Sunday, August 21, 2011

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 21, 2011

The Christian Faith, One Word at a Time: Chosen
Romans 8:28-30

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear friends,

A long time ago a huge army surrounded Jerusalem. The king of this army was determined to destroy the king inside the city. This enemy king made fun of the king in the city by saying that he was like bird in a cage.

But one night God sent an angel from heaven down to Jerusalem. This angel proceeded to destroy the whole army. In the morning 185,000 dead soldiers (2 Kings 19) surrounded Jerusalem. The enemy king tucked tail and ran back home. Once again God had saved His people from certain destruction.

On the morning of this victory, a little boy looked out from Jerusalem as he stood on the city walls and saw the carnage. The day before he had looked out and had seen thousands and thousands of soldiers, spearmen, charioteers, archers, sappers, and calvarymen deployed around his city. But today he saw a miracle. This boy was Manasseh. He was a prince—he was the son of good king Hezekiah.

But seeing this miracle did not drive lasting faith into Manasseh's heart. Earlier you heard the evil things he did. But then... another miracle! Manasseh repented and believed (2 Chronicles 33). When his life ended, he did not die as God's enemy.

We see the hand of God in Manasseh's life that brought him into suffering. He was conquered and captured. He was tortured. But God chosen him and destroyed his hard heart. Manasseh's sufferings pointed him to his Rescuer, the coming Son of God, Jesus.

Romans 8:28-30 could have been written about evil king Manasseh.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Manasseh was chosen by God. We know this because God revealed to us in the Bible that Manasseh knew the Lord.

In the days that followed Manasseh's conversion he must have had some doubting days. He knew the sins he had committed.

He had worshiped idols.
He had used religion as an excuse to commit adultery.
He had descrecated God's Temple.
He had led God's people away from God.
And he had murdered his own son.

The devil must have tried to shame Manasseh into despair and drive him into unbelief. The devil must have shouted at Manasseh, “God did not choose you!! God couldn't ever choose you! Look at your life! It is filled with digusting and arrogant rebellion against God!! Hardened criminals would blush at your crimes!”

Exactly. The devil was right. Manasseh could only look at his life and despair of divine rescue. His days as a prisoner with a hook in his nose didn't make up for all the evil he had done. Even his life after coming to know God couldn't square things with the Lord.

No. Manasseh's only hope was his Savior. His hope was Jesus. And he was not disappointed. God not only wants all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4); Jesus not only paid for the sins of all people, but God in eternity chose Manasseh to be one of His sheep who would end up in heaven. Then God so ruled over history that Manasseh would hear about the coming Rescuer, Jesus, and by the power of the Gospel, Manasseh would believe it and in the end die in saving faith.

God has chosen you. You and I trust in Christ's bloody cross and in His Holy Spirit's gifts of Baptism, Word, and Communion. They are rock-solid evidence that we are chosen of God. Do not look to your life to determine if God has chosen you. Rather look to Paul's words and by faith see how God has chosen you and let it fill us with humility and comfort.

Amen.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
August 7, 2011

The Christian Faith, One Word at a Time: Longing (Eschatology)
Romans 8:19,23

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear friends,

There was once was a little boy. He was about seven years old. And one day, as he was eating his breakfast, he noticed that the cereal company was offering a special deal. Eat eight boxes of the cereal, cut out the UPC barcode thing, send all eight UPCs in to the company, and they'd mail you a hat.

Well, that boy just had to have that hat. So he started eating his cereal. It used to be his favorite cereal, but since his heart was set on that hat, the cereal didn't taste as good anymore. Eating all that cereal became a chore.

But he did it. He ate enough cereal and collected enough UPCs for the hat. He mailed off the labels to the cereal company and waited. Every day after school, he'd get off the bus and run to the mailbox to see what was inside. And everyday he was crushed when the box wasn't there.

The company promised delivery in six to eight weeks, but for a little boy it felt like forever. But still the little guy's hope in the coming hat box lived on. After weeks of running to the mailbox after school, his friend thought that he might be getting numb—a constantly empty mailbox must have proved to him that the hat was never coming. But even the suggestion that the postman might have misplaced the box in his truck and just might have made a second trip to the mailbox caused the little boy to speed off toward the mailbox just in case. His longing for his treasured hat was still alive.

We've all waited for things. When you're younger, most of the time you are waiting for things: toys, bikes, hats, games, you know, stuff. But as you get less young, you mostly wait for things to happen. When will I be done with middle school? When will I be done with high school? College? My apprenticeship? My promotion? When will I get married? When will I have children? When will I get to travel? When will I be done working and retire? When will I get to see my grandchildren? How long do I have to stay here on earth?

So often we long for earthly things or for earthly things to happen; rarely do we long for heaven. That's why Paul has to remind us that we are strangers here and that heaven is our eternal home:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

We should long for things above, not because hats (worldly things) are bad, but because hats don't last. The world God created in six days can't create anything that will last forever.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed… Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:18-19, 23-25)

The devil wants us to grow numb with waiting and longing. He hopes that we turn to other diversions to pass the time and in the end divert ourselves to spiritual death. I'm not really saying this to you here today; I'm hoping that you'll help me pass along this gentle warning to the member of our church family. For our friends and family in their 20s and 30s who are just getting started in life, focusing on earthly things and failing to long for things above is dangerous.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means… 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. “ (Matthew 13:18, 20-22)

The seed on rocky places reminds me of our young adults. Some of them have not seen the Christian life modeled as they grew up. Thus they have no root. After church was over their folks never talked about church or the sermon. Church was placed in a box and only came up again on Saturday night. It consisted of parents wondering, “Are we going to church tomorrow?” Young adults have been taught that church is a boring chore.

The second half of the parable's explanation speaks to the parents and folks in their middle years. So much to do because you've tried to do it all. You're so busy that you have no time to sit and be still and ponder the mercy of Christ and how He has forgiven you and that He is coming back. You've no time to long for the things above.

Remember the longing of that little boy. He longed for that hat. He waited and waited. He still went to school. He still ate breakfast. But his heart was standing on tip-toes as he waited patiently for his earthly thing.

Dear chosen ones of God, let your hearts long for your complete redemption. As a young adult, did you skip a decade of receiving the Sacrament? You are forgiven in Christ. As a parent, did you teach your children to love the things of the world? You are forgiven in Christ. As a human being, have you allowed the worries of this life to squeeze your faith into a box? You are forgiven in Christ.

Dear fellow believers, we long for the glory that is hidden in Christ to be revealed. The Greek word for revelation at its most basic is the idea of uncovering. We perhaps can see that little boy ripping open the box for his longed-for hat. Let us so much more long for the revelation that will occur when all things are made new.

Amen.