Category Archives: Theology in Practice
We Need to Talk About the Lord’s Supper With This in Mind
Thoughts which call me to Jesus, and to the Cross and Altar
Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 who through our faith has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1–2. ncv
In addition to the ministry of the Gospel—or rather included in it—there is also the ministry of the sacraments, of those signs in which today the Lord, as it were, not only still touches our senses and speaks to our intellect and thoughts, to the innermost depths of our hearts, but shows himself as well in the sensuous beauty of the things of this world so that they become places in which we touch his life.
19 9. We believe, teach, and confess that no genuine believer, no matter how weak he may be, as long as he retains a living faith, will receive the Holy Supper to his condemnation, for Christ instituted this Supper particularly for Christians who are weak in faith but repentant, to comfort them and to strengthen their weak faith.
Far to often, I see and hear discussions between Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists and Evangelicals that focus on the systematic theology involved. Arguments fly back and forth like missiles and artillery shells in a war zone–with each side more concerned about firing than listening–creating a defenses that will not listen, only counterattack.
Been there, done that, in fact, argued from the Catholic position and the Evangelical position for years. It wasn’t pretty, and it left me feeling empty, even if I “won” the debate. Oddly enough, after I entered the Lutheran Church, I found others in both of my former “associations” that saw what Luther saw, and what the early church treasured.
And that is where I think we need to start the discussion. What does communion, what does the Lord’s Supper, what does the Eucharist benefit those who commune with the Body and Blood of Christ?
Luther and Melancthon were sure that this sweet moment in life had a purpose – to comfort the people of God. That was the chief purpose of worship– to give people Christ–that which they need! Later Lutherans confessed what you see above, that the Sacrament was instituted for the purpose of comforting the weak but repentant, that is those being transformed, in their faith. Even the weakest faith will not be condemned–but strengthened in their ability to depend on God.
This is Pope Benedict’s point as well. as he talks about things that are common become a place where the innermost parts of our hearts are touched by the presence of God. This is how we find healing and comfort in the sacraments, this is how we find peace, because God is tactilely there – simply because He promises to be in His word.
This is where we need to start the discussion about the sacrament, any sacrament. What is God’s purpose, according to scriptural promises, that the sacrament was commissioned to achieve? The assurance of communion, the assurance of the blessings, the assurance that we are loved, and are being healed, and have a home.
Yeah–we need to deal with the theology–what it means to recognize the Body and Blood of Jesus…but part of that recognition is what happens when we realize the promises He pours out on us… that is the primary thing we need to recognie and cling to…
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 192.
The Formula of Concord: Epitome: Article 7, Tappert, Theodore G., editor. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mühlenberg Press, 1959, p. 484.
You Need a Better Way to Complain!
Thoughts which guide me to Jesus, and to the Cross
With praise and thanksgiving, they sang to the LORD:
“He is good;
his love for Israel continues forever.”
And then all the people shouted loudly, “Praise the LORD! The foundation of his Temple has been laid.” 12 But many of the older priests, Levites, and family leaders who had seen the first Temple cried when they saw the foundation of this Temple. Most of the other people were shouting with joy. 13 The people made so much noise it could be heard far away, and no one could tell the difference between the joyful shouting and the sad crying. Ezra 3:11–13. NCV
No heathen, philosopher or jurist, if he have not God’s Word, can throw his care and complaint upon God. When trouble arises, he begins to murmur and argue against God and his government, as though God’s rule merited criticism. But such men receive their deserts when God permits their calculations and hopes to fail and lets the reverse prevail. They spend their lives in many vain, useless cares and projects and in the course of their experience must learn and confess that many a time the very opposite of their judgment is the truth.
Faith is a part of theology and so is thought. The absence of one or other of these would be the end of theology. In other words, theology presupposes a new beginning for thought that is not the product of our own reflection, but comes from the encounter with a Word that always precedes us. The embracing of this new beginning is what we call “conversion”.
Some of us (ok, many) have a talent that needs to be developed.
Not that we don’t use it enough, oh my gosh, it is something we do so often, we should be experts at it!
But we are not, not even close!
Why? Well, look at the results of our artistic use of words, as we complain about the world, injustice, our workplaces, our families, even our own actions and thoughts. As I said – the frequency of our complains is significant! BUt it is most often ineffective. For we complain to those who might listen, and if they do, they commiserate, as it has been said, “misery loves company!” Because we complain to those who have no power to change the situation (or change us) the complaint has no positive effect on our lives!
Luther notes something similar as he talks of those without God’s word, and their inability to throw their cares and complaints on God. The sad thing is that this method has a cost, they will receive their just deserts. Just like a friend of mine who was complaining to another friend of his wife’s cooking, not realizing he didn’t “hang up” the phone.
But to complain to God, (see Jeremiah 20:7 for an example!) we need to be aware of the relationship we have with Him! We have to know we can depend on Him, and that He loves us! This is Pope Benedict’s point, that we can’t be theologians, we can’t find the answer to “what does this mean?” without having encountered God first, without the Spirit converting us, (2 Cor 3:16ff) little by little into the image of Christ.
We see this in the passage from Ezra, as they work on the Temple. Those who look at it, remembering the old Temple – weep loudly–they aren’t seeing the promises of grace that will be received, the work of God as He reveals HIs love and the relationship they are in with Him. The others, hearing of the remarkable grace, are so exuberant, so ready to receive the forgiveness, and the clear identity as the people of God, they are ecstatic–because the relationship is so important!
For secure in that relationship with God, we can complain, confident that His answer will be a blessing, and we will eventually see how it is! This is the way to complain, even bitterly – to a God who sees you, who knows you, and who has dedicated Himself to do what is best for you!
SO go to it! Whine, complain and throw the tantrum of all tantrums. God can handle it…and you! And then, worship the Lord who is with you!
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Augustana Book Concern, 1915, p. 210.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 189.
Have A Missionary’s heart, not just a missional one
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross, and give me hope!
17 Since many people in the crowd had not made themselves holy, the Levites killed the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean. The Levites made each lamb holy for the LORD. 18–19 Although many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves for the feast, they ate the Passover even though it was against the law. So Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “LORD, you are good. You are the LORD, the God of our ancestors. Please forgive all those who try to obey you even if they did not make themselves clean as the rules of the Temple command.” 20 The LORD listened to Hezekiah’s prayer, and he healed the people. 21 The Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy to the LORD. The Levites and priests praised the LORD every day with loud music. 22 Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who showed they understood well how to do their service for the LORD. The people ate the feast for seven days, offered fellowship offerings, and praised the LORD, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chron 30:17-22 NCV
727 Your flesh is tender and raw. That’s how you are. Everything seems to make you suffer in your mind and in your senses. And everything is a temptation to you … Be humble—I insist. You will see how quickly all this passes. The pain will turn into joy, and the temptation into firm purpose. But meanwhile, strengthen your faith; fill yourself with hope; and make constant acts of love, even though you think they come only from your lips.
LOST beloved Lord Jesus Christ, reconcile me with the Father; intercede for me His grace; wash me thoroughly from my sins; protect me against the evil spirit; save me from the power of hell; defend me against eternal damnation; and, finally, translate me to eternal glory. O, Crucified Jesus, hear me, for I trust in Thee; despise me not, for I love Thee; reject me not, for I revere Thee: even the bitterness of death shall not sunder me from Thee. Amen.
I’ve probably read this passage about Hezekiah and the reestablishment of the Temple’s sacramental services a dozen or two times. This morning, as I did, it hit me–how outrageous his actions were, to not only allow the “unclean” to participate in communion with God, but to encourage it, and to work with the Levites to do what could be done to sacramentally bless the people of God.
People who weren’t prepared, people who were not ready, people who wanted God and recognized their need for Him, but didn’t meet the standards set forth in the law. They were the people in Jesus parable about the wedding of the King’s son, who were invited late, dragged off the streets. They were like David’s followers, who ate the bread dedicated to God in the temple.
And knowing this, Hezekiah prayed for them, and resonated with the heart of God who want no one to persih, but all to be transformed by the grace He pours out.
These are the people St. Josemaria identifies with, who are raw, neaten, depressed, struggling with temptation. The ones he tells to be humble, to accept the struggle–for it will pass! There is our hope, there we find the power of God which enables us to love and adore Him, which He finds acceptable as the Holy Spirit intercedes and translates.
This is the prayer that Loehe penned and encouraged us to pray, even when we think we have “lost” Jesus. When we need to be reconciled (not to reconcile, but to be reconciled) with the Father. This is a prayer the Father will joyously answer, even as He healed those who hadn’t properly cleansed themselves – God did it for them.
The heart of Hezekiah was one prepared to see Revival occur in the midst of a broken people. He yearned for something that he didn’t know possible–and he saw it happen. This is the heart of a missionary, one who goes beyond strategies and plans and programs, and works with the people directly, knows their weaknesses, and guides them into the presence of Christ. Not just talking missional strategy, not just talking about outreach, but being there, in the mud, sent by God to seek and save the broken, the lost, those not ready.
That is where the church needs to be, doing that, and helping people who aren’t ready, interceding for them, even as the Spirit does for us.
Escrivá, Josemaría. The Way (pp. 128-129). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Lœhe, William. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller, Wartburg Publishing House, 1914, pp. 372–73.
Lord, You Hear Us? Yes you Do!
Thoughts which drag me back to Jesus and to the Cross
He will say to me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, my Savior.’ 27 I will make him my firstborn son, the greatest king on earth. 28 My love will watch over him forever, and my agreement with him will never end. 29 I will make his family continue, and his kingdom will last as long as the skies! Ps 89:26–29. NCV
LORD Jesus, I regard Thy bowed head upon the cross, as the sign that Thy head is ever graciously inclined to hear me and all poor sinners in our need. Hear, therefore, the poor contrite hearts and minds, who, in these latter evil days, sigh and cry unto Thee without ceasing. Their hearts are assured that Thine ear is open unto them, and Thou wilt not let them cry in vain; for Thou wilt answer them quickly, “here am I, here am I.” Thou wilt save and grant them life and full satisfaction. Amen.
Basically, then, whatever Jesus did in the company of the Twelve served, at the same time, to lay the foundation of the Church insofar as it was done to prepare them for their role as the spiritual fathers of the new people of God. He regarded the new community of salvation that he created as a new Israel, as a new people of God that has as its center the celebration of the Last Supper in which it originated and which continues to be at the heart of its life. In other words: the new people of God is the people of the body of Christ.
I usually start my posts saying the thoughts draw me to the cross, but lets be honest, some days they have to drag me there.
My thoughts contend with where I know I should be, as they seek to take up burdens I thought I laid down at the altar before. Thoughts about things far out of my control, or even if can be an influence in the issue, the influence has to point to Jesus, not my wisdom, (this is hard for some of us to distinguish)
This is where, hopefully, a devotional life helps constrain my desire to fix everything, knowing that hope comes from God, and that Jesus is the Savior, their Savior. I am not saying there aren’t times that the Holy Spirit doesn’t speak thru me, but that needs to be the cry of the Psalmist – who prophetically points to our Lord Jesus–for it is His agreement with the Father that reconciles us, that provides the remedies we need.
The section of Loehe’s prayers that I am in now, so speak to this – that Jesus will hear our cries, that He will understand our heaviest sighs, that His Spirit will comfort and defend us–as He presence is revealed to be where we are! I and the church so desperately need that!
This is why the Lord’s Supper is so critical in a church that has experienced trauma, or division, or decline. It pulls us out our our individual selves into the community of God’s people. It refocuses us on the sacrifice of Christ, for us. It draws us into that sacrifice on the cross, where our passions and sin are cut away. It is there the church and the individuals God has called to be one in Hm find healing, that find peace…that find hope.
And from that place of healing–that is where we find the heart that will call out to others, that they may be reconciled to Christ as well.
Even if they have to be dragged there, as we do at times.
Lœhe, William. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller, Wartburg Publishing House, 1914, p. 370.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 182.
Make Room For God’s Comfort in “your” Worship!
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross
28 After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. 30 When Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.
15 Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Hebrew language, “Rabboni.” John 19:28-30,20:15-16 NCV
It is right, and even necessary, that there exist today a radical call for a simplicity that will purify the liturgy of all aesthetic embellishments so that we may experience once again the original force of the word and the reality that we encounter there. The Church must return again and again to the simplicity of her origins if she is to experience and mediate the reality that underlies all appearances. She must nevertheless not forget that the celebration of the Lord’s Last Supper means, by its very nature, the celebration of a feast, and that festive embellishments are an integral part of any feast.
Now God is present here,
Then let us all adore;
Before Him bow with humble fear,
And praise Him evermore:
Let every worldly thought be gone,
And meekly bow before His throne.
I love the pageantry of a very formal liturgy. There is something special–especially at an ordination, or a high feast, of a full and rich liturgy, coming across gloriously with Hosannas and Amens, the full choirs sustaining the church’s praises.
But that cannot be, in my opinion, the main form and style of worship.
I am not alone in this – Pope Benedict XVI’s quote shows a necessity for the church to follow a KISS principle – (Keep it Simple- stu..err silly one!) We need to experience the original force of the word and the sacraments we encounter! We need to focus, not on the golden threads and astonishing voices….but on God–present in our lives together. We need to let His glory wash over us, stripping us of all the things of the world, including all our attempts to impress Him, by creating what we think heaven might be like.
We just celebrated the harsh realities of Good Friday and Easter, but with all the embellishments that occur, sometimes we miss the story of His brutal death, and His incredible resurrection, and our being there, through the miracle of baptism. We need to get this – church is not about all the glory we can muster, it has to be God’s glorious presence, and His glorious work in us.
That is why we have to keep things simple at times, so that we can realize the feast is more than the potluck, it is that simple bread and wine which is the Body and Blood of Christ – given and shed for us, to free us, to comfort us, to empower us, as God comes to us!
This is what generates worship – the presence of God.
May we never obscure it!
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 175.
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, pp. 129–30.
Our Need – to know God by name….
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the Cross.
16 But Ruth said, “Don’t beg me to leave you or to stop following you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 And where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. I ask the LORD to punish me terribly if I do not keep this promise: Not even death will separate us.” Ruth 1:16–17. NCV
There are many persons today who claim that the thought of eternal life prevents them from acting for their own good in this world. But the opposite is true: if we fail to keep before our eyes God’s standard, the standard of eternity, then egoism is the only guideline left us.
To suffer with also means letting the pain of another touch our own fundamental brokenness and pain. Empathy is not just about entering the world of another to gain deeper understanding of what they are going through. Through empathy we discover that we are more alike than different. The experience of our shared humanity deepens empathic attunement, connection, and compassion.
I have been preaching out of the Old Testament–as recently as yesterday! But I’ve been noticing something more and more. Those that are close to God, or trying to get closer, especially as they become repentant and confess their sins call God by His name, rather than using the Title.
We saw it yesterday in Deuteronomy, and I see it today, as I read the account of Ruth. Everyone get so caught up into her words, and the love she expresses to Naomi. That is indeed awesome, but with the title/name on my mind from yesterday, I picked up on the usage in this passage. When talking to Naomi about having a common God, she uses the title. But in the oath, she uses God’s personal name – YHWH.
That is a change of attitude, to dare address God by name – but by a personal name. I think this is part of what Nolasco is talking about with shared pain, shared experience. The kind of thing Paul describes to the church in Rome – where people laugh and cry together. SO even the pastoral counselor is comforted with a deeper understanding of grace, as God pours grace through the counselor’s efforts. When I tell someone their sins are forgiven, I realize the depth of mine are also erased. When I see the Spirit bring peace that doesn’t make sense on those grieving, I am also comforted. And when I see someone, in the last days, even the last moments of life, enjoying life’s peace… I am assured of our promise for that everlasting life.
Such love Ruth showed to Naomi come from knowing God, and knowing the promise–that enables her to be there for Naomi. She knows God, she know what He brings – to us all–because she knows Him, and as is promised – knowing God, relating to Him personally intimately, transforms us.
This isn’t about how we name/label Him – it is about the relationship.I am not saying anyone who calls Him God is less holy that someone saying YHWH or Jesus. But the concept – do we know Him well enough to know He laughs and cries with us! We can cry out for help, for mercy, for comfort, confidently… and from there, He can show us how to provide that, on His behalf, to others.
This is our God and we are His kids. And He is here, with us. AMEN!
Ratzinger, Joseph. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl, Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth, Ignatius Press, 1992, p. 87.
Nolasco, Rolf, Jr. The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being. Fortress Press, 2011, p. 91.
The Hands, Guilty and Ashamed: Judas – A Lenten Sermon on Matthew 27:3-10
By My Hands, for My Sake
The Hands, Guilty and Ashamed
Judas
Matthew 27:3-10
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ show you Jesus died for your sake, because God loves you!
- The Third set of Hands
On Ash Wednesday, we looked at the hands of Adam, in whose hands a piece of fruit created a burden we still bear today. Then last week, we looked at Nicodemus, to afraid to raise his hand to ask questions in a crowd, but who Jesus transformed in such a way, he would rather identify with Jesus’s death that celebrate the greatest feasts and victories of his community.
Tonight, we look at another set of hands, hands so hated, so maligned throughout history, that many would say he was most evil man in history.
In his hands just prior to the crucifixion was a bag, and in the bag 30 silver coins.
Think about Judas’s hands and the role they played. If any could say that Jesus would be killed “by my hands,” it would be Judas, and if anyone… no—we will get to that thought later.
The coins in his hands—though not for long–symbols of our greatest sin, symbols of his temptation, symbols of ours…
- Burdened by Temptation and Sin
What we know of Judas, picked up from this comment and that, isn’t pretty. He was one of the 12, handpicked by Jesus, the treasurer/bookkeeper of the group. Very focused on money and the things of the earth, critical of those he thought were wasting money, like the prostitute who cleaned and anointed Jesus feet with her tears, and with perfume that cost a year’s salary…oh did Judas get upset by that, for by that stage in his life, sin gripped his heart, and corrupted his desires.
Just as it did Adam and Eve’s hearts and souls. Just as Nicodemus knew failure. All betrayed their God, all denied Him, all of us have sinned….
Judas was not the worst sinner, he wasn’t the most guilty of sin, and there are people that feel far more shame for what they’ve done—there are people who know the same hopelessness…..
As I look at Judas, I see again the power that sin can have over an individual—that while they choose to sin the demonic powers at work against don’t give them much choice—they can be in bondage to that sin.
And it doesn’t matter which, greed—like Judas, lust, gluttony, even the desire to gossip, that burning in your gut that tells you have to share that juicy bit of news about this person, that sing, that politician or even that church. Sin is oppressive and because we have sinned, we have an equal share with Adam, Nicodemus, and yes Judas, in the death of Christ.
He died by our hands…but tonight we hear again, it was for our sake.
- What He missed – what we can’t let others miss.
In our reading tonight, Judas goes to the priests and elders—the leaders of the Sadducees and Pharisees. He is tortured by the weight of his guilt and sin…
Hear this part again, from a different translation…
3 Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, 4 saying, “I’ve sinned. I’ve betrayed an innocent man.” They said, “What do we care? That’s your problem!” 5 Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself. 6 The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn’t know what to do with them. “It wouldn’t be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple.” Matthew 27:3-6 (MSG)
These church leaders recognize their bribe was used to arrange for the murder of Jesus! Yet their attitude to a sinner—overwhelmed by guilt and shame was, “we don’t care! That’s your problem!” The entire temple, the entire reason for it was to assure people of the forgiveness of sins, and the response was… “we don’t care.” While Judas sinned, I think I have a solid case that their sin, was worse…
Judas walks away, without the comfort of knowing not only would Jesus die by his hand, but for his sake. For even Judas’s sin could be forgiven, as Peter would find out.
As you and I find out tonight,
As every person should find out.
Jesus was beaten and crucified for our sake.
To not only forgive our sin, but to break its power over us, freeing us from it terror, freeing us from the pain it causes.
That’s why I talk about our sacraments so much, because people need to know….these burdens don’t have to be carried, this oppression- what Paul described as not being able to do what I know I should and doing what I shouldn’t—and therefore being a wretch… can be dealt with…
As we meet Jesus, and trust that it was for our sake he died.
Let’s pray…
Accomplished by His Anguish: God gives Help to the Hopeless! A Lenten sermon on Romans 5:1-11
Accomplished by His Anguish
God Gives Hope to the Hopeless
Romans 5:1-11
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you hope, as you consider what Jesus accomplished as He endured the agony and anguish of His sacrifice
- Spirituality- a priority
When I originally thought through this sermon, I came up with a parable of sorts. Of sorts because it isn’t primarily about the kingdom of God, as a good Biblical parable should be.
Instead, it is about our lack of recognizing the need, and staying focused on the presence of God, and without thinking about that presence, and what it means for God to be our God, and for what it means to be His people, we are going to be incomplete, walking through the wilderness, encountering temptation and sin, and the guilt and shame that accompanies it.
So here is the semi-parable. A life without a regular focus on God, without hearing and reading His word and without the sacraments is like the box containing a half-finished project, that is buried in your garage, or your storage closet!
You all know what I mean – that project you started, and you were putting together until you realized you might have looked at the directions first? And then you realized you had to undo what you had done and start from scratch.
We often do that, we walk through our lives knowing God is there, but we forget the reason He is there. And so when life gets a bit complicated, when we are dealing with situations that make us question God, or when temptation and sin rearranges our lives, we often set aside our spiritual health. We think once we get our lives straight, we will find the time to pick up that Bible, or talk with God, or find the time to commune with God and His people. Burying our faith like that long-forgotten project becomes the norm, and let’s be honest – sometimes we live like we did before we knew God.
When we do live life, realizing God’s presence, even in the midst of stress, trauma and grief we know the hope of God’s rescue, for as we heard from Romans,
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
What a wonder it is, in the midst of problems and trials, to know how dearly God loves us!
- Utterly Helpless?
Often, it is when we run into problems and trials, that we realize our spiritual life has be placed very carefully up on a shelf, and then other things get piled in front of it. Those may be distractions, we hit a busy season in life, or there are wounds caused by others words or actions that we don’t want to deal with, right now.
The problem is the weight of the world, including the weight of our own sin crushes us, when we are ignoring our spiritual health, and the relationship which provides and restores it. That is what Paul talking about when he says,
6 When we were utterly helpless…
Those are strong words, utterly helpless.
But that is what the world does, it breaks us, and what we do to ourselves is often far worse. We basically disassemble ourselves and try to put ourselves back together in a way we think is right, ignoring how God tells us to live.
That is what every sin does, whether it is trying to find a god who isn’t god, who gives us what we think we want, or whether it is murder, adultery or gossip.
And then, having set God aside, we look at our lives and just put the brokenness on the shelf, and then bury it behind other things we don’t know how to fix…. and the broken and incompleteness of life fills up everything….
We need to hear the rest of what Paul writes…
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
There is our hope of salvation, that Jesus comes along, looks at our brokenness, and the love of God for us means that the Father and the Son have to do something about it.
- Our friend
Lent is that time, to open the garage door, to start to uncover all the stuff, and then to let a friend or relative, you know, the one who can fix anything, come in, and complete all the projects, clearing out the junk but getting the most out of your life—a life with Him that will go into eternity.
That is who Jesus is, that friend. Hear the rest of the passage,
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
I don’t care how full the “garage” of your life is, how broken it is, how incomplete. This is who God is, the one who loves you, who comes along and fixes and heals, restores, and promises to complete our lives. This is why we talk to Him, listening to how He reveals Himself to us, and how He heals us, as He cleanses us in baptism, heals us as we confess our sins, and nourishes and put us back together, as we eat and drink His body and blood and completes us.
So let’s spend this time, until Easter, giving Him our brokenness, the parts of our lives that are incomplete, and celebrate the love of God for us. AMEN!
They Need Jesus, not just words about Jesus! (A Sacramental Discussion)
Thoughts which draw me closer to Jesus, and to the Cross,
10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses. The LORD knew Moses face to face 11 and sent him to do signs and miracles in Egypt—to the king, to all his officers, and to the whole land of Egypt. 12 Moses had great power, and he did great and wonderful things for all the Israelites to see. Exodus 34:10-12 NCV
That’s essentially the same joke as the one about the theologian who died and was given the choice by God between going to Heaven or going to a theology lecture about Heaven, and he chose the lecture.
Constricted by our finitude, driven by restlessness, and induced by unfulfilled longings we go about our lives in frantic search of our true home, true love, and true identity. We cling to ideas, people, experiences, relationships, or professional identities that we hoped would fill the gaping hole within us. The cycle of restlessness, reaction, and rapaciousness is the breeding ground of human suffering. The creation narrative exposes this daunting yet redeemable reality.
Yesterday in reading Peter Kreeft’s excellent apologetic treatise, I came across the line in blue above.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a joke unless it bore some resemblance to truth. Unfortunately, I think this vocational risk for academic theologians has infected the clergy and leadership of the church. We hear more about the church, and more about apologetics, and more about the nature of God than we do being introduced to God and interacting with Him. I am as guilty of it as any, but while we should be hearing Him, while we should be know God, as Moses did, face to face, we talk about Him.
And then we wonder why our churches are lifeless, why they are more and more empty, why our lessons and sermons fall on deaf ears, why pastors will spend saturday afternoons surfing the internet to find a sermon that might make a difference! (I’ve seen it, some weeks I will have 400 hits on searches find a sermon from 6 or 9 years ago! I think about Nolasco’s words about the people searching, and I don’t believe they will find that which fills the holes that cause such mental, psychological and spiritual anguish if all we do is tell them about the doctrines of Christ.
They will just move on to try and find some hope, somewhere else. They will find some other substitute to cling too, some other remedy, or more likely, something to deaden the pain.
Our Lord isn’t dead. We don’t have to talk about Him as if He was!
They need to know Him, they need to experience His love! They need to walk with Him on the side of the lake, or through the streets surrounding Union Station in KC (if you read this in the future, there was a gun battle there yesterday) They need to realize His presence in courtrooms, and rehab facilities.
They need to experience their reality redeemed, and reconciled with how God exists in their life.
They need Jesus…and so do you and I.
That is where word and Sacrament ministry – that is the sharing of God’s word in scripture, and the sacraments being the conduits of God’s merciful blessings are all about. The word of God, the gospel that tells you that is was always His plan to be in relationship with us, and detail what that looks like (what is called the law) and ho He creates and restores in (the promises of the gospel) The sacraments bring us into that relationship – that union/unity with Jesus. Each in its own way, not only assuring us of our forgiveness, but welcoming us into the presence of God, That is what baptism, confession and absolution, and the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper promises and delivers!
The chance to experience what Moses did and better, the opportunity to have God dwell in us, and us in God.
This is what matters, this is what our family needs, our churches, our communities, our countries… our world.
Lord, help us draw people to You, where they will find life.
Kreeft, Peter. Ha!: A Christian Philosophy of Humor (p. 57). St. Augustine’s Press. Kindle Edition.
Nolasco, Rolf, Jr. 2011. The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
What Good are our Broken Lives? More than you know!
Thoughts which call me closer to Jesus, and to the Cross..
43 “A good tree does not produce bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. 44 Each tree is known by its own fruit. People don’t gather figs from thornbushes, and they don’t get grapes from bushes. 45 Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts. People speak the things that are in their hearts. Luke 6:43-45 NCV
LORD Jesus Christ, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter my sinful heart; yet, Thou deignest to recognize my great poverty and need. Therefore, I fervently desire Thy presence, to nourish, comfort, and strengthen my poor soul. Speak Thy word to my soul and it shall be well with me. Amen.
‘Remember, man, that thou are dust, and unto dust you shall return. There are implications to be found in this. If man had been fashioned from something that could evaporate, then there would be nothing for him to return to. But a man, even while he is living in the flesh, can return to his constituent element: He does this the moment he is ready to be what God has made him. Dust may not be romantic, but there could be nothing more real..”
When I read the words of Jesus, like those in red above, I feel diseased, depressed, for I look at some of the ways in which I live, and I don’t see good fruit. If I see any fruit it is at best too sour, to overripe, and usually too rotten–if it exists at all. I am not sure I count myself as evil, but if the judgement has too choices, good or evil…. well the preponderance of evidence is not always favorable.
And think about that, guilt and shame builds. I see myself as wretched and as a failure, (Please don’t argue – this is how I and many others feel with such a passage being read or meditated upon. ANd there is hope to come!)
So Loehe’s prayer is simple – and archaic, but the words are encouraging – and often mirror where I eventually come to, the prayer that God doesn’t belong in one such as me–but He doesn’t care what I think and know. He knows me enough to know I needed the cross, I needed HIs presence, and as I encounter it, and the love He has for a sinner like me–oh how I want it even more.
And then comes Zeller and Hanson, reminding me of the blessing of Ash Wednesday – the idea that we can return to the dust we were before our creation, and God can recreate us, by the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. We can exchange that dust and ash for beauty, we become His new masterpiece, we become His…again.
The guilt and shame is removed, and for a moment we glimpse of the God who is ours, whom we are united too in baptism, who we commune with in the Eucharist, who we rise with from death and dust to a new and everlasting life.
Hevenly Father, let us know the weight of our sin, if only for an instant, that we may realize our need for Jesus, and for the healing which You so eagerly work in our lives. We oray this in Jesus name, amen!
Lœhe, William. 1914. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller. Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House.
Hubert con Zeller, “The choice of God”, quoted inJohn Hanson, Coached byJosemaria Escriva, (Scepter,NY, 2024), 54
