Suffering we need to embrace..
Thoughts which drag me to the cross…where I find peace?
17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18 People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty, because they have not believed in God’s one and only Son. 19 They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. 20 All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. Jn 3:17–20. NCV
As unconsoling as this might sound it needs saying that healing is seldom without pain–a pain St. John of the Cross frequently refers to as a “cautery.” Healing burns, stings, wrings tears and often leaves on feeling very weak. Yet if healing comes from the Lord, it is never without hope of recovery. We need this pain, this discomfort, to receive healing fully.
It is a thoroughly Christian impulse to combat suffering and injustice in the world. But to imagine that men can construct a world without them by means of social reform, and the desire to do so here and now, is an error, a deep misunderstanding of human nature. For suffering does not come into the world solely because of the inequality of possessions and power. Nor is it just a burden from which men should free themselves.
Oh, help us, Lord! while here,
To know the ways of peace;
The Saviour’s name to love and fear
Till time with us shall cease;
That we may join that glorious song,
And mingle with the ransomed throng.
St John of the cross knew his Greek, for his reference to the burning nature of healing and cleansing us from sin comes from the word we get cauterization from-the sugeical process of burning the flesh to “melt” it back together. In ancient days this was done by pouring alcohol and maybe a little gunpowder on the wound, and lighting it off. It sealed the wound, stopped the blood flow, protected it from infection and hurt like hell.
Today it is done with special tools, and if you are sedated, it would still hurt like hell.
The gospel in my readings today show the problem, they show the damage of sin, the inability to believe because of the love for evil and sin, partially because sin has such a strong grip on man that we cannot see the existence of God, and therefore we don’t know healing is possible!
But we need the healing, we need the Light of the world to eliminate our darkness. We desperately need this healing…
but it will hurt….
NOt as much as it hurt the Lord who provides the cure, but cutting away, healing us and protecting us from sin will hurt… because we have to let God into the depth of our lives to do so. We have to, as Luther puts it, be helped by the Lord, and then we can join in with the massive group, which praises Him for what He has done, the impossible thing He has done.
But that tis the goal – to know the peace of God which can only be known as we are relieved of the burdens of sin, shame, guilt, resentment, jealousy and anger.
But we need God to do that work, we need God to pay the price for it, and when we realize He has already done that, by sending Christ to embrace our darkness, to swallow up our sin, then we rejoice, we are relieved, we have a hundred thousans ways in which we are amazed….as we are flooded with peace.
This is our faith…. this is what we depend upon, why we have hope, and how we know we are loved.
So relax, and know this will only hurt a moment…
Fr. John Hanson, Coached by Josemaria Escriva, (NY, Scepter Books, 2024), 61
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 140.
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. 63.
I Got Shotgun! A sermon on Matthew 10:32-45
I got shotgun!
Mark 10:32-45
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you the ability to concentrate on what Jesus said, and in those words, find peace and hope!
ADD or something worse?
I’m not sure how it started, but from my earliest days, back before seatbelts, if we were going somewhere in a car in my family, we all yelled out “shotgun” if either one of our parents were not going.
Whoever said it first got to sit up front, leaving the other two in the car.
We “played” the same game in High School, both on the east coast and out here, as we piled way to many people in our cars. I’ve even heard older church leaders call out shotgun when carpooling together… and I might have done it…once or twice
It is a lot like the passage in the gospel – as two of the apostles think they get the best seats in heaven, or at least they are trying to get them!
Let me re-tell the story in Pastor Parker’s Poignant Paraphrase.
Jesus: Hey guys, we are heading to Jerusalem, so I can be betrayed by one of you, beaten up, tortured, put through 2 sham trials and then crucified…
James and John: Jesus – we are going somewhere? Awesome! Can we get the best seats?
Apostles: You two are mean!
Jesus: (shakes his head!) Okay – let’s go over this again….
Did I mention that the apostles have a problem listening—and a very short attention span?
I mean, Jesus is distraught by his imminent crucifixion, and looking for a little support, trying to prepare them for the biggest trauma in their life… and what does he get in response?
“I got shotgun!”
Sacrifice
Let’s go back to Jesus words – we need to hear what they missed.
Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. 33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man* will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. 34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”
A couple of things to notice here.
The first is the phrase. “once more!” This is not the first time Jesus has talked about it, and he will bring it up after the resurrection, They will remember what he says—later!
Far more important is that phrase that ends Jesus words,
“but after three days he will rise again!”
I can’t imagine Jesus didn’t say that without a huge smile, and glint in his eyes! Especially after talking about the betrayal, the trials, the mental and physical torture and death…and oh by the way – three days later…I will be alive…
I cannot imagine anything Jesus saying in the three years the 12 followed him that was any more shocking, any more important!
I am going to be murdered – you will witness it—and then, I will live again!
“Shotgun!”
Sigh….
Sin & Narcissism
As someone who stands up here, I sort of understand people loosing track of what I say, it happens. But I am not sure if this is just an attention span issue, or if there is something deeper at work in this.
Something deeper like a sense of privilege, “We deserve to sit beside you on the throne of God Jesus! By the way, if one is on the right, and one on the left – where does God the Father sit?
You see, that’s the problem with sin, and desiring what we truly don’t understand. We don’t consider the implications and consequences of what we “want!” We don’t the capacity to understand that this sin, which seems so small, can set off a war, damage relationships, hurt our future,
In this case, the other 10 apostles, heard James and John, and the translation says, they were indignant! I thought that meant ticked off, but it actually means grieved and hurting. This stung – whether they simply beat them to it, or that someone would demand Jesus put them first, indicating the others were 2nd or 3rd class.
No matter what, all 12 were sinning, and their relationship with God and each other took the backseat, because they wanted the front seat…
We often do the same thing, placing our wants and desires in our lives in a place where we set God aside, and don’t care what happens to others, as long as we get our way… as long as way…
The blessing
It is a God thing, that Jesus will use this situation to teach a strong lesson about love, and leadership. He uses the sin, and its consequences to call them together to show them an incredible truth.
43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Here is the lesson, that what Jesus came to be about, what the Father wants is not someone who desires the power that people think is being at the top. It’s not about having the ability and authority to command,
When Jesus came into His glory, was on the cross when He died. There was a guy on his right and left – and one went to paradise to be with God for ever. That’s why talked them about being baptized, and about suffering – for that is where God’s glory shown in the greatest and most complete way ever.
As He served, as He gave His life as a ransom for you and I, and so many others.
This is why we proclaim His death until He comes again – because it is glorious – the pain and suffering He endures for our sake… that we share in because we were baptized into His death, so we can rise with Him in the resurrection.
We share in His glory, as we realize the depth and breadth, the height and width of His love for us. And the ability we have to love, because He loves us – our ability to love God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to love each other.
Are you listening? Are you reading to be crucified with Christ, that you might rise with Him? Do you want to go where He is, not today – but for eternity?
And who wants the front seat?
Let’s pray!
The Value of Church (Buildings) (and why you need to be in one-regularly!)
Thoughts which draw me closer to Jesus, and to His cross (and therefore to church)
When this happened, the followers remembered what was written in the Scriptures: “My strong love for your Temple completely controls me.” 18 Some of his people said to Jesus, “Show us a miracle to prove you have the right to do these things.” Jn 2:17–18. NCV
The sacrament was instituted to console and strengthen terrified hearts when they believe that Christ’s flesh, given for the life of the world, is their food and that they come to life by being joined to Christ.
They’ll see Him face to face,
And with Him ever dwell;
And praise the wonders of His grace
Beyond what tongue can tell:
Eternal weight of glory theirs,
A blest exchange for earthly cares!
When he shut the world behind him and entered the disciplined life of contemplation, he stepped into the reality that mattered to him most—God Alone. The cares of the world were replaced with caring for one thing only, to be in the presence of God in silence and solitude. Henri Nouwen, reflecting on his encounter with Merton, observed that this new desert transformed the monk into a fierce advocate of silence in the life of others.
People often attack “organized religion” (as if we are all that organized!) by saying the church is the people, not the building. They often use this, not as a theological support for people to work together, but just the opposite–to justify NOT gathering together with other sinners, to receive the grace God intends ofr His people, His body to receive together.
I get it, church building are filled with people who are sinners, hypocrites, some are legalists, some struggle with narcissism, or doubt or anxiety. All, everyone of them is broken, and therefore interacting with them, means getting hurt at times, and realizing that we have hurt others at times. Churches can be places where we get hurt, definitely be disappointed as they are not utopia’s–but places to prepare and help prepare others for death, and what comes after.
That’s what Luther’s hymn looks forward to, that day when the weight of God’s glorious love is fully revealed, and we are capable of receiving it! For no more will we be haunted by brokenness. We will exchange our earthly cares for something far more splendid, dwelling with Christ!
It was this that Merton sought, and while one may think his solitary and search for God was somewhat self-serving, it made him an advocate for something more – to help other’s find that Presence and love. That’s the thing about finding God’s peace, it cannot remain a solo event. This is why the early Lutheran pastors were so adamant about people receiving the Lord’s Supper–not in part, not once a year, but often – because of the comfort it gives! It is to prolong moments of such communion that drove Merton into a monastery an Nouwen to simplify his life–only to find the need to share that intimacy with God with others!
This is why as well, that Jesus was so adamant about the Temple being a place of prayer, u n constrained, unhindered by the trappings of business. Not because he treasured the building, as many Jewish people did, (and some protestants want to !) but because of the communion, the time of prayer where people interact with God, remembering they are His people. It is that the building is set apart for such sweet times that makes it a critical place in our lives. It is the restoration that happens within those doors, in those sanctuaries that makes it more valuable than any other peace of land. It doesn’t matter whether it sears 25 or 25,000, as long as people know this…
God wants to spend time with His people, and care for them, and heal them together.
“Article XXII The Lord’s Supper Under Both Kinds” Tappert, Theodore G., editor. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mühlenberg Press, 1959, pp. 237–38.
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 140.
Nolasco, Rolf, Jr. The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being. Fortress Press, 2011, p. 97.
The Hands, washed and innocent? A Lenten Sermon about Jesus… and Pilate
By My Hands, for My Sake
The Hands, Washed and Innocent?
Matthew 27
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ help you understand what it means to have clean hands, and therefore no guilt or shame….
- Who was Pilate kidding?
Barabba’s hands were freed, Judas’s hands threw back the money, Nicodemus’s hands took the Lord Jesus, down from the victorious cross. Adam’s hands would not die, but would work the ground…While their sin was the factor in Christ’s death, only one set of hands could had done anything about it…
And he decided to wash his hands.
As if that would remove the blood that was shed, as the spikes entered the wrists and ankles, and the blood and water which poured out as the centurion’s spear entered Christ’s sacred side…
Who the heck did Pilate think he was kidding?
He wasn’t fooling the Jewish leaders, they realized that with enough voices shouting, they could get him to back down.
He wasn’t fooling his army, they would go ahead, and crucify him according to Roman standards
He wasn’t fooling his wife, who told him to have nothing to do with the holy man.
And he wasn’t fooling Jesus… for God knew his heart.
While Pilate claims he isn’t guilty of the death of Jesus, he needed Jesus to die as much as any of us.
Paul will write of Pilate and his friend Herod,
“7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (NLT2)
Pilate, no matter how hard he tried, was as guilty as any of the death of Jesus…it was by his hand the order was given to crucify Jesus….
He didn’t fool anyone… it was by his hands… and ours.
- Do We Try to Duck Responsibility for our Decisions?
Over the years, I have heard people talk about Christ’s death, and “who killed him.” Even today some people want to blame the Jews, or at least the Jesus leaders. Others want to blame the soldiers, or the Roman politicians.
Like so much of what goes on in this world, we want someone to blame! Someone to hold responsible for causing the mess, so that we have someone to hold responsible for cleaning up the mess caused by the sin.
I don’t care if it is a big issue, like wars and homelessness. Or something in your home, like who left the garage door open, or who forgot to flush the toilet.
We all know the name of the guilty person, some illusive guy named “not me!” or perhaps, “not us!”
Pilate’s answer would work to- “I am innocent – you are responsible!” And so more damage is done, as sin breaks apart another relationship.
Some of us even have the nerve to blame God for the mess, the sin, the decision.
And we like Pilate – try to wash our hands to prove we are innocent!
- It was for Our Sake…
In researching this sermon, I came across an interesting passage about Pilate. It was written by an early church writer and leader named Tertullian, who wrote, “All these things Pilate did to Christ; and now in fact a Christian in his own convictions, he sent word of Him to the reigning Cæsar, who was at the time Tiberius[1]” Other writers insist that he was a martyr, who was killed because he wouldn’t give up on his being a witness to Jesus’ death… and came to believe he rose from the dead.
I hope these testimonies are true!
The man who tried to wash his hands of the sin of signing the death warrant, cleansed of the sin by being united in baptism with the Lord?
The hands that once tried to place the responsibility in other hands accepting it, and having it forgiven! What an incredible story!
It is almost as good as our sins, which we blamed on others, being forgiven!
We don’t have to pass the buck anymore, and the buck doesn’t stop here. It stops there – Paul says it is nailed to the cross, where Jesus took on its incredible burden.
That’s the point – Jesus died at our hands, but He died for our sake.
He washed us, as He did the disciples’ feet, and to quote what He said to Peter,– you are clean indeed.
This is true for all who have confessed their sin, seeking not to justify it, but to accept and receive God’s promise of forgiveness.
[1] Tertullian. “The Apology.” Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, edited by Alexander Roberts et al., translated by S. Thelwall, vol. 3, Christian Literature Company, 1885, p. 35.
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.
Heaven on Earth? Are We Looking in the Wrong Place?
Thoughts which drive me to Jesus, and to the cross…
But before all these things happen, people will arrest you and treat you cruelly. They will judge you in their synagogues and put you in jail and force you to stand before kings and governors, because you follow me. 13 But this will give you an opportunity to tell about me. 14 Make up your minds not to worry ahead of time about what you will say. 15 I will give you the wisdom to say things that none of your enemies will be able to stand against or prove wrong. 16 Even your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends will turn against you, and they will kill some of you. 17 All people will hate you because you follow me. 18 But none of these things can really harm you. 19 By continuing to have faith you will save your lives. Luke 21:12-19 NCV
When we at rest shall be
Where sorrows cannot come,
In our blest fatherland above—
Our own eternal home.
If this be not Thy will, and it befall that we be swallowed up in the waters, by Thy good pleasure, to become food for the fishes of the sea, then, Lord, surely Thou wilt stretch forth Thy hand to grant us a blessed death.
The Eucharist, at each new celebration, must be recognized anew as the core of our Christian life. But we cannot celebrate the Eucharist adequately if we are content to reduce it to a ritual of—more or less—a half-hour’s duration. To receive Christ means to worship him.
There is a great drive in Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant, to achieve some kind of contemporary utopia. Some do this by trying to liberate people–but fail to see that they are trying to liberate them from God. Others take the opposite tack, and pin their hopes to a Utopia found in a Christian state, or Christian country, as if that would solve the problem of sin, and the damage it does to any community. This even includes the church, as we seek to argue people into conversion and into being holy–as if we can manipulate in a moment what the scriptures tell us will take until the return of Jesus. (Phil. 1:6)
I am not saying these people aren’t sincere, but this desire to see a perfect world, a perfect church, a place without broken people and those who struggle with God is insane, simply because it contradicts the testimony of scripture. We aren’t the governors and kings that people are brought before, we are the people who are brought before them, and testify to where our hope lies, in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
That testimony, that includes we are sinners in need of Jesus work at the cross and His resurrection, admits that there is no utopia. The church has no ability to create the perfect world, so it shouldn’t try to through earthly means. It does have the ability to guide people into the presence of God, where they will live in His presence eternally. It can also help them get to the point where their needs are met, so that they can focus on God. But that is by feeding the poor, visiting the lonely, helping the homeless. One on one ministry, not lobbying and trying to create a Christian kingdom.
Utopia won’t exist in this world, but we have god’s presence, to comfort, guide and heal us… I think that is the far better option.
Luther, Martin, and John Hunt. The Spiritual Songs of Martin Luther: From the German. Translated by Thomas Clark, Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1853, p. 127.
Lœhe, William. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller, Wartburg Publishing House, 1914, p. 208.
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. 81.
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!
The Search for Freedom’s Necessary Question: From What?
Thoughts which draw me closer to Jesus, and to the Cross!
51 God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because you are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs. 2 Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. Ps 51:1– 2. NCV
We know in how many places it (the church and the smallest unit if it – the family) has been torn already; we know how many predatory fish have worked with might and main to tear it to pieces, allegedly in order to free people from their imprisonment in it. But it would be an empty freedom into which they would sink: the freedom of death, of loneliness, of the darkness that comes when truth is lost. It would be a liberation from the Kingdom of justice, love, and peace—from that new dimension into which the net is drawing us.
Defend and protect me against the wiles and deceptions of the evil one and all his power, and against the perversity of his servants, that their pride, hypocrisy and unrighteousness may not obtain over me nor bring harm upon me. Teach me to watch and pray, lest I enter into temptation, and grant me to hear with mine ears and see with mine eyes. For Thine, O Lord, is the glory, Thou only Source of all Grace
At the beginning of the United States of America, freedom was sought. Originally from outrageous taxes, but then a large group of other things were laid out as well. Freedom for religion, freedom of speech, freedom from injustice and others the Bill of Rights well defines what they sought. Over time, more calls for freedom were heard, and acted upon.
In my childhood, the cries for freedom once again were heard across the land, as the freedoms won in the civil war, had not yet become reality for many. Again, these were defined in various documents, such as the Civil Rights Act, and various court decisions.
We’ve learned to cry for freedom well, but we do not awlays engage wisdom and logic, asking the one critical question that needs to be asked.
From what do we want freedom from?
In far too many cases, we want freedoms that have unintended consequences that cause more pain and heartache. Some of these are religious freedoms, or freedom from religion. Free speech is awesome, until it allows for gossip and slander which hurts reputations, and causes damage to relationships. Sexual Freedom was so wanted, yet the damage it has done to marriage – even to those who are faithful once married, is beyond explanation. As a pastor,
As a pastor, I’ve helped many people heal from brokenness caused by the pursuit of freedoms that are ill-advised. For there are some that talk of casting off all bonds, all things that restrict us in any way, that freedom may take its course. They would rip the net God has established in the church, not realizing that it is primarily a safety net, to be there when a fall is immanent. That net draws us closer to Jesus, the course of our healing, the refuge we need, when all seems broken.
For His word is the answer to the Psalmist’s prayer mercy, it is the answer to the cry for our brokenness to be dealt with, for us to be restored. His word is the hope we have, when faced with temptation, when faced with decisions that could result in major trauma, to ourselves and to others.
And as such, it brings about the greatest of freedoms, the freedom from guilt and shame, the freedom to love, the freedom to know that we are the children of God, welcome in His presence, and that we can ask Him to help us with any burden, any situation.
This is the one freedom we cannot give up, the freedom found in our baptism, and reignited every time we commune, eating and drinking the blood of Christ. The freedom from sin and brokenness, won for us as Jesus gave up His freedom, and came and was born of Mary, and loved and died for us.
This is our hope for this Lent, to cause us to think of what we need to be freed from, and to cry out to Lord who makes that freedom possible. 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, pp. 69–70.
Lœhe, William. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller, Wartburg Publishing House, 1914, pp. 189–90.
