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He Set You apart!
He Set You Apart!
Jeremiah 1:4-10
† In Jesus Name †
May you realize the grace of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who set you apart from before you were formed, who will have you share with others His love, and our need for it!
To the Nations
A few weeks ago, 6 of us had the blessing of picking up 24 youth who were all born in Eritrea. Just curious, how many of you know where Eritrea is?
Last week, Pastor Bernie shared for a few moments about what happened in the Sudan, where he put stoles that our ladies made, on the shoulders of 16 newly ordained pastors, just as he had three years prior.
Yesterday, some of us went to a Himalayan restaurant in Artesia, and celebrated with a young lady and her family, as she prepares for a wedding next week.
Next week on our campus, our brothers and sisters in the second service will be celebrating Chinese New Year.
As I look out over our congregation or our preschool chapels, I see people from all over the world, from 5 continents. And from even some very, very different places, like Lawrence, Massachusetts.
It is an amazing thing to think of, as we hear again, God’s word to Jeremiah
5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
God’s words to Jeremiah, and to us. Yes, to us.
The message
Jesus has done the same thing to us that He did to Jeremiah. He set us apart with a purpose, to share a message with people from all of the world. A message that we all need to hear, even as it has to tear some down, and lift others up.
What we call law and gospel in “Church language”. That’s the message Jeremiah was given; it is the message Jesus died to reveal, it is what Peter and Paul and others claimed from the Middle East throughout all of Europe to Central Africa to India in one generation.
It is the same message that everyone needs to hear, no matter if they are 3 or 93, no matter their ethnicity or their culture.
It is a message that crushes those of us who think we are the only righteous folk around, revealing to us that we are sinners, and there is nothing we can do to repair what we’ve broken. For that is what sin does. It shatters relationships; it shatters family, it shatters us as individuals.
God’s law isn’t just about behaving properly; it is a way God designed for us to live in peace, to know we are loved. And when we step outside the plans God has for us, it crushes us, as the things He warns us against come true.
One pastor put it this way, use the Law to afflict those comfortable in their sin, and those afflicted by their sin, comfort them with the good news.
The news every prophet, every pastor, every evangelist and every believer counts on and is chosen by God to embrace and share with others.
The news of the gospel. That God loves us that He will heal our brokenness. That He will make our lives like new. That our sin will be forgiven, that our the relationships will be reconciled.
This is the gospel that all need to hear, it is the reason we have hope.
God has made all of the creation, and all of us in it, with a purpose. The purpose of living with him, as His children, as the people He loves. He loves us so much that Christ died to make this possible. TO heal our relationship with Him and with others, not just until the next time we destroy it, but for all of eternity.
That is why when we are saved when He cleanses us, there is no need to do so again.
But us?
Like most ministers, Jeremiah had a problem with God trusting Jeremiah with the message. We can find a million reasons why we shouldn’t have to share God’s message with our neighbors and family, never mind to the world.
But God has chosen us. He knows us as long as He knew Jeremiah, from since before we were born, from before we were conceived.
The message isn’t complicated, and as we realize it, the inclination to share it is automatic. God is with you. He loves you; He wants to comfort you and reconcile and heal that which is broken.
Don’t hold back, let Him do so…and rejoice!
AMEN!
The Wise Ones say, “Do Your Job!”
Devotional Thought of the Day:
8 In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Romans 10:8-15 (NLT)
When then he came, I found him a man of pleasing discourse, and who could speak fluently and in better terms, yet still but the self-same things which they were wont to say. But what availed the utmost neatness of the cup-bearer to my thirst for a more precious draught? Mine ears were already cloyed with the like, nor did they seem to me therefore better, because better said; nor therefore true, because eloquent; nor the soul therefore wise, because the face was comely, and the language graceful. (1)
Today’s average Christian assumes on the basis of this principle that faith is a product of the individual point of view, of intellectual endeavor, and of the work of specialists, and such a point of view seems to him more modern and more self-evident than the Catholic positions. For many today it is hardly comprehensible that a mysterious divine reality lies behind the human reality. But, as we know, that is the Catholic understanding of Church.
In this sense it is said, “The doers of the law will be justified”; that is, God pronounces righteous those who believe him from their heart and then have good fruits, which please him because of faith and therefore are a keeping of the law.
253 These words, spoken so simply, contain no error…. (3)
No, this isn’t about Tom and Bill, and the game this week. But it is what happens on Sunday, and should happen through the rest of the week as well.
It is about something far more important, far more important than another Superbowl, and more accolades. It is about a dynasty, but not an earthly one.
The passage from Augustine, the second quote above, reaches out to when he was expecting a great man to give him insights on life that would change everything. And the man, though a phenomenal speaker, failed to impress. The rest of that passage goes on about how disappointed, and yet relieved, for from there he would go and realize more clearly the love of God
Benedict XVI, (then Cardinal Ratzinger) wrote how this issue has been recycled in our age. That philosophers and theologians, the specialists, have so spoken of faith and Christianity that people don’t always realize that what religion is, is an encounter with the Creator of the myseterious divine reality that lies behind what we perceive as reality. What disappointed Augustine in the arrival of Faustus is now the norm. What Jefferson tried to do, in eradicating the miraculous from scripture, has been accomplished by those who study it until it is dead. Simply put, they have studied it until it is either a complex set of moral guidelines or completely accepted to be a nice set of fables.
That is not the “job” of the theologian or the philosopher. They are, by their labels, those tho are to study the logic, the reason of God (the-logos) and the lover of wisdom (Philo-sophia) Their job then, should be to reveal the God that was revealed to them, to pass on the truth and wisdom and awe of a God who left heaven, humbled himself, served and died on a cross to prove to us that He loves us.
The Lutheran confessions exemplify this when summarizing the incredible truth. God pronounces sinners righteous because they believe, trust, depend on His revelation of His love for them. That belief/trust/faith/dependence is what God sees, as the Holy Spirit transforms their lives. This is what Benedict knows as faith, even as he weeps over its being redefined, not by the world, but by the church. It is the revelation Augustine was hoping to hear. God loves us, and depending upon that love, revelling in it, adoring the God, who loves us, changes us.
Which brings us back to St Paul, and his words to a young church, easily swayed by fancy orators and powerful leaders. People need to trust in God, the God, who will never let them be shamed.
And the way they come to know that is simple. We bring it to them; we send to them those who will reveal that love to them. That is how we do our job so that all can come to know His love.
It’s not rocket science. It is the work of those who understand the word of God, and those who love wisdom.
So do your job, send, be sent, share Christ, and watch the glory of God enfold as the Spirit transforms lives, heart and minds that find peace in Christ Jesus.
(1) Augustine, S., Bishop of Hippo. (1996). The Confessions of St. Augustine. (E. B. Pusey, Trans.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
(2) Ratzinger, J. (1992). Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. (I. Grassl, Ed., M. F. McCarthy & L. Krauth, Trans.) (p. 30). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Tappert, T. G. (Ed.). (1959). The Book of Concord the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (p. 143). Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press.
A Deacon-Candidate’s First Sermon: “What I need You to hear…”
What I Need You To Hear…
A sermon based on Phil. 2:1-10
By Chuck Zetzman
Dear Friends in Christ, the Lord is with You!
I am making a step of faith to speak of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to tell you of the love I have found in believing and trusting in Jesus Christ.
While I have a great desire to do this, the process of writing a sermon isn’t easy or natural for me. Matter of fact, some people wondered if I could do it.
But I so long for you to know the God who loves us all, I have struggled through it, I learned a lot, and I so want to share it with you.
Law –
I have a new heart of compassion and trust in Jesus Christ for His help and forgiveness and mercy. New because it wasn’t always that way.
It is like when I taught softball, sometimes you have to unlearn things you are doing wrong, in order to do things “naturally” And God had to teach me, like he teaches you, what not to do.
That’s why Paul wrote
Philippians 2:1-6 NLT
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
But the problem is, we didn’t, and we don’t always share God’s comfort with each other, we don’t always agree with each other, we don’t always work together well, and we are often more interested in what benefits us, than what benefits each other.
Even when we know it is wrong.
We have to break those bad behaviors, just like a pitcher has to break their bad behaviors.
The problem is, we can’t.
We need someone to coach us, to call us on our self-centeredness. We call that it, in the church, calling someone to repent.
it’s not easy, but it is necessary.
We have to be called to repentance, if we are going to get life right.
Which means we have to realize we sin. You sin, I sin, Pastor Parker sins, my fellow deacons sin. We all sin.
But God, can fix it, and He really wants to.
Gospel
That is why He came, as the Apostle Paul tells us,
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)
This attitude we are supposed to have, Jesus came to help us have.
We must remember Christ took on the position of a slave for us and gave us His divine privileges. He humbled himself in obedience to God and died on the cross for us.
That does two things…
One it takes care of the bad habits, as He died to pay for those sins. He removes them Himself, as we are made one with Him in baptism. It isn’t always easy, but it always good.
The other thing He does, is show us how to do it right, and He gives us the Holy Spirit to do it right.
I’ve seen it happen, and I remember it, so I know you all can!
It may be the only the thing I can remember, but remember it I do.
God loves us,
He sent Christ to save us
He doesn’t leave us alone, but walks with us, coaching us, loving us, forgiving us when we need it. And inspiring us to love others, sometimes in ways others think are crazy… or silly.
But those crazy things, those silly things, are what matters, as God loves us through others, as He gives us the mind of Jesus, and encourages us to live for others.
Again, I’ve seen it.
I have found love and compassion and help at Concordia from all of you here. You will find love and encouragement by belonging to Christ, by being part of His family, for they will love and encourage you as well!
And then you will know a peace you cannot find anywhere else… the peace of God, which we can’t understand, but we can find rest and hope in, a peace that Jesus keeps us in, our hearts and our minds safe… in Him.
AMEN.
It’s Time, Let’s Go Fishing!
It s time…. Come Fishing with Me!
Mark 1:14-20
† IHS †
May You Be So Changed by the Transforming Gifts of Repentance and Faith that You Don’t Think about Fishing With God, Rather, You Just Do it
Plans? Nah, let’s just go…
There are two types of fishing trips in life.
There is the professional or expert fisherman.
They have everything planned out, they have a place for everything and everything in its place in their tackle boxes. They have every piece of equipment known to man and Bass Pro Shops. They have checklists and itineraries, water temperature equipment, fish finders and sonar, first aid kits and emergency beacons, and coolers stocked with food and a Lutheran beverage or two.
In comparison, there was my grandfather, who basically would call up the night before, or show up about 5:30 in the morning, honking his horn a few times rather than knocking on the door, and inviting us to go fishing.
My brother and I, who had trouble waking up for school, would be out of bed, dressed, rods and reels in hand, down the stairs, and out the door, before my mom could wake up and say, no, no, it’s a school day.
We’d be out on the Lake, or in Hampton Harbor, or just outside the Jetty – with the sun barely clearing the horizon. Fishing… enjoying life… catching a couple dozen flounder, or if it was a bad day… some crabs and eels.
No planning, no fancy equipment, no life jackets, just our rods and reels, a Chinese food carton full of sandworms, a couple of sodas and his cup of coffee.
For a kid, real fishing wasn’t the first kind of fishing.
Real fishing for a 8 year old, was going out in Grampy’s little aluminum boat.
As the disciples abandon their dads, as they leave everything behind, to go fishing for men with Jesus, I picture it like that.
Not a moment’s thought, we knew what we are being called to, and to be honest, we didn’t think about the fishing. It was what happened, when Grampy picked us up. What it was about was being with him. The same occurs, when we are awakened by God, and we spend each day fishing for men with Him….
Even as there seemed to be nothing much to Grampy taking us fishing, there was…and those things are there as Jesus takes Peter and Andrew, James and John fishing as well.
Repentance
While we never knew what would cause Grampy to decide to take us fishing on this day or that, it was His decision. He would have to change His routine, hook up the boat, and drive north from his place.
His horn blast before dawn was like Christ’s call to repentance. It’s time! Let’s go!
With that, everything would change for that day. Our attitude about staying in our warm beds, about not wanting to leave our place, would dramatically change. It’s like we weren’t even the same kids. Our minds focused on something else, our attitudes were that of being alive, and excited about getting up and out! It wasn’t a conscience change, it was one brought about by the horn. We heard it, we reacted, we went.
That’s repentance.
Repentance often is pictured as being sorry, or contrite. Or it is explained as choosing to change how we think and act. To make a u-turn, especially in how we behave.
It’s not those things. It is far more internal, in the subconscious. It is hearing the voice of the Lord, and the change that hearing His call awakens in us.
That’s why Luke describes repentance in the book of the Acts of the Apostles as something from God.
30 it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, whom you executed by hanging on a tree. 31 By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. Acts 5:30-31 (NJB)
and
18 When they heard this, they stopped their criticism and praised God, saying, “Then God has given to the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live!” Acts 11:18 (TEV)
Do you year the horn going off? That Jesus has come to take you with Him through life? That things will never be the same?
Maybe its time to wake up, and join Him on this journey through life?
Faith
My grandfather drove a 1970 Ford Maverick. Besides no back leg room, not even enough for a 8 year old, it had a unique horn sound. Sort of like a sick frog going through puberty.
Unique enough that it would wake up my 11 year old brother and myself. It would mean something special – because we knew it was Grampy’s.
It wasn’t just believing Grampy was out there. It meant so much more. A day fishing with Him, We knew it would be special, because we knew Him.
Having faith in God is like that. It’s not about believing some cosmological argument for the existence of God, or some theological treatise that attempts to explain how Jesus’s divinity mixed with His humanity.
You just know Him, you trust in Him, and if there is one thing my job boils down to, it is introducing you to the God who loves you enough, to die for every act of self-centeredness you ever committed, for every bit of idolatry, every angry attack on your neighbor, every intimate word, thought or action not directed toward your spouse, every bit of envy, every act of gossip.
He took care of them all, as He said, “it is finished,” and bruised and broken Jesus stopped breathing… and died.
And the promise of everything being made brand new and right and perfect with Him became clear, as He rose from the dead.
That’s what Jesus proclaimed, as He announced the kingdom of God was near…. As near to Peter and James, Andrew and John, as it is to you, this very moment.
The gospel for you to hear.
He is here, calling for you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve known him all your life, or this is the first time getting to know His call to you, come walk with me, come join me…..
Let’s go fishing. Not for flounder or Pollock, but for men and women, those that God the Father sent me to call, to catch, that everything would change for them.
Bweeap Bweap….
Time to go fishing, as we live together, as we journey together through life.
Fishing
It’s one thing for two young kids to go fishing with their grandfather. Yet the eagerness, and the carefreeness of the disciples, is not so different. They leave everything behind, as will a tax collector, a rebel, a Pharisee and so many others that went with jesus, and lived life fishing for men.
When my brother Stephen and I went with Grampy, it didn’t matter if we caught a ton of fish, or we didn’t. The experience was about being with someone we loved. The journey? The sitting in a cold boat? We enjoyed it all, just because we were there. Everyone knew that we went fishing the next day (even our teachers!)
Fishing for men is like this…. Except it is even better.
Because as our attention is spent on Him, that resulting relationship is what draws others to Him, it is how they are caught.
No worms needed, no bait, no trickery or skill.
it is the effect of knowing we dwell in the presence of God.
For He has called us, transformed us, given us a relationship where we know His incredible love……
So it’s time, let’s walk with Jesus through life, having repented and trusting Him, and fish for men. AMEN?
Even if I am a dog, He’s my Master!
Even if I am a Dog,
He is MY Master
Matthew 15:21-28
† Kyrie Iesou, Eleison †
May you realize that when God is your Master, your Lord, which means He obligates Himself to showing you love, and mercy, so that you live in peace!
It’s not about tenacity; it’s about recognition
A question for you to start this message.
Does God simply answer our prayers because we are so tenacious? Did Jesus answer this lady’s prayers just because she followed them through town, or did Jesus answer her to silence the apostles who were whining about her bothering them with her begging?
Is that the way God works, that He rewards those who are persistent, who are tenacious? Who don’t give up? Do we have to workout spiritually, so that we can endure, and then receive that which is promised?
We might say, “No, that doesn’t sound right.” But when it comes to unanswered prayer, do we sometimes hear this story, or the parable of the elderly woman and the judge, and wonder; is that the key to getting a prayer answered?
Persistence, dedication to the cause, determination and good old-fashioned stubbornness?
Or is there something else…. Perhaps something like recognizing the Truth?
The truth that it is okay to be a dog; if that means that He is our Lord, that He is our Master?
That is what was revealed to her, which confirmed to her that He was her Lord!
What She Saw: Lord Son of David!
A little background helps. When the lady first starts yelling to Jesus “Kyrie Eleison” she is saying something we sang a few moments ago.
The translation phrases it, “have mercy Lord.” We sing it the Kyrie in the opposite order, but the plea is the same. Lord, love us and because of that love, care for us. That is what the word mercy means. cHesed means to have great love, care for, provide, protect, forgive and do everything in your power to care for and help those who with who you have a relationship. She demands this of him.
Pour out you love and care on us Lord, she cries, Over and over, she begs this very thing.
She goes one step further; she calls Him Lord! She acknowledges that He is her master. She lays herself at his feet, and she worships Him as her Lord.
You see, cHesed is that loving-mercy of God. It is an obligation of the Lord to His people. I’ve mentioned that word here before, this incredible word that binds a Lord, a Master to His people. He will take care of them, for He has made that commitment to them, as their Lord. He has become their Master.
That is what she wants! That is why she keeps calling Him Lord! Every time she speaks, this is how she addresses Him, as the one who is obligated to care for her.
She wants to be part of His Kingdom, His Household, to be His!
More Precise!
The first time she calls out for mercy, she adds something to it.
Have mercy Lord, Son of David!
Somehow, she knew about this promise of the Messiah. She uses one of the titles for the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed one of God! The Lord through whom salvation would come! Salvation to the Jewish people, but also to all who would call out to the Messiah.
When she cries out for mercy, she is crying out to the Messiah! She is crying out to the long-awaited Son of David! She recognizes that He is the Lord and Master; the One who would bring about what we heard from the prophet Isaiah,
“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him!”
She knows who Jesus is, she knows the help that only He can offer! She comes and places herself in His care, begging that He would accept Her!
His response finally is heard.
You are nothing but a dog.
Surprisingly, that is what she is longing to hear!
Dogs are part of the family
Consider this quote, about John Chrysostom, one of the most-quoted preachers in history.
Chrysostom seems to recognise the shade of meaning conveyed by τὰ κυνάρια (the dogs of the household). “On the very words of the Lord she founds her plea. If I am a dog (κυνάριον), she says, I am no alien.”[i]
I belong!
She understands these “terms”; that the promises go first to the people of God, those he counts as His children. She rejoices in knowing that the promise is there for her as well. This Lord has accepted her as part of the household, part of the family of God.
Think about it! How many people refer to their dogs as their children!
She’ll take it, even as the Psalm 84 talks of a similar attitude:
A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. Psalm 84:10 (NLT)
To be the mutt, waiting under the table for scraps, the Kingdom of God is a great place to be, knowing the love of the Master. As long as she knows the love of the Lord, as long as she is one of the people He brings home, she will be content.
She will trust in her Master; she will bask in His love…she will trust His reign over her life.
Scraps aren’t good enough!
He will at first acknowledge her faith, by providing the salvation of her daughter, freeing her from the demons that afflict her.
That is only the beginning of the fulfillment of His promises to her, and to all of us, who though not physical descendants of Abraham, are the spiritual descendants. It is just the beginning for those who trust in God as our Lord, our Master!
A blessing for those who know that our cries for His love are answered. His mercy is always the answer! He hears us and will bring us home. That woman didn’t get the scraps from the table; neither will any who trust in the promises that are made ours in Christ.
She is invited to a feast – one beyond all comparison…the wedding feast of the Lamb, the feast to celebrate the welcoming home of all the people of God.
Including this gentile woman and her daughter.
When we approach this altar, we see this feast in part. The love of God, the love of our Master, our Lord, and the mercy which makes it possible. These are not bread scraps and the last drops of wine. This is the body and blood of Jesus Christ!
This feast is the answer of a God, who would provide for all of His children, for all who will call upon His name.
Yes, I am your Lord. Come and feast with me!
Yes, dear friends, Jesus says I will be your Lord, your Messiah, I will care for you. I will provide. That was what the cross was about, not just saving us from our sins, but opening up a relationship for all people with God the Father. He says, “You are my people, come and know my peace!” For this, this peace of God, is promised, which passes all understanding, and in which our hearts and minds are kept safe, by our Lord.
AMEN!
[i] Chase, F. H. (1887). Chrysostom: A Study in the History of Biblical Interpretation (p. 130). Cambridge; London: Deighton Bell and Co.; George Bell and Sons.
Is Desiring Reconciliation Optional for Christians?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? Ezekiel 33:11 (NLT)
23 “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. Ezekiel 18:23 (NLT)
9 The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather is he being patient with you, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NJB)
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NLT)
824 Do you feel as if goodness and absolute truth have been deposited with you, and therefore that you have been invested with a personal title or right to uproot evil at all costs? You will never solve anything like that, but only through Love and with love, remembering that Love has forgiven you and still forgives you so much! (1)
Therefore it is God’s ultimate purpose that we suffer harm to befall no man, but show him all good and love; and, as we have said it is specially directed toward those who are our enemies. (2)
It seems like yesterday I had to quote the passages above from Ezekiel a half dozen times, and should have quoted them a dozen more.
In each, people were rejoicing over brokenness. Some were larger than life, as they rejoiced over victories in war. Some were more organized, as people planned to celebrate larger divisions between people groups. (including the Reformation.) Some were far more personal, as people encouraged each other to rejoice in division, to rejoice in broken relationships. There were even a couple of situations were those trying to promote reconciliation were attacked and mocked.
Yes I know, that in some of these cases, pain is involved, But what about those who encourage the joy? What about those who welcome the brokenness, who encourage it?
It is even more tragic that in each case, the people involved were leaders in the church. Some of the brokenness was in the midst of the church, Traumatic and tragic, this lack of desire for reconciliation is!
And it is not Christian. It is not imitating Christ. It is not being obedient to His giving us the mission of reconciling people to Him, as Paul points out. For in reconciling them to Him, we find them reconciled to us.
Life isn’t a personal crusade to stamp out evil. That only turns us into evil people, as we place ourselves in the place of God.
Life isn’t about rejoicing over division, over the bad things which happen to those we consider enemies, adversaries, or just pain in the ass’s.
God has told us to love them, to work for their good, to see them reconciled to Christ. For that is His will, even though every person who is brought to reconciliation was once God’s enemy, who chose evil over good, and hate over love.
This blog isn’t easy to write. I have my own people I struggle with, who I have to grow in Christ to love and seek to reconcile with. But let me tell you, the joy that is there when we do… is amazing.
I’ll leave you with this blessing, knowing that it pleases God when people reconcile:
20 Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen! Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT)
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3390-3393). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) The Large Catechism of Martin Luther.
Football Season Starts Soon: Whose side is God On? (and in other rivalries as well)
Discussion and Devotional THought of the Day:
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” 14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?” 15 The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told. Joshua 5:13-15 (NLT)
759 You complain that he shows you no understanding. I am certain he does as much as he can to try to understand you. But what about you? When will you make a bit of an effort to understand him? (1)
It is getting near that time of year when men pray more consistently on Sundays. They thank God more often, they pray too him more deeply, the acknowledge His presence and ask His blessings (and quote all the passages about cursing and defeating their enemies…)
Well, those men who are football fans, and those who are fanatics.
I wonder if God ever tires of those prayers, if he ever gets tired of the rivalries that He is included in by prayer? As if God really had a favorite football team, as if he really has a favorite team or a favorite player, or even a favorite sport?
I think of Joshua’s words above – he wanted to be sure this soldier was on his side…… and that was even before he knew the Soldier was Christ Jesus.
Whose side are you on?
Neither.
Which football team is favored by God? Neither.
With that out of the way – let’s get on to what is important. I am here.. you are here, therefore this is Holy Ground.
The purpose of God isn’t to have this team or that team win, or even this nation or that nation be the dominant power. People will get mad at me, but it is not whether the Ukraine or Russia prevails, whether ISIS is in power in Iraq, or some other group. Or who is guiltier in the war between Hamas and Israel.
Even if those who oppose God are “victorious”, or seem to be, that doesn’t mean God is not working in their lives. That is why God raised up Nineveh, why Jeremiah 29:7 talks about praying for oppressors, why Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
Do we understand people enough to see their need for God in their lives? Do we see that we, as His people, as to be beacons, to bring light into their darkness?
Those steps are needed, but first we desperately need to know that we are in the presence of God. That it is not our agenda, or even our nation’s agenda that is important. There is only one agenda, there is only one will that matters. God’s.
It is His – that none should perish – but that all wold come to repentance, as St Peter instructs. Raider fans, Bills fans, Broncos Fans, even Patriots fans. Russians, Ukrainians, Iraqi’s of every ethnicity and culture, Palestinians, those in Hamas, even the Israeli’s.
That they would come to know they live in God’s presence, that the Holy Spirit would replace their hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, that they would have the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, give them life.
That is why Joshua would meet the pre-incarnate Christ, it is why Israel was loved, and protected, SO that we could heed the words of King David in the second Psalm,
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. Psalm 2:11-12 (NKJV)
Lord have mercy on us!
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3155-3157). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Did Jesus Rest on this Sabbath?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. 19 In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, 20 who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. 21 This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. 1 Peter 3:18-22 (NAB)
“Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: The third day he rose again from the dead:” (1)
A conversation yesterday, between Good Friday Services, brought up the issue of what Jesus was doing, in the time between His death on the cross, and the Resurrection.
The people I was in dialogue with said he simply rested in the grave. They were using this to “prove” that everyone should worship on the Sabbath, during the time between Sunset on Friday, and Sunset on Saturday.
It brought up memories of my childhood, sitting in the pews at St. Francis in Lawrence, or St. Joes in Salem, and wondering about the line in the Apostle’s Creed above.
Why did Jesus have to descend to Hell? Wasn’t the suffering and death on the cross enough?
It bothered me greatly, and those I asked about it, had no answer. Which bothered me a little more. Would the Father let Jesus go to Hell, to suffer there for our sins? Why did He have to go?
I am not sure when I came across the verses in Peter’s epistle above, but they seem to settle the issue. Jesus didn’t go to Hell to suffer, but to preach, to proclaim the love of God, that He would die for the sin of the world. All sin. That those who trust in Him as their God, would know His salvation. it is not quite a victory parade, though it is to declare victory. And the gates of Hell cannot prevent it, Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One of God. He was sent, apostle’d to deliver to the Father, those who have, would, will become the children of God
The words about baptism are not remiss therefore, for it is in Baptism that we are united with the death of Christ, and with His Resurrection. Glorious events, worthy of praise, (yes the cross is glorious) for they show the depth of God’s love for us. Love that wouldn’t even let those imprisoned by sin not know of His love, of His grace. It is what takes those dead in sin, and makes them alive in Christ Jesus.
Which brings us back to the Sabbath, and the purpose of it.
It’s not about not working, for surely God is continually at work, sustaining the universe. And those of us, who preach, who lead worship, who do a myriad of things on Sunday (or Saturday – Romans tells us we have this Freedom) certainly are at work in the House of God. The Sabbath is about priority, teaching us to rest – not just from labor, but to rest in the presence of God. To be in awe of His love, to be aware of the depth of His love, that will even descend into hell to deliver the children of God to their home… with Him. That is why Paul says the sabbath is simply a foreshadowing of Christ, for it is in Him we truly find rest.
Even on a Saturday, while we prepare to celebrate the resurrection… Even here, the Lord of the Sabbath reigns, and because He does, we know we dwell in the Father’s peace, an indescribable peace, a peace that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
AMEN.
(1) The Apostles Creed
Treasuring God’s Gifts: Valuing our Parents
Treasuring God’s Gifts
Means We Value our Parents and all authorities
(rather than look down on them or provoke them)
Eph. 2:10, Exodus 20:12, Luke 10:25-38
† In Jesus Name †
May you be so overwhelmed by God’s grace and peace that your trust in Him overwhelms you anxieties and doubts, enabling you to know His work in your life.
As I look around the room, it would seem that it has been a while since most of us lived under out parent’s roof. Which is what comes to mind when we talk about the fourth commandment, the idea of honoring your father and mother.
We think that commandment that part of God’s plan is for children and young adults, those who still should be hearing their parent’s directions, and immediately going and obeying.
Take out the trash,
Clean your room!
Be home by 10.
Remember, the Bible says you have to honor your father and mother!
Of course, it is usually the parents reminding their children of this…
And the children always ask in confirmation – “what if they are wrong”, or “what if they want me to do something God knows is wrong….
As we have said throughout this series, this is not about being a robot and obeying the commandments of God. If we treat it that way, it is no wonder that scripture is used as a weapon, and that people react to it in “self-defense”, trying to prove they are not as bad as the next person is.
But when we see this “word” this part of the design that begins with God revealing Himself to be our creator, revealing Himself to be the Lord who delivers us from our slavery to sin and the devil, then it takes on a different understanding.
For we begin to value our parents and all authorities as gifts from God, we realize it is not about them or us, it is about God. Trusting Him at His word becomes more dominant in our life than our frustrations that come when we have to interact with fellow sinners, whose lives and decisions impact our life.
or at least sometimes we think they impact our life negatively.
What does it mean to Honor
Looking a little deeper into this, we need to define “honor”. It means to value, to treasure. That is very different from simply obeying people, or simply submitting to them.
Why would we treasure these people, why would we value them? I mean after all, aren’t they sinners just like us? We know they had bad days, challenges, maybe a temper or a rush to judgment. Maybe their faith seems week, or they didn’t believe at all.
How do we honor them, how can we value them then?
Again, valuing them is not based in their value as we perceive it, but in the value of God, and in trusting in His word, especially promises like Romans 8, that all things work out for good for those who love God. Or Jeremiah’s words about God having a plan for our lives, or of course our epistle for this season of lent….
That God is making our lives a masterpiece.
It’s a matter of trusting in Him. About knowing His love, about realizing the power of the gospel in your life,
The Extension
I mention before that from the responsibility of the parents, Luther extends out that responsibility to others. People who have callings like teachers, doctors, police officers, and even government. These people take a portion of the role of the parent, and we entrust people to their care.
This where faith is seems to be a challenge! How can we trust God in this! Their sins are usually much more public, and we have to wonder about their judgment, their care for our sake, their trustworthiness, how can we honor and value them?
We have to keep re-focusing, to know it is not about our trust in men, but our trust in God. Whether we are the three men thrown into the furnace, and were kept safe, or the one who uttered, 56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!” Acts 7:56 (TEV)
Those words come a short time before the rocks were piled on him, as Stephen asked God to forgive those who were tossing them. That takes trusting in God, and knowing His promises.
But that is where is all keeps coming back to, this God who reveals Himself as our God, as our deliverer, as our provider, as our protector.
Who throughout scripture, is always faithful, who always hears His people call, A God who desires all to be saved. A God who delivers His people from oppression, who calls us His children, His people.
Who invites sinners to gather in His presence, that He can pronounce them clean, and welcome and give them faith and repentance, and transform them>>
As we trust in Him, as we realize the power of the death and resurrection of Christ, as we dwell in their presence… more and more… we know this…
The Lord is with you…
Therefore we dwell in His peace, in His glory, in something more incredible that we can conceive of, and know that we are guarded in this peace, our hearts and minds, by Jesus.
AMEN?
Really? Why God? Oh yeah…..
Devotional/Discussion Thought of the Day.
14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say. 1 Peter 3:14-16 (TEV)
“No one can keep the treasure of the faith or the treasure of a vocation for himself alone!” (1)
I am sitting here – thousands of miles away from my family. My wife of nearly 25 years is resting at home, pregnant with our second child, being cared for by our 7 year old. She is a little older than most ladies who are pregnant – and at 49 there are few chances we would take. One was my coming here. One that has been more challenging than any moment I can remember in my faith.
Why?
Personally, I’ve been in a lot of pain – not only is my back pretty tweaked from the turbelence of the flight – but I had the blessing of passing a kidney stone yesterday.
My wife is struggling – there was some bleeding, and her hormones were low – and we are scared. More advice coming in has relieved that some…yet – the dark moments have come.
I’ve seen others on line – people I care about – struggling with life – and doing so quite openly, and possibly destructively.
So why I am sitting in Manilla, waiting for a ride to go preach at a church located at the university?
I’ve wondered. Somewhat bitterly in the last 48 hours. God what are you doing? Why the pain? Why the things that You know will cause massive anxiety? Why not just let this trip go smoothly, let the minsitry excel, or let someone healthier, a better speaker, a more gifted theologian come – rather than me. Why take me from my family in this moment?
The questioning becomes easier – as I look at the sermon – one posted later today. You should read it – for re-reading it put everything into perspective for me. If I have the perfect life – I don’t need Jesus. If everything works as it should – I don’t need to depend on Him, and if don’t depend on Him, my life is….lost.
I can’t explain it more than to say I know God is here – and as well with my wife. HIs promises are ours – and our son’s and the baby in my wife’s womb. That message – the reason we can expect (better word than hope) God to keep His promises go beyond human logic, they overwhelm the pain, they bring calm to the anxious. To know the God who has claimed us as His, marked us as His with the water of baptism, that is the God who is here… walking with us, never abandoning us – the God whom David describes in Psalm 139.
Such is our God.
Such is the God everyone needs to know – whether it is our children, or the college students of the Phillipines, or the pastor who is feeling homesick and overwhelmed.
We desperately need such a God in our lives – and because He loves us, we do.
So why am I here?
Last night on television, as I sat here trying not to take pain meds… I was watching the second version of Zorrow with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. At the end – as they are renewing their vows, the town church bells ring out for Zorro…His wife urges the Padre to move along the vows quickly – as she says, “this is who we are”.
Not sure what God will do here – or at home. Whether there will be joy or comfort, but I know this…. He opened these doors – He walks through them with us – and that is who we are.
So it’s time to preach…. may the people here in Manilla – and may you hear as well – that this faith in Jesus – this treasure of trusting in Him alone, that is too good not to share. And neither is the joy of sharing the Answer to why you have hope. Please share that with someone who needs it today!
God’s Peace…
(1) Urbano, Pilar (2011-05-10). The Man of Villa Tevere (Kindle Locations 5914-5915). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
