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The Pantheon, An Example of Redemption and Transformation and Vocation
Devotional and Discussion Thought of the day:
A post on Facebook this morning brought memories of our trip (dare I say our pilgrimage) to Rome last year.
We were walking down a street – just trying to get a feeling for the city. An amazing city, and dare I say it had a sense of both home and holiness. It is hard to explain – but it was there, not just in the churches, but among the very streets. We came across this building from the back, obviously a place that was old and needing more restoration. As we rounded the front – it was the Pantheon – the incredible temple built for sacrifices to be offered to the pantheon of Roman Gods – its oculus – the hole in the center of the dome – even on an overcast day lit this ancient magnificent structure incredibly. The huge iron doors, amazing.
Yet what astounded me the most, this incredible building, built to worship false gods, built as a place to appease them, was transformed, sanctified, set apart centuries later to be a place of like transformation, a place to celebrate the Light pouring into lives.
What I never read of, what I never realized – is that this building is now a church – an active place where people are baptized, and transformed by the Love of God. A place where the Body and Blood of Christ is the only sacrifice that matters, the only one that could be used to redeem and revive and restore.
A place that was redeemed, that was set apart (sanctified) to be a place where redemption and sanctification of man occurs, because of the love of the One, True God, who does that which we cannot. He buys us back, He redeems us, He cleanses us, He sets us apart….for Him.
As I walked into the Pantheon, as I saw the altars, the paintings, the incredible dome, the oculus, a sense of awe overtook me – much different than the awe at the forum, or at Triumphant Arches, or looking at the wall, or even as we walked through the ruins of Pompeii. It wasn’t just a historical reminder of our past, of the culture we’ve lost.
It’s a place where faith is strengthened, where life in Christ begins, where redemption is seen and known.
A place where God has come.
A place where I have hope – for if God can transform such a place – I realize that I too can be transformed – and that I too can be a place where God dwells, where He abides, where with other believers, we form a temple not made with hands… and our sacrifice is not to die, but to live. Where as this building gains the identity of being a place of God, such is my vocation and life. Yours as well.
Such is the wonder of walking with Christ.
He makes all things – whether ancient temples dedicated to man’s glory, or men themselves…new.
May our lives praise Him, and may people glorify Him more as they see His work in and through us. AMEN
While we are waiting for His return….
While We are Waiting…
Jude 20-25
† In Jesus Name †
The Blessing of the Book of Jude:
To you who are called, to you who are dear to God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ, 2 mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
The Holy Stairs.,,
Luther had stood at the base of the steps we stood before, just about 500 years prior to Kay and I standing at them. Even as Jesus has reportedly climbed those same stairs, as he approached Pilate, and the cross were He would embrace death, that you and I would know life.
At the top of the stairs, now with a church built around them, was a incredibly compassionate picture of Jesus, looking down the stairs, at those who would pray to Him as they climbed those stairs on their knees, humbly praying, as they have for hundreds of years.
One thing that struck me then, as it had all week, the incredible devotion showed to God, some in love, some in fear, that we saw in the pilgrims and in the many beautiful places dedicated to God. Such testimonies to an incredible devotion to God that so touched the hearts of tourists; as well as those who were somewhere between tourist and pilgrim.
I am sure that God listens to prayers without our needing to make pilgrimages, or spending hours upon hours on our knees praying. But there is something to be said for the devotion, for the focus, for the treasuring of God’s love, that would draw someone to such actions, or to build incredible basilicas that rival any other buildings in the world. To sculpt or paint, or compose music, that would point to God’s glory. It amazes me the work that man can accomplish, that testifies to God’s glory. What amazes me more, is the work that God can accomplish through us, as He builds His people into His church.
As we celebrate the end of the church year… as we look to His return, and the celebration that will come, when God gathers all of us home… Jude encourages us to accomplish some things while we are waiting…
It is better to say… to let the Holy Spirit bring things to pass in our lives…
Building up in holy faith
I know that Michael last week talked about the things which last, that it is not the temples and basilicas and even the churches of today that will last eternally – but the people that God calls into being as His people. For Jesus talked of that, as the disciples talked of the stones that built Herod’s temple – stones taken from the mountains that Jesus spoke into being.
Jude talks of building that up – the community of believers, the brothers and sisters united in Christ, as children of God – that which Jesus indicated would last, for He would guard and keep that church.
You, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21
It is, I think, more of a challenge to build up each other in the most holy faith, than it is to paint the Sistine Chapel. But that is the masterpiece we have been called to build up. To point each other to Jesus, to help each other trust in Christ. That includes, at times, the challenge of showing people their need for Jesus, for each one of us, from the greatest to the smallest, from the proudest to the meekest, from those who seem to have it all together, to those who can’t even remember which part needs repair the soonest. We all need Jesus, we all need His healing, we all need His love…
It is given to us, to build up each other, not in building up egos, but in helping each other realizing our desperate need for Jesus, to encourage each other to turn to Him, to even walk beside each other, pointing each other to God, and His healing. And to that, in prayer, listening to God, hearing the Holy Spirit. I like what one pastor wrote about this..
..you realised that until now you had known that the Holy Spirit was dwelling in your soul, to sanctify it… But you hadn’t really grasped this truth about his presence. You needed that advice. Now you feel his Love within you, and you want to talk to him, to be his friend, to confide in him… You want to facilitate his work of polishing, uprooting, and enkindling…
I wouldn’t know how to set about it! you thought. Listen to him, I insist. He will give you strength. He will do everything, if you so want… And you do want! (Escriva, The Forge)
It is no mistake, in this tiny, last of the epistles, that the writer would encourage us to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice, to pray in His power, to realize His presence, even as we are awaiting the full revelation of Christ’s mercy upon His return. For our task is not one merely of human creation, but one which requires all the strength and creativity of God.
Showing Mercy
Jude mentions two very similar ways of building each other up, ways in which we simple are to do this.
The first is to show mercy to those who are wavering, those who are struggling, those whose faith is fragile, even as they struggle. Such weakness is never a cause for contempt, it is never our place to say – well if they can’t hack it – if they don’t have the strength on their own – then that is their own problem. We are called, instead of judging or condemning them, to come alongside them, and encourage them. Jude says this is not option – we must those mercy to those whose faith is wavering.
For indeed, in our own lives, we know that kind of mercy, or we need to know i! We see it when we struggle, or doubt, or wonder. Whatever you want to call it…we each go through it – no one in this sanctuary is strong enough on their own, no pastor that has ever stood before you, no elder, or Sunday school teacher, no board member, nor any child who comes into this place. Each has been there, with their faith wavering, whether they wanted to admit it or not. All of us need that love, that compassion, that care, the kind that Christ shows through His people. The kind Jude compels us to show. There is no other option, and it is quite probable we need to repent for not obeying this.
Likewise in verse 25, we are commanded to “23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
You see, that is what we are doing when we share our faith, whether in a doctor’s office in Artesia, or in a café in Rome outside of Vatican city. We aren’t just trying to convince people that our way is somehow better than theirs, that our God is better than the god of Islam, or Judaism, or Buddhism. This isn’t like anything else than “snatching people from the flames of judgement”.
Is there anything more important that we do in our lives? Is there any reward more incredible than seeing someone you’ve loved when no one else bothered to, baptized and cleansed and given a new life? You could build a thousand Concordias! You could paint a Sistine chapels day after day – every moment of your life creating artistic masterpeices, and none of it comes close to this work of showing mercy. The most incredible thing you could ever do in life, is to lead someone to a baptismal font, or guide them to an altar where they are cleansed of their sin, or as they are struggling come to them –pointing them to Jesus as you carry them to His side in prayer and love.
Whether they are simply struggling in their faith, or… being swallowed by Hell…
This is our work, this is what the saints of God are called to do, even as we are called to walk with the Holy Spirit in prayer
Know God is powerful
The bottom line of Jude is found in the last few verses:
. 24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time!
Note in the middle of the praises, there is a description of God’s action – that He is the One who keeps you from falling away – from being safe in God’s love as He mentioned. It is His work to bring you into the Father’s glorious presence, more glorious than any painter or sculptor can imagine and create.
He brings us there without a single fault, not one, not even one little tiny fault. He has promised us that, and died to make it so. That’s why he climbed the steps before Pilate and made good His promise to become our Savior. The steps that some climb, to pray for a friend, or a family member or themselves, he climbed for us all. That is what we are to encourage each other to trust in, the Lord who climbed those steps, who endured that cross, looking forward to the joy of revealing how much He loves you. That is why we are to come alongside and support those whose faith wavers, and to rescue others from the fire.
And someday… instead of celebrating the end of the church year, we will celebrate the homecoming of all homecomings,
Until then, my friends, know this – even as you will see His glory face to face, you dwell in it now. Even as you will sing praises to Him in all His glory, you dwell in that glory now…and even there, as His peace will reign in your life, it does so now.
For our Lord Jesus Christ has made it so, creating us as His people, cleansing us from sin, and keeping us from falling out of that peace. AMEN?
Saved is more than making Par
Devotional thought of the Day:
He looked carefully at the situation, wondering how to get himself out of the rough.
Only 24 feet from the pin, but lying in the rough, just to the right of the sand trap, on this next to last hole. Four inch high grass almost hid the ball from sight, but to dig it out without hitting the ball to hard… a challenge indeed! The practice swing through the grass with the chipper only heightened the anxiety, as the grass slowed the club head down. The second practice swing – so hard the ball would go 30 yards at least. Tension settles in, as the golfer breathes out slowly, the club head comes down, and the ball comes out of the grass, lands on the green and is slowly rolling, its line looking to be about 6 inches off the hole.
Without warning the ball breaks sharply to the left and drops in the hole! The crowd goes wild, as the spectator reacts as if I just won the British Open. I “saved” bogey, and would set a new course record, breaking two over par (avg per hole!)
What a SAVE!
We often talk about saves, from the pitcher comes into in the ninth inning, bases loaded and strikes out the clean-up hitter, to the catch of the previous vase I just knocked over, to my son “saving” his artwork forever! Think as well about all the things cluttering our garages that we save because we might just need them, or the money we “save” for the rainy day.
With all these things we “save”, some of which we get incredibly excited about for the moment, (the bogey, the baseball game) and some that will never amount to anything – the word “saved” becomes weaker and weaker and when we talk about being “saved”, does it have the same impact?
Being “saved” by Jesus is a lot more than an instant “win”, and its far more permanent than even the stuff in our garage. I think most of us know this in our mind, when it is being thought about, but how much does it affect our lives. I love the words some translations use instead – “RESCUE” or “DELIVERANCE” – because they bring into it the change that occurs,
as we are transformed from being evil to being holy.
as we go from wicked to righteous,
as we go from being alone, to sharing in the glory of Gods’ presence, welcome there, our presence desired there, and brought there because of the love of Jesus!
from blind to seeing, from deaf to hearing, from death to life….we are delivered from and more importantly delivered to…
As God’s name is made holy among us, among us! The catechism describes it this way: ” When God’s Word is taught clearly and purely, and when we live holy lives as God’s children based upon it. Help us, Heavenly Father, to do this!
Think about it, rejoice in it, love in it, with His patient help, and care…
You are saved – and its more than saving bogey, or par, or even getting a hole in one…
It is life…
You Must Open Your Hearts too!
You Must Open Your Hearts…too
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
† In Jesus Name †
May you indeed find God’s grace, His love, His peace, His mercy so incredible, so beyond imagination, that you receive it with great joy, and grow to adore Him more and more!
A Scary Thought…
Nothing scares a pastor more than the possibility that Paul writes of, in his letter to the church in Corinth. We heard it this morning,
6:1 As his fellow-workers, we urge you not to let your acceptance of his grace come to nothing.
That what you have received, the promises of Baptism, the blessings of sharing in Christ’s feast, that the words of Grace that we have shared as we have heard the word of God read, as we’ve discussed it in sermons and Bible studies and conversations, that it would become of no value to you? That it would be in vain? Could it possibly be such?
The writer of Hebrews describes this as well,
2:1 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? Hebrews 2:1-3 (NLT)
Can we let God’s grace that we have known “come to nothing? Can we ignore this great salvation? Can we turn our back on God? Is this just Paul being human and worried about the people he ministered too, or is there something insidious out there, ready to devour the people of God?
Like Paul, I urge you not to let your acceptance of His grace come to nothing…
that is, what ministry is really about – our ministry together, the ministry of the entire church – encouraging each other to know His grace, to receive it with joy, and to not neglect it – but to grow in your trust and dependence on it.
No Obstacles…
Nothing but the Blood of Christ for you
The chief purpose of all ministry.. is to give you Christ!
As Paul desires that no one should ever accept God’s grace in a way that is of no value, his ministry reflects that desire. That’s why he talks of putting no obstacle in the way of those he ministers too, including the church in Corinth. Indeed, as you read the letters of Paul, he seeks to rid any obstacle, anything that blocked people from God’s grace.
That includes things like misusing the law of God in order to guilt people into behaving, adding practices and obligations, or teaching people that they must have some secret level of knowledge. The more I read him – even the “difficult” letters like Romans, the more pragmatic he becomes – as he tells over and over – that the gospel – the good news of the Father’s love, seen in the work of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, and the giving of the Holy Spirit – that’s the power of God to save all – Jew and Gentile, now matter who we are, where we are from.
It is something that is so incredible, for as we say in baptism – God makes His sign that of the cross – He places His seal on our hearts and our minds.
Those who were the earliest of Lutherans, got this idea down – no obstacles. When describing the liturgy, the times where we are gathered by God to receive the promises of His word, the blessings of the sacraments, they wrote:
“after all, the primary purpose of all services is to teach people what they need to know about Christ” [i]
Deacon Mark says it this way – we preach the same message every week – we just use different words! It is the purpose of all we do, that all may be presented to the Father, perfect in Christ!
In this time…why we adore God, why we rejoice that someone was tortured more than we could ever imagine – it is because of His love for us, and that he went to that cross for the joy that was set before Him. The joy that was set before Him – the idea that we would be re-united with our loving Father in heaven, that we would be made complete – returned home – that salvation and deliverance would be ours….
No other message – for nothing else is as valuable as knowing this, nothing else brings comfort – the kind of comfort the word of God brings…
The Challenge of Consistent Trust…
That is why Paul will discuss to some length how God proves them authentic servants of His, as they serve people.
That they are compelled by the love of Christ to endure all the pain, all the oppression, all the stresses, being arrested and beaten and hungry. That during those times their faith was pure, they were able to rely on what they knew of God, and find the strength to be patience and kind, comforted by the Holy Spirit and truly loves their friends and enemies, that doesn’t speak of human strength, but divine.
I would almost say that it isn’t natural to be able to endure that they endured, or that we can endure. The world calls it supernatural – strength beyond that we can be explain. However, for the children of the Creator, for the sons and daughter of the God who reigns, it is not just natural, it should be the norm.
Think about a young couple in love, and getting married, naïve to that which goes on around them, they truly just enjoying and yes – adoring each other. Do they notice how rundown their first apartment is, or the low level of their income, or perhaps the opposition they face to their marriage this soon?
Such is the adoration we have towards God – less and less makes sense in our life, as we realize His love. Unlike the young couple with no clue to their surroundings, God promises that He has all in hand! That He, with every bit of His power and His love, He promises it will work for good, for those that love Him.
The Challenge of the Distress..
This passage we have heard ends in a unique way – as he urges them not to receive grace in vain, and he assures them both of his desire and action to remove any obstacles to grace, and testifies of its permanence, no matter the situation, he then urges them one more time concerning the love of God,,,
11 People of Corinth, we have spoken frankly and opened our heart to you. 12 Any distress you feel is not on our side; the distress is in your own selves.
There are times when the prophets and apostles in the New Testament deal bluntly with people, and of the churches in the New Testament, Corinth is the dealt with bluntly, and without apology. They have sacred cows that need to be barbecued slowly and with care – and Paul does. But its not just for fun that he does this, but because those sacred cows get in the way of the people’s relationship with God…
That is why Paul says that he speaks frankly! That if there is distress that its not that Paul caused it! Rather that the distress is internal, caused by a heart that is bearing burdens it need not, a distress caused by focusing on distractions and things that would try to rob from you the joy of your salvation. It may be caused by the oppression of sin, sin that needs to be cleaned out, and the Holy Spirit trying to do that very thing.
That returns us to the beginning – the incredible words of Paul,
Now is the real time of favour, now the day of salvation is here.
It’s the time to do that thing we almost fear… that we shrink from for we do not know the changes that it will bring.
Paul’s last words… “you must open your hearts…too.” (long pause)
Remember, Paul is speaking to the people of God, those baptized into Christ, those who have come to live in Him. This is not a call to faith! Rather it is a call to believers to abandon that which would separate us from God! It is a invitation to realize that the most important thing in our life is what was begun here, when God chose and marked us as His, and celebrated here,
I urge you – live in a life where trusting in God! Live full in His grace, know Him and rejoicing in your relationship! Live in Christ fully, as you come to know that which He promised you, the riches that scriptures teach are yours, as His children, the children He loves.
For then you will realize that His grace is not nothing… but everything….
And knowing that – will help you realize the incredible peace that God created for you to dwell with Him in, the peace of God our Father, which goes beyond comprehension, a peace in which our hearts and minds rest – guarded and kept there in Christ Jesus.
AMEN?
[i] (pr. Parker’s paraphrase – Article XXIV of the Augsburg Confession)
