Sunday, January 3, 2016

Second Sunday after Christmas (C) 2016

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: John 1:1-4
Theme: Word and Life

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

The beginning of John’s gospel is weighty. The Holy Spirit cuts to the quick. “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.”1 He’s not introducing casual information in hope that uninterested mortals might pause to satisfy their curiosity. There’s no small talk to build rapport in the manner we might talk about the weather, our plans for New Year, or the outcome of the game. He moves immediately to the heart of the message: The Babe of Bethlehem is the Messiah; the Eternal Word; the Source and Author of life; the only Light that pierces the spiritual darkness. He is the immortal God in human vesture. He is full of grace and truth.

John fully intends his listeners to ponder the deeper questions of existence. How did everything come to be? What’s our place in it? What does the future hold? What lies beneath the surface, beyond the horizons, and behind the threshold? How can we make sense of our existence even as we plod along in our daily routines?

The starting point is our status in relation to God. We have no power to sustain life. We have no ability to be redeemed by obedience to the God’s law. “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”2 Paul reminds us that long before the law was given sin and death were in the world. The knowledge of God was written on the heart, it was etched on the will. Sin and death were unalterable, immovable parts of reality. Even in their longevity the ancients were aware of their mortality. When wickedness increased in the early generations God said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal.”3 Sin brought death. It was inevitable. Aside from a couple of notable exceptions- namely Enoch and Elijah- who were swept into the presence of the divine, all would succumb to its curse.

Nothing has changed. Today our society struggles to distinguish between civility and Christianity. This is nothing new. Scholars in the church have long argued about whether the ancient pagan philosophers were saved by their ethical integrity. Were Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle redeemed by virtue of their contribution to society? Can any altruistic person be pardoned by God in spite of steadfast unbelief? The Scripture has a clear answer.

Dear friends, do not be deceived. There are many who seek the prosperity of our society, contributing sacrificially and tirelessly to the improvement of systems and conditions that benefit the lives of many. These investments are to be commended. Yet they steadfastly deny the final judgment, accountability to the Almighty, and the inevitability of life either with God or eternally separated from Him. The Scripture says flatly that they walk in darkness. They are the blind leading the blind. Like us they are called to repentance.

Without knowledge of God’s true disposition towards us it’s impossible to make sense of the contradiction of life. One day the warmth of the sun brings a smile to the face. The next day it brings terror to the heart. One day its heat dissipates a cold chill. The next it facilitates a destructive fire. One day the passion of a lover binds one closely to the spouse. The next day it turns to lust for another and tears the union apart. One day a child is born, cherished by its parents. The next day a child is aborted, its life deemed worthless. One day a neighbour is commended, praised for her virtue and support. The next, day condemned, slandered for her failure to agree with one’s opinions. These are the contrasts and inconsistencies of life. Unbelievers experience them too but view them from a different perspective. They trapped within the framework of the law.

You see, the gospel is not a Christianized version of a universal code of ethical standard. It’s not a platform for the progress of temporal prosperity. It’s not one in a long list of human ideologies meant to facilitate an understanding of how the human psyche can be pacified or gratified in the face of life’s prosperities and adversities. It’s not a plan for self-help or a formula for do-it-yourself achievement. The gospel is the light that shines in the darkness.

The gospel breaks in upon us like the sudden rays of the sun through a dark cloud; like the nativity angels to the shepherds in dark fields. It asks no questions. It makes no demands. It calculates no exertions. It judges no motives. It takes count of no failures. It measures no transgressions. It comes dripping with grace. It comes laden with peace. It comes bearing forgiveness. It proclaims boldly and clearly the unparalleled news that in Jesus Christ the power of sin has been overthrown. The infant of Bethlehem will sit on the throne of heavenly Zion. “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”Isaiah 9:7


“He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.”Ephesians 1:4 Think how mind-blowing that is: Before the creation of the world! Baptism is the point at which God’s eternal plan becomes truly meaningful for the believer. God is no longer only the Creator and Judge, He also becomes the Redeemer. You become a heir to His kingdom. And you become the ongoing focus of His attentive love.

Each Sunday the Holy Spirit continues to meet you in the promise of your baptism. He keeps you connected with the source of life. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”John 1:14 Come and eat the body of the incarnate One. Come, drink His precious blood. In this sacrament we see His glory. With the eyes of faith we touch and taste His forgiveness.


Dear friends, death is not the answer nor does it have the final say. Death is not the solution; a convenient method of escape for those no longer able to cope with the burdens of this life. Nor is it the last word. Its power to silence has been broken. “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”1 Corinthians 15:25-26The crucifixion has robbed death of its power. The risen Jesus lives, never to die again.


+ In nomine Jesu +

Second Sunday After Christmas
3 January, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 John 1:3-4
2 John 1:17
3 Genesis 6:3
4 Colossians 3:12-14
5 1 Corinthians 13:12
6 John 1:14

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