used by Jesus for all those necessities of life we have. How easy is it to get good health care? And affordable health care, at that? How much money do you keep pouring into your car that’s breaking down more and more before you bite the bullet and buy a new car?
Jesus’ answer isn’t necessarily satisfying: don’t worry. The birds and flowers don’t spend their time worrying and yet God takes care of them. Life is more than food and clothing. And this is where we really see that no matter who we are we so often miss the point of what God really wants to give us.
We spend our time worrying about how we’re going to get by another month when things are tight. Or we simply take so many things we have for granted, rarely thinking about what tremendous blessings they are.
Life is more than food and clothing. If we really thought about that and took it to heart we’d spend less time worrying about the things of this life and being more humble and grateful for the many ways God takes care of us and provides for us. What does Jesus say? Seek the Kingdom of God.
How much of our lives do we spend seeking the things of this world and not the world of the next? The things of this life which is temporary instead of the things of eternal life which is, well, eternal. God knows we need food and clothing. That’s why He provides those things for us. When we’re in need it’s tempting to worry. But what we need to do is trust in God.
How does the twenty-third Psalm say it? “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” When we have the Lord as our Shepherd we have everything we need. We know He will take care of us. What does He lead us into? “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Our Good Shepherd is mostly concerned with giving us the things we need for eternity, not this short life. Look at how He is described when things are dark in our lives: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Our Lord is described as one who invites us to sit down and feast at a banquet in the midst of the dark times of life. That’s why it’s remarkable that when Jesus tells us in the Gospel reading for today that those await on their master will receive not a master but a servant—one who girds up before them to serve them.
You see, life truly is more than food and clothing. In fact, what God wants to give to you is the very robe of righteousness and the very heavenly food only He Himself can give you. If we’re constantly worried about the things of this life, how will we see that God is giving us so much more than we think we need? If we simply take the things of this life for granted, how much more might we take the spiritual blessings of God for granted?
Our loving Lord has given us life and provides for us in life. But there is much more to it than food and clothing. He clothes us spiritually and feeds us spiritually. Listen to the picture God gave to Zechariah in chapter 3 of his book:
Then He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”
This is how God clothes us. In Baptism our Lord puts on us the robe of Christ’s righteousness. Filthy and stained by our sin we are clothed in the clean garments of Christ’s righteousness.
Dressed in the forgiving love of God we are ready to enjoy the banquet He provides for us. He feeds us with forgiveness also. Just as we are clothed with Christ we are fed with Christ. His very Body and Blood are given us to eat and drink. Life is more than food and clothing. The life Jesus gives to us in Baptism and His Holy Supper is much more than we often think we need.
The forgiveness God gives us, His spiritual blessings He provides for us, are not something that happens out there some place. They are delivered to us where He has promised to give them to us: in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. What do we do in our need? We pray. We ask God to help us. Jesus Himself in the Lord’s Prayer said pray for our daily bread. But our prayer doesn’t feed us. We don’t pray and then feel satisfied because our stomachs are now full. What God does is answer our prayer at the table, with real food that we eat and fill our stomachs with.
It’s the same with our prayer for forgiveness. We aren’t forgiven because we pray. He answers our prayer at the Supper Table—specifically, the Lord’s Supper. Having clothed us with the righteousness of Christ who served us by giving His body into death and shedding His blood for our sins he now serves us with that same Body and Blood for our forgiveness. He always gives more than we seek. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, July 22, 2007
There’s Something About Those Marys
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Mary Magdalene
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Luke 10:38-42
What is it about those Marys in the Scriptures? They’re always just sitting around, just listening to Jesus. Do they ever do anything? If it weren’t for the other Christians around them would anything have gotten done? Surely Jesus doesn’t want us just sitting around listening to His Word all day, does He? Aren’t we called by Him to serve and obey Him?
Has Martha gotten a bum rap, like Doubting Thomas? After all, Thomas wasn’t the only one who doubted Jesus’ resurrection—they all did. And what about Sarah in the Old Testament reading? We know so well that she scoffed at the prospect of giving birth at her advanced age. But why do we so often forget that Abraham also laughed when he first heard of it? Why is Martha singled out for her desire to be a good hostess to none other than the Son of God? When you invite people into your home there’s a lot of work to do: preparing, cleaning, making things nice, cooking, setting up, making your guest comfortable. Shouldn’t this most have been the case when Jesus—God Himself—was coming into the home of an individual? What kind of servant of Christ would Martha have been if she had just left everything alone and sat on her rump like her sister Mary who was through with getting things ready?
Last week we heard from Jesus: Go and do likewise. Be a neighbor to those in need. Have compassion on those who are in dire straits. Today the one who is praised is the one who is doing nothing. Mary is sitting down on the floor and just soaking in the teaching of Jesus. What about all that needed to be done to be a good host to Jesus? He doesn’t seem to care about that much at all.
But the one who does is the one who is taken aback by Jesus’ response to her. Jesus, I’m doing all the work here, Martha appeals to Him. You can almost see her pleading with Jesus through gritted teeth to tell Mary to help out.
But Jesus never tells Mary not to help. And Jesus doesn’t even tell Martha not to serve so graciously. What He chides Martha for is all the baggage she has brought to her serving. She’s worried. Distracted.
She was glad when Jesus came. She welcomed Him in. But she’s got a lot on her mind. Like all the stuff that needs to get done. Like why her lazy sister isn’t helping out. Like why Jesus doesn’t seem to care one bit about everything she’s doing for Him.
Some aren’t worriers. I envy you. How you go through life without worrying is amazing to me. I’m sure you’re wondering how in the world people go through life worrying. Well, when you worry, it feeds upon itself. You know you shouldn’t worry. You know it doesn’t do any good. That, in fact, it can actually make things worse. But you do it. You hate it. But it grows and grows to where your situation ends up being worse than what it started out to be. Those of us who worry can identify with Martha. How is all the stuff going to get done? Especially with my lazy sister in there leaving it all to me.
How often in my life am I worried and distracted? It’s easy enough to be busy. To do those things we have to do. We gotta get the kids to soccer practice and piano lessons while hoping to have enough time to run some of those errands we haven’t had time to do yet. Keeping the house clean and orderly is enough to keep us busy much of the time. We have appointments and people who ask favors of us. And if we’re going to take seriously Jesus’ call to serve others we don’t have to look far to find people in need of our help.
But are we so worried and distracted in our lives that we really are not serving Jesus after all? Was Martha really serving Jesus, or was she just serving herself? Was she concerned about what Jesus needed or what she herself needed? She was sure Jesus would side with her and tell Mary to get off her duff and help out so that they both could have time to sit and visit. She was not so busy to be distracted by the thought that Mary wasn’t pulling her weight around the house. She was so consumed with what had to be done that she didn’t even see that there is something even more important than the pressing needs of the moment.
Like all of us, she was reluctant to simply sit down and be awash in the eternal Words of Jesus. Who has time to sit down and read the Bible every day? There’s way too much stuff to do. How can I plan to set aside one hour a week for Bible Study when the things I already promised to do are piling up and time marches on whether they get done or not? How can I be expected to focus entirely on the proclaimed Word of God in the sermon when I have so many things to plan for for the rest of the day? And with so much rustling and distractions going on?
We get bored with the same old confession of sins week after week rather than honestly confronting the fact that it is true, we are unworthy of God’s feast of compassion. We sing the hymns but don’t pay attention because we don’t like the tune or it’s too slow and end up missing out on the rich message of God’s love and grace for us.
We’re uncomfortable simply sitting and listening. We’re unwilling to walk into this building and leave everything in our lives at the front door and be awash in God’s light and illumination. To absorb the riches of His grace He gives us in the absolution, in the hearing of His Word, in the hearing of the proclamation of His Word, in the beautiful words of the liturgy, in the body and blood of Christ in His Supper.
God visited Abraham in our Old Testament reading. What do Abraham and Sarah do? They are compelled to serve the three visitors, God in pre-incarnate form. But what does God do? No, Abraham. No, Sarah. You will receive. I will give. I will serve you. I will give you a son. It won’t be through anything you accomplish, though. You scoff at the prospect, but I will bring it about. Because that’s what God does. He serves us.
There’s always good old Peter for an example. Jesus assumes the role of the lowly slave to wash the disciples’ feet. Are you crazy Jesus?, we can hear Peter challenging Him. He was good at that. Distracted often from what Jesus was teaching him; “No I will wash Your feet. There’s no way I’ll let you wash my feet. I need to wash Yours! You’re the Master, I’m the servant.” Nope. Jesus nailed him. “You’ll be doing no serving. If you try it you have no part in Me. You see, I came not to be served but to serve.”
And what about that poor sap we heard about last week: “Jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life? We really think that we’re not like these people? Then why do we focus so much on what we must do? Why are we so distracted when it comes to worship and the Word of God? Why are we so concerned about worship that’s not meaningful and doesn’t speak to us? Why not just sit and listen and take it all in?
Scripture gives us example after example of the Marthas. When Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about many things”, just insert your own name in there. Well, it’s already taken care of with one of you. J We’re really the Marthas, aren’t we? The Abrahams and Sarahs. The Peters and the religious leaders trying to gain their way to heaven.
There’s something about those Marys. Those Marys that do something that the rest of us don’t. And that’s, well, nothing. That’s realizing that there’s a lot going on. A lot of important stuff. But that there’s one thing needful. One thing that’s more important than all the rest.
Let’s have no illusions that those Marys were somehow holier than the rest. They were indeed sinful like the rest of us. They themselves at times fell into the trap of the Marthas and the rest of us. But why did God the Holy Spirit inspire the Gospel writers to present them the way they are presented? Because they are a picture of the Church. The Church is the Church when it is at rest. When it is sitting at the feet of Jesus. The work of the Church is being in the Word. Listening to the Word. Being filled by the Word. Being equipped by Jesus through His Word to serve Him.
Zechariah, well, let’s just say he didn’t learn much from the child thing of Abraham and Sarah. He scoffed at Gabriel’s message that his elderly wife Elizabeth would have a child. But there was something about Mary. “Let it be to me according to your word,” she said to Gabriel. Did she understand how the Holy Spirit would bring about pregnancy in her without being married? Not a chance. But she didn’t worry about it. She didn’t get distracted from the Word of God to her. She humbly sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His Word spoken through the angel Gabriel. This is a wonderful picture of the Church accomplishing the highest worship to her Lord that she can: hearing His Word and taking it as that, believing it against all that appears needs to be accomplished.
There was something about that other Mary, too; the one whose day is actually commemorated today—Mary Magdalene. If there ever was a person who was not able to serve Jesus it was her. Hindered by seven demons, Jesus cast them out of her. She was the recipient of a lavish gift. What had consumed her life was now gone. Jesus filled her life up with His rich grace and mercy. When all, including her, gave up hope in the dead Jesus, she was once again blessed by Him. What did she go to His tomb to do? To serve Him one last time. Anoint His body with oil. She, like everyone else, had become distracted from the promises Jesus had made to them. But here Jesus was outside the tomb and coming to her to do what He had come to do for everyone: serve her. What a glorious picture of the Church—being the recipient of the Lord Himself in all His grace and glory, just as He continues to come to us today in His Body that was given on the cross and His blood that was shed on the cross. What else could she now do but rejoice and tell the others!
And there’s something about that Mary we’ve met today. That lazy bum. She doesn’t even bother to welcome Jesus into her home. Not one care about the meal coming out right or the dusting having gotten done. But she’s sure ready to sit down and do nothing! This is really nothing else than a blessed picture of God’s true love: His Holy Church, His Bride. Mary was in the position exactly of Mary the mother of Christ and Mary Magdalene.
That is the position we all really need to be in. Sitting. Doing nothing. Hearing. Absorbing. Taking in. Not worrying. Not succumbing to the distractions. Hanging on every word we hear in worship. Receiving it for what it is: the life-giving nourishment we need to be forgiven and sustained in new life to all eternity. Amen.
SDG
Mary Magdalene
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Luke 10:38-42
What is it about those Marys in the Scriptures? They’re always just sitting around, just listening to Jesus. Do they ever do anything? If it weren’t for the other Christians around them would anything have gotten done? Surely Jesus doesn’t want us just sitting around listening to His Word all day, does He? Aren’t we called by Him to serve and obey Him?
Has Martha gotten a bum rap, like Doubting Thomas? After all, Thomas wasn’t the only one who doubted Jesus’ resurrection—they all did. And what about Sarah in the Old Testament reading? We know so well that she scoffed at the prospect of giving birth at her advanced age. But why do we so often forget that Abraham also laughed when he first heard of it? Why is Martha singled out for her desire to be a good hostess to none other than the Son of God? When you invite people into your home there’s a lot of work to do: preparing, cleaning, making things nice, cooking, setting up, making your guest comfortable. Shouldn’t this most have been the case when Jesus—God Himself—was coming into the home of an individual? What kind of servant of Christ would Martha have been if she had just left everything alone and sat on her rump like her sister Mary who was through with getting things ready?
Last week we heard from Jesus: Go and do likewise. Be a neighbor to those in need. Have compassion on those who are in dire straits. Today the one who is praised is the one who is doing nothing. Mary is sitting down on the floor and just soaking in the teaching of Jesus. What about all that needed to be done to be a good host to Jesus? He doesn’t seem to care about that much at all.
But the one who does is the one who is taken aback by Jesus’ response to her. Jesus, I’m doing all the work here, Martha appeals to Him. You can almost see her pleading with Jesus through gritted teeth to tell Mary to help out.
But Jesus never tells Mary not to help. And Jesus doesn’t even tell Martha not to serve so graciously. What He chides Martha for is all the baggage she has brought to her serving. She’s worried. Distracted.
She was glad when Jesus came. She welcomed Him in. But she’s got a lot on her mind. Like all the stuff that needs to get done. Like why her lazy sister isn’t helping out. Like why Jesus doesn’t seem to care one bit about everything she’s doing for Him.
Some aren’t worriers. I envy you. How you go through life without worrying is amazing to me. I’m sure you’re wondering how in the world people go through life worrying. Well, when you worry, it feeds upon itself. You know you shouldn’t worry. You know it doesn’t do any good. That, in fact, it can actually make things worse. But you do it. You hate it. But it grows and grows to where your situation ends up being worse than what it started out to be. Those of us who worry can identify with Martha. How is all the stuff going to get done? Especially with my lazy sister in there leaving it all to me.
How often in my life am I worried and distracted? It’s easy enough to be busy. To do those things we have to do. We gotta get the kids to soccer practice and piano lessons while hoping to have enough time to run some of those errands we haven’t had time to do yet. Keeping the house clean and orderly is enough to keep us busy much of the time. We have appointments and people who ask favors of us. And if we’re going to take seriously Jesus’ call to serve others we don’t have to look far to find people in need of our help.
But are we so worried and distracted in our lives that we really are not serving Jesus after all? Was Martha really serving Jesus, or was she just serving herself? Was she concerned about what Jesus needed or what she herself needed? She was sure Jesus would side with her and tell Mary to get off her duff and help out so that they both could have time to sit and visit. She was not so busy to be distracted by the thought that Mary wasn’t pulling her weight around the house. She was so consumed with what had to be done that she didn’t even see that there is something even more important than the pressing needs of the moment.
Like all of us, she was reluctant to simply sit down and be awash in the eternal Words of Jesus. Who has time to sit down and read the Bible every day? There’s way too much stuff to do. How can I plan to set aside one hour a week for Bible Study when the things I already promised to do are piling up and time marches on whether they get done or not? How can I be expected to focus entirely on the proclaimed Word of God in the sermon when I have so many things to plan for for the rest of the day? And with so much rustling and distractions going on?
We get bored with the same old confession of sins week after week rather than honestly confronting the fact that it is true, we are unworthy of God’s feast of compassion. We sing the hymns but don’t pay attention because we don’t like the tune or it’s too slow and end up missing out on the rich message of God’s love and grace for us.
We’re uncomfortable simply sitting and listening. We’re unwilling to walk into this building and leave everything in our lives at the front door and be awash in God’s light and illumination. To absorb the riches of His grace He gives us in the absolution, in the hearing of His Word, in the hearing of the proclamation of His Word, in the beautiful words of the liturgy, in the body and blood of Christ in His Supper.
God visited Abraham in our Old Testament reading. What do Abraham and Sarah do? They are compelled to serve the three visitors, God in pre-incarnate form. But what does God do? No, Abraham. No, Sarah. You will receive. I will give. I will serve you. I will give you a son. It won’t be through anything you accomplish, though. You scoff at the prospect, but I will bring it about. Because that’s what God does. He serves us.
There’s always good old Peter for an example. Jesus assumes the role of the lowly slave to wash the disciples’ feet. Are you crazy Jesus?, we can hear Peter challenging Him. He was good at that. Distracted often from what Jesus was teaching him; “No I will wash Your feet. There’s no way I’ll let you wash my feet. I need to wash Yours! You’re the Master, I’m the servant.” Nope. Jesus nailed him. “You’ll be doing no serving. If you try it you have no part in Me. You see, I came not to be served but to serve.”
And what about that poor sap we heard about last week: “Jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life? We really think that we’re not like these people? Then why do we focus so much on what we must do? Why are we so distracted when it comes to worship and the Word of God? Why are we so concerned about worship that’s not meaningful and doesn’t speak to us? Why not just sit and listen and take it all in?
Scripture gives us example after example of the Marthas. When Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about many things”, just insert your own name in there. Well, it’s already taken care of with one of you. J We’re really the Marthas, aren’t we? The Abrahams and Sarahs. The Peters and the religious leaders trying to gain their way to heaven.
There’s something about those Marys. Those Marys that do something that the rest of us don’t. And that’s, well, nothing. That’s realizing that there’s a lot going on. A lot of important stuff. But that there’s one thing needful. One thing that’s more important than all the rest.
Let’s have no illusions that those Marys were somehow holier than the rest. They were indeed sinful like the rest of us. They themselves at times fell into the trap of the Marthas and the rest of us. But why did God the Holy Spirit inspire the Gospel writers to present them the way they are presented? Because they are a picture of the Church. The Church is the Church when it is at rest. When it is sitting at the feet of Jesus. The work of the Church is being in the Word. Listening to the Word. Being filled by the Word. Being equipped by Jesus through His Word to serve Him.
Zechariah, well, let’s just say he didn’t learn much from the child thing of Abraham and Sarah. He scoffed at Gabriel’s message that his elderly wife Elizabeth would have a child. But there was something about Mary. “Let it be to me according to your word,” she said to Gabriel. Did she understand how the Holy Spirit would bring about pregnancy in her without being married? Not a chance. But she didn’t worry about it. She didn’t get distracted from the Word of God to her. She humbly sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His Word spoken through the angel Gabriel. This is a wonderful picture of the Church accomplishing the highest worship to her Lord that she can: hearing His Word and taking it as that, believing it against all that appears needs to be accomplished.
There was something about that other Mary, too; the one whose day is actually commemorated today—Mary Magdalene. If there ever was a person who was not able to serve Jesus it was her. Hindered by seven demons, Jesus cast them out of her. She was the recipient of a lavish gift. What had consumed her life was now gone. Jesus filled her life up with His rich grace and mercy. When all, including her, gave up hope in the dead Jesus, she was once again blessed by Him. What did she go to His tomb to do? To serve Him one last time. Anoint His body with oil. She, like everyone else, had become distracted from the promises Jesus had made to them. But here Jesus was outside the tomb and coming to her to do what He had come to do for everyone: serve her. What a glorious picture of the Church—being the recipient of the Lord Himself in all His grace and glory, just as He continues to come to us today in His Body that was given on the cross and His blood that was shed on the cross. What else could she now do but rejoice and tell the others!
And there’s something about that Mary we’ve met today. That lazy bum. She doesn’t even bother to welcome Jesus into her home. Not one care about the meal coming out right or the dusting having gotten done. But she’s sure ready to sit down and do nothing! This is really nothing else than a blessed picture of God’s true love: His Holy Church, His Bride. Mary was in the position exactly of Mary the mother of Christ and Mary Magdalene.
That is the position we all really need to be in. Sitting. Doing nothing. Hearing. Absorbing. Taking in. Not worrying. Not succumbing to the distractions. Hanging on every word we hear in worship. Receiving it for what it is: the life-giving nourishment we need to be forgiven and sustained in new life to all eternity. Amen.
SDG
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Ezekiel
Ezekiel, son of Buzi, was a priest, called by God to be a prophet to the exiles during the Babylonian captivity (Ezekiel 1:3). In 597 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army brought the king of Judah and thousands of the best citizens of Jerusalem—including Ezekiel—to Babylon (2 Kings 24:8–16). Ezekiel's priestly background profoundly stamped his prophecy, as the holiness of God and the Temple figure prominently in his messages (for example, Ezekiel 9–10 and 40–48). From 593 B.C. to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C., Ezekiel prophesied the inevitability of divine judgment on Jerusalem, on the exiles in Babylon, and on seven nations that surrounded Israel (Ezekiel 1–32). Jerusalem would fall, and the exiles would not quickly return, as a just consequence of their sin. Once word reached Ezekiel that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, his message became one of comfort and hope. Through him God promised that his people would experience future restoration, renewal and revival in the coming Messianic kingdom (Ezekiel 33–48). Much of the strange symbolism of Ezekiel's prophecies was later employed in the Revelation to St. John.
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
Friday, July 20, 2007
Elijah
The prophet Elijah, whose name means, “My God is Yahweh [the Lord],” prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel, mostly during the reign of Ahab (874–853 B.C.). Ahab, under the influence of his pagan wife Jezebel, had encouraged the worship of Baal throughout his kingdom, even as Jezebel sought to get rid of the worship of Yahweh. Elijah was called by God to denounce this idolatry and to call the people of Israel back to the worship Yahweh as the only true God (as he did in 1 Kings 18:20–40). Elijah was a rugged and imposing figure, living in the wilderness and dressing in a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8). He was a prophet mighty in word and deed. Many miracles were done through Elijah, including the raising of the dead (1 Kings 17:17–24), and the effecting of a long drought in Israel (1 Kings 17:1). At the end of his ministry, he was taken up into heaven as Elisha, his successor, looked on (2 Kings 2:11). Later on the prophet Malachi proclaimed that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5–6), a prophecy that was fulfilled in the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14).
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The Church Remains
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.” John 5:39
Seemingly strange words from Jesus. As if He’s saying, What do you think you’re doing, searching the Scriptures as if to find eternal life in them?
But we’ve all heard it before, haven’t we? “That’s your interpretation.” “This is what this passage means to me.” “How can we really know what the right interpretation is?”
Many people search the Scriptures and just as many get all different kinds of things out of it. Search the Scriptures, yes. We should never stop.
But search in them to find Christ. If you’re not finding Jesus in the Scriptures you’re not finding eternal life. If your search of the Scriptures leads you to some conclusion other than salvation in Christ alone then your search is in vain.
They testify of Christ. Jesus Christ is the center of the Scriptures. He is the source of the Scriptures. He is what the Scriptures point to.
Too often we read/study/talk about the Scriptures as if they’re merely the source of eternal life just because they are what they are—the Words of God. But the Word of God—the Scriptures (the Old and New Testaments)—are not just words from God. They are words with specific and clear meaning. The testify of Christ. They are not just the source of eternal life—they are the source of eternal life in and because of Christ.
What does this mean? One of the reasons there are so many church bodies (or you could say divisions) in Christianity is because of thinking such as in the third paragraph above. The Christian Church transcends all these church bodies. The Christian Church has always existed and will always remain. Church bodies come and go.
That doesn’t mean they don’t matter. We need to align ourselves with a church body that faithfully adheres to the Word of God. Jesus said: “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20)
We can’t pick and choose in the Scriptures. Christ has given us His Holy Word for our salvation. He is the Lord of His Holy Church—that’s why it remains. Many things said and taught in Christianity sound good. But are they centered in Christ? Do they point to Him and the salvation He accomplished by His death and resurrection?
The Church has always existed and so have false teachings. We should not stand idly by. We must search the Scriptures. We must boldly and lovingly respond to false teachings with the Word of God. That is what the Church has always done and will continue to do. Always pointing to Christ and the glory that is due Him alone. Anything that detracts from His glory will not endure. His Word will not fade away. Because it is centered in His Word, His Church remains.
Seemingly strange words from Jesus. As if He’s saying, What do you think you’re doing, searching the Scriptures as if to find eternal life in them?
But we’ve all heard it before, haven’t we? “That’s your interpretation.” “This is what this passage means to me.” “How can we really know what the right interpretation is?”
Many people search the Scriptures and just as many get all different kinds of things out of it. Search the Scriptures, yes. We should never stop.
But search in them to find Christ. If you’re not finding Jesus in the Scriptures you’re not finding eternal life. If your search of the Scriptures leads you to some conclusion other than salvation in Christ alone then your search is in vain.
They testify of Christ. Jesus Christ is the center of the Scriptures. He is the source of the Scriptures. He is what the Scriptures point to.
Too often we read/study/talk about the Scriptures as if they’re merely the source of eternal life just because they are what they are—the Words of God. But the Word of God—the Scriptures (the Old and New Testaments)—are not just words from God. They are words with specific and clear meaning. The testify of Christ. They are not just the source of eternal life—they are the source of eternal life in and because of Christ.
What does this mean? One of the reasons there are so many church bodies (or you could say divisions) in Christianity is because of thinking such as in the third paragraph above. The Christian Church transcends all these church bodies. The Christian Church has always existed and will always remain. Church bodies come and go.
That doesn’t mean they don’t matter. We need to align ourselves with a church body that faithfully adheres to the Word of God. Jesus said: “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20)
We can’t pick and choose in the Scriptures. Christ has given us His Holy Word for our salvation. He is the Lord of His Holy Church—that’s why it remains. Many things said and taught in Christianity sound good. But are they centered in Christ? Do they point to Him and the salvation He accomplished by His death and resurrection?
The Church has always existed and so have false teachings. We should not stand idly by. We must search the Scriptures. We must boldly and lovingly respond to false teachings with the Word of God. That is what the Church has always done and will continue to do. Always pointing to Christ and the glory that is due Him alone. Anything that detracts from His glory will not endure. His Word will not fade away. Because it is centered in His Word, His Church remains.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Ruth
Ruth of Moab, the subject of the biblical book that bears her name, is an inspiring example of God's grace. Although she was a Gentile, God made her the great grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17), and an ancestress of Jesus himself (Matthew 1:5). A famine in Israel led Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem to emigrate to the neighboring nation of Moab with their two sons. The sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, but after about ten years, Elimelech and his sons died (Ruth 1:1–5). Naomi then decided to return to Bethlehem and urged her daughters-in-law to return to their families. Orpah listened to Naomi but Ruth refused, replying with the stirring words: “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). After Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, Boaz, a close relative of Elimelech, agreed to be Ruth's “redeemer” (Ruth 3:7–13; 4:9–12). He took her as his wife, and Ruth gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:13–17), thus preserving the Messianic seed. Ruth's kindness and selfless loyalty toward Naomi, and her faith in Naomi's God, have long endeared her to the faithful and redounded to God's praise for his merciful choice of one so unexpected.
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Those Who Do Not Know History…
Congregational Retreat: Pine Summit Bible Camp, Big Bear, California
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Luke 10:25-37
One of my favorite sayings is “those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it”. Some people wonder why we need to know what happened in the past. The reason is that we’ll keep making the same mistakes if we don’t learn from the past.
We must learn from history. Otherwise we’re condemned to repeat it. As we’ve been learning on our retreat, there’s a special history—HIS story, in fact. God has given us the history of salvation in His Word. And if we think it’s bad for those who don’t know history as they are condemned to repeat it, those who don’t know God’s History are condemned, period.
Will we learn from the story of the Good Samaritan? The one guy passed by and was certainly in the wrong for doing so. Another guy passes by. He’s in the wrong also. We should certainly hope to learn from this to not be like those first two guys and instead be like that third guy.
But Jesus was no moralist. He is the author of morality, there’s no question. But He didn’t give us His Holy Word simply for a moral worldview. He didn’t give us the Bible simply so we’ll know how to be good boys and girls. The story He tells of the Good Samaritan is really the story of salvation—His Story coming alive for you and me.
He’s in there in that story. In that story the ones we’d expect to help the man simply think about themselves. It’s the one we’d least expect who is the one who saves the man. That’s what Jesus is doing in this parable—showing us what Salvation History is all about. It’s all about salvation where we’d least expect it. In Christ Himself.
But being that Jesus is God, He can tell a story in a way that might no fit in to our neatly packaged ideas. If He’s the one who helped the man then we must be the man who needed help. But Jesus is also that man. Because He took our place. He was beaten to a pulp. He was left for dead, and in fact was brought to His death.
After Jesus tells His story He says, “Go and do likewise.” Okay, that’s easy enough to say. Even easy enough to do. Be a neighbor to those in need. But remember, Jesus didn’t suffer and die for you just to tell you to do stuff. To be nice. To help people.
He did what He did for you to save you. To give you new life. To make you a new creation. His story has become your story. When you go and do likewise you’re not just being a nice person. A helpful person. You are Jesus to others. You are Him to those who are in need just as He served you in your need.
What you needed was Jesus. You didn’t need someone to be nice to you. You were dead in your sins. You needed a Savior. You needed help that goes beyond being nice. Jesus gave you His all. He gave you Himself. That’s what He does for others, also. One of the ways He does it is through you. There are a lot of people in need out there. They need help. It’s nice to be nice to them. But they don’t need nice. They need help. They need salvation. They need Christ, just as you did.
Go and do likewise. Bring Christ to them. Be Christ to them. Bandage their wounds on the inside. People have an awful lot of hurt out there. Some of it is due to their own mistakes. Some of it is because we live in a fallen in world. Most of it goes back to sin, though. We all sin. Sin infects our lives. People are hurting. They are mired in sin. They need help. Not nice helpful people. Salvation. Forgiveness. Mercy. Compassion. They need to know who the one is who will deliver them from their [[[mire]]]] of sin. They need Christ. Will you give Him to them? Will you be Christ to them? His Story becomes alive for them when you do.
What is Jesus getting at in our theme verse for the retreat? “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.” People get a lot of different ideas from the Bible. You could see the Bible as a handbook for Christian living. And it is that but it’s not only that. What the Bible is is the Word of God which brings to you what you need. Namely, Christ. Eternal life is not found in the Scriptures by learning to be nice to people, by helping them. Eternal life is found in the Scriptures because in them Christ is delivered to you.
In the movie Night at the Museum we suspend our belief because we know we’re watching what Hollywood provides: a fanciful tale that could never happen. But it sure is fun to watch those inanimate figures come alive. And for Ben Stiller, they literally come alive. And history comes alive along with them. Wouldn’t that be a great way to learn history?
Well in Baptism, salvation history comes alive for you. Jesus wants His Story to come alive for you. For His Story to become your story. When you are Baptized His story becomes your story. You are dead, just like those wax figures in the movie. But in Baptism you become alive, just like they did in the movie. This is real. Jesus coming alive in your life. Your spiritually lifeless body of sin coming alive to new life. Life without end. Life that is anointed with the healing waters of Baptism. Life that is sustained by the Food of immortality—the Body and Blood of Christ.
What did Jesus say? “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it. Those who know the history of God’s salvation, that Christ became a man and suffered and died for the sins of the world and rose victoriously from the grave are remembering in the fullest sense of the word. Because their life is now bound up in the life of Christ. His story becomes your story. His righteousness, your righteousness. His life, your eternal life. His home in heaven, your home in heaven. Amen.
SDG
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Luke 10:25-37
One of my favorite sayings is “those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it”. Some people wonder why we need to know what happened in the past. The reason is that we’ll keep making the same mistakes if we don’t learn from the past.
We must learn from history. Otherwise we’re condemned to repeat it. As we’ve been learning on our retreat, there’s a special history—HIS story, in fact. God has given us the history of salvation in His Word. And if we think it’s bad for those who don’t know history as they are condemned to repeat it, those who don’t know God’s History are condemned, period.
Will we learn from the story of the Good Samaritan? The one guy passed by and was certainly in the wrong for doing so. Another guy passes by. He’s in the wrong also. We should certainly hope to learn from this to not be like those first two guys and instead be like that third guy.
But Jesus was no moralist. He is the author of morality, there’s no question. But He didn’t give us His Holy Word simply for a moral worldview. He didn’t give us the Bible simply so we’ll know how to be good boys and girls. The story He tells of the Good Samaritan is really the story of salvation—His Story coming alive for you and me.
He’s in there in that story. In that story the ones we’d expect to help the man simply think about themselves. It’s the one we’d least expect who is the one who saves the man. That’s what Jesus is doing in this parable—showing us what Salvation History is all about. It’s all about salvation where we’d least expect it. In Christ Himself.
But being that Jesus is God, He can tell a story in a way that might no fit in to our neatly packaged ideas. If He’s the one who helped the man then we must be the man who needed help. But Jesus is also that man. Because He took our place. He was beaten to a pulp. He was left for dead, and in fact was brought to His death.
After Jesus tells His story He says, “Go and do likewise.” Okay, that’s easy enough to say. Even easy enough to do. Be a neighbor to those in need. But remember, Jesus didn’t suffer and die for you just to tell you to do stuff. To be nice. To help people.
He did what He did for you to save you. To give you new life. To make you a new creation. His story has become your story. When you go and do likewise you’re not just being a nice person. A helpful person. You are Jesus to others. You are Him to those who are in need just as He served you in your need.
What you needed was Jesus. You didn’t need someone to be nice to you. You were dead in your sins. You needed a Savior. You needed help that goes beyond being nice. Jesus gave you His all. He gave you Himself. That’s what He does for others, also. One of the ways He does it is through you. There are a lot of people in need out there. They need help. It’s nice to be nice to them. But they don’t need nice. They need help. They need salvation. They need Christ, just as you did.
Go and do likewise. Bring Christ to them. Be Christ to them. Bandage their wounds on the inside. People have an awful lot of hurt out there. Some of it is due to their own mistakes. Some of it is because we live in a fallen in world. Most of it goes back to sin, though. We all sin. Sin infects our lives. People are hurting. They are mired in sin. They need help. Not nice helpful people. Salvation. Forgiveness. Mercy. Compassion. They need to know who the one is who will deliver them from their [[[mire]]]] of sin. They need Christ. Will you give Him to them? Will you be Christ to them? His Story becomes alive for them when you do.
What is Jesus getting at in our theme verse for the retreat? “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.” People get a lot of different ideas from the Bible. You could see the Bible as a handbook for Christian living. And it is that but it’s not only that. What the Bible is is the Word of God which brings to you what you need. Namely, Christ. Eternal life is not found in the Scriptures by learning to be nice to people, by helping them. Eternal life is found in the Scriptures because in them Christ is delivered to you.
In the movie Night at the Museum we suspend our belief because we know we’re watching what Hollywood provides: a fanciful tale that could never happen. But it sure is fun to watch those inanimate figures come alive. And for Ben Stiller, they literally come alive. And history comes alive along with them. Wouldn’t that be a great way to learn history?
Well in Baptism, salvation history comes alive for you. Jesus wants His Story to come alive for you. For His Story to become your story. When you are Baptized His story becomes your story. You are dead, just like those wax figures in the movie. But in Baptism you become alive, just like they did in the movie. This is real. Jesus coming alive in your life. Your spiritually lifeless body of sin coming alive to new life. Life without end. Life that is anointed with the healing waters of Baptism. Life that is sustained by the Food of immortality—the Body and Blood of Christ.
What did Jesus say? “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it. Those who know the history of God’s salvation, that Christ became a man and suffered and died for the sins of the world and rose victoriously from the grave are remembering in the fullest sense of the word. Because their life is now bound up in the life of Christ. His story becomes your story. His righteousness, your righteousness. His life, your eternal life. His home in heaven, your home in heaven. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Rejoice Ritely
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Luke 10:1-20
What is your calling? In what do you find meaning for your life? How do you find meaning in your life? Are you called to do what was given to do to those seventy-two in the Gospel reading? Are you to forsake all, go without packing anything, and rely on those you find along the way?
It would be easy for you to dismiss this calling—that’s what Jesus gave them to do, not me. But don’t so readily dismiss it. Jesus is calling you to the same thing He called them to, although the details may be somewhat different.
It’s really actually amazing how they responded to their adventure. They rejoiced. After all the warnings of difficulty Jesus gave them, they came back rejoicing. Why? Because the demons were subject to them. Well, maybe something as spectacular as that would make us forget all the hardships we endured.
The thing we learn from Jesus, though, is that they weren’t rejoicing rightly. They were rejoicing—and that’s good. But for the wrong reason. Jesus kind of put a damper on their excitement—do not rejoice because the demons are subject to you. But He needed to. Because what if they would have ended up thinking it was all about the spectacular victory over the demons? Jesus even agreed with them that this was a pretty amazing thing: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
But there’s something else they should have been rejoicing in. Something even more amazing, in fact. You should be rejoicing, yes, but rejoicing rightly. And that is because your names are written in heaven. This is where we see that what Jesus called the seventy-two to He has called us to as well. That in order to rejoice rightly, as in “correctly”, we must rejoice ritely, r-i-t-e-l-y, as in “rite” or ceremony.
Rejoicing ritely is your calling. This what Jesus has given you to do. To rejoice. It’s according to the rite in which your names were first written in heaven—Baptism. The details of your lives will be different. Each you are called to carry out this calling in different ways, in different places. But wherever you find yourself in life you will be reminded by your Lord to rejoice ritely. To remember that your name is written in heaven.
The way Paul puts it in the epistle is this: “And let us not grow weary of doing good.” Let us rather rejoice in doing good! He goes on to say: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.” You don’t need to be a missionary to do this. You don’t need to be given authority to cast out demons in order to rejoice in doing good to others. You simply need to remember that your name is written in heaven. Why would you not want to do good to others?
Paul also, as he does so often, brings us back to what makes our rejoicing possible: the cross of Jesus Christ. He says, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s easy to focus on the outward stuff. The seventy-two latched onto that: “We have authority over demons!” We do the same: “I helped out someone in need today!” That makes you feel good. You rejoice in that like the seventy-two did.
But it’s not about that; at least as far as you’re concerned. Just do it. Do those things you know will be helpful to people. Do those things you know will bring them happiness.
Visit someone who’s lonely and listen to them as if what they have to say is the most important thing in the world. Remind them that Jesus loves them so much that He gave Himself for them. Drive someone to the doctor who can’t get there on their own. Take them to the store and help them buy the things they need. Call someone up you haven’t seen in a while to ask how they’re doing. Pray with them or read some Psalms to them.
But don’t rejoice in how good of a job you’re doing. Rejoice in what God has done for you! He’s Baptized you! He’s written your name in heaven. Rejoice in this. It feels good when you help someone. It feels good when you’re given the opportunity to do good to others. Rejoice in that. But remember why you’re doing these things: because Jesus has given you to do them. He always provides for you what you need to serve others.
This is your calling. He’s given it to you in your Baptism. There will be times when you’re not excited about helping others. Rejoice! Your names are written in heaven. Your Lord is always excited about reminding you of what He has done for you, what He has called you to. Rejoicing rightly—rejoicing in what really matters—will remind you of why Jesus has saved you. Rejoicing rightly is rejoicing in your Baptism. Rejoicing according to the rite of Holy Baptism, in which God gave you the very reason to rejoice! Amen.
SDG
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Luke 10:1-20
What is your calling? In what do you find meaning for your life? How do you find meaning in your life? Are you called to do what was given to do to those seventy-two in the Gospel reading? Are you to forsake all, go without packing anything, and rely on those you find along the way?
It would be easy for you to dismiss this calling—that’s what Jesus gave them to do, not me. But don’t so readily dismiss it. Jesus is calling you to the same thing He called them to, although the details may be somewhat different.
It’s really actually amazing how they responded to their adventure. They rejoiced. After all the warnings of difficulty Jesus gave them, they came back rejoicing. Why? Because the demons were subject to them. Well, maybe something as spectacular as that would make us forget all the hardships we endured.
The thing we learn from Jesus, though, is that they weren’t rejoicing rightly. They were rejoicing—and that’s good. But for the wrong reason. Jesus kind of put a damper on their excitement—do not rejoice because the demons are subject to you. But He needed to. Because what if they would have ended up thinking it was all about the spectacular victory over the demons? Jesus even agreed with them that this was a pretty amazing thing: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
But there’s something else they should have been rejoicing in. Something even more amazing, in fact. You should be rejoicing, yes, but rejoicing rightly. And that is because your names are written in heaven. This is where we see that what Jesus called the seventy-two to He has called us to as well. That in order to rejoice rightly, as in “correctly”, we must rejoice ritely, r-i-t-e-l-y, as in “rite” or ceremony.
Rejoicing ritely is your calling. This what Jesus has given you to do. To rejoice. It’s according to the rite in which your names were first written in heaven—Baptism. The details of your lives will be different. Each you are called to carry out this calling in different ways, in different places. But wherever you find yourself in life you will be reminded by your Lord to rejoice ritely. To remember that your name is written in heaven.
The way Paul puts it in the epistle is this: “And let us not grow weary of doing good.” Let us rather rejoice in doing good! He goes on to say: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.” You don’t need to be a missionary to do this. You don’t need to be given authority to cast out demons in order to rejoice in doing good to others. You simply need to remember that your name is written in heaven. Why would you not want to do good to others?
Paul also, as he does so often, brings us back to what makes our rejoicing possible: the cross of Jesus Christ. He says, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s easy to focus on the outward stuff. The seventy-two latched onto that: “We have authority over demons!” We do the same: “I helped out someone in need today!” That makes you feel good. You rejoice in that like the seventy-two did.
But it’s not about that; at least as far as you’re concerned. Just do it. Do those things you know will be helpful to people. Do those things you know will bring them happiness.
Visit someone who’s lonely and listen to them as if what they have to say is the most important thing in the world. Remind them that Jesus loves them so much that He gave Himself for them. Drive someone to the doctor who can’t get there on their own. Take them to the store and help them buy the things they need. Call someone up you haven’t seen in a while to ask how they’re doing. Pray with them or read some Psalms to them.
But don’t rejoice in how good of a job you’re doing. Rejoice in what God has done for you! He’s Baptized you! He’s written your name in heaven. Rejoice in this. It feels good when you help someone. It feels good when you’re given the opportunity to do good to others. Rejoice in that. But remember why you’re doing these things: because Jesus has given you to do them. He always provides for you what you need to serve others.
This is your calling. He’s given it to you in your Baptism. There will be times when you’re not excited about helping others. Rejoice! Your names are written in heaven. Your Lord is always excited about reminding you of what He has done for you, what He has called you to. Rejoicing rightly—rejoicing in what really matters—will remind you of why Jesus has saved you. Rejoicing rightly is rejoicing in your Baptism. Rejoicing according to the rite of Holy Baptism, in which God gave you the very reason to rejoice! Amen.
SDG
Friday, July 6, 2007
Isaiah
Isaiah son of Amoz is considered to be the greatest of the writing prophets and is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament prophet. His name means “Yahweh [the Lord] saves.” Isaiah prophesied to the people of Jerusalem and Judah from about 740 B.C. to 700 B.C. and was a contemporary of the prophets Amos, Hosea, and Micah. Isaiah was a fierce preacher of God's Law, condemning the sin of idolatry. He was also a comforting proclaimer of the Gospel, repeatedly emphasizing God's grace and forgiveness. For this he is sometimes called the “Evangelist of the Old Testament.” No prophet more clearly prophesied about the coming Messiah and his saving kingdom. He foretold the Messiah's miraculous birth (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6), his endless reign (Isaiah 2:1–5; 11:1–16), and his public ministry (Isaiah 61:1–3), but most notably his “Suffering Servant” role and atoning death (Isaiah 52:13—53:12). The apostle John's description of Isaiah, that Isaiah saw Jesus' glory and spoke of him (John 12:41), is an apt summary of Isaiah's prophetic ministry.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Apocalypto
"You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord." Leviticus 18:21
This is a stunning verse. This warning of God is also given in Leviticus 20:2-5; 2 Kings 23:10; and Jeremiah 32:35. Think about what God is saying here to His people. Do not give your children as a sacrifice. Who would do that? It's a horrendous thought, but one which pagan religions practiced.
The movie Apocalypto is gruesome, there's no doubt. Its depiction of human sacrifice is hard to watch. But the reality is that this is an accurate depiction of what religion leads to apart from Christ. Not that people must watch the movie. But it does serve as a reminder that our human race is a sordid one.
All the more remarkable that Christ came to save such humans.
This is a stunning verse. This warning of God is also given in Leviticus 20:2-5; 2 Kings 23:10; and Jeremiah 32:35. Think about what God is saying here to His people. Do not give your children as a sacrifice. Who would do that? It's a horrendous thought, but one which pagan religions practiced.
The movie Apocalypto is gruesome, there's no doubt. Its depiction of human sacrifice is hard to watch. But the reality is that this is an accurate depiction of what religion leads to apart from Christ. Not that people must watch the movie. But it does serve as a reminder that our human race is a sordid one.
All the more remarkable that Christ came to save such humans.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Listening to Jesus
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Luke 9:51-62
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is the most translated book of all time. And one source I found said that it is available in whole or in part to ninety-eight percent of the world’s population in a language in which they are fluent.
It’s out there, there’s no question about it. People are aware of the Bible like no other book. Toward the end of this month the new Harry Potter book will be all the rage. But the Bible has sustained its hold on the publishing world.
But the question is, is anybody listening? People buy the Bible. They have it placed nicely on their book shelf. They might even read it now and then. Some people study it for a living. Some of us come here on Sundays to hear it and even stay afterward to study it. Many of us can even quote some of the passages in it.
But are we listening to it?
This is the perennial problem. We just can’t seem to listen to God’s Word and take it for what it is: His Word. His way. And with the full confidence that His Word and His way is the right, true, and best way. We’re always getting in the way.
You know who was one of the greatest prophets of God? Elijah. He was a powerful preacher. A faithful warrior of God. He stood up before kings and spoke boldly the Word of God. He helped those in need. And he also had trouble listening to God.
Here he was, a stalwart, now in despair. Wanting to give up. Now we’ve all had moments of disillusionment. But look at what He’s doing. He’s saying that God has gotten it wrong. Rather than listening to God he’s telling God the way things should be. Now it’s easy to see this when you’re outside of the situation. But when you’re in it, well, it’s hard to focus on anything else but how you wish God would change things so that you don’t feel so rotten.
But we see an amazing thing in Scripture when you go forward to the time of Jesus and specifically the Mount of Transfiguration where Elijah appears again, this time with Moses. He and Moses are talking with Jesus. But now we know Elijah has been listening to Jesus because he has been in heaven with Him. Whereas before Elijah just wanted to die, now at the Transfiguration of Christ he is talking with Christ about His death.
This is where we see what it’s all about. Christ is being transfigured, showing a magnificent display of glory, and yet what He’s talking about with these two former prophets is His suffering and death. But was anybody listening? Were Peter and James and John listening? Were the other disciples getting it?
Jesus made His way down the mountain after His little talk with Moses and Elijah and Luke tells us that “when the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem.” They all knew where He was going. Jesus alone knew why He was going. Nobody was listening to Him, though. This didn’t prevent Him from setting His eyes on His destination.
James and John were indignant with the Samaritans who rejected Him. They didn’t have a clue as to the rejection Jesus would suffer on the cross, to the extent of being forsaken by His Heavenly Father. All those who desired to follow Jesus just wanted to be along for the ride. They weren’t really listening to Jesus. Lord, I want to follow You, but under these conditions. I want to set the parameters for how I will be Your disciple.
This is Elijah all over again. We hear what God is saying but aren’t really listening to Him.
But this is why God sent Elijah in the first place—to point us to Christ. This is why He sent those bonehead disciples out into the world—to point us to Christ. And this is why He sent His very own Son Himself—to be the way, the truth, and the life. Hear Him. Hear the Way He has for you—it’s the best way; it’s the way of eternal life. It’s the way that goes through Jerusalem, where He suffered on the cross for your sins.
Listen to Him. Hear the truth that He has for you. His Word shines brightly in the dim circumstances of our life. When everything is falling down around us His Word is as a whisper, that He’s still there. That indeed He alone was the only one who was left when He suffered on the cross in our place. That He was rejected by sinners such as you and I are. That He chose not to lay down His head, but went on steadfastly toward His goal, to suffer on the cross.
Hear your Lord, He is the Lord of life. He gives you life even in the midst of this dark world. He sets you free from your sins in the midst of your despair. Jesus put His hand to the plow to bring about the harvest of eternal life. He never looked back. He set His eyes on that cross and came out victorious.
Listen to Him. When He says in His Word that that’s where His focus was, He’s giving us a clear vision for our eyes and hearts. Look to that cross and see your Lord and Savior. Go from here marveling as if you have seen the empty tomb for the first time. There is no greater activity on earth than listening to Jesus. After all, that’s what we’ll be doing with Moses and Elijah and the whole company of heaven for eternity. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Luke 9:51-62
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It is the most translated book of all time. And one source I found said that it is available in whole or in part to ninety-eight percent of the world’s population in a language in which they are fluent.
It’s out there, there’s no question about it. People are aware of the Bible like no other book. Toward the end of this month the new Harry Potter book will be all the rage. But the Bible has sustained its hold on the publishing world.
But the question is, is anybody listening? People buy the Bible. They have it placed nicely on their book shelf. They might even read it now and then. Some people study it for a living. Some of us come here on Sundays to hear it and even stay afterward to study it. Many of us can even quote some of the passages in it.
But are we listening to it?
This is the perennial problem. We just can’t seem to listen to God’s Word and take it for what it is: His Word. His way. And with the full confidence that His Word and His way is the right, true, and best way. We’re always getting in the way.
You know who was one of the greatest prophets of God? Elijah. He was a powerful preacher. A faithful warrior of God. He stood up before kings and spoke boldly the Word of God. He helped those in need. And he also had trouble listening to God.
Here he was, a stalwart, now in despair. Wanting to give up. Now we’ve all had moments of disillusionment. But look at what He’s doing. He’s saying that God has gotten it wrong. Rather than listening to God he’s telling God the way things should be. Now it’s easy to see this when you’re outside of the situation. But when you’re in it, well, it’s hard to focus on anything else but how you wish God would change things so that you don’t feel so rotten.
But we see an amazing thing in Scripture when you go forward to the time of Jesus and specifically the Mount of Transfiguration where Elijah appears again, this time with Moses. He and Moses are talking with Jesus. But now we know Elijah has been listening to Jesus because he has been in heaven with Him. Whereas before Elijah just wanted to die, now at the Transfiguration of Christ he is talking with Christ about His death.
This is where we see what it’s all about. Christ is being transfigured, showing a magnificent display of glory, and yet what He’s talking about with these two former prophets is His suffering and death. But was anybody listening? Were Peter and James and John listening? Were the other disciples getting it?
Jesus made His way down the mountain after His little talk with Moses and Elijah and Luke tells us that “when the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem.” They all knew where He was going. Jesus alone knew why He was going. Nobody was listening to Him, though. This didn’t prevent Him from setting His eyes on His destination.
James and John were indignant with the Samaritans who rejected Him. They didn’t have a clue as to the rejection Jesus would suffer on the cross, to the extent of being forsaken by His Heavenly Father. All those who desired to follow Jesus just wanted to be along for the ride. They weren’t really listening to Jesus. Lord, I want to follow You, but under these conditions. I want to set the parameters for how I will be Your disciple.
This is Elijah all over again. We hear what God is saying but aren’t really listening to Him.
But this is why God sent Elijah in the first place—to point us to Christ. This is why He sent those bonehead disciples out into the world—to point us to Christ. And this is why He sent His very own Son Himself—to be the way, the truth, and the life. Hear Him. Hear the Way He has for you—it’s the best way; it’s the way of eternal life. It’s the way that goes through Jerusalem, where He suffered on the cross for your sins.
Listen to Him. Hear the truth that He has for you. His Word shines brightly in the dim circumstances of our life. When everything is falling down around us His Word is as a whisper, that He’s still there. That indeed He alone was the only one who was left when He suffered on the cross in our place. That He was rejected by sinners such as you and I are. That He chose not to lay down His head, but went on steadfastly toward His goal, to suffer on the cross.
Hear your Lord, He is the Lord of life. He gives you life even in the midst of this dark world. He sets you free from your sins in the midst of your despair. Jesus put His hand to the plow to bring about the harvest of eternal life. He never looked back. He set His eyes on that cross and came out victorious.
Listen to Him. When He says in His Word that that’s where His focus was, He’s giving us a clear vision for our eyes and hearts. Look to that cross and see your Lord and Savior. Go from here marveling as if you have seen the empty tomb for the first time. There is no greater activity on earth than listening to Jesus. After all, that’s what we’ll be doing with Moses and Elijah and the whole company of heaven for eternity. Amen.
SDG
Friday, June 29, 2007
St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles
Today we commemorate the martyrdoms of the apostles Peter and Paul. The Church has traditionally commemorated saints on the day of their "heavenly" birthday rather than the day of their birth on this earth. Thus commemorations of saints often fall on the day they died and entered into eternal glory in heaven. Paul was most likely martyred in Rome and tradition holds that Peter was crucified upside down. Much of the work God did through these men is recorded in the book of Acts, which chronicles the beginning and spread of Christianity.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Irenaeus of Lyons, Pastor
Irenaeus (ca. A.D. 130-200), believed to be a native of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), studied in Rome and later became pastor in Lyons, France. Around 177, while Irenaeus was away from Lyons, a fierce persecution of Christians led to the martyrdom of his bishop. Upon Irenaeus' return, he became bishop of Lyons. Among his most famous writings is a work condemning heresies, especially Gnosticism, which denied the goodness of creation. In opposition, Irenaeus confessed that God has redeemed his creation through the incarnation of the Son. Irenaeus also affirmed the teachings of the Scriptures handed down to and through him as being normative for the Church.
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
[From The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod Commission on Worship]
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