22nd Sunday after Trinity – November 8th, 2009 – Matthew 18:21-35
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Should you ask various people or preachers what the point of Church was, you might get several different answers. I’m sure that there are some who view Church mainly as a place to network, to make connections. I’ll go to this church, it has the most people, the wealthiest people there. It’s the Church to be at. For some, Church is mainly a family place, something for their kids. For some, it’s even their main social hub – this is where my friends go, and we get there and we chat. For some, Church is about learning to live a disciplined life, for some Church is about trying to get blessings from God – a favorite of the TV preachers. But all of these dance around what Church, what the Christian faith is really to be about. Church is about, first and foremost – salvation. The reason Christ comes down from heaven is for our salvation – is so that by being forgiven we may be reunited with God for all eternity. The central thrust, the central focus is that we have been Justified, made righteous, forgiven by Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection; that we receive this forgiveness, that we hold on to it by faith.
This is what our Lord teaches us today with His parable. Peter had asked a question to our Lord – “How often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Peter was wondering just how much he really had to put up with – how much he should forgive. He suggests the number 7. . . and as we know where the story is going we can scoff at Peter. We shouldn’t. 7 is a generous number – it’s more generous than we think of today. For us, it’s Once bitten, twice shy. No, compared to we here who have long, long memories and can carry grudges long and hard – Peter’s suggestion of forgiving the brother seven times actually seems quite generous. But our Lord brushes Peter’s suggestion aside – Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Nope, Peter, not even close – try 490 times – try forgiving your brother so often that you cannot even remember how often you have forgiven your brother.
This is what the Christian faith looks like. We as Christians are to be not simply those who receive forgiveness, but we are to be those who forgive. And we are not to make excuses why we don’t forgive, we aren’t to stop and pause and think, “Well, I don’t know if they were really sorry, so I’m still going to hold a grudge.” Nope. Put all thoughts like that far away from you – vengeance, punishment, comeuppance, just deserts – all that belongs to the Lord. As for you – when your brother wrongs you, forgive and seek to show love. Our every effort should be so that eventually our brother is restored to us in good love and fellowship – and we should never, never feel justified in bearing anger or ill will towards another – and any thought that would excuse or justify those ill thoughts is of the devil.
This is a hard teaching. We, in our own sin, like to find excuses on how and why we don’t need to forgive, to make excuses to dance around it – to be hateful towards our neighbor and yet feel good about our hatred. So why? Why can it be so appealing to hold on to wrath, why does it appeal to us so – and how can we learn to avoid it? Our Lord tells us a parable to explain why.
Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. Now, first, let’s go over what a talent was – a talent was roughly 20 years wages. Consider that – let’s say that one makes 25,000 a year, at 20 years, that is half a million dollars. So, conservatively, this man owes at least 5 billion dollars. We are talking crazy, stupid money here. And the man cannot pay. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the master of the servant released him and forgave him the debt. Now note, this is very important. The servant never says he is sorry. The servant never says he is wrong. The servant is still arrogant and brash – I’ll pay you back. And yet, even for a servant as annoying as this – the master releases him, and he forgives the debt. No, you don’t need even to pay me back – I will write it off. What love! What generosity! What little that servant understood.
But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, began to choke him saying, “Pay what you owe.” Now, hundred denarii is a hundred days wages – let’s call it $10,000. A serious chunk of change – not 5 billion, but something of note. But the servant just goes crazy – chokes the other servant, demands satisfaction. So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. No, for this debt, there is no mercy given. And this is shocking, it is horrifying to the other servants. And they go and tell the master, and the master summons this servant and says, “You wicked servant! I forgave all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy upon you?” And in anger, his master delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt. So also My heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. Well, sometimes our Lord can be blunt, and His bluntness cuts through our excuses. We are to forgive. Period. But consider this question with me for a moment – why is the master so angry with the wicked servant? It has nothing to do with that servant’s debt – the master was willing to forgive that. Rather, what angered the master, what made the servant wicked, was that the servant did not recognize what mercy, what forgiveness really was.
Consider this – you have received God’s love. Christ Jesus has died for your sin – you have every blessing imaginable – you have life and salvation and heaven – all yours on account of Christ Jesus. He has covered your debt – every sin, every vile word or deed you have done, every unclean thought – He has forgiven. Do you see the depth of the forgiveness Christ has forgiven you with? Your debt to God is huge – it is nothing you could ever make up. Yet the Father in His love and mercy says, “On account of the death of My Son Christ Jesus upon the Cross – I forgive you.” To make this truth completely clear, God even sends pastors out to proclaim this forgiveness over and over. This is what God has done for you.
The wicked servant, though, seems to just blow by the mercy that he has received. He does not learn to show mercy – and instead he shows anger. He does not know what mercy, what forgiveness is. So – do you recognize, do you understand what forgiveness is? Do you understand what Christ Jesus has done for you? Do you see the veritable mountain of sin that He has forgiven you, is your focus and wonder there – or with wickedness, do you your turn your eye to the annoyance that your brother has done to you, and do you look at your brother with hatred and anger? This is where the rubber meets the road in the life of one who would be a Christian. Is your focus going to be upon Christ and Him Crucified, is your focus going to be upon the God who comes down from heaven to win you forgiveness so that He might have you with Himself for all eternity – or is your focus going to be upon the people who have wronged you, and upon your anger, upon your hurt, upon the petty self-satisfaction you get from thinking you are better than them? Your focus cannot be both upon Christ and upon your anger – and here is the kicker – when you choose to focus upon your anger, to harbor it, to be unforgiving – you are choosing to turn away from Christ. You are choosing anger and wrath over forgiveness – and God will say, “fine, have anger and wrath for all eternity, since that is what you crave.”
Kind of chilling, is it? This is why our Lord preaches repentance. Repentance means to turn away from your sin, your sinful desires, and rather to turn to Christ, to behold Him, to keep your eyes there. Your Lord knows you are tempted in this way – your Lord knows that Satan loves to stoke the fires of your anger – and so our Lord, in His great love you, in His ardent and fervent desire to have you with Him for all eternity, calls out to you once again, shows you the weight of your sin, so that seeing your sin, you might flee for refuge to Him, that you might once again seek and delight in and focus upon His mercy and love for you.
This is the wonder. Our sin is so real. The weight of it, the vileness of it, it’s real. It’s heavy – it’s a $5 billion dollar burden none of us could pay. And yet, our Lord forgives – and He wants this forgiveness to be the heart, the center of our lives. He wants nothing to take our eyes off of this, nothing to shake us loose from this – to let His mercy be the highest truth in our lives. And so, over and over, He tells us of His love, gives us His forgiveness again, calls us to receive His Body and Blood – all so that we might not fall again into great shame and vice, all so that when we do fall, we might repent and be restored. Christ in His mercy has forgiven you. Keep your focus there. Do not let sin, including the sin others have done to you, wrest your eyes off of Christ. Rather – remember that this place is a House of mercy for all sinners who desire forgiveness. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
All Saints' Day
All Saints’ Day – November 1st, 2009 – Matthew 5:1-12
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Sometimes we as people can be very near sighted. And I’m not talking about the fact that I am wearing contact lenses that I’m basically blind without – I’m talking about our perspective. We can get so focused upon ourselves, our immediate surroundings, that we don’t see the big picture – we can miss the forest for the trees, as it were. All Saints’ Day is a day where we are brought back to the larger picture – where we are made to remember that Christ’s Church is more than just this place right now. The Church of God consists not just of we few who bothered to show up on a Sunday morning – but it is the full company of heaven, the countless throng from so many nations. It is not just us here – but the Church is full of countless millions of Christians all around the globe. It is not just us here – but the Church is made up of saints from all times, those who lived hundreds, thousands of years ago on earth yet live in the presence of God right now – and even those who are yet to be born and brought to faith before the Lord returns. Christ’s Church, His Body, spans all times and all places, and as we are united to Him, we are united together, bound up in His Holy Communion, in a way we so seldom pause to comprehend. All Saints’ Day is a day that we do this – where we remember all the saints – many times we will focus more so on those from our own congregation who have recently been given rest from their earthly labors and now see God face to face, but it is truly a day where we see just beyond the here and the now.
We must remember, dear friends, that the Church is not defined by us. The Church is not created by us, it is not made by us, it is not run by us. The Church is the Body of Christ – and yet, we can be so bogged down in the every day concerns of life, of bodies not in pews and bills to pay that we can forget this. We don’t define the Church. Rather, the Church is the Body of Christ, is those who are gathered around Christ’s Word, are washed into Christ’s Body by Baptism, who receive Christ’s Body for forgiveness and strength – and also those in eternity who are with Christ now, the Lamb of God, face to face. The Church is those who struggle now on earth, and those who have received heavenly joy. So, what does this look like – our Lord tells us.
Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Christians are going to be poor in Spirit. Christians in this world will see so much sin, and violence, and filth that our spirits must ache, must feel poor and lowly. Consider this past week. How much pain, how much disappointment did you see? In a sinful world, this is what we see, and rather than delighting in this like the world does – it causes us sorrow. It caused Christ Jesus sorrow as well, and for this reason He came down from heaven to win salvation – He Himself bore up our infirmities – so that He might win for us by His death and resurrection –the kingdom of God. Because Christ came and was poor in spirit, those who are of the Church have the kingdom of God. The Saints who have gone before us, they see this now fully. We, we have this in part, but then we too shall have it full.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. There’s much to mourn in life – not just death as a whole, but all the little, bitty bits of death we experience before hand. How many of us have dying ears, dying eyes? How many of us have dying friends, dying relationships, dying hopes and dreams? There is much to mourn. And what does Christ Jesus do – He comes down from heaven, and He mourns, He encounters all the loss and suffering that we do – even tastes death. And why? So that He might rise, and that in rising He might bring us with Him, so that He might comfort us with heaven the resurrection and life everlasting. The Saints in heaven, they see, they receive the comfort of our crucified and risen Lord right now – they behold Him in His risen Body upon the Throne and they therefore know that on the Last Day they too shall rise.
Are you seeing the pattern here? The beatitudes aren’t just pretty words – they describe the Church and Christ. The first part describes what we see here in this sinful world – the second part describes what all the saints who from their labors rest now see – and all of this, whether we are the Church militant here on earth or the Church triumphant is ours because of Christ – because He is the poor Man who inherits the kingdom of God, but makes it ours – because He is the One who mourns His fallen creation but is comforted by redeeming it. The Church has it’s existence in Christ. Let’s see more.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. As Christians, we are called to be meek. When wronged, we are not to wrong in return. We are not to focus upon ourselves, but our focus is to be upon our neighbor. And in this, we simply follow Christ. Christ Jesus is the Meek One, who went quietly and meekly to the Cross to win us forgiveness for those times when we are not meek, when we are brash and sinful. But our Lord was meek, and He has inherited the Earth, and He has promised this, and not only this, but a new heaven and a new earth to all His Saints.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Does this not describe us here? We hunger, we thirst for righteousness. We confessed our sin, we said we lack, we need righteousness, we need forgiveness, we don’t have enough of it on our own. Christ saw the world’s lack, and so He became Man, became our righteousness for us – lived perfectly in our stead and said to us, “Here, I long for you to be righteous, take My righteousness.” Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness – Our Lord says, “Take and eat, this is My Body – take and drink, this is My Blood.” And this is the same feast that the Saints in Heaven are celebrating eternally – they are most well and truly satisfied by our Lord.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. We do not show mercy like we ought – often we are mean and cruel and self-centered. But Christ our Lord is merciful, and He has called us unto Himself, has bound us to Himself in the waters of Holy Baptism, applied His Name to us, and He gladly gives us mercy for His Name’s sake. We see this now – but we also often forget. We struggle with sin, we wander – our Lord must call us back over and over again. But consider the Saints of heaven – they see this mercy, they have received it in full, never to wander, never to stray. The Love of Christ has been made complete in them.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. In and of ourselves, our hearts are not pure. So what do we do? We cry out to God – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me! And Christ our Lord does – He gives us forgiveness over and over all our days, until our last day, and then what? The Saints see God face to face, they dwell with Him. God desires you to dwell with Him as well, and so He forgives you, makes your heart to be pure.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Christ Jesus is the true peacemaker – He made peace when He went to the Cross, when He suffered and died – when He cried out, “It is finished.” And it was finished – our war, our rebellion with God, begun by Adam and Eve in the garden – our Lord put an end to it – He made peace. That was 2000 years ago. But then, in the here and now, in our own lifetime, Christ took water and His Word, and He baptized you into His own death, made you to be a partaker in all that He has done – you share in Christ’s death, you share in His peace which He won for you, you speak this same peace out, and now God is your Father. The Saints see this clearly.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. To be a Christian is to struggle, is to be reviled and thought poorly of, to be mocked by the world, indeed, in many places, to be a Christian is a death sentence, to mean the government, the angry mob, will come for you. Just as the world did to Christ, so too happens to Christians today. But what does our Lord teach us – yes, Christ suffered, but His in the Kingdom of God. Likewise, should we suffer – so be it – the Kingdom ours remaineth. We have this promise – the Saints in heaven see this promise in full now.
And finally, Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are part of the Church, and despite what we like to tell ourselves – the Church is never popular, we never live in a nice, clean world. This sinful, fallen place is always sinful and fallen, and if you strive to follow Christ, you will be mocked and reviled. For so the prophets were treated, for so was our Lord Himself treated. But what is the reality – the reality of eternity that stretches beyond the here and now, beyond our present suffering? That being united to Christ, we will face difficulties in this life, but Christ will see us through them until we too are brought unto the joys of heaven and life everlasting – joys far surpassing what we see here.
Do you see, dear Christian, the larger picture? Do you see from the Words of our Lord that you are part of something much greater than just your own little life? Your Lord Jesus Christ has had compassion upon you, beheld you in your sinfulness, in your struggles in this life, and He has had compassion to you. And He has gathered you by His Word, joined you to Himself through the gift of Holy Baptism, and He has said, “I will suffer all for your sake, so that you might have everything for My sake.” He has promised us new heavens and a new earth – told us that this fallen one shall pass away and we will get that which is better. Right now though, we are here on earth – we don’t see this fully. The Saints in heaven do, they behold Christ face to face right now. And our Lord knows that we left on earth don’t see this perfectly, that we only see dimly and in a mirror now, not yet face to face. So He calls us here to His Church, invites us to join in for a few moments with the song of Angels and Archangels and all the company of heaven – gives us His own Body and Blood, so that we might be sustained until the day when we do get to see Him face to face. Christ Jesus blesses all His saints, and thanks be to God, by the power of His forgiving Word and the wonders of His blessed Sacraments – you are numbered with those saints. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Sometimes we as people can be very near sighted. And I’m not talking about the fact that I am wearing contact lenses that I’m basically blind without – I’m talking about our perspective. We can get so focused upon ourselves, our immediate surroundings, that we don’t see the big picture – we can miss the forest for the trees, as it were. All Saints’ Day is a day where we are brought back to the larger picture – where we are made to remember that Christ’s Church is more than just this place right now. The Church of God consists not just of we few who bothered to show up on a Sunday morning – but it is the full company of heaven, the countless throng from so many nations. It is not just us here – but the Church is full of countless millions of Christians all around the globe. It is not just us here – but the Church is made up of saints from all times, those who lived hundreds, thousands of years ago on earth yet live in the presence of God right now – and even those who are yet to be born and brought to faith before the Lord returns. Christ’s Church, His Body, spans all times and all places, and as we are united to Him, we are united together, bound up in His Holy Communion, in a way we so seldom pause to comprehend. All Saints’ Day is a day that we do this – where we remember all the saints – many times we will focus more so on those from our own congregation who have recently been given rest from their earthly labors and now see God face to face, but it is truly a day where we see just beyond the here and the now.
We must remember, dear friends, that the Church is not defined by us. The Church is not created by us, it is not made by us, it is not run by us. The Church is the Body of Christ – and yet, we can be so bogged down in the every day concerns of life, of bodies not in pews and bills to pay that we can forget this. We don’t define the Church. Rather, the Church is the Body of Christ, is those who are gathered around Christ’s Word, are washed into Christ’s Body by Baptism, who receive Christ’s Body for forgiveness and strength – and also those in eternity who are with Christ now, the Lamb of God, face to face. The Church is those who struggle now on earth, and those who have received heavenly joy. So, what does this look like – our Lord tells us.
Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Christians are going to be poor in Spirit. Christians in this world will see so much sin, and violence, and filth that our spirits must ache, must feel poor and lowly. Consider this past week. How much pain, how much disappointment did you see? In a sinful world, this is what we see, and rather than delighting in this like the world does – it causes us sorrow. It caused Christ Jesus sorrow as well, and for this reason He came down from heaven to win salvation – He Himself bore up our infirmities – so that He might win for us by His death and resurrection –the kingdom of God. Because Christ came and was poor in spirit, those who are of the Church have the kingdom of God. The Saints who have gone before us, they see this now fully. We, we have this in part, but then we too shall have it full.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. There’s much to mourn in life – not just death as a whole, but all the little, bitty bits of death we experience before hand. How many of us have dying ears, dying eyes? How many of us have dying friends, dying relationships, dying hopes and dreams? There is much to mourn. And what does Christ Jesus do – He comes down from heaven, and He mourns, He encounters all the loss and suffering that we do – even tastes death. And why? So that He might rise, and that in rising He might bring us with Him, so that He might comfort us with heaven the resurrection and life everlasting. The Saints in heaven, they see, they receive the comfort of our crucified and risen Lord right now – they behold Him in His risen Body upon the Throne and they therefore know that on the Last Day they too shall rise.
Are you seeing the pattern here? The beatitudes aren’t just pretty words – they describe the Church and Christ. The first part describes what we see here in this sinful world – the second part describes what all the saints who from their labors rest now see – and all of this, whether we are the Church militant here on earth or the Church triumphant is ours because of Christ – because He is the poor Man who inherits the kingdom of God, but makes it ours – because He is the One who mourns His fallen creation but is comforted by redeeming it. The Church has it’s existence in Christ. Let’s see more.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. As Christians, we are called to be meek. When wronged, we are not to wrong in return. We are not to focus upon ourselves, but our focus is to be upon our neighbor. And in this, we simply follow Christ. Christ Jesus is the Meek One, who went quietly and meekly to the Cross to win us forgiveness for those times when we are not meek, when we are brash and sinful. But our Lord was meek, and He has inherited the Earth, and He has promised this, and not only this, but a new heaven and a new earth to all His Saints.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Does this not describe us here? We hunger, we thirst for righteousness. We confessed our sin, we said we lack, we need righteousness, we need forgiveness, we don’t have enough of it on our own. Christ saw the world’s lack, and so He became Man, became our righteousness for us – lived perfectly in our stead and said to us, “Here, I long for you to be righteous, take My righteousness.” Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness – Our Lord says, “Take and eat, this is My Body – take and drink, this is My Blood.” And this is the same feast that the Saints in Heaven are celebrating eternally – they are most well and truly satisfied by our Lord.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. We do not show mercy like we ought – often we are mean and cruel and self-centered. But Christ our Lord is merciful, and He has called us unto Himself, has bound us to Himself in the waters of Holy Baptism, applied His Name to us, and He gladly gives us mercy for His Name’s sake. We see this now – but we also often forget. We struggle with sin, we wander – our Lord must call us back over and over again. But consider the Saints of heaven – they see this mercy, they have received it in full, never to wander, never to stray. The Love of Christ has been made complete in them.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. In and of ourselves, our hearts are not pure. So what do we do? We cry out to God – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me! And Christ our Lord does – He gives us forgiveness over and over all our days, until our last day, and then what? The Saints see God face to face, they dwell with Him. God desires you to dwell with Him as well, and so He forgives you, makes your heart to be pure.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Christ Jesus is the true peacemaker – He made peace when He went to the Cross, when He suffered and died – when He cried out, “It is finished.” And it was finished – our war, our rebellion with God, begun by Adam and Eve in the garden – our Lord put an end to it – He made peace. That was 2000 years ago. But then, in the here and now, in our own lifetime, Christ took water and His Word, and He baptized you into His own death, made you to be a partaker in all that He has done – you share in Christ’s death, you share in His peace which He won for you, you speak this same peace out, and now God is your Father. The Saints see this clearly.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. To be a Christian is to struggle, is to be reviled and thought poorly of, to be mocked by the world, indeed, in many places, to be a Christian is a death sentence, to mean the government, the angry mob, will come for you. Just as the world did to Christ, so too happens to Christians today. But what does our Lord teach us – yes, Christ suffered, but His in the Kingdom of God. Likewise, should we suffer – so be it – the Kingdom ours remaineth. We have this promise – the Saints in heaven see this promise in full now.
And finally, Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are part of the Church, and despite what we like to tell ourselves – the Church is never popular, we never live in a nice, clean world. This sinful, fallen place is always sinful and fallen, and if you strive to follow Christ, you will be mocked and reviled. For so the prophets were treated, for so was our Lord Himself treated. But what is the reality – the reality of eternity that stretches beyond the here and now, beyond our present suffering? That being united to Christ, we will face difficulties in this life, but Christ will see us through them until we too are brought unto the joys of heaven and life everlasting – joys far surpassing what we see here.
Do you see, dear Christian, the larger picture? Do you see from the Words of our Lord that you are part of something much greater than just your own little life? Your Lord Jesus Christ has had compassion upon you, beheld you in your sinfulness, in your struggles in this life, and He has had compassion to you. And He has gathered you by His Word, joined you to Himself through the gift of Holy Baptism, and He has said, “I will suffer all for your sake, so that you might have everything for My sake.” He has promised us new heavens and a new earth – told us that this fallen one shall pass away and we will get that which is better. Right now though, we are here on earth – we don’t see this fully. The Saints in heaven do, they behold Christ face to face right now. And our Lord knows that we left on earth don’t see this perfectly, that we only see dimly and in a mirror now, not yet face to face. So He calls us here to His Church, invites us to join in for a few moments with the song of Angels and Archangels and all the company of heaven – gives us His own Body and Blood, so that we might be sustained until the day when we do get to see Him face to face. Christ Jesus blesses all His saints, and thanks be to God, by the power of His forgiving Word and the wonders of His blessed Sacraments – you are numbered with those saints. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Thursday, October 29, 2009
A Hymn
To the tune of LSB 822 - Alleluia! Let Praises Ring
The Saints sing out with one accord
Praises to our triumphant Lord
Who has won their salvation.
They behold now Christ, the Slain Lamb
Victorious, at God's right Hand
Who reigns in exultation.
Sing out, call out
Christ restoring
Man to glory
with His passion,
He has won now for us heaven.
We here on earth join in their song
we add our voice to their throng
For Christ is too our Savior
What they see now before their Lord
Is our sure great promised reward,
We are by Christ delivered
From sin and death
His blood pouring
life restoring
wondrous healing
by His death we have been given.
Until that day when with the Lord
We dine at that celestial board
Let us receive His Supper
for the forgiveness of all sin
*and the strengthening of faith in*
Christ, who has o'er death conquered.
He shall keep us
Til that day when
then in heaven
face to face now
with His saints we feast forever.
* that line might be better "and the strength'ning of our faith in" -- I don't know how well it would be sung.
The Saints sing out with one accord
Praises to our triumphant Lord
Who has won their salvation.
They behold now Christ, the Slain Lamb
Victorious, at God's right Hand
Who reigns in exultation.
Sing out, call out
Christ restoring
Man to glory
with His passion,
He has won now for us heaven.
We here on earth join in their song
we add our voice to their throng
For Christ is too our Savior
What they see now before their Lord
Is our sure great promised reward,
We are by Christ delivered
From sin and death
His blood pouring
life restoring
wondrous healing
by His death we have been given.
Until that day when with the Lord
We dine at that celestial board
Let us receive His Supper
for the forgiveness of all sin
*and the strengthening of faith in*
Christ, who has o'er death conquered.
He shall keep us
Til that day when
then in heaven
face to face now
with His saints we feast forever.
* that line might be better "and the strength'ning of our faith in" -- I don't know how well it would be sung.
Is the Greek the NIV?
I have been doing a touch of thinking, for a comment has me. . . slightly disturbed. In the comments on here concerning James the brother of Jesus it was noted that aramaic had no word for cousin, so the idea of calling James Jesus' brother could basically be meant to mean cousin.
I am well aware that there are a lot of Aramaic turns of phrase in Scripture - but are we going to say that the Greek is basically a lousy translation? Is the Greek the equivalent of the NIV? I mean, there are translation issues into Greek - but shouldn't we assume that the Words of Scripture are the actual words of Scripture that mean what they ought to mean?
Now, again, I don't think the comment was "insidious" - but doesn't that approach lead to a shift away from what the Word says and rather on to what we think it ought to say, if only Paul was as good at Greek as I am.
I am well aware that there are a lot of Aramaic turns of phrase in Scripture - but are we going to say that the Greek is basically a lousy translation? Is the Greek the equivalent of the NIV? I mean, there are translation issues into Greek - but shouldn't we assume that the Words of Scripture are the actual words of Scripture that mean what they ought to mean?
Now, again, I don't think the comment was "insidious" - but doesn't that approach lead to a shift away from what the Word says and rather on to what we think it ought to say, if only Paul was as good at Greek as I am.
The Bane of High Expectations
Why do we so often expect people to be perfect? Why are we so often surprised when difficulties arise and conflict (over the littlest thing) arises? Why do we expect people to be masters of all wisdom and knowledge?
I find that most of the frustration that comes in our lives comes when we look at another person and think, "Come on, they know better than that!" Of course, in reality, this is just being egotistical. It is egotistical because, in reality, aren't we more upset that we are inconvenienced rather than that people we know and care about are upset, are in a difficult time (even if it is of their own devising). It is egotistical because we will look down upon people in their folly. . . but the things that we get worked up about, well, those are the "really" important things.
Why do we set expectations for others when we know that we ourselves fail so often? Perhaps it is precisely because we have lulled ourselves into forgetting our failures. Perhaps it is because we will ignore the Law when it hits too close to home.
My advice - you cannot control the actions of others - but when others frustrate you, examine yourself, confess your own sin, and delight again in forgiveness.
Now, if only I were perfect in doing this myself!
I find that most of the frustration that comes in our lives comes when we look at another person and think, "Come on, they know better than that!" Of course, in reality, this is just being egotistical. It is egotistical because, in reality, aren't we more upset that we are inconvenienced rather than that people we know and care about are upset, are in a difficult time (even if it is of their own devising). It is egotistical because we will look down upon people in their folly. . . but the things that we get worked up about, well, those are the "really" important things.
Why do we set expectations for others when we know that we ourselves fail so often? Perhaps it is precisely because we have lulled ourselves into forgetting our failures. Perhaps it is because we will ignore the Law when it hits too close to home.
My advice - you cannot control the actions of others - but when others frustrate you, examine yourself, confess your own sin, and delight again in forgiveness.
Now, if only I were perfect in doing this myself!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
non-theological post.
First of all, if you haven't watched "Firefly" - go do so.
Then, you will understand the joy of this:
Then, you will understand the joy of this:
Monday, October 26, 2009
Yesterday's Sermon
Reformation Sunday – October 25th, 2009 – John 8:31-36
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Once again, that time of the year has come that is near and dear to us Lutherans, the time to observe the festival of the Reformation. It was on Reformation Day, October 31st, 1517, coming up on 492 years ago, that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses concerning the abuses of the sales of indulgences, calling the Church of Rome to repentance. It is the date that most people associate with the start of the Reformation of the Church. However, if we turn this day into a mere celebration of history, a mere looking back to the past, we miss the point of all that Luther taught – for the Reformation was not just a one time thing – rather, the Church is always in need of Reform – we here in the Church are always in need of Reform. We are always going to have to check ourselves, our thoughts, our deeds, on the basis of the Holy Scriptures, and we are always going to have to strive to place ourselves in alignment with them. We will always need Reform.
Christ tells us why in our Gospel passage today. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” So here is the set up. Jesus is talking to some people, people whom we are told actually believe in Him, believe that Jesus is the Messiah. And Jesus says something very simple, very straightforward – if you abide in God’s Word, you will know the truth, and that truth will set you free. And these people who hear Jesus say this are just incensed. They are offended! How can you say such things! We’ve always been free! Do you hear the pride and arrogance there in their response? We’re the children of Abraham, we’ve always been free! How dare you say that there is something in us that is lacking!
And here’s the sad part. These people were Jews, they were people who observed the Passover. And what was Passover – the celebration of when God delivered the children of Abraham from what? From slavery in Egypt. This is what God does, always – He sees His people in bondage and He delivers them. That is what they knew God to do – and yet, for some strange reason, these people have become so prideful that they don’t even understand when Jesus speaks to them in a way that should be most familiar – Oh yes, we understand! When we abide in Your Word, we are free and delivered, for that is what God always does. It slides right on by them.
So then, what of us? Can we here in this place become prideful and secure in who we are? Of course we can. After all, we’re Lutherans, we have the right doctrine. We cast off the yoke of Rome almost 500 years ago, we’ve never been a slave to anyone! Why, we’ve avoided all those silly false doctrines and heresies that come down the pike – in fact, we here are even the good Lutherans, not like those silly, crazy American, ELCA Lutherans. We’re the good Church – we’re the good congregation! Of course, those words I just spoke were awfully general, weren’t they? Any good old Missouri Synod congregation could say that in its pride. But what about us here, we here in this room? Are we prideful? Do we just know that we are better than. . . well, I’m not going to name names. Do we have people whom we look down with scorn upon? Do we rest happily on how we are such wonderful people who care so greatly for our church, are we content how we survived the battles of ages past, while ignoring the present struggles we face?
Our Lord lays us open. Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Well, what about now? Any of you sinned lately? Of course you have. And this is the danger, this is the way in which Satan comes in. Satan pats us on the back with how wonderful we are, and we become content with ourselves. And then pride kicks in, and we start to assume that what we are doing is right, that it is enough, that everything is fine. And then, we even become a little bit lazy, a little bit lax. We stop doing things like we used to, stop giving like we used to, stop participating like we used to – we slide away, make a few excuses that we wouldn’t have made a few months ago, then we give up a little bit more, then a little bit more – and all the while just so certain that we are doing just fine. And we become once again slaves to sin. We become those who no longer look to see how we can show love to the neighbor, we become those who no longer hunger and thirst for righteousness, we become those who no longer make this house, this place, hearing God’s Word here, supporting and defending this place their first priority – to say nothing of bringing our friends and neighbors here. We tell ourselves that we’ve done that in the past, that we’ve done our share – and we turn in on ourselves, focus upon what we would want rather than focusing upon the Word of God – and we become happily enslaved to sin, to sorrow, to misery. Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
And I say this to you this morning, dear friends, not as one who is immune, not as one who is high and mighty and simply wagging a finger. I don’t want you to think that Pastor Brown is going off on some holier-than-thou kick. Rather this. This is simply how Satan attacks Christians. Satan is the great enslaver, the great ensnarer – and he wants each of us here to stop looking at God’s Word, stop placing ourselves under God’s Word – Satan wants us to be confident in and of ourselves, so confident that we end up ignoring God – that even if we come to this place we just go through the motions, to where we no longer actually listen to the Word, no longer examine ourselves, no longer strive to be better, no longer desire to be more and more Christ-like tomorrow than we are today. I see it in myself, and I see it in my congregation. It is just what the old evil foe does – it is how he means each of us deadly woe.
We are in need of Reform – we are in need of being brought back to the Word, being called to repentance from our sin – and I’m not speaking just today of a spiffy, special service, or something unique or a one-time thing. No, today on Reformation day, we remember that we sinful human beings, as long as we live in this world, are going to be in need of reform – for Satan constantly seeks to corrupt and deform us. We constantly need to live lives of repentance, where we struggle against any and all sin which creeps there in. We need to constantly be on guard against the ways Satan tries to bind us with all the various temptations that appeal to us, against the ways Satan strives to make us arrogant and prideful and to forget God’s Word.
We are always in need of reform, which is simply another way of saying that we are always in need of Christ, for He alone is the One who can reform us, remake us. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the Son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” When I speak of a need of reform, I am not simply telling you what you need to do. I am not telling you to pick yourselves up by your own bootstraps or anything like that. In fact, I’m saying the opposite. Consider all your vaunted strength and power and see how it falls flat. What did we just sing - With might of ours could naught be done – soon were our loss effected. A reform, a change in our life does not come about by the strength of our convictions or a display of willpower. Rather this. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Or “but for us fights the valiant One, whom God Himself elected.” Or how about what we just confessed, that Christ Jesus “has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.” You see dear friends, reformation is never about us. The reformation was not about the wisdom or courage of Martin Luther; reform in our own life isn’t about our diligence. Reformation is about Christ Jesus – for it is Christ Jesus who sets us free, it is Christ Jesus who bursts the shackles of sin, who wins us our freedom. It is Christ Jesus who goes to the Cross and suffers and dies for our sins and wins us salvation. And what of the times when we in our pride, in our arrogance, forget that it is about Christ? What about the times when we put our plans and wants ahead of God? What of the times when we would enslave ourselves to sin? “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples.” When those times happen, when we have been suckered by Satan into slipping away from the Word, what does God do? He speaks His Word to us again, He calls out to us, He speaks His Word of Law to show us our sin, and then He says, “Behold, I have dealt with your sin by My death upon the Cross.” And He makes us to abide in His Word – He reforms us, makes us to be people who are His disciples – He makes us to know the truth – not just the truth of our sinfulness, not just the truth of His forgiveness – but the Word of God makes us to know Christ Jesus, makes us to know Him who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Christ brings us unto Himself, brings us into relationship with Himself. He baptizes us with water and His Word, claiming us unto Himself. He brings us His own Body and Blood in the Supper; He abides with us here in His Supper so that we might always abide in Him, in His Word. Christ acts. The same God who died for our sin brings His Word to us today, so that we might be kept steadfast in that Word, that we might know Him, and that we might delight in the freedom He has won for us from our sin.
And so dear friends, today we celebrate the Reformation – not just the reformation of the Church some 500 years ago, but indeed, our Reformation – that even as we struggle against sin, even as we often fail to struggle against sin as we ought, that Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior comes to us again and again through His Word and He reforms us –He sets us free from sin – He calls us to repentance and then gives us not only forgiveness but His own strength in order to go forth and show His love, speak His peace and word. Christ Jesus has set you free, you are free indeed – delight in, cherish, and enjoy His freedom. We are new creations in Him, delivered from sin unto salvation and eternal life all because of Christ Jesus. This is the heart of the Reformation. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Once again, that time of the year has come that is near and dear to us Lutherans, the time to observe the festival of the Reformation. It was on Reformation Day, October 31st, 1517, coming up on 492 years ago, that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses concerning the abuses of the sales of indulgences, calling the Church of Rome to repentance. It is the date that most people associate with the start of the Reformation of the Church. However, if we turn this day into a mere celebration of history, a mere looking back to the past, we miss the point of all that Luther taught – for the Reformation was not just a one time thing – rather, the Church is always in need of Reform – we here in the Church are always in need of Reform. We are always going to have to check ourselves, our thoughts, our deeds, on the basis of the Holy Scriptures, and we are always going to have to strive to place ourselves in alignment with them. We will always need Reform.
Christ tells us why in our Gospel passage today. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” So here is the set up. Jesus is talking to some people, people whom we are told actually believe in Him, believe that Jesus is the Messiah. And Jesus says something very simple, very straightforward – if you abide in God’s Word, you will know the truth, and that truth will set you free. And these people who hear Jesus say this are just incensed. They are offended! How can you say such things! We’ve always been free! Do you hear the pride and arrogance there in their response? We’re the children of Abraham, we’ve always been free! How dare you say that there is something in us that is lacking!
And here’s the sad part. These people were Jews, they were people who observed the Passover. And what was Passover – the celebration of when God delivered the children of Abraham from what? From slavery in Egypt. This is what God does, always – He sees His people in bondage and He delivers them. That is what they knew God to do – and yet, for some strange reason, these people have become so prideful that they don’t even understand when Jesus speaks to them in a way that should be most familiar – Oh yes, we understand! When we abide in Your Word, we are free and delivered, for that is what God always does. It slides right on by them.
So then, what of us? Can we here in this place become prideful and secure in who we are? Of course we can. After all, we’re Lutherans, we have the right doctrine. We cast off the yoke of Rome almost 500 years ago, we’ve never been a slave to anyone! Why, we’ve avoided all those silly false doctrines and heresies that come down the pike – in fact, we here are even the good Lutherans, not like those silly, crazy American, ELCA Lutherans. We’re the good Church – we’re the good congregation! Of course, those words I just spoke were awfully general, weren’t they? Any good old Missouri Synod congregation could say that in its pride. But what about us here, we here in this room? Are we prideful? Do we just know that we are better than. . . well, I’m not going to name names. Do we have people whom we look down with scorn upon? Do we rest happily on how we are such wonderful people who care so greatly for our church, are we content how we survived the battles of ages past, while ignoring the present struggles we face?
Our Lord lays us open. Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Well, what about now? Any of you sinned lately? Of course you have. And this is the danger, this is the way in which Satan comes in. Satan pats us on the back with how wonderful we are, and we become content with ourselves. And then pride kicks in, and we start to assume that what we are doing is right, that it is enough, that everything is fine. And then, we even become a little bit lazy, a little bit lax. We stop doing things like we used to, stop giving like we used to, stop participating like we used to – we slide away, make a few excuses that we wouldn’t have made a few months ago, then we give up a little bit more, then a little bit more – and all the while just so certain that we are doing just fine. And we become once again slaves to sin. We become those who no longer look to see how we can show love to the neighbor, we become those who no longer hunger and thirst for righteousness, we become those who no longer make this house, this place, hearing God’s Word here, supporting and defending this place their first priority – to say nothing of bringing our friends and neighbors here. We tell ourselves that we’ve done that in the past, that we’ve done our share – and we turn in on ourselves, focus upon what we would want rather than focusing upon the Word of God – and we become happily enslaved to sin, to sorrow, to misery. Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
And I say this to you this morning, dear friends, not as one who is immune, not as one who is high and mighty and simply wagging a finger. I don’t want you to think that Pastor Brown is going off on some holier-than-thou kick. Rather this. This is simply how Satan attacks Christians. Satan is the great enslaver, the great ensnarer – and he wants each of us here to stop looking at God’s Word, stop placing ourselves under God’s Word – Satan wants us to be confident in and of ourselves, so confident that we end up ignoring God – that even if we come to this place we just go through the motions, to where we no longer actually listen to the Word, no longer examine ourselves, no longer strive to be better, no longer desire to be more and more Christ-like tomorrow than we are today. I see it in myself, and I see it in my congregation. It is just what the old evil foe does – it is how he means each of us deadly woe.
We are in need of Reform – we are in need of being brought back to the Word, being called to repentance from our sin – and I’m not speaking just today of a spiffy, special service, or something unique or a one-time thing. No, today on Reformation day, we remember that we sinful human beings, as long as we live in this world, are going to be in need of reform – for Satan constantly seeks to corrupt and deform us. We constantly need to live lives of repentance, where we struggle against any and all sin which creeps there in. We need to constantly be on guard against the ways Satan tries to bind us with all the various temptations that appeal to us, against the ways Satan strives to make us arrogant and prideful and to forget God’s Word.
We are always in need of reform, which is simply another way of saying that we are always in need of Christ, for He alone is the One who can reform us, remake us. “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the Son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” When I speak of a need of reform, I am not simply telling you what you need to do. I am not telling you to pick yourselves up by your own bootstraps or anything like that. In fact, I’m saying the opposite. Consider all your vaunted strength and power and see how it falls flat. What did we just sing - With might of ours could naught be done – soon were our loss effected. A reform, a change in our life does not come about by the strength of our convictions or a display of willpower. Rather this. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Or “but for us fights the valiant One, whom God Himself elected.” Or how about what we just confessed, that Christ Jesus “has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.” You see dear friends, reformation is never about us. The reformation was not about the wisdom or courage of Martin Luther; reform in our own life isn’t about our diligence. Reformation is about Christ Jesus – for it is Christ Jesus who sets us free, it is Christ Jesus who bursts the shackles of sin, who wins us our freedom. It is Christ Jesus who goes to the Cross and suffers and dies for our sins and wins us salvation. And what of the times when we in our pride, in our arrogance, forget that it is about Christ? What about the times when we put our plans and wants ahead of God? What of the times when we would enslave ourselves to sin? “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples.” When those times happen, when we have been suckered by Satan into slipping away from the Word, what does God do? He speaks His Word to us again, He calls out to us, He speaks His Word of Law to show us our sin, and then He says, “Behold, I have dealt with your sin by My death upon the Cross.” And He makes us to abide in His Word – He reforms us, makes us to be people who are His disciples – He makes us to know the truth – not just the truth of our sinfulness, not just the truth of His forgiveness – but the Word of God makes us to know Christ Jesus, makes us to know Him who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Christ brings us unto Himself, brings us into relationship with Himself. He baptizes us with water and His Word, claiming us unto Himself. He brings us His own Body and Blood in the Supper; He abides with us here in His Supper so that we might always abide in Him, in His Word. Christ acts. The same God who died for our sin brings His Word to us today, so that we might be kept steadfast in that Word, that we might know Him, and that we might delight in the freedom He has won for us from our sin.
And so dear friends, today we celebrate the Reformation – not just the reformation of the Church some 500 years ago, but indeed, our Reformation – that even as we struggle against sin, even as we often fail to struggle against sin as we ought, that Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior comes to us again and again through His Word and He reforms us –He sets us free from sin – He calls us to repentance and then gives us not only forgiveness but His own strength in order to go forth and show His love, speak His peace and word. Christ Jesus has set you free, you are free indeed – delight in, cherish, and enjoy His freedom. We are new creations in Him, delivered from sin unto salvation and eternal life all because of Christ Jesus. This is the heart of the Reformation. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tradition and its decay
Tomorrow is the feast of St. James. As I don't come into the office on Fridays, I did the reading from the Treasury of Daily Prayer for Friday this morning as well. It noted that some modern folks today think that James was the biological brother (or half-brother, to be technical) of Jesus. Paul calls him the brother of our Lord in Galatians 1:19 (ton adelpon - the brother).
Now, the Treasury also notes that in the Early Church there was the tradition that James was actually just a kinsman, perhaps a cousin, who was perhaps even raised with Jesus, but not a biological relative.
I am somewhat dubious of this tradition, in spite of its antiquity, and here is why.
When we think back to a tradition we can see arising in, say, the year 300, we think, "Wow, this is incredibly old." However, I would say that it is also nearly 240 years after the writing of Scripture.
To put that time span in perspective - consider how we as Americans treat the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Have not traditions about these arisen that sort of directly contradict their intention? I worry about the creation of or distortion of tradition within the Christian faith as well. . . especially as we see over and over in the Old Testament that it doesn't take long for people to start wandering off or following cleverly devised myths.
This is not to say that believing that James is a cousin is impious. . . but that isn't how the Scriptures describe him. And while there may have been wonderful, pious reasons for asserting that adelphon really meant merely cousin a few years down the road. . . is your pious story the way things are?
The changes via "interpretation and precedent" to the Constitution are not necessarily insidious - they were done not by cackling fiends but by people who thought they were doing something good. But things got changed. Likewise, I think sometimes with our own pious traditions the same things may have occurred.
Now, the Treasury also notes that in the Early Church there was the tradition that James was actually just a kinsman, perhaps a cousin, who was perhaps even raised with Jesus, but not a biological relative.
I am somewhat dubious of this tradition, in spite of its antiquity, and here is why.
When we think back to a tradition we can see arising in, say, the year 300, we think, "Wow, this is incredibly old." However, I would say that it is also nearly 240 years after the writing of Scripture.
To put that time span in perspective - consider how we as Americans treat the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Have not traditions about these arisen that sort of directly contradict their intention? I worry about the creation of or distortion of tradition within the Christian faith as well. . . especially as we see over and over in the Old Testament that it doesn't take long for people to start wandering off or following cleverly devised myths.
This is not to say that believing that James is a cousin is impious. . . but that isn't how the Scriptures describe him. And while there may have been wonderful, pious reasons for asserting that adelphon really meant merely cousin a few years down the road. . . is your pious story the way things are?
The changes via "interpretation and precedent" to the Constitution are not necessarily insidious - they were done not by cackling fiends but by people who thought they were doing something good. But things got changed. Likewise, I think sometimes with our own pious traditions the same things may have occurred.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
St. Luke
St. Luke’s Day – October 18th, 2009 – Luke 10:1-9 (and other verses)
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Today is St. Luke’s Day, October 18th, the day when the Church commemorates this evangelist, this servant of Christ, who was the human author by which our Lord gave to us the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts – around a quarter of the entire New Testament. And yet, when we hear our Gospel lesson for this day, Luke isn’t mentioned once. There is no moment of glorifying Luke there – he may have been one of the 72, he may not even have been – we do not know. But, as the rest of his Gospel, this lesson is not about Luke, but rather it is about Christ Jesus. And when we look at this text, and think about how it relates to everything Luke writes, we will see a contrast between two things. On the one hand, we can consider our desires, our wants, and on the other hand, we behold what it is that Christ wants. Indeed, the entirety of the Luke’s Gospel shows us what it is our Lord desires. Let us examine the text, and compare.
This text is the sending out of the 72, and it is a striking text. Our Lord sends out these men in pairs, two by two, and He says to them, “Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals.” Don’t take provisions, don’t take a spare change of clothes, don’t take your platinum card or anything else like that. Simply go – and what will you eat, well. You’ll go to houses, and whatever they provide, that’s what you’ll eat. “Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide.” Simply go and receive what you are given. Now, does this sound like a good, pleasant idea to any of us? Would any of us consider taking a trip in this fashion? I mean, I’ve taken cheap trips – in college my friends and I did a 2 and a half week road trip where we bounced from family member to family member for nearly 6000 miles – but we at least told grandma we were coming first. But this is beyond that – no backup cash, no going to family even – headed out amongst complete strangers – relying simply upon their good will to provide. And indeed, that seems to be a sketchy proposition – as our Lord had said earlier, “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Not exact words to give me security. I cannot quite expect the wolves to show wonderful hospitality to the lambs.
Do you see how odd this would have sounded, how it would have completely cut against the grain of what the disciples, of what any of us would want? We want security, we want to know there will be food on our plate. And even more and beyond that. We don’t just want a house – we are Americans, we want a better house. We don’t just want shelter, that house had better have a nice TV and a good stereo in it too. The table better not just have food, but that food had better be good – there had better be cake and we had better be eating it too. When it comes to life, we want the respect of our community – not their scorn. When it comes to business, we want great growth and success and bumper crops every year. We want safety and security – all our ducks lined up in a row. We want. We want mammon, the things of this life – not even just comfort, but luxury and vanity.
Do you see how what our Lord instructs these people to do just completely cuts across the grain of human nature – how it is so opposite of what we as sinful human beings want? This week, which did you think more about – your money, your stuff – or God. Were you more concerned with filling your belly than with loving God with all your heart and with all your mind? The simple fact is we are so easily distracted by the things of this life, by the world and it’s vaunted, vain pleasures. Christ, in this text, directs our eyes away from this.
So why? What does Christ want? What is Christ’s purpose? Is it merely a purpose of the Law – is this simply instruction – look I am going to force your eyes off of your stomach, oh 72. Well, we can see that in there. This text does serve as a reminder of God’s providential care. While they are on the road, all 72 are cared for. In verse 17 we hear, “The 72 returned with joy”. It’s not as though Jesus sent out 72, but most of them starved to death and then He looks up and says, “Oh look, now I have 12 disciples, hey guys, you get to be the Apostles!” No! They all make it back, and things are even good, enjoyable for them. They are amazed at all that they see God provide, indeed, that they even can cast out demons on this trip. But our Lord says to them, verse 20 – “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Our Lord doesn’t focus on their physical care, on the “spiritual powers” they get to exercise, the drastic demonstrations of the power of their faith.
No, the highlight for Christ is salvation. You see dear friends, that is what Christ Jesus our Lord wants, that is His focus – the salvation of people, the redemption of sinners. Christ’s concern is not that your faith is awesome, but rather that you are brought to faith and kept secure in that faith so that you might rest assured of your salvation in His name. And not just you, but also for your neighbor. Listen again to our Lord’s Words – “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” His harvest. That’s Christ’s focus. Look, there are more and more people who need to hear, who need to be brought to faith by the power of the Word. You 72 are just tools, instruments to bring this about – get on out there. Don’t worry about stuff, just get out there! The focus is upon others, is upon the neighbor, is upon bringing other people into salvation, into the knowledge of God and His redemption. This is why we pray for workers. This is why it is good for us to pray for Jay – not merely because we like Jay and want him to have personal fulfillment in “his ministry” – blah, who cares about that? What’s important is the harvest, the people who will hear the word of God through him – the harvest is waiting, send Jay and plenty more so that others might be saved! The focus is upon the harvest – upon those the 72 will preach to as they are scattered amongst the wolves, the focus is upon the folks whom will hear the Word even to this day – to you here and indeed those out there who as of yet have not heard – this is Christ’s focus.
It is a focus we see throughout the Gospel of Luke. Luke’s Gospel is filled with Christ preaching, is it not? Over and over we see our Lord going from place to place, preaching and teaching. Even before He is old enough to speak, the Angels must come out and preach to shepherds in the field. This Gospel shows us what Christ preaches, what He does, who He is – namely that He is God Almighty. And then, there is it’s culmination – the Crucifixion of our Lord. What does Christ Jesus want – what is His desire? To seek and save the lost – and there is no greater evidence of this truth then the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is our Lord’s focus, our Lord’s goal – to win for us poor sinners salvation by His death and resurrection – to give that salvation unto us by the power of His Word. Indeed, consider what He says just before He ascends for Luke records for us His Words – “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” That is the focus of our Lord.
And so, Luke writes. He writes of what Christ Jesus does Himself in the Gospel of Luke. Then Luke writes the book of Acts, and what does the book of Acts show? It shows repentance and forgiveness of sins being proclaimed in Christ’s name, starting in Jerusalem and spreading to the nations. Luke provides a faithful witness to this – but even more than that. Consider, dear friends, that through this Gospel written by our dear brother in the faith Luke, Christ’s desire for repentance and forgiveness to be proclaimed – a desire shown by sending out the 72, a desire shown upon the Cross – is brought to fulfillment even here and now, this day, this place. We learn from this Gospel that we are to repent, that we are to flee from our sinful desires, that we are to beat them down. We learn from this Gospel to behold the wondrous love of our Savior – of His great love for us. But indeed, more than that, we also see from the pen of Luke the great ways in which we ourselves receive that Love directly applied to us in our own lives. Consider Acts 8:36 – Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch – where the Eunuch says, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being Baptized!” Or the Words of Peter on Pentecost – Acts 2:38-39 – “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children.” This promise is for us, for our children – we too have received it – just as we have learned from Luke – we have received the Kingdom of God like little children (that’s Luke 17). We have the wondrous gift of Baptism.
And indeed, Luke tells us of another great and wondrous gift from our Lord unto us – And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is My Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new testament in my blood.” Indeed, this has been given even unto you, and this day – even here and now, in but a few moments, you here in this place, so many miles away from Jerusalem, separated by vast years – you will receive from our Lord His own Body and Blood – given for you, poured out for you. Behold how diligently our Lord desires you to receive His forgiveness, how often and frequently He reaches out to you to bless you, to see that you know that your names are written in Heaven, to keep you in the faith so that you never depart from Him.
This is what our brother Luke shows you even today – How your Lord loves you with such wonderful and unabashed love, that His focus is upon you and upon your salvation, and that He will have His Name proclaimed to you so that He might claim you as His own. Thus we are right to thank God for His servant Luke, who so wondrously shows us the heart of God in God’s love for us. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Today is St. Luke’s Day, October 18th, the day when the Church commemorates this evangelist, this servant of Christ, who was the human author by which our Lord gave to us the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts – around a quarter of the entire New Testament. And yet, when we hear our Gospel lesson for this day, Luke isn’t mentioned once. There is no moment of glorifying Luke there – he may have been one of the 72, he may not even have been – we do not know. But, as the rest of his Gospel, this lesson is not about Luke, but rather it is about Christ Jesus. And when we look at this text, and think about how it relates to everything Luke writes, we will see a contrast between two things. On the one hand, we can consider our desires, our wants, and on the other hand, we behold what it is that Christ wants. Indeed, the entirety of the Luke’s Gospel shows us what it is our Lord desires. Let us examine the text, and compare.
This text is the sending out of the 72, and it is a striking text. Our Lord sends out these men in pairs, two by two, and He says to them, “Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals.” Don’t take provisions, don’t take a spare change of clothes, don’t take your platinum card or anything else like that. Simply go – and what will you eat, well. You’ll go to houses, and whatever they provide, that’s what you’ll eat. “Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide.” Simply go and receive what you are given. Now, does this sound like a good, pleasant idea to any of us? Would any of us consider taking a trip in this fashion? I mean, I’ve taken cheap trips – in college my friends and I did a 2 and a half week road trip where we bounced from family member to family member for nearly 6000 miles – but we at least told grandma we were coming first. But this is beyond that – no backup cash, no going to family even – headed out amongst complete strangers – relying simply upon their good will to provide. And indeed, that seems to be a sketchy proposition – as our Lord had said earlier, “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Not exact words to give me security. I cannot quite expect the wolves to show wonderful hospitality to the lambs.
Do you see how odd this would have sounded, how it would have completely cut against the grain of what the disciples, of what any of us would want? We want security, we want to know there will be food on our plate. And even more and beyond that. We don’t just want a house – we are Americans, we want a better house. We don’t just want shelter, that house had better have a nice TV and a good stereo in it too. The table better not just have food, but that food had better be good – there had better be cake and we had better be eating it too. When it comes to life, we want the respect of our community – not their scorn. When it comes to business, we want great growth and success and bumper crops every year. We want safety and security – all our ducks lined up in a row. We want. We want mammon, the things of this life – not even just comfort, but luxury and vanity.
Do you see how what our Lord instructs these people to do just completely cuts across the grain of human nature – how it is so opposite of what we as sinful human beings want? This week, which did you think more about – your money, your stuff – or God. Were you more concerned with filling your belly than with loving God with all your heart and with all your mind? The simple fact is we are so easily distracted by the things of this life, by the world and it’s vaunted, vain pleasures. Christ, in this text, directs our eyes away from this.
So why? What does Christ want? What is Christ’s purpose? Is it merely a purpose of the Law – is this simply instruction – look I am going to force your eyes off of your stomach, oh 72. Well, we can see that in there. This text does serve as a reminder of God’s providential care. While they are on the road, all 72 are cared for. In verse 17 we hear, “The 72 returned with joy”. It’s not as though Jesus sent out 72, but most of them starved to death and then He looks up and says, “Oh look, now I have 12 disciples, hey guys, you get to be the Apostles!” No! They all make it back, and things are even good, enjoyable for them. They are amazed at all that they see God provide, indeed, that they even can cast out demons on this trip. But our Lord says to them, verse 20 – “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Our Lord doesn’t focus on their physical care, on the “spiritual powers” they get to exercise, the drastic demonstrations of the power of their faith.
No, the highlight for Christ is salvation. You see dear friends, that is what Christ Jesus our Lord wants, that is His focus – the salvation of people, the redemption of sinners. Christ’s concern is not that your faith is awesome, but rather that you are brought to faith and kept secure in that faith so that you might rest assured of your salvation in His name. And not just you, but also for your neighbor. Listen again to our Lord’s Words – “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” His harvest. That’s Christ’s focus. Look, there are more and more people who need to hear, who need to be brought to faith by the power of the Word. You 72 are just tools, instruments to bring this about – get on out there. Don’t worry about stuff, just get out there! The focus is upon others, is upon the neighbor, is upon bringing other people into salvation, into the knowledge of God and His redemption. This is why we pray for workers. This is why it is good for us to pray for Jay – not merely because we like Jay and want him to have personal fulfillment in “his ministry” – blah, who cares about that? What’s important is the harvest, the people who will hear the word of God through him – the harvest is waiting, send Jay and plenty more so that others might be saved! The focus is upon the harvest – upon those the 72 will preach to as they are scattered amongst the wolves, the focus is upon the folks whom will hear the Word even to this day – to you here and indeed those out there who as of yet have not heard – this is Christ’s focus.
It is a focus we see throughout the Gospel of Luke. Luke’s Gospel is filled with Christ preaching, is it not? Over and over we see our Lord going from place to place, preaching and teaching. Even before He is old enough to speak, the Angels must come out and preach to shepherds in the field. This Gospel shows us what Christ preaches, what He does, who He is – namely that He is God Almighty. And then, there is it’s culmination – the Crucifixion of our Lord. What does Christ Jesus want – what is His desire? To seek and save the lost – and there is no greater evidence of this truth then the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is our Lord’s focus, our Lord’s goal – to win for us poor sinners salvation by His death and resurrection – to give that salvation unto us by the power of His Word. Indeed, consider what He says just before He ascends for Luke records for us His Words – “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” That is the focus of our Lord.
And so, Luke writes. He writes of what Christ Jesus does Himself in the Gospel of Luke. Then Luke writes the book of Acts, and what does the book of Acts show? It shows repentance and forgiveness of sins being proclaimed in Christ’s name, starting in Jerusalem and spreading to the nations. Luke provides a faithful witness to this – but even more than that. Consider, dear friends, that through this Gospel written by our dear brother in the faith Luke, Christ’s desire for repentance and forgiveness to be proclaimed – a desire shown by sending out the 72, a desire shown upon the Cross – is brought to fulfillment even here and now, this day, this place. We learn from this Gospel that we are to repent, that we are to flee from our sinful desires, that we are to beat them down. We learn from this Gospel to behold the wondrous love of our Savior – of His great love for us. But indeed, more than that, we also see from the pen of Luke the great ways in which we ourselves receive that Love directly applied to us in our own lives. Consider Acts 8:36 – Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch – where the Eunuch says, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being Baptized!” Or the Words of Peter on Pentecost – Acts 2:38-39 – “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children.” This promise is for us, for our children – we too have received it – just as we have learned from Luke – we have received the Kingdom of God like little children (that’s Luke 17). We have the wondrous gift of Baptism.
And indeed, Luke tells us of another great and wondrous gift from our Lord unto us – And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is My Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new testament in my blood.” Indeed, this has been given even unto you, and this day – even here and now, in but a few moments, you here in this place, so many miles away from Jerusalem, separated by vast years – you will receive from our Lord His own Body and Blood – given for you, poured out for you. Behold how diligently our Lord desires you to receive His forgiveness, how often and frequently He reaches out to you to bless you, to see that you know that your names are written in Heaven, to keep you in the faith so that you never depart from Him.
This is what our brother Luke shows you even today – How your Lord loves you with such wonderful and unabashed love, that His focus is upon you and upon your salvation, and that He will have His Name proclaimed to you so that He might claim you as His own. Thus we are right to thank God for His servant Luke, who so wondrously shows us the heart of God in God’s love for us. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost +
Friday, October 16, 2009
An "unromantic" Romantic Love
I will admit freely that on many things, I am a romantic. I enjoy all the stupid little things associated with romance - letters, sharing a soda, writing poems - all the like. All the little acts of courtship, all the silly little demonstrations of care.
That being said, I have come to have disdain for the phrase "I fell in love" (even though the song Fell In Love with a Girl by the White Stripes is one of the best songs of the decade). The reason why is that the idea of "falling" is completely passive -- and yet, this really is the "highest" description of romantic love.
Think about it - the "how did you meet stories" are expected to end, "and that's when we fell in love. . ."
Yet consider this - that Love is the Greatest Commandment - be it loving God or loving your neighbor. It is an act, a use of your will to have you act for another's benefit. All the silly old romantic things are active - you write a letter (and then the other must act as well, not even having time for a fast train, because "my baby, she wrote me a letter"). You go out on a date. You get a soda together.
To love, even in the romantic sense, is to act for the benefit of your neighbor. . . it's not a feeling that you fall into. Indeed, your actions of love ought remain the same, when the feeling is not that of "oh, they make me have butterflies in the stomach" - but even exasperation.
Romantic love is active - it is care and sacrifice. Too often, though, we will make it passive and internalized - or at best merely reactive (a la The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson. . . where since you make me feel good, then I will work to buy you thinks)
Love is action. Show love.
Enjoy funny music videos, if you so wish, like:
Good Enough For Now - by Wierd Al, the greatest country song ever written.
Conventional Lover - by Speck, from Rock Band 2, which is the best love song for herds.
Here, There, and Everywhere by the Beatles, which is what my wife and I had our first dance to.
And. . . well, I tried to find the song that Jay Hobson would dance to at his wedding - my wife and I both did. . . but we couldn't find anything. Sorry.
+++++ Edit +++++
My wife gave me a dirty look because of my giving up on Jay's Romantic endeavors. If you have a suggestion, please link to it in the comments.
+++++ Edit 2 +++++
I'm sorry, Jay, doesn't look like anyone else could think of one either.
(grumblegrumblegrumble what was that about the chairs on my front porch grumblegrumblegrumble)
That being said, I have come to have disdain for the phrase "I fell in love" (even though the song Fell In Love with a Girl by the White Stripes is one of the best songs of the decade). The reason why is that the idea of "falling" is completely passive -- and yet, this really is the "highest" description of romantic love.
Think about it - the "how did you meet stories" are expected to end, "and that's when we fell in love. . ."
Yet consider this - that Love is the Greatest Commandment - be it loving God or loving your neighbor. It is an act, a use of your will to have you act for another's benefit. All the silly old romantic things are active - you write a letter (and then the other must act as well, not even having time for a fast train, because "my baby, she wrote me a letter"). You go out on a date. You get a soda together.
To love, even in the romantic sense, is to act for the benefit of your neighbor. . . it's not a feeling that you fall into. Indeed, your actions of love ought remain the same, when the feeling is not that of "oh, they make me have butterflies in the stomach" - but even exasperation.
Romantic love is active - it is care and sacrifice. Too often, though, we will make it passive and internalized - or at best merely reactive (a la The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson. . . where since you make me feel good, then I will work to buy you thinks)
Love is action. Show love.
Enjoy funny music videos, if you so wish, like:
Good Enough For Now - by Wierd Al, the greatest country song ever written.
Conventional Lover - by Speck, from Rock Band 2, which is the best love song for herds.
Here, There, and Everywhere by the Beatles, which is what my wife and I had our first dance to.
And. . . well, I tried to find the song that Jay Hobson would dance to at his wedding - my wife and I both did. . . but we couldn't find anything. Sorry.
+++++ Edit +++++
My wife gave me a dirty look because of my giving up on Jay's Romantic endeavors. If you have a suggestion, please link to it in the comments.
+++++ Edit 2 +++++
I'm sorry, Jay, doesn't look like anyone else could think of one either.
(grumblegrumblegrumble what was that about the chairs on my front porch grumblegrumblegrumble)
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