tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101551252024-03-18T05:56:31.870-07:00Preachrblog"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." 2 Timothy 2:42Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.comBlogger1271125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-26242596735966034502024-03-18T05:55:00.000-07:002024-03-18T05:55:50.398-07:00Sermon - Lent 5 - Mark 10:35-45<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDFPqVYFYbp2FcenKo1rvvdX3ojMJ7tGpB3EdTYrUPgsQW4aUf-YuljWXPrJI-kjJoDcWzwUsLWUf7Rx7m8GZPi9H_IqoSoYyyap73mZDk-OKqWChyphenhyphenoZmjwgl75vPms_Q8YNCGAxDuF0JMD41Jha9qUZm1tYtXn6v00fK2o2TpEkIxCYw2R_c/s1170/image0%20(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1170" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDFPqVYFYbp2FcenKo1rvvdX3ojMJ7tGpB3EdTYrUPgsQW4aUf-YuljWXPrJI-kjJoDcWzwUsLWUf7Rx7m8GZPi9H_IqoSoYyyap73mZDk-OKqWChyphenhyphenoZmjwgl75vPms_Q8YNCGAxDuF0JMD41Jha9qUZm1tYtXn6v00fK2o2TpEkIxCYw2R_c/s320/image0%20(2).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes people will say, “Pastor, I want to tell you something but you have to promise not to tell anyone.” Or maybe your kids will say to you, “Dad, I want to ask you for something but you have to say yes”. Another like it is, “I want to tell you something but you have to promise not to be mad.”</p><p>Well it’s hard to make such a promise before you know what you’re agreeing to. The asker maybe is trying to soften the blow a bit, or prime the pump to test how generous or patient you are feeling. In any case, that’s what James and John seem to do with the request they bring to Jesus. There’s the request before the request, the question before the question, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever it is we ask of you.”</p><p>This suggests that they knew their request was at least somewhat out of line. These disciples, after all, were prone to their own little petty squabbles and contests. We know for certain they would argue which one of them was the greatest. They would no doubt jockey for position amongst themselves in various other ways. Who gets to sit closest to Jesus. Who gets to have this honor or that privilege. I’m sure there was no small bit of jealously amongst the 9 that the 3, Peter, James and John, seemed to have closer access to Jesus in certain situations.</p><p>Maybe that’s what prompted James and John to come forward with such an audacious request. Something like, “hey Jesus, obviously you seem to have a fondness for us – you took us up the mount to meet Moses and Elijah. We’re some of the first to follow you, and after all, look at all we gave up to do so. We could have been working for dad on the fishing boat. But we know, you said we’d be fishers of men. So here we are, Jesus, asking you to really just make it official. We just want a little assurance, that we really are at the top of the heap. So, when you come into your kingdom, give us the places of honor, the right and left hand, ya know? We’re on your team and we deserve to be in that inner circle, and really, you should just let everyone else know right now so there’s no big fight about it later. We’re looking out for you after all, Jesus. What do you think?”</p><p>And what must he have thought! At your right hand and your left hand in your glory. They were thinking thrones! Jesus was thinking crosses. They were thinking glory as the world knows glory – with pomp and circumstance, power and privilege, honor and might. Jesus knows his true glory is in suffering. His honor is in dishonor. His throne is a cross, his crown: thorns, his royal robes a naked shame, and his kingly work is to die.</p><p>You don’t know what you’re asking, fellas. Do you really want to die with me? Jesus knows the disciples will scatter when he is stricken. Jesus knows that they won’t be joining him in this task, this phase of his ministry. They followed him from Galilee, they learned at his feet, they even went out on his behalf preaching and healing, casting out demons. But this task – suffer and die for the sins of the world – this cup, he alone could drink. This baptism of suffering and death for the redemption of all – only the God-man could undergo. This sacrifice, only he would, only he could make.</p><p>And not only that, Jesus knew this was all planned out. It was all prepared. Indeed, the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. So the spots of honor, if you could call them that, on his right or left, were reserved for two thieves who would die at his sides. One mocking, the other repentant, but that’s a story for another day. Let’s stay with James and John for now.</p><p>“You don’t know what you’re asking,” Jesus says. And here we are so often like James and John. </p><p>We think we’re up to the task. We think we have the strength, the capacity, the wherewithal, to do what needs to be done – whatever it is in his kingdom. But we forget that he’s the one with the plan. He’s the one to do what is needed. And we are the passive recipients of his glorious salvation.</p><p>Sin gets it wrong both ways. We underestimate our evil and overestimate our good. We are blind to how blind we are, and our proud heart thinks too much of itself. One look at the cross should foil all of that mischief. There at the cross we see the price, the true price of our sins. The perfect, spotless Lamb of God despised by men and forsaken by God. There we see the impotence of our own devices as Christ does it all, and far better and more than we ever could, he gives everything for us, down to the last drop of his holy, precious, blood. How can our pride stand before the cross? How can we hope to offer anything so valuable, so precious, so divine?</p><p>No, you don’t know what you’re asking. But Jesus does know. And he’s got the plan. This is his divine purpose, his holy mission, his death, his cross, for your salvation.</p><p>But there’s another sense in which Jesus answers their request positively. There’s another way in which they will share his cup of suffering, and will be baptized with his baptism. A pastor friend of mine put it this way:</p><p>Are you able to be baptized in a baptism like his? Yes. And I tell you, you were. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We 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” (Romans 6:3–4 ESV). You have been baptized into Jesus’ blood. His blood cleanses you from all unrighteousness. His blood covers all of your sin. His death has paid your ransom. You are free from sin and death. </p><p> The death he suffered you have participated in. You received his death. You died to sin with him. You drank the cup he drank. His death is now your death. In baptism you have been put to death to sin. Likewise, you have been raised to life in him. His death is your death, which means his life is now your life. You have eternal life!</p><p>There’s a little epilogue to this, and it begins when the other disciples hear about James and John’s request. They become indignant. They are offended, bent out of shape we might say. Their own pride is disturbed. “How dare they! Who do they think they are!” And each of the others must have had in mind why he, instead, deserved great honors even more.</p><p>So Jesus sets them straight, and us, also. Here’s the proper way to think. This is how my people desire to be: servants. True greatness consists not in being served, but in serving. A true Christian is far more concerned about serving and loving his neighbor, even the least of them, rather than worrying about our own station and status, our own honor and privilege. </p><p>Indeed, whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Hard words for our sinful nature to swallow. Words that run afoul of our pride. But a joyful description of the redeemed child of God in Christ!</p><p>Christ, the greatest among us, has already become the servant of all. If you want to be like Jesus, then be like Jesus. Not in receiving honor, but in showing it to others. Not in being served, but in serving. If you want to be at his right and left hand, then be his hands of service. </p><p>No, the Gentiles are concerned with place and position, power and status. The Gentiles want to lord it over each other whatever little shred of power they can. Not so the Christian. The Christian lives to sere, just as Jesus lived to serve, even to death, to give his life as a ransom for many.</p><p>In fact it is precisely this good news itself that motivates and spurs our works of service. It is the ransom he paid that calls us to pay it forward. Only in Christ, in faith, by his Spirit, do we imitate and follow in his steps of service and love and humility. </p><p>And here’s a little something you may not have noticed. Even in the midst of instructing them “how to be” is a promise: “But it shall not be so among you.” The difference between believer and unbeliever, when it comes to works of service, lies first in the promise of Christ. You will be different from the world, because of who Christ has made you to be, and promised you will be.</p><p>So when James and John came to Jesus with “the big ask”, looking for power, privilege and position – he rather points them to his own position of service, and to his baptism and cup, that is to say, his cross. One day, they would come to understand what they were asking. And one day, they would even come to share in that suffering and death in a new way they had never imagined. They would suffer for his sake, bear all manner of persecution, and die as his martyrs, not for honor and glory for themselves, but in humble faith and service. </p><p>God grant such an end to us all. A faithful end, a peaceful end, trusting in Christ. And until then a life full of service to others, all for the sake of him, the Ransom, the servant of all.</p><div><br /></div>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-7191462963177698542024-03-14T08:17:00.000-07:002024-03-14T08:17:53.137-07:00Sermon - Midweek Lent - Mark 15:16-22<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzncG4hm3g7BejHaEZuorowpp5WJm99__Es8AvU_b0TZCmApMYZbwXisMUQHu5AvcAW_9ueifkACu3GcOcbAFGA5TTSVL3_x53nwGw_zgfAXBT4q6Li2TrOLJHwmFUlGRBdPKQVezNXjiM3P-IqWWIAb9an0at0Bi8kilFcA13_3az6_5AOK6m/s1061/Simon%20of%20Cyrene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1061" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzncG4hm3g7BejHaEZuorowpp5WJm99__Es8AvU_b0TZCmApMYZbwXisMUQHu5AvcAW_9ueifkACu3GcOcbAFGA5TTSVL3_x53nwGw_zgfAXBT4q6Li2TrOLJHwmFUlGRBdPKQVezNXjiM3P-IqWWIAb9an0at0Bi8kilFcA13_3az6_5AOK6m/s320/Simon%20of%20Cyrene.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Simon of Cyrene</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Mark 15:16-22<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is,
the governor’s headquarters),2 and they called together the whole battalion.3
17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of
thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the
Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and
kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped
him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to
crucify him.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><i>21 And they compelled a
passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of
Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place
called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).</i><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Malchus and Mark, Annas and Caiaphas along with the Servant
Girl, all background characters in the Passion account, through whom we have
explored a bit deeper into the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tonight perhaps a more famous minor character, Simon of Cyrene.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As with most of these minor characters there isn’t much we
know about them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The account of Simon
carrying Jesus’ cross is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, but not John’s
Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are told he is from Cyrene,
which was a Greek city in northern Africa, what is now Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that doesn’t mean he was dark-skinned,
since Cyrene was a Greek city and also had a Jewish population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simon, whatever his ethnic background (and
that, of course, doesn’t matter) was likely in town for the Passover feast like
everyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are told that he was the father of Alexander and
Rufus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there is a tradition that
Alexander and Rufus were two of the early Christian missionaries based in
Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark’s Gospel, which mentions
them, was written to Roman Christians after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul also mentions a Rufus in Romans 16.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s also possible that Simon was among
the “men of Cyrene” who preached the Gospel to the Greeks in Acts 11.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But all of these were common names at the time, and for all
our speculation about what happened with these men we again must limit
ourselves to what the text of Scripture tells us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is simply that Simon was compelled
to carry the cross for Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I mentioned a while ago some of the “divine ironies” of the
Passion narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caiaphas’ prophecy
that one man should die for the people – a truer statement than he knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Jesus was betrayed with a kiss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Jesus Barabbas was freed, and Jesus of
Nazareth condemned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That the soldiers
mocked Jesus as King of the Jews, and Pilate wrote the same title for his
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the crowd that cried out,
“his blood be on us and on our children”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So many of these statements, events, and details of the Passion account
hold a meaning far deeper than the participant knew at the time.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here, too, we have another one of these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Simon would carry the cross for Jesus,
when Jesus bore the cross for Simon, and for the world.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Think of the weight of that cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1870, a French architect determined the
Jesus cross weighed 165 pounds, assuming it was three or four meters high, with
a cross beam two meters wide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so if
Simon carried just the cross beam maybe we are talking 50 to 70 pounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the true weight of the cross that Jesus
bore was much more, for upon his shoulders was the sin of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it crushed him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the yoke that he gives to us is easy and
the burden is light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He, Jesus, does the
heavy lifting when it comes to sin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is some debate whether the Romans chose Simon to carry
the cross because he was a sympathizer of Jesus, or perhaps precisely because
he was an obvious outsider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe it
was just random.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus precisely
knew and chose this cross, willed to bear it for us, prayed that his Father’s
will would be done by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of this
happened by accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He clearly spoke
of the whole thing, plainly, to his disciples for some time. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simon carried the cross only part of the way, but at
Golgotha that cross went back to Jesus again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus would endure the full measure of the suffering appointed to him,
the full measure of what our sins deserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Simon’s participation was symbolic, it was temporary, it was a small
part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus does it all, does it for
real, and does it well, for all people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here's another interesting detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simon was on his way in, Mark tells us, from
the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the entourage with
Jesus is on their way out – out about a half a mile, from the house of Pontius
Pilate called Fortress Antonia, outside the city to the Place of the Skull,
Golgotha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when the Romans nabbed
Simon for this grim task, they made him turn around, and go in the opposite
direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cross changes our course,
as well, doesn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It changes
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were headed toward
judgment, death and hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus takes
that all away, and turns us around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
charts a new course for us, through his own cross, a new destination in the
mansions of heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He goes to prepare a
place for you there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But first he
prepares it by going to his cross.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One might consider Simon to be the prototypical “innocent
bystander”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was minding his own
business when the Romans forced him into this grizzly duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, of course, there really is only one
innocent here, and that’s Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only one without sin of his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simon
deserved that cross, not Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You and
I deserve that cross, not Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
spotless Lamb of God goes uncomplaining forth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The innocent for the guilty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
righteous for the unrighteous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great
exchange – Christ gives his blood, his life, for ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he who had no sin was made to become sin
for us, to destroy that sin, once and for all, in his body, on the tree.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What an honor Simon had, to take part even in this small
way, to assist our Lord in this holy task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And what an emblem Simon becomes of every disciple, every follower of
Christ, as he carries the cross behind Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For Jesus calls us, also, to cross-bearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For
whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-45)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simon stands as a reminder to all of us who follow Jesus,
that doing so also means bearing our own crosses, as Jesus calls us to do.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A wise old pastor friend once remarked to me, “We don’t get
to choose our own crosses.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How true it
is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simon didn’t choose, he was chosen
to carry Christ’s cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if I got my
way, I wouldn’t choose a cross either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
I had to choose my cross, I would choose the lightest, most pleasant cross,
perhaps one covered with comfy cushions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A cross that would be no cross at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that’s not how it goes, is it?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God allows us to suffer, and in a sense, he lays our crosses
upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus calls us to take up those
crosses, and to follow him and his cross. For only his cross can make any sense
of our own cross-bearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only in his
cross and victory over sin and death do our crosses become the easy yokes and
light burdens that they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only
through him does suffering produce endurance, character, and hope that does not
fail.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If your cross is a physical ailment, a bodily disease, even
if it leads to death,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ’s cross has
gone before you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life awaits you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He who believes in Jesus Christ, even though
he dies, yet shall he live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a
bodily resurrection in store for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
what a joy that will be!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If your cross is an emotional hurt, a sorrow or grief, a
pain of loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember this is Jesus,
who bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, even unto death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And at the last, he will wipe away every tear
from our eyes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If your cross is persecution for the sake of Christ, then
blessed are you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Rejoice!” Jesus says,
“for so they persecuted the prophets before you”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re in good company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And great will be your reward in heaven.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If your cross is worry or anxiety, cast it on him, for he
cares for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you cross is a broken
relationship you cannot fix, some fracture between you and a loved one… a
parent, a spouse, a child, a friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
you’ve prayed and worked for reconciliation but it simply will not be this side
of heaven – then perhaps your cross is to forgive for your part, and simply
bear that loss, praying God’s will be done.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If your cross is some sin, some baggage of guilt and shame
that you can’t seem to shake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the
weight of your past is a drag on your conscience, and a ball-and-chain to your
soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then bring that burden to Jesus,
and let him carry it for you. Confess it to your pastor, and hear the precious
absolution.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All our little crosses pale in the shadow of his cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All our cross bearing is child’s play
compared to the burden he bore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And all
our crosses will be laid down one day, in that brighter future that is ours
because he has gone before us with his cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you Simon, for your service to Christ, and to us,
reminding us that though we bear our crosses, Christ has gone before us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God, and glory be to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-32407887782217478632024-03-06T21:07:00.000-08:002024-03-06T21:07:22.383-08:00Sermon - Midweek Lent - John 18:15-18; 25-27<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBSQ9CwzF7fd_GlqPG2W0VgD4VEcVV8m45_fEPeC9wnrtak-EWoRAFr-qdklky0cuwWQ0Z-NzYWZeRSejSPw6KRDUiauDi4QwcPuYoEgyzhgMK97pNYDXJ5vhvOgPdbfqKcAe9_Z-8YGvr4MTI2tNka6skQP4YMYWFuna2lt40W2i8p11EtzY/s258/Karel_Dujardin_-_Denial_of_Peter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="220" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBSQ9CwzF7fd_GlqPG2W0VgD4VEcVV8m45_fEPeC9wnrtak-EWoRAFr-qdklky0cuwWQ0Z-NzYWZeRSejSPw6KRDUiauDi4QwcPuYoEgyzhgMK97pNYDXJ5vhvOgPdbfqKcAe9_Z-8YGvr4MTI2tNka6skQP4YMYWFuna2lt40W2i8p11EtzY/s1600/Karel_Dujardin_-_Denial_of_Peter.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Servant Girl</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.
Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into
the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So
the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the
servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant
girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples,
are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a
charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming
themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><i>25 Now Simon Peter was standing
and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples,
are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high
priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not
see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a
rooster crowed. </i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><i>John 18:15-18; 25-27</i></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">So far we’ve examined Malchus, the servant of the High
Priest whose ear Peter cut off at the arrest of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve considered the young man, likely John
Mark, who ran away naked when the soldiers tried to seize him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we’ve looked at Annas and Caiaphas
themselves, high priests who put Jesus on trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But today let’s look at someone even more
obscure, even more in the background of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gospels present us with this minor
character, the servant girl who manned the door at the palace of the High
Priest.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are other servant girls of note in Scripture, notably
Namaan’s servant girl who told her leprous master about the prophet Elisha –
through whom Namaan would eventually be cleansed and healed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there is the servant girl Rhoda, who answered
the door to Peter in Acts 12, when he had been broken out of prison by the
angel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An interesting comparison to the
servant girl we consider tonight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So what about the servant girl of the high priest?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know very little about her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t even know her name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t know where she comes from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is she a servant or a slave?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could be either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we know is that she was there, and she
challenged Peter, “You also are one of this man’s disciples!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which led to his first denial.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The four Gospels each give varying details of this story as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That doesn’t mean they are in
conflict, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, it speaks
to the authenticity of the account – for each tells it slightly differently,
emphasizes various points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark mentions
three denials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Mark, she follows Peter after his denial and starts to
point him out to the other servants.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Matthew seems to indicate a second servant girl who accused
Peter before his second denial.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And Luke mentions the detail that the servant girl noticed
Peter and seemed to recognize him by the light of the fire as he stood warming
himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">John mentions that the servant girl who first challenged
Peter was in charge of watching the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In John’s version, it was John himself who was known to the High Priest,
and who spoke to the servant girl to have Peter let in.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In every case, however, we have Peter, the leader of the
disciples, the one who always came forth as their spokesman, challenged by a
servant girl, identified as a follower of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Peter fails the test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He denies his Lord, just as Jesus
predicted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rooster crows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so the story goes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What makes this detail worthy of inclusion in all four
gospels?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That a servant girl’s
accusation led to Peter’s denial?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Consider, it wasn’t the high priest himself that challenged
Peter or put him on trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter would
have surely crumbled before a powerful man and the weight of his office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor did it come from a brawny soldier who
could overpower Peter with brute force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
challenge came from a servant – and a girl at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The slightest challenge from the least
intimidating person on the scene, and Peter folded like a house of cards.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As Jesus said of Peter earlier that night, “the spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Indeed, even for St. Peter, it doesn’t take much pushback
for him to fall, to deny his Lord, for him to fear for his own skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the word of servant girl, this great
pillar of faith – who walked on water, who saw Jesus transfigured, who
witnessed so many miracles and even saw the dead raised – he wavered, he
cowered, he shrunk away, and he crumbled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But let’s not sit in judgment over poor Peter, when we,
ourselves, are just the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How much does it take to make your faith waver and
fail?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How little pushback or temptation
is needed to get you off your spiritual game?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How often does the smallest challenge from the least imposing person
lead you to do the things that just as surely deny your Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It takes so little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
little pointing finger of the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An
offhand comment in a sermon that offends us because it hits a little too close
to home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A challenge from your wife or
your children or your friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A setback
in life – whatever it may be. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The saints
and martyrs who gave their very lives for their confession of Jesus- they put
us to shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would not deny him,
even when faced with suffering and torture and gruesome death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we fail the test at the drop of a hat,
even just to avoid embarrassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The servant girl, insignificant as she was to the story,
speaks even today, challenging us, questioning us, “are you one of his
disciples, too?” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak with us, too, isn’t
it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also ought to pray not to enter
temptation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when we fail, like
Peter, we also need the restoration that only Christ can bring.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Peter’s denial of Jesus that night wasn’t the end of the
story of Peter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the resurrection, Jesus
appeared to Peter, along with the other disciples, and brought them peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">19 On the evening of
that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples
were for fear of the Jews,[c] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them,
“Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his
side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to
them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending
you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven
them;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(John 20:19-23)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And eventually, in another post-resurrection appearance, the
risen Lord would also take Peter aside and offering him the three-fold
restoration that matched his three-fold denial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Peter was forgiven, reconciled, and re-commissioned as an apostle and
pastor of God’s people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">15 When they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love
me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He
said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of
John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son
of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third
time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you
know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Feed my lambs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tend
my sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feed my sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you forgive anyone his sins they are
forgiven.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yes, restored Peter and all the pastors who follow in his
office are given the office of the keys – the authority to forgive sins on
earth, which are just as surely forgiven in heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why Peter’s symbol is the crossed
keys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Peter is so often pictured
as the gate-keeper of heaven, questioning all who would enter, checking to see
if your name is on the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not because
he is, but because Jesus charged him to unlock the gates of heaven for others
by proclaiming forgiveness in Jesus name!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The forgiveness of sins is how pastors like Peter tend the
sheep and feed the lambs of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
the word of absolution, the water of baptism, and the feast of forgiveness that
is Christ’s holy meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is how the
door to heaven is opened to you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So Peter, who was once undone by a mere servant girl
watching the door, would be charged to open for other poor sinners the very
doors of heaven by absolving sins, and proclaiming Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And every pastor who baptizes and teaches,
forgives sinners and preaches the gospel, who gathers and feeds the sheep and
lambs of Christ’s flock – follows in Peter’s footsteps and upholds the Lord’s
commission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus also mentions in John 21 how Peter’s death would
glorify God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For after all, at the end,
Peter did confess, and not deny Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Peter did die as a martyr, crucified upside down in Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By God’s grace, a servant himself, and a
powerful witness to the end.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It's so easy to fall, my friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To fall into sin, to deny even knowing
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Christ’s word of forgiveness
is even more quick and eager to meet your ears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, we sin daily and sin much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But Christ forgives daily, and forgives freely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are baptized! No servant girl, no
soldier, no mighty man on high, not even the devil himself can accuse us of a
sin that Christ didn’t die to forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so, then:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Are
you, also, one of Jesus’ disciples?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May
we answer boldly when asked such a question, “Yes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For God has had mercy on me, a sinner, and
restored me in his son, Jesus Christ!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And let us pray for all Christians to have such boldness and steadfast
faith.<o:p></o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-44675654718236686202024-03-04T07:16:00.000-08:002024-03-04T07:16:50.067-08:00Sermon - Lent 3 - John 2:13-22<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pMso-qBGrLg8quDWRRb5CJFytzIZpMYTKJruABq5yWBeG82EC1WVpkQshnUlcg7Lr1DZnjAzIlS-kai5_pOP2Z-kop_RWU-r-8jeEWxWLsBdbYj4tP1F6fJ_A30tC2cGRDI_At4dydpA-96vxj5Le_RC-fmN4CxnQ22AFGgOsUrQMhpPN-Gd/s1000/jesus-cleansing-the-temple-1874-carl-bloch%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1000" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pMso-qBGrLg8quDWRRb5CJFytzIZpMYTKJruABq5yWBeG82EC1WVpkQshnUlcg7Lr1DZnjAzIlS-kai5_pOP2Z-kop_RWU-r-8jeEWxWLsBdbYj4tP1F6fJ_A30tC2cGRDI_At4dydpA-96vxj5Le_RC-fmN4CxnQ22AFGgOsUrQMhpPN-Gd/s320/jesus-cleansing-the-temple-1874-carl-bloch%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The True Temple<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s one of those little phrases from the Bible that’s made
it into the secular lexicon:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Your body
is a temple”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the scriptural
theology of the temple is rich and deep, and goes to much more than treating
the body well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It steeps us in Jesus who
is crucified for us, rises from the dead for us, renews and restores us by his
grace.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Temple for the
people of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways, the temple
was the center of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The focal
point of Jerusalem, built atop Mount Zion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Central to the entire promised land, and that at the crossroads of the
world, where 3 continents meet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
temple!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grand house of God, built by
Solomon as a more permanent version of the Tabernacle, which was just a tent,
really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it stood from Solomon’s time
for some 500 years until it was destroyed by the Babylonians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then the Persians came to power, and
Cyrus decreed the exiles should return and rebuild that temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So under Ezra and Nehemiah thy did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And after another 500 years along came Herod
the Great, a great builder, who extensively renovated that second temple for
some 46 years.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The temple was massive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was the largest structure most of these people would ever live to
see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The disciples, we are told, gawked,
“teacher look at these great stones!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was ornate, decorated with the finest materials and art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also busy, a constant meeting place, a
sort of town square in its own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus taught there on many occasions to the crowds who gathered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The temple was the focal point of the religious life of
God’s people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the place of the
sacrifices and the prayers, elaborate ceremonies and rituals conducted by the
priests – a whole class of religious officiants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would have been bustling with activity,
especially during the 3 great feasts of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And more than anything the temple was meant to be the House
of Yaheweh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A place where God would
deign to dwell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A place where heaven met
earth, and where the Most High would make himself available to lowly
sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a place of grace, and
mercy, where God gave the people access to himself, by calling upon his name.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But all that was lost, or at least heavily obscured, it
seems, by the time Jesus arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
found the temple very different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead
of a house of prayer it had become a den of robbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A place of business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bustling with all the wrong kind of
activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Money-changers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Animal dealers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most likely corruption and certainly greedy
gain to boot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus is incensed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
is angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he takes decisive
action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does he turn over
tables and pour out their coins… cling, cling, cling, cling on the temple
floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also goes so far as to make a
whip out of cords, and sch-wack, sch-wack, drives out the animals, and
apparently also the money changers themselves.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Momma always said, “wait till your father gets home.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, friends, wait till Jesus gets home –
it’s not a pretty picture.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So what do we make of all this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this simply a warning for us to keep our
worship life pure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To show proper
respect to God’s house in our day and age?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To treat our church with respect, and perhaps not to have a bake sale in
the narthex?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would Jesus come and turn
tables here, too?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or is there something
deeper going on?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To be sure, our Triune God cares deeply about our worship
life, and about how we treat the place where his name dwells for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s much to be said here about propriety
in worship, reverence, and of the loss of focus that has led many churches down
the path to entertainment church rather than its true purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And likewise, we often hear about corrupt
churches and church leaders who take advantage of people and perhaps even
outright steal the church’s money, God’s money, for their own lavish lifestyles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s plenty of “cleansing of the church”
that Jesus might do today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there’s
even more here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If we springboard off of “your body is a temple”, then we
might confess, “yes, perhaps, a temple of doom”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this flesh is corrupt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This heart is wicked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And nothing good comes from within me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us is a little temple that needs a
spring cleaning, and Lent is a good time to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But still there’s more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To truly understand the significance of the temple, we must
reconsider Jesus’ teaching that all the scriptures testify to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means that the temple itself, and the
tabernacle before it, testify to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In other words, the temple is a picture of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It points us to Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It shows us, fore-shows us Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can see how:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The temple is where God dwells on earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Above the Ark of the Covenant, between the
wings of the Cherubim, was the mercy seat – considered to be the very throne of
God on earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The touchstone of heaven
and earth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We read in John chapter 1, “In the beginning was the word,
and the word was with God, and the word was God…. And the word became flesh and
made his dwelling among us”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or more
literally, tabernacled among us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
friends, that’s Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The very presence
of God among us in the person of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And not only that, but incarnate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God and man united as one in the very person of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t get any closer than that – than
for God to take on our human nature.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The temple was also the place where sins were dealt
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Jesus, the very body of Jesus,
is the place where sin is dealt with – not just for the Jews but for all
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Destroy this temple” on the
cross, and Jesus would rebuild it in three days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crucify the body of Christ, and God will
raise him to life again in short order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Zeal for God’s house consumed him, that is to say, zeal and fervor to
complete his mission as the true temple – it consumed him - even unto
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But death would not, it could not
hold him for long.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so to all of this we can say, it’s not so much that
Jesus is like the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, the
temple is like Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We come today to God’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a temple, but a church
building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s far more humble, much
smaller, and nowhere as noteworthy or historical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s ok, because it’s our church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the same God who dwelt in the Jerusalem
temple has promised to be with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
same Jesus, whose bodily temple was destroyed and raised for us, now makes his
presence to dwell here, in a new way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He makes this his temple, because this is where his word is
proclaimed for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This place, these
pieces of furniture – altar, pulpit, lectern, font – they are sanctified by his
word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sanctuary is a holy place, and this
chancel is pattered after the very holy of holies, because Christ is proclaimed
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christ’s true body and blood are distributed from this
altar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here, you receive
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dwells here for you in grace
and mercy, for the forgiveness of your sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here he makes himself so very concrete, according to his precious words,
“this is my body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is my
blood.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, here, these tangible,
tasteable earthy elements of bread and wine – he promises – are his body and
blood for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so real, in time and
space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He locates himself here, for you,
for your forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so the Christian congregation is not a country
club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a senior center or a
youth outreach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a spiritual
gym for beefing up your life of good works, nor is Sunday just another day at
the office. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor is it even a classroom
where we go to expand our intellectual understanding and become experts in
Christianity. This place is where you meet Jesus, or better, Jesus meets you –
for the forgiveness of your sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so the zeal for God’s house would consume him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is to say, zeal for the true purpose of
the temple – not a giant town hall, not a marketplace for profit and certainly
not a venue for greed and gain, but rather the place where sins are dealt
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And ultimately, then, the temple
is his body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There, in his body, did he turn the tables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He receives the whip, as well as the thorns
and the nails and spear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His body, which
is sold into the hands of his enemies for greedy gain, 30 pieces of
silver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His body, at his cross, where he
turns the tables on sin and death and devil once and for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The true temple himself is consumed with his
zeal for our salvation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But just as his temple, his body, was rebuilt in three days,
so also has he turned the tables on death for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day Christ will gather all people to
himself, to his judgment seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
goats will be driven out forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
we, the sheep, will enter eternal rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Revelation pictures that rest as a holy city with no need of sun or
moon, and no temple – for the Lord will dwell personally in the midst of us
forever.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dear Christian, may zeal for his house also consume
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May zeal for forgiveness drive you
to Christ, to his means of grace, ever more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May you find the cleansing of your own little temple always in Jesus,
until that day when after your flesh has been destroyed, you stand upon the
earth and see him face to face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-86138254952400389022024-02-29T06:39:00.000-08:002024-02-29T06:39:50.068-08:00Sermon - Lent Midweek - John 18:12-14; 19-24<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNauXUlQkK3HGYIwEcxzWtJSnRPSWp0wWzS3EzpBmb8Y94Ey9HGhhlj-vCeqNPdU-dlumdikA9PDnlMoFlqf5qo63fgDMBR3ViT5nl0hFUv4SmlVB8MBSQh5NGCjklsAEb-TwLdOuXoLV7tHkCffeq1iwfKIXKWFoDhMAONfUYatcb8pziL0g/s1536/Annas%20and%20Caiaphas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1536" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNauXUlQkK3HGYIwEcxzWtJSnRPSWp0wWzS3EzpBmb8Y94Ey9HGhhlj-vCeqNPdU-dlumdikA9PDnlMoFlqf5qo63fgDMBR3ViT5nl0hFUv4SmlVB8MBSQh5NGCjklsAEb-TwLdOuXoLV7tHkCffeq1iwfKIXKWFoDhMAONfUYatcb8pziL0g/s320/Annas%20and%20Caiaphas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Annas and Caiaphas – John 18:12-14; 19-24<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the
officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to
Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one
man should die for the people.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his
disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the
world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews
come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those
who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had
said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand,
saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If
what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is
right, why do you strike me?” 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high
priest.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We continue our focus on some of the minor characters, or
“supporting cast” of the Passion account, this evening with two of the high
priests at the time of Jesus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annas and
his son-in-law, Caiaphas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Both of these men are called “high priest”, much the way we
refer to former presidents or senators by that same title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annas had previously served some 9 years, and
later, his son-in-law Caiaphas would serve 18 years as High Priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Annas as the patriarch of the family
either held the position or had family members hold it for decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Annas had 5 sons who held the title as well at
various times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A real political dynasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their appointment was always made by the
Roman governor, and so it suggests this family had close ties to the Roman
rulers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Much of what we know of Caiaphas and Annas comes from the
early Jewish historian Josephus, and it corroborates the Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also have indication that these men were of
the party of the Sauduees, who denied the teaching of the resurrection.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead that
Caiaphas called together his counsel and the plot to kill Jesus really
began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this has led some to
postulate that when Jesus told the parable of the unnamed Rich Man and Lazarus
– that the “rich man” was meant to be Caiaphas – who also had, famously, “five
brothers”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was also then, when the plot to kill Jesus began, that
Caiaphas made his famous unintended prophecy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John tells us: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the
council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If
we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will
come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them,
Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at
all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die
for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say
this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that
Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to
gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that
day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s so much divine irony running through the passion
account, and not just in the prophecy of Caiaphas, whose words were truer than
he could imagine.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Consider the irony of Jesus standing on trial before the
high priest!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is Jesus, the great
high priest, a priest in the order of Melchizedek, the one representative of
all people before the throne of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus, the high priest who offers himself as the perfect sacrifice for
all sin, who intercedes, even now with the Father for us – the one mediator
between God and man.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And yet, here he stands, accused, before the earthly High
Priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here he stands, answering
charges as a common criminal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it
should be the other way around!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Murderous
Annas and Caiaphas should have to answer to the one who will come to judge the
living and the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Haughty and
powerful men who think so much of themselves have no right to judge the judge
of all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For they truly have no power,
and truly deserve all this punishment and more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Annas holds the first trial – an illegal trial, really,
since it was at night and he wasn’t the actual high priest that year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he’s not concerned with proper conduct,
nor is Caiaphas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their true concern is
expediency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what a playground for
sin that is.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is expedient?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
what is convenient and practical even if somewhat improper or immoral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What makes sense?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What gets the job done, even if we have to
bend the rules a bit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, there’s a
commandment about not murdering?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah, but
isn’t it better for one man to die than a whole slew of people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, the witnesses’ testimony doesn’t
agree?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s ok, where there’s smoke
there’s fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, he’s done miracles,
healed the sick, raised the dead, and preaches the truth of God – he’s got all
the marks of the Messiah?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter,
we’re the ones in charge here and we don’t need anyone rocking the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s a little Caiaphas in all of us, isn’t there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A temptation to expediency and rationalizing
our sinful actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s really better
this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s for the common good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, at least it’s not as bad as it could be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rather take the place of God and bend or
break the rules as needed, for our own devices, our own plans, our own
agendas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The arrogance, to think or act
as if we ourselves are the final judge and arbiter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We take the place of God, and presume to sit
in the judgment seat, Lord have mercy upon us!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus, for his part, doesn’t answer them much, except to
refer to those who have witnessed and heard his teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one, he’s not trying to get out of this
anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows he is heading to the
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These wicked men are just playing
their parts in the larger plan of God’s mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In spite of themselves, and in spite of their evil actions, God brings
about good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is an encouraging
thought.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Furthermore, Jesus has no need to answer them because he has
taught openly in the synagogues and in the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has proclaimed his message openly – though
only some had ears to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
secrecy of the night for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
no sneaking around in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Gospel is proclaimed publicly and for all – a good news that is to be shared
with one and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The light shines in
the darkness, and has no need to hide.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And in Mark’s Gospel Jesus finally answers Caiaphas with the
following exchange:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Again the high priest asked Him, ‘Are you the Christ, the
Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. And
the high priest tore his garments and said, ‘What further witness do we need?
You have heard His blasphemy. What is your decision?’ And they all condemned
Him as deserving death.’”<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some years ago, around 1990, there was an archaeological
discovery made – an ossuary, that is an ornate stone box used for burial in
ancient Judea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It contained the bones of
an elderly man, and appeared to be quite authentic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on this box an inscription that indicated
its contents – the remains of Caiaphas the high priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first physical remains of a biblical
person every discovered.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another striking irony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For Caiaphas wanted Jesus dead, and had his hand in the plot to kill
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even after all these years, it
is Caiaphas who remains dead, but Jesus lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christ’s tomb was found empty just three days later, and Christ remains
alive even today – seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And Christ, who was once judged by arrogant Caiaphas and his
Father in law Annas, Christ will return in glory to judge the living and the
dead – all people – and for a final judgment unto eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Caiaphas and Annas, who denied the
resurrection, will on that day stand for judgment before the one they once
judged.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks be to God that our Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High
Priest, took our place under judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thanks be to Jesus for making the perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice for
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God for raising Jesus
to life again, the shepherd of his sheep, and for promising us likewise a
resurrection at the last day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-25299110313921764682024-02-26T08:24:00.000-08:002024-02-26T08:24:26.939-08:00Sermon - Lent 2 - Romans 5:1-11<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDn0M2f8vaEMhtXJNT3Twrz53e5k4IRwHdM6K_AQx4tdDpiWEHgm_lJJACImj8oETRF5ZRC0RGGRcmtD97Vtpap2CmXsNMwl2WdlURXk8g1fJU0UrnO08QA3MbnaUy6jm6sRTYHQZtPwInaPaeTIpLTxAYyQkE0bnpvGljly02NlobV5jSAyH/s1366/peace.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1366" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDn0M2f8vaEMhtXJNT3Twrz53e5k4IRwHdM6K_AQx4tdDpiWEHgm_lJJACImj8oETRF5ZRC0RGGRcmtD97Vtpap2CmXsNMwl2WdlURXk8g1fJU0UrnO08QA3MbnaUy6jm6sRTYHQZtPwInaPaeTIpLTxAYyQkE0bnpvGljly02NlobV5jSAyH/s320/peace.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Romans 5:1-11<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today we are going to take a more expository, verse-by-verse
approach to this Epistle reading from St. Paul in Romans chapter 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage you to follow along as we do so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So far in Romans he has laid a strong case for how we all
stand condemned in our sins because of the law, but then moved on to explain
that a righteousness apart from the law is revealed to us – a righteousness by
grace through faith in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now he
continues unpacking the implications of that for the Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are so many different ways to look at this thing that
God does for us in Christ – like the facets of a diamond – and Paul certainly
highlights a number of them for us today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are justified by faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Made just, or righteous by God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Notice we don’t justify ourselves, but it happens to us, God does it for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our faith which trust this action is
a gift in and of itself, a gift also worked by him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be justified by grace through faith in
Christ is at the center of Paul’s teaching, and it really is the heart of the
Christian religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s just one
way of describing it all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Peace with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s another way of explaining what Christ has done for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s brought us to peace with God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps you have, like I do, some vague memory of an old
western movie in which some scoundrel of a cowboy lies dying from gunshot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as his life fades away, he has some last
words with his friend, and tells him, “he’s made his peace with God”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, maybe, maybe not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Christian knows, and St. Paul teaches
that it’s not we who make peace with God, it’s God who has made peace with us,
through Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are justified by
faith – not by works – and so we can have that peace and assurance in full.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith
into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another way of describing this is we now obtained access
into this grace by faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Access –
entrance – availability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is open to
us when before he was closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His love,
grace and mercy, are for us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of that
we can be sure – by faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This comes
along with rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is to say, we have a future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll say more about that shortly.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, <o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most people don’t rejoice in sufferings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sufferings are things to be avoided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are what you complain about after a
long, hard day. They are the nagging problems and the sudden disasters of life
that bring you only pain and suffering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No one likes suffering, but we Christians rejoice in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or we might say we rejoice in spite of it,
for we know that suffering done in Christ, and especially for the sake of
Christ, has a benefit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It leads to
endurance.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we suffer, we learn that suffering isn’t the worst
thing that can happen to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
suffer, and are faithful, we learn that suffering need not lead us to despair
and make a shipwreck of our faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
is with is, even in our suffering, and he works good from it just like he
promises to do for all who are in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And one of the goods he brings from it is endurance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A spiritual toughness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not blown over or apart by every
little problem and even big problem in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather, we learn in suffering to turn ever more to Christ and his grace,
and we endure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>4 and endurance produces character, and character
produces hope, <o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A strange
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Greek suggests it can also
mean “experience” or “proof”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
endure suffering we have the battle scars that prove our faith is genuine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even better, we have the proof of
hindsight, looking back to see how God’s hand has sustained us through it all
by his grace in Christ.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And looking back, it’s easier then to also look forward in
hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confident expectation that God
will fulfill his promises to us in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A sure and certain hope of the resurrection and the life of the world to
come.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s
love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given
to us.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hope does not put us to shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t chase us away in discouragement of
our sins and God’s disapproval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather,
hope encourages us that God, who spared not his own Son, but sent Jesus to the
cross for our salvation – he will certainly bring that good work in us to
completion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And to further sustain us in this hope, he gives us his Holy
Spirit, pouring his love into our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The picture is of a generous pouring out, an overflowing of blessings, a
heart that is awash in the love of God that always grows and never fails.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>6 For while we were still weak, at the right time
Christ died for the ungodly. <o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christ died for the weak and ungodly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God – for we are all weak and
ungodly apart from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he did it at
the exact right time, as God’s timing is always perfect.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous
person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— <o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some of our best movies and books tell the hero story of one
who sacrifices himself for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
aspire to such heroicism as it is rare in our world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hold up soldiers who die for freedom,
police who are killed in the line of duty, and firemen who rush into a burning
building as examples to follow and models of bravery and goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But these are simple earthly examples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God does it even better:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He didn’t die to save a cute little girl, or a fair damsel
in distress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He died to save a rotten
nasty filthy sinner like you, like all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christ died for the ungodly, the weak, the guilty.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his
blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. <o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Justified by his blood – declared righteous and holy in the
cosmic courtroom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The blood of
Christ changes the verdict for us – from guilty to not guilty, from ungodly to
godly, from weak and worthless to strong in his strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything is different for us because of
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything is better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the great reversal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And we are saved from the wrath of God because he, Jesus,
bore the wrath of God for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By his
holy precious blood and in his innocent suffering and death, Jesus became the
substitute and made atonement for sin, all sin, even your sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be
saved by his life. <o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another picture of what Christ does for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reconciles us to himself, and to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a picture of a broken relationship made
whole and right again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A husband and
wife who separate and then come back to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or two friends who have a falling out, but
are able to work through their differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or even enemy nations who eventually find peace and partnership – and
become allies and friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes God
forgives us, but his grace goes even further – he doesn’t just set the bar back
to neutral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He cherishes us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus calls us friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And even more than wiping the slate clean and repairing the
relationship, furthermore we are saved – rescued from death and hell – saved –
salvaged and restored and renewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All of this leads us to rejoice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s grace for us in Christ is really just
the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And like Paul, we could go on
and on describing it in so many ways:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Justified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given access to God, and having
hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suffering but enduring by faith,
and greatly loved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reconciled to God and
saved from his wrath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And all of it by
the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks be to God, and glory be to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-24209971814451154752024-02-22T05:59:00.000-08:002024-02-22T05:59:52.414-08:00Sermon - Lent Midweek - Mark 14:(48b-50) 51-52<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nSHSC4ItZN1vdh0dxAhqDa6DzGylii2vizIBv4WqDy1OMKMcHWmarivKxNwusf9F5XwxjIH2wX3YZuvwF1ShcOUbr_3OS8_VakkXFphdci4PB2NUHGB0l6fF0RQqB2yPGGekZcO-is8WrSQ2zpcLQ9V9sOyJc8JOpOadgNc-M27bMQW0-nZl/s920/Correggio,_giovane_che_fugge_dalla_cattura_di_Cristo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nSHSC4ItZN1vdh0dxAhqDa6DzGylii2vizIBv4WqDy1OMKMcHWmarivKxNwusf9F5XwxjIH2wX3YZuvwF1ShcOUbr_3OS8_VakkXFphdci4PB2NUHGB0l6fF0RQqB2yPGGekZcO-is8WrSQ2zpcLQ9V9sOyJc8JOpOadgNc-M27bMQW0-nZl/s320/Correggio,_giovane_che_fugge_dalla_cattura_di_Cristo.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Mark 14:(48b-50) 51-52<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a
robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in
the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be
fulfilled.” 50 And they all left him and fled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">51 And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen
cloth about his body. And they seized him, 52 but he left the linen cloth and
ran away naked.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">__<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">"John Mark"</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We continue our Lenten focus on some of the “minor
characters” or “supporting cast” of the Passion Narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, we come to the Garden of Gethsemane, amidst
the arrest of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there we see a
mysterious young man who was following along, and was almost arrested by the
soldiers himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he managed to slip
away from them, and all they got was the linen cloth he was wearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He fled, naked into the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be a sort of comical story if it
wasn’t in the midst of the seriousness of what was happening to Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Scripture doesn’t tell us who this young man is, but the
preponderance of scholarly thought assumes him to be young John Mark, the very
Mark who would become an associate of Peter and Paul, the cousin of Barnabas,
and ultimately the writer of this Gospel. And maybe the fact that this strange
little detail is found only in Mark’s Gospel further indicates the author’s own
little personal addition to the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Hey, fellas, I was there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a
funny story about that…”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We know that Mark also became a point of contention between
Paul and Barnabas (Mark’s cousin).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acts
tells us that he traveled with Paul and Barnabas on the First Missionary
Journey, but for some reason abandoned them partway through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul therefore refuses to take Mark on his
next journey, though Barnabas argued to give the young man a second
chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately this led to Paul and
Barnabas going their separate ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
we do know that eventually Paul and Mark made up – from Philemon and 2 Timothy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If, indeed, the young man in the garden was Mark, then why
was he there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do know from Acts that
after Peter escapes from prison in Jerusalem, he ran to the home of Mark’s
mother. So Mark lived there in Jerusalem, which has made some suspect that his
home was the venue for the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, and that perhaps
young Mark followed Jesus and the disciples to Gethsemane after the meal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another possibility is that Mark and his family had traveled
to Jerusalem for the Passover, and like many pilgrims, were camped out on the
Mount of Olives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, this would
explain why he was there only in his “PJs” in the evening.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In any case, this "linen cloth" is the same word
that the gospel uses for the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fine linen
cloth that Joseph of Arimathea used to wrap the body of Jesus for burial.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, what to make of all of this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad the school children are here with us
this evening, as I have fond memories of hearing this story about Mark running
away naked and snickering to myself as a child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But where does all the snickering and discomfort with nakedness
begin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we go back to Eden.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Adam and Eve had sinned, and their eyes were opened, and
they knew they were naked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The felt
ashamed, not only at their sin, but even their very bodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They sewed together fig leaves to cover
themselves and apparently did a poor job at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God himself provided them with a better
covering – animal skins – the first shedding of blood in the Scriptures was
done by God – to cover the shame of Adam and Eve.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nakedness reminds us of all that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though we may try to cover up our sins, our
guilt and shame, they are still there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nothing we can do can take them away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And just as we’d be embarrassed to be seen naked in public, so we also
would be humbled to have all of our sins on display for the world to see, or
worse, for God to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Adam and Eve hid – but you can’t hide from God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark may have escaped from the soldiers, but
there is no escape from the wages of sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Left to our own devices, all of us are laid bare, naked and afraid, lost
in the night.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But then, of course, there is Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And believe it or not, he knows something
about nakedness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember at the cross,
after all the whipping and beating and the mockery, the crown of thorns and the
carrying of his cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All his friends
had deserted him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The few who remained
were powerless to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The soldiers who
nailed him to the cross and would stand grisly death watch over the three
condemned to die – now they took his clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even his clothes, at the end, and divided his garments among them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We depict Jesus more modestly in our art and
on our crucifixes, but the truth is, he was almost certainly crucified
naked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Romans would not allow even
allow him the last shred of dignity, even in death.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And all of this Jesus endures for you, and me, and for Mark,
and for Adam and Eve, and for all sinners and their guilt and shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He takes our place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gets hat we deserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He suffers the physical pain, the emotional
distress, and yes even the dishonor and shame that we deserve – to free us from
it all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then, when it is finished, his body is prepared for
burial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph brings that fine linen
shroud and wraps Jesus up, lends him is own tomb, and rolls a stone to seal it
shut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph did the best he could to
honor the body of Christ, but Jesus wouldn’t need that grave for long.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus’ story didn’t end with nakedness and shame, nor even
with the final thud of the grave stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He rose on the third day, victorious over death, and left that linen
shroud behind, neatly folded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mark’s story didn’t end in the frightful naked night,
either, but he would come to know the story of Jesus, and write a Gospel to
tell the world about his Lord and Savior.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Adam and Eve’s story didn’t end with the shame of nakedness
and sin, either, because even though they couldn’t stay in the Garden, they
took something with them – not just those garments of animal skin – but also
the promise of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day, the seed of
the woman would crush the serpent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
day, God himself would make right what they had made so wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Adam and Eve must have told their
children, and children’s children that same promise, shared the same hope with
them, and looked forward in faith to its fulfillment in Christ.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My friends, your story doesn’t end with sin and shame,
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your story doesn’t even end in
the grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You who are in Christ, have a
hope just as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are part of the
salvation story.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Revelation 7 we see John’s vision of a great multitude
that no one could number, waving palm branches of victory, and wearing white
robes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are told these are the ones
coming out of the great tribulation, who have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
aren’t told their names, either, but it’s clear enough who they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They are the people of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are you
and me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clothed in Christ’s
righteousness and gathered together in a throng of celebration in the life of
the world to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In baptism they are
clothed with Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And by faith in
Christ their filthy garments and naked shame are no more – only bright, white,
glorious robes fit for the children of God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lent calls us to reflect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It points us toward our sins, in a somber way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may even feel the shame or the fear as sin
leaves us naked in the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But let’s
not forget about Jesus, who bore our sins and sorrows, our stripes and shame,
and yes even our nakedness… to provide for us the robe of righteousness and a
resurrection to eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So flee
from sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And flee in faith to Christ,
always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Jesus Name.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-82664651063163224382024-02-20T05:51:00.000-08:002024-02-20T05:51:29.066-08:00Sermon - Lent 1 - Mark 1:9-15<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FWPZ20veW9b4dqPE3Vno4UMw6pb6jXdMolCnTCVQvVyhMvwATT2rcVRwy_LtAISGRbAV33IxPMg0JwrokxL0ZxzbBdxcFGI-_D1MzBNcuFDf_yCc-sJGrkY6yW2OStApZnODLwz-9PiE7lWZP_rCYkwV_IlczBHgqQ4XRXO5Nvll8CFK_5qM/s288/jesuswilderness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="288" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FWPZ20veW9b4dqPE3Vno4UMw6pb6jXdMolCnTCVQvVyhMvwATT2rcVRwy_LtAISGRbAV33IxPMg0JwrokxL0ZxzbBdxcFGI-_D1MzBNcuFDf_yCc-sJGrkY6yW2OStApZnODLwz-9PiE7lWZP_rCYkwV_IlczBHgqQ4XRXO5Nvll8CFK_5qM/s1600/jesuswilderness.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br />Lent begins. Our 40 day time of preparation and prayer,
penitence and fasting. A time of testing and probing, that leads us, with
Jesus, to the cross.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Any student of the Bible quickly learns that 40 is an
important number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The rains fell in Noah’s day for 40 days and nights (Genesis
7:4)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Israel ate manna and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years
(Exodus 16:35)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Moses was with God on the mountain, 40 days and nights,
without eating bread or water (Exodus 24:18, 34:28)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The spies searched the land of Canaan for 40 days (Numbers
13:25)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">40 lashes (stripes) was the maximum whipping penalty
(Deuteronomy 25:3)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God allowed the land to rest for 40 years (Judges 3:11,
5:31, 8:28)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Abdon, a judge in Israel, had 40 sons (Judges 12:14)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Israel did evil; God gave them to an enemy for 40 years
(Judges 13:1)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eli judged Israel for 40 years (1 Samuel 4:18)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Goliath presented himself to Israel for 40 days (1 Samuel
17:16)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Saul reigned for 40 years (Acts 13:21)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">David reigned over Israel for 40 years (2 Samuel 5:4, 1
Kings 2:11)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Solomon reigned the same length as his father, 40 years (1
Kings 11:42)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The holy place of the temple was 40 cubits long (1 Kings
6:17)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Elijah had one meal that gave him strength for 40 days (1
Kings 19:8)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ezekiel bore the iniquity of the house of Judah for 40 days
(Ezekiel 4:6)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Joash reigned 40 years in Jerusalem (2 Kings 12:1)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">God gave Ninevah 40 days to repent (Jonah 3:4)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus fasted and was tempted 40 days and nights (Matthew 4:2,
Luke 4:2, Mark 1:13)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus remained on earth 40 days after the resurrection (Acts
1:3)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And this is not even every mention.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">40 is a time of testing, a time of proving, a full
generation, a time for something to run its full course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a wholeness to the number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It shows the fulfillment of something,
usually a divine intention.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so our season of Lent is patterned after this, all of
this, but perhaps most especially Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and temptation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mark tells us that after Jesus is baptized the Spirit drives
him, or more literally “casts him out” into the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a bit of a strange construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it reminds us of another Old Testament
story, which we do well to compare to Mark’s temptation account here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It reminds us of another time, long ago, when another man
was cast out. Adam, and his wife Eve, fresh with the stain of sin, and death,
the fruit of their sin, they are cast out of the Garden of Eden. No longer to
have access to the tree of life, for in his mercy, God didn't want them to eat
of it and live forever in sin. So what seemed like exile, punishment, and
rejection was really also an act of love. God placed an angel with a fiery
sword to block the way back. And now Adam would bring food to the table only
with great trouble. Work had become labor. The ground produces thorns. Life is
tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then, death. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The wilderness is the opposite of the garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the garden, everything is orderly and
nice, beautiful and safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fruit is
already there, pleasing to the eye and good for food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the wilderness it’s chaos and
danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what sin has wrought.
This is where we live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole world
has become such a wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of us
in sin are cast out of paradise.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus is the Second Adam. He comes to repair the damage.
Fresh with the baptismal water of his anointing with the Spirit - a baptism not
for his own sins, but which identified him with us sinners.... and fresh with
the declaration of the Father, “This is my Son, whom I love” ringing in his
ears, Jesus is driven out to the wilderness. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">His public ministry begins with a fast. 40 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A time of testing, probing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A time of self-denial. A time of preparation,
and the full measure of it is appointed. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Satan gets a chance to have at him. And Satan fails. We know
from Matthew's Gospel many of those details, the three different temptations.
But Mark doesn't fill us in. It's enough, here, to know that he was tempted.
But unlike the first Adam, Jesus does not fall for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the interesting details that only Mark mentions is
that in the wilderness, Jesus was with the wild animals.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first Adam had named the animals. God brought them to
Adam, and whatever he called them, that was their name. But with Adam's fall,
all creation fell, and even the animals now have become wild. Paul says all of
creation groans in expectation, like a woman in labor, waiting for the end, the
renewal of all things. And that renewal happens in Christ. The lion and the
lamb together, the sheep and the wolf, even the little child can safely play by
the adder’s den.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is how Scripture
pictures the renewal of fallen creation in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so, yes, even the wild animals in the
wilderness, with him in his temptation, seem to bear witness that this Jesus is
about to bring blessing to all creation. The Second Adam, the Son of Man, the
Savior of all. And the angels minister to him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This stuff matters to you and me, too. We are the children
of Adam. We are the heirs to Adam’s fallen nature, and we live in this fallen
creation. In sin did our mothers conceive us, and we are born in iniquity. Life
for us is a wilderness, filled with thorns and pains and dangerous beasts both
literal and figurative. Satan, too, would tempt us, and rule over us. He’s a
lion looking for someone to devour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
always hovering over us is the curse of death that Adam's sin and our own sin
have brought.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Every day your Old Adam rebels against God, shakes his fist
in anger at the law, and blames everyone and everything but himself. Every day
the Old Adam seeks to deceive and deny and destroy your very faith. But every
day the same Spirit that drove Jesus into the wilderness drives you back to the
waters of your baptism, where that Old Adam is drowned and dies. By repentance
and faith. By sorrow for sin and believing in Christ's forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus defeats Satan, conquers sin, and destroys death –
beginning in the wilderness, until “it is finished” on the cross. There he is
finally cast off from God, who forsakes him. There your sins are finished, and
Satan's head is crushed. There the Second Adam deals death to death and by a
tree restores us who were defeated at the tree.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In this wilderness temptation, Jesus prepares for all this.
He prays, and he fasts. During the season of Lent, many of us will do the same.
Martin Luther says, “Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward
training.” And it is true. But the best preparation is the inward training of
faith, and that faith in the word of God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus doesn't just stay off by himself. He comes back and
preaches: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel.” Those words are still in effect. They are still
training us for righteousness. They are still convicting us of sin – yes,
repent of your sins, even this day! And they are still calling us to faith – to
believe in his Good News.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What's more, there is no fasting from his table. There's no
reason to refrain from eating and drinking the gifts of his body and blood. But
there is great reason to take and eat, take and drink! Jesus gives you himself
– here – for your forgiveness. To starve to death the Old Adam and feed the New
Adam with his own life. To sustain you for your wilderness wanderings in this
world, until he brings you safe at last to the promised land.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">40 days of Lent – they lead us to the cross. Where Jesus
deals with sin, decisively. 40 days of preparation – so prepare. Hear his word.
Receive his gifts. Repent of your sins. Believe his Good News. It is for you.
In Christ, Amen.<o:p></o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-72233987968044574492024-02-15T05:57:00.000-08:002024-02-15T05:57:38.657-08:00Sermon - Ash Wednesday - John 18:1-11<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKOgemUbm9l1zPFuOO7vktL3UdST8wGqV3oyjyesWOVe8t6hTFDqK0BVQky8V9FnqSSVrhytAtMzA93mKqKPOGKKRwpt21E_v_5_iWrH6JkjuTGeKISBratvdXSEzfaBqI_LE-kKiaz7TMUc-Pvs60dw9ndP_-3RNfsNTPFAec0-w_hB45Jzl/s268/Malchus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKOgemUbm9l1zPFuOO7vktL3UdST8wGqV3oyjyesWOVe8t6hTFDqK0BVQky8V9FnqSSVrhytAtMzA93mKqKPOGKKRwpt21E_v_5_iWrH6JkjuTGeKISBratvdXSEzfaBqI_LE-kKiaz7TMUc-Pvs60dw9ndP_-3RNfsNTPFAec0-w_hB45Jzl/s1600/Malchus.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A blessed Ash Wednesday to you,
dear Christians.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We begin the season of repentance
known as Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ashes on our
foreheads a stark reminder of the wages of sin – death – that has marked itself
on every cell of our body, indeed, our very soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even as ashes was away easily with water,
so our baptism has removed the soil and stain of sin from us, and thus also its
consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flesh will die, but we
who are in Christ will live, and one day see a resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ashes form the sign of a cross, as a
reminder that the death that counts is Jesus’ death, and that in that death we
have victory over the grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So our
repentance is not despair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not just
sorrow and contrition for sin, it’s also marked by hope – the only hope the
world has ever had – the sure and certain hope that is found in Christ
crucified for sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore let us
journey to the cross together in repentance and faith, in sorrow for sin, but
in joy that springs from sins forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Every year our midweek series
affords us an opportunity to tread off the beaten path somewhat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have considered the 6 chief parts of the
small catechism, the 7 churches of Revelation, the animals of the Passion, and
many other series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, I’d like
to examine some of the minor characters of the Passion account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might call them the “supporting cast” if
this were a movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through them, each
midweek we will delve a little deeper and peel back a few more layers of this
rich and captivating story of our Lord’s passion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And so we start, tonight, in the
Garden of Gethsemane, at the arrest of Jesus, with a man named Malchus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>18 </i></b><i>When
Jesus had spoken these words, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote1"><sup>n</sup></a>he went
out with his disciples across <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote2"><sup>o</sup></a>the brook
Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. <b>2 </b>Now
Judas, who betrayed him, also knew <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote3"><sup>p</sup></a>the
place, for <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote4"><sup>q</sup></a>Jesus
often met there with his disciples. <b>3 </b><a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote5"><sup>r</sup></a>So Judas,
having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and
the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. <b>4 </b>Then
Jesus, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote6"><sup>s</sup></a>knowing
all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote7"><sup>t</sup></a>“Whom do you seek?” <b>5 </b>They
answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote8"><sup>1</sup></a> Judas,
who betrayed him, was standing with them. <b>6 </b><a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote9"><sup>u</sup></a>When
Jesus<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote10"><sup>2</sup></a> said
to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the
ground. <b>7 </b>So he asked them again, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote11"><sup>t</sup></a>“Whom do you seek?” And
they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” <b>8 </b>Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” <b>9 </b><a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote12"><sup>v</sup></a>This was
to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” <b>10 </b>Then
Simon Peter, <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote13"><sup>w</sup></a>having
a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote14"><sup>3</sup></a> and
cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) <b>11 </b>So
Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/esv/john/18#footnote15"><sup>x</sup></a>shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
( John 18:1-11)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We know little of Malchus, but
surprisingly he is mentioned in all four Gospel accounts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His claim to fame is that his ear was cut off
by Peter in the scuffle that ensued at Jesus’ arrest. Of course, only John’s
Gospel tells us that Malchus was his name, or that Peter was the disciple who wielded
the sword.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And only Luke’s Gospel tells
us that Jesus immediately healed Malchus – perhaps not surprising since Luke
himself was a physician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was Jesus’
last miracle that he performed before his resurrection!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Who was this Malchus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why does John mention his name?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What does the incident teach us about the
Kingdom of God and of the Passion of our Lord?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s consider these questions a little further.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Like many of the minor characters
throughout the Gospels, Malchus is mentioned by name, as we said, though only
by John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could be for various
reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One is simply, that was his
name, and the Gospels don’t shy away from telling us the details of things that
actually happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are not fictions
or myths, but Jesus was really arrested in a garden that had a name, by men
that had names, and there are people who knew them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These little details add to the narrative
those bits of realism that draw us into the story, but it is a true story, and the
names and times and places we are told matter because they are true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And since only John’s Gospel tells
us Malchus’ name, it could also be that John knew Malchus personally, as it is
also indicated that John had some personal connection to the high priest – a
connection that got him inside during the trial of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe Malchus was that connection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also know that the second servant girl who
questioned Peter there was a relative of Malchus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It’s also a tiny detail, but
notice John mentions it was Malchus’ right ear that was cut off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, the details like this indicate a true
eye-witness account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if his ear was
cut off, was he perhaps not wearing a helmet, and perhaps, then, not a
soldier?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And is Peter, perhaps, just
swinging his sword at just the nearest available enemy?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There is also some speculation that
perhaps Malchus was known to the early church, to whom St. John was writing,
possibly even because he became a Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With the healing of his ear, it’s not a stretch to imagine the incident
had a profound effect on Malchus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it
is just that, speculation and imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We simply don’t know.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We never want to push the
narrative of Scripture past what it tells us, and forget the distinction
between revelation and speculation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
the ancient traditions of the church surrounding these events can lead us
astray if not taken with a grain of salt.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What is clear is that Jesus
rebukes Peter’s violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t
condone it in general, and certainly not in this case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not how his kingdom comes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If it was, Jesus could have called
12 legions of angels – that’s 72,000 or so, to his own personal
protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One angel could have easily
done the job against this bunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
Jesus has a cup to drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a cross
to face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a death to die for
Peter, and Malchus, and you and me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Peter’s a slow learner, as are we
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus already rebuked him, “get
behind me Satan!” when he tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Peter is still looking for victory and
glory and triumph, not suffering and shame and cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We, too, often look for another way – our own
way – though it may not be violence, it’s always some exertion of our own will,
our own plan, our own efforts to make things right – when only Christ can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Peter is not the first, or the
last person to try and take things into his own hands when it comes to
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or to come to Jesus’ rescue, as
if he needs Peter’s sword.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus
doesn’t need Peter’s help, or ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
is the Savior here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do well to
remember that.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another key takeaway here is this:
Jesus didn’t have to heal Malchus, but he did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even in the midst of his own troubles, in the act of being arrested,
Jesus acts in compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While most of
us would be distracted by the events at hand, too sidetracked to help poor
Malchus, Jesus is not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though Jesus
faced far worse than losing an ear, still he takes a moment to help this man
who surely meant Jesus no good.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The preacher is practicing what he
preaches when he says “love your enemies”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Jesus doesn’t have to save you, but he does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our sins we are, in fact, enemies of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rebellious and impudent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are no better than Malchus, or the Jews,
or the Romans, or the bloodthirsty crowds crying for his crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But Jesus prays for our
forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He bleeds for our
redemption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dies for our healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves his enemies, loves us to death, to
bring us life, and make us his friends.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now what about that ear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why the ear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as it would be wrong of us to drift into speculation and go beyond
what Scripture says, nor should we draw any allegorical or symbolic meaning
here as some have done:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that Malchus’
ear represents some symbolic refusal to hear and now, after Jesus, we can
listen to God’s word anew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or that
Malchus stands for all the unbelievers who are hurt by the violence of
believers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These aren’t symbolic
events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They really happened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But they may serve to remind us of
such truths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is very concerned about
who has ears to hear his message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul
tells us faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are, in our sins, spiritually deaf until
the Spirit comes and opens our ears to the Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of that is true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">David wrote “create in me a new
heart, oh, God….” And we might well pray, “create for me, new ears, oh,
God…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ears to hear the word with
clarity, ears to hear it in all of its truth and purity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ears not stopped by pride or distracted by
the noise of this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ears that hear
clearly the condemning law and the forgiving gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This Lenten season, let us tune
those ears especially to his passion, his suffering, his cross borne for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Jesus drinks the cup the Father has given,
for Malchus, for Peter, for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks
be to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-51820873248961271722024-02-12T05:49:00.000-08:002024-02-12T05:49:48.574-08:00Sermon - Transfiguration - Mark 9:2-9<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRpATuSUCtiuSNQ5sFISeFKTigX0D7s9TQvwHc1VNpeTXnOjpO7KqlknTz_-1sxiIZBGy1ikvrpyArOCUpvldifeh-DlyiHT34IpD-aPdVhYVv5-GmUBhDfBbhN58utTFmXdfF_kypZOPjDEFsYnFDBYrW1QH500uc7Zzxc-NEqPUHwCcdTxe/s262/transfiguration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="262" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRpATuSUCtiuSNQ5sFISeFKTigX0D7s9TQvwHc1VNpeTXnOjpO7KqlknTz_-1sxiIZBGy1ikvrpyArOCUpvldifeh-DlyiHT34IpD-aPdVhYVv5-GmUBhDfBbhN58utTFmXdfF_kypZOPjDEFsYnFDBYrW1QH500uc7Zzxc-NEqPUHwCcdTxe/s1600/transfiguration.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What a strange event was the
Transfiguration of our Lord!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sticking
out like, well, a mountaintop, in the midst of the Gospels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the miracles Jesus does directly
benefit someone who is suffering or in need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But this one is different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is a teaching moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a
revelation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Peter, James and John have front
row seats to a spectacular event – Jesus is transfigured before them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And through their witness, we can peek on in
to see it too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His appearance, his
figure, changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No longer appearing as
your average, every-day, humble Jewish man of the first century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Jesus gets all bright and shiny and
glorious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even his clothes change, and
are elevated to a brightness that is beyond anything of this earth. Normally,
just looking at Jesus, you wouldn’t see anything particularly special about
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now, here, it’s
unmistakable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The picture speaks loud
and clear.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But, look!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not just Jesus!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s two other men, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses and Elijah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of the greatest figures of the Old
Testament!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And as a sidenote – how did
the disciples KNOW it was Moses and Elijah?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps something in the conversation clued them in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or perhaps, this is an indication that in
glory, we will all be known to one another?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But in any case it’s clear that Moses and Elijah they were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s hard to overstate what this would
have meant to the disciples.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Moses – the great deliverer of the
people of Israel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one to whom God
appeared at the burning bush and revealed his personal name – Yahweh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The one through whom God rescued them out of bondage in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who parted the Red Sea, and led the people through on dry ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who met with God on Mt. Sinai, face to face, and experienced such glory
that his own face once glowed with borrowed light, and had to be veiled before
the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses received the 10
commandments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses received the
instructions for the Tabernacle and the whole sacrificial system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses who died at 120 years of age with eye
undimmed and vigor unabated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses who
also promised a “prophet like me” would be raised up from among the people.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And then there’s Elijah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most famous of the prophets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elijah who had the guts to speak against
wicked king Ahab and queen Jezebel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elijah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who bravely stood against
the 400 prophets of Baal and mocked them when their false god didn’t answer
their prayers, but who prayed simply for Yaheweh to hear and saw fire from
heaven consume his sacrifice, his altar, and all the water he had dumped on and
around it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elijah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who heard the voice of God not in the storm
or earthquake, but in the whisper of the wind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elijah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who performed so many miracles, and even a resurrection, maybe the
greatest of all the prophets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then
it was Elijah, with a spectacle of his own, who was taken to heaven on the
fiery chariot, as his protégé Elisha looked on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For Peter, James, and John, they
must have been star-struck. This would
be like meeting two of your idols, two of the founding fathers, like if they
had to make a wish to have coffee with any 2 historical figures, they might
have chosen Moses and Elijah!
Starstruck, we might say, but Mark tells us they were terrified.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Peter didn’t know what to say, but
that didn’t stop him from saying something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Lord, it’s good to be here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let
me put up three tents – one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Perhaps he had in mind that the
three disciples would just sleep out on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can stay and visit for a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe 40 days, Moses likes that number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can send John back down to get some
refreshments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whaddaya say, Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But, of course, Peter misses the
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was not there to point them
to Moses and Elijah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses and Elijah
were there to testify to Jesus. The cloud overshadowed them, and the voice
boomed from the cloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voice of the
Father. And if Moses and Elijah being there was good, now it’s great.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“This is my beloved Son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen to him.” And when the cloud was gone
they saw Jesus only.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Listen to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See Jesus only.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message is clear.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Transfiguration of our Lord
Jesus Christ is a feast for the eyes and ears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We see Jesus a little bit less veiled, a little peek at his true glory,
just a tiny glimpse of the divine nature that he’s had hidden all along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses and Elijah appear, to testify by their
presence that this Jesus is the one they had been waiting for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was toward his coming that they had worked
and preached and served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything they
did, and even now their appearance on the mount, is a testimony to Christ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And oh, what the disciples
heard!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conversation with Jesus about
his Exodus, his own going- out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses
had an exodus, he had THE exodus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
wrote the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elijah had a pretty
fancy exodus of his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the exodus
of Jesus was to run through the cross and grave, and then an exodus from death
and a glorious ascension to heaven.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Like the disciples, we are easily
distracted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even with Jesus shining as
bright as the sun before them, they are confused and terrified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As great as Moses and Elijah were, this was
all about Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As great as reveling
and basking in the glory of the mountaintop experience might be, Jesus has work
to do, down there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jesus had told the disciples
already about his upcoming death and resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would repeat it several times, ever more
plainly as it approached.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voice of
the Father reminds them, and us, “Listen to him.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Listen to Jesus when he tells you
about his mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen to Jesus when
he points you to his cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen to
Jesus when he prays, “Father forgive them” and declares, “it is finished”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter, listen to Jesus when he forgives your
denial and charges you to forgive sins on earth that they be forgiven in
heaven. And Christians, listen to Jesus when he speaks through your pastor
declaring to you your sins are forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Listen to Jesus, and see Jesus
only.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses and Elijah had their place,
but only Jesus is our savior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only Jesus
can save from sin and death and hell by his blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses and Elijah can’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You certainly can’t do it yourself,
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus can, and Jesus
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen to him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Transfiguration, it is said,
was a sign to help prepare the disciples for what was about to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the come down from the mountain, you
might say, it’s all downhill from there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus sets his sights on Jerusalem, and on his cross.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lent is upon us, and so we do the
same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We set our sights on the cross –
Good Friday, and also the resurrection to follow.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">About a year after posting the 95
Theses, Martin Luther took part in a debate called the “Heidelberg
Disputation”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was there that he began
to articulate his famous distinction between the “Theology of the Cross” and
the “Theology of Glory”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while
there’s much more we could say about this contrast, we can see it clearly on
display in the Transfiguration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Peter is interested in the
glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visiting with the great men of
old!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basking in the glory of the
mountaintop!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s good to be here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter is a theologian of glory – much like we
all are at times.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But Jesus is a theologian of the
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows his true mission, his
true work, his true glory – is in bloody sweat and agony on a cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Transfiguration is not the
thing, it’s merely a step on the way to the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bright shining glory, the majesty and awe
– none of it are the thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It you
listen to Jesus, you’ll know it’s all about the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you see Jesus only, there you will see
your salvation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-39605461272165856102024-02-05T07:11:00.000-08:002024-02-05T07:11:31.755-08:00Sermon - Epiphany 5 - Mark 1:29-39<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5R4p9KsKtgu0OWiIpuTDRj9IqCfHtDRxIQUzd1bKw1EMa-0XsOJfZe_dYbKX5gOVqtczxxWE-Jy4Q_TlNQqyzFO5u6uhFccb9F_uSn5HXpWB1kW_2SBlobZBNeMLMvxuPW8Ay89-JkiOvrEKzZYzZD-yEWMwHnk-1MF3g8FGm9seOOOWqKVp/s1200/Christ_Healing_the_Mother_of_Simon_Peter%E2%80%99s_Wife_by_John_Bridges%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1200" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5R4p9KsKtgu0OWiIpuTDRj9IqCfHtDRxIQUzd1bKw1EMa-0XsOJfZe_dYbKX5gOVqtczxxWE-Jy4Q_TlNQqyzFO5u6uhFccb9F_uSn5HXpWB1kW_2SBlobZBNeMLMvxuPW8Ay89-JkiOvrEKzZYzZD-yEWMwHnk-1MF3g8FGm9seOOOWqKVp/s320/Christ_Healing_the_Mother_of_Simon_Peter%E2%80%99s_Wife_by_John_Bridges%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Epiphany season is winding down, as next Sunday is Transfiguration and then we’re right on to Lent. Throughout these Sundays after the Christmas season, we are presented with a number of different ways in which Christ manifests himself to us. Different ways he shows himself – different aspects of his identity and mission. He’s the king of the Jews worshipped by the wise men. He’s the Son of the Father, recognized at his baptism. He’s the Holy One of Israel, confessed even by the unclean spirit that he cast out. And he is the one who preaches with authority, to the amazement of the people. <p></p><p>Today, we might say, in our reading from Mark, we see Jesus especially as a healer.</p><p>The Great Physician of Body and Soul, our Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate healer. The New Testament records around 42 different instances of Jesus performing a healing miracle, and in some cases as we see at the end of today’s reading, he “healed many”. He healed leprosy and dropsy, the lame, the blind, the deaf and mute. The woman with the flow of blood. “All manner of diseases” Mark says. And here, also, Peter’s mother-in-law, suffering from a fever.</p><p>That Jesus is a healer shouldn’t surprise us. Of course our Lord, perfect in every way, has compassion on all those who suffer. He sees people hurting and his heart goes out to them. And as the almighty creator, he certainly has the power to cure any kind of sickness or disease. If he can call forth light from darkness, and by a word bring all things into being, he can certainly heal a fever, or whatever is ailing someone.</p><p>He does this not only out of compassion, however, but also as a sign of his identity. For a little later, when John’s disciples come asking if he’s “really the Messiah, or should we look for another?”, Jesus points them to his works of healing as major evidence that he is indeed the fulfillment of their hopes: “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matthew 11:5)</p><p>Jesus isn’t here bragging, but rather showing how his works testify and confirm his identity and his message. </p><p>And yet, his tenderness and compassion are evident. He goes to Peter’s house, kneels by the bedside of his mother-in-law, takes her by the hand, and gently lifts her to health again. Without a word, he brings his healing to bear. Just as he has deep compassion on so many others whom he heals.</p><p>It sounds beautiful, but it may raise a question for us. Why doesn’t Jesus do that for me?</p><p>It is a sad fact of life in this fallen world that sickness, disease, injury and death happen to all of us. Old age takes its toll with aches and pains and this problem and that issue. Genetics sometimes bring us diseases that cannot be avoided. The foods we eat and the lifestyles we lead can also contribute, to be sure. But even the healthiest among us can’t avoid it forever – something eventually gets us. Whether cancer or heart disease, an accident or just old age. We are all, all of us, subject to sickness and death. Sickness and brokenness are just the little preludes to death. Death is where they all eventually lead.</p><p>And this doesn’t happen by accident, either. Death and its precursors of sickness and suffering – they have a root and a cause. They are the wages of sin. The perversion of our physical bodies begins with corruption of the soul. And while we’d love to blame Adam and Eve for all this, the truth is we are just as willfully sinful. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.</p><p>And so while you may not have a certain disease because you committed a certain sin, you are a sinner living in and contributing to the cesspool of this world with all of its spiritual and physical uncleanness. And the wages that your sin has earned are just as much yours as mine are mine. None of us can claim we deserve better.</p><p>But back to the question I posed. Why doesn’t Jesus heal us all, just like he did for Peter’s mother-in-law, and for the crowds of Capernaum, and all those other people with their various needs? I pray earnestly. I believe faithfully. I confess my sins and receive his forgiveness regularly. What gives? Why must I suffer? </p><p>Well, one answer is that, often, he does heal us. He provides doctors and nurses and all manner of medical care, especially to us in this modern age. He has created the human body, also, to heal itself. And yes, sometimes, he does even heal us miraculously, with no explanation that can be given by science or human understanding. It does happen, thanks be to God.</p><p>But sometimes, he does not. He allows us to suffer the effects of a chronic or acute illness, and sometimes even unto death. Sometimes even the young and vibrant among us succumb to an early demise, despite our fervent prayers, and against all our human sense of justice and fairness.</p><p>Why does God heal one and not another? Here we can only say it is part of his hidden counsel, his un-revealed will. We are not privy to his thoughts, which are higher than our thoughts. But we dare not sit in judgment over him, or how or when or to whom he chooses to show the mercy of healing this side of heaven. We pray, humbly, for the sick, “thy will be done”. We pray for healing, always, according to God’s will. If the sick are healed and live another day, thanks be to God! If the sick are not healed, and God allows fallen nature to take its course, he is still the creator and we are still the creatures, thanks be to God.</p><p>But there is comfort beyond this. Jesus is the Great Physician of body and soul. And that has serious implications. His power over the unclean spirits indicates that there’s more going on here than just the physical healing. There’s a spiritual dimension.</p><p>Our Lord Jesus Christ has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. The iniquity of all was placed upon him. And God’s will was done. He faced the wrath of God for sin – and suffered bodily and spiritually, to save us both spiritually and bodily. And when his work on the cross was complete, and his rest in the tomb was fulfilled, he brought life and immortality to light in his glorious resurrection. He conquered death. Let that sink in for a moment.</p><p>While it is a mystery why he allows sin and suffering and disease and death to flourish here, now, for a time. A little while, really. It is no mystery how the story ends. For our destiny is foreseen in his own. Our life is guaranteed by his. Our eternity is sure and certain in his eternal and unassailable life.</p><p>My friends, our hope is really not for this life after all, but in the resurrection. Our prayers for healing are all answered with a giant YES – in the resurrection. Our aches and pains and bumps and bruises and suffering and sorrow are all on the clock. Their time is running out. Life is on the horizon. Life that cannot be dampened or darkened by sin ever again. Life that cannot be tainted by disease or disaster. Life that is, like Christ’s life, incorruptible, unconquerable, unending and glorious. He will never die again. And we who are in him, who are baptized into his death and resurrection, will also win the victory over sin and death in him.</p><p>When Christ returns with all his angels, riding the clouds and accompanied by the trumpet call of God…. When this heaven and earth melt away and make way for the new… When Christ calls forth the faithful dead to rise and stand before him, and changes the faithful living in the twinkling of an eye, when all the promises of God and of Christ come true in a flash. Then life will be ours in its fullness – never to be taken from us. And our life will be in him, and with him, and what a life it will be. No more hunger or thirst, no scorching heat, we will see him face to face, and God himself will wipe every tear from our eyes.</p><p>That’s the healing he brings. That’s the healing we have as a sure and certain hope, in Jesus Christ, the light and life of men. That’s the healing that the unbelieving world doesn’t know, and cannot understand. But it is the healing that we will surely receive and that we now boldly confess. Healing from Jesus Christ, healing for not just our sins, but for our sin-sick souls and bodies.</p><p>So come receive the medicine of immortality, the body and blood of Christ, a foretaste of the feast to come, and a glimpse of our hidden life with him.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-22018254777883458072024-01-29T06:48:00.000-08:002024-01-29T06:50:51.119-08:00Sermon - Epiphany 4 - 1 Corinthians 8:1<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAjnjsWEbnZyhmBeScyBnpCMM5xIjJ_yxVvIAqkpcO5s7KNHoMCzoT28Ead0iIGuASwiIPDyRFQKmDetbz6XQleKZ5mc5V6wf4oblzEkObPkZB6115bw4SxBnZtkcaKV7dqMrjs2pn8_X1Ctb-0XcQLI1gJRlpdlsWsdwyK_h0I6nDdGGX9Gd/s982/puff.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="982" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAjnjsWEbnZyhmBeScyBnpCMM5xIjJ_yxVvIAqkpcO5s7KNHoMCzoT28Ead0iIGuASwiIPDyRFQKmDetbz6XQleKZ5mc5V6wf4oblzEkObPkZB6115bw4SxBnZtkcaKV7dqMrjs2pn8_X1Ctb-0XcQLI1gJRlpdlsWsdwyK_h0I6nDdGGX9Gd/s320/puff.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Knowledge puffs up, but love
builds up. (1 Cor. 8:1)</i></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Our modern world is sometimes
called the “Information Age”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
more knowledge at our fingertips than ever before, just say “Hey Siri” or “Ok
Google”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our children can hardly imagine
what it’s like to have to look something up in an encyclopedia, or stop and ask
for directions, or just be content not knowing something that you can now so
easily ask of the little device in your pocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But knowledge isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sometimes we talk about
“information overload” and “cutting through the noise”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Information may not be reliable – we have
fact-checkers and fake news and your truth and my truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People say it’s one thing to have knowledge,
it’s another thing to have wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
there’s some wisdom in that.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As Christians, let us ever turn to
God’s Word for both knowledge and wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And let us keep each in its proper place, and for its proper
purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And let us consider, today, what
God has made known to us in Christ, and be amazed at his teaching.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I think Messiah is one of the
better-educated and, if you can say so, “smarter” congregations out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have doctors and engineers, and all manner
of professional people, business owners and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have, compared to many congregations, I
believe, a solid theological foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We love and appreciate our history and our doctrine as Lutherans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a rigorous confirmation program and
we run a classical school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing
things is important to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing the
truth is highly valued here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But do we
have a weakness?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Paul says that knowledge “puffs
up”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, we humans are often
tempted to become prideful, in particular about our great trove of
knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can work a number of
ways.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We can become a little too puffed
up in our knowledge, thinking we know better than we actually do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can become stubborn and obstinate in a
hardened position, which is not quite right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And our so-called-knowledge can lead us to pridefully close our ears to
godly correction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t need to be taught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a dangerous attitude.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Or, we can simply become prideful
and puffed up in what we do know – even if we are right!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And look down on others, despising God’s
children who don’t know as much as we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can feel self-satisfied with our great knowing, as if it makes us
better than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another dangerous,
sinful, attitude.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Everything we know is by God’s
grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything we have been taught, that
is true, is a gift from him. But
whatever we know that is wrong, is confusion sown by our own flesh, the sinful
world, or the devil and his minions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are so many ways to go wrong when it comes to “knowledge”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For we sinners excel at going wrong.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In fact, knowledge itself was part
of the first temptation to sin – that Adam and Eve would have the “knowledge”
of good and evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, they did learn a
bitter lesson by their rebellion, a sort of knowledge I suppose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is a lesson we’d all prefer they never
undertook to learn, a knowledge we’d all be better off if they had not known
it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And add to that, knowledge itself
doesn’t save us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Even the demons
believe and shudder”, that is, the demons have the facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The demon in our Gospel reading knew exactly
who Jesus was, the Holy One of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
such knowledge did him no Good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
devil knows God’s word, better than we humans, it is often said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he hates God nonetheless.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And there are many today, even
fancy-pants scholars with alphabets after their names, that “know a lot” about
Christianity, and the Bible, and perhaps even about Jesus – but their knowledge
gets them nowhere, because they have no wisdom, no love, no faith.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Knowledge and reason can even
become an impediment to faith if we make them the judge of God’s word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we say, “oh, that can’t be Christ’s body
and blood in the sacrament, because it doesn’t make sense” or, “Baptism can’t
wash away sins or really do anything for you, because you have to be able to
understand!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But who can plumb the mysteries of
the Lord’s Supper?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who can understand
it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That this bread and wine are
Christ’s body and blood?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can only
faithfully confess it to be what Jesus says it is.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Who can take Baptism apart and put
it back together?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, we spend a
whole lifetime learning its benefits, daily renewed by repentance and
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These sacraments are not to be
understood in the sense of knowledge, as if we are their masters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are to be known and confessed as the
blessed gifts that they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge, Proverbs tells us, so let’s back up the truck and start
there.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The first thing the Lord would
have us know is our sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luther rightly
begins his small catechism with the 10 Commandments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There we look and see a glaring mirror,
showing us the many ways we fail to love God or our neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But he does not leave us with that
knowledge only.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not let us sit
around in the sackcloth and ashes of repentance, the muck and mire of our own filth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pulls us up and out and gives us a firm
place to stand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sends his Son, Jesus,
to destroy the forces of evil, to teach us the Gospel of his kingdom, and to
bestow on us the true knowledge and wisdom unto salvation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Paul writes, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>20 Where is the one who is wise?
Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish
the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not
know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to
save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but
we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and
the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the
weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And a little later, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>And I, when I came to you,
brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty
speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ
and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For the Christian, the most
important thing to know is Jesus Christ and him crucified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to know it, not as a fact or an
intellectual exercise, but by faith.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, we must know our sins, so
that we know our need for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we
should learn everything that he has commanded us, and keep it, indeed the whole
counsel of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we should always
seek to learn more, know more, to grow in the knowledge of God just as young
Jesus himself did. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We are not anti-intellectual. But we
must never consider our own knowledge something to boast about, or consider
ourselves above teaching and reproof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s
word teaches humility, and that should include intellectual humility.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">And so here it is, today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know this, dear Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though you sin daily and sin much, God loves
you, and has sent his Son, Jesus, the Holy One of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We preach Christ crucified – for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has come to destroy the powers of
darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has come to bring God’s
love to bear on you, that you might be saved, and therefore also love your
neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has not come to puff you up
with knowledge, but to build you up with his love, for yourself, and for your
brother.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lord, let us consider what right
knowledge we have as a gift from you, and use it only, ever in faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we grow in the wisdom of your word, and
not in the wisdom of this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amaze
us with the teaching of Christ crucified for sinners, and let us always abide
in the knowledge of his salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-10338939258253811342024-01-22T05:50:00.000-08:002024-01-22T05:50:18.443-08:00Sermon - Epiphany 3 - Jonah 3:1-5, 10<p> Epiphany 3 – January 21, 2024</p><p>National Lutheran Schools Sunday</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkdZrSIkYy0yeO-AKObJZw2Qa60olotcTgN7I9E3AvyFPaa3zhfexYsFoYyfPVRKqixNskrUN6LZEYqIT8hbCTlFOzsZAKL9K3nVn3OzhbDZ7F1AdogPUsbfLJ-nkeJTbbxxk_tCyFpYqNfwPnfh1SWUULvNhvxMHkhHuKgX_fe1AY5STcpGD/s1199/jonah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1199" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkdZrSIkYy0yeO-AKObJZw2Qa60olotcTgN7I9E3AvyFPaa3zhfexYsFoYyfPVRKqixNskrUN6LZEYqIT8hbCTlFOzsZAKL9K3nVn3OzhbDZ7F1AdogPUsbfLJ-nkeJTbbxxk_tCyFpYqNfwPnfh1SWUULvNhvxMHkhHuKgX_fe1AY5STcpGD/s320/jonah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Today we welcome the children and families of our school, MLCA as part of our annual “Lutheran Schools Week” observance. Messiah operates one of about 2600 Lutheran schools – and our church body still has more parochial schools than anyone else except the Roman Catholic system. And so we have our school children here today to assist us in worship with their voices, and we add to our prayers, especially today, thanksgiving to God for the blessing that MLCA is to our congregation. We pray we are also a blessing to all whose lives are touched by our work together here. Just as we talk about our church as a family, MLCA is also part of our extended family. With great joy we get to know our school families and students and share the love of Christ even as we teach these young people history, grammar, and math.</p><p>Today we also continue our journey through the Epiphany season, and another Sunday which emphasizes God’s calling – both Jesus calling his disciples, and in the Old Testament, God calling the prophet Jonah. Since the Jonah story is one loved especially by children, I thought we’d turn our attention there at this time. But even us big kids can enjoy the Jonah narrative and see in it God’s call to repent and believe, and be saved – that same call that comes to us through God’s servants today – that call to repent and believe in Jesus Christ our Savior.</p><p>Someone asked me just the other day what my favorite passage of the Bible was, and I suppose that’s like asking me which is my favorite child or my favorite song. But I have to admit the book of Jonah has always been near and dear to me.</p><p>Jonah is just such an unlikable personality. Not only does he foolishly try to run away from God, taking a boat in the opposite direction of where God told him to go preach. But he also repeatedly whined and cried when he didn’t get his way. What a drama queen! Woe is me! You might as well kill me now! </p><p>Today’s reading is just a few verses from the Book of Jonah, but the whole thing is only 4 chapters long. I suggest you read it for yourselves! (homework, children!)</p><p>But as we read it we find out exactly why Jonah is such a reluctant prophet. We are told exactly why he didn’t want to go preach to Nineveh. The reason is this: He didn’t want God to forgive them!</p><p>You see the people of Nineveh were particularly wicked. This was the capitol of the Assyrian Empire, the one that would destroy the Northern Kingdom of Israel and at whose hand the 10 “lost tribes” really became lost to history. The Assyrians were brutal conquerors, killing women and children as well as the men, and hauling off whole populations of captives to make them their slaves. They were pagan people, unbelievers, people who didn’t know or believe in the true God, Yahweh. And so, in Jonah’s mind, they didn’t deserve God’s grace and mercy.</p><p>Ah, but Jonah, that’s just the problem! None of us do. All of us are full of sin, and in our hearts no better than the worst of the Ninevites. We may make a good appearance of it on the outside, but the sinful heart is just the same. In fact, no one deserves God’s grace and mercy. That’s the whole point of it being grace and mercy. </p><p>And so finally, Jonah goes to the city of Nineveh and preaches as God commanded him. He spent three days preaching this short sermon, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be destroyed”. In the Hebrew it’s just four words. </p><p>Now we all know about the miracle of the great fish or whale that swallowed Jonah when he was taking a boat in the other direction. And then after 3 days the fish spit him up on land, safe and sound, though probably a little smelly. A great wonder and sign from God, and we’ll talk about that a little more in a minute. But that’s not the most amazing miracle of the Jonah story. The most amazing part is what we read today. That after Jonah’s short sermon, the people of Nineveh listened! They repented! They turned from their evil ways and begged for God’s forgiveness!</p><p>My friends, it is a difficult thing to tell someone they are wrong. It is hard to show people these days, perhaps especially, that they are sinners. But God’s word endures forever. And the same message of law and condemnation that Jonah preached to the Ninevites, is preached by faithful pastors today. If you do not repent, you too will perish! If you do not turn from your wicked ways, God will bring his punishment to bear on you – maybe not in 40 days. But sooner or later. The soul that sins shall perish.</p><p>And we need to hear this hard word of God. This is why we teach our children the 10 commandments. So they not only know what God expects, but so that they can see their sin, and their need for a Savior. If you never know you’re a sinner, what do you need a savior for? If no one ever told you the bad news, the good news wouldn’t make sense. </p><p>Part of the great miracle here is that the Ninevites heard the call to repentance, and they repented! From the king on down, even the animals were dressed in sackcloth. They mourned their sins. They begged for God’s mercy. And much to Jonah’s displeasure, God showed them mercy. Only God can turn hearts like this. Only his word has the power.</p><p>Well, maybe the even greater miracle is this, and it’s so understated in the reading, “and God relented”. God did not give them what the deserved. He changed his course. He went back on his threat. He had mercy.</p><p>Sometimes I will pose the question to people this way, “Will God ever go back on his word?” And most Christians instinctively say, “NO!” But here is an example of it. Your knee jerk reaction is right, God will never go back on a promise. He will never fail to follow through on a blessing. But he will sometimes relent from a threat. And it’s not because he isn’t just. It’s just that his justice is done another way – the punishment is borne by another target. Jesus Christ takes the punishment that Nineveh deserved, and that we deserve. And so by grace, through faith, we receive the benefits. By the power of God’s Spirit working in his word, we are BOTH called to repentance, and receive mercy. And this is the great miracle of Jonah’s story, and of ours. Not being saved from the belly of a fish, or from drowning in the deep, but from sin and death and hell by the blood of Christ.</p><p>The last chapter of Jonah has him stomping outside of the city to sit and watch and wait, hoping God would destroy Nineveh maybe like he did Sodom and Gomorrah. Send down some fire and brimstone on the bad guys, God! Give them a good what-for. Destroy them like their sins deserve! But Jonah was disappointed that God showed them mercy.</p><p>Jonah was a preacher of God’s word quite in spite of himself. He didn’t want to warn the Ninevites of their coming destruction. He didn’t want them to turn from their sins and live. And he certainly didn’t want them to hear the good news of God’s grace and mercy. But Jonah also preached in spite of himself in another way.</p><p>Jesus once referred to the Jonah story. When his enemies were looking for a sign, Jesus said, “You will receive no sign from me but the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, so the Son of Man will be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.” Jesus saw Jonah’s fish miracle as pointing to his own resurrection. And we better listen to Jesus when he interprets the scriptures.</p><p>Jonah was a terrible person, and not a very good preacher. He hated his hearers. He preached as short a sermon as possible, grudgingly. He whined and complained the whole while. And yet God used him to save many people. He used Jonah to call many people to repentance, and even to point people to Jesus, even thousands of years later.</p><p>Our God continues to call preachers and pastors and all manner of people to speak his word to us. This is a big part of what we do at MLCA, and it’s absolutely central to what Messiah Lutheran Church is about. And it is through that message that God works, in spite of imperfect messengers. It is through both the call to repentance and the promise of mercy in Christ, that God saves people even today. Even wicked, terrible sinners like the Ninevites of old. Even poor miserable sinners like you and me. </p><p>He calls people who think they’re in pretty good shape, spiritually, showing them a shocking diagnosis of terminal sin. He calls people who know the weight of sinful baggage, and may think its too much for even God to forgive. He calls us to turn from our sins, and to turn to Christ in faith and live. And he shows us mercy. In Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.</p><div><br /></div>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-54089571754259588752024-01-16T12:13:00.000-08:002024-01-16T12:13:39.487-08:00Sermon - Epiphany 2 - John 1:43-51<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVzOP4myXzvMG6Tkoye7wtNwms3Y43LG2dV7fR8JzrM2Ex7aWhP0QJ2K97UpnkNcwABEnIjMQiZmBRM7R-6Vg1hGnmB7in7gHqBKBkpMx_RiovdOIlMVJ7s1PxojOohe8Pdd9CxKlus6pvMdz6qqQICwDdFWag74ylN8QCG2DnHdX7MjyRZNU/s306/200px-Philip_und_Nathanael.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="200" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVzOP4myXzvMG6Tkoye7wtNwms3Y43LG2dV7fR8JzrM2Ex7aWhP0QJ2K97UpnkNcwABEnIjMQiZmBRM7R-6Vg1hGnmB7in7gHqBKBkpMx_RiovdOIlMVJ7s1PxojOohe8Pdd9CxKlus6pvMdz6qqQICwDdFWag74ylN8QCG2DnHdX7MjyRZNU/s1600/200px-Philip_und_Nathanael.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>One of the themes set forth in today’s readings is the importance of “vocation” or “calling”. God calls people. He calls us, first of all, to faith. He also calls us to various offices or roles. </p><p>Samuel was called by God as the last of the judges, even when he was just a boy. Nathanael is called to follow Jesus as a disciple, and later one of the 12 apostles. And we have so many other examples in Scripture – Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, David, Abraham, of course the 12 apostles, even St. Paul – are all called by God to serve in various ways. Today we will focus especially on Nathaniel as an entrée to this idea of vocation.</p><p>Then there also is the Epiphany emphasis, the unfolding of Christ's identity – as the one who calls, the one who knows all, the one about whom the prophets wrote, the man from Nazareth, the Son of God, the King of Israel, and the ladder to heaven. That's a lot to cover, so let's get started.</p><p>When Jesus calls us to faith, much like when he calls the disciples, he also calls us to service. The call is “follow me”. First, this invites a trust in him as one worthy of following. But more than physically following him, they would follow him by faith. They would become Christians. And because of that, they would follow him, even to death.</p><p>We, too, have been called to faith. We confess as much in the Small Catechism, concerning the Holy Spirit – who has called me by the gospel. I can't believe in Christ of my own reason or strength. I can't decide for myself to follow him, as my will is bound in sin. The Old Adam in us is at war with God and in rebellion against him. There's no reason to think we'd follow him, believe in him, or trust him. We might well use Nathanael’s question, “Can anything good come from… me?” And of course, that answer is, “no!”</p><p>But God breaks into that with his calling – the Spirit calls us to faith, just as Jesus called those disciples to follow. And by this Gospel call, grace is extended to us, each of us, and we are saved.</p><p>The call to faith is never alone, just as faith is never without works that follow, so the call to faith is always coupled with a call to serve. In the case of the apostles, Christ called them to serve in a very particular way – first as disciples and witnesses, learning and observing everything for 3 years - then as preachers and even fathers of the church, through whom he would build and establish his body on earth.</p><p>But the call to you and me also comes with work to do. For all Christians are servants, first of God, but also of one another. All of us have a place in the body, a calling to fulfill, a role to play. These vocations – husbands and wives, parents and children, teachers and students, preachers and hearers... all Christian vocations are callings from God to be done in faith and for the benefit of our neighbor. Faith doesn't sit in the vacuum. Faith is active and living. It seeks to fulfill its calling.</p><p>Sometimes God calls individuals personally, immediately, like he did for Samuel. But that’s rather rare. Notice how, even when Jesus calls Nathanael, he uses a go-between. Phillip, who himself had just been called to follow, now calls yet another. So also, we are called by the Spirit through the agency of another Christian. Perhaps it was your parents who taught you the faith. Maybe a pastor or teacher. Maybe a faithful friend or neighbor. Or perhaps a whole congregation. Sometimes we are the Phillip. Sometimes we are the Nathanael. Sometimes we are the one who invites others to hear and follow Christ – to come and see. Sometimes we are the ones being called.</p><p>The calling of Nathanael also teaches us that Christ's call to faith is by grace. What was Nathanael doing when Jesus called him? Sitting around, under a tree. What qualifications or bragging rights did he have? What mighty works or holy credentials? Nothing we are told. Although, Jesus did pay him a high compliment – he called him a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit. High praise compared to the many in Israel who were full of deceit.</p><p>When it comes to deceit, self-deception is among the worst of it. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But here was Nathanael, who appeared to be a true believer – waiting, like all true believers of old, for God's promise of the Messiah to be fulfilled. A true Israelite would have humbly acknowledged his sin, and sought the mercy of God for his salvation. And this true Israelite would find it in the one who now called him.</p><p>That calling also leads to confession. At first, Nathanael was skeptical. What good can come from Nazareth? Perhaps he knew that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. What good can come from the son of a carpenter? But little did he know, this was truly the Son of God. Until he did. When Jesus demonstrates his divine knowledge to Nathanael, the new disciple confesses just that – that this Rabbi is the Son of God!</p><p>Notice all the titles Jesus receives in this brief reading: Messiah. Rabbi. Son of God. Son of Man. It's the Epiphany season, after all, so why not mention some of the many aspects of who Jesus is?</p><p>He's the Rabbi, the great teacher. He has something to teach us – namely, the Word of God. He knows it like no one else does. He fulfills it like no one else can. Indeed, these scriptures are they that testify to him. He would spend years teaching these hard headed disciples he had just called, and only after his resurrection, by the power of the Spirit, would they come to understand so much of what he had been teaching them.</p><p>He's “him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote”, that is to say, the Messiah. He is the one, the anointed one, set aside to save his people Israel. He's the one and only savior, who does what no one else can do. And he was appointed to this from the very foundation of the world. He's the fulfillment of their hopes and expectations. He's the one the prophets saw from afar, now arrived, in the flesh. Jesus himself would teach us of the scriptures, “these are they that testify to me”.</p><p>He's the Son of Man. He is a true man, like us in every way yet without sin. He is the one man, in whom all men are represented. He is the one man, to become the scapegoat for all men's sin. The one man to bear the iniquity of us all. That as in Adam all men fell into sin, now in the one man, the Son of Man, Jesus, all men would be saved.</p><p>He's the Son of God. Not just a favorite or high ranking son. The only Son of the Father. Not a created offspring but the eternally begotten Son.</p><p>And it is important that the Messiah be both Son of Man and Son of God. Man, to live and die for us. God, to conquer death for us and have it count for all of us.</p><p>But there's one more moniker or description of Jesus in this reading – and it is from Jesus himself. He identifies himself as the ladder or stairway to heaven.</p><p>Remember Jacob's dream as he left the promised land to flee from his angry brother Esau and to find his wife and fortune in the land of Padan-Aram, in the house of his uncle Laban. On his way, he stopped to sleep and with his head on a rock – had a dream of a stairway to heaven, angels ascending and descending on it. God reiterated to Jacob his promises to Abraham, and that this land would be his and his offspring's. Though Jacob was about to go away for some time, God would be with him always.</p><p>Jesus uses this story, of which a true Israelite like Nathanael would have been very familiar, and he applies it to himself. He says, “Hey Nathanael. You think it's so great that I showed you a little divine knowledge. You'll see greater things that that. You'll eventually come to see that I, the one standing before you, that I am the very stairway to heaven. That it is through me and only through me is heaven is opened to sinners.”</p><p>Heaven is opened at Jesus' Baptism and Transfiguration, as the voice of the Father confirms his Son. Heaven is opened to receive Christ's Spirit, when he commits it to the Father in death. Heaven is opened to receive the resurrected and glorified Christ, as he ascends there to regain his rightful place. And in Christ, heaven is opened to us his people, for he has promised to prepare us a place and to come to bring us there.</p><p>And so, we are called to faith, called to service, and finally called to heaven – all through Jesus Christ – who we, like Nathanael, confess as Rabbi, Messiah, and Lord. He is the one worthy of following, both in this life and even unto death, and through the grave to a resurrection and eternity with the Father. Be faithful to your calling, Christians, for he is always faithful to you.</p><div><br /></div>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-54484171989536931162024-01-08T07:52:00.000-08:002024-01-08T07:52:22.621-08:00Sermon - Epiphany (Observed) - Matthew 2:1-12<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDHaNzTWeapcJfmdBnbCiAJAYJWrH0DnG_4BiZqKYr7a9lh86pk0b8_-cQKHdyHuPifLX0jzmYPSDN1Cjw0wSdOUvvt1F2VtBiCJQXJ-AQ0-DehkR4PF5lPIbGrkWAUcZ6WrkTHeXel1SWO2SenzcMH_8viDwe9JBbSb3A13DhEPV_Ke6_ZkI/s768/Herod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="768" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDHaNzTWeapcJfmdBnbCiAJAYJWrH0DnG_4BiZqKYr7a9lh86pk0b8_-cQKHdyHuPifLX0jzmYPSDN1Cjw0wSdOUvvt1F2VtBiCJQXJ-AQ0-DehkR4PF5lPIbGrkWAUcZ6WrkTHeXel1SWO2SenzcMH_8viDwe9JBbSb3A13DhEPV_Ke6_ZkI/s320/Herod.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Today we
observe Epiphany, the Christmas of the Gentiles, as it is sometimes
called. An “epiphany” is a manifestation or appearance. It’s
something that shows up abruptly. Like a sudden realization, “oh, he’s
had an epiphany!” or a light switched on in a dark room. The “Epiphany of
our Lord” is the day in which the world comes to recognize that the Christ has
appeared on the scene. And these wise men from another country stand as
apt representatives of the gentiles – the nations – in coming to worship the
king of kings.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">And as St.
Matthew tells the story, the other prominent character is King Herod, who ruled
Jerusalem at the time.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> “Herod
the Great” he was called. A king who ruled the Jews on behalf of the
Romans. He built great monuments and cities and fortresses. Most
famously, he did a major renovation of the temple. He came to power
because his father was chummy with Julius Caesar, and he had already ruled
Israel on behalf of the Romans for some 30 years when the wise men showed
up. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But Herod
was also a bad dude. A tyrant. A scoundrel. He ruthlessly stamped
out any possible threats to his throne, including executing family members on
several occasions. So when these strangers from the East come to town
asking “where’s the new king?”, you can see why Luke’s comment here is
understated: “Herod was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him”. If
Herod is disturbed, everyone is disturbed. If Herod has it in him to
execute even his own wife, then no one is safe from his paranoid
wrath. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But he was a
schemer, too. Wise and slick, not one to just smash
indiscriminately. So he had a plan. He would turn these wise men
into his fools, make them unknowing spies to do his bidding. “Go find the
child, and then tell me so I can worship him, too”. But crusty old Herod
had no intention to worship. He just wanted rivals and threats out of the
way. We know it, because once the wise men gave him the slip, he ordered
the slaughter of all the boys of Bethlehem in order to rule out any possible
challenger to his power. Better safe than sorry, he must have thought.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> And the children
paid the price for his cruel pragmatism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a dark chapter in the Christmas story.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">And perhaps
no one represents the darkness of this world more than Herod. Concerned
with himself only, his power, his position and status. Willing to
sacrifice anyone and anything to get and keep what he wants. Ready to lie
and cheat and steal and scheme. And no friend to God, or to Jesus.
Herod is the Old Adam on steroids, or perhaps just unleashed with the perfect
opportunities.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">When reading
a story, including a Bible story, it’s natural to “read yourself in.” To
identify, perhaps even subconsciously, with a character or characters in the
story. We can often relate to the disciples, who didn’t quite understand
what Jesus was about. Or one of the people that came to Jesus with a need
or a request, like we so often do.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Here, in the
Epiphany account, we might think of how the wise men felt, or sympathize with
their eagerness or joy. We might think of the gifts we would bring the
baby Jesus. But how often do we see ourselves as the villain? Can
we identify with Herod? Let’s try those shoes on for a change.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">We may not
murder others to serve our own purposes, but the thoughts of our heart are just
as dark. We may not scheme and schmooze quite like wiley old Herod, but
we do our best to get our own way. We may not have a kingdom or a throne,
but each of us wants to be in charge, call the shots, set the agenda. We
set aside the law of God and get to writing our own rules, that we can surely
live by. We want to be king. We want to be, dare we admit, even, we
want to be our own god. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But the
light shines in the darkness. The Christ, the king, is born.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">The birth of
Jesus threatens everything that Herod is, but not in the way Herod
thinks. Jesus didn’t appear to bring a tyrant off the throne, or to
establish a kingdom of his own (at least not a kingdom of this world). He
didn’t have to take on human flesh to do so – as the Lord raises and humbles
human rulers in due course throughout history. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But Jesus
did come to destroy sin and the power of death. He did come to free
people from its bondage and tyranny. He came to bring light in the
darkness of a world full of Herods and to every sinner who is a little Herod-at-heart.
He comes to de-throne your old Adam and take your heart as his own.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> He comes to be
your good king.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Christ’s
kingship is quite different from Herod’s. Herod built, or renovated the
temple over many years. Jesus said, “destroy this temple and I will build
it in three days”. Herod was made king of the Jews by the Romans.
The Roman governor wrote the sign for Jesus’ cross, “This is the King of the
Jews”. Herod surely wore the fine garments of those who live in kings’
palaces. Jesus was stripped of his garments, and they were divided among
the soldiers. And surely Herod’s crown looked nothing like the twisted
thorns with which they crowned our Lord. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Jesus didn’t
destroy us when we were his enemies as wicked Herod killed the babes of
Bethlehem, or even his own wife. Rather, he dies for his enemies,
forgives us, redeems us by his blood, and makes us children of God! No,
his kingdom is not of this world, but what a kingdom he is! See how he
shepherds Israel! By laying down his life for the sheep! And he
extends this kingdom not by the sword, but by the word – the gospel – turning
hearts and shining the light of Christ.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">And Epiphany
reminds us it’s not just the Jews that receive this king. Sure the angels
told the humble Shepherds where to find the infant Jesus. But the wise
men are brought by a mysterious star. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Men of some
wealth, perhaps even kings in their own right, come to humbly worship the one
born king of the Jews. They had the means to make the journey. They
had the resources to bring him precious gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But more
than that they had the wisdom to know that this child, this king, is someone
special. Someone to be worshipped.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Matthew doesn’t
tell us much more about them, but that they were “from the East”. Perhaps
they came from the same country, perhaps they represent different areas.
Perhaps they were Persian, or Babylonian, or from some other long-forgotten
tribe or nationality.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">But their
uncertain origin is actually perfect, because it doesn’t matter. The
nations, all the nations, will come to worship this king. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">And so
therefore also us. We come from near and far, from the East and the north
and south and west. We would be wise – unto salvation, and so we come to
worship this king. </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">And what is
the worship, the true worship of this king? It is faith in his word,
trust in his promise, it is, strangely, simply receiving <i>his </i>gifts.
It is hearing his word and confessing sins which he forgives. It is
taking and eating and drinking of the meal he provides, and believing it does
what he promises.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Yes, we
bring our own treasures, humble as they may be. But these are a response
to his precious gifts. For all the gold or frankincense or myrrh, or even
all the dollars in the world, can never compare to the blood of Christ, the
forgiveness of sins, and the eternal life that he brings.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;">Wicked king
Herod can’t hold a candle to our dear King Jesus, the light shining through the
darkness of this world. Even the people that walked in darkness have seen
his great light. The glory of Israel, the light to the nations, Jesus
Christ our king, or shepherd, our Lord. Lord grant us the wisdom to
worship him, and lead us always to where he is, that we might share in exceedingly great joy.</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-61576633128120143912024-01-02T07:33:00.000-08:002024-01-02T07:33:52.451-08:00Sermon - Christmas 1 - Luke 2:22-40<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmOCNT7PwGhbXYfOafIg4EXaGq1xKbbGwJC0HCPsfK_TRRpbrkAbES-LceYGQpSlO3fq3BUJLweoublsPJO3QFQaNXqW9vHOr7Ta3HrtQ1A5zrhZ65KfQDMdY7syTDy-raDXJCPEtYIYepuKaovs_fae_jtz-a66siKDnz05YLN3IvXDAMojH/s258/Simeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="196" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmOCNT7PwGhbXYfOafIg4EXaGq1xKbbGwJC0HCPsfK_TRRpbrkAbES-LceYGQpSlO3fq3BUJLweoublsPJO3QFQaNXqW9vHOr7Ta3HrtQ1A5zrhZ65KfQDMdY7syTDy-raDXJCPEtYIYepuKaovs_fae_jtz-a66siKDnz05YLN3IvXDAMojH/s1600/Simeon.jpg" width="196" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Presentation of our Lord and the Purification of Mary</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today, we have the epilogue of Luke’s nativity account, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with the story of Joseph and Mary bringing the
infant Jesus to the temple just 40 days after his birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bethlehem isn’t far from Jerusalem, and so they
made the short journey to the temple and did all that we prescribed for them to
do as good observant Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll look at
that a little bit first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then the
Holy Family meets Simeon and Anna, two elderly saints who sing and tell of their
joy at seeing the infant Messiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
echo their song and their words today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2
Ceremonies, and 2 witnesses, all of it pointing us to Christ, our newborn king.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We really have 2 ceremonies that were done together
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one is the purification of
Mary after giving birth to a son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like
all Jewish women, the process of childbirth made one ceremonially unclean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so, at a certain time after the birth,
she had to come and make a sacrifice at the temple, and be restored to being
clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can read about this in
Leviticus 12.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even in the midst of new life’s arrival, there is the
reminder of sin and death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just the
pain in childbirth that God increased due to the sin of Eve, but also the blood
that was lost in the process – another sign of the corruption of sin in our
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even one of the most joyful and
beautiful events in life is tainted by pain and sorrow, and reminders of
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can all relate to that.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some radical feminist has probably written how misogynist
these Jewish ceremonial laws were, but missing the point by a mile – that it
all is a stark reminder of sin, and our need – all of us - for purification and
restoration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our gracious God provides
just that – and ultimately in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And so Mary is purified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faithful
Mary and Joseph receive the gifts God prescribes for them in the way he
prescribes them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other important ceremony is the redemption of the
firstborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This we read about in Exodus
13:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>The Lord said to Moses,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever
is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of
beast, is mine.”<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This, of course, is also not a pointless exercise in
religious piety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God used this ceremony
to remind the people of each generation how he acted to free them from slavery
in Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the final plague came,
and the firstborn of all Egypt were destroyed, God saved the firstborn of
Israel by the Passover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, he made
provision for his people through the shedding of blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, he declared, all the firstborn of
Israel going forward would belong to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They must be bought back from death, with a sacrifice of a lamb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So in this way God had the people look back, but also
foreshadowed his redemption by the Lamb of God who is sacrificed to redeem the
whole world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blood is shed so that blood
is not shed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is given so that the
debt for sparing life is paid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he
who, as an infant, is redeemed by the sacrifice of animals today, tomorrow
sacrifices himself for the sins of the world.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mary is purified, and the infant redeemer is redeemed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two ceremonies which teach us, remind us, and
orient us to the purification and redemption that come only through Mary’s son,
Jesus, the Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O Lord, purify and
redeem us by your Christ, through the means you have provided!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then we meet Simeon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Simeon who we are told is, “righteous and devout, waiting for the
Consolation of Israel”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simeon is a
believer, and a faithful one at that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like Mary, he’s not sinless, but he trusts the Lord and practices his
faith devoutly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s there in the
temple, after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was probably there
a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And like all righteous and devout believers at that time, he
was waiting for the Messiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s kind
of the whole Old Testament people of Israel summed up in one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And look what Luke says about this one for
whom they wait:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he’s the “consolation of
Israel”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like a child that needs to be
consoled, Israel is weeping and wailing in their sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Messiah comes to bring consolation,
that is, peace and calm, making everything right.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simeon, though had something special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A revelation from the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not told much else, but that he had
received this message:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Simeon, you will
not see death until you see the Lord’s Christ”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before you die, you get to see the Savior!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My friends, we are all Simeons, aren’t we?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waiting to be dismissed, waiting to depart in
peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how can we depart in peace
from this world until and unless we have seen the Lord’s Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we not depart in peace if we have
received him?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simeon’s song, the Nunc Dimmittis, still sounds out
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we have received the Lord’s
Supper and are getting ready to finish the divine service, we join our voices
to Simeon’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh Lord now let your
servant depart in heavenly peace, for I have seen the glory of your redeeming
grace”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are ready to depart, yes,
even to die, because we have seen the Lord’s Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Better yet, we have received him, his body
and blood, for the forgiveness of our sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We depart in peace knowing God is at peace with us, and doesn’t hold our
sins against us. We depart in peace knowing that Christ has redeemed us,
purified us, shed his blood for us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
eyes have seen his salvation!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simeon sang about seeing the light to the nations and the
glory of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, that’s true, those
are both names for the Christ:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The light
to the nations – he brings light, the shining light of God’s grace to all the
people who sat in the darkness of sin and unbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he is also the glory of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The glory had departed the temple back in the
days of Ezekiel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s mystical presence
in the cloud which filled the holy of holies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But now, the glory of God made flesh has become a baby, a child, an
Israelite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simeon had seen the glory of
God, the glory of Israel, return to the temple once more!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the same happens every time the Christ brings his
presence to us in the means of grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The glory of God and the light to the nations shine forth in the word
proclaimed, in sins forgiven, in baptismal water and sacramental meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Simeon also points us toward the cross, and the sword that
will pierce Mary’s heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Jesus,
this little baby Jesus, will also bring a sword, and division – for the rising
and fall of many in Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To those
that receive him, like Simeon, he raises us to righteousness and life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To those that oppose him, they can only fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in the final judgment, all hearts are
revealed as either righteous in Christ, or corrupt and wicked and condemned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O Lord, let us ever receive Christ joyfully
like Simeon, and depart in peace according to your word.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then we see dear Anna, the prophetess. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 84, she was old, especially for her
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or look puts it more kindly,
“advanced in years”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a hard
life, most of it lived as a widow after her husband died young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she knew where to find consolation, and
spent her days in the temple, fasting and praying, day and night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Simeon, righteous and devout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Simeon, approaching nearer to death
every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like us, too, really, each of
us moves closer to death each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
of us has sorrows and troubles in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each of us can fast and pray and worship as we prepare for that day when
we depart in peace.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And look at what else Anna did – she spoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told all who would listen about the
Redemption of Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told them
about Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She probably witnessed the
whole thing with Simeon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They probably
talked about what it all meant, this special child that God brought to them, to
the temple, to this world. The light to the nations, the glory of Israel, the
rise and fall of many, the Redemption of Jerusalem. O Lord, may we also be so
free to speak of our redemption in Christ!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As we move away from Christmas and toward Epiphany yet
again, we consider the end of Luke’s nativity account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Purification of Mary, which points us to
Christ, who purifies us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Redemption
of the Firstborn, and the Firstborn redeemer who saves us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simeon, who waited for the consolation of
Israel, and who was consoled in Christ and could depart in peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And faithful Anna, who added her voice of
thanks and praise and told anyone and everyone about the infant Jesus, the
Redemption of Israel.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What a way to close out the Christmas season, with two
ceremonies, and two witnesses – all pointing us to the one newborn Christ, the
redeemer, the light to the nations, the glory of Israel, the consolation of all
who trust in him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Jesus’ Name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-55277683465238781182023-12-21T08:54:00.000-08:002023-12-21T08:54:52.072-08:00Sermon - Midweek Advent 3 - King Solomon<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj__gsIIf6im67MYhRyyliP5QXtdFGWwtzd0QA-Pbg4waceGfYfUSZhR_UjIAeA4gc6RZ5ilU9FalnPhmnnnxe39hMAFKi0wFm0-v6w6tzCk9QHnSiDMAJ2mzCFxA-j2cMVsIfvfiC1ns_5R7W9TwBvvSCwKlZh_pQJ8bj6s3Ba1vJj77felSJ/s640/Solomon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj__gsIIf6im67MYhRyyliP5QXtdFGWwtzd0QA-Pbg4waceGfYfUSZhR_UjIAeA4gc6RZ5ilU9FalnPhmnnnxe39hMAFKi0wFm0-v6w6tzCk9QHnSiDMAJ2mzCFxA-j2cMVsIfvfiC1ns_5R7W9TwBvvSCwKlZh_pQJ8bj6s3Ba1vJj77felSJ/s320/Solomon.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />1 Kings 8:12-21<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">John 2:13-22<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">We’ve seen King Saul, a coward and ultimately unfaithful
king who stood as a foil for both David and Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve considered King David, a man after
God’s on heart, not because he was perfect, but because he humbly confessed his
sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, on to the first “Son of
David” to be king and inherit his father’s throne – King Solomon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Solomon, the son of Bathsheba and David, had many hopes
riding on his shoulders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s promises
about the Son of David were freshly made, and I’m sure all eyes were on Solomon
as he took the throne of his great father David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solomon had some big shoes to fill.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Solomon is perhaps best known for his wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God had appeared to him in a dream and
offered him a wish – any desire of his heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Solomon didn’t ask for riches, or fame, or the defeat of his
enemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead he asked for wisdom to
do his job as king, and rule the great people of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God was so pleased with Solomon’s request
that he not only made him the wisest man ever to live (apart from Jesus), but
he also added to him fame and fortune and success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solomon had it all, basically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that his father David had and then some.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But perhaps his greatest achievement as a king was building
the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s the backstory:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s “throne”, the Ark of the Covenant, was
kept in the tabernacle since the days of Israel at Mt. Sinai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some 500 years, the dwelling of God on
earth in this special way – was in a temporary shelter – a tent, really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while they Israelites wandered it made
good sense, for they could move the Tabernacle, the Ark, and everything else
with them as they traveled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But now they were settled in the land, and under David
enjoyed a time of peace and permanency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>David established his capitol at Jerusalem and even built himself a
palace there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then David thought,
and you can understand the thinking, “Hey, I’m living in this nice palace, but
Yahweh is dwelling in a tent!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s make
a grand palace for him, a house fit for a king – a temple!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lord heard David’s idea, and didn’t totally dismiss
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it would not be as David
planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“David, you’re a man of war,
with blood on your hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not for
you to build me a house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But instead, I
will build YOU a house.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course,
by that, God didn’t mean a temple, but a dynasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus he promised a descendant of David would
always rule on the throne of his father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then, he ordained that David’s son, Solomon, would build the
temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there our reading today
picks up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solomon had completed the job,
and now dedicated the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This temple of Solomon would stand for some 400 years, and
there God made his presence known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
when the people of Israel turned to false gods, the patience of the true God
eventually ran out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yahweh withdrew his
presence from the temple, and thus also his protection of the people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And he allowed the Babylonians to destroy that temple and
take the people into captivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
their mourning in exile, God again showed mercy, and the people returned to
rebuild the temple under Ezra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, under
King Herod the Great, this second temple was renovated and expanded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in this second temple the presence of
Yahweh, enshrouded in the mysterious cloud, would not be seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sacrifices had resumed, but the glory had
departed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Until one day a couple from Nazareth brought their infant
child to the temple for a blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
old Simeon took the babe in his arms and sang the Nunc Dimmittis, “my eyes have
seen thy salvation, and the glory of thy people Israel”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Babe of Bethlehem, the Glory of God
had returned to the temple.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Boy Jesus would also visit his Father’s house, and grown-up
Jesus also spent much time there, teaching the people, and even cleansing his
temple as we heard in John 2.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What famously got him in trouble, though was his statement,
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see how the Jews were a bit touchy
about the temple being destroyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But of
course, the temple he spoke of was his body. He would die, be destroyed, but
then be raised to life in just three short days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus, you see, is the true temple, the
dwelling of God with man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not in a tent
or a stone building, but in the flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s
not just a geographic dwelling with us, he is Immanuel in the deepest, most
profound way – God with us, uniting his divine nature to our human nature in the
person of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now what do we make of all of this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does it relate to us?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">David’s inclination to build the temple and do something nice
for God wasn’t what God wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead,
God was going to do something for David, and really, for all people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the same old pattern, isn’t it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We think we have something to offer him, do
for him, give to him… but God is the giver of all good gifts, and he takes the
initiative when it comes to our creation and our salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He builds his temple, he builds his church,
he accomplishes the salvation of the world through the Son of David – not
Solomon, but Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Second, God doesn’t need a fancy building or a grand palace
in which to live, but he comes to us to dwell among us on his own terms –
humbly to meet the humble, lowly to mee the low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yahweh dwelt in a tent for all those years by
his own choice, perhaps partly to show that he was accessible to all people,
not just kings and the well-to-do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise,
when Jesus appears, it is humbly, laid in a manger, attended by shepherds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes and meets us where we are, and that
is, in the flesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even today he comes
to us humbly in the sacraments – simple water, humble bread and wine, they are
where he may be found, according to his promise.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Third, God keeps his promises, but not always the way we
think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, David’s son would inherit
his throne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, David’s son would build
the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, Davd’s son would be a
wise and great king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Solomon, for
all his wisdom and glory, did none of these, fulfilled none of these, as well
as the greater Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christ, whose wisdom exceeds all – is the very Word of God
made flesh, the wisdom of God in a person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christ, the Son of David reigns forever – though Solomon reigned and his
son after him, but the line of Davidic kings became lost to history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ will reign forever and ever, and rules
over not just Jerusalem, but over all things – all authority in heaven and on
earth is given to him, and he will put all enemies under his feet – even death
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he will also give us a share
in his reign in his eternal kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thanks be to God!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And yes, the Son of David, Jesus Christ, who was welcomed
with palms on a Sunday and crucified on a Friday, crowned with thorns as the
King of the Jews, enthroned upon his cross… he would build that temple of his
body once more, never to be torn down again. In a glorious resurrection our
True Temple now stands as an eternal dwelling of God with man, he the once and
for all sacrifice for sin, he the one who brings our prayers before the father,
our Great High Priest, our Prophet, our King.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">None of these three kings of old was perfect, far from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saul a coward, David an adulterer and
murderer, and Solomon – who started out so wise and good, it seems fell from
the faith late in his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While David
had 500 concubines, Solomon had 1000, and many of them pagans who eventually
led him to fall away from the true God into idol worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
read in 1 Kings 11:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the
daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2
from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel,
“You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for
surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these
in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his
wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away
his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his
God, as was the heart of David his father.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A sad ending, a tragedy, indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But our Son of David, Christ the King, is a
faithful bridegroom who is devoted to his one and only, the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he will bring her to the Father, not
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he will remain faithful
forever, to the church as a whole, and to you, his dear child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His story has a blessed ending, a joyous
conclusion, at the marriage feast of the Lamb in his kingdom which has no end.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so, let us celebrate with joy the coming of the king –
remembering his birth in Bethlehem, in the City of David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And looking forward in hope to the return of
the king in glory, with all his angels, to bring abut a kingdom that has no
end.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In Jesus’ Name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-37742391713674423912023-12-18T05:53:00.000-08:002023-12-18T05:53:36.548-08:00Sermon - Advent 3 - John 1:6-8; 19-28<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2meOPMRIOsKPhE3ytvEAYiOqw__0RXdssbrtZO5FZgwFyWIjSz51QprN0uTAqZqtuGzm-cC4lSODAJqg0ox7_unHe_3sH9eL-Dfa4-2nyHc_Uzl4F9sfZ1nz3VupCiMFl7F2mq1RuwDezzFHdom59Ze5Uxn9LxnvtFswr6ALGHaQsxoqzwmE/s800/John+the+Baptist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2meOPMRIOsKPhE3ytvEAYiOqw__0RXdssbrtZO5FZgwFyWIjSz51QprN0uTAqZqtuGzm-cC4lSODAJqg0ox7_unHe_3sH9eL-Dfa4-2nyHc_Uzl4F9sfZ1nz3VupCiMFl7F2mq1RuwDezzFHdom59Ze5Uxn9LxnvtFswr6ALGHaQsxoqzwmE/s320/John+the+Baptist.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last week we heard from St. Mark’s Gospel about John the
Baptist.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today we hear from St. John’s
Gospel – also about the forerunner of Christ.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here, there are questions posed to John, and he gives terse and vague
answers to the Jews who tried to grill him.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let’s consider the testimony of John, then, and how he shows that it’s
not about John, and it’s not about you.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s always about Jesus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Who are you?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
an innocent enough question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might
answer first in terms of your job or your family, where you come from or what’s
unique and special about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
little paragraph summarizes you in a just a few words? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a retired bricklayer from Miami who likes baseball
and fly fishing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a mother of 3, a
grandmother of 7, and I spend most of my time babysitting them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fair enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John might have said, “I’m a prophet, the son of Zechariah the priest,
and a cousin of Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
favorite foods are locusts and wild honey, I enjoy long walks in the
wilderness, and calling sinners to repentance.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John could have made it all about him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew the question behind the question. They
didn’t want you know, “Who are you?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What they really wondered is, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Are
you the Christ?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so he answered,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am not the Christ.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple as that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But now they seemed curious about John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And with each of the next questions he seems
to grow more frustrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Are you Elijah?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am not.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“How about the Prophet?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Well, who then?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve got to have something to say about
yourself!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are you that we can pin
you down and make sense of you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are
we up against here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What claim are you
making?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But John, who is not the Christ, only wants to talk about
the Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s only there to point the
way, to make straight the path, to cry out in the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John is all about Jesus, not himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what a lesson we can learn from that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Christian faith is not a me-centered religion. It’s
about Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not about who you
are, or who you want to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where you’ve
come from or where you’re going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
not about the work you do, or should do, or must do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not about your qualifications, your achievements,
your prayers, your faith, your love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John said, “I must decrease, that he may increase”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we say the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If it is about you, then it’s a sad case indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For we can all answer the question, “who are
you?” like this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a sinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not worthy to be a slave that takes off
the Master’s sandals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m corrupt by
nature, and my corrupt nature likes it that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a poisoned apple that hasn’t fallen far
from the poisoned tree, like my father Adam, before me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve never met a command of God that I don’t
want to break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve never desired to submit
and obey and do my duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to call
the shots, set the rules, be like God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
the story of my sinful nature, my Old Adam. That’s who you are, that’s who all
of us are, apart from Christ, if we can even admit it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But after John comes another preacher, another baptizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John was getting people’s attention, and
drawing great crowds – but one was coming who would draw all people to himself,
far greater crowds than John’s little gatherings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The One greater than John is who John really
wants to talk about, and who we poor sinners need to hear about – Jesus, who is
the Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's all about Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be
saved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no other savior from sin
and death and devil and hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No guru or
wise man before or since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No pope or
bishop, prophet or pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No king or
president, rock star or supermodel. Only Jesus can save.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only Jesus is the Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And only Jesus is worth preaching about,
pointing to for salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the
smoke cleared on the mount of Transfiguration, and Moses and Elijah had gone, the
disciples saw only Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the hot
air clears from every Christian pulpit, may it be the same – that it’s always,
only Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Only Jesus can do what the Christ must do – stand in our
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only Jesus could bear the sins of
the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only Jesus could defeat the
devil and all his wiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only Jesus
could fulfill the Father’s will and every speck of the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only Jesus could lay down his perfect, blameless,
spotless, life, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John couldn’t do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
Jesus can, and Jesus did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why
John points to Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But for Jesus, it’s all about us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus does speak of himself quite a bit, but
always in terms of what he has come to do for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What he has to give us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What his mission is to save us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even from the cross, Jesus’ first words were
about us – “Father forgive them…” And so the Father does.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No, John is not the Christ, but Jesus is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And John is all about Jesus, and Jesus is all
about us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And that changes things for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For we are no longer about ourselves. Who are
we now? We are no longer just an Old Adam, self-absorbed and self-consumed,
living for our own desires and concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are baptized into Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We come
confessing our sins, and are forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not who the law says we are, who are
sins say we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not really even
who we see in the mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are who God
says we are:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beloved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Blessed by the father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sheep of
his pasture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are his friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are his people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are the body of Christ. We are living
stones in the temple of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are a
royal priesthood, a holy nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
his own treasured possession.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And we have a future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What we are now is not what we will become – for when he comes again in
glory, we will be glorified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Changed,
resurrected, shining like the sun forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will be like him, for we shall see him as he is, at his great and
glorious advent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Until then, we wait, and we hope, and we pray, and we serve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not the Christ, but we can share
Christ’s love with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not
Jesus, but we can make him known, in word and deed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We, like John, bear witness to one greater
than ourselves, greater even than John, who we are not worthy to undo his
sandals, but has given us an example of loving service by washing his disciple’s
feet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Who is John?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not the
Christ, but Jesus is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sinner who needs Jesus, just like John,
just like everyone. But a sinner who is baptized and forgiven, a child of God
in Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the
Christ, the one who came to save us, die for us, rise for us, and who will come
again in glory, for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not about
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all about him, for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-45547902497246202412023-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:002023-12-14T06:00:03.143-08:00Sermon - Advent Midweek 2 - King David<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkIy2TuZkKEGPXXJL4978raWKc1q0j6OU7EJRmsPxHygTZ25A450OiyuQNyTyLSQjb5xMxX2VFbIIF4PSc3RYqRCaYxBPCSqgQMKWQhgTfp2vGnIOcKyBIyOv8JCvhr90XlfbHU3SekmBWgd98v7ibRbz_ZQyQY6fjACngcrANfO5NxFHnuc3/s591/David.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="485" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkIy2TuZkKEGPXXJL4978raWKc1q0j6OU7EJRmsPxHygTZ25A450OiyuQNyTyLSQjb5xMxX2VFbIIF4PSc3RYqRCaYxBPCSqgQMKWQhgTfp2vGnIOcKyBIyOv8JCvhr90XlfbHU3SekmBWgd98v7ibRbz_ZQyQY6fjACngcrANfO5NxFHnuc3/s320/David.jpeg" width="263" /></a></div><br /> <b>2 Samuel 11:1-5,
22-27; 12:1-7a, 13-14</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>John 8:1-11<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There she
was in all her beauty, for David’s lustful eyes to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that beauty brought on the ugliness of
David’s sin, and he took Bathsheba, another man’s wife, for himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is always ugly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is always selfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It lurks just beneath the surface, but here
it was in all its naked glory.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are so
many stories from the life of King David through which we can learn about the
Son of David, Christ our king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this
one… this one about his great sin with Bathsheba, perhaps stands most starkly
as a contrast to the promised king who is to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It perhaps shows most clearly the real
blessing of Christ’s kingly mercy, forgiveness, and faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminds us that even a great man like King
David is a terrible sinner, and as are we, we need an even better king to deal
with our sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This story
shows us how sin tends to lead to more sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was first the lust, then the adultery, then the attempt at a
coverup that failed (we skipped over that part).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, there was the conspiracy to commit
murder, and make it look like an accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Uriah was put at the front lines of battle and, like David planned, he
was killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now David even gets to
look like the good guy – taking in the poor grieving widow as his own, what a
guy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long live the king!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God cannot be mocked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth must come out eventually.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So God sent
Nathan the prophet to tell David about a certain case that needed to be
judged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The king, you see, was the final
judge of difficult cases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final
arbiter or right and wrong in the land, and the one to mete out just
punishments for the wrongdoers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Only it
wasn’t a real case, it was a parable for David’s own sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when David issued the right and just
verdict, “This man must die!” he rightly condemned himself with his own
words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He only needed Nathan to connect
the dots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You are the man”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Friends, you
are the man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are the men and the
women who also stand rightly under the king’s just decree of death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have sinned before God and one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You and I, too, are no better or worse than
King David on that account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have hit
ourselves with the ugly stick of sin, again and again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sin, then try to cover it up, then excuse
it, then make it look like a good deed after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We lust and lie and cheat and steal and
murder, all in turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the greatest
of us to the least of us, there is no escaping this fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the Lord lives, the man who has done this
deserves to die.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We issue the
right and true verdict upon ourselves when we confess our sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We deserve God’s temporal and eternal
punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means we deserve death,
right now… and forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s not let
those words pass our lips without thought, week in and week out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Son of
David is not like his father David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
is, rather, like his Father in heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He sees the bride, the woman whom he would love, and though she is ugly
as sin, he loves her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He goes to her and
seeks her to be his holy bride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With his
own blood he bought her, and for her life he died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus does
well where David fails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus had no
ugly sin of his own, but he took ours from us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And he took the ugly sticks of the cross and used death itself to bring
life, used condemnation to bring forgiveness, used the unjust verdict of guilty
to justify us as righteous and holy forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He turns it all around.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nathan
confronted David with his sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here
we see perhaps the best example of David, and why he’s a man after God’s own
heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see how he is different than
Saul and all the wicked kings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David
confesses his sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David repents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nathan accuses, “You are the man!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and David confesses, “I have sinned.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What a
dramatic moment!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David could have
balked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could have blamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could have denied it all and thrown
impudent Nathan into prison or worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
could have explained away his sin or given some lame excuse, but he did none of
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He simply confessed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Humbly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Honestly. Directly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
sinned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is much to learn from
this, dear Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And Nathan,
for his part, played the faithful pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He neither condemned David, but absolved him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will not die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A word of forgiveness and comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first words out of his own mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However there was still a consequence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The child of this adulterous union, the son of
David, would die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And seven days after
being born, that’s just what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Surely Nathan was pointing to this – but also to much more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely this also points us to Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus, the
Son of David, dies so that we do not face death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He, innocent as he was, even more innocent
than the child of Bathsheba (who was conceived in sin).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The innocent dies for the guilty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And out of
his great mercy, he provides that you will not die.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In our other
reading tonight, we see Jesus confronted with a woman caught in adultery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She, too, was dead-to-rights and almost dead
herself as the crowd began arming itself for an execution by stoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The crowd
was ugly with self-righteous indignation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What blood lust clamors for the condemnation of others?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kind that is blind to, or wants to
obscure its own sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put that spotlight
on that adulterer over there, and not on the one right here, winding up to toss
the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus knows
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t deny the ugliness of
the woman’s sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t condone
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, he has mercy on her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He calls off the dogs that are slobbering for
her punishment by turning the spotlight of law back on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He goes all Nathan on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are the man!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at yourselves! Whoever is without sin
among you cast the first stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And all
the stones drop from all the sinful hands, at the word of the only one without
sin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Who condemns
you now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one, sir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then neither do I condemn you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>King Jesus comes not to be the judging king
that dolls out punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes,
rather, to be the one to bear that punishment himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes to doll out the mercy, freely, far
and wide, the water of life without cost, and bread from heaven without
payment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives a burden that is light
and a yoke that is easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives, he
gives, he gives his own self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives
his back to the scourge, his face to those who pull out his beard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He bows his head to receive a crown of
thorns.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Not that you
are free to go on sinning, oh, no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
as he said to the woman, “now go and sin no more!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he calls us to live for him and our
neighbor, not for self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t
ignore or wink at sin, and sweep it under the rug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He takes it so seriously he dies for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he forgives it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His kingly decree declares it is finished.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This advent,
as always, we eagerly await the coming of Christ our king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We transport ourselves back to walk with the
saints of old as they anticipated his first coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we turn our eyes to the blue skies in
eager anticipation of his second coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We know that David’s son and David’s Lord is not a man after God’s own
heart, but the God-man that shows us God the Father’s great love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He calls us from the ugliness of our sins to
the beauty of his grace, and a blessed union, a fellowship divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-78158358168011674292023-12-11T07:44:00.000-08:002023-12-11T07:44:31.341-08:00Sermon - Advent 2 - Mark 1:1-10<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7QBzHI-NWiJWhK0lmS4UAWipn12Z7-H48TBciI3XtErmIqiQIfUkKjCCkRZ2noBU2Wh-p9IcHjBh8NCY7KjqjvEbqdGEGmIQG2L0PRBkT5afrEjf7J41dUogOn50BLAW25RoAH5bfwYqDiVRYIz6etc2UkcWKnJbS-3iY8LhYHNOB83lv024/s617/Johnthebaptist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7QBzHI-NWiJWhK0lmS4UAWipn12Z7-H48TBciI3XtErmIqiQIfUkKjCCkRZ2noBU2Wh-p9IcHjBh8NCY7KjqjvEbqdGEGmIQG2L0PRBkT5afrEjf7J41dUogOn50BLAW25RoAH5bfwYqDiVRYIz6etc2UkcWKnJbS-3iY8LhYHNOB83lv024/s320/Johnthebaptist.png" width="257" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John the
Baptist makes his appearance among us again this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voice crying in the wilderness sounds
forth each and every Advent, and calls us to prepare the way of the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John’s baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins is not all that different from our own baptism – by which
we daily drown the Old Adam in repentance and faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the more, then, in this Advent season,
let us repent of our sins, and find the forgiveness that God gives us in Word
and Sacrament for the sake of his Son, Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John is the
last of the prophets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the
crescendo of a symphony of voices that proclaimed both the wrath and promises
of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what a voice he is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus says about John that no one greater has
been born of women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That John is a
prophet, and more than a prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That he
is, if you can accept it, Elijah who is to come (that is to say, he comes in
the spirit of Elijah).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And much
like the prophets who went before him, John’s ministry and message are met with
mixed reviews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some hear and repent and
believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others see John as a threat to
be dealt with, and want to silence that voice in the wilderness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But John
also comes in the spirit of Isaiah the prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact it is this passage from Isaiah 4 that is given as the basis for
John’s ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Comfort, yes, comfort My people!...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry
out to her,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That her warfare is ended,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That her iniquity is pardoned;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For she has received from the LORD’s
hand<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Double for all her sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The voice of one crying in the
wilderness:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">‘Prepare the way of the LORD;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Make straight in the desert<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A highway for our God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Every valley shall be exalted<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And every mountain and hill brought
low;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The crooked places shall be made
straight<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And the rough places smooth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John was, like Isaiah, ultimately, a
preacher of comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though we think of
him as harsh, as fire-and-brimstone, and remember his catch phrase, “You brood
of vipers!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless John brought
forgiveness, and so there was comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John brought Gospel healing as well as law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And like any good preacher worth his salt,
John’s main thing was to point people to Jesus – the one greater than John –
the one John only came to herald and proclaim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus, the only and ultimate source of comfort.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, for Isaiah, that didn’t go very
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His message of comfort wasn’t so
well received by everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess one
man’s comfort is another man’s discomfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A mountain leveled here is a valley filled there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And so faithful preacher Isaiah, so
the tradition goes, was put to death by a wicked king who had him sawed in
half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hebrews (11:37-38) alludes to
this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They were stoned, they were sawn in
two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and
goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not
worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the
earth.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh, they went about in skins of
sheep and goats, destitute and mistreated?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That sounds like John the Baptist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Camel’s hair and a leather belt – simple clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Locusts and wild honey – simple food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever was available as he wandered in the
wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And John, finally spoke
truth to the wrong power – Herod.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
he, also, like his forebear Isaiah, was cut in two – beheaded – by that wicked
king.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John is the last of the prophets who
prepared the way of the Lord. And he is sometimes also called the forerunner of
Christ because he went ahead of Jesus to make his path straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s thus a very “Advent” figure, one who
helps us, too, prepare the way of the Lord.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For though John and so many others
had their voices silenced by martyrdom, yet through the church their deathless
voices continue to rise and proclaim repentance and comfort for God’s people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Word of God will not be
silenced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will endure forever.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That word calls us to
repentance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For we, too, need pardon for
our iniquities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need the rough places
of our heart smoothed out, the valleys of despair filled, the mountains of
pride leveled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may not be so
comforted when John’s message of repentance hits your teetering conscience like
a wrecking ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may feel that it’s
war!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That the satanic forces of
accusation are lining up against you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That even God himself will meet you on the field, and that the wrath of
his sword will be unleashed against you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The letter, that is the law, kills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it’s supposed to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is
it’s job.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But John, by the Word, proclaims to
us comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comfort that the warfare is
ended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh the battles may rage here and
there, even in the heart of every believer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the warfare is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
victory is won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus declares, “it is
finished”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he proves it by rising to
life again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Comfort overflows when iniquity is
pardoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the verdict of “not
guilty” is rendered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we know God’s
love, and we know it so well that it overflows in us and we, too, become
witnesses and heralds of the God of all comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> A</o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">nd though every Christian is not
called to public proclamation, or to the office of prophet, we are, all of us,
witnesses of the hope and the comfort that is within us.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s not so much a command as it is a
promise and a fact.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">For when you know
Christ’s love, you simply can’t help but to love others.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When you have the forgiveness of sins, you
relish the thought of showing other sinners where to find the comfort you’ve
found.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And when you repent of your sins,
and abhor evil, the evil will often notice, and abhor you for it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You might be the next one to receive
a prophet’s reward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might be the
next one to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might follow John and Isaiah, and so many
other faithful pastors and believers in that great and noble throng called the
martyrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It may not be suffering to the point
of shedding blood, like Isaiah or John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
mean, look at Elijah, he didn’t even die in the end but was taken to heaven in
a glorious fiery chariot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for anyone
who follows the crucified one, there is always your own cross to bear, there is
always your own burden to shoulder.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The comfort is this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus has gone before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has gone before John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has gone before you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has even gone before Isaiah and all the
prophets, the believers of New and Old Testaments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is, as John rightly calls him, the Lamb
that Takes Away the Sin of the World.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He who pardons iniquity, and
restores us double for our sins doesn’t just wait around for us to find our
comfort in him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But rather he sends out
preachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His word goes forth and never
returns void.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pipes up in every
wilderness in this broken, cursed, world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And lifts his voice in comfort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Comfort, yes, comfort, my people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So says our God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So say his
faithful preachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So says Jesus,
himself the incarnation of God’s Son, and he embodiment of comfort for all who
have ears to hear and hearts to believe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks be to God for the one who
went before Jesus, and still calls us to repent and be forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God for the Comfort Jesus
brings, and is, for us and all people, making us his people, through the power
of that might word of forgiveness and comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-66839723170008476452023-12-11T07:24:00.000-08:002023-12-11T07:24:47.318-08:00Sermon - Advent Midweek 1 - King Saul<p><span style="font-family: Optima, "serif"; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: center;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio02zqc3kDLXSRsxkX0xSIS64s_6MEgI7YFWFV5uYAA_hANPWl1Aywacf6CB9-STiPD1nsqDSQE-VRbe7NNWoTusrE1Io6AFD861KY-eD0UX-O6dwmAxa20uwVWEJegV9L_wMQAytxqZNjXGBu7PS0T5xI5Z4qVyLME697m6acw2IimNq1ZVPI/s630/Saul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="630" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio02zqc3kDLXSRsxkX0xSIS64s_6MEgI7YFWFV5uYAA_hANPWl1Aywacf6CB9-STiPD1nsqDSQE-VRbe7NNWoTusrE1Io6AFD861KY-eD0UX-O6dwmAxa20uwVWEJegV9L_wMQAytxqZNjXGBu7PS0T5xI5Z4qVyLME697m6acw2IimNq1ZVPI/s320/Saul.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Text: 1 Samuel 8:4-22a; 9:1-2; Matthew 21:1-9<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This Advent,
we will examine three of the most notable Old Testament kings:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saul, David, and Solomon, in turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Advent has an “Old Testament” flavor, as we
take our place alongside the people of Israel who waited and prayed for the
coming of the Messiah, the king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so
it is fitting to dig deeper into the Old Testament as we prepare to celebrate
our Lord’s birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through these three
kings of old, we will examine the coming king that is Jesus Christ, the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Be careful
what you wish for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s about the gist
of what Yahweh said to the people of Israel when they clamored for a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We want to be like the other nations” they
whined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We want a king!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ah, but they
already had a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yahweh himself was
their king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what a good king he
was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just, but also merciful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A king who had brought them out of Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A king who had provided for them through 40
years in the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A king who
brought them to a land he had promised them, a land flowing with milk and
honey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the king went before them to
clear the way, even fighting the battles for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brought down the walls of Jericho.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He drove out the Canaanites before them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of the tribes had its own portion of
land, and was settled, and possessed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And there was peace.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But they
were slow to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the time of
the judges, the people fell into the same old patterns – the same mistakes –
and history continued to repeat itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They would fall into sin, turning away from Yahweh and following other
gods, each doing whatever was right in his own eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God gave them over to some enemy, and they
suffered oppression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each time, the
people repented and God raised up a deliverer for them, a judge, to lead them
to victory and peace again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God wasn’t
the problem, though, in all this, he was the one to deliver them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But still they wanted a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wanted to be like other nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In effect, they were rejecting God as their
king in favor of a mere man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a good
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it didn’t turn out very well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">God warned
them, through Samuel, just what a king would mean for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A king would assert his rights over
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A king would conscript their sons
for battle, and make their sons and daughters work for his purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A king would take taxes, too, a portion of
their crops and vineyards and animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You will basically become his slaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when you cry out for relief from such a king, the Lord will not
answer you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consider yourself warned.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But. They.
Did. Not. Listen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And so they
got Saul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And look what we know about
him – he’s tall!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s handsome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that what you really want in a king?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outward beauty, but inwardly lacking –
cowardly, and eventually downright evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Saul stands as a stark contrast, a foil, if you will, to the king that
would follow him – king David.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact,
Saul was jealous of young David and tried to kill him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David was far from perfect himself, and we
will consider him more closely next week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But David was, at least, a man after God’s own heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a man of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But Saul is
also a contrast to both David, and the Son of David, Christ the King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saul was handsome, one of the best looking
guys around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely that would make for
a good king, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easy on the
eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we are told that Jesus “had no
form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire
him” (Isaiah 53:2b) Jesus, especially at the apex of his ministry, would have
been horrible to look at – a man of sorrows, beaten, bloodied, humiliated,
shamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ah, but there at the cross was
his true beauty, for there, at the cross, “it is finished”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saul cowered
in fear, from the day of his coronation to his confrontations with enemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was Saul, really, who should have stood up
to Goliath, but did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But nothing
caused our Lord Jesus to waver – not powerful men, not jeering crowds, not even
the devil himself could shrink Christ from completing his mission – and going
to his cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saul fell
from grace, fell from faith, and died in shame, defeated in battle, died by his
own hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the eve of that fateful
battle, Saul went to see the witch of Endor, and called up the spirit of Samuel
from the dead – only to receive the dread prophecy that he and his sons be
defeated in battle and die the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The King of
the Jews who was crowned with thorns also died in shame, but not for his own
sin – rather he was bearing ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a
suicide, but a sacrifice, our king Jesus laid down his life for his friends,
the shepherd dying for the sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
a death that he, Jesus, predicted himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He knew, and foretold, who the perpetrators would be, the method of
execution, and even the time of his rest in the grave, but also his ultimate
resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as Saul’s sons met the
same fate as their father – defeat and death – so do those who are in Christ
follow him into resurrection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be
to God!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saul
couldn’t ultimately save his people from their enemies, but King Jesus destroys
our ancient foe the devil, he wipes the slate of sin clean, and he even defeats
death itself – trampling the grave in a glorious victory we call Easter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The warning,
then, to us, is not to reject the king we have because we want to be like the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The people
took their eyes away from the many blessings Yahweh had bestowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They forgot the greatness of their king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The despised his word and promise, and
doubted and denied his provision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
sold their collective birthright for a poor facsimile of the real thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they suffered for it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, people
of God, look to no other king but Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Put your trust only in him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have
no other savior but Jesus, your king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let him be who he is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t
be king of yourself. And no man, no earthly prince call fill those shoes or sit
on that throne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give us only Jesus as
our king, our master, our Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we
will be in good hands.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The people
rejected God as their king, but merciful, loving Yahweh did not reject
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, he continued calling them
to repentance and faith, and throughout the next several hundred years of
earthly kings, would continue to patiently do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And finally,
he would send his Son, the Son of David, to Jerusalem, to suffer and die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your
king is coming to you!’ ” Thanks be to God for the righteousness and salvation
he brings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hosanna to the Son of David.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In Jesus’
Name, Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-64740354031772912982023-12-04T07:14:00.000-08:002023-12-04T07:14:14.221-08:00Sermon - Advent 1 - Mark 11:1-10<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZPPbrTU4CcDPSU7jBgkzNOehtiidtJW1pIbx4uv-V48AAYl0IhmAWBJclq4lF-lH8Co8K-9sFJ-OIMmbKYw80GyoH3OzfJsZ4DtA12wxIuhIayuivYyCwRpe4qXTnXs6fESWQeM0gwa7Aj8CQbruDxmXudQCPcc1lKri2N-eH_FpTuOB59Zf/s641/Donkey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="641" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZPPbrTU4CcDPSU7jBgkzNOehtiidtJW1pIbx4uv-V48AAYl0IhmAWBJclq4lF-lH8Co8K-9sFJ-OIMmbKYw80GyoH3OzfJsZ4DtA12wxIuhIayuivYyCwRpe4qXTnXs6fESWQeM0gwa7Aj8CQbruDxmXudQCPcc1lKri2N-eH_FpTuOB59Zf/s320/Donkey.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A blessed
Advent to all of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we take these
few weeks of solemn preparation for our Christmas celebration, it might strike
us that the church is a bit out of step with the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that really shouldn’t surprise us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For as Christmas celebrations creep earlier
and earlier every year, the Church holds on to the season of Advent, a time of
preparation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We put
ourselves in the shoes, as it were, of the Old Testament people who waited
longingly for the Messiah to finally arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We sing songs like, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel
– that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ is coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the Old Testament God reiterated
his promise to send the seed of the woman that would crush the serpent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And slowly he revealed more and more of this
plan – born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, meant to suffer for the sins of the
people, to die – and to rise again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By the year
33 A.D., the sense that God’s Messiah was coming had reached a bit of a fever
pitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The air was electric and thick
with expectation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But many expected less
a savior from sin and more a savior from foreign oppression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judas Maccabeus had led the revolt against
the Seleucid Empire just some 200 years prior, and many thought he was the
Messiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But their hopes were dashed,
when once again Israel fell under the rule of another foreign power – the Romans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This Jesus,
he was causing a stir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was doing some
amazing feats, miracles, even raised Lazarus from the dead!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Might he be the one?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The promised Messiah?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Son of David?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as another annual Passover feast rolled
around, and the population of Jerusalem swelled with pilgrims, Jesus made his
entrance – and we know it so well, on Palm Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His Advent, if you will, to his Holy City.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course
they welcomed him as a king and a savior, the Son of David, even. They praised
his name with their shouts of “Hosanna!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Save us!” But little did anyone seem to know that he came to save them
by dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That he came to save them from
sin and death, not Romans and Herodians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That this Jesus was a miracle worker – but perhaps not the kind of
miracles they wanted, or expected.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We might be
able to relate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know Jesus is the
Savior, but from what do we wish to be saved?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stress at work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Money
problems?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grief?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pain?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anxiety?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Depression?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fears about tomorrow?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fears about today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loneliness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Worries about our loved ones?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something
else?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We may not
have the boot of the Romans pressing on our neck, but we have many and various
problems and troubles, what preachers used to call, “felt needs”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask a random person on the street, “What’s
your biggest problem right now?” or to put it another way, “What one thing
would make you happy?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, if Jesus
comes to “save us”, from what do we really need saving?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sing your
Hosannas, today, Christians, for the Son of David comes to save you from sin
and death and devil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin, that
corruption that touches every corner of our existence, which infects our
thoughts, words, deeds, our very nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sin which has also dragged down this creation with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it, and we, each of us, need saving.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And death –
the wages of sin – the caboose on the sin train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It always follows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cannot be avoided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Death is always hanging around, hovering over
us, waiting for that one moment from which there is no return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And like sin, its dark tendrils squiggle
their way into every corner and crevice, “change and decay in all around I
see”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need saving.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
devil?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so easily seen, but pulling
what levers he can behind the scenes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cheering us on in our sins, tempting us away from faith, hope and
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Working through his proxies and
levying his accusations – “Your sin is too great to be forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not even God could love you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or else, trying to lull us into false
security, “It’s not really a sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
doesn’t really care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will not die.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Save us from these lies, these accusations,
these temptations, oh, Lord!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And only
Jesus can.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hosanna,
Save us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes to save.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He came to Jerusalem to save his people not
from Rome, and not from their felt needs, but from their deepest need, and
their true enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So too, for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes. He comes to save.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But not as some might expect.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus did a
miracle in his advent to Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
exercised just a bit of divine knowledge and authority by sending his disciples
to go get that donkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe this
miracle gets lost sometimes in the fanfare of the palms and shouts of
“Hosanna”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But let’s not pass it by.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Lord of
Creation knows exactly what is required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He tells his disciples exactly what they need to know, and what to
say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even selects a particular donkey
to ride, a colt, on which no one has ever sat – a sort of a firstfruits fit for
a king, reminiscent of the new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Jesus goes first, into death, and into
resurrection, to chart our course of life and salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beast of burden carried the Christ into
his holy city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But only the Christ could
shoulder the load of all sins, as he carried his cross outside the city, and in
his body put all sin to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Save
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The king comes to do just that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But today, among us, he comes not riding a
donkey, nor swaddled in a manger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today
he comes humbly, but hidden, in simple bread and wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes just as surely to save us from sin
and death and devil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He comes according
to his words of promise, “This is my body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is my blood… given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of
sins”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s how he saves us, by
forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A forgiveness won at the
cross, and freely given at the altar, and at the font, in the absolution
pronounced and the gospel proclaimed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And yet, we
still wait longingly, we still mourn in exile here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still look forward to the coming of the
king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, our sins are forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, salvation unto us has come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, God has answered our prayers of Hosanna
in the one who died to save us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we
still labor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still suffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flesh still clings to us, with all his
warts and fusty uncleanness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re still
feeling needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so we look forward to
Christ’s coming in glory.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We pray,
“Hosanna” and look for his coming in the clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray for his Second Advent, “come quickly,
Lord Jesus!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are anchored in the hope
of that day, when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, to raise the
faithful to glorious life, to dissolve this broken world and bring about the
new heaven and new earth, and to sound the dinner bell for the marriage feast
of the Lamb in his kingdom which has no end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Blessed is
the kingdom of our father David, that has come in his blessed son, Jesus
Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And blessed is the kingdom to
come, when he brings this age to an end, and makes all things new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hosanna in the highest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-16467906279736887642023-11-27T09:17:00.000-08:002023-11-27T09:17:36.229-08:00Sermon - Last Sunday of the Church Year - Matthew 25:31-46<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijtQ_VwJp9FQqIVRODDmeI11s3dR7O-aRdG3M0_S79GGDo86i7VNJlR5yC8iwm1nu79UsLYuTQCYRT5SYx2TY_61AqwB5q5SwjHY6hoa_w2elHOMBNiWpSH62nxVZKxsy-gcWxxqkOTfHKmtCJ-KgLFt20usvuWb9aeiyMfPeLtuFtMJsV9d8/s1200/sheep-goat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1200" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijtQ_VwJp9FQqIVRODDmeI11s3dR7O-aRdG3M0_S79GGDo86i7VNJlR5yC8iwm1nu79UsLYuTQCYRT5SYx2TY_61AqwB5q5SwjHY6hoa_w2elHOMBNiWpSH62nxVZKxsy-gcWxxqkOTfHKmtCJ-KgLFt20usvuWb9aeiyMfPeLtuFtMJsV9d8/s320/sheep-goat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Parable of the 10 Virgins taught us to be wise and ready
for Christ’s return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith fueled by the
means of grace is the only thing that makes and keeps us ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Parable of the Talents teaches us that we are entrusted
with gifts, and that while we wait for his return, we are to put those gifts to
use!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The greatest of these gifts is the
Gospel, which is to be treasured, but also shared.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And now, the third Parable of Christ’s return in glory – the
Sheep and the Goats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although, its’ not
really a parable, per se, like the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is rather a description of how the Son of Man will judge the peoples
of the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a shepherd separates
the sheep and the goats.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This may well be one of the most terrifying thoughts, as we
ponder the Last Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Christ judges
the world – on which side will I stand?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How will I be judged?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is clear that his judgment is pass or fail, there is no
sliding scale, no gray areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are
either a blessed sheep, or a cursed goat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You either enter in the joy of the Father, and inherit the kingdom, or
you are sent away to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is only weeping and
gnashing of teeth.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The picture Jesus paints here is something we confess in the
creeds, “he will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And you might expect that the judge would hear evidence and
testimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might think he would look
at peoples’ lives and how well they did, compare their thoughts, words, and
deeds to the holy law, or the 10 commandments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some might even think that their good deeds would offset their bad
ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That he would weigh it all out and
come to a just conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s
not how Jesus describes it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While he spends some time pointing out the works, the good
or bad works, of the sheep and the goats – take careful note of the first words
out of the King’s mouth:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s no judging here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s no interrogation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
doesn’t check their references of their qualifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He already knows who the sheep are, and they
simply belong to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He invites them to
receive their inheritance, and a blessed one at that!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s only later that he goes on to point to their
works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After they are invited to their
reward!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So these good works of visiting
and feeding and clothing and welcoming… they are not the basis of
sheepliness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are merely evidence of
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That the sheep are the sheep is
already settled.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This comports with the way Jesus speaks of himself in John’s
Gospel as the Good Shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am the
Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“My sheep know my voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know them, and they follow me”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am the gate for the sheep.” Et cetera.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You see, they don’t just become his sheep on the last
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have been his sheep all
along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They become his sheep by the gift
of faith, by the water of baptism, and by the power of his Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They, you, already belong to him and on the
last day it is simply revealed who is who.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a great comfort for us, Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are sheep because the Shepherd has died
for us, laid down his life for the sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Shepherd knows his sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
we know his voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been following
him all this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course we will
also follow him to glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s been
his promise to us – abundant life, forgiveness of sins, rest from our
labors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voice of his word makes us
these and so many more promises, and faith rests secure in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our works have no place in the equation of
salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On that account, the Shepherd
has done it all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But at the judgment, he will commend his sheep also for
their good works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here it gets very
interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because as he lists out all
that they have done for their neighbors in need, even the least of these, the
sheep seem to have some form of amnesia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They don’t recall, they don’t know about all this supposed good they
have done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When did we?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did what?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And here we might note two things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one, true sheep that belong to the
Shepherd, that is to say, Christians, don’t concern ourselves with cataloging
our good works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t keep a careful
record of our good deeds and philanthropic ventures – because we don’t have
to!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we are saved by grace through
faith in Christ alone, we have no need to track and measure our works – because
they don’t matter a bit for our salvation. Christ has done it all! Both his
sacrificial death, and his perfect life of love – all that he has done, he has
done for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so, secondly, whatever works the sheep lack, Christ has
fulfilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wherever we have failed to
feed and clothe and visit and welcome and love, Christ has done it for us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to the extent that we do such works out
of faith, he esteems them greatly, as even done for him, to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We serve others because he has served
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when we serve others, it’s as if
we are serving him.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He knows the sheep, he welcomes and blesses the sheep, he
commends the sheep for their evidence of faith.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And only then he is on to the goats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t leave the sheep waiting around to
hear their verdict, but deals with his own first, kindly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is both just and merciful, but his
preference is mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now the goats are condemned for their lack of works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And much like the sheep, they are surprised
by all this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t seem to know how
bad they have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They certainly don’t
think that any of their failure or neglect was against Christ himself!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in much the same way, Jesus holds them
accountable, collectively, for failing to do what they should have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he can do this, judge them collectively,
for they share the same sinful nature, and stand even now in those sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do not have a savior to cover their
sins, a shepherd who knows them as his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They do not hearken to his voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And even if they do serve their neighbors, or do good works
before man, it doesn’t matter in the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Surely, many non-believers do what the world would recognize are “good
works”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there are many charitable
and philanthropic agencies both secular and religious apart from the
church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your non-Christian friends and
neighbors are likely good citizens who love their families and are generally
nice people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But none of that counts in
the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All have sinned and failed and
fallen short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None has loved as he
ought, even our best works are as filthy rags before God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you rest on those works – however good they may appear
before man – you will be sadly surprised with the goats at the final
judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if you know the Shepherd,
and rely on his good works, you will be blessedly surprised with the sheep on
that day.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, here stands for us a warning – that there will indeed be
a judgment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that judgment is not
what it may seem on a cursory reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are not judged based on our works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If so, we’d all be goats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
here also stands for us a promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We,
the sheep, are saved by grace through faith in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are credited with works that we haven’t
even done, but that Jesus has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
covered by his righteousness, given life by his death, and made heirs of the
kingdom by our thorn-crowned king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We come to the end of this church year, and consider the end
of all years, when Christ comes in glory, as king and judge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God he has made us his
sheep!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us continue to trust in him
and love the least of these his brothers, looking forward to that inheritance
of eternal life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-30878038482574319802023-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:002023-11-27T08:41:05.406-08:00Thanksgiving - Deuteronomy 8:1-10<p>Thanksgiving (Eve) - Deuteronomy 8:1-10 </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZNgwFJICvCy2-KYhy11YZHrxKP3pO0OxSdpOCg5ILOEhRz5c376IbXZ-hTy4paNjS58V3HtoiZIGpHaPuSC1_1QxQcvyE1C6o5M3Q0Uqorzy9HZN9lWNbCczRRyt4oo5wj8n1jykEhcJRXtMZLV3LDSDRmeBzswTrISl_65JAxdCeyxYCBMQ/s276/Pomegranate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="276" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZNgwFJICvCy2-KYhy11YZHrxKP3pO0OxSdpOCg5ILOEhRz5c376IbXZ-hTy4paNjS58V3HtoiZIGpHaPuSC1_1QxQcvyE1C6o5M3Q0Uqorzy9HZN9lWNbCczRRyt4oo5wj8n1jykEhcJRXtMZLV3LDSDRmeBzswTrISl_65JAxdCeyxYCBMQ/s1600/Pomegranate.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A Happy and
Blessed Thanksgiving to you all. Every year we observe this national holiday.
The 4th Thursday of November is set aside by longstanding presidential order as
a day of national thanksgiving. Your history books might tell you that the
first day of thanksgiving was December 4th of 1619, when the Pilgrims in the
Virginia Colony first celebrated the day. Or you might think of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony marking their first thanksgiving in 1630. But the
truth is, harvest festivals have a longstanding history in many nations and
cultures. And we find something similar even in ancient Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here in
Deuteronomy, Moses gives some words of encouragement to his people as they were
just about to enter the promised land.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He warns
them to be careful in following God’s commands. He reminds them of what God had
already done for them. These 40 years of desert wandering had been a time of
testing and preparation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m sure
they were not easy times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You had the
wandering, the sense of homelessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You had the grumbling and longing for the fleshpots of Egypt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They devolved into pagan worship of a golden
calf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They suffered the venom of
vipers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These 40 years were not a walk
in the park on a pleasant Spring afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was hard, and the people didn’t do very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When God was about to bring them into the
promised land the first time, they followed the advice of the 10 cowardly spies
and earned for themselves a whole generation of wilderness wandering.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We don’t
always have easy times in our own journey on this earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have to go too far out on a limb to
know that each of you has had your own trials and tribulations this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of those, I know – surgeries and
illnesses, deaths in the family, relationships that aren’t so great, struggles
with work, struggles with school, struggles with your social life, struggles
with your faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you’ve been
wandering around and grumbling like the Israelites, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wondering where this is all going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each day has enough trouble of its own, Jesus
once said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each year has all the more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But for
Israel, the time in the wilderness was also a time in which God cared for his
people. Throughout those years, God fed them daily bread from heaven – not just
to keep them alive, but also to teach them that “man does not live by bread
alone”. It was Jesus himself who quoted these words when fending off the devil
during his own wilderness wandering.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Furthermore,
God provided that for 40 years their clothes did not wear out. Most of us are
quite used to choosing clothes from our closet full of options each day – and
still sometimes they wear out (or more often, we out-grow them). But it seems
the Israelites weren’t toting around extravagant wardrobes – their clothes,
like their food, were simple but sufficient.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And so this
time of testing and disciplining was close to its end. And we know, too, that
all of our trials and tribulations will soon come to an end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we can look to the good gifts of God,
even in tough times, and be thankful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact, it is often the tough times that bring us low that also make us ever more
thankful for the good that God does bestow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Israelites stood on the threshold of their promised land – a veritable
paradise. The land flowing with milk and honey. Actually, more than that.
Compared to the manna they ate every day, the description of that land of
plenty must have seemed like heaven:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">a good
land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the
valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees,
pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and
you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper
out of the hills.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After a
daily desert diet of bread, and a generation which had seen subsistence but
scarcity, their destination must have been a dream come true. They had much, in
those 40 years, for which to give thanks. But they would have even more in the
years to come, as God’s promise is fulfilled. Plentiful water, mineral
resources, bountiful harvests of rich foods – even pomegranates! Bread will
keep you alive, but pomegranates! Now that’s the good life!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Much of what
is mentioned in this list is fairly familiar to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most of us aren’t big consumers of
pomegranates, I would wager. Kind of an unusual fruit for us to eat in modern
American life. But not foreign to the ancient middle east. But even better, the
pomegranate is mentioned elsewhere in scripture – and it has an important
symbolic value.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Exodus
chapter 28:33-34 directed that images of pomegranates be woven onto the borders
of Hebrew priestly robes. 1 Kings chapter 7:13-22 describes pomegranates
depicted in the temple King Solomon built in Jerusalem.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jewish
tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol for righteousness, because
it is said to have 613 seeds which corresponds with the 613 mitzvot or
commandments of the Torah. Many Jews continue this tradition by eating
pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But the
pomegranate is also a Christian symbol. With its many seeds united as one, it
has served as a symbol for the universal Christian church. It is also used to
represent royalty, hope of a future life, and resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Was it for
any of these reasons that the pomegranate was mentioned in the list of
blessings the people could expect in their new homeland? No. Moses was simply
describing the lush conditions they could expect.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But is it
wrong of us to think of greater blessings along with the lesser ones? Shouldn’t
we Christians give thanks for the mundane gifts as well as the extravagant?
Shouldn’t we ponder, on this Thanksgiving and always, those blessings below as
well as those above. The good things given, the daily bread, but also that we
live on more than bread alone?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Give thanks
for bread. Give thanks for pomegranates. And give thanks for more. For we have
God’s holy law, and we have God’s precious Gospel. We have the righteousness of
Christ our royal High priest, our true temple. We have a future hope in him of
a resurrection to immortality. And we have been made members of his body, the
church – like the many seeds of a pomegranate – we are united as we are all
found in him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Give thanks
for bread, but give thanks even more for every word from the mouth of God. For
it is in those words that we truly find what sustains life. There we read and
hear about Jesus who died, Jesus who lives, Jesus who forgives, and Jesus who
makes us alive. It is Jesus who is the life-sustaining and life-giving Word of
God made flesh. If we give thanks for anything at all, it is for him and to
him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This
Thanksgiving, as always, give thanks to God for his many blessings. Take some
time to count those blessings. Consider the mundane blessings, the bread.
Consider the greater blessings, the pomegranates. And consider the greatest
blessings, which come through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10155125.post-65079223212780267162023-11-20T06:46:00.000-08:002023-11-20T06:46:52.692-08:00Sermon - Pentecost 25 - Matthew 25:14-30<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJYG6-Psa8Ddz0yrWNXhUWBfA0u3qB1C8dVJHKgdIKdTLbjMplsJjj4H75XTeYb6w74nKkjlVR4SGXrB1STqA2oKNhVQRzFH6Q9h9zS92B2itT6gR_pDhni-CD5JT29mvBVZGMnwbdrgjhv6CN1Cvjt3rL7WdWMMyqazYvpyu1YXWN7V8KJ7Z/s281/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="179" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJYG6-Psa8Ddz0yrWNXhUWBfA0u3qB1C8dVJHKgdIKdTLbjMplsJjj4H75XTeYb6w74nKkjlVR4SGXrB1STqA2oKNhVQRzFH6Q9h9zS92B2itT6gR_pDhni-CD5JT29mvBVZGMnwbdrgjhv6CN1Cvjt3rL7WdWMMyqazYvpyu1YXWN7V8KJ7Z/s1600/images.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><br />Matthew
25:14-30<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last week we
heard Jesus tell the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main point of that was an encouragement
to be ready when the Bridegroom, that is Jesus, comes for the great marriage
feast in the kingdom that has no end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
ready, by availing yourselves of the word and sacrament, and your lamp-oil will
never run out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the heels
of that parable, Jesus tells another – the Parable of the Talents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps because it deals with money, at least
on its face, this has often been used by churches for a Stewardship emphasis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there’s much more going on here than just
the right use of money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here the
end-times teaching is something like this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Make good use of the time, the talents, and the treasures he gives you,
because he will soon return. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a
Christian is not just about sitting around and idly waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, God gives us work to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He expects us to put his gifts to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He expects our faith to be active in service
to him and our neighbor, even as we await Christ’s return.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Perhaps the
first notable, or even shocking point of the parable is that the Master
generously, and trustingly, gives his servants charge of varying sums of money
– but each of them receives quite a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One talent alone is worth somewhere in the neighborhood of 6000
denarii.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or another way of saying it is
20 years wages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No small sum, even for
one talent!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And some of the servants
received more!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Take note,
then, the generous character of the Master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He gives his servants gifts – without any haggling or pleading from
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are really no strings
attached, even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know people who give
the cat sitter a 3 page itemized set of instructions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fellow just hands out his treasure like
it’s candy and goes his merry way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He gives
them gifts in varying amounts, according to his good pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course God is the master, and he gives us
out of his generosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And not just
money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives us all the gifts of this
life – body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my reason and all my
senses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Food and drink, house and home, wife
and children, land, animals, and all I have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He gives us money to use to buy things we need, and the ability to work
and earn money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of it is still his,
but it is entrusted to us, his servants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The very creation itself is placed under man’s dominion, to subdue it
and rule over it – to care for it as a faithful steward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ah, but the
problem is – we are not always so faithful with our talents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may think of some or all of these gifts as
our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mine to do with as I please,
and only for my own benefit and selfish purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, we are lazy and neglectful, burying the talent
in the backyard, as it were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, perhaps
we pervert or twist or corrupt his good gifts in other ways – how we use our
bodies, how we spend our time, yes, even our money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact there is no good gift of God that man
can’t find a way to misuse and abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
the Word of God itself – though often neglected, can be twisted and taught
falsely, and believed wrongly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We sin so
much, and in such a myriad of ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But back to
the parable anew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the greatest
gift, the highest treasure, the shiniest talent he gives us – is the Gospel of
Jesus Christ itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news that
our sins are forgiven in him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That he
died for us and all of our misuses and abuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That for Christ’s sake we are saved from the wrath of a Master who would
rightly send us off to the weeping and gnashing of teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That when God looks at us he does not see the
lazy, neglectful servant, he sees the one who was given much and invested well,
earning even more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And isn’t
that what our Lord Jesus did?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He took
his vast treasury of talents, his divine nature and sinless human life, and
devoted himself fully, invested himself entirely, into our salvation!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He paid the price of our redemption, not with
gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood, and his innocent suffering
and death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh, yes, and
then he was buried, for a short rest in the tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But unlike the talent that was buried, Jesus
rose with a dividend beyond computation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The firstborn of the dead rose to bring the
joy of the Master to all who are in him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, by baptism, his death and resurrection become our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buried with him, and raised with him, we
enjoy everything that he has earned by his perfect life and death, and we will
one day enjoy all the benefits of that resurrection in full, even as we have it
now in part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He who has begun this good
work in you will bring it to completion at the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have the
down payment on an eternal treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What we have now is only a foretaste of the riches to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are like those servants in this way – we
wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wait for the Master to return
and settle accounts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And while we
wait, we don’t only wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t bury
our talents in the yard, oh no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We put
them to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We exercise our faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The treasure of the Gospel – we do what is
right to do with it – we first of all receive it, and believe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Treasure it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s what you do with a treasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But that’s not all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We also
share it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this treasure doesn’t
become less when we do, but only ever more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s no benefit or blessing in keeping the Gospel to ourselves (as if
it belongs to us anyway!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is a
treasure meant for the very purpose of sharing, distributing, a wealth meant to
be spread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s part of the joy of
it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We ought to
do so wisely, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as a
shrewd investor doesn’t take on undue risk and lose his precious capital, so
the Christian must know not to throw pearls before swine to be trampled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must consider our place in life, our
various vocations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must make use of
the opportunities that God places before us, and give answer for the hope that
is within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Gospel isn’t a
weapon with which to bludgeon the unbeliever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not a shoe-horn to force him in, or a crowbar to muscle him away
from unbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a treasure, to be
set forth, that by the Holy Spirit all might see it for the beauty that it
is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an invitation, a call to
believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And along
with that witness, is the witness of our love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They may know we are Christians when we confess Christ with our
words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they will also know we are
Christians by our love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is to say,
faith invests and abounds in love for our neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So again, whatever opportunities God places
before us to love one another, to help and serve and be kind and encourage… all
of these are a good use of the talents he has given us…. A good use of this
life and everything in it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">See how
broad is the application, then, of the Parable of the Talents. The gifts God
gives are manifold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are physical
and spiritual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are given freely and
broadly, in different measure, according to God’s good pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they are gifts not to be hoarded, nor
squandered, but invested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel
believed is the gospel that is shared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith
itself works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And love received becomes love given to
neighbor. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The opportunities to use the
gifts God has given are as innumerable as the gifts themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So treasure
and share the talents he gives, dear Christian, for the joy of it, until the
Master returns and we enter his eternal joy, in Jesus Christ our Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Preachrboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058617284103464853noreply@blogger.com0