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.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Second Sunday after Pentecost
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.
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
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.
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.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
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.
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.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Ascension of our Lord
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
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.
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.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
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.
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.
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