Monday, August 20, 2018

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2018

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

Text: John 6:51
Theme: Life-Giving Food


Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

The Holy Scriptures are always very consistent in their witness. Though compiled over nearly 1500 years the theme of the Bible remains unchanged throughout. Since the Holy Spirit is the author this should not seem surprising. It is also evidence of the fact that the holy Christian church is one continuous and contiguous entity. Believers throughout the ages, unrestricted by the dimensions of time and space, participate in the life of God through common means. Those who are part of the church triumphant enjoy the fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit by sight, we in the church militant, by faith. But the certainty of the latter is not less than that of the former. This is so because the Saviour who came in the flesh and reigns in that flesh is immortal. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”1

But we live in a constantly changing world. And it is the nature of human beings to become frustrated about changes they cannot control. The people who witnessed Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes were enthralled by His ability but they were not prepared to concede their need for a more fundamental rescue and recognize His divinity. Finally, when Jesus named Himself as the way of eternal salvation the matter is driven to a head. “At this the Jews began to grumble about Him because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.”2

This complaining and skepticism sounds very familiar. Remember what happened nearly 1500 years earlier. The Israelites had been freed from slavery in Egypt, yet they quickly lost patience with God in the desert. The Bible says, “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!’”3 They thought they preferred to die rather than wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises!

The pathology of sin is expressed as a continuous diatribe of complaint against God. Our failures, hardships, and painful experiences are not easily accepted as our own fault. Like Adam blaming Eve and then ultimately God, we prefer to put the responsibility on others we claim have wronged us and finally God who has failed to help us. This pattern becomes a way of life. Unless called to account by God’s authority, we become unrepentant and feel justified in blaming others. No matter what happens, we see ourselves as victims and not the cause.
God reveals to us how things really are. Maturity in the faith is not reached by passing blame but by claiming guilt. Certainly, others have, and do, and will continue to sin against us. But that reality is not resolved by seeking revenge or by avoidance or by denial. What do we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”4 How difficult it is to forgive those who sin against us! But a genuine commitment to forgive others is a defining characteristic of the baptismal life. That which we receive from Christ- grace and forgiveness- is expressed in our relationships with others.

The Christian who is not continually engaged in the dynamics of repentance and forgiveness is not a true follower of Christ regardless of what other appearances are made. Paul said it directly last Sunday, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and sander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”5 Faith is not a matter of living independently from God but of needing Him more. The freedom Christians have is not about living without God’s support but being freed from the guilt of sin. Christ was crucified and raised and in baptism believers are integrated into His life, they are not set on their way to live apart from Him.

It was reasonable that the Jews understood God’s giving of manna as the standard expression of God’s provision. Now this Jesus seemed to be challenging that. How could Jesus’ multiplying of the loaves and fishes be a greater miracle than that of the manna and quail God supplied all those years in the desert? Jesus was seeking to lead them to a deeper faith. The manna was only temporary nourishment. Jesus Christ is eternal food. The manna could not prevent physical death. Even with unlimited manna available the bodies of the Israelites still succumbed to sin. But Christ has defeated sin and death. All who trust in Him will have their bodies raised from death and glorified for eternity. They needed to understand that baptismal water was thicker than Jewish blood.

From beginning to end, conception to grave, death to life- to eternity- God provides for our wellbeing of body and soul. To the skeptical Jews Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”6 The Bible is clear that all credit for being rescued from the power of sin and hell rests with God. The Holy Spirit makes the dead person alive. But every person possesses the power of spiritual death. Separation from God is always ultimately the fault of the individual. God may exact the punishment for rejecting Him, but He is never the cause of the rejection. The grace of Christ is universal. And though people can harden their hearts against God, no one has the power to awaken themselves from spiritual slumber. Beyond these truths we cannot probe. Nor do we need to. God’s promises are sure. His word is clear. His sacraments reveal and extend His mercy to us.

The importance of physical food we readily grasp. But we can hardly read John chapter 6, listen to Jesus’ words about the bread of life, and not think of the sacred meal we receive in the Lord’s Supper. Physical food is God’s gift to the body. Holy Communion is His gift to body and soul. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life…I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world.”7 Amen.




+ In nomine Jesu +

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
19 August 2018 (9 August 2009)
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Hebrews 13:8
2 John 6:41
3 Numbers 14:2
4 Matthew 6:12
5 Ephesians 4:30-32
6 John 6:44
7 John 6:47-48, 51

Funeral of Kelvin Montgomery (15 August 2018)

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

Text: John 14:6
Theme: One Way, One Truth and One Life

Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Kelvin, Luke, Ashley, Justin and Monique, his children, and especially you, Leanne;

Funeral addresses are not for the dead, but for the living. Kelvin has crossed the threshold to eternity, but we are still confined by the parameters of time. Kelvin has been released from all the burdens of this mortal life. He has no fears, anxieties, pains or griefs. He is at peace. And for this we give thanks, even in the midst of our sorrow.

We, however, still struggle on with the challenges and uncertainties each day brings. Our successes can be quickly overtaken by defeats. Our health can suddenly be surpassed by sickness. Our bright hope for the future can be rapidly overshadowed by doubt. It’s not without prudence that Moses prays in Psalm 90, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”1 We know not whether we have one more day on this earth, 1,000, or ten times that many or more. But that’s no reason to panic or lose hope. A heart of wisdom learns to cherish each day as a sacred trust. Every breath you draw is a gift of the Creator.

So, the fact of mortality stands palpably before us. Death is not fictional. Being confronted with death can be as raw as it is numbing. It can fill the mind with anxiety as acutely as it blunts the emotion of the heart. Death cannot be manipulated by any power that we possess. It is the ultimate expression of vulnerability.

Our limitations regarding physical life mirror our capacities in spiritual life. Put bluntly: We have none. Therefore, God must come to our aid. And He does. Luther says it brilliantly when He describes the Holy Spirit’s work, saying, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”2 And there you have it! God takes in hand to accomplish what we could never achieve.

The Scripture says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”3 You, dear friend, are part of the world. There are no exclusions, no exceptions. You cannot go unnoticed by God; hidden away by the digital façade of a cyberworld or lost in the anonymity of society’s relentless pursuit of self-indulgence. The Redeemer came for you and for your salvation.

It’s true, of course, that no one can believe for someone else. We can pray for others, support them, warn them about error, and seek to nurture their faith at every opportunity. But we have no capacity to secure a spot in heaven for anyone else. Jesus reconciles sinners and no one else can. God is not a chump. He doesn’t suffer fools lightly. Those who loathe Him will be left to their own schemes. But God is gracious far beyond our capacity to fathom. His mercy cannot be measured. Yet it was given tangible expression in the person of His Son. There is no darkness deeper than that which Christ endured. There is no evil more terrifying than what He confronted in those hours of His passion. There is no deception more sinister than that with which Satan attacked Him. Yet He prevailed and brought life, and light, and truth to the fore through His own death and resurrection.

We’re not here today to whitewash Kelvin’s sins or pretend he was a model citizen. That does nothing. Aside from the main offence of falsifying reality, it only propagates the common myth that that everyone is more glamorous in death than they are in life. I’m not talking about remembering the deceased from the perspective of cherishing the most positive memories. That’s part of the charitableness of human compassion. God calls upon us to put the best construction on everything. We’re talking here of a denial of sin’s power and presence that falsely soothes our own consciences. Nothing is finally more dangerous than to believe that sin is of little concern, a paper tiger. Sin, when left unaddressed separates us from God. He is the final judge.

Kelvin endured his share of trauma and sadness. He battled his demons. He had his regrets. But his life was also filled with blessings and adventures. His family and friends can attest to that. We just spent time reflecting on them. Memories are to be cherished, but they can’t finally set the heart at peace in times of loss. Only God can do that and there are no substitutes. If we don’t have the peace Christ gives then we have a false peace, a fictional peace. No one else can forgive sins. No one else can answer Satan’s accusations. No one else can raise the dead. No one else can bestow the gift of immortality.

The anxious disciples of Jesus asked Him the way to heaven. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”4 One way. One truth. One life. We need not labour over how we can storm the gates of heaven, impress God with piety, or negotiate some other way to slip into the kingdom. Christ has thrown the door wide open for all who believe. Salvation is by grace, through faith. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And that truth alone can finally mitigate our grief.

When Kelvin was baptized God made a promise to Him. It was a steadfast covenant of grace. It was a promise of an eternal inheritance that includes all the blessings of heaven. We heard a partial description earlier, “[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’”5 Heaven involves a newness, a restoration to life that far exceeds all that we can currently imagine. But at the resurrection on the Last Day believers will experience it in body and soul. Leanne, Luke, Ashley, Justin, Monique, all who feel the pain of loss; Kelvin is at rest. He has been released from the fallenness of this life. Thanks be to God!

+ In nomine Jesu +

Funeral of Kelvin Stanley John Montgomery
15 August 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Psalm 90:12 2 Luther’s Small Catechism
3 John 3:16-17 4 John 14:6
5 Revelation 21:4-5 6 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
7John 14:2