Watt's What

Last Sunday of the Church Year, November 22, 2009; Jude 20-25

2009-11-23T11:13:00.000-06:00

Grace and Peace to you from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

You know we are on a journey. Our lives are going somewhere. In fact they are going toward eternity. It’s a journey that we are on, and one of the primary reasons we gather together here every week. But is seems that so often we are focused on today and what we need to get along every day rather then the destination. So every year at the end of November we concentrate on the destination. We think about eternity coming, and how that affects… at least how that should affect our travels in this life. The epistle lesson for today is about just that.

²⁰But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; ²¹keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. ²²And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. ²⁴Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 20-25 (ESV)

Imagine you are a pioneer crossing the great plains of America, in a small wagon train. The wagons drone along the prairie making slow progress every day. One day the forward scouts come riding into the group pointing ahead at smoke on the horizon. It’s a great prairie fire raging. It’s moving very quickly fueled by the dry grass and the wind. It’s moving far to rapidly to out run… there is no way around it… in fact there is literally no escape for anyone. Fiery death is approaching and will soon burn everything and everyone.

“There is no time to waste,” the leader of the groups shouts. He knows what to do. “Start a fire behind us, back there.” Some in the group object that the suggestion seems crazy. But there isn’t time and everyone pitches in and follows the instructions. “Quickly,” he urges, “It’s our only chance to survive!” Soon a fire is raging behind, and the situation looks even worse. There is approaching death ahead, and a blazing fire in the only line of retreat. By all appearance you are even more trapped then before.

But as you watch you see the fire behind moving away from you and leaving a burned patch on the ground; a dark smoldering barren area. “As soon as it cools,” shouts the leader get everything on that burnt patch! When the fire gets here it will go around us and we’ll be safe.”

The group act together supporting one another as they moved to the safe area. All the wagons, people and animals huddled together, fearfully watching the approaching firestorm. And just like the your leader said it passes around. Flames and smoke fill the air choking your lungs and terrifying everyone. But everyone stays put in the safety of the area that’s already burned. Between you and certain death is a patch of ground with nothing to burn. The fire can’t get to you. When the danger is over everyone has survived, and the journey can continue toward its goal.

You and I are on a journey. This is our wagon train, and all these people here are our traveling companions. That’s what the Church is all about. Traveling on our journey toward eternity, the Promised Land. Every day that destination gets closer. We are in this trip together. No single person, or family would dare travel the dangerous journey across the Great Plains by themselves. They traveled in numbers for safety and encouragement and strength. That’s what we do here, too. We gather for safety and encouragement and strength.

But it is a dangerous journey. There is fire all around us. Satan is very real and very active. He hates Christians with every fiber of his being. He wants nothing more than for you to leave the safety of the Church where he can drag you into Hell. And there’s more, the world that we want to live in is dangerous to us. It’s easy to get burned out there. So much of what’s around us dries up our faith. What’s worse is there’s nothing we can do about it. Satan is powerful. The world has great influence. The fire burns toward us and we are helpless to do anything. We can’t get away and we can’t put it out.

But Jesus knows what to do. He makes a way to escape. We know how he suffered for us. He suffered our punishment, the fires of hell, in our place. He hung on the cross and suffered God’s burning anger against sin. Satan attacked him. The world hated him. They dished out the worst they had to give and Jesus died. He gave his life for us, to give us a safe place to stand.

You see, the ground that we stand on here, in faith, is protected by Jesus. He gave His life for it. He spilled his blood on it for us. The fires of hell can’t get to us. Satan can’t harm us and the dangers of the world can’t destroy us.

But there all around us is the burning and raging fire waiting, wanting to get to us. Danger and death are there all around us. And the danger is real.

What do the fire look like? Actually we are enticed by it. It speak to us things we want to hear, things that sound so reasonable. “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are true to your beliefs and do your best.” “All religions worship God in their own way.” “There are plenty of ways to get to God, just pick one and be sincere.” “Look within yourself. You are all you need.” But these are all lies. They lead away from the safety of Jesus, the only Way to God, our only protection. They say nothing about Jesus life, death and resurrection; nothing about forgiveness of sins that He won for us. And without Jesus there is no hope and no salvation at all.

There are other things in the flame that we are attracted to. We think we can play in the fire and not get burned. A little sexuality here and there never hurt anyone. You can see it every day in advertising. You hear it every day on the radio and around the coffee table. “Don’t be such a prude. Sex is fun and free. Marriage is old fashioned. People should be allowed to express themselves in any way they desire. Get with the times.” But that too, is a lie. Sex outside of marriage is pure fire that will burn you up. But how tempting it is… but how dangerous.

And in the fire greed calls to us. We want more and more and we’ll do just about anything to achieve our goals. Even stepping on our brothers and sisters to push our way to the top. The desire to have the best and have more than anyone is part of the fire. And the rumor mill is in the fire. It churns up stories about each other that we can’t wait to pass on. And the smoke of laziness that keeps us away from worship and God’s Word.

You see the fire every day, all around us, calling to us, attracting us, and lying to us. It is deadly dangerous. Not just because it’s there but also because we are so easily lured into it. We are so easily burned.

Now look around you at the ground you are standing on. It’s safe ground. But, unlike the burned ground from the story this ground is rich and full of life. In fact it’s full of new life. You see, Jesus already was burned in our place. He died for us but He didn’t stay dead. He rose again to new life. He’s with us here. He causes everything in this safe place to grow and prosper. He takes care of us even while the fire rages all around. That’s what Paul is talking about when he says “your most holy faith.” It’s faith in Jesus and what He has done for you and me. That’s what we are built up by. That’s what we are encouraged by. That’s the faith that we can live by and not be burned.

But we aren’t just standing here either. We are on a journey. We are going somewhere. And that somewhere is a place where there is no fire burning around us. That place is a safe place without the temptations that are all around. That place is the place that Jesus said He has prepared for us. And we don’t have to travel alone. We are on this journey together. Paul tells us to, “Travel together, hold each other accountable, love and care for each other, keep each other away from the flames.”

How do we do that? “By building each other up.” He says. You know how to do that. We do it all the time. Kind words are a great encouragement. Look out for each other. Reach out in care and concern when there is pain and hardship. See what needs to be done and do it. It’s not difficult. In many ways it’s just building on the friendships we already have. But building means to expand. And we also need to expand that circle of friendship beyond where it is right now. We need including other people in our friendships that we wouldn’t normally include. People here in our church and people out there in our community.

Secondly Paul tells us to pray. “Pray in the Holy Spirit.” Speak from your heart to God. Keep each other in prayer about all of life’s troubles, but especially about our faith. Pray for those whose church attendance is falling of. Don’t talk to other people about the rumors you hear, pray to God about them. Pray that we’ll keep our eyes on Jesus instead of the fire that is tempting us. Pray that we stand and walk together on this journey.

Finally Paul tells us to hate what is evil and corrupting. “hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” It’s hard to live in the world that promotes so much of what is evil. It’s easy to say, “I’ll just let that go this time.” It’s hard to stand up against evil alone especially when it seems as if everyone is doing it. We need each other. “No, I’m not going to let my children watch that, or do that. Yes, I’m going to do what God says is right instead of listening to the world.” Doing the right thing is always the right thing.

The fire is all around us but we are safe with Jesus. We are protected. He died and rose again for you and me. This journey we are in together is leading to a great and wonderful place that we can only begin to imagine. The journey isn’t easy, but our leader, Jesus, calls to us to keep in His love, in the safe place. As we travel we are to build each other up and pray for one another and hate the evil of the world. You know, this journey won’t last forever, in fact, it will be over soon. When it is we will enjoy the heavenly place that Jesus Christ has prepared for you and me. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Listen to Higher Things Radio

2009-11-21T11:06:00.001-06:00

Pastor Watt Interviewed on Higher Things Radio

Join Pastor George Borghardt each week in his latest and greatest project, Higher Things Radio to learn more about the Gospel and Jesus Christ delivered for you! Pastor Borghardt's new program will air on Pirate Christian Radio Thursday evenings, so tune in your web browsers and check him out. If you miss him, don't worry we'll be podcasting his show right here from the Higher Things website! Each week on Pastor Borghardt's new radio program he'll be interviewing your favorite catechists and columnists from Higher Things. In addition, Pastor Borghardt will be cold-calling his friends up with your questions in a special segment called, Is this a sin?. Send in your questions today to radio@higherthings.org.

The Resurrection of the Body, Pastor Watt
Listen here http://higherthings.org/radio.html

You Pointy Ear-ed, Green Blooded Freak!

2009-11-19T15:13:00.001-06:00

Missouri "Worship Wars"

2009-11-19T13:22:00.000-06:00

Here we are rapidly approaching 2010. Our synod faces critical changes in structure and governance, and budget shortfalls that are beyond the comprehension of most of the members of our churches. When all is said and done I believe the heart of our (LCMS) troubles still lie in worship practice. The competing factors are pulling the church in multiple directions and I fear that the only thing left for Missouri is the the birth of multiple tiny groups of churches that will refuse to be in fellowship with each other. Maybe it is the only solution left to us. The coming year, I believe, will see the determination of these issues.

But I hold out hope for the Missouri Synod. After all it is the synod of my birth. We are at our heart traditional, liturgical, practical and faithful to the Lutheran Confessions. At our heart we confess the faith of our fathers. (In spite of some who insist that this isn't our grand-father's church see "Through the Ages . . ." http://www.lcms.org/pages/wPage.asp?ContentID=418&IssueID=27) At our heart we know that all worship must find its center in Jesus Christ Crucified for the forgiveness of sins. We know the best way to worship is to speak, sing and chant the same texts as the faithful church has done over generations. At our heart we bring the Word of God to the world from our unique (Biblical!) law and Gospel perspective. At our heart we revel in the confession of the faith that has been handed down to us in the Lutheran Confessions. On the surface is the foolishness described by Phillip Magness in an article by Terry Mattingly (Mattingly and the Lutheran Worship Wars http://www.scrippsnews.com/content/mattingly-lutherans-and-worship-wars)

"What I found out is that we're a lot like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates," he said. "It says 'Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod' on the sign, but when you go inside you have no idea what you're going to get. ... Some of our churches are playing with the structure of the liturgy and some are playing with the content and our whole synod is trying to find out how to draw some boundaries."

As one pastor in the synod has said, "Now is the time for Confessional Lutheranism." The world is unsettled and unstable. People are looking for stability. The message of God's great love for sinful people shown chiefly in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross is the message we have. It is the message the world needs to hear and see. What we need to show is a traditional, liturgical, practical, confessional worshipping community that clearly and uniformly presents Christ. The best way to do that is the way the faithful church has done it: Word and Sacrament administered according to Christ's command; Hymns, songs and spiritual songs that clearly confess God's work for us in Jesus Christ; Preaching the law in its full force to crush the hearts of the faithful as well as the unbeliever AND the Gospel in its full force to sooth broken hearts with the comfort of Jesus Christ. there is no church body that can do all these things at the same time as well as the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. God grant it for Jesus Sake.

+SDG+

Pastor Jonathan C. Watt

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

Creston, Iowa

Academia vs. Business

2009-11-18T07:12:00.001-06:00

How true it is! This is exactly why the "ivory tower" exists.

God Whisperers - Lutheran, Confessional Radio that is as Good as it is Strange.

2009-11-17T08:34:00.001-06:00

Listen on Pirate Christian Radio Monday at 2pm Centeral Time. PirateChristianRadio.com

or on the God Whisperers web page GodWhisperers.com

Lutheran Radio sure has taken an interesting turn. :0)

Here's the latest commercial.

Hebrews 10:11-18; Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost; November 15, 2009

2009-11-16T09:33:00.000-06:00

¹¹And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. ¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ¹⁶“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” ¹⁷then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” ¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Hebrews 10:11-18 (ESV)

Grace and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hope looked at the dirty pile of clothes lying on the floor by the washing machine. It was a mountain that never seemed to go away. Every time she attacked the hill, every time she rallied her forces to conquer it; the hill sprouted anew. Instead of getting smaller it grew taller or wider or someone would dump a basket from the upstairs bathroom onto it. It was a hopeless task. It would never be done. Nothing she could do would ever end the job. It was “laundry everlasting”; dirty shirts, shorts and socks that multiplied. And yet, Hope persisted. The job was there to be done; she was the one to do it.

That’s a picture we can understand, “laundry everlasting.” We know it because it’s in all of our houses, maybe not so much for those whose children are grown and gone, but it was true for you, just as it is for those of us whose children are helping to build that mountain of never-ending work. But it’s a job that has to be done.

In a way, that’s what the writer of Hebrews is talking about here in this text. ¹¹And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. He’s talking about the priest offering sacrifices for the Jews every day in the temple. There were sacrifices for every type of sin. There were burnt offerings made for general sins, there were offerings for unintended sins and mistakes, there were offerings for sins that required restitution. The blood of bulls, lambs, rams, sheep, goats and turtle doves spilled every day over and over again to take care of the never ending mountain of sins that God’s people committed. And these offerings were made repeatedly, many times a day, and yet the people’s sins were always before them. Each offering wasn’t an answer to sin because each sin required a new sacrifice. Before one sacrifice was finished a new one was required. The mountain of sin couldn’t be assaulted by sacrifice because no amount of them would ever make a dent in it. Every time a sin was removed by sacrifice a new batch was added to the festering pile. “Sacrifice everlasting.” A task that had to be done yet was never finished. That’s exactly why the priests stood, they were to be attentive to the task, and to sit was to say the job was done. An endless stream of blood from bulls and goats could never get the job done. They could never take away sins.

Do you see your sins this way? I think the mountain of dirty laundry might help us to see it. Every time we wear our cloths we leave them dirty. It’s not just dirt on the outside, but sweat and oil from on the inside. If they lie around the house they begin to smell. We can’t help it, it’s the way our bodies work.

Sin is kind of the same for us. It’s the way our bodies work now. Every time we do anything sin is a part of it. When we do good for someone, we hope someone sees us so we get the credit. When we are sitting alone we think about things we shouldn’t think about. Men think thoughts about women. Women think thoughts about men. We want what isn’t ours to have. And we take by deceitfulness what we can’t get legally. We cheat when it really doesn’t even matter. And we lie when lying isn’t even necessary. If we had to make sacrifices for each and every sin, the mountain of dead animals would stack to the top of the steeple for each one of us. “Sacrifice Everlasting” is what would be required. Your mountain of sin; my mountain of sin can’t be reduced by blood. Even your own blood spilled wouldn’t be enough to pay the price.

And that is really the point. That’s why God commanded the sacrifices. He wanted His people to see the effect of sin in a very graphic way. He wanted them to see that blood was necessary; lots of blood. He wanted them to see that death was necessary; lots of death. And He wanted them to see that nothing they could do would take away their sin. Not the blood of thousands, not anything they could do with their own hands. The mountain of sin grows every moment, and it requires death and blood.

¹²But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. It says. Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice. It was one sacrifice that stood in the place of the thousands. One time for all sins, one man, one God, crucified, dead and buried. God wanted the people to know that the sacrifice of His Son was greater than all the blood ever spilled in the temple. His one single sacrifice for sins was not just one sacrifice is was “Sacrifice Everlasting.” It is the complete sacrifice for sin. The life of God given for the sins of the world. The life of a bull or a goat or a lamb has value. The life of a human being has great value. But none of them can pay the price for the sins of even one person. But the life of God is priceless. The life of God is eternal. The life of God is immeasurably high. That’s the life that Jesus Christ gave on the cross. That’s the life that is enough to pay for sin. In fact, the life of Jesus Christ is more than enough to pay for all the sins of the whole world no matter how long the world goes on, no matter how many people live and sin. The life and death and resurrection of Jesus is a price that is so great, no mountain of sin will ever be as tall. Jesus assaults the mountain of human sin with such force that it evaporates in to nothingness. And he sat down at the right hand of God. The job was done, and Jesus sits down. The text says ¹⁴For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. It’s talking about you and me, perfected by Jesus’ sacrifice, for all time. Job done, once and for all.

And as usual that’s not all the text has to say to us. Holy Spirit also bears witness to us. The fact that we even see this mountain of sin, this every growing dirty laundry is God’s work in us through the Holy Spirit. I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds. As we live and work and play every day God has given us His law. That law is like a mirror that shows us that every time we turn around that we’re adding to our pile of sin. The law says don’t commit adultery, which we may not do physically, but even the thoughts in our minds condemn us. The law says don’t steal, we may not actually get around to taking things that don’t belong to us, but the desire condemns us also. We don’t like it but actually that condemning law is really the gift of God, it is the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds. Jesus himself said that he came to help the sick. And the law that God has placed in our hearts shows us every day that we are very sick. And just like that ever growing mountain of laundry no matter how good we try to be we can’t remove our own mountain of sin. That’s really what the law is all about. It’s not there to tell us how to clean up our own act. It’s not there to tell us how to get right with God again, its primary purpose is to show us the mountain.

Now if that were all, we’d have a pretty terrible life, never living up to what we can’t live up to. Helpless and hopeless, we have nowhere to turn. But we can turn to God. And the Spirit is at work there, too. “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” It’s not that God is forgetful. He doesn’t remember our sins because He has taken care of them. He has paid the price that we can’t pay. He has done the work necessary to remove the mountain of sin. It’s not because of a thousand sacrifices made in the temple; it’s because of the One Sacrifice. It’s not because we’ve done it right and gotten our act together, it’s because God Himself, made it right, in Jesus Christ. That One Sacrifice brought to us more forgiveness than we’ll ever need. ¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. There is nothing more that needs to be done. No more blood spilled on stone altars. No more good works to set us in good standing. There is no longer anything to do, because Jesus Christ has done it all for us.

Here is where Jesus gives that wonderful gift to us; forgiveness for that mountain that we can’t handle. Every day we add to it and every day Jesus removes it. He does it here in His Word and Sacraments. Over and over again, it never ends. One Sunday is just like the last. We say: “For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, renew us and forgive us, and lead us….” And your Pastor says: “in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” And it is so because of that Jesus promise. And the next Sunday we say it again: “For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, renew us and forgive us, and lead us….” And your Pastor says: “in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” But we don’t do this over and over because it doesn’t work. We do this over and over because it does. We do it over and over again because Jesus has already removed the sin by His blood. We do it over and over again because we need to be reminded over and over again. We need to hear it to receive it. We need to hear it to believe it. It’s done! I’m forgiven because of Jesus. “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” That’s what it’s about really its “Forgiveness Everlasting.” Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Prophecy?

2009-11-09T17:47:00.001-06:00

Mark.12.38-44; Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost; November 8, 2009

2009-11-07T14:00:00.001-06:00

And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:38-44, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This text is coming just a week early. Next Sunday is “budget” Sunday. We’ll gather in the fellowship hall and make plans for what we are going to spend next year. By that decision we are going to show what’s important to us and what’s not so important. We shouldn’t be surprised that God actually has something to say on this topic. We claim the Reformation idea of Sola Scriptura, that is Scripture alone determines how we live and act as a church. God’s Word tells us what is important and what is not. And here it is in black and white, plain simple language from the lips of God himself. A stewardship sermon!

As always God’s timing is perfect. The state is dropping jobs like raindrops. The government is threatening to take over health care requiring all of us to sacrifice more of our income in taxes. Our aging building seems to need more and more attention. It appears that time and talents will be stretched even more thinly than this year. But Jesus has a solution. Do what the widow did. Actually this fits with the advice you might receive from one stewardship consultant. When he is asked what portion of income we should give to the church, he points to this passage and says, “We should give it all.” By now you must be squirming. Well the truth is I’m squirming. Very few Christians don’t already struggle with the guilt of feeling that they don’t give enough to the church. And at the same time most of us feel that our neighbor could certainly give more than they do. And what about all those folks who belong here but don’t attend? Shouldn’t they still support the church? Well pastor, here’s a real good example of why we don’t want you to talk about money from the pulpit. Someone is going to be offended. Someone is going to think we only want money. Someone is going to quit giving the little bit they give and then we’ll be in trouble. So keep it simple pastor, just leave money out.

Well, that would be fine with me. You probably don’t realize how uncomfortable it is to have the food on your table dependant on the charity of a small group of people. You may not realize how humbling it is to be the biggest expenditure in a very limited budget. None the less the text is here to be heard. And Jesus tells us some very important things here. It isn’t just talking about giving to God’s Work in this congregation, he also teaches the proper perspective of living as God’s people.

Well, just look at the contrast here between the Scribes and the poor widow. These scribes are good looking on the outside. They were very respected by the people around them. They wore clothing that everyone recognized. They were shone respect on the street and in private parties. They got the best seats, they were asked to pray and, it seems, they were paid by the word. Everything they did was for the attention of others and, very likely, God himself. The place where Jesus sat there in the temple was a testament to this attitude. Rich folks didn’t give quietly and privately. They made a public spectacle of it all. Any day you could go to the temple and see it.

The widow is a different subject. Outwardly, she would most often be ignored. We would probably pass her by ourselves. And her gift is small. Take two pennies out of the offering plate and that’s a hundred times more than she gave. If you took those two small coins and put them on account at LCEF there would be no quarterly compound interest payment to the budget. Quite simply what she gave wouldn’t even buy a paper clip.

But that shows you exactly what’s going on in her heart. She faithfully gives. And Jesus calls it “more” than all the rich people gave. Her gift is more than the coins. She gives all she has. When she leaves the temple she doesn’t know where her next meal is coming from except that God will provide. She is actually giving of her whole self.

Those scribes are different. Their hearts are self focused. They crave the attention that their gifts bring. They give with a false pretense of humility. They give to get there names inscribed on those little plaques. They prefer that their money be spent on something that will out last them, stained glass windows and such. They give because they expect God to give back more than they give. They give to show other people how much God has given them. They give to show that they are better than people they don’t like. They give because they don’t want there name to be near the bottom of one of those lists that show how much people give in the church. They give because they want other people to judge them by what they give. Wait am I talking about those scribes or am I talking about us?

Oh that’s not very comforting is it? What did Jesus say about those attitudes? “Beware! Look out! They will receive greater condemnation.” We must confess our sin. We fail to give it all. It’s the commandment again. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your money! We may want to be like the widow having our heart in the right place, having our checkbook in the right place but how often do we fail? How often do we place our own needs above the needs of others and the work of the church? How often do we rate each other with dollar signs?

Do you want to know what Jesus is really pointing to here? Notice what he says about the widow. She gave everything. Just a few verses before this text Jesus is asked, what is the most important commandment. Listen to his response:

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31, ESV)

You can’t miss the picture here. She trusts God and gives her last thin dime for the sake of other people. Jesus points her out not for the sake of giving her credit, but for the sake of showing us himself. What she does is a picture of Jesus. He gives everything. He gives his life, his self sacrificing for the sake of others. During his earthly life he has compassion on people who need help. He heals, he teaches, he comforts. He gives his death, his sacrifice on the cross in payment for the punishment that we self centered, poor stewards should have. He gives his resurrection, his new life to us too. Our old sinful nature crucified, dead and buried, and our new nature that truly does want to give to God all that we have and are. We have been set free from our sin, our death and the power of Satan over us. Our sin is forgiven. We are washed clean in the blood of Christ. Our “greater condemnation” is hung on Jesus. Jesus shows true love by giving all he has for even me! For even you! In our baptism we get his life, death and resurrection, are new creations in Christ. We want to hear his word of forgiveness. We want to receive his forgiveness, spoken and in his meal at the altar. And we want to serve our neighbors with all that we have.

So how’s that for stewardship. We give because Jesus gives to us first. What you give is between you and him. What you give includes everything you have, the life you give to your family, your work, and… yes, the church budget, too. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:1-12; All Saints Day; November 1, 2009

2009-11-01T06:33:00.001-06:00

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “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. (Matthew 5:1-12, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

One of the most difficult things in preaching is to use a very familiar text. First of all, a familiar text is likely to float right by your ears without being heard. “Oh, I know this one. I’ve heard it before.” We say. Our brains turn off, “there is nothing new here, nothing I need to know about this text, and I’ve heard it all before.” It can be a real problem, as far a preaching is concerned. Secondly, since we’ve heard the text so much, since we’ve heard it preached so many times we “know” what it’s all about. We’ve already heard what this one means. I remember what Pastor so-and-so said about it. But, in spite of these ‘difficulties’ I’ve decided to preach on this text anyway. So let’s all put away our preconceived notions about these Beatitudes. Let’s forget that we’ve heard lots of sermons on what Jesus said here. Try to find something new, together…

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them

Let’s picture this crowd, that Matthew describes to us. A few verses earlier he said,

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. (Matthew 4:24, ESV)

These are the people that are all around in the crowd. Some have traveled days to reach this very spot, just to catch a glimpse of the man who might heal them. Over there is a crippled man. He walks with a stick because each step causes him great pain. Over there is a woman with sores on her skin. The kind that never stop itching, never stop getting infected. Gathered together on the outskirts of the group, avoided by everyone are the Lepers, close enough to hear and see, and not far enough for the crowd. And there are the poor; children whose daily meal consists of a dry crusty piece of bread and a small portion of water. It is a very great crowd… they’re noisy, calling out to Jesus for help, pleading with those around them to take them to him. You can’t escape the smell of sweat, dirt, and sickness. But, they have all come; they have come because they have no where else to turn. They are in desperate need, alone and outcast, looking to Jesus for hope.

And what if you had come, too. What if you and made a day’s journey… or was it two. The time has all blended together, and you can’t rightly remember. The crowds have pressed in on you, and carried you along. So you couldn’t have gotten away, even if you wanted to. But you didn’t want to leave, because you too, have a need. It could be an illness that is bearing down on you, making life unbearable? … Taking away your freedom, your independence? … Causing you pain that you don’t understand? Maybe it’s wondering if you are really going to survive the economy. Will there be enough money to make a living? Will my family survive? Doubts and fears of what will happen to them, if you can’t provide. Or you are suffering over death. Pain that sears up inside you as you remember how it felt to be next to that loved one who is now gone… angry that you have to go on alone. Or you may be haunted by a sickening, painful feeling that won’t leave you alone. A remembrance of something dreadful, pain that you caused someone else or actions that shattered a friendship.

What ever you need, the feelings eat away at your sleep and they interrupt your daylight. You try to forget, but you can’t. And that is why you are here standing before Jesus, one of many in the midst of the crowd, looking to him in the hope, that He can do something about your pain.

Every eye is on Jesus, who has positioned himself to be seen. Every ear is open as silence falls over the crowd, waiting for his words to come. You watch him as his eyes drift from person to person, as he lovingly inspects them. The silence is deafening, and the anticipation grows… finally Jesus speaks:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3, ESV)

There is a long pause, as the words float through the crowd, placing themselves in each ear, and making their home in every mind. “Blessed… happy…. fortunate are those who know that they have no where to turn.” The words couldn’t have been better chosen. The crowd, and you, know instantly that Jesus is talking about you… and he has said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to you. You look around you, especially at the man who is leaning on his stick. His illness makes you feel like moving away, and yet Jesus words echo in your mind. “The kingdom of heaven is yours.” You wonder how it can possibly be… and Jesus continues.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4, ESV)

Mourning you understand. The emptiness left by death… the alone-ness… the isolation. You have felt it many times as you gathered around the body of a loved one who has died. You know exactly how it feels. Death separates. And that’s what mourning is, separation. And yet Jesus says, you are blessed even though you mourn, because you will be comforted. As Jesus continues you realize that he is speaking as if something is now different than it has been before. … The meek inherit… righteousness is honored… people receive mercy…. and people who are pure in heart see God. These words don’t describe the world as you have known it. You have seen meek people, and they don’t inherit anything but dirt, righteousness is not honored, and mercy is seldom seen. Jesus must be speaking of a new kind of Kingdom. He is talking about a Kingdom of God. And, even more than that, he is speaking as if it is already here, right now... As if he is bringing it.

As the crowd dissipates, as everyone trails home, you wonder about all that you have heard. Especially how the Kingdom of God can be here, how all the things that Jesus said could be true, and yet, there is still insult, and evil, even against the people of God. Jesus had even backed up his words with actions. He went through the crowd and they had seen him heal; and heard him speak. And yet even as Jesus brought comfort, mercy and peace, there still had to be more. The suffering remains, but “great is your reward.”

Still, today we ponder the same realities as the crowd that stood before Jesus that day. We come to him, poor in spirit, with no where to turn. Our sins always before us, ever causing division between us, ever causing unintended pain. We plead to him, “Create in me a clean heart!” And we mourn. Look at the list of those who have gone before us… three pages long and growing. The separation, the loneliness, and the pain, caused by our sins and theirs. And the persecutions… we also see them. Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Our hearts and prayers go out on behalf of those who are suffering directly for their faith. More Christians have died for their faith in the last decade than the first 19 centuries of the church. Still, two thousand years later, and all that Jesus spoke about is still true, and yet he calls us blessed. At times it seems as if his death meant nothing at all.

But it is his death and resurrection that mean everything. Especially for us. Jesus did in fact bring with him the kingdom of God. He rules over it completely. And he rules over it for us. Especially for us, who are poor in spirit, especially when we realize that we have no where else to turn.

Because of his death, when we turn to him with our sins. And then he says, “I forgive you. I will cast your sins into the sea of forgetfulness, and remember them no more. If I have forgotten them they need not trouble you any more!” When we turn to him in our sickness, he says, “I love you. My death and resurrection mean that even as your illness drags you toward your death, I have taken away its victory. I have claimed you. You will not be given more than you can bear.” And when we turn to him in grief, he says, “Why do you seek the living among the dead! I’m alive. These my children will live again. Their separation from you will not last much longer. I am coming again soon. We will all be together again.” And when we cry out to him for those who suffer because they will not deny him, he says, “This evil will not stand long. I am coming soon!”

“Blessed are you.” Jesus says. “Because the Kingdom of God is yours. I have assured it, with my life. I have shown it to you by healing the sick, freeing the captives, and raising the dead. I have promised all this to you, and I seal my promise in my very own blood, given and shed for your forgiveness.”

It was on that hillside, in those words so familiar to us, that Jesus tells us what the kingdom of God is like. It was there that he told us that it had indeed come to us. And it was there that he pointed ahead to the time when he would come again and bring it in its fullest sense, forever. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Issues, Etc. Talk Radio for the Thinking Christian!

2009-10-23T08:32:00.001-05:00

Should the Church Be Involved in Social Media?

2009-10-22T08:52:00.001-05:00

YES!

TrinityCreston.org

Twitter.com/TrinityCreston

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creston-IA/Trinity-Evangelical-Lutheran-Church-Creston-IA/95267099313

RT: Rev. Paul McCain cyberbrethren.com

Three Solas of the Reformation - Part 2, Sola Gratia

2009-10-18T16:45:00.000-05:00

Sola Scriptura is Scripture Alone

Sola Gratia is Grace Alone

Sola Fide is Faith Alone

Sola Christus is Christ Alone

Romans 3:20-25

For by ^aworks of the law no human being will be ^bjustified in his sight, since through the law comes ^cknowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been ^dmanifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the ^erighteousness of God through ^ffaith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for ^gall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are ^hjustified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a ⁱpropitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to ^jshow God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Romans 3:20-25, ESV)

He's Baaaak! Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto and The Center for Lutheran Theology and Public Life returns.

2009-10-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

IRVINE, OCT. 1. The Center for Lutheran Theology and Public Life (CLTPL) has resumed business Thursday, three months after it was closed by the Board of Regents of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis for budgetary reasons, according to the Center’s director, Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto. CLTPL is now operating out of Concordia University Irvine, Cal., and is legally a ministry of Faith Capistrano Lutheran Church at Capistrano Beach, Cal.

The Center’s mission is to reflect on secular issues from the confessional Lutheran perspective. A non-profit organization, CLTPL offers lectures, articles, broadcasts, videos, and conferences on topics such as the vocation of voters, journalists, politicians, lawyers, soldiers and parents. CLTPL is planning to establish regional chapters at several locations around the United States and abroad. “With our emphasis on the doctrine of calling we intend to propose a healthier alternative to the contemporary ‘Me’ culture in America,” Siemon-Netto said.

CLTPL’s first major event after moving to Irvine will be a lecture series by its director at the University of Calgary in Canada on the priestly roles of voters and journalists in the secular realm, and on “War, Piracy and the Media” at the University’s “Centre for Military and Strategic Studies” on Oct. 6-7. This will be followed by a presentation on the Global Significance of the Music of Johann Sebastian Bach at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Nov. 2.

In the spring semester of 2010, the Center’s director, a longtime foreign corrrespondent and editor, will teach an advanced journalism course based on the ethics of the Lutheran doctrine of vocation at Concordia University Irvine.

CLTPL is supported by grants, donations and other offerings that are all tax-deductible. All contributions for The Center should be sent to “Faith Lutheran Church of Capistrano Beach” (FLC); ccontributions should be earmarked for “Center for Lutheran Theology and pulic life” in the memo portion of the checks. The mailing address is as follows: CLTPL c/o Faith Lutheran Church, 34381 Calle Portola Capistrano Beach, Cal., 92624.

The Center’s Concordia University address is: The Center for Lutheran Theology & Public Life, Old Admin Building, Room 312A, 1530 Concordia West, Irvine, CA 92612-3203, telephone 949-854-8002, extension 1335.Center

Technorati Tags: CLTPL,Two Kingdoms,Lutheran Doctrine,Uwe Siemon-Netto,Vocation,LCMS

Mark 10:2-16; Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost; October 4th, 2009

2009-10-04T17:25:00.000-05:00

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:2-12, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Well, this topic may be one of the most unpopular topics we could possibly talk about. I seriously thought about preaching on the Epistle. But I just couldn’t get around the fact that the topic is out there and very noticeable in the Gospel reading. And then there’s the fact that this issue of divorce has touched us all. We all know of broken marriages, divorce, and unfaithfulness. How do you speak about how God created a man and women to be in a lifelong marriage relationship without pouring tons of guilt on folks who have divorced? Or have had marriage problems? Part of the problem is that this text doesn’t answer all the questions we have about marriage and divorce. It says just one thing. Jesus divorce is a sin.

I think, if we really want to hear what God has to say we need to just let His Word speak. We need to see what Jesus is doing here in this text. We need to see the purpose for saying what he’s saying.

Notice first how clearly St. Mark tells us what’s up. The first sentence is:

Pharisees came up and in order to test him

These folks, these Pharisees, want to “test” Jesus. You should know that this question about divorce was a big theological debate of the day. Some of the religious leaders argued that God only allows divorce for reasons of “infidelity, and abandonment.” Others said that divorce was available for a host of other reasons. (Sounds a lot like today doesn’t it?) The question they are asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” isn’t really a question about divorce and what’s lawful, it’s designed to put Jesus in the middle of an argument. They want to trap him into choosing sides in the argument. They want him to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. One of my seminary professors at this point would say something like this: “It’s always a bad idea to try to trap Jesus.” Jesus won’t be trapped and instead he turns the tables back on the guys who try to do the trapping. He springs their own trap on them so that they are caught in a hopeless situation. And he almost always does it by first asking a question of the askers. He does it here, “What did Moses command you?” It’s a question they can answer. “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” The case seems cut and dried. But Jesus turns their belief on its head.

And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:5-9, ESV)

Jesus actually points to a different part of the bible. “You’re reading in the wrong place. You’ve got to go back to the very beginning. God created a man and a woman to be united together for their whole life, one flesh. God doesn’t allow divorce for any reason! You are not permitted to divorce at all.” Jesus has turned their world on its head. They want to trap him in the debate and he ends the debate by trumping their argument with Creation, with God’s ordering of the universe.

Ah, and here we are too. We hear Jesus and cringe just like the Pharisees did. They wanted exceptions to God’s rules. We want exceptions to God’s rules. “What about an unfaithful spouse? What about when a marriage is really bad? What about when a wife’s life is in danger? What about… when I just don’t love her anymore?” Jesus bypasses all these questions. He’s not talking about all the rotten, sinful, broken, selfish things human beings bring into they’re relationships. He’s not talking about how sin destroys what God has joined together. He’s talking about how God designed the permanent union of marriage. He’s talking about what God wants for married people. What we have in common with the Pharisees is that we want to talk about exceptions. We want to know when we can divorce. We want to know how to do it properly. Jesus answers from the perfect creation of the world. God’s answer is “Don’t do it, ever.” In other words divorce is never God’s will for marriage. That is not to say that divorce will never happen. That’s not Jesus’ point here. There’s no way to get into a discussion of “exceptions” without having to talk about choosing between evils. Sometimes we have to have divorce as the lesser of two evils. Sometimes in this sinful world there will be divorce. But divorce is always sinful. The problem is that everyone then thinks their situation must fall into the exceptions, and instead of using divorce as the lesser evil, the lesser sin becomes the greater one. Jesus skips the whole discussion. “Don’t!” he says. We still want to find out. We want to justify ourselves, our relatives, sometimes even our children. Well, the disciples had the same questions. Later when they get Jesus alone, they ask the question again. And Jesus gives another very clear answer.

And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” (Mark 10:11-12, ESV)

Jesus won’t let it go. He says it even more plainly. He says it even more forcefully, more politically incorrect. He calls this behavior sin.

Maybe Jesus is turning your whole world upside down. “Well, what about this situation or that situation?” Jesus only tells us what God expects. It’s hard for us to hear because we stand condemned. That’s God’s law staring us right in the face. We turn God’s the gift of marriage into something other than how God gives it. We might even be angry at God about it. “Well, if that’s the way God is, He’s not a God I want to worship.” And now you and I have gone right back to Genesis, too.

It is the essence of sin to say we know better than God. It is the very heart of sin to say that we want to decide for ourselves what is best for us. It is wanting to be god for ourselves. That’s the sin that lives in our hearts speaking. Of course, that sin isn’t just related to marriage. We want to be in control every aspect of our lives. We want to be able to dislike a brother or sister in Christ because they think differently about things than we do. We want to be able to agree with our neighbors about moral issues even when they disagree with scripture. We want to be able to cheat just a little bit on our business deals to make them more profitable. We want to be able to talk about how other members of the church don’t give their fair share in the offering, without giving sacrificially ourselves. It’s not the sins we do, it’s the sin that’s in our hearts. It is wanting to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong, to be our own god. That is the sin would separate us from the true God forever; if it weren’t for our Savior, Jesus.

One of the ways that can help us to understand exactly what Jesus has done for us to end our separation is to look at marriage the way God wants it to be for us. That’s just what St. Paul does in his letter to the Ephesians.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:22-27, ESV)

When we do marriage as God would have it done, it’s a picture of God’s love and forgiveness in Jesus. Forgiveness in Jesus Christ is the foundation of a good and successful marriage. It is all about wives submitting to their husbands and husbands loving their wives… “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Forgiveness is the foundation of our relationship with God. Just as Paul says, it’s all about what Christ did for us, He is the bridegroom we are his bride. He sanctifies us, by cleansing us with water and the word. To be baptized is to be a member of the church, the bride of Christ. To be baptized is to be washed clean of sin, even the sin of not wanting to submit to the Bridegroom and God’s Word about marriage or anything else. St. Paul says that Christ gave himself up for the Church, for His bride. That is talking about the cross. A husband is to give his life for his bride, to provide for her, to protect her, to hold her welfare above his own, to sacrifice all for her. That’s what Jesus did. Our sin, our rejection of God’s control over our lives deserves a permanent divorce from God. But Jesus brings us to God as his perfect bride because he takes our place in punishment. He holds our welfare above his own. He sacrifices his life for ours. He suffers the permanent separation from God on the cross, we see that when he shouts “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, ESV) And so when God look to us in judgment he only sees that we have been washed clean, that we are “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,” that we are “holy and without blemish.”

There’s lots of talk about marriage these days but none as important is the picture that God gives us as a way of understanding His relationship to us in Jesus. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we don’t want to have marriage any other way then the way that God defines it. Because of what Jesus has done for us we want to submit to God’s will for our lives and our marriages. Because of what Jesus has done we have a forever relationship with God, through faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Psalm.51; Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 27, 2009;

2009-09-27T17:36:00.000-05:00

1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,

O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;

build up the walls of Jerusalem;

19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Grace and Peace to you from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ;

At our house we don’t really watch television. However, we belong to Netflix and once in a while we get a disk of older TV shows. So many people were talking about that medicial show “House” I thought it was time to check it out. So we got a couple of them to watch in the mail. I find these shows very interesting. And I often wonder what the effect of Dr shows on television has been. You know I worked in a hospital for ten years, it was not really like this show or any other I’ve ever seen. I know they have to make the shows interesting but the problems are always the most grave, the most severe, life and death issues. You never see this scene. Phil is nervously sitting in his doctor’s office. The doc is looking over his charts.

“Well, Phil I’ve got really bad news for you. Your case of athletes foot is going to require you to use this ointment for three whole weeks.”

No the TV scenes go like this…

“Phil, there is nothing we can do… you’re heart is just too far gone. Your only option is a heart transplant, and there are no donors available that fit you blood type.”

That’s life on television.

Well, how about you. How serious is your condition. Do you need a heart transplant? Does your heart suffer from a disease that is slowly killing you? Well that’s how the writer of this Psalm talked. That’s how he saw his heart, even though he was a man of great wealth and power. even though he was a man after God’s own heart. David, the King of Israel, tells us about the corruption of sin in his own heart. And the title even tells us when he wrote the psalm. “A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.” When Nathan accused him of murder, David looked at himself, and what he saw caused him to cry out for God’s mercy. He knew that he deserved only death from God. He had indeed done great evil in God’s eyes. Uriah the Hittite was dead as surely as if David had plunged the sword in his heart himself. David had killed him to cover up his affair with Uriah’s wife. When the accusing finger pointed to him, when the Law was spoken in its needed severity, what David saw in himself was more than just the sin of one act. He saw a heart that was totally corrupt, from top to bottom, from its beginning, from its very conception. David saw his sick heart and knew that it had nothing in it that would ever be able to make it clean on its own. The King looked into his own heart and saw the blackness and evil.

At first after Uriah was dead, after Bathsheba had moved into the palace, David actually thought he had gotten away with the sin, the adultery and murder. But, God was biding his time. He waited a whole year or more before he sent the prophet Nathan to accuse David. When he did, David was cut to the core. Death pointed a bony finger right at David’s black heart and said, "You are the man! You are guilty of adultery and murder and conspiracy. You are caught in your sin, you must die!” David was past all hope. There was nothing he could do.

But, there was a chance for salvation; David knew that his only hope was to appeal to God’s undeserved love and mercy. He could do nothing to help himself. When David was confronted with his sin, he saw his black corrupted heart. He saw that what he needed was a new heart; a clean heart; a pure heart. "Rip out this old corruption." He said and "Create in me a clean heart! Oh, God! A heart that has no sin, a heart that loves you fully, a heart that only does what is your will! A heart that will lead me to you and not to death." This Psalm that we repeat here in worship so often was David's cry for mercy to the Lord; the God whom David knew to be full of "unfailing love."

Well, we can always cluck our tongues at David. After all just look at what he DID! But, we must remember God’s law points the bony finger of accusation at our hearts too. We have sick and sinful hearts, corrupted from top to bottom. If we honestly look at our own lives we can see very clearly that all too often we are ruled by the same blackness, the same corruption that ruled David’s life. Most of us aren't guilty of the gross sins of David we haven't had an illicit affair, or directly caused someone's death. Maybe we don't even shoplift, cheat on our taxes, or tell those little white lies that we hope make us look better or smarter to other people. But, Jesus made it very clear,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28, ESV)

He could have said it like this too ladies, “any woman who looks lustfully at a man has done the same thing.” Here Jesus is the one who condemns us all. “It doesn't take the action to be guilty.” he says, “the guilt lies with in your corrupted, blackened, sinful hearts.”

Right before that Jesus talks about being angry.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:21-22, ESV)

Our guilt isn’t here (in our hands) our guilt is here (in our hearts) and here (in our heads) It is in our thoughts and desires. Adultery is more than action, theft is more than physical, murder is more than blood stained hands. We stand with David, "You are the man." Sin was a part of his life and it is a part of ours. Our guilt is certain. Death, our just punishment, according to God himself, points its bony finger at us and threatens us. Our first reaction is to justify ourselves. I have my reasons for hating that person. I’m just too week to resist the temptation to lust after women. I can’t help it I’m genetically predisposed to be a drunk.

Actually you can usually tell when people are coming up to the full realization of the law that condemns them. That’s just unrealistic. That’s just old fashioned. It doesn’t technically include what I do.

We will do anything to avoid the realization that we deserve only one thing from God, punishment.

Our only hope is to turn to God in the hope of His unfailing love and mercy. With David, this Psalm is our cry for mercy too. “Rip out this old corruption! Create in us all clean hearts! Oh God!”

And God answers our prayers. God answers our cries by drowning us. “Wash away my iniquity and cleans my sins.” David wrote. And that’s exactly what God does. He uses a cleansing, renewing water that is poured on us, dripping down onto our corrupted lives and washing away that blackness that is there, and drowning that old dark heart… and there in its place He places there a new heart, a clean heart, a pure heart, a perfect heart… in fact He places there the heart of Jesus. And Jesus heart is not like ours. His heart is spotless and pure, and full of the God’s love for us. We see that great love in all that Jesus Christ did for us. When God demanded death for corrupted hearts Jesus stood in our place. He loved so perfectly that He suffered and died for corrupted hearts. His clean a pure heart took on our sin and with its very last heartbeat drove away sin’s punishment forever. It was an exchange. Jesus Christ took our blackened heart’s punishment on his pure, clean heart that we might take his clean heart for our own.

We need new hearts… we are given the heart of Jesus. His clean, pure and perfect heart is ours by grace… that is because of God’s great, undeserved love for us. It is ours through faith when we hold on to what God tells us is true and believe it. That faith looks to Him for cleansing when we are weighed down by guilt… that faith looks to Him to wash away the blackness that we see in us whenever we look at ourselves carefully… that faith trusts Him to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That faith is what brings us here to this house of worship to receive what God has to give us again. Here we remember that great Heart Transplant whenever we hear the Name of God. “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The very words used at our Baptism, when God drowned out our heart and gave us his own. That faith… is very evident in the words of David. “Wash me and I will be whiter than snow." David saw his own sinful heart, but he knew that God, and only God, could cleanse it. He believed in God’s promise to do just that, through the Messiah to come. We too, gather together to call on God to wash us and make us “whiter than snow.”

Life is a struggle, every day we are confronted by our own imperfection. Every day we struggle to not be self-centered. Every day we fight the sinful urges that come up from our blackened hearts. When we read David’s Psalm we see that he struggled just as we do. We may be tempted to think that his sins were greater than ours. But, the truth is that we are all cut from the same mold. We are all capable of exactly what David did… and even more, our thoughts make us just as guilty of them as he was. God’s law crushed David. The finger of death and punishment pointed at him, he turned in faith and repentance to God looking for mercy, and that’s just what he found.

Our sins crush us, too. God’s law tells us that we deserve death and punishment. “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God.” We shout to God in faith, knowing what he has done for us; knowing his promise that he will cleans us “whiter than snow;” knowing that our old heart is drowned and Christ pure heart beats in its place.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, organ

2009-09-26T18:13:00.001-05:00

I just love the way this video brings out the music.

John 12:20-33; Holy Cross Day; September 20, 2009;

2009-09-20T13:16:00.000-05:00

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:20-33, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

You know, the whole world is looking for something spiritual. I have heard that the fastest growing religion in the world right now is Islam. It’s growing in Africa, South American, Canada, and yes even in the United States. It is a part of the human psyche to want spiritual things to be a part of life.

People especially look for God, as a higher power, in times of trouble. Just remember our national outcry after the attacks of 9/11. Everywhere you looked there were people crying out to God for help and understanding. People want God to be a part of their lives. They want God around when stuff isn’t going well. But the question could well be asked “What god?”

The term god that is used in the public square is very generic and it is meant to be that way. Sometimes you might even hear it said like this; “Let us each pray to god, using whatever name we know him by.” The truth is there is no generic god. There is only one true God. He is the one we should seek. He is the one we should pray to. He is the God who comes to us in Jesus Christ.

Our Gospel today finds some “Greeks” looking for Jesus. These guys were, presumably, people who believed in the God of the Jews. They were in Jerusalem for the Passover, they saw that Jesus was there and wanted to know more about him. “We want to see Jesus.” They asked Philip. Of course they didn’t just want to look his direction, they didn’t just want to stand beside the road and watch him walk by. They wanted to look him over, and see what made him so different. They wanted to talk to him. They wanted to get a chance to get to know him. They wanted to see what everyone else saw when they saw Jesus. Here was a man who brought a crowed with him as he marched into the city in a parade of palms looking to everyone like the next King of the Jews. Here was a man who had the guts to go into the temple and clear out the moneychangers and their overpriced sacrifices. He was a man who had raised a three-day-dead-man to life again. He was a man who drew crowds with him everywhere he went. He was a focus of public attention and they wanted to know what every one else saw when they looked at him. They wanted to see what they would see when they looked at Jesus. These curious men came to Andrew and Philip to take them to see Jesus.

Philip and Andrew were not new to bringing people to Jesus. Andrew brought his brother Peter. And Philip brought Nathaniel. “Come and see, we have found the Christ!” they said to their brothers. “Come and look at what we have found. Come see him for yourself.” And now they brought these Greeks to Jesus, “These Greeks, these gentiles, want to see you Jesus. Is it ok?” They asked.

What do you think those Greeks saw when they looked at Jesus? It would probably be easy to describe Jesus, that is what he looked like. How many pictures have you seen? How many pictures do we have all around here? Unkempt hair, smiling face, beard… Halo around his head? Eyes that burn into your soul? Smiling, crying, frowning, and laughing? When these men came to Jesus did they see what they though they’d see? Was Jesus what they expected?

Maybe I should ask the question of you, I think it’s a legitimate question to ask Christian people: What do you see when you look at Jesus?

Think about Palm Sunday. The Jews that followed Jesus to Jerusalem shouting “Hosanna!” saw a powerful king. They must have been overjoyed when he flushed the corruption out of the temple. It was a very powerful and king like thing to do. That’s exactly what they wanted; someone who would get them out from under the thumb of the Romans; someone powerful to take their biggest problems to and let him take care of them. When they looked at Jesus they saw someone who was going to make everything better.

Do you see Jesus that way? Is that the first thing you think of when you see Jesus? My God is an awesome God! I think we all do at times. “If I just have faith in Jesus everything will be alright.”

Susan stood beside here father’s bed. He had been wracked with pain for 3 months. “It’ll be ok dad. We just have to have faith and Jesus will heal you.” She is all smiles and confidant. When Susan sees Jesus she sees healing for her father. That’s the awesomeness of God in her life. Her faith is about Jesus making her father right again.

Ray was successful. Business was great and in spite of the failing economy he was still doing well. He was often asked about the secret to his success. It wasn’t a secret as far as he was concerned. He just followed the principals found in the Bible. As long as he did that Jesus would make sure he was successful.

“Lord,” cried Amy. “Give us the victory over these evil people who only want to cause us pain and suffering. Show your glory in their defeat! You promise that we will be victorious over sin. Make it so now.” As she prayed the crowd around her murmured their approval. They were sure Jesus would show his power and defeat their enemies.

I wonder if that’s what the Greeks who came to Jesus saw? Jesus powerful. King Jesus. Jesus making a glorious stand against everything that was wrong in the world. I think Jesus wants them to see something different. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Jesus isn’t talking about throwing out the Roman Legions. He’s not talking about healing every disease, he’s not talking about establishing a glorious earthly kingdom based in Jerusalem. He talking about death and suffering. He’s talking about having a troubled heart. He says following him isn’t about being healed and successful. It’s about hating one’s life and being a servant. None of that sounds very glorious to me. It’s not what I want to see in Jesus. I don’t think its what the Greeks expected to hear or see.

The truth is faith in Jesus isn’t about being successful in life. It’s not about being healed from every disease. It isn’t about triumphing over our enemies. Faith in Jesus is about seeing Jesus lifted up on a cross, bleeding and dying, suffering and crying out in pain. Faith in Jesus is about that Seed dying and being buried. That’s what today, the Festival of the Holy Cross, is all about. It is a day to thing about the cross of Jesus, and what it means. Our faith is in Jesus Christ who was crucified, lifted up. It’s what he did there on the cross that is so important to everyone. It is there that he “draws all people to himself.” It is there that he gets our attention as he dies.

Jesus is in his full glory on the cross. He is the one who hates his life for the sake of us all. What we mean is that he loved us more than himself. He willingly hung on the cross out of love for you and me. It’s been said that nails didn’t hold Jesus on the cross, love did. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, to be lifted up on the cross and suffer, and die, for the sins of the whole world. Our God is an awesome God. We see just exactly what that means when we stand at the foot of the cross.

What do we see when we look at Jesus? We see Jesus crucified, dead and buried. We see Jesus dying for us, and our sins. We see Jesus paying the penalty for all that we do wrong every day; the things that hurt our friends and family; the things that cause us pain and suffering. We see Jesus suffering for all that we don’t do that we should. Ignoring the suffering of others, and passing up opportunities to share the love of Jesus with other. We see Jesus taking all our punishment to the grave, and packing it all in there to stay, freeing us from it all.

And there’s something else. This seed dies, but it springs up again and bears many seeds. Jesus rises from death and the grave. The punishment of sin is taken care of; the guilt of sin is washed away. Good Friday sorrow leads to Easter joy. But there is no Easter, no resurrection with out death and burial. There are no “many seeds” with out the death of the One.

Do you want to know who God is? The world is looking for Him. They want to see him as a god who will make their nation successful in war. They want to see him as a god who will give them a happy and healthy life, and a booming economy. But God isn’t necessarily found in those kinds of things. But he is found in the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. That’s where he shows his love for the world. That’s where he shows his love for you and me. That’s what we see when we look at Jesus. Amen.

The Peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Most Accessible Concord Ever?!

2009-09-11T07:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I was wrong. I could be heard only a short month ago or so, that CPH's sale on the Book of Concord made it the most accessible it has ever been. After all the pocket edition was a mere $14! Well, the House has done it again. Now is the time to purchase Concordia, the Lutheran Confessions if you do not have a copy. In recognition of the 140th year of CPH, the hardback edition of this volume is now $14. Check out the link here. http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?part_no=531154

The sale ends Sept 14, 2009... so hurry!

Is this now... the most accessible the Confessions of the Lutheran Church has ever been?

(well Paul... what's next?)

Technorati Tags: Concordia,Book of Concord,Lutheran,LCMS,CPH,Concordia Publishing House

Mark.7.31-37; Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost; September 6, 2009

2009-09-07T11:31:00.000-05:00

³¹Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. ³²And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. ³⁴And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” ³⁵And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark 7:31-37 (ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Well, this is a familiar story to us. At least we’ve heard it in Sunday School as a child and it seems to come up occasionally in church, at least a couple times a year. It’s a good story about Jesus and the compassion he has for those who are sick. It’s comfort for us to know it, but even more important is a comfort to us to hear it again.
Remember, too, that Mark is a very fast paced book. His favorite word is “immediately.” Some have said that Mark is a Gospel written for our modern attention span. He moves from one account to the next sparing the details as he moves the Gospel along quickly covering mostly just the high points. But here, in this account, Mark breaks with his regular practice and gives a few more details than we expect. And because he does that he makes some important points I’d like us to look at as we read through the text again.

³¹Then he [Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.

Tyre and Sidon are in the north part of that area. But what’s really important about these places isn’t where they are located but who lives there. They aren’t areas that are full of Jews but they are the areas that are full of gentiles. The best equivalent I can think of today would be to say “I was traveling in “Little Havanna” the other day.” When you heard that you would know that the people I was among were Cubans. Or if I said I preached at a church in Chinatown, you’d probably expect that the people I was with were from the Far East. That’s what Tyre and Sidon meant to the Jews. Jesus is coming back from that area and moving along the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, to a place called the Decapolis. That means “ten cities” there were ten cities clustered together there. Think again about the “Twin Cities” we know it’s Minnapolis and St. Paul. They knew what the 10 cities were, too. And again the primary thing to remember is that the Decapolis was an area filled with non-Jews. Jesus is traveling and teaching, and doing miracles among gentiles.

³²And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

Now this is interesting, not because it happened, because people were always bringing their friends and relatives to Jesus to be healed. The interesting thing here is that the “they” are never completely identified. It seems to be purposely ambiguous. We could ask a lot of questions about it but in the end we really don’t know “who” these folks are, or even why they have brought this man. Most likely they have brought this man to Jesus to be healed because they want to see him do something miraculous. They want to find out if Jesus is really who he seems to be. They’ve heard about Jesus and want to see him “do his thing.”
We should also remind ourselves how people of those days viewed deafness, and speaking disorders. If you were deaf or couldn’t speak they believed that it was because of some un-forgiven sin. It could be yours or your parents, but the main idea was that God was punishing you for something you or even your parents did wrong. In a way they believed that if you were deaf, or blind or unable to speak you deserved it. So bringing this person to Jesus had some other significance, if Jesus could heal him, it said something about who Jesus was. So the beg Jesus to do it.

³³And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.

Jesus takes the man aside. He puts his fingers in the man’s ears. He spits and touches the man’s tongue. Mark doesn’t say why, but I think it easy to understand what Jesus is doing. “Look at me and pay attention.” Jesus says by taking the man aside. He pokes his fingers in the man’s ears, and touches his tongue. “I understand your problem; you’ve got ears that don’t work, and a tongue that doesn’t work. I’m going to do something about it.” And Jesus spits. “I’m going to get rid of the evil in your ears and tongue.”

³⁴And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

Jesus sighed. It seems like and insignificant detail, just some filler in the middle of the sentence. But I think it’s key to understanding what’s really going on here. Jesus sighed. Look at what sin has done! Look at the pain and separation it causes. Of course this man wasn’t deaf as a direct punishment for sin as those standing there might have thought. But sin in general is the cause. Sin in and among the human race brings sickness, disease, blindness, deafness, cancer, aids, and finally, ultimately, it brings death. When Jesus lets out a sigh we sigh right along with him. We sigh as we see the effects of sin all around us. We sigh with friends and neighbors dealing with their own problems, illness, suffering. And we try to be understanding but in reality we are afraid because we know that we are more than just bystanders. We sigh with Jesus because we know that illness will come, weakness will come, and death will come. And it won’t just come to our neighbors and friends. Death will come to us. That’s where we are just like the “they” in this text; the folks who brought this deaf man to be healed. Remember I said we really don’t know who “they” are. Well, here is why it really doesn’t matter. They sighed with Jesus. We sigh with Jesus. They brought him to be healed for the same reason we hold up our friends and family in prayer and ask for them to be healed. We want it all to end. We want cancer to stop ravaging us. We want the blind to see, and the deaf to hear, we don’t want to be sick anymore. We want our families whole again. We want the picture painted for us by Isaiah.

⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; ⁶then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. Isaiah 35:5-6a (ESV)

Jesus sighed. He wants that for us, too. In fact that’s exactly what he’s doing with that deaf man, there in that crowd. He’s bringing and end to it all. “Be opened!” he says. “Ephphatha!”

³⁵And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

Jesus canceled the effects of sin on that man’s ears and tongue. He ended the separation of that man from his family. He ended the pain and suffering caused by deafness. “Be opened!” and the man was healed. Just like the sign language Jesus used to communicate with the deaf man, Jesus communicates with us in language that we can understand. “This is why I have come,” he tells us, “to end the control of sin in your lives.”
Jesus cried out “Ephphatha!” and opened the man’s tongue and ears. He cried out again “in a loud voice” on the cross when he gave up his life. You see, the two events are connected. Jesus came to end sickness and disease and death. He came to end them by his death on the cross. He shows us that by all that he did among the people that swarmed around him. He healed the deaf and the blind. He cleansed lepers and even brought the dead back to life. He came to end the effects of sin in the world. Jesus tells us that when he says to the man “Ephphatha!”
³⁶And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.
It’s odd to our hearing. Why not tell everyone what he did? Why not let the whole world know that Jesus is healing deaf people and making people who can’t talk, talk plainly? Who better to tell the story than those who have been personally touched? Isn’t that the message that Jesus wants everyone to know? That he came to heal our sickness and remove the effects of sin? We can see it again in the “them.” We can again relate directly to “them.” They wanted to tell everyone and Jesus’ words didn’t stop them.
Well, remember when I said Jesus calling out Ephphatha was like his crying out on the cross. That’s the part that’s missing. The people there saw the healing but they didn’t have the whole story. Jesus came to make us whole in body and soul, but he came to do it through the cross. In fact, without the cross what Jesus does doesn’t really mean anything at all. The deaf man went back to his regular live, connected again with his family, but he still faced sin there. He still faced illness and danger. And death still waited for him. All that happened for him was temporary restraint of the effects of sin. And Jesus didn’t come to bring temporary relief. He came to make it permanent. In order for pain and suffering, illness and death, to come to a permanent end, sin would have to come to an end. The whole story is really seen when Jesus hangs on the cross and dies. That’s were sin is done away with. That’s were sin has its final word. And Jesus pays the final and complete price for the sins of the world.

²¹For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

And he nailed that sin to the cross to die. To be done away with forever.

³⁷And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

I think that they are saying more here than they really know. Jesus does do all things well. He heals a deaf man, but that’s only part of the picture. What he really does well is seen in his willingness to go to the cross to die for our sins. “This is my beloved son.” The father says of Jesus. And to prove it he raises Jesus from the dead. That’s right. Jesus does all things well. He dies for sins of the world and God raises him again to life. It proves it. The resurrection makes it plain that Jesus did just what he came to do. He came to do away with the affects of sin in the world, and his resurrection show us just how it has been accomplished.

³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Romans 6:3-5 (ESV)

The resurrection like his is ours, through baptism. A resurrection that promises no more sin, no more suffering, no more deafness, no more cancer, no more anything but joy! You see, Jesus has done all things well.
And while we may still have to deal with sin, and sickness and yes even death. The days of living with these things are numbered. They will all come to an end when Jesus shows up again on our doorstep. That too he promises and is verified by his resurrection. You see; we have the whole story. The healing that Jesus gave to that deaf man is a healing that is promised to us, too. That promise is sealed in Jesus death on the cross, and his resurrection, is given to us in baptism.
So Jesus doesn’t say to us “don’t tell this to anyone.” In fact he tells us to tell everyone “all nations.” He says. It really is good news to tell. And it goes like this: “Hey everyone! I know we are suffering now with death and pain and sickness. But just look at what Jesus has done. He healed a deaf man, and he’ll heal you, too. Believe in him and what he has done for you in his life death and resurrection. Look to Jesus, he has done all things well.” Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Good and Growing Resource on the National Health Care Debate from LCMS World Relief and Human Care.

2009-09-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

Once again LCMS World Relief and Human Care is on top of the issues. Check out this page that give some great resources for the Health care debate.

http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=15667

HT: CyberBrethren

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8; Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; August 30, 2009

2009-09-01T08:01:00.000-05:00

“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? (Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Now listen Sam,” said his father, “you can borrow the car, but I want you to go straight to the game and then come home again.”

“Yea, that’s just what I’ll do… go straight to the game, and then come home again.” Sam had already worked it out in his mind. He thought it over again to himself. “Straight to the game” meant exactly that. He would do that. But there was some latitude in the phrase “and then come home again.” He didn’t have time to stop anywhere before the game anyway. But the way home was full of options. There were lots of routes that he could take. He could be plenty creative in that respect. After all one of his friends was bound to need a ride somewhere, they might even leave before the game was over.

Dad reluctantly dropped the keys in Sam’s hand, while he looked over his son’s face and expression. “You heard what I said.”

“Yea, I heard, straight to the game. And then I’ll come home afterward.”

“Ok, as long as we understand each other.” But Dad was skeptical, as Sam turned on his heel out the door.

Sam’s Dad was skeptical for good reason. He’s like any father, remembers what it was like when he was in his son’s shoes. He remembers how he took advantage and tried to create a loophole in the rules. In fact, it’s perfectly natural to look over the rules and try to find a loophole. We do it all the time. After baseball, looking for the loophole is the national pastime. Actually it’s been the pastime of all people for all time. Including the people of God who received the law of God from Moses.

^“2You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it.” Said Moses (speaking for God) to the people. It’s a little like Dad making sure that Sam understood what he meant. Moses wanted the people to be sure to know that the law was to be followed perfectly. There were no exceptions. There are never exceptions to God’s law. Don’t add to them, and don’t take anything away. Do them as they are that you may live. Because by breaking them you will surely die. That’s really the crux of the issue.

First of all we should understand that the law itself is very good. It comes from God, and He is perfect in His will and action. The law He gives us is perfect as well. St. Paul talked about it in his letter to the Romans. ¹²So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Romans 7:12 (ESV) It is necessarily so because it comes from God. God gives His perfect law “that we may live.”

But there is a problem here. And the problem isn’t with God’s law. The problem is with you and me. Instead of looking at God’s law the way God would have us look at it, we see a problem. We see it as if God is trying to control us and take away our freedom. Just like Sam trying to get around the intention of what his father said to him. We always want exceptions to the law. We want to modify it.

We do it every day. 60 mph isn’t really speeding, is it? After all if I drive slower than everyone else I’m in danger of being in an accident. It isn’t a crime unless you get caught. What God really wants is for me to be happy. And I’m happy just the way I’m living. I don’t need to change anything. I can keep on lying… I can live with my boyfriend… cheating on my taxes… drinking too much… using pornography… looking for a divorce as the final solution to the pain in my marriage. You can insert your favorite sin your favorite exception right here. We try to live our lives as exceptions to God’s law. We’ve added to, or taken away from the clear words. Don’t think to your self, “Well, I know I’m not perfect. But I’m better than some other people I know. Why don’t you concentrate on the guy who really needs it instead of me.” You’ve said it, I’ve said it… we are carving out yet another exception for ourselves.

You see, it’s all the same adding to or taking away from God’s perfect law. The real problem is that we don’t like that finger of accusation pointing to us, and for very good reason. When the law points out that we have sinned, it’s not asking us to change, it’s not giving us hints for better living, it’s not making suggestions to get along with our neighbors… When the law of God points out our sins it condemns us to death. “Ouch!” That’s hardly fair is it? Can God really be that upset at my little faults that He wants me dead? Surely there are exceptions to the law; surely I fall into the exceptions! But, I’m afraid not. “The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel clearly tells us for God. “The wages of sin is death.” It gives no exception. Keep God’s perfect law perfectly and live. Break any part of God’s law and you will die.

That’s a heavy burden to bear… it’s easier to overlook it and modify that law so that it doesn’t apply to me. It’s easier to re-interpret the law so that what we do isn’t wrong. Like Sam not coming straight home. But it doesn’t change our guilt. It doesn’t change the fact that we deserve punishment for breaking the law.

God gives us the law so that we can live. In fact, if we could keep it perfectly we would live. It’s not an idle promise it’s a real one. Keep it perfectly and live. God promises. Of course no human being since Adam sunk his teeth in the apple is able to do it. Sin is alive and well in us, and more often then not we are controlled by it. And unfortunately the curse of the law is just as real. Again in St. Paul’s words “The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.” Romans 7:10 (ESV)

But there is a solution. It’s hinted at in the second half of the words Moses speaks to the people. “⁷For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” Here Moses is saying that because the laws are so right and good people from surrounding nations will marvel at God’s presence among them. “Wretched man that I am,” St. Paul calls out to God, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” The answer is: Jesus Christ, who saves us from the condemnation of the law. God gives the law for life, but it condemns us because we can’t keep it. God gives the Gospel for life, and that is exactly what it brings. That is where God draws near to us. He comes to us in Jesus Christ. Born in a stable in Bethlehem, He is God himself born as a living and breathing human being. He draws near to us to bring us life. ¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17 (ESV) You see, when the law doesn’t suit us we seek to have it changed. But that’s not possible with God’s perfect law. It must be kept. Jesus didn’t come to change the law. He came to do it right. He came to keep it perfectly and fully, to the very letter of it, without exception or loophole.

And that’s exactly what He did. He did every “do.” He didn’t do any “don’t.” It’s impossible for us to really come to grips with that. I mean we can’t imagine life without sin. It’s so much a part of us that it seems perfectly normal instead of perfectly horrible. But it has no part in Jesus. God’s law starts and ends really with the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love and trust God above all things.” That describes Jesus perfectly. Nothing stood between Him and God the Father. There was perfect fear, love and trust. He knew that since God is perfect, human beings who break God’s law must be punished. He knew that sin requires death. And He loved God perfectly and He trusted God perfectly. So much so, in fact that His love for God spilled over to us and in perfect trust, He allowed Himself to be crucified and punished for the sins of the whole world. Even though He was perfect and sinless, He died the death sinful human beings deserve. And His perfect life, and perfect sacrifice is confirmed by God in Jesus resurrection from the dead.

And here’s the point I really want you to pay attention to today. I want you to know that it’s not just that Jesus came to keep the law perfectly. The important thing to remember is that He came to keep the law perfectly for you. He did what you can’t do every letter of it without exception or loophole. Not just for Himself, but for you. And even more importantly when He had fulfilled the law, instead of flying away back to where He came from, He paid the penalty for the broken law. He paid the penalty for you breaking the law. He paid the price you deserve for adding to and subtracting from God’s perfect law. “²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (ESV) It is Christ Jesus our Lord who paid what you earned… who died the death you earned, for the broken laws of God. He draws near to you to save you. You have a God that is indeed that near to you and loves you so much that He died on the cross to take your punishment away from you.

But don’t think that His nearness to you ended with His death on the cross. He promises to be with you always, to be near you always. His love for you didn’t end when He breathed out His last time on the cross. He didn’t stay dead, but rose again a living and breathing person. God and Man together in Jesus Christ, dead and buried, and raised again to life. And that’s the risen Lord Jesus that makes promises to you. It’s one thing to trust the promises of someone who has died. It’s quite another thing to trust the One who has risen from death to life. It’s the risen Lord that you can trust. Just think, not only did He die to pay the penalty of sin; but He rose again from the dead. If He can do that He can keep all His promises to you. And He does.

He is near to you. Look at what He promises you, turn to p.199 in your hymnal. “Our Lord commanded Baptism… Baptism now saves you.” There it is. Water and Word. Promise and fulfillment. Not in a generic way to a faceless name in a crowd but specifically to you. God reaching out and touching you saying, “I am with you ____” “I am with you ____” “I am with you ____”

And there’s more. That Word that was spoken over you there with water is spoke over you every Sunday right here. And the Risen Lord promises to be in it, to you also. “²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24 (ESV) It’s a promise that the Risen Lord will keep for you. Even as you sit right there in the pew listening. Opening your mind and heart to Him.

And what stronger way is there to remember Jesus presence, that is Jesus being near to you, than to celebrate His Supper. You approach the very presence of the Risen Lord right here at this altar. You take into your mouth the very body and blood that hung on the cross, the very body and blood that rose again from the tomb. And when you do, He comes near to you to make His promise true for you again.

“Surely this is a great place.” To paraphrase Moses. “For what other place is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him!” Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Mark 7:1-14; Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost; August 26, 2009

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Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: (Mark 7:1-14, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus is always being confronted by his enemies. They are always looking for ways to accuse him in public. One of the problems we have in understanding this is that we’ve heard these stories so many times we see the title Pharisee and we automatically think “bad guy.” They weren’t the bad guys of the time. They were the good guys. In fact, they were highly respected. The name Pharisee means to be set apart. They were considered folks who lived nearly a perfect life. That’s why we get Mark’s explanation:

For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.

Actually you could translate that part about them coming from the market, “they do not eat unless they wash themselves. They considered themselves so close pure and perfect that if they came into contact with regular folks they had to wash the uncleanness off. Now we see this as arrogance. But back then parents wanted there sons to grow up to be Pharisees. People looked at them and thought, “They are really living the way God wants people to live.”

They were only doing what comes naturally to people. God gives his law and we have two possible reactions. First, when we see the demands of God we realize that we can’t keep it. We see our utter hopelessness. If we don’t hear about God’s grace found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we fall into despair. If we never hear the Good News about Jesus coming to keep the law for us, we don’t have anywhere to turn when the law does its full work. There are mountains of people who have been so hurt by law preaching without the Gospel. They are angry with the church over what they think are its demands of perfection. They look at us as hypocrites because they know that no one can keep the demands of the law, and we come across as Pharisees.

The other reaction to the law is that we look at the law and think that we are doing pretty well. This I fear is the most common reaction among us. It is this reaction to the law that pushes us very close to the Pharisees. How often when you hear your preacher talk about the sins of society do you think to yourself, “at least I’m not doing that!” Or “I can’t believe they do that sin.” Dear people of God, it doesn’t matter what sin I speak of, you and I are guilty of it. Jesus always pushes God’s law to our breaking point. He sets the bar so high that no one can reach it. He does this not to push us to despair but to push us to Him as our Savior. It is only in seeing that we are “poor miserable sinners” who “sin in thought word and deed, by what we have done and left undone” that we can see our total need for His work on the cross for us. His death as paying the debt for our sin that we can’t pay. His life lived for us because we cannot live it. The Pharisees had a way around God’s demands in the law. They thought they were protecting God’s laws with extra rules and regulations. They thought they were building a hedge. But instead what they were really doing was making God’s law manageable. It fits Jesus’ example very well. God says, “Honor your father and mother.” The Pharisees allowed a way for you to do that and NOT support them in their old age. “Sorry Pop, I’ve set aside my money for God. I can’t give it to you.” It’s the same thing. “What do you think God thinks of your living together?” “Well Pastor, I think God would want me to be happy.” “I can’t afford to live alone, I’m sure God would want me to be a good manager of my money.” “God forbids divorce.” “But Pastor, God knows what pain I’m in because my spouse doesn’t understand me anymore.” It’s the same thing the Pharisees were doing, and Jesus calls them on it. And Jesus calls you and me on it, too. We make deals with God about our sin. We pretend that we have the exception to the rule because of our situation.

· “I can skip church, because I go a lot more that most.”
· “It’s not really wrong if I tell that little lie as long as no one is hurt.”
· “I can tell the rumor about my friend as long as in the long run they get the help they need.”
· “I don’t have time for bible class, I only get so much time of for enjoying the weekend.”
“I’m not really cheating. I’d learn the material, I just ran out of time.”
· “It’s not really cheating to get the advantage over my competitor by lying about what I can do, after all I have employees to pay.”

You see, our sinful nature is the same as those Pharisees. We do the very same things as they did. We think we are better than others so God will grant us exceptions. We think we keep the law good enough for God to be good to us. And then Jesus words sting us.

“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;”

A good practice to help you understand God’s law correctly is this. If your first reaction to hearing God’s law is to think of someone else who doesn’t keep it, turn the law back upon yourself. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Instead of pointing your finger at those who miss worship most Sundays; think about how you wanted to stay in bed this morning; or how your mind wanders during the sermon; or how you were distracted from Jesus because the tune of that hymn was just too hard to sing.

The key here in this passage is the washing. Our problem, our sin, is that we try to wash ourselves. That’s what the Pharisees did. They washed themselves, they justified themselves by making exceptions to the rules and making rules to tone down the law.

[If you want a very clear example of this today think of the Purpose Driven Life. God has a purpose for your life. If you live in that purpose you can please God. This idea completely sets aside that fact that you can’t please God with anything you do, unless! You are “in Christ.” Unless you have the forgiveness of sin won by Christ on the cross. That forgiveness washes away this sin of all we do, leaving only good.]

Maybe you missed it in the Epistle reading for today. Most often we hear the “Wives, submit to your own husbands” part and we are so offended that we don’t hear what Paul is really saying. He tells the ideal for marriage; a wife submitting to her husband who does everything purely for her benefit. We get hung up on the words about marriage and miss the words about Christ.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

He finishes it off with these words:

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

When we “submit” to Christ it doesn’t have anything to do with our doing anything. To submit to Christ is to allow Him to wash us clean. To submit to Christ is to see our sin as a spot and stain that we cannot remove. No elbow grease to apply. No extra laws to keep. No exceptions to the rules we can follow. Just Jesus cleansing us, washing us, with water and the Word. Just Jesus shedding his blood on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. Just Jesus presenting us before God clean through His scrubbing, through His perfect life, perfect death and perfect resurrection. Just Jesus making us clean and free from the sin stain.

That is worship for us. Gathering together and submitting to Christ as His bride, to be washed by water and His Word; to be set free from our sin so that we can serve Him in everything that we do. That’s what makes worship what God wants it to be instead of the commandments of men. That’s what makes our hearts “close” to Christ instead of far away. We have a great many traditions in this church. We, as sinful human beings, are always tempted to use traditions to find a way to wash ourselves. You have my permission to ask and question everything we do here in this church. The question you should ask is this: Does this thing that we do point to Jesus Christ crucified, dead and buried and raised again for the forgiveness of my sin? Does this tradition point to Jesus washing us clean, and giving himself for us? Does this thing teach me of God’s love for me in Jesus, life, death and resurrection? If the answer is no, we should stop. If the answer is yes, we can rejoice in the gift we’ve been given.

There’s the font, there’s water in there to remind you of Christ your bridegroom washing you clean from your sin through His blood on the cross. There’s the Word that strikes you in your ears and in your heart; the law that softens you by convicting you of your sin; and the Good News of Jesus your Savior taking the curse of sin for you that gives you the joy of being clean. There’s the body and blood of Christ, right from the cross, poured into you to wash you from the inside out. None of these are traditions of men. These are the promises of God for the forgiveness of your sin. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Joshua 24:1-18; Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost; August 16, 2009

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Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” (Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18, ESV)

“When a choice is no choice at all.”

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

If you've talked to anyone who’s traveled to a foreign country one thing you might hear him or her say about visiting a grocery store overseas is how we have so many choices here. It’s a wonderful thing to live in a country that offers so much choice in simple matters. How many different kinds of bread are there at the grocery store? Flavors of potato chips? Mustard? That’s one of the things that make our country great. But, it’s also one of the things that makes some people hate us so much. We are used to having choices and lots of them: from 31 flavors of ice cream, to hundreds of choice for breakfast cereal.

Of course not all of our “choices” are the kind we really want to revel in too much. Not all the choices that we have legally are really good choices. Every single day thousands of women chose to end the life of their unborn children. And still others long for the choice to end their own life with physician-assisted suicide. “It’s the woman’s choice!” some say, or “It’s my choice. Don’t push your religious values on me! I want to have control over my own choices!” These days I think we could reasonably say that choice has become the national religion.

But, you know, sometimes our choices are easy, but sometimes your choices are downright impossible. It’s happened to you. You have a choice but none of the options are good ones. No matter how you choose it’s going to be painful. No matter what you do the outcomes isn’t going to be ‘all right.’ Those are the times when you wish the choice would go to someone else.

So what about the easy ones? You know about these, too. They’re the choices that aren’t really choices at all. Sometimes on the football field you see the Ref asking the team about the results of accepting the penalty, in one case the touchdown stands and the other it is called back. You say to yourself, “Of course they’ll decline it, that’s not really a choice at all.” There are lots of times in our life when a choice is so obvious that it’s not really a choice at all. And sometimes a choice isn’t a choice because the decision is really made for us or the decision is really outside of our control. You’ve all voted when you felt it really didn’t make any difference. (Which by the way isn’t a reason not to vote!)

But all in all, we like the idea of choice. We like the idea of having control over our lives, and making decisions by having lots and lots of options, lots and lots of choices. It makes us feel in control of our destiny. You know

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.” (Robert Frost, the Road Not Taken)

Even if we don’t like the outcome, we like having the choice. And that’s why I think when we heard the OT lesson for today, the words “choose for yourselves,” jump right out at us and stick in our minds. “Yea!” We say. “We have choices even when it comes to God. Even in religion we have choices. What a wonderful country we live in!”

You know though, as I look at this passage I’m not sure it says what we’d really like it to say. If we really look at the passage I think we’ll find out really what choices are being offered.

First we should note that in the bulletin a big chunk of the text is missing (namely verses 3-13). And although you can get the gist of what’s going on here you really need to know about those missing verses to really get the whole sense of it. You need to know what Joshua says in that missing text, before he says “choose for yourselves.”

And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out. “ ‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’ (Joshua 24:2-13, ESV)

Here the people have gathered before Joshua because they are just about to go into the Promised Land. They’re looking for marching orders, instructions on what to do next. But Joshua doesn’t just do that, he recounts with them what God’s been doing in their lives. He recounts the whole history of God working in the lives of His people. He reminds them exactly how they got to where they were right then. But he doesn’t just go back to recent history he goes all the way back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He reminds the of God’s protection to Abraham in his travels, Isaac during his life, and how Jacobs family was saved from famine by going into Egypt. Then Joshua tells them again about how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. How Moses came and showed God’s mighty hand to Pharaoh and secured their freedom. He reminded them of the scene of God’s protection at the Red Sea. How God parted the waters for them and closed up the waters on the Pharaoh’s army. And how God protected them as they wandered in the desert for 40 years, and again how He gave them the Promised Land, the land that they were now ready to occupy. It was a history of God’s protection and love.

After all of that then Joshua says, “Now! Fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.” You see Joshua doesn’t really ask them to make a choice at all. Joshua is really saying, “Remember all that God has done for you. Now respect Him and serve Him! Get rid of those false gods that your relatives worshipped. After all what did they ever do for you? Is there really any comparison between those idols of wood and stone and the living God whose hand you have actually seen in action? Get rid of them and serve the True God!” Notice that in all that Joshua has said, there hasn’t been any choice at all. “Serve God!” He says. You see, it’s and obvious decision. After seeing what God has done of course they’ll serve God. But Joshua does offer the people of God a choice. It may not be the choice you think it is. And it’s important to note what Joshua has just said (all that part that’s cut out of the reading). “If it is evil in your eyes to serve God (this God whose done all these things for you), then choose for yourselves from these other false gods. If you don’t want to serve the True God, then it really doesn’t matter what you choose to do, it doesn’t matter which false god you choose. Serving the True God isn’t a choice, not a decision you can make. After all just look at what He has done for you. God has already chosen you, and serving God is what God’s people do.” It’s a choice that’s no choice at all. “As for me and my house,” Joshua says, “of course! We will serve the Lord.”

So, even in the world we live in, this “choice paradise” I’m not going to tell you that you’d better choose Jesus. After all that’s not what Joshua told God’s people gathered before him that day. You don’t have to choose because the choice has already been made. You really couldn’t choose to believe in Jesus anyway. Even though we’d like to have something to do with our salvation, some little part in it all, the bible makes in abundantly clear that there is nothing that we do. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9, ESV) You don’t decide to receive a gift; you only take it when and if it’s offered. You can’t “make a decision” for Christ. Not just because it’s impossible but, because you don’t have to. Instead of choosing God, God chooses us. "…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Ro 5:8, ESV) "For God so loved the world, that he gave (that is He chose to give) his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (Jn 3:16, ESV) The choice was His, not ours. He chose to act for us. Jesus was born, lived and died on the cross by choice! He made the decision for us. Whenever we are tempted to think that there’s something that we have to do, whenever we think that God did His part now we have to do our part, we put ourselves in that boasting category by saying that my salvation isn’t complete unless I act. “I know what Jesus did but I have to help Him out and make it complete, through my own choice.” Sounds like boasting to me.

Faith in Christ does feel to us like a choice. But that choosing comes from faith that is planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit already. It really is just a reaction to faith. It’s like this. Let’s say you won the lottery. The Lottery winnings are yours weather you believe it or not. If someone tells you you’ve won but you don’t believe them, it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve won. You go to get the prize when you believe that you’ve won. No amount of deciding to win the lottery is ever going to get you the money. You can’t decide to win. First you have to win, and then you have to believe that it’s true. Jesus Christ chose you, not randomly like a lottery, but He chose you by His Word, when you heard it or when it was spoken over you at your baptism. It wasn’t chance it was God’s free grace. His choice for you.

Come to think of it you have a story just like the one that Joshua told the people of God in our OT text for today. It’s the story of God’s great love for you; the story of God’s choosing you. For lots of you it begins at a font just like this one, with parents and congregation gathered around. It begins with God’s Word and water poured on your head in the God’s name. That’s God reaching out and choosing you to be His; changing you from His enemy to His child; giving you the salvation won on the cross by Jesus. He has brought you to a land of God’s promises though a wilderness of dangers. You are here completely because of God care and protection. You are here completely because God provides for you every day in every way. Not just in a worldly physical sense either. He provides for your spiritual need, too, in this Promised Land. He gives you His Word full of promises that are true for you right now, and will be even more true in the future, when you and He spend eternity together. And just so you don’t forget He finds lots of ways to remind you. Lot’s of ways to tell you of His great love for you again and again. Just look around in this place, it’s full of those reminders.

So, serve the Lord, Jesus Christ right now. Remember all that He has done for you. When you do that, of course you’ll serve Him. You see, it’s a choice that’s really no choice at all. Amen.

The Peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Michael Spencer - The Internet Monk; Worship Toolbox.

2009-08-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Rev. Spencer has a nice article in his "Evangelical Liturgy" Series. "The Toolbox" explores the necessary tools for "giving distinctive evangelical content, flavor and boundaries to the worship service." Michael's perspective is distinctively "evangelical" and not everything fits our Lutheran perspective, he gives some nice thoughts to contemplate. Here's his section on "the Hymnal." (Emphasis mine)

2. The Hymnal. I know, here we go.

The hymnal is a crucially important evangelical worship resource. While it can be supplemented, it should never be replaced. The education of a congregation to use and appreciate the resources in a hymnal will be the single post ecumenically broad, historically deep and theologically enriching experience most church members will have. There is more diversity, tradition, theology, church history and content in a good hymnal than almost any single book that you can put in the hands of a congregation. The hymnal represents and captures the journey of the church throughout history, and joins the worshiping congregation to the church around the world and throughout all time.

We are nothing short of idiots for getting rid of them, and I choose that word carefully. Who in the world decided that we would throw out two thousands years of worship because it didn’t fit in with our current plan to sound like the secular music of the last 40 years? Good grief, what a demolition job this has been. I know a lot of young people “like” the new music, but we have a responsibility to those who came before us, not to prefer or like what they did as much as they did, but to use it with respect and honor for the value that is in it. Handing the entire musical and lyrical heritage of two millenia of Christianity over to a “worship leader” to be eradicated in favor of contemporary music only is insane.

As a child, I spent hours in the hymnal during church. I learned vast amounts. Had the pastors and worship leaders used the resources of the hymnal wisely, it would have been even more enriching for me.

I want to commend the Lutheran Service book for putting the complete hymnal and ALL corporate and individual worship resources together. Having that hymnal in your hands- a tactile experience- is a significant part of worship we’ve underestimated. Use new music. Have the band from time to time. Project away. But the church of the past 2000 years is in that hymanl. In fact, we need more historically and culturally diverse hymnals, not more music for evangelical white people.

Hymnals vary widely in every way. Choose carefully and be forgiving of the inevitable flaws. The current 2008 SBC hymnal is a project involving both book and projection resources coordinated together. This is surely the direction of the future and holds real promise for ending the ridiculous war on hymns that evangelicals have perpetrated. We ought to hang our heads that we have become a generation more concerned that our children know the latest Hillsongs’ piece- which is fine and good- but that they NOT know the top 100 hymns in Christian history! Just reading the lyrics of Christmas carols is a theological feast.

For many evangelicals, the hymnal is the closest thing to a book of common prayer and worship resources they will have. Hymnals should be chosen carefully so they can be used t include calls to worship, litanies, creeds, etc. Keep making great hymnals out there, somebody! We need them.

Look at Bob Kauflin. Look at Indelible Grace. Look at good, blended worship at Piper’s church and conferences. Get a grip evangelicals!