One Grateful Lutheran

Third Sunday after the Epiphany

2012-01-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 22, 2012

Just Say the Word

Matthew 8:8
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

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

Dear friends,

Centurions weren't nice guys. Centurions were soldiers in the Roman Army who commanded 100 soldiers. And most of the time they were strict and cruel. They treated soldiers, servants, and civilians harshly. In those days using force was common and expected by everyone. You didn't want to cross a centurion.

But you might not come away with this impression if your only information about centurions comes from the Bible. In the Gospels we hear of two centurions.

One of them, the centurion who had helped to crucify Jesus, witnessed the unique events of that most remarkable day and confessed: “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)

Today we learn of the other centurion and learn from him the basis of faith. He says to Jesus, “But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” He is certain that Christ will help his servant. He does not require Christ's personal presence or a miracle or anything visible or tangible to be certain. Jesus' word is enough.

This centurion only desires one thing: for Jesus to simply say the word. Jesus is astonished by how this man puts into words what faith is. This centurion articulates the connection between the word and faith by an example from his own life.

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:9)

His example describes the power of his words. When he tells someone to do something, he trusts that it is as good as done. Since this is true of an unreliable wretched sinner, how much more infinitely certain is the Word of God's Son, Jesus Christ.

The centurion confessed that he was unworthy to receive the promise of God when he told Jesus that he did not deserve to have Jesus in his house. So if he, a nobody, could use words to command and to cause trust—again—how much more infinitely does this apply to Jesus, who is the Word of God in the flesh and who speaks Himself to a world of nobodies.

Jesus is the Word made flesh. John introduce his Gospel by stating: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The Word made flesh—Jesus—was astonished by this centurion's confession of his faith. Perhaps just as astonishing is what the centurion did not base his faith upon.

He doesn't mention his decision to be a devout follower of Jesus.
He doesn't mention that he has been a good husband, good soldier, and good master.
He doesn't mention that his servant is a good man and deserves to be healed.
He doesn't mention that he is risking his reputation (1) by going to Jesus, a poor Jew from backwater Galilee and (2) by doing all this for a mere slave, not his son, not his wife, but a slave.

The faith of the centurion and our faith both say the same thing: “Just say the word.” When we are troubled by our doubts, Jesus just says the word through Matthew, “I am always with you to the very end.” When we wonder if Jesus will forgive us for habitually cursing when no one else is around, Jesus just says the word through His pastor, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” When we wonder if Jesus is truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar, Jesus just says the word through His pastor, “This is My body, given for you; this is My blood, shed for you.”

Just say the word, Lord. Not our words, just Yours. Say the word, say the word.

Amen.

The Circumcision and the Name of Jesus

2012-01-01T05:46:00.001-08:00

The Circumcision and the Name of Jesus
January 1, 2012

The Name That Saves

Luke 2:21
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
(New King James Version)

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

Dear friends,

Already on the eighth day of Jesus' life, His destiny is revealed in His name and in His circumcision. On this day He was given His name that His angel had delivered to His guardian:

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21 NIV 1984)

The name of Jesus in those days was a popular name like Noah or Ethan are today. There are many examples of others named Jesus in Jesus' day. But God's Son picked Jesus to be His name not because it was popular, but because He would make His name come true. Jesus means He saves.

This saving began with His conception by the Holy Spirit in blessed Mary's virgin womb. It began there because Jesus had to become what He was going to save. He had to become a human to save humans. And the only way to save us was to offer His perfect blood to pay for our guilt and sin. God became a man so that He could bleed for us.

So on this eighth day of Jesus' life, He was circumcised. Now it might seem strange to celebrate this event in Jesus' life, since for most people these days circumcision is simply a medical procedure. But from the time of Abraham to the time of Jesus, circumcision was a symbol of the unity between God and His people.

9 God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17:9-14 NIV 1984)

Based on the promise of the coming Savior, circumcision made them one with God. And in these times, baptism has replaced circumcision. St. Paul explains:

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-11)

Jesus Christ was both circumcised and baptized. Why? Because He is a man. And by undergoing these divine acts of unity and forgiveness, He stepped into the role of a sinful human being, even though He was without any sin. He became Adam to save Adam's race, to save us sinners.

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5 NIV 1984)

This is why Paul wrote that Jesus was born under law. He joyfully and willingly obeyed His own Law. He obeyed to save us. Because He was circumcised and with His perfect obedience, His name is a saving name. Jesus saves you.

Amen.

Sunday of Last Judgement

2011-11-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

Sunday of Last Judgment
November 6, 2011

John 5:29
The Good Will Rise to Live

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

Sometimes Jesus confuses our Lutheran ears.

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:28-29)

At the end of the world, the good will rise to live. Are you good?

There was one time when Jesus was traveling when a trust fund baby, a young man—we'll call him Mark—ran up to Jesus and asked Him how to get to heaven. This is what Jesus said:

“No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ” (Mark 10:28-29)

And Mark said, “Fantastic. I never did any of that stuff for my whole short life. I'm good.” Even though Mark's confidence in his own goodness was misplaced, Jesus loved Mark anyway. But since He loved Mark, He had to crush Mark's confidence in Mark.

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” He said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:21-22)

Jesus slams trust in wealth; He could also have used the rest of the story to crush trust in human goodness. Substitute “good” for “rich” in the following:

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich [or good] to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich [or good] man to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:23-27 NIV 1984)

Being rich is a state of mind. When you're a kid, a dollar is lot of money. When you're in grade school, $100 is a lot. When you're a teenager, $1,000 is a lot. How much is a lot when you're grown-up? Depends on where you come from.

Being good is a state of mind, too. When you're a kid, cleaning your room is good. When you're older, being good gets complicated. Depends on where you come from.

Some say you're good if you go to church; others say you're good if you don't. Some say you're good if you're rich; others say you're good if you're poor. Some say you're good if you're active in public life; others say you're good if you stay away from worldly business.

They're all wrong. Not of that makes you good.

Let me make it simple, or more accurately, let's let Jesus make it simple: saving yourself with your own goodness is impossible.

So God gives it to you. God does the impossible—the Father sent His Son who sends His Spirit. He loves, He dies, and He makes us alive. Hebrews 9:26 says: “[He] has appeared once for all … to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

A few minutes ago I said that sometimes Jesus confuses our Lutheran ears. The key is understanding where the good comes from. Not from us; it comes from Jesus to us through the Gospel of the Cross, sprinkled, spoken, supped.

The good will rise to live. Jesus says that you are good. That's good enough for me; it's good enough for you. God is good and He gives it to you.

Amen.

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

2011-08-21T06:25:00.001-07:00

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.

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

2011-08-11T06:35:00.001-07:00

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.

Festival of Pentecost

2011-06-12T06:01:00.000-07:00

Festival of Pentecost
June 12, 2011

Why Prophesy?
Joel 2:28-29 and Acts 2:17

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

Dear friends,

Pentecost was a harvest festival. (Since the Holy Land's climate has two seasons, instead of four, they gather many of their crops in our late spring.) The Jews call it Succoth, which means Booths, like little tents or lean-tos. Seven weeks after Passover, the Jews would again return to Jerusalem to camp out in these little booths (a remind of the forty years in the wilderness) and thank God for the crops they had harvested. But New Testament believers in North America aren't as focused on harvest festivals like in olden times. Thanksgiving is sort-of our harvest festival. But Old Testament Pentecost and New Testament Pentecost have one thing in common: prophecy... and I don't mean telling the future.

Recently Harold Camping, a false prophet, predicted that on a Saturday (May 21, 2011) several weeks ago all true Christians would disappear from the earth and would be taken on up into heaven. Leaving aside that only God knows when the Last Day will dawn (Matthew 24), no one should have followed Mr. Camping because he has never prophesied anything true. He had previously predicted judgment days on May 21, 1988, and September 7, 1994.

Now the test for any prophet is the truth. Now some false prophets are more clever than others and make predictions about the future that are so far away that there is no way to see if they come true. But once in a while, guys like Mr. Camping remind us of the words the Holy Spirit inspired Moses to write:

Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (NIV 1984)
21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

But what about May 20, 1988? Should anyone have been afraid of Mr. Camping and taken him seriously the day before his first prediction (presumably) about the end of the world? The answer is no.

Here's why: Prophesy is about truth, past, present, and future. Good prophesy doesn't just mean telling the future and getting it right. It also means speaking the truth about the past and the present. Therefore you can spot a false prophet not just based on what he says about the future, but what he says about the past and the present. In other words, you can tell a false prophet based on what he says about the Bible. Does he speak the truth?

Mr. Camping doesn't. He denies we are born as enemies of God. He says that we aren't spiritually dead due to our sinfulness. He—and he's hardly alone in this false opinion—boldly rejects what the Holy Spirit tells us:

Romans 8:6-8 (NIV 1984)
6 The mind of sinful man is death... 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

Mr. Camping essentially uses an eraser to the word “not” and changes Words that do not belong to him, so that it reads, “The sinful man can submit to God's law.” This profound lie that Mr. Camping prophesies is just as soul-crushing as the pope's prophecy that we are rescued by both faith and deeds. Indeed it is the same false prophecy. They both appeal to the Law for certainty of rescue, and thus guarantee that they shall never have certainty.

But we do. We are certain of our rescue, even in the face of all our repeated sins that simply prove how hostile to God we still are. We join with Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to prophesy the truth:

Romans 7:18-19 (NIV 1984)
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

But in spite of this, we are certain that we stand rescued both right now and for eternity. How is this true? Because of the work of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent, the Son died, and the Spirit prophesies.

About six months ago, our prophecy, that is, our worship and preaching, in church focused on the Father who loved the world and sent His only-begotten Son into the world. Your rescue is certain because the Father loves you.

Then you followed Jesus to the cross where He became the sin of every human being ever conceived and took the world's place on the cross. On Good Friday He paid the ransom price for all. He paid it by dying. Your rescue is certain because He paid the ransom price for you.

On the first Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, tongues of fire danced on their heads, and they were able to speak in many known languages. But after the crowd assembled, what did they hear? “The end of the world is near!” No! They heard prophecy about the past.

Acts 2:22-24 (NIV 1984)
22 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Peter and the disciples prophesied about Jesus, which is to say that they told the truth about Jesus. Today, on this anniversary of Pentecost, your rescue is certain because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to bring Himself to you in Word and in Sacrament.

When Joel predicted the future of the Church, he said this about God and His people:

Joel 2:28-29,32 (NIV 1984)
28 “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days...
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

As God's children, baptized by the Holy Spirit, believers prophesied by telling the truth about Jesus the Rescuer, whom the Father had sent. We are told that Stephen (Acts 7), Paul (Acts 9), and Peter (Acts 10) saw visions. Paul dreamed dreams (Acts 16, 18, & 23).

In the Old Testament God's people camped out during Pentecost, went to church, and listened to prophecy. We do the same and listen to the same prophecy, which has now been accomplished, and we too remember that our fine homes are simply booths, lean-tos, temporary tents in which we live while we wait for the promised land.

And while we wait, we prophesy. We speak the truth about Jesus until He returns.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

2011-05-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

Good Shepherd Sunday
May 15, 2011

Both Lamb and Shepherd
John 10:11 and Hebrews 13:20-21

Alleluia! Alleluia! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Dear friends,

In our daily lives we wear many hats. Spouse, parent, child, sibling, employee, citizen, and so forth. It's not too often when our various callings conflict with each other; mostly they overlap and complement each other. Sure, our vocations all compete for our time and attention, but being both a mom and wife or a brother and a US citizen don't inherently conflict.

But like I said, on rare occasions they do clash. Ask Abraham. He was a dad and a believer, and the one true God asked him to murder his son. Consider the conflict in Abraham's mind as he walked to the killing place. Sometimes God seems like the enemy.

Ask Jesus. He is both the Lamb of God and the Good Shepherd. He is both the Sacrifice that our sin demands and the One who protects us from ourselves. We see the anguish in Jesus' heart as He prays to His Father in heaven:

"Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done." [Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.] (Luke 22:42-44 Holmen Standard Christian Bible)

Jesus takes these two opposites and resolves the tension of His two roles. He tells us that He can't be the Lamb without being the Shepherd or, perhaps better said, He is the Shepherd because He is the Lamb.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

The Book of Hebrews expresses the same thought:

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—with the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21 Holmen Standard Christian Bible)

In our lives we strive to reflect Christ's selfless love as we deny self. When self says that Christ may have died for some, but not for you, we deny self as we take and drink the blood of Christ, shed for you, the everlasting covenant.

The inner conflict between self and sheep is where we need our Lamb and Shepherd the most. Jesus crushed our slavery to mindless wandering when He laid down His life for the sheep. Sheep have minds of their own, and left to their own wits, they'd always get gobbled up or wander off a cliff or starve. Left to ourselves we get gobbled up by greed, fall into lust, or starve ourselves with lazy distance from God's Sacraments.

So our Shepherd doesn't leave us, even when we want Him to. Sometimes out of compassion He pokes us in the ribs. Sometimes He may even seem like our enemy, when He allows wretched things to happen to us and to those whom we love. But He always knows what He's doing. He can see the future. That's one nice thing about shepherds—they're tall. Their horizon goes far beyond the grassy meadows of sheep sight.

From one sheep to another, our lasting comfort is always our Savior who wear two hats that seem to speak against each other, but with His divine plan brings them together in perfect harmony. Sylvia Dunstan captured the true opposites and perfect harmony of Jesus in her hymn, Christus Paradox. Let us pray it together as we stand before our compassionate Shepherd, our Lamb and Lord, Jesus Christ.

You, Lord, are both Lamb and Shepherd.
You, Lord, are both prince and slave.
You, peacemaker and swordbringer
Of the way you took and gave.
You, the everlasting instant;
You, whom we both scorn and crave.

Amen.

Resurrection Sunday

2011-04-24T05:59:00.002-07:00

Easter Sunday
April 24, 2011

It's All About Life
Mark 16:-7

He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Dear friends,

Today each of us says it with great joy, “It's Jesus, Peter, and me; and it's all about life!” During Lent we've seen Peter's sin filled life, but today we see Peter being welcomed back to life.

Early this Easter morning three women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body. But instead of a cold dead body, they find a angel who tells them that Jesus isn't in the tomb. He's risen! Go tell Peter!

The message singled out—of all people—Peter. After Peter's track record of disobeying Jesus and even denying Jesus, we would expect the angels to tell the women to tell everybody, except Peter.

But this is the Gospel. There's life after sin because it was all for Peter. The cross was for Peter. Jesus' death was for Peter. The resurrection was for Peter. Now there is forgiveness for Peter.

After Peter denied Jesus, he must have felt dead. But to hear the words of the angels as the faithful women reported what they heard, Peter must have felt the weight of death lift. Then as he investigated the empty tomb, the hope of life continued to grow. And then Peter saw Him in the flesh. His certain death was stopped by Jesus' death on the cross... and then Jesus came back from the dead to tell him that he was forgiven. Certain death became certain life!

One last time we are see ourselves in Peter. Certainly in our sin. But just as certainly in the forgiveness of our sin. Because Christ physically rose from the the dead, our certain death also became certain life! Easter is all about life.

This is why we cry out this Easter with Peter: He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Alleluia!

Good Friday

2011-04-24T05:59:00.001-07:00

Good Friday
April 22, 2011

It's All About Death

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

Dear friends,

How would you like to die? There are many answers to that question. But we can all agree that we don't want to die slowly. For most folks dying quickly is a blessing.

I heard of a pastor who died suddenly, as he was getting out of his car in the church parking lot. It happened on Easter Sunday.

If I could choose how I'd like to die that'd be in my top two. But I'd sure like to be able to preach my Easter sermon first, then go home and eat Easter dinner, and then turn on Bach's Easter Cantata, and then my heart stops.

Fast, painless, and cheap, too.

Christ's cross was slow, painful, and costly. But He considered it a joy.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

How would you like to die? Jesus chose how He'd die. Of the thousands of millions of deaths that have and will occur—from Abel to someone's last breath taken before the Last Minute of the World—none, save one, maybe any difference to anyone.

This Holy Friday, don't grow weary and lose heart. Consider the joy of the cross and what He accomplished there for you.

Amen.

Maundy Thursday

2011-04-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Maundy Thursday
April 21, 2011

It's All About Cleansing
John 13:1-15

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

Dear friends,

Only two disciples are mentioned by name in our Gospel account of the Last Supper: Judas and Peter.

Jesus knew was Judas was about to betray Him. But He still washed Judas' feet along with all the rest of the disciples. Why did He wash Judas' feet? Why didn't He just have Peter, James, and John kick Judas out of the upper room? Or better yet, why had Jesus called Judas to be one of His disciples in the first place?

Because of His great mercy. He wanted Judas to go to heaven. So He allowed this sinner to hear His Word of forgiveness countless times. Jesus washed his feet, but in the end Judas tragically rejected forgiveness.

On the other hand, Peter rejected the foot washing. Perhaps the other disciples felt akward or even ashamed that Jesus was having to the perform the lowliest dirtiest of all jobs. But no one said anything. And then Peter spoke up and told Jesus that He'd never wash his feet.

But at least this time Peter listening when Jesus answered.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “You shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For He knew who was going to betray Him, and that was why He said not every one was clean. (John 13:6-11)

What was it that Peter would later understand? That because of Jesus' sacrifice, by His making Himself nothing, the lowest of the low, the most shameful sin-carrier of mankind, Peter was clean in God's eyes.

This foot washing pictured the love that sacrifcies our get-our-own-way attitude and clings to our Father's will so that another person's best interests are looked after. And getting clean is in everyone's best interest, because everyone is filthy because of sin.

Everything that Jesus did for us is about getting us clean. Hours before He gives up His body and sheds His blood on the cross, He gave His church His true body and blood to eat and to drink for the cleansing of sin.

As we join Peter in eating and drinking this Holy Supper, let us rejoice that it's all about cleansing.

Praise be to Christ, our Savior who washes us clean!

Amen.

Palm Sunday

2011-04-17T05:50:00.001-07:00

Palm Sunday
April 17, 2011

What Does The Donkey Say?
Matthew 21:1-11

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

Dear friends,

I've always been confused about the role of the donkey on Palm Sunday. Did riding on that donkey make Jesus more royal and regal? Or did it make Him ordinary and plain? I think that when these questions are answered, they'll help to inform our view of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and of Holy Week itself.

Growing up I heard that Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem was kind of like a President riding in a limo into Washington, D.C. The basic idea was that a donkey was considered to be a royal animal or at least an animal that carries royalty. But, of course, we usually think of donkeys as lowly animals, lowly beasts of burden used by common people to carry ordinary people and mundane cargo.

Consider some other people in the Bible who have ridden on donkeys. Maybe this will help us to understand the significance of the donkey. Moses' wife and kids rode on a donkey as they traveled with Moses as he went to tell Pharoah to let God's people go (Exodus 4). Balaam, a false prophet, rode a donkey on his way to curse God's people (read Numbers 22 to see how God used the donkey to actually save Balaam's life). Wise Abigail brought herself and many gifts to David on a donkey (1 Samuel 25). King Saul's invalid son Mephibosheth rode a donkey, but he never ruled anything (2 Samuel 16). We read last Sunday how the Shunammite widow rode a donkey on her way to cry and grieve at Elisha's feet over her dead son (2 Kings 4). There were a couple of other folks who rode on donkeys, but explaining who they were would take too long. Suffice to say, none of them were kings.

Another picture of Palm Sunday and Jesus riding a donkey was of a general who has conquered an enemy and was given a ticker-tape parade (or what the Romans used to call, a triumph, essentially a controlled riot) as he rides along in a chariot or on his war horse. I've also heard experts say that in the Middle East the donkey was an animal that symbolized peace, so that contrary to riding a war horse, Jesus was using this symbolism to show that He was a peaceful king.

Bottom line: there are lots of ways to understand what the donkey says or symbolizes. But the only way to understand Jesus' very intentional use of a donkey is to read Zechariah.

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zechariah 9:9-10)

The folks laying down palms and cloaks on Jesus' path knew their Bibles. They knew God's Word because their parents had diligently taught them. So these kids grew knowing the promises about the Savior, the Messiah. Along with the buzz about Lazarus' resurrection, riding a donkey into the Holy City of David silently shouted, “This is the Messiah! This is the Christ! This is the Anointed One!”

Many in the crown, to be sure, were certain that Jesus was finally going to lead a coup d'etat against Pontius Pilate and Herod. A moment like Palm Sunday didn't come along very often, and they thought, Jesus riding a donkey was yet another sign that He was Messiah, the Chosen One. One can almost imagine people laying out palm branches leading toward the Roman palace and Herod's mansion. Perhaps they could even see Jesus' purpose in raising Lazarus from the dead to rally the people to His cause. And it had worked. Jesus had it all in the palm of His hand: the power, the crowd, the momentum. This was it!

Then He allowed the moment to pass.

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,”He said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’ ”
The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked Him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“ ‘From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise’?”
And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night. (Matthew 21:12-17)

Instead of going to the Roman palace and kicking out Pilate, He went to the Temple and kicked out the money-changers. Then He healed some people, had one more debate with the chief priests, and finally went back to Bethany. Huh? This isn't how you start a revolution.

To understand what the donkey says and what Palm Sunday is all about, just one thing. Move it. Move all of it back one week. Wouldn't this celebration have been so much more appropriate after Jesus rose from the dead?

So why ride a donkey now? For the same reason He rose Lazarus from the dead. To announce His true identity—the Son of God made flesh—and to bring about His true purpose—to suffer and die for our sin.

This Holy Week let us watch and pray and comtemplate our Savior's identity and purpose. The donkey says a lot. He says, “I am carrying your Savior. I am carrying your Salvation.”

Amen.

Fifth Sunday in Lent

2011-04-17T05:49:00.001-07:00

Fifth Sunday in Lent
April 10, 2011

A Resurrection That Led to The Resurrection
John 11

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

Dear friends,

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead to make sure that Good Friday and Easter would happen, all according to His design and plan.

(1) Consider who was there to see Lazarus' resurrection.
(2) Consider the timing of Lazarus' resurrection.
(3) Consider the location of Lazarus' resurrection.
(3) And consider what the Scriptures tell us is the result.

Early in His public ministry, in Nain (Luke 7), Jesus healed the son of a widow in public. The reaction by the people is one of fear and awe. Jesus' reputation continued to grow. This resurrection seemed to be the incident that cause John to ask Jesus if Jesus was the promised Savior (Luke 7). But this public resurrection seems to be too early in Jesus' public life for it to be the catalyst for a conspiracy against Him.

In His next resurrection as His popularity grew, He purposely hide His power from the public. When Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead (Mark 5 and Luke 8), He only allowed her Mom and Dad and Peter, James, and John to actually be in the room when the miracle happened.

There were many folks outside of Jairus' house who were wailing with grief. These people laughed at Jesus when He said that this twelve year old was just asleep. He was telling them that as easily as they woke up their child from sleep, He was going to raise her from the dead—and they despised Him for this cruel joke that He was pulling on the parents.

But the miracle happened and Jesus promptly told the witnesses not to speak of it. It's not clear how long it took for the townsfolk to figure out that she was alive again, but certainly it didn't have the impact of seeing Lazarus walk out of his grave.

But perhaps more important than who saw the miracle was the timing of this particular miracle. He did it just before Passover. And then He went to Jerusalem, a city where His enemies were planning to kill... except not during the Passover Feast.

Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.” (Mark 14:1-2; parallel Matthew 26:3-5)

But Jesus went to Jerusalem at Passover... and forced the chief priests and teachers of the law to finally deal with Him. Palm Sunday wasn't just about Jesus' cumulative greatness; the people were in a frenzy because of this last miracle, the resurrection of Lazarus. So many people had seen it and they all lived two miles from Jerusalem (instead of all the way up north in Galilee like Jairus' daughter and the widow's son).

The result was that dozens, if not hundreds of eyewitnesses to an undeniable miracle, poured into the Holy City just as thousands of pilgrims were arriving for the Feast of Passover.

And the result of that was that Jesus had to die. Lazarus, too.

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of Him but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in Him. (John 12:9-11)

And everything turned out for the best for everybody involved. The chief priests' conspiracy to murder Jesus turned out just fine, and instead of a riot against them, they were able to turn the mob against Jesus.

But even all their crafty plans were used by Jesus to His own plan and purpose. By raising Lazarus He forced His enemies to kill Him during the Passover, the feast which involved slaughtering an innocent perfect lamb. The lamb's blood was painted on the doorframe so that the angel of death would pass over them. The original Passover had happened in Egypt, and had resulted in the deliverance from slavery and into the Promised Land.

The original Passover pointed directly into the future to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Jesus shed His bled and died. Then He rose from the dead. Good Friday and Easter happened because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The empty tomb in Bethany led to Jesus' empty tomb and to our forgiveness and salvation.

Praise to Christ who raises the dead from their sleep!

Amen.

First Sunday in Lent

2011-03-13T05:36:00.001-07:00

First Sunday in Lent
March 13, 2011

Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Matthew 6:13

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

Dear friends,

Sometimes God seems to be the enemy.

From time to time we feel that God gives us too much to handle. We sense that God is allowing too much temptation into our life. From our point of view here on the earth it even may seem as though God is the one who is tempting us, directly or indirectly. It seems like He is the enemy.

Dear children, do you remember your parents telling you about what God asked Abraham to do Isaac?

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” (Genesis 22:2)

He asked him to kill Isaac, his only son. God seemed to be so cruel. He asked Abraham to destroy the one thing in his life that he truly cared about, his miracle son, Isaac. He asked Abraham to commit kill an innocent man. He asked Abraham to destroy the plan of salvation that God Himself had promised to Abraham, when He told him that all nations on earth would be blessed through his offspring (Genesis 18:18).

On top of all that, God makes Abraham think about all of this during the three-day walk to Mt. Moriah (the future location of Jerusalem), the intended place of Isaac's sacrifice.

Dear children, doesn't God sometimes seem to be the enemy?

And dear grown-ups, what about Job? Later today tell your children what God did to Job.

And this kind of thing doesn't stop in the Old Testament.

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came to Him and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” (Matthew 15:21-26)

Where is gentle Jesus, so meek and so mild?

Even in the Lord's Prayer, is there not a hint of the possibility of God as the enemy? We cry to Him: “Lead us not into temptation!” St. James tells us, “When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) Luther echoed this thought in his explanation to the Sixth Petition—God is never the source of temptation.

But still, given the examples mentioned, does not God at times appear or allow Himself to be perceived as the source of temptation? And isn't this what we are asking of God when we prayer His prayer? Please dear God, don't deal with me like this, don't act like You want me to fail and fall and despair and die without You! Don't appear as the One who would lead into temptation!

How are we supposed to love a God who seems to hate us? This is the question that has haunted the faithful for thousands of years. And what is the answer? Job's wife advice to her husband was to curse God and die (Job 2:9). But the answer of the faithful is the answer of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

When faced with the temptation to doubt God's love, the answer of the faithful sounds feeble, but it is still the answer. We confess absolute trust in God's ways, just as Abraham trusted God.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

When you pray, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner,” you are confessing total trust in God and His ways and in His way of doing things. And His ways of doing things was to ask His only begotten Son, Jesus, to sacrifice Himself on Mt. Moriah, Jerusalem. And Jesus willingly answered His Father's request.

And He spent not three days with the knowledge of His sacrifice, but thousands of years. And He still went.

He faced real temptations for 33 years on earth. And He still went.

He went for us.

Amen.
________________

This sermon was adapted from the wonderful and insightful words of Prof. Em. Daniel Deutschlander (The Theology of the Cross: Reflections on His Cross and Ours, pages 56-60). Any confusing or inaccurate portions belong to me alone. Indeed you must read this insightful work many times to mine its treasures. It is available from Northwestern Publishing House.

Transfiguration Sunday

2011-03-05T09:44:00.001-08:00

Transfiguration Sunday
March 6, 2011

Moses and Elijah Say A Lot
Matthew 17:1-9

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

Dear friends,

About a week after Peter correctly confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus went up a mountain—we're not sure which one—and allowed His glory to shine. The visible glory coming from Jesus, along with the Father's voice from heaven, combined to confirm with certainty that Peter had been right earlier in the week.

And speaking of time, Jesus showed His glory at this specific time for a specific reason. He showed His glory not at the beginning of His public ministry or shortly after calling His disciples. Instead, His transfiguration happened shortly before He travels to Jerusalem to die.

He dazzled Peter, James, and John at this specific time to finish His work of revealing Himself to them. If you will, this was the final act of His epiphany, His revealing Himself to other people.

In addition to Peter, James, and John, there were two other men there that day: Moses and Elijah. I think one of the most interesting aspects of Jesus' transfiguration is the presence of Moses and Elijah.

To understand why Moses and Elijah were there that day you have to understand who they were. In short Moses was the Law and Elijah was the Prophet. They represented a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Jesus and His apostles often use the nickname “the Law and the Prophets” for the Old Testament.

For example... [Jesus said:] “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40)

[Jesus said:] “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” (Luke 16:16)

After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to [Paul and Barnabas], saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.” (Acts 13:15)

[Paul wrote:] But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (Romans 3:21)

Moses symbolized the Law and Elijah symbolized the Prophets.

God used Moses as His representative to Pharaoh and under his leadership God led Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 2-14). Then God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on the mountain of Sinai (Exodus 20). To every Israelite, Moses was the Lawgiver, the ambassador that God had chosen to reveal God's perfect expectations for every human being.

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets who ever lived. He was the prophet of God who challenged hundreds of false prophets to a contest to see whose God was the true God (1 Kings 18). After God won the challenge for him, Elijah led the people to kill the false prophets. This caused the evil king of Israel, who liked the false prophets, to chase after Elijah. And Elijah ran to Mt. Sinai, where God appeared to him as a whisper (1 Kings 19).

Moses and Elijah shared this experience—they both encountered God on Mt. Sinai. Another common bond was that their lives ended in extraordinary ways.

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo... across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land... And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. [The Lord] buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. (Deuteronomy 34:1,5-7)

As [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. (2 Kings 2:11-12)

These two men knew God. And God took a personal interest in how they left the earth. And now Peter, James, and John saw these men standing next to Jesus and talking with Him. St. Luke tells us that they spoke about His departure, which He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem (Luke 9:30).

Moses and Elijah represented the Old Testament or Promise; Jesus represented the New Testament, but even more He was the New Promise. He was going to fulfill eve perfect expectation that He, God, had for every human being.

Just by being there, Moses and Elijah say a lot about who Jesus is and what He did for us.

Amen.

Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

2011-02-20T05:58:00.001-08:00

Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
February 20, 2011

Jesus Goes the Extra Mile
Matthew 5:41

Dear friends,

You really got to hand it to David. He really pulled a stunt that people have been talking about every since. He and a buddy snuck into the enemy camp and stole the enemy king's water jug and spear.

Now this prank won't make any sense unless you know that this enemy king, Saul, was trying to kill David. You also need to know that God had anointed David as the new king of Israel, specifically to replace corrupt Saul.

From the world's point of view, David had every right to take out Saul. Some might even say that this was self-defense, since Saul had already hurled a couple of javelins at David.

From a believer's point of view, killing Saul might have justified since Saul was essentially a usurper to the throne. A king who respected God's word would have abdicated the throne to God's chosen successor.

But David was having none of that. He honored his king, God's representive, and refused to harm him. The words of the Fourth Commandment and its explanation show us David's thinking:

Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. This means that we should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority like kings, but honor, serve, and obey them, and give them love and respect.

David went the extra mile. From every human point of view he had every right to protect himself, but because above all things he trusted in God, he chose to put the best interests of others before his own best interests.

What a great guy, right? Wrong. Little David, whom Samuel had anointed to be the next king, who killed Goliath, and who had lead Israel's armies to many victories, showed who he really was when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband eliminated.

David walked many extra miles because of God's mercy, but in the end he fell into the ditch.

Listen. There are times when I know you go the extra mile.

When friends come to you with juicy gossip about a personal enemy, you amaze them by refusing to participate in their sharp words, and perhaps even speaking well of him.
There are times when you use blasphemous words in front of our children and instead of pretending that it's okay to use God's name in vain, you amaze your children by confessing that your words are sinful and that you are ashamed of yourself and will strive to run away from those words in the future.

One of my favorite things about the Hy-Vee is watching the kind workers and shoppers help each other. Maybe something as simple as a bag boy running after a shopper who forgot their milk. Perhaps someone noticing that a small child is alone and risking a misunderstanding by stepping in to make sure that she is reunited with her mom.

Believers and unbelievers alike go the extra mile. But in the end we must admit that we are just like David. He said:

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to Your unfailing love;
according to Your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:1-3)

David saw that no matter how many mountains of earthly good he did, it added up to barely a hill of beans to God. All the extra miles David walked didn't get him one inch closer to God.

But David still asked that God wash away his sin. In light of what I just said, this doesn't make much sense. But in view of Jesus and His cross-bearing for us, God will wash us clean because Jesus went the extra mile. And He walked for us in our place.

Ever done a walk-a-thon? You walk for other people who can't walk and they pay money to your charity based on your mileage.

Jesus walked for us.

We didn't pay Him;
He paid for us.

We don't donate anything on His behalf to anyone;
instead He rewards us by bringing us near and into His kingdom.

We walked because He first walked for us first. We love because first He loved us.

Jesus walked the extra mile for us. Period.

Amen.

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

2011-02-15T08:15:00.000-08:00

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 13, 2011

Jesus Hates Hate
Matthew 5:21-22

Dear friends,

Is it ever okay to hate something?

If by hate you mean getting emotional and angry, then the answer is no.

But if you mean recognizing that something to be dangerous and saying as much, then the answer is yes, and it would be foolish not to.

Jesus recognizes that sin is dangerous and He says that the sins of murder and hate are really the same sin and both are dangerous to our souls.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Even unbelievers recognize that ending another human life when they have no right to do so is evil. Murder is wrong. There are many unbelievers who recognize the truth that abortion is the murder of unborn children. You don't have to trust in Christ to call murder a sin.

But even believers struggle to properly recognize that hate is sin. Jesus hates hate. That is to say that Jesus, our perfect Savior, recognizes that burning grudges and angry thoughts against our fellow man are dangerous to our souls. He hates hate.

We do everything we can to pretend that hateful thoughts and silent anger aren't dangerous. We even call these sinful feelings good by pretending that they are directed toward people who are different from us. Since we are good and they are bad, then it is okay to hate them. And these “bad” people have probably done something to you, probably something that you never bothered to bring up with them because if they didn't know what they've done wrong, then you have every right to go on hating them.

I used to shepherd a large congregation. It was filled with many wonderful folks. But it was also a place where many grudges were alive and growing. Old conflicts that had never seen the light of Christian conversation or rebuke had become the bitter lifeblood of many members. And not just the older folks.

I've been here less than two years. So far I haven't seen that kind of bitterness here, and I thank our gracious God for this blessing. I mention all of this because it is better to talk about these sins openly and by Jesus' mercy, to run away from the temptation to hang on to hate.

Jesus hates hate. He regards these sinful thoughts seriously and rebukes them harshly. Years after the Sermon on the Mount, He inspired His Apostle John to say that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in Him (1 John 3:15).

This means that all of us don't deserve eternal life because all of us by nature love to hate. Maybe we rarely lose our temper, but hate can be quiet, too. Every time we put our selves first we are hating our brother and loving me first. This is natural. It is also sinful. We love to hate.

But Jesus hates hate and this precisely why haters like us will have eternal life. Only the perfect Son of God who hides Himself in human flesh can perfectly avoid hate and always love others in a perfectly selfless way. His every thought was in perfect harmony with His Father's will and His Father's will is that all should be saved. He wants the best for everyone. And He sacrificed Himself to get the best for us.

So when you hear Jesus' rebuke that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, despair of yourself and put your trust in Jesus, who hates hate perfectly. He is love in the flesh. And His love sent His body to the cross and suffering.

Through Baptism He has given Riley new life and a new heart of love. And for her whole life whenever she is tempted to hate, she can run to her refuge and strength, Riley's every present in trouble. And should anger overwhlem her, she will turn her eyes to the cross and to her heart to her Baptism, where Jesus died and where she personally was made clean forever.

Jesus hates hate, but He loves Riley and He loves you.

Amen.

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

The Nativity of our Lord
Christmas Day
December 25, 2010

Proclaim the Good News:
God Has Kept His Promise!
Isaiah 52:7-10

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

Dear friends,

Did you do any jumping this morning? Did anyone jump on you?

Why the jumping? Because of the excitement. Why the excitement? Because of the presents.

Presents are great. Toys, tools, music, games, clothes, and more. But the older you get, the less jumping you do as Christmas. Part of that comes from knowing that these superb presents won't last long. Even the ones that last won't make you jump for joy next year.

Enjoy your presents. Say thank you. Write thank yous. Be thankful and show it to the givers of these superb presents.

A long time ago Isaiah jumped up and down (so to speak) about a present he never even got to open. The present was Jesus. Instead of waiting one month to get his present, Isaiah spent his whole life waiting for Him. Instead of waiting one year to get Him, Isaiah's countrymen spent hundreds of years waiting for Him.

But to wise and faithful Isaiah and his countrymen, the present of Jesus was already certain. He was coming down to earth to live for us and to present Himself as a blood sacrifice for all sin of all mankind.

This was His promise to Isaiah, even though he died before Jesus was born. So many Jews had lived and died, waiting for the Present to arrive. Abraham, Aaron, Abner, Amos, and more. So the joy of the anonymous shepherds was the joy of someone who is opening a long-expected present.

Isaiah captures this joy in words.

7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

9 Burst into songs of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.

Do some jumping and bursting and singing. It's okay. Who cares about what other think? Or just sing. Sing at home. Take a hymnal or two home with you today. We got plenty. And sing with your family. Sing carols and hymns as you enjoy your Present.

"From heav'n above to earth I come
To bear good news to ev'ry home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing:

"To you this night is born a Child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
This little Child of lowly birth
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

"This is the Christ, our God most high,
Who hears your sad and bitter cry;
He will Himself your Savior be
From all your sins to set you free.

Jesus is our Present. Jump for joy, little lambs. Sing your hearts out, you sheep of God's holy flock. Bear this good news to your home this Christmas!

Amen.

Third Sunday in Advent

2010-12-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

Third Sunday in Advent
December 12, 2010

The Holy Highway
Isaiah 35

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

Dear friends,

You don't have to be a perfect driver to drive on our roads. Pass a few tests, pay some money, and you're good to go.

Could it work any other way? Wouldn't it make more sense to thoroughly scrutinize each and every driver? And by scrutinize I mean having someone shadow you for one month every year. Some would talk to your family and friends about how you drive. They'd put a device on your car to monitor speed.

Would this help? Would this make our highways and roads safer? Probably. Would you like these rules to be put into effect? Absolutely not, because no one would be able to drive.

A government official who follows you around for a month is going to observe enough mistakes to keep you off the road. Your family and friends—assuming they tell the truth—are going to give up embarrassing or dangerous anecdotes about your driving. Your speed monitor is going to catch you speeding and beep your transgression over to the DOT.

But as it is now, both good drivers and bad drivers travel on the same roads and highways. It isn't perfect. It was the same in the olden days when everyone walked.

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Luke 10:30-32)

This is the beginning and middle of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus told it to make it clear that everyone is our neighbor. But it also reminds us that our journey as believers is not easy. Sometimes we are the guy who gets attacked and gets left in the ditch. Sometimes we are the robbers who beat other people up with our words, instead of our fists. And a lot of the time we are the priest and the Levite—we are indifferent to the needs of our neighbors.

There are a lot of bad people on life's highway. Sometimes they look bad and sometimes they're good-looking. But whether they are ugly or attractive, many are going to the same place. Jesus said: “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13)

But not you. Why? Because our Good Samaritan gives us the credit for all the good things He has done. Consider Isaiah's prediction about the Savior.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy. (Isaiah 35:5-6)

These are the same words and more that Jesus used to prove to John that He was the Savior.

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. (Matthew 11:5)

Jesus is who He says He is. His virgin birth, His many miracles, His perfect life, and His innocent suffering, death, and resurrection prove that He is Emmanuel—God with us.

And He is with us now, and not just one month out of every year. He is with us all the time. This fact should terrify us because He knows all our dirty secrets. But instead, because He has forgiven us, His presence comforts us and encourages us to avoid evil in our lives.

And because of the holiness that Jesus has given to us, we now look forward to His Holy Highway.

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it... But only the redeemed will walk there.
(Isaiah 35:8,9)

In heaven our days of traveling through the dangers of life will be over. Just like the heavenly mansions and the holy city and new heavens and earth, God made this holy highway for His holy people. Just for you.

Amen.

Saints Triumphant

2010-11-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

Saints Triumphant
November 14, 2010

Blessed Eternal Sunshine
Revelation 22:1-5

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

Dear friends,

Before he died and went home, St. John, writer of the Gospel and several letters in the New Testament, saw some amazing things.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. (Revelation 22:1-2)

This city, which is heaven, points all the way back to the beginning of the world. It points back to the Garden of Eden. Eden had rivers, and the new city has a river, too. One crystal river, flowing with the water of life. This special river points us back to Eden and also to Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman at the well:

Everyone who drinks this 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)

Jesus' living water is the very Gospel itself. We use this picture of water because the Gospel does what water does. It washes us clean before God and we drink it and are refreshed. Thousands of believers throughout time from the beginning have been washed clean and have been refreshed with the water of life, which is the Gospel.

In addition to the water of life, there are trees of life. This, too, points back to the beginning. God made two trees in Eden. If you ate from the first one, you'd live forever. If you ate from the second one, you'd separate yourself from God and die.

Our ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve, ate from the second tree. So out of love for His rebellious creatures God driven them out of Eden so that they would not eat from the first tree, the tree of life, at the wrong time.

22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:22-24)

God did them a huge favor because they wouldn't face an eternity on a sinful planet with their sinful selves. Getting back to this tree and many variations on this theme has been a dream of many throughout the years. But the foutain of youth can't heal you; it can only make you live with yourself forever. Why would anyone want to live with themselves forever? What a horrible prospect. It sounds like hell to me.

But our Savior offers us the tree of life with our sins forgiven and ourselves healed. John spoke more of what he saw: the leaves of the tree [of life] are for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).

Could you imagine the conflict between nations continuing forever? Trade wars and terrorism and low intensity conflicts and failed peace talks... year after year after year? Again, no, thank you, it sounds terrible.

And thanks to Jesus, this will not happen. Wars will cease, but even better, in heaven believers from Russia and Georgia (the one in Asia), the USA and Iran, Pakistan and India, and all the rest will live together in perfect harmony.

But the very best thing about heaven is that Jesus lives there and we will live there with Him and we won't be under a curse anymore.

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:3-4)

The curse that we live under right now is our sin that we inherit from our parents and is a daily fact of our lives. Right now the curse of sin is such reality that we learn how to filter it out, just like we filter out trains at night, jets overhead, and farm odors below. God made us to be adaptable creatures, but when this flexibility is combined with the strench of sin, it makes for a deadly combination. We become comfortable in our smelly ways and in our selfish thoughts.

Sadly it takes a death to snap us back to the truth, especially when it is an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years (Isaiah 65:20).

Death is a harsh reminder that all are sinful, even the very old and the very young, people who couldn't hurt a fly. But we are all sinful and death follows us around down here on earth.

But in heaven the curse of sin will be long gone. Death will never again haunt our steps. Isaiah put it like this: he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed (Isaiah 65:20).

That's his inspired way of saying: you're never going to die. Ever. And for eternity we will talk with Jesus face-to-face. Our eye-closed prayers here will turn into actual eye-to-eye conversations up there. All this will come true because will bear Jesus' name. As Christians here on earth we bear the name of Christ—Christians. This will not change in heaven.

But there will be one big change in the new city.

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:5)

Two pastors I know just took calls to serve congregations in Wasilla and Kenai, up in Alaska. In June the sun will rise at 4:30 in the morning and it will set at 11:30 at night. But in heaven we won't have to depend on the rotation of the earth for light because the city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (Revelation 21:23).

We will be blessed with eternal sunshine. Our dearly departed in the Lord are enjoying this paradise right now. And you will join them for Jesus' sake.

You will drink from the crystal river.
You will eat from the tree of life.
You will bask in eternal sunshine.

And best of all, He will gather us up and we gather around His heavenly throne. And you will see the face of the Lord.

I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:27)

Amen.

The Festival of the Reformation

2010-10-31T04:55:00.000-07:00

Reformation Sunday
at St. Paul's Lutheran Church
October 31, 2010

The Righteous Will Live By Faith
Romans 1:17

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

Dear friends,

The two most important events in the last 2,010 years are the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and, coming in at a distant second place, the Reformation. An atheist who's had a pint of good Wittenberg beer has to be honest and admit that these events changed the world. If you really wanted to write a good sci-fi thriller, get into your Way Back Machine or DeLorean and travel to the year 1517 and remove the doors of the Castle Church, so that Martin Luther, the Augustinian friar, can't post his 95 Theses.

But do you really want to know why the Reformation happened? Luther posting the 95 Theses is a good touchstone for the Reformation, just like the Fourth of July is a good reference point for the Revolutionary War. We celebrate these days not because King George threw in the towel or because the pope took off his tiara, but because they have become days that we can point to as a bookmark into history.

So even though the 95 Theses were important, it wasn't Luther's concerns about bribing God with money—indulgences—that God used to spark the Reformation. For years good Catholic folks had been fed up with the false teaching that you could use money to buy forgiveness from the Church. Martin Luther was hardly original in his thinking on that point.

Here's secret of the Reformation. It happened because Luther went head-to-head with the question: “What is God's righteousness?” This is the key question of the Reformation.

For his whole life, Herr Doktor Luther had been taught and he believed that God's righteousness was the Law. He believed that whenever Holy Scriptures talked about God's righteousness—and they talk about it a lot—it meant that you needed to be perfect just like God is perfect (see Matthew 5:48). It was a demand to be holy without assistance in being holy. In fact God's righteousness was a death sentence.

And this freaked him out far more than any haunted house or corn maze. You can walk out of those; you can't just walk away from God's righteousness and what that means. Luther was a smart guy who was honest with himself—he knew he was bad by nature and by deed. His unrighteousness was the haunted house he lived in, day after day, with no escape.

Luther hated himself and hated God for what he thought God was doing to him. He hated the demand to be righteousness like God. Near the end of his life he wrote about his past,

“I hated that word, the righteousness of God... [meaning that] God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner... Though I lived as a monk with reproach, I felt, with the most disturbed conscience imaginable, that I was a sinner before God. I did not love, indeed I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners and secretly I was angry with God.”1

He hated righteousness... until he read Romans 1:17 and read it again and again and again and the Holy Spirit opened his eyes to the secret of the Reformation.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

When the Bible talks about God's righteousness, it means that God was, is, and always will be righteous and that He demands every human be just like Him. But God's righteousness also means the righteousness that God gives to you in Christ. God's righteousness is the Gospel.

This means that instead of going up to heaven and trying to grab righteousness from God, Christ came down to earth. You can't do a song and dance that will make God like you. But so to speak, Jesus sang and danced for you, in your place. He did this by living up to His own standard of righteousness and then transferring His righteousness to your favor. He transfers His righteousness to your favor through the Sacraments, when He washes away your sin and gives you His holiness in Baptism, Absolution, and Communion.

The secret of the Reformation—that God's righteousness isn't a demand, but a promise—changed everything for Luther. Now instead of trying to earn God's righteousness, he trusted that he already possessed God's righteousness in Christ and through the Sacraments. Instead of gazing at his navel, searching for something good, by faith in Christ he looked to his Savior's cross and to his holy Baptism. These are the concrete events in the world's history and in his own life and yours that changed everything.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood...

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law...

Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
"Blessed are they
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord will never count against him. (Romans 3:21-25, 28; 4:4-8)

Now that the secret of the Reformation was no longer a secret, Luther read the rest of Romans and the Psalms and Galatians and indeed the whole Bible with new eyes of faith. And as he read God's Word, he saw the most important event in history with joy and gladness, because it was the day he died to sin and was raised to life in Christ through Baptism. He and you and all believers are righteous and will live by faith!

Praise be to Christ, who is literally our Righteousness!

Amen!

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-10-10T06:32:00.001-07:00

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
10/10/10

Slaves to Righteousness
Romans 6:18

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Dear friends,

As I prepared for the sermon, I went over my notes on sermon text, Romans 6. I found a poem in margin of my notes that I had taken seven years ago. It is the poem Invictus and it ends like this:

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Invictus was written in 1875 by William Ernest Henley. This poet is convinced that he's in complete control of his future. This statement is based on personal observation, but concerning the one things that he needed, he was dead wrong. Humans do have ability to pick which crop to grow and who to marry and even sometimes correct injustice from a time. But when it comes to salvation, we are not in control. So the reason I made a note of this poem next to Romans 6:18 in my class notes was because this poem and verse 18 are opposites.

Mr. Henley the poet wrote, “I am the master of my fate.” St. Paul wrote, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:18). The poet thought that he was in control of his fate. Paul knew the truth. We used to be slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to righteousness.

Slaves don't control anything. They are told what to do and when to do it. So slaves hope that they have a good master. But when your master is evil, life's bad.

St. Paul talked about this bad life. He described it from personal experience.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:14-25)

When we were conceived in our mother's womb, we were sold into slavery. And we were slaves to our evil impluses and desires. Our old master was the devil. But it goes deeper. Our sinful nature was our master, too. Like Paul said, he wanted good, but he did evil. There was a civil war going on inside of Paul, but it was a war Paul would have lost on his own.

But see how Paul ends? Not in defeat, but in victory! Who won? Jesus did and so did Paul because of Jesus. Jesus traded places with Paul on the cross. On the cross Jesus took responsibility for Paul by being punished for Paul's wretchedness. But Jesus also happily gave Paul the credit for Jesus' own lifetime of righteousness and perfection and goodness. God now looks at Paul and sees Jesus.

When we were born, we were slaves to sin. When we were baptized, we were born again as slaves to righteousness. Our new master, Jesus Christ, bought us. Dr. Luther said it best.

[Jesus] has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.

All this He did that I should be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He has risen from death and lives and rules eternally. (Luther's Explanation to the Second Article)

We serve Jesus in righteousness. Because Jesus has set us free from our slavery to sin, we are now different kind of slaves. In the upper room on the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas, Jesus said to His disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. This is My command: Love each other.” (John 15:14-17)

Slaves to righteousness love to love and love to do good. But the most important thing we share is our Master, who calls Himself our Friend and who died as our Savior. We were slaves to sin, but now we thank our Savior Jesus for our new status as slaves to Him, our righteousness, the One who God sees when He looks at us.

Therefore, I speak to you on behalf of Christ, our many sins have been forgiven and therefore we love much. Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace (cf. Luke 7).

Amen.

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-10-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 3, 2010

Jesus Brings More of Everything
Revelation 2:8-11

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of Him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Dear friends,

The final book of the Bible is a book that is filled with comfort. Jesus' revelation to St. John is a message of free forgiveness and accomplished victory. We see this victory that was won on the cross when Jesus introduces Himself as the Savior who died and came to life again.

He died and came back to life. He died and came back to life. This is too good to be true, but God does impossible things. So He died and came back to life. This is Jesus talking and when He speaks, we listen.

And this is what Jesus says. He tells you that He knows you, just like He knew each individual believer who lived in Smyrna around AD 90. (Smyrna was a port city on the eastern coast of Turkey. It was the location of an early Christian church.)

Jesus says that He knows your problems, just like He knew the problems in Smyrna. And listen carefully: He doesn't know about your problems; He knows your problems. We often know about the problems of others. And maybe for a moment we feel bad. But Jesus' concern and empathy—feeling the misery of others—isn't a fleeting feeling. He knows our problems, because He has experienced the same problems and suffered from them, too.

Hebrews 2:9, 17, 18 says that Jesus suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone... For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus knows how you suffer. And in this revelation to the church in Smyrna, Jesus knew the suffering that came to them because they were Christians. This kind of suffering is different than the suffering that believers and unbelievers alike endure from disease, calamity, and other people.

Jesus is telling those in Smyrna, “You are standing firm in My hidden glory because I have made you My people. Stand firm until this suffering is over. What waits for you when this is over is My glory made visible in you to all the earth.” Here's how He actually said it: I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!

We are poor and rich at the same time. We look poor to the world. We look poor to our children and friends. We even look poor to ourselves. We look poor to everyone because bad things do happen to us.

The Christians in Smyrna faced evil words, jail time, and violence. Today we face cruel words. Christians face these things because we follow Jesus. We look poor because we are Christians. Our lives are more difficult because we are Christians.

When an unbelieving relative dies, we can't sugarcoat it by pretending that they'll be in heaven. We take this tragedy personally and it hurts. Unbelievers can lie to themselves, but we can't. Knowing the truth can bring more pain into your life. But knowing the truth of Jesus and His cross also bring us peace.

As Jesus' followers we have more of everything: more pain, but also more peace. Just go to the deathbed of a believer and be amazed at the peace they possess and confess in Christ. They know they have a crown. Jesus gave them this crown. It is a crown that proclaims that they are forgiven. This victory wreath on top of their heads shouts that when Jesus died and rose from the dead, they too were connected to this victory in Baptism. Perhaps they remember their confirmation verse: Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. What sweet comfort this sentence gives!

Our suffering and pain often threaten to hide our crowns. But in a strange way, they are marks of our Christian faith. When you are agonizing over a sin that you know is too cruel to be forgiven, remember that you are in agony because you take God's Word seriously. John's fellow apostle Peter urged his fellow believers to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

When you feel this war in your soul, remember not only the Law, but also the Gospel. Hear the words of Paul in Romans 5 as he rejoices: The law was added so that [sin] might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

This grace, this crown which He puts on your head, these riches that He pours out on you are gifts from Jesus. He wants you to have them because He knows that since you belong to Him, your life will tougher. You will suffer more. You will experience more pain. So He gives you more comfort, more peace, more joy because He died and came back to life. He died and came back to life.

Amen.

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-09-05T06:10:00.001-07:00

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 5, 2010

Love Takes Time

Amazed at Christ’s Love—He Calls Me His Child!
1 John 3:1-2

Hosea's life was a picture of unfaithfulness. But not Hosea's unfaithfulness; the unfaithfulness pictured was of his nation—Israel. God told Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife named Gomer and when she had children, God told Hosea to give them special names.

After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah [Hebrew: “not My loved one”], Gomer had another son. Then the Lord said, "Call him Lo-Ammi [Hebrew: “not My people”], for you are not My people, and I am not your God. (Hosea 1:8-9)

Gomer was to Hosea what Israel was to God. Gomer and Israel were both unfaithful. Gomer slept with other men; Israel worshiped themselves and pagan statues and heathen rituals. Hosea's marriage to Gomer was a living and breathing visual aid to remind the Israelites of their unfaithfulness.

However, God still longed to call them His children, but they continued to be unfaithful. They ran away from their true love, just like the selfish son ran away from his father in Jesus' parable (cf. Luke 15).

So even among these damning words of the Law from the Lord—”not My loved one” and “not My people”—we hear words of promise:

"Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.' The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited. (Hosea 1:10-11)

Just like Jesus' parable, the son who had squandered his father's lavish inheritance was welcomed back by that very same father.

We are unfaithful people by nature. We love to run away from Jesus. We are not loving; we are selfish. Our thoughts are constantly on what we can get. Our minds are always frustrated that we don't have as much as we deserve. Our emotions are controlled by the desire to be in control, which is always just outside of our reach.

But Jesus changed all this. He showed us love and how to love. This month we'll learn that love takes time. We sing this truth in our worship and proclaim it in our sermons and study it in our Bible studies.

In order to benefit from this truth, we will need to keep first things first. The first thing is the love that Jesus showed to us. Our love that takes time is the result of Jesus' love and His activity on our behalf. With His death on the cross, He paid the price of sin for all sinners. With your Baptism, He made you His own dear child.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God. (1 John 3:1-2)

Amen.

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-08-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

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.

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-08-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

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.

St. Mary, Mother of God

2010-08-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

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.

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

2010-08-08T05:35:00.001-07:00

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.

St. James the Elder, Apostle

2010-07-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

St. James the Elder, Apostle
July 25, 2010

Acts 12:1-3
James, a Sinner and a Saint

Today we are going to remember the Apostle James. Whenever we commemorate an Apostle, the central thing to remember is that Jesus took a sinner and declared him to be a saint. So as we learn about James, we will see the meaning of these words:

Where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

The grace of Jesus overcame the sin of James. In James we see ourselves. Like James, Jesus' grace also overcomes our sin. Praise be to Christ! Amen!

James was one of the first men that Jesus called to be one of His disciples; and he was also the first one killed because of his calling. What happened between his call and his martyrdom?

First of all, we need to note that there were two men named James whom Jesus called to follow Him. The James we remember today was John's brother—John was the writer of the Gospel and of Revelation. And James was the son of Zebedee. (The other James was the son of Alphaeus.) When the Gospels speak of Peter, James, and John, that's the James were talking about. Our James didn't write the New Testament letter of James because he was already in heaven by then.

Some of the future apostles are only mentioned in the lists of disciples, like in Matthew 10. So we don't know much about them personally. But we do know James. Jesus chose him and his brother and Peter to see things that the other nine disciples weren't allowed to see.

When Jesus brought Jairus' little girl back to life, He brought along Peter, James, and John to be eyewitnesses. Same with the Transfiguration—these three men saw Jesus in His glory, as Moses and Elijah stood next to Him. And on the night Jesus was betrayed by another of His disciples, Judas, we read:

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," He said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." (Mark 14:32-34)

Just a few verses later we learn that James and the others had fallen asleep. Like Peter, James talked big, but when Jesus asked him to stay awake in the Garden, he couldn't even do that. When Judas brings the armed mob to grab Jesus, James ran away with the rest of the disciples.

Also concerning is that James seemed to think that he and his brother John were better than the other disciples.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him. "Teacher," they said, "we want You to do for us whatever we ask."

"What do you want Me to do for you?" He asked.

They replied, "Let one of us sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your glory."

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"

"We can," they answered.

Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." (Mark 10:35-40)

James was bold. He made a bold request to sit next to Jesus in heaven; then he answers Jesus' question about drinking His cup with confidence, “We are ready to die for you,” without apparently thinking about what his answer meant. But here's what interesting: Jesus says that James is right, that James will drink the cup He drinks. And this came true about ten years later.

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. (Acts 12:1-2)

James ran away from the cross that saved him, Jesus' cross on Golgotha, but through the comfort of the resurrection and the strength of God's Word, James did not run away from Herod's sword. He was not afraid to die for the name of Jesus, his Savior.

Even though James was a sinner, he faced death with the comfort of the forgiveness of his sins. And he knew that this included the time when he ran away from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. And when he was sure that Jesus was dead and doubted the many times when Jesus had predicted His coming back to life.

James also knew that Jesus' forgiveness extended even to his original sin, which is the condition and compulsion to go against everything God wants for us, which he inherited from Zebedee and Salome, his father and mother, which they inherited from their parents all the way back to Adam and Eve, our first parents.

And so we end where we began with Romans 5. Even though James was killed long before these words were penned by Paul, James trusted in the very same promise.

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass [Adam's sin] was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness [Christ's death on the cross] was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19)

James knew the righteousness of God, not because of righteousness inside of himself, but by the promise and fulfillment of the Savior's work on his behalf. This is James' salvation; it is ours as well.

Praise Christ for James, a disciple, an apostle, a martyr, and most of all, a forgiven sinner!

Amen.

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-07-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
July 18, 2010

Romans 12:16
Live In Harmony With One Another

How do you live in harmony? And how you do that with other people? Maybe the answer is to be good for goodness' sake?

This attitude works. It gets people to be nice to other people. It gets people to take risks when helping others. Did you hear about the Ohio mailman who saved a drowned man with CPR? And this is the third life he saved while on his route... which he finished on time. We hear this news and it makes us glad. It's great to know that there are people who are eager to help when help is needed.

But we appreciate non-dramatic events and people, too. Our neighbor who shoves our walk in winter or mows our grass in the summer. The neighbor who keeps her yard so neat and clean and full of beautiful flowers. The dog-walker who makes sure his pooch doesn't ruin your sidewalk. Little stuff, sure. But it means a lot to us that there are many who are good for the sake of goodness.

They live in harmony with their neighbors because they want to be treated well as they treat others well. All of this works. It is rational. And as believers we thank our Lord for a community that, for the most part, is peaceful and united and harmonious.

But as believers we strive to live in harmony with one another for a different reason. A reason that is irrational. The world looks at what Jesus did to save us and thinks, “Irrational! That guy was crazy!” The world is correct: sacrificing the holy Son of God to save sinners is... unexpected.

Christ calls us to do unexpected things also.

He wants us to want what is best for our bullies. Pray for your bullies (remember that they come in all shapes and ages and sizes). Be kind to them. Sometimes you might need to defend yourself or someone else from their fists, but don't hit back with your words.

Don't be afraid to spend time with a rich person whom everyone else despises or a poor person whom hygiene isn't up to our standards.

And don't take yourself too seriously. If you don't, you'll much more stress and worry that you'll need to unburden on Jesus. While He'll be glad to do so, He also wants what's best for you.

This is our irrational reason for living in harmony with one another: we want what is best for others. We are able to do this because Jesus has set us loose on this selfish world and the conceited bullies who live here.

Our lives are filled with so much disharmony. Communication problems, money problems, relationship problems—and now try adding other people to the mix. If we handle our lives in the expected way, our lives may smoother than others. We might be well-liked and respected by others. That's good for now.

But as followers of Jesus our attitude will be one that the world will never understand. It will always be irrational and unexpected, just like Jesus. But He gives us the only harmony that will last, even when the world ceases to be.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.

Amen.

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-06-27T05:55:00.001-07:00

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
June 27, 2010

What Does Membership Mean?
Luke 9:23-24

What does membership mean? Strictly speaking, membership in a congregation is not a requirement for salvation. Same goes with attendance at worship, Bible study, or Sunday school. Giving money to your church doesn't get you into heaven, either.

Jesus earns us a spot in heaven with His blood, sweat, and tears. He explained: "[I] must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and [I] must be killed and on the third day be raised to life" (Luke 9:22).

He did suffer. The Jews rejected Him and demanded that He be crucified. He was killed on a cross. And on the third day He came back to life. This is how He saves us.

You'll note that in His explanation of how He saves us, Jesus never said anything about church membership, attendance, or offerings. But even though these things will never save anybody, they are still important because they require self-denial.

After Jesus feed over 5,000 people with the miracle of bread and fish and just before He showed His glorious appearance to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, He said this: "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it." (Luke 9:22-23)

The principle that Jesus is speaking about is self-denial. To be clear, self-denial doesn't mean that you can't have fun. You can, and you should by spending time with friends and family. Have a picnic, go to the Air Show, go and see the third Toy Story—these good things do not violate Jesus' principle of self-denial.

Denying self is something that we do by placing Jesus first in our lives. Luther explains self-denial when explaining the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods.” What does this mean? “You should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”

Self is the part of you that wants to kill you by dragging you away from Jesus, sometimes so slowly we don't ever recognize how far away you are. Self does not care about Jesus' death on the cross. It does not care about Jesus' resurrection from the empty tomb. It does not care about your salvation. It cares about itself.

In the daily decisions that you make, you will struggle with your self. Self always wants you to make choices that lead you away from following Jesus, decisions that do not fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

For example, going on vacation is a good thing. But if you plan your vacation with no thought of Sunday worship at a local Wisconsin Synod church, you are being lead away from Jesus. (Sure, I'll readily concede that there are some spots in America where there aren't any of our churches for a good long distance.)

What I'm talking about is that many of our selves plan our vacations by assuming we won't go to church. Our selves write off those Sundays as vacation days. Our selves reveal that we consider church to be work, and from time to time, we deserve time off.

Let's talk a small step toward denying self. This year let's include worship on our travel iternary, whether it's a business trip or a vacation. Pick out a WELS or ELS church before you put a hold on your mail. You can even call ahead or email the pastor to let him you are coming. Trust me, when you do that, you'll make his day.

But there are so many ways to follow Christ and deny self when we are here. One of those ways is belonging to a church and being one of its members.

Let's get a few misconceptions about membership off the table. First, membership is not a free ticket to heaven. Membership doesn't mean that you can angry when your pastor asks why you come to church once a year. Membership doesn't mean that you have the right to gossip and complain about you fellow members. Membership doesn't mean that you know everything about the Bible—trust me, you don't, and it's selfish to think that you do.

What does membership mean? It means that you voluntarily remain a part of a family of believers who hold that God comes down to us as a perfect Man who died for our sins. As a member, you are publicly confessing that the Bible is God's Word and that it does not change with time. Your membership also is public statement that you had no part in the decision that brought you into Jesus' family—He did that.

Membership also means that you consistently come to chuch for Bible study and for worship. When you aren't here, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you are on vacation and worshiping at a different WELS church. Membership means that if your job forces to work on Sunday, that you let me know and we'll set up alternative ways for you to hear God's Word and receive the Lord's Supper.

Cancer kills you. When the doctors tell you to be at the chemo clinic at such-and-such a time, you're there, whatever it's takes, to get that medicine. If you don't, your doctors, your friends, and your family are going to say something.

Jesus explained to the self-righteous religious experts that He is medicine and that all people need this medicine.

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow Me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him.

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:27-32)

We are sinners who have a daily need to feel shame over our selfishness and to trust in Jesus' forgiveness. Jesus is our Medicine. As each week begins, we gather at our “clinic” to confess our sin and to be forgiven by the words of Christ. Staying away from our clinic—church—is a public statement that says that you don't think you are selfish and that you don't need to be forgiven.

If you move away from the Quad Cities, consistent access to your “clinic” where the Medicine of Life is administered isn't possible. Unless you are a college student or serving in the military, membership means that you find a new “clinic” where you can get your Medicine.

It doesn't mean that we are no longer your family. It means that I can't take care of your soul over the phone. I can't mail you the Lord's Supper. I can't baptize your children by email.

There are 18 members of Gethsemane whom I am unable to serve because they live far away. They deserve to be taken care of. That is their God-given right as Christians. They deserve to have a home and a pastor who gives them the Medicine that we all so desparately need. They need a place where they Lord's Supper as often as possible, where they sin is forgiven, where someone will notice if they haven't been to church and will say something to them about the Medicine they need.

When you move, you need to transfer your membership to a nearby WELS or ELS church. You will always be welcome at Gethsemane whenever you visit. I've very much enjoyed meeting many of you already and I can't wait to meet the rest soon.

When you go to college, you probably keep your parents' address. But when you move away permanently, you find a new home and you get mail there. Finding a new church home is just as important, even though self says differently, “This is the perfect time to disappear from church—you're busy, maybe you got kids, you're starting a new life—who has time to be a member of anything, especially church!” What a perfect to deny self and tell it to be silent.

During the next year and more, we'll be helping our permanently moved-away members connect with their new “clinics,” where they can receive Jesus. We're not pushing them out the door; we are pointing them to the Cross and to the clinic for the Medicine. The name of the clinic might be St. Paul's, St. Matthew's, Peace, Jerusalem, Holy Cross, or Good Shepherd. Then we drive our selves, sometimes kicking and screaming, to our clinic for our medicine. Our clinic's name is Gethsemane, but the medicine is the same: Jesus, our Savior who lived and died for us.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

2010-06-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 20, 2010

Time Doesn't Change God's Promises
1 Corinthians 6:9-11

I want to talk to you today about a trend in Lutheranism. I could say Christianity, but Jesus told us to address the plank in our own eyes first, since this trend is sinful. And it's reached its logical conclusion in many Lutheran churches.

The trend is to claim that over time, God's promises change. Something He said 6,000 years ago or 4,000 years ago or 2,000 years ago may not be as relevant or true today as it used to be back then.

Today we read some of the Apostle Paul's mail. He lists several sins. Today I want to focus on two of those sins because there are many Lutherans who are saying that those sins aren't sins. The first sin is sex outside of marriage. The second sin is homosexuality.

Many Lutherans declare that sex outside of marriage is not sin. Many say that even if you aren't married, it is okay to act like husband and wife. Teenagers having sex? Sure, kids will be kids. A divorced person having sex with another divorced person? That's fine. A widow and widower? Go for it, you old naughty hipters, you!

Many Lutheran pastors don't discipline couples who live together before they are married—they will still give them Communion and they would never dream of excommunicating them. Many pastors refuse to talk about these serious issues from their pulpits. The result is logical: many Lutherans are living with their partners before they are married.

If they don't stop living together, they are putting their souls on the path to hell.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

Most Lutherans in the pews would say that drunks are sinners. They'd say the same about slanderers, greedy people, con artists, and thieves.

But the leadership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says that homosexuality is okay. They spin God's promises around and say, “Well, this may have been true in Paul's time. But our society has seen the light. We now know that alternative lifestyles—unmarried households and homosexuals—are okay, as long as the partners are committed to each other. Paul doesn't speak truth to our society any longer. We are relevant and progressive and we adapt to our culture.”

On August 21, 2009, the ELCA issued a press release.

The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted today to open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships.

The action came by a vote of 559-451 at the highest legislative body of the 4.6 million member denomination. Earlier the assembly also approved a resolution committing the church to find ways for congregations that choose to do so to "recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same gender relationships," though the resolution did not use the word "marriage."

The actions here change the church's policy, which previously allowed people who are gay and lesbian into the ordained ministry only if they remained celibate...

Pastor Richard Mahan of the ELCA West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod was among several speakers contending that the proposed changes are contrary to biblical teaching. "I cannot see how the church that I have known for 40 years can condone what God has condemned," Mahan said, "Nowhere does it say in scripture that homosexuality and same sex marriage is acceptable of God."

But others said a greater acceptance of people who are gay and lesbian in the church was consistent with the Bible. Bishop Gary Wollersheim [he has offices in Rockford and Rock Island—on Augustana College's campus. He was just re-elected to a third 6-year term of office a few days ago.] of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod said, "It's a matter of justice, a matter of hospitality, it's what Jesus would have us do." Wollersheim said he had been strongly influenced by meetings with youth at youth leadership events in his synod, a regional unit of the ELCA.

(ELCA NEWS SERVICE, August 21, 2009, “ELCA Assembly Opens Ministry to Partnered Gay and Lesbian Lutherans,” http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=4253, accessed June 19, 2010.)

God says homosexuality is sin. The ELCA leaders, like Bishop Wollersheim, decided that they are their own gods and proclaimed that homosexuality is not sin.

The most telling aspect of this sorry affair isn't that the ELCA leadership decided to change God's Word. The ELCA has been doing that for years, decades even. That isn't news. The most revealing thing is what Bishop Wollersheim said. This so-called Lutheran pastor has the gall to claim that Jesus would be just fine with homosexuality.

“It's what Jesus would have us do,” Bishop Wollershiem says. 559 delegates to last year's ELCA convention gobbled up this lie, hook, line, and sinker. For years and decades their pastors have been telling them that time changes God's promises. What used to be true isn't true today.

This is a seductive lie, because it contains some truth. Our knowledge of God's six-day creation had increased by jumps and hops. Though we tend to overestimate the limitations of our forefathers, it is true that we have collected a great deal of facts about the universe and the atom.

But what God has revealed about Himself hasn't changed. Sin is sin. We must tell our Lutheran friends who are not in our fellowship that the truth doesn't change over time. This is true even when men try to change God's promises.

And this promise of God cannot be changed by men: Jesus washes away our wickedness and loves us. You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)

Consider the life of Mannaseh. He despised the legacy that his father, good King Hezekiah had handed down to him. He worshiped idols. He even sacrificed his sons to a pagan idol.

Yet by God's mercy he repented when he saw that he was abandoned by all human help. He was declared not guilty of his sinfulness and he will be in heaven with his father Hezekiah.

But he almost went to hell because no one stood up to him and told him the truth. Once his father was gone, Mannaseh did as he saw fit. He became his own god.

On this Father's Day remember your faithful father who spoke God's promises to you, even when you were being bad. Most father won't do this, so treasure the ones who do. A good dad calls sin a sin. He teaches you that God's promises don't change over time.

Amen.

Second Sunday after Pentecost

2010-06-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Second Sunday after Pentecost
June 6, 2010

Can Pain Ever Be Good?
James 1:2-3

Pain is bad. When we hurt ourselves, our bodies will tell us that we are in pain. These pain receptors signal our brain that something bad is happening. Our senses can get us to stop hurting ourselves before the damage becomes permanent.

Hot ashpalt, bare feet. As a kid, I thought that running back to our spot on the beach for my sandals was a waste of time and that I could handle walking on a scorching parking lot. I was wrong. Pain told me to stop after two steps.

My first time playing in Wisconsin snow was awesome. But it was very cold. After a while (and after ignoring my mom's call to come inside), I started to get warm and I thought how wonderful this warm feeling was. That is until I realized later that I had gotten so cold that my pain receptors had shut down and I was experiencing freezing pain. When I went inside, the pain was like your leg falling asleep and then walking up—pins and needles—but much more intense and to your whole body.

I heard a story about a man who had been struck by lightning and who survived, but had lost his sense of sight and temperature. This poor fellow would be out in the snow in shorts and flip-flops, as his feet were bitten by frost. He kept hurting himself, until many of his limbs were permanently damaged.

With pain, we hurt ourselves plenty. Without pain, we would really mess ourselves up. So it makes sense to say that pain is good. It keeps us from really hurting ourselves.

Pain is good for believers, too. With pain, we still are selfish and sin against God and hurt ourselves and others. But if there was no pain or consequences, we would really mess up our lives.

Consider how often we secretly envy the unbelievers, who seem to feel no pain: “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong... From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits... This is what the wicked are like—always carefree, they increase in wealth.” (Psalm 73:3-5, 7, 12 )

Most unbelievers follow the laws of the land. But they don't care about God's Word. So they spend their lives offending God with their selfish lives. Yet nothing happens to them... until the end of time. Consider Jesus' story about the weeds.

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

" 'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' " (Matthew 13:24-30)

Imagine, God forbid, that we were unbelievers again, like the man who had been struck with lightning. We start with small sins, and we'd keep pushing the envelope, until we destroy ourselves.

Using your bare hand to touch a hot pan on the stove will result in pain. That's bad. But that pain protected you from spilling boiling water on yourself. That's good. Pain is useful and keeps us from doing bad things that will hurt us.

This is why James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3).

We face trials of many kinds. But the worst trials come when our wicked selves and the devil conspire to use our pain against us. When our grandma dies, it hurts. And we ask, “Why did Jesus let this happen? Doesn't He love me anymore?” The conspirators whisper back, “No, Jesus lied. He doesn't care about you. You are all alone.” They want to turn your grief into a crisis. The devil knows that our pain is a terrible thing to waste. He wants to turn our loss into his gain.

How do we respond to this painful test? We call the devil's words and our doubts what they are: lies that were meant to destroy us. And when your dad dies, it still hurts. But we are ready for the lies that going to come flooding into our thoughts. We persevere because we trust in Jesus' promises. And everytime the devil tries to trick us with his lies, we see right through him and see Jesus' cross, where He died for us.

The longer you live, the more pain you see. As believers, we are blessed that our pain serves a purpose. It gets us ready for our storms of doubt and crises of faith. In the end it gets us ready for our own death.

So, yes, unbelievers seem to have much less pain in their lives. Our lives often seem devoted to pain and tests and trials. But rejoice in your trials and temptations, because pain is good. It opens our eyes to see that we need Jesus and that He is only thing we need. Pain hurts, but Jesus uses it to pull us back to Him.

Amen.

Trinity Sunday

2010-06-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

The Holy Trinity
May 30, 2010

What Is God Like?
Romans 11:33-36

Have you ever trapped a grasshopper in your hands? You peer at the green bug with his alien face and maybe you wonder if he knows anything about you. He's just an insect, but it seems like he knows at least one thing about you—that you could smush him at anytime. So the minute you open your hand, he zooms away.

Grasshoppers know that we can smush them. So they stay away from us. They'll never understand that we are so much more than grasshopper smashers. They'll never understand how we think or how we do things.

In the Old Testament Isaiah wrote this: “[God] sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers” (Isaiah 40:22). We are grasshoppers. We are in God's hands, but we know so little about Him. But we do know that He is powerful.

“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)

Type in “scale of the universe” on Google or YouTube and you can watch any number of videos that detail the massive scale of the universe and its stars. The best wild guesses that we currently have put the number of stars in the universe at about 70 sextillion or 7 with 22 zeros.

Humans can't understand who God is or what He is like, unless He comes down to us and tells us. If you wanted to tell grasshoppers about your name and the things that you like, you would have to become a grasshopper so that you could explain who you are in ways that they could understand.

This is what God did when He sent Jesus into the world. The God who created trillions and and trillions and trillions of stars became a man. He did this so that He could explain who He is and what He does for us. So when someone asks what God is like, Jesus is a great answer.

In Jesus we see the Trinity at work. God the Father sends the Son on His holy mission. God the Son is punished for our sinfulness. God the Holy Spirit communicates Jesus' rescue mission through the Gospel.

Think of it this way: what has caused you to be saved? There are three good answers to this question and they are all from the Bible and they are all correct.

1.You are saved by God's love for you, which set the Gospel into motion.
2.You are saved by Jesus' death for you, which is the climax of the Gospel.
3.You are saved by Baptism, which is the Gospel in visible form.

All three answers are different, but they are all correct. The Father's love set our salvation into motion. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus' death paid for our salvation. We know this from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Spirit proclaims salvation through the Gospel. We know this because Jesus said, “When the Counselor [Holy Spirit] comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me” (John 15:26).

What is God like? He loves you. He died for you. He forgives you. This is probably the best way to understand the Trinity, our God who is three Persons in one God. Our language can't properly express how the Trinity works and our minds can't grasp the inner working of the Trinity, but because of our faith in Jesus, we know that our Triune God works for us.

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

Amen.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2010-05-23T05:50:00.001-07:00

The Day of Pentecost
May 23, 2010

Speaking of Tongues
Acts 2:1-21

The most impressive thing that Peter did on Pentecost was not speaking in a foreign language that he had never learned. It was his sermon.

Peter pointed people from all over the world to Jesus. He pointed them to their Savior's crucifixion and resurrection.

Peter preached: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This Man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. (Acts 2:22-24)

The main miracle of Pentecost wasn't speaking in tongues. It was the Holy Spirit coming to these people and creating trust in Jesus in many of their hearts. The Holy Spirit created trust in their Savior, trust that would save them and sustain them.

And it's important to note how the Holy Spirit came to the gathered audience. He did use the wind didn't create faith. The fire didn't create faith. The marvel of fishermen speaking practically every language known to man didn't create faith. These wonders gathered the audience, but they didn't save anyone.

The Holy Spirit works through things that aren't amazing. On Pentecost He used non-amazing Peter preaching a sermon. Then He used non-amazing water to baptize them. Then He used Jesus' body and blood in, with, and under the non-amazing bread and wine of the Lord's Supper to increase their trust in Jesus and in His promises.

Among most Christians, at least on the surface, the work of Jesus is confessed—He lived, died, and rose from the dead. But among this same group, there are major divisions about what the Holy Spirit does. Many want the Holy Spirit to do amazing things among them; they refuse to trust that He would use non-amazing things.

There are many who say that He used and still uses wind, fire, and tongues to create salvation in Jesus. They pressure their followers to have dramatic spiritual encounters with God. They peer pressure their people to speak in tongues.

The irony is that these groups will cite the Day of Pentecost as proof that speaking in tongues is something that every true Christian needs to do. But the tongues that the apostles and disciples spoken were known languages. The tongues that the Pentecostal groups demand are syllables that mean nothing. And in practice, their churches sounds like the Tower of Babel every Sunday. No one knows what anyone else's tongue speaking means.

Paul talks about speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14: Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church...

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified... in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:9-12, 15-17, 19)

I've never seen flying tongues of fire. I've never spoken in tongues, except when I stub my big toe. I've never seen powerful wind in an enclosed room. The Day of Pentecost was unique. We can't recreate it. And Paul tells us that we don't need to.

Instead the Holy Spirit uses non-amazing things to do amazing things. He uses the Word that speaks of Jesus. So we speak in tongues that people can understand that Jesus is that He died for all.

Many years after Peter preached for the first Pentecost, he wrote a letter to his friends. We call this letter 1 Peter.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation… Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-5, 8-9)

Peter wrote to this friend in the Greek language, so that they could understand the joy that we share in Jesus Christ. It has been translated into English so that many more can know this joy, too.

Speaking in tongues doesn't make you a Christian. Speaking of Christ—so to speak—does. The wind doesn't make you a Christian; the Word does. The tongues of fire don't make you a Christian; the drops of water connected to the Word do.

Amen.

The Ascension of our Lord

2010-05-13T13:24:00.001-07:00

The Ascension of our Lord
May 13, 2010

Doing It By Hand
Luke 24:50-52

His hands were so small when he was born. Small little hands that easily fit into the hands of Mary and Joseph. When they took Him to the Temple to be circumcised eight days later, Simeon and Anna must have marveled that these little hands were the hands of the Savior who would save the world.

Twelve years later His hands were in the Temple again. He was teaching the Jewish Bible experts with His insightful questions and piercing answers.

18 years after that trip to Jerusalem those same hands were in His hometown, unrolling a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which pointed out the identity of the promised Savior.

Then those hands went to work.
They healed a leper.
They drew in the dirt.
They broke five loaves of bread that feed over 5,000 people.
They took a dead girl by her hands and woke her up with powerful words.
They grabbed Peter when he began to sink.
They made mud and put it on the eyes of a blind man so that he could see.
They hugged little children.
They healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath.
They washed the feet of His disciples.
They broke bread and poured wine that was His own body and blood.
They prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
They healed the ear that Peter cut off.

And then they were nailed to a cross. Then He died and His hands grew cold. His friends took down the cross and then removed the nails from His hands and then wrapped them up in linen burial clothes. Then they put Him in a tomb.

But His hands weren't finished. Blood flowed back into those hands early Easter morning. Those resurrected hands broke bread in Emmaus. Then they were in Jerusalem, nail marks and all, being shown to the apostles.

And finally, forty days later, those hands blessed His friends before He went up into heaven.

When [Jesus] had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (Luke 24:50-52)

And now everything is in Jesus' hands as He rules in heaven.

As your hands works to make useful products, as they create delicious food, as they type and send helpful information, as they wipe away dirt from behind your child's ears, your hands are serving Jesus. For you see that after He went home Jesus has chosen to hide His hands from us, and so now Jesus serves us by using our ordinary hands in our ordinary lives to serve ordinary people.

But this doesn't mean Jesus is not busy. By no means!

Jesus washed away your sin when your pastor used his ordinary hands to pour ordinary water on your head as he spoke Jesus' extraordinary words. Jesus washes away sins that you can't stop thinking about when your pastor forgives you on a Tuesday afternoon, and then you are reminded of the tree that earned this forgiveness as your pastor signs the holy cross with his hand.

Jesus' hands used to be so small. But even at Christmas they were perfect. Jesus' hands grew and then went up to heaven 43 days after they are nailed to the cross. Those perfect hands saved us. And now our hands are busy in service to Him by serving others.

We are in His hands.

Amen.

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

2010-05-11T11:51:00.001-07:00

The Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 2, 2010

Moses' Mother Made a Choice
Exodus 2:1-3

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.

Last Sunday we talked about the kind of love that makes sacrifices for the ones that they love. This kind of love makes choices that seeks the best interests of the one who is loved. This is the kind of love that Moses' mother had for Moses.

Moses' mother was named Jochebed. And she found herself in a tight spot. She had a baby. Giving birth to a child is tough enough, but she was a Hebrew mother living in Egypt. The problem was that the king of Egypt had ordered that all Hebrew boy babies were to be killed.

The reason for this horrible law was that the king of Egypt was afraid of the Hebrews. He was scared that they might get tired of being his slaves and try to kill him. So he made it a law that whenever someone had a baby boy, they had to throw that little baby into the Nile river so that he would drown.

Moses' mother, Jochebed, loved God and she loved her baby boy. So she broke Pharaoh's law. She did not kill her son. She chose to hide him for three months and then she put him in a water-tight basket that she placed in the Nile river. She risked her life to save her son.

Mothers make important choices for their children. Mothers work very hard to provide every last toy and piece of tech for their kids. But sadly, many of these same mothers make the choice to keep their kids away from Baptism and Jesus.

This is sad because while those children will never know a trace of hunger—maybe for five minutes before dinner—and while they always have the best shoes, they won't know their friend, Jesus.

People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have Him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:15-17)

Bless you, dear mothers, for bringing your children to Jesus. During the time you feed them milk, baby food, peanut butter sandwiches, and hamburgers, you are also feeding them with the Bread of Life.

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

There is nothing as important as bringing your children to Jesus. If your children have Him, they will have the one thing that they need. Those who trust in Jesus as the only Savior from sin have nothing to be afraid of. This doesn't mean that your children's lives will be easy or pain-free. It means that when they face tough situations, they will know that Jesus is with them, even in a situation that involves death!

Just look at Moses' mother. When Jochebed put Moses into the Nile, she could have been caught. The Egyptians hired Hebrews to spy on the other Hebrews. Then she had her daughter, Miriam, watch the basket. This was risky, but Jochebed trust in her Lord to protect her whole family. And He answered her prayer. The basket went down the river and was found by, of all people, the daughter of Pharaoh!

Then Miriam goes up to the daughter of the king who wanted her brother dead and asked her if she wanted a Hebrew woman to take care of Moses. We look at Miriam and we think that she must have had some nerve. Maybe, but consider who her mom was. Miriam learned about her Lord from her mother, just like her brother Moses would, because Pharaoh's daughter said yes. Jochebed brought her children to Jesus.

Blessed mothers, you choose to bring your children to Jesus. And you do much more than teach them the important difference between right and wrong. You teach them about sin and how everyone is born sinful. This sin makes everyone a natural enemy of Jesus. But you explain to them that when they were baptized as babies a few days or a few weeks after their birth, Jesus made them His friend by forgiving their sinfulness.

When children grow up, they often forget the Jesus that they sang about at Christmastime. Dear mothers, don't let them forget. As they grow up, remind them of the importance of gathering around the Gospel every week. Sports, recreation, and hobbies that consistently take place on Sunday are not healthy for them or you.

You show them how important Sunday is by your joyful body language on a Sunday morning. When the one-year old decides to throw oatmeal on her older brother, Sunday morning can be frantic. But more often than not, they're going to see a mom who rejoices when she goes to the house of the Lord (cf. Psalm 122:1).

They also see a congregation that supports the calling of mothers. We do this by not staring at a mother struggling with a noisy child. We support mothers by letting their children see us treating Sunday as a special day by dressing up, each according to our means. We support mothers when we show their children that Sunday School doesn't stop when you turn 15.

Jesus isn't just for kids. Dear mothers, they do see you studying your Bible at home. They hear you singing good hymns that preach the Gospel with specific details about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. When they ask you questions about Jesus and you answer their questions with enthusiasm and joy, boy, that says more than you can know.

Thank you, mothers. Your vocation is one of the highest callings there is. Whether you have no children, lots of them, or they've all left the nest, Jesus is serving people through you. Like Moses' mother, you make some many choices everyday that serve others. Your faithful choices honor Jesus and we thank Him for giving you to us.

Amen.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

2010-05-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

The Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 2, 2010

Christian Love Make Choices
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

In just over a month my family will head to Wisconsin for a wedding. When I go to weddings, I like to keep a mental checklist of things that will happen: everyone will rise when the bride walks down the aisle, the pastor will talk about love during his sermon, the best man will tell some embarrassing stories about the groom, and they will play the Chicken Dance at the reception. Today I'd like to discuss No. 2 on the checklist: love sermons.

I've been to some of our churches where the sermon about love was very good; I've also been to some of our churches where the sermon about love was very bad. The bad wedding sermons weren't bad because they contained heresy. No, they're bad because they talked about the wrong kind of love.

Those bad sermons talked about the kind of love that is sentimental and sugary. It's the love that gushes and bubbles often with very real affection. But it is love that wants be loved in return. That's why is gushes and bubbles—to get as good as it gives. It is conditional love. In an honorable relationship, this kind of love is a fine thing.

But this kind of love is not mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13. And that's what makes a bad wedding sermon—to talk about the sugary kind of love and then quote 1 Corinthians 13, which talks about a very different kind of love.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The love that St. Paul expresses here is love that seeks the best interests of the one who is loved. It's the love that God has for sinners. It's the love that forgiven sinners have for one another. This kind of love is not headquartered in our emotions; it lives in our will. Therefore, this kind of love isn't about attraction, but action. This is love that makes choices.

God the Father has this kind of love for sinners. His love acted. He chose to love us. He chose to seek out our best interests. He sent His Son to be perfect for us. Jesus did exactly that for 40 weeks plus 33 years. And then He died for us. Jesus lived and died as our replacement. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus' self-sacrificing love reached out and yanked us out of hell.

John summed up the kind of love that Jesus has for us: This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:10-11)

Jesus' love for us is also expressed in Ephesians: Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

So now I want to you to go out and love your enemies. Go out and love that jerk at work. Go out and love that bully at school. Go home and love that mean sibling. But how? How can I love someone that hates me?

Great question. I'm not asking you to like your enemy. I'm not asking you to have affection for your enemy or to create a warm fuzzy feeling for them in your heart. Nope. Jesus wants us to look out for the best interests of everyone, even people who detest you. What is in everyone's best interest? To repent of their selfish ways and be baptized into the family of Christ.

So love your enemy. And remember that this kind of love is also kind and patient. This assumes that people in our lives put our kindness and patience to the test. And they do. Maybe your husband is a hit-or-miss listener, who can't recall your conversation from just yesterday. Being kind and patient is hard when your spouse does this for 673 yesterdays.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. The apostle is not telling us that love is indifferent to wrong. Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul sharply rebuked the congregation for its indifference toward a man who was living with his father's wife. Paul is speaking about love that forgets about self and seeks out the best interests of the one loved, even when that requires discipline.

A wise parent knows that love and discipline go hand in hand. But they also know that they should never discipline while they are angry. But they also know that that love without discipline isn't love. So discipline without being rude!

A friend who's been wronged by another friend often enjoys the process of yelling at his friend, especially if the offender is guilty of a repeat offense Then “discipline” becomes self-seeking and becomes unloving because the best interests of the offending friend are forgotten. Discipline without dredging up the past!

Paul continues: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Yes, there are many in our society who love being bad. But you can delight in evil without even doing it! Some take perverse pleasure in watching others do evil things. But there other ways to delight in evil. We delight in evil when seeing someone do something bad gives us an excuse to boast of our own innocence: “Well, at least I don't do that!” The whole truth is that we might have wanted to do that evil, but the fact that no one wanted to do that evil with us isn't mentioned. The whole truth is that we have done other evil things isn't expressed.

But the whole truth is that Christ died for all our sins. No matter how great the evil, Christ carried it on His cross. In the case of a fallen Christian caught in a sin, we rejoice with Jesus who came to live in that Christian by the message of grace and pardon.

This is love. Do newly-weds need to hear about this kind of love on their wedding day? Of course. What they don't need to hear is a counterfeit version of 1 Corinthians 13, which the pastor has sugar-coated it with sentiment.

Whether you're married or single, seeking the best interests of others is hard. Without Christ taking our place in life and in death, it would be impossible. But He live and die for us. He did rise from the dead for us. This is love.

Amen.

The Commemoration of St. Mark, Evangelist

2010-04-27T08:52:00.001-07:00

St. Mark, Evangelist
April 25, 2010

How God Used a Quitter
Acts 15:36-41

Mark was a quitter, from a long ling of quitters in the Bible.

There was Moses who was desparate to quit before he even began... the work God commanded him to do. When the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush, Moses tried to excuse himself from leading the Hebrews slaves out of Egypt. For example Moses' fourth excuse, which was quite clever, went like this: “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

We read about the prophet Elijah who was on the run from Queen Jezebel who was trying to kill him. Elijah ended up in the desert under a broom tree and said, ”I have had enough, Lord” (see 1 Kings 19:4).

And who can forget Peter quitting Jesus not once, not twice, but three times? Peter pretended that he didn't know Jesus while Jesus was been introgated by the Jewish leaders. [Peter called] down curses on himself, and he swore to them, “I don't know this man you're talking about” (Mark 14:71).

Moses, Elijah, Peter, and Mark. Mark abandoned Paul just before Paul headed off to southern Turkey to tell people about Jesus there. Instead of going with Paul, Mark (also known as John) went home: From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Mark quit.

We know a few things about Mark. His family in Jerusalem must have been rather well-to-do because their home was used as a church, a place for early Christians to gather and pray. We learn of this house church when an angel of God broke Peter out of prison. (Peter had been thrown in jail because he was telling people about Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.) When Peter finally realized this jail break was real and not a dream, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying (Acts 12:12).

So we're pretty sure that Mark was a rich young man. Dr. Peter Scaer thinks that perhaps Mark was the infamous rich young man in Mark 10. Here's what happened:

As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call Me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:17-22)

Dr. Scaer also thinks that Mark is the young man who ran away from Jesus after Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized Him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. (Mark 14:51-52)

Bottom line is that we don't know if Mark really was the rich young man or the young man in Gethsemane. But we do know that Mark quit on Paul when Paul was counting on him.

Mark reminds us of ourselves. He is a man who lived a comfortable life. If he was the rich young man, he wasn't a dilettante. He didn't dabble in religion. He took it seriously. But his involvement was at his own pace and leisure. As long as he decided what commandments he wanted to follow, he did well. When Christ asked him to take all of God's Word seriously, then he walked away.

As long as I ask you to do things I already know you are doing, everything's fine. As long as I encourage you to do things that are easy, no problem. We can go about our business of “church” and everybody's happy.

The devil is delighted when the sermon never probes too deeply into the Ten Commandments. As people set free by Christ's blood, are you being faithful to God and putting Him as the priority above everything and everyone else? Is one hour and 10 minutes the limit of our time in God's Word every week? The question needs to be asked, and only you can answer that question. But please be honest with yourself when you answer it.

If Mark is the rich young man and the young man in Gethsemane, then Mark abandoning Paul was the third time that Mark had bailed on Jesus. Mark kept quitting when he was asked the hard questions.

Jesus said, not to Mark in particular, but to all who follow Him: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me and for the Gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:34-36)

Mark was a quitter. But here's the thing that's really amazing. God used this quitter to double the spread of the Gospel. What happened? Paul and Barnabas were planning another trip to tell people about Jesus.

Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (Acts 15:36-41)

Instead of just going to the island of Cyprus or just to Syria and Cilicia, they split up and did missionary work in both places! This wouldn't have happened without Mark's history of quitting. Time and time again God uses quitters to serve His purpose of telling people about the Savior from sin. Moses, Elijah, Peter, and Mark—quitters who served God's purpose.

Moses took God's people to the Promised Land. Elijah stood up to evil pagan kings and queens. Peter confessed Christ to the Jews and Gentiles. And Mark wrote one of the Gospels, one of the historical accounts of the life of Christ.

And later in life, Mark left his quitting ways behind, and was a faithful helper to Paul and to Peter.

Paul wrote:

My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (Colossians 4:10)

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11)

And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. (Philemon 1:24)

And Peter wrote:
She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. (1 Peter 5:13)

Mark gave up. So do we. To our great shame, we all quit, we all run away from our crosses when it suits us. But Jesus never quits. Remember the hidden glory of the cross? Jesus walked to His cross and never ran away from it. He didn't quit so that He might wash your sins away in Baptism, Communion, and Absolution. Through these Means of Grace, He sends His Holy Spirit to bring us into and keep us in His family, along with Moses, Elijah, Peter, and Mark.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Third Sunday of Easter

2010-04-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Third Sunday of Easter
April 18, 2010

Why Is Everybody Singing?
Revelation 5:1-14

John is crying.

In this vision that Jesus reveals to him, John, the last remaining apostle, sees a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals (Revelation 5:1). (These seals made out of wax served to keep out unwanted readers, like a lock on your diary or a password to your email.) John is crying because no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it (Revelation 5:3).

What does scroll represent? It represents the future. And that is why John is crying. He is crying because no human can predict the future.

No one can see the future. But many try. There are harmless meteorologists and Vulcanologists who use science to guess when the volcanic ash over Europe is going to settle down. Their guess: no idea. Then there are palm readers who crop up in every town, making money off of desperate people and people who think it's harmless fun. Then there are daily horoscopes, whose vague guesses can be “correct” most of the time—you will meet someone new on Tuesday.

On the Galilean seashore the disciples tried to predict the future: Peter turned and saw that [John] the disciple whom Jesus loved 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." Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; He only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" (John 21:20-23) The disciples were trying to predict the future by saying the John was immortal. While John lived longer than any of them (since almost of them were killed for following Jesus), John eventually died. Yet another failed prediction.

But we try to predict the future, too. We do this by assuming that everything is going to stay the same or get better. So when a business plan that we thought couldn't fail, fails, we cry. When we retirement fund goes in the tank, we cry. When we attend the funeral of someone we cared about, we cry. When our congregation always seems to be shrinking, we cry.

When we predict the future today, we'll only hurt ourselves tomorrow. Why? Well, why was John crying? No one could open the seals and read the scroll. That is to say, no human being can predict the future. This made John sad.

But then what happened? Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." (Revelation 5:5)

Who is this Lion? Aside from the immediate context, we also have other clues from the Scripture. Moses recorded Jacob's words to one of his sons: “You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” (Genesis 49:9-10) And in Hebrews 7:14 we read, “For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah.” The Lion is Jesus.

Who is the Root of David? Isaiah recorded it first and later Paul quoted Isaiah's prediction: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit... In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. (Isaiah 11:1,10 qtd. by Paul in Romans 15) This prediction helps us when we note that Jesse is David's dad. Jesse, then David, skipping down to Josiah, then Hezekiah, down to Mary and Joseph. The Root of David is Jesus.

And Jesus is able to open the scroll. He is able to predict the future because the future has been given to Him by His Father: He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne (Revelation 5:7).

The future is in Jesus' hands. Remember how Jesus sums up our Easter joy: Don't be afraid! (Matthew 28:10) Though we still will cry when a believer we care about dies, our tears are not hopeless ones. We can predict the future because Christ has predicted the future for that dearly departed believer. He told Nicodemus that whoever believes in Him is not condemned (John 3:18).

When a business plan or retirement fund goes bust, we may cry. But our hope in the future will help us to not be afraid because we know that even if we end up living in a shack down by the river eating a diet of government cheese, Jesus has died for you. His Holy Spirit has washed your sins away.

We trust in Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb in this vision. This is imagery with which we are familiar. Isaiah described Jesus in this prophecy: He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away. And who can speak of His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was stricken. (Isaiah 53:7-8)

God's Lamb was sacrificed to save us. This is the good news that washes our sins away. So instead of crying that never ends, we cry and then we join in the song of praise to our Savior.

This song that sings of what Jesus has done for us gets bigger all the time. Every time a new believer is baptized, we thank Jesus. Whenever we hear a young believer confess their trust in Jesus, we rejoice in Christ. Whenever a believer dies in the Lord, we cry out our praise to the Lamb of God.

The chorus started small. Just the repentant Adam and Eve and the faithful angels. But throughout the course of history, which belongs to Jesus, the chorus is a little louder. With every re-birth, with every birth into eternity, it get louder. And it'll keep getting louder and louder until at the end of history, every creature will bow down before God's Lamb and sing:

"To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13)

Amen.

Second Sunday of Easter

2010-04-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

Second Sunday of Easter
April 11, 2010

To Forgive Or Not To Forgive
John 20:23

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear friends of Jesus,

On the first Easter evening Jesus appeared to His friends to assure them that He indeed was alive. Because He died and rose, all of His friends have the guarantee that their sins are forgiven. His death is actual payment to God that pays for our sins; His resurrection is the confirmation that the payment was accepted.

In addition to this joyful news, He gave this command to all of His friends:

If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. (John 20:23)

Is Jesus talking to you? Are you His friend? Absolutely! He made you His friend through your Baptism, which washed away your sins. And as Jesus' friends, you belong to a church that takes Jesus' words seriously. Jesus gave His church some special jobs to do. One of them has to do with the forgiveness of sins. Sometimes we'll forgive someone's sin. Other times we won't be able to forgive them. How do we know when to do which?

Derek is 25 years old. (Please note that Derek could be 55 or 85 or 15.) He was confirmed here when he was 14. During his confirmation he promised to take God's Word seriously, including God's Third Commandment to honor God by coming to church regularly to hear about Jesus. For several years no one has seen Derek in church. So we know that Derek is sinning against God by not taking His Word seriously.

As a church we have three options:
(1)out of indifference or fear, ignore Derek's sin;
(2)out of spite, talk about Derek's sin, but do nothing;
(3)or out of love, find Derek and rebuke him.

Too often we ignore sin or gossip about it. Not so often do we do the hard thing and rebuke sin wherever it shows up.

We are pretty good at rebuking our children's mischief. Our motive for warning our children is love. They need boundaries and lines that they can't cross. This is for their own good.

But why is mischief against God so different? I think we are mostly terrified that when we rebuke clear cases of sin by others, they will rage out at us and accuse us of being judgmental. (Being judgmental is the only dirty word left in our culture.) They will claim that their outrage is based on the Bible and they'll probably quote the one verse of Scripture they know, namely Matthew 7:1.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

But when you keep reading what Jesus is saying and you see this verse in context, you'll realize that to use this verse as some sort of get-out-of-jail-free card is ridiculous.

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you... first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:2,5)

What is Jesus doing here? He's rebuking sinners!! He's judging them! He's telling them to stop being smug self-righteous lovers of sin. And Jesus is clear that we are to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Here the word “speck” means sin and the word “brother” means the people in your life.)

The devil's trick is make everyone think that any sort of judging is automatically judgmental. That is a lie, and a very good one. Jesus commands us to judge out of love and that is what we do. Rebuking sin does not make you a hypocrite, because even though you are indeed a terrible sinner, Jesus has forgiven you with His death on the cross and confirmed this forgiveness with His empty tomb!

Back to Derek. We want him to cling to the forgiveness that Jesus won for us on the cross. So out of love we find him and listen to him. He tells us that he still wants to be a member, but he doesn't have any interest in church. Although he doesn't work on Sundays, he tells us that he isn't going to gather around God's Word and Sacraments on Sunday morning.

In this made-up example, we absolutely positively cannot forgive him because we care about him. If we tell him that what he is doing is okay, then we've stamped his ticket to hell. By refusing to call sin what it is is the devil's job. Our job is to call sin what it is. If we don't, we are doing the work of the devil.

In the months and years ahead, your elders and I will continue to do God's work. When someone hasn't been to God's house for a long time, we'll try to find them and ask them what's wrong. Perhaps there is a legitimate reason for their situation. We will help them.

But if there is no good reason for them to stay away from church, then in a respectful tone I have to tell them that they are sinning and they are not forgiven as long as they refuse to repent and continue in their sin. If they continue to despise God's Word and worshiping Him, we must discipline that person and in the end we may have to end their membership in our church.

All of these steps are meant to wake them up. We want them to see how seriously we take their sin, so that they will wake up and take their sin seriously and repent and then we will joyfully forgive them and no longer remember their sin. We want them to turn away from the hell's road and return to the narrow road to heaven, as Jesus says:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

This is the road to life that Jesus earned for us on the cross. Often our cross is suffering the hate of those we rebuke and sometime the hatred of their friends and families. But we suffer for Jesus out of love for Him and for them, for we want them to be with us in the presence of Jesus, not for 40 days, not for 3 years, but for ever and ever.

Peace be with you!

Amen.

The Festival of the Resurrection of our Lord

2010-04-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

Resurrection Sunday
April 4, 2010

Behold the Hidden Glory of the Cross!
It Is Hidden Even in the Savior's Triumph

He's risen! He's risen indeed! Listen to the report of the resurrection and let your heart be filled with undiluted joy and unmixed gladness:

Luke 24:1-12

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

All throughout Lent we have been looking for the hidden glory of the cross. Today that glory reaches it climax. But, as we noticed throughout Lent, the glory is hidden. It is hidden even now.

Do we see Jesus shining in glory at the tomb? No. It's two of His angels. Jesus' glorious moment of resurrection is hidden from sight. No one sees it. Even when Jesus does appear to His followers He graciously doesn't appear in His glory. The reason is why is Jesus' love for His friends.

See how the women reacted to the angels at the tomb. Remember how the Peter, James, and John were scared out of their wits on Transfiguration Mountain. If Jesus had appeared to them in His glory, they would have died of fright. So again Jesus displays His love by hiding His glory.

And see how Jesus sums up the joy of Easter with a few simple words: “Don't be afraid.” Because Jesus paid for our sin on Friday and the Father acknowledges that payment today, we never have to be afraid again.

See how gentle Jesus is with us. Instead of blasting into the disciples' hide out without warning, He has the women report what they saw and heard at the garden tomb. He has the two men who were on their way to Emmaus return to Jerusalem after He speaks with them on the road.

Jesus wants all His followers to depend on His Word. That is where you uncover the glory of Easter. You find it in the Word. You find it in the Sacraments. Jesus' Words tell us that He forgives us and Jesus' and Sacraments forgive us.

So don't be afraid, dear brothers and sisters of Jesus, for HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA! AMEN!

Good Friday

2010-04-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Good Friday
April 2, 2010

Behold the Hidden Glory of the Cross!
It Is Hidden in the Savior's Promises

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

Dear fellow cross-bearers,

It's over. Our Lenten journey is done. 40 days ago we listened to Jesus' call, “We are going up to Jerusalem.” Along the way we looked for His glory that was hidden in the cross.

John 19:31-37

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of His bones will be broken," and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the One they have pierced."

During His three years of preaching and teaching, Jesus had often said that everything He was doing, and especially His death, fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament. 1,000 years earlier King David was inspired to write Psalm 22. There he wrote that His Savior would be so thin and stretched out that passers-by could count His bones. His clothes would divided up. Isaiah 53 looked ahead to this day and declared that it would be a day without visible glory. The Savior would be rejected and despised.

Try to wrap your mind around it! From Adam to Moses to Zechariah, one of the Old Testament's last prophets, God predicted only misery for His Son. Who has ever heard of someone promising misery for themselves and then making sure that every last bit of that misery is suffered? This is very strange, yet special, promise indeed!

In this promised and fulfilled pain we see our hope, hope that we never need doubt. Here's why: if Jesus did fulfill His promise to suffer for us, then He will certainly fulfill His promise to give eternal life to those who trust in Him alone for their salvation.

And that's not all. Jesus makes many other promises to you. Some are promises that help you in your life right now; others will help you in the life to come. When it is your turn to suffer and all those around you abandon you, He won't leave you. When sorrow shadows your every move, either because of your sin or because of the sin of others, He won't run away.

He also promised that your Baptism washes away your sin and that we have the right to forgive sins and that His body and blood are really present in His Supper. He also promises that those who confess forgiveness in His name now will be recognized by Him on the first day of eternity. And He promised that if your body dies before that youngest day, He will put your body back together and better than before and breathe life back into you.

It is Good Friday. On this day the sun in the sky refused to look at its Creator and shine its light. Our churches and our hearts are dark as well. But at the same time our hearts are filled with joy because we have seen the hidden glory of the cross. We have seen the glory that is His promises kept. We have seen the glory so that we can certain that He will always keep all His promises.

Go home with the quiet confidence in the joy of forgiveness and wait three days for the cry to go out: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” For all of this has happened that the Scriptures should be fulfilled.

Amen.

Maundy Thursday

2010-04-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Maundy Thursday
April 1, 2010

Behold the Hidden Glory of the Cross!
It Is Hidden in the Savior's Feast

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

Dear fellow redeemed,

This Lent and Holy Week we have learned of glory that is hidden. When it comes to Jesus' glory, what is striking is that His most lowly words and works are the most glorious and most powerful!

This is very true of Jesus' words as He commanded us to celebrate His Holy Supper, which you've heard hundreds of times and no doubt know by heart. Let's hear them again and marvel at how simple they are:

Matthew 26:26-30

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is My body."

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father's kingdom."

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Every year Jesus and His disciples looked forward to celebrating the Passover. Passover was the most important day on the Jewish calendar. They commemorated the final plague that God brought upon the Egyptians 1,500 year earlier (for us 3,500 years ago): every firstborn son, human and livestock, would be killed by the angel of death unless... unless they were in a house that had blood on its door frame.

But during this Passover feast Jesus institutes a new feast—what some today call variously Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, or the Sacrament of the Altar. And since Jesus started this new celebration without any fuss or fanfare, we wonder if His disciples even realized how big this was. Probably not, since they were busy trying to decide who among them was the most important.

To hide the glory of this new feast even more, Jesus uses plain old bread. Plain ordinary bread which He states matter-of-factly: “This is My body.” He didn't explain it. On the one hand, He didn't say that this bread was a symbol of His body. No, His words were plain and simple: “This is My body.”

On the other hand, He didn't tell them to save it up or parade it around or worship it either. All this applies to the wine. A cup with some ordinary wine. Not a magic potion. Not some health drink. Just wine, which He declares is His blood.

All so ordinary. His disciples missed the glory. But so often so do we. A common conversation in Lutheran homes before a Communion service goes something like this: “Are we going to Communion today?” Well, let's see. Did we go last time?” No, well then, I suppose we should go today.” Or before you came tonight: “Well, it's Maundy Thursday: that means that we have to go to Communion. Everybody goes to Communion on Maundy Thursday.”

Yes, it's all so simple that we often treat it like an empty ceremony whose purpose we have long ago forgotten. But the purpose is clear. In this last will and testament of Jesus, He doesn't promise gold or stock or bonds or property or cash. Just Himself. Think of it—He gives us Himself!

Just hours before His Passion began, He was thinking about you. As He hung from the cross and people told Him to come down, He didn't. He chose to stay on the cross... for you.
The world passes by the Lord's Supper with disdain. Many Christians dismiss it as unimportant, not really worth bothering with. But we are looking for the glory hidden in the cross. And here it is! In simple bread and in simple wine, we have the medicine of immortality!

So come to the Lord's Table with hearts that broken with sin and guilt and shame. Come for the food that will give you strength in your ongoing struggle with the devil, the world, and yourself.

And then go. Go and hold on to Jesus who when He faced pain and death wasn't thinking about Himself—He was thinking about you. Go with the gift of His body and blood which strengthens and preserves you in the true faith unto life everlasting.

Amen.

(Note: This sermon is taken from The Theology of the Cross by Prof. Daniel Deutschlander. It has been modified from the original sermon written by Prof. Deutschlander.)

Holy Week Begins

2010-03-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010

Behold the Hidden Glory of the Cross!
It Is Hidden under Hosannas

Luke 19:28-40

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

Dear fellow redeemed,

Have you ever cheered for right team, but for the wrong reason? Have you ever bought the right thing, but for the wrong reason? Have you ever voted for right person, but for the wrong reason?

I voted for the right person once. But it was for the wrong reason. I voted for Kurt Bernard. He was my roommate at Northwestern Prep when we were freshmen. When we were seniors, I voted for him to be our class president. He was a nice guy, good at sports, and popular. But senior class presidents are also elected to organize class reunions. 14 years later and counting and still no reunion.

I voted for the right guy, a nice guy, but being popular doesn't make you the right man for the job. I should have picked someone who was good at organizing. This happens a lot at high school... and it happens a lot to grown-ups in democracies, too.

It's not often that people cheer for the right team, buy the right thing, or vote for the right person for the right reasons. On Palm Sunday we see what usually happens: people cheering for the right Man, but for the wrong reasons.

The people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus, God's eternal Son, with shouts of praise and branches from palm trees. But they were cheering because they assumed that Jesus was going to reestablish the throne of David and Solomon. They were kings of Israel who had ruled much of the known world 1,000 years earlier. The people saw Jesus as One who would bring back the good old days.

Lest we think ourselves wiser than these people of Jerusalem, we need to look at ourselves. How often doesn't a conversation about our country end with a longing for the good old days? Christians of all stripes reveal an almost subconscious belief that if only we could reestablish the American culture of the early or mid-20th century, then everything would be alright.

Why do they long for the good old days? They won't say this, but it's because people back then were diligent in keeping their sin private. Now I'll agree that the hypocrisy of the good old days is certainly is a step up from the open cesspool of shamelessness that we have to swim in these days. The good old days were certainly a step up when it comes to law and order, but were they really any better for your soul?

The Jews wanted the good old days. They didn't want to be humiliated anymore. Perhaps they thought that more Jews would go to Temple if they were a proud nation again. They thought that they could take pride in Jesus. But they quickly learn the opposite. Jesus did not come to bask in glory. He came to be humiliated on the cross.

We see the waving branches, we see the cloaks on the road, we hear the hosannas, and during all this hullabaloo, we see Jesus slowly making His way to the cross, the cross that saves us.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.