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Life: God’s Version of ‘Take Your Child to Work’ Day Week 7: Dad’s Happy! (so are we) A sermon on Luke 15:1-10
Life: God’s Version of
‘Take Your Child to Work’ Day
Week 7: Dad’s Happy! (so are we)
Luke 15:1-10
† In Jesus Name †
May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus be yours, and may you rejoice as others who were lost are found!
Intro – The Job is done!
There were days that I went to work with my dad that were more special than others.
We were doing something with cement, building a new stone wall, or patching some foundation, or creating a walkway. As we laid down the last wheelbarrows load of cement, as we were younger we always watched my dad take out a pencil and carve his initials in the last section.
As we got older, my brother and then I would do enough work, and do it well enough, that our initials, STP and DTP would join TEP in some corner of the project.
And then off to Howard Johnson’s for an ice cream shake and a beer.
There was great joy, the job was done. Something was created, something was made right!
Time to celebrate!
That is the same thing that happens in heaven, every time a sinner is found and brought home. And like my dad and brother celebrating, like the shepherd finding the one, and the lady who found the silver coin, there is incredible joy, and a party that goes beyond belief.
And what is really cool – because life is God taking his kids to work, we get to celebrate as well!
And what a celebration it is! Dad is happy, and so we are happy.
Sort of like the shepherd who carries home his sheep…and the woman who found her very valuable coin.
Law – We don’t like those…. People/Sinners
The context of Jesus’ parable cannot be overlooked.
The Pharisees and those that studied the law didn’t get it. Both of these groups focused on living their lives as holy as possible, trying to eliminate any practice or behavior that wasn’t allowed for in scripture. They were devoted to their way of life, and proud of it, because of the effort put into it.
As hard as they practiced their disciplined life-style, they forgot to love their neighbor, to be concerned about them, and they just looked down on them, because they didn’t follow.
When they Jesus spending his time with these lesser beings, they are ticked off—if he’s truly God’s holy chosen messiah, he should be with them, praising them for their diligence and hard work.
Here again how the Bible declares the scene.
2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
Imagine Jesus coming back today, and sitting here in church, and then we invite him to come eat with us, and his response was to leave, and head down to a picnic with…. Hmmm… who you do you think you are holier than? Or maybe those horrible rotten sinners who…
Or maybe, instead of heading to lunch with us, he heads to a jail in Colorado, to spend a couple hours with a 22year old assassin.
Maybe that puts us in the mood of a the pharisees.
“Pastor, you can’t mean that Jesus would rather spend His time with “him” rather than us…
My only reply – is God’s job today to search for the one, or the ninety nine?
Who is the lost coin that needs to be found – us or him?
Yet the interesting thing is, that God would have some of his kids with Him, to make the point of God’s love – to be there, as God does what only God does. As God works on Him seeking to finished the job that began as Jesus died for everyone of his sins.
And those of us who can’t go to jail to visit him, can God at work by praying for him, and for his family, as they realize that only Jesus can deal with the depth of his sin.
For in prayer, asking God to be at work, we confess that we believe God can and desires to save everyone.
And can you imagine the joy that would be in heaven, should this young man be brought home, carried by Jesus? Could God do it? He already has – in David’s case, in Paul’s case, in the case of one of the soldiers at the cross, a man named Longinus, who used his spear to prove Jesus was dead. Each a murderer was changed by the power of God’s love.
I know who the first person who would want to greet him when he gets before God’s throne. I mean after God the Father would welcome him home. Two forgiven sinners, saved by Jesus – what a image!
And I would pray we would all go ballistic with joy!
Gospel – Look at how God searches for us, finds us brings us home and rejoices!
Moving on to how incredible the gospel is–When both the lost sheep and the lost coin are found, the term used gives us a modern word- heurisko – the art and science of finding something, or someone. It combines intuition, deep research, intelligence, basically pursuing the thing with everything one is, and haves.
And Jesus came to find us, with everything He had and is, including His life.
To find all of us.
I saw something in Luke that I’ve never seen before in this parable, but it is there, both in Matthew’s account and the account from Luke we have today…
“Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness”
As I thought through this passage, this one verse captured my heart.
The 99 weren’t even home yet. They were still in need of their Shepherd for they were in the wilderness.
They were on the way, but they weren’t home, yet we still need Him to bring us home.
We still need Jesus, we still need the Spirit’s guidance, we still need the Spirit’s guidance to deal with temptation, to live a life with Him. And because we are really all more like the 1 than the 99, we know the Lord is with us. We and the pharisees aren’t the 99- we are the one, and Jesus is carrying us home. `1
We know that heaven went ballistic with happiness when we God put His mark on us. He was so happy.. another job well done.
And then he invites us to work with Him to share in His happiness, to share in His joy, as others are re-created in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
As He invites to go to work with Him, even as He takes on the toughest of jobs.
Amen!
Will Anyone Miss You When You Are Gone?
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross:
“After about two years his intestines came out because of the disease, so that he died a very painful death. His people did not make a bonfire to honor him, as they had done for his ancestors. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death; he was buried in the City of David, but not in the royal tombs.” (2 Chronicles 21:19–20, NET)
Finally, after a pleasant conversation, the abbot, as he left, humbly asked him to pray for him. The dear man of God replied: “I will willingly pray.” When the abbot had ridden away a short distance, the faithful Francis said to his companion: “Wait a little, brother, because I want to pay the debt I promised.” As he prayed, suddenly the abbot felt in spirit unusual warmth and sweetness like nothing he felt before, and rapt in ecstasy, he totally fainted away into God. This lasted for a short time, and then he returned to his senses and realized the power of Saint Francis’s prayer. From that time on, he always burned with ever greater love for the Order, and told many about this miraculous event.
When doing our morning devotions this morning, we were talking about the people who built the tower of Babel, and their ambition, creativity and focus. All praiseworthy characteristics, except that you were used in self-interest and to achieve personal fame.
Then in my private devotions, I came across the passage about Jehoram, and it is grievous. No one cared that this king died, and perhaps no one cared about the pain he was in.
I can’t imagine that fate, and I certainly would not want it for any of my friends, or even some of my adversaries. It’s not about seeking fame and fortune, it is about life have meaning and value…about making a difference in other people’s lives.
Nothing could be better than hearing something like this about somone… “He went out of his way to pray for me, and because of that, I knew that God was with me…” Which is basically what St Francis did for the rich abbot. He didn’t give him wise advise, he didn’t donate millions (though our preschool would willing accept a few million in donations – then we could not charge tuition!) he simply prayed for him, and the abbot knew it, and never forgot.
That’s the point, being there in a time of need, because Jesus is there for us, make the largest difference in the world. And it causes us to be remembered, and God to be praised. It may be the teacher given a hug, it might be the elder who made people laugh, it might be the night caregiver, who changes the bedpan and comforts the one infirm. It might be the manager – who invests her faith in her people, and gets to see the results, as they come to love the God, who comes to them.
IF you have a moment, think of those people, and give thanks to God for those whose passing you would regret, whose life you value because of their impact on you. Give thought as to why they have that value, and thank God for them… and maybe even tell them you are thanking God for them!
And if some abbot asks you to pray for them, surely do it! (anyone else that asks you should pray for as well!)
Pasquale, G., ed. (2011). Day by Day with Saint Francis: 365 Meditations (pp. 160–161). New City Press.
Can a Lutheran (Or Catholic or Presbyterian or) Pray for Revival?
Concordia Lutheran Church – Cerritos, Ca , at dawn on Easter Sunday
Thoughts which carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross
““So I will set apart as holy the tent of meeting and the altar, and I will set apart as holy Aaron and his sons, that they may minister as priests to me. I will reside among the Israelites, and I will be their God, and they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt, so that I may reside among them. I am the LORD their God.” (Exodus 29:44–46, NET)
544 The Communion of the Saints. How shall I explain it to you? You know what blood transfusions can do for the body? Well, that’s what the Communion of the Saints does for the soul.
I don’t know why I felt the need to write on revival this morning, and to be honest, I didn’t see the connection at first in my devotional readings. The seem as far from the concept of revival as the horizon seems to the sailor in the Pacific Ocean.
What great thoughts ar expressed in them though! The idea that God’s reason, His “so that” for the Exodus, was not just so they could recognize Him, but that He could reside, that He could dwell with us! And as He does this community that is formed with Him in Him and through Him becomes the place of the transfusion, as the trust in God that sustains this saint becomes common to that one. Where the hope of that little group becomes the hope for all, as we are reminded of the Lord’s presence,
And as I long for those thoughts to become reality at Concordia – I realized what I was longing for was the result of revival–it is the end game result, the people of God knowing the love of God for man that enables us, no that compels us to share the life we’ve been given.
All the rest that goes with revival, from the repentance of people who have learned to grieve over their and their communities’ sins, to the flood of new music, to the care for those who are widowed and orphaned and who have immigrated to the community, are complimentary and caused by the people of God dwelling in His presence, communing together, as they are made God’s.
But it is the communion, the community of God and man (all of us) that is the goal. Not the change in morality, though that will happen, nor is it about filling every church and planting thousands of others-thought this will happen as well. It’s not about political agendas, or denominational superiority. It is even about the signs and wonders that happen…..
Revival is simple- it is about people rejoicing in the presence of a loving God as He cares for us.
And this we can all pray…even as the psalmist did:
6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
Psalm 85:6-7 (NLT2)
Escrivá, Josemaría. The Way (p. 117). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
A Simple Thing, more beneficial than all the political talk possible
Thoughts which carry this broken pastor to Jesus, and to the Cross:
“LORD, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say. Take away my desire to do evil or to join others in doing wrong. Don’t let me eat tasty food with those who do evil.” (Psalm 141:3–4, NCV)
Little lives need the great sunshine of mother’s love, and the great heat of Christ’s benediction. Suffer me to speak a word of experience from the schools where they will learn of great men: Caesar will not teach them such courage; Washington will not inspire them with such patriotism; Socrates will not show them such calmness; David will not impress them with such chivalry; Moses will not move them with such meekness; Elijah will not imbue them with such earnestness; Daniel will not touch them with such manliness; Job will not nerve them with such patience; Paul will not fire them with such love, as will their daily little devout intercourse with Jesus Christ, in the prayers they learn to lisp while yet in your arms, or to repeat while yet kneeling at your knee. Lead them there, and their future manhood and womanhood will rise up to call you blessed.
A Christian must take care that he deceive not himself; he differs from the hypocrite, who may honor God’s Word and the gospel, yet in reality he is unchanged. True Christians so live that it is apparent from their lives that they keep God before their eyes and truly believe the gospel
Psalm 141’s words immediately made me think about the coming elections, and the posts I’ve seen, and been tempted to respond to on social media. For honestly, watching people, church people, demonize the candidate that opposes “their” candidate, whether national, state or local is getting exhausting. At the same time, the hope they are placing in their own candidates makes me wonder how close our society gets to idolatry.
And Psalm 141 hits me right between the eyes.
I am not saying don’t consider positions, I am saying how we treat the “opposition” and our favored candidate needs to be watched, lest we fall deep into idolatry, fatalism, and gossip and slander.That is the “tasty food” set before us, which we could all to easily share with others who are broken, but do not yet have the hope of eternity, but just emptiness, and so this life matters more that it should.
Luther is dead on accurate, we have to fight against the hypocritical “old adam” that would have us slide into the idea that the end justifies the means, for our side. We need to live with our lives, our hope, our trust placed in God, that we can cling to the message of reconciliation and redemption, leading to everlasting life with God… in His kingdom.
Loehe, that trainer of Lutheran pastors of the 19th century gets it right–what matter is not the examples of the great men we know from history. They will not learn from even expertise on these great men, even the great men of scripture, as much as a few moments of simple prayers, of simply basking in the love of Christ as we think on His presence, and His promises in our lives.
It is beneficial to show them how God is always faithful to the broken, for all these leaders were, but that is only to support our devotion to the Lord who is faithful to keep the promises He has made us. Promises that need to be thought through, taken to heart, and claimed in our dialogue with the God who comes to us. Those prayers toddlers and infants learn. that we can use as well, resonate so deeply that they can change our outlook and give us comfort and peace. The same as pointing out the other times we focus in on that intimate relationship, hearing His word, sharing in His death and resurrection in the sacraments, and simply know we are His…
encouraging people to pray, whether the 3-year-old or the 93-year-old – is worth more than all the votes in all the elections, for the result is far more beneficial, as we come to know the love and the peace that both go beyond all comprehension.
Lœhe, W. (1914). Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians (H. A. Weller, Trans.; pp. 599–600). Wartburg Publishing House.
Luther, M., & Sander, J. (1915). Devotional Readings from Luther’s Works for Every Day of the Year (p. 365). Augustana Book Concern.
Come and See What We Treasure! The God Who Helps us Believe! (A Concordia Sermon on Mark 9:14-29)
Come and See What We Treasure!
The God Who Helps Us Believe!
Mark 9:14-29
† In Jesus Name †
The sermon blessing
May the grace, mercy and peace of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ encourage you to pray with great confidence, depending on God’s promises!
Introduction
In my devotions this week, I cam across a quote that will help us understand the scene we just heard about in the gospel. A pastor wrote:
Prayer does not fall into a void; neither is it just a kind of psychotherapy that helps us to assemble our spiritual forces and bring them once more into balance; nor is it merely a kind of pious fiction to exercise our souls and calm them. Prayer is directed to reality. It is both heard and heeded. God, then, is someone who has the power, the ability, the will, and the patience to listen to us men. He is so great that he can be present even for those who are small[1]
I think we need to pay more attention to prayer, not because it is what good people are supposed to do.
In today’s gospel, as Jesus comes down the mountain after a special time of prayer and interaction with those the Father sent to minister to him, this lesson about our need to pray is driven home….
Where did the dad go?
As Mark describes the scene, Jesus comes down the mountain, and the there is a lot of noise, as nine of his apostles and the Jewish teacher of the law are arguing loudly, and the crowd has gathered to see what is going on.
Remember – this isn’t near Jerusalem it’s out in the mountains, so a large crowd gathering is not normal. Jesus sees the argument going on, each side zealously taking their positions – so zealously they forgot who needed the help!
Imagine that, the people arguing were so zealous, so focused on winning the argument that they forgot the poor guy and his son. How do I know that? It says so!
16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him.
The guy was lost in the crowd!
It’s one thing for the pharisees and scribes to forget about the poor guy and his son, it’s another for the disciples! Yet how often do we do that – in the middle of arguments, to forget about the very people we are trying to help?
Why were they powerless to help
This is even more ironic when you think about what they were arguing about – how to minister to the son – and free him from the demons which possessed them. They lost track of the people they were called to minister too—in the heat of a battle with those who believed differently
How often do you and I do the same thing as the 9? Where we talk all about ministry to other people and how they need God in their lives, and what we forget to do—is go to them, minister to them, love them, and help them find the healing we have found in Jesus.
By the way, did I mention this is after the time where Jesus sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God, to heal and free people from demons?
So why couldn’t they cast out this demon?
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”
Why Does prayer give power?
This is where we get back to where we started, to the power of prayer, to the focus it gives as well. Prayer doesn’t work, it is not powered or made more powerful because of how dedicated we are, or powerful our faith and reason are.
Rather the one prayer that was heard was heard despite how week the man was, how desperate his plea was…
Jesus said, Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
That is the prayer that got answered!
One that was from the heart – that acknowledged the father’s weakness and his dependence on Jesus, even to admitting his unbelief existed, and he needed help with even that.
Jesus died and rose so that we could have a relationship with Him and the Father, one where God is involved in our life,
When I started this message – I included a quote from one of my devotions. Part of it said, “Prayer is directed to reality. It is both heard and heeded. God, then, is someone who has the power, the ability, the will, and the patience to listen to us men.”
This man, this father, needed the reality of God involved in his life. He needed God to help—even when his faith, his belief was challenged to point it didn’t exist. But he had enough faith to cry out for mercy…
As we talk about what we treasure about God—and about the work He does in our life, this is so special. God’s love, His mercy, His grace is poured out on us when we are at our weakest.
That is how much He loves us.
That also means that no one—no matter how weak their faith, no matter how desperate their situation, even with demons oppressing them, can find God’s grace and mercy.
This is what we can share with those around us, who know brokenness as well as we do.
We can reveal to them a relationship with God who hears us, and helps us, even when we need help to believe.
One More thing
One last thing to consider. When Jesus saw the disciples arguing with the teachers of the Law, he said, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?”
I have to admit I usually hear this passage with Jesus being a little….hmmm… impatient, or frustrated, or just tired of working with these crazy disciples he couldn’t depend on, who ever talking to him after the resurrection, struggled with doubt… they were still broken…
And that was when He assured us of how long He would be with us, helping and caring for us, how long he would put up with us..
He said, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 (NLT2)
This is the God we treasure… this is the God we all need.
This is our God amen!
[1] 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.
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
The God Who Comes to Us
Thoughts the carry me to Jesus, and to the Cross….
“LORD, show me your love, and save me as you have promised.” (Psalm 119:41, NCV)
“God did not choose us to suffer his anger but to have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died for us so that we can live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes. So encourage each other and give each other strength, just as you are doing now.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–11, NCV)
Come Thou Thyself, with Thine angels, into our temples and homes, as once Thou camest unto Abraham and Sarah. Let them accompany us upon all our ways and journeyings as they did unto Tobias. Let them save us from dangers and death, even as they saved the three men in the fiery furnace, a Daniel from the mouths of the lions, and a Peter from prison bonds. When we go upon paths of unrighteousness, cause them to hinder us, as they once hindered Balaam.
321 Apostolic soul, that intimacy between Jesus and you—so close to him for so many years! Doesn’t it mean anything to you?
As I think about my devotional time this morning, interrupted as it was, I have to start with St. Josemaria’s words,
What does the intimacy I have with God mean? Or as St. Paul points out, we were chosen, not to receive the wrath that is hell, or the reward of a paradise of our choosing (which I would argue is hell,) but to live with Him together. The intimacy that is described in Loehe’s prayer, the confidence that God will be with us in and through every trauma, leads us to be assured of our eternal home–with Him.
It is that confidence in God’s promise that can lead us with the Psalmist to cry out for help to beg for God to show us our love, whether it is to save us from our sin, or to save us from whatever life is throwing at us–again see Loehe the Lutheran trainer of pastors, who documents this in his prayer.
This is what will sustain us, what will empower us, what brings us to where we can serve the Lord our God. To know Him now, to be aware of His presence, to rejoice in His revealing us to himself, both generally in HIs creation and specifically, in great detail in the scriptures–this is that intimacy, to commune as we partake of Bread and Wine, Body and Blood, to know the presence of His Holy Spirit–this is what makes the difference.
Even when He or His angels have to hinder us from some horrendous sin, as the ange; did to Balaam.
This is our God – who loves us, who responds to our cries for help- to our cries for proof of His love.. who planned on it, well before the cross,
He is with us!
———-
Lœhe, William. 1914. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller. Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House.
Escrivá, Josemaría. The Way (p. 54). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Blessed are those without “Filters”
Thoughts which drag me to Jesus, and to the Cross
23 Then the king gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem together. 2 He went up to the Temple of the LORD, and all the people from Judah and Jerusalem went with him. The priests, prophets, and all the people—from the least important to the most important—went with him. He read to them all the words of the Book of the Agreement that was found in the Temple of the LORD. 3 The king stood by the pillar and made an agreement in the presence of the LORD to follow the LORD and obey his commands, rules, and laws with his whole being, and to obey the words of the agreement written in this book. Then all the people promised to obey the agreement. 2 Kings 23:1-3 NCV
Why we need to learn this is because within each of us is a child of Adam who does not fully trust God. There is someone who wants to control his own life down to the last detail, someone who struggles to believe that God can and will meet all of his needs, someone who questions God’s efficiency and foresight and his unbelievable patience –with all that is wrong in the world and in my life–and someone who absolutely dreads the full implications of the stark order: “Follow Me!”
The correction of this disorder explains why, as the apostles follow Jesus, he constantly does things that set them off. He lets them be frightened at sea, confused on land, and sad and distressed, in his company. He does things that seem to go against common sense, and when provoked, they are very vocal about their frustration, anger, sadness, confusion. And then it gets real. Finally, the unfiltered emotion has broken through and the Physician takes it from there. Healing begins with an exposed wound.
LORD, hear my prayer and let my cry come unto Thee. Hide not Thy face from me for I am poor and needy. Incline Thine ear unto me. When I cry unto Thee, hear me and answer me.
I have a friend, well actually I have several–but I am thinking of one in particular, who has publicly confessed to not have a filter. He is known for saying things without thinking them through, and he gives you, bluntly and honestly, who he is. Sometimes it’s kinda cute, sometimes it is more than abrasive! And sometimes, it is so full of God’s love and hope that everyone sits back in awe,
As I’ve grown older, I have come to appreciate people like this more and more. I long to share the gospel with them, even if they are militant opposed to the Church, and they blame Jesus for the excesses and sins of the people who are sinners, yet are trying to depend on Him. Simply put, the lack of a filter works against them, for that means they have less of a filter defending them. They will put up a fight, but it isn’t hidden behind a false reality that has been carefully constructed. THey end up being wonderful evangelists as well, for they realize their need for God.
You see this with King Josiah. They find for him the scriptures (how they lost them is crazy) and he hearing them goes into high gear and floors it. He and the people repent, and then they begin to clean house – the house of God. And oh do they clean house! and city! and Nation! (Basically a revival breaks out) What an amazing, unfiltered response to hearing about the love of God!
This is what Fr. John is getting at – the extent of the filters we set up to that God has to remove, and then the work of Jesus “Setting us off,” all so that in our state of unfiltered emotion, He can serve us, wash our feet, calm our storms, heal us, and through the cross, the grave and the resurrection, restore us, as broken as we are. But he has to destroy those filters first.
It is then, without filters, without filters, that we can cry out Loehe’s prayer and mean it.
It is then that we can deal with our brokenness honestly, we can confess our sins, and trust God to do what He promised…
Fr. John Henry Hanson, Coached by Josemaria Escriva, p.90
Lœhe, William. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Translated by H. A. Weller, Wartburg Publishing House, 1914, p. 321.
The Art of Listening to a Sermon/Homily/Bible Lesson
Thoughts which draw us to Jesus, and to His cross
45 I will live in perfect freedom, because I try to obey your teachings.
73 You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. 74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:45, 73-74 (NLT2)
Though I hear but a human being preach, even as I am human, yet do Thou so rule and govern my mind that I may regard him as the servant of Christ, and hear him as a messenger in God’s stead, for by him Thou instructest me. Therefore, make me to have desire to the word which falls from his lips, and though all that he says may not please me, let me be mindful of other hearers beside me, who may find which I least regard, as most necessary and beneficial to themselves. Meanwhile do Thou Thyself speak within my soul when he speaks to my ears. Cause my heart to burn within me like the hearts of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. Open my heart as Thou once didst open the heart of Lydia, the seller of purple, that I may give heed to what is said unto me. Grant me such measure of grace that I may rightly judge and divide all that Thy servant says: the words of the text which he explains, the doctrine which he draws therefrom, the truth which he thereby shows forth, the errors which he therewith opposes, my own self-examination which he may provoke therein, the sins which he condemns, the good which he commends, the instruction unto godliness which he gives, and the comfort which we may receive against every care of this miserable life. Grant, O God, that I may hear all this with diligence, receive it with joy, understand it rightly, consider it carefully, know Thy will therefrom, feel the power of Thy Word within me, and so, become ever more perfect and ready unto all good works.
In summary, buried beneath our exterior self is a seed of contemplation waiting to grow and flourish. The seed of contemplation within us is a function of God’s deep desire to be in communion with us. Our open and receptive response to this gentle and sweet invitation transforms our life in all ways.
As I read Loehe’s words, a prayer he recorded about preparing to hear a sermon, I thought of how much time we in preparing sermons, from learning how to study scripture, to learning how to write and deliver that sermon. 36 units just in preaching classes, if I include Theology and Bible courses, add another 60-80 units. Not to mention books read, and sometimes reread 16-20 hours a week – 48-50 weeks a year, not talking midweek services! A lot of polishing of student sermons and deacon sermons along the way as well.
And I never gave much thought to how I prepare my people to hear a sermon.
I guess I didn’t consider it the same as medidating on the word of God, which Loehe develops the thought of in the prayer. I know we are proclaiming Christ, and Him cricified as the hope, yet how do we listen, and dwell and let it sing in, as Loehe suggests? is hearing the word proclaimed a form of the mediation that Nolasco desire should flourish? It certainly includes the message of God’s deep desire to be in communion, intimate communion with us!
That is all Psalm 119 is really about – this deep meditation on the word of God – deep as engaging heart and soul as well as mind–the word and the word- enfleshed sacraments causing us to be drawn more consciously into the presence of God, where we dwell.
This is how the word heals, as it is communicated through the lips of broken men like me, and takes up residence in those that hear it.
Oddly enough – that is how our Lord chose to make this work….
May our common meditation reveal the Lord, our Rock, our Savior.
AMEN!
William Lœhe, Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians, trans. H. A. Weller (Chicago: Wartburg Publishing House, 1914), 126–128.
Rolf Nolasco Jr., The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011), 51.
