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Life: God’s Version of ‘Take Your Child to Work’ Day Week 5: Work Priorities–A sermon on Luke 14:1-14
Life: God’s Version of
‘Take Your Child to Work’ Day
Week 5: Work Priorities
Luke 14:1-14
† IHS †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ embrace you as your priotities in life begin to reflect Jesus’ priorities!
I wanna Do it My way!
There is an old phrase that comes into play when children go to work with their dads. It is that someone grew to big for their britches
You know the attitude, when the child tells God they know exactly how to get the work done, and they don’t need the Father, or their God’s direction or oversight
I can hear the cries…
“I can do it…!!!!”
“I know what I’m doing..”
And of course the famous, “I did it my way!!!”
Yeah, I remember a couple of projects I did my way…. I am amazed my dad let me – and even more amazed he didn’t laugh over the completed work….
The biggest lessons I would learn in those moments was that there was an order to do things, a priority, and that usually included doing the hardest and most challenging thing first.
In today’s gospel, there is a couple of priorities set by Jesus, or priorities reset by Jesus.
Higher Priority – People over Practices
The first priority is seen at the home of the one of the chief pharisees.
There’s a man there in pain, and it time for fellowship after they had worshipped together, they are ignoring him. I don’t know how long he’s had edema, but I know the pain the man was enduring. His issue was caused by a poorly functioning heart, which gathers in the legs and chest to cause more tension so that blood can return to the heart. Edema is a symptom, but it makes it harder to walk, harder to do anything – and as it turns to congestive heart failure, it can result in a brain fog.
And the poor guy is all but ignored by the pharisees.
Jesus notices him, not just like, ‘there’s Joe,’ but, ‘there’s Joe, and he’s in a lot of pain!” I Compelled to do something, Jesus also realzies that he can help—and yet there are other hearts that need to be healed.
Other hearts that are struggling and under pressure, and whose answer to Jesus’s question about healing on the Sabbath, shows that they are in a fog as well. They were so focused on proving their holiness, by keeping all the rules – God and their own, that they forget about God. Their hearts were far from them, and the harder they worked to keep the rules, the more pressure they put on their heart and soul.
They had spiritual edema!
Instead, excess water being stored in their legs, they had so much that caused them to lose focus on God’s love. You see pharisees and those who were “experts in the law” knew more, and tried to live life perfectly, and they added all these rules that would prevent them from accidently breaking any commandment. If you’ve ever seen the Jewish people who were all black, have the really cool hats and the men have long rair with ringlets – the are Hassidic, the modern Pharisees who say they keep the law. They would even tithe their spice rack, Jesus said “23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Matthew 23:23 (NLT2) Can you imagine yelling at your ids or your parents for interrupting your count of garlic salt and dividing one in 10 grains to give to the church kitchen?
A lot of those rules were attempts to keep safe the Lord’s name, and to keep holy the Sabbath.
When they wer faced with a decision not covered by their rules, scripture says, “they could not answer…”
Jesus’ didn’t just heal the man with physical edema. He would die to heal them of their spiritual edema to do, as he promised through Ezekiel. “26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT2)
That is the promise of baptism, what starts as God claims us as His own and cleanse us of all sin…
That new heart gets rid of all the edema, and more importantly it heals the cause of it. In the process, we see others with spiritual edema – and we want to see them find the cure we do… and that is more a priority…than our man-made rules and routines.
Prioritizing People
Even as we look at how Jesus teaches us to prioritize people’s hearts and souls over the the systems and structures we have put in place, He also teaches us how to prioritize people.
It starts by talking about our own place in the world, and not assuming we get the best position—even though God promises we are His prized possession, but like Jesus leaving heaven, embracing the lower position isn’t a big deal.
Nor is making sure you have done proper networking, making sure you get all the “best” people over for dinner. Jesus said it this way,
12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
The cool thing is you, when you do such things, are doing what Jesus did. Giving up, even sacrificing the easy life, ot make sure those with edema, or spiritual edema, are taken care of, even it is takes a little more effort. Some of those are physically disabled, but look out as much for those who are spiritually disabled, cripped by past experiences, blinded to the truth.
In need of a healer, in need of Jesus.
For once we in need of His healing… and most of us still are. But He is here, caring for us. As we go to work, as we do things the Father’s way, we find ourselves caring for them, as they, like we, are to be His work of art, created anew in Christ Jesus. AMEN.
Life’s Unfair I Cry… and then realize I am glad for that…
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and the Cross
“For this reason the sovereign master himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, NET)
When they arrived in the Spoleto valley, going back to their holy proposal, they began to discuss whether they should live among the people or go off to solitary places. But Christ’s servant Francis, putting his trust in neither his own efforts nor in theirs, sought the pleasure of the divine will in this matter by the fervor of prayer. Enlightened by a revelation from heaven, he realized that he was sent by the Lord to win for Christ the souls which the devil was trying to snatch away. Therefore he chose to live for everyone rather than for himself alone, drawn by the example of the one who deigned to die for all.
You stir us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you.
Christians who understand the true meaning of Christ’s cross will never whine about being treated unfairly. Whether or not they are given fair treatment will never enter their heads. They know they have been called to follow Christ, and certainly the Savior did not receive anything approaching fair treatment from mankind.
In language the word “unfair” seems altogether innocent but it indicates an inner attitude that has no place among Christians.
It’s ironic that one one the most evil rulers in all of history had the opportunity to receive any blessing he desired. ALl he had tro do was ask, and God would have granted it, to prove that he was trustworthy. And despite the king’s refusal, God provided him a sign, the birth of the Messiah, All to prove what is contained in the name of the Child provided.
Immanuel – “God is with you!”
It’s something we should never tired of hearing.
Even when we are as obstinate as the King of Israel, or as evil as his wife. God is at work, stirring us, trying to awe us with His love, that we might fins the peace we so desperately need, so our heart can rest from the “unquiet”
And from there, even as we desire more peace and rest, like Francis, we find at the end of our prayers a desire to live fro others. We learn to stop whining about what is fair or cry out for justice for our sake. For it wasn’t fair for Christ to come and die for me, but he embraced that sacrifice, that injustice, for me.
And so dealing with things that are unfair…
Those things become meaningless when we find the joy that comes when we realize we can worship God–for we know God’s love for us, and knowing that we can rejoice in Him. Knowing why we can rejoice in Him, because of his extravagant, incredible love for us.
That’s where it comes down to – experiencing the love of God that goes beyond what theologians can write about, or make a Youtube about. The love of God needs to be experienced, it needs to be lived in!
It is so incredible, embracing that which is unfair, in order to help people experience it is well worth it, indeed, we will come to rejoice in those times of life being unfair – for we know the opportunity it brings, to testify to how Jesus embraced us, even as our sins were unfairly carried by Him, nailed with Him to the cross….
The tears will come, as will the pain, but God will use it all for good, even if we don’t understand. He promised and we can depend on it. AMEN!
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 214). New City Press.
Saint Augustine. (2012). The Confessions, Part I (J. E. Rotelle, Ed.; M. Boulding, Trans.; Second Edition, Vol. 1, p. 39). New City Press.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
Freedom, Liberty, and your Rights –
Thoughts which carry me, even drag me to Jesus and the Cross
“When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits? Do you not know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary matters! So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle disputes between fellow Christians?” (1 Corinthians 6:1–5, NET)
Francis told them: “When you pray, say “Our Father” and “We adore you, O Christ, in all your churches throughout the whole world, and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”
To any human who bothers to think a bit, it should be evident that there is in our society no such thing as absolute freedom—for only God is free!
It is inherent in creaturehood that its freedom must be limited by the will of the Creator and the nature of the thing created. Freedom is liberty within bounds, liberty to obey holy laws, liberty to keep the commandments of Christ, to serve mankind, to develop to the full all the latent possibilities within our redeemed natures. True Christian liberty never sets us free to indulge our lusts or to follow our fallen impulses
Tozer’s words about freedom seem so appropriate today, though written decades past. He smacks down the illusion of idols named freedom and liberty. For they are not absolute, they are not all powerful, and they aren’t all merciful… for they have a cost that is reminiscent of slavery….unless…
It has been redeemed by the one who saves us, that He is allowed to put the limits on our freedom, limits which recognize His role as our God, and the limits He placed on Christ’s freedom, which was given the boundaries of what best cared and provided for us.
Tozer said “mankind,” but lets simplify it – our children, our parents, our parents, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Our liberty must be in tune with how we love those around us, those who need us to sacrifice for their well-being. whether the need is physical, psychological or spiritual.
That is what Paul us getting at with his comments on lawsuits–wisdom is required because God’s justice is different than man’s. It is based in mercy, love and loyalty– not just what is our “right” or allows us to maintain our liberty, above our community.
This is the truest freedom.. that found in our relationships…the freedom to be loved and to love.
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (p. 192). New City Press.
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2008). Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. Moody Publishers.
More Blessed to Give than Receive (what actually?) A sermon on Acts 20
More Blessed to Give (What actually?)
Acts 20:17-35
† In Jesus’ Name †
May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ descend upon you, enabling and causing you to give Jesus to the world!
The Temptation
Did you ever have a thought that was, at least in your opinion, quite brilliant, and in many ways it still is, but then you realize it is not quite the thought you were looking for?
It was oh so close, and then you realize, it doesn’t just quite fit the context!
I did that this week as I read a key verse, and the basis for our sermon, from the Acts reading this week. It says there, “‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
And my brilliant, first reaction was, was a great text to preach on, for mother’s day!
At least from my perspective, I see this as true in many of your lives, as you light up when you tell me all the things they do well, and I know part of the reason is all that you did over the years, to make it happen.
You ladies know the truth of this statement in general. I can say that because I have seen you do it, and have seen you worry and try to figure out how to do what is best for you children- biological, adopted, or just accepted as part of the family!
Great idea – combines several things together, lets me praise some great examples of sacrifice (yeah your kids may never know)
Except I was wrong.
While the idea is true, there is one specific issue that this is talking about – not just sacrifice in general, but a very specific context, a very specific thing to give…
And we are called to learn this lesson, as we continue to work in the harvest with our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.
The Threat
As the Apostle Paul is talking to the church leaders that he poured a lot of time and effort into, several words caught my eye…
26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.
Paul sees the truth of the “it’s better to give” concept in the fact that what he gave to the Ephesians was that which saved them from eternal death. What He gave them was Jesus.
It’s like me saying that no member of Concordia doesn’t know that the Lord is with them, than because the Lord is risen, you are risen, and no deacon, vicar or pastor I have supervised can say that they don’t know what the purpose of this place is…
Heck – Bob sent me a quote from the new pope that even he knows this, as he talked about “our first talked is to teach what it means to know Jesus Christ! (Maybe he knew a few Lutherans growing up in Chicago. BTW Bob, his brother said the one thing he didn’t understand about their new pope was that he was a packers fan)
But Paul’s comment is that he gave away what was most priceless, and yet costly, the knowledge that God loves us, that Jesus died as the remedy that saves us from Hell, eternal death.
The message
That’s where we are all heading, if we don’t know and depend on Jesus for what he’s done for us.
And it wasn’t Paul’s fault if they didn’t know it, just as hopefully its not my fault or Bob’s if you don’t know it. Of everything we could give you….that is the most valuable.
Aand if we don’t—we are partially at fault for your destination… you see, the message of Jesus’s love, of His presence in your life, of His saving you and forgiving all your sin is that important in you life.
Hearing and trusting it is the difference between eternity in God’s presence, and eterniny in that eternal death known as hell.
And the Blessing
And this is what is even more blessed to give, than it is to receive.
I’ve seen it, but I’ve also seen two lives change because they were part of giving eternal life and faith to people.
The first is our beloved former deacon Chuck. He did everything he could to fix everything he could try when I arrived. But he was a bit fatalistic about it, and sometimes a little grumpy.
Until the day I made him stand right here while I baptized two girls from our school, Kay and Rachel. All he did was hold my book open.
And a speed faster than a softball pitch, Chuck was blessed by helping give someone the gifts or repentance, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection and live everlasting.
It was so transformative for him that he got a bit possessive of the role of standing next to me when I baptized someone!
The other is his sidekick Tom, and I wouldn’t tell you this if he was here. But Tom becoming a elder didn’t hit home, till I asked to visit Margaret’s son Teddy in the hospital. He brought a communion kit, and for the first time, gave someone communion at my request.
And then Ted’s dad, and then and then… it’s like something in him snapped as he did this. As Tom realized the blessing it was to share with something the Lord’s Supper – and see their faith come alive, his did even more.
I could toss Debbie and Tom in here, as they cared for and made sure their moms could find Christ’s peace.
I could toss Jim in with them, as he wrote me last summer on his “mission trip”. He was more excited about sharing the gospel with some folk than seeing all the beautiful places he stayed. And his emails and texts described the conversations, and the hopes he had for there people, that was a blast to read.
Or Sue, who takes many people back and forth to this doctor, that test, and stays with them, wanting them to know God’s peace in the middle of challenging times.
There is a list in Hebrews, that I could duplicate here, people that made a difference because they trusted and were empowered to by God. Each on named starts off with… by faith they…Manny and Lili, Dane and Gerry, Lissa and sandie, Colleen and Ben,, and we have a similar group here. We are blessed – because we give Christ…
We have the ability to help people gain eternity, and peace, and a perspective that comes from knowing there are forgiven, they are loved, they are important to God himself, who wants to share forever with them…
And when they hear this…and respond… you will know how Paul felt. For it is even more to share you faith with someone who gains eternity, than it is to receive it yourself…
So be blessed, knowing the peace that is yours in Christ will be theirs as well, even if it is beyond words!
Prayer-the ultimate result of faith and where faith finds ability…. (so why don’t we…)
Photo by Wouter de Jong on Pexels.com
Thoughts which carry this broken man to Jesus, and to the cross:
“LORD, remember my suffering and my misery, my sorrow and trouble. Please remember me and think about me. But I have hope when I think of this: The LORD’s love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning; LORD, your loyalty is great. I say to myself, “The LORD is mine, so I hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:19–24, NCV)
“Now, since God has left us the promise that we may enter his rest, let us be very careful so none of you will fail to enter. The Good News was preached to us just as it was to them. But the teaching they heard did not help them, because they heard it but did not accept it with faith. We who have believed are able to enter and have God’s rest. (Hebrews 4:1–3, NCV)
When as bishop, or before that simply as a colleague, I tried to determine why a vocation that had begun with such fervor and such high hopes had gradually collapsed, the result was always the same: at some time, the individual in question had ceased to practice silent prayer—perhaps from sheer zeal to accomplish all that had to be done. But then the zeal had lost its inner dynamism and had become empty. At some time, personal confession had been abandoned and with it that contact with challenge and pardon, that renewal from within in the sight of the Lord, that is indispensable. “To be with him”—this “with him” is needed not just for a certain initial period so that it can be drawn upon later. It must always be at the heart of the priestly ministry.
It is characteristic of faith boldly to trust God’s grace, and to form a bright vision and refuge in God, doubting nothing. Where there is no true faith there is no true prayer, nor any seeking after God. But where it exists it makes man bold and anxious freely to bring his troubles unto God, and earnestly to pray for help.
As I read Lamentations this morning, I was again amazed by the brutal honesty of the Jeremiah.
He struggles to get past his situation, and the despair it causes. I’ve been there more times than I want to think about. Believing I was or am as Jeremiah thought he was seems to be a norm. It has also become the norm, and I am grateful for this, to come to the resolution Jeremiah has – that “The LORD is mine, so I hope in Him.” That is the only thing that gets me through the days that are too numerous to count…
That resolution is the point the author of Hebrews is getting to, when he talks of the promise of entering God’s rest–as we enter that rest only by faith–not by the doctrines of our faith, for faith is not a statement of the things we believe in, but it is the dependence on God, and knowing His faithfulness.
As this dependence (faith) leads us to pray, so too does the prayer strengthen that dependence. Pope Benedict is clear on the results of not praying, the reduction of the zeal and power that is characteristic of knowing we can boldly go into the presence of God, and find His love and mercy and peace in which we can rest! Luther sees this incredible connection as well, for where there is true faith, there is true prayer – a complete unburdening of the heart and soul of the believer–who struggles to find themself in Christ.
I need to make this clear – the posture and words of my prayers do not make me holy. My dedication has nothing to do with the dynamis, the power/ability that is revealed in prayer. It is not the pattern of the prayer, or even the contents that matter as much as the faith which finds hope in talking to the LORD. Sometimes we can’t find the words, we only find the tears, at other times, the words flow and flow, and as the Spirit leads, the grace of God is revealed. Prayer is real, the connection is real, the hope is real…
for the Love of God is real.
We, as a church, need to pray… as pastors/priests, as congregations gathered into His presence together to celebrate His love poured out in word and Sacrament. Poured out into broken vessels, that can empty themselves out in prayer.
This is who we are-this is our church, of which it was said “My house shall be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations” (Isaiah 56:7)
So pray my friends – the Lord who is with you, is the Lord who listens and knows!
——
Ratzinger, Joseph. 1992. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl. Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. 1915. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern.
“Pious Practices Are Pragmatic” or “Spend the Time with Him”
Thoughts which Carry Me to Jesus, and to the Cross
““I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NCV)
The sociologists who prepared a recent report about women religious in Quebec, the French-speaking province of Canada, describe how, in the course of twenty years [1961–1981], all the communities there initiated every conceivable kind of reform: abandonment of the religious habit, individual budgets, degrees from secular universities, membership in secular professions, massive assistance from “specialists” of every kind. Yet sisters continued to leave and new ones failed to come. Perhaps, without being fully aware of the reasons, women religious felt a deep unrest at living in a Church in which Christianity is reduced to an ideology of doing, a Church in which there is no longer any place for mystical experience, for that zenith of religious life that has been—and not by chance—the most precious treasure of the Church through centuries of uninterrupted constancy and fullness in the lives of religious, usually women rather than men; in the lives of those extraordinary women whom the Church has honored with the title “saint”, and sometimes even “doctor”, not hesitating to offer them as models for all Christians.
To be “led by the Spirit of God” means to be given a heart which gladly hears God’s Word and believes that in Christ it has grace and the forgiveness of sins; a heart which confesses and proves its faith before the world; a heart which seeks, above all things, the glory of God, and endeavors to live without giving offense, to serve others and to be obedient, patient, pure and chaste, mild and gentle; a heart which, though at times overtaken in a fault, and may stumble, soon rises again by repentance and ceases to sin. All these things the Holy Spirit teaches one if he hears and receives the Word, and does not willfully resist the Spirit.
“According to several surveys, prayer remains the least satisfactory aspect of pastors’ spiritual lives.”
Back in the 1990s, before i became a pastor, I read an article by a pastor I knew and respected, that grieved over the amount of time pastors spent in prayer, and in listening to God as they read scripture and other books devotionally. The 2017 quote above indicates that hasn’t changed much, and a google search indicates that pastors and lay people spend less than 15 minutes in prayer a day on average. WHen I read Jack’s words, I wondered, somewhat self-righteously, how pastors could let this happen, how could they (now we) cut ourselves off from the source of our life, the very power that enables us to do what we do.
I don’t wonder anymore. Our very ministry and life robs us from these things, as we try to balance the needs of our people, our community, our families–all who we are called to minister to, with spending “me time”, the time I need to find the peace and sanctuary I need to survive this mad world. If I don’t take this time, it is clearly visible – and it seems more and more so.
THere is also a bit of hypocrisy here. How can I instruct people to spend time in prayer, talking and listening to God, if I don’t show an effect of that prayer in my own life? For certainly we all need this time of rest, this time of recovery, this time of devotion, adoration, doing those things once labelled pious.
Today I think the pious label needs to be replaced with a different one.
There are not pious practices, they are not what creates pietism.
They are simply pragmatic.
Like when I plus my car in to get charged.
Jesus speaks of this as He teaches us that we can do nothing separated from Him, NOTHING.
My two favorite pastor/theologians, Martin Luther and Pope Benedict XVI comment on it, noting the effect of removing those practices on a community of nuns, that literally dies off as the pragmatic practices that caused them to realize the presence of Jesus in their lives is removed, and their hearts, like those of the pharisees and people of Jesus day are far off from Him. Luther testifies to the effect of walking in the grace and forgiveness found in the Spirits presence, a mindblowing witness of the transformation of a sinner into a reflection of Jesus.
We need this time, as we need to breathe, as electric cars need current and gas cars need gasoline. We live in Him, and He in us, and it takes time to work that out in our heart, souls and minds.
I know this for a fact, as I sit in my office – 12 major things (woops – another came to mind 13) and a million minor things to do…
But I can’t do any of them without Him.
Neither can you… spend he time in prayer, even if it is slowly savoring the words of the Lord’s prayer, or a psalm or 2…
and know the Lord is with you!
Ratzinger, Joseph. 1992. Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. Edited by Irene Grassl. Translated by Mary Frances McCarthy and Lothar Krauth. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. 1915. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/karl-vaters/2017/september/for-every-minister-who-struggles-with-your-prayer-life.html
Life is Suffering! (and yet…)
Thoughts which lead me to Jesus, and the cross, where I find comfort and peace!
“LORD, I know that our lives don’t really belong to us. We can’t control our own lives.” (Jeremiah 10:23, NCV)
“Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth. Your old sinful self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. Christ is your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.” (Colossians 3:1–4, NCV)
Christian or spiritual peace, however, just turns the thing about, so that outwardly the evil remains, as enemies, sickness, poverty, sin, death and the devil. These are there and never desist, encompassing us on every side; nevertheless, within there is peace, strength and comfort in the heart, so that the heart cares for no evil, is really bolder and more joyful in its presence than in its absence.
Siddharta Budha, the great philosopher, has been credited with saying that, “life is suffering.” And at first glance, there is a lot that supports his premise.
Most people aren’t content with their lives, whether young or old, rich or poor. It doesn’t matter their sex, if you can slow them down to examine their life, they will soon want to move onto something else.
Some try to change their lives, constantly changing jobs, or sexual partners, moving from here to their, each stop shorter and shorter and shorter, as they, like the old song says, “still haven’t found what I’m looking for!”
Others become focused on others’ lives to distract them from their own meaninglessness. Some do this critically, even hypocritically, Those people are evil, stupid, wrong and a million other things. Others do just the opposite, trying to find some meaning in becoming martyrs, sacrificing time and energy serving others to the point of exhaustion, rather than dealing with their own issues of brokenness and emptiness.
Siddharta was partially correct, there is a lot of suffering in life, any one’s life. And while we would do anything we could to change that, most things only make it worse, or draw more attention to the suffering.
The prophet Jeremiah notes that inability in the quote above – we don’t have control over our lives, we can’t fix what we think is broken. We aren’t in charge because either sin, which causes the brokenness and separation, has is in bondage, or we are God’s children does.
Belonging to Christ, being purchased with His blood shed as He died for us on the cross, changes everything about what we know and experience in suffering. Are attention focuses on the end of the story, the hope we have of dwelling in Christ for eternity, and that hope reveals God’s presence with us in the present moment. Paul’s amazing words in Colossians 3 bear this out, as he says our reality is not in the midst of the suffering, but in heaven with Jesus and the Father! ANd it is secure there, until His return when…this is beyond anything else, we will share in His glory!”
This is why Luther, no stranger to suffering, oppression and challenges in can write as he does, that within there is comfort strength and peace known deep within, and we have a heart bolder and more joyful when the storms outside are more threatening. (You can see this in Elijah – as long as he is fighting the prophets of Ba’al, he’s awesome…no fight and he whimpers and whines in the cave)
This is what Siddharta wasn’t illuminated enough to see, this presence of God in the lives of people. The comfort and peace which, when encountered, results in the most incredible joy.
For life includes suffering, and sometimes that threatens to overwhelm us, but it cannot, for the Lord God is here.. loving us, comforting us, sharing life with us.
And that will be true until we are before His throne.
Luther, Martin, and John Sander. 1915. Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year. Rock Island, IL: Augustana Book Concern.
Despair, Depression and Burn out… Is there hope?
Photo by Wouter de Jong on Pexels.com
Thoughts which draw me closer to Jesus and to the Cross…
1 These are the words of the Teacher, a son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 The Teacher says, “Useless! Useless! Completely useless! Everything is useless.”3 What do people really gain from all the hard work they do here on earth? Ecc. 1:1 NCV
58 So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted. 1 Cor. 15:58 NCV
Faith is not just a matter of feeling, something that we pursue as a private matter in addition to the ordinary pursuits of every day because, after all, man has a longing for religion. Faith is above all the orderliness of reason, without which it loses its standard and the ability to judge its own goals
For such times, when our heart feels too sorely pressed, this comfort of the Lord’s Supper is given to bring us new strength and refreshment.
I have yet to meet anyone over the age of twelve, who hasn’t encountered the feeling that Solomon so perfectly explains this morning. It is a sense of fatalism, a lack of meaning, which attempts to extinguish our meaning. It hits us all, some of us because of things in the world we can’t change, others because of things in our lives, relationships, health, work, And when all those things gang up….what I call righteous depression sets deeply into our lives. And if we are dealing with some form of clinical depression at the same time… life becomes even more miserable.
Even for Solomon, the wisest man in history, one of the wealthiest and famous men in ancient history, who clearly was at a low as he wrote this book. Which is exactly why its in scripture, for if he could survive such, we who have the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, can do the same.
St. Paul shows the counter, that our depression isn’t an accurate feeling, what we are experiencing in the dark shadows of life isn’t what is real. It may seem this way, oh the darkness seems so real, so traumatic, and we seem so alone. But God promises something radically different a we walk with Him, a promise sthat we need to cling to, a hope that goes beyond our sensibilities, that defies our logic.
A promise that points out that God’s love and peace is beyond our understanding, untouchable by our logic. A peace that is found when we depend on God, (for that is what “to have faith” means) and we let God’s reason overwhelm our reason. We trust His reality more than what we perceive.
ANd this is the reasons for the sacraments. Something physical, something tangible, something which comforts as we realize we are being ministered to by God… as much as Elijah was, when he ran away from his victory. When we hear the words-they should shock you enough to move past your old logic that is failing, for something that is healing, for something miraculous.
This is our hope when we think all is vain, to cling to the hope of Christ, in who nothing is vain.
May you find someone to day to encourage you to look to Jesus, and may you do the same for several others.
“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. 226.
Martin Luther, “The Large Catechism,” Tappert, Theodore G., editor. The Book of Concord the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mühlenberg Press, 1959, p. 449.
How We Need to Talk About Baptism
Thoughts which force me to Jesus, and to the Cross,
3 Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. 4 When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life.
5 Christ died, and we have been joined with him by dying too. So we will also be joined with him by rising from the dead as he did. 6 We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin. 7 Anyone who has died is made free from sin’s control. Ro 6:3–7.NCV
Hide me within Thyself, that my will subject itself entirely unto Thee, and I be freed from the dominion of self and of every other creature. Let me not be wholly possessed of mine own nature. Grant that the thirst for temporal things be quenched in my heart. Uproot all self-love and selfish desires. Banish all hatred and jealousy, and cut off passion and my attachment to the things of this world. Gather my soul unto Thee and preserve in me a pure and peaceful conscience. Glory, praise, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
A Christian knows that he is grafted onto Christ through Baptism. He is empowered to fight for Christ through Confirmation, called to act in the world sharing the royal, prophetic, and priestly role of Christ. He has become one and the same thing with Christ through the Eucharist, the sacrament of unity and love. And so, like Christ, he has to live for other men, loving each and every one around him and indeed all humanity.
Yesterday, my devotions forced me to take a different angle at the Lord’s Supper, today, similarly, the readings are leading me towards baptism, not toward the theology of it, or the mode and method, but to the effect of the sacrament. How this act which God ordains and uses, transforms our life as promised. Like the Lord’s Supper, the comfort given to us, as the presence of God is manifested, is something we need–desperately need. By understanding what has been done to us, the transformation began in us.
The more we understand this effect, the more we can meditate on the wonderful work of Jesus, the more we heal.
So let’s start with Josemaria’s words, and how he explains that we are grafted onto Christ, that it transforms us to sharing in the very ministry (and eventually the glory) of Christ Jesus. Confirming that faith (setting aside whether it is a sacrament or simply a sacramental ) and nourishing the relationship not only unties us with Jesus, but with all He came to save! That is the very discussion that Paul shared in Romans – as we die with Christ and experience the life of being born again–even as Christ was raised from the dead. The effect of the grace promised in Baptism is that we live a new life! We are born again, and united with Christ Jesus!
It is the realization of this that Loehe prayed for– for every plea he utters is fulfilled by the promises of baptism! That is where the transformation that has begun as we united to Christ in this new life. Our heart and soul are transformed, a transformation it takes time to learn to live in-but that transformation–but it is happening! That is why Loehe prays, so He can be assured that the promises are indeed his–a gift from the God who loves him.
We have to understand these blessings prior to getting into the mechanics of a sacrament, before trying to create hypothesis to explain the mysteries, before discussing anything-we have to know why God instituted this means of grace. We have to know the promises! The other discussions take form after, including us recognizing we don’t have all the answers – we have the command to do this, and the reason why…. to bring comfort and peace to those God wants to call His children.
Lœhe, William. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller, Wartburg Publishing House, 1914, p. 391.
Escrivá, Josemaría. Christ is Passing By (p. 159). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Can I Get a Witness? The Witness is the Same! a sermon on 1 Cor. 15:111
Can I Get A Witness?
“The” Witness is the Same!
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
† Jesus, Son, Savior †
May the grace of God our Father, shown to you in the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus, assure you of His love, as the same power is at work in your life!
Can I get a witness?
It’s been years since I heard the phrase, but I remember a church that I guess preached at once, where the pastor asked after the sermon, “Can I get a Witness?”
And person after person would talk about how God had redeemed them or reconciled a relationship that had been trashed by sin.
It’s been probably close to forty years since I was there… but I remember the people shouting and testifying to how good God was, and how he rescued them.
As our journey together changes from the weeks of Lent to the weeks of Easter, we go from looking at the broken people at the foot of the cross to the work God did and is doing.
That is the content of the witness and the impact of the witness.
It’s not about the witness but the witness.
Paul will state the witness clearly in verse 3 of our Corinthians reading this morning,
“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said
Christ died for our sins
He was buried
He was raised from the dead
Three short points – that change the world – that change our world….
And no matter who preaches Christ, that is their message.
Christ died for our sins,
He was buried
He was raised from the dead…
That is the witness we need today, for it is the only witness that will change those who are broken…
- I don’t want the witnesses; I want what their witness
In the epistle, Paul then proceeds to document the witnesses. Peter, the 12, 500! James, everybody, then Paul.
If you asked any of them, they would agree with Paul, that they weren’t worthy to see the risen Lord, never mind account themselves as worthy to witness the fact that He died, that he was buried and Alleluia! He is risen!
They are right in a way, because they didn’t deserve to witness the cross and the resurrection any more than we do. And the witness isn’t about them, though it will change them, though it will change us.
It is about the idea that Christ has died, Christ was buried. Christ has risen, and He is coming again!
Someone should make a song out of that… 😊
When I look at social media, most of the critique of the church and of Christianity has nothing to do with the witness that Christ has died, Christ was buried, Christ has risen. Often that is because the witnesses are talking about other things—usually the sinful behavior of others, or why that denomination’s not right, or that pastor or politician is evil.
Even yesterday while writing this – out of the first 25 posts were negative religious posts, and only one mentioned Good Friday or Easter. It wasn’t one side or the other; it was both sides.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God – that’s a given – we don’t have to show everyone’s sin publicly. Or assume what someone else shared about someone’s sin is accurate?
What has happened to those who have the witness?
Can I get a witness? Can I know what the Lord has done?
- We all preach the same message – you believed.
We have to get back to following the example of the early church!
11 So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.
We have to get back to it, not because this is our duty. If I say you must go share your faith, I am robbing you. All I would be doing is making your work the focus, taking the attention and focus away from what Jesus has done.
That wasn’t how the early church worked…
They saw what God did—they told others about it!
They experienced His love and peace, and they shared it with others.
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:16-19 (NLT2)
Therefore, the witness is so important –not it is critical!
The witness reveals God’s love, our identification with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection changes everything.
That is the message we need to stand firm in the only message that will save us.
Christ has died!
Christ was Buried!
Christ is Risen! and
Christ will come again!
All for those who know this – who bear the witness…
Who answer the call, “Can I get a witness!”
And respond with Jesus! AMEN!
