Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 29, 2010
Do I Know You?
Luke 13:22-30
22Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way to Jerusalem. 23Someone asked Him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
26"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'
27"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'
28"There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
On a Galilean beach after the first Easter, Peter got a little nosy:
Peter turned and saw that [John] was following them... When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me." (John 21:20-22)
“What is that to you?” Jesus told Peter to mind his own business. Before Jesus was arrested and crucified in our place, He spent three years traveling and teaching. Often a crowd would gather and listen to Him. Sometimes they'd ask questions.
Some unnamed person in the crowd asked Jesus, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" Instead of answering this question, He chose to answer a better question, “Do I know you?” The first question—are only a few going to heaven—is a nosy question that is between those other people and Jesus. The second question—do I know you—is a question that is between you and Jesus. It's the better question.
Does Jesus know you? Jesus answered this most important question with a short story about the owner of a house who shut his doors. (I always pictured this story happening at night.) But there were people outside the house who wanted to get inside. But they couldn't. The doors were shut. So they started shouting and banging on the door.
The owner told them that he wouldn't open the door because he didn't know them. In those days it wasn't safe to open your home to strangers at night. (That's still good advice today.)
But the strangers insisted: “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” We spent time with you. How can you pretend to not know us?!
But the owner was just as persistent: “I don't know you.” The strangers were telling the truth—the owner had spent time with them and had even taught them. But the owner didn't have a bad memory. Nor was he pretending not to know them. The owner was saying that just because they knew his name or spent time with him, did not make them friends. They were strangers. I don't know you.
What is Jesus saying to us with the owner's I-don't-know-you? His point is that there are many who use His name and many who spend time in His churches and in His Word, but He doesn't know them. Jesus quoted His prophet Isaiah (29:13) to describe these strangers who pretend to be His friends, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me” (Matthew 15:8).
Jesus also said: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23)
There are members who never come to church. There are members who move away and never attend or join the local church. Does this mean they are pretend believers? Since we can't see their hearts, Jesus calls us to study their words and actions.
This is why we visit them or call them if they are far away. We listen to them and then speak about the teachings of the Bible that match their situation. To those who are too ashamed to come to church because they have done something terrible, we preach Jesus' forgiveness and mercy.
But if they are despising God's Word by making work or family or sport a higher priority, out of loving concern we will warn them of their selfishness and urge them to stop their lip service. Jesus said that out of the heart come evil thoughts and words and deeds (Matthew 15:19). When we hear the lip service from those used to eat and drink with us, we must speak out of love.
This isn't being nosy, unless pushing someone out of oncoming traffic is being nosy. (Sure, these days the rescuee might sue you because your saving shove caused them to stub their toe.) This is often the reaction we get from Jesus' lip servants.
But Christ loves them, and so do we. We will do what friends do—help each other to serve Christ above all things with our hearts, minds, souls, and lips.
Cling to the cross that saves you. Our family may desert us. Our friends may run away. You will disappoint yourself. But Christ never fails. His cross, which you received in the visible Gospel of Holy Baptism, will never stop forgiving you, and that is why your salvation is an accomplished fact. Jesus knows you and He always will.
Amen.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 22, 2010
Psalm 139:1-5
Is Free Will Real?
Philip Melanchthon, Martin Luther, and the other Reformers read Psalm 139 hundreds of times during their lives.
O Lord, You have searched me
and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
You know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in—behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
They studied this psalm and wrestled with the question: “Is free will real?” This is their answer from Holy Scripture: Article 18 of the Defense of the Augsburg Confession.
We do not deny freedom to the human will. The human will has freedom in the choice of works and things that reason understands by itself. To a certain extent reason can display public righteousness or the righteousness of works. It can speak of God, offer to God a certain service by an outward work, and obey public officials and parents. In choosing an outward work, it can hold back the hand from murder, adultery, and theft. Because human nature has been left with reason and judgment about objects subjected to the senses, choice between these things, the liberty and power to produce public righteousness are also left. Scripture calls this the righteousness of the flesh, which the carnal nature (that is, reason) produces by itself, without the Holy Spirit. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 70)
We have free will in matters under the sun, as Solomon might say. You decide who to marry. Where to go to college. How fast to travel in a 45 mph speed zone. Whether to go to church. What to eat for dinner tonight. How many knots in your shoelaces.
All people, whether they trust in Christ or not, possess the free will to make these and a million other decisions under the sun. But even though unbelievers have free will, they often misuse it.
However, the power of lustful desire is such that people more often obey evil inclinations than sound judgment. The devil, who is powerful in the godless... [stirs] up this weak nature to various offenses, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:2 (“in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient”). For these reasons even public righteousness is rare among people. Not even the philosophers, who seem to have hoped for this righteousness, achieved it. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 71)
This world is messed up because our free will keeps choosing selfish things. We choose selfish things because what we refer to as “free will” isn't free at all. Our will is bound to sin and self. Our will is the will of Satan and of the world and of our selves. God recognized this before and after Noah's flood and said: “Every inclination of [man's] heart is evil from childhood” (Genesis 8:21). Humans have wills, but they aren't free. Our wills are sinful selfish wills.
But it is false to say whoever performs the works of the commandments without grace does not sin. [False teachers] add further that such works also merit the forgiveness of sins and justification in merely an agreeable way... For without the Holy Spirit, human hearts lack the fear of God. Without trust toward God, they do not believe that they are heard, forgiven, helped, and preserved by God. Therefore, they are godless. For “a diseased tree [cannot] bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). And “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:6). (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 72)
This means that your works of your sinful will, even though they may look good to the world around us, cannot make God want to spend time with you.
Although we admit that free will has the freedom and power to perform the extreme works of the Law, we do not assign spiritual matters to free will. These are to truly fear God, believe God, be confident and hold that He cares for us, hears us, and forgives us. These are the true works of the First Table, which the heart cannot produce without the Holy Spirit, as Paul says, “The natural person [namely, a person using only natural strength] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14). (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 73)
The first Lutherans explained the failure of working to make God love you. Unbelievers can—in an outward way—honor their parents, not murder, not commit adultery, not steal, and not give false testimony. At best they can avoid going to jail. But their sinful will can do no more than that. Consider your thoughts—if the police had access to your thoughts, how long would you remain out of jail? Unbelievers and their “free will” can never above all things fear, love, and trust in God. They can never properly use His name. They can never take His Word seriously.
People can determine this if they consider what their hearts believe about God’s will, whether they are truly confident God cares for and hears them. Even the saints find keeping this faith difficult (which is not possible in unbelievers). But, as we have said before, it begins when terrified hearts hear the Gospel and receive comfort. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 74)
Here the first Lutherans confess how a believer becomes a believer. It happens against our will. Our will loves sin; our will hates God's ways. But through the Gospel in the Sacraments and in the Word, the Holy Spirit break our stony sinful will into pieces and brings us the comfort of the saving work of Jesus that happened completely outside of us, and thankfully, outside of our supposedly free will.
Their distinction is helpful. Civil righteousness is assigned to free will, and spiritual righteousness is assigned to the governing of the Holy Spirit in the reborn. In this way, outward discipline is kept, because all people should know that God requires this civil righteousness and that, to some extent, we can achieve it. And yet a distinction is shown between human and spiritual righteousness, between philosophical teaching and the teaching of the Holy Spirit. It can be understood why the Holy Spirit is needed. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 75)
Each person has a will. But each person's will is not free to choose good or evil. Anyone who believes that they have a truly free will has bought the snake's oldest lie to Eve in the Garden of Eden: “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). It is a half-truth. Yes, now we can see the difference between good and evil, but we can't be good enough for God to love us. We know what good is, but we can't be good.
We did not invent this distinction; Scripture clearly teaches it. Augustine also presents it, and recently William of Paris has presented it very well. But those who dream that people can obey God’s Law without the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit is given so that obeying the Law may be considered meritorious, have wickedly hindered the distinction. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 76)
This teaching about free will is all from the Bible. It is a truth that has been preached by all faithful Christians through the centuries, Augustine in the 400s and William in the 1100s. Again they sum up the main point. Anyone can choose to avoid extreme wickedness. But we can't chose to believe in Jesus. We can't chose to be good enough to please God.
Instead Jesus is the superior solution. He gives us His goodness. He sends His Spirit through Word and Sacrament to create and sustain trust in Him. He gives us strength to do good works with which God is pleased.
Yes, you have a free will, but it can only send you to hell. But God's will was to send Christ to suffer hell for you. So yes, God knows your every thought. But instead of fear, this fact bring God's people joy and comfort. He is taking care of us, because that is His will.
Amen.
Book of Concord Source
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul T. McCain. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.
August 22, 2010
Psalm 139:1-5
Is Free Will Real?
Philip Melanchthon, Martin Luther, and the other Reformers read Psalm 139 hundreds of times during their lives.
O Lord, You have searched me
and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
You know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in—behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
They studied this psalm and wrestled with the question: “Is free will real?” This is their answer from Holy Scripture: Article 18 of the Defense of the Augsburg Confession.
We do not deny freedom to the human will. The human will has freedom in the choice of works and things that reason understands by itself. To a certain extent reason can display public righteousness or the righteousness of works. It can speak of God, offer to God a certain service by an outward work, and obey public officials and parents. In choosing an outward work, it can hold back the hand from murder, adultery, and theft. Because human nature has been left with reason and judgment about objects subjected to the senses, choice between these things, the liberty and power to produce public righteousness are also left. Scripture calls this the righteousness of the flesh, which the carnal nature (that is, reason) produces by itself, without the Holy Spirit. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 70)
We have free will in matters under the sun, as Solomon might say. You decide who to marry. Where to go to college. How fast to travel in a 45 mph speed zone. Whether to go to church. What to eat for dinner tonight. How many knots in your shoelaces.
All people, whether they trust in Christ or not, possess the free will to make these and a million other decisions under the sun. But even though unbelievers have free will, they often misuse it.
However, the power of lustful desire is such that people more often obey evil inclinations than sound judgment. The devil, who is powerful in the godless... [stirs] up this weak nature to various offenses, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:2 (“in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient”). For these reasons even public righteousness is rare among people. Not even the philosophers, who seem to have hoped for this righteousness, achieved it. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 71)
This world is messed up because our free will keeps choosing selfish things. We choose selfish things because what we refer to as “free will” isn't free at all. Our will is bound to sin and self. Our will is the will of Satan and of the world and of our selves. God recognized this before and after Noah's flood and said: “Every inclination of [man's] heart is evil from childhood” (Genesis 8:21). Humans have wills, but they aren't free. Our wills are sinful selfish wills.
But it is false to say whoever performs the works of the commandments without grace does not sin. [False teachers] add further that such works also merit the forgiveness of sins and justification in merely an agreeable way... For without the Holy Spirit, human hearts lack the fear of God. Without trust toward God, they do not believe that they are heard, forgiven, helped, and preserved by God. Therefore, they are godless. For “a diseased tree [cannot] bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). And “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:6). (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 72)
This means that your works of your sinful will, even though they may look good to the world around us, cannot make God want to spend time with you.
Although we admit that free will has the freedom and power to perform the extreme works of the Law, we do not assign spiritual matters to free will. These are to truly fear God, believe God, be confident and hold that He cares for us, hears us, and forgives us. These are the true works of the First Table, which the heart cannot produce without the Holy Spirit, as Paul says, “The natural person [namely, a person using only natural strength] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:14). (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 73)
The first Lutherans explained the failure of working to make God love you. Unbelievers can—in an outward way—honor their parents, not murder, not commit adultery, not steal, and not give false testimony. At best they can avoid going to jail. But their sinful will can do no more than that. Consider your thoughts—if the police had access to your thoughts, how long would you remain out of jail? Unbelievers and their “free will” can never above all things fear, love, and trust in God. They can never properly use His name. They can never take His Word seriously.
People can determine this if they consider what their hearts believe about God’s will, whether they are truly confident God cares for and hears them. Even the saints find keeping this faith difficult (which is not possible in unbelievers). But, as we have said before, it begins when terrified hearts hear the Gospel and receive comfort. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 74)
Here the first Lutherans confess how a believer becomes a believer. It happens against our will. Our will loves sin; our will hates God's ways. But through the Gospel in the Sacraments and in the Word, the Holy Spirit break our stony sinful will into pieces and brings us the comfort of the saving work of Jesus that happened completely outside of us, and thankfully, outside of our supposedly free will.
Their distinction is helpful. Civil righteousness is assigned to free will, and spiritual righteousness is assigned to the governing of the Holy Spirit in the reborn. In this way, outward discipline is kept, because all people should know that God requires this civil righteousness and that, to some extent, we can achieve it. And yet a distinction is shown between human and spiritual righteousness, between philosophical teaching and the teaching of the Holy Spirit. It can be understood why the Holy Spirit is needed. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 75)
Each person has a will. But each person's will is not free to choose good or evil. Anyone who believes that they have a truly free will has bought the snake's oldest lie to Eve in the Garden of Eden: “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). It is a half-truth. Yes, now we can see the difference between good and evil, but we can't be good enough for God to love us. We know what good is, but we can't be good.
We did not invent this distinction; Scripture clearly teaches it. Augustine also presents it, and recently William of Paris has presented it very well. But those who dream that people can obey God’s Law without the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit is given so that obeying the Law may be considered meritorious, have wickedly hindered the distinction. (Ap XVIII, Paragraph 76)
This teaching about free will is all from the Bible. It is a truth that has been preached by all faithful Christians through the centuries, Augustine in the 400s and William in the 1100s. Again they sum up the main point. Anyone can choose to avoid extreme wickedness. But we can't chose to believe in Jesus. We can't chose to be good enough to please God.
Instead Jesus is the superior solution. He gives us His goodness. He sends His Spirit through Word and Sacrament to create and sustain trust in Him. He gives us strength to do good works with which God is pleased.
Yes, you have a free will, but it can only send you to hell. But God's will was to send Christ to suffer hell for you. So yes, God knows your every thought. But instead of fear, this fact bring God's people joy and comfort. He is taking care of us, because that is His will.
Amen.
Book of Concord Source
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul T. McCain. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
St. Mary, Mother of God
St. Mary, Mother of God
August 15, 2010
Luke 1:46-55
My Soul Magnifies My Savior
Sinners need salvation. And to get salvation, you need a Savior. Mary understood this basic fact. And so she sang:
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. (Luke 1:46-47)
Mary was not a perfect person. She was a sinful person from birth. She recognized this truth and was filled with joy when the angel Gabriel told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Savior.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name. (Luke 1:48-49)
You have every right to join the centuries of Christians who remember the blessed Virgin Mary. We call her blessed because God blessed her. Sure, there are some within the Christian church who claim that Mary was perfect and without sin. They have failed to take all of God's Word seriously, and specifically, the sentence before it. Mary called God her Savior and 40 weeks later she would give birth to Jesus. Jesus means savior and He is our Savior from sin.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)
Mary sings of God's mercy and of how it lasts. Speaking for the Lord, the prophet Nathan declared this same joyful fact to King David 1000 years before Mary was born:
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:16)
David's kingdom here is God's kingdom and it will endure from generation to generation because Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of David, is David's successor.
The kingdom of God is found among those who follow Jesus. In His kingdom, even the lowliest sinners are made into powerful princes. The Lord made humble David to be king over Israel. And even though she wasn't a queen, humble Mary was chosen to be the King's mother. Jesus is the King who rules forever, even though His mother was a lowly commoner and a lowly sinner. Great is God's mercy!
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:51-53)
See how beautifully Mary sings about God's ways. He makes the last first and the first last. Beware, socialists! You need not apply this verse! God isn't re-distributing wealth; He is paying for the sins of all. He is declaring those whom He has made faithful not guilty of their sins. He makes His faithful people first; those who rewrite His ways are made last.
Many rewrite His ways when they say that Mary was perfect. Or when they claim that Mary never died. But many rewrite God's ways when they reject remembering the blessings God has granted to His saints, like Mary. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to not forget the history of the kingdom of God: Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
The first Lutherans kept thanking God for the saints, apostles, and martyrs:
[We approve] honoring the saints in three ways. The first is thanksgiving. We should thank God because He has shown examples of mercy, because He wishes to save people, and because He has given teachers and other gifts to the Church. These gifts, since they are the greatest, should be amplified. The saints themselves, who have faithfully used these gifts, should be praised just as Christ praises faithful businessmen (Matthew 25:21, 23). The second service is the strengthening of our faith. When we see Peter’s denial forgiven, we also are encouraged to believe all the more that grace truly superabounds over sin (Romans 5:20). The third honor is the imitation, first of faith, then of the other virtues. Everyone should imitate the saints according to his calling. (Apology XXI, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul T. McCain. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 202)
He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and His descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers. (Luke 1:54-55)
Before the Lord God changed Abram's name to Abraham to emphasize that he would be the father of a great nation, He promised him that Jesus was coming to save the world. Mary remembered God's promise.
The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)
This promise was cherished by Abraham's family. And it was even repeated by God to Abraham's grandson Jacob (also known as Israel) during Jacob's dream of angels going up and down:
All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. (Genesis 28:14)
Mary knew her Savior. She knew that He was the Promised Savior, promised to lowly sinners like Abraham, Jacob, David, and her. This is why we thank our Savior for choosing Mary, not because she is special or holy in and of herself, but because she is just like us: a sinner whom God has declared a saint.
Dear Jesus, call us like You called Mary. Use us to do Your will and be Your hands here on earth. Make our voices the instruments of songs that declare the loving details of Your atonement for all and our justification by faith in You.
Amen.
August 15, 2010
Luke 1:46-55
My Soul Magnifies My Savior
Sinners need salvation. And to get salvation, you need a Savior. Mary understood this basic fact. And so she sang:
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. (Luke 1:46-47)
Mary was not a perfect person. She was a sinful person from birth. She recognized this truth and was filled with joy when the angel Gabriel told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Savior.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name. (Luke 1:48-49)
You have every right to join the centuries of Christians who remember the blessed Virgin Mary. We call her blessed because God blessed her. Sure, there are some within the Christian church who claim that Mary was perfect and without sin. They have failed to take all of God's Word seriously, and specifically, the sentence before it. Mary called God her Savior and 40 weeks later she would give birth to Jesus. Jesus means savior and He is our Savior from sin.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)
Mary sings of God's mercy and of how it lasts. Speaking for the Lord, the prophet Nathan declared this same joyful fact to King David 1000 years before Mary was born:
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:16)
David's kingdom here is God's kingdom and it will endure from generation to generation because Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of David, is David's successor.
The kingdom of God is found among those who follow Jesus. In His kingdom, even the lowliest sinners are made into powerful princes. The Lord made humble David to be king over Israel. And even though she wasn't a queen, humble Mary was chosen to be the King's mother. Jesus is the King who rules forever, even though His mother was a lowly commoner and a lowly sinner. Great is God's mercy!
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:51-53)
See how beautifully Mary sings about God's ways. He makes the last first and the first last. Beware, socialists! You need not apply this verse! God isn't re-distributing wealth; He is paying for the sins of all. He is declaring those whom He has made faithful not guilty of their sins. He makes His faithful people first; those who rewrite His ways are made last.
Many rewrite His ways when they say that Mary was perfect. Or when they claim that Mary never died. But many rewrite God's ways when they reject remembering the blessings God has granted to His saints, like Mary. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to not forget the history of the kingdom of God: Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
The first Lutherans kept thanking God for the saints, apostles, and martyrs:
[We approve] honoring the saints in three ways. The first is thanksgiving. We should thank God because He has shown examples of mercy, because He wishes to save people, and because He has given teachers and other gifts to the Church. These gifts, since they are the greatest, should be amplified. The saints themselves, who have faithfully used these gifts, should be praised just as Christ praises faithful businessmen (Matthew 25:21, 23). The second service is the strengthening of our faith. When we see Peter’s denial forgiven, we also are encouraged to believe all the more that grace truly superabounds over sin (Romans 5:20). The third honor is the imitation, first of faith, then of the other virtues. Everyone should imitate the saints according to his calling. (Apology XXI, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul T. McCain. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 202)
He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and His descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers. (Luke 1:54-55)
Before the Lord God changed Abram's name to Abraham to emphasize that he would be the father of a great nation, He promised him that Jesus was coming to save the world. Mary remembered God's promise.
The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)
This promise was cherished by Abraham's family. And it was even repeated by God to Abraham's grandson Jacob (also known as Israel) during Jacob's dream of angels going up and down:
All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. (Genesis 28:14)
Mary knew her Savior. She knew that He was the Promised Savior, promised to lowly sinners like Abraham, Jacob, David, and her. This is why we thank our Savior for choosing Mary, not because she is special or holy in and of herself, but because she is just like us: a sinner whom God has declared a saint.
Dear Jesus, call us like You called Mary. Use us to do Your will and be Your hands here on earth. Make our voices the instruments of songs that declare the loving details of Your atonement for all and our justification by faith in You.
Amen.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 8, 2010
Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:18-26
Everything Is Meaningless
"Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
Dear children, why do you breathe hard on a cold winter day? To see your breath.
Dear grown-ups, why did you stop... breathing hard on a cold winter day? Because it doesn't last. You see the vapor for a moment and then it's gone. To the young, seeing your breath is an amusing distraction; to grown-ups, seeing your breath means that your car seat is cold.
The idea behind the Hebrew word “meaningless” is a vanishing vapor. So King Solomon—the author of Ecclesiastes—is saying that everything under the sun is like your breath on a cold winter day. It won't last. He says that best you can do is eat and drink and work. A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. (Ecclesiastes 2:24)
Food can make you happy, but it doesn't last. You'll eat ten of thousands of meals in your life. You'll remember a few of these meals because they're a holiday tradition—mom's turkey on Thanksgiving. You'll remember a few more because they're special—anniversaries at fancy restaurants, birthday parties at the petting zoo. But when you're hungry again, the memories of turkey and cake won't fill your tummy. Those memories will only increase your feelings of emptiness.
Work can make you happy, if you are blessed to find a career that matches your gifts. But even when you find a job you like, you'll have to retire one day. You'll be too old to work. And the world will view you as useless. Carlos Helu, who runs the Mexican company Telecom and is worth over $53 billion, will have to step down from his position and someone else will take control of his economic empire. His former subordinates won't jump when he calls; the new management will listen politely when he calls them with a suggestion, but after he hangs up, they will ignore his advice. Mr. Helu may share Solomon's sentiment, “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18)
Retirement can make you happy. Maybe you never liked any of your jobs and are happy to quit the rat race. You can visit your grand kids or travel to Europe. But then your body wears out and stops you from traveling. And when you are stuck at home or a nursing home, no one travels to visit you. Those who are paid to care for you treat you like a burden. And the sense of emptiness increases.
A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work or as Jesus put it, “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” (Luke 12:19)
Solomon, the third king of Israel, understood better than most that every earthly thing—everything under the sun—was meaningless. He was rich and powerful and famous. He could have any woman he desired and he did. He literally had it all. But it was all meaningless. It didn't last.
We aren't rich like Solomon, but we are rich. We have plenty to eat. Even if we don't have jobs, we still have a lot of stuff. While these many things can be amusing distractions, they won't bring lasting happiness.
Everything under the sun is meaningless because it doesn't last.
Once Jesus told someone that what He offers lasts because He doesn't offer things that are under the sun, “Everyone who drinks this [well] water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
The water that Jesus offers is Himself. And He lasts. Everything Jesus offers means something because it brings us joy that lasts. And when our lives have meaning, everything under the sun changes.
Our food is a constant reminder of God's goodness. Our table grace will be filled with joy because the food on our table is from our Savior.
Our work becomes an opportunity to work diligently, even when our bosses aren't looking, because we aren't working for ourselves, but to provide for our families' needs and ultimately, to bring honor to our Lord with our faithfulness.
Our retirement won't be empty, because we will be that much closer to the day when our Savior calls us home to joyful delight of heaven. And while the world views us as drains on society, you know that you are a special member of Jesus' family. And while we're waiting to join Him, we wait with quiet expectation and we bring a selfless attitude and Christian words to those around us: family members, paid care takers, other residents in the nursing home.
For us in Christ, even the things under the sun have meaning, because He has given us forgiveness and joy that lasts! Christ's cross isn't a breath on a cold winter day; it is an ocean of love that refreshes us forever. And now we live for Him as Solomon says near the end of Ecclesiastes: “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7)
Amen.
August 8, 2010
Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:18-26
Everything Is Meaningless
"Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
Dear children, why do you breathe hard on a cold winter day? To see your breath.
Dear grown-ups, why did you stop... breathing hard on a cold winter day? Because it doesn't last. You see the vapor for a moment and then it's gone. To the young, seeing your breath is an amusing distraction; to grown-ups, seeing your breath means that your car seat is cold.
The idea behind the Hebrew word “meaningless” is a vanishing vapor. So King Solomon—the author of Ecclesiastes—is saying that everything under the sun is like your breath on a cold winter day. It won't last. He says that best you can do is eat and drink and work. A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. (Ecclesiastes 2:24)
Food can make you happy, but it doesn't last. You'll eat ten of thousands of meals in your life. You'll remember a few of these meals because they're a holiday tradition—mom's turkey on Thanksgiving. You'll remember a few more because they're special—anniversaries at fancy restaurants, birthday parties at the petting zoo. But when you're hungry again, the memories of turkey and cake won't fill your tummy. Those memories will only increase your feelings of emptiness.
Work can make you happy, if you are blessed to find a career that matches your gifts. But even when you find a job you like, you'll have to retire one day. You'll be too old to work. And the world will view you as useless. Carlos Helu, who runs the Mexican company Telecom and is worth over $53 billion, will have to step down from his position and someone else will take control of his economic empire. His former subordinates won't jump when he calls; the new management will listen politely when he calls them with a suggestion, but after he hangs up, they will ignore his advice. Mr. Helu may share Solomon's sentiment, “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18)
Retirement can make you happy. Maybe you never liked any of your jobs and are happy to quit the rat race. You can visit your grand kids or travel to Europe. But then your body wears out and stops you from traveling. And when you are stuck at home or a nursing home, no one travels to visit you. Those who are paid to care for you treat you like a burden. And the sense of emptiness increases.
A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work or as Jesus put it, “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” (Luke 12:19)
Solomon, the third king of Israel, understood better than most that every earthly thing—everything under the sun—was meaningless. He was rich and powerful and famous. He could have any woman he desired and he did. He literally had it all. But it was all meaningless. It didn't last.
We aren't rich like Solomon, but we are rich. We have plenty to eat. Even if we don't have jobs, we still have a lot of stuff. While these many things can be amusing distractions, they won't bring lasting happiness.
Everything under the sun is meaningless because it doesn't last.
Once Jesus told someone that what He offers lasts because He doesn't offer things that are under the sun, “Everyone who drinks this [well] water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
The water that Jesus offers is Himself. And He lasts. Everything Jesus offers means something because it brings us joy that lasts. And when our lives have meaning, everything under the sun changes.
Our food is a constant reminder of God's goodness. Our table grace will be filled with joy because the food on our table is from our Savior.
Our work becomes an opportunity to work diligently, even when our bosses aren't looking, because we aren't working for ourselves, but to provide for our families' needs and ultimately, to bring honor to our Lord with our faithfulness.
Our retirement won't be empty, because we will be that much closer to the day when our Savior calls us home to joyful delight of heaven. And while the world views us as drains on society, you know that you are a special member of Jesus' family. And while we're waiting to join Him, we wait with quiet expectation and we bring a selfless attitude and Christian words to those around us: family members, paid care takers, other residents in the nursing home.
For us in Christ, even the things under the sun have meaning, because He has given us forgiveness and joy that lasts! Christ's cross isn't a breath on a cold winter day; it is an ocean of love that refreshes us forever. And now we live for Him as Solomon says near the end of Ecclesiastes: “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7)
Amen.
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